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Reasoner EE, van der Plas E, Langbehn DR, Conrad AL, Koscik TR, Epping EA, Magnotta VA, Nopoulos PC. Cortical Features in Child and Adolescent Carriers of Mutant Huntingtin (mHTT). J Huntingtons Dis 2022; 11:173-178. [PMID: 35275555 PMCID: PMC9177765 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-210512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular studies provide evidence that mutant huntingtin (mHTT) affects early cortical development; however, cortical development has not been evaluated in child and adolescent carriers of mHTT. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of mHTT on the developmental trajectories of cortical thickness and surface area. METHODS Children and adolescents (6-18 years) participated in the KidsHD study. mHTT carrier status was determined for research purposes only to classify participants as gene expanded (GE) and gene non-expanded (GNE). Cortical features were extracted from 3T neuroimaging using FreeSurfer. Nonlinear mixed effects models were conducted to determine if age, group, and CAG repeat were associated with cortical morphometry. RESULTS Age-related changes in cortical morphometry were similar across groups. Expanded CAG repeat was not significantly associated with cortical features. CONCLUSION While striatal development is markedly different in GE and GNE, developmental change of the cortex appears grossly normal among child and adolescent carrier of mHTT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Reasoner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Ellen van der Plas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Douglas R. Langbehn
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Amy L. Conrad
- Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Timothy R. Koscik
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Eric A. Epping
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Vincent A. Magnotta
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242,Department of Radiology, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Peggy C. Nopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242,Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242,Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 52242
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102
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Kisby GE, Spencer PS. Genotoxic Damage During Brain Development Presages Prototypical Neurodegenerative Disease. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:752153. [PMID: 34924930 PMCID: PMC8675606 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.752153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Western Pacific Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC) is a disappearing prototypical neurodegenerative disorder (tau-dominated polyproteinopathy) linked with prior exposure to phytogenotoxins in cycad seed used for medicine and/or food. The principal cycad genotoxin, methylazoxymethanol (MAM), forms reactive carbon-centered ions that alkylate nucleic acids in fetal rodent brain and, depending on the timing of systemic administration, induces persistent developmental abnormalities of the cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, and retina. Whereas administration of MAM prenatally or postnatally can produce animal models of epilepsy, schizophrenia or ataxia, administration to adult animals produces little effect on brain structure or function. The neurotoxic effects of MAM administered to rats during cortical brain development (specifically, gestation day 17) are used to model the histological, neurophysiological and behavioral deficits of human schizophrenia, a condition that may precede or follow clinical onset of motor neuron disease in subjects with sporadic ALS and ALS/PDC. While studies of migrants to and from communities impacted by ALS/PDC indicate the degenerative brain disorder may be acquired in juvenile and adult life, a proportion of indigenous cases shows neurodevelopmental aberrations in the cerebellum and retina consistent with MAM exposure in utero. MAM induces specific patterns of DNA damage and repair that associate with increased tau expression in primary rat neuronal cultures and with brain transcriptional changes that parallel those associated with human ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. We examine MAM in relation to neurodevelopment, epigenetic modification, DNA damage/replicative stress, genomic instability, somatic mutation, cell-cycle reentry and cellular senescence. Since the majority of neurodegenerative disease lacks a solely inherited genetic basis, research is needed to explore the hypothesis that early-life exposure to genotoxic agents may trigger or promote molecular events that culminate in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen E Kisby
- College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, OR, United States
| | - Peter S Spencer
- School of Medicine (Neurology), Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
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103
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Quintero ME, Pontes JGDM, Tasic L. Metabolomics in degenerative brain diseases. Brain Res 2021; 1773:147704. [PMID: 34744014 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Among the most studied diseases that affect the central nervous system are Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases, but the lack of effective biomarkers, accurate diagnosis, and precise treatment for each of them is currently an issue. Due to the contribution of biomarkers in supporting diagnosis, many recent efforts have focused on their identification and validation at the beginning or during the progression of the mental illness. Metabolome reveals the metabolic processes that result from protein activities under the guided gene expression and environmental factors, either in healthy or pathological conditions. In this context, metabolomics has proven to be a valuable approach. Currently, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) are the most commonly used bioanalytical techniques for metabolomics. MS-assisted profiling is considered the most versatile technique, and the NMR is the most reproductive. However, each one of them has its drawbacks. In this review, we summarized several alterations in metabolites that have been reported for these three classic brain diseases using MS and NMR-based research, which might suggest some possible biomarkers to support the diagnosis and/or new targets for their treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Escobar Quintero
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - João Guilherme de Moraes Pontes
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Ljubica Tasic
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Organic Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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104
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Benussi A, Alberici A, Samra K, Russell LL, Greaves CV, Bocchetta M, Ducharme S, Finger E, Fumagalli G, Galimberti D, Jiskoot LC, Le Ber I, Masellis M, Nacmias B, Rowe JB, Sanchez-Valle R, Seelaar H, Synofzik M, Rohrer JD, Borroni B. Conceptual framework for the definition of preclinical and prodromal frontotemporal dementia. Alzheimers Dement 2021; 18:1408-1423. [PMID: 34874596 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The presymptomatic stages of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are still poorly defined and encompass a long accrual of progressive biological (preclinical) and then clinical (prodromal) changes, antedating the onset of dementia. The heterogeneity of clinical presentations and the different neuropathological phenotypes have prevented a prior clear description of either preclinical or prodromal FTD. Recent advances in therapeutic approaches, at least in monogenic disease, demand a proper definition of these predementia stages. It has become clear that a consensus lexicon is needed to comprehensively describe the stages that anticipate dementia. The goal of the present work is to review existing literature on the preclinical and prodromal phases of FTD, providing recommendations to address the unmet questions, therefore laying out a strategy for operationalizing and better characterizing these presymptomatic disease stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Benussi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.,Neurology Unit, Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | - Antonella Alberici
- Neurology Unit, Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | - Kiran Samra
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Caroline V Greaves
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Martina Bocchetta
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Simon Ducharme
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute and Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.,McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Finger
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giorgio Fumagalli
- Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico, Milan, Italy.,University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Galimberti
- Fondazione Ca' Granda, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico, Milan, Italy.,University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lize C Jiskoot
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.,Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Isabelle Le Ber
- Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR, Paris, France.,Centre de référence des démences rares ou précoces, IM2A, Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND), Paris, France
| | - Mario Masellis
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Benedetta Nacmias
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, and IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Raquel Sanchez-Valle
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Clínic, Institut d'Investigacións Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Harro Seelaar
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center of Neurology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Barbara Borroni
- Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.,Neurology Unit, Department of Neurological and Vision Sciences, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
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105
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Hernandez SJ, Fote G, Reyes-Ortiz AM, Steffan JS, Thompson LM. Cooperation of cell adhesion and autophagy in the brain: Functional roles in development and neurodegenerative disease. Matrix Biol Plus 2021; 12:100089. [PMID: 34786551 PMCID: PMC8579148 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbplus.2021.100089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular adhesive connections directed by the extracellular matrix (ECM) and maintenance of cellular homeostasis by autophagy are seemingly disparate functions that are molecularly intertwined, each regulating the other. This is an emerging field in the brain where the interplay between adhesion and autophagy functions at the intersection of neuroprotection and neurodegeneration. The ECM and adhesion proteins regulate autophagic responses to direct protein clearance and guide regenerative programs that go awry in brain disorders. Concomitantly, autophagic flux acts to regulate adhesion dynamics to mediate neurite outgrowth and synaptic plasticity with functional disruption contributed by neurodegenerative disease. This review highlights the cooperative exchange between cellular adhesion and autophagy in the brain during health and disease. As the mechanistic alliance between adhesion and autophagy has been leveraged therapeutically for metastatic disease, understanding overlapping molecular functions that direct the interplay between adhesion and autophagy might uncover therapeutic strategies to correct or compensate for neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J. Hernandez
- Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Gianna Fote
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Andrea M. Reyes-Ortiz
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Joan S. Steffan
- Psychaitry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Institute of Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Leslie M. Thompson
- Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Psychaitry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
- Institute of Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
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106
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Cirnaru MD, Creus-Muncunill J, Nelson S, Lewis TB, Watson J, Ellerby LM, Gonzalez-Alegre P, Ehrlich ME. Striatal Cholinergic Dysregulation after Neonatal Decrease in X-Linked Dystonia Parkinsonism-Related TAF1 Isoforms. Mov Disord 2021; 36:2780-2794. [PMID: 34403156 DOI: 10.1002/mds.28750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND X-linked dystonia parkinsonism is a generalized, progressive dystonia followed by parkinsonism with onset in adulthood and accompanied by striatal neurodegeneration. Causative mutations are located in a noncoding region of the TATA-box binding protein-associated factor 1 (TAF1) gene and result in aberrant splicing. There are 2 major TAF1 isoforms that may be decreased in symptomatic patients, including the ubiquitously expressed canonical cTAF1 and the neuronal-specific nTAF1. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the behavioral and transcriptomic effects of decreased cTAF1 and/or nTAF1 in vivo. METHODS We generated adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors encoding microRNAs targeting Taf1 in a splice-isoform selective manner. We performed intracerebroventricular viral injections in newborn mice and rats and intrastriatal infusions in 3-week-old rats. The effects of Taf1 knockdown were assayed at 4 months of age with evaluation of motor function, histology, and RNA sequencing of the striatum, followed by its validation. RESULTS We report motor deficits in all cohorts, more pronounced in animals injected at P0, in which we also identified transcriptomic alterations in multiple neuronal pathways, including the cholinergic synapse. In both species, we show a reduced number of striatal cholinergic interneurons and their marker mRNAs after Taf1 knockdown in the newborn. CONCLUSION This study provides novel information regarding the requirement for TAF1 in the postnatal maintenance of striatal cholinergic neurons, the dysfunction of which is involved in other inherited forms of dystonia. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Daniela Cirnaru
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jordi Creus-Muncunill
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Shareen Nelson
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular & Molecular Therapeutics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Travis B Lewis
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular & Molecular Therapeutics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jaime Watson
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular & Molecular Therapeutics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Lisa M Ellerby
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, California, USA
| | - Pedro Gonzalez-Alegre
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular & Molecular Therapeutics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Neurology, Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Michelle E Ehrlich
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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107
