Estevez-Silva, H. M. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Msc1 accumulates at and excludes nuclear pore complexes from nucleus-vacuole junctions.

Msc1 is a yeast nuclear envelope (NE) protein that facilitates DNA double-strand break repair. In its absence, cells exhibit abnormal nuclear morphologies and maldistribution of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Msc1 is not uniformly distributed across the NE but concentrates onto dynamic patches that often coincide with blebs or herniations. Here, we report that Msc1 abundance and the number of patches dramatically increase after the diauxic shift. Msc1 patches are devoid of NPCs and fully colocalize with nucleus-vacuole junctions (NVJs), which are involved in piecemeal micronucleophagy. In the absence of Msc1, abnormal NPC aggregates accumulate adjacent to vacuoles, both at and outside the NE. We conclude that Msc1 is the key factor that maintains NPC homeostasis as cells prepare to enter quiescence.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Learning-related contraction of grey matter in rodent sensorimotor cortex is associated with adaptive myelination

From observations in rodents, it has been suggested that the cellular basis of learning-dependent changes, detected using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), may be increased dendritic spine density, alterations in astrocyte volume, and adaptations within intracortical myelin. Myelin plasticity is crucial for neurological function and active myelination is required for learning and memory. However, the dynamics of myelin plasticity and how it relates to morphometric-based measurements of structural plasticity remains unknown. We used a motor skill learning paradigm to evaluate experience-dependent brain plasticity by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in longitudinal MRI, combined with a cross-sectional immunohistochemical investigation. Whole brain VBM revealed non-linear decreases in grey matter (GM) juxtaposed to non-linear increases in white matter (WM) that were best modelled by an asymptotic time course. Using an atlas-based cortical mask, we found non-linear changes with learning in primary and secondary motor areas and in somatosensory cortex. Analysis of cross-sectional myelin immunoreactivity in forelimb somatosensory cortex confirmed an increase in myelin immunoreactivity followed by a return towards baseline levels. The absence of significant histological changes in cortical thickness further suggests that non-linear morphometric changes are likely due to changes in intracortical myelin for which morphometric WM volume (WMV) data significantly correlated with myelin immunoreactivity. Together, these observations indicate a non-linear increase of intracortical myelin during learning and support the hypothesis that myelin is a component of structural changes observed by VBM during learning.

neuroscience↗