Computer-assisted three-dimensional individualized extreme liver resection for hepatoblastoma in proximity to the major liver vasculature.

BACKGROUND: The management of hepatoblastoma (HB) becomes challenging when the tumor remains in close proximity to the major liver vasculature (PMV) even after a full course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). In such cases, extreme liver resection can be considered a potential option. AIM: To explore whether computer-assisted three-dimensional individualized extreme liver resection is safe and feasible for children with HB who still have PMV after a full course of NAC. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from children with HB who underwent surgical resection at our center from June 2013 to June 2023. We then analyzed the detailed clinical and three-dimensional characteristics of children with HB who still had PMV after a full course of NAC. RESULTS: Sixty-seven children diagnosed with HB underwent surgical resection. The age at diagnosis was 21.4 ± 18.8 months, and 40 boys and 27 girls were included. Fifty-nine (88.1%) patients had a single tumor, 39 (58.2%) of which was located in the right lobe of the liver. A total of 47 patients (70.1%) had PRE-TEXT III or IV. Thirty-nine patients (58.2%) underwent delayed resection. After a full course of NAC, 16 patients still had close PMV (within 1 cm in two patients, touching in 11 patients, compressing in four patients, and showing tumor thrombus in three patients). There were 6 patients of tumors in the middle lobe of the liver, and four of those patients exhibited liver anatomy variations. These 16 children underwent extreme liver resection after comprehensive preoperative evaluation. Intraoperative procedures were performed according to the preoperative plan, and the operations were successfully performed. Currently, the 3-year event-free survival of 67 children with HB is 88%. Among the 16 children who underwent extreme liver resection, three experienced recurrence, and one died due to multiple metastases. CONCLUSION: Extreme liver resection for HB that is still in close PMV after a full course of NAC is both safe and feasible. This approach not only reduces the necessity for liver transplantation but also results in a favorable prognosis. Individualized three-dimensional surgical planning is beneficial for accurate and complete resection of HB, particularly for assessing vascular involvement, remnant liver volume and anatomical variations.

[Screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in newborns in the Ningxia region]. / å®å¤åœ°åŒºæ–°ç”Ÿå„¿æœæ°è‚Œè¥å »ä¸è‰¯ç—‡ç­›æŸ¥.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence rate of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in the male newborns in the Ningxia region and establish a critical threshold for screening DMD in newborns to distinguish between the normal population and affected individuals. METHODS: A total of 10 000 male newborns were screened using immunofluorescence analysis of creatine kinase isoenzyme concentrations in heel spot dried blood specimens. Newborns with the concentrations higher than the critical threshold were recalled for serum creatine kinase measurements. Genetic testing was performed to confirm diagnosis in cases showing abnormalities. RESULTS: Among the screened 10 000 male newborns, two were confirmed to have DMD through genetic testing, resulting in a preliminary estimated incidence rate of 1/5 000 for male newborns in the Ningxia region. The critical threshold for creatine kinase isoenzyme concentration in newborns in this region was determined to be 468.57 ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Screening for DMD in newborns is feasible in the Ningxia region. Early screening, diagnosis, and treatment of DMD can improve the quality of life for affected individuals and help families make informed decisions regarding further pregnancies.

Reward contingency gates selective cholinergic suppression of amygdala neurons.

Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons modulate how organisms process and respond to environmental stimuli through impacts on arousal, attention, and memory. It is unknown, however, whether basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are directly involved in conditioned behavior, independent of secondary roles in the processing of external stimuli. Using fluorescent imaging, we found that cholinergic neurons are active during behavioral responding for a reward - even prior to reward delivery and in the absence of discrete stimuli. Photostimulation of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, or their terminals in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), selectively promoted conditioned responding (licking), but not unconditioned behavior nor innate motor outputs. In vivo electrophysiological recordings during cholinergic photostimulation revealed reward-contingency-dependent suppression of BLA neural activity, but not prefrontal cortex. Finally, ex vivo experiments demonstrated that photostimulation of cholinergic terminals suppressed BLA projection neuron activity via monosynaptic muscarinic receptor signaling, while also facilitating firing in BLA GABAergic interneurons. Taken together, we show that the neural and behavioral effects of basal forebrain cholinergic activation are modulated by reward contingency in a target-specific manner.

