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A Cluster of Autism-Associated Variants on X-Linked NLGN4X Functionally Resemble NLGN4Y 04/02/2020
NLGN4X and NLGN4Y are thought to have similar functions due to their ∼97% shared amino acid identity. Nguyen et al. demonstrate NLGN4Y has a deficit in trafficking due to one amino acid difference. The trafficking deficit phenotype is also found in a cluster of autism-associated variants in NLGN4X near the critical amino acid.
Basolateral Amygdala Drives a GPCR-Mediated Striatal Memory Necessary for Predictive Learning to Influence Choice 04/01/2020
Predictive learning guides future choices between actions. Here, Morse et al. demonstrate that this fundamental decision-making process is mediated by a novel GPCR-based memory involving the expression of delta-opioid receptors on cholinergic interneurons in the nucleus accumbens shell.
All-Electrical Ca2+-Independent Signal Transduction Mediates Attractive Sodium Taste in Taste Buds 03/30/2020
Nomura et al. report the identity of taste cells dedicated to the Na+-selective, attractive component of salty taste (a.k.a. sodium taste) and their intracellular signal transduction. In taste cells expressing ENaC and CALHM1/3, ENaC-mediated Na+ influx generates suprathreshold depolarization for action potentials driving voltage-dependent neurotransmitter release via the CALHM1/3-channel synapse.
The Loss of TBK1 Kinase Activity in Motor Neurons or in All Cell Types Differentially Impacts ALS Disease Progression in SOD1 Mice 03/27/2020
DNA sequence variants in the TBK1 gene associate with familial and sporadic ALS. Gerbino et al. show that partial or complete loss-of-function TBK1 mutations alone do not induce neurodegeneration in mice. However, they profoundly affect disease onset and progression in the SOD1 ALS mouse model.