Special issue on 'Cytoskeletal proteins in health and neurodegenerative disease'

The cytoskeleton is the major intracellular structure that determines the morphology of neurons and maintains their structural integrity. It is therefore not surprising that a disturbance of cytoskeletal structure and functionunderlies many neurodegenerative diseases. This special issue brings together current information on the three majorneuronal cytoskeletal filament systems, microtubules, microfilaments and neurofilaments, and aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of the key components of these three systems under both physiological and pathological conditions. It therefore also addresses the role of microtubule-associated proteins (with a focus on tau) and motor proteins (with a focus on kinesin)

The Retinome – Defining a reference transcriptome of the adult mammalian retina/retinal pigment epithelium

BACKGROUND: The mammalian retina is a valuable model system to study neuronal biology in health and disease. To obtain insight into intrinsic processes of the retina, great efforts are directed towards the identification and characterization of transcripts with functional relevance to this tissue. RESULTS: With the goal to assemble a first genome-wide reference transcriptome of the adult mammalian retina, referred to as the retinome, we have extracted 13,037 non-redundant annotated genes from nearly 500,000 published datasets on redundant retina/retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) transcripts. The data were generated from 27 independent studies employing a wide range of molecular and biocomputational approaches. Comparison to known retina-/RPE-specific pathways and established retinal gene networks suggest that the reference retinome may represent up to 90% of the retinal transcripts. We show that the distribution of retinal genes along the chromosomes is not random but exhibits a higher order organization closely following the previously observed clustering of genes with increased expression. CONCLUSION: The genome wide retinome map offers a rational basis for selecting suggestive candidate genes for hereditary as well as complex retinal diseases facilitating elaborate studies into normal and pathological pathways. To make this unique resource freely available we have built a database providing a query interface to the reference retinome [1]

Mouse models of frontotemporal dementia: a comparison of phenotypes with clinical symptomatology

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common cause of young onset dementia. It is increasingly recognized that there is a clinical continuum between FTD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). At a clinical, pathological and genetic level there is much heterogeneity in FTD, meaning that our understanding of this condition, pathophysiology and development of treatments has been limited. A number of mouse models focusing predominantly on recapitulating neuropathological and molecular changes of disease have been developed, with most transgenic lines expressing a single specific protein or genetic mutation. Together with the species-typical presentation of functional deficits, this makes the direct translation of results from these models to humans difficult. However, understanding the phenotypical presentations in mice and how they relate to clinical symptomology in humans is essential for advancing translation. Here we review current mouse models in FTD and compare their phenotype to the clinical presentation in patients

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Developing a framework for assessing respiratory sensitization: A workshop report

Respiratory tract sensitization can have significant acute and chronic health implications. While induction of respiratory sensitization is widely recognized for some chemicals, validated standard methods or frameworks for identifying and characterizing the hazard are not available. A workshop on assessment of respiratory sensitization was held to discuss the current state of science for identification and characterization of respiratory sensitizer hazard, identify information facilitating development of validated standard methods and frameworks, and consider the regulatory and practical risk management needs. Participants agreed on a predominant Th2 immunological mechanism and several steps in respiratory sensitization. Some overlapping cellular events in respiratory and skin sensitization are well understood, but full mechanism(s) remain unavailable. Progress on non-animal approaches to skin sensitization testing, ranging from in vitro systems, –omics, in silico profiling, and structural profiling were acknowledged. Addressing both induction and elicitation phases remains challenging. Participants identified lack of a unifying dose metric as increasing the difficulty of interpreting dosimetry across exposures. A number of research needs were identified, including an agreed list of respiratory sensitizers and other asthmagens, distinguishing between adverse effects from immune-mediated versus non immunological mechanisms. A number of themes emerged from the discussion regarding future testing strategies, particularly the need for a tiered framework respiratory sensitizer assessment. These workshop present a basis for moving towards a weight-of-evidence assessment