A female patient carrying a novel DMD mutation with non-random X-chromosome inactivation from a DMD family.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a female proband carrying a novel mutation in the DMD gene with non-random X-chromosome inactivation in a large pedigree with pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy. METHODS: Clinical information of the female proband, her monozygotic twin sister, and other family members were collected. Potential pathogenic variants were detected with Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) and whole-exome sequencing (WES). Methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme (HhaI) was employed for X-chromosome inactivation analysis. RESULTS: The proband was a female over 5 years old, displayed clinical manifestations such as elevated creatine kinase (CK) levels and mild calf muscle hypertrophy. Her monozygotic twin sister exhibited normal CK levels and motor ability. Her uncle and cousin had a history of DMD. WES revealed that the proband carried a novel variant in the DMD (OMIM: 300,377) gene: NM_004006.3: c.3051_3053dup; NP_003997.2: p.Tyr1018*. In this pedigree, five out of six female members were carriers of this variant, while the cousin and uncle were hemizygous for this variant. X-chromosome inactivation analysis suggested non-random inactivation in the proband. CONCLUSION: The c.3051_3053dup (p.Tyr1018*) variant in the DMD gene is considered to be the pathogenic variant significantly associated with the clinical phenotype of the proband, her cousin, and her uncle within this family. Integrating genetic testing with clinical phenotype assessment can be a valuable tool for physicians in the diagnosis of progressive muscular dystrophies, such as Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Blockade of HMGB1 Reduces Inflammation and Pruritus in Atopic Dermatitis by Inhibiting Skin Fibroblasts Activation.

INTRODUCTION: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by relapsed eczema and serious pruritus. High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a nuclear-binding protein and serves as an alarmin to promote inflammatory responses. METHODS: In this study, we established an AD mouse model by topical use of MC903 on ears and then used a specific HMGB1-binding peptide cIY8 and a HMGB1 inhibitor of glycyrrhizin to investigate HMGB1 on fibroblast activation in the pathogenesis of AD-like symptoms. RESULTS: Topical use of cIY8 and oral use of glycyrrhizin significantly improved the MC903-induced AD-like symptoms and pathological changes of the ears and scratching behavior in an AD mouse model; cIY8 treatment inhibited the higher mRNAs of IL-1α, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and IL-31 in the ears. In human fibroblasts, HMGB1 caused nuclear translocation of NF-kB, and the nuclear translocation could be inhibited by pre-treatment of HMGB1 with cIY8, suggesting that NF-κB signaling pathway participates in the HMGB1-induced inflammation of AD in fibroblasts and that cIY8 effectively impedes the function of HMGB1. Glycyrrhizin inhibited the Ca2+ signaling induced by ionomycin in mouse primary fibroblasts. The fibroblast-related proteins of α-SMA, Hsp47, and vimentin and the pruritus-related proteins of IL-33 and periostin were increased in the ears of the AD mouse model, the ratio of EdU incorporation became higher in mouse fibroblasts treated with MC903, and the higher proliferation and inflammatory responses of the fibroblasts could be reversed by glycyrrhizin treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Fibroblast activation by HMGB1 is one of the critical processes in the development of inflammation and pruritus in the AD mouse model. The specific HMGB1-binding peptide cIY8 and the HMGB1 inhibitor glycyrrhizin inactivate skin fibroblasts to alleviate the inflammation and pruritus in the AD mouse model. Peptide cIY8 may be topically used to treat AD patients in the future.

Cracking and erosion behaviors of sand-clay mixtures stabilized with microbial biopolymer and palm fiber.

Drying-induced cracks and precipitation-induced erosion negatively impact the performance of soils in the context of extreme weather events. This study introduces two effective and sustainable materials, microbial biopolymer (MB) and palm fibers (PF), for cracking and erosion control in the sand-clay mixtures. A series of desiccation cracking tests, erosion tests, and SEM tests were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. The results showed that MB could significantly improve the resistance of the soil to cracking and scouring, and the improvement increased with increasing MB content. The optimum MB content was 0.15 % to achieve the maximum cracking and erosion resistance. For samples with varying sand contents, 0.15 % MB addition reduced the crack ratio, total crack length, and accumulative erosion ratio by 19.55 %-96.91 %, 4.22 %-99.58 %, and 57.88 %-89.53 %, respectively. In addition, PF positively affected the anti-crack and anti-erosion properties of the soil, and the application of 0.60 % PF had the best performance for both improvements. The cracks in the soils were mostly fine and shallow with the addition of 0.60 % PF, and therefore, the accumulative erosion ratio decreased by 44.18 %-62.76 % for samples with varying sand contents. Compared to the untreated soil, the degree of cracking and erosion was less due to the formation of a structure with more macropores and a sand skeleton in the treated samples with higher sand content. MB addition provides strong inter-particle bonding connections and a hydrophilic crust structure to improve the soils' resistance to cracking and erosion, while the fiber reinforcement effect benefits from interfacial friction and spatial restriction effects. This study provides mechanistic interpretations of desiccation cracking and erosion behavior in sand-clay mixtures under different treatments. It may guide the design of low-carbon technologies for geotechnical engineering applications.

