Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear hormone receptors that act as ligand-activated transcription factors. PPAR agonists have well-documented anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective roles in the central nervous system. Recent evidence suggests that PPAR agonists are attractive therapeutic agents for treating neurodegenerative diseases as well as addiction. However, the distribution of PPAR mRNA and protein in brain regions associated with these conditions (i.e. prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, ventral tegmental area) is not well defined. Moreover, the cell type specificity of PPARs in mouse and human brain tissue has yet to be investigated. We utilized quantitative PCR and double immunofluorescence microscopy to determine that both PPAR mRNA and protein are expressed ubiquitously throughout the adult mouse brain. We found that PPARs have unique cell type specificities that are consistent between species. PPARα was the only isotype to colocalize with all cell types in both adult mouse and adult human brain tissue. Overall, we observed a strong neuronal signature, which raises the possibility that PPAR agonists may be targeting neurons rather than glia to produce neuroprotection. Our results fill critical gaps in PPAR distribution and define novel cell type specificity profiles in the adult mouse and human brain.

Background: Although the study of gene regulation via the action of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) has experienced a boom in recent years, the analysis of genome-wide interaction networks among miRNAs and respective targeted mRNAs has lagged behind. MicroRNAs simultaneously target many transcripts and fine-tune the expression of genes through cooperative/combinatorial targeting. Therefore, they have a large regulatory potential that could widely impact development and progression of diseases, as well as contribute unpredicted collateral effects due to their natural, pathophysiological, or treatment-induced modulation. We support the viewpoint that whole mirnome-transcriptome interaction analysis is required to better understand the mechanisms and potential consequences of miRNA regulation and/or deregulation in relevant biological models. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that ethanol consumption induces changes in miRNA-mRNA interaction networks in the mouse frontal cortex and that some of the changes observed in the mouse are equivalent to changes in similar brain regions from human alcoholics. Results: miRNA-mRNA interaction networks responding to ethanol insult were identified by differential expression analysis and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Important pathways (coexpressed modular networks detected by WGCNA) and hub genes central to the neuronal response to ethanol are highlighted, as well as key miRNAs that regulate these processes and therefore represent potential therapeutic targets for treating alcohol addiction. Importantly, we discovered a conserved signature of changing miRNAs between ethanol-treated mice and human alcoholics, which provides a valuable tool for future biomarker/diagnostic studies in humans. We report positively correlated miRNA-mRNA expression networks that suggest an adaptive, targeted miRNA response due to binge ethanol drinking.

The intermediate filament nestin is localized postsynaptically at rodent neuromuscular junctions. The protein forms a filamentous network beneath and between the synaptic gutters, surrounds myofiber nuclei, and is associated with Z-discs adjacent to the junction. In situ hybridization shows that nestin mRNA is synthesized selectively by synaptic myonuclei. Although weak immunoreactivity is present in myelinating Schwann cells that wrap the preterminal axon, nestin is not detected in the terminal Schwann cells (tSCs) that cover the nerve terminal branches. However, after denervation of muscle, nestin is upregulated in tSCs and in SCs within the nerve distal to the lesion site. In contrast, immunoreactivity is strongly downregulated in the muscle fiber. Transgenic mice in which the nestin neural enhancer drives expression of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter show that the regulation in SCs is transcriptional. However, the postsynaptic expression occurs through enhancer elements distinct from those responsible for regulation in SCs. Application of botulinum toxin shows that the upregulation in tSCs and the loss of immunoreactivity in muscle fibers occurs with blockade of transmitter release. Extrinsic stimulation of denervated muscle maintains the postsynaptic expression of nestin but does not affect the upregulation in SCs. Thus, a nestin-containing cytoskeleton is promoted in the postsynaptic muscle fiber by nerve-evoked muscle activity but suppressed in tSCs by transmitter release. Nestin antibodies and GFP driven by nestin promoter elements serve as excellent markers for the reactive state of SCs. Vital imaging of GFP shows that SCs grow a dynamic set of processes after denervation.

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Entrainment of circadian clocks to environmental cues such as photoperiod ensures that daily biological rhythms stay in synchronization with the Earth's rotation. The vertebrate pineal organ has a conserved role in circadian regulation as the primary source of the nocturnal hormone melatonin. In lower vertebrates, the pineal has an endogenous circadian clock as well as photoreceptive cells that regulate this clock. The zebrafish opsin protein Exo-rhodopsin (Exorh) is expressed in pineal photoreceptors and is a candidate to mediate the effects of environmental light on pineal rhythms and melatonin synthesis. We demonstrate that Exorh has an important role in regulating gene transcription within the pineal. In developing embryos that lack Exorh, expression of the exorh gene itself and of the melatonin synthesis gene serotonin N-acetyl transferase 2 (aanat2) are significantly reduced. This suggests that Exorh protein at the cell membrane is part of a signaling pathway that positively regulates transcription of these genes, and ultimately melatonin production, in the pineal. Like many other opsin genes, exorh is expressed with a daily rhythm: mRNA levels are higher at night than during the day. We find that the transcription factor Orthodenticle homeobox 5 (Otx5) activates exorh transcription, while the putative circadian clock component Period 3 (Per3) represses expression during the day, thereby contributing to the rhythm of transcription. This work identifies novel roles for Exorh and Per3, and gives insight into potential interactions between the sensory and circadian systems within the pineal.

