/ heterozygosity predisposes to behavioral symptoms in a mouse model for neuropsychiatric lupus.

Background: Neuropsychiatric lupus (NPSLE) refers to the neurological and psychiatric manifestations that are commonly observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). An important question regarding the pathogenesis of NPSLE is whether the symptoms are caused primarily by CNS-intrinsic mechanisms or develop as a consequence of systemic autoimmunity. Currently used spontaneous mouse models for SLE have already contributed significantly to unraveling how systemic immunity affects the CNS.

Early Treatment with Empagliflozin and GABA Improves -Cell Mass and Glucose Tolerance in Streptozotocin-Treated Mice.

While the autoimmune character of T1D (type 1 diabetes) is being challenged, it is currently recognized that inflammation plays a key role in its development. We hypothesized that glucotoxicity could contribute to -cell mass destruction through participation in islet inflammation. We evaluated the potential of empagliflozin (EMPA) and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) to protect -cell mass against glucotoxicity and to increase -cell mass after diagnosis of T1D.

A20 critically controls microglia activation and inhibits inflammasome-dependent neuroinflammation.

Microglia, the mononuclear phagocytes of the central nervous system (CNS), are important for the maintenance of CNS homeostasis, but also critically contribute to CNS pathology. Here we demonstrate that the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) regulatory protein A20 is crucial in regulating microglia activation during CNS homeostasis and pathology. In mice, deletion of A20 in microglia increases microglial cell number and affects microglial regulation of neuronal synaptic function.

Novel Targets for the Transcription Factors MEF2 in MA-10 Leydig Cells.

Testosterone production by Leydig cells is a tightly regulated process requiring synchronized expression of several steroidogenic genes by numerous transcription factors. Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) are transcription factors recently identified in somatic cells of the male gonad. In other tissues, MEF2 factors are essential regulators of organogenesis and cell differentiation.

MEF2 Cooperates With Forskolin/cAMP and GATA4 to Regulate Star Gene Expression in Mouse MA-10 Leydig Cells.

In Leydig cells, steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) participates in cholesterol shuttling from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane, the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis. Steroid hormone biosynthesis and steroidogenic gene expression are regulated by LH, which activates various signaling pathways and transcription factors, including cAMP/Ca(2+)/CAMK (Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase)-myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2). The 4 MEF2 transcription factors are essential regulators of cell differentiation and organogenesis in numerous tissues.