Ultrastructural and transcriptional profiling of neuropathological misregulation of CREB function

We compare here the neurodegenerative processes observed in the hippocampus of bitransgenic mice with chronically altered levels of cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) function. The combination of genome-wide transcriptional profiling of degenerating hippocampal tissue with microscopy analyses reveals that the sustained inhibition of CREB function in A-CREB mice is associated with dark neuron degeneration, whereas its strong chronic activation in VP16-CREB mice primarily causes excitotoxic cell death and inflammation. Furthermore, the meta-analysis with gene expression profiles available in public databases identifies relevant common markers to other neurodegenerative processes and highlights the importance of the immune response in neurodegeneration. Overall, these analyses define the ultrastructural and transcriptional signatures associated with these two forms of hippocampal neurodegeneration, confirm the importance of fine-tuned regulation of CREB-dependent gene expression for CA1 neuron survival and function, and provide novel insight into the function of CREB in the etiology of neurodegenerative processes. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved.The work at AB and LMV laboratory was supported by the European Commission Coordination Action ENINET (contract number LSHM-CT-2005-19063), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grants BFU2005-00286, CSD2007-00023, and SAF2008-00611, the Generalitat Valenciana grant GVPRE/2008/365, and the Fundació La Marató de TV3 grant 063510. The work at RL laboratory was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grant BFU2006-01896 and the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha grant PAI08-0174-6967.Peer Reviewe

Cellular and subcellular localization of Marlin-1 in the brain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Marlin-1 is a microtubule binding protein that associates specifically with the GABA_B1subunit in neurons and with members of the Janus kinase family in lymphoid cells. In addition, it binds the molecular motor kinesin-I and nucleic acids, preferentially single stranded RNA. Marlin-1 is expressed mainly in the central nervous system but little is known regarding its cellular and subcellular distribution in the brain.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we have studied the localization of Marlin-1 in the rodent brain and cultured neurons combining immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and pre-embedding electron microscopy. We demonstrate that Marlin-1 is enriched in restricted areas of the brain including olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum. Marlin-1 is abundant in dendrites and axons of GABAergic and non-GABAergic hippocampal neurons. At the ultrastructural level, Marlin-1 is present in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of CA1 neurons in the hippocampus. In the cytoplasm it associates to microtubules in the dendritic shaft and occasionally with the Golgi apparatus, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and dendritic spines. In the nucleus, clusters of Marlin-1 associate to euchromatin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that Marlin-1 is expressed in discrete areas of the brain. They also confirm the microtubule association at the ultrastructural level in neurons. Together with the abundance of the protein in dendrites and axons they are consistent with the emerging role of Marlin-1 as an intracellular protein linking the cytoskeleton and transport. Our study constitutes the first detailed description of the cellular and subcellular distribution of Marlin-1 in the brain. As such, it will set the basis for future studies on the functional implications of Marlin-1 in protein trafficking.</p

AER and dynamic systems co-simulation over Simulink with Xilinx System Generator

Address-Event Representation (AER) is a neuromorphic communication protocol for transferring information of spiking neurons implemented into VLSI chips. These neuro-inspired implementations have been used to design sensor chips (retina, cochleas), processing chips (convolutions, filters) and learning chips, what makes possible the development of complex, multilayer, multichip neuromorphic systems. In biology one of the last steps of the processing is to move a muscle, to apply the results of these complex neuromorphic processing to the real world. One interesting question is to be able to transform, or translate, the AER information into robot movements, like for example, moving a DC motor. This paper presents several ways to translate AER spikes into DC motor power, and to control a DC motor speed, based on Pulse Frequency Modulation. These methods have been simulated into Simulink with Xilinx System Generator, and tested into the AER-Robot platform.Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-01417Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TEC2006-11730-C03-0

From Vision Sensor to Actuators, Spike Based Robot Control through Address-Event-Representation

One field of the neuroscience is the neuroinformatic whose aim is to develop auto-reconfigurable systems that mimic the human body and brain. In this paper we present a neuro-inspired spike based mobile robot. From commercial cheap vision sensors converted into spike information, through spike filtering for object recognition, to spike based motor control models. A two wheel mobile robot powered by DC motors can be autonomously controlled to follow a line drown in the floor. This spike system has been developed around the well-known Address-Event-Representation mechanism to communicate the different neuro-inspired layers of the system. RTC lab has developed all the components presented in this work, from the vision sensor, to the robot platform and the FPGA based platforms for AER processing.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2006-11730-C03-02Junta de Andalucía P06-TIC-0141

Histoblot: A sensitive method to quantify the expression of proteins in normal and pathological conditions

The histoblot (in situ immunoblotting) technique is a simple, reproducible, and sensitive method for protein detection that allows both protein quantitation and analysis of tissue distribution. This easy and fast method allows the direct transfer of native proteins from unfixed frozen tissue sections by mechanical pressure to an immobilizing matrix. Proteins are directly blotted onto nitrocellulose membranes that are then immunolabelled similar to a western blot, but the result is an immunohistochemical imprint of the section retaining all proteins. The histoblot combines advantages of western blot and immunohistochemical methods and yields optimal accessibility of proteins blotted on membranes whilst also preserving anatomical resolution. In addition, it avoids chemical modifications, crosslinking, or semi-denaturation of proteins, which can alter the access of antibody to epitopes, as introduced by conventional immunohistochemistry. Therefore, the histoblot often enables the use of antibodies that do not recognise the target protein in fixed tissue samples. This method has become a trusted alternative to reveal and compare the regional distribution and expression profile of different proteins in the brain in physiological and pathological conditions. In addition, the technique exhibits a high subregional resolution, although is not suitable to unravel protein distribution at the cellular and subcellular levels. In this review, we introduce the histoblot procedure used in our laboratory on brain sections for the identification of quantitative changes of neurotransmitter receptors, ion channels and other signalling molecules in the brain. We also discuss the potentialities, limitations, and fundamental principles of this technique

Cysteine String Protein- Prevents Activity-Dependent Degeneration in GABAergic Synapses

The continuous release of neurotransmitter could be seen to place a persistent burden on presynaptic proteins, one that could compromise nerve terminal function. This supposition and the molecular mechanisms that might protect highly active synapses merit investigation. In hippocampal cultures from knock-out mice lacking the presynaptic cochaperone cysteine string protein-_ (CSP-_),weobserve progressive degeneration of highly active synaptotagmin 2 (Syt2)-expressing GABAergic synapses, but surprisingly not of glutamatergic terminals. In CSP-_ knock-out mice, synaptic degeneration of basket cell terminals occurs in vivo in the presence of normal glutamatergic synapses onto dentate gyrus granule cells. Consistent with this, in hippocampal cultures from these mice, the frequency of miniature IPSCs, caused by spontaneous GABA release, progressively declines, whereas the frequency of miniature excitatory AMPA receptormediated currents (mEPSCs), caused by spontaneous release of glutamate, is normal. However, the mEPSC amplitude progressively decreases. Remarkably, long-term block of glutamatergic transmission in cultures lacking CSP-_ substantially rescues Syt2-expressing GABAergic synapses from neurodegeneration. These findings demonstrate that elevated neural activity increases synapse vulnerability and that CSP-_ is essential to maintain presynaptic function under a physiologically high-activity regimen

Innovation in Argentina's Poultry Nutrition and Health Industry: Strategies of Knowledge-intensive Business Services

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las empresas de nutrición y sanidad aviar entre los años 2015-2018 y cómo innovaron para sostenerse en contextos globalizados. Se consideró como supuesto principal que las diferencias estaban dadas por el tipo de innovaciones desarrolladas y sus relaciones con otras firmas e instituciones. Para el trabajo fueron estudiadas -desde un enfoque sistémico sobre la innovación y en base a una encuesta- 40 empresas de capitales nacionales y multinacionales en la Argentina. Se concluyó que las empresas efectuaron diferentes tipos de innovaciones y que éstas son características diferenciadoras significativas: la innovación en servicios intensivos en conocimiento, el tipo de exportación y la cooperación tecnológica con universidades.The aim of the study was to analyze the innovation strategy of Argentine poultry nutrition and health firms between 2015-2018 to sustain themselves in globalized contexts. The main assumption was that the differences were given by the type of innovations and their relationships with other firms and institutions. By means of a survey, 40 firms in Argentina, of national and multinational origin, were studied from a systemic innovation approach. The conclusion was that the firms carried out different types of innovations, with significant differentiating characteristics, such as: the innovation in knowledge-intensive services, the type of export and the technological cooperation with universities.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Radio over Internet Protocol (RoIP) /

Los servicios de telecomunicaciones cada día requieren más la integración de nuevas tecnologías y que estas a su vez, sean más eficientes en sus procesos. Por esto se creó la Radio Sobre Protocolo de Internet (RoIP por sus siglas en inglés) que integra Voz Sobre IP (VoIP) y los sistemas de radiocomunicación de VHF y UHF entre otros. La radio sobre IP es similar a la Voz sobre IP, pero utiliza comunicaciones de radio de dos vías; en RoIP las transmisiones de radio Push To Talk (PTT) son convertidas en paquetes IP y enviados desde redes IP punto a punto. En esta tecnología al menos un nodo de la red es un radio (o un radio con una interfaz IP) conectado vía IP a otros nodos en la red. Los otros nodos pueden ser radios de dos vías pero también pueden ser consolas ya sea tradicionales (hardware) o modernas (software en PCs), softphones, u otro dispositivo de comunicación accesible sobre IP. RoIP puede desarrollarse sobre redes privadas y públicas, ya que extiende el alcance sus sistemas fuera de sus límites geográficos habituales.Incluye bibliografía, anexo

Libro de Actas del Primer Congreso Internacional de Análisis de Rendimiento Deportivo y Coaching

Este libro es una compliación de las Comunicaciones y Ponencias presentadas en el I Congreso Internacional de Análisis de Rendimiento Deportivo y Coaching, celebrado en la Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte de la Universidad de Valencia entre el 25 y 27 de Marzo de 2015. Organizado por la Universidad de Valencia y la Asociación Valenciana de Análisis de Rendimiento Deportivo y Coaching.This book is a compilation of Communications and lectures presented at the Firsth International Conference on Performance Analysis and Coaching in Sport, performed in the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences of the University of Valencia, 25-27th of March. Organized by the University of Valencia and The Valencian Association of Perfomance Analysis and Coaching in Sport