SUMO1-regulated DBC1 promotes p53-dependent stress-induced apoptosis of lens epithelial cells.

Deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1) was initially identified from a homozygously deleted region in human chromosome 8p21. It has been well established that DBC1 plays a dual role during cancer development. Depending on the physiological context, it can promote or inhibit tumorigenesis. Whether it plays a role in lens pathogenesis remains elusive. In the present study, we demonstrated that DBC1 is highly expressed in lens epithelial cells from different vertebrates and in retina pigment epithelial cells as well. Moreover, DBC1 is SUMOylated through SUMO1 conjugation at K591 residue in human and mouse lens epithelial cells. The SUMOylated DBC1 is localized in the nucleus and plays an essential role in promoting stress-induced apoptosis. Silence of DBC1 attenuates oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. In contrast, overexpression of DBC1 enhances oxidative stress-induced apoptosis, and this process depends on p53. Mechanistically, DBC1 interacts with p53 to regulate its phosphorylation status at multiple sites and the SUMOylation of DBC1 enhances its interaction with p53. Together, our results identify that DBC1 is an important regulator mediating stress-induced apoptosis in lens, and thus participates in control of lens cataractogenesis.

Feed-forward Activation of Habenula Cholinergic Neurons by Local Acetylcholine.

While the functional and behavioral role of the medial habenula (MHb) is still emerging, recent data indicate an involvement of this nuclei in regulating mood, aversion, and addiction. Unique to the MHb is a large cluster of cholinergic neurons that project to the interpeduncular nucleus and densely express acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) suggesting that the activity of these cholinergic neurons may be regulated by ACh itself. Whether endogenous ACh from within the habenula regulates cholinergic neuron activity has not been demonstrated. Supporting a role for ACh in modulating MHb activity, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors increased the firing rate of MHb cholinergic neurons in mouse habenula slices, an effect blocked by AChR antagonists and mediated by ACh which was detected via expressing fluorescent ACh sensors in MHb in vivo. To test if cholinergic afferents innervate MHb cholinergic neurons, we used anterograde and retrograde viral tracing to identify cholinergic inputs. Surprisingly, tracing experiments failed to detect cholinergic inputs into the MHb, including from the septum, suggesting that MHb cholinergic neurons may release ACh within the MHb to drive cholinergic activity. To test this hypothesis, we expressed channelrhodopsin in a portion of MHb cholinergic neurons while recording from non-opsin-expressing neurons. Light pulses progressively increased activity of MHb cholinergic neurons indicating feed-forward activation driven by MHb ACh release. These data indicate MHb cholinergic neurons may utilize a unique feed-forward mechanism to synchronize and increase activity by releasing local ACh.

HSP90ß prevents aging-related cataract formation through regulation of the charged multivesicular body protein (CHMP4B) and p53.

Cataract is a leading ocular disease causing global blindness. The mechanism of cataractogenesis has not been well defined. Here, we demonstrate that the heat shock protein 90ß (HSP90ß) plays a fundamental role in suppressing cataractogenesis. HSP90ß is the most dominant HSP in normal lens, and its constitutive high level of expression is largely derived from regulation by Sp1 family transcription factors. More importantly, HSP90ß is significantly down-regulated in human cataract patients and in aging mouse lenses, whereas HSP90ß silencing in zebrafish causes cataractogenesis, which can only be rescued by itself but not other HSP90 genes. Mechanistically, HSP90ß can directly interact with CHMP4B, a newly-found client protein involved in control of cytokinesis. HSP90ß silencing causes upregulation of CHMP4B and another client protein, the tumor suppressor p53. CHMP4B upregulation or overexpression induces excessive division of lens epithelial cells without proper differentiation. As a result, these cells were triggered to undergo apoptosis due to activation of the p53/Bak-Bim pathway, leading to cataractogenesis and microphthalmia. Silence of both HSP90ß and CHMP4B restored normal phenotype of zebrafish eye. Together, our results reveal that HSP90ß is a critical inhibitor of cataractogenesis through negative regulation of CHMP4B and the p53-Bak/Bim pathway.

