👤 Saeid Ghavami

Purkinje cells (PCs) are large GABAergic projection neurons of the cerebellar cortex, endowed with elaborate dendrites that receive a multitude of excitatory inputs. Being the only efferent neuron of the cerebellar cortex, PCs project to cerebellar nuclei and control behaviors ranging from movement to cognition and social interaction. Neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1) is widely expressed in the embryonic and postnatal development of the brain and plays essential roles in neuronal migration, axon pathfinding and synapse assembly. However, despite its high expression levels in cerebellum, little is known to date regarding the role(s) of NCAM1 in PCs development. Among other aspects, elucidating how the expression of NCAM1 in PCs could impact their postnatal migration would be a significant achievement. We analyzed the Acp2 mutant mouse ( Show less

Interleukin 27 (IL-27) has potent antitumor activity. Several epidemiological studies have designated that genetic variants of the IL-27 gene may contribute to various cancer susceptibility, but the data were inconclusive.  Objective: The current meta-analysis aimed to address the association between IL-27 rs153109, rs17855750, and rs181206 polymorphisms and the risk of cancer. Our team has selected eligible studies up to May 1, 2020, from several electronic databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Our meta-analysis revealed that the carriers rs153109 A>G polymorphism in the IL-27 gene have higher risks of diseases in the heterozygous (OR=1.26, 95%CI=1.06-1.49, P=0.007, AG vs AA), homozygous (OR=1.18, 95%CI=1.01-1.37, p=0.33, GG vs AA), dominant (OR=1.25, 95%CI=1.07-1.47, P=0.006, AG+GG vs AA), and allele (OR=1.15, 95%CI=1.04-1.27, P=0.008, G vs A) genetic models. Stratified analysis by cancer type indicated that this variant was significantly associated with gastrointestinal cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. The findings did not support an association between rs17855750 T>G, rs181206 T>C polymorphisms of IL-27 and cancer risk. the current study findings suggest that IL-27 rs153109 polymorphism significantly increased the risk of cancer susceptibility. Well-designed replication in a larger independent genetic association study with larger sample sizes in diverse ethnicities is required to verify the findings. 

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Spontaneous mutation in the lysosomal acid phosphatase 2 (Acp2) mouse (nax--naked-ataxia mutant mouse) correlates with severe cerebellar defects including ataxia, reduced size and abnormal lobulation as well as Purkinje cell (Pc) degeneration. Loss of Pcs in the nax cerebellum is compartmentalized and harmonized to the classic pattern of gene expression of the cerebellum in the wild type mouse. Usually, degeneration starts in the anterior and posterior zones and continues to the central and nodular zones of cerebellum. Studies have suggested that the p75 neurotrophin receptor (NTR) plays a role in Pc degeneration; thus, in this study, we investigated the p75NTR pattern and protein expression in the cerebellum of the nax mutant mouse. Despite massive Pc degeneration that was observed in the nax mouse cerebellum, p75NTR pattern expression was similar to the HSP25 pattern in nax mice and comparable with wild type sibling cerebellum. In addition, immunoblot analysis of p75NTR protein expression did not show any significant difference between nax and wild type sibling (p > 0.5). In comparison with wild type counterparts, p75NTR pattern expression is aligned with the fundamental cytoarchitecture organization of the cerebellum and is unchanged in the nax mouse cerebellum despite the severe neurodevelopmental disorder accompanied with Pc degeneration. Show less