Publications by authors named "Tanzila Mukhtar"

The development of the human neocortex is highly dynamic, involving complex cellular trajectories controlled by gene regulation. Here we collected paired single-nucleus chromatin accessibility and transcriptome data from 38 human neocortical samples encompassing both the prefrontal cortex and the primary visual cortex. These samples span five main developmental stages, ranging from the first trimester to adolescence.

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The development of the human neocortex is a highly dynamic process and involves complex cellular trajectories controlled by cell-type-specific gene regulation. Here, we collected paired single-nucleus chromatin accessibility and transcriptome data from 38 human neocortical samples encompassing both the prefrontal cortex and primary visual cortex. These samples span five main developmental stages, ranging from the first trimester to adolescence.

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Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent and correct fate determination is crucial to guarantee brain formation and homeostasis. How NSCs are instructed to generate neuronal or glial progeny is not well understood. Here, we addressed how murine adult hippocampal NSC fate is regulated and described how scaffold attachment factor B (SAFB) blocks oligodendrocyte production to enable neuron generation.

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Radial glial (RG) development is essential for cerebral cortex growth and organization. In humans, the outer radial glia (oRG) subtype is expanded and gives rise to diverse neurons and glia. However, the mechanisms regulating oRG differentiation are unclear.

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The cerebral cortex contains billions of neurons, and their disorganization or misspecification leads to neurodevelopmental disorders. Understanding how the plethora of projection neuron subtypes are generated by cortical neural stem cells (NSCs) is a major challenge. Here, we focused on elucidating the transcriptional landscape of murine embryonic NSCs, basal progenitors (BPs), and newborn neurons (NBNs) throughout cortical development.

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Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2 can infect a variety of cell types, severely affecting respiratory function and causing neurological symptoms in about one-third of COVID-19 cases.
  • Research using stem-cell-derived cortical organoids and human cortical tissue revealed that SARS-CoV-2 predominantly infects astrocytes in the brain, leading to increased inflammation and cellular stress.
  • Despite the lack of ACE2 expression in astrocytes, the presence of coreceptors CD147 and DPP4 is linked to the infection's severity, indicating that manipulating these coreceptors could influence the infection rate.
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The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) readily infects a variety of cell types impacting the function of vital organ systems, with particularly severe impact on respiratory function. It proves fatal for one percent of those infected. Neurological symptoms, which range in severity, accompany a significant proportion of COVID-19 cases, indicating a potential vulnerability of neural cell types.

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Article Synopsis
  • Neural stem cells (NSCs) produce various types of neurons in the cerebral cortex, but the processes governing their development remain unclear.
  • The Hippo signaling pathway influences gene expression through Tead transcription factors, with Yap1/Taz promoting NSC maintenance and certain neuron types, while Teads have distinct roles in neuron differentiation and migration.
  • Overall, the study highlights the complex nature of Hippo signaling in regulating cortical development and neuron fate determination.
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Dynamical control of cellular microenvironments is highly desirable to study complex processes such as stem cell differentiation and immune signaling. We present an ultra-multiplexed microfluidic system for high-throughput single-cell analysis in precisely defined dynamic signaling environments. Our system delivers combinatorial and time-varying signals to 1500 independently programmable culture chambers in week-long live-cell experiments by performing nearly 10 pipetting steps, where single cells, two-dimensional (2D) populations, or 3D neurospheres are chemically stimulated and tracked.

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The cerebral cortex is composed of billions of morphologically and functionally distinct neurons. These neurons are produced and organized in a regimental fashion during development. The ability of neurons to encode and elicit complex cognitive and motor functions depends on their precise molecular processes, identity, and connectivity established during development.

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