Kv7 Channels Can Function without Constitutive Calmodulin Tethering

M-channels are voltage-gated potassium channels composed of Kv7.2-7.5 subunits that serve as important regulators of neuronal excitability. Calmodulin binding is required for Kv7 channel function and mutations in Kv7.2 that disrupt calmodulin binding cause Benign Familial Neonatal Convulsions (BFNC), a dominantly inherited human epilepsy. On the basis that Kv7.2 mutants deficient in calmodulin binding are not functional, calmodulin has been defined as an auxiliary subunit of Kv7 channels. However, we have identified a presumably phosphomimetic mutation S511D that permits calmodulin-independent function. Thus, our data reveal that constitutive tethering of calmodulin is not required for Kv7 channel function

Hippocampal-Dependent Spatial Memory in the Water Maze is Preserved in an Experimental Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Rats

Cognitive impairment is a major concern in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). While different experimental models have been used to characterize TLE-related cognitive deficits, little is known on whether a particular deficit is more associated with the underlying brain injuries than with the epileptic condition per se. Here, we look at the relationship between the pattern of brain damage and spatial memory deficits in two chronic models of TLE (lithium-pilocarpine, LIP and kainic acid, KA) from two different rat strains (Wistar and Sprague-Dawley) using the Morris water maze and the elevated plus maze in combination with MRI imaging and post-morten neuronal immunostaining. We found fundamental differences between LIP- and KA-treated epileptic rats regarding spatial memory deficits and anxiety. LIP-treated animals from both strains showed significant impairment in the acquisition and retention of spatial memory, and were unable to learn a cued version of the task. In contrast, KA-treated rats were differently affected. Sprague-Dawley KA-treated rats learned less efficiently than Wistar KA-treated animals, which performed similar to control rats in the acquisition and in a probe trial testing for spatial memory. Different anxiety levels and the extension of brain lesions affecting the hippocampus and the amydgala concur with spatial memory deficits observed in epileptic rats. Hence, our results suggest that hippocampal-dependent spatial memory is not necessarily affected in TLE and that comorbidity between spatial deficits and anxiety is more related with the underlying brain lesions than with the epileptic condition per se

Integración interdepartamental entre las materias básicas y de cuidados de enfermería, bajo el estudio de un caso clínico

En el mundo de la enfermería, la expresión “High tech, high touch”, refleja la necesidad de que los enfermeros combinen cualidades humanas con un conocimiento científico/tecnológico. Sin embargo, diversos estudios internacionales y nuestra propia experiencia en la Universidad Europea, muestran que los estudiantes de enfermería no aprecian la relevancia y aplicabilidad de las ciencias básicas en el ejercicio de su futura profesión. La actividad que presentamos ha sido diseñada por un grupo multidisciplinar de profesores de los departamentos “Ciencias Biomédicas Básicas” y “Enfermería” siendo pionera en la educación interdepartamental e integrada de las materias básicas y los procesos y cuidados del Grado de Enfermería. Esta actividad surge de la necesidad de que los estudiantes de primer curso experimenten cómo un conocimiento sólido e integrado en Bioquímica y Fisiología es esencial para la ejecución inteligente de los procesos y cuidados de enfermería. Los estudiantes se sumergen en el caso de una paciente que, durante el proceso de su diagnóstico, es ingresada por “coma diabético”. Mediante una metodología de trabajo colaborativa en grupos reducidos, los estudiantes revisan el metabolismo, las pruebas analíticas y la fisiopatología de la paciente, para finalmente extraerle, mediante sondaje vesical, una muestra de orina para testar.SIN FINANCIACIÓNNo data 2017UE

TNAP and P2X7R: New Plasma Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease

2023 Descuento MDPIOver the last few years, intense research efforts have been made to anticipate or improve the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease by detecting blood biomarkers. However, the most promising blood biomarkers identified to date have some limitations, most of them related to the techniques required for their detection. Hence, new blood biomarkers should be identified to improve the diagnosis of AD, better discriminate between AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and identify cognitively unimpaired (CU) older individuals at risk for progression to AD. Our previous studies demonstrated that both the purinergic receptor P2X7 and the tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase ectoenzyme (TNAP) are upregulated in the brains of AD patients. Since both proteins are also present in plasma, we investigated whether plasma P2X7R and TNAP are altered in MCI and AD patients and, if so, their potential role as AD biomarkers. We found that AD but not MCI patients present increased plasma P2X7R levels. Nevertheless, TNAP plasma activity was increased in MCI patients and decreased in the AD group. ROC curve analysis indicated that measuring both parameters has a reasonable discriminating capability to diagnose MCI and AD conditions. In addition to confirming that individuals progressing to MCI have increased TNAP activity in plasma, longitudinal studies also revealed that CU individuals have lower plasma TNAP activity than stable controls. Thus, we propose that P2X7 and TNAP could serve as new plasma biomarkers for MCI and AD.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)European CommissionUCM - Banco de SantanderComunidad de MadridDepto. de Bioquímica y Biología MolecularFac. de VeterinariaTRUEpubDescuento UC