Can glial cells save neurons in epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder caused by the pathological hyper-synchronization of neuronal discharges.The fundamental research of epilepsy mechanisms and the targets of drug design options for its treatment have focused on neurons.However,approximately 30%of patients suffering from epilepsy show resistance to standard anti-epileptic chemotherapeutic agents while the symptoms of the remaining 70%of patients can be alleviated but not completely removed by the current medications.Thus,new strategies for the treatment of epilepsy are in urgent demand.Over the past decades,with the increase in knowledge on the role of glia in the genesis and development of epilepsy,glial cells are receiving renewed attention.In a normal brain,glial cells maintain neuronal health and in partnership with neurons regulate virtually every aspect of brain function.In epilepsy,however,the supportive roles of glial cells are compromised,and their interaction with neurons is altered,which disrupts brain function.In this review,we will focus on the role of glia-related processes in epileptogenesis and their contribution to abnormal neuronal activity,with the major focus on the dysfunction of astroglial potassium channels,water channels,gap junctions,glutamate transporters,purinergic signaling,synaptogenesis,on the roles of microglial inflammatory cytokines,microglia-astrocyte interactions in epilepsy,and on the oligodendroglial potassium channels and myelin abnormalities in the epileptic brain.These recent findings suggest that glia should be considered as the promising next-generation targets for designing anti-epileptic drugs that may improve epilepsy and drug-resistant epilepsy.

Light of the stars:calcium signals light up astrocytes in the presence of autoreactive CD4+T cells

Introduction:Astrocytes play important roles in the central nervous system(CNS)to support and regulate CNS function.They are abundant type of glia that form a meshwork of interconnected cells almost completely tiling the CNS.Each astrocyte extends densely ramified processes that establish close contacts and interaction with other astrocytes,neurons and blood vessels,placing these cells in an ideal position to control extracellular milieu and to exert global effects on CNS physiology.

星形胶质细胞嘌呤能信号在癫痫中的作用

癫痫是由神经元的超同步放电引起的不可预知的反复发作。越来越多的研究表明,星形胶质细胞向神经元传递信号的异常在神经网络的过度兴奋中起着重要作用。对多种中枢神经系统疾病(如阿尔茨海默病、卒中、重度抑郁、精神分裂症和癫痫)的病理学研究结果显示,嘌呤信号传导在神经元-胶质细胞和胶质细胞-胶质细胞相互作用中有重要的作用,嘌呤受体障碍可影响细胞间的信号传导。本综述将首先对星形胶质细胞影响神经元活动的机制进行分析总结。近期研究显示,星形胶质细胞嘌呤信号转导的异常促进了癫痫中神经元异常活动的出现,本综述也将对相关研究报道进行描述和总结。

In vivo femtosecond laser nanosurgery of the cell wall enabling patch-clamp measurements on filamentous fungi

Studying the membrane physiology of filamentous fungi is key to understanding their interactions with the environment and crucial for developing new therapeutic strategies for disease-causing pathogens.However,their plasma membrane has been inaccessible for a micron-sized patch-clamp pipette for pA current recordings due to the rigid chitinous cell wall.Here,we report the first femtosecond IR laser nanosurgery of the cell wall of the filamentous fungi,which enabled patch-clamp measurements on protoplasts released from hyphae.A reproducible and highly precise(diffraction-limited,submicron resolution)method for obtaining viable released protoplasts was developed.Protoplast release from the nanosurgery-generated incisions in the cell wall was achieved from different regions of the hyphae.The plasma membrane of the obtained protoplasts formed tight and high-resistance(GΩ)contacts with the recording pipette.The entire nanosurgical procedure followed by the patch-clamp technique could be completed in less than 1 hour.Compared to previous studies using heterologously expressed channels,this technique provides the opportunity to identify new ionic currents and to study the properties of the ion channels in the protoplasts of filamentous fungi in their native environment.

Sharing roosts but not ectoparasites:high host-specificity in bat flies and wing mites of Miniopterus schreibersii and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum(Mammalia:Chiroptera)

Schreiber’s bent-winged bat Miniopterus schreibersii and the greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum are widespread and common cavernicolous species across southern Europe that host numerous specialized ectoparasite species.The objective of this study was to characterize the species assemblage,genetic diversity,and host specificity of bat flies(Nycteribiidae,Diptera)and wing mites(Spinturnicidae,Acari)found on these bat hosts in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.Notably,while bat flies lay puparia on the cave walls and can thus be transmitted indirectly,wing mites require direct body contact for transmission.Morphological identification and sequencing of a 710-bp fragment of cytochrome oxidase I gene of 207 bat flies yielded 4 species,3 on M.schreibersii and 1 on R.ferrumequinum.Sequencing of a 460-bp small subunit ribosomal RNA fragment,in all 190 collected wing mites revealed 2 species,1 per host.In no case was a parasite associated with 1 host found on the other host.Species and genetic diversity of flies were higher in M.schreibersii,likely reflecting their host’s larger colony sizes and migratory potential.Mite species of both hosts showed similarly low diversity,likely due to their faster life history and lower winter survival.Our findings highlight a remarkably high host-specificity and segregation of ectoparasite species despite direct contact among their hosts in the roost,suggesting a defined host preference in the investigated ectoparasite species.Furthermore,the differences in ectoparasite genetic diversity exemplify the interplay between host and parasite life histories in shaping parasite population genetic structure.

Shining the spotlight on NMR metabolic profiling and bioactivities of different solvent extracts of Piliostigma thonningii

Piliostigma thonningii (Fabaceae) is a versatile medicinal plant used as a traditional remedy,especially in African countries.In the present study,ethyl acetate,methanolic and water extracts of different parts of (fruits,leaves,stem barks) P.thonningii were evaluated for their bioactive contents,enzyme inhibitory,antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.Antioxidant potentials were also displayed in various methods like phosphomolybdenum assay (0.79–5.94 mmol TE/g),radical scavenging assays (DPPH:20.39–471.28 mg TE/g;ABTS:42.43–654.14 mg TE/g);reducing assays (CUPRAC:102.98–1207.42 mg TE/g;FRAP:45.30–656.25 mg TE/g) and metal chelating activity (2.55–22.32 mg EDTAE/g).In particular,the methanolic and water extracts showed better antioxidant potential.Except for a few,the extracts were also found to act as inhibitors of enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase (2.35–5.35 mg GALAE/g),butyrylcholinesterase (0.83–13.80 mg GALAE/g),tyrosinase (4.03–143.86 mg KAE/g),amylase (0.21–1.39 mmol ACAE/g) and glucosidase (3.52–7.13 mmol ACAE/g).Additionally,all the tested extracts possessed significant antibacterial (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration:0.11–0.61 mg/ml) and antifungal (MIC and minimum fungicidal concentration:0.04–0.61 mg/ml) effects.Indeed,the data garnered from the present study provides a bright scope for the advanced investigation on this particular plant possessing pharmacologically active traits.