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Villegas L, Nørremølle A, Freude K, Vilhardt F. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidases Are Everywhere in Brain Disease, but Not in Huntington's Disease? Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:736734. [PMID: 34803655 PMCID: PMC8602359 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.736734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by neuronal loss and tissue atrophy mainly in the striatum and cortex. In the early stages of the disease, impairment of neuronal function, synaptic dysfunction and white matter loss precedes neuronal death itself. Relative to other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, where the effects of either microglia or NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are recognized as important contributors to disease pathogenesis and progression, there is a pronounced lack of information in HD. This information void contrasts with evidence from human HD patients where blood monocytes and microglia are activated well before HD clinical symptoms (PET scans), and the clear signs of oxidative stress and inflammation in post mortem HD brain. Habitually, NOX activity and oxidative stress in the central nervous system (CNS) are equated with microglia, but research of the last two decades has carved out important roles for NOX enzyme function in neurons. Here, we will convey recent information about the function of NOX enzymes in neurons, and contemplate on putative roles of neuronal NOX in HD. We will focus on NOX-produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) as redox signaling molecules in/among neurons, and the specific roles of NOXs in important processes such as neurogenesis and lineage specification, neurite outgrowth and growth cone dynamics, and synaptic plasticity where NMDAR-dependent signaling, and long-term depression/potentiation are redox-regulated phenomena. HD animal models and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) studies have made it clear that the very same physiological processes are also affected in HD, and we will speculate on possible roles for NOX in the pathogenesis and development of disease. Finally, we also take into account the limited information on microglia in HD and relate this to any contribution of NOX enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisana Villegas
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Nørremølle
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristine Freude
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Frederik Vilhardt
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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108
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Knowles R, Dehorter N, Ellender T. From Progenitors to Progeny: Shaping Striatal Circuit Development and Function. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9483-9502. [PMID: 34789560 PMCID: PMC8612473 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0620-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how neurons of the striatum are formed and integrate into complex synaptic circuits is essential to provide insight into striatal function in health and disease. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the development of striatal neurons and associated circuits with a focus on their embryonic origin. Specifically, we address the role of distinct types of embryonic progenitors, found in the proliferative zones of the ganglionic eminences in the ventral telencephalon, in the generation of diverse striatal interneurons and projection neurons. Indeed, recent evidence would suggest that embryonic progenitor origin dictates key characteristics of postnatal cells, including their neurochemical content, their location within striatum, and their long-range synaptic inputs. We also integrate recent observations regarding embryonic progenitors in cortical and other regions and discuss how this might inform future research on the ganglionic eminences. Last, we examine how embryonic progenitor dysfunction can alter striatal formation, as exemplified in Huntington's disease and autism spectrum disorder, and how increased understanding of embryonic progenitors can have significant implications for future research directions and the development of improved therapeutic options.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This review highlights recently defined novel roles for embryonic progenitor cells in shaping the functional properties of both projection neurons and interneurons of the striatum. It outlines the developmental mechanisms that guide neuronal development from progenitors in the embryonic ganglionic eminences to progeny in the striatum. Where questions remain open, we integrate observations from cortex and other regions to present possible avenues for future research. Last, we provide a progenitor-centric perspective onto both Huntington's disease and autism spectrum disorder. We suggest that future investigations and manipulations of embryonic progenitor cells in both research and clinical settings will likely require careful consideration of their great intrinsic diversity and neurogenic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys Knowles
- The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Nathalie Dehorter
- The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Tommas Ellender
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QT, United Kingdom
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
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109
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Schiller EA, Bergstralh DT. Interaction between Discs large and Pins/LGN/GPSM2: a comparison across species. Biol Open 2021; 10:bio058982. [PMID: 34596678 PMCID: PMC8576264 DOI: 10.1242/bio.058982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The orientation of the mitotic spindle determines the direction of cell division, and therefore contributes to tissue shape and cell fate. Interaction between the multifunctional scaffolding protein Discs large (Dlg) and the canonical spindle orienting factor GPSM2 (called Pins in Drosophila and LGN in vertebrates) has been established in bilaterian models, but its function remains unclear. We used a phylogenetic approach to test whether the interaction is obligate in animals, and in particular whether Pins/LGN/GPSM2 evolved in multicellular organisms as a Dlg-binding protein. We show that Dlg diverged in C. elegans and the syncytial sponge Opsacas minuta and propose that this divergence may correspond with differences in spindle orientation requirements between these organisms and the canonical pathways described in bilaterians. We also demonstrate that Pins/LGN/GPSM2 is present in basal animals, but the established Dlg-interaction site cannot be found in either Placozoa or Porifera. Our results suggest that the interaction between Pins/LGN/GPSM2 and Dlg appeared in Cnidaria, and we therefore speculate that it may have evolved to promote accurate division orientation in the nervous system. This work reveals the evolutionary history of the Pins/LGN/GPSM2-Dlg interaction and suggests new possibilities for its importance in spindle orientation during epithelial and neural tissue development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dan T. Bergstralh
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester NY, 14627, USA
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110
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Kelley KW, Pașca SP. Human brain organogenesis: Toward a cellular understanding of development and disease. Cell 2021; 185:42-61. [PMID: 34774127 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The construction of the human nervous system is a distinctly complex although highly regulated process. Human tissue inaccessibility has impeded a molecular understanding of the developmental specializations from which our unique cognitive capacities arise. A confluence of recent technological advances in genomics and stem cell-based tissue modeling is laying the foundation for a new understanding of human neural development and dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disease. Here, we review recent progress on uncovering the cellular and molecular principles of human brain organogenesis in vivo as well as using organoids and assembloids in vitro to model features of human evolution and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin W Kelley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sergiu P Pașca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA, USA; Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford, CA, USA.
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111
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Developmental defects in Huntington's disease show that axonal growth and microtubule reorganization require NUMA1. Neuron 2021; 110:36-50.e5. [PMID: 34793694 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Although the classic symptoms of Huntington's disease (HD) manifest in adulthood, neural progenitor cell behavior is already abnormal by 13 weeks' gestation. To determine how these developmental defects evolve, we turned to cell and mouse models. We found that layer II/III neurons that normally connect the hemispheres are limited in their growth in HD by microtubule bundling defects within the axonal growth cone, so that fewer axons cross the corpus callosum. Proteomic analyses of the growth cones revealed that NUMA1 (nuclear/mitotic apparatus protein 1) is downregulated in HD by miR-124. Suppressing NUMA1 in wild-type cells recapitulates the microtubule and axonal growth defects of HD, whereas raising NUMA1 levels with antagomiR-124 or stabilizing microtubules with epothilone B restores microtubule organization and rescues axonal growth. NUMA1 therefore regulates the microtubule network in the growth cone, and HD, which is traditionally conceived as a disease of intracellular trafficking, also disturbs the cytoskeletal network.
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112
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Pigazzini ML, Lawrenz M, Margineanu A, Kaminski Schierle GS, Kirstein J. An Expanded Polyproline Domain Maintains Mutant Huntingtin Soluble in vivo and During Aging. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:721749. [PMID: 34720872 PMCID: PMC8554126 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.721749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat, encoding for the amino acid glutamine (Q), present in the first exon of the protein huntingtin. Over the threshold of Q39 HTT exon 1 (HTTEx1) tends to misfold and aggregate into large intracellular structures, but whether these end-stage aggregates or their on-pathway intermediates are responsible for cytotoxicity is still debated. HTTEx1 can be separated into three domains: an N-terminal 17 amino acid region, the polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion and a C-terminal proline rich domain (PRD). Alongside the expanded polyQ, these flanking domains influence the aggregation propensity of HTTEx1: with the N17 initiating and promoting aggregation, and the PRD modulating it. In this study we focus on the first 11 amino acids of the PRD, a stretch of pure prolines, which are an evolutionary recent addition to the expanding polyQ region. We hypothesize that this proline region is expanding alongside the polyQ to counteract its ability to misfold and cause toxicity, and that expanding this proline region would be overall beneficial. We generated HTTEx1 mutants lacking both flanking domains singularly, missing the first 11 prolines of the PRD, or with this stretch of prolines expanded. We then followed their aggregation landscape in vitro with a battery of biochemical assays, and in vivo in novel models of C. elegans expressing the HTTEx1 mutants pan-neuronally. Employing fluorescence lifetime imaging we could observe the aggregation propensity of all HTTEx1 mutants during aging and correlate this with toxicity via various phenotypic assays. We found that the presence of an expanded proline stretch is beneficial in maintaining HTTEx1 soluble over time, regardless of polyQ length. However, the expanded prolines were only advantageous in promoting the survival and fitness of an organism carrying a pathogenic stretch of Q48 but were extremely deleterious to the nematode expressing a physiological stretch of Q23. Our results reveal the unique importance of the prolines which have and still are evolving alongside expanding glutamines to promote the function of HTTEx1 and avoid pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lucia Pigazzini
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FMP), Berlin, Germany
- NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mandy Lawrenz
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FMP), Berlin, Germany
| | - Anca Margineanu
- Advanced Light Microscopy, Max-Delbrück Centrum for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriele S. Kaminski Schierle
- Molecular Neuroscience Group, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Janine Kirstein
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FMP), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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113
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Bakels HS, Roos RAC, van Roon-Mom WMC, de Bot ST. Juvenile-Onset Huntington Disease Pathophysiology and Neurodevelopment: A Review. Mov Disord 2021; 37:16-24. [PMID: 34636452 PMCID: PMC9291924 DOI: 10.1002/mds.28823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease is an autosomal dominant inherited brain disorder that typically becomes manifest in adulthood. Juvenile-onset Huntington disease refers to approximately 5% of patients with symptom onset before the age of 21 years. The causal factor is a pathologically expanded CAG repeat in the Huntingtin gene. Age at onset is inversely correlated with CAG repeat length. Juvenile-onset patients have distinct symptoms and signs with more severe pathology of involved brain structures in comparison with disease onset in adulthood. The aim of this review is to compare clinical and pathological features in juvenile- and adult-onset Huntington disease and to explore which processes potentially contribute to the observed differences. A specific focus is placed on molecular mechanisms of mutant huntingtin in early neurodevelopment and the interaction of a neurodegenerative disease and postnatal brain maturation. The importance of a better understanding of pathophysiological differences between juvenile- and adult-onset Huntington disease lies in development and implementation of new therapeutic strategies. © 2021 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah S Bakels
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Raymund A C Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Susanne T de Bot
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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114
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Galgoczi S, Ruzo A, Markopoulos C, Yoney A, Phan-Everson T, Li S, Haremaki T, Metzger JJ, Etoc F, Brivanlou AH. Huntingtin CAG expansion impairs germ layer patterning in synthetic human 2D gastruloids through polarity defects. Development 2021; 148:272380. [PMID: 34608934 PMCID: PMC8513611 DOI: 10.1242/dev.199513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of the CAG repeats in the huntingtin gene (HTT). Although HD has been shown to have a developmental component, how early during human embryogenesis the HTT-CAG expansion can cause embryonic defects remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate a specific and highly reproducible CAG length-dependent phenotypic signature in a synthetic model for human gastrulation derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Specifically, we observed a reduction in the extension of the ectodermal compartment that is associated with enhanced activin signaling. Surprisingly, rather than a cell-autonomous effect, tracking the dynamics of TGFβ signaling demonstrated that HTT-CAG expansion perturbs the spatial restriction of activin response. This is due to defects in the apicobasal polarization in the context of the polarized epithelium of the 2D gastruloid, leading to ectopic subcellular localization of TGFβ receptors. This work refines the earliest developmental window for the prodromal phase of HD to the first 2 weeks of human development, as modeled by our 2D gastruloids. Summary: 2D gastruloids of isogenic human embryonic stem cells modeling Huntington's Disease reveal that huntingtin CAG expansion perturbs the spatial restriction of the activin response in the context of the polarized epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szilvia Galgoczi
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Albert Ruzo
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Christian Markopoulos
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anna Yoney
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Laboratory of condensed matter physics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tien Phan-Everson
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Laboratory of condensed matter physics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Shu Li
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tomomi Haremaki
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jakob J Metzger
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Laboratory of condensed matter physics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Fred Etoc
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Laboratory of condensed matter physics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ali H Brivanlou
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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115
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Isoform-Specific Reduction of the Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor TCF4 Levels in Huntington's Disease. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0197-21.2021. [PMID: 34518368 PMCID: PMC8519306 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0197-21.2021] [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: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder with onset of characteristic motor symptoms at midlife, preceded by subtle cognitive and behavioral disturbances. Transcriptional dysregulation emerges early in the disease course and is considered central to HD pathogenesis. Using wild-type (wt) and HD knock-in mouse striatal cell lines we observed a HD genotype-dependent reduction in the protein levels of transcription factor 4 (TCF4), a member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family with critical roles in brain development and function. We characterized mouse Tcf4 gene structure and expression of alternative mRNAs and protein isoforms in cell-based models of HD, and in four different brain regions of male transgenic HD mice (R6/1) from young to mature adulthood. The largest decrease in the levels of TCF4 at mRNA and specific protein isoforms were detected in the R6/1 mouse hippocampus. Translating this finding to human disease, we found reduced expression of long TCF4 isoforms in the postmortem hippocampal CA1 area and in the cerebral cortex of HD patients. Additionally, TCF4 protein isoforms showed differential synergism with the proneural transcription factor ASCL1 in activating reporter gene transcription in hippocampal and cortical cultured neurons. Induction of neuronal activity increased these synergistic effects in hippocampal but not in cortical neurons, suggesting brain region-dependent differences in TCF4 functions. Collectively, this study demonstrates isoform-specific changes in TCF4 expression in HD that could contribute to the progressive impairment of transcriptional regulation and neuronal function in this disease.
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116
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Diao X, Wang F, Becerra-Calixto A, Soto C, Mukherjee A. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Dopaminergic Neurons from Familial Parkinson's Disease Patients Display α-Synuclein Pathology and Abnormal Mitochondrial Morphology. Cells 2021; 10:cells10092402. [PMID: 34572052 PMCID: PMC8467069 DOI: 10.3390/cells10092402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) into Lewy bodies (LBs) and mitochondrial abnormalities are the two cardinal pathobiological features of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which are associated with the loss of dopaminergic neurons. Although α-syn accumulates in many different cellular and mouse models, these models generally lack LB features. Here, we generated midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neuronal cultures from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from familial PD (fPD) patients and healthy controls. We show that mDA neuronal cultures from fPD patients with A53T mutation and α-syn gene (SNCA) triplication display pathological α-syn deposits, which spatially and morphologically resemble LBs. Importantly, we did not find any apparent accumulation of pathological α-syn in mDA neuronal culture derived from a healthy donor. Furthermore, we show that there are morphological abnormalities in the mitochondrial network in mDA neuronal cultures from fPD patients. Consequently, these cells were more susceptible to mitochondrial damage compared with healthy donor-derived mDA neuronal cultures. Our results indicate that the iPSC-derived mDA neuronal culture platform can be used to investigate the spatiotemporal appearance of LBs, as well as their composition, architecture, and relationship with mitochondrial abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Diao
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (X.D.); (F.W.); (A.B.-C.); (C.S.)
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (X.D.); (F.W.); (A.B.-C.); (C.S.)
| | - Andrea Becerra-Calixto
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (X.D.); (F.W.); (A.B.-C.); (C.S.)
| | - Claudio Soto
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (X.D.); (F.W.); (A.B.-C.); (C.S.)
| | - Abhisek Mukherjee
- Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders, Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (X.D.); (F.W.); (A.B.-C.); (C.S.)
- Correspondence:
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117
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A roadmap for the Human Developmental Cell Atlas. Nature 2021; 597:196-205. [PMID: 34497388 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The Human Developmental Cell Atlas (HDCA) initiative, which is part of the Human Cell Atlas, aims to create a comprehensive reference map of cells during development. This will be critical to understanding normal organogenesis, the effect of mutations, environmental factors and infectious agents on human development, congenital and childhood disorders, and the cellular basis of ageing, cancer and regenerative medicine. Here we outline the HDCA initiative and the challenges of mapping and modelling human development using state-of-the-art technologies to create a reference atlas across gestation. Similar to the Human Genome Project, the HDCA will integrate the output from a growing community of scientists who are mapping human development into a unified atlas. We describe the early milestones that have been achieved and the use of human stem-cell-derived cultures, organoids and animal models to inform the HDCA, especially for prenatal tissues that are hard to acquire. Finally, we provide a roadmap towards a complete atlas of human development.
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118
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Fields E, Vaughan E, Tripu D, Lim I, Shrout K, Conway J, Salib N, Lee Y, Dhamsania A, Jacobsen M, Woo A, Xue H, Cao K. Gene targeting techniques for Huntington's disease. Ageing Res Rev 2021; 70:101385. [PMID: 34098113 PMCID: PMC8373677 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2021.101385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal neurodegenerative disorder caused by extended trinucleotide CAG repetition in the HTT gene. Wild-type huntingtin protein (HTT) is essential, involved in a variety of crucial cellular functions such as vesicle transportation, cell division, transcription regulation, autophagy, and tissue maintenance. The mutant HTT (mHTT) proteins in the body interfere with HTT's normal cellular functions and cause additional detrimental effects. In this review, we discuss multiple approaches targeting DNA and RNA to reduce mHTT expression. These approaches are categorized into non-allele-specific silencing and allele-specific-silencing using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplogroup analysis. Additionally, this review discusses a potential application of recent CRISPR prime editing technology in targeting HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Fields
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Erik Vaughan
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Deepika Tripu
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Isabelle Lim
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Katherine Shrout
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Jessica Conway
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Nicole Salib
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Yubin Lee
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Akash Dhamsania
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Michael Jacobsen
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Ashley Woo
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Huijing Xue
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
| | - Kan Cao
- Gemstone Honors Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States.
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119
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Spencer PS, Kisby GE. Role of Hydrazine-Related Chemicals in Cancer and Neurodegenerative Disease. Chem Res Toxicol 2021; 34:1953-1969. [PMID: 34379394 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hydrazine-related chemicals (HRCs) with carcinogenic and neurotoxic potential are found in certain mushrooms and plants used for food and in products employed in various industries, including aerospace. Their propensity to induce DNA damage (mostly O6-, N7- and 8-oxo-guanine lesions) resulting in multiple downstream effects is linked with both cancer and neurological disease. For cycling cells, unrepaired DNA damage leads to mutation and uncontrolled mitosis. By contrast, postmitotic neurons attempt to re-enter the cell cycle but undergo apoptosis or nonapoptotic cell death. Biomarkers of exposure to HRCs can be used to explore whether these substances are risk factors for sporadic amyotrophic laterals sclerosis and other noninherited neurodegenerative diseases, which is the focus of this paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter S Spencer
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239, United States
| | - Glen E Kisby
- College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest, Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, Oregon 97355, United States
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120
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Lovergne L, Ghosh D, Schuck R, Polyzos AA, Chen AD, Martin MC, Barnard ES, Brown JB, McMurray CT. An infrared spectral biomarker accurately predicts neurodegenerative disease class in the absence of overt symptoms. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15598. [PMID: 34341363 PMCID: PMC8329289 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93686-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although some neurodegenerative diseases can be identified by behavioral characteristics relatively late in disease progression, we currently lack methods to predict who has developed disease before the onset of symptoms, when onset will occur, or the outcome of therapeutics. New biomarkers are needed. Here we describe spectral phenotyping, a new kind of biomarker that makes disease predictions based on chemical rather than biological endpoints in cells. Spectral phenotyping uses Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectromicroscopy to produce an absorbance signature as a rapid physiological indicator of disease state. FTIR spectromicroscopy has over the past been used in differential diagnoses of manifest disease. Here, we report that the unique FTIR chemical signature accurately predicts disease class in mouse with high probability in the absence of brain pathology. In human cells, the FTIR biomarker accurately predicts neurodegenerative disease class using fibroblasts as surrogate cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lila Lovergne
- Division of Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Dhruba Ghosh
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Renaud Schuck
- Division of Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Aris A Polyzos
- Division of Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Andrew D Chen
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Michael C Martin
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Edward S Barnard
- Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - James B Brown
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Division of Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Cynthia T McMurray
- Division of Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
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121
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Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology holds promise for modeling neurodegenerative diseases. Traditional approaches for disease modeling using animal and cellular models require knowledge of disease mutations. However, many patients with neurodegenerative diseases do not have a known genetic cause. iPSCs offer a way to generate patient-specific models and study pathways of dysfunction in an in vitro setting in order to understand the causes and subtypes of neurodegeneration. Furthermore, iPSC-based models can be used to search for candidate therapeutics using high-throughput screening. Here we review how iPSC-based models are currently being used to further our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as discuss their challenges and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Li
- Computational and Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA;
| | - Ernest Fraenkel
- Computational and Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA; .,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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122
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Huntingtin and Its Role in Mechanisms of RNA-Mediated Toxicity. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13070487. [PMID: 34357961 PMCID: PMC8310054 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13070487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by a CAG-repeat expansion mutation in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. It is characterized by progressive psychiatric and neurological symptoms in combination with a progressive movement disorder. Despite the ubiquitous expression of HTT, pathological changes occur quite selectively in the central nervous system. Since the discovery of HD more than 150 years ago, a lot of research on molecular mechanisms contributing to neurotoxicity has remained the focal point. While traditionally, the protein encoded by the HTT gene remained the cynosure for researchers and was extensively reviewed elsewhere, several studies in the last few years clearly indicated the contribution of the mutant RNA transcript to cellular dysfunction as well. In this review, we outline recent studies on RNA-mediated molecular mechanisms that are linked to cellular dysfunction in HD models. These mechanisms include mis-splicing, aberrant translation, deregulation of the miRNA machinery, deregulated RNA transport and abnormal regulation of mitochondrial RNA. Furthermore, we summarize recent therapeutical approaches targeting the mutant HTT transcript. While currently available treatments are of a palliative nature only and do not halt the disease progression, recent clinical studies provide hope that these novel RNA-targeting strategies will lead to better therapeutic approaches.
