The Neuroprotective Role of Quinoa (, Wild) Supplementation in Hippocampal Morphology and Memory of Adolescent Stressed Rats.

Brain physiology and morphology are vulnerable to chronic stress, impacting cognitive performance and behavior. However, functional compounds found in food may alleviate these alterations. White quinoa (, Wild) seeds contain a high content of n-3 fatty acids, including alpha-linolenic acid.

A kinesin-1 adaptor complex controls bimodal slow axonal transport of spectrin in Caenorhabditis elegans.

An actin-spectrin lattice, the membrane periodic skeleton (MPS), protects axons from breakage. MPS integrity relies on spectrin delivery via slow axonal transport, a process that remains poorly understood. We designed a probe to visualize endogenous spectrin dynamics at single-axon resolution in vivo.

Capillary Electrophoresis Mass Spectrometry for Scalable Single-Cell Proteomics.

Understanding the biochemistry of the cell requires measurement of all the molecules it produces. Single-cell proteomics recently became possible through advances in microanalytical sample preparation, separation by nano-flow liquid chromatography (nanoLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE), and detection using electrospray ionization (ESI) high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Here, we demonstrate capillary microsampling CE-ESI-HRMS to be scalable to proteomics across broad cellular dimensions.

Data-Dependent Acquisition Ladder for Capillary Electrophoresis Mass Spectrometry-Based Ultrasensitive (Neuro)Proteomics.

Measurement of broad types of proteins from a small number of cells to single cells would help to better understand the nervous system but requires significant leaps in sensitivity in high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Microanalytical capillary electrophoresis electrospray ionization (CE-ESI) offers a path to ultrasensitive proteomics by integrating scalability with sensitivity. Here, we systematically evaluate performance limitations in this technology to develop a data acquisition strategy with deeper coverage of the neuroproteome from trace amounts of starting materials than traditional dynamic exclusion.

Male-Specific cAMP Signaling in the Hippocampus Controls Spatial Memory Deficits in a Mouse Model of Autism and Intellectual Disability.

Background: The prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders is biased toward male individuals, with male-to-female ratios of 2:1 in intellectual disability and 4:1 in autism spectrum disorder. However, the molecular mechanisms of such bias remain unknown. While characterizing a mouse model for loss of the signaling scaffold coiled-coil and C2 domain-containing protein 1A (CC2D1A), which is mutated in intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder, we identified biochemical and behavioral differences between male and female mice, and explored whether CC2D1A controls male-specific intracellular signaling.

Enhanced Peptide Detection Toward Single-Neuron Proteomics by Reversed-Phase Fractionation Capillary Electrophoresis Mass Spectrometry.

The ability to detect peptides and proteins in single cells is vital for understanding cell heterogeneity in the nervous system. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) provides high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) with trace-level sensitivity, but compressed separation during CE challenges protein identification by tandem HRMS with limited MS/MS duty cycle. Here, we supplemented ultrasensitive CE-nanoESI-HRMS with reversed-phase (RP) fractionation to enhance identifications from protein digest amounts that approximate to a few mammalian neurons.

Upregulation of Epac-1 in Hepatic Stellate Cells by Prostaglandin E in Liver Fibrosis Is Associated with Reduced Fibrogenesis.

Exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac-1) is an important signaling mechanism for cAMP-mediated effects, yet factors that change Epac-1 levels are unknown. Such factors are relevant because it has been postulated that Epac-1 directly affects fibrogenesis. Prostaglandin E (PGE) is a well-known cAMP activator, and we therefore studied the effects of this cyclo-oxygenase product on Epac-1 expression and on fibrogenesis within the liver.

Microtubule-regulating proteins and cAMP-dependent signaling in neuroblastoma differentiation.

Neurons are highly differentiated cells responsible for the conduction and transmission of information in the nervous system. The proper function of a neuron relies on the compartmentalization of their intracellular domains. Differentiated neuroblastoma cells have been extensively used to study and understand the physiology and cell biology of neuronal cells.

Exchange Protein Directly Activated by cAMP (EPAC) Regulates Neuronal Polarization through Rap1B.

Unlabelled: Acquisition of neuronal polarity is a complex process involving cellular and molecular events. The second messenger cAMP is involved in axonal specification through activation of protein kinase A. However, an alternative cAMP-dependent mechanism involves the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC), which also responds to physiological changes in cAMP concentration, promoting activation of the small Rap GTPases.

The role of small GTPases in neuronal morphogenesis and polarity.

The highly dynamic remodeling and cross talk of the microtubule and actin cytoskeleton support neuronal morphogenesis. Small RhoGTPases family members have emerged as crucial regulators of cytoskeletal dynamics. In this review we will comprehensively analyze findings that support the participation of RhoA, Rac, Cdc42, and TC10 in different neuronal morphogenetic events ranging from migration to synaptic plasticity.

Effect of the environment on the dendritic morphology of the rat auditory cortex.

The present study aimed to identify morphological correlates of environment-induced changes at excitatory synapses of the primary auditory cortex (A1). We used the Golgi-Cox stain technique to compare pyramidal cells dendritic properties of Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to different environmental manipulations. Sholl analysis, dendritic length measures, and spine density counts were used to monitor the effects of sensory deafness and an auditory version of environmental enrichment (EE).

Chronic stress induces dendritic atrophy in the rat medial geniculate nucleus: effects on auditory conditioning.

Chronic stress induces dendritic atrophy in the inferior colliculus (IC, auditory mesencephalon) and impairs auditory avoidance conditioning. The aim of this study was to determine in Golgi preparations and in cued fear conditioning whether stress affects other auditory components, like the thalamic medial geniculate nucleus (MG) or the posterior thalamic nucleus (PO), in Sprague-Dawley rats. Chronic restraint stress produced a significant dendritic atrophy in the MG (stress: 407+/-55 microm; control: 808+/-120 microm; p<0.