Microglia in retinal angiogenesis and diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy has a high probability of causing visual impairment or blindness throughout the disease progression and is characterized by the growth of new blood vessels in the retina at an advanced, proliferative stage. Microglia are a resident immune population in the central nervous system, known to play a crucial role in regulating retinal angiogenesis in both physiological and pathological conditions, including diabetic retinopathy. Physiologically, they are located close to blood vessels and are essential for forming new blood vessels (neovascularization).

c-Cbl Regulates Murine Subventricular Zone-Derived Neural Progenitor Cells in Dependence of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor.

The localization, expression, and physiological role of regulatory proteins in the neurogenic niches of the brain is fundamental to our understanding of adult neurogenesis. This study explores the expression and role of the E3-ubiquitin ligase, c-Cbl, in neurogenesis within the subventricular zone (SVZ) of mice. In vitro neurosphere assays and analyses were performed in specific c-Cbl knock-out lines to unravel c-Cbl's role in receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway.

EGFL7 loss correlates with increased VEGF-D expression, upregulating hippocampal adult neurogenesis and improving spatial learning and memory.

Neural stem cells reside in the subgranular zone, a specialized neurogenic niche of the hippocampus. Throughout adulthood, these cells give rise to neurons in the dentate gyrus, playing an important role in learning and memory. Given that these core cognitive processes are disrupted in numerous disease states, understanding the underlying mechanisms of neural stem cell proliferation in the subgranular zone is of direct practical interest.

Gamma Irradiation Triggers Immune Escape in Glioma-Propagating Cells.

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common and devastating form of brain tumor for which only palliative radio- and chemotherapy exists. Although some clinical studies on vaccination approaches have shown promising efficacy due to their potential to generate long-term immune surveillance against cancer cells, the evasion mechanisms preventing therapy response are largely uncharacterized. Here, we studied the response of glioblastoma-propagating cells (GPCs) to clinically relevant doses of γ radiation.

Photobiomodulation Mediates Neuroprotection against Blue Light Induced Retinal Photoreceptor Degeneration.

Potent neuroprotective effects of photobiomodulation with 670 nm red light (RL) have been demonstrated in several models of retinal disease. RL improves mitochondrial metabolism, reduces retinal inflammation and oxidative cell stress, showing its ability to enhance visual function. However, the current knowledge is limited to the main hypothesis that the respiratory chain complex IV, cytochrome c oxidase, serves as the primary target of RL.

Impairment of extramitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in mouse rod outer segments by blue light irradiation.

Exposure to short wavelength light causes increased reactive oxygen intermediates production in the outer retina, particularly in the rod Outer Segments (OS). Consistently, the OS were shown to conduct aerobic ATP production through the ectopic expression of the electron transfer chain complexes I-IV and F1Fo-ATP synthase. These facts prompted us to verify if the oxidative phosphorylation in the OS is implied in the oxidative damage of the blue-light (BL) treated OS, in an organotypic model of mouse retina.