Project description:Patients with epilepsy often experience increased frequency of seizures at night. Given the crucial role glial cells play in modulating neuronal excitability, we hypothesize that circadian changes in glia may affect changes in seizure threshold. Fatty acid binding protein 7 (Fabp7) is expressed in brain astrocytes and is involved in the transport of fatty acids, signal transduction, and gene transcription. Its mRNA expression levels rise and fall in a circadian rhythm and is necessary for normal sleep regulation. We examined if Fabp7 influences electrically induced seizure threshold and differential gene expression in wild type (WT) vs. Fabp7 knockout (KO) mice with and without seizure.
Project description:To discover the molecules and signal pathways that are associated with the anti-aging effects of Fabp7 deficiency, transcriptome analyses were conducted using DNA microarray. The ABR thresholds of Fabp7 (+/+) and Fabp7 (-/-) mice were not significantly different at 7 months of age, but it was speculated that important gene expression changes might arise at approximately this stage. Therefore, 7-month-old Fabp7 (+/+) and Fabp7 (-/-) mice were used for transcriptome analyses.
Project description:Radial glial (RG) cells serve as both neural progenitors and structural scaffolds for neuronal migration during cortical development. Although FABP7 has long been recognized as a marker of RG cells, its regulatory function has remained poorly defined. Using human fetal brain slices, embryonic mouse model, cerebral organoids, and assembloids, we demonstrate that FABP7 is essential for maintaining RG scaffold architecture and coordinating neuronal positioning. Single-cell analysis revealed that FABP7 deficiency induces transcriptional dysregulation, particularly affecting cytoskeletal organization, neural fate specification, and stress responses. Furthermore, Transcriptomic features in FABP7 knockdown organoids exhibit convergence with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, alongside recapitulation of scaffold defects observed in idiopathic autism organoids. Mechanistically, FABP7 loss suppresses the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, resulting in impaired GTPase-mediated cytoskeletal organization and disruption of radial scaffold integrity. These findings identify FABP7 as a key regulator of cortical development and disease-relevant molecular programs, linking metabolic signaling to neurodevelopmental vulnerability.
Project description:We demonstrated that Wnt/β-catenin pathway was activated in in endotoxemic mice, and the modulation of this pathway by LGK974 had beneficial effects by suppressing the inflammation and lethality caused by endotoxemia.