Natural Sciences > Biology > Neuron-glial Cell Interactions in Biology and Dise

Neuron-glial Cell Interactions in Biology and Dise posted by duggu on 12/8/2007

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Abstract/Syllabus

Courseware/Lectures

Test/Tutorials

Course Highlights

This literature-based seminar features a complete list of readings.

Course Description

This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. Many instructors of the Advanced Undergraduate Seminars are postdoctoral scientists with a strong interest in teaching.

Syllabus

Prerequisites

Introduction to Neuroscience or any equivalent course is sufficient. If you have not taken any neuroscience course but have some basic knowledge of the nervous system, please consult with me at the beginning of the semester.

Overview

Glia (Greek for "glue"), the non-neuronal elements of the nervous system, were first identified in 1846 by the anatomist Rudolph Virchow. Since then, glial cells have been regarded as passive nervous system components that provide insulation and tropic support for neurons. This view has been challenged in the last few years, and we now know that glial cells actively control synapse formation, synapse function and synaptic plasticity. In the mammalian nervous system, glial cells outnumber neurons by a factor of ten, reflecting the importance of these cells. Thus, it seems essential that we understand the functions of these cells and rethink our view of the nervous system as we learn more about the dynamic connections among neuronal and glial cells.

The main goal of this seminar will be to study the nervous system from the perspective of neuron-glia interactions. In each class, we will focus on one type of glial cell and discuss its origin, classification and function within the nervous system. Current findings concerning diseases associated with each type of glial cell will be discussed. Topics will include the behavior of glial cells in diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), HIV-associated dementia (HAD), Alzheimer's Disease (AD), ischemia, hypoxia and epilepsy. We will also discuss the role of glial cells as neural stem cells in the adult brain and their importance in the effective rebuilding of damaged brains after injury or disease-associated neurodegeneration. The class will include a field trip to a medical school to observe clinical research concerning glial disorders.

Format and Aim

Two papers from the primary research literature will be discussed each week. One will relate to the function of a specific glial cell type and the other will discuss a disease related to that function. In each class, we will focus on one type of glia cell and learn its origin, classification and function.

The aim of this class is to familiarize students with critical thinking and scientific evaluation of the primary research literature. Students are expected to read the assigned papers in detail and suggest two questions for discussions before each class.

Grading

This course will be graded pass/fail. Attendance at and active participation in all classes and completion of the written and oral assignments will be the main base of evaluation. Please note that if you miss a class you will need to do a makeup assignment. Because class discussion is the focus of this course, you are strongly encouraged not to miss any classes.

Weekly Assignment

You are required to read both assigned papers and email to the instructor two questions for class discussion per paper before noon on the day of the class.

Calendar

Course calendar.
SES #	TOPICS	KEY DATES
1	Overview of the class, introduction to glia and use of Pubmed
2	Myelination in the peripheral nervous system (PNS): Schwann cells
3	Myelination in the central nervous system (CNS): Oligodendrocytes
4	The Nogo hypothesis
5	Neuregulin-1 and schizophrenia
6	Field trip
7	CNS Astrocytes, part I: Interactions with oligodendrocytes
8	CNS Astrocytes, part II: Neuromodulation and Alzheimer's disease	First term paper due
9	CNS Astrocytes, part III: Synaptogenesis and epilepsy
10	CNS Astrocytes, part IV: The role of glial cells in adult neurogenesis
11	CNS Astrocytes, part V: Gliomas
12	Microglia of the CNS
13	2nd assignment: Oral presentations

