Catalog

ASAP is committed to accelerating the pace of discovery and informing a path to a cure for Parkinson’s disease through collaboration, research-enabling resources, and data sharing. We’ve created this catalog to showcase the research outputs and tools developed by ASAP-funded programs.

Article

“LRRK2 phosphorylation of Rab GTPases in Parkinson’s disease”

Review: This paper highlights new findings related to LRRK2-mediated phosphorylation of Rab GTPases and their consequences.

Article

17q21.31 sub-haplotypes underlying H1-associated risk for Parkinson’s disease are associated with LRRC37A/2 expression in astrocytes

Published: This paper examines the H1 haplotype of the MAPT 17q.21.31 locus to better understand its contribution to PD. The authors found three novel H1 sub-haplotype blocks across the 17q.21.31 locus that is associated with PD risk.

 

Article

3D bioprinting of human neural tissues with functional connectivity

Probing how human neural networks operate is hindered by the lack of reliable human neural tissues amenable to the dynamic functional assessment of neural circuits. Team Scherzer developed a 3D bioprinting platform to assemble tissues with defined human neural cell types in a desired dimension using a commercial bioprinter.

Protocol

3D FIBSEM CLEM

This protocol details the procedure of Correlative Light Microscopy and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) with 3D Focus Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIBSEM) technique in Zeiss Crossbeam 550 FIBSEM system.

Protocol

3D-correlative FIB-milling and Cryo-ET of Autophagic structures in Yeast Cells

This protocol describes how to plunge-freeze yeast on EM grids and how to target autophagic structures by combining cryo confocal fluorescence data to FIB-milling and tomogram acquisition.

Blog Post

A Blueprint for Training and Development in GP2

This blog written by Dr. Alastair Noyce and Dr. Sara Bandres-Ciga discusses GP2’s plan to train students and investigators and the new considerations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protocol

A computational pipeline to quantify primary cilia in mouse embryonic fibroblasts with CellProfiler

This protocol works with .czi format images which are acquired using a Zeiss laser scanning confocal microscope and are maximum intensity projected.

Article

A feed-forward pathway drives LRRK2 kinase membrane recruitment and apparent activation

Published: Mutations in LRRK2 that cause PD activate its kinase activity. These activating mutations of LRRK2 phosphorylate Rab GTPases. The authors define two binding sites on LRRK2 that deliver it to the surfaces of specific intracellular membranes, and then retain it there after an initial phosphorylation event. View original preprint here.

Article

A fluid-walled microfluidic platform for human neuron microcircuits and directed axotomy

Preprint: Cortical axons in conduits are severed by a media jet; then, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and striatal neurons in distal chambers promote axon regeneration. As additional conduits and chambers are easily added, this opens up the possibility of mimicking complex neuronal networks and screening drugs for their effects on connectivity.

Protocol

A fluorescence-based in vitro scrambling assay for yeast MCP1 and human XK

Detailed procedure of purification, reconstitution, and scrambling assay for both MCP1 and XK.

Protocol

A human development-based protocol for the differentiation of human ESCs into midbrain dopaminergic neurons

Protocol for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into midbrain dopaminergic neurons. This protocol recapitulates the activation of developmental pathways known to be important for mDA neuron development and mimics key sequences of events taking place in human midbrain development.

Article

A leaky gut dysregulates gene networks in the brain associated with immune activation, oxidative stress, and myelination in a mouse model of colitis

Preprint: The team provides a comprehensive evaluation of multiple systems in a prevalent experimental model of intestinal permeability, which will inform future studies using this model and others, assist in the identification of druggable targets in the gut-brain axis, and contribute to our understanding of the concomitance of intestinal and neuropsychiatric dysfunction.