Amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) is well studied for its role in Alzheimer disease, although its normal function remains uncertain. It has been reported that APP stimulates the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs). In this study we examined the role of APP in NSPC differentiation. To identify proteins that may mediate the effect of APP on NSPC differentiation, we used a gene array approach to find genes whose expression correlated with APP-induced neurogenesis. We found that the expression of neurogenin 2 (Ngn2), a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, was significantly down-regulated in NSPCs from APP knock-out mice (APPKO) and increased in APP transgenic (Tg2576) mice. Ngn2 overexpression in APPKO NSPCs promoted neuronal differentiation, whereas siRNA knockdown of Ngn2 expression in wild-type NSPCs decreased neuronal differentiation. The results demonstrate that APP-stimulated neuronal differentiation of NSPCs is mediated by Ngn2.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M114.581918 | DOI Listing |
Int J Mol Sci
January 2025
Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy.
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January 2025
Department of Anatomy, Animal Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Splaiul Independentei 91-95, 050095 Bucharest, Romania.
Cenobamate is a new and highly effective antiseizure compound used for the treatment of adults with focal onset seizures and particularly for epilepsy resistant to other antiepileptic drugs. It acts on multiple targets, as it is a positive allosteric activator of γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA) receptors and an inhibitor of neuronal sodium channels, particularly of the late or persistent Na current. We recently evidenced the inhibitory effects of cenobamate on the peak and late current component of the human cardiac isoform hNav1.
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Department of Orthopedic Surgery, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan.
Olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) transplantation demonstrates promising therapeutic results in neurological disorders, such as spinal cord injury. The emerging cell-free secretome therapy compensates for the limitations of cell transplantation, such as low cell survival rates. However, the therapeutic benefits of the human OEC secretome remain unclear.
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December 2024
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Neuroimmunomodulation for Neurological Diseases, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons (iNs) have been widely used as models of neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases. Coating cell culture vessels with extracellular matrixes (ECMs) gives structural support and facilitates cell communication and differentiation, ultimately enhances neuronal functions. However, the relevance of different ECMs to the natural environment and their impact on neuronal differentiation have not been fully characterized.
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December 2024
Department of Animal and Human Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, 59 Wita Stwosza Str., 80-308 Gdansk, Poland.
Amphetamine abuse is a global health epidemic that is difficult to treat due to individual differences in response to environmental factors, including stress reactivity and anxiety levels, as well as individual neuronal differences, which may result in increased/decreased vulnerability to addiction. In the present study, we investigated whether the Wistar rats behavioral traits of high (HR) and low (LR) locomotor activity to novelty influence motivational behavior (induced feeding model; iFR by electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area; Es-VTA) supported by amphetamine injection into the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh) (HR, n = 5; LR, n = 5). A correlation was found between the novelty test's locomotor activity score and the frequency threshold percentage change ( < 0.
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