Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Azzurra Stefanucci, Paola Minosi, Stefano Pieretti, Parthasaradhireddy Tanguturi, Gabriella Molnar, Giuseppe Scioli, Lorenza Marinaccio, Alice Della Valle, John M. Streicher, Adriano Mollica
Summary: This study reports the evaluation of new analgesic compounds with improved binding affinity for opioid peptides. The compounds showed strong antinociceptive effects and reduced withdrawal symptoms in tolerance and dependence studies.
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sara B. Linker, Inigo Narvaiza, Jonathan Y. Hsu, Meiyan Wang, Fan Qiu, Ana P. D. Mendes, Ruth Oefner, Kalyani Kottilil, Amandeep Sharma, Lynne Randolph-Moore, Eunice Mejia, Renata Santos, Maria C. Marchetto, Fred H. Gage
Summary: Human neurodevelopment is slower than that in other nonhuman primates, a phenomenon referred to as neoteny. The transcription factor GATA3 plays a unique role in human neuronal maturation, and downregulation of GATA3 accelerates the speed of developing action potentials, modulating the human neotenic phenotype.
Article
Immunology
Sabrina Salberg, Glenn R. Yamakawa, Jaimie K. Beveridge, Melanie Noel, Richelle Mychasiuk
Summary: Given the significance of adolescence in brain development, early life factors can have long-term effects. Adversities such as a high-fat high-sugar diet and adverse childhood experiences can influence pain outcomes by affecting the neuroimmune system. Chronic pain is prevalent among adolescents, with sexual dimorphism in its manifestation. This study examines the effects of sex, diet, and childhood experiences on chronic pain outcomes during adolescence and reveals the mechanisms driving these changes.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Shenhab Zaig, Carolina da Silveira Scarpellini, Gaspard Montandon
Summary: An opioid epidemic is causing millions of overdoses annually in North America, highlighting the need for safe pain therapies without respiratory depression. Zebrafish, with similarities to mammals, show potential as animal models for phenotype-based drug discovery in opioid research.
Article
Anesthesiology
Sandra Funcke, Hans O. Pinnschmidt, Charlotte Brinkmann, Stefan Wesseler, Burkhard Beyer, Marlene Fischer, Rainer Nitzschke
Summary: This study investigated the effect of different nociception monitoring devices or clinical signs on opioid titration during general anesthesia. Results showed that the devices and signs led to different amounts of remifentanil being administered, with low doses associated with increased cortisol levels and higher doses associated with decreased cortisol levels. Further validation is needed for the use of these monitoring devices in guiding opioid dosing.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF ANAESTHESIA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Timothy F. Shay, Erin E. Sullivan, Xiaozhe Ding, Xinhong Chen, Sripriya Ravindra Kumar, David Goertsen, David Brown, Anaya Crosby, Jost Vielmetter, Damien A. Wolfe, Annie W. Lam, Viviana Gradinaru
Summary: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a challenge for delivering large molecules to the central nervous system. To overcome this, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) were used to identify two novel targets for improved BBB crossing: murine-restricted LY6C1 and widely conserved carbonic anhydrase IV (CA-IV). Computational modeling helped generate capsid-receptor binding models and design enhanced LY6C1-binding vector, AAV-PHP.eC. The discovery of primate-conserved CA-IV enables the design of more specific and potent brain-penetrant chemicals and biologicals.
Article
Cell Biology
Bang Li, Hui Zhao, Zhuchi Tu, Weili Yang, Rui Han, Lu Wang, Xiaopeng Luo, Mingtian Pan, Xiusheng Chen, Jiawei Zhang, Huijuan Xu, Xiangyu Guo, Sen Yan, Peng Yin, Zhiguang Zhao, Jianrong Liu, Yafeng Luo, Yuefeng Li, Zhengyi Yang, Baogui Zhang, Zhiqiang Tan, Hao Xu, Tianzi Jiang, Yong-hui Jiang, Shihua Li, Yong Q. Zhang, Xiao-Jiang Li
Summary: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that disrupts social interaction and behavior. Mutations in the CHD8 gene lead to autism symptoms and increased head size through a mechanism called haploinsufficiency. The use of primates as a model system revealed that CHD8 mutations caused increased gliogenesis, resulting in macrocephaly. The findings suggest that abnormal gliogenesis may play a role in the development of ASD.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Dandan Ma, Jiahui Ma, Huayong Chen, Dongliang Mu, Hao Kong, Lingzhi Yu
Summary: This meta-analysis indicates that the use of nociception monitors can reduce intraoperative opioid administration and may have potential advantages in terms of shorter extubation time and lower incidence of PONV.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Javier Cuitavi, Lucia Hipolito, Meritxell Canals
Summary: Opioid receptors are crucial targets for pain treatment, but targeting them therapeutically brings significant challenges and has led to the current opioid crisis due to misuse of opioid drugs.