Functional analysis of a novel de novo SCN2A variant in a patient with seizures refractory to oxcarbazepine.

Objective: We admitted a female patient with infantile onset epilepsy (<3-month-old). The use of oxcarbazepine exacerbated epileptic seizures in the patient. In the present study, we aimed to identify the genetic basis of the infantile onset epilepsy in the patient, and determine the correlations among genotype, phenotype, and clinical drug response. Methods: We described the clinical characteristics of an infant with refractory epilepsy. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was used to screen for the pathogenic variant. Whole-cell patch-clamp was performed to determine functional outcomes of the variant. Results: WES identified a novel de novo SCN2A variant (c.468 G > C, p.K156N) in the patient. In comparison with wildtype, electrophysiology revealed that SCN2A-K156N variant in transfected cells demonstrated reduced sodium current density, delayed activation and accelerated inactivation process of Na+ channel, all of which suggested a loss-of-function (LOF) of Nav1.2 channel. Conclusion: We showed the importance of functional analysis for a SCN2A variant with unknown significance to determine pathogenicity, drug reactions, and genotype-phenotype correlations. For patients suffering from early infantile epilepsies, the use of oxcarbazepine in some SCN2A-related epilepsies requires vigilance to assess the possibility of epilepsy worsening.

Neuronal activity-induced, equilibrative nucleoside transporter-dependent, somatodendritic adenosine release revealed by a GRAB sensor.

The purinergic signaling molecule adenosine (Ado) modulates many physiological and pathological functions in the brain. However, the exact source of extracellular Ado remains controversial. Here, utilizing a newly optimized genetically encoded GPCR-Activation-Based Ado fluorescent sensor (GRABAdo), we discovered that the neuronal activity-induced extracellular Ado elevation is due to direct Ado release from somatodendritic compartments of neurons, rather than from the axonal terminals, in the hippocampus. Pharmacological and genetic manipulations reveal that the Ado release depends on equilibrative nucleoside transporters but not the conventional vesicular release mechanisms. Compared with the fast-vesicular glutamate release, the Ado release is slow (~40 s) and requires calcium influx through L-type calcium channels. Thus, this study reveals an activity-dependent second-to-minute local Ado release from the somatodendritic compartments of neurons, potentially serving modulatory functions as a retrograde signal.

[Applicability of Seven Glomerular Filtration Rate Evaluation Formulas in Dose Adjustment of High Concentration of Methotrexate Chemotherapy in Children with ALL].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic efficacy of seven glomerular filtration rate (GFR) evaluation formulas Schwartz2009, Schwartz1976, Counahan-Barratt, Filler, CKD-EPIscysc, Cockrofi-Gault, CKD-EPIScysC-Scr in high concentration of methotrexate (HDMTX) chemotherapy dose adjusted cut-off point (GFR ≤85 ml/min) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHODS: One hundred and twenty-four children with ALL were included in the study. GFR determined by renal dynamic imaging (sGFR) was used as the standard to evaluate the accuracy, consistency of eGFR calculated by seven formulas and sGFR, and the diagnostic efficacy of each formula when the sGFR ≤85 ml/min boundary. RESULTS: All of the accuracy of eGFR estimated by Schwartz2009 were greater than 70% in the 0-3, >4 and ≤6, >6 and ≤9, >9 and ≤16 years old group and male group, and the consistency exceeded the professional threshold. When the sensitivity of the ROC curve sGFR ≤85 ml/min was 100% of CKD-EPIscysc in the 0-3, >3 and ≤4 years old group, Filler in the >3 and ≤4 years old group, and Cockrofi-Gault in the >6 and ≤9 years old group, the specificity was 73.02%, 78.95%, 78.95%, 69.32%, respectively, and the AUC under the ROC curve was the largest (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Schwartz2009 formula predicts the highest accuracy of eGFR in the 7 glomerular filtration rate. CKD-EPIscysc, Filler, and Cockrofi-Gault formulas have more guiding signi-ficance for the adjustment of HDMTX chemotherapy in pre-adolescence in children with ALL when sGFR ≤85 ml/min.

Local 5-HT signaling bi-directionally regulates the coincidence time window for associative learning.

