Publications by authors named "Chika Usui"
Article Synopsis
- Astrocytes play a vital role in clearing glutamate from synapses, but the specific functioning of their transporters around synapses is not fully understood.
- Research shows that the Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (DSCAM) in Purkinje cells is crucial for proper synapse formation and function in the cerebellum, with defects observed in Dscam-mutant mice.
- This study highlights the importance of the interaction between synaptic proteins and astrocytic transporters, indicating that DSCAM is essential for motor learning, although it doesn’t affect gross motor coordination.
Article Synopsis
- Both Achilles and masticatory muscle tendons are large structures that can undergo changes due to excessive mechanical loading, leading to limited mouth opening in the maxillofacial region.
- This study investigated the gene expression patterns of masticatory muscle tendons compared to Achilles tendons under tensile strain in the Japanese macaque, finding 1,076 differentially expressed genes.
- Out of these, 147 genes were specifically different between the masticatory tendons, with some genes linked to tendon properties showing increased or decreased expression depending on the type of tendon under strain.
