Integrins and their potential roles in mammalian pregnancy

Integrins are a highly complex family of receptors that, when expressed on the surface of cells, can mediate reciprocal cell-to-cell and cell-to-extracellular matrix(ECM) interactions leading to assembly of integrin adhesion complexes(IACs) that initiate many signaling functions both at the membrane and deeper within the cytoplasm to coordinate processes including cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, survival, differentiation, and metabolism. All metazoan organisms possess integrins, and it is generally agreed that integrins were associated with the evolution of multicellularity, being essential for the association of cells with their neighbors and surroundings, during embryonic development and many aspects of cellular and molecular biology. Integrins have important roles in many aspects of embryonic development, normal physiology, and disease processes with a multitude of functions discovered and elucidated for integrins that directly influence many areas of biology and medicine, including mammalian pregnancy, in particular implantation of the blastocyst to the uterine wall, subsequent placentation and conceptus(embryo/fetus and associated placental membranes) development. This review provides a succinct overview of integrin structure, ligand binding, and signaling followed with a concise overview of embryonic development, implantation, and early placentation in pigs, sheep, humans, and mice as an example for rodents. A brief timeline of the initial localization of integrin subunits to the uterine luminal epithelium(LE) and conceptus trophoblast is then presented, followed by sequential summaries of integrin expression and function during gestation in pigs, sheep, humans, and rodents. As appropriate for this journal, summaries of integrin expression and function during gestation in pigs and sheep are in depth, whereas summaries for humans and rodents are brief. Because similar models to those illustrated in Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are present throughout the scientific literature, the illustrations in this manuscript are drafted as Viking imagery for entertainment purposes.

Direct contacts of microglia on myelin sheath and Ranvier’s node in the corpus callosum in rats

Over the recent years, it has been found that microglia pseudopodia contact synapses, detect sick ones and prune them, even in adult animals. Myelinated nerves also carry out plasticity in which microglia remove myelin debris by phagocytosis. However, it remains unknown whether microglia explore structures on nerve fibers, such as Ranvier’s node(RN) or myelin sheath, before they become debris. By double or triple staining RNs or myelin sheathes and microglia in healthy rat corpus callosum, this study unveiled direct contacts of microglia pseudopodia with RNs and with para-and inter-nodal myelin sheathes, which was then verified by electron microscopic observations. Our data indicated that microglia also explore unmyelinated nerve fibers. Furthermore, we used the animals with matured white matter;therefore, microglia may be actively involved in plasticity of matured white matter tracts as it does for synapse pruning, instead of only passively phagocytize myelin debris.

Honey vesicle-like nanoparticles protect aged liver from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH),an advanced form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD),has emerged as the leading cause of liver failure and related death.Currently,no medication is specifically approved to treat NAFLD or NASH.Here we report that oral administration of honey vesiclelike nanoparticles(H-VLNs)to naturally aged mice protects the liver from NASH development.H-VLNs are dominantly taken up by Kupffer cells in the liver and suppress hepatic chronic inflammation and further development of fibrosis and nodule formation in aged mice.Besides their reported antiinflammasome function,H-VLNs are found to inhibit the transcriptional activities of C-JUN and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB).MicroRNAs miR5119 and miR5108 and phenolic compound luteolin in H-VLNs are identified in suppressing both the C-JUN and NF-kB pathways.Collectively,oral intake of H-VLNs represents a promising new user-friendly modality to prevent the development of NASH.

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells

A new mammalian photoreceptor was recently discovered to reside in the ganglion cell layer of the inner retina.These intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells(ipRGCs) express a photopigment,melanopsin,that confers upon them the ability to respond to light in the absence of all rod and cone photoreceptor input.Although relatively few in number,ipRGCs extend their dendrites across large expanses of the retina making them ideally suited to function as irradiance detectors to assess changes in ambient light levels.Phototransduction in ipRGCs appears to be mediated by transient receptor potential channels more closely resembling the phototransduction cascade of invertebrate rather than vertebrate photoreceptors.ipRGCs convey irradiance information centrally via the optic nerve to influence several functions.ipRGCs are the primary retinal input to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus(SCN),a circadian oscillator and biological clock,and this input entrains the SCN to the day/night cycle.ipRGCs contribute irradiance signals that regulate pupil size and they also provide signals that interface with the autonomic nervous system to regulate rhythmic gene activity in major organs of the body.ipRGCs also provide excitatory drive to dopaminergic amacrine cells in the retina,providing a novel basis for the restructuring of retinal circuits by light.Here we review the ground-breaking discoveries,current progress and directions for future investigation.