Brain asymmetry: both sides of the story

Biological systems demonstrate asymmetry, while lateralization has been observed from humans to lower animals structurally, functionally and behaviorally. This may be derived from evolutionary, genetic, developmental, epigenetic and pathologic factors. However, brain structure and function is complex, and macroscopic or microscopic asymmetries are hard to discern from random fluctuations. In this article, we discuss brain laterality and lateralization, beginning with a brief review of the literature on brain structural and functional asymmetries. We conclude with methods to detect and quantify asymmetry, focusing on neuroproteomics, for retrieval of protein-expression patterns, as a method of diagnosis and treatment monitoring. We suggest inter-hemispheric differential proteomics as a valid method to assess the experimental and biological variations in the healthy brain, and neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Brain asymmetry: both sides of the story

Biological systems demonstrate asymmetry, while lateralization has been observed from humans to lower animals structurally, functionally and behaviorally. This may be derived from evolutionary, genetic, developmental, epigenetic and pathologic factors. However, brain structure and function is complex, and macroscopic or microscopic asymmetries are hard to discern from random fluctuations. In this article, we discuss brain laterality and lateralization, beginning with a brief review of the literature on brain structural and functional asymmetries. We conclude with methods to detect and quantify asymmetry, focusing on neuroproteomics, for retrieval of protein-expression patterns, as a method of diagnosis and treatment monitoring. We suggest inter-hemispheric differential proteomics as a valid method to assess the experimental and biological variations in the healthy brain, and neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Eukaryotic translation initiation: there are (at least) two sides to every story

The eukaryotic cap and poly(A) tail binding proteins, eIF4E and Pab1p, play important roles in the initiation of protein synthesis. The recent structures of the complex of eIF4E bound to the methylated guanosine (cap) found at the 5'end of messenger RNA (mRNA), the complex of eIF4E bound to peptide fragments of two related translation factors (eIF4G and 4E-BP1), and the complex of the N-terminal fragment of Pab1p bound to polyadenylate RNA have revealed that eIF4E and Pab1p contain at least two distinct functional surfaces. One surface is used for binding mRNA, and the other for binding proteins involved in translation initiation.     

The two sides of hippocampal mossy fiber plasticity

Two studies in this issue of Neuron (Kwon and Castillo and Rebola et al.) show that the mossy fiber-CA3 pyramidal neuron synapse, a hippocampal synapse well known for its presynaptic plasticity, exhibits a novel form of long-term potentiation of NMDAR-mediated currents, which is induced and expressed postsynaptically.     

The two sides of cytokine signaling and glaucomatous optic neuropathy

The mechanistic study of glaucoma pathogenesis has shifted to seeking to understand the effects of immune responses on retinal ganglion cell damage and protection. Cytokines are the hormonal factors that mediate most of the biological effects in both the immune and nonimmune systems. CD4-expressing T helper cells are a major source of cytokine production and regulation. Type 1 helper T (Th1) cells are characterized by the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, IL-23, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha while type 2 helper T (Th2) cells are characterized by the production of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10. The balance of Th1/Th2 cytokine production influences many pathological processes and plays both causative and protective roles in neuronal damage. Growing evidence indicates that imbalances of Th1/Th2 cytokine production are involved in neural damage or protection in many neurological diseases. In this review, we discuss the possible roles of Th1/Th2 cytokine production and imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokines in retina, especially glaucomatous optic neuropathy.     

The two sides of cytokine signaling and glaucomatous optic neuropathy

The mechanistic study of glaucoma pathogenesis has shifted to seeking to understand the effects of immune responses on retinal ganglion cell damage and protection. Cytokines are the hormonal factors that mediate most of the biological effects in both the immune and nonimmune systems. CD4-expressing T helper cells are a major source of cytokine production and regulation. Type 1 helper T (Th1) cells are characterized by the production of proinflammatory cytokines such as interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, IL-23, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha while type 2 helper T (Th2) cells are characterized by the production of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10. The balance of Th1/Th2 cytokine production influences many pathological processes and plays both causative and protective roles in neuron damages. Growing evidence indicates that imbalances of Th1/Th2 cytokine production are involved in neural damage or protection in many neurological diseases. In this review, we discuss the possible roles of Th1/Th2 cytokine production and imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokines in retina, especially glaucomatous optic neuropathy.     

