神经生物学

Even a complete understanding of the biophysical properties driving neuronal behavior would be insufficient to explain the interactions between neurons, neuronal assemblies, and brain regions. Exploring interactions between small numbers of synaptically coupled neuro ...

The cardiac long QT syndrome (LQTS) is characterized by a delayed repolarization of the ventricular myocytes, resulting in prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram and increased propensity to cardiac arrhythmias. Congenital LQTS has been linked to mutations in genes ...

Long-term potentiation is a synaptic mechanism thought to be involved in learning and memory. Long-term depression (LTD), an activity-dependent decrease in synaptic efficacy, may be an equally important mechanism that permits neural networks to store information more effective ...

The patch-clamp technique has allowed detailed studies on the electrical properties of neurons. Dye loading through patch pipettes has allowed characterizing the morphological properties of the neurons. In addition, the patch-clamp technique also allows harvesting mRNA from s ...

Mechanosensitive ion channels play an important role for the perception of mechanical signals such as touch, balance, or sound. Here, a new experimental strategy is presented providing well-defined access to single mechanosensitive ion channels in living cells. As a representative e ...

Single-channel recording provides molecular insights that are nearly unattainable from macroscopic measurements. Analysis of the data, however, has proven to be a difficult challenge. Early approach relies on the half-amplitude threshold detection to idealize the data into dwe ...

The Xenopus laevis oocyte is a widely used system for heterologous expression of exogenous ion channel proteins (1, 2). Among other advantages, these easy to obtain, mechanically and electrically stable, large-sized cells enable multiple types of electrophysiological recordings: ...

The functional properties of central synapses are difficult to study because they can be modulated either presynaptically or postsynaptically, each connection has multiple contacts and release at each contact is stochastic. Moreover, studying central synapses with electrop ...

The introduction of pseudopeptide bonds (amide bond surrogates) into the peptide backbone during synthesis is now a common technique in peptide chemistry (1). These pseudo-peptide bonds are introduced in order to satisfy criteria such as stability to enzymatic degradation, transi ...

Peptides are very flexible molecules, in contrast to proteins, which are stabilized by disulfide bridges and salt bridges in their tertiary structure. Peptides can adopt several conformations, at least in aqueous solutions. Some limitations, however, are imposed caused by then prima ...

Size-exclusion high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has enabled purification of peptides and proteins to be carried out 10–100 times faster than conventional gel filtration chromatography on soft gels. The prepacked columns (about 1 � 30 cm) contain small particles (13 �m or l ...

Synthesis of peptides on a solid support is described in detail in Chapter 5 of this book. Contributing to the ongoing success of Merrifield’s solid-phase peptide synthesis methodology (1) was the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the purification of the desired pept ...

This protocol combines in situ hybridization techniques with immunocytochemistry (ICC). Such a protocol generally allows you to identify cells that have both a specific species of mRNA expressed and a separate specific protein. This combination of techniques is particularly powe ...

A large variety of different neuropeptides function as central transmitters in neuronal circuits regulating diverse aspects of energy homeostasis such as feeding behavior, energy expenditure, and thermoregulation. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) represents one such peptide mediati ...

In situ hybridization histochemistry (ISHH), first described in 1969 (1,2), allows a specific complementary RNA species to be detected directly at its site of expression, revealing its cellular localization and relative abundance. The utilization as a label of digoxigenin (3), which is n ...

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides have been successfully employed to study the function of viral and cellular genes by sequence-specific inhibition. The antisense oligodeoxynucleotides are single-stranded, short, native, or chemically modified nucleotides that inhi ...

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) that disrupt gene function, leading eventually to a reduction in levels of the encoded protein, are powerful molecular tools for studying the functions of neuropeptides and their receptors in the brain. Their potential usefulness is even grea ...

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), peptide YY (PYY), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) are endogenous 36-amino acid peptides belonging to the same family. Different receptor subtypes have been identified in the NPY/PYY/PP family (1), and mammalian subtypes are now classified collectively as NPY rece ...

Following its discovery in rat intestinal epithelial cells (1), the peptide YY (PYY) receptor has been characterized in the proximal tubule PKSV-PCT cell line derived from kidneys of SV40 large T antigen transgenic mice (2). This receptor is PYY preferring since it binds the intestinal hormone ...

Energy homeostasis is the process by which adipose tissue, the stored body energy, is kept constant over time. Obviously, feeding behavior plays a crucial role in energy homeostasis. Therefore, to maintain a constant energy balance, energy (food) intake should match energy expenditure. A n ...