The coincidence between conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) is essential for associative learning; however, the mechanism regulating the duration of this temporal window remains unclear. Here, we found that serotonin (5-HT) bi-directionally regulates the coincidence time window of olfactory learning in Drosophila and affects synaptic plasticity of Kenyon cells (KCs) in the mushroom body (MB). Utilizing GPCR-activation-based (GRAB) neurotransmitter sensors, we found that KC-released acetylcholine (ACh) activates a serotonergic dorsal paired medial (DPM) neuron, which in turn provides inhibitory feedback to KCs. Physiological stimuli induce spatially heterogeneous 5-HT signals, which proportionally gate the intrinsic coincidence time windows of different MB compartments. Artificially reducing or increasing the DPM neuron-released 5-HT shortens or prolongs the coincidence window, respectively. In a sequential trace conditioning paradigm, this serotonergic neuromodulation helps to bridge the CS-US temporal gap. Altogether, we report a model circuitry for perceiving the temporal coincidence and determining the causal relationship between environmental events.

Spatiotemporally heterogeneous coordination of cholinergic and neocortical activity.

Variation in an animal's behavioral state is linked to fluctuations in brain activity and cognitive ability. In the neocortex, state-dependent circuit dynamics may reflect neuromodulatory influences such as that of acetylcholine (ACh). Although early literature suggested that ACh exerts broad, homogeneous control over cortical function, recent evidence indicates potential anatomical and functional segregation of cholinergic signaling. In addition, it is unclear whether states as defined by different behavioral markers reflect heterogeneous cholinergic and cortical network activity. Here, we perform simultaneous, dual-color mesoscopic imaging of both ACh and calcium across the neocortex of awake mice to investigate their relationships with behavioral variables. We find that higher arousal, categorized by different motor behaviors, is associated with spatiotemporally dynamic patterns of cholinergic modulation and enhanced large-scale network correlations. Overall, our findings demonstrate that ACh provides a highly dynamic and spatially heterogeneous signal that links fluctuations in behavior to functional reorganization of cortical networks.

Tumor microenvironment features decipher the outperformance of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy over chemotherapy in resectable non-small cell lung cancer.

This study evaluated the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (Io+Chemo) versus chemotherapy alone (Chemo) in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting. The association of tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) with pathologic response to different neoadjuvant therapies was also explored.Stage I-III NSCLC patients who received Io+Chemo or Chemo alone followed by surgery were included in the study. Tumor tissues collected during surgery were subjected to TIME evaluation using multiplex immunohistochemistry to measure immune cell subsets, including T cells, B cells, NK cells, and macrophages. Fifty-five patients were included, including 24 treated with neoadjuvant Io+Chemo and 31 with Chemo alone. Io+Chemo induced significantly higher major pathologic response (MPR) (75.0% vs. 38.7%, P = 0.0133) and numerically better pathologic complete response (pCR) (33.3% vs. 12.9%, P = 0.1013) than Chemo. Compared with tumors with Chemo, tumors with Io+Chemo demonstrated a significantly higher ratio of M1 macrophage density in the tumor to that in the stroma (P = 0.0446), more abundant CD8+ cells in the stroma (P = 0.0335), and fewer PD-L1+CD68+ cells in both tumor and stroma. pCR/MPR patients displayed significantly higher density of CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD20+, CD56 bright cell subsets and more tertiary lymphoid structures and significantly lower density of PD-L1+CD68+ and CD3+CD4+Foxp3+cells in the tumor or stroma. This study favored neoadjuvant Io+Chemo over Chemo and revealed the TIME features underlying the outperformance of Io+Chemo over Chemo.

Epigenetic Alterations of DNA Methylation and miRNA Contribution to Lung Adenocarcinoma.

This study focused on the epigenetic alterations of DNA methylation and miRNAs for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) diagnosis and treatment using bioinformatics analyses. DNA methylation data and mRNA and miRNA expression microarray data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The differentially methylated genes (DMGs), differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and differentially expressed miRNAs were analyzed by using the limma package. The DAVID database performed GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Using STRING and Cytoscape, we constructed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and achieved visualization. The online analysis tool CMap was used to identify potential small-molecule drugs for LUAD. In LUAD, 607 high miRNA-targeting downregulated genes and 925 low miRNA-targeting upregulated genes, as well as 284 hypermethylated low-expression genes and 315 hypomethylated high-expression genes, were obtained. They were mainly enriched in terms of pathways in cancer, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, cAMP signaling pathway, and cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway. In addition, 40 upregulated and 84 downregulated genes were regulated by both aberrant alternations of DNA methylation and miRNAs. Five small-molecule drugs were identified as a potential treatment for LUAD, and five hub genes (SLC2A1, PAX6, LEP, KLF4, and FGF10) were found in PPI, and two of them (SLC2A1 and KLF4) may be related to the prognosis of LUAD. In summary, our study identified a series of differentially expressed genes associated with epigenetic alterations of DNA methylation and miRNA in LUAD. Five small-molecule drugs and five hub genes may be promising drugs and targets for LUAD treatment.