Synapses and growth cones on two sides of a highwire

The formation of the nervous system during embryonic development is controlled by a complex network of signaling pathways which ensure proper migration and targeting of neuronal projections. Likewise, the function of the adult nervous system relies on complex dynamic interactions between the presynaptic and postsynaptic terminals. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the molecular pathways underlying these seemingly distinct processes. These studies reveal that the conserved E3 ubiquitin ligase PHR (PAM, highwire Rpm-1) controls a regulatory protein degradation pathway essential both for axonal targeting during embryonic development as well as for the proper formation and function of neuron muscular junctions (NMJ).     

The lipid-protein interface of a Shaker K(+) channel

Tryptophan-substitution mutagenesis was applied to the first and third transmembrane segments (S1 and S3) of a Shaker-type K(+) channel for the purpose of ascertaining whether these sequences are alpha-helical. Point mutants were examined for significant functional changes, indicated by the voltage-activation curves and gating kinetics. Helical periodicity of functional alteration was observed throughout the entire S1 segment. A similar result was obtained with the first 14 residues of S3, but this periodicity disappeared towards the extracellular side of this transmembrane sequence. In both helical stretches, tryptophan-tolerant positions are clustered on approximately half the alpha-helix surface, as if the sidechains are exposed to the hydrocarbon region of the lipid bilayer. These results, combined with an analogous study of S2 (Monks, S., D.J. Needleman, and C. Miller. 1999. J. Gen. Physiol. 113:415-423), locate S1, S2, and S3 on the lipid-facing periphery of K(v) channels.     

The tails of two geckos tell the story of dispersal in a fragmented landscape

The fragmentation of habitat is a major cause of biodiversity loss. However, while numerous studies have suggested that reducing the size of populations and isolating them on fragments leads ultimately to the extinction of a species (small isolated populations are extinction prone), the evidence has been rather conjectural. This is because dispersal is so difficult to measure and isolation difficult to confirm. In past studies, evidence that populations become small and isolated on fragments, leading to declines, has relied on spatial patterns of distribution and abundance. Thus, a species not trapped in the matrix in which fragments are embedded might be assumed isolated on fragments, and if low in abundance on fragments compared to continuous habitat is assumed to have declined on fragments due to this isolation. However, without accurately measuring the degree of isolation, it is difficult to distinguish the role of isolation from other important causes of population decline that are correlated with fragment and population size, such as habitat degradation. Developments in molecular techniques and statistical methods now make it possible to measure isolation. Refreshingly, in this issue Hoehn et al. analyse microsatellite DNA with a suite of statistical methods to show convincingly that a declining species of gecko suffers from greater isolation on habitat fragments than a contrasting gecko that is able to disperse between fragments and hence persist in the severely fragmented wheatbelt of Western Australia.     

The unfolding story of two lissencephaly genes and brain development

Formation of our highly structured human brain involves a cascade of events, including differentiation, fate determination, and migration of neural precursors. In humans, unlike many other organisms, the cerebral cortex is the largest component of the brain. As in other mammals, the human cerebral cortex is located on the surface of the telencephalon and generally consists of six layers that are formed in an orderly fashion. During neuronal development, newly born neurons, moving in a radial direction, must migrate through previously formed layers to reach their proper cortical position. This is one of several neuronal migration routes that takes place in the developing brain; other modes of migration are tangential. Abnormal neuronal migration may in turn result in abnormal development of the cortical layers and deleterious consequences, such as Lissencephaly. Lissencephaly, a severe brain malformation, can be caused by mutations in one of two known genes:LIS1 anddoublecortin (DCX). Recent in vitro and in vivo studies, report on possible functions for these gene products.