Evolution of laughter

We begin to laugh from a very young age, and for a variety of reasons. But did you know that we are not the only living beings on earth who laugh? The great apes (like gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos) laugh too, although their laughter can sound very different from ours (the laughter of a chimpanzee sounds like panting!)

Resources on COVID-19

The Indian scientific community has developed some resources that are based on our current scientific understanding of the pandemic. Available in multiple Indian languages and free of cost, these resources have been generated or compiled to increase public awareness about the pandemic, and fight misinformation. Here are some examples

Ca2+ sensor proteins in dendritic spines: a race for Ca2+

Dendritic spines are believed to be micro-compartments of Ca2+ regulation. In a recent study, it was suggested that the ubiquitous and evolutionarily conserved Ca2+ sensor, calmodulin (CaM), is the first to intercept Ca2+ entering the spine and might be responsible for the fast decay of Ca2+ transients in spines. Neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) and neuronal calcium-binding protein (nCaBP) families consist of Ca2+ sensors with largely unknown synaptic functions despite an increasing number of interaction partners. Particularly how these sensors operate in spines in the presence of CaM has not been discussed in detail before. The limited Ca2+ resources and the existence of common targets create a highly competitive environment where Ca2+ sensors compete with each other for Ca2+ and target binding. In this review, we take a simple numerical approach to put forth possible scenarios and their impact on signaling via Ca2+ sensors of the NCS and nCaBP families. We also discuss the ways in which spine geometry and properties of ion channels, their kinetics and distribution, alter the spatio-temporal aspects of Ca2+ transients in dendritic spines, whose interplay with Ca2+ sensors in turn influences the race for Ca2+

Evolution of laughter

We begin to laugh from a very young age, and for a variety of reasons. But did you know that we are not the only living beings on earth who laugh? The great apes (like gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos) laugh too, although their laughter can sound very different from ours (the laughter of a chimpanzee sounds like panting!)

IK1 channels do not contribute to the slow after hyperpolarization in pyramidal neurons

In pyramidal neurons such as hippocampal area CA1 and basolateral amygdala, a slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP) follows a burst of action potentials, which is a powerful regulator of neuronal excitability. The sAHP amplitude increases with aging and may underlie age related memory decline. The sAHP is due to a Ca-dependent, voltage-independent K conductance, the molecular identity of which has remained elusive until a recent report suggested the Ca-activated K channel, IK1 (KCNN4) as the sAHP channel in CA1 pyramidal neurons. The signature pharmacology of IK1, blockade by TRAM-34, was reported for the sAHP and underlying current. We have examined the sAHP and find no evidence that TRAM-34 affects either the current underling the sAHP or excitability of CA1 or basolateral amygdala pyramidal neurons. In addition, CA1 pyramidal neurons from IK1 null mice exhibit a characteristic sAHP current. Our results indicate that IK1 channels do not mediate the sAHP in pyramidal neurons

Surface plasmon resonance analysis.

<p>(A) Untagged full length Caldendrin was immobilized on a CM5 surface and the full-length Caldendrin was also injected as analyte. (B) The N-terminus of Caldendrin was immobilized on a CM5 surface and also injected as analyte in running buffer. (C) The common C-terminus (CDD-Ct) was immobilized on the sensor chip and the N-terminus injected as analyte. (D) The common C-terminus (CDD-Ct) was immobilized on the sensor chip and also injected as the analyte. (A–D) The running buffer always contained 50 mM Tris-Cl and 100 mM KCl with 1 mM Mg²⁺/1 mM EGTA (red) or 1 mM Mg²⁺/500 µM Ca²⁺ (green). Amount of protein in the running buffer was 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 µg (increasing protein levels correspond to increasing amplitudes). RU: response units.</p