Faculty Bibliography

We have developed a unique delivery system of growth factors using collagen membranes (CMs) to induce bone regeneration. We hypothesized that fibroblast growth factor18 (FGF-18), a pleiotropic protein that stimulates proliferation in several tissues, can be a good candidate to use our delivery system for bone regeneration. Cell viability, cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, mineralization, and marker gene expression of osteoblastic differentiation were evaluated after mouse preosteoblasts were cultured with a CM containing FGF-18, a CM containing platelet-derived growth factor, or a CM alone. Furthermore, expression of microRNA, especially miR-133a and miR-135a involving inhibition of osteogenic factors, was measured in preosteoblasts with CM/FGF-18 or CM alone. A sustained release of FGF-18 from the CM was observed over 21 days. CM/FGF-18 significantly promoted cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization compared to CM alone. Gene expression of type I collagen, runt-related transcription factor 2, osteocalcin, Smad5, and osteopontin was significantly upregulated in CM/FGF-18 compared to CM alone, and similar to CM/platelet-derived growth factor. Additionally, CM/FGF-18 downregulated expression of miR-133a and miR-135a. These results suggested that released FGF-18 from a CM promotes osteoblastic activity involved with downregulation of miR-133a and miR-135a.

In recent years, two-photon calcium imaging has become a standard tool to probe the function of neural circuits and to study computations in neuronal populations. However, the acquired signal is only an indirect measurement of neural activity due to the comparatively slow dynamics of fluorescent calcium indicators. Different algorithms for estimating spike rates from noisy calcium measurements have been proposed in the past, but it is an open question how far performance can be improved. Here, we report the results of the spikefinder challenge, launched to catalyze the development of new spike rate inference algorithms through crowd-sourcing. We present ten of the submitted algorithms which show improved performance compared to previously evaluated methods. Interestingly, the top-performing algorithms are based on a wide range of principles from deep neural networks to generative models, yet provide highly correlated estimates of the neural activity. The competition shows that benchmark challenges can drive algorithmic developments in neuroscience.

Background: KAT P channels couple cellular metabolism and electrophysiology. Their molecular composition varies in different tissues and species. Rodent atrial KAT P channels have the SUR1 regulatory subunit, are activated by diazoxide and have been implicated in arrhythmogenesis in hypertension and excess beta-adrenergic tone. In contrast, human atrial KATP channels are insensitive to diazoxide and modulate APD only during extreme metabolic stress, where the SUR2A regulatory subunit is thought to be predominant. Objective: We hypothesized that changes in the human atrial action potential associated with beta-agonism are mediated by recruitment of SUR1-containing KATP channels. Methods: We used human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived atrial cardiomyocytes where expression of a fuorescent reporter is driven by the atrial-specifc gene sarcolipin. Atrial specifcation was induced with retinoic acid. Di-4-ANBDQBS was used to perform optical action potential measurements on days 65-80 of differentiation. Excised patch clamping was used to evaluate KAT P channel density. Heterozygous ABCC8 (SUR1+/-) cells were generated using CRISPR/CAS9. Results: Optical mapping data are for APD90 with stimulation at 1.25 Hz The combination of isoproterenol (ISO, 10mu M) and rolipram (ROL, 10mu M) abbreviated APD compared to control (247.4+/-12.5ms, n=16 vs 344.2+/-22.9ms, n=22; p=0.002). This was ameliorated by 10mu M glibenclamide (312.0+/-18.9ms, n=23 vs 247.4+/-12.5ms, n=16; p=0.01). More patches from cells exposed to ISO and ROL had functional KATP channels (4/22 vs 0/24, p=0.045). Diazoxide shortened APD (267.3+/-21.7ms, n=20 vs 344.2+/-22.9ms, n=22; p=0.02). This was potentiated by prior beta-agonism (179.7+/-14.3ms, n=18 vs 267.3+/-21.7ms, n=20; p=0.002). Deletion of one ABCC8 allele ameliorated APD shortening with exposure to ISO, ROL, and diazoxide (240.9+/-18.2ms, n=14 vs 179.7+/-14.3ms, n=18; p=0.012). Functional KATP channel density after exposure to beta-agonists was reduced in SUR1+/-cells (1/40 vs 4/22, p=0.049). Conclusion: SUR1-containing KATP channels partially mediate beta-adrenergic APD shortening in human atrial cells and may represent a therapeutic target for atrial arrhythmia prevention

Protein histidine phosphatase 1 (PHPT-1) is an evolutionarily conserved 14 kDa protein that dephosphorylates phosphohistidine.PHPT-1

In this issue of Neuron, Collins et al. (2018) delineate the functional circuit architecture connecting the prefrontal cortex with two major thalamic territories, the mediodorsal and ventromedial.

Diagnoses of behavioral disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia are based on symptomatic descriptions that have been difficult to connect to mechanism. Although psychiatric genetics provide insight into the genetic underpinning of such disorders, with a majority of cases explained by polygenic factors, it remains difficult to design rational treatments. In this review, we highlight the value of understanding neural circuit function both as an intermediate level of explanatory description that links gene to behavior and as a pathway for developing rational diagnostics and therapeutics for behavioral disorders. As neural circuits perform hierarchically organized computational functions and give rise to network-level processes (e.g., macroscopic rhythms and goal-directed or homeostatic behaviors), correlated network-level deficits may indicate perturbation of a specific circuit. Therefore, identifying such correlated deficits or a circuit endophenotype would provide a mechanistic point of entry, enhancing both diagnosis and treatment of a given behavioral disorder. We focus on a circuit endophenotype of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) and how its impairment in neurodevelopmental disorders gives rise to a correlated set of readouts across sleep and attention. Because TRN neurons express several disorder-relevant genes identified through genome-wide association studies, exploring the consequences of different TRN disruptions may be of broad translational significance.

Tau antibodies have shown therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease and several are in clinical trials. As a microtubule-associated protein, tau relies on dynamic phosphorylation for its normal functions. In tauopathies, it becomes hyperphosphorylated and aggregates into toxic assemblies, which collectively lead to neurodegeneration. Of the phospho-epitopes, the region around Ser396 has received particular attention because of its prominence and stability in tauopathies. Here we report the first structure of a monoclonal tau antibody in complex with the pathologically important phospho-Ser396 residue. Its binding region reveals tau residues Tyr394 to phospho-Ser396 stabilized in a β-strand conformation that is coordinated by a phospho-specific antigen binding site. These details highlight a molecular switch that defines this prominent conformation of tau and ways to target it. Overall, the structure of the antibody-antigen complex clarifies why certain phosphorylation sites in tau are more closely linked to neurodegeneration than others.

Craving is thought to be a specific desire state that biases choice toward the desired object, be it chocolate or drugs. A vast majority of people report having experienced craving of some kind. In its pathological form craving contributes to health outcomes in addiction and obesity. Yet despite its ubiquity and clinical relevance we still lack a basic neurocomputational understanding of craving. Here, using an instantaneous measure of subjective valuation and selective cue exposure, we identify a behavioral signature of a food craving-like state and advance a computational framework for understanding how this state might transform valuation to bias choice. We find desire induced by exposure to a specific high-calorie, high-fat/sugar snack good is expressed in subjects' momentary willingness to pay for this good. This effect is selective but not exclusive to the exposed good; rather, we find it generalizes to nonexposed goods in proportion to their subjective attribute similarity to the exposed ones. A second manipulation of reward size (number of snack units available for purchase) further suggested that a multiplicative gain mechanism supports the transformation of valuation during laboratory craving. These findings help explain how real-world food craving can result in behaviors inconsistent with preferences expressed in the absence of craving and open a path for the computational modeling of craving-like phenomena using a simple and repeatable experimental tool for assessing subjective states in economic terms.

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