Epigenetic mechanisms regulating the transition from embryonic stem cells towards a differentiated neural progeny

The hippocampal formation and parahippocampal region are prominent components of the rat nervous system and play a crucial role in learning, memory, and spatial navigation. Many new details regarding the entorhinal cortex have been discovered since the previous edition, and the growing interest in the area of CA2 has been covered in this chapter. Emphasis is on a conceptual change: instead of perceiving the hippocampal circuit as the standard sequential processing network, current insights favor the concept that multiple parallel networks are present. Many new facts, combined with a thorough restructuring of information and inclusion of pointers to relevant (online) resources, make this chapter relevant to both the novice and senior readership

MicroRNA-124 and -137 cooperativity controls caspase-3 activity through BCL2L13 in hippocampal neural stem cells

Adult neurogenesis continuously contributes new neurons to hippocampal circuits and the programmed death of a subset of immature cells provides a primary mechanism controlling this contribution. Epileptic seizures induce strong structural changes in the hippocampus, including the induction of adult neurogenesis, changes in gene expression and mitochondrial dysfunction, which may all contribute to epileptogenesis. However, a possible interplay between this factors remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated gene expression changes in the hippocampal dentate gyrus shortly after prolonged seizures induced by kainic acid, focusing on mitochondrial functions. Using comparative proteomics, we identified networks of proteins differentially expressed shortly after seizure induction, including members of the BCL2 family and other mitochondrial proteins. Within these networks, we report for the first time that the atypical BCL2 protein BCL2L13 controls caspase-3 activity and cytochrome C release in neural stem/progenitor cells. Furthermore, we identify BCL2L13 as a novel target of the cooperative action of microRNA-124 and microRNA-137, both upregulated shortly after seizure induction. This cooperative microRNA-mediated fine-tuning of BCL2L13 expression controls casp3 activity, favoring non-apoptotic caspase-3 functions in NSPC exposed to KA and thereby may contribute to the early neurogenic response to epileptic seizures in the dentate gyrus

Multi-omics profile of the mouse dentate gyrus after kainic acid induced status epilepticus

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) can develop from alterations in hippocampal structure and circuit characteristics, and can be modeled in mice by administration of kainic acid (KA). Adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) contributes to hippocampal functions and has been reported to contribute to the development of TLE. Some of the phenotypical changes include neural stem and precursor cells (NPSC) apoptosis, shortly after their birth, before they produce hippocampal neurons. Here we explored these early phenotypical changes in the DG 3 days after a systemic injection of KA inducing status epilepticus (KA-SE), in mice. We performed a multi-omics experimental setup and analyzed DG tissue samples using proteomics, transcriptomics and microRNA profiling techniques, detecting the expression of 2327 proteins, 13401 mRNAs and 311 microRNAs. We here present a description of how these data were obtained and make them available for further analysis and validation. Our data may help to further identify and characterize molecular mechanisms involved in the alterations induced shortly after KA-SE in the mouse DG

New high affinity H3 receptor agonists without a basic side chain

In this study, we replaced the basic amine function of the known histamine