106 research outputs found
Transplantation of Specific Human Astrocytes Promotes Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury
Repairing trauma to the central nervous system by replacement of glial support
cells is an increasingly attractive therapeutic strategy. We have focused on the
less-studied replacement of astrocytes, the major support cell in the central
nervous system, by generating astrocytes from embryonic human glial precursor
cells using two different astrocyte differentiation inducing factors. The
resulting astrocytes differed in expression of multiple proteins thought to
either promote or inhibit central nervous system homeostasis and regeneration.
When transplanted into acute transection injuries of the adult rat spinal cord,
astrocytes generated by exposing human glial precursor cells to bone
morphogenetic protein promoted significant recovery of volitional foot
placement, axonal growth and notably robust increases in neuronal survival in
multiple spinal cord laminae. In marked contrast, human glial precursor cells
and astrocytes generated from these cells by exposure to ciliary neurotrophic
factor both failed to promote significant behavioral recovery or similarly
robust neuronal survival and support of axon growth at sites of injury. Our
studies thus demonstrate functional differences between human astrocyte
populations and suggest that pre-differentiation of precursor cells into a
specific astrocyte subtype is required to optimize astrocyte replacement
therapies. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show functional
differences in ability to promote repair of the injured adult central nervous
system between two distinct subtypes of human astrocytes derived from a common
fetal glial precursor population. These findings are consistent with our
previous studies of transplanting specific subtypes of rodent glial precursor
derived astrocytes into sites of spinal cord injury, and indicate a remarkable
conservation from rat to human of functional differences between astrocyte
subtypes. In addition, our studies provide a specific population of human
astrocytes that appears to be particularly suitable for further development
towards clinical application in treating the traumatically injured or diseased
human central nervous system
Structural, Metabolic, and Functional Brain Abnormalities as a Result of Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse: Evidence from Neuroimaging
Prenatal exposure to alcohol and stimulants negatively affects the developing trajectory of the central nervous system in many ways. Recent advances in neuroimaging methods have allowed researchers to study the structural, metabolic, and functional abnormalities resulting from prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse in living human subjects. Here we review the neuroimaging literature of prenatal exposure to alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Neuroimaging studies of prenatal alcohol exposure have reported differences in the structure and metabolism of many brain systems, including in frontal, parietal, and temporal regions, in the cerebellum and basal ganglia, as well as in the white matter tracts that connect these brain regions. Functional imaging studies have identified significant differences in brain activation related to various cognitive domains as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure. The published literature of prenatal exposure to cocaine and methamphetamine is much smaller, but evidence is beginning to emerge suggesting that exposure to stimulant drugs in utero may be particularly toxic to dopamine-rich basal ganglia regions. Although the interpretation of such findings is somewhat limited by the problem of polysubstance abuse and by the difficulty of obtaining precise exposure histories in retrospective studies, such investigations provide important insights into the effects of drugs of abuse on the structure, function, and metabolism of the developing human brain. These insights may ultimately help clinicians develop better diagnostic tools and devise appropriate therapeutic interventions to improve the condition of children with prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse
We're in this Together: Sensation of the Host Cell Environment by Endosymbiotic Bacteria
Bacteria inhabit diverse environments, including the inside of eukaryotic cells. While a bacterial invader may initially act as a parasite or pathogen, a subsequent mutualistic relationship can emerge in which the endosymbiotic bacteria and their host share metabolites. While the environment of the host cell provides improved stability when compared to an extracellular environment, the endosymbiont population must still cope with changing conditions, including variable nutrient concentrations, the host cell cycle, host developmental programs, and host genetic variation. Furthermore, the eukaryotic host can deploy mechanisms actively preventing a bacterial return to a pathogenic state. Many endosymbionts are likely to use two-component systems (TCSs) to sense their surroundings, and expanded genomic studies of endosymbionts should reveal how TCSs may promote bacterial integration with a host cell. We suggest that studying TCS maintenance or loss may be informative about the evolutionary pathway taken toward endosymbiosis, or even toward endosymbiont-to-organelle conversion.Peer reviewe
Genetic variation and exercise-induced muscle damage: implications for athletic performance, injury and ageing.
Prolonged unaccustomed exercise involving muscle lengthening (eccentric) actions can result in ultrastructural muscle disruption, impaired excitation-contraction coupling, inflammation and muscle protein degradation. This process is associated with delayed onset muscle soreness and is referred to as exercise-induced muscle damage. Although a certain amount of muscle damage may be necessary for adaptation to occur, excessive damage or inadequate recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage can increase injury risk, particularly in older individuals, who experience more damage and require longer to recover from muscle damaging exercise than younger adults. Furthermore, it is apparent that inter-individual variation exists in the response to exercise-induced muscle damage, and there is evidence that genetic variability may play a key role. Although this area of research is in its infancy, certain gene variations, or polymorphisms have been associated with exercise-induced muscle damage (i.e. individuals with certain genotypes experience greater muscle damage, and require longer recovery, following strenuous exercise). These polymorphisms include ACTN3 (R577X, rs1815739), TNF (-308 G>A, rs1800629), IL6 (-174 G>C, rs1800795), and IGF2 (ApaI, 17200 G>A, rs680). Knowing how someone is likely to respond to a particular type of exercise could help coaches/practitioners individualise the exercise training of their athletes/patients, thus maximising recovery and adaptation, while reducing overload-associated injury risk. The purpose of this review is to provide a critical analysis of the literature concerning gene polymorphisms associated with exercise-induced muscle damage, both in young and older individuals, and to highlight the potential mechanisms underpinning these associations, thus providing a better understanding of exercise-induced muscle damage
Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications
Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles
can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications
in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or
magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal
stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction
of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’
surface is essential. During this process, the original
coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded
ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the
silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more
than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In
this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces
ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically
accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove
the generic character, different functional groups were
introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol
chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their
colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as
well as human plasma and serum was investigated to
allow implementation in biomedical and sensing
applications.status: publishe
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