RNAscope

TWIK-related acid-sensitive K+ (TASK) channels, including TASK-1, TASK-3, and TASK-5, are important members of the two-pore domain potassium (K2P) channel family. TASK-5 is not functionally expressed in the recombinant system. TASK channels are very sensitive to changes in extracellular pH and are active during all membrane potential periods. They are similar to other K2P channels in that they can create and use background-leaked potassium currents to stabilize resting membrane conductance and repolarize the action potential of excitable cells.

Salivary glands are physiologically orchestrated by the coordinated balance between cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and interactions between epithelial, mesenchymal endothelial, and neuronal cells, and they are frequent sites of manifestations of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) or IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). However, little is known about salivary gland homeostasis and its involvement in those diseases. Inhibitor of DNA binding/differentiation 4 (Id4) is an Id protein involved in the transcriptional control of many biological events, including differentiation.

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) integrates interoceptive and exteroceptive information to control various behavioral and physiological processes including breathing, emotion, and sleep/wake regulation through the neural circuits that connect to the forebrain and the brainstem. However, the precise identity and function of distinct PBN subpopulations are still largely unknown.

The opioid G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) strongly modulate many of the central nervous system structures that contribute to neurological and psychiatric disorders including pain, major depressive disorder, and substance use disorders. To better treat these and related diseases, it is essential to understand the signaling of their endogenous ligands. In this review, we focus on what is known and unknown about the regulation of the over two dozen endogenous peptides with high affinity for one or more of the opioid receptors.

The cortex of the adrenal gland is organized into concentric zones that produce distinct steroid hormones essential for body homeostasis in mammals. Mechanisms leading to the development, zonation and maintenance of the adrenal cortex are complex and have been studied since the 1800s. However, the advent of genetic manipulation and transgenic mouse models over the past 30 years has revolutionized our understanding of these mechanisms.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecological cancer, and more than 70% of patients are diagnosed at advanced stages. Despite the application of surgery and chemotherapy, the prognosis remains poor due to the high relapse rate. It is urgent to identify novel biomarkers and develop novel therapeutic strategies for EOC. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs generated from the "back-splicing" of precursor mRNA.

Cannabinoids modulate dopamine (DA) transmission and DA-related behavior, which has been thought to be mediated by activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1Rs) on GABA neurons. However, there is no behavioral evidence supporting it. In contrast, here we report that CB1Rs are expressed in a subset of DA neurons and functionally underlie cannabinoid action in male and female mice. RNAscope ISH assays demonstrated CB1 mRNA in TH-positive DA neurons in the VTA and glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD1)-positive GABA neurons.

Until recently, most modern neuroscience research on addiction using animal models did not incorporate manipulations of social factors. Social factors play a critical role in human addiction: social isolation and exclusion can promote drug use and relapse, while social connections and inclusion tend to be protective. Here, we discuss the state of the literature on social factors in animal models of opioid and psychostimulant preference, self-administration, and relapse.

Chronic pain patients often have anxiety disorders, and some of them suffer from anxiety even after analgesic administration. In this study, we investigated the role of AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in chronic pain-induced persistent anxiety in mice and explored potential drug targets.

Functional cochlear hair cells (HCs) innervated by spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) are essential for hearing, whereas robust models that recapitulate the peripheral auditory circuity are still lacking. Here, we developed cochlear organoids with functional peripheral auditory circuity in a staging three-dimensional (3D) co-culture system by initially reprogramming cochlear progenitor cells (CPCs) with increased proliferative potency that could be long-term expanded, then stepwise inducing the differentiation of cochlear HCs, as well as the outgrowth of neurites from SGNs.