References

Brick RM, Sun AX, Tuan RSA-Ohoo (2018) Neurotrophically induced mesenchymal progenitor cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells enhance neuritogenesis via neurotrophin and cytokine production. Stem Cells Transl Med 7:45-58. doi: 10.1002/sctm.17-0108 PMID: 29215199

Objective: To examine the potential utility of an alternative, mesenchymal-like cell (MSCs) source, derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, termed induced mesenchymal progenitor cells (MiMPCs) to produce bioactive factors and support nerve regeneration.

Summary: The findings suggest MiMPCs as a renewable, candidate source of therapeutic cells and a potential alternative to MSCs for peripheral nerve repair, in view of their ability to promote nerve growth by producing many of the same growth factors and cytokines as Schwann cells and signaling through critical neurotrophic pathways.

Usage: Immunofluorescence

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Zhang J, Wang H, Wu S, Liu Q, Wang N (2017) Regulation of reentrainment function is dependent on a certain minimal number of intact functional iprgcs in rd mice. J Ophthalmol 2017:6804853.. doi: 10.1155/2017/6804853

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Khan N, Muralidharan A, Smith MT (2017) Attenuation of the infiltration of angiotensin ii expressing CD3+ T-cells and the modulation of nerve growth factor in lumbar dorsal root ganglia – a possible mechanism underpinning analgesia produced by EMA300, an Angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptor antagonist. Front Mol Neurosci 10:389. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00389 PMID: 29200998

Objective: To investigate the cellular and molecular mechanism of action of selective small molecule angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptor antagonists in the alleviation of peripheral neuropathic pain.

Summary: The analgesic effect of EMA300 in CCI-rats involves multimodal actions that appear to be mediated at least in part by a significant reduction in the otherwise increased expression levels of Ang II as well as the number of Ang II-expressing CD3+ T-cells in the ipsilateral lumbar DRGs of CCI-rats.

Usage: Immunocytochemistry; specifically labeled HEK cells expressing the AT2 but not the AT1 receptor or the non-transfected HEK-cells.

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Liu A, Aoki S, Wickens J (2017) A streamlined method for the preparation of gelatin embedded brains and simplified organization of sections for serial reconstructions. Bio-protocol 7(22):e2610.. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.2610

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Lovatt M, Yam GH-F, Peh GS, Colman A, Dunn NR, Mehta JS (2018) Directed differentiation of periocular mesenchyme from human embryonic stem cells. Differentiation 99:62-69. doi: 10.1016/j.diff.2017.11.003 PMID: 29239730

Objective: Pluripotent stem cells are attractive sources of cells for regenerative medicine, because large numbers of therapeutically useful cells can be generated. However, a detailed understanding of how to differentiate clinically relevant cell types from stem cells is fundamentally required.

Summary: Identification of cells resembling periocular mesenchyme (POM) cells in the adult cornea, located in a niche between the trabecular meshwork and peripheral endothelium. The generation and expansion of POM is an important step in the generation of a number of cells types that could prove to be clinically useful for a number of diseases of the cornea.

Usage: 1:200 for flow cytometry and immunofluorescence.

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Horner KA, Logue JB, Jenrette TA (2017) Patch compartment lesions reduce habitual sucrose consumption. Neuroscience 2017 Abstracts 689.16 / II23. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.

Summary: The striatum mediates habit formation and reward association. The striatum can be divided into the patch and matrix compartment, which are two neurochemically and anatomically distinct regions that may sub-serve different aspects of behavior. For example, the patch compartment may mediate reward-related behaviors, while the matrix compartment may mediate adaptive motor functions. Furthermore, previous studies have shown that enhanced relative activation of the patch versus matrix compartment is associated with inflexible behaviors, such as stereotypy. Habitual behaviors are also inflexible in nature, but whether enhanced activation of the patch compartment contributes to habitual behavior is not known. The goal of the current study was to examine the role of patch compartment neurons in the development of habit formation. We used dermorphin-saporin to specifically ablate neurons of the patch compartment prior to training animals to self-administer sucrose on a random interval schedule of reinforcement, which has been shown to foster habit formation. Our data showed that destruction of the neurons of the patch compartment prevented the reinstatement of sucrose self-administration after sucrose devaluation, indicating that absence of the patch compartment interrupted the development of habitual behavior. Our data also indicate that c-Fos levels were decreased in the dorsolateral striatum (DLS) and sensorimotor cortex (SMC), but increased in dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) in patch-lesioned animals that did not develop habitual behavior, indicating that diminished habit formation is associated with decreased activation of regions that participate in habitual behavior, and increased in regions associated with goal-directed behaviors. Together, these data indicate that the patch compartment participates in habit formation by altering the flow of information through basal ganglia circuits.