Readings

Course readings.
SES #	TOPICS	READINGS
1	Overview of the class, introduction to glia and use of pubmed	Barres, B. A. "What is a Glial Cell? " Glia 43, no. 1 (July 2003): 4-5. Somjen, G. G. "Nervenkitt: Notes on the History of the Concept of Neuroglia." Glia 1, no. 1 (1988): 2-9.
2	Myelination in the peripheral nervous system (PNS): Schwann cells	Eshed, Y., K. Feinberg, S. Poliak, H. Sabanay, O. Sarig-Nadir, I. Spiegel, J. R. Jr. Bermingham, and E. Peles. "Gliomedin Mediates Schwann Cell-axon Interaction and the Molecular Assembly of the Nodes of Ranvier." Neuron 47, no. 2 (July 21, 2005): 215-29. Oh, S., Y. Ri, M. V. Bennett, E. B. Trexler, V. K. Verselis, T. A. Bargiello. "Changes in Permeability Caused by Connexin 32 Mutations Underlie X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease." Neuron 19, no. 4 (October 1997): 927-38.
3	Myelination in the central nervous system (CNS): Oligodendrocytes	Kaplan, M. R., M. H. Cho, E. M. Ullian, L. L. Isom, S. R. Levinson, and B. A. Barres. "Differential Control of Clustering of the Sodium Channels Na(v)1.2 and Na(v)1.6 at Developing CNS Nodes of Ranvier." Neuron 30, no. 1 (April 2001): 105-19. Craner, M. J., J. Newcombe, J. A. Black, C. Hartle, M. L. Cuzner, and S. G. Waxman. "Molecular Changes in Neurons in Multiple Sclerosis: Altered Axonal Expression of Nav1.2 and Nav1.6 Sodium Channels and Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger." Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 101, no. 21 (May 25, 2004): 8168-73.
4	The Nogo hypothesis	Zheng, B., C. Ho, S. Li, H. Keirstead, O. Steward, and M. Tessier-Lavigne. "Lack of Enhanced Spinal Regeneration in Nogo-deficient Mice." Neuron 38, no. 2 (April 24, 2003): 213-24. Karnezis, T., W. Mandemakers, J. L. McQualter, B. Zheng, P. P. Ho, K. A. Jordan, B. M. Murray, B. Barres, M. Tessier-Lavigne, and C. C. Bernard. "The Neurite Outgrowth Inhibitor Nogo A is Involved in Autoimmune-mediated Demyelination." Nat Neurosci 7, no. 7 (July 2004): 736-44.
5	Neuregulin-1 and schizophrenia	Michailov, G. V., M. W. Sereda, B. G. Brinkman, T. M. Fischer, B. Haug, C. Birchmeier, L. Role, C. Lai, M. H. Schwab, and K. A. Nave. "Axonal Neuregulin-1 Regulates Myelin Sheath Thickness." Science 30, no. 5671 (April 30, 2004): 700-3. Hahn, C. G., H. Y. Wang, D. S. Cho, K. Talbot, R. E. Gur, W. H. Berrettini, K. Bakshi, J. Kamins, K. E. Borgmann-Winter, S. J. Siegel, R. J. Gallop, and S. E. Arnold. "Altered Neuregulin 1-erbB4 Signaling Contributes to NMDA Receptor Hypofunction in Schizophrenia." Nat Med 12, no. 7 (July 2006): 824-8.
6	Field trip	Roy, Kristine, Dr. "Loss of erbB Signaling in Oligodendrocytes Alters Myelin and Dopaminergic Function, a Potential Mechanism for Neuropsychiatric Disorders." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104, no. 19 (May 8, 2007): 8131-6.
7	CNS Astrocytes, part I: Interactions with oligodendrocytes	Ishibashi, T., K. A. Dakin, B. Stevens, P. R. Lee, S. V. Kozlov, C. L. Stewart, and R. D. Fields. "Astrocytes Promote Myelination in Response to Electrical Impulses." Neuron 49, no. 6 (March 16, 2006): 823-32. Antony, J. M., G. van Marle, W. Opii, D. A. Butterfield, F. Mallet, V. W. Yong, J. L. Wallace, R. M. Deacon, K. Warren, and C. Power. "Human Endogenous Retrovirus Glycoprotein-mediated Induction of Redox Reactants Causes Oligodendrocyte Death and Demyelination ." Nat Neurosci 7, no. 10 (October 2004): 1088-95.
8	CNS Astrocytes, part II: Neuromodulation and Alzheimer's disease	Beattie, E. C., D. Stellwagen, W. Morishita, J. C. Bresnahan, B. K. Ha, M. Von Zastrow, M. S. Beattie, and R. C. Malenka. "Control of Synaptic Strength by Glial TNFalpha." Science 295, no. 5563 (March 22, 2002): 2282-5. Rossi, D., L. Brambilla, C. F. Valori, A. Crugnola, G. Giaccone, R. Capobianco, M. Mangieri, A. E. Kingston, A. Bloc, P. Bezzi, and A. Volterra. "Defective Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha-dependent Control of Astrocyte Glutamate Release in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer Disease." J Biol Chem 280, no. 51 (December 23, 2005): 42088-96.
9	CNS Astrocytes, part III: Synaptogenesis and epilepsy	Ullian, E. M., S. K. Sapperstein, K. S. Christopherson, and B. A. Barres. "Control of Synapse Number by Glia." Science 291, no. 5504 (January 26, 2001): 657-61. Tian, G. F., H. Azmi, T. Takano, Q. Xu, W. Peng, J. Lin, N. Oberheim, N. Lou, X. Wang, H. R. Zielke, J. Kang, and M. Nedergaard. "An Astrocytic Basis of Epilepsy." Nat Med 11, no. 9 (September 2005): 973-81.
10	CNS Astrocytes, part IV: The role of glial cells in adult neurogenesis	Doetsch, F., I. Caille, D. A. Lim, J. M. Garcia-Verdugo, and A. Alvarez-Buylla. "Subventricular Zone Astrocytes are Neural Stem Cells in the Adult Mammalian Brain." Cell 97, no. 6 (June 11, 1999): 703-16. Song, H., C. F. Stevens, and F. H. Gage. "Astroglia Induce Neurogenesis from Adult Neural Stem Cells." Nature 417, no. 6884 (May 2, 2002): 39-44.
11	CNS Astrocytes, part V: Gliomas	Takano, T., J. H. Lin, G. Arcuino, Q. Gao, J. Yang, and M. Nedergaard. "Glutamate Release Promotes Growth of Malignant Gliomas." Nat Med 7, no. 9 (September 2001): 1010-5. Piccirillo, S. G., B. A. Reynolds, N. Zanetti, G. Lamorte, E. Binda, G. Broggi, H. Brem, A. Olivi, F. Dimeco, and A. L. Vescovi. "Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Inhibit the Tumorigenic Potential of Human Brain Tumour-initiating Cells." Nature 444, no. 7120 (December 7, 2006): 761-5.
12	Microglia of the CNS	Bezzi, P., M. Domercq, L. Brambilla, R. Galli, D. Schols, E. De Clercq, A. Vescovi, G. Bagetta, G. Kollias, J. Meldolesi, and A. Volterra. "CXCR4-activated Astrocyte Glutamate Release via TNFalpha: Amplification by Microglia Triggers Neurotoxicity." Nat Neurosci 4, no. 7 (July 2001): 702-10. Hains, B. C., and S. G. Waxman. "Activated Microglia Contribute to the Maintenance of Chronic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury." J Neurosci 26, no. 16 (April 19, 2006): 4308-17.
13	2nd assignment: Oral presentations