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123
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Bensalel J, Xu H, Lu ML, Capobianco E, Wei J. RNA-seq analysis reveals significant transcriptome changes in huntingtin-null human neuroblastoma cells. BMC Med Genomics 2021; 14:176. [PMID: 34215255 PMCID: PMC8252266 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-021-01022-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [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: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntingtin (Htt) protein is the product of the gene mutated in Huntington's disease (HD), a fatal, autosomal dominant, neurodegenerative disorder. Normal Htt is essential for early embryogenesis and the development of the central nervous system. However, the role of Htt in adult tissues is less defined. Following the recent promising clinical trial in which both normal and mutant Htt mRNA were knocked down in HD patients, there is an urgent need to fully understand the molecular consequences of knocking out/down Htt in adult tissues. Htt has been identified as an important transcriptional regulator. Unbiased investigations of transcriptome changes with RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) have been done in multiple cell types in HD, further confirming that transcriptional dysregulation is a central pathogenic mechanism in HD. However, there is lack of direct understanding of the transcriptional regulation by normal Htt. METHODS To investigate the transcriptional role of normal Htt, we first knocked out Htt in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line using the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas9 (CRISPR-associated protein 9) gene editing approach. We then performed RNA-seq analysis on Htt-null and wild type SH-SY5Y cells to probe the global transcriptome changes induced by Htt deletion. RESULTS In general, Htt has a widespread effect on gene transcription. Functional analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using various bioinformatic tools revealed irregularities in pathways related to cell communication and signaling, and more specifically those related to neuron development, neurotransmission and synaptic signaling. We further examined the transcription factors that may regulate these DEGs. Consistent with the disrupted pathways associated with cellular development, we showed that Htt-null cells exhibited slower cell proliferation than wild type cells. We finally validated some of the top DEGS with quantitative RT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS The widespread transcriptome changes in Htt-null cells could be directly caused by the loss of Htt-mediated transcriptional regulation or due to the secondary consequences of disruption in the gene regulatory network. Our study therefore provides valuable information about key genes associated with Htt-mediated transcription and improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the cellular functions of normal and mutant Htt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Bensalel
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Hongyuan Xu
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Michael L Lu
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Enrico Capobianco
- Institute of Data Science and Computing, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33146, USA
| | - Jianning Wei
- Department of Biomedical Science, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.
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124
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Świtońska-Kurkowska K, Krist B, Delimata J, Figiel M. Juvenile Huntington's Disease and Other PolyQ Diseases, Update on Neurodevelopmental Character and Comparative Bioinformatic Review of Transcriptomic and Proteomic Data. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:642773. [PMID: 34277598 PMCID: PMC8281051 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.642773] [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: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine (PolyQ) diseases are neurodegenerative disorders caused by the CAG repeat expansion mutation in affected genes resulting in toxic proteins containing a long chain of glutamines. There are nine PolyQ diseases: Huntington’s disease (HD), spinocerebellar ataxias (types 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 17), dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA), and spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). In general, longer CAG expansions and longer glutamine tracts lead to earlier disease presentations in PolyQ patients. Rarely, cases of extremely long expansions are identified for PolyQ diseases, and they consistently lead to juvenile or sometimes very severe infantile-onset polyQ syndromes. In apparent contrast to the very long CAG tracts, shorter CAGs and PolyQs in proteins seems to be the evolutionary factor enhancing human cognition. Therefore, polyQ tracts in proteins can be modifiers of brain development and disease drivers, which contribute neurodevelopmental phenotypes in juvenile- and adult-onset PolyQ diseases. Therefore we performed a bioinformatics review of published RNAseq polyQ expression data resulting from the presence of polyQ genes in search of neurodevelopmental expression patterns and comparison between diseases. The expression data were collected from cell types reflecting stages of development such as iPSC, neuronal stem cell, neurons, but also the adult patients and models for PolyQ disease. In addition, we extended our bioinformatic transcriptomic analysis by proteomics data. We identified a group of 13 commonly downregulated genes and proteins in HD mouse models. Our comparative bioinformatic review highlighted several (neuro)developmental pathways and genes identified within PolyQ diseases and mouse models responsible for neural growth, synaptogenesis, and synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bart Krist
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Joanna Delimata
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Maciej Figiel
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland
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125
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Jiang M, Tang T, Liang X, Li J, Qiu Y, Liu S, Bian S, Xie Y, Fang F, Cang J. Maternal sevoflurane exposure induces temporary defects in interkinetic nuclear migration of radial glial progenitors in the fetal cerebral cortex through the Notch signalling pathway. Cell Prolif 2021; 54:e13042. [PMID: 33955094 PMCID: PMC8168415 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The effects of general anaesthetics on fetal brain development remain elusive. Radial glial progenitors (RGPs) generate the majority of neurons in developing brains. Here, we evaluated the acute alterations in RGPs after maternal sevoflurane exposure. METHODS Pregnant mice were exposed to 2.5% sevoflurane for 6 hours on gestational day 14.5. Interkinetic nuclear migration (INM) of RGPs in the ventricular zone (VZ) of the fetal brain was evaluated by thymidine analogues labelling. Cell fate of RGP progeny was determined by immunostaining using various neural markers. The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess the neurocognitive behaviours of the offspring. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed for the potential mechanism, and the potential mechanism validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), Western blot and rescue experiments. Furthermore, INM was examined in human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived 3D cerebral organoids. RESULTS Maternal sevoflurane exposure induced temporary abnormities in INM, and disturbed the cell cycle progression of RGPs in both rodents and cerebral organoids without cell fate alternation. RNA-Seq analysis, qPCR and Western blot showed that the Notch signalling pathway was a potential downstream target. Reactivation of Notch by Jag1 and NICD overexpression rescued the defects in INM. Young adult offspring showed no obvious cognitive impairments in MWM. CONCLUSIONS Maternal sevoflurane exposure during neurogenic period temporarily induced abnormal INM of RGPs by targeting the Notch signalling pathway without inducing long-term effects on RGP progeny cell fate or offspring cognitive behaviours. More importantly, the defects of INM in hESC-derived cerebral organoids provide a novel insight into the effects of general anaesthesia on human brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Jiang
- Department of AnesthesiaZhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Tianxiang Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceInstitutes of Brain ScienceFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xinyue Liang
- Department of AnesthesiaZhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Juchen Li
- Department of AnesthesiaZhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yue Qiu
- Department of AnesthesiaZhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Shiwen Liu
- Department of AnesthesiaZhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Shan Bian
- Institute for Regenerative MedicineSchool of Life Sciences and TechnologyFrontier Science Center for Stem Cell ResearchShanghai East HospitalTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yunli Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain ScienceInstitutes of Brain ScienceFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Fang Fang
- Department of AnesthesiaZhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jing Cang
- Department of AnesthesiaZhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
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126
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Cheong RY, Baldo B, Sajjad MU, Kirik D, Petersén Å. Effects of mutant huntingtin inactivation on Huntington disease-related behaviours in the BACHD mouse model. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2021; 47:564-578. [PMID: 33330988 PMCID: PMC8247873 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder with no disease-modifying treatments approved so far. Ongoing clinical trials are attempting to reduce huntingtin (HTT) expression in the central nervous system (CNS) using different strategies. Yet, the distribution and timing of HTT-lowering therapies required for a beneficial clinical effect is less clear. Here, we investigated whether HD-related behaviours could be prevented by inactivating mutant HTT at different disease stages and to varying degrees in an experimental model. METHODS We generated mutant BACHD mice with either a widespread or circuit-specific inactivation of mutant HTT by using Cre recombinase (Cre) under the nestin promoter or the adenosine A2A receptor promoter respectively. We also simulated a clinical gene therapy scenario with allele-specific HTT targeting by injections of recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vectors expressing Cre into the striatum of adult BACHD mice. All mice were assessed using behavioural tests to investigate motor, metabolic and psychiatric outcome measures at 4-6 months of age. RESULTS While motor deficits, body weight changes, anxiety and depressive-like behaviours are present in BACHD mice, early widespread CNS inactivation during development significantly improves rotarod performance, body weight changes and depressive-like behaviour. However, conditional circuit-wide mutant HTT deletion from the indirect striatal pathway during development and focal striatal-specific deletion in adulthood failed to rescue any of the HD-related behaviours. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that widespread targeting and the timing of interventions aimed at reducing mutant HTT are important factors to consider when developing disease-modifying therapies for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Y. Cheong
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research UnitDepartment of Experimental Medical ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Barbara Baldo
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research UnitDepartment of Experimental Medical ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
- Present address:
Evotec SEHD Research and Translational SciencesHamburgGermany
| | - Muhammad U. Sajjad
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research UnitDepartment of Experimental Medical ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Deniz Kirik
- Brain Repair and Imaging in Neural Systems UnitDepartment of Experimental Medical ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
| | - Åsa Petersén
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research UnitDepartment of Experimental Medical ScienceLund UniversityLundSweden
