Topic: NADPH

Voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels couple with cytoplasmic ß-subunits (Kvß) that exhibit aldo-keto reductase (AKR) activity. Kvß subunits typically have exceptionally low catalytic turnover making them slow substrate converters. This poses a conundrum: why would an ion channel be shackled with a subpar enzyme? The AKR activity is crucial in Drosophila sleep regulation in dorsal fan-shaped body neurons (dFBN) where the Kv1 family member, Shaker, is paired with the ß-subunit Hyperkinetic. We show that its low catalytic turnover permits Hyperkinetic to monitor and integrate cumulative oxidativ

Sleep is vital, but its benefits are unknown. One hypothesis posits that sleep is an antioxidant defence mechanism. Indeed, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to accumulate during prolonged waking, and experimentally increasing the ROS load of the brain induces sleep. In Drosophila melanogaster, a crucial ROS sensor in sleep-promoting dorsal fan-shaped body neurons (dFBNs) is the β-subunit, termed Hyperkinetic (Hk), of the voltage-gated potassium channel Shaker. Oxidation of a stably bound NADPH cofactor causes conformational changes in the channel, which increase dFBN activity. dFB

Elevated NADPH-oxidase (NOX) activity, particularly NOX2, is implicated in the persistent pro-inflammatory phenotype observed in microglia following traumatic brain injury. NOX activation requires metabolic support, especially within the pentose-phosphate-pathway (PPP), to fulfil the heightened NADPH demand. Our objective was to identify key metabolic changes associated with NOX activation during pro-inflammatory stimulation in microglia. Using an immortalized microglia (IMG) cell line and PPP inhibitor, 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN), we stimulated IMGs with LPS (100 ng/mL) and/or 6-AN for 24 hou

Spatial cognition is a field of research that investigates the basis of human and animal navigation and orientation. Many animals possess excellent spatial abilities like homing and migration that can be found across the animal kingdom. The hippocampus is an essential brain area for memory formation and spatial cognition in both mammals and birds, which has been shown physiologically in the form of place and head-direction cells as well as functionally through for example ablation studies. However, in contrast to mammals, the precise pattern of hippocampal spatial processing is still rather un