Gut Microbiome Composition Abnormalities Determined Using High-Throughput Sequencing in Children With Tic Disorder.

Object: To investigate the distribution characteristics of gut microbiota in children with tic disorder (TD) and the possible role of these characteristics in the pathogenesis of TD. Methods: The medical records of 28 children with TD treated at Wuxi Children's Hospital from January 1 to October 31, 2020, and 21 age-matched healthy children (controls) were included. The relative quantification of bacterial taxa was performed using 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results: There was no significant difference in the alpha diversity of gut microbiota between the TD and control groups. Analyses of beta diversity were able to differentiate the TD patients from the healthy controls based on their gut microbiota. At the phylum level, the two groups were mainly composed of four phyla, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria. There were significant differences in Firmicutes and Actinobacteria between the two groups (P <0.05). At the level of genera, the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Collinsella reduced while that of Ruminococcaceae unclassified, Prevotella, Faecalibacterium, Coprobacillus, and Odoribacter increased in the TD group compared to that in the control group. The intergroup differences were significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The abnormal composition of gut microbiota in children with TD suggests that the change in gut microbiota may play an important role in TD development.

Associative learning drives longitudinally graded presynaptic plasticity of neurotransmitter release along axonal compartments.

Anatomical and physiological compartmentalization of neurons is a mechanism to increase the computational capacity of a circuit, and a major question is what role axonal compartmentalization plays. Axonal compartmentalization may enable localized, presynaptic plasticity to alter neuronal output in a flexible, experience-dependent manner. Here, we show that olfactory learning generates compartmentalized, bidirectional plasticity of acetylcholine release that varies across the longitudinal compartments of Drosophila mushroom body (MB) axons. The directionality of the learning-induced plasticity depends on the valence of the learning event (aversive vs. appetitive), varies linearly across proximal to distal compartments following appetitive conditioning, and correlates with learning-induced changes in downstream mushroom body output neurons (MBONs) that modulate behavioral action selection. Potentiation of acetylcholine release was dependent on the CaV2.1 calcium channel subunit cacophony. In addition, contrast between the positive conditioned stimulus and other odors required the inositol triphosphate receptor, which maintained responsivity to odors upon repeated presentations, preventing adaptation. Downstream from the MB, a set of MBONs that receive their input from the γ3 MB compartment were required for normal appetitive learning, suggesting that they represent a key node through which reward learning influences decision-making. These data demonstrate that learning drives valence-correlated, compartmentalized, bidirectional potentiation, and depression of synaptic neurotransmitter release, which rely on distinct mechanisms and are distributed across axonal compartments in a learning circuit.

MYPT1/PP1-Mediated EZH2 Dephosphorylation at S21 Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Fibrosis through Control of Multiple Families of Genes.

The methyltransferase EZH2 plays an important role in regulating chromatin conformation and gene transcription. Phosphorylation of EZH2 at S21 by AKT kinase suppresses its function. However, protein phosphatases responsible for the dephosphorylation of EZH2-S21 remain elusive. Here, it is demonstrated that EZH2 is highly expressed in the ocular lens, and AKT-EZH2 axis is important in TGFß-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). More importantly, it is identified that MYPT1/PP1 dephosphorylates EZH2-S21 and thus modulates its functions. MYPT1 knockout accelerates EMT, but expression of the EZH2-S21A mutant suppresses EMT through control of multiple families of genes. Furthermore, the phosphorylation status and gene expression modulation of EZH2 are implicated in control of anterior subcapsular cataracts (ASC) in human and mouse eyes. Together, the results identify the specific phosphatase for EZH2-S21 and reveal EZH2 dephosphorylation control of several families of genes implicated in lens EMT and ASC pathogenesis. These results provide important novel information in EZH2 function and regulation.