“
“Epigenetic processes have learn more profound influence on gene translation and play a key role in embryonic development and tissue type specification. Recent advances in our understanding of epigenetics have pointed out that epigenetic alterations also play an important role in neurodevelopment and may

increase the risk to psychiatric disorders.

In addition to genetic regulation of these processes, compelling evidence suggests that environmental conditions produce persistent changes in development through epigenetic mechanisms. Adverse environmental influences in early life such as maternal care, alcohol exposure and prenatal nutrition interact with epigenetic factors and may induce neurodevelopmental disturbances that are related to psychiatric disorders. This review outlines recent findings linking environmentally induced modifications of the epigenome to brain development and psychopathology. Better understanding of these modifications is relevant from the perspective that they may be reversible and, therefore, offer potential for novel treatment strategies. We present the current state of knowledge and show that integrative WH-4-023 approaches are necessary to further understand the causal pathways between environmental influences, epigenetic modification, and neuronal function. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP)

is a serine protease that catalyzes the cleavage of C-terminal amino U0126 nmr acids linked to proline in peptides. It is ubiquitously expressed and is involved in regulating blood pressure, proliferation, inflammation, angiogenesis, and weight maintenance. To identify the candidate proximal target engagement markers for PRCP inhibition in the central nervous system, we profiled the peptidome of human cerebrospinal fluid to look for PRCP substrates using a MS-based in vitro substrate profiling assay. These experiments identified a single peptide, with the sequence YPRPIHPA, as a novel substrate for PRCP

in human cerebrospinal fluid. The peptide YPRPIHPA is from the extracellular portion of human endothelin B receptor-like protein 2.”
“Although the onset and progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is fundamentally sporadic, identification of several of the genes implicated in the disease has provided significant insight concerning pathophysiological mechanisms potentially underlying sporadic PD. Moreover, such studies have caused a revolution in the way researchers view the disease. Since single genes responsible for rare familial forms of the disease have only been identified within the past few years, animal models based on these defects have only recently been generated, thereby not leaving a lot of time for their evaluation and subsequent improvement. The current article provides an extensive review of the major motor and non-motor behavioral tests used in genetically-induced Parkinsonian animals.