Lynx1 Prevents Long-Term Potentiation Blockade and Reduction of Neuromodulator Expression Caused by Aß1-42 and JNK Activation.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels. Many neurodegenerative diseases are accompanied by cognitive impairment associated with the dysfunction of nAChRs. The human membrane-tethered prototoxin Lynx1 modulates nAChR function in the brain areas responsible for learning and memory. In this study, we have demonstrated for the first time that the ß-amyloid peptide Aß1-42 decreases Lynx1 mRNA expression in rat primary cortical neurons, and that this decrease is associated with the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). In addition, we have demonstrated that the Lynx1 expression decrease, as well as the blockade of the long-term potentiation underlying learning and memory, caused by Aß1-42, may be prevented by incubation with a water-soluble Lynx1 analogue. Our findings suggest that the water-soluble Lynx1 analogue may be a promising agent for the improvement of cognitive deficits in neurodegenerative diseases.

Three-Finger Proteins from the Ly6/uPAR Family: Functional Diversity within One Structural Motif.

The discovery in higher animals of proteins from the Ly6/uPAR family, which have structural homology with snake "three-finger" neurotoxins, has generated great interest in these molecules and their role in the functioning of the organism. These proteins have been found in the nervous, immune, endocrine, and reproductive systems of mammals. There are two types of the Ly6/uPAR proteins: those associated with the cell membrane by GPI-anchor and secreted ones. For some of them (Lynx1, SLURP-1, SLURP-2, Lypd6), as well as for snake α-neurotoxins, the target of action is nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which are widely represented in the central and peripheral nervous systems, and in many other tissues, including epithelial cells and the immune system. However, the targets of most proteins from the Ly6/uPAR family and the mechanism of their action remain unknown. This review presents data on the structural and functional properties of the Ly6/uPAR proteins, which reveal a variety of functions within a single structural motif.

[Motor Proteins of Microtubules and Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity].

Motor proteins of microtubules, kinesin and dynein superfamily proteins play an important role in the intracellular transport. Inside a neuron they are involved in the transport of organelles, proteins and mRNAs along the axons and dendrites to the nerve terminals and back to the cell bodies. Disturbance of axonal transport may affect neurotransmitter release and short-term presynaptic plasticity. Disturbance of dendritic transport, in particular the recycling of synaptic receptors, affects postsynaptic plasticity. The review attempts to trace the connections between the motor proteins of microtubules and mechanisms of synaptic plasticity from the perspective of their involvement in the intracellular transport of proteins and organelles, which play role in the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity.