-
Rasch Lu posted an update 9 hours ago
a viable therapeutic avenue for preventing Aβ-related impairments in Alzheimer’s disease. Copyright © 2020 the authors.Maladaptive plasticity of neurons in lamina I of the spinal cord is a lynchpin for the development of chronic pain, and is critically dependent upon intracellular calcium signaling. However, the relationship between neuronal activity and intracellular calcium in these neurons is unknown. Here we combined two-photon calcium imaging with whole-cell electrophysiology to determine how action potential firing drives calcium responses within subcellular compartments of male rat spinal cord lamina I neurons. We found that single action potentials generated at the soma increase calcium concentration in the somatic cytosol and nucleus, and these calcium responses invade dendrites and dendritic spines by active backpropagation. Calcium responses in each compartment were dependent upon voltage-gated calcium channels, and somatic and nuclear calcium responses were amplified by release of calcium from ryanodine-sensitive intracellular stores. Grouping single action potential-evoked calcium responses by neuron type demonstund that action potential firing induces calcium responses within the somatic cytosol, nucleus, dendrites, and dendritic spines of lamina I neurons. Our findings demonstrate the presence of actively backpropagating action potentials, shifting our understanding of how these neurons process information, such that calcium provides a mechanism for lamina I neurons to track their own activity. Copyright © 2020 the authors.An impediment to the development of effective therapies for neurodegenerative disease is that available animal models do not reproduce important clinical features such as adult-onset and stereotypical patterns of progression. Using in vivo magnetic resonance imaging and behavioural testing to study male and female decrepit mice, we found a stereotypical neuroanatomical pattern of progression of the lesion along the limbic system network and an associated memory impairment. Using structural variant analysis, we identified an intronic mutation in a mitochondrial-associated gene (Mrpl3) that is responsible for the decrepit phenotype. While the function of this gene is unknown, embryonic lethality in Mrpl3 knockout mice suggests it is critical for early development. The observation that a mutation linked to energy metabolism precipitates a pattern of neurodegeneration via cell death across disparate but linked brain regions may explain how stereotyped patterns of neurodegeneration arise in humans or define a not yet identified human disease.Significance Statement The development of novel therapies for adult-onset neurodegenerative disease has been impeded by the limitations of available animal models in reproducing many of the clinical features. Here, we present a novel spontaneous mutation in a mitochondrial-associated gene in a mouse (termed decrepit) that results in adult-onset neurodegeneration with a stereotypical neuroanatomical pattern of progression and an associated memory impairment. The decrepit mouse model may represent a heretofore undiagnosed human disease and could serve as a new animal model to study neurodegenerative disease. Copyright © 2020 the authors.The epilepsy-linked gene SV2A, has a number of potential roles in the synaptic vesicle life cycle. However, how loss of SV2A function translates into presynaptic dysfunction and ultimately seizure activity is still undetermined. In this study, we examined whether the first SV2A mutation identified in human disease (R383Q) could provide information regarding which SV2A-dependent events are critical in the translation to epilepsy. We utilised a molecular replacement strategy in which exogenous SV2A was expressed in mouse neuronal cultures of either sex, which had been depleted of endogenous SV2A to mimic the homozygous human condition. We found that the R383Q mutation resulted in a mislocalisation of SV2A from synaptic vesicles to the plasma membrane, but had no effect on its activity-dependent trafficking. This SV2A mutant displayed reduced mobility when stranded on the plasma membrane and reduced binding to its interaction partner synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1). Furthermore, the R383Q mutant failed to rescue reduced unction to seizure activity. Copyright © 2020 the authors.Loss of sensory hair cells causes permanent hearing and balance deficits in humans and other mammals, but for nonmammals such deficits are temporary. Nonmammals recover hearing and balance sensitivity after supporting cells proliferate and differentiate into replacement hair cells. Evidence of mechanical differences between those sensory epithelia and their supporting cells prompted us to investigate whether the capacity to activate YAP, an effector in the mechanosensitive Hippo pathway, correlates with regenerative capacity in acceleration-sensing utricles of chickens and mice of both sexes. After hair cell ablation, YAP accumulated in supporting cell nuclei in chicken utricles and promoted regenerative proliferation, but YAP remained cytoplasmic and little proliferation occurred in mouse utricles. YAP localization in supporting cells was also more sensitive to shape change and inhibition of MST1/2 in chicken utricles than in mouse utricles. Genetic manipulations showed that in vivo expression of the YAP-S12nce deficits for millions. In nonmammals, damage evokes shape changes in supporting cells, which can divide and regenerate hair cells. Such shape changes are limited in mammalian ears, where supporting cells develop E-cadherin-rich apical junctions reinforced by robust F-actin bands, and the cells fail to divide. read more Here, we find that damage readily activates YAP in supporting cells within balance epithelia of chickens, but not mice. Deleting LATS kinases or expressing YAP variants that evade LATS-mediated inhibitory phosphorylation induces proliferation in supporting cells of adult mice. YAP signaling eventually may be harnessed to overcome proliferative quiescence that limits regeneration in mammalian ears. Copyright © 2020 the authors.Hypoglycaemic due to congenital hyperinsulinism in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is commonly seen. It is usually transient and is managed by enteral feeds, high glucose-containing intravenous fluids and medications like diazoxide. We describe a case of an infant with genetically proven Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome with prolonged hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia. Despite treatment with high glucose-containing intravenous fluids, diazoxide and octreotide, her hypoglycaemia persisted. In addition to this, she also developed features of intestinal obstruction, which further complicated the management of hypoglycaemia. She underwent a rectal biopsy for this, which was highly suggestive of Hirschprung’s disease. Following surgery, her abdominal distension and feed intolerance were settled and sugar control was improved. We present a rare association of Hirschsprung’s disease with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, this association has not been previously reported and this added to the difficulty in managing hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia in our patient.