Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sarah Ateaque, Spyros Merkouris, Sean Wyatt, Nicholas D. Allen, Jia Xie, Peter S. DiStefano, Ronald M. Lindsay, Yves-Alain Barde
Summary: In the central nervous system, both NT3 and TrkC have unique roles in the assembly of neuronal circuits. NT3 activates TrkC at lower concentrations, but at high concentrations, it can also activate TrkB and down-regulate TrkC. These findings are important for understanding neurodevelopment and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peter T. Ajayi, Prasanna Katti, Yingfan Zhang, T. Bradley Willingham, Ye Sun, Christopher K. E. Bleck, Brian Glancy
Summary: This study reveals three mechanisms that regulate muscle cell connectivity. The authors identified the presence of a myofibrillar matrix in fruit fly muscles and found that the loss of the transcription factor H15 increases sarcomere branching frequency. They also demonstrated that misexpression of neurochondrin leads to myofibrillar connectivity in flight muscles.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sonali A. Deshpande, Ethan W. Rohrbach, James D. Asuncion, Jenna Harrigan, Aditya Eamani, Ellery H. Schlingmann, Daniel J. Suto, Pei-Tseng Lee, Felix E. Schweizer, Hugo J. Bellen, David E. Krantz
Summary: Octopamine plays an essential role in egg-laying in Drosophila melanogaster. This study identifies two octopamine receptors, Oct beta 2 and OAMB, that regulate oviduct contraction and relaxation, respectively. The interaction with glutamatergic pathways modifies the effects of octopamine, suggesting a possible mechanism for lateral oviduct contractions. The aminergic pathways in the oviposition circuit may be comparable to those that regulate visceral muscle contractility in mammals.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Filosevic Vujnovic, Marko Rubinic, Ivona Starcevic, Rozi Andretic Waldowski
Summary: Reactive Oxidative Species (ROS) have both positive and negative effects on brain functioning, participating in cellular signaling and neuronal plasticity. In this study using Drosophila melanogaster, the influence of ROS on behavioral phenotypes induced by volatilized cocaine (vCOC) was investigated. Sensitivity and locomotor sensitization (LS) were found to depend on glutathione antioxidant defense, with minor roles played by catalase activity and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation. The results suggest a coordinate contribution of dopamine and H2O2 in LS development.
Article
Neurosciences
Serene Dhawan, Philip Myers, David M. D. Bailey, Aaron D. Ostrovsky, Jan Felix Evers, Matthias Landgraf
Summary: The study reveals the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in regulating the size of neuronal dendritic arbors. It shows that activity-regulated ROS are transmitted between cells through NADPH oxidase and aquaporins, ultimately negatively regulating dendritic arbor size.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Yiming Bai, Takashi Suzuki
Summary: Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity is crucial for responses to the environment. This study successfully visualized circuitry changes in the Drosophila visual system induced by long-term light exposure and identified a key factor involved in this change.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Shuwa Xu, Alina P. Sergeeva, Phinikoula S. Katsamba, Seetha Mannepalli, Fabiana Bahna, Jude Bimela, S. Lawrence Zipursky, Lawrence Shapiro, Barry Honig, Kai Zinn
Summary: The study reveals that CAM binding affinities and expression levels play crucial roles in neuronal development, influencing synaptic targeting and survival of neurons, with surface avidity being the key parameter controlling circuit assembly.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Liping Tan, Xuan Liu, Huan Dou, Yayi Hou
Summary: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively studied in the field of regenerative medicine and cell therapy due to their self-renewal, multilineage differentiation, and immune regulation capacities. This review summarizes the plasticity of MSCs in different diseases and tissue sources, as well as the microenvironmental factors and molecular mechanisms that regulate their plasticity.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Phillip P. Domeier, Ziaur S. M. Rahman
Summary: There are three classes of interferons that can promote the development of autoimmune diseases like SLE by promoting the generation of autoreactive B cells and autoantibodies through distinct signaling mechanisms. Treatment outcomes of SLE patients receiving interferon-blocking therapies vary, suggesting that environmental and genetic factors may influence how these cytokines contribute to the development of autoreactive B cells and SLE. Understanding how each class of interferon controls B cell responses in SLE is crucial for developing optimized therapeutic strategies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deborah Gargano, Marco Segatto, Sabrina Di Bartolomeo
Summary: BET proteins play a key role in transcriptional regulation and cell plasticity, and they are crucial in the development and pathogenesis of glioblastoma. Epigenome dysregulation associated with loss of cellular identity and functions are emerging as important features of glioblastoma pathogenesis. BET family members could be promising targets for translational breakthroughs in glioblastoma treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ziyang Cui, Hope Wei, Colin Goding, Rutao Cui
Summary: Stem cell pools are homogeneous cell populations that possess self-renewal and differentiation potential. While they exhibit limited heterogeneity during homeostasis, their plasticity becomes apparent under stress, leading to changes in phenotype, constitution, metabolism, and function. Manipulating these factors offers better control of stem cell behavior and has the potential to revolutionize regenerative medicine.
