Review
Cell Biology
Huili Li, Ruijuan Guo, Yun Guan, Junfa Li, Yun Wang
Summary: Synapses in the central nervous system are dynamic and highly plastic interfaces for information transmission between neurons. Trans-synaptic cell-adhesion molecules, such as neurexins and neuroligins, regulate the assembly of synaptic molecules and play a role in synaptopathies associated with pathological pain.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shweta Suiwal, Mayur Dembla, Karin Schwarz, Rashmi Katiyar, Martin Jung, Yvonne Carius, Stephan Maxeiner, Marcel A. Lauterbach, C. Roy D. Lancaster, Frank Schmitz
Summary: Unc119 protein mediates transport of myristoylated proteins to the photoreceptor outer segment and is also enriched in photoreceptor synapses. The synaptic ribbon could be involved in the discharge of Unc119-bound lipid-modified proteins. Proteins associated with Unc119 may play important roles in photoreceptor synapses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Physiology
Wallace B. Thoreson
Summary: The review explores the conversion of light-evoked voltage responses of rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the vertebrate retina to synaptic vesicle release events for transmission to downstream neurons. It discusses processes, proteins, and structures involved in this early step in vision, focusing on studies from salamander retina with comparisons to other experimental animals. Many mechanisms are conserved across species, highlighting the importance of understanding the intricate details of synaptic transmission in the visual system.
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katelyn Cuttler, Maryam Hassan, Jonathan Carr, Ruben Cloete, Soraya Bardien
Summary: Synaptopathies are brain disorders characterized by dysfunctional synapses, which are essential for transmitting information between neurons. Neurexins, a type of synaptic cell adhesion molecule, have gained interest due to their association with neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative disorders. Both changes in neurexin expression and mutations have been implicated in diseases such as autism spectrum disorder and Parkinson's disease.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Joohee Jeon, Sun-heui Yoon, Min-Ah Oh, Wonkyung Cho, Ji Yong Kim, Chang Il Shin, Eun Joong Kim, Taek Dong Chung
Summary: The coordination of synapses onto electrodes with high specificity is crucial, and using neuroligin-1 protein on electrode surfaces can lead to the formation of synapses with type specificity and structural robustness. This approach may open up new possibilities in interfacing neural circuitry with electronics.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Alexandra V. Garafalo, Rebecca Sheplock, Alexander Sumaroka, Alejandro J. Roman, Artur V. Cideciyan, Samuel G. Jacobson
Summary: Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) encompass cone-rod diseases, which have complex etiologies and can lead to vision loss. Among the causative genes, there is diversity, leading to a variety of disease manifestations, and paving the way for potential therapies.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomoyuki Yoshida, Atsushi Yamagata, Ayako Imai, Juhyon Kim, Hironori Izumi, Shogo Nakashima, Tomoko Shiroshima, Asami Maeda, Shiho Iwasawa-Okamoto, Kenji Azechi, Fumina Osaka, Takashi Saitoh, Katsumi Maenaka, Takashi Shimada, Yuko Fukata, Masaki Fukata, Jumpei Matsumoto, Hisao Nishijo, Keizo Takao, Shinji Tanaka, Shigeo Okabe, Katsuhiko Tabuchi, Takeshi Uemura, Masayoshi Mishina, Hisashi Mori, Shuya Fukai
Summary: Mutations of Neuroligin 3 (NLGN3) have been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers have identified a new interaction between NLGN3 and a splice variant of protein tyrosine phosphatase delta (PTP delta) and its impact on social behavior development in mice. The study suggests that both canonical and non-canonical NLGN3 pathways compete and regulate the development of sociality.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Alexandra K. Blomfield, Meenakshi Maurya, Kiran Bora, Madeline C. Pavlovich, Felix Yemanyi, Shuo Huang, Zhongjie Fu, Amy E. O'Connell, Jing Chen
Summary: Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is crucial for the development of embryonic eyes. WNT2B is involved in the development of the lens and peripheral regions of the eye. It may play a role in retinal progenitor cell differentiation and the formation of rod photoreceptor cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Suguru Yamasaki, Hung-Ya Tu, Take Matsuyama, Matsuri Horiuchi, Tomoyo Hashiguchi, Junki Sho, Atsushi Kuwahara, Akiyoshi Kishino, Toru Kimura, Masayo Takahashi, Michiko Mandai
Summary: A study found that genetically modified human embryonic stem cell (hESC) retinas, when transplanted into rat retinas, showed improved contact with the host retina and restored light responsiveness in host ganglion cells. The improved functional integration was attributed to better host-graft contact and preservation of the host inner retina.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Akari Hagiwara, Ayako Mizutani, Saki Kawamura, Manabu Abe, Yamato Hida, Kenji Sakimura, Toshihisa Ohtsuka
Summary: This study investigates the roles of CAST and ELKS in ectopic synapse localization. The depletion of CAST and ELKS in the retina leads to degeneration of photoreceptors, indicating their critical roles in maintaining neural signal transduction in the retina. However, the distribution of the photoreceptor triad synapse is not solely dependent on their actions within photoreceptors and horizontal cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Annia Abtout, Gordon Fain, Jurgen Reingruber
