Radial glial cells are the primary neural progenitor cells in the developing neocortex 1. Consecutive asymmetric divisions of individual radial glial progenitor cells produce a number of sister excitatory neurons that migrate along the elongated radial glial fibre, resulting in the formation of ontogenetic columns 2–4. Moreover, sister excitatory neurons in ontogenetic columns preferentially develop specific chemical synapses with each other rather than with nearby non-siblings 5. While these findings provide crucial insights into the emergence of functional columns in the neocortex, little is known about the basis for this lineage-dependent assembly of excitatory neuron microcircuits with single-cell resolution. Here we show that transient electrical coupling between radially aligned sister excitatory neurons regulates the subsequent formation of specific chemical synapses in the neocortex. Multiple-electrode whole-cell recordings revealed that sister excitatory neurons preferentially form strong electrical coupling with each other rather than with adjacent non-sister excitatory neurons during early postnatal stages. This coupling allows selective electrical communication between sister excitatory neurons, promoting their action potential generation and synchronous firing. Interestingly, while this electrical communication largely disappears prior to the appearance of chemical synapses, its blockade impairs the subsequent formation of specific chemical synapses between sister excitatory neurons in ontogenetic columns. These results suggest a strong link between a lineage-dependent transient electrical coupling and the assembly of precise excitatory neuron microcircuits in the neocortex.

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A wormlike micellar system that undergoes a fully reversible, repeatable "sol-gel" transition upon alternative treatment with CO2 and N2 has been developed based on a C18-tailed polyamine surfactant.

Inner ear hair cells (HCs) detect sound through the deflection of mechanosensory stereocilia. Stereocilia are inserted into the cuticular plate of HCs by parallel actin rootlets, where they convert sound-induced mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. The molecules that support these rootlets and enable them to withstand constant mechanical stresses underpin our ability to hear. However, the structures of these molecules have remained unknown. We hypothesized that αII- and βII-spectrin subunits fulfill this role, and investigated their structural organization in rodent HCs. Using super-resolution fluorescence imaging, we found that spectrin formed ring-like structures around the base of stereocilia rootlets. These spectrin rings were associated with the hearing ability of mice. Further, HC-specific, βII-spectrin knockout mice displayed profound deafness. Overall, our work has identified and characterized structures of spectrin that play a crucial role in mammalian hearing development.

Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder. While gene therapy has emerged as a promising treatment of inherited diseases like hearing loss, it is dependent on the identification of gene delivery vectors. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-mediated gene therapy has been approved in the US for treating a rare inherited eye disease but no safe and efficient vectors have been identified that can target the diverse types of inner ear cells. Here, we identify an AAV variant, AAV-inner ear (AAV-ie), for gene delivery in mouse inner ear. Our results show that AAV-ie transduces the cochlear supporting cells (SCs) with high efficiency, representing a vast improvement over conventional AAV serotypes. Furthermore, after AAV-ie-mediated transfer of the Atoh1 gene, we find that many SCs trans-differentiated into new HCs. Our results suggest that AAV-ie is a useful tool for the cochlear gene therapy and for investigating the mechanism of HC regeneration.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) constitute an endogenous reservoir for neurons that could potentially be harnessed for regenerative therapies in disease contexts such as neurodegeneration. However, in Alzheimer's disease (AD), NSCs lose plasticity and thus possible regenerative capacity. We investigate how NSCs lose their plasticity in AD by using starPEG-heparin-based hydrogels to establish a reductionist 3D cell-instructive neuro-microenvironment that promotes the proliferative and neurogenic ability of primary and induced human NSCs. We find that administration of AD-associated Amyloid-β42 causes classical neuropathology and hampers NSC plasticity by inducing kynurenic acid (KYNA) production. Interleukin-4 restores NSC proliferative and neurogenic ability by suppressing the KYNA-producing enzyme Kynurenine aminotransferase (KAT2), which is upregulated in APP/PS1dE9 mouse model of AD and in postmortem human AD brains. Thus, our culture system enables a reductionist investigation of regulation of human NSC plasticity for the identification of potential therapeutic targets for intervention in AD.

Iron single atom catalysts (Fe SACs) are the best‐known nonprecious metal (NPM) catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), but their practical application has been constrained by the low Fe SACs loading (<2 wt%). Here, a one‐pot pyrolysis method is reported for the synthesis of iron single atoms on graphene (FeSA‐G) with a high Fe SAC loading of ≈7.7 ± 1.3 wt%. The as‐synthesized FeSA‐G shows an onset potential of 0.950 V and a half‐wave potential of 0.804 V in acid electrolyte for the ORR, similar to that of Pt/C catalysts but with a much higher stability and higher phosphate anion tolerance. High temperature SiO 2 nanoparticle‐doped phosphoric acid/polybenzimidazole (PA/PBI/SiO 2 ) composite membrane cells utilizing a FeSA‐G cathode with Fe SAC loading of 0.3 mg cm −2 delivers a peak power density of 325 mW cm −2 at 230 °C, better than 313 mW cm −2 obtained on the cell with a Pt/C cathode at a Pt loading of 1 mg cm −2 . The cell with FeSA‐G cathode exhibits superior stability at 230 °C, as compared to that with Pt/C cathode. Our results provide a new approach to developing practical NPM catalysts to replace Pt‐based catalysts for fuel cells.

SUMMARY The hippocampus, as part of the cerebral cortex, is essential for memory formation and spatial navigation. Although it has been extensively studied, especially as a model system for neurophysiology, the cellular processes involved in constructing and organizing the hippocampus remain largely unclear. Here, we show that clonally related excitatory neurons in the developing hippocampus are progressively organized into discrete horizontal, but not vertical, clusters in the stratum pyramidale, as revealed by both cell type-specific retroviral labeling and mosaic analysis with double markers (MADM). Moreover, distinct from those in the neocortex, sister excitatory neurons in Cornu Ammonis 1 region of the hippocampus rarely develop electrical or chemical synapses with each other. Instead, they preferentially receive common synaptic input from nearby fast-spiking (FS), but not non-FS, interneurons and exhibit synchronous synaptic activity. These results suggest that shared inhibitory input may specify horizontally clustered sister excitatory neurons as functional units in the hippocampus.