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Membrane proteases: Roles in tissue remodeling and tumour invasion
“Of particular interest” in the opinion of neurobiologists. Papers “of particular interest” selected, from the previous year’s literature, by the authors of reviews in the section on Disease, Transplantation and Regeneration in the October 1992 issue of Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
Sodium channel getne defects in the periodic paralyses selected by Robert L. Barchi CANNON SC, BROWN RH, COREY DP: A Sodium Channel Defect in Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis: Potassium-Induced1 Failure of Inactivation. Ak~ron 1991, 6:619-626. This is the most detailed study of Naf channel function at the single channel level in a family with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (hyperPP). The data show a Kf -dependent defect in channel inactivation that may be responsible for the pathological non-inactivating Na+ current seen in this disorder. MCCLATCHEYAI, RA%IND
W,
VAN DEN BERGH P, PERICAK-VANCE MA, VERELLEN C, MCKENNA-YASEK D, RAO K, BIRD T, BROWN RH, ET A.: Temperature-
HAINESJL, Sensitive Mutations in the III-IV Cytoplasmic Loop Region of the Skeletal Muscle Sodium Channel Gene in Paramyotonia Congenita. Cell 1992, 68:76F774. Two mutations are described in families having the paramyotonia congenira phenotype. These mutations produce substitutions for highly conserved non-polar residues in intramembrane domains 3 and 4. These data confirm the allelic nature of paramyotonia congenita and hyperPP.
The disordered neuronal cytoskeleton in Alzheimer’s disease selected by Virginia M-Y. Lee and John Q. Trojanowski GOEDERT
M,
SPILLANTINI
MG,
CAIRNS
NJ,
CROWTKER
RA:
Tau Proteins of Alzheimer Paired Helical Filaments: Abnormal Phosphorylation of all Six Brain Isoforms. Neuron 1992, 8:159-168. Using insert specific at&tau antibodies and enzymatic dephosphorylation it is shlown that the three principal A68 bands correspond to the six normal adult tau proteins. BIERNAT J, MANDELKOW EM, SCHROTER C, LICHTENBERGKRAAG B, STEINER B, BIERLING B, MEYER H, MERCKEN M, VANDERMEEREN A, GOEIIERT M, ET A.: The Switch of
Tau Protein to an Alzheimer-Like State Induces the Phosphorylation of Two Serine-Proline Motifs Upstream of the Microtubule Binding Region. EiVBO J 1991, 11:1593-1597. A new antibody, AT8, is shown to be specific for A68 phosphorylated at Ser199 and/or Ser202 and appears to be complementary to the Tau-1 antibody. As both serines
576
are followed by a proline, the kinase activity described here that converts normal tau into ~68 may be’ a prolinedirected kinase. Dopaminergic transplants in experimental parkinsonism: cellular mechanisms of graft-induced functional recovery selected Anders Bjorklund ~AVASTA M, FELJERSTEIN
MENNICKEN
F,
CHRITIN
M,
ABROUS
by DN,
C, LE MOAL M, HERMAN JP: lntrastriatal Dopamine-Rich Implants Reverse the Changes in Dopamine D2 Receptor Densities Caused by 6Hydroxydopamine Lesion of the Nigrostriatal Pathway in Rats: an Autoradiographic Study. Neuroscience 1992, 46~729-738. The effect of intrastriatal El4 nigrd grafts on striatal dopamine (DA) receptor super-sensitivity was studied using ligand-binding autoradiography combined with autoradiography of DA uptake for the delineation of DA fiber outgrowth. The grafts reduced both D2 and (although to a lesser degree) Dt receptor densities in an area that also extended into non-reinnervated regions. CHRITIN M, SAVASTA M, MENNICKEN F, BAL A, DN, LE MOAL M, FEUER~TEIN C, HERMAN JP:
ABROUS
Intrastriatal Dopamine-Rich Implants Reverse the Increase of Dopamine D2 Receptor mRNA Levels Caused by Lesion of the Nigrostriatal Pathway: a Quantitative In Situ Hybridization Study. Eur J Neurosci 1992, k663-672. The normalization of D2 receptor supersensitivity was studied by both in situ hybridization and ligand-binding techniques. The lesion-induced increase in Dz receptor mRNA message, which amounted to about 25 %, was reversed by the grafts, showing that the grafted DA neurons are able to modulate the expression of the D2 receptor gene. J, CASTRO R, NOTARIO V, GALEK: Transplants of Fetal Substantia Nigra Regulate Glutamic Acid Decarboxy&e Gene Expression in Host Striatal Neurons. Mol Brain Res 1991, 10353-362. The activity of the GABA synthesizing enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), as well as GAD mRNA levels are increased in the striatum after DA denervation. This increase was reversed by intrastriatally placed nigral transplants, indicating that the grafted DA neurons can restore inhibitory control over striatal GAD activity.
