NMDA Receptor and L-Type Calcium Channel Modulate Prion Formation.

Transmissible neurodegenerative prion diseases are characterized by the conversion of the cellular prion protein (PrP) to misfolded isoforms denoted as prions or PrP. Although the conversion can occur in the test tube containing recombinant prion protein or cell lysates, efficient prion formation depends on the integrity of intact cell functions. Since neurons are main targets for prion replication, we asked whether their most specialized function, i.

Circumventricular Organs and Parasite Neurotropism: Neglected Gates to the Brain?

Circumventricular organs (CVOs), neural structures located around the third and fourth ventricles, harbor, similarly to the choroid plexus, vessels devoid of a blood-brain barrier (BBB). This enables them to sense immune-stimulatory molecules in the blood circulation, but may also increase chances of exposure to microbes. In spite of this, attacks to CVOs by microbes are rarely described.

Human African trypanosomiasis: How do the parasites enter and cause dysfunctions of the nervous system in murine models?

In this review we describe how Trypanosoma brucei brucei, a rodent pathogenic strain of African trypanosomes, can invade the nervous system, first by localization to the choroid plexus, the circumventricular organs (CVOs) and peripheral ganglia, which have fenestrated vessels, followed by crossing of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the white matter, hypothalamus, thalamus and basal ganglia. White blood cells (WBCs) pave the way for the trypanosome neuroinvasion. Experiments with immune deficient mice show that the invasion of WBCs is initiated by the toll-like receptor 9, followed by an augmentation phase that depends on the cytokine IFN-γ and the chemokine CXCL10.

Emerging Viral Infections in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Developing Nervous System: A Mini Review.

The global public health concern is heightened over the increasing number of emerging viruses, i.e., newly discovered or previously known that have expanded into new geographical zones.