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Falquetto B, Oliveira LM, Moreira TS, Takakura AC (2017) Role of orexinergic neurons in the chemosensory control of breathing in a Parkinson’s disease model. Neuroscience 2017 Abstracts 779.08 / HH1. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.

Summary: Parkinson´s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra compacta (SNpc). Non-motor symptoms such as neuropsychiatric, sleep and breathing disorders are also observed in PD. Previous study has already demonstrated that in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-model of PD there is a reduction in the number of phox2b neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) and a decrease in the respiratory response to hypercapnia. Here, we tested the involvement of orexin cells from lateral hypothalamus/perifornical area (LH/PeF) on breathing in this model of PD. 6-OHDA (24 µg/µl) injections into the striatum reduced the number of catecholaminergic (40 days: 128 ± 10 and 60 days: 116 ± 13 vs. vehicle: 938 ± 15 neurons) and orexin-B-ir neurons (40 days: 310 ± 9 and 60 days: 258 ± 15 vs. vehicle: 412 ± 13 neurons). The injection of anti-Orexin-B saporin into the LH/PeF produces a further reduction in the number of orexinergic neurons in PD animals (79 ± 8 vs. control: 427 ± 14 neurons). The respiratory frequency (fR) at rest and in response to hypercapnia (7% CO2) was assessed 60 days after bilateral 6-OHDA or vehicle injections into the striatum and anti-Orexin-B saporin or IgG saporin into the LH/PeF during sleep and wakefulness in the dark and light phases of the diurnal cycle. Sixty days after 6-OHDA, we observed a reduction of fR at rest during sleep in the light phase only in PD animals (56 ± 2 vs. control: 66 ± 2 bpm). During the dark phase, there is a reduction in fR response to hypercapnia in PD animals with depletion of orexinergic neurons during wakefulness (119 ± 6 vs. control: 152 ± 3 bpm) and sleep (128 ± 7 vs. control: 147 ± 5 bpm). Our data suggest that orexinergic neurons are important to restore chemoreceptor function in a rat model of PD during sleep and wakefulness in rats.

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ATS Poster of the Year Winner

Ancheta L, Shramm PA, Lappi DA (2017) Method for screening neuronal tumor cell surface markers for high specificity and rapid internalization as potential oncologic treatments. Neuroscience 2017 Abstracts 612.11 / SS46. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.

Summary: Targeted cancer therapies are drugs or other substances that block the growth and spread of cancer by interfering with specific molecules involved in the growth, progression, and spread of the tumor. These therapies are often cytostatic; they block tumor cell proliferation as opposed to chemotherapy that kills the cells. A primary approach to identify potential targets is the ability to compromise a ligand/receptor relationship that causes tumor cell proliferation. There are now many examples of the use of antibodies in tumor therapy to cause a breakdown in that relationship. In clinical use against brain tumors are antibodies to cell-surface EGFR, VEGFR, PDGFR, and c-kit. These work by down-regulation of the receptor by antibody-mediated internalization. It is crucial for development of a targeted therapy to have a method to determine the suitability of an antibody to cause internalization rapidly and completely. Here we describe a method for the efficient determination of internalization of cell surface molecules by antibodies: a cytotoxicity assay utilizing an antibody labeling method to streamline the process of multiple candidate screening. Cells are chosen that have significant levels of expression of the desired marker and the assay readout is definitive: cell death is demonstrated in 72 hours. This method is designed for the rapid screening of multiple antibodies for specificity and internalization in neuronal tumor cells to explore antibody candidates as therapeutics in a quick and reproducible manner.

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Del Rio R, Andrade DC, Toledo C, Diaz HS (2017) RVLM C1 neuron ablation normalizes cardiorespiratory control in heart failure. Neuroscience 2017 Abstracts 507.13 / NN21. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.

