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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Identification And Characterization Of Downstream Target Genes Of The Bmp Signaling Pathway, Nam Chul Kim
Identification And Characterization Of Downstream Target Genes Of The Bmp Signaling Pathway, Nam Chul Kim
All ETDs from UAB
During nervous system development, neurons proliferate, differentiate, project their axons to their targets and make synapses with them. At the neuromuscular junction of Drosophila, these functional synapses enlarge as the body grows to maintain physiologically effective synaptic transmission with the muscles. Drosophila Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) type II receptor, Wishful thinking (Wit), is important in this proper synaptic growth and function. To identify transcriptional targets of Wit signaling, we performed microarray experiments comparing normal controls to wit mutants. Through this study, we found that some of the verified target genes showed isoform-specific regulation in wit mutants, and that several neuropeptide …
Lim Kinase 1 And Twinstar In Synaptic Plasticity Of Drosophila Motoneurons, James Brian Machamer
Lim Kinase 1 And Twinstar In Synaptic Plasticity Of Drosophila Motoneurons, James Brian Machamer
All ETDs from UAB
Modification of the actin cytoskeleton is essential for synaptic plasticity, which is believed to underlie the brain's capacity for learning and memory. Regulation of the actin cytoskeleton by LIM Kinases (LIMK1 and LIMK2) and their downstream targets Actin Depolymerization Factor/Cofilin (ADF/Cofilin) in the mouse forebrain modulates dendritic spine morphology, synaptic function, long-term potentiation (LTP), and learning and memory, but appear dispensable for the regulation of most forms of presynaptic plasticity. However, these analyses were performed in mice mutant for single members of these gene families, and thus the interpretation of these results is confounded by potential compensatory activity of homologous …