The Role of IgLON Cell Adhesion Molecules in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

In the brain, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are critical for neurite outgrowth, axonal fasciculation, neuronal survival and migration, and synapse formation and maintenance. Among CAMs, the IgLON family comprises five members: Opioid Binding Protein/Cell Adhesion Molecule Like (OPCML or OBCAM), Limbic System Associated Membrane Protein (LSAMP), neurotrimin (NTM), Neuronal Growth Regulator 1 (NEGR1), and IgLON5. IgLONs exhibit three N-terminal C2 immunoglobulin domains; several glycosylation sites; and a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchoring to the membrane.

Publicly available transcriptomics datasets to explore CNS physiology and neurodegeneration: state of the art and perspectives.

The central nervous system (CNS) is characterized by an intricate composition of diverse cell types, including neurons and glia cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia), whose functions may differ along time, between sexes and upon pathology. The advancements in high-throughput transcriptomics are providing fundamental insights on cell phenotypes, so that molecular codes and instructions are ever more described for CNS physiology and neurodegeneration. To facilitate the search of relevant information, this review provides an overview of key CNS transcriptomics studies ranging from CNS development to ageing and from physiology to pathology as defined for five neurodegenerative disorders and their relative animal models, with a focus on molecular descriptions whose raw data were publicly available.