Activity during the early postnatal period can have a pronounced effect on the structure of neurons in the central nervous system. Recent studies in the cat visual system and in the vertebrate and invertebrate neuromuscular system, have provided new insights into the cellular and molecular features of this process.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0959-4388(93)90040-6 | DOI Listing |
Trends Genet
January 2025
Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Institute of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518132, China. Electronic address:
Neuronal activity, including sensory-evoked and spontaneous firing, regulates the expression of a subset of genes known as activity-dependent genes. A key issue in this process is the activation and accumulation of transcription factors (TFs), which bind to cis-elements at specific enhancers and promoters, ultimately driving RNA synthesis through transcription machinery. Epigenetic factors such as histone modifiers also play a crucial role in facilitating the specific binding of TFs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElife
January 2025
Department of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Dendrites are crucial for receiving information into neurons. Sensory experience affects the structure of these tree-like neurites, which, it is assumed, modifies neuronal function, yet the evidence is scarce, and the mechanisms are unknown. To study whether sensory experience affects dendritic morphology, we use the ' arborized nociceptor PVD neurons, under natural mechanical stimulation induced by physical contacts between individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Struct Mol Biol
January 2025
Copenhagen Plant Science Center, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins bind to small non-coding RNAs to form RNA-induced silencing complexes. In the RNA-bound state, AGO is stable while RNA-free AGO turns over rapidly. Molecular features unique to RNA-free AGO that allow its specific recognition and degradation remain unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife (Basel)
November 2024
Experimental and Clinical Physiopathology Research Group CTS-1039, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Jaen, Las Lagunillas University Campus, 23009 Jaen, Spain.
Sex differences in brain metabolism and their relationship to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's are an important emerging topic in neuroscience. Intrinsic anatomic and metabolic differences related to male and female physiology have been described, underscoring the importance of considering biological sex in studying brain metabolism and associated pathologies. The hippocampus is a key structure exhibiting sex differences in volume and connectivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRedox Biol
February 2025
Baruch College and CUNY Graduate Center, 1 Baruch Way, New York, NY, 10010, USA. Electronic address:
The elevated emission of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from presynaptic mitochondria is well-documented in several inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the potential role of mitochondrial ROS in presynaptic function and plasticity remains largely understudied beyond the context of disease. Here, we investigated this potential ROS role in presynaptic function and short-term plasticity by combining optogenetics, whole cell electrophysiological recordings, and live confocal imaging using a well-established protocol for induction and measurement of synaptic potentiation in Drosophila melanogaster neuromuscular junctions (NMJ).
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