Oliver Harschnitz

Aug 29, 2024 | nature.com | Oliver Harschnitz |Rianne de Jongh |Onur Basak |Kevin Talbot |Jan H. Veldink |Domino K. Schlegel | +1 more

AbstractIntermediate-length repeat expansions in ATAXIN-2 (ATXN2) are the strongest genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). At the molecular level, ATXN2 intermediate expansions enhance TDP-43 toxicity and pathology. However, whether this triggers ALS pathogenesis at the cellular and functional level remains unknown. Here, we combine patient-derived and mouse models to dissect the effects of ATXN2 intermediate expansions in an ALS background.

Jul 24, 2024 | nature.com | Yi-Hao Chan |zhiyong Liu |Paul Bastard |Oliver Harschnitz |Peng Zhang |Gabriele Ciceri | +14 more

AbstractMost cases of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis (HSE) remain unexplained1,2. Here, we report on two unrelated people who had HSE as children and are homozygous for rare deleterious variants of TMEFF1, which encodes a cell membrane protein that is preferentially expressed by brain cortical neurons. TMEFF1 interacts with the cell-surface HSV-1 receptor NECTIN-1, impairing HSV-1 glycoprotein D- and NECTIN-1-mediated fusion of the virus and the cell membrane, blocking viral entry.

Jan 17, 2024 | cell.com | Liuliu Yang |Manoj Nair |Oliver Harschnitz |Human Technopole

Highlights•hPSC-derived DA neurons are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection•SARS-CoV-2 infection of DA neurons triggers cellular senescence response•Several FDA-approved drugs were identified to rescue senescence of DA neurons•Cellular senescence was found in substantia nigra tissues of COVID-19 patientsSummaryCOVID-19 patients commonly present with signs of central nervous system and/or peripheral nervous system dysfunction.

Jan 17, 2024 | cell.com | Liuliu Yang |Manoj Nair |Oliver Harschnitz |Jiajun Zhu |Pengfei Wang |So Yeon Koo | +17 more

hPSC differentiation toward DA neuronsMidbrain dopaminergic neuron differentiation were performed using H9, MEL1 and SNCA different copy numbers hPSCs, which include NURR1: GFP hPSC. hPSCs were grown on VTN-N (Thermo Fisher Scientific)-coated 6-well plates in E8-essential medium. Cells were maintained at 37°C, 5% CO2.