Occurrence of glutamate receptor subunit 1-containing aggresome-like structures during normal development of rat spinal cord interneurons

Protein Misfolding and Aggregation in the Brain: Common Pathogenetic Pathways in Neurodegenerative and Mental Disorders

Mental disorders represent common brain diseases characterized by substantial impairments of social and cognitive functions. The neurobiological causes and mechanisms of psychopathologies still have not been definitively determined. Various forms of brain proteinopathies, which include a disruption of protein conformations and the formation of protein aggregates in brain tissues, may be a possible cause behind the development of psychiatric disorders. Proteinopathies are known to be the main cause of neurodegeneration, but much less attention is given to the role of protein impairments in psychiatric disorders' pathogenesis, such as depression and schizophrenia. For this reason, the aim of this review was to discuss the potential contribution of protein illnesses in the development of psychopathologies. The first part of the review describes the possible mechanisms of disruption to protein folding and aggregation in the cell: endoplasmic reticulum stress, dysfunction of chaperone proteins, altered mitochondrial function, and impaired autophagy processes. The second part of the review addresses the known proteins whose aggregation in brain tissue has been observed in psychiatric disorders (amyloid, tau protein, α-synuclein, DISC-1, disbindin-1, CRMP1, SNAP25, TRIOBP, NPAS3, GluA1, FABP, and ankyrin-G).

Synaptic abnormalities and cytoplasmic glutamate receptor aggregates in contactin associated protein-like 2/Caspr2 knockout neurons

Central glutamatergic synapses and the molecular pathways that control them are emerging as common substrates in the pathogenesis of mental disorders. Genetic variation in the contactin associated protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) gene, including copy number variations, exon deletions, truncations, single nucleotide variants, and polymorphisms have been associated with intellectual disability, epilepsy, schizophrenia, language disorders, and autism. CNTNAP2, encoded by Cntnap2, is required for dendritic spine development and its absence causes disease-related phenotypes in mice. However, the mechanisms whereby CNTNAP2 regulates glutamatergic synapses are not known, and cellular phenotypes have not been investigated in Cntnap2 knockout neurons. Here we show that CNTNAP2 is present in dendritic spines, as well as axons and soma. Structured illumination superresolution microscopy reveals closer proximity to excitatory, rather than inhibitory synaptic markers. CNTNAP2 does not promote the formation of synapses and cultured neurons from Cntnap2 knockout mice do not show early defects in axon and dendrite outgrowth, suggesting that CNTNAP2 is not required at this stage. However, mature neurons from knockout mice show reduced spine density and levels of GluA1 subunits of AMPA receptors in spines. Unexpectedly, knockout neurons show large cytoplasmic aggregates of GluA1. Here we characterize, for the first time to our knowledge, synaptic phenotypes in Cntnap2 knockout neurons and reveal a novel role for CNTNAP2 in GluA1 trafficking. Taken together, our findings provide insight into the biological roles of CNTNAP2 and into the pathogenesis of CNTNAP2-associated neuropsychiatric disorders.

Cellular and subcellular localization of PKMζ

In contrast to protein kinases that participate in long-term potentiation (LTP) induction and memory consolidation, the autonomously active atypical protein kinase C isoform, protein kinase Mzeta (PKMζ), functions in the core molecular mechanism of LTP maintenance and long-term memory storage. Here, using multiple complementary techniques for light and electron microscopic immunolocalization, we present the first detailed characterization of the cellular and subcellular distribution of PKMζ in rat hippocampus and neocortex. We find that PKMζ is widely expressed in forebrain with prominent immunostaining in hippocampal and neocortical grey matter, and weak label in white matter. In hippocampal and cortical pyramidal cells, PKMζ expression is predominantly somatodendritic, and electron microscopy highlights the kinase at postsynaptic densities and in clusters within spines. In addition, nuclear label and striking punctate immunopositive structures in a paranuclear and dendritic distribution are seen by confocal microscopy, occasionally at dendritic bifurcations. PKMζ immunoreactive granules are observed by electron microscopy in cell bodies and dendrites, including endoplasmic reticulum. The widespread distribution of PKMζ in nuclei, nucleoli and endoplasmic reticulum suggests potential roles of this kinase in cell-wide mechanisms involving gene expression, biogenesis of ribosomes and new protein synthesis. The localization of PKMζ within postsynaptic densities and spines suggests sites where the kinase stores information during LTP maintenance and long-term memory.

Interaction with the unfolded protein response reveals a role for stargazin in biosynthetic AMPA receptor transport

The transmembrane protein stargazin enhances levels of functional AMPA receptors at the neuronal plasma membrane and at synapses. To clarify the mechanism for this effect, we studied trafficking of the AMPA receptor subunit glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) in transfected COS7 cells. GluR1 expressed poorly on the surface of these cells and was primarily retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Stargazin expression strongly increased the surface fraction of GluR1. This effect was not reduced by a dominant-negative dynamin mutant, suggesting that stargazin does not inhibit AMPA receptor endocytosis. Interestingly, upregulation of ER chaperones as part of the unfolded protein response (UPR) both mimicked and occluded the effect of stargazin, suggesting a role for stargazin in ER processing of AMPA receptors. Consistent with this idea, we detected UPR induction in cerebellar granule cells lacking stargazin. Finally, residual AMPA receptor currents in stargazin-deficient neurons were suppressed by inhibition of the UPR. These findings uncover a role for stargazin in AMPA receptor trafficking through the early compartments of the biosynthetic pathway. Furthermore, they provide evidence for modulation of AMPA receptor trafficking by the UPR.

Involvement of clusterin and the aggresome in abnormal protein deposits in myofibrillar myopathies and inclusion body myositis

Myofibrillar myopathies (MM) are characterized morphologically by the presence of non-hyaline structures corresponding to foci of dissolution of myofibrils, and hyaline lesions composed of aggregates of compacted and degraded myofibrillar elements. Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is characterized by the presence of rimmed vacuoles, eosinophilic inclusions in the cytoplasm, rare intranuclear inclusions, and by the accumulation of several abnormal proteins. Recent studies have demonstrated impaired proteasomal expression and activity in MM and IBM, thus accounting, in part, for the abnormal protein accumulation in these diseases. The present study examines other factors involved in protein aggregation in MM and IBM. Clusterin is a multiple-function protein which participates in Abeta-amyloid, PrP(res) and a-synuclein aggregation in Alzheimer disease, prionopathies and a-synucleinopathies, respectively. gamma-Tubulin is present in the centrosome and is an intracellular marker of the aggresome. Moderate or strong clusterin immunoreactivity has been found in association with abnormal protein deposits, as revealed by immunohistochemistry, single and double-labeling immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, in MM and IBM, and in target structures in denervation atrophy. Gamma-Tubulin has also been observed in association with abnormal protein deposits in MM, IBM, and in target fibers in denervation atrophy. These morphological findings are accompanied by increased expression of clusterin and gamma-tubulin in muscle homogenates of MM and IBM cases, as revealed by gel electrophoresis and Western blots. Together, these observations demonstrate involvement of clusterin in protein aggregates, and increased expression of aggresome markers in association with abnormal protein inclusions in MM and IBM and in targets, as crucial events related to the pathogenesis of abnormal protein accumulation and degradation in these muscular diseases.

Early events in glutamate receptor trafficking

Glutamate receptors are the primary mediators of excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. Activity-dependent changes in the number of postsynaptic glutamate receptors underlie aspects of synaptic plasticity and provide a mechanism for information storage in the brain. Recent work shows that receptor exit from the endoplasmic reticulum represents a critical regulatory step in glutamate receptor trafficking to the neuronal cell surface.

Lewy-body formation is an aggresome-related process: a hypothesis

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with the formation of intracytoplasmic protein aggregates (Lewy-body inclusions) in neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta and other brain areas. These inclusions were discovered over 90 years ago, but the mechanism underlying their formation and their relevance to the neurodegenerative process are unknown. Recent studies have begun to shed light on the biogenesis of Lewy bodies and suggest that they are related to aggