Dan Skillings Jr. sidelined by surgery for Cincinnati Bearcats basketball

Steven F. Grieco
Nov 9, 2022; 42:8439-8449
Symposium and Mini-Symposium

Tsuneya Ikezu
Oct 2, 2024; 44:e1170242024-e1170242024
Symposium

Xinying Guo
Oct 23, 2024; 44:e0727242024-e0727242024
Cellular

Guo-qiang Bi
Dec 15, 1998; 18:10464-10472
Articles

Christelle Anaclet
Dec 12, 2012; 32:17970-17976
BehavioralSystemsCognitive

Bruce S. McEwen
Jan 2, 2020; 40:12-21
Viewpoints

Vertebrate nervous systems use the axon initial segment (AIS) to initiate action potentials and maintain neuronal polarity. The microtubule-associated protein tripartite motif containing 46 (TRIM46) was reported to regulate axon specification, AIS assembly, and neuronal polarity through the bundling, or fasciculation, of microtubules in the proximal axon. However, these claims are based on TRIM46 knockdown in cultured neurons. To investigate TRIM46 function in vivo, we examined male and female TRIM46 knock-out mice. Contrary to previous reports, we find that TRIM46 is dispensable for axon specification and AIS formation. TRIM46 knock-out mice are viable, have normal behavior, and have normal brain structure. Thus, TRIM46 is not required for AIS formation, axon specification, or nervous system function. However, we confirm that TRIM46 is required for microtubule fasciculation. We also show TRIM46 enrichment in the first ~100 μm of axon occurs independently of ankyrinG (AnkG) in vivo, although AnkG is required to restrict TRIM46 only to the AIS. Our results highlight the need for further investigation of the mechanisms by which the AIS and microtubules interact to shape neuronal structure and function.

Perivascular mural cells including vascular smooth cells (VSMCs) and pericytes are integral components of the vascular system. In the central nervous system (CNS), pericytes are also indispensable for the blood–brain barrier (BBB), blood–spinal cord barrier, and blood–retinal barrier and play key roles in maintaining cerebrovascular and neuronal functions. However, the functional specifications of pericytes between CNS and peripheral organs have not been resolved at the genetic and molecular levels. Hence, the generation of reliable CNS pericyte-specific models and genetic tools remains very challenging. Here, we report a new CNS pericyte marker in mice. This putative cation-transporting ATPase 13A5 (Atp13a5) marker was identified through single-cell transcriptomics, based on its specificity to brain pericytes. We further generated a knock-in model with both tdTomato reporter and Cre recombinase. Using this model to trace the distribution of Atp13a5-positive pericytes in mice, we found that the tdTomato reporter reliably labels the CNS pericytes, including the ones in spinal cord and retina but not peripheral organs. Interestingly, brain pericytes are likely shaped by the developing neural environment, as Atp13a5-positive pericytes start to appear around murine embryonic day 15 (E15) and expand along the cerebrovasculature. Thus, Atp13a5 is a specific marker of CNS pericyte lineage, and this Atp13a5-based model is a reliable tool to explore the heterogeneity of pericytes and BBB functions in health and diseases.

Impaired inhibitory synapse development is suggested to drive neuronal hyperactivity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and epilepsy. We propose a novel mechanism by which astrocytes control the development of parvalbumin (PV)-specific inhibitory synapses in the hippocampus, implicating ephrin-B/EphB signaling. Here, we utilize genetic approaches to assess functional and structural connectivity between PV and pyramidal cells (PCs) through whole-cell patch–clamp electrophysiology, optogenetics, immunohistochemical analysis, and behaviors in male and female mice. While inhibitory synapse development is adversely affected by PV-specific expression of EphB2, a strong candidate ASD risk gene, astrocytic ephrin-B1 facilitates PV->PC connectivity through a mechanism involving EphB signaling in PV boutons. In contrast, the loss of astrocytic ephrin-B1 reduces PV->PC connectivity and inhibition, resulting in increased seizure susceptibility and an ASD-like phenotype. Our findings underscore the crucial role of astrocytes in regulating inhibitory circuit development and discover a new role of EphB2 receptors in PV-specific inhibitory synapse development.

In a new book, a curator at England's Natural History Museum describes rare and interesting nests and eggs—from the house sparrow to the village weaver—and the lessons they hold for avian conservation

Representatives of all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have gathered here this week to agree on the actions needed to definitively eradicate hunger in the region before 2025. [...]

Santiago, Chile- The declaration of the XXI Specialized Meeting on Family Farming of MERCOSUR (REAF, in Spanish) held last week in Argentina, acknowledged the advances promoted by FAO’s Director General, [...]

To keep up to date on FAO’s most recent publications, sign up to the monthly newsletter produced by the Publications team of the Office of Communications, which provides a [...]

The October 2020 edition of the FAO publications catalogue is now available, released  to coincide with the digital Frankfurt book fair (14–18 October).

It includes the latest editions of the 

To keep up to date on FAO’s most recent publications, sign up to the monthly newsletter produced by the Publications team of the Office of Communications, which [...]

To keep up to date on FAO’s most recent publications, sign up to the monthly newsletter produced by the Publications team of the Office of Communications, which [...]

To keep up to date on FAO’s most recent publications, sign up to the monthly newsletter produced by the Publications team of the Office of [...]

To keep up to date on FAO’s most recent publications, sign up to the monthly newsletter produced by the Publications team of the Office of Communications, [...]

This user-friendly catalogue presents FAO’s major publications series. It features all of the most active series, both new and long-standing, and is divided into areas of work, including agriculture, forestry, [...]

Released to coincide with the 166th Session of the FAO Council (26–30 April 2021), the April 2021 edition of the FAO publications catalogue is now available in English [...]

The FAO 2021 publications catalogue is now available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and