(Press-News.org) Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) attenuates amyloid-beta protein neurotoxicity and decreases apoptosis induced by oxidative stress or hypoxia in cortical neurons. Prof. Xiqing Chai and co-workers from Hebei Chemical and Pharmaceutical College, China constructed a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector expressing the human HIF-1α gene (rAAV-HIF-1α) efficiently, and tested the assumption that rAAV-HIF-1α represses hippocampal neuronal apoptosis induced by amyloid-beta protein. Their results confirmed that rAAV-HIF-1α significantly reduces apoptosis induced by amyloid-beta protein in primary cultured hippocampal neurons. This mechanism may be related to HIF-1α-decreased hippocampal neuronal intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i), thereby inhibiting apoptotic cascade reactions. With these investigations published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 11, 2014), gene therapy using rAAV to deliver HIF-1α may ultimately provide a new option for clinical treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
INFORMATION:
Article: " A viral vector expressing hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha inhibits hippocampal neuronal apoptosis," by Xiqing Chai1, Weina Kong1, Lingyun Liu2, Wenguo Yu1, Zhenqing Zhang3, Yimin Sun1 (1 Bioreactor and Protein Drug Research and Development Center of Hebei Universities, Hebei Chemical and Pharmaceutical College, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China; 2 Department of Neurology, Shanghai Yangpu District Central Hospital, Shanghai, China; 3 Department of Neurology, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China)
Chai XQ, Kong WN, Liu LY, Yu WG, Zhang ZQ, Sun YM. A viral vector expressing hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha inhibits hippocampal neuronal apoptosis. Neural Regen Res. 2014;9(11):1145-1153.
Contact: Meng Zhao
eic@nrren.org
86-138-049-98773
Neural Regeneration Research
http://www.nrronline.org/
HIF 1α viral vector inhibits hippocampal neuronal apoptosis: The future of gene therapy
2014-07-22
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Acupuncture at the Taixi activates cerebral neurons in old patients with MCI
2014-07-22
Previous findings have demonstrated that acupuncture at the Taixi (KI3) acupoint in healthy youths can activate neurons in cognitive-related cerebral cortex. In a perspective article released in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 9, No. 11, 2014), Dr. Shangjie Chen and co-workers at Baoan Hospital, Southern Medical University, China investigated whether acupuncture at this acupoint in elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can also activate neurons in these regions. Researchers revealed that under resting state and task-related functional magnetic resonance ...
X-ray irradiation at a certain dose alters the neuronal cytoskeleton and cytomechanics
2014-07-22
Cranial radiotherapy is one of the most important therapeutic methods for the treatment of various types of primary and metastatic brain tumors. Although conventional photon irradiation has significantly improved the treatment of cancer, the central nervous system is prone to damage after high-dose irradiation, resulting in severe delayed or progressive nervous tissue injury. The issues regarding brain radiation injury have been widely discussed, and recent investigations have emphasized changes in pathomorphology. However, the underlying mechanism remains in debate. Researchers ...
Self-cooling solar cells boost power, last longer
2014-07-22
WASHINGTON, July 22, 2014—Scientists may have overcome one of the major hurdles in developing high-efficiency, long-lasting solar cells—keeping them cool, even in the blistering heat of the noonday Sun.
By adding a specially patterned layer of silica glass to the surface of ordinary solar cells, a team of researchers led by Shanhui Fan, an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University in California has found a way to let solar cells cool themselves by shepherding away unwanted thermal radiation. The researchers describe their innovative design in the premiere ...
Major dopamine system helps restore consciousness after general anesthesia, study finds
2014-07-22
Chicago – July 22, 2014 – Researchers may be one step closer to better understanding how anesthesia works. A study in the August issue of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists® (ASA®), found stimulating a major dopamine-producing region in the brain, the ventral tegmental area (VTA), caused rats to wake from general anesthesia, suggesting that this region plays a key role in restoring consciousness after general anesthesia. Activating this region at the end of surgery could provide a novel approach to proactively induce ...
Creating optical cables out of thin air
2014-07-22
Imagine being able to instantaneously run an optical cable or fiber to any point on earth, or even into space. That's what Howard Milchberg, professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering at the University of Maryland, wants to do.
In a paper published today in the July 2014 issue of the journal Optica, Milchberg and his lab report using an "air waveguide" to enhance light signals collected from distant sources. These air waveguides could have many applications, including long-range laser communications, detecting pollution in the atmosphere, making high-resolution ...
Has Antarctic sea ice expansion been overestimated?
2014-07-22
New research suggests that Antarctic sea ice may not be expanding as fast as previously thought. A team of scientists say much of the increase measured for Southern Hemisphere sea ice could be due to a processing error in the satellite data. The findings are published today in The Cryosphere, a journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).
Arctic sea ice is retreating at a dramatic rate. In contrast, satellite observations suggest that sea ice cover in the Antarctic is expanding – albeit at a moderate rate – and that sea ice extent has reached record highs in recent ...
Mixed genes mix up the migrations of hybrid birds
2014-07-22
Mixed genes appear to drive hybrid birds to select more difficult routes than their parent species, according to new research from University of British Columbia zoologists.
"Instead of taking well-trodden paths through fertile areas, these birds choose to scale mountains and cross deserts," says UBC researcher Kira Delmore.
Delmore harnessed a flock of B.C. Swainson's thrushes with tiny geolocating backpacks to map their routes as they migrated south through the U.S. to Central and South America.
Many of the hybrid thrushes chose intermediary migration routes situated ...
New York squirrels are nuts about city life
2014-07-22
Curtin University-led research has shown squirrels have adapted to New York City's human behaviour, allowing them to thrive just as well, if not better, than their fellow squirrels in the woods.
Dr Bill Bateman, Senior Lecturer at Curtin's Department of Environment & Agriculture, led the study that proved eastern grey squirrels were able to modify their behaviour in urban environments and prevent unnecessary responses when humans acted in a predictable manner, such as staying on the footpath.
"As we rapidly increase the spread of urbanisation around the world, urban ...
LSUHSC contributes to work identifying new DNA regions associated with schizophrenia
2014-07-22
New Orleans, LA -- Nancy Buccola, MSN, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, CNE, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Nursing, contributed samples used in a study reporting new locations of genetic material associated with schizophrenia and also suggesting a possible link between the immune system and schizophrenia. The study, “Biological insights from 108 schizophrenia-associated genetic loci,” was published online July 22, 2014 in Nature, available at http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13595.html.
...
Natural-terrain schoolyards reduce children's stress, says Colorado University-Boulder study
2014-07-22
Playing in schoolyards that feature natural habitats and trees and not just asphalt and recreation equipment reduces children's stress and inattention, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study.
Working on class assignments or gardening in such settings also provide stress-reducing benefits for youth, according to a paper published in the journal Health & Place. The study is one of the first of its kind to focus on the relationship between student access to green settings and stress.
"Many schools already offer stress management programs, but they're about ...