2011 Targeting Trends Review

Chen AI, Nguyen CN, Copenhagen DR, Badurek S, Minichiello L, Ranscht B, Reichardt LF (2011) TrkB (Tropomyosin-related kinase B) controls the assembly and maintenance of GABAergic synapses in the cerebellar cortex. J Neurosci 31(8):2769-2780. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4991-10.2011 PMID: 21414899

Summary: In this work the authors investigated the role of TrkB in GABAergic inhibitory synapses in the mouse cerebellar cortex. Using a variety of techniques, including immunohistochemistry utilizing an mGluR2 antibody (Cat. #AB-N32), it was shown that TrkB is required for both assembly and maintenance of these synapses. The primary role of TrkB appears to be regulating the localization of synaptic constituents.

Related Products: Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 2 (mGluR2) Mouse Monoclonal (Cat. #AB-N32)

Paban V, Chambon C, Farioli F, Alescio-Lautier B (2011) Gene regulation in the rat prefrontal cortex after learning with or without cholinergic insult. Neurobiol Learn Mem 95(4):441-452. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2011.02.005

Summary: Microarray technology was used to screen gene expression in a model of attention and memory deficit. Rats received bilateral injections of 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01) into the medial septum and nucleus basalis magnocellularis (37.5 ng per side and 75 ng per side respectively). Gene expression in memory loss following the lesion was defined by one cluster related to cytoskeleton organization and proliferation, and glial and vascular remodeling. These are processes associated with brain repair after injury.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

Rennie K, Frechette M, Pappas BA (2011) The effects of neonatal forebrain cholinergic lesion on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Brain Res 1373(10):79-90. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.11.091

Summary: Intraventricular injections of 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01) have been shown to reduce the number of cells expressing a marker for immature neuroblasts in the dentate gyrus, as well as possibly impairing the response to environmental enrichment. This study looked to expand on those observations. 300 ng of 192-IgG-SAP was infused into each ventricle of post-natal day 7 rats. The data suggest that the lesion accelerates the death of newborn cells, but does not affect survival rate or phenotypic differentiation.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

Li AJ, Wang Q, Ritter S (2011) Participation of hindbrain AMP-activated protein kinase in glucoprivic feeding. Diabetes 60(2):436-442. doi: 10.2337/db10-0352

Summary: Catecholamine neurons innervating the medial hypothalamus are involved in the control of glucoprivic feeding as well as other responses to glucose deficit. Rats received bilateral 82-ng injections of anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03) into the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus. Saporin (Cat. #PR-01) was used as a control. Lesioned animals did not respond to the administration of a competitive glucose inhibitor, nor did they display phosphorylation of pAMPKα, suggesting that AMPK may be part of a glucose- sensing mechanism.

Related Products: Anti-DBH-SAP (Cat. #IT-03), Saporin (Cat. #PR-01)

Gibbs RB, Chipman AM, Nelson D (2011) Donepezil plus estradiol treatment enhances learning and delay-dependent memory performance by young ovariectomized rats with partial loss of septal cholinergic neurons. Horm Behav 59(4):503-511. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.01.011

Summary: Among the beneficial effects of estrogen on the brain are improved cognitive performance and prevention of age-related cognitive decline. These positive effects diminish over time following loss of ovarian function. To investigate the role of cholinergic neurons in this process, rats received 96-250 ng of 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01) into the medial septal nucleus followed by a cholinergic enhancer and estradiol therapy. The dual therapy had a positive effect on partially lesioned animals, but did not improve the performance of animals with severe lesions.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

Leung LS, Petropoulos S, Shen B, Luo T, Herrick I, Rajakumar N, Ma J (2011) Lesion of cholinergic neurons in nucleus basalis enhances response to general anesthetics. Exp Neurol 228(2):259-269. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2011.01.019

Summary: Consciousness and response to general anesthesia have been linked to acetylcholine in the brain. The authors treated rats with 150-ng bilateral injections of 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01) into the nucleus basalis magnocellularis to examine this connection. Lesioned animals were more affected by propofol and phenobarbitol than control animals. Some effects of halothane were also increased. The data indicate a role for acetylcholine in the brain in the response to general anesthesia.

Related Products: 192-IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-01)

Montandon G, Qin W, Liu H, Ren J, Greer JJ, Horner RL (2011) PreBotzinger complex neurokinin-1 receptor-expressing neurons mediate opioid-induced respiratory depression. J Neurosci 31(4):1292-1301. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4611-10.2011 PMID: 21273414

Summary: In order to identify the neurons involved with respiratory depression due to administration of opioids, some neuro- transmission networks in the preBotzinger complex were locally manipulated. Among various techniques used to analyze the results was immunohistochemistry with anti-NK1r (Cat. #AB-N04). Results show the preBotzinger complex is responsible for suppression of respiratory rate due to opioids.

Related Products: Antibody to NK-1 Receptor (Cat. #AB-N04)

Wagle M, Mathur P, Guo S (2011) Corticotropin-releasing factor critical for zebrafish camouflage behavior is regulated by light and sensitive to ethanol. J Neurosci 31(1):214-224. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3339-10.2011 PMID: 21209207

Objective: To explore neural circuit assembly and function using the hardwired camouflage response of zebrafish.

Summary: Both light exposure and ethanol affect the camouflage response. Understanding this system could provide a tool to further investigate the effect of alcohol on neural circuits.

Usage: Immunostaining (1:500)

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Yang MY, Chaudhary A, Seaman S, Dunty J, Stevens J, Elzarrad MK, Frankel AE, St Croix B (2011) The cell surface structure of tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) is regulated by the actin cytoskeleton. Biochim Biophys Acta 1813(1):39-49. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2010.11.013

Summary: Tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) is a cell surface protein that is up-regulated on tumor blood vessels. Overexpression of this protein, however, produces a form that is not recognized by the SB5 monoclonal antibody used to bind TEM8. While cells expressing normal levels of TEM8 were killed by an application of biotinylated SB5 plus either 1 nM or 10 nM streptavidin-ZAP (Cat. #IT-27), cells overexpressing the protein did not bind the immunotoxin. Understanding the structural differences between the two forms of TEM8 will help in the design of therapeutic antibodies against these tumor cells.

Related Products: Streptavidin-ZAP (Cat. #IT-27)

Cerminara NL (2010) Cerebellar modules: individual or composite entities?. J Neurosci 30(48):16065-16067. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4823-10.2010

Summary: This short review discusses the compartmentalization of cerebellar modules. Much research has been done to associate particular motor control functions with particular modules. Chemical lesioning is an inadequate technique because the lesion is non-specific. The use of CTB-SAP (Cat. #IT-14) to affect the function of a single module is discussed.

Related Products: CTB-SAP (Cat. #IT-14)