A role for the cystathionine-ß-synthase /H2S axis in astrocyte dysfunction in the aging brain.

Astrocytic dysfunction is central to age-related neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms leading to astrocytic dysfunction are not well understood. We identify that among the diverse cellular constituents of the brain, murine and human astrocytes are enriched in the expression of CBS. Depleting CBS in astrocytes causes mitochondrial dysfunction, increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreases cellular bioenergetics that can be partially rescued by exogenous H2S supplementation or by re-expressing CBS. Conversely, the CBS/H2S axis, associated protein persulfidation and proliferation are decreased in astrocytes upon oxidative stress which can be rescued by exogenous H2S supplementation. Here we reveal that in the aging brain, the CBS/H2S axis is downregulated leading to decreased protein persulfidation, together augmenting oxidative stress. Our findings uncover an important protective role of the CBS/H2S axis in astrocytes that may be disrupted in the aged brain.

Two-step verification of brain tumor segmentation using watershed-matching algorithm.

Though the modern medical imaging research is advancing at a booming rate, it is still a very challenging task to detect brain tumor perfectly. Medical imaging unlike other imaging system has highest penalty for a minimal error. So, the detection of tumor should be accurate to minimize the error. Past researchers used biopsy to detect the tumor tissue from the other soft tissues in the brain which is time-consuming and may have errors. We outlined a two-stage verification-based tumor segmentation that makes the detection more accurate. We segmented the tumor area from the MR image and then used another algorithm to match the segmented portion with the ground truth image. We named this new algorithm as watershed-matching algorithm. The most promising part of our model is the status checking of the tumor by finding the area of the tumor. Our proposed model works better than other state-of-the art works on BRATS 2017 dataset.

Correction to: Two-step verification of brain tumor segmentation using watershed-matching algorithm.

In the original publication of this article [1], the spelling of second author was incorrect.

The Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase MEG2 Regulates the Transport and Signal Transduction of Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase A.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase MEG2 (PTP-MEG2) is a unique nonreceptor tyrosine phosphatase associated with transport vesicles, where it facilitates membrane trafficking by dephosphorylation of the N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion factor. In this study, we identify the neurotrophin receptor TrkA as a novel cargo whose transport to the cell surface requires PTP-MEG2 activity. In addition, TrkA is also a novel substrate of PTP-MEG2, which dephosphorylates both Tyr-490 and Tyr-674/Tyr-675 of TrkA. As a result, overexpression of PTP-MEG2 down-regulates NGF/TrkA signaling and blocks neurite outgrowth and differentiation in PC12 cells and cortical neurons.