Detection Of Pup Odors By Non-canonical Adult Vomeronasal Neurons Expressing An Odorant Receptor Gene Is Influenced By Sex And Parenting Status

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Olfaction is a fundamental sense through which most animals perceive the external world. The olfactory system detects odors via specialized sensory organs such as the main olfactory epithelium and the vomeronasal organ. Sensory neurons in these organs use G-protein coupled receptors to detect chemosensory stimuli. The odorant receptor (OR) family is expressed in sensory neurons of the main olfactory epithelium, while the adult vomeronasal organ is thought to express other types of receptors. Results: Here, we describe Olfr692, a member of the OR gene family identified by next-generation RNA sequencing, which is highly upregulated and non-canonically expressed in the vomeronasal organ. We show that neurons expressing this gene are activated by odors emanating from pups. Surprisingly, activity in Olfr692-positive cells is sexually dimorphic, being very low in females. Our results also show that juvenile odors activate a large number of Olfr692 vomeronasal neurons in virgin males, which is correlated with the display of infanticide behavior.. In contrast, activity substantially decreases in parenting males (fathers), where infanticidal aggressive behavior is not frequently observed. Conclusions: Our results describe, for the first time, a sensory neural population with a specific molecular identity involved in the detection of pup odors. Moreover, it is one of the first reports of a group of sensory neurons the activity of which is sexually dimorphic and depends on social status. Our data suggest that the Olfr692 population is involved in mediating pup-oriented behaviors in mice.14Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) Young Principal Investigator award [09/00473-0]FAPESP fellowshipsCAPES fellowshipWellcome Trust [098051]Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Lack of spatial segregation in the representation of pheromones and kairomones in the mouse medial amygdala

The nervous system is organized to detect, internally represent and process sensory information to generate appropriate behaviors. Despite the crucial importance of odors that elicit instinctive behaviors, such as pheromones and kairomones, their neural representation remains little characterized in the mammalian brain. Here we used expression of the immediate early gene product c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activity to find that a wide range of pheromones and kairomones produces activation in the medial nucleus of the amygdala, a brain area anatomically connected with the olfactory sensory organs. We see that activity in this nucleus depends on vomeronasal organ input, and that distinct vomeronasal stimuli activate a dispersed ensemble of cells, without any apparent spatial segregation. This activity pattern does not reflect the chemical category of the stimuli, their valence or the induced behaviors. These findings will help build a complete understanding of how odor information is processed in the brain to generate instinctive behaviors.9FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP09/00473-

Capoeira: luta, jogo ou dança? O impacto da grade curricular do curso de Educação Física na percepção de universitários

ABSTRACT Capoeira: fight, game or dance? The impact of the curricular matrix of the course of physical education in the university perceptionThe aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different under graduation curriculum adopted by universities on capoeira’s concept among Physical Education students, as well as its acceptance as a curricular component. 60 male and female students were subjects of the study, a questionnaire were applied for data collection. The higher frequencies answers for capoeira concept were fight (33.3%), game (23.5%) and dance (16.6%). Approximately 75% said that would like to have capoeira as discipline of physical education course. It was verified that the undergraduate curriculum directly influence university students on the capoeira’s concept. The capoeira discipline is still not inserted in most of the studied universities, however there are higher acceptance by students to include this modality in Physical Education course.Os objetivos deste estudo foram investigar a influência de diferentes matrizs curriculares em instituições de ensino superior sobre o conceito da capoeira e a sua aceitação como uma proposta de disciplina no curso de Educação Física. Participaram dessa pesquisa 60 alunos do sexo masculino e feminino. Foi utilizado um questionário para coleta dos dados. As respostas de maior frequência sobre o conceito de capoeira foram luta (33,3%), jogo (23,5%) e dança (16,6%). Aproximadamente 75% afirmaram que gostariam que a capoeira fosse inserida no curso de Educação Física como disciplina. Verificou-se que diferentes matrizs curriculares exercem influencia direta no conceito sobre capoeira pelos estudantes. A disciplina capoeira ainda não está inserida na maioria das instituições analisadas nesta pesquisa. Porém há uma grande aceitação por parte dos estudantes em inclui-la no curso de Educação Física.

Transcription Factor 4 loss-of-function is associated with deficits in progenitor proliferation and cortical neuron content.

Transcription Factor 4 (TCF4) has been associated with autism, schizophrenia, and other neuropsychiatric disorders. However, how pathological TCF4 mutations affect the human neural tissue is poorly understood. Here, we derive neural progenitor cells, neurons, and brain organoids from skin fibroblasts obtained from children with Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome carrying clinically relevant mutations in TCF4. We show that neural progenitors bearing these mutations have reduced proliferation and impaired capacity to differentiate into neurons. We identify a mechanism through which TCF4 loss-of-function leads to decreased Wnt signaling and then to diminished expression of SOX genes, culminating in reduced progenitor proliferation in vitro. Moreover, we show reduced cortical neuron content and impaired electrical activity in the patient-derived organoids, phenotypes that were rescued after correction of TCF4 expression or by pharmacological modulation of Wnt signaling. This work delineates pathological mechanisms in neural cells harboring TCF4 mutations and provides a potential target for therapeutic strategies for genetic disorders associated with this gene

Variation in olfactory neuron repertoires is genetically controlled and environmentally modulated

The mouse olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) repertoire is composed of 10 million cells and each expresses one olfactory receptor (OR) gene from a pool of over 1000. Thus, the nose is sub-stratified into more than a thousand OSN subtypes. Here, we employ and validate an RNA-sequencing-based method to quantify the abundance of all OSN subtypes in parallel, and investigate the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to neuronal diversity. We find that the OSN subtype distribution is stereotyped in genetically identical mice, but varies extensively between different strains. Further, we identify cis-acting genetic variation as the greatest component influencing OSN composition and demonstrate independence from OR function. However, we show that olfactory stimulation with particular odorants results in modulation of dozens of OSN subtypes in a subtle but reproducible, specific and time-dependent manner. Together, these mechanisms generate a highly individualized olfactory sensory system by promoting neuronal diversity6FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP09/00473-0; 2015/50371-