RNAscope Multiplex Fluorescent Assay

Rhythmic inspiratory activity is generated in the preBötzinger complex (preBötC), a neuronal network located bilaterally in the ventrolateral medulla. Cholinergic neurotransmission affects respiratory rhythmogenic neurons and inhibitory glycinergic neurons in the preBötC. Acetylcholine has been extensively investigated given that cholinergic fibers and receptors are present and functional in the preBötC, are important in sleep/wake cycling, and modulate inspiratory frequency through its action on preBötC neurons.

Neurons in the hypothalamic preoptic area (POA) regulate multiple homeostatic processes, including thermoregulation and sleep, by sensing afferent input and modulating sympathetic nervous system output. The POA has an autonomous circadian clock and may also receive circadian signals indirectly from the suprachiasmatic nucleus. We have previously defined a subset of neurons in the POA termed QPLOT neurons that are identified by the expression of molecular markers (Qrfp, Ptger3, LepR, Opn5, Tacr3) that suggest receptivity to multiple stimuli.

Numerous studies in animals demonstrate that embryonic exposure to ethanol (EtOH) at low-moderate doses stimulates neurogenesis and increases the number of hypothalamic neurons expressing the peptide, hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt). A recent study in zebrafish showed that this effect on the Hcrt neurons in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) is area specific, evident in the anterior (aAH) but not posterior (pAH) part of this region.

Positional information encoded in signaling molecules is essential for early patterning in the prosensory domain of the developing cochlea. The sensory epithelium, the organ of Corti, contains an exquisite repeating pattern of hair cells and supporting cells. This requires precision in the morphogen signals that set the initial radial compartment boundaries, but this has not been investigated.

The pituitary gland regulates growth, metabolism, reproduction, the stress response, uterine contractions, lactation, and water retention. It secretes hormones in response to hypothalamic input, end organ feedback, and diurnal cues. The mechanisms by which pituitary stem cells are recruited to proliferate, maintain quiescence or differentiate into specific cell types, especially thyrotropes, are not well understood.

The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) non-selective cation channel predominantly expressed in primary sensory neurons of the dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia mediates pain and neurogenic inflammation. TRPV1 mRNA and immunoreactivity were described in the central nervous system (CNS), but its precise expression pattern and function have not been clarified. Here we investigated Trpv1 mRNA expression in the mouse brain using ultrasensitive RNAScope in situ hybridization.

NWD1, a purified diet establishing mouse exposure to key nutrients recapitulating levels that increase human risk for intestinal cancer, reproducibly causes mouse sporadic intestinal and colonic tumors reflecting human etiology, incidence, frequency and lag with developmental age. Complex NWD1 stem cell and lineage reprogramming was deconvolved by bulk and scRNAseq, scATACseq, functional genomics and imaging. NWD1 extensively, rapidly, and reversibly, reprogrammed Lgr5hi stem cells, epigenetically down-regulating Ppargc1a expression, altering mitochondrial structure and function.

The g-protein coupled receptor GPR-160, recently identified as a putative receptor for the cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide, shows abundant expression in the energy-balance control nuclei, including the dorsal vagal complex (DVC). However, its physiological role in the control of food intake has yet to be fully explored. Here, we performed a virally mediated, targeted knockdown (KD) of Gpr160 in the DVC of male rats to evaluate its physiological role in control of feeding. Our results indicate that DVC Gpr160 KD affects meal microstructure.

Human retinal organoid transplantation could potentially be a treatment for degenerative retinal diseases. How the recipient retina regulates the survival, maturation, and proliferation of transplanted organoid cells is unknown. We transplanted human retinal organoid-derived cells into photoreceptor-deficient mice and conducted histology and single-cell RNA sequencing alongside time-matched cultured retinal organoids. Unexpectedly, we observed human cells that migrated into all recipient retinal layers and traveled long distances.

The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg) encodes negative reward prediction error (RPE) and plays an important role in guiding behavioral responding to aversive stimuli. Previous research has focused on regulation of RMTg activity by the lateral habenula despite studies revealing RMTg afferents from other regions including the frontal cortex. The current study provides a detailed anatomical and functional analysis of cortical input to the RMTg of male rats.