Effect of Calcium on Spontaneous Quantal Transmitter Secretion from ACh-Loaded Myocytes

Introduction Transmitter secretion requires specialized secretory or- ganelles, the synaptic vesicles, for the packaging, stor- age, and exocytotic release of the transmitters[1,2]. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) is released at the neuromuscular…     

Spontaneous Neurotransmitter Release Depends on Intracellular Rather than ER Calcium Stores in Cultured Xenopus NMJ

Introduction During development, many cell types exhibit sponta-neous neurotransmitter release, with synaptic transmis-sions crucial for normal nervous system activity. Syn-aptic transmissions are initiated when an action poten-tial triggers the neurotran…     

热应激对果蝇早老素突变体钙电流的影响

为研究与淀粉样前体蛋白(am y lo id precursorprote in,APP)无关的早老素引发阿尔茨海默氏病(A lzhe im er’s d isease,AD)的致病机理,用双电极电压钳方法记录果蝇体壁肌肉细胞的钙通道。结果显示:在几种早老素突变体果蝇中,无论是正常条件下培养还是将幼虫暴露在持续稳定的高温下,电压激活的C a2 电流都没有受到影响。而撤去高温条件后,C a2 尾电流失活速度明显变慢,但其他过程不受影响。说明在正常或应激条件下并不需要早老素来维持C a2 通道的功能,但是在撤去应激条件后的一段时期内,早老素对于C a2 通道的正常功能是必要的。提示早老素对于细胞在波动环境中维持正常功能起重要作用。     

Effect of New O-Superfamily Conotoxin on Voltage-Activated Currents of Hippocampal Neurons

The effects of a new O-superfamily conotoxin, SO3, on sodium current (INa), transient A-type potassium currents (IA), and delayed rectified potassium currents (IK), were examined in cultured rat hippocampal neurons using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Addition of SO3 caused a concentration-dependent, rapidly developing, and reversible inhibition of voltage-activated currents. The IC50 values for the blockage of INa, IA, and IK were calculated as 0.49, 33.9, and 7.6 μmol/L, respectively. The determined Hill coefficients were 1.7, 0.6, and 1.2, respectively. These results indicate that SO3 can selectively inhibit neuronal sodium and potassium currents.     

Melittin Makes “Ion Channel” on the Membrane of Cells

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Electroporation Transfection as an Effective Tool to Trace Transplanted NSCs in Adult Central Nervous System

Neural stem cells, which are clonogenic cells with self-renewal and multilineage differentiation properties, are currently considered as powerful candidates for cell replacement therapy in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson‘s disease. A key issue is whether stem cells can survive, migrate and differentiate following transplantation into the adult central nervous system. This research shows that enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) plasmid electreporation transfected neural stem cells can functionally differentiate in vitro and that most of the EGFP-positive cells can survive and migrate towards the damaged areas when transplanted into the brain of a Parkinson‘s disease model rat. The results suggest an effective and maneuverable tracing tool to detect whether transplanted neural stem and progenitor cells function in the adult brain in vivo.     

突触形成的最初阶段至突触成熟的电生理学研究

突触发育是神经生物学中的一个重要课题,对发育全过程的了解必定会对了解成熟突触可塑性有重要的启示.胚胎神经肌肉接点是研究这一课题的理想标本.我们曾研究了突触形成的最初阶段,发现突触后膜能诱导突触前膜自发释放神经递质.此工作后来由Haydon等人在神经元间突触标本上重复.我们还证明突触后细胞的高频电活动能促进突触发育,而低频电活动能逆转突触发育.前者逆向信使为一种神经生长因子,后者为一氧化氮.上述工作都强调了突触后膜在发育过程中的能动作用,而不只是被前膜支配的靶标,与前膜具有复杂的双向信息交流,相互识别,相互作用,从而逐步形成特异的突触结构.本文用单通道技术研究了突触形成的全过程,强调了突触后膜能诱导突触前神经元在与后膜接触部位堆积神经递质.     

酒精和去甲肾上腺素引起的蟾蜍谢切诺夫抑制

伊万·米哈伊洛维奇·谢切诺夫于1862年发现中枢抑制, 表明刺激蟾蜍间脑或延髓会引起反射抑制, 但其分子机制尚待阐明. 本研究依照谢切诺夫抑制实验, 用酒精和去甲肾上腺素(noradrenalin, NA)以及其他神经递质刺激蟾蜍间脑, 发现急性施加酒精或去甲肾上腺素与谢切诺夫抑制相同, 会兴奋间脑并引起屈腿反射时的延长. 结果表明, α-肾上腺素受体应参与了中枢抑制的过程, 揭示急性施加酒精引发反射抑制的可能机制.     

Mesencephalic Progenitors Can Differentiate into TH—Positive Neurons and Improve Dysfunction in PD Rats

This study investigated the possibility of using mesencephalic progenitors (MPs) in the treatment of Parkinson‘s disease (PD). MPs were prepared from El1-13 rats and proliferated in the serum-free medium with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for 10 days. Cells were then collected and implanted into the striatum only--single grafts, or simultaneously into the substantia nigra (SN) and the striatum--double grafts. Twelve weeks after transplantation, 1,1‘-dioctadecyl-3,3,3‘,3‘-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (Dil), a fluorescent dye, was microinjected into the ipsilateral striatum. The results show that double grafted MPs have more potent effects on rotational behavior than single grafted MPs. Injection of the retrograde tracer Dil into the striatum results in fluorescent-labeled cells within the intranigral grafts only in double graft subjects. These data suggest that MP transplants not only can improve rotational behavior, but also help to reestablish nigrostriatal connections, so that such transplants may become an efficient way of treating PD.     

分泌性BACE1蛋白在昆虫细胞的表达

为了获得有活性的重组β-secretase并研究其功能,寻找特异性抑制剂,应用RT-PCR技术,从人胚胎脑组织特异性扩增并克隆了人BACE1编码基因的胞外片断(BACE1-454)。测序后与质粒pFastBac连接,得到含BACE1-454基因的重组质粒pFast-BACE1-454。将其转化到含有杆状病毒穿梭载体Bacmid的感受态细胞DH10Bac中进行转座重组,用琼脂糖凝胶电泳和PCR扩增对重组穿梭载体Bacmid-BACE1-454进行鉴定。将Bacmid-BACE1-454经脂质体介导转染Sf9细胞,收获病毒。用重组杆状病毒颗粒感染昆虫细胞,表达蛋白,免疫印迹证实所获蛋白产品具有特异的免疫反应性。