ChIP-sequencing data revealed 5,439 genes carrying candidate Olig

ChIP-sequencing data revealed 5,439 genes carrying candidate Olig2 binding sites with 4-fold enrichment over control (Figure S1A available online). We compared these candidates with Olig1-regulated genes that are downregulated in the optic nerve of Olig1 null mutants (Chen et al., 2009a) and identified ABT-263 supplier 398 genes (Figure S1A) as common candidate targets of Olig2 and Olig1 (Table S1). The majority of them are involved in biological processes that connect

to myelination (Figure S1B). By focusing on oligodendrocyte-enriched transcriptional regulators regulated by both Olig1 and Olig2, we identified the zinc finger homeobox transcription factor Sip1/Zfhx1b. Olig2 was found to bind strongly to multiple sites around and within the Sip1 gene that are highly conserved in vertebrates ( Figure S1C). The Sip1 transcript is highly enriched in the spinal white matter, and substantially downregulated in Olig2 EGFR targets and Olig1 null mice at embryonic day (E) E18.5 and postnatal day (P) P14, respectively ( Figures 1A and 1B). In addition, overexpression of Olig1

and Olig2, individually or in combination, was found to activate Sip1 expression in adult rat hippocampus-derived early oligodendrocyte progenitor cells ( Figure 1C) ( Chen et al., 2009a and Hsieh et al., 2004). Collectively, these data suggest that the Sip1 gene is a common downstream target regulated by both Olig1 and Olig2. To identify Sip1-expressing cell types, we performed immunohistochemistry analysis of Sip1 and costained for the oligodendrocyte lineage marker Olig2. Sip1 was detected in the majority, if not all, of Olig2-positive (+) cells in the white matter of the spinal cord at P14 (Figure 1D). We determined the developmental state of Sip1+ cells in the oligodendrocyte lineage by colabeling Sip1 with the stage-specific markers for differentiated oligodendrocytes (CC-1 monoclonal antibody, which recognizes the adenomatous polyposis coli protein [CC1]+ or myelin basic protein [MBP]+) or their precursors (platelet-derived growth factor receptor α [PDGFRα]+) in the spinal cord and in cultured oligodendrocytes.

High Sip1 protein levels were detected in mature oligodendrocytes, in contrast to low levels in OPCs (Figures 1E–1G). In addition, the majority of Sip1+ cells in the oligodendrocyte lineage were differentiated oligodendrocytes in the corpus too callosum, cortex, and spinal cord (Figure 1H). The proportions of CC1+ and Olig2+ cells among the Sip1+ cells in the spinal white matter at P14 are 82.5% ± 5.8% and 96.0% ± 4.0%, respectively (>500 cell count; n = 3). We did not observe Sip1 expression in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)+ astrocytes in white matter tracts of the CNS (data not shown). These observations suggest that Sip1 is largely confined to oligodendrocytes in the developing white matter. To assess the functional role of Sip1 in oligodendrocyte development in vivo, we generated oligodendrocyte-lineage specific Sip1 knockout (KO) mice.

The synapse characteristics suggested that the mossy terminals mi

The synapse characteristics suggested that the mossy terminals might be “detonators” for their CA3 targets and the sparse projection suggested that the DG might be responsible for establishing decorrelated patterns in the CA3 network (McNaughton and Morris, 1987, O’Reilly and McClelland, 1994 and Treves and Rolls, 1992). The DG pattern separation Doxorubicin theory was thus born (Figure 1B). It was, however, a confluence of biological evidence for the pattern separation theory that solidified a general consensus in the community.

The theory relied on several presuppositions that ultimately held up under experimental scrutiny. First, the mossy fibers should be very powerful, even detonator-like. In vivo patch-clamp studies showed that they actually were, demonstrating that a single mossy fiber, when bursting, is capable of firing a downstream CA3 neuron (Henze et al., 2002). Second, the GC population should be essentially silent, with sparse overall activity. Early in vivo studies of the DG supported this prediction, and slice physiology demonstrated that GCs experienced a high level of tonic inhibition (Jung and McNaughton, 1993). Third, the DG should be particularly important for encoding, a function that was demonstrated by creative behavioral approaches (Kesner,

selleck kinase inhibitor 2007 and Lee and Kesner, 2004). Finally, in addition to the components of the