Summary: Heart failure (CHF) is characterized by sympathoexcitation and breathing disorders. The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is hyperactive in CHF. However, there is no direct evidence between the relationship of RVLM chronic hyperactivation, sympathoexcitation and progression of cardiac deterioration in CHF. We hypothesized that selective elimination of cathecolaminergic neurons from the RVLM delays cardiac deterioration in CHF rats. CHF was induced by volume overload in male Sprague-Dawley rats (250±20g). Ablation of C1 cells was performed by anti-dopamine-beta hydroxylase (DβH)–saporin toxin (DβH+SAP) injected into the RVLM. The degree of HF was estimated by echocardiography. Cardiac function was assessed by intraventricular PV loops. Arrhythmia index and breathing disorders were scored. Central and peripheral chemoreflex and cardiac autonomic control were also study. Partial elimination of C1 RVLM neurons (≈50%) delay the decrease in fractional shortening in CHF rats (CHF+Veh: 59±5 vs. 45±1 %, p<0.05, pre vs. post vehicle, respectively; CHF+DβH-SAP: 57±4 vs. 51±4 %, p>0.05, pre vs. post toxin, respectively). In addition, compared to CHF vehicle treated rats, CHF+DβH-SAP rats showed (CHF+Veh vs. CHF+DβH-SAP, respectively): i) a reduced cardiac sympathetic drive (-98±12 vs. -52±7 ΔHR, p<0.05), ii) an improvement in both cardiac diastolic (0.009±0.001 vs. 0.004±0.001 mmHg/µl, p<0.05) and systolic function (0.2±0.01 vs. 0.5±0.1 mmHg/µl, p<0.05), iii) a reduced number of arrhythmias (95±20 vs. 48±14 events/hour, p<0.05), and iv) a reduced incidence of breathing disorders (9±1 vs. 6±1 apneas/hour, p<0.05). Finally, the detrimental autonomic and cardiovascular effects induced by central chemoreceptors activation were abolished after C1 neurons ablation in CHF rats. Neither hypoxic nor hypercapnic ventilatory chemoreflex responses were affected by DβH- SAP treatment. Our results showed that the RVLM play a pivotal role on the progression of cardiac deterioration and in the maintenance of autonomic imbalance and breathing disorders in CHF. In addition, our results showed that the sympathoexcitation and cardiac function deterioration induced by central chemoreflex activation is related to the activation of RVLM C1 neurons.

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Suarez AN, Hsu TM, DeLartigue G, Kanoski SE (2017) Gastrointestinal vagal afferent signaling promotes hippocampal-dependent memory function in rats. Neuroscience 2017 Abstracts 510.22 / PP13. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.

Summary: The vagus nerve is the primary conduit of communication between feeding-relevant gastrointestinal (GI) signals and the brain. Vagally-mediated GI satiation signals, including gastric distension and intra-gastric nutrient infusion, activate neurons in the hippocampus (HPC) through unidentified polysynaptic pathways. The functional relevance of GI-derived communication to the HPC is unknown. Here we first explored whether chronic disruption of gut-to-brain vagal tone via subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (SDV) negatively impacts HPC-dependent memory function in rats. While SDV did not impair HPC-dependent appetitive learning based on interoceptive energy status cues or social food-related cues, SDV did impair spatial working memory (Barnes maze) and contextual episodic memory (novel object in context; NOIC), two HPC-dependent tasks that involve processing of visuospatial stimuli. Next, to determine whether vagal sensory/afferent vs. motor/efferent signaling regulates HPC-dependent memory function, we employed a novel approach in which a saporin conjugated to cholecystokinin (CCK-SAP) or an unconjugated control saporin is injected into the nodose ganglia, a strategy that preserves 100% of vagal efferent signaling while eliminating ~80% of GI-derived vagal afferent signaling. Similar to SDV rats, CCK-SAP rats were impaired in both the Barne’s maze task and NOIC learning relative to controls. Consistent with the memory deficits, immunoblot protein analyses in hippocampus lysates revealed reduced neurotophic [brain- derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)], and neurogenesis [doublecortin (DCX)] markers in both SDV and CCK-SAP rats relative to controls. These findings indicate that GI-derived vagal afferent signaling is critical in regulating HPC-dependent mnemonic function. Results have direct clinical relevance, as procedures that chronically disrupt vagus nerve signaling (e.g., vBloc) have recently been FDA-approved for obesity treatment.

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