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Proinflammatory pathways in neuronal and non-neuronal cells are implicated in the acute and chronic effects of alcohol exposure in animal models and humans. The nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) family of DNA transcription factors plays important roles in inflammatory diseases. The kinase IKKβ mediates the phosphorylation and subsequent proteasomal degradation of cytosolic protein inhibitors of NF-κB, leading to activation of NF-κB. The role of IKKβ as a potential regulator of excessive alcohol drinking had not previously been investigated. Based on previous findings that the overactivation of innate immune/inflammatory signaling promotes ethanol consumption, we hypothesized that inhibiting IKKβ would limit/decrease drinking by preventing the activation of NF-κB. We studied the systemic effects of two pharmacological inhibitors of IKKβ, TPCA-1 and sulfasalazine, on ethanol intake using continuous- and limited-access, two-bottle choice drinking tests in C57BL/6J mice. In both tests, TPCA-1 and sulfasalazine reduced ethanol intake and preference without changing total fluid intake or sweet taste preference. A virus expressing Cre recombinase was injected into the nucleus accumbens and central amygdala to selectively knock down IKKβ in mice genetically engineered with a conditional Ikkb deletion (IkkbF/F). Although IKKβ was inhibited to some extent in astrocytes and microglia, neurons were a primary cellular target. Deletion of IKKβ in either brain region reduced ethanol intake and preference in the continuous access two-bottle choice test without altering the preference for sucrose. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of IKKβ decreased voluntary ethanol consumption, providing initial support for IKKβ as a potential therapeutic target for alcohol abuse.

Edited by Gianni CesareniKeywords: Exocytosis Immunoprecipitation Mass spectrometry Protein-protein interaction Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor Synaptic vesicle a b s t r a c tIn every synapse, a large number of proteins interact with other proteins in order to carry out signaling and transmission in the central nervous system. In this study, we used interaction proteomics to identify novel synaptic protein interactions in mouse cortical membranes under native conditions. Using immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting, and mass spectrometry, we identified a number of novel synaptic protein interactions involving soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs), calcium-activated potassium channel (BK Ca ) alpha subunits, and dynamin-1. These novel interactions offer valuable insight into the protein-protein interaction network in intact synapses that could advance understanding of vesicle trafficking, release, and recycling. Structured summary:MINT-7543319: Snap-25 (uniprotkb:P60879) physically interacts (MI:0914) with Tubulin beta-5 chain (uniprotkb:P99024), V-type proton ATPase subunit d 1 (uniprotkb:P51863), Zinc finger homeobox protein 3 (uniprotkb:Q61329), Tubulin beta-2A chain (uniprotkb:Q7TMM9), Synaptophysin (uniprotkb:Q62277), Gapdh (uniprotkb:P16858), Basement membrane-specific heparan sulfate proteoglycan core protein (uniprotkb:Q05793), Tubulin alpha-4A chain (uniprotkb:P68368), Tubulin alpha-1A chain (uniprotkb:P68369), Microtubule-associated protein 6 (uniprotkb:Q7TSJ2), AP-2 complex subunit beta (uniprotkb:Q9DBG3), Phosphofurin acidic cluster sorting protein 1 (uniprotkb:Q8K212), AP-2 complex subunit alpha-1 (uniprotkb:P17426), Kinesin-1 heavy chain (uniprotkb:Q617r68), Kinesin heavy chain isoform 5C (uniprotkb:P28738), Sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase subunit alpha-1 (uniprotkb:Q8VDN2) and Nck-associated protein 1 (uniprotkb:P28660) by anti bait co-immunoprecipitation (MI:0006) MINT-7543636: Calcium-activated potassium channel subunit alpha-1 (uniprotkb:Q08460) physically interacts (MI:0914) with AMP deaminase 2 (uniprotkb:Q9DBT5), Gamma-tubulin complex component 4 (uniprotkb:Q9D4F8), Gamma-tubulin complex component 2 (uniprotkb:Q921G8), Sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase subunit alpha-1 (uniprotkb:Q8VDN2), Phosphoinositide 3-kinase regulatory subunit 4 (uniprotkb:Q8VD65), Beta-centractin (uniprotkb:Q8R5C5), KIAA1107 (uniprotkb:Q80TK0), Sodium/ potassium-transporting ATPase subunit alpha-2 (uniprotkb:Q6PIE5), Sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase subunit alpha-3 (uniprotkb:Q6PIC6), Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase catalytic subunit type 3 (uniprotkb:Q6PF93), KH domain-containing, RNA-binding, signal transduction-associated protein 1 (uniprotkb:Q60749), Tubulin gamma-1 chain (uniprotkb:P83887), Heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein (uniprotkb:P63017), Alpha-centractin (uniprotkb:P61164), Gamma-tubulin complex component 3 (uniprotkb:P58854), Dynamin-1 (uniprotkb:P39053), Kinesin heavy chain isoform 5C (uniprotkb:P28738), Elongation facto...