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Hommersom MP, Buijsen RAM, van Roon-Mom WMC, van de Warrenburg BPC, van Bokhoven H. Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Modelling of Spinocerebellar Ataxias. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2021; 18:441-456. [PMID: 34031815 PMCID: PMC8930896 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-021-10184-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Dominant spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) constitute a large group of phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous disorders that mainly present with dysfunction of the cerebellum as their main hallmark. Although animal and cell models have been highly instrumental for our current insight into the underlying disease mechanisms of these neurodegenerative disorders, they do not offer the full human genetic and physiological context. The advent of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and protocols to differentiate these into essentially every cell type allows us to closely model SCAs in a human context. In this review, we systematically summarize recent findings from studies using hiPSC-based modelling of SCAs, and discuss what knowledge has been gained from these studies. We conclude that hiPSC-based models are a powerful tool for modelling SCAs as they contributed to new mechanistic insights and have the potential to serve the development of genetic therapies. However, the use of standardized methods and multiple clones of isogenic lines are essential to increase validity and reproducibility of the insights gained. Graphical Abstract ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina P Hommersom
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ronald A M Buijsen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Willeke M C van Roon-Mom
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bart P C van de Warrenburg
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Hans van Bokhoven
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. .,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
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128
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Hyeon JW, Kim AH, Yano H. Epigenetic regulation in Huntington's disease. Neurochem Int 2021; 148:105074. [PMID: 34038804 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating and fatal monogenic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of selective neurons in the brain and is caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats in a coding exon of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Progressive gene expression changes that begin at premanifest stages are a prominent feature of HD and are thought to contribute to disease progression. Increasing evidence suggests the critical involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in abnormal transcription in HD. Genome-wide alterations of a number of epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and multiple histone modifications, are associated with HD, suggesting that mutant HTT causes complex epigenetic abnormalities and chromatin structural changes, which may represent an underlying pathogenic mechanism. The causal relationship of specific epigenetic changes to early transcriptional alterations and to disease pathogenesis require further investigation. In this article, we review recent studies on epigenetic regulation in HD with a focus on DNA and histone modifications. We also discuss the contribution of epigenetic modifications to HD pathogenesis as well as potential mechanisms linking mutant HTT and epigenetic alterations. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of epigenetic-based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Wook Hyeon
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Albert H Kim
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA; Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA; Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA; Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hiroko Yano
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA; Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA; Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA; Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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129
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Edamakanti CR, Opal P. Developmental Alterations in Adult-Onset Neurodegenerative Disorders: Lessons from Polyglutamine Diseases. Mov Disord 2021; 36:1548-1552. [PMID: 34014004 DOI: 10.1002/mds.28657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Puneet Opal
- Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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130
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Bocchi VD, Conforti P, Vezzoli E, Besusso D, Cappadona C, Lischetti T, Galimberti M, Ranzani V, Bonnal RJP, De Simone M, Rossetti G, He X, Kamimoto K, Espuny-Camacho I, Faedo A, Gervasoni F, Vuono R, Morris SA, Chen J, Felsenfeld D, Pavesi G, Barker RA, Pagani M, Cattaneo E. The coding and long noncoding single-cell atlas of the developing human fetal striatum. Science 2021; 372:372/6542/eabf5759. [PMID: 33958447 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf5759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering how the human striatum develops is necessary for understanding the diseases that affect this region. To decode the transcriptional modules that regulate this structure during development, we compiled a catalog of 1116 long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) identified de novo and then profiled 96,789 single cells from the early human fetal striatum. We found that D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons (D1- and D2-MSNs) arise from a common progenitor and that lineage commitment is established during the postmitotic transition, across a pre-MSN phase that exhibits a continuous spectrum of fate determinants. We then uncovered cell type-specific gene regulatory networks that we validated through in silico perturbation. Finally, we identified human-specific lincRNAs that contribute to the phylogenetic divergence of this structure in humans. This work delineates the cellular hierarchies governing MSN lineage commitment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Dickinson Bocchi
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Conforti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Vezzoli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Dario Besusso
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Cappadona
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziana Lischetti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Maura Galimberti
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Xiaoling He
- WT-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kenji Kamimoto
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ira Espuny-Camacho
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Faedo
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Gervasoni
- INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy.,Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Romina Vuono
- WT-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Samantha A Morris
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jian Chen
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Giulio Pavesi
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Roger A Barker
- WT-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Massimiliano Pagani
- INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy. .,Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Cattaneo
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. .,INGM, Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Milan, Italy
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Kacher R, Lejeune FX, Noël S, Cazeneuve C, Brice A, Humbert S, Durr A. Propensity for somatic expansion increases over the course of life in Huntington disease. eLife 2021; 10:64674. [PMID: 33983118 PMCID: PMC8118653 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work on Huntington disease (HD) suggests that somatic instability of CAG repeat tracts, which can expand into the hundreds in neurons, explains clinical outcomes better than the length of the inherited allele. Here, we measured somatic expansion in blood samples collected from the same 50 HD mutation carriers over a twenty-year period, along with post-mortem tissue from 15 adults and 7 fetal mutation carriers, to examine somatic expansions at different stages of life. Post-mortem brains, as previously reported, had the greatest expansions, but fetal cortex had virtually none. Somatic instability in blood increased with age, despite blood cells being short-lived compared to neurons, and was driven mostly by CAG repeat length, then by age at sampling and by interaction between these two variables. Expansion rates were higher in symptomatic subjects. These data lend support to a previously proposed computational model of somatic instability-driven disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radhia Kacher
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (ICM Institut du Cerveau), AP-HP, INSERM, CNRS, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM, U 1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - François-Xavier Lejeune
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (ICM Institut du Cerveau), AP-HP, INSERM, CNRS, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Paris Brain Institute's Data and Analysis Core, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Noël
- Neurogenetics Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Cazeneuve
- Neurogenetics Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Alexis Brice
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (ICM Institut du Cerveau), AP-HP, INSERM, CNRS, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Humbert
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INSERM, U 1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Grenoble, France
| | - Alexandra Durr
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (ICM Institut du Cerveau), AP-HP, INSERM, CNRS, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Neurogenetics Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, University Hospital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
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132
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Schultz JL, Saft C, Nopoulos PC. Association of CAG Repeat Length in the Huntington Gene With Cognitive Performance in Young Adults. Neurology 2021; 96:e2407-e2413. [PMID: 33692166 PMCID: PMC10508647 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000011823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationships between CAG repeat length in the huntingtin gene and cognitive performance in participants above and below the disease threshold for Huntington disease (HD), we performed a cross-sectional analysis of the Enroll-HD database. METHODS We analyzed data from young, developing adults (≤30 years of age) without a history of depression, apathy, or cognitive deficits. We included participants with and without the gene expansion (CAG ≥36) for HD. All participants had to have a Total Functional Capacity Score of 13, a diagnostic confidence level of zero, and a total motor score of <10 and had to be >28.6 years from their predicted motor onset. We performed regression analyses to investigate the nonlinear relationship between CAG repeat length and various cognitive measures controlling for age, sex, and education level. RESULTS There were significant positive relationships between CAG repeat length and the Symbol Digit Modalities, Stroop Color Naming, and Stroop Interference test scores. There were significant negative relationships between CAG repeat length and scores on Parts A and B of the Trails Making Test (p < 0.05), indicating that longer CAG repeat lengths were associated with better performance. DISCUSSION An increasing number of CAG repeats in the huntingtin gene below disease threshold and low pathologic CAG ranges were associated with some improvements in cognitive performance. These findings outline the relationship between CAG repeats within the huntingtin gene and cognitive development. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE This study provides Class IV evidence that CAG repeat length is positively associated with cognitive function across a spectrum of CAG repeat lengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan L Schultz
- From the Departments of Psychiatry (J.L.S., P.C.N.) and Neurology (J.L.S., P.C.N.), Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa; Division of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences (J.L.S.), University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City; Department of Neurology (C.S.), Huntington Center NRW, Ruhr-University Bochum, St Josef-Hospital, Bochum, Germany; and Stead Family Children's Hospital at the University of Iowa (P.C.N.), Iowa City.