TRENDS IN BIOCHEMICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katherin A. Gabriel, John M. Streicher
Summary: Opioids are effective for acute pain but chronic use leads to tolerance. Inhibiting the chaperone protein HSP90 increases the antinociceptive effects of opioids by activating the kinase ERK. This activation is mediated by the relief of a negative feedback loop involving the kinase AMPK.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Susana Barbosa Mendez, Maura Matus-Ortega, Ricardo Hernandez Miramontes, Alberto Salazar-Juarez
Summary: The study found that the M-TT vaccine does not affect the antinociceptive effects induced by morphine or the ability of non-opioid and synthetic opioid drugs to decrease thermal pain. Furthermore, the combination of vaccination and naloxone can increase the time-course of morphine antagonism compared to using either vaccination or naloxone alone.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Francesca Felicia Caputi, Lucia Carboni, Laura Rullo, Irene Alessandrini, Eleonora Balzani, Rita Maria Melotti, Patrizia Romualdi, Sanzio Candeletti, Andrea Fanelli
Summary: This study investigated DNA methylation levels in patients undergoing major breast surgery under opioid-based general anesthesia. The study found that DNA methylation levels significantly declined during surgery but reversed after the surgery. Additionally, changes in DNA methyltransferase and cytokine gene expression were observed.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Wenbo Feng, Qingtong Zhou, Xianyue Chen, Antao Dai, Xiaoqing Cai, Xiao Liu, Fenghui Zhao, Yan Chen, Chenyu Ye, Yingna Xu, Zhaotong Cong, Hao Li, Shi Lin, Dehua Yang, Ming-Wei Wang
Summary: Members of the melanocortin receptor (MCR) family play important roles in various cellular processes. This study focuses on understanding the subtype selectivity of MCRs in response to different melanocortin peptides. The cryo-electron microscopy structures reveal that the structural differences in the C-terminus of the agonists contribute to subtype selectivity. Furthermore, a potent synthetic agonist is found to achieve the same potency as the natural agonist by rebalancing the recognition site and mimicking the intra-peptide salt bridge. These findings provide insights into ligand recognition and subtype selectivity among MCRs.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Sacha Heerschop, Zahra Fagrouch, Ernst J. Verschoor, Hans Zischler
Summary: Research on PRDM9 and PRDM7 evolution in primates sheds light on their roles in hybrid sterility and evolution. The origin of PRDM7 is shown to be more recent than previously expected, with different characteristics observed in different primates.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Anne Margarette S. Maallo, Eric A. Moulton, Christine B. Sieberg, Donald B. Giddon, David Borsook, Scott A. Holmes
Summary: This study examines the association between pain and depression, highlighting overlapping neural substrates; it suggests monitoring left-sided pain symptoms in individuals diagnosed with depression; and recommends psychological evaluation as part of standard practice in pain treatment for patients with pain.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Jens G. Lohr, Petar Stojanov, Scott L. Carter, Peter Cruz-Gordillo, Michael S. Lawrence, Daniel Auclair, Carrie Sougnez, Birgit Knoechel, Joshua Gould, Gordon Saksena, Kristian Cibulskis, Aaron McKenna, Michael A. Chapman, Ravid Straussman, Joan Levy, Louise M. Perkins, Jonathan J. Keats, Steven E. Schumacher, Mara Rosenberg, Gad Getz, Todd R. Golub
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benjamin D. Landry, Thomas Leete, Ryan Richards, Peter Cruz-Gordillo, Hannah R. Schwartz, Megan E. Honeywell, Gary Ren, Alyssa D. Schwartz, Shelly R. Peyton, Michael J. Lee
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jens G. Lohr, Viktor A. Adalsteinsson, Kristian Cibulskis, Atish D. Choudhury, Mara Rosenberg, Peter Cruz-Gordillo, Joshua M. Francis, Cheng-Zhong Zhang, Alex K. Shalek, Rahul Satija, John J. Trombetta, Diana Lu, Naren Tallapragada, Narmin Tahirova, Sora Kim, Brendan Blumenstiel, Carrie Sougnez, Alarice Lowe, Bang Wong, Daniel Auclair, Eliezer M. Van Allen-, Mari Nakabayashi, Rosina T. Lis, Gwo-Shu M. Lee, Tiantian Li, Matthew S. Chabot, Amy Ly, Mary-Ellen Taplin, Thomas E. Clancy, Massimo Loda, Aviv Regev, Matthew Meyerson, William C. Hahn, Philip W. Kantoff, Todd R. Golub, Gad Getz, Jesse S. Boehm, J. Christopher Love
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2014)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Olivier Fedrigo, Lisa R. Warner, Adam D. Pfefferle, Courtney C. Babbitt, Peter Cruz-Gordillo, Gregory A. Wray
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jens G. Lohr, Petar Stojanov, Michael S. Lawrence, Daniel Auclair, Bjoern Chapuy, Carrie Sougnez, Peter Cruz-Gordillo, Birgit Knoechel, Yan W. Asmann, Susan L. Slager, Anne J. Novak, Ahmet Dogan, Stephen M. Ansell, Brian K. Link, Lihua Zou, Joshua Gould, Gordon Saksena, Nicolas Stransky, Claudia Rangel-Escareno, Juan Carlos Fernandez-Lopez, Alfredo Hidalgo-Miranda, Jorge Melendez-Zajgla, Enrique Hernandez-Lemus, Angela Schwarz-Cruz y Celis, Ivan Imaz-Rosshandler, Akinyemi I. Ojesina, Joonil Jung, Chandra S. Pedamallu, Eric S. Lander, Thomas M. Habermann, James R. Cerhan, Margaret A. Shipp, Gad Getz, Todd R. Golub
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2012)
Article
Oncology
Asia N. Matthew-Onabanjo, Jenny Janusis, Jose Mercado-Matos, Anne E. Carlisle, Dohoon Kim, Fayola Levine, Peter Cruz-Gordillo, Ryan Richards, Michael J. Lee, Leslie M. Shaw
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ryan Richards, Hannah R. Schwartz, Megan E. Honeywell, Mariah S. Stewart, Peter Cruz-Gordillo, Anna J. Joyce, Benjamin D. Landry, Michael J. Lee
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2020)