A5084429418- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- RNA Research and Splicing
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- RNA regulation and disease
- Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Birth, Development, and Health
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Hearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, Genetics
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Retinal Development and Disorders
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease
- Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Dietary Effects on Health
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Autophagy in Disease and Therapy
- Lipid metabolism and biosynthesis
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
2015-2024
Institute of Developmental Physiology
2018-2023
Georgia State University
2008-2015
University of Memphis
2006-2008
Noncanonical functions of autophagy proteins have been implicated in neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The WD domain the protein Atg16L is dispensable for canonical but required its noncanonical functions. Two-year-old mice lacking this presented with robust β-amyloid (Aβ) pathology, tau hyperphosphorylation, reactive microgliosis, pervasive neurodegeneration, and severe behavioral memory deficiencies, consistent human disease. Mechanistically, we found was...
Daily rhythms in mammals are programmed by a master clock the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN contains two main compartments (shell and core), but role of each region system-level coordination remains ill defined. Herein, we use functional assay to investigate how downstream tissues interpret region-specific outputs using vivo exposure long day photoperiods temporally dissociate SCN. We then analyze resulting changes clocks located throughout brain body examine whether they maintain...
Highlights•Neuronal stimulation and learning induce Fgf1b in the mouse hippocampus•FGF1 is essential for enduring long-term potentiation memory enhancement•Learning-induced nuclear transport of CRTC1 activates transcription•CRTC1-mediated substitution KAT5 CBP on promoter enhances memorySummaryMemory formed by synapse-to-nucleus communication that leads to regulation gene transcription, but identity organizational logic signaling pathways involved this remain unclear. Here we find...
Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) exhibit seasonal cycles of reproduction driven by changes in day length. Day length is encoded endogenously the duration nocturnal melatonin (Mel) secretion from pineal gland. Short-duration Mel signals stimulate and long-duration inhibit reproduction. The mechanism which are decoded at level neural target tissues remains uncharacterized. In hamsters, exposure to short lengths or injections long days results a decrease hypothalamic expression type 2...
Circuits in the auditory cortex are highly susceptible to acoustic influences during an early postnatal critical period. The selectively expands neural representations of enriched stimuli, a process important for human language acquisition. Adults lack this plasticity. Here we show murine that juvenile plasticity can be reestablished adulthood if stimuli paired with disruption ecto-5'-nucleotidase-dependent adenosine production or A
SEC24 family members are components of the coat protein complex II (COPII) machinery that interact directly with cargo or other adapters to ensure proper sorting secretory into COPII vesicles. SEC24C is 1 4 mammalian paralogs (SEC24A-D), which segregate 2 subfamilies on basis sequence homology (SEC24A/SEC24B and SEC24C/SEC24D). Here, we demonstrate postmitotic neurons, unlike professional cells in tissues, exquisitely sensitive loss SEC24C. Conditional KO Sec24c neural progenitors during...
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is clinically targeted for type II diabetes treatment; however, rosiglitazone (ROSI), a PPARγ agonist, increases food intake and body/fat mass as side-effects. Mechanisms these effects the role of in feeding are not understood. Therefore, we tested this Siberian hamsters, model human energy balance, C57BL/6 mice. We following: (1) how ROSI and/or GW9662 (2-chloro-5-nitro- N -phenylbenzamide; antagonist) injected intraperitoneally or into...
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmental afflictions characterized by repetitive behaviors, deficits in social interaction, and impaired communication skills. For most ASD patients, the underlying causes unknown. Genetic mutations have been identified about 25 percent cases, including epigenetic regulators, suggesting that dysregulated chromatin or DNA function is critical component ASD. Mutations histone acetyltransferase CREB binding protein (CBP, CREBBP) cause...
Mutations in HNRNPH2 cause an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder with features that include developmental delay, motor function deficits, and seizures. More than 90% of patients hnRNPH2 have a missense mutation within or adjacent to the nuclear localization signal (NLS) hnRNPH2. Here, we report NLS mutations caused reduced interaction transport receptor Kapβ2 resulted modest cytoplasmic accumulation We generated 2 knockin mouse models human-equivalent Hnrnph2 as well Hnrnph2-KO mice....
We previously demonstrated that 3rd ventricular (3V) neuropeptide Y (NPY) or agouti-related protein (AgRP) injection potently stimulates food foraging/hoarding/intake in Siberian hamsters. Because NPY and AgRP are highly colocalized arcuate nucleus neurons this other species, we tested whether subthreshold doses of coinjected into the 3V foraging, hoarding, intake, and/or neural activation [c-Fos immunoreactivity (c-Fos-ir)] hamsters housed a foraging/hoarding apparatus. In behavioral...
Central administration of neuropeptide Y (NPY) increases food intake in laboratory rats and mice, as well foraging hoarding Siberian hamsters. The NPY-Y1 Y5 receptors (Rs) within the hypothalamus appear sufficient to account for these ingestive behaviors. Stimulation NPY-Y2Rs Arcuate nucleus (Arc) has an anorexigenic effect shown by central or peripheral its natural ligand peptide YY (3-36) pharmacological NPY-Y2R antagonism BIIE0246 intake. Both effects on agonism are relatively short-lived...
Circulating concentrations of the stomach-derived “hunger-peptide” ghrelin increase in direct proportion to time since last meal. Exogenous also increases food intake rodents and humans, suggesting may post-fast ingestive behaviors. Food after deprivation is increased by laboratory rats mice, but not humans (despite dogma contrary) or Siberian hamsters; instead, hamsters hoarding, latter as a model fasting-induced changes human behavior. markedly hoarding ad libitum-fed similarly that...
Meaningful auditory memories are formed in adults when acoustic information is delivered to the cortex during heightened states of attention, vigilance, or alertness, as mediated by neuromodulatory circuits. Here, we identify that, awake mice, stimulation triggers thalamocortical projections release adenosine, which prevents cortical plasticity (i.e., selective expansion neural representation behaviorally relevant stimuli) and perceptual learning experience-dependent improvement frequency...
Siberian hamsters exhibit several seasonal rhythms in physiology and behaviour, including reproduction, energy balance, body mass, pelage colouration. Unambiguous long‐ short day lengths stimulate inhibit respectively. Whether gonadal growth or regression occurs an intermediate length (e.g. 14 h L : 10 D; 14L), depends on whether the antecedent were shorter (10L) longer (16L). Variations are encoded by duration of nocturnal pineal melatonin secretion, which is decoded at neural target...
The development of refractoriness to the short-day melatonin rhythm in mid-winter triggers recrudescence photoinhibited reproductive system many rodents. As a result, over-wintering animals attain competence prior onset spring conditions that favor successful reproduction. While photorefractory state, hamsters are insensitive short day lengths and associated long-duration rhythm. Prior regaining sensitivity length inhibition reproduction, must first be exposed 10 12 weeks long, summer-like...
The role of the intergeniculate leaflet thalamus (IGL) in photoperiod responsiveness was examined a laboratory-selected line nonresponsive (NR) Siberian hamsters. NR hamsters fail to exhibit typical winter-type responses (i.e., gonadal regression and development pelage) when exposed short day lengths (e.g., 10 h light/day). Earlier studies revealed that will if they are given free access running wheel. present study tested hypothesis this locomotor activity-induced reversal phenotype is...