SEGO~IA
@ 1992 Current Biology
Sodium channel getne defects in the periodic paralyses selected by Robert L. Barchi CANNON SC, BROWN RH, COREY DP: A Sodium Channel Defect in Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis: Potassium-Induced1 Failure of Inactivation. Ak~ron 1991, 6:619-626. This is the most detailed study of Naf channel function at the single channel level in a family with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (hyperPP). The data show a Kf -dependent defect in channel inactivation that may be responsible for the pathological non-inactivating Na+ current seen in this disorder. MCCLATCHEYAI, RA%IND
W,
VAN DEN BERGH P, PERICAK-VANCE MA, VERELLEN C, MCKENNA-YASEK D, RAO K, BIRD T, BROWN RH, ET A.: Temperature-
HAINESJL, Sensitive Mutations in the III-IV Cytoplasmic Loop Region of the Skeletal Muscle Sodium Channel Gene in Paramyotonia Congenita. Cell 1992, 68:76F774. Two mutations are described in families having the paramyotonia congenira phenotype. These mutations produce substitutions for highly conserved non-polar residues in intramembrane domains 3 and 4. These data confirm the allelic nature of paramyotonia congenita and hyperPP.
The disordered neuronal cytoskeleton in Alzheimer’s disease selected by Virginia M-Y. Lee and John Q. Trojanowski GOEDERT
M,
SPILLANTINI
MG,
CAIRNS
NJ,
CROWTKER
RA:
Tau Proteins of Alzheimer Paired Helical Filaments: Abnormal Phosphorylation of all Six Brain Isoforms. Neuron 1992, 8:159-168. Using insert specific at&tau antibodies and enzymatic dephosphorylation it is shlown that the three principal A68 bands correspond to the six normal adult tau proteins. BIERNAT J, MANDELKOW EM, SCHROTER C, LICHTENBERGKRAAG B, STEINER B, BIERLING B, MEYER H, MERCKEN M, VANDERMEEREN A, GOEIIERT M, ET A.: The Switch of
Tau Protein to an Alzheimer-Like State Induces the Phosphorylation of Two Serine-Proline Motifs Upstream of the Microtubule Binding Region. EiVBO J 1991, 11:1593-1597. A new antibody, AT8, is shown to be specific for A68 phosphorylated at Ser199 and/or Ser202 and appears to be complementary to the Tau-1 antibody. As both serines
576
are followed by a proline, the kinase activity described here that converts normal tau into ~68 may be’ a prolinedirected kinase. Dopaminergic transplants in experimental parkinsonism: cellular mechanisms of graft-induced functional recovery selected Anders Bjorklund ~AVASTA M, FELJERSTEIN
MENNICKEN
F,
CHRITIN
M,
ABROUS
by DN,
C, LE MOAL M, HERMAN JP: lntrastriatal Dopamine-Rich Implants Reverse the Changes in Dopamine D2 Receptor Densities Caused by 6Hydroxydopamine Lesion of the Nigrostriatal Pathway in Rats: an Autoradiographic Study. Neuroscience 1992, 46~729-738. The effect of intrastriatal El4 nigrd grafts on striatal dopamine (DA) receptor super-sensitivity was studied using ligand-binding autoradiography combined with autoradiography of DA uptake for the delineation of DA fiber outgrowth. The grafts reduced both D2 and (although to a lesser degree) Dt receptor densities in an area that also extended into non-reinnervated regions. CHRITIN M, SAVASTA M, MENNICKEN F, BAL A, DN, LE MOAL M, FEUER~TEIN C, HERMAN JP:
ABROUS
Intrastriatal Dopamine-Rich Implants Reverse the Increase of Dopamine D2 Receptor mRNA Levels Caused by Lesion of the Nigrostriatal Pathway: a Quantitative In Situ Hybridization Study. Eur J Neurosci 1992, k663-672. The normalization of D2 receptor supersensitivity was studied by both in situ hybridization and ligand-binding techniques. The lesion-induced increase in Dz receptor mRNA message, which amounted to about 25 %, was reversed by the grafts, showing that the grafted DA neurons are able to modulate the expression of the D2 receptor gene. J, CASTRO R, NOTARIO V, GALEK: Transplants of Fetal Substantia Nigra Regulate Glutamic Acid Decarboxy&e Gene Expression in Host Striatal Neurons. Mol Brain Res 1991, 10353-362. The activity of the GABA synthesizing enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), as well as GAD mRNA levels are increased in the striatum after DA denervation. This increase was reversed by intrastriatally placed nigral transplants, indicating that the grafted DA neurons can restore inhibitory control over striatal GAD activity.
SEGO~IA
@ 1992 Current Biology