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Meng H, Zhao Y, Li Y, Fan H, Yi X, Meng X, Wang P, Fu F, Wu S, Wang Y. Evidence for developmental vascular-associated necroptosis and its contribution to venous-lymphatic endothelial differentiation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1229788. [PMID: 37576598 PMCID: PMC10416103 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1229788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
During development, apoptosis removes redundant cells and ensures proper organ morphogenesis. Necrosis is long known as an adult-bound inflammatory and pathologic cell death. Whether there exists physiological necrosis during early development has been speculated but yet clearly demonstrated. Here, we report evidence of necroptosis, a type of programmed necrosis, specifically in perivascular cells of cerebral cortex and skin at the early stage of development. Phosphorylated Mixed Lineage Kinase Domain-Like protein (MLKL), a key molecule in executing necroptosis, co-expressed with blood endothelial marker CD31 and venous-lymphatic progenitor marker Sox18. Depletion of Mlkl did not affect the formation of blood vessel network but increased the differentiation of venous-lymphatic lineage cells in postnatal cerebral cortex and skin. Consistently, significant enhancement of cerebrospinal fluid diffusion and lymphatic drainage was found in brain and skin of Mlkl-deficient mice. Under hypobaric hypoxia induced cerebral edema and inflammation induced skin edema, Mlkl mutation significantly attenuated brain-blood-barrier damage and edema formation. Our data, for the first time, demonstrated the presence of physiological vascular-associated necroptosis and its potential involvement in the development of venous-lymphatic vessels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Meng
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Youyi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Military Stomatology, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Shaanxi Engineering Research, Center for Dental Materials and Advanced Manufacture, Department of Anethesiology, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yuqian Li
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hong Fan
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Xuyang Yi
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xinyu Meng
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Pengfei Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fanfan Fu
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shengxi Wu
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yazhou Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Institute of Neurosciences, School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
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Sierra-Martín A, Navascués J, Neubrand VE, Sepúlveda MR, Martín-Oliva D, Cuadros MA, Marín-Teva JL. LPS-stimulated microglial cells promote ganglion cell death in organotypic cultures of quail embryo retina. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1120400. [PMID: 37006469 PMCID: PMC10050569 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1120400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
During development microglia colonize the central nervous system (CNS) and play an important role in programmed cell death, not only because of their ability to remove dead cells by phagocytosis, but also because they can promote the death of neuronal and glial cells. To study this process, we used as experimental systems the developing in situ quail embryo retina and organotypic cultures of quail embryo retina explants (QEREs). In both systems, immature microglia show an upregulation of certain inflammatory markers, e.g., inducible NO synthase (iNOS), and nitric oxide (NO) under basal conditions, which can be further enhanced with LPS-treatment. Hence, we investigated in the present study the role of microglia in promoting ganglion cell death during retinal development in QEREs. Results showed that LPS-stimulation of microglia in QEREs increases (i) the percentage of retinal cells with externalized phosphatidylserine, (ii) the frequency of phagocytic contacts between microglial and caspase-3-positive ganglion cells, (iii) cell death in the ganglion cell layer, and (iv) microglial production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, such as NO. Furthermore, iNOS inhibition by L-NMMA decreases cell death of ganglion cells and increases the number of ganglion cells in LPS-treated QEREs. These data demonstrate that LPS-stimulated microglia induce ganglion cell death in cultured QEREs by a NO-dependent mechanism. The fact that phagocytic contacts between microglial and caspase-3-positive ganglion cells increase suggests that this cell death might be mediated by microglial engulfment, although a phagocytosis-independent mechanism cannot be excluded.
