Pten mutations are associated with autism spectrum disorder. Pten loss of function in neurons increases excitatory synaptic connectivity, contributing to an imbalance between excitation and inhibition. We aimed to determine whether Pten loss results in aberrant connectivity in neural circuits. We compared postnatally generated wild-type and Pten knockout granule neurons integrating into the dentate gyrus using a variety of methods to examine their connectivity. We found that postsynaptic Pten loss provides an advantage to dendritic spines in competition over a limited pool of presynaptic boutons. Retrograde monosynaptic tracing with rabies virus reveals that this results in synaptic contact with more presynaptic partners. Using independently excitable opsins to interrogate multiple inputs onto a single neuron, we found that excess connectivity is established indiscriminately from among glutamatergic afferents. Therefore, Pten loss results in inappropriate connectivity whereby neurons are coupled to a greater number of synaptic partners.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41380-019-0412-6 | DOI Listing |
J Biol Chem
December 2024
Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA. Electronic address:
Phosphatase and Tensin Homologue (PTEN) is one of the most frequently lost tumor suppressors in cancer and the predominant negative regulator of the PI3K/AKT signaling axis. A growing body of evidence has highlighted the loss of PTEN with immuno-modulatory functions including the upregulation of the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), an altered tumor derived secretome that drives an immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), and resistance to certain immunotherapies. Given their roles in immunosuppression and tumor growth, we examined whether the loss of PTEN would impact the biogenesis, cargo, and function of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the context of the anti-tumor associated cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Pract
December 2024
Department of Experimental Medicine (Di.Me.S), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
Background/objectives: Osteoporosis causes a bone mass reduction and often determines acute and chronic pain. Understanding the biochemical and neurophysiological mechanisms behind this pain is crucial for developing new, effective rehabilitative and therapeutic approaches. This systematic review synthesizes recent advances in muscle-bone interactions and molecular pathways related to osteoporosis-associated pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStem Cell Res Ther
December 2024
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, P.R. China.
Background: hucMSC-exosomes can be engineered to strengthen their therapeutic potential, and the present study aimed to explore whether hypoxic preconditioning can enhance the angiogenic potential of hucMSC-exosomes in an experimental model of POF.
Methods: Primary hucMSCs and ROMECs were isolated from fresh tissue samples and assessed through a series of experiments. Exosomes were isolated from hucMSCs under normoxic or hypoxic conditions (norm-Exos and hypo-Exos, respectively) and then characterized using classic experimental methods.
Hum Reprod
December 2024
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Study Question: Is there an association between the somatic loss of PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) and ARID1A (AT-rich interaction domain 1A) and endometriosis disease severity and worse clinical outcomes?
Summary Answer: Somatic PTEN loss in endometriosis epithelium was associated with greater disease burden and subsequent surgical complexity.
What Is Known Already: Somatic cancer-driver mutations including those involving the PTEN and ARID1A genes exist in endometriosis without cancer; however, their clinical impact remains unclear.
Study Design, Size, Duration: This prospective longitudinal study involved endometriosis tissue and clinical data from 126 participants who underwent surgery at a tertiary center for endometriosis (2013-2017), with a follow-up period of 5-9 years.
Autophagy
December 2024
Department of Biochemistry and Centre de Recherche en Biologie Structurale, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the , primarily due to mitochondria dysfunction. PRKN (parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase) and PINK1 (PTEN induced kinase 1) are linked to early-onset cases of PD and essential for the clearance of damaged mitochondria via selective mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy). In a recent publication, we detail how a small molecule can activate PRKN mutants that are unable to be phosphorylated, restoring mitophagy in cellular assays.
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