Publications by authors named "Jonathan D Lautz"

It is well known that oligodendrocyte-associated Nogo-A protein is an important regulator of axonal outgrowth and an important inhibitor of functional recovery and anatomical plasticity after central nervous system (CNS) injury. Abundant studies of oligodendrocyte-associated Nogo-A function in the uninjured rodent have suggested a role in neuronal development and synaptic function. On the other hand, the roles of neuron-associated (i.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cells use protein interactions to send biological signals.
  • The study identified 128 proteins that interacted more after engaging a specific CAR T cell receptor, showing differences in signaling compared to regular T cell receptors.
  • Variations in production of the IL-2 cytokine were linked to differences in protein network activation, suggesting that future CAR T cell manufacturing could benefit from monitoring these signaling changes.
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Glutamatergic synapses encode information from extracellular inputs using dynamic protein interaction networks (PINs) that undergo widespread reorganization following synaptic activity, allowing cells to distinguish between signaling inputs and generate coordinated cellular responses. Here, we investigate how Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein (FMRP) deficiency disrupts signal transduction through a glutamatergic synapse PIN downstream of NMDA receptor or metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) stimulation. In cultured cortical neurons or acute cortical slices from P7, P17 and P60 FMR1 mice, the unstimulated protein interaction network state resembled that of wildtype littermates stimulated with mGluR agonists, demonstrating resting state pre-activation of mGluR signaling networks.

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Neurons encode information by rapidly modifying synaptic protein complexes, which changes the strength of specific synaptic connections. Homer1 is abundantly expressed at glutamatergic synapses, and is known to alter its binding to metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) in response to synaptic activity. However, Homer participates in many additional known interactions whose activity-dependence is unclear.

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  • A core network of proteins in the glutamatergic post-synapse supports synaptic plasticity, but the specific composition of proteins varies by brain region.
  • The study examines how this proteomic composition influences protein-protein interaction networks (PINs) when neurons are stimulated by different cues.
  • It finds that these PINs respond differently depending on the brain region, suggesting that the diversity in response could complicate the development of targeted drug therapies for neurological disorders.
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Neurons maintain stable levels of excitability using homeostatic synaptic scaling, which adjusts the strength of a neuron's postsynaptic inputs to compensate for extended changes in overall activity. Here, we investigated whether prolonged changes in activity affect network-level protein interactions at the synapse. We assessed a glutamatergic synapse protein interaction network (PIN) composed of 380 binary associations among 21 protein members in mouse neurons.

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Early-onset epileptic encephalopathies are severe disorders often associated with specific genetic mutations. In this context, the CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by early-onset seizures, intellectual delay, and motor dysfunction. Although crucial for proper brain development, the precise targets of CDKL5 and its relation to patients' symptoms are still unknown.

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  • The protein-coding gene neuro-oncological ventral antigen 1 (NOVA1) is crucial for brain development and differs between modern humans and our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans.
  • Researchers used genome editing to introduce an ancient version of this gene into modern human cells and studied its effects on brain organoids.
  • The archaic version of NOVA1 slowed neural development and changed the complexity and electrical properties of the organoids, suggesting that human-specific changes to this gene may have influenced our evolution.
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  • Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a progressive eye condition leading to irreversible blindness, linked to TGF-β2-induced changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) that affect fluid drainage and increase intraocular pressure (IOP).
  • The study investigates how oxidative stress influences TGF-β2-mediated ECM remodeling in human trabecular meshwork (TM) cells by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the expression of specific mRNAs and proteins.
  • Results show that TGF-β2 exposure significantly elevates oxidative stress markers in TM cells and activates Smad2/3 signaling pathways, which are associated with ECM changes and POAG pathology.
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At the post-synaptic density (PSD), large protein complexes dynamically form and dissociate in response to synaptic activity, comprising the biophysical basis for learning and memory. The use of detergents to isolate the PSD and release its membrane-associated proteins complicates studies of these activity-dependent protein interaction networks, because detergents can simultaneously disrupt the very interactions under study. Despite widespread recognition that different detergents yield different experimental results, the effect of detergent on activity-dependent synaptic protein complexes has not been rigorously examined.

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Although it has been known for over a decade that the inflammatory mediator NGF sensitizes pain-receptor neurons through increased trafficking of TRPV1 channels to the plasma membrane, the mechanism by which this occurs remains mysterious. NGF activates phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), the enzyme that generates PI(3,4)P and PIP, and PI3K activity is required for sensitization. One tantalizing hint came from the finding that the N-terminal region of TRPV1 interacts directly with PI3K.

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Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a heterogeneous group of behaviorally defined disorders and are associated with hundreds of rare genetic mutations and several environmental risk factors. Mouse models of specific risk factors have been successful in identifying molecular mechanisms associated with a given factor. However, comparisons among different models to elucidate underlying common pathways or to define clusters of biologically relevant disease subtypes have been complicated by different methodological approaches or different brain regions examined by the labs that developed each model.

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Cells utilize dynamic, network-level rearrangements in highly interconnected protein interaction networks to transmit and integrate information from distinct signaling inputs. Despite the importance of protein interaction network dynamics, the organizational logic underlying information flow through these networks is not well understood. Previously, we developed the quantitative multiplex co-immunoprecipitation platform, which allows for the simultaneous and quantitative measurement of the amount of co-association between large numbers of proteins in shared complexes.

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Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is causally implicated in the pathophysiology of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). The molecular mechanisms responsible for elevated IOP remain elusive, but may involve aberrant expression and signaling of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 within the trabecular meshwork (TM). Consistent with previously published studies, we show here that exogenous addition of TGF-β2 to cultured porcine anterior segments significantly attenuates outflow facility in a time-dependent manner.

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