CHRFAM7A diversifies human immune adaption through Ca signalling and actin cytoskeleton reorganization.

Background: Human restricted genes contribute to human specific traits in the immune system. CHRFAM7A, a uniquely human fusion gene, is a negative regulator of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR), the highest Ca conductor of the ACh receptors implicated in innate immunity. Understanding the mechanism of how CHRFAM7A affects the immune system remains unexplored.

Neuronal actin cytoskeleton gain of function in the human brain.

Background: While advancements in imaging techniques have led to major strides in deciphering the human brain, successful interventions are elusive and represent some of the most persistent translational gaps in medicine. Human restricted CHRFAM7A has been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Methods: The physiological role of CHRFAM7A in human brain is explored using multiomics approach on 600 post mortem human brain tissue samples.

Bayesian inference of molecular kinetic parameters from astrocyte calcium imaging data.

Model-based Bayesian inference from high-content data obtained on live specimens is a burgeoning field with demonstrated applications to neuroscience. In parallel, computer vision methods for extracting the calcium signaling information from imaging data have advanced in application to neuronal physiology. Here, we are describing in detail a method we have recently developed to study calcium dynamics in astrocytes, which combines computer vision with model-based Bayesian learning to deduce the most likely molecular kinetic parameters underlying the observed calcium activity.

Experimental and computational analyses of calcium dynamics in 22q11.2 deletion model astrocytes.

Methods for deriving mechanistic information from intracellular calcium dynamics have largely been applied to neuronal data despite the knowledge of roles of glial cells in behavior, cognition, and psychiatric disorders. Using calcium imaging, computer vision, and Bayesian kinetic inference (BKI), we analyzed calcium dynamics in primary astrocytes derived from control or Df1/ mice, a model of 22q11.2 deletion (DiGeorge syndrome).

Astrocyte Bioenergetics and Major Psychiatric Disorders.

Ongoing research continues to add new elements to the emerging picture of involvement of astrocyte energy metabolism in the pathophysiology of major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, mood disorders, and addictions. This review outlines what is known about the energy metabolism in astrocytes, the most numerous cell type in the brain, and summarizes the recent work on how specific perturbations of astrocyte bioenergetics may contribute to the neuropsychiatric conditions. The role of astrocyte energy metabolism in mental health and disease is reviewed on the organism, organ, and cell level.