Publications by authors named "R F Toonen"

Mutations in the microtubule-binding motor protein kinesin 5 A (KIF5A) are implicated in several adult-onset motor neuron diseases, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Spastic Paraplegia Type 10 and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 2. While KIF5 family members transport a variety of cargos along axons, the specific cargos affected by KIF5A mutations remain poorly understood. Here, we generated KIF5Anull mutant human motor neurons and analyzed the impact on axonal transport and motor neuron outgrowth and regeneration in vitro.

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Coral reefs are among the most sensitive ecosystems affected by ocean warming and acidification, and are predicted to collapse over the next few decades. Reefs are predicted to shift from net accreting calcifier-dominated systems with exceptionally high biodiversity to net eroding algal-dominated systems with dramatically reduced biodiversity. Here, we present a two-year experimental study examining the responses of entire mesocosm coral reef communities to warming (+2 °C), acidification (-0.

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Article Synopsis
  • Neuropeptides and neurotrophins are released from dense core vesicles (DCVs), and recent research highlights the unique role of the RAB3-RIM1 pathway in DCV exocytosis, differentiating it from the synaptic vesicle (SV) exocytosis mechanism.
  • The study identifies rabphilin-3A (RPH3A) as a negative regulator of DCV exocytosis, where its absence led to a threefold increase in DCV release in RPH3A deficient neurons.
  • RPH3A's role in regulating DCV exocytosis is linked to its interaction with SNAP25; although it is not needed for DCV transport, its binding to SNAP25 is
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Reef-building coral populations are at serious risk of collapse due to the combined effects of ocean warming and acidification. Nonetheless, many corals show potential to adapt to the changing ocean conditions. Here we examine the broad sense heritability (H) of coral calcification rates across an ecologically and phylogenetically diverse sampling of eight of the primary reef-building corals across the Indo-Pacific.

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Mutations in the microtubule binding motor protein, kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A), cause the fatal motor neuron disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. While KIF5 family members transport a variety of cargos along axons, it is still unclear which cargos are affected by mutations. We generated null mutant human motor neurons to investigate the impact of KIF5A loss on the transport of various cargoes and its effect on motor neuron function at two different timepoints .

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