proposed mechanism holding up under direct inspection, experiments that looked at behaviors that could be considered pattern separation have reliably supported a role for the DG (Figure 1C). Rats with lesions in their DG, but not CA1, showed a deficit on the spatial discrimination of objects that was dependent on their distance from each other on a cheeseboard (Gilbert et al., 2001). A mouse transgenic line with impaired plasticity localized to the DG showed an inability to distinguish between a shocked and all nonshocked context over time (McHugh et al., 2007). Functional MRI showed that the presentation of objects that were highly similar, but not identical, to previously seen objects elicited increased blood flow in the human DG/CA3 region (Bakker et al., 2008). And, as mentioned above, a series of studies focusing on adult-born neurons suggested a pattern separation function (Clelland et al., 2009 and Sahay et al., 2011). All of this evidence supported the idea that the DG is responsible for separating memories that are formed in the hippocampus. Nevertheless, although the proposed separation function for the DG has increasingly become accepted in the community, there are several problems with pattern separation as a function.

Back-propagation of action potentials into the dendritic tree ass

Back-propagation of action potentials into the dendritic tree associated with increased calcium influx has been hypothesized Docetaxel price to play a major role in plasticity (Colbert, 2001 and Sourdet and Debanne, 1999) and differs qualitatively between RS and IB cells (Grewe et al., 2010). The parallels between structural spine plasticity and receptive field plasticity are remarkable. They have similar time course (Trachtenberg et al., 2002; Figure 6 and Figure 7), express themselves predominantly in the same cell types (Holtmaat et al., 2006; Figure 3), and depend on the same signal transduction mechanisms (Wilbrecht

et al., 2010). These similarities suggest strongly that the growth of new spines and associated synapse formation underlies receptive field plasticity (Knott et al., 2006). It remains to

identify the presynaptic partners to these spine changes. Our studies strongly implicate LII/III to V projections and thalamic inputs as major candidates for future studies. find more In vivo recordings were performed at Cardiff University and were approved under the UK Scientific Procedures Act 1986. C57Bl/6HsdOla mice and Long-Evans rats of both sexes were used for extracellular recordings (control: 7 rats and 9 mice; 3 day deprivation: 8 rats and 8 mice; 10 day deprivation: 10 rats and 8 mice). Intracellular recordings were performed in 23 control and 18 deprived Long-Evans male rats. In addition, 7 animals were required for histology only. The LSPS ex vivo study was performed on C57Bl/6J male mice at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, was approved by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory animal care and use committee and followed National Institutes of Health guidelines. Subjects were lightly anesthetized with isofluorane and had either the left C or D row of whiskers trimmed to length <1 mm (same length as the fur hairs) every 24 or 48 hr. For LSPS ex vivo; control animals were anesthetized and handled in the same way as the deprived groups but their whiskers were left intact; whisker trimming started also at postnatal

day (P) 30 and was continued for 3 days or 10–14 days before the recordings. For in vivo recordings; whisker trimming started at postnatal day (P) 32–45 and was continued for 3 days or 10 days before recording; the trimmed whiskers were kept and glued to the whisker stump before stimulation. Control and deprived animals were recorded at the same age, i.e., P40–44 for ex vivo and P42–55 for in vivo. For mouse cortex, we found no difference in response levels for normal mice and those where we trimmed the whiskers and immediately reattached them in layers II/III, IV, Va, or Vb (ANOVA, effect of layer F(3,3) = 2.7, p = 0.045; gluing F(1,1) = 0.32, p = 0.56; interaction F(3,3) = 1.0, p = 0.37)) and similarly for rats where we only sampled in layers Va and Vb (ANOVA, effect of layer F(1,1) = 0.78, p = 0.38; gluing F(1,1) = 0.53, p = 0.47; interaction F(1,1) = 0.94, p = 0.34).

