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Wang J, Beecher K, Chehrehasa F, Moody H. The limitations of investigating appetite through circuit manipulations: are we biting off more than we can chew? Rev Neurosci 2022; 34:295-311. [PMID: 36054842 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2022-0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Disordered eating can underpin a number of debilitating and prevalent chronic diseases, such as obesity. Broader advances in psychopharmacology and biology have motivated some neuroscientists to address diet-induced obesity through reductionist, pre-clinical eating investigations on the rodent brain. Specifically, chemogenetic and optogenetic methods developed in the 21st century allow neuroscientists to perform in vivo, region-specific/projection-specific/promoter-specific circuit manipulations and immediately assess the impact of these manipulations on rodent feeding. These studies are able to rigorously conclude whether a specific neuronal population regulates feeding behaviour in the hope of eventually developing a mechanistic neuroanatomical map of appetite regulation. However, an artificially stimulated/inhibited rodent neuronal population that changes feeding behaviour does not necessarily represent a pharmacological target for treating eating disorders in humans. Chemogenetic/optogenetic findings must therefore be triangulated with the array of theories that contribute to our understanding of appetite. The objective of this review is to provide a wide-ranging discussion of the limitations of chemogenetic/optogenetic circuit manipulation experiments in rodents that are used to investigate appetite. Stepping into and outside of medical science epistemologies, this paper draws on philosophy of science, nutrition, addiction biology and neurophilosophy to prompt more integrative, transdisciplinary interpretations of chemogenetic/optogenetic appetite data. Through discussing the various technical and epistemological limitations of these data, we provide both an overview of chemogenetics and optogenetics accessible to non-neuroscientist obesity researchers, as well as a resource for neuroscientists to expand the number of lenses through which they interpret their circuit manipulation findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Wang
- School of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane 4000, QLD, Australia
| | - Kate Beecher
- UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Building 71/918 Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Campus, Herston 4029, QLD, Australia
| | - Fatemeh Chehrehasa
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane 4000, QLD, Australia
| | - Hayley Moody
- Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane 4000, QLD, Australia
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102
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Zhou B, Claflin KE, Flippo KH, Sullivan AI, Asghari A, Tadinada SM, Jensen-Cody SO, Abel T, Potthoff MJ. Central FGF21 production regulates memory but not peripheral metabolism. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111239. [PMID: 36001982 PMCID: PMC9472585 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a liver-derived endocrine hormone that functions to regulate energy homeostasis and macronutrient intake. Recently, FGF21 was reported to be produced and secreted from hypothalamic tanycytes, to regulate peripheral lipid metabolism; however, rigorous investigation of FGF21 expression in the brain has yet to be accomplished. Using a mouse model that drives CRE recombinase in FGF21-expressing cells, we demonstrate that FGF21 is not expressed in the hypothalamus, but instead is produced from the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), an essential brain region for spatial learning and memory. Furthermore, we find that central FGF21 produced in the RSC enhances spatial memory but does not regulate energy homeostasis or sugar intake. Finally, our data demonstrate that administration of FGF21 prolongs the duration of long-term potentiation in the hippocampus and enhances activation of hippocampal neurons. Thus, endogenous and pharmacological FGF21 appear to function in the hippocampus to enhance spatial memory. Zhou et al. reveal that the endocrine hormone FGF21 is expressed in the brain. Central FGF21 expression occurs in distinct areas, including the retrosplenial cortex, but not the hypothalamus. Interestingly, brain-derived FGF21 regulates spatial memory formation, but not metabolism, and the converse is true for liver-derived FGF21.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bolu Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Kristin E Claflin
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Kyle H Flippo
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Andrew I Sullivan
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Arvand Asghari
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Satya M Tadinada
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Sharon O Jensen-Cody
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Ted Abel
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Matthew J Potthoff
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neurosciences Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, 169 Newton Road, 3322 PBDB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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103
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Chen Z, Chen W, Li Y, Moos M, Xiao D, Wang C. Single-nucleus chromatin accessibility and RNA sequencing reveal impaired brain development in prenatally e-cigarette exposed neonatal rats. iScience 2022; 25:104686. [PMID: 35874099 PMCID: PMC9304611 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Although emerging evidence reveals that vaping alters the function of the central nervous system, the effects of maternal vaping on offspring brain development remain elusive. Using a well-established in utero exposure model, we performed single-nucleus ATAC-seq (snATAC-seq) and RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) on prenatally e-cigarette-exposed rat brains. We found that maternal vaping distorted neuronal lineage differentiation in the neonatal brain by promoting excitatory neurons and inhibiting lateral ganglionic eminence-derived inhibitory neuronal differentiation. Moreover, maternal vaping disrupted calcium homeostasis, induced microglia cell death, and elevated susceptibility to cerebral ischemic injury in the developing brain of offspring. Our results suggest that the aberrant calcium signaling, diminished microglial population, and impaired microglia-neuron interaction may all contribute to the underlying mechanisms by which prenatal e-cigarette exposure impairs neonatal rat brain development. Our findings raise the concern that maternal vaping may cause adverse long-term brain damage to the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Chen
- Center for Genomics, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, 11021 Campus St., Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Wanqiu Chen
- Center for Genomics, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, 11021 Campus St., Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Yong Li
- Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Malcolm Moos
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research & Division of Cellular and Gene Therapies, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Daliao Xiao
- Lawrence D. Longo, MD Center for Perinatal Biology, Division of Pharmacology, Department of Basic Sciences, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
| | - Charles Wang
- Center for Genomics, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, 11021 Campus St., Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
- Division of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Department of Basic Science, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, 11021 Campus St., Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA
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104
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Jha PK, Valekunja UK, Ray S, Nollet M, Reddy AB. Single-cell transcriptomics and cell-specific proteomics reveals molecular signatures of sleep. Commun Biol 2022; 5:846. [PMID: 35986171 PMCID: PMC9391396 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03800-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Every day, we sleep for a third of the day. Sleep is important for cognition, brain waste clearance, metabolism, and immune responses. The molecular mechanisms governing sleep are largely unknown. Here, we used a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing and cell-type-specific proteomics to interrogate the molecular underpinnings of sleep. Different cell types in three important brain regions for sleep (brainstem, cortex, and hypothalamus) exhibited diverse transcriptional responses to sleep need. Sleep restriction modulates astrocyte-neuron crosstalk and sleep need enhances expression of specific sets of transcription factors in different brain regions. In cortex, we also interrogated the proteome of two major cell types: astrocytes and neurons. Sleep deprivation differentially alters the expression of proteins in astrocytes and neurons. Similarly, phosphoproteomics revealed large shifts in cell-type-specific protein phosphorylation. Our results indicate that sleep need regulates transcriptional, translational, and post-translational responses in a cell-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan K Jha
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Utham K Valekunja
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sandipan Ray
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, 502285, Telangana, India
| | - Mathieu Nollet
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Akhilesh B Reddy
- Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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105
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Cell-type-specific epigenetic effects of early life stress on the brain. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:326. [PMID: 35948532 PMCID: PMC9365848 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02076-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life stress (ELS) induces long-term phenotypic adaptations that contribute to increased vulnerability to a host of neuropsychiatric disorders. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNA, are a proposed link between environmental stressors, alterations in gene expression, and phenotypes. Epigenetic modifications play a primary role in shaping functional differences between cell types and can be modified by environmental perturbations, especially in early development. Together with contributions from genetic variation, epigenetic mechanisms orchestrate patterns of gene expression within specific cell types that contribute to phenotypic variation between individuals. To date, many studies have provided insights into epigenetic changes resulting from ELS. However, most of these studies have examined heterogenous brain tissue, despite evidence of cell-type-specific epigenetic modifications in phenotypes associated with ELS. In this review, we focus on rodent and human studies that have examined epigenetic modifications induced by ELS in select cell types isolated from the brain or associated with genes that have cell-type-restricted expression in neurons, microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Although significant challenges remain, future studies using these approaches can enable important mechanistic insight into the role of epigenetic variation in the effects of ELS on brain function.
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106
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Molecular profile and response to energy deficit of leptin-receptor neurons in the lateral hypothalamus. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13374. [PMID: 35927440 PMCID: PMC9352899 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16492-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptin exerts its effects on energy balance by inhibiting food intake and increasing energy expenditure via leptin receptors in the hypothalamus. While LepR neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, the primary target of leptin, have been extensively studied, LepR neurons in other hypothalamic nuclei remain understudied. LepR neurons in the lateral hypothalamus contribute to leptin's effects on food intake and reward, but due to the low abundance of this population it has been difficult to study their molecular profile and responses to energy deficit. We here explore the transcriptome of LepR neurons in the LH and their response to energy deficit. Male LepR-Cre mice were injected in the LH with an AAV carrying Cre-dependent L10:GFP. Few weeks later the hypothalami from fed and food-restricted (24-h) mice were dissected and the TRAP protocol was performed, for the isolation of translating mRNAs from LepR cells in the LH, followed by RNA sequencing. After mapping and normalization, differential expression analysis was performed with DESeq2. We confirm that the isolated mRNA is enriched in LepR transcripts and other known neuropeptide markers of LepRLH neurons, of which we investigate the localization patterns in the LH. We identified novel markers of LepRLH neurons with association to energy balance and metabolic disease, such as Acvr1c, Npy1r, Itgb1, and genes that are differentially regulated by food deprivation, such as Fam46a and Rrad. Our dataset provides a reliable and extensive resource of the molecular makeup of LH LepR neurons and their response to food deprivation.
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107
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Benevento M, Hökfelt T, Harkany T. Ontogenetic rules for the molecular diversification of hypothalamic neurons. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:611-627. [PMID: 35906427 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00615-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamus is an evolutionarily conserved endocrine interface that, among other roles, links central homeostatic control to adaptive bodily responses by releasing hormones and neuropeptides from its many neuronal subtypes. In its preoptic, anterior, tuberal and mammillary subdivisions, a kaleidoscope of magnocellular and parvocellular neuroendocrine command neurons, local-circuit neurons, and neurons that project to extrahypothalamic areas are intermingled in partially overlapping patches of nuclei. Molecular fingerprinting has produced data of unprecedented mass and depth to distinguish and even to predict the synaptic and endocrine competences, connectivity and stimulus selectivity of many neuronal modalities. These new insights support eminent studies from the past century but challenge others on the molecular rules that shape the developmental segregation of hypothalamic neuronal subtypes and their use of morphogenic cues for terminal differentiation. Here, we integrate single-cell RNA sequencing studies with those of mouse genetics and endocrinology to describe key stages of hypothalamus development, including local neurogenesis, the direct terminal differentiation of glutamatergic neurons, transition cascades for GABAergic and GABAergic cell-derived dopamine cells, waves of local neuronal migration, and sequential enrichment in neuropeptides and hormones. We particularly emphasize how transcription factors determine neuronal identity and, consequently, circuit architecture, and whether their deviations triggered by environmental factors and hormones provoke neuroendocrine illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Benevento
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. .,Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
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108
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Islam MT, Rumpf F, Tsuno Y, Kodani S, Sakurai T, Matsui A, Maejima T, Mieda M. Vasopressin neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamus promote wakefulness via lateral hypothalamic orexin neurons. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3871-3885.e4. [PMID: 35907397 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The sleep-wakefulness cycle is regulated by complicated neural networks that include many different populations of neurons throughout the brain. Arginine vasopressin neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVHAVP) regulate various physiological events and behaviors, such as body-fluid homeostasis, blood pressure, stress response, social interaction, and feeding. Changes in arousal level often accompany these PVHAVP-mediated adaptive responses. However, the contribution of PVHAVP neurons to sleep-wakefulness regulation has remained unknown. Here, we report the involvement of PVHAVP neurons in arousal promotion. Optogenetic stimulation of PVHAVP neurons rapidly induced transitions to wakefulness from both NREM and REM sleep. This arousal effect was dependent on AVP expression in these neurons. Similarly, chemogenetic activation of PVHAVP neurons increased wakefulness and reduced NREM and REM sleep, whereas chemogenetic inhibition of these neurons significantly reduced wakefulness and increased NREM sleep. We observed dense projections of PVHAVP neurons in the lateral hypothalamus with potential connections to orexin/hypocretin (LHOrx) neurons. Optogenetic stimulation of PVHAVP neuronal fibers in the LH immediately induced wakefulness, whereas blocking orexin receptors attenuated the arousal effect of PVHAVP neuronal activation drastically. Monosynaptic rabies-virus tracing revealed that PVHAVP neurons receive inputs from multiple brain regions involved in sleep-wakefulness regulation, as well as those involved in stress response and energy metabolism. Moreover, PVHAVP neurons mediated the arousal induced by novelty stress and a melanocortin receptor agonist melanotan-II. Thus, our data suggested that PVHAVP neurons promote wakefulness via LHOrx neurons in the basal sleep-wakefulness and some stressful conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Tarikul Islam
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Florian Rumpf
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan; Graduate School of Life Sciences, University of Würzburg, Beatrice-Edgell-Weg 21, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Yusuke Tsuno
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Shota Kodani
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Takeshi Sakurai
- Faculty of Medicine/WPI-IIIS, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Ayako Matsui
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Takashi Maejima
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan
| | - Michihiro Mieda
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-8640, Japan.
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109
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Wang H, Devadoss D, Nair M, Chand HS, Lakshmana MK. Novel Alzheimer risk factor IQ motif containing protein K is abundantly expressed in the brain and is markedly increased in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:954071. [PMID: 35928571 PMCID: PMC9344928 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.954071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is complex and highly heterogeneous. Less than 10% of AD cases are early-onset (EOAD) caused by autosomal dominantly inherited mutations in amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin 1 (PS1), or presenilin 2 (PS2), each of which can increase Aβ generation and, thus, amyloid plaques. The remaining 90% of cases of AD are late-onset (LOAD) or sporadic. Intense research efforts have led to identification of many genes that increase the risk of AD. An IQ motif containing protein K (IQCK) was recently identified by several investigators as an Alzheimer’s disease risk gene. However, how IQCK increases AD risk is completely unknown. Since IQCK is a novel gene, there is limited information on its physiological characterization. To understand its role in AD, it is first important to determine its subcellular localization, whether and where it is expressed in the brain, and what type of brain cells express the IQCK protein. Therefore, in this study, we show by immunocytochemical (ICC) staining that IQCK is expressed in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells as well as HeLa cells but not in either HMC3 microglial or CHO cells. By immunohistochemistry (IHC), we also show that IQCK is expressed in both mouse and human neurons, including neuronal processes in vivo in the mouse brain. IHC data also show that the IQCK protein is widely expressed throughout the mouse brain, although regional differences were noted. IQCK expression was highest in the brainstem (BS), followed by the cerebellum (CB) and the cortex (CX), and it was lowest in the hippocampus (HP). This finding was consistent with data from an immunoblot analysis of brain tissue homogenates. Interestingly, we found IQCK expression in neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes using cell-specific antibodies, but IQCK was not detected in microglial cells, consistent with negative in vitro results in HMC3 cells. Most importantly, we found that actin-normalized IQCK protein levels were increased by 2 folds in AD brains relative to normal control (NC) brains. Furthermore, the IQCK protein was found in amyloid plaques, suggesting that IQCK may play a pathogenic role in either Aβ generation or amyloid plaque deposition in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjie Wang
- Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention (I-HEALTH), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Dinesh Devadoss
- Department of Immunology and Nano-Medicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Madhavan Nair
- Department of Immunology and Nano-Medicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Hitendra S. Chand
- Department of Immunology and Nano-Medicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Madepalli K. Lakshmana
- Department of Immunology and Nano-Medicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
- *Correspondence: Madepalli K. Lakshmana,
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GABAergic and Glutamatergic Phenotypes of Neurons Expressing Calcium-Binding Proteins in the Preoptic Area of the Guinea Pig. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147963. [PMID: 35887305 PMCID: PMC9320123 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian preoptic area (POA) has large populations of calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR) and parvalbumin (PV) neurons, but phenotypes of these cells are unknown. Therefore, the question is whether neurons expressing CB, CR, and/or PV are GABAergic or glutamatergic. Double-immunofluorescence staining followed by epifluorescence and confocal microscopy was used to determine the coexpression patterns of CB, CR and PV expressing neurons with vesicular GABA transporters (VGAT) as specific markers of GABAergic neurons and vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUT 2) as specific markers of glutamatergic neurons. The guinea pig was adopted as, like humans, it has a reproductive cycle with a true luteal phase and a long gestation period. The results demonstrated that in the guinea pig POA of both sexes, ~80% of CB+ and ~90% of CR+ neurons coexpress VGAT; however, one-fifth of CB+ neurons and one-third of CR+ cells coexpress VGLUT. About two-thirds of PV+ neurons express VGAT, and similar proportion of them coexpress VGLUT. Thus, many CB+, CR+ and PV+ neurons may be exclusively GABAergic (VGAT-expressing cells) or glutamatergic (VGLUT-expressing cells); however, at least a small fraction of CR+ cells and at least one-third of PV+ cells are likely neurons with a dual GABA/glutamate phenotype that may coexpress both transporters.
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111
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Transcriptome profiling of kisspeptin neurons from the mouse arcuate nucleus reveals new mechanisms in estrogenic control of fertility. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2113749119. [PMID: 35763574 PMCID: PMC9271166 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113749119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Kisspeptin neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) are critical targets of ovarian estrogen feedback regulating mammalian fertility. To reveal molecular mechanisms underlying this signaling, we thoroughly characterized the estrogen-regulated transcriptome of kisspeptin cells from ovariectomized transgenic mice substituted with 17β-estradiol or vehicle. MBH kisspeptin neurons were harvested using laser-capture microdissection, pooled, and subjected to RNA sequencing. Estrogen treatment significantly (p.adj. < 0.05) up-regulated 1,190 and down-regulated 1,139 transcripts, including transcription factors, neuropeptides, ribosomal and mitochondrial proteins, ion channels, transporters, receptors, and regulatory RNAs. Reduced expression of the excitatory serotonin receptor-4 transcript (Htr4) diminished kisspeptin neuron responsiveness to serotonergic stimulation. Many estrogen-regulated transcripts have been implicated in puberty/fertility disorders. Patients (n = 337) with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) showed enrichment of rare variants in putative CHH-candidate genes (e.g., LRP1B, CACNA1G, FNDC3A). Comprehensive characterization of the estrogen-dependent kisspeptin neuron transcriptome sheds light on the molecular mechanisms of ovary-brain communication and informs genetic research on human fertility disorders.
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112
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Abstract
AbstractAlterations in metabolism, sleep patterns, body composition and hormone status are all key features of aging. While the hypothalamus is a well-conserved brain region that controls these homeostatic and survival-related behaviors, little is known about the intrinsic features of hypothalamic aging. Here, we perform single-nuclei RNA sequencing of 40,064 hypothalamic nuclei from young and aged female mice. We identify cell type-specific signatures of aging in neuronal subtypes as well as astrocytes and microglia. We uncover changes in cell types critical for metabolic regulation and body composition and in an area of the hypothalamus linked to cognition. Our analysis also reveals an unexpected female-specific feature of hypothalamic aging: the master regulator of X inactivation, Xist, is elevated with age, particularly in hypothalamic neurons. Moreover, using machine learning, we show that levels of X chromosome genes and Xist itself, can accurately predict cellular age. This study identifies critical cell-specific changes of the aging hypothalamus in mammals and uncovers a potential marker of neuronal aging in females.
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113
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Smith C, Patterson-Cross R, Woodward O, Lewis J, Chiarugi D, Merkle F, Gribble F, Reimann F, Adriaenssens A. A comparative transcriptomic analysis of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor- and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor-expressing cells in the hypothalamus. Appetite 2022; 174:106022. [PMID: 35430298 PMCID: PMC7614381 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The hypothalamus is a key region of the brain implicated in homeostatic regulation, and is an integral centre for the control of feeding behaviour. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) are incretin hormones with potent glucoregulatory function through engagement of their respective cognate receptors, GLP-1R and GIPR. Recent evidence indicates that there is a synergistic effect of combining GIP- and GLP-1-based pharmacology on appetite and body weight. The mechanisms underlying the enhanced weight loss exhibited by GIPR/GLP-1R co-agonism are unknown. Gipr and Glp1r are expressed in the hypothalamus in both rodents and humans. To better understand incretin receptor-expressing cell populations, we compared the cell types and expression profiles of Gipr- and Glp1r-expressing hypothalamic cells using single-cell RNA sequencing. METHODS Using Glp1r-Cre or Gipr-Cre transgenic mouse lines, fluorescent reporters were introduced into either Glp1r- or Gipr-expressing cells, respectively, upon crossing with a ROSA26-EYFP reporter strain. From the hypothalami of these mice, fluorescent Glp1rEYFP+ or GiprEYFP+ cells were FACS-purified and sequenced using single-cell RNA sequencing. Transcriptomic analysis provided a survey of both non-neuronal and neuronal cells, and comparisons between Glp1rEYFP+ and GiprEYFP + populations were made. RESULTS A total of 14,091 Glp1rEYFP+ and GiprEYFP+ cells were isolated, sequenced and taken forward for bioinformatic analysis. Both Glp1rEYFP+ and GiprEYFP+ hypothalamic populations were transcriptomically highly heterogeneous, representing vascular cell types, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, microglia, and neurons. The majority of GiprEYFP+ cells were non-neuronal, whereas the Glp1rEYFP+ population was evenly split between neuronal and non-neuronal cell types. Both Glp1rEYFP+ and GiprEYFP+ oligodendrocytes express markers for mature, myelin-forming oligodendrocytes. While mural cells are represented in both Glp1rEYFP+ and GiprEYFP+ populations, Glp1rEYFP+ mural cells are largely smooth muscle cells, while the majority of GiprEYFP+ mural cells are pericytes. The co-expression of regional markers indicate that clusters of Glp1rEYFP+ and GiprEYFP+ neurons have been isolated from the arcuate, ventromedial, lateral, tuberal, suprachiasmatic, and premammillary nuclei of the hypothalamus. CONCLUSIONS We have provided a detailed comparison of Glp1r and Gipr cells of the hypothalamus with single-cell resolution. This resource will provide mechanistic insight into how engaging Gipr- and Glp1r-expressing cells of the hypothalamus may result in changes in feeding behaviour and energy balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Smith
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ryan Patterson-Cross
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Orla Woodward
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jo Lewis
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Davide Chiarugi
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Florian Merkle
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fiona Gribble
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Frank Reimann
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Alice Adriaenssens
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
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114
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Fu W, Franchini L, Orlandi C. Comprehensive Spatial Profile of the Orphan G Protein Coupled Receptor GPRC5B Expression in Mouse Brain. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:891544. [PMID: 35812210 PMCID: PMC9259939 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.891544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Orphan G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) are GPCRs whose endogenous ligands are unknown or still debated. Due to the lack of pharmacological modulators, the physiological function of orphan GPCRs is understudied. However, relevant physiological roles associated with orphan GPCRs have been revealed by analysis of animal models and genome wide association studies illuminating an untapped potential for drug discovery. G Protein Coupled Receptor class C Group 5 Member B (GPRC5B) is among the most expressed GPCRs in the central nervous system. Thus, the expression profiling of GPRC5B is an essential step toward understanding GPRC5B function in health and disease. In this study, we generated new GPRC5B polyclonal antibodies and investigated the expression levels of GPRC5B across different organs and brain regions. We identified high levels of GPRC5B glycosylation both in transfected cells and in mouse brain. Moreover, in situ hybridization imaging analysis indicated that Gprc5b was expressed at the highest level in olfactory bulb, hippocampus, cerebellum, and pons. To dissect expression within various neuronal populations, we conducted a comprehensive spatial profiling of Gprc5b across excitatory and inhibitory neuronal types in medial prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, hippocampal regions, hypothalamus, and cerebellum. Overall, we discovered that GABAergic neurons displayed higher Gprc5b expression levels than glutamatergic neurons in most of the analyzed regions with the important exception of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Overall, the expression analysis of GPRC5B in mouse brain will guide functional studies ultimately positioning GPRC5B in pathophysiological mechanisms and drug discovery.
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115
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Yaqubi M, Luo JXX, Baig S, Cui QL, Petrecca K, Desu H, Larochelle C, Afanasiev E, Hall JA, Dudley R, Srour M, Haglund L, Ouellet J, Georgiopoulos M, Santaguida C, Sonnen JA, Healy LM, Stratton JA, Kennedy TE, Antel JP. Regional and age-related diversity of human mature oligodendrocytes. Glia 2022; 70:1938-1949. [PMID: 35735919 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Morphological and emerging molecular studies have provided evidence for heterogeneity within the oligodendrocyte population. To address the regional and age-related heterogeneity of human mature oligodendrocytes (MOLs) we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to cells isolated from cortical/subcortical, subventricular zone brain tissue samples, and thoracolumbar spinal cord samples. Unsupervised clustering of cells identified transcriptionally distinct MOL subpopulations across regions. Spinal cord MOLs, but not microglia, exhibited cell-type-specific upregulation of immune-related markers compared to the other adult regions. SVZ MOLs showed an upregulation of select number of development-linked transcription factors compared to other regions; however, pseudotime trajectory analyses did not identify a global developmental difference. Age-related analysis of cortical/subcortical samples indicated that pediatric MOLs, especially from under age 5, retain higher expression of genes linked to development and to immune activity with pseudotime analysis favoring a distinct developmental stage. Our regional and age-related studies indicate heterogeneity of MOL populations in the human CNS that may reflect developmental and environmental influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moein Yaqubi
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Julia Xiao Xuan Luo
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Salma Baig
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Qiao-Ling Cui
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Kevin Petrecca
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Haritha Desu
- Department of Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université deMontréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Catherine Larochelle
- Department of Neurosciences, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université deMontréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Elia Afanasiev
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jeffery A Hall
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Roy Dudley
- Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Canada
| | - Myriam Srour
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, Canada
| | - Lisbet Haglund
- The Orthopedic Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jean Ouellet
- The Orthopedic Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.,McGill Scoliosis and Spine Group, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Miltiadis Georgiopoulos
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.,The Orthopedic Research Laboratory, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Carlo Santaguida
- McGill Scoliosis and Spine Group, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Joshua A Sonnen
- Departments of Pathology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Luke M Healy
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jo Anne Stratton
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Timothy E Kennedy
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Jack P Antel
- Neuro-immunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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Quantifying biochemical reaction rates from static population variability within incompletely observed complex networks. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010183. [PMID: 35731728 PMCID: PMC9216546 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying biochemical reaction rates within complex cellular processes remains a key challenge of systems biology even as high-throughput single-cell data have become available to characterize snapshots of population variability. That is because complex systems with stochastic and non-linear interactions are difficult to analyze when not all components can be observed simultaneously and systems cannot be followed over time. Instead of using descriptive statistical models, we show that incompletely specified mechanistic models can be used to translate qualitative knowledge of interactions into reaction rate functions from covariability data between pairs of components. This promises to turn a globally intractable problem into a sequence of solvable inference problems to quantify complex interaction networks from incomplete snapshots of their stochastic fluctuations.
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117
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Banerjee J, Dorfman MD, Fasnacht R, Douglass JD, Wyse-Jackson AC, Barria A, Thaler JP. CX3CL1 Action on Microglia Protects from Diet-Induced Obesity by Restoring POMC Neuronal Excitability and Melanocortin System Activity Impaired by High-Fat Diet Feeding. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:6380. [PMID: 35742824 PMCID: PMC9224384 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Both hypothalamic microglial inflammation and melanocortin pathway dysfunction contribute to diet-induced obesity (DIO) pathogenesis. Previous studies involving models of altered microglial signaling demonstrate altered DIO susceptibility with corresponding POMC neuron cytological changes, suggesting a link between microglia and the melanocortin system. We addressed this hypothesis using the specific microglial silencing molecule, CX3CL1 (fractalkine), to determine whether reducing hypothalamic microglial activation can restore POMC/melanocortin signaling to protect against DIO. We performed metabolic analyses in high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice with targeted viral overexpression of CX3CL1 in the hypothalamus. Electrophysiologic recording in hypothalamic slices from POMC-MAPT-GFP mice was used to determine the effects of HFD feeding and microglial silencing via minocycline or CX3CL1 on GFP-labeled POMC neurons. Finally, mice with hypothalamic overexpression of CX3CL1 received central treatment with the melanocortin receptor antagonist SHU9119 to determine whether melanocortin signaling is required for the metabolic benefits of CX3CL1. Hypothalamic overexpression of CX3CL1 increased leptin sensitivity and POMC gene expression, while reducing weight gain in animals fed an HFD. In electrophysiological recordings from hypothalamic slice preparations, HFD feeding was associated with reduced POMC neuron excitability and increased amplitude of inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Microglial silencing using minocycline or CX3CL1 treatment reversed these HFD-induced changes in POMC neuron electrophysiologic properties. Correspondingly, blockade of melanocortin receptor signaling in vivo prevented both the acute and chronic reduction in food intake and body weight mediated by CX3CL1. Our results show that suppressing microglial activation during HFD feeding reduces DIO susceptibility via a mechanism involving increased POMC neuron excitability and melanocortin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jineta Banerjee
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; (J.B.); (M.D.D.); (R.F.); (J.D.D.); (A.C.W.-J.)
| | - Mauricio D. Dorfman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; (J.B.); (M.D.D.); (R.F.); (J.D.D.); (A.C.W.-J.)
| | - Rachael Fasnacht
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; (J.B.); (M.D.D.); (R.F.); (J.D.D.); (A.C.W.-J.)
| | - John D. Douglass
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; (J.B.); (M.D.D.); (R.F.); (J.D.D.); (A.C.W.-J.)
| | - Alice C. Wyse-Jackson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; (J.B.); (M.D.D.); (R.F.); (J.D.D.); (A.C.W.-J.)
| | - Andres Barria
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA;
| | - Joshua P. Thaler
- Department of Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington Medicine Diabetes Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; (J.B.); (M.D.D.); (R.F.); (J.D.D.); (A.C.W.-J.)
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118
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Pérez JH. Revisiting TSHβ's Role in Avian Seasonal Reproduction, Insights and Challenges from Mammalian Models. Integr Comp Biol 2022; 62:1022-1030. [PMID: 35640909 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The core neuroendocrine pathways regulating seasonal reproduction in vertebrates were characterized over a decade ago. This has led to the development of a "consensus" model of seasonal reproduction that appears to be largely conserved across mammals, birds, amphibians, reptile and fish. This model centers around the photoinduced increase in TSHβ expression in the pars tuberalis (PT) of the anterior pituitary gland as the key transducer of photic information from sensory cells to the critical switch in hypothalamic deiodinase enzyme expression that drives changes in localized thyroid hormone signaling. These changes in localized thyroid hormone signaling in the medial basal hypothalamus ultimately activate the reproductive axis. This model has in turn been consistently supported by studies in a variety of taxa. As such it has become the definitional standard against which subsequent work is compared, particularly in the non-mammalian literature. However, as new studies move away from the handful of canonical model systems and begin to explore the effects of naturalistic rather than artificial photoperiod manipulations a more nuanced picture has begun to emerge. Yet, progress in elucidating the detailed events of reproductive photostimulation has been uneven across the research community. In this perspective I draw on emerging data from studies in free living animals that challenges some of the established assumptions of the avian consensus model of reproduction. Specifically, the role of TSHβ and its dissociation from deiodinase signaling. I then discuss how these apparently surprising findings can be contextualized within the context of the mammalian seasonal literature. In turn this ability to contextualize from the mammalian literature highlights the breadth of the current gap I our understanding of the molecular neuroendocrine mechanisms of seasonality in mammals versus birds and other non-mammalian seasonal breeders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan H Pérez
- Biology Department, The University of South Alabama, Mobile Alabama, 36688, USA
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119
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Swanson JL, Chin PS, Romero JM, Srivastava S, Ortiz-Guzman J, Hunt PJ, Arenkiel BR. Advancements in the Quest to Map, Monitor, and Manipulate Neural Circuitry. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:886302. [PMID: 35719420 PMCID: PMC9204427 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.886302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural circuits and the cells that comprise them represent the functional units of the brain. Circuits relay and process sensory information, maintain homeostasis, drive behaviors, and facilitate cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Creating a functionally-precise map of the mammalian brain requires anatomically tracing neural circuits, monitoring their activity patterns, and manipulating their activity to infer function. Advancements in cell-type-specific genetic tools allow interrogation of neural circuits with increased precision. This review provides a broad overview of recombination-based and activity-driven genetic targeting approaches, contemporary viral tracing strategies, electrophysiological recording methods, newly developed calcium, and voltage indicators, and neurotransmitter/neuropeptide biosensors currently being used to investigate circuit architecture and function. Finally, it discusses methods for acute or chronic manipulation of neural activity, including genetically-targeted cellular ablation, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and over-expression of ion channels. With this ever-evolving genetic toolbox, scientists are continuing to probe neural circuits with increasing resolution, elucidating the structure and function of the incredibly complex mammalian brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Swanson
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Pey-Shyuan Chin
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Juan M. Romero
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Snigdha Srivastava
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Joshua Ortiz-Guzman
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Patrick J. Hunt
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Benjamin R. Arenkiel
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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120
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Kalinina A, Lagace D. Single-Cell and Single-Nucleus RNAseq Analysis of Adult Neurogenesis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11101633. [PMID: 35626670 PMCID: PMC9139993 DOI: 10.3390/cells11101633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The complexity of adult neurogenesis is becoming increasingly apparent as we learn more about cellular heterogeneity and diversity of the neurogenic lineages and stem cell niches within the adult brain. This complexity has been unraveled in part due to single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (sc-RNAseq and sn-RNAseq) studies that have focused on adult neurogenesis. This review summarizes 33 published studies in the field of adult neurogenesis that have used sc- or sn-RNAseq methods to answer questions about the three main regions that host adult neural stem cells (NSCs): the subventricular zone (SVZ), the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus, and the hypothalamus. The review explores the similarities and differences in methodology between these studies and provides an overview of how these studies have advanced the field and expanded possibilities for the future.
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121
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Vagena E, Crneta J, Engström P, He L, Yulyaningsih E, Korpel NL, Cheang RT, Bachor TP, Huang A, Michel G, Attal K, Berrios DI, Valdearcos M, Koliwad SK, Olson DP, Yi CX, Xu AW. ASB4 modulates central melanocortinergic neurons and calcitonin signaling to control satiety and glucose homeostasis. Sci Signal 2022; 15:eabj8204. [PMID: 35536884 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abj8204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Variants in the gene encoding ankyrin repeat and SOCS box-containing 4 (ASB4) are linked to human obesity. Here, we characterized the pathways underlying the metabolic functions of ASB4. Hypothalamic Asb4 expression was suppressed by fasting in wild-type mice but not in mice deficient in AgRP, which encodes Agouti-related protein (AgRP), an appetite-stimulating hormone, suggesting that ASB4 is a negative target of AgRP. Many ASB4 neurons in the brain were adjacent to AgRP terminals, and feeding induced by AgRP neuronal activation was disrupted in Asb4-deficient mice. Acute knockdown of Asb4 in the brain caused marked hyperphagia due to increased meal size, and Asb4 deficiency led to increased meal size and food intake at the onset of refeeding, when very large meals were consumed. Asb4-deficient mice were resistant to the meal-terminating effects of exogenously administered calcitonin and showed decreased neuronal expression of Calcr, which encodes the calcitonin receptor. Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus in mice are involved in glucose homeostasis, and Asb4 deficiency specifically in POMC neurons resulted in glucose intolerance that was independent of obesity. Furthermore, individuals with type 2 diabetes showed reduced ASB4 abundance in the infundibular nuclei, the human equivalent of the arcuate nucleus. Together, our results indicate that ASB4 acts in the brain to improve glucose homeostasis and to induce satiety after substantial meals, particularly those after food deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini Vagena
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jasmina Crneta
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Pauline Engström
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Li He
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Ernie Yulyaningsih
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Nikita L Korpel
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Laboratory of Endocrinology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, Netherlands
| | - Rachel T Cheang
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Tomas P Bachor
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Alyssa Huang
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Guillermina Michel
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Kush Attal
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - David I Berrios
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Martin Valdearcos
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Suneil K Koliwad
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - David P Olson
- Department of Pediatrics, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Chun-Xia Yi
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Laboratory of Endocrinology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, Netherlands
| | - Allison W Xu
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.,Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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Sullivan AI, Potthoff MJ, Flippo KH. Tany-Seq: Integrated Analysis of the Mouse Tanycyte Transcriptome. Cells 2022; 11:1565. [PMID: 35563871 PMCID: PMC9104898 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to maintain energy homeostasis is necessary for survival. Recently, an emerging role for ependymogial cells, which line the third ventricle in the hypothalamus in the regulation of energy homeostasis, has been appreciated. These cells are called tanycytes and are physically at the interface of brain communication with peripheral organs and have been proposed to mediate the transport of circulating hormones from the third ventricle into the parenchyma of the hypothalamus. Despite the important role tanycytes have been proposed to play in mediating communication from the periphery to the brain, we understand very little about the ontology and function of these cells due to their limited abundance and lack of ability to genetically target this cell population reliably. To overcome these hurdles, we integrated existing hypothalamic single cell RNA sequencing data, focusing on tanycytes, to allow for more in-depth characterization of tanycytic cell types and their putative functions. Overall, we expect this dataset to serve as a resource for the research community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew I. Sullivan
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.I.S.); (M.J.P.)
- Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Matthew J. Potthoff
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.I.S.); (M.J.P.)
- Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Kyle H. Flippo
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Iowa Carver, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.I.S.); (M.J.P.)
- Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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123
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The central nervous system control of energy homeostasis: high fat diet induced hypothalamic microinflammation and obesity. Brain Res Bull 2022; 185:99-106. [PMID: 35525336 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Obesity is believed to arise through the imbalance of energy homeostasis controlled by the central nervous system, where the hypothalamus plays the fundamental role in energy metabolism. In this review, we will provide an overview regarding the functions of POMC neurons and AgRP neurons in acute nucleus of the hypothalamus which mediated the energy metabolism, highlighting their interactions with peripheral organs derived hormones in control of energy homeostasis. Furthermore, the role of high fat diet induced hypothalamic microinflammation in the pathogenesis of obesity will be discussed. We hope this review could help researchers to understand the mechanism of hypothalamus in control of energy metabolism, and design related drugs to block the pathways involving in the impaired metabolism in obese patients.
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124
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Arzalluz-Luque A, Salguero P, Tarazona S, Conesa A. acorde unravels functionally interpretable networks of isoform co-usage from single cell data. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1828. [PMID: 35383181 PMCID: PMC8983708 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29497-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a highly-regulated post-transcriptional mechanism known to modulate isoform expression within genes and contribute to cell-type identity. However, the extent to which alternative isoforms establish co-expression networks that may be relevant in cellular function has not been explored yet. Here, we present acorde, a pipeline that successfully leverages bulk long reads and single-cell data to confidently detect alternative isoform co-expression relationships. To achieve this, we develop and validate percentile correlations, an innovative approach that overcomes data sparsity and yields accurate co-expression estimates from single-cell data. Next, acorde uses correlations to cluster co-expressed isoforms into a network, unraveling cell type-specific alternative isoform usage patterns. By selecting same-gene isoforms between these clusters, we subsequently detect and characterize genes with co-differential isoform usage (coDIU) across cell types. Finally, we predict functional elements from long read-defined isoforms and provide insight into biological processes, motifs, and domains potentially controlled by the coordination of post-transcriptional regulation. The code for acorde is available at https://github.com/ConesaLab/acorde .
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeles Arzalluz-Luque
- Department of Applied Statistics, Operations Research and Quality, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.,Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (CSIC-UV), Spanish National Research Council, Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pedro Salguero
- Department of Applied Statistics, Operations Research and Quality, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Sonia Tarazona
- Department of Applied Statistics, Operations Research and Quality, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Ana Conesa
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (CSIC-UV), Spanish National Research Council, Paterna, Valencia, Spain. .,Microbiology and Cell Sciences Department, Institute for Food and Agricultural Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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125
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Huisman C, Norgard MA, Levasseur PR, Krasnow SM, van der Wijst MGP, Olson B, Marks DL. Critical changes in hypothalamic gene networks in response to pancreatic cancer as found by single-cell RNA sequencing. Mol Metab 2022; 58:101441. [PMID: 35031523 PMCID: PMC8851272 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cancer cachexia is a devastating chronic condition characterized by involuntary weight loss, muscle wasting, abnormal fat metabolism, anorexia, and fatigue. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this syndrome remain poorly understood. In particular, the hypothalamus may play a central role in cachexia, given that it has direct access to peripheral signals because of its anatomical location and attenuated blood-brain barrier. Furthermore, this region has a critical role in regulating appetite and metabolism. METHODS To provide a detailed analysis of the hypothalamic response to cachexia, we performed single-cell RNA-seq combined with RNA-seq of the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) in a mouse model for pancreatic cancer. RESULTS We found many cell type-specific changes, such as inflamed endothelial cells, stressed oligodendrocyes and both inflammatory and moderating microglia. Lcn2, a newly discovered hunger suppressing hormone, was the highest induced gene. Interestingly, cerebral treatment with LCN2 not only induced many of the observed molecular changes in cachexia but also affected gene expression in food-intake decreasing POMC neurons. In addition, we found that many of the cachexia-induced molecular changes found in the hypothalamus mimic those at the primary tumor site. CONCLUSION Our data reveal that multiple cell types in the MBH are affected by tumor-derived factors or host factors that are induced by tumor growth, leading to a marked change in the microenvironment of neurons critical for behavioral, metabolic, and neuroendocrine outputs dysregulated during cachexia. The mechanistic insights provided in this study explain many of the clinical features of cachexia and will be useful for future therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Huisman
- Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States; Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States.
| | - Mason A Norgard
- Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
| | - Peter R Levasseur
- Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
| | - Stephanie M Krasnow
- Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
| | - Monique G P van der Wijst
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Brennan Olson
- Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States; Medical Scientist Training Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States
| | - Daniel L Marks
- Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States; Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States; Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, United States.
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126
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Grassi D, Marraudino M, Garcia-Segura LM, Panzica GC. The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus as a central hub for the estrogenic modulation of neuroendocrine function and behavior. Front Neuroendocrinol 2022; 65:100974. [PMID: 34995643 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Estradiol and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) help coordinate reproduction with body physiology, growth and metabolism. PVN integrates hormonal and neural signals originating in the periphery, generating an output mediated both by its long-distance neuronal projections, and by a variety of neurohormones produced by its magnocellular and parvocellular neurosecretory cells. Here we review the cyto-and chemo-architecture, the connectivity and function of PVN and the sex-specific regulation exerted by estradiol on PVN neurons and on the expression of neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, neuropeptides and neurohormones in PVN. Classical and non-classical estrogen receptors (ERs) are expressed in neuronal afferents to PVN and in specific PVN interneurons, projecting neurons, neurosecretory neurons and glial cells that are involved in the input-output integration and coordination of neurohormonal signals. Indeed, PVN ERs are known to modulate body homeostatic processes such as autonomic functions, stress response, reproduction, and metabolic control. Finally, the functional implications of the estrogenic modulation of the PVN for body homeostasis are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Grassi
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Neuroscience, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Marraudino
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, Torino, Italy
| | - L M Garcia-Segura
- Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - G C Panzica
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Orbassano, Torino, Italy; Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
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127
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Sobrino V, Avendaño MS, Perdices-López C, Jimenez-Puyer M, Tena-Sempere M. Kisspeptins and the neuroendocrine control of reproduction: Recent progress and new frontiers in kisspeptin research. Front Neuroendocrinol 2022; 65:100977. [PMID: 34999056 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
In late 2003, a major breakthrough in our understanding of the mechanisms that govern reproduction occurred with the identification of the reproductive roles of kisspeptins, encoded by the Kiss1 gene, and their receptor, Gpr54 (aka, Kiss1R). The discovery of this unsuspected reproductive facet attracted an extraordinary interest and boosted an intense research activity, in human and model species, that, in a relatively short period, established a series of basic concepts on the physiological roles of kisspeptins. Such fundamental knowledge, gathered in these early years of kisspeptin research, set the scene for the more recent in-depth dissection of the intimacies of the neuronal networks involving Kiss1 neurons, their precise mechanisms of regulation and the molecular underpinnings of the function of kisspeptins as pivotal regulators of all key aspects of reproductive function, from puberty onset to pulsatile gonadotropin secretion and the metabolic control of fertility. While no clear temporal boundaries between these two periods can be defined, in this review we will summarize the most prominent advances in kisspeptin research occurred in the last ten years, as a means to provide an up-dated view of the state of the art and potential paths of future progress in this dynamic, and ever growing domain of Neuroendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Sobrino
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, 14004 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Maria Soledad Avendaño
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, 14004 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Cecilia Perdices-López
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 14004 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Manuel Jimenez-Puyer
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, 14004 Cordoba, Spain
| | - Manuel Tena-Sempere
- Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Cordoba (IMIBIC), 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, University of Cordoba, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 14004 Cordoba, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland.
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128
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Leyrer-Jackson JM, Hood LE, Olive MF. Sex differences and the lack of effects of chemogenetic manipulation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons on alcohol consumption in male and female mice. Brain Res 2022; 1786:147901. [PMID: 35367433 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.147901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The endogenous opioid system has been implicated in the rewarding and reinforcing effects of alcohol. Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons located within the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ArcN) secrete multiple peptides associated with alcohol consumption, including β-endorphin (β-END), α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). In this study, we utilized chemogenetics to bidirectionally modulate ArcN POMC neurons to determine their role in alcohol and saccharin consumption and regional levels of POMC-derived peptides. Male and female POMC-cre mice were infused with viral vectors designed for cre-dependent expression of either excitatory and inhibitory DREADDs or a control vector into the ArcN. Following recovery, animals were allowed to consume alcohol or saccharin using the drinking-in-the-dark (DID) paradigm of binge-like intake for 4 consecutive days. Prior to the final test session, animals were injected with clozapine-N-oxide (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) for DREADD activation. Following the last DID session, animals were euthanized and the ArcN, VTA, amygdala and NAc were dissected and assessed for POMC peptide expression utilizing western blotting. We found that female mice consumed more alcohol than males during DID sessions 2-4, and that chemogenetic activation had no effect on alcohol or saccharin consumption in either sex. We found that β-END expression within the ArcN positively correlated with alcohol consumption. Given the molecular and functional heterogeneity of ArcN POMC neurons, future studies are needed to assess the effects of modulation of specific subpopulations of these neurons within the ArcN on consumption of rewarding substances such as alcohol and saccharin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren E Hood
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - M Foster Olive
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
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129
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Bonthuis PJ, Steinwand S, Stacher Hörndli CN, Emery J, Huang WC, Kravitz S, Ferris E, Gregg C. Noncanonical genomic imprinting in the monoamine system determines naturalistic foraging and brain-adrenal axis functions. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110500. [PMID: 35263575 PMCID: PMC9128000 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Noncanonical genomic imprinting can cause biased expression of one parental allele in a tissue; however, the functional relevance of such biases is unclear. To investigate ethological roles for noncanonical imprinting in dopa decarboxylase (Ddc) and tyrosine hydroxylase (Th), we use machine learning to decompose naturalistic foraging in maternal and paternal allele mutant heterozygous mice. We uncover distinct roles for the maternal versus paternal alleles on foraging, where maternal alleles affect sons while daughters are under paternal allelic control. Each parental allele controls specific action sequences reflecting decisions in naive or familiar contexts. The maternal Ddc allele is preferentially expressed in subsets of hypothalamic GABAergic neurons, while the paternal allele predominates in subsets of adrenal cells. Each Ddc allele affects distinct molecular and endocrine components of the brain-adrenal axis. Thus, monoaminergic noncanonical imprinting has ethological roles in foraging and endocrine functions and operates by affecting discrete subsets of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Bonthuis
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Susan Steinwand
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Cornelia N Stacher Hörndli
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Jared Emery
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Wei-Chao Huang
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Stephanie Kravitz
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Elliott Ferris
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Christopher Gregg
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Room 408B, Biopolymers Research Building, Bld. 570, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
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Çakır I, Lining Pan P, Hadley CK, El-Gamal A, Fadel A, Elsayegh D, Mohamed O, Rizk NM, Ghamari-Langroudi M. Sulforaphane reduces obesity by reversing leptin resistance. eLife 2022; 11:67368. [PMID: 35323110 PMCID: PMC8947770 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The ascending prevalence of obesity in recent decades is commonly associated with soaring morbidity and mortality rates, resulting in increased health-care costs and decreased quality of life. A systemic state of stress characterized by low-grade inflammation and pathological formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) usually manifests in obesity. The transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (NRF2) is the master regulator of the redox homeostasis and plays a critical role in the resolution of inflammation. Here, we show that the natural isothiocyanate and potent NRF2 activator sulforaphane reverses diet-induced obesity through a predominantly, but not exclusively, NRF2-dependent mechanism that requires a functional leptin receptor signaling and hyperleptinemia. Sulforaphane does not reduce the body weight or food intake of lean mice but induces an anorectic response when coadministered with exogenous leptin. Leptin-deficient Lepob/ob mice and leptin receptor mutant Leprdb/db mice display resistance to the weight-reducing effect of sulforaphane, supporting the conclusion that the antiobesity effect of sulforaphane requires functional leptin receptor signaling. Furthermore, our results suggest the skeletal muscle as the most notable site of action of sulforaphane whose peripheral NRF2 action signals to alleviate leptin resistance. Transcriptional profiling of six major metabolically relevant tissues highlights that sulforaphane suppresses fatty acid synthesis while promoting ribosome biogenesis, reducing ROS accumulation, and resolving inflammation, therefore representing a unique transcriptional program that leads to protection from obesity. Our findings argue for clinical evaluation of sulforaphane for weight loss and obesity-associated metabolic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Işın Çakır
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University
| | | | - Colleen K Hadley
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan
- College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, University of Michigan
| | - Abdulrahman El-Gamal
- Biomedical Sciences Department, College of Health Sciences, Qu- Health, Qatar University
| | - Amina Fadel
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University
| | | | | | - Nasser M Rizk
- Biomedical Sciences Department, College of Health Sciences, Qu- Health, Qatar University
- Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University
| | - Masoud Ghamari-Langroudi
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University
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131
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Wang M, Song WM, Ming C, Wang Q, Zhou X, Xu P, Krek A, Yoon Y, Ho L, Orr ME, Yuan GC, Zhang B. Guidelines for bioinformatics of single-cell sequencing data analysis in Alzheimer's disease: review, recommendation, implementation and application. Mol Neurodegener 2022; 17:17. [PMID: 35236372 PMCID: PMC8889402 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-022-00517-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterized by progressive cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. Extensive clinical and genomic studies have revealed biomarkers, risk factors, pathways, and targets of AD in the past decade. However, the exact molecular basis of AD development and progression remains elusive. The emerging single-cell sequencing technology can potentially provide cell-level insights into the disease. Here we systematically review the state-of-the-art bioinformatics approaches to analyze single-cell sequencing data and their applications to AD in 14 major directions, including 1) quality control and normalization, 2) dimension reduction and feature extraction, 3) cell clustering analysis, 4) cell type inference and annotation, 5) differential expression, 6) trajectory inference, 7) copy number variation analysis, 8) integration of single-cell multi-omics, 9) epigenomic analysis, 10) gene network inference, 11) prioritization of cell subpopulations, 12) integrative analysis of human and mouse sc-RNA-seq data, 13) spatial transcriptomics, and 14) comparison of single cell AD mouse model studies and single cell human AD studies. We also address challenges in using human postmortem and mouse tissues and outline future developments in single cell sequencing data analysis. Importantly, we have implemented our recommended workflow for each major analytic direction and applied them to a large single nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq) dataset in AD. Key analytic results are reported while the scripts and the data are shared with the research community through GitHub. In summary, this comprehensive review provides insights into various approaches to analyze single cell sequencing data and offers specific guidelines for study design and a variety of analytic directions. The review and the accompanied software tools will serve as a valuable resource for studying cellular and molecular mechanisms of AD, other diseases, or biological systems at the single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Wang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Won-min Song
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Chen Ming
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Xianxiao Zhou
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Peng Xu
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Azra Krek
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Yonejung Yoon
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Lap Ho
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Miranda E. Orr
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA
- Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA
| | - Guo-Cheng Yuan
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Icahn Institute of Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, Room S8-111, New York, NY 10029 USA
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132
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Yaghmaeian Salmani B, Balderson B, Bauer S, Ekman H, Starkenberg A, Perlmann T, Piper M, Bodén M, Thor S. Selective requirement for polycomb repressor complex 2 in the generation of specific hypothalamic neuronal subtypes. Development 2022; 149:274592. [PMID: 35245348 PMCID: PMC8959139 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamus displays staggering cellular diversity, chiefly established during embryogenesis by the interplay of several signalling pathways and a battery of transcription factors. However, the contribution of epigenetic cues to hypothalamus development remains unclear. We mutated the polycomb repressor complex 2 gene Eed in the developing mouse hypothalamus, which resulted in the loss of H3K27me3, a fundamental epigenetic repressor mark. This triggered ectopic expression of posteriorly expressed regulators (e.g. Hox homeotic genes), upregulation of cell cycle inhibitors and reduced proliferation. Surprisingly, despite these effects, single cell transcriptomic analysis revealed that most neuronal subtypes were still generated in Eed mutants. However, we observed an increase in glutamatergic/GABAergic double-positive cells, as well as loss/reduction of dopamine, hypocretin and Tac2-Pax6 neurons. These findings indicate that many aspects of the hypothalamic gene regulatory flow can proceed without the key H3K27me3 epigenetic repressor mark, but points to a unique sensitivity of particular neuronal subtypes to a disrupted epigenomic landscape. Summary: Polycomb repressor complex 2 inactivation results in selective effects on mouse hypothalamic development, increasing glutamatergic/GABA cells, while reducing dopamine, Hcrt and Tac2-Pax6 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behzad Yaghmaeian Salmani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185 Linkoping, Sweden
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Brad Balderson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Susanne Bauer
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185 Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Helen Ekman
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185 Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Annika Starkenberg
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185 Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Thomas Perlmann
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael Piper
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mikael Bodén
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Stefan Thor
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185 Linkoping, Sweden
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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133
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Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Namboodiri VMK, Basiri ML, Stamatakis AM, Stuber GD. Developments from Bulk Optogenetics to Single-Cell Strategies to Dissect the Neural Circuits that Underlie Aberrant Motivational States. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2022; 12:a039792. [PMID: 32513671 PMCID: PMC7799172 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a039792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Motivational states are regulated by complex networks across brain regions that are composed of genetically and functionally distinct neuronal populations. Disruption within these neural circuits leads to aberrant motivational states and are thought to be the root cause of psychiatric disorders related to reward processing and addiction. Critical technological advances in the field have revolutionized the study of neural systems by allowing the use of optical strategies to precisely control and visualize neural activity within genetically identified neural populations in the brain. This review will provide a brief introduction into the history of how technological advances in single-cell strategies have been applied to elucidate the neural circuits that underlie aberrant motivational states that often lead to dysfunction in reward processing and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA
- Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA
| | - Vijay M K Namboodiri
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine & Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-6410, USA
| | - Marcus L Basiri
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA
| | - Alice M Stamatakis
- Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, USA
| | - Garret D Stuber
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine & Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-6410, USA
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134
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Camera M, Russo I, Zamboni V, Ammoni A, Rando S, Morellato A, Cimino I, Angelini C, Giacobini P, Oleari R, Amoruso F, Cariboni A, Franceschini I, Turco E, Defilippi P, Merlo GR. p140Cap Controls Female Fertility in Mice Acting via Glutamatergic Afference on Hypothalamic Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:744693. [PMID: 35237119 PMCID: PMC8884249 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.744693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
p140Cap, encoded by the gene SRCIN1 (SRC kinase signaling inhibitor 1), is an adaptor/scaffold protein highly expressed in the mouse brain, participating in several pre- and post-synaptic mechanisms. p140Cap knock-out (KO) female mice show severe hypofertility, delayed puberty onset, altered estrus cycle, reduced ovulation, and defective production of luteinizing hormone and estradiol during proestrus. We investigated the role of p140Cap in the development and maturation of the hypothalamic gonadotropic system. During embryonic development, migration of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) neurons from the nasal placode to the forebrain in p140Cap KO mice appeared normal, and young p140Cap KO animals showed a normal number of GnRH-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons. In contrast, adult p140Cap KO mice showed a significant loss of GnRH-ir neurons and a decreased density of GnRH-ir projections in the median eminence, accompanied by reduced levels of GnRH and LH mRNAs in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, respectively. We examined the number of kisspeptin (KP) neurons in the rostral periventricular region of the third ventricle, the number of KP-ir fibers in the arcuate nucleus, and the number of KP-ir punctae on GnRH neurons but we found no significant changes. Consistently, the responsiveness to exogenous KP in vivo was unchanged, excluding a cell-autonomous defect on the GnRH neurons at the level of KP receptor or its signal transduction. Since glutamatergic signaling in the hypothalamus is critical for both puberty onset and modulation of GnRH secretion, we examined the density of glutamatergic synapses in p140Cap KO mice and observed a significant reduction in the density of VGLUT-ir punctae both in the preoptic area and on GnRH neurons. Our data suggest that the glutamatergic circuitry in the hypothalamus is altered in the absence of p140Cap and is required for female fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Camera
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Isabella Russo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Valentina Zamboni
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandra Ammoni
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Simona Rando
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandro Morellato
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Irene Cimino
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Centre, Inserm U1172, Lille, France
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Costanza Angelini
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Giacobini
- Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Centre, Inserm U1172, Lille, France
| | - Roberto Oleari
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Amoruso
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Cariboni
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Isabelle Franceschini
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, French National Centre for Scientific Research, French Institute of the Horse and Riding, French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, Université de Tours, Nouzilly, France
| | - Emilia Turco
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Paola Defilippi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- *Correspondence: Paola Defilippi,
| | - Giorgio R. Merlo
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Giorgio R. Merlo,
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135
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Park G, Shin W, Park Y, Chung S, Kim D, Kim J. Neural correlates of multidimensional motor outputs in an excitatory parafascicular-zona incerta circuit. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 591:102-109. [PMID: 35007833 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The parafascicular nucleus (Pf) in medial thalamus is interconnected with prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia. Though much research has determined its importance in cognitive regulation of behaviour, its projections to regions in subthalamus remain less known. Such connections include those to zona incerta (ZI), located immediately dorsal to subthalamic nuclei (STN) regulating motor output, and whose role in a motor context is only beginning to be investigated. We thus examined circuits from parafascicular (Pf) thalamus to ZI, and its activity during locomotion and spontaneous behaviours in mice. We found that a distinct group of CaMKIIα-positive excitatory parafascicular neurons, separated from VGLUT2-positive excitatory neurons, project widely into ZI, more than adjacent STN. Our results from fibre photometry and decoding with general linear model (GLM) indicate that PF-ZI pathways do not specifically correlate with amount of locomotion or movement velocity, but instead show more specified activity during relative directional changes of movements observed in turning, sniffing behaviours. These results hint at the PF-ZI pathway having a distinct role in directing action specificity and have implications for subcortical bases in dimensional control of behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geunhong Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea; Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Wooyeon Shin
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea; Program of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Yongjun Park
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Sooyoung Chung
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea
| | - Daesoo Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, South Korea.
| | - Jeongjin Kim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, South Korea; Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, South Korea.
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136
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Zhou S, Zang S, Hu Y, Shen Y, Li H, Chen W, Li P, Shen Y. Transcriptome-scale spatial gene expression in rat arcuate nucleus during puberty. Cell Biosci 2022; 12:8. [PMID: 35063020 PMCID: PMC8781439 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00745-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A variety of neurons in hypothalamus undergo a complicated regulation on transcription activity of multiple genes for hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis activation during pubertal development. Identification of puberty-associated cell composition and characterization of the unique transcriptional signatures across different cells are beneficial to isolation of specific neurons and advanced understanding of their functions. Methods The hypothalamus of female Sprague–Dawley rats in postnatal day-25, 35 and 45 were used to define the dynamic spatial atlas of gene expression in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) by 10× Genomics Visium platform. A surface protein expressed selectively by kisspeptin neurons was used to sort neurons by flow cytometric assay in vitro. The transcriptome of the isolated cells was examined using Smart sequencing. Results Four subclusters of neurons with similar gene expression signatures in ARC were identified. Only one subcluster showed the robust expression of Kiss1, which could be isolated by a unique membrane surface biomarker Solute carrier family 18 member A3 (SLC18A3). Moreover, genes in different subclusters presenting three expression modules distinctly functioned in each pubertal stage. Different types of cells representing distinct functions on glial or neuron differentiation, hormone secretion as well as estradiol response precisely affect and coordinate with each other, resulting in a complicated regulatory network for hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis initiation and modulation. Conclusion Our data revealed a comprehensive transcriptomic overview of ARC within different pubertal stages, which could serve as a valuable resource for the study of puberty and sexual development disorders. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13578-022-00745-2.
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137
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Glaser J, Iranzo J, Borensztein M, Marinucci M, Gualtieri A, Jouhanneau C, Teissandier A, Gaston-Massuet C, Bourc'his D. The imprinted Zdbf2 gene finely tunes control of feeding and growth in neonates. eLife 2022; 11:65641. [PMID: 35049495 PMCID: PMC8809892 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic imprinting refers to the mono-allelic and parent-specific expression of a subset of genes. While long recognized for their role in embryonic development, imprinted genes have recently emerged as important modulators of postnatal physiology, notably through hypothalamus-driven functions. Here, using mouse models of loss, gain and parental inversion of expression, we report that the paternally expressed Zdbf2 gene controls neonatal growth in mice, in a dose-sensitive but parent-of-origin-independent manner. We further found that Zdbf2-KO neonates failed to fully activate hypothalamic circuits that stimulate appetite, and suffered milk deprivation and diminished circulating Insulin Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1). Consequently, only half of Zdbf2-KO pups survived the first days after birth and those surviving were smaller. This study demonstrates that precise imprinted gene dosage is essential for vital physiological functions at the transition from intra- to extra-uterine life, here the adaptation to oral feeding and optimized body weight gain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Glaser
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Julian Iranzo
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Maud Borensztein
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Mattia Marinucci
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | - Angelica Gualtieri
- Centre for Endocrinology, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Aurélie Teissandier
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institut Curie, Paris, France
| | | | - Deborah Bourc'his
- Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Institut Curie, Paris, France
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138
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Yu H, Rubinstein M, Low MJ. Developmental single-cell transcriptomics of hypothalamic POMC neurons reveal the genetic trajectories of multiple neuropeptidergic phenotypes. eLife 2022; 11:e72883. [PMID: 35044906 PMCID: PMC8806186 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus are essential to regulate food intake and energy balance. However, the ontogenetic transcriptional programs that specify the identity and functioning of these neurons are poorly understood. Here, we use single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to define the transcriptomes characterizing Pomc-expressing cells in the developing hypothalamus and translating ribosome affinity purification with RNA-sequencing (TRAP-seq) to analyze the subsequent translatomes of mature POMC neurons. Our data showed that Pomc-expressing neurons give rise to multiple developmental pathways expressing different levels of Pomc and unique combinations of transcription factors. The predominant cluster, featured by high levels of Pomc and Prdm12 transcripts, represents the canonical arcuate POMC neurons. Additional cell clusters expressing medium or low levels of Pomc mature into different neuronal phenotypes featured by distinct sets of transcription factors, neuropeptides, processing enzymes, cell surface, and nuclear receptors. We conclude that the genetic programs specifying the identity and differentiation of arcuate POMC neurons are diverse and generate a heterogeneous repertoire of neuronal phenotypes early in development that continue to mature postnatally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yu
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborUnited States
| | - Marcelo Rubinstein
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborUnited States
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y TécnicasBuenos AiresArgentina
- Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos AiresBuenos AiresArgentina
| | - Malcolm J Low
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical SchoolAnn ArborUnited States
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139
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Linderman GC, Zhao J, Roulis M, Bielecki P, Flavell RA, Nadler B, Kluger Y. Zero-preserving imputation of single-cell RNA-seq data. Nat Commun 2022; 13:192. [PMID: 35017482 PMCID: PMC8752663 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27729-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A key challenge in analyzing single cell RNA-sequencing data is the large number of false zeros, where genes actually expressed in a given cell are incorrectly measured as unexpressed. We present a method based on low-rank matrix approximation which imputes these values while preserving biologically non-expressed genes (true biological zeros) at zero expression levels. We provide theoretical justification for this denoising approach and demonstrate its advantages relative to other methods on simulated and biological datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- George C Linderman
- Program in Applied Mathematics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Jun Zhao
- Interdepartmental Program of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Manolis Roulis
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Piotr Bielecki
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.,Celsius Therapeutics, Cambridge, USA
| | - Richard A Flavell
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Boaz Nadler
- Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yuval Kluger
- Program in Applied Mathematics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA. .,Interdepartmental Program of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA. .,Department of Pathology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
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140
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Butruille L, Batailler M, Cateau ML, Sharif A, Leysen V, Prévot V, Vaudin P, Pillon D, Migaud M. Selective Depletion of Adult GFAP-Expressing Tanycytes Leads to Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism in Males. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:869019. [PMID: 35370973 PMCID: PMC8966543 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.869019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In adult mammals, neural stem cells are localized in three neurogenic regions, the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle (SVZ), the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (SGZ) and the hypothalamus. In the SVZ and the SGZ, neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) express the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and selective depletion of these NSPCs drastically decreases cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. In the hypothalamus, GFAP is expressed by α-tanycytes, which are specialized radial glia-like cells in the wall of the third ventricle also recognized as NSPCs. To explore the role of these hypothalamic GFAP-positive tanycytes, we used transgenic mice expressing herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-Tk) under the control of the mouse Gfap promoter and a 4-week intracerebroventricular infusion of the antiviral agent ganciclovir (GCV) which kills dividing cells expressing Tk. While GCV significantly reduced the number and growth of hypothalamus-derived neurospheres from adult transgenic mice in vitro, it causes hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in vivo. The selective death of dividing tanycytes expressing GFAP indeed results in a marked decrease in testosterone levels and testicular weight, as well as vacuolization of the seminiferous tubules and loss of spermatogenesis. Additionally, GCV-treated GFAP-Tk mice show impaired sexual behavior, but no alteration in food intake or body weight. Our results also show that the selective depletion of GFAP-expressing tanycytes leads to a sharp decrease in the number of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-immunoreactive neurons and a blunted LH secretion. Overall, our data show that GFAP-expressing tanycytes play a central role in the regulation of male reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ariane Sharif
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neurosciences & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Lille, France
| | - Valérie Leysen
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neurosciences & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Lille, France
| | - Vincent Prévot
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neurosciences & Cognition, UMR-S1172, Lille, France
| | - Pascal Vaudin
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
| | - Delphine Pillon
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
| | - Martine Migaud
- CNRS, IFCE, INRAE, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France
- *Correspondence: Martine Migaud,
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141
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Short AK, Thai CW, Chen Y, Kamei N, Pham AL, Birnie MT, Bolton JL, Mortazavi A, Baram TZ. Single-Cell Transcriptional Changes in Hypothalamic Corticotropin-Releasing Factor-Expressing Neurons After Early-Life Adversity Inform Enduring Alterations in Vulnerabilities to Stress. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 3:99-109. [PMID: 36712559 PMCID: PMC9874075 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2021.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Mental health and vulnerabilities to neuropsychiatric disorders involve the interplay of genes and environment, particularly during sensitive developmental periods. Early-life adversity (ELA) and stress promote vulnerabilities to stress-related affective disorders, yet it is unknown how transient ELA dictates lifelong neuroendocrine and behavioral reactions to stress. The population of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-expressing neurons that regulate stress responses is a promising candidate to mediate the long-lasting influences of ELA on stress-related behavioral and hormonal responses via enduring transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms. Methods Capitalizing on a well-characterized model of ELA, we examined ELA-induced changes in gene expression profiles of CRF-expressing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of developing male mice. We used single-cell RNA sequencing on isolated CRF-expressing neurons. We determined the enduring functional consequences of transcriptional changes on stress reactivity in adult ELA mice, including hormonal responses to acute stress, adrenal weights as a measure of chronic stress, and behaviors in the looming shadow threat task. Results Single-cell transcriptomics identified distinct and novel CRF-expressing neuronal populations, characterized by both their gene expression repertoire and their neurotransmitter profiles. ELA-provoked expression changes were selective to specific subpopulations and affected genes involved in neuronal differentiation, synapse formation, energy metabolism, and cellular responses to stress and injury. Importantly, these expression changes were impactful, apparent from adrenal hypertrophy and augmented behavioral responses to stress in adulthood. Conclusions We uncover a novel repertoire of stress-regulating CRF cell types differentially affected by ELA and resulting in augmented stress vulnerability, with relevance to the origins of stress-related affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel K. Short
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California,Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Christina W. Thai
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Yuncai Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Noriko Kamei
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Aidan L. Pham
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California,Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Matthew T. Birnie
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California,Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Jessica L. Bolton
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California,Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Tallie Z. Baram
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California,Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California,Department of Neurology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California,Address correspondence to Tallie Z. Baram, M.D., Ph.D.
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Yamagata T, Kahn MC, Prius-Mengual J, Meijer E, Šabanović M, Guillaumin MCC, van der Vinne V, Huang YG, McKillop LE, Jagannath A, Peirson SN, Mann EO, Foster RG, Vyazovskiy VV. The hypothalamic link between arousal and sleep homeostasis in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2101580118. [PMID: 34903646 PMCID: PMC8713782 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101580118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep and wakefulness are not simple, homogenous all-or-none states but represent a spectrum of substates, distinguished by behavior, levels of arousal, and brain activity at the local and global levels. Until now, the role of the hypothalamic circuitry in sleep-wake control was studied primarily with respect to its contribution to rapid state transitions. In contrast, whether the hypothalamus modulates within-state dynamics (state "quality") and the functional significance thereof remains unexplored. Here, we show that photoactivation of inhibitory neurons in the lateral preoptic area (LPO) of the hypothalamus of adult male and female laboratory mice does not merely trigger awakening from sleep, but the resulting awake state is also characterized by an activated electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern, suggesting increased levels of arousal. This was associated with a faster build-up of sleep pressure, as reflected in higher EEG slow-wave activity (SWA) during subsequent sleep. In contrast, photoinhibition of inhibitory LPO neurons did not result in changes in vigilance states but was associated with persistently increased EEG SWA during spontaneous sleep. These findings suggest a role of the LPO in regulating arousal levels, which we propose as a key variable shaping the daily architecture of sleep-wake states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Yamagata
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Martin C Kahn
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - José Prius-Mengual
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Elise Meijer
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Merima Šabanović
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
| | - Mathilde C C Guillaumin
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Vincent van der Vinne
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Yi-Ge Huang
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Laura E McKillop
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Aarti Jagannath
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart N Peirson
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Edward O Mann
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom
| | - Russell G Foster
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom;
| | - Vladyslav V Vyazovskiy
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom;
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143
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Takahashi O, Tanahashi M, Yokoi S, Kaneko M, Yanaka K, Nakagawa S, Maita H. The cell type-specific ER membrane protein UGS148 is not essential in mice. Genes Cells 2021; 27:43-60. [PMID: 34897904 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Genomes of higher eukaryotes encode many uncharacterized proteins, and the functions of these proteins cannot be predicted from the primary sequences due to a lack of conserved functional domains. In this study, we focused on a poorly characterized protein UGS148 that is highly expressed in a specialized cell type called tanycytes that line the ventral wall of the third ventricle in the hypothalamus. Immunostaining of UGS148 revealed the fine morphology of tanycytes with highly branched apical ER membranes. Immunoprecipitation revealed that UGS148 associated with mitochondrial ATPase at least in vitro, and ER and mitochondrial signals occasionally overlapped in tanycytes. Mutant mice lacking UGS148 did not exhibit overt phenotypes, suggesting that UGS148 was not essential in mice reared under normal laboratory conditions. We also found that RNA probes that were predicted to uniquely detect UGS148 mRNA cross-reacted with uncharacterized RNAs, highlighting the importance of experimental validation of the specificity of probes during the hybridization-based study of RNA localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osamu Takahashi
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Mayuko Tanahashi
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Saori Yokoi
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Mari Kaneko
- Laboratory for Animal Resources and Genetic Engineering, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kaori Yanaka
- Liver Cancer Prevention Research Unit, RIKEN, Wako, Japan
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Maita
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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144
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Knock E, Julian LM. Building on a Solid Foundation: Adding Relevance and Reproducibility to Neurological Modeling Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:767457. [PMID: 34867204 PMCID: PMC8637745 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.767457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is our most complex and least understood organ. Animal models have long been the most versatile tools available to dissect brain form and function; however, the human brain is highly distinct from that of standard model organisms. In addition to existing models, access to human brain cells and tissues is essential to reach new frontiers in our understanding of the human brain and how to intervene therapeutically in the face of disease or injury. In this review, we discuss current and developing culture models of human neural tissue, outlining advantages over animal models and key challenges that remain to be overcome. Our principal focus is on advances in engineering neural cells and tissue constructs from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), though primary human cell and slice culture are also discussed. By highlighting studies that combine animal models and human neural cell culture techniques, we endeavor to demonstrate that clever use of these orthogonal model systems produces more reproducible, physiological, and clinically relevant data than either approach alone. We provide examples across a range of topics in neuroscience research including brain development, injury, and cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and psychiatric conditions. Finally, as testing of PSC-derived neurons for cell replacement therapy progresses, we touch on the advancements that are needed to make this a clinical mainstay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Knock
- Research and Development, STEMCELL Technologies Inc., Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Lisa M Julian
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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145
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Chen R, Blosser TR, Djekidel MN, Hao J, Bhattacherjee A, Chen W, Tuesta LM, Zhuang X, Zhang Y. Decoding molecular and cellular heterogeneity of mouse nucleus accumbens. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:1757-1771. [PMID: 34663959 PMCID: PMC8639815 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00938-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays an important role in regulating multiple behaviors, and its dysfunction has been linked to many neural disorders. However, the molecular, cellular and anatomic heterogeneity underlying its functional diversity remains incompletely understood. In this study, we generated a cell census of the mouse NAc using single-cell RNA sequencing and multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization, revealing a high level of cell heterogeneity in this brain region. Here we show that the transcriptional and spatial diversity of neuron subtypes underlie the NAc's anatomic and functional heterogeneity. These findings explain how the seemingly simple neuronal composition of the NAc achieves its highly heterogenous structure and diverse functions. Collectively, our study generates a spatially resolved cell taxonomy for understanding the structure and function of the NAc, which demonstrates the importance of combining molecular and spatial information in revealing the fundamental features of the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renchao Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Timothy R Blosser
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Physics,, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mohamed N Djekidel
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Junjie Hao
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Physics,, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aritra Bhattacherjee
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wenqiang Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Luis M Tuesta
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaowei Zhuang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Physics,, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Yi Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
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146
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Ho EV, Shi C, Cassin J, He MY, Nguyen RD, Ryan GE, Tonsfeldt KJ, Mellon PL. Reproductive Deficits Induced by Prenatal Antimüllerian Hormone Exposure Require Androgen Receptor in Kisspeptin Cells. Endocrinology 2021; 162:6371276. [PMID: 34529765 PMCID: PMC8507963 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqab197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive disorder characterized by elevated androgens and antimüllerian hormone (AMH). These hormones remain elevated throughout pregnancy, and potential effects of hormone exposure on offspring from women with PCOS remain largely unexplored. Expanding on recent reports of prenatal AMH exposure in mice, we have fully characterized the reproductive consequences of prenatal AMH (pAMH) exposure throughout the lifespan of first- and second-generation offspring of both sexes. We also sought to elucidate mechanisms underlying pAMH-induced reproductive effects. There is a known reciprocal relationship between AMH and androgens, and in PCOS and PCOS-like animal models, androgen feedback is dysregulated at the level of the hypothalamus. Kisspeptin neurons express androgen receptors and play a critical role in sexual development and function. We therefore hypothesized that pAMH-induced reproductive phenotypes would be mediated by androgen signaling at the level of kisspeptin cells. We tested the pAMH model in kisspeptin-specific androgen receptor knockout (KARKO) mice and found that virtually all pAMH-induced phenotypes assayed are eliminated in KARKO offspring compared to littermate controls. By demonstrating the necessity of androgen receptor in kisspeptin cells to induce pAMH phenotypes, we have advanced understanding of the interactions between AMH and androgens in the context of prenatal exposure, which could have significant implications for children of women with PCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily V Ho
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Chengxian Shi
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Jessica Cassin
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Michelle Y He
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Ryan D Nguyen
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Genevieve E Ryan
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Karen J Tonsfeldt
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
| | - Pamela L Mellon
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
- Correspondence: Pamela L. Mellon, PhD, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Reproductive Science and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093-0674, USA.
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147
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Deciphering the spatial-temporal transcriptional landscape of human hypothalamus development. Cell Stem Cell 2021; 29:328-343.e5. [PMID: 34879244 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamus comprises various nuclei and neuronal subpopulations that control fundamental homeostasis and behaviors. However, spatiotemporal molecular characterization of hypothalamus development in humans is largely unexplored. Here, we revealed spatiotemporal transcriptome profiles and cell-type characteristics of human hypothalamus development and illustrated the molecular diversity of neural progenitors and the cell-fate decision, which is programmed by a combination of transcription factors. Different neuronal and glial fates are sequentially produced and showed spatial developmental asynchrony. Moreover, human hypothalamic gliogenesis occurs at an earlier stage of gestation and displays distinctive transcription profiles compared with those in mouse. Notably, early oligodendrocyte cells in humans exhibit different gene patterns and interact with neuronal cells to regulate neuronal maturation by Wnt, Hippo, and integrin signals. Overall, our study provides a comprehensive molecular landscape of human hypothalamus development at early- and mid-embryonic stages and a foundation for understanding its spatial and functional complexity.
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148
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ScLRTC: imputation for single-cell RNA-seq data via low-rank tensor completion. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:860. [PMID: 34844559 PMCID: PMC8628418 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08101-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) methods, gene expression patterns at the single-cell resolution can be revealed. But as impacted by current technical defects, dropout events in scRNA-seq lead to missing data and noise in the gene-cell expression matrix and adversely affect downstream analyses. Accordingly, the true gene expression level should be recovered before the downstream analysis is carried out. RESULTS In this paper, a novel low-rank tensor completion-based method, termed as scLRTC, is proposed to impute the dropout entries of a given scRNA-seq expression. It initially exploits the similarity of single cells to build a third-order low-rank tensor and employs the tensor decomposition to denoise the data. Subsequently, it reconstructs the cell expression by adopting the low-rank tensor completion algorithm, which can restore the gene-to-gene and cell-to-cell correlations. ScLRTC is compared with other state-of-the-art methods on simulated datasets and real scRNA-seq datasets with different data sizes. Specific to simulated datasets, scLRTC outperforms other methods in imputing the dropouts closest to the original expression values, which is assessed by both the sum of squared error (SSE) and Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC). In terms of real datasets, scLRTC achieves the most accurate cell classification results in spite of the choice of different clustering methods (e.g., SC3 or t-SNE followed by K-means), which is evaluated by using adjusted rand index (ARI) and normalized mutual information (NMI). Lastly, scLRTC is demonstrated to be also effective in cell visualization and in inferring cell lineage trajectories. CONCLUSIONS a novel low-rank tensor completion-based method scLRTC gave imputation results better than the state-of-the-art tools. Source code of scLRTC can be accessed at https://github.com/jianghuaijie/scLRTC .
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149
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Thirtamara Rajamani K, Leithead AB, Kim M, Barbier M, Peruggia M, Niblo K, Barteczko L, Lefevre A, Grinevich V, Harony-Nicolas H. Efficiency of cell-type specific and generic promoters in transducing oxytocin neurons and monitoring their neural activity during lactation. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22541. [PMID: 34795340 PMCID: PMC8602291 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01818-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypothalamic oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) neurons have been at the center of several physiological and behavioral studies. Advances in viral vector biology and the development of transgenic rodent models have allowed for targeted gene expression to study the functions of specific cell populations and brain circuits. In this study, we compared the efficiency of various adeno-associated viral vectors in these cell populations and demonstrated that none of the widely used promoters were, on their own, effective at driving expression of a down-stream fluorescent protein in OXT or AVP neurons. As anticipated, the OXT promoter could efficiently drive gene expression in OXT neurons and this efficiency is solely attributed to the promoter and not the viral serotype. We also report that a dual virus approach using an OXT promoter driven Cre recombinase significantly improved the efficiency of viral transduction in OXT neurons. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the OXT promoter for conducting functional studies on OXT neurons by using an OXT specific viral system to record neural activity of OXT neurons in lactating female rats across time. We conclude that extreme caution is needed when employing non-neuron-specific viral approaches/promoters to study neural populations within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keerthi Thirtamara Rajamani
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amanda B Leithead
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michelle Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marie Barbier
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael Peruggia
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kristi Niblo
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lara Barteczko
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Arthur Lefevre
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Hala Harony-Nicolas
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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150
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Ohlig S, Clavreul S, Thorwirth M, Simon-Ebert T, Bocchi R, Ulbricht S, Kannayian N, Rossner M, Sirko S, Smialowski P, Fischer-Sternjak J, Götz M. Molecular diversity of diencephalic astrocytes reveals adult astrogenesis regulated by Smad4. EMBO J 2021; 40:e107532. [PMID: 34549820 PMCID: PMC8561644 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2020107532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes regulate brain‐wide functions and also show region‐specific differences, but little is known about how general and region‐specific functions are aligned at the single‐cell level. To explore this, we isolated adult mouse diencephalic astrocytes by ACSA‐2‐mediated magnetic‐activated cell sorting (MACS). Single‐cell RNA‐seq revealed 7 gene expression clusters of astrocytes, with 4 forming a supercluster. Within the supercluster, cells differed by gene expression related to ion homeostasis or metabolism, with the former sharing gene expression with other regions and the latter being restricted to specific regions. All clusters showed expression of proliferation‐related genes, and proliferation of diencephalic astrocytes was confirmed by immunostaining. Clonal analysis demonstrated low level of astrogenesis in the adult diencephalon, but not in cerebral cortex grey matter. This led to the identification of Smad4 as a key regulator of diencephalic astrocyte in vivo proliferation and in vitro neurosphere formation. Thus, astrocytes show diverse gene expression states related to distinct functions with some subsets being more widespread while others are more regionally restricted. However, all share low‐level proliferation revealing the novel concept of adult astrogenesis in the diencephalon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Ohlig
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Solène Clavreul
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Manja Thorwirth
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Tatiana Simon-Ebert
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Riccardo Bocchi
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Sabine Ulbricht
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Nirmal Kannayian
- Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Moritz Rossner
- Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Swetlana Sirko
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Pawel Smialowski
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Judith Fischer-Sternjak
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Magdalena Götz
- Biomedical Center (BMC), Division of Physiological Genomics, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Institute of Stem Cell Research, Neuherberg, Germany.,SYNERGY, Excellence cluster of Systems Neurology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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