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Pimentel-Acosta CA, Ramírez-Salcedo J, Morales-Serna FN, Fajer-Ávila EJ, Chávez-Sánchez C, Lara HH, García-Gasca A. Molecular Effects of Silver Nanoparticles on Monogenean Parasites: Lessons from Caenorhabditis elegans. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21165889. [PMID: 32824343 PMCID: PMC7460582 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21165889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms of action of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in monogenean parasites of the genus Cichlidogyrus were investigated through a microarray hybridization approach using genomic information from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The effects of two concentrations of AgNPs were explored, low (6 µg/L Ag) and high (36 µg/L Ag). Microarray analysis revealed that both concentrations of AgNPs activated similar biological processes, although by different mechanisms. Expression profiles included genes involved in detoxification, neurotoxicity, modulation of cell signaling, reproduction, embryonic development, and tegument organization as the main biological processes dysregulated by AgNPs. Two important processes (DNA damage and cell death) were mostly activated in parasites exposed to the lower concentration of AgNPs. To our knowledge, this is the first study providing information on the sub-cellular and molecular effects of exposure to AgNPs in metazoan parasites of fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Citlalic A. Pimentel-Acosta
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82112, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (F.N.M.-S.); (E.J.F.-Á.); (C.C.-S.)
| | - Jorge Ramírez-Salcedo
- Unidad de Microarreglos, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida Universidad 3000, Mexico City 04510, Mexico;
| | - Francisco Neptalí Morales-Serna
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82112, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (F.N.M.-S.); (E.J.F.-Á.); (C.C.-S.)
- CONACYT, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82112, Mexico
| | - Emma J. Fajer-Ávila
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82112, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (F.N.M.-S.); (E.J.F.-Á.); (C.C.-S.)
| | - Cristina Chávez-Sánchez
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82112, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (F.N.M.-S.); (E.J.F.-Á.); (C.C.-S.)
| | - Humberto H. Lara
- Department of Biology and South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA;
| | - Alejandra García-Gasca
- Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Unidad Mazatlán en Acuicultura y Manejo Ambiental, Mazatlán, Sinaloa 82112, Mexico; (C.A.P.-A.); (F.N.M.-S.); (E.J.F.-Á.); (C.C.-S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +52-66-9989-8700
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Feliciano-Sanchez A, García-Gil R, Cubas-Nuñez L, Castillo-Villalba J, Fuentes-Maestre J, Fil M, Gil-Perotin S, García-Verdugo JM. Development and optimisation of an animal model for the study of ganglion cells in degenerative diseases of the retina and optic nerve. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 94:263-272. [PMID: 30902474 DOI: 10.1016/j.oftal.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune, chronic and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system with axonal demyelination, gliosis and neurodegeneration. It is considered a frequent cause of neurological disability in young adults. In this work, an Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) model was optimised by injecting a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55). The ophthalmological effects were studied, as well as its use as an experimental model in other studies of retinal ganglion cell degeneration (RGC) and optic nerve (ON). MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 16 mice of 10 weeks that were placed into 2 study groups: a control group of 10 animals and another group of 6 animals with EAE that were injected with MOG35-55. The animals of the EAE model were monitored using motor disability scales. The retinas and optic nerves were processed for morphological examination by optical microscopy and ultrastructure studies. RESULTS The animal models presented with motor symptoms of spinal cord injury, with the first symptoms appearing between the 7th and 19th day post-injection, with a maximum disability mean of 3.5 points. In the retina, the mean RGC in the EAE group was 0.0891μm, compared with 0.1678μm of the control group (p=.0003). The ON was strongly affected with reactive gliosis, increased axonal damage and decreased density axonal (control group 0.38038 axons/μm2 versus EAE group 0.16 axons/μm2, p=.00032). CONCLUSIONS In this work an animal model of EAE has been characterised and detailed for the study of demyelinating alterations in the retina and the ON. Its characteristics make it an excellent tool for the study of neurodegenerative ophthalmic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Feliciano-Sanchez
- Unidad de Retina Médica y Quirúrgica, Servicio de Oftalmología, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, España.
| | - R García-Gil
- Unidad de Retina Médica y Quirúrgica, Servicio de Oftalmología, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, España
| | - L Cubas-Nuñez
- Neuroinmunologia y Regeneración Neuronal, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IISLaFe), Valencia, España
| | - J Castillo-Villalba
- Neuroinmunologia y Regeneración Neuronal, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe (IISLaFe), Valencia, España
| | - J Fuentes-Maestre
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Parasitología, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, España
| | - M Fil
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Parasitología, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, España
| | - S Gil-Perotin
- Unidad Mixta de Esclerosis Múltiple y Neurorregeneración, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, España
| | - J M García-Verdugo
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Parasitología, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, España; Departamento de Neurobiología comparada, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, España
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Non-apoptotic cell death in animal development. Cell Death Differ 2017; 24:1326-1336. [PMID: 28211869 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2017.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 01/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death (PCD) is an important process in the development of multicellular organisms. Apoptosis, a form of PCD characterized morphologically by chromatin condensation, membrane blebbing, and cytoplasm compaction, and molecularly by the activation of caspase proteases, has been extensively investigated. Studies in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, mice, and the developing chick have revealed, however, that developmental PCD also occurs through other mechanisms, morphologically and molecularly distinct from apoptosis. Some non-apoptotic PCD pathways, including those regulating germ cell death in Drosophila, still appear to employ caspases. However, another prominent cell death program, linker cell-type death (LCD), is morphologically conserved, and independent of the key genes that drive apoptosis, functioning, at least in part, through the ubiquitin proteasome system. These non-apoptotic processes may serve as backup programs when caspases are inactivated or unavailable, or, more likely, as freestanding cell culling programs. Non-apoptotic PCD has been documented extensively in the developing nervous system, and during the formation of germline and somatic gonadal structures, suggesting that preservation of these mechanisms is likely under strong selective pressure. Here, we discuss our current understanding of non-apoptotic PCD in animal development, and explore possible roles for LCD and other non-apoptotic developmental pathways in vertebrates. We raise the possibility that during vertebrate development, apoptosis may not be the major PCD mechanism.
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Schwendeman AR, Shaham S. A High-Throughput Small Molecule Screen for C. elegans Linker Cell Death Inhibitors. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164595. [PMID: 27716809 PMCID: PMC5055323 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death is a ubiquitous process in metazoan development. Apoptosis, one cell death form, has been studied extensively. However, mutations inactivating key mammalian apoptosis regulators do not block most developmental cell culling, suggesting that other cell death pathways are likely important. Recent work in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans identified a non-apoptotic cell death form mediating the demise of the male-specific linker cell. This cell death process (LCD, linker cell-type death) is morphologically conserved, and its molecular effectors also mediate axon degeneration in mammals and Drosophila. To develop reagents to manipulate LCD, we established a simple high-throughput screening protocol for interrogating the effects of small molecules on C. elegans linker cell death in vivo. From 23,797 compounds assayed, 11 reproducibly block linker cell death onset. Of these, five induce animal lethality, and six promote a reversible developmental delay. These results provide proof-of principle validation of our screening protocol, demonstrate that developmental progression is required for linker cell death, and suggest that larger scale screens may identify LCD-specific small-molecule regulators that target the LCD execution machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Schwendeman
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Shai Shaham
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Wahlin KJ, Enke RA, Fuller JA, Kalesnykas G, Zack DJ, Merbs SL. Epigenetics and cell death: DNA hypermethylation in programmed retinal cell death. PLoS One 2013; 8:e79140. [PMID: 24244436 PMCID: PMC3823652 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vertebrate genomes undergo epigenetic reprogramming during development and disease. Emerging evidence suggests that DNA methylation plays a key role in cell fate determination in the retina. Despite extensive studies of the programmed cell death that occurs during retinal development and degeneration, little is known about how DNA methylation might regulate neuronal cell death in the retina. Methods The developing chicken retina and the rd1 and rhodopsin-GFP mouse models of retinal degeneration were used to investigate programmed cell death during retinal development and degeneration. Changes in DNA methylation were determined by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Results Punctate patterns of hypermethylation paralleled patterns of caspase3-dependent apoptotic cell death previously reported to occur during development in the chicken retina. Degenerating rd1 mouse retinas, at time points corresponding to the peak of rod cell death, showed elevated signals for 5mC and 5hmC in photoreceptors throughout the retina, with the most intense staining observed in the peripheral retina. Hypermethylation of photoreceptors in rd1 mice was associated with TUNEL and PAR staining and appeared to be cCaspase3-independent. After peak rod degeneration, during the period of cone death, occasional hypermethylation was observed in the outer nuclear layer. Conclusion The finding that cell-specific increases of 5mC and 5hmC immunostaining are associated with the death of retinal neurons during both development and degeneration suggests that changes in DNA methylation may play a role in modulating gene expression during the process of retinal degeneration. During retinal development, hypermethylation of retinal neurons associates with classical caspase-dependent apoptosis as well as caspase-3 independent cell death, while hypermethylation in the rd1 mouse photoreceptors is primarily associated with caspase-3 independent programmed cell death. These findings suggest a previously unrecognized role for epigenetic mechanisms in the onset and/or progression of programed cell death in the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl J. Wahlin
- Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Raymond A. Enke
- Department of Biology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - John A. Fuller
- Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Giedrius Kalesnykas
- Department of Ophthalmology, Clinical Research Unit, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Donald J. Zack
- Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Institute de la Vision, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Shannath L. Merbs
- Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
Synaptic activity initiates biochemical processes that have various outcomes, including the formation of memories, increases in neuronal survival and the development of chronic pain and addiction. Virtually all activity-induced, long-lasting adaptations of brain functions require a dialogue between synapses and the nucleus that results in changes in gene expression. Calcium signals that are induced by synaptic activity and propagate into the nucleus are a major route for synapse-to-nucleus communication. Recent findings indicate that diverse forms of neuroadaptation require calcium transients in the nucleus to switch on the necessary genomic programme. Deficits in nuclear calcium signalling as a result of a reduction in synaptic activity or increased extrasynaptic NMDA receptor signalling may underlie the aetiologies of various diseases, including neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilmar Bading
- Department of Neurobiology, Interdisciplinary Centre for Neurosciences (IZN), University of Heidelberg, INF 364, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Hilmar.Bading@ uni-hd.de
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Janssen KT, Mac Nair CE, Dietz JA, Schlamp CL, Nickells RW. Nuclear atrophy of retinal ganglion cells precedes the bax-dependent stage of apoptosis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2013; 54:1805-15. [PMID: 23422829 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.11-9310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Retinal ganglion cells atrophy during the execution of the intrinsic apoptotic program. This process, which has been termed the apoptotic volume decrease (AVD) in other cell types, has not been well-characterized in ganglion cells. METHODS Acute optic nerve crush was used to examine neuronal atrophy in the ganglion cell layer in wild-type and Bax-deficient mice. Nuclear size was measured from retinal wholemounts. Heterochromatin formation was assessed using transmission electron microscopy, whereas histone H4 acetylation was monitored using immunofluoresence. Ganglion cell and retinal transcript abundance was measured using quantitative PCR. RESULTS Nuclear and soma sizes linearly correlated in both control and damaged retinas. Cells in wild-type mice exhibited nuclear atrophy within 1 day after optic nerve damage. Three days after crush, nuclear atrophy was restricted to ganglion cells identified by retrograde labeling, while amacrine cells also exhibited some atrophy by 5 days. Similar kinetics of nuclear atrophy were observed in cells deficient for the essential proapoptotic gene Bax. Bax-deficient cells also exhibited other nuclear changes common in wild-type cells, including the deacetylation of histones, formation of heterochromatin, and the silencing of ganglion cell-specific gene expression. CONCLUSIONS Retinal ganglion cell somas and nuclei undergo the AVD in response to optic nerve damage. Atrophy is rapid and precedes the Bax-dependent committed step of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine T Janssen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Blum ES, Abraham MC, Yoshimura S, Lu Y, Shaham S. Control of nonapoptotic developmental cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans by a polyglutamine-repeat protein. Science 2012; 335:970-3. [PMID: 22363008 DOI: 10.1126/science.1215156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Death is a vital developmental cell fate. In Caenorhabditis elegans, programmed death of the linker cell, which leads gonadal elongation, proceeds independently of caspases and apoptotic effectors. To identify genes promoting linker-cell death, we performed a genome-wide RNA interference screen. We show that linker-cell death requires the gene pqn-41, encoding an endogenous polyglutamine-repeat protein. pqn-41 functions cell-autonomously and is expressed at the onset of linker-cell death. pqn-41 expression is controlled by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase SEK-1, which functions in parallel to the zinc-finger protein LIN-29 to promote cellular demise. Linker-cell death is morphologically similar to cell death associated with normal vertebrate development and polyglutamine-induced neurodegeneration. Our results may therefore provide molecular inroads to understanding nonapoptotic cell death in metazoan development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyse S Blum
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Carrasco MC, Navascués J, Cuadros MA, Calvente R, Martín-Oliva D, Santos AM, Sierra A, Ferrer-Martín RM, Marín-Teva JL. Migration and ramification of microglia in quail embryo retina organotypic cultures. Dev Neurobiol 2012; 71:296-315. [PMID: 21394933 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.20860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Organotypic cultures of retina explants preserve the complex cellular microenvironment of the retina and have been used as a tool to assess the biological functions of some cell types. However, studies to date have shown that microglial cells activate quickly in response to the retina explantation. In this study, microglial cells migrated and ramified in quail embryo retina organotypic cultures (QEROCs) according to chronological patterns bearing a resemblance to those in the retina in situ, despite some differences in cell density and ramification degree. Retinal explants from quail embryos at 9 days of incubation (E9) proved to be the best in vitro system for reproducing a physiological-like behavior of microglial cells when cultured in Eagle's basal medium supplemented with horse serum. During the first week in vitro, microglial cells migrated tangentially in the vitreal part of QEROCs, and some began to migrate radially from 3 days in vitro (div) onward, ramifying in the inner and outer plexiform layers, thus mimicking microglia development in the retina in situ, although reaching a lower degree of ramification after 7 div. From 8 div onward, microglial cells rounded throughout the explant thickness simultaneously with the nonphysiological appearance of dead photoreceptors and round microglia in the outernuclear layer. Therefore, E9 QEROCs can be used during the first week in vitro as a model system for experimental studies of molecules putatively involved in microglial migration and ramification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Carmen Carrasco
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
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Abstract
Programmed cell death (PCD) occurs widely in species from every kingdom of life. It has been shown to be an integral aspect of development in multicellular organisms, and it is an essential component of the immune response to infectious agents. An analysis of the phylogenetic origin of PCD now shows that it evolved independently several times, and it is fundamental to basic cellular physiology. Undoubtedly, PCD pervades all life at every scale of analysis. These considerations provide a backdrop for understanding the complexity of intertwined, but independent, cell death programs that operate within the immune system. In particular, the contributions of apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis in the resolution of an immune response are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Hedrick
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0377, USA.
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Saggu SK, Chotaliya HP, Blumbergs PC, Casson RJ. Wallerian-like axonal degeneration in the optic nerve after excitotoxic retinal insult: an ultrastructural study. BMC Neurosci 2010; 11:97. [PMID: 20707883 PMCID: PMC2930628 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-11-97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2009] [Accepted: 08/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Excitotoxicity is involved in the pathogenesis of a number neurodegenerative diseases, and axonopathy is an early feature in several of these disorders. In models of excitotoxicity-associated neurological disease, an excitotoxin delivered to the central nervous system (CNS), could trigger neuronal death not only in the somatodendritic region, but also in the axonal region, via oligodendrocyte N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The retina and optic nerve, as approachable regions of the brain, provide a unique anatomical substrate to investigate the "downstream" effect of isolated excitotoxic perikaryal injury on central nervous system (CNS) axons, potentially providing information about the pathogenesis of the axonopathy in clinical neurological disorders. Herein, we provide ultrastructural information about the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) somata and their axons, both unmyelinated and myelinated, after NMDA-induced retinal injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were killed at 0 h, 24 h, 72 h and 7 days after injecting 20 nM NMDA into the vitreous chamber of the left eye (n = 8 in each group). Saline-injected right eyes served as controls. After perfusion fixation, dissection, resin-embedding and staining, ultrathin sections of eyes and proximal (intraorbital) and distal (intracranial) optic nerve segments were evaluated by transmission electron tomography (TEM). Results TEM demonstrated features of necrosis in RGCs: mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum swelling, disintegration of polyribosomes, rupture of membranous organelle and formation of myelin bodies. Ultrastructural damage in the optic nerve mimicked the changes of Wallerian degeneration; early nodal/paranodal disturbances were followed by the appearance of three major morphological variants: dark degeneration, watery degeneration and demyelination. Conclusion NMDA-induced excitotoxic retinal injury causes mainly necrotic RGC somal death with Wallerian-like degeneration of the optic nerve. Since axonal degeneration associated with perikaryal excitotoxic injury is an active, regulated process, it may be amenable to therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarabjit K Saggu
- Ophthalmic Research Laboratories, Hanson Institute, and The University of Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
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Synaptic activity induces dramatic changes in the geometry of the cell nucleus: interplay between nuclear structure, histone H3 phosphorylation, and nuclear calcium signaling. J Neurosci 2010; 29:14687-700. [PMID: 19940164 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1160-09.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic activity initiates many adaptive responses in neurons. Here we report a novel form of structural plasticity in dissociated hippocampal cultures and slice preparations. Using a recently developed algorithm for three-dimensional image reconstruction and quantitative measurements of cell organelles, we found that many nuclei from hippocampal neurons are highly infolded and form unequally sized nuclear compartments. Nuclear infoldings are dynamic structures, which can radically transform the geometry of the nucleus in response to neuronal activity. Action potential bursting causing synaptic NMDA receptor activation dramatically increases the number of infolded nuclei via a process that requires the ERK-MAP kinase pathway and new protein synthesis. In contrast, death-signaling pathways triggered by extrasynaptic NMDA receptors cause a rapid loss of nuclear infoldings. Compared with near-spherical nuclei, infolded nuclei have a larger surface and increased nuclear pore complex immunoreactivity. Nuclear calcium signals evoked by cytosolic calcium transients are larger in small nuclear compartments than in the large compartments of the same nucleus; moreover, small compartments are more efficient in temporally resolving calcium signals induced by trains of action potentials in the theta frequency range (5 Hz). Synaptic activity-induced phosphorylation of histone H3 on serine 10 was more robust in neurons with infolded nuclei compared with neurons with near-spherical nuclei, suggesting a functional link between nuclear geometry and transcriptional regulation. The translation of synaptic activity-induced signaling events into changes in nuclear geometry facilitates the relay of calcium signals to the nucleus, may lead to the formation of nuclear signaling microdomains, and could enhance signal-regulated transcription.
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Fischer AJ, Stanke JJ, Ghai K, Scott M, Omar G. Development of bullwhip neurons in the embryonic chicken retina. J Comp Neurol 2007; 503:538-49. [PMID: 17534934 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We have recently described large, unipolar neurons (named bullwhip cells) that regulate the proliferation of progenitors in the circumferential marginal zone (CMZ) of the postnatal chicken retina (Fischer et al. [2005] J. Neurosci. 25:10157-10166; [2006] J. Comp. Neurol. 496:479-494). There are only about 240 bullwhip cells in the entire retina, and these cells are easily identified by their unique morphology and immunoreactivity for glucagon, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1), and substance P. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the development of bullwhip cells in the embryonic chicken retina. By using bromodeoxyuridine birth dating, we found that the bullwhip cells are generated very early during retinal development, between E4 and E5. Glucagon peptide was first detected in bullwhip cells at about E10, whereas substance P was not detected in the bullwhip cells until E15. Although glucagon peptide is not present during early stages of retinal development, we detected mRNA for glucagon receptor beginning at E7 and mRNA for GLP1 receptor at E5 through E14. Morphological differentiation of the bullwhip cells begins at about E14 and is completed by E18. The bullwhip cells are greatly overproduced, and nearly 80% of these cells undergo apoptotic cell death during late stages of embryonic development. The bullwhip cells that survive are those that project an axon-like process directly toward the CMZ; the cells that project in an inappropriate direction fail to survive. We conclude that cells fated to become bullwhip neurons are generated long before they begin to differentiate and that their survival depends on the orientation of their primary neurite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy J Fischer
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine and Public Health, The Ohio State University, 333 W. 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210-1239, USA.
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16
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Gautschi M, Clarke PGH. Neuronal death in the lateral geniculate nucleus of young ferrets following a cortical lesion: time-course, age dependence and involvement of caspases. Brain Res 2007; 1167:20-30. [PMID: 17678880 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.05.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2007] [Accepted: 05/31/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In humans and many other mammalian species, the behavioural consequences of a cortical lesion tend to be milder when it occurs early in life, and there is evidence that an important factor contributing to the behavioural sparing in the young is the formation of new thalamo-cortical connections by thalamic neurons initially connected with the lesioned area. However, this plasticity may be hindered by the secondary death of many of these neurons owing to the elimination by the primary lesion of their trophic support from the cortex. With the long-term aim of preventing this neuronal death, we have here characterised its timing in the lateral geniculate nucleus of ferrets following lesions of the visual cortex on postnatal days 5, 10, 20 or 35. After the earliest lesions (P5 or P10), this cell death began rapidly and occurred synchronously, being maximal at 48 h and declining to zero over the next few days. Following later lesions the cell death began more slowly and continued for longer. The dying neurons contained activated caspase-3 and fragmented DNA and their number 2 days after a P5 lesion was reduced by the broad-band caspase inhibitor z-VAD.fmk. These experiments open the way for a concerted effort to enhance adaptive plasticity by neuroprotection in the hours or days following a cortical lesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Gautschi
- Département de Biologie Cellulaire et de Morphologie (DBCM), Université de Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 9, CH-1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
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17
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Lähteenmäki M, Kupari J, Airaksinen MS. Increased apoptosis of parasympathetic but not enteric neurons in mice lacking GFRα2. Dev Biol 2007; 305:325-32. [PMID: 17355878 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2007.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2006] [Revised: 01/26/2007] [Accepted: 02/13/2007] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Enteric neurons, unlike sympathetic and sensory neurons that require target-derived neurotrophins for survival, do not undergo classical caspase-3-mediated programmed cell death (PCD) during normal development. Whether parasympathetic neurons in the pancreas, which originate from a subpopulation of enteric nervous system (ENS) precursors, or other parasympathetic neurons undergo PCD during normal mammalian development is unknown. In GFRalpha2-deficient mice, many submandibular and intrapancreatic parasympathetic neurons are missing but whether this is due to increased neuronal death is unclear. Here we show that activated caspase-3 and PGP9.5 doubly positive neurons are present in wild-type mouse pancreas between embryonic day E15 and birth. Thus, in contrast to ENS neurons, intrapancreatic neurons undergo PCD via apoptosis during normal development. We also show that, in GFRalpha2-deficient mice, most intrapancreatic neurons are lost during this late fetal period, which coincides with a period of increased apoptosis of the neurons. Since the percentage of BrdU and Phox2b doubly positive cells in the fetal pancreas and the number of intrapancreatic neurons at E15 were similar between the genotypes, impaired precursor proliferation and migration are unlikely to contribute to the loss of intrapancreatic neurons in GFRalpha2-KO mice. Caspase-3-positive neurons were also found in GFRalpha2-deficient submandibular ganglia around birth, suggesting that parasympathetic neurons depend on limited supply of (presumably target-derived neurturin) signaling via GFRalpha2 for survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meri Lähteenmäki
- Neuroscience Center, Viikinkaari 4, 00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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18
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Brunet N, Tarabal O, Portero-Otín M, Oppenheim RW, Esquerda JE, Calderó J. Survival and death of mature avian motoneurons in organotypic slice culture: trophic requirements for survival and different types of degeneration. J Comp Neurol 2007; 501:669-90. [PMID: 17299760 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
We have developed an organotypic culture technique that uses slices of chick embryo spinal cord, in which trophic requirements for long-term survival of mature motoneurons (MNs) were studied. Slices were obtained from E16 chick embryos and maintained for up to 28 days in vitro (DIV) in a basal medium. Under these conditions, most MNs died. To promote MN survival, 14 different trophic factors were assayed. Among these 14, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor were the most effective. GDNF was able to promote MN survival for at least 28 DIV. K(+) depolarization or caspase inhibition prevented MN death but also induced degenerative-like changes in rescued MNs. Agents that elevate cAMP levels promoted the survival of a proportion of MNs for at least 7 DIV. Examination of dying MNs revealed that, in addition to cells exhibiting a caspase-3-dependent apoptotic pattern, some MNs died by a caspase-3-independent mechanism and displayed autophagic vacuoles, an extremely convoluted nucleus, and a close association with microglia. This organotypic spinal cord slice culture may provide a convenient model for testing conditions that promote survival of mature-like MNs that are affected in late-onset MN disease such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Brunet
- Unitat de Neurobiologia Cel.lular, Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Lleida and IRB Lleida, 25008 Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
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19
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Abstract
Recent studies showed that endocytosis is enhanced in neurons exposed to an excitototoxic stimulus. We here confirm and analyze this new phenomenon using dissociated cortical neuronal cultures. NMDA-induced uptake (FITC-dextran or FITC or horseradish peroxidase) occurs in these cultures and is due to endocytosis, not to cell entry through damaged membranes; it requires an excitotoxic dose of NMDA and is dependent on extracellular calcium, but occurs early, while the neuron is still intact and viable. It involves two components, NMDA-induced and constitutive, with different characteristics. Neither component involves specific binding of the endocytosed molecules to a saturable receptor. Strikingly, molecules internalized by the NMDA-induced component are targeted to neuronal nuclei. This component, but not the constitutive one, is blocked by a c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase inhibitor. In conclusion, an excitotoxic dose of NMDA triggers c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase-dependent endocytosis in cortical neuronal cultures, providing an in vitro model of the excitotoxicity-induced endocytosis reported in intact tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Vaslin
- Département de Biologie Cellulaire et de Morphologie, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
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20
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Abraham MC, Lu Y, Shaham S. A morphologically conserved nonapoptotic program promotes linker cell death in Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev Cell 2007; 12:73-86. [PMID: 17199042 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2006.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2006] [Revised: 11/01/2006] [Accepted: 11/16/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Apoptosis, cell death characterized by stereotypical morphological features, requires caspase proteases. Nonapoptotic, caspase-independent cell death pathways have been postulated; however, little is known about their molecular constituents or in vivo functions. Here, we show that death of the Caenorhabditis elegans linker cell during development is independent of the ced-3 caspase and all known cell death genes. The linker cell employs a cell-autonomous death program, and a previously undescribed engulfment program is required for its clearance. Dying linker cells display nonapoptotic features, including nuclear crenellation, absence of chromatin condensation, organelle swelling, and accumulation of cytoplasmic membrane-bound structures. Similar features are seen during developmental death of neurons in the vertebrate spinal cord and ciliary ganglia. Linker cell death is controlled by the microRNA let-7 and Zn-finger protein LIN-29, components of the C. elegans developmental timing pathway. We propose that the program executing linker cell death is conserved and used during vertebrate development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary C Abraham
- Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA
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21
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Germain F, Fernández E, de la Villa P. Morphological signs of apoptosis in axotomized ganglion cells of the rabbit retina. Neuroscience 2006; 144:898-910. [PMID: 17156937 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.10.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2006] [Revised: 10/16/2006] [Accepted: 10/17/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Optic nerve section in mammals induces apoptotic death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). However, a small population of RGCs survives for a relatively long time. These cells experience significant morphological changes due to the apoptotic process, but some of these changes are not clearly differentiated from those experienced in necrotic cells. In the present work, rabbit RGCs were studied 1 month after optic nerve section using light microscopy after neurobiotin injection, transmission electron microscopy (EM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Apoptosis was identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP nick end labeling and characteristic signs of apoptosis were observed in the EM images. Ultrastructural analyses showed vacuolar degeneration in the cytoplasm and normal cellular structure loss. Signs of membrane changes were observed in axotomized RGCs by SEM. Early changes seen in the cell membrane suggest that axotomy may cause important changes in the cytoskeleton. We conclude that characteristic signs of apoptosis at the cell membrane level are clearly observed in rabbit RGCs after axotomy and they may be responsible for the cellular death.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Germain
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid, Spain.
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