Publications by authors named "K Tainaka"

Article Synopsis
  • Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disease marked by the buildup of phosphorylated α-synuclein in oligodendrocytes, which are cells critical for supporting neurons.
  • In MSA, both mature oligodendrocytes and their precursor cells are compromised, leading to potential blood-brain barrier (BBB) impairment affecting brain health.
  • Research on postmortem brains from MSA patients revealed significant decreases in the tight junction protein claudin-5 and increased leakage of proteins like fibrinogen and IgG, indicating BBB dysfunction likely initiated by pathological changes in oligodendrocyte precursor cells.
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Chronic stress induces neural dysfunctions and risks mental illnesses. Clinical and preclinical studies have established the roles of brain regions underlying emotional and cognitive functions in stress and depression. However, neural pathways to perceive sensory stimuli as stress to cause behavioral disturbance remain unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • Brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs) are complex vascular anomalies that can cause strokes in young adults, and current surgical treatments are too invasive.
  • Recent research has discovered that mutations in the KRAS gene in brain endothelial cells are linked to bAVMs, but how these malformations develop postnatally is still unclear.
  • A new mouse model showed that introducing mutant KRAS in specific brain cells results in bAVMs, revealing the underlying mechanisms and suggesting that CRISPR technology can effectively suppress the development of these malformations.
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Mutations in Dystonin (), which encodes cytoskeletal linker proteins, cause hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy 6 (HSAN-VI) in humans and the () phenotype in mice; however, the neuronal circuit underlying the HSAN-VI and phenotype is unresolved. mice exhibit dystonic movements accompanied by the simultaneous contraction of agonist and antagonist muscles and postnatal lethality. Here, we identified the sensory-motor circuit as a major causative neural circuit using a gene trap system that enables neural circuit-selective inactivation and restoration of by Cre-mediated recombination.

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Click chemistry offers various applications through efficient bioorthogonal reactions. In bioimaging, pretargeting strategies have often been used, using click reactions between molecular probes with a click handle and reporter molecules that make them observable. Recent efforts have integrated tissue-clearing techniques with fluorescent labeling through click chemistry, allowing high-resolution three-dimensional fluorescence imaging.

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