Publications by authors named "W L Schafer"
One avenue to better understand brain evolution is to map molecular patterns of evolutionary changes in neuronal cell types across entire nervous systems of distantly related species. Generating whole-animal single-cell transcriptomes of three nematode species from the genus, we observed a remarkable stability of neuronal cell type identities over more than 45 million years of evolution. Conserved patterns of combinatorial expression of homeodomain transcription factors are among the best classifiers of homologous neuron classes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Core Measures Set (CMS) is an agreed standardized group of measures that should be assessed and reported in research for a specific condition or clinical area. This study undertook the development of a CMS for Patient Safety through a two-round, web-based Delphi consensus approach, in the context of the "Improving quality and patient SAFEty in surgical care through STandardisation and harmonization of perioperative care in Europe" (SAFEST) project-a collaborative, patient-centered and evidence-based European Union-funded project that aims to generate action-oriented evidence in perioperative care. We developed an Initial List of Measures via an umbrella review following the deployment of an e-Delphi method with an inclusive panel of experts to prioritize measures towards a consensualized Final List of Measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConstitutive sodium permeability in a two-pore domain potassium channel.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- Two-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels are crucial for regulating how cells respond to stimuli and function in the nervous system, and their selectivity filter structure is key to their ability to selectively allow potassium ions to pass.
- The nematode has a large family of K2P channels with 47 genes, and this study focuses on the UNC-58 channel which is uniquely permeable to sodium ions due to a specific cysteine in its selectivity filter.
- Through various experimental methods, the researchers found that UNC-58 causes depolarization in muscles and sensory neurons, leading to hypercontracted outcomes in gain-of-function mutants, highlighting the necessity of functional studies to understand how variations in selectivity filter sequences affect
Article Synopsis
- * Recent studies have enhanced our comprehension of the neuropeptide signaling network in C. elegans by exploring its evolutionary conservation, molecular expressions, receptor-ligand interactions, and overall organization.
- * This research provides insights into neuropeptidergic circuits and their transmission patterns, and C. elegans is proposed as a model to understand similar neuropeptide signaling networks in other organisms.