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Zhang X, Lu H, Fan M, Tian W, Wang Y, Cui M, Jiang Y, Suo C, Zhang T, Jin L, Xu K, Chen X. Bidirectional mediation of bone mineral density and brain atrophy on their associations with gait variability. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8483. [PMID: 38605086 PMCID: PMC11009386 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59220-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
This mediation analysis aimed to investigate the associations among areal bone mineral density, mobility-related brain atrophy, and specific gait patterns. A total of 595 participants from the Taizhou Imaging Study, who underwent both gait and bone mineral density measurements, were included in this cross-sectional analysis. We used a wearable gait tracking device to collect quantitative gait parameters and then summarized them into independent gait domains with factor analysis. Bone mineral density was measured in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Magnetic resonance images were obtained on a 3.0-Tesla scanner, and the volumes of brain regions related to mobility were computed using FreeSurfer. Lower bone mineral density was found to be associated with higher gait variability, especially at the site of the lumbar spine (β = 0.174, FDR = 0.001). Besides, higher gait variability was correlated with mobility-related brain atrophy, like the primary motor cortex (β = 0.147, FDR = 0.006), sensorimotor cortex (β = 0.153, FDR = 0.006), and entorhinal cortex (β = 0.106, FDR = 0.043). Bidirectional mediation analysis revealed that regional brain atrophy contributed to higher gait variability through the low lumbar spine bone mineral density (for the primary motor cortex, P = 0.018; for the sensorimotor cortex, P = 0.010) and the low lumbar spine bone mineral density contributed to higher gait variability through the primary motor and sensorimotor cortices (P = 0.026 and 0.010, respectively).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Heyang Lu
- Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Fan
- Taixing Disease Control and Prevention Center, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Weizhong Tian
- Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yingzhe Wang
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei Cui
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanfeng Jiang
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Suo
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Tiejun Zhang
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Li Jin
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kelin Xu
- School of Public Health, The Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of Ministry of Education, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Xingdong Chen
- Fudan University Taizhou Institute of Health Sciences, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, School of Life Sciences, Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.
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IGF-1 as a Potential Therapy for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10020505. [PMID: 35203722 PMCID: PMC8962315 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the effects of growth hormone (GH) therapy on spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) have been examined in transgenic SCA3 mice, it still poses a nonnegligible risk of cancer when used for a long term. This study investigated the efficacy of IGF-1, a downstream mediator of GH, in vivo for SCA3 treatment. IGF-1 (50 mg/kg) or saline, once a week, was intraperitoneally injected to SCA3 84Q transgenic mice harboring a human ATXN3 gene with a pathogenic expanded 84 cytosine–adenine–guanine (CAG) repeat motif at 9 months of age. Compared with the control mice harboring a 15 CAG repeat motif, the SCA3 84Q mice treated with IGF-1 for 9 months exhibited the improvement only in locomotor function and minimized degeneration of the cerebellar cortex as indicated by the survival of more Purkinje cells with a more favorable mitochondrial function along with a decrease in oxidative stress caused by DNA damage. These findings could be attributable to the inhibition of mitochondrial fission, resulting in mitochondrial fusion, and decreased immunofluorescence staining in aggresome formation and ataxin-3 mutant protein levels, possibly through the enhancement of autophagy. The findings of this study show the therapeutic potential effect of IGF-1 injection for SCA3 to prevent the exacerbation of disease progress.
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Tosolini AP, Sleigh JN. Intramuscular Delivery of Gene Therapy for Targeting the Nervous System. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:129. [PMID: 32765219 PMCID: PMC7379875 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus-mediated gene therapy has the potential to deliver exogenous genetic material into specific cell types to promote survival and counteract disease. This is particularly enticing for neuronal conditions, as the nervous system is renowned for its intransigence to therapeutic targeting. Administration of gene therapy viruses into skeletal muscle, where distal terminals of motor and sensory neurons reside, has been shown to result in extensive transduction of cells within the spinal cord, brainstem, and sensory ganglia. This route is minimally invasive and therefore clinically relevant for gene therapy targeting to peripheral nerve soma. For successful transgene expression, viruses administered into muscle must undergo a series of processes, including host cell interaction and internalization, intracellular sorting, long-range retrograde axonal transport, endosomal liberation, and nuclear import. In this review article, we outline key characteristics of major gene therapy viruses—adenovirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV), and lentivirus—and summarize the mechanisms regulating important steps in the virus journey from binding at peripheral nerve terminals to nuclear delivery. Additionally, we describe how neuropathology can negatively influence these pathways, and conclude by discussing opportunities to optimize the intramuscular administration route to maximize gene delivery and thus therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Tosolini
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James N Sleigh
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Pennuto M, Pandey UB, Polanco MJ. Insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling in motor neuron and polyglutamine diseases: From molecular pathogenesis to therapeutic perspectives. Front Neuroendocrinol 2020; 57:100821. [PMID: 32006533 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2020.100821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The pleiotropic peptide insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) regulates human body homeostasis and cell growth. IGF-I activates two major signaling pathways, namely phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) and Ras/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which contribute to brain development, metabolism and function as well as to neuronal maintenance and survival. In this review, we discuss the general and tissue-specific effects of the IGF-I pathways. In addition, we present a comprehensive overview examining the role of IGF-I in neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal and muscular atrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and polyglutamine diseases. In each disease, we analyze the disturbances of the IGF-I pathway, the modification of the disease protein by IGF-I signaling, and the therapeutic strategies based on the use of IGF-I developed to date. Lastly, we highlight present and future considerations in the use of IGF-I for the treatment of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Pennuto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences (DBS), University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy; Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), Via Orus 2, 35129 Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center (PNC), 35131 Padova, Italy; Myology Center (CIR-Myo), 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Udai Bhan Pandey
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - María José Polanco
- Department of Pharmaceutic and Health Science, University San Pablo CEU, Campus Montepríncipe, 28925 Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain.
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Swenarchuk LE. Nerve, Muscle, and Synaptogenesis. Cells 2019; 8:cells8111448. [PMID: 31744142 PMCID: PMC6912269 DOI: 10.3390/cells8111448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate skeletal neuromuscular junction (NMJ) has long served as a model system for studying synapse structure, function, and development. Over the last several decades, a neuron-specific isoform of agrin, a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, has been identified as playing a central role in synapse formation at all vertebrate skeletal neuromuscular synapses. While agrin was initially postulated to be the inductive molecule that initiates synaptogenesis, this model has been modified in response to work showing that postsynaptic differentiation can develop in the absence of innervation, and that synapses can form in transgenic mice in which the agrin gene is ablated. In place of a unitary mechanism for neuromuscular synapse formation, studies in both mice and zebrafish have led to the proposal that two mechanisms mediate synaptogenesis, with some synapses being induced by nerve contact while others involve the incorporation of prepatterned postsynaptic structures. Moreover, the current model also proposes that agrin can serve two functions, to induce synaptogenesis and to stabilize new synapses, once these are formed. This review examines the evidence for these propositions, and concludes that it remains possible that a single molecular mechanism mediates synaptogenesis at all NMJs, and that agrin acts as a stabilizer, while its role as inducer is open to question. Moreover, if agrin does not act to initiate synaptogenesis, it follows that as yet uncharacterized molecular interactions are required to play this essential inductive role. Several alternatives to agrin for this function are suggested, including focal pericellular proteolysis and integrin signaling, but all require experimental validation.
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Zhang ZK, Li J, Guan D, Liang C, Zhuo Z, Liu J, Lu A, Zhang G, Zhang BT. Long Noncoding RNA lncMUMA Reverses Established Skeletal Muscle Atrophy following Mechanical Unloading. Mol Ther 2018; 26:2669-2680. [PMID: 30415659 PMCID: PMC6225098 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2018.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Reversing established muscle atrophy following mechanical unloading is of great clinical challenge. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to play important roles in myogenesis. Here we identified a lncRNA (mechanical unloading-induced muscle atrophy-related lncRNA [lncMUMA]) enriched in muscle, which was the most downregulated lncRNA during muscle atrophy development in hindlimb suspension (HLS) mice. The in vitro and in vivo data demonstrated that the decreased expression levels of lncMUMA closely associated with a reduction of myogenesis during mechanical unloading. Mechanistically, lncMUMA promoted myogenic differentiation by functioning as a miR-762 sponge to regulate the core myogenic regulator MyoD in vitro. The enforced expression of lncMUMA relieved the decreases in MyoD protein and muscle mass in miR-762 knockin mice. Therapeutically, the enforced expression of lncMUMA improved the in vitro myogenic differentiation of myoblasts under microgravity simulation, prevented the muscle atrophy development, and reversed the established muscle atrophy in HLS mice. These findings identify lncMUMA as an anabolic regulator to reverse established muscle atrophy following mechanical unloading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zong-Kang Zhang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jie Li
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Daogang Guan
- Institute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Chao Liang
- Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone & Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Zhenjian Zhuo
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jin Liu
- Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone & Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Aiping Lu
- Institute of Integrated Bioinformedicine and Translational Science, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ge Zhang
- Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone & Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Bao-Ting Zhang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Tosolini AP, Sleigh JN. Motor Neuron Gene Therapy: Lessons from Spinal Muscular Atrophy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:405. [PMID: 29270111 PMCID: PMC5725447 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are severe nervous system diseases characterized by the degeneration of lower motor neurons. They share a number of additional pathological, cellular, and genetic parallels suggesting that mechanistic and clinical insights into one disorder may have value for the other. While there are currently no clinical ALS gene therapies, the splice-switching antisense oligonucleotide, nusinersen, was recently approved for SMA. This milestone was achieved through extensive pre-clinical research and patient trials, which together have spawned fundamental insights into motor neuron gene therapy. We have thus tried to distil key information garnered from SMA research, in the hope that it may stimulate a more directed approach to ALS gene therapy. Not only must the type of therapeutic (e.g., antisense oligonucleotide vs. viral vector) be sensibly selected, but considerable thought must be applied to the where, which, what, and when in order to enhance treatment benefit: to where (cell types and tissues) must the drug be delivered and how can this be best achieved? Which perturbed pathways must be corrected and can they be concurrently targeted? What dosing regime and concentration should be used? When should medication be administered? These questions are intuitive, but central to identifying and optimizing a successful gene therapy. Providing definitive solutions to these quandaries will be difficult, but clear thinking about therapeutic testing is necessary if we are to have the best chance of developing viable ALS gene therapies and improving upon early generation SMA treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Tosolini
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - James N Sleigh
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Spann RA, Lawson WJ, Grill RJ, Garrett MR, Grayson BE. Chronic spinal cord changes in a high-fat diet-fed male rat model of thoracic spinal contusion. Physiol Genomics 2017; 49:519-529. [PMID: 28821567 DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00078.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals that suffer injury to the spinal cord can result in long-term, debilitating sequelae. Spinal cord-injured patients have increased risk for the development of metabolic disease, which can further hinder the effectiveness of treatments to rehabilitate the cord and improve quality of life. In the present study, we sought to understand the impact of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity on spinal cord injury (SCI) by examining transcriptome changes in the area of the injury and rostral and caudal to site of damage 12 wk after injury. Adult, male Long-Evans rats received either thoracic level contusion of the spinal cord or sham laminectomy and then were allowed to recover on normal rat chow for 4 wk and further on HFD for an additional 8 wk. Spinal cord tissues harvested from the rats were processed for Affymetrix microarray and further transcriptomic analysis. Diverse changes in gene expression were identified in the injured cord in genes such as MMP12, APOC4, GPNMB, and IGF1 and 2. The greatest signaling changes occurred in pathways involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and immune cell trafficking. Together, the cord changes in the chronically obese rat following thoracic SCI reveal further potential targets for therapy. These could be further explored as they overlap with genes involved in metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Redin A Spann
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi; and
| | - William J Lawson
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi; and
| | - Raymond J Grill
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi; and
| | - Michael R Garrett
- Department of Pharmacology and Nephrology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
| | - Bernadette E Grayson
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi; and
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