| | - Carsten Saft
- From the Departments of Psychiatry (J.L.S., P.C.N.) and Neurology (J.L.S., P.C.N.), Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa; Division of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences (J.L.S.), University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City; Department of Neurology (C.S.), Huntington Center NRW, Ruhr-University Bochum, St Josef-Hospital, Bochum, Germany; and Stead Family Children's Hospital at the University of Iowa (P.C.N.), Iowa City
| | - Peggy C Nopoulos
- From the Departments of Psychiatry (J.L.S., P.C.N.) and Neurology (J.L.S., P.C.N.), Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa; Division of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences (J.L.S.), University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City; Department of Neurology (C.S.), Huntington Center NRW, Ruhr-University Bochum, St Josef-Hospital, Bochum, Germany; and Stead Family Children's Hospital at the University of Iowa (P.C.N.), Iowa City
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Szlachcic WJ, Ziojla N, Kizewska DK, Kempa M, Borowiak M. Endocrine Pancreas Development and Dysfunction Through the Lens of Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:629212. [PMID: 33996792 PMCID: PMC8116659 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.629212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A chronic inability to maintain blood glucose homeostasis leads to diabetes, which can damage multiple organs. The pancreatic islets regulate blood glucose levels through the coordinated action of islet cell-secreted hormones, with the insulin released by β-cells playing a crucial role in this process. Diabetes is caused by insufficient insulin secretion due to β-cell loss, or a pancreatic dysfunction. The restoration of a functional β-cell mass might, therefore, offer a cure. To this end, major efforts are underway to generate human β-cells de novo, in vitro, or in vivo. The efficient generation of functional β-cells requires a comprehensive knowledge of pancreas development, including the mechanisms driving cell fate decisions or endocrine cell maturation. Rapid progress in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) technologies has brought a new dimension to pancreas development research. These methods can capture the transcriptomes of thousands of individual cells, including rare cell types, subtypes, and transient states. With such massive datasets, it is possible to infer the developmental trajectories of cell transitions and gene regulatory pathways. Here, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of endocrine pancreas development and function from scRNA-Seq studies on developing and adult pancreas and human endocrine differentiation models. We also discuss recent scRNA-Seq findings for the pathological pancreas in diabetes, and their implications for better treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech J. Szlachcic
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Natalia Ziojla
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Dorota K. Kizewska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Marcelina Kempa
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Borowiak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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134
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Sugimoto K, Chiba H. The claudin-transcription factor signaling pathway. Tissue Barriers 2021; 9:1908109. [PMID: 33906582 PMCID: PMC8489944 DOI: 10.1080/21688370.2021.1908109] [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] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Claudins (CLDNs) represent major transmembrane proteins of tight junctions and contribute to the barrier function. They also serve as anchors for several signaling proteins, but the underlying molecular basis has yet to be established. The present review covers the recent progress in our understanding of the CLDN signaling pathway in health and disease. We discuss the functional relevance of phosphotyrosine motifs in the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of CLDNs and define mutual regulation between CLDNs and Src-family kinases (SFKs). In addition, we focus on the crosstalk between CLDN and transcription factor signaling. We also describe how aberrant CLDN–transcription factor signaling promotes or inhibits cancer progression. We propose that a link between various cell adhesion molecules and transcription factors coordinates a range of physiological and pathological events via activation or suppression of target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kotaro Sugimoto
- Department of Basic Pathology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Hideki Chiba
- Department of Basic Pathology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan
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135
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Onur TS, Laitman A, Zhao H, Keyho R, Kim H, Wang J, Mair M, Wang H, Li L, Perez A, de Haro M, Wan YW, Allen G, Lu B, Al-Ramahi I, Liu Z, Botas J. Downregulation of glial genes involved in synaptic function mitigates Huntington's disease pathogenesis. eLife 2021; 10:64564. [PMID: 33871358 PMCID: PMC8149125 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Most research on neurodegenerative diseases has focused on neurons, yet glia help form and maintain the synapses whose loss is so prominent in these conditions. To investigate the contributions of glia to Huntington's disease (HD), we profiled the gene expression alterations of Drosophila expressing human mutant Huntingtin (mHTT) in either glia or neurons and compared these changes to what is observed in HD human and HD mice striata. A large portion of conserved genes are concordantly dysregulated across the three species; we tested these genes in a high-throughput behavioral assay and found that downregulation of genes involved in synapse assembly mitigated pathogenesis and behavioral deficits. To our surprise, reducing dNRXN3 function in glia was sufficient to improve the phenotype of flies expressing mHTT in neurons, suggesting that mHTT's toxic effects in glia ramify throughout the brain. This supports a model in which dampening synaptic function is protective because it attenuates the excitotoxicity that characterizes HD. When a neuron dies, through injury or disease, the body loses all communication that passes through it. The brain compensates by rerouting the flow of information through other neurons in the network. Eventually, if the loss of neurons becomes too great, compensation becomes impossible. This process happens in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. In the case of Huntington's disease, the cause is mutation to a single gene known as huntingtin. The mutation is present in every cell in the body but causes particular damage to parts of the brain involved in mood, thinking and movement. Neurons and other cells respond to mutations in the huntingtin gene by turning the activities of other genes up or down, but it is not clear whether all of these changes contribute to the damage seen in Huntington's disease. In fact, it is possible that some of the changes are a result of the brain trying to protect itself. So far, most research on this subject has focused on neurons because the huntingtin gene plays a role in maintaining healthy neuronal connections. But, given that all cells carry the mutated gene, it is likely that other cells are also involved. The glia are a diverse group of cells that support the brain, providing care and sustenance to neurons. These cells have a known role in maintaining the connections between neurons and may also have play a role in either causing or correcting the damage seen in Huntington's disease. The aim of Onur et al. was to find out which genes are affected by having a mutant huntingtin gene in neurons or glia, and whether severity of Huntington’s disease improved or worsened when the activity of these genes changed. First, Onur et al. identified genes affected by mutant huntingtin by comparing healthy human brains to the brains of people with Huntington's disease. Repeating the same comparison in mice and fruit flies identified genes affected in the same way across all three species, revealing that, in Huntington's disease, the brain dials down glial cell genes involved in maintaining neuronal connections. To find out how these changes in gene activity affect disease severity and progression, Onur et al. manipulated the activity of each of the genes they had identified in fruit flies that carried mutant versions of huntingtin either in neurons, in glial cells or in both cell types. They then filmed the flies to see the effects of the manipulation on movement behaviors, which are affected by Huntington’s disease. This revealed that purposely lowering the activity of the glial genes involved in maintaining connections between neurons improved the symptoms of the disease, but only in flies who had mutant huntingtin in their glial cells. This indicates that the drop in activity of these genes observed in Huntington’s disease is the brain trying to protect itself. This work suggests that it is important to include glial cells in studies of neurological disorders. It also highlights the fact that changes in gene expression as a result of a disease are not always bad. Many alterations are compensatory, and try to either make up for or protect cells affected by the disease. Therefore, it may be important to consider whether drugs designed to treat a condition by changing levels of gene activity might undo some of the body's natural protection. Working out which changes drive disease and which changes are protective will be essential for designing effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarik Seref Onur
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Andrew Laitman
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Quantitative & Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - He Zhao
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Ryan Keyho
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Hyemin Kim
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Jennifer Wang
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Megan Mair
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Huilan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lifang Li
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Alma Perez
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Maria de Haro
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Ying-Wooi Wan
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Genevera Allen
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Statistics and Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, United States
| | - Boxun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ismael Al-Ramahi
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States
| | - Zhandong Liu
- Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Quantitative & Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
| | - Juan Botas
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, United States.,Genetics & Genomics Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States.,Quantitative & Computational Biosciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
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136
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Genetic Screen in Adult Drosophila Reveals That dCBP Depletion in Glial Cells Mitigates Huntington Disease Pathology through a Foxo-Dependent Pathway. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22083884. [PMID: 33918672 PMCID: PMC8069648 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive and fatal autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the first exon of the huntingtin gene (HTT). In spite of considerable efforts, there is currently no treatment to stop or delay the disease. Although HTT is expressed ubiquitously, most of our knowledge has been obtained on neurons. More recently, the impact of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) on other cell types, including glial cells, has received growing interest. It is currently unclear whether new pathological pathways could be identified in these cells compared to neurons. To address this question, we performed an in vivo screen for modifiers of mutant huntingtin (HTT-548-128Q) induced pathology in Drosophila adult glial cells and identified several putative therapeutic targets. Among them, we discovered that partial nej/dCBP depletion in these cells was protective, as revealed by strongly increased lifespan and restored locomotor activity. Thus, dCBP promotes the HD pathology in glial cells, in contrast to previous opposite findings in neurons. Further investigations implicated the transcriptional activator Foxo as a critical downstream player in this glial protective pathway. Our data suggest that combinatorial approaches combined to specific tissue targeting may be required to uncover efficient therapies in HD.
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137
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Huntingtin-mediated axonal transport requires arginine methylation by PRMT6. Cell Rep 2021; 35:108980. [PMID: 33852844 PMCID: PMC8132453 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The huntingtin (HTT) protein transports various organelles, including vesicles containing neurotrophic factors, from embryonic development throughout life. To better understand how HTT mediates axonal transport and why this function is disrupted in Huntington’s disease (HD), we study vesicle-associated HTT and find that it is dimethylated at a highly conserved arginine residue (R118) by the protein arginine methyltransferase 6 (PRMT6). Without R118 methylation, HTT associates less with vesicles, anterograde trafficking is diminished, and neuronal death ensues—very similar to what occurs in HD. Inhibiting PRMT6 in HD cells and neurons exacerbates mutant HTT (mHTT) toxicity and impairs axonal trafficking, whereas overexpressing PRMT6 restores axonal transport and neuronal viability, except in the presence of a methylation-defective variant of mHTT. In HD flies, overexpressing PRMT6 rescues axonal defects and eclosion. Arginine methylation thus regulates HTT-mediated vesicular transport along the axon, and increasing HTT methylation could be of therapeutic interest for HD. Migazzi et al. identify arginine methylation as a new post-translational modification in huntingtin (HTT) that modulates its function in axonal transport. In Huntington’s disease models, enhancement of HTT methylation by PRMT6, a class I arginine methyltransferase, rescues axonal transport defects and neuronal health.
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138
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Latoszek E, Czeredys M. Molecular Components of Store-Operated Calcium Channels in the Regulation of Neural Stem Cell Physiology, Neurogenesis, and the Pathology of Huntington's Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:657337. [PMID: 33869222 PMCID: PMC8047111 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.657337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the major Ca2+ signaling pathways is store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), which is responsible for Ca2+ flow into cells in response to the depletion of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores. SOCE and its molecular components, including stromal interaction molecule proteins, Orai Ca2+ channels, and transient receptor potential canonical channels, are involved in the physiology of neural stem cells and play a role in their proliferation, differentiation, and neurogenesis. This suggests that Ca2+ signaling is an important player in brain development. Huntington’s disease (HD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) protein, characterized by the loss of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the striatum. However, recent research has shown that HD is also a neurodevelopmental disorder and Ca2+ signaling is dysregulated in HD. The relationship between HD pathology and elevations of SOCE was demonstrated in different cellular and mouse models of HD and in induced pluripotent stem cell-based GABAergic MSNs from juvenile- and adult-onset HD patient fibroblasts. The present review discusses the role of SOCE in the physiology of neural stem cells and its dysregulation in HD pathology. It has been shown that elevated expression of STIM2 underlying the excessive Ca2+ entry through store-operated calcium channels in induced pluripotent stem cell-based MSNs from juvenile-onset HD. In the light of the latest findings regarding the role of Ca2+ signaling in HD pathology we also summarize recent progress in the in vitro differentiation of MSNs that derive from different cell sources. We discuss advances in the application of established protocols to obtain MSNs from fetal neural stem cells/progenitor cells, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and induced neural stem cells and the application of transdifferentiation. We also present recent progress in establishing HD brain organoids and their potential use for examining HD pathology and its treatment. Moreover, the significance of stem cell therapy to restore normal neural cell function, including Ca2+ signaling in the central nervous system in HD patients will be considered. The transplantation of MSNs or their precursors remains a promising treatment strategy for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewelina Latoszek
- Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Magdalena Czeredys
- Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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139
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Lu S, Lu B. Degeneration Versus Development: Hunting-Out the D-Unit of Huntington's Disease. Neurosci Bull 2021; 37:757-760. [PMID: 33721179 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-021-00649-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shengyi Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Boxun Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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140
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Eshraghi M, Karunadharma PP, Blin J, Shahani N, Ricci EP, Michel A, Urban NT, Galli N, Sharma M, Ramírez-Jarquín UN, Florescu K, Hernandez J, Subramaniam S. Mutant Huntingtin stalls ribosomes and represses protein synthesis in a cellular model of Huntington disease. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1461. [PMID: 33674575 PMCID: PMC7935949 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21637-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The polyglutamine expansion of huntingtin (mHTT) causes Huntington disease (HD) and neurodegeneration, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we found that mHtt promotes ribosome stalling and suppresses protein synthesis in mouse HD striatal neuronal cells. Depletion of mHtt enhances protein synthesis and increases the speed of ribosomal translocation, while mHtt directly inhibits protein synthesis in vitro. Fmrp, a known regulator of ribosome stalling, is upregulated in HD, but its depletion has no discernible effect on protein synthesis or ribosome stalling in HD cells. We found interactions of ribosomal proteins and translating ribosomes with mHtt. High-resolution global ribosome footprint profiling (Ribo-Seq) and mRNA-Seq indicates a widespread shift in ribosome occupancy toward the 5' and 3' end and unique single-codon pauses on selected mRNA targets in HD cells, compared to controls. Thus, mHtt impedes ribosomal translocation during translation elongation, a mechanistic defect that can be exploited for HD therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Eshraghi
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Pabalu P. Karunadharma
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Genomic Core, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Juliana Blin
- grid.462957.b0000 0004 0598 0706Laboratory of Biology and Cellular Modelling at Ecole Normale Supérieure of Lyon, RNA Metabolism in Immunity and Infection Lab, LBMC, Lyon, France
| | - Neelam Shahani
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Emiliano P. Ricci
- grid.462957.b0000 0004 0598 0706Laboratory of Biology and Cellular Modelling at Ecole Normale Supérieure of Lyon, RNA Metabolism in Immunity and Infection Lab, LBMC, Lyon, France
| | | | | | - Nicole Galli
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Manish Sharma
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Uri Nimrod Ramírez-Jarquín
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Katie Florescu
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Jennifer Hernandez
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
| | - Srinivasa Subramaniam
- grid.214007.00000000122199231The Scripps Research Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Jupiter, FL USA
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141
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Sorek M, Oweis W, Nissim-Rafinia M, Maman M, Simon S, Hession CC, Adiconis X, Simmons SK, Sanjana NE, Shi X, Lu C, Pan JQ, Xu X, Pouladi MA, Ellerby LM, Zhang F, Levin JZ, Meshorer E. Pluripotent stem cell-derived models of neurological diseases reveal early transcriptional heterogeneity. Genome Biol 2021; 22:73. [PMID: 33663567 PMCID: PMC7934477 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02301-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many neurodegenerative diseases develop only later in life, when cells in the nervous system lose their structure or function. In many forms of neurodegenerative diseases, this late-onset phenomenon remains largely unexplained. RESULTS Analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Huntington's disease (HD) patients, we find increased transcriptional heterogeneity in disease-state neurons. We hypothesize that transcriptional heterogeneity precedes neurodegenerative disease pathologies. To test this idea experimentally, we use juvenile forms (72Q; 180Q) of HD iPSCs, differentiate them into committed neuronal progenitors, and obtain single-cell expression profiles. We show a global increase in gene expression variability in HD. Autophagy genes become more stable, while energy and actin-related genes become more variable in the mutant cells. Knocking down several differentially variable genes results in increased aggregate formation, a pathology associated with HD. We further validate the increased transcriptional heterogeneity in CHD8+/- cells, a model for autism spectrum disorder. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results suggest that although neurodegenerative diseases develop over time, transcriptional regulation imbalance is present already at very early developmental stages. Therefore, an intervention aimed at this early phenotype may be of high diagnostic value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matan Sorek
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Edmond and Lily Center for Brain Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Walaa Oweis
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Malka Nissim-Rafinia
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Moria Maman
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shahar Simon
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Cynthia C Hession
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Xian Adiconis
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sean K Simmons
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Neville E Sanjana
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- New York Genome Center and Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xi Shi
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Congyi Lu
- New York Genome Center and Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jen Q Pan
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, 613 Huangpu Avenue West, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Mahmoud A Pouladi
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 8A Biomedical Grove, Immunos, Level 5, Singapore, 138648, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Lisa M Ellerby
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Blvd, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Joshua Z Levin
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eran Meshorer
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
- The Edmond and Lily Center for Brain Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
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142
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Schultz JL, Harshman LA, Kamholz JA, Nopoulos PC. Autonomic dysregulation as an early pathologic feature of Huntington Disease. Auton Neurosci 2021; 231:102775. [PMID: 33571915 PMCID: PMC8176778 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction has been described in adults with motor-manifest Huntington's Disease (HD) or those who are near their predicted motor onset. It is unclear if ANS dysfunction is present years prior to the onset of motor symptoms of HD. To bridge this gap in knowledge, we compared crude markers of ANS function between children with the gene-expansion that causes HD (GE group) who were decades from their predicted motor onset and gene-non-expanded children (GNE group). METHODS We included participants from the Kids-HD study who were <18 years old. Linear mixed effects regression models were constructed that controlled for sex, age, and BMI, and included a random effect per participant and per family. We compared resting heart rate (rHR), core body temperature (CBT), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between the GE (n = 84) and GNE (n = 238) groups. We then grouped participants from the GE group based on their predicted years to onset (YTO) and compared their vital signs to the GNE group. RESULTS The GE group had higher rHR (∆ = 3.83, p = 0.0064), SBP (∆ = 2.38, p = 0.032), and CBT (∆ = 0.16, t = 2.92, p = 0.007). The mean rHR and CBT became significantly elevated compared to the GNE group in participants who had 15-25 YTO and those who had <15 YTO. The mean SBP of participants who had 25-35 YTO was significantly elevated compared to the GNE group. CONCLUSION ANS dysfunction in HD seems to occur approximately 20 years prior to the predicted onset of motor symptoms of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan L Schultz
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City, IA, USA.
| | - Lyndsay A Harshman
- Stead Family Children's Hospital at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
| | - John A Kamholz
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
| | - Peg C Nopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Department of Neurology, Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Stead Family Children's Hospital at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
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143
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Hickman RA, Faust PL, Rosenblum MK, Marder K, Mehler MF, Vonsattel JP. Developmental malformations in Huntington disease: neuropathologic evidence of focal neuronal migration defects in a subset of adult brains. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 141:399-413. [PMID: 33517535 PMCID: PMC7882590 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02269-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Neuropathologic hallmarks of Huntington Disease (HD) include the progressive neurodegeneration of the striatum and the presence of Huntingtin (HTT) aggregates that result from abnormal polyQ expansion of the HTT gene. Whether the pathogenic trinucleotide repeat expansion of the HTT gene causes neurodevelopmental abnormalities has garnered attention in both murine and human studies; however, documentation of discrete malformations in autopsy brains of HD individuals has yet to be described. We retrospectively searched the New York Brain Bank (discovery cohort) and an independent cohort (validation cohort) to determine whether developmental malformations are more frequently detected in HD versus non-HD brains and to document their neuropathologic features. One-hundred and thirty HD and 1600 non-HD whole brains were included in the discovery cohort and 720 HD and 1989 non-HD half brains were assessed in the validation cohort. Cases with developmental malformations were found at 6.4–8.2 times greater frequency in HD than in non-HD brains (discovery cohort: OR 8.68, 95% CI 3.48–21.63, P=4.8 × 10-5; validation cohort: OR 6.50, 95% CI 1.83–23.17, P=0.0050). Periventricular nodular heterotopias (PNH) were the most frequent malformations and contained HTT and p62 aggregates analogous to the cortex, whereas cortical malformations with immature neuronal populations did not harbor such inclusions. HD individuals with malformations had heterozygous HTT CAG expansions between 40 and 52 repeats, were more frequently women, and all were asymmetric and focal, aside from one midline hypothalamic hamartoma. Using two independent brain bank cohorts, this large neuropathologic series demonstrates an increased occurrence of developmental malformations in HD brains. Since pathogenic HTT gene expansion is associated with genomic instability, one possible explanation is that neuronal precursors are more susceptible to somatic mutation of genes involved in cortical migration. Our findings further support emerging evidence that pathogenic trinucleotide repeat expansions of the HTT gene may impact neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Hickman
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA.
| | - P L Faust
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA
| | - M K Rosenblum
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - K Marder
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, 710 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - M F Mehler
- The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
| | - J P Vonsattel
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, 710 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
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144
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Virlogeux A, Scaramuzzino C, Lenoir S, Carpentier R, Louessard M, Genoux A, Lino P, Hinckelmann MV, Perrier AL, Humbert S, Saudou F. Increasing brain palmitoylation rescues behavior and neuropathology in Huntington disease mice. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/14/eabb0799. [PMID: 33789888 PMCID: PMC8011966 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) damages the corticostriatal circuitry in large part by impairing transport of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We hypothesized that improving vesicular transport of BDNF could slow or prevent disease progression. We therefore performed selective proteomic analysis of vesicles transported within corticostriatal projecting neurons followed by in silico screening and identified palmitoylation as a pathway that could restore defective huntingtin-dependent trafficking. Using a synchronized trafficking assay and an HD network-on-a-chip, we found that increasing brain palmitoylation via ML348, which inhibits the palmitate-removing enzyme acyl-protein thioesterase 1 (APT1), restores axonal transport, synapse homeostasis, and survival signaling to wild-type levels without toxicity. In human HD induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons, ML348 increased BDNF trafficking. In HD knock-in mice, it efficiently crossed the blood-brain barrier to restore palmitoylation levels and reverse neuropathology, locomotor deficits, and anxio-depressive behaviors. APT1 and its inhibitor ML348 thus hold therapeutic interest for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amandine Virlogeux
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Chiara Scaramuzzino
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Sophie Lenoir
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Rémi Carpentier
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Aurélie Genoux
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Patricia Lino
- INSERM U861, UEVE, I-STEM, AFM, 91100, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Maria-Victoria Hinckelmann
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Anselme L Perrier
- INSERM U861, UEVE, I-STEM, AFM, 91100, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale, Institut François Jacob, Molecular Imaging Center (MIRCen), CNRS UMR 9199, Université Paris-Saclay, 92265, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Sandrine Humbert
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Frédéric Saudou
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm, U1216, CHU Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble Institut Neuroscience, GIN, 38000, Grenoble, France.
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145
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Li J, Kim S, Pappas SS, Dauer WT. CNS critical periods: implications for dystonia and other neurodevelopmental disorders. JCI Insight 2021; 6:142483. [PMID: 33616084 PMCID: PMC7934928 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.142483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Critical periods are discrete developmental stages when the nervous system is especially sensitive to stimuli that facilitate circuit maturation. The distinctive landscapes assumed by the developing CNS create analogous periods of susceptibility to pathogenic insults and responsiveness to therapy. Here, we review critical periods in nervous system development and disease, with an emphasis on the neurodevelopmental disorder DYT1 dystonia. We highlight clinical and laboratory observations supporting the existence of a critical period during which the DYT1 mutation is uniquely harmful, and the implications for future therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay Li
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Sumin Kim
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Samuel S Pappas
- Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.,Department of Neurology, and
| | - William T Dauer
- Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute.,Department of Neurology, and.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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146
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Schultz JL, van der Plas E, Langbehn DR, Conrad AL, Nopoulos PC. Age-Related Cognitive Changes as a Function of CAG Repeat in Child and Adolescent Carriers of Mutant Huntingtin. Ann Neurol 2021; 89:1036-1040. [PMID: 33521985 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Limited data exists regarding the disease course of Huntington's Disease (HD) in children and young adults. Here, we evaluate the trajectory of various cognitive skill development as a function of cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat length in children and adolescents that carry the mutation that causes HD. We discovered that the development of verbal skills seems to plateau earlier as CAG repeat length increases. These findings increase our understanding of the relationship between neurodegeneration and neurodevelopment and may have far-reaching implications for future gene-therapy treatment strategies. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:1036-1040.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan L Schultz
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Department of Pharmacy Practice and Sciences, University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Ellen van der Plas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Douglas R Langbehn
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Amy L Conrad
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Peg C Nopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA
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147
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Du G, Dong W, Yang Q, Yu X, Ma J, Gu W, Huang Y. Altered Gut Microbiota Related to Inflammatory Responses in Patients With Huntington's Disease. Front Immunol 2021; 11:603594. [PMID: 33679692 PMCID: PMC7933529 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.603594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence indicates that gut dysbiosis may play a regulatory role in the onset and progression of Huntington’s disease (HD). However, any alterations in the fecal microbiome of HD patients and its relation to the host cytokine response remain unknown. The present study investigated alterations and host cytokine responses in patients with HD. We enrolled 33 HD patients and 33 sex- and age- matched healthy controls. Fecal microbiota communities were determined through 16S ribosomal DNA gene sequencing, from which we analyzed fecal microbial richness, evenness, structure, and differential abundance of individual taxa between HD patients and healthy controls. HD patients were evaluated for their clinical characteristics, and the relationships of fecal microbiota with these clinical characteristics were analyzed. Plasma concentrations of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor alpha were measured by Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) assays, and relationships between microbiota and cytokine levels were analyzed in the HD group. HD patients showed increased α-diversity (richness), β-diversity (structure), and altered relative abundances of several taxa compared to those in healthy controls. HD-associated clinical characteristics correlated with the abundances of components of fecal microbiota at the genus level. Genus Intestinimonas was correlated with total functional capacity scores and IL-4 levels. Our present study also revealed that genus Bilophila were negatively correlated with proinflammatory IL-6 levels. Taken together, our present study represents the first to demonstrate alterations in fecal microbiota and inflammatory cytokine responses in HD patients. Further elucidation of interactions between microbial and host immune responses may help to better understand the pathogenesis of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Du
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Centre for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Dong
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Centre for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Yang
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xueying Yu
- Centre for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinghong Ma
- Neurology Department, XuanWu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Weihong Gu
- Neurology Department, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Huang
- China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Centre for Neurological Diseases, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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148
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Durr A, Humbert S. [Huntington disease: Neurodegeneration rooted in brain development?]. Med Sci (Paris) 2021; 37:120-123. [PMID: 33591252 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/2020273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Durr
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du cerveau, AP-HP, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Humbert
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm U1216, Grenoble Institut Neurosciences, Chemin Fortuné-Ferrini, 38700 La Tronche, France
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149
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Fu J, Warmflash A, Lutolf MP. Stem-cell-based embryo models for fundamental research and translation. NATURE MATERIALS 2021; 20:132-144. [PMID: 33199861 PMCID: PMC7855549 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-00829-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite its importance, understanding the early phases of human development has been limited by availability of human samples. The recent emergence of stem-cell-derived embryo models, a new field aiming to use stem cells to construct in vitro models to recapitulate snapshots of the development of the mammalian conceptus, opens up exciting opportunities to promote fundamental understanding of human development and advance reproductive and regenerative medicine. This Review provides a summary of the current knowledge of early mammalian development, using mouse and human conceptuses as models, and emphasizes their similarities and critical differences. We then highlight existing embryo models that mimic different aspects of mouse and human development. We further discuss bioengineering tools used for controlling multicellular interactions and self-organization critical for the development of these models. We conclude with a discussion of the important next steps and exciting future opportunities of stem-cell-derived embryo models for fundamental discovery and translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianping Fu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Aryeh Warmflash
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Matthias P Lutolf
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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150
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Reynolds G, Vegh P, Fletcher J, Poyner EFM, Stephenson E, Goh I, Botting RA, Huang N, Olabi B, Dubois A, Dixon D, Green K, Maunder D, Engelbert J, Efremova M, Polański K, Jardine L, Jones C, Ness T, Horsfall D, McGrath J, Carey C, Popescu DM, Webb S, Wang XN, Sayer B, Park JE, Negri VA, Belokhvostova D, Lynch MD, McDonald D, Filby A, Hagai T, Meyer KB, Husain A, Coxhead J, Vento-Tormo R, Behjati S, Lisgo S, Villani AC, Bacardit J, Jones PH, O'Toole EA, Ogg GS, Rajan N, Reynolds NJ, Teichmann SA, Watt FM, Haniffa M. Developmental cell programs are co-opted in inflammatory skin disease. Science 2021; 371:eaba6500. [PMID: 33479125 PMCID: PMC7611557 DOI: 10.1126/science.aba6500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 248] [Impact Index Per Article: 82.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The skin confers biophysical and immunological protection through a complex cellular network established early in embryonic development. We profiled the transcriptomes of more than 500,000 single cells from developing human fetal skin, healthy adult skin, and adult skin with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. We leveraged these datasets to compare cell states across development, homeostasis, and disease. Our analysis revealed an enrichment of innate immune cells in skin during the first trimester and clonal expansion of disease-associated lymphocytes in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. We uncovered and validated in situ a reemergence of prenatal vascular endothelial cell and macrophage cellular programs in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis lesional skin. These data illustrate the dynamism of cutaneous immunity and provide opportunities for targeting pathological developmental programs in inflammatory skin diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Reynolds
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Peter Vegh
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - James Fletcher
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Elizabeth F M Poyner
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4LP, UK
| | - Emily Stephenson
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Issac Goh
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Rachel A Botting
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Ni Huang
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Bayanne Olabi
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
- Department of Dermatology, NHS Lothian, Lauriston Building, Edinburgh EH3 9EN, UK
| | - Anna Dubois
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4LP, UK
| | - David Dixon
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Kile Green
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Daniel Maunder
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Justin Engelbert
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Mirjana Efremova
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Krzysztof Polański
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Laura Jardine
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Claire Jones
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Thomas Ness
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Dave Horsfall
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Jim McGrath
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Christopher Carey
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Dorin-Mirel Popescu
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Simone Webb
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Xiao-Nong Wang
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Ben Sayer
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Jong-Eun Park
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Victor A Negri
- Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Daria Belokhvostova
- Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - Magnus D Lynch
- Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 9RT, UK
| | - David McDonald
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Andrew Filby
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Tzachi Hagai
- Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Kerstin B Meyer
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Akhtar Husain
- Department of Pathology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK
| | - Jonathan Coxhead
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Roser Vento-Tormo
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Sam Behjati
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SP, UK
| | - Steven Lisgo
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Alexandra-Chloé Villani
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | - Jaume Bacardit
- School of Computing, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5TG, UK
| | - Philip H Jones
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
- MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, UK
| | - Edel A O'Toole
- Centre for Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Graham S Ogg
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Neil Rajan
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4LP, UK
| | - Nick J Reynolds
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4LP, UK
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Sarah A Teichmann
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
- Theory of Condensed Matter Group, Cavendish Laboratory/Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK
| | - Fiona M Watt
- Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital Campus, London SE1 9RT, UK.
| | - Muzlifah Haniffa
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.
- Department of Dermatology and NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4LP, UK
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
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