Semaphorin3A/PlexinA3 association with the Scribble scaffold for cGMP increase is required for apical dendrite development.

The development of the apical dendrite from the leading process of the bipolar pyramidal neuron might be directed by spatially organized extrinsic cues acting on localized intrinsic determinants. The extracellular cues regulating apical dendrite polarization remain elusive. We show that leading process and apical dendrite development are directed by class III Semaphorins and mediated by a localized cGMP-synthesizing complex.

A study on pyro-hydrometallurgical process for selective recovery of Pb, Sn and Sb from lead dross.

This study is to propose a pyro-hydrometallurgical process for recovering Pb, Sn, and Sb from lead dross (LD), incorporating stages of roasting, leaching, and precipitation. The LD, containing 67.2% of Pb, 4.

Two independent mouse lines carrying the Nav1.7 I228M gain-of-function variant display dorsal root ganglion neuron hyperexcitability but a minimal pain phenotype.

Small-fiber neuropathy (SFN), characterized by distal unmyelinated or thinly myelinated fiber loss, produces a combination of sensory dysfunction and neuropathic pain. Gain-of-function variants in the sodium channel Nav1.7 that produce dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron hyperexcitability are present in 5% to 10% of patients with idiopathic painful SFN.

Enhanced Meningeal Lymphatic Drainage Ameliorates Neuroinflammation and Hepatic Encephalopathy in Cirrhotic Rats.

Background & Aims: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neurologic complication in patients with liver cirrhosis. Very little is known about the role of the meningeal lymphatic system in HE. We tested our hypothesis that enhancement of meningeal lymphatic drainage could decrease neuroinflammation and ameliorate HE.

A Localized Scaffold for cGMP Increase Is Required for Apical Dendrite Development.

Studies in cultured neurons have established that axon specification instructs neuronal polarization and is necessary for dendrite development. However, dendrite formation in vivo occurs when axon formation is prevented. The mechanisms promoting dendrite development remain elusive.

The small fiber neuropathy NaV1.7 I228M mutation: impaired neurite integrity via bioenergetic and mitotoxic mechanisms, and protection by dexpramipexole.

Gain-of-function variants in voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7 that increase firing frequency and spontaneous firing of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons have recently been identified in 5-10% of patients with idiopathic small fiber neuropathy (I-SFN). Our previous in vitro observations suggest that enhanced sodium channel activity can contribute to a decrease in length of peripheral sensory axons.

Micellar nanocomplexes for biomagnetic delivery of intracellular proteins to dictate axon formation during neuronal development.

During mammalian embryonic development, neurons polarize to create distinct cellular compartments of axon and dendrite that inherently differ in form and function, providing the foundation for directional signaling in the nervous system. Polarization results from spatio-temporal segregation of specific proteins' activities to discrete regions of the neuron to dictate axonal vs. dendritic fate.

Experimental investigation of the effect of binocular disparity on the visibility threshold of asymmetric noise in stereoscopic viewing.

Stereoscopic images could have asymmetric distortions caused by image processing in capture, synthesis, and compression of them. In 3D perception in stereoscopic display, the visibility threshold of the asymmetric distortions in the left and right images is important, which is tolerable to the human visual system. In this paper, we investigate the effect of the binocular disparity on the visibility threshold of asymmetric noises in stereoscopic images via subjective assessments.

Entrapment via synaptic-like connections between NG2 proteoglycan+ cells and dystrophic axons in the lesion plays a role in regeneration failure after spinal cord injury.

NG2 is purportedly one of the most growth-inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) produced after spinal cord injury. Nonetheless, once the severed axon tips dieback from the lesion core into the penumbra they closely associate with NG2+ cells. We asked if proteoglycans play a role in this tight cell-cell interaction and whether overadhesion upon these cells might participate in regeneration failure in rodents.

Atypical protein kinase C and Par3 are required for proteoglycan-induced axon growth inhibition.

When the CNS is injured, damaged axons do not regenerate. This failure is due in part to the growth-inhibitory environment that forms at the injury site. Myelin-associated molecules, repulsive axon guidance molecules, and extracellular matrix molecules including chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) found within the glial scar inhibit axon regeneration but the intracellular signaling mechanisms triggered by these diverse molecules remain largely unknown.

Quantitative measurement of binocular color fusion limit for non-spectral colors.

Human perception becomes difficult in the event of binocular color fusion when the color difference presented for the left and right eyes exceeds a certain threshold value, known as the binocular color fusion limit. This paper discusses the binocular color fusion limit for non-spectral colors within the color gamut of a conventional LCD 3DTV. We performed experiments to measure the color fusion limit for eight chromaticity points sampled from the CIE 1976 chromaticity diagram.

PRR5, a novel component of mTOR complex 2, regulates platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta expression and signaling.

The protein kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays an important role in the coordinate regulation of cellular responses to nutritional and growth factor conditions. mTOR achieves these roles through interacting with raptor and rictor to form two distinct protein complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2. Previous studies have been focused on mTORC1 to elucidate the central roles of the complex in mediating nutritional and growth factor signals to the protein synthesis machinery.

Insulin signalling to mTOR mediated by the Akt/PKB substrate PRAS40.

Insulin stimulates protein synthesis and cell growth by activation of the protein kinases Akt (also known as protein kinase B, PKB) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). It was reported that Akt activates mTOR by phosphorylation and inhibition of tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2). However, in recent studies the physiological requirement of Akt phosphorylation of TSC2 for mTOR activation has been questioned.

Identification and use of zinc finger transcription factors that increase production of recombinant proteins in yeast and mammalian cells.

Randomized ZFP-TF libraries could induce a specific phenotype without detailed knowledge about the phenotype of interest because, theoretically, the libraries could modulate any gene in the target organism. We have developed a novel method for enhancing the efficiency of recombinant protein production in mammalian and microbial cells using combinatorial libraries of zinc finger protein transcription factors. To this end, we constructed tens of thousands of zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) with distinct DNA-binding specificities and fused these ZFPs to either a transcriptional activation or repression domain to make transcriptional activators or repressors, respectively.

Phenotypic alteration of eukaryotic cells using randomized libraries of artificial transcription factors.

We have developed a method in which randomized libraries of zinc finger-containing artificial transcription factors are used to induce phenotypic variations in yeast and mammalian cells. By linking multiple zinc-finger domains together, we constructed more than 100,000 zinc-finger proteins with diverse DNA-binding specificities and fused each of them to either a transcription activation or repression domain. The resulting transcriptional regulatory proteins were expressed individually in cells, and the transfected cells were screened for various phenotypic changes, such as drug resistance, thermotolerance or osmotolerance in yeast, and differentiation in mammalian cells.