Tissue-specific gene knockout by CRISPR/Cas9 is a powerful approach for characterizing gene functions in animal development. However, this approach has been successfully applied in only a small number of tissues. The motor nervous system is an excellent model system for studying the biology of neuromuscular junction (NMJ). To expand tissue-specific CRISPR to the motor system, here we present a CRISPR-mediated tissue-restricted mutagenesis (CRISPR-TRiM) toolkit for knocking out genes in motoneurons, muscles, and glial cells. We validated the efficacy of this toolkit by knocking out known genes in each tissue, demonstrated its orthogonal use with the Gal4/UAS binary expression system, and showed simultaneous knockout of multiple redundant genes. Using these tools, we discovered an essential role for SNARE pathways in NMJ maintenance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the canonical ESCRT pathway suppresses NMJ bouton growth by downregulating the retrograde Gbb signaling. Lastly, we found that axon termini of motoneurons rely on ESCRT-mediated intra-axonal membrane trafficking to lease extracellular vesicles at the NMJ.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2023.09.25.559303 | DOI Listing |
Blood
January 2025
New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States.
Babesiosis in sickle cell disease (SCD) is marked by severe anemia but the underlying red blood cell (RBC) rheological parameters remain largely undefined. Here, we describe altered RBC deformability from both primary (host RBC sickle hemoglobin mediated) and secondary changes (Babesia parasite infection mediated) to the RBC membrane using wild type AA, sickle trait AS and sickle SS RBCs. Our ektacytometry (LORRCA) analysis demonstrates that the changes in the host RBC bio-mechanical properties, pre- and post- Babesia infection, reside on a spectrum of severity, with wild type infected AA cells, despite showing a significant reduction of deformability under both shear and osmolarity gradients, exhibiting only a mild phenotype; compared to infected AS RBCs which show median changes in deformability and infected SS RBCs which exhibit the most dramatic impact of infection on cellular rheology, including an increase in Point of Sickling values.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNano Converg
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Mol Biol Rep
January 2025
Medical Sociology and Psychobiology, Department of Health and Physical Activity, University of Potsdam, 14469, Potsdam, Germany.
Background: Depression constitutes a risk factor for osteoporosis, but underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms are not fully understood. MiRNAs influence gene expression and are carried by extracellular vesicles (EV), affecting cell-cell communication.
Aims: (1) Identify the difference in miRNA expression between depressed patients and healthy controls; (2) Analyze associations of these miRNAs with bone turnover markers; (3) Analyze target genes of differentially regulated miRNAs and predict associated pathways regarding depression and bone metabolism.
ACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Cancer Biology and Metastasis Research Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77054, United States.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are generated in all cells. Systemic administration of allogenic EVs derived from epithelial and mesenchymal cells has been shown to be safe, despite carrying an array of functional molecules, including thousands of proteins. To address whether epithelial cell-derived EVs can be modified to acquire the capacity to induce an immune response, we engineered 293T EVs to harbor the immunomodulatory molecules CD80, OX40L, and PD-L1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77054, United States.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell derived nanovesicles which are implicated in both physiological and pathological intercellular communication, including the initiation, progression, and metastasis of cancer. The exchange of biomolecules between stromal cells and cancer cells via EVs can provide a window to monitor cancer development in real time for better diagnostic and interventional strategies. In addition, the process of secretion and internalization of EVs by stromal and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) can be exploited for delivering therapeutics.
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