Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Apr 1995
Comparative StudyDistinct neural correlates of visual long-term memory for spatial location and object identity: a positron emission tomography study in humans.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate by using positron emission tomography (PET) whether the cortical pathways that are involved in visual perception of spatial location and object identity are also differentially implicated in retrieval of these types of information from episodic long-term memory. Subjects studied a set of displays consisting of three unique representational line drawings arranged in different spatial configurations. Later, while undergoing PET scanning, subjects' memory for spatial location and identity of the objects in the displays was tested and compared to a perceptual baseline task involving the same displays. ⋯ There was also activation of the right prefrontal cortex. When PET scans of the memory tasks were compared to each other, areas of activation were very circumscribed and restricted to the right hemisphere: For retrieval of object identity, the area was in the inferior temporal cortex in the region of the fusiform gyrus (area 37), whereas for retrieval of spatial location, it was in the inferior parietal lobule in the region of the supramarginal gyrus (area 40). Thus, our study shows that distinct neural pathways are activated during retrieval of information about spatial location and object identity from long-term memory.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Apr 1995
Regulatory region in choline acetyltransferase gene directs developmental and tissue-specific expression in transgenic mice.
Acetylcholine, one of the main neurotransmitters in the nervous system, is synthesized by the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT; acetyl-CoA:choline O-acetyltransferase, EC 2.3.1.6). The molecular mechanisms controlling the establishment, maintenance, and plasticity of the cholinergic phenotype in vivo are largely unknown. A previous report showed that a 3800-bp, but not a 1450-bp, 5' flanking segment from the rat ChAT gene promoter directed cell type-specific expression of a reporter gene in cholinergic cells in vitro. ⋯ In eight independent transgenic lines, the pattern of transgene expression paralleled qualitatively and quantitatively that displayed by endogenous ChAT mRNA in various regions of the rat central nervous system. In the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord, 85-90% of the transgene expression was targeted to the ventral part of the cord, where cholinergic alpha-motor neurons are located. Transgene expression in the spinal cord was developmentally regulated and responded to nerve injury in a similar way as the endogenous ChAT gene, indicating that the 2342-bp regulatory sequence contains elements controlling the plasticity of the cholinergic phenotype in developing and injured neurons.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Apr 1995
Comparative StudyRefinement of odor molecule tuning by dendrodendritic synaptic inhibition in the olfactory bulb.
Mitral/tufted cells (M/T cells) and granule cells form reciprocal dendrodendritic synapses in the main olfactory bulb; the granule cell is excited by glutamate from the M/T cell and in turn inhibits M/T cells by gamma-aminobutyrate. The trans-synaptically excited granule cell is thought to induce lateral inhibition in neighboring M/T cells and to refine olfactory information. It remains, however, elusive how significantly and specifically this synaptic regulation contributes to the discrimination of different olfactory stimuli. ⋯ This analysis revealed that inhibitory responses are evoked in a M/T cell by a defined subset of odor molecules with structures closely related to the excitatory odor molecules. Furthermore, blockade of the reciprocal synaptic transmission by the glutamate receptor antagonist or the gamma-aminobutyrate receptor antagonist markedly suppressed the odor-evoked inhibition, indicating that the inhibitory responses are evoked by lateral inhibition via the reciprocal synaptic transmission. The synaptic regulation in the olfactory bulb thus greatly enhances the tuning specificity of odor responses and would contribute to discrimination of olfactory information.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Mar 1995
Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein DARPP-32: phosphorylation of Ser-137 by casein kinase I inhibits dephosphorylation of Thr-34 by calcineurin.
Although protein phosphatases appear to be highly controlled in intact cells, relatively little is known about the physiological regulation of their activity. DARPP-32, a dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of apparent M(r) 32,000, is phosphorylated in vitro by casein kinase I, casein kinase II, and cAMP-dependent protein kinase on sites phosphorylated in vivo. DARPP-32 phosphorylated on Thr-34 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase is a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 and an excellent substrate for calcineurin, a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase. ⋯ This inhibition occurs only when phospho-Ser-137 and phospho-Thr-34 are located on the same DARPP-32 molecule and is not dependent on the mode of activation of calcineurin. The results demonstrate that the inhibition is due to a modification in the properties of the substrate which alters its dephosphorylation rate. Thus, casein kinase I may play a physiological role in striatonigral neurons as a modulator of the regulation of protein phosphatase 1 via DARPP-32.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Dec 1994
Comparative StudyThe nitric oxide/cyclic GMP pathway in organ transplantation: critical role in successful lung preservation.
Reestablishment of vascular homeostasis following ex vivo preservation is a critical determinant of successful organ transplantation. Because the nitric oxide (NO) pathway modulates pulmonary vascular tone and leukocyte/endothelial interactions, we hypothesized that reactive oxygen intermediates would lead to decreased NO (and hence cGMP) levels following pulmonary reperfusion, leading to increased pulmonary vascular resistance and leukostasis. Using an orthotopic rat model of lung transplantation, a porphyrinic microsensor was used to make direct in vivo measurements of pulmonary NO. ⋯ Compared with grafts stored in its absence, grafts stored with supplemental 8-Br-cGMP and evaluated 30 min after reperfusion demonstrated lower pulmonary vascular resistances with increased graft blood flow, improved arterial oxygenation, decreased neutrophil infiltration, and improved recipient survival. These beneficial effects were dose dependent, mimicked by the type V phosphodiesterase inhibitor 2-o-propoxyphenyl-8-azapurin-6-one, and inhibited by a cGMP-dependent protein kinase antagonist, the R isomer of 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate. Augmenting the NO pathway at the level of cGMP improves graft function and recipient survival following lung transplantation.