Vector Biolabs’ adenovirus/AAV products & services have been cited in over 1,000 peer-reviewed papers. You’ll find the most recent and notable of these publications here.
Repeated cocaine exposure causes persistent, maladaptive alterations in brain and behavior, and hope for effective therapeutics lies in understanding these processes. We describe here an essential role for fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein and regulator of dendritic protein synthesis, in cocaine conditioned place preference, behavioral sensitization, and motor stereotypy. Cocaine reward […]
https://vblwp.azureedge.net/wordpress/2017/06/Neuron.png100100Haig Didizianhttps://vblwp.azureedge.net/wordpress/2025/01/Vector-Biolab_FullColor.pngHaig Didizian2014-01-01 00:00:002017-06-01 17:14:47Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein Regulates Synaptic and Behavioral Plasticity to Repeated Cocaine Administration
Cells maintain healthy mitochondria by degrading damaged mitochondria through mitophagy; defective mitophagy is linked to Parkinson’s disease. Here we report that USP30, a deubiquitinase localized to mitochondria, antagonizes mitophagy driven by the ubiquitin ligase parkin (also known as PARK2) and protein kinase PINK1, which are encoded by two genes associated with Parkinson’s disease. Parkin ubiquitinates […]
The extended amygdala has dominated research on the neural circuitry of fear and anxiety, but the septohippocampal axis also plays an important role. The lateral septum (LS) is thought to suppress fear and anxiety through its outputs to the hypothalamus. However, this structure has not yet been dissected using modern tools. The type 2 CRF […]
https://vblwp.azureedge.net/wordpress/2017/01/Cell.png100100Haig Didizianhttps://vblwp.azureedge.net/wordpress/2025/01/Vector-Biolab_FullColor.pngHaig Didizian2014-01-01 00:00:002017-06-01 17:15:26Control of Stress-Induced Persistent Anxiety by an Extra-Amygdala Septohypothalamic Circuit
Osteoarthritis (OA), primarily characterized by cartilage degeneration, is caused by an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic factors. Here, we investigated the role of zinc (Zn2+) homeostasis, Zn2+ transporters, and Zn2+-dependent transcription factors in OA pathogenesis. Among Zn2+ transporters, the Zn2+ importer ZIP8 was specifically upregulated in OA cartilage of humans and mice, resulting in increased […]
https://vblwp.azureedge.net/wordpress/2017/01/Cell.png100100Haig Didizianhttps://vblwp.azureedge.net/wordpress/2025/01/Vector-Biolab_FullColor.pngHaig Didizian2014-01-01 00:00:002017-06-02 11:05:01Regulation of the Catabolic Cascade in Osteoarthritis by the Zinc-ZIP8-MTF1 Axis
Regeneration of skeletal muscle depends on a population of adult stem cells (satellite cells) that remain quiescent throughout life. Satellite cell regenerative functions decline with ageing. Here we report that geriatric satellite cells are incapable of maintaining their normal quiescent state in muscle homeostatic conditions, and that this irreversibly affects their intrinsic regenerative and self-renewal […]
Structural plasticity in the adult brain is essential for adaptive behavior. We have found a remarkable anatomical plasticity in the basal ganglia of adult mice that is regulated by dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs). By modulating neuronal excitability, striatal D2Rs bidirectionally control the density of direct pathway collaterals in the globus pallidus that bridge the direct […]
Astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the central nervous system, promote synapse formation and help to refine neural connectivity. Although they are allocated to spatially distinct regional domains during development, it is unknown whether region-restricted astrocytes are functionally heterogeneous. Here we show that postnatal spinal cord astrocytes express several region-specific genes, and that ventral astrocyte-encoded […]
Cognitive deficits are central to schizophrenia, but the underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. Imaging studies performed in patients point to decreased activity in the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and reduced functional connectivity between the MD and prefrontal cortex (PFC) as candidate mechanisms. However, a causal link is still missing. We used a pharmacogenetic approach in mice […]
Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein Regulates Synaptic and Behavioral Plasticity to Repeated Cocaine Administration
Repeated cocaine exposure causes persistent, maladaptive alterations in brain and behavior, and hope for effective therapeutics lies in understanding these processes. We describe here an essential role for fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein and regulator of dendritic protein synthesis, in cocaine conditioned place preference, behavioral sensitization, and motor stereotypy. Cocaine reward […]
The mitochondrial deubiquitinase USP30 opposes parkin-mediated mitophagy
Cells maintain healthy mitochondria by degrading damaged mitochondria through mitophagy; defective mitophagy is linked to Parkinson’s disease. Here we report that USP30, a deubiquitinase localized to mitochondria, antagonizes mitophagy driven by the ubiquitin ligase parkin (also known as PARK2) and protein kinase PINK1, which are encoded by two genes associated with Parkinson’s disease. Parkin ubiquitinates […]
Control of Stress-Induced Persistent Anxiety by an Extra-Amygdala Septohypothalamic Circuit
The extended amygdala has dominated research on the neural circuitry of fear and anxiety, but the septohippocampal axis also plays an important role. The lateral septum (LS) is thought to suppress fear and anxiety through its outputs to the hypothalamus. However, this structure has not yet been dissected using modern tools. The type 2 CRF […]
Regulation of the Catabolic Cascade in Osteoarthritis by the Zinc-ZIP8-MTF1 Axis
Osteoarthritis (OA), primarily characterized by cartilage degeneration, is caused by an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic factors. Here, we investigated the role of zinc (Zn2+) homeostasis, Zn2+ transporters, and Zn2+-dependent transcription factors in OA pathogenesis. Among Zn2+ transporters, the Zn2+ importer ZIP8 was specifically upregulated in OA cartilage of humans and mice, resulting in increased […]
Geriatric muscle stem cells switch reversible quiescence into senescence
Regeneration of skeletal muscle depends on a population of adult stem cells (satellite cells) that remain quiescent throughout life. Satellite cell regenerative functions decline with ageing. Here we report that geriatric satellite cells are incapable of maintaining their normal quiescent state in muscle homeostatic conditions, and that this irreversibly affects their intrinsic regenerative and self-renewal […]
Dopamine D2 Receptors Regulate the Anatomical and Functional Balance of Basal Ganglia Circuitry
Structural plasticity in the adult brain is essential for adaptive behavior. We have found a remarkable anatomical plasticity in the basal ganglia of adult mice that is regulated by dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs). By modulating neuronal excitability, striatal D2Rs bidirectionally control the density of direct pathway collaterals in the globus pallidus that bridge the direct […]
Astrocyte-encoded positional cues maintain sensorimotor circuit integrity
Astrocytes, the most abundant cells in the central nervous system, promote synapse formation and help to refine neural connectivity. Although they are allocated to spatially distinct regional domains during development, it is unknown whether region-restricted astrocytes are functionally heterogeneous. Here we show that postnatal spinal cord astrocytes express several region-specific genes, and that ventral astrocyte-encoded […]
Inhibition of Mediodorsal Thalamus Disrupts Thalamofrontal Connectivity and Cognition
Cognitive deficits are central to schizophrenia, but the underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. Imaging studies performed in patients point to decreased activity in the mediodorsal thalamus (MD) and reduced functional connectivity between the MD and prefrontal cortex (PFC) as candidate mechanisms. However, a causal link is still missing. We used a pharmacogenetic approach in mice […]