A Mouse Model for Conditional Secretion of Specific Single-Chain Antibodies Provides Genetic Evidence for Regulation of Cortical Plasticity by a Non-cell Autonomous Homeoprotein Transcription Factor.

During postnatal life the cerebral cortex passes through critical periods of plasticity allowing its physiological adaptation to the environment. In the visual cortex, critical period onset and closure are influenced by the non-cell autonomous activity of the Otx2 homeoprotein transcription factor, which regulates the maturation of parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons (PV cells). In adult mice, the maintenance of a non-plastic adult state requires continuous Otx2 import by PV cells.

Neurotoxic lupus autoantibodies alter brain function through two distinct mechanisms.

Damaging interactions between antibodies and brain antigenic targets may be responsible for an expanding range of neurological disorders. In the case of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), patients generate autoantibodies (AAbs) that frequently bind dsDNA. Although some symptoms of SLE may arise from direct reactivity to dsDNA, much of the AAb-mediated damage originates from cross-reactivity with other antigens.

Neurotoxic autoantibodies mediate congenital cortical impairment of offspring in maternal lupus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease mediated by autoantibodies and preferentially affecting women of childbearing age. Because the offspring of mothers with SLE show a high frequency of learning disorders, we hypothesized that maternally transferred autoantibodies that bind DNA and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) could have a pathogenic role during fetal brain development. Here we describe a maternal SLE mouse model wherein pregnant dams harbored DNA-specific, NMDAR-specific autoantibodies throughout gestation.

Expression of AmphiPOU-IV in the developing neural tube and epidermal sensory neural precursors in amphioxus supports a conserved role of class IV POU genes in the sensory cells development.

POU genes play a prominent role in the nervous system differentiation of several organism models, and in particular, they are involved in the differentiation of sensory neurons in numerous invertebrate and vertebrate species. In the present report, cloning and expression profile of a class IV POU gene in amphioxus was assessed for understanding its role in the sensory systems development. A single class IV gene, AmphiPOU-IV was isolated from the amphioxus Branchiostoma floridae.