Neuroimmune crosstalk in the central nervous system and its significance for neurological diseases

The central nervous system (CNS) is now known to actively communicate with the immune system to control immune responses both centrally and peripherally. Within the CNS, while studies on glial cells, especially microglia, have highlighted the importance of this cell type in innate immune responses of the CNS, the immune regulatory functions of other cell types, especially neurons, are largely unknown. How neuroimmune cross-talk is homeostatically maintained in neurodevelopment and adult plasticity is even more elusive. Inspiringly, accumulating evidence suggests that neurons may also actively participate in immune responses by controlling glial cells and infiltrated T cells. The potential clinical application of this knowledge warrants a deeper understanding of the mutual interactions between neurons and other types of cells during neurological and immunological processes within the CNS, which will help advance diagnosis, prevention, and intervention of various neurological diseases. The aim of this review is to address the immune function of both glial cells and neurons, and the roles they play in regulating inflammatory processes and maintaining homeostasis of the CNS.Peer reviewe

Composition and metabolism of phospholipids of Fasciola hepatica, the common liver fluk

1. 1. The phospholipid composition of Fasciola hepatica, the common liver fluke, was compared to that of the liver of the host animals (rats and cattle). Considerable differences were found: monoacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine, hardly detectable in the liver, was found in significant amounts in the parasite. On the other hand, sphingomyelin, a normal constituent in the liver, appears to be absent in the liver fluke. Fasciola hepatica isolated from rat and cow liver had a strikingly similar phospholipid composition. 2. 2. Qualitative and quantitative differences were also found between the fatty acyl constituents of the phospholipids of the parasite and the liver. The major difference was the presence of eicosaenoic and eicosadienoic acids in the parasite, whereas these acids were not detected in the liver. 3. 3. In vitro incubations of Fasciola hepatica in the presence of [32 P] phosphate and [2-3H]glycerol resulted in the labelling of all phospholipids of the parasite, except that the [2-3H] label did not incorporate into ethanolamine plasmalogen. This is in agreement with the concept that in animals, glycerol is introduced into plasmalogens via dihydroxyacetonephosphate. 4. 4. Homogenates of liver flukes were found to catalyze the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine from 1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerols and CDPcholine. 5. 5. These results strongly suggest that Fasciola hepatica is capable of synthesizing at least part of its fatty acids and phospholipids

The transcriptional regulator SnoN promotes the proliferation of cerebellar granule neuron precursors in the postnatal mouse brain

Control of neuronal precursor cell proliferation is essential for normal brain development, and deregulation of this fundamental developmental event contributes to brain diseases. Typically, neuronal precursor cell proliferation extends over long periods of time during brain development. However, how neuronal precursor proliferation is regulated in a temporally specific manner remains to be elucidated. Here, we report that conditional KO of the transcriptional regulator SnoN in cerebellar granule neuron precursors robustly inhibits the proliferation of these cells and promotes their cell cycle exit at later stages of cerebellar development in the postnatal male and female mouse brain. In laser capture microdissection followed by RNA-Seq, designed to profile gene expression specifically in the external granule layer of the cerebellum, we find that SnoN promotes the expression of cell proliferation genes and concomitantly represses differentiation genes in granule neuron precursor

Phospholipid transfer proteins in rat lung. Identification of a protein specific for phosphatidylglycerol

From the soluble fraction of a rat lung homogenate, two proteins were partially purified which catalyzed the transfer of phosphatidylglycerol between liposomes and rat lung mitochondria. One protein was specific for phosphatidylglycerol, the other also catalyzed the transfer of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The soluble fraction from rat liver also contained the nonspecific, but not the specific phosphatidylglycerol-transfer protein. It is suggested that the specific phosphatidylglycerol-transfer protein, as well as the phosphatidylcholine-transfer protein, which is also present in rat lung, contribute in the lung to the biogenesis of lamellar bodies, the organelles where surfactant phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol are stored prior to secretion onto the alveolar surfac