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Investigating The Role Of Endogenous Atf4 Upregulation On Neuronal Glutathione Level, Fatemeh Mirshafiei

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ATF4 is a transcription factor that is activated in response to integrated stress response (ISR). In neurons specifically, ATF4 has been suggested to act as a pro-apoptotic transcription factor. The expression of ATF4, as well as its downstream gene targets have been implicated in both in vivo and in vitro models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. However, the mechanism by which ATF4 promotes cell death remains unclear. It was previously shown that overexpression of ATF4 in primary cortical neurons caused a reduction in glutathione levels, resulting in oxidative stress-induced cell death. The aim of this project was to investigate whether …

Regional Microglia Are Transcriptionally Distinct But Similarly Exacerbate Neurodegeneration In A Culture Model Of Parkinson's Disease., Eric Wildon Kostuk, Jingli Cai, Lorraine Iacovitti

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by selective degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SN) while neighboring ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons are relatively spared. Mechanisms underlying the selective protection of the VTA and susceptibility of the SN are still mostly unknown. Here, we demonstrate the importance of balance between astrocytes and microglia in the susceptibility of SN DA neurons to the PD mimetic toxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP

METHODS: Previously established methods were used to isolate astrocytes and microglia from the cortex (CTX), SN, and VTA, as well as embryonic midbrain DA neurons from the …

Representing Diversity In The Dish: Using Patient-Derived In Vitro Models To Recreate The Heterogeneity Of Neurological Disease, Layla T. Ghaffari, Alexander Starr, Andrew T. Nelson, Rita Sattler

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Neurological diseases, including dementias such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) and degenerative motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are responsible for an increasing fraction of worldwide fatalities. Researching these heterogeneous diseases requires models that endogenously express the full array of genetic and epigenetic factors which may influence disease development in both familial and sporadic patients. Here, we discuss the two primary methods of developing patient-derived neurons and glia to model neurodegenerative disease: reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are differentiated into neurons or glial cells, or directly converting (DC) somatic …