Although innervation from VTA GABA neurons to the Sn is sparse co

Although innervation from VTA GABA neurons to the Sn is sparse compared to innervation in the VTA (Figure 1), functional activation of these fibers in the Sn may still induce behaviorally relevant effects, such as the decreased movement velocity that we observed time locked to the optical stimulation (Figure S2). Thus, while it is important to consider that the effects on consummatory behavior might also be movement-related, we observed no similar reductions in anticipatory licking. It is important

to note that DAergic projections from the Sn to the DLS are thought Wnt inhibitor to also contribute to reward consummatory behavior because the depletion of nigrostriatal DA decreases consummatory behavior (Cousins et al., 1993, Salamone et al.,

1993, Salamone et al., 1990 and Ungerstedt, 1971). Furthermore, restoring dorsal striatal DA signaling promotes feeding in aphagic DA-deficient mice (Szczypka et al., 2001). On the other hand, selectively decreasing NAc DA signaling, through specific neuronal depletion (Cousins et al., 1993 and Salamone et al., 2001) or by local action of D1 or D2 antagonists (Ikemoto and Panksepp, 1996 and Nowend et al., 2001), decreases motivation for earning food rewards but not actual consumption. Wnt assay Taken together, these data suggest that movement, motivation, and reward consumption are interdependent processes that all require DA signaling in striatal subregions. Interestingly, the cessation of reward consumption occurred only when VTA GABA neurons were directly activated. Although the NAc and its afferents clearly play important roles in mediating motivated behavioral responding (Kelley, 2004 and Stuber et al., 2011), it seems that reward consumption per se cannot be altered by the activation of VTA GABA inputs to the NAc alone. Here, we chose to investigate

the VTA GABAergic projection to about the NAc because the NAc contained the largest amount of VTA GABA fibers in the striatum and has been widely implicated in appetitive behavior (Hanlon et al., 2004, Kelley, 2004 and Krause et al., 2010). Although our results suggest that activation of VTA GABAergic inputs to the NAc alone does not reduce reward consumption, this does not rule out the possibility that other VTA GABAergic projections, such as those to the medial prefrontal cortex, may play a role in modulating reward seeking. Furthermore, although we show that activation of VTA GABA neurons directly alters the activity of neighboring VTA DA neurons, as well as the release of DA in the NAc, we cannot rule out that the activation of VTA GABA neurons results in additional changes in DA signaling in other forebrain target regions, other than the NAc, that could also play a role in the cessation of reward consumption. Although VTA GABA activation disrupts reward consumption, activation of these neurons can also cause a conditioned place aversion (Tan et al., 2012 [linked paper, this issue of Neuron]).

While synaptic vesicles in axonal terminals fuse with high reliab

While synaptic vesicles in axonal terminals fuse with high reliability upon cell spiking, dendritic LDCV fusion requires sustained Ca2+ elevation, Apoptosis Compound Library cell line and the actual fusion events are not tightly time locked to cell firing (Xia et al., 2009). Ca2+ release from intracellular stores by thapsigargin treatment or by oxytocin is sufficient to induce LDCV exocytosis and promotes priming of the releasable pool of LDCVs in dendrites. However, these treatments have no effect on axonal release (Ludwig et al., 2002 and Tobin et al., 2004). Pretreatment with either oxytocin or thapsigargin enhances subsequent activity-triggered release of oxytocin supporting a feedforward mechanism of oxytocin release through binding of the Gq-coupled oxytocin

receptor and subsequent activation of phospholipase-C and Ca2+ release from ER stores. This feedforward enhancement lasts for tens of minutes, suggesting that it is a form of plasticity that transiently lowers selleck screening library the threshold for peptide release (Tobin et al., 2004). Dynorphin peptide exocytosis is another example where axonal and dendritic release is differentially regulated. Dynorphin is secreted from

hippocampal granule cell dendrites and acts retrogradely through presynaptic κ-opioid receptors to inhibit neurotransmitter vesicle release from perforant path terminals (Drake et al., 1994). Dynorphin-mediated depression at perforant path synapses is blocked by both N-type and L-type Ca2+ receptor antagonists, but only N-type inhibitors block axonal release of dynorphin, demonstrating a distinct MYO10 role for L-type Ca2+ channels in dendritic exocytosis (Simmons et al., 1995). The differential activity requirements for dendritic versus axonal release is a common theme in various subtypes of peptide-secreting neurons and suggests the presence of distinct dendritic release machinery that can respond to Ca2+ from different sources to trigger vesicle release. However, the release machinery,

including the complete cast of SNARE proteins and Ca2+ sensors in dendrites and axons of peptidergic neurons, remains to be identified. Neurons are polarized cells with typically one axon housing the molecular machinery for neurotransmitter release and several dendrites containing receptors and signaling molecules necessary to respond to neurotransmitter. How neuronal polarity is established and how molecules are sorted, delivered, and retained in neuronal subdomains remain central questions in cellular neurobiology (Barnes and Polleux, 2009). From the first steps of neurite outgrowth to maturity, the total membrane surface area of neurons can increase by several orders of magnitude, requiring massive amounts of membrane synthesis and mobilization to growing dendritic and axonal processes. Disruption of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi secretory pathway in developing neurons using pharmacologic or genetic methods prevents dendritic outgrowth in both mammals and insects (Horton et al., 2005 and Ye et al.

