Newborn Neurons in Adult Brain Can Settle in the Wrong Neighborhood

piggy submitted, created time 1 month 3 weeks (www.sciencedaily.com)

In a study that could have significant consequences for neural tissue transplantation strategies, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that inactivating a specific gene in adult neural stem cells makes nerve cells emerging from those precursors form connections in the wrong part of the adult brain.

Researchers, led by Fred H. Gage, Ph.D

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: adult stem cells genetics stem cells neural neural tissue brain tissue brain neuroscience neurons cdk5 nerve cells adult neural stem cells

Cdk5: a new player in pain signaling

tejpareek submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.landesbioscience.com)

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is predominantly active in postmitotic neurons. Despite its structural homology with other cyclin-dependent kinases, Cdk5 is apparently not involved in the cell cycle process. The monomeric form of Cdk5 is inactive and requires the association of p35 or p39 in order to perform its kinase activity. This kinase is essential for normal brain development and function, but uncontrolled activity of Cdk5 may lead to numerous neurodegenerative processes

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: Cdk5 Kinase Activity cyclin-dependent kinase p35,pain,inflammation mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 activity regulates pain signaling

tejpareek submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.pnas.org)

Several molecules and cellular pathways have been implicated in nociceptive signaling, but their precise molecular mechanisms have not been clearly defined. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine/threonine kinase implicated in the development and disease of the mammalian nervous system. The precise role of this kinase in sensory pathways has not been well characterized. Here we report a molecular role for Cdk5 in nociception. We identified the expression of Cdk5 and its activator p35 in nociceptive neurons, which is modulated during a peripheral inflammatory response

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Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 modulates nociceptive signaling through direct phosphorylation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1

tejpareek submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.pnas.org)

This research provides new insights about molecular mechanism of pain signaling. By using different functional genomics tools authors have established a novel potential role of Cdk5/p35 in pain signaling. This discovery provides new hopes for development of more potent analgesics drugs targeted for Cdk5 signaling.

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: Cdk5 Pain TRPV1 VR1 Inflammation p35 Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) transient receptor potential 1