Category Health/Medical

dATF4 regulation of mitochondrial folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism is neuroprotective. Cell Death and Differentiation, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2016.158

A genetic ‘switch’ has been discovered by MRC researchers at the University of Leicester which could help to prevent or delay the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The team discovered that a gene called ATF4 plays a key role in Parkinson’s disease, acting as a ‘switch’ for genes that control mitochondrial metabolism for neuron health. Dr Miguel Martins from the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester explained: “When the expression of ATF4 is reduced in flies, expression of these mitochondrial genes drops. This drop results in dramatic locomotor defects, decreased lifespan, and dysfunctional mitochondria in the brain.”

“Intere...

Raw image data collected from dGEMRIC MRI protocol at an inversion time of 1600 milliseconds (left). The T1 map computed from seven different inversion times using the automated, real-time, quantitative magnetic resonance imaging pipeline (right). Credit: Image courtesy of University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center

A new, automated platform that returns in-depth analyses of MRI scans in minutes, rather than hours or days has been developed by Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) and Philips Healthcare. The system has the potential to minimize patient callbacks, save millions annually, and advance precision medicine.

The team presented a proof-of-concept demonstration of the platform at the International Conference on ...

Highlights
•Mexican ZIKV strain infects primary human fetal brain-derived neural stem cells
•ZIKV inhibits neuronal differentiation in a cell-strain-dependent manner
•Majority of differentiated ZIKV-infected cells are glial cells
•ZIKV-mediated transcriptome alteration is cell-strain-dependent

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered the mechanisms that the Zika virus uses to alter brain development. These findings are detailed in Stem Cell Reports. There are currently 70 countries and territories reporting active Zika transmission, according to the World Health Organization...