Expressive writing allows injured athletes to construct written n

Expressive writing allows injured athletes to construct written narratives depicting their emotional experiences as well as engage in a self-regulatory process

facilitating an increased sense of control over their emotions.59 While the studies included in this review demonstrate growing empirical evidence of integrating psychological techniques into the rehabilitation process following sport injury, these studies are limited by small sample size, which makes it difficult to detect intervention effects due to a lack of statistical power. Furthermore, these studies often have a short follow-up time, thus the long-term effects of these interventions often are unknown. Despite these Pifithrin-�� nmr limitations, the reviewed studies demonstrated positive intervention effects specific to several aspects of psychological recovery including reducing negative psychological consequences, increasing positive coping, and decreasing re-injury anxiety. Our findings provide empirical data for future studies that examine the effects of psychological interventions. Our findings demonstrate the urgent need for additional research examining the effects of psychological interventions utilizing

rigorous methodology which includes utilizing RCT or prospective study design, inclusion of a control group, consistent and improved outcome measures, accounting for potential confounders in the analysis, and increased diversity of study populations to increase generalizability. Despite the wide research design inclusion criteria, only six interventions were included in this review. While the variations in research Selleck FRAX597 designs and intervention outcomes provide insight into the wide range of techniques Carnitine dehydrogenase available to sports psychologists and other professionals involved in the rehabilitation process,35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 the limited number of studies employing each type of technique prevented further comprehensive analysis. Thus, our ability to draw a conclusion on effectiveness of psychological interventions was limited. Furthermore, this review only included intervention strategies with individual injured

athletes. Many intervention strategies that target changes at interpersonal, organizational, and policy level(s) to improve outcomes of psychological rehabilitation, such as increased social support from the team or athletic trainers, or psychological counseling services at athletic department, were not included.60, 61, 62, 63 and 64 In conclusion, the results of this review support the effectiveness of psychological intervention in reducing post-injury psychological consequences and improving psychological coping during rehabilitation. Specifically, guided imagery/relaxation was shown to be associated with improved psychological coping and reduced re-injury anxiety. Goal setting however, was not directly associated with reduction of negative psychological consequences.

In these same samples, we assessed levels of AT8 immunoreactive s

In these same samples, we assessed levels of AT8 immunoreactive signal by ELISA. The AT8 signal was lower in the antibody-treated Selleck EGFR inhibitor samples (Figure 6F), similar to what was seen for total tau in this fraction. We hypothesized that a reduction of tau aggregation in brain would correlate with a reduction in seeding activity. Thus, we used the cellular biosensor assay to test for P301S brain seeding

activity in the cortical RAB-soluble fractions from the different treatment groups. Our prior data assessing ISF tau in P301S mice suggested the possible presence of extracellular tau aggregates in equilibrium with both the biochemically soluble and insoluble pools of tau (Yamada et al., 2011). We first assessed intracellular aggregation of RD(ΔK)-CFP/YFP after treating the cells with lysates from mice treated with PBS or HJ3.4. Lysates from these groups strongly induced FRET signal (Figure 7A). We observed markedly less seeding

activity in lysates from the cortical tissue of mice treated with HJ8.5 and HJ9.3 (Figure 7A). Dasatinib cell line This was not due to residual antibody in the brain lysates, because immunoprecipitation of the brain lysates followed by elution of seeding activity from the antibody/bead complexes produced the same pattern (Figure 7B). Thus, HJ8.5 and HJ9.3 reduce seeding activity in the P301S tau transgenic mouse brain. HJ9.4 did not significantly reduce seeding activity (Figure 7A). Seeding activity strongly correlated with the amount of detergent-insoluble/formic acid-soluble tau detected by ELISA (Pearson’s r = 0.529, p = 0.0001) (Figure 7C) but did not correlate Bay 11-7085 with total tau in RAB fractions (Figure 7D). We hypothesized that seeding

