Xu Tao

TL;DR: It is shown that growth factor activation of the PI3'K/Akt signaling pathway culminates in the phosphorylation of the BCL-2 family member BAD, thereby suppressing apoptosis and promoting cell survival.

TL;DR: The findings suggest that a CREB family member acts cooperatively with an additional transcription factor(s) to regulate BDNF transcription, and concludes that the BDNF gene is aCREB family target whose protein product functions at synapses to control adaptive neuronal responses.

TL;DR: This work has characterized molecular mechanisms by which neuronal membrane depolarization and subsequent calcium influx into the cytoplasm lead to the induction of new gene transcription and refined and expand the working model of activity-induced gene induction in the brain.

TL;DR: The transcriptional activity of CaRF is regulated in a calcium- and neuron-selective manner, suggesting that CaRF may confer selectivity upon the activity-dependent induction of BDNF exon III expression.

TL;DR: It is found that the transcriptional activity of the USFs is regulated by Ca2+-activated signaling pathways in neurons and that theUSFs bind to the promoters of a number of neuronal activity-regulated genes in vivo, suggesting a new function for the USF in the regulation of activity-dependent transcription in neurons.