Many organs rely on undifferentiated stem and progenitor cells for tissue regeneration. Whether differentiated cells themselves can contribute to cell replacement and tissue regeneration is a controversial question. Here, we show that differentiated heart muscle cells, cardiomyocytes, can be induced to proliferate and regenerate. We identify an underlying molecular mechanism for controlling thi...

Heart regeneration is limited in adult mammals but occurs naturally in adult zebrafish through the activation of cardiomyocyte division. Several components of the cardiac injury microenvironment have been identified, yet no factor on its own is known to stimulate overt myocardial hyperplasia in a mature, uninjured animal. In this study, we find evidence that Neuregulin1 (Nrg1), previously shown...

We recently found neuregulin1 (NRG1) receptors are activated on microglia in the ventral horn of both ALS patients and SOD1 mice, suggesting a common pathological mechanism. However, it is not clear whether this signaling system also plays a role in patients with upper motor neuron (UMN) features, where patients show significant pathological changes in the corticospinal tracts (CSTs). Since the...

Post-mitotic neurons are generated from neural progenitor cells (NPCs) at the expense of their proliferation. Molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate neuron production temporally and spatially should impact on the size and shape of the brain. While transcription factors such as neurogenin1 (neurog1) and neurod govern progression of neurogenesis as cell-intrinsic mechanisms, recent studi...

The Snf1 protein kinase is essential for the transcription of glucose-repressed genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We identified Nrg2 as a protein that interacts with Snf1 in the two-hybrid system. Nrg2 is a C(2)H(2) zinc-finger protein that is homologous to Nrg1, a repressor of the glucose- and Snf1-regulated STA1 (glucoamylase) gene. Snf1 also interacts with Nrg1 in the two-hybrid system and ...

Neuregulins (NRGs) are emerging as an important family of signaling ligands that regulate glucose and lipid homeostasis. NRG1 lowers blood glucose levels in obese mice, whereas the brown fat-enriched secreted factor NRG4 protects mice from high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. However, the therapeutic potential of NRGs remains elusive, given the poor plasma half-life o...

The Neuregulin is a member of the epidermal growth factors (EGF) family of receptor kinases, was originally identified as the product of the transforming gene derived from chemically induced rat neuroblastoms. A variety of different protein isoforms are produced from single Neuregulin gene. Four distinct vertebrate gene encode Neuregulin, prosaically named NRG1, NRG2, NRG3, and NRG4. Most of bi...

The interaction between neurons and glial cells is a feature of all higher nervous systems. In the vertebrate peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells ensheath and myelinate axons thereby allowing rapid saltatory conduction and ensuring axonal integrity. Recently, some of the key molecules in neuron-Schwann cell signaling have been identified. Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) type III presented on the axona...

Las neuregulinas (NRGs) son una familia de factores crecimiento tipo epidérmico que actúan modulando diversas respuestas celulares a través la interacción con receptores ErbBs. NRG1 y NRG2 las principales en el Sistema Nervioso Central (SNC) su principal receptor cerebro es ErbB4. La señalización NRG1/ErbB4 ha sido involucrada procesos relevantes para formación mantenimiento del SNC como migrac...

A missense polymorphism in the NRG1 gene, Val>Leu in exon 11, was reported to increase the risk of schizophrenia in selected families from the Central Valley region of Costa Rica (CVCR). The present study investigated the relationship between three NRG1 genetic variants, rs6994992, rs3924999, and Val>Leu missense polymorphism in exon 11, in cases and selected controls from an isolated populatio...