activity is due to tau aggregates present in the RAB-soluble fraction. To test for this, we performed SDD-AGE followed by western blot. In addition to tau monomer, we observed higher molecular weight tau species present in 3-month-old P301S mice and a larger amount present in 9-month-old P301S mice (Figure 7E). A component of these higher molecular weight species probably constitutes the seeding activity detected in the FRET assay and may be in equilibrium with the tau present in the detergent-insoluble/formic acid-soluble fraction. In studies of P301S tau transgenic mice at 9 months of age, we compared the control and anti-tau antibody-treated groups in a variety of behaviors. The groups did not differ in locomotor activity, exploration, or measures of sensorimotor function (Figure S8). The ability of the anti-tau antibody treatments to rescue cognitive deficits in P301S mice was evaluated by assessing the performance of the mice on the conditioned fear procedure. On day 1, all four treatment groups of mice exhibited similar levels of baseline freezing during the first 2 min in the training chamber.

Importantly then, cargos take charge of their own destiny and pla

Importantly then, cargos take charge of their own destiny and play an active role in their own trafficking

by recruiting specific regulators. To use an analogy, cargos are often less like passengers on a subway train with a predetermined route, but more like taxi cab riders who direct the driver where to go. For many receptor classes, signaling is not restricted to the plasma membrane. Rather, upon ligand binding, the receptor is internalized and continues to signal from endosomes Selleckchem AG 14699 (Cosker et al., 2008, Murphy et al., 2009, Platta and Stenmark, 2011 and Sadowski et al., 2009). Often, the signals generated in endosomes are distinct from those generated at the plasma membrane (Figure 2), due to the endosomal localization of signaling components (for review, see Hupalowska and Miaczynska, 2012, Murphy et al., 2009 and Dobrowolski and De Robertis, 2012). This mechanism was first demonstrated for EGF receptor signaling in cell lines (Vieira et al., 1996), and it is now known that similar signaling on endosomes occurs for other tyrosine

kinases, including Trks, which play crucial roles in the nervous system (Cosker et al., 2008, Howe and Mobley, 2004 and Ibáñez, 2007). G protein-coupled receptors also signal from endosomes. β-arrestin-mediated endocytosis of GPCRs into endosomes recruits G protein-independent signaling PI3K inhibitor components and elicits additional signaling in endosomes. Depending on the particular GPCR, β-arrestin affinity varies, thereby, changing the extent and nature of signaling (for review, see Murphy et al., 2009). The entry route of receptors during endocytosis can also influence the subsequent endosomal trafficking and the nature

of endosomal signaling. TGF-β receptors, for instance, can enter cells either via clathrin-mediated endocytosis or via clathrin-independent caveolar endocytosis (Di Guglielmo et al., 2003 and Le Roy and Wrana, Dipeptidyl peptidase 2005). When entering through caveolae, activated TGF-β receptors associate with Smad7 and Smurf2 and enter a degradative endosomal compartment. When entering through clathrin-mediated endocytosis, TGF-β receptors associate with Sara and Smad2 and elicit signaling in early endosomes. Endosomes are thus essential locales for signal transduction. The term “signaling endosomes” has been coined for the retrogradely transporting endosomes containing activated neurotrophin receptors (Howe and Mobley, 2004), but arguably many different kinds of signaling endosomes can be generated by different ligand/receptor system and result in a large range of different signaling responses. Much work is still needed to understand the kinds of signaling endosomes generated downstream of different receptors and their regulation.

But, if tested in a primary prevention or early intervention tria

But, if tested in a primary prevention or early intervention trial, the therapy might show remarkable efficacy. Clearly, no one wants this very plausible hypothetical situation to become reality. In order to prevent this from happening we outline some of the key next steps. First, we must continue the funding of studies that are needed to prove biomarkers can be used as endpoints

and represent truly valid clinical surrogate endpoints. Given the cost and risks associated with developing drugs for prevention of AD, it is likely that the development process will need to be staged and all phases of the approach linked to biomarkers. In the first stage, premorbid biomarkers for the pathology of AD would be used to select patients or enrich a sample for likelihood of progression Ulixertinib order find more to AD in