Article
Developmental Biology
Shaked Bar-Cohen, Mria Lorena Martinez Quiles, Alexey Baskin, Ruba Dawud, Barbara H. Jennings, Ze'ev Paroush
Summary: The cell cycle is regulated by the synthesis and degradation of phase-specific transcripts and proteins. Groucho, the orthologue of TLE1 in Drosophila, is shown to regulate normal cell cycle progression by selectively inactivating its activity through phosphorylation. This study suggests that Cdk1 is involved in phosphorylation of Groucho during the cell cycle, and Groucho may play a role in the development of human cancer.
Article
Biology
Subba Reddy Palli
Summary: Modifications to DNA and core histones play crucial roles in chromatin organization and gene expression, affecting various biological processes. Studies have identified genes encoding enzymes that modify core histones in multiple insect genomes, with some enzymes contributing to post-embryonic development. Research on epigenetic modifiers could help identify inhibitors that may be used to control pests and disease vectors.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Ming-Han Kuo, Pei-Yu Chen, Yi-Ping Yang, Ming-Yi Zheng, Chia-Cheng Miao, Kuo-Chang Wen, Kuo-Ming Chang, Shih-Jie Chou, Mong-Lien Wang, Shih-Hwa Chiou, Yu-Ting Chou
Summary: The crosstalk between SOX2 programming and cytokine stimulation influences PD-L1 expression, providing insights into PD-L1-mediated therapeutics.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ryan S. O'Neill, Afeez K. Sodeinde, Frances C. Welsh, Carey J. Fagerstrom, Brian J. Galletta, Nasser M. Rusan
Summary: Centrosomes are organelles that play a crucial role in cell division by organizing microtubules and ensuring spindle formation and chromosome segregation. This study investigates a duplication of the Spd-2 gene in Drosophila willistoni, which results in two isoforms, Spd-2A and Spd-2B, with different functions in neural and germ cells. The findings suggest that cell-type-specific differences in translation or protein stability contribute to the functional divergence of centrosome proteins.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Malvina Pizzuto, Caroline Lonez, Alberto Baroja-Mazo, Helios Martinez-Banaclocha, Panagiotis Tourlomousis, Monique Gangloff, Pablo Pelegrin, Jean-Marie Ruysschaert, Nicholas J. Gay, Clare E. Bryant
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2019)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Malvina Pizzuto, Caroline Lonez, Alberto Baroja-Mazo, Helios Martinez-Banaclocha, Panagiotis Tourlomousis, Monique Gangloff, Pablo Pelegrin, Jean-Marie Ruysschaert, Nicholas J. Gay, Clare E. Bryant
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kyle J. Connolly, Megan B. O'Hare, Alamin Mohammed, Katelyn M. Aitchison, Niki C. Anthoney, Matthew J. Taylor, Bryan A. Stewart, Richard I. Tuxworth, Guy Tear
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chek Ziu Koo, Neale Harrison, Peter J. Noy, Justyna Szyroka, Alexandra L. Matthews, Hung-En Hsia, Stephan A. Mueller, Johanna Tueshaus, Joelle Goulding, Katie Willis, Clara Apicella, Bethany Cragoe, Edward Davis, Murat Keles, Antonia Malinova, Thomas A. McFarlane, Philip R. Morrison, Hanh T. H. Nguyen, Michael C. Sykes, Haroon Ahmed, Alessandro Di Maio, Lisa Seipold, Paul Saftig, Eleanor Cull, Christos Pliotas, Eric Rubinstein, Natalie S. Poulter, Stephen J. Briddon, Nicholas D. Holliday, Stefan F. Lichtenthaler, Michael G. Tomlinson
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Cell Biology
Szilard Szikora, Tamas Gajdos, Tibor Novak, David Farkas, Istvan Foldi, Peter Lenart, Miklos Erdelyi, Jozsef Mihaly
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Portela, Varun Venkataramani, Natasha Fahey-Lozano, Esther Seco, Maria Losada-Perez, Frank Winkler, Sergio Casas-Tinto
Article
Biology
Bryan A. Martinez, Pedro Reis Rodrigues, Ricardo M. Nunez Medina, Prosenjit Mondal, Neale J. Harrison, Museer A. Lone, Amanda Webster, Aditi U. Gurkar, Brock Grill, Matthew S. Gill
Article
Biology
Guiyi Li, Manuel G. Forero, Jill S. Wentzell, Ilgim Durmus, Reinhard Wolf, Niki C. Anthoney, Mieczyslaw Parker, Ruiying Jiang, Jacob Hasenauer, Nicholas James Strausfeld, Martin Heisenberg, Alicia Hidalgo
Article
Biology
Neale J. Harrison, Elizabeth Connolly, Alicia Gascon Gubieda, Zidan Yang, Benjamin Altenhein, Maria Losada Perez, Marta Moreira, Jun Sun, Alicia Hidalgo
Summary: Understanding the relationship between Drosophila neurogenesis-related genes and glial cells reveals that la-2 and Dilp-6 drive the reprogramming of glial cells into neural stem cells for regeneration.
Article
Cell Biology
Maria Losada-Perez, Nuria Garcia-Guillen, Sergio Casas-Tinto
Summary: The article introduces a new experimental design to damage the mammalian central nervous system through a contusion injury paradigm. It demonstrates that adult Drosophila melanogaster glial cells undergo spontaneous functional recovery after injury and analyzes the role of immune cells in functional regeneration.
DISEASE MODELS & MECHANISMS
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Teresa de los Reyes Corrales, Maria Losada-Perez, Sergio Casas-Tinto
Summary: The JNK signaling pathway is crucial in the central nervous system, playing a central role in combating pathophysiological insults during development and adulthood. It is involved in various diseases such as glioblastoma, regeneration/repair after injury, neurodegeneration, and neuronal cell death.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Maria Losada-Perez, Mamen Hernandez Garcia-Moreno, Irene Garcia-Ricote, Sergio Casas-Tinto
Summary: Glioblastoma is an aggressive and lethal brain tumor that interacts with healthy surrounding tissues through cell communication and synapses, promoting tumor expansion and neurodegeneration.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yoann Saucereau, Thomas H. Wilson, Matthew C. K. Tang, Martin C. Moncrieffe, Steven W. Hardwick, Dimitri Y. Chirgadze, Sandro G. Soares, Maria Jose Marcaida, Nicholas J. Gay, Monique Gangloff
Summary: This study structurally characterizes a duplicated pair of Toll immunoreceptors and the cytokine ligand Spaetzle1C in Aedes aegypti, shedding light on their dose-dependent function and activation mechanism. The researchers also discover that Spaetzle1C has a unique transcriptional signature and controls genes involved in innate immunity, metabolism, and tissue regeneration. These findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of viral resistance and host-pathogen tolerance.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Michael J. Scherm, Monique Gangloff, Nicholas J. Gay
Summary: This study found that the Ebola virus activates TLR4 by binding to a hydrophobic pocket in the co-receptor MD2, similar to the bacterial agonist lipopolysaccharide, resulting in a cytokine storm and inflammatory response. Additionally, glycosylation is not required for TLR4 activation.
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Patrick K. Durkee, Pablo Polo, Jose Antonio Munoz-Reyes, Claudia Rodriguez-Ruiz, Maria Losada-Perez, Ana B. Fernandez-Martinez, Enrique Turiegano, David M. Buss, Miguel Pita
EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY
(2019)