One of the most exciting advancements in stem cell research of the last few years has been the development of human brain organoids. This in vitro system consists of multiple cell types that can self-organize in three-dimensions representing a brain region able to recapitulate physiological and pathological relevant aspects. Compared to animal models, patient-derived organoids provide emerging...
Astrocytes participate in the clearance of obsolete or unwanted neuronal synapses. However, the molecular machinery recruited for the recognition of synapses is not fully clarified, especially in pathological conditions. Here, we investigated the phagocytic process through individual gene silencing using a druggable gene library. Our study demonstrates that astrocyte-mediated synapse...
In recent years it has become clear that intracellular organelles are not isolated entities, but rather they interact to coordinate their function. Organelles crosstalk occurs at points of proximity between their surfaces, which are kept together by proteinaceous tethers. These closely juxtaposed membrane subdomains are known as membrane contact sites (MCS). The most studied MCS are those...
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) emerged as a powerful tool for scientific research starting from the beginning of the 1980s. Its remarkable characteristics such as the high fecundity, the external fertilization and development, the elevated similarity with the human genome and the possibility to easily manipulate it, made the zebrafish an optimal animal model for basic research and translational...