a reasonable time-frame. Examples of premorbid biomarkers for primary prevention studies might be those based on APOE genotype alone or more extended genotypes that might emerge from ongoing genome-wide association studies. For secondary prevention studies, one might consider diagnostic biomarkers such as CSF Aβ, tau, or both or imaging studies such as FDG-PET profile, brain amyloid load, or hippocampal or medial temporal lobe volume. In either case, more than one biomarker may be needed to better identify an asymptomatic risk state or preclinical AD that is currently defined only as a biomarker positive risk state. In the second stage, biomarkers will be needed to demonstrate that the therapy is appropriately modifying the target. For example, with an anti-Aβ antibody-based therapy, a decrease in brain amyloid tracer

retention with an Aβ antibody therapy would indicate target engagement and thereby justify further trials. In the third stage, biomarkers might be used as surrogate endpoints. In a primary prevention trial, the endpoint might be time to conversion to a stage 1 biomarker or, for a secondary prevention trial, time to conversion of a stage 2 biomarker. Dichloromethane dehalogenase Although biomarker-based trials can add substantial costs on a per subject basis to the trial, these costs might be offset partially or wholly by possible reductions in length of trial, reductions in sample size needed, or both. Development of plasma-based biomarkers that predict preclinical stages of AD could considerably reduce the cost of a biomarker-based prevention trial, making it much more feasible from an economic point of view. However, despite intensive efforts, even state-dependent diagnostic plasma biomarkers that reliably distinguish AD patients from controls have yet to be developed. In any case, the knowledge-based, regulatory, and legal issues involved in using both validated and novel surrogate biomarkers for AD trials are substantial and require detailed consideration ( Katz, 2004). A biomarker-based approach to AD prevention or early intervention trials will probably increase the costs associated with the trial and is not without inherent risk.

, 2001, Lie et al , 2005, Willert et al , 2003 and You et al , 20

, 2001, Lie et al., 2005, Willert et al., 2003 and You et al., 2002). Further, disease onset and rate of progression may correlate with endogenous baseline activity of neuroprotection provided by the Wnt signaling pathway ( De Ferrari et al., 2007). The manipulation of FZD2 and other members of its pathway selleck is thus a potential therapeutic target worthy of further investigation. Thus, it is reasonable to consider that small molecule agonists of the noncanonical Wnt signaling pathway are potential new targets in GRN+ FTD. Since Wnt signaling is cell context and receptor dependent, gaining a full understanding of the other players in the pathway that may interact with FZD2 is crucial. This

work provides the impetus for further in depth exploration of Wnt signaling in FTD and suggests the potential use of Wnt agonists to assuage the neurodegenerative phenotype of GRN+ FTD. Human neural progenitor cells were infected, selected with puromycin, and http://www.selleckchem.com/products/sch-900776.html differentiated for 4 weeks. Microarray analysis was performed as reported previously (Konopka et al., 2009). See Supplemental Experimental Procedures for details. Postmortem expression data from FTD patients and controls was obtained from (Chen-Plotkin et al., 2008) (GSE13162:GSM329660-GSM329715). Network analysis was performed using previously published methods (Oldham et al., 2006, Oldham et al., 2008 and Winden

et al., 2009). Gene ontology (GO) analysis was performed using the DAVID functional annotation tool (http://david.abcc.ncifcrf.gov/) (Huang et al., 2009a and Huang et al., 2009b). See Supplemental Experimental Procedures for more details. Initially, the pLCIR plasmid was used containing CAG promoter, chosen because of its robust expression in neurons, driving shRNA against GRN. The control was a GFP hairpin used previously (Matsuda and Cepko, 2007). To knock down GRN in an inducible system, pTRIPZ vector was purchased from Open Biosystems (Huntsville, AL). Their scrambled pTRIPZ vector was used as a control, and their TRIPZ GRN hairpin

was used to knock down GRN. The sequence of the other GRN hairpin was obtained from (Zhang et al., 2007), and was cloned into TRIPZ using the PCR shagging protocol (http://katahdin.cshl.org:9331/RNAi/html/rnai.html). FZD2 knockdown was accomplished by purchasing Cytidine deaminase FZD2 hairpins in vector pLKO (Open Biosystems), and pLUIP was used to overexpress FZD2, containing a U6 promoter driving expression of FZD2 with PuroR driven by an IRES. More detailed material on plasmids and sequences can be found in Supplemental Experimental Procedures. Human neural progenitor cells (NHNPs) were generated from a 17-week gestation aborted female fetus. Tissue was homogenized, plated, and cultured as previously described (Svendsen et al., 1998 and Wexler et al., 2008), and further elaborated in the Supplemental Experimental Procedures.