Publications by authors named "D C Wilton"

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 2 (CPT2) is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein of the carnitine shuttle and is involved in the beta-oxidation of long chain fatty acids. Beta-oxidation provides an alternative pathway of energy production during early development and starvation. CPT2 deficiency is a genetic disorder that we recently showed can be associated with schizophrenia.

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Neuroimmune interactions mediate intercellular communication and underlie critical brain functions. Microglia, CNS-resident macrophages, modulate the brain through direct physical interactions and the secretion of molecules. One such secreted factor, the complement protein C1q, contributes to complement-mediated synapse elimination in both developmental and disease models, yet brain C1q protein levels increase significantly throughout aging.

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Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an enzyme that plays a pivotal role in peripheral inflammation and pain via the prostaglandin pathway. In the central nervous system (CNS), COX-2 is implicated in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders as a potential therapeutic target and biomarker. However, clinical studies with COX-2 have yielded inconsistent results, partly due to limited mechanistic understanding of how COX-2 activity relates to CNS pathology.

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Article Synopsis
  • Complement proteins play a key role in eliminating synapses during brain development, but the regulation of these proteins is not well understood, particularly with regard to the protein CSMD1.
  • This study used various techniques to explore the presence and function of CSMD1 in the brain, including its interaction with complement proteins and its impact on synapse elimination in models like Csmd1-knockout mice and human-derived neurons.
  • The findings indicate that CSMD1 is crucial for regulating complement-mediated synapse elimination: its absence leads to increased complement levels, fewer synapses, and heightened microglial activity, suggesting it plays a significant role in neurodevelopmental processes such as visual circuit refinement.
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