Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

About: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a nonprofit organization based out in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Gene & Genome. The organization has 3772 authors who have published 6603 publications receiving 1010873 citations. The organization is also known as: CSHL.

Dendrite growth increased by visual activity requires NMDA receptor and Rho GTPases

Abstract: Previous studies suggest that neuronal activity may guide the development of synaptic connections in the central nervous system through mechanisms involving glutamate receptors and GTPase-dependent modulation of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we demonstrate by in vivo time-lapse imaging of optic tectal cells in Xenopus laevis tadpoles that enhanced visual activity driven by a light stimulus promotes dendritic arbor growth. The stimulus-induced dendritic arbor growth requires glutamate-receptor-mediated synaptic transmission, decreased RhoA activity and increased Rac and Cdc42 activity. The results delineate a role for Rho GTPases in the structural plasticity driven by visual stimulation in vivo.

Eukaryotic regulatory RNAs: an answer to the ‘genome complexity’ conundrum

Abstract: A large portion of the eukaryotic genome is transcribed as noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). While once thought of primarily as "junk," recent studies indicate that a large number of these RNAs play central roles in regulating gene expression at multiple levels. The increasing diversity of ncRNAs identified in the eukaryotic genome suggests a critical nexus between the regulatory potential of ncRNAs and the complexity of genome organization. We provide an overview of recent advances in the identification and function of eukaryotic ncRNAs and the roles played by these RNAs in chromatin organization, gene expression, and disease etiology.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Identifies Neural Progenitor Cells in the Live Human Brain

Abstract: The identification of neural stem and progenitor cells (NPCs) by in vivo brain imaging could have important implications for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic purposes. We describe a metabolic biomarker for the detection and quantification of NPCs in the human brain in vivo. We used proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify and characterize a biomarker in which NPCs are enriched and demonstrated its use as a reference for monitoring neurogenesis. To detect low concentrations of NPCs in vivo, we developed a signal processing method that enabled the use of magnetic resonance spectroscopy for the analysis of the NPC biomarker in both the rodent brain and the hippocampus of live humans. Our findings thus open the possibility of investigating the role of NPCs and neurogenesis in a wide variety of human brain disorders.