Summary: This study analyzed the contribution of various biological processes in the photoreceptor light response, finding that the shape of the response is controlled by deactivation parameters, while activation parameters scale the shape and affect the amplitude. The rising phase of the response is shown to depend on Ca2+ feedback, contrary to previous belief. New methods were devised to extract activation and deactivation rates from the analysis of response shape and amplitude.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Evgenya Y. Popova, Yuka Imamura Kawasawa, Samuel Shao-Min Zhang, Colin J. Barnstable
Summary: Epigenetic modifiers are being increasingly studied as potential therapeutics in modifying disease phenotypes. In this study, the neuroprotective effects of epigenetic modifiers, specifically LSD1 and HDAC1, were explored in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. It was found that these modifiers can prevent rod degeneration and preserve vision by regulating gene expression patterns and chromatin organization in rod photoreceptors.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Rikard Frederiksen, Ala Morshedian, Sonia A. Tripathy, Tongzhou Xu, Gabriel H. Travis, Gordon L. Fain, Alapakkam P. Sampath
Summary: Rod photoreceptors can become saturated by bright background light, but recent experiments have shown that they can also recover sensitivity and maintain responses even under prolonged exposure to bright light. The reduction of translocation of G protein transducin in transgenic mice may affect the recovery ability, and a novel mechanism of visual-pigment regeneration within the rod itself enables them to remain responsive. This allows rods to avoid extended closure of transduction channels, which could lead to photoreceptor degeneration.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kaiyu Xue, Yunyun Hu, Shuanglin Gu, Chao Wang, Ren Kong, Wei Xie, Jian Li
Summary: The synapse is a specialized structure regulating neurotransmission, with cell adhesion molecules playing key roles in cell interactions. NRXNs and NLGNs are associated with autism and other neuropsychiatric diseases, with numerous variants identified in previous research. By analyzing protein structures and using risk assessment tools, potential pathological variants were identified for further investigation.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2022)
Article
Ophthalmology
Adam Davison, Kaspar Gierke, Johann Helmut Brandstaetter, Norbert Babai
Summary: This study investigated the functional and structural maturation of mouse cone photoreceptor ribbon synapses during postnatal development, as well as the role of synaptic ribbons in synaptic vesicle release. The presence of synaptic ribbons attenuated tonic synaptic vesicle release and amplified multiquantal release, but spontaneous release may not depend on synaptic ribbons or voltage-sensitive calcium channels.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Oksana Cohen, Lilach Vald, Masahito Yamagata, Joshua R. Sanes, Avihu Klar
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Neurosciences
Raunak Basu, Xin Duan, Matthew R. Taylor, E. Anne Martin, Shruti Muralidhar, Yueqi Wang, Luke Gangi-Wellman, Sujan C. Das, Masahito Yamagata, Peter J. West, Joshua R. Sanes, Megan E. Williams
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Oliver Skocek, Tobias Nobauer, Lukas Weilguny, Francisca Martinez Traub, Chuying Naomi Xia, Maxim Molodtsov, Abhinav Grama, Masahito Yamagata, Daniel Aharoni, David D. Cox, Peyman Golshani, Alipasha Vaziri
Correction
Biochemical Research Methods
Oliver Skocek, Tobias Nobauer, Lukas Weilguny, Francisca Martinez Traub, Chuying Naomi Xia, Maxim I. Molodtsov, Abhinav Grama, Masahito Yamagata, Daniel Aharoni, David D. Cox, Peyman Golshani, Alipasha Vaziri
Correction
Neurosciences
Raunak Basu, Xin Duan, Matthew R. Taylor, E. Anne Martin, Shruti Muralidhar, Yueqi Wang, Luke Gangi-Wellman, Sujan C. Das, Masahito Yamagata, Peter J. West, Joshua R. Sanes, Megan E. Williams
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masahito Yamagata, Joshua R. Sanes
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2018)
Article
Neurosciences
Masahito Yamagata, Xin Duan, Joshua R. Sanes
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Neurosciences
Xin Duan, Arjun Krishnaswamy, Mallory A. Laboulaye, Jinyue Liu, Yi-Rong Peng, Masahito Yamagata, Kenichi Toma, Joshua R. Sanes
Article
Neurosciences
Masahito Yamagata, Joshua R. Sanes
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Neurosciences
Samouil L. Farhi, Vicente J. Parot, Abhinav Grama, Masahito Yamagata, Ahmed S. Abdelfattah, Yoav Adam, Shan Lou, Jeong Jun Kim, Robert E. Campbell, David D. Cox, Adam E. Cohen
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2019)
Review
Neurosciences
Masahito Yamagata
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2020)
Article
Biology
Masahito Yamagata, Wenjun Yan, Joshua R. Sanes
Summary: This study used single-cell RNA sequencing to create a cell atlas of the chick retina, identifying 136 cell types and 14 positional or developmental intermediates among six classes of cells. The results provide a foundation for various studies of the avian visual system.
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Masahito Yamagata, Hiroko Bannai
FRONTIERS IN NEURAL CIRCUITS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masahito Yamagata
Summary: The Tabula Gallus project aims to create a map of every cell type in chickens and chick embryos, providing tools for studying the biology of this species and contributing to a better understanding of human health and diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Masahito Yamagata, Joshua R. Sanes
Summary: The ability to mark and manipulate specific cell types is essential for various analyses in model organisms. This study introduces a method for CRISPR-based somatic integration of reporters or Cre recombinase into specific genes in the chick genome, allowing for visualization of cells in the retina and midbrain. Genomic loci are selected based on an RNA-seq-based cell atlas, and reporters can be used for visualizing cell morphology or assessing subcellular localization.