Epigenetic disregulation induces cell growth retardation in primary cultured glial cells.

Some epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation and histone deacetylation, act as transcriptional repression signals. In this study, we examined whether DNA methylation dependent transcriptional control regulates glial cell growth. Primary cultured mouse cortical glial cells were treated with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5adC) or the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium valproate (VPA), which inhibits DNA-methylation-dependent transcriptional repression.

Dilinoleoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine from Hericium erinaceum protects against ER stress-dependent Neuro2a cell death via protein kinase C pathway.

In many types of neurodegeneration, neuronal cell death is induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Hence, natural products able to reduce ER stress are candidates for use in the attenuation of neuronal cell death and, hence, in the reduction of the damage, which occurs in neurodegenerative disease. In this study, we investigated ER stress-reducing natural products from an edible mushroom, Hericium erinaceum.