TSHZ1-dependent gene regulation is essential for olfactory bulb development and olfaction.

The olfactory bulb (OB) receives odor information from the olfactory epithelium and relays this to the olfactory cortex. Using a mouse model, we found that development and maturation of OB interneurons depends on the zinc finger homeodomain factor teashirt zinc finger family member 1 (TSHZ1). In mice lacking TSHZ1, neuroblasts exhibited a normal tangential migration to the OB; however, upon arrival to the OB, the neuroblasts were distributed aberrantly within the radial dimension, and many immature neuroblasts failed to exit the rostral migratory stream.

Therapeutic potential of N-acetyl-glucagon-like peptide-1 in primary motor neuron cultures derived from non-transgenic and SOD1-G93A ALS mice.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the death of motor neurons (MN) in the motor cortex, brain stem, and spinal cord. In the present study, we established an ALS in vitro model of purified embryonic MNs, derived from non-transgenic and mutant SOD1-G93A transgenic mice, the most commonly used ALS animal model. MNs were cultured together with either non-transgenic or mutant SOD1-G93A astrocyte feeder layers.

CCL5 induces a pro-inflammatory profile in microglia in vitro.

The chemokine receptors CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, and CXCR2 have been found to be expressed on microglia in many neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. There is emerging evidence that chemokines, besides chemoattraction, might directly modulate reactive profiles of microglia. To address this hypothesis we have investigated the effects of CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, and CXCL1 on cytokine and growth factor production, NO synthesis, and phagocytosis in non-stimulated and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated primary rat microglia.

Interferon-β treatment normalises the inhibitory effect of serum from multiple sclerosis patients on oligodendrocyte progenitor proliferation.

Interferon-beta (IFN-β) is an established therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the mode of action and the effect on oligodendrocytes are not yet clear. In this study, we examined the influence of an IFN-β therapy on the proliferation and differentiation of primary oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC) in mixed glial cultures.

[Quantitative study on cultivation of canine myoblasts].

Skeletal muscle cell culture is an important tool to discover the pathogenesis of rare canine neuromuscular diseases. The aim of the current study was to improve an existing clinical protocol to extract and cultivate canine myoblasts by using different enzymes for tissue digestion. The contamination of the mixed culture with fibrocytes should be minimized, a higher number of myoblasts with a shorter lag period should be gained and the influence of transport length on the myoblast numbers should be assessed.

Changes in extracellular pH affect glycine receptor channels expressed in HEK 293 cells.

Glycine receptors are expressed throughout the central nervous system working for inhibitory neurotransmission. Since fluctuations of the blood pH value occur under certain physiological and pathological conditions, we investigated the influence of the extracellular pH on glycine homomeric and heteromeric receptor functions using patch clamp in combination with the fast agonist application technique. Our results demonstrated that both alpha1 homomeric and alpha 1 beta heteromeric glycine receptors were remarkably inhibited under acidic extracellular pH.

Characterization and differentiation potential of rat ventral mesencephalic neuronal progenitor cells immortalized with SV40 large T antigen.

Neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) possess high potential for use in regenerative medicine. To overcome their limited mitotic competence, various immortalization strategies have been applied that allow their prolonged maintenance and expansion in vitro. Such immortalized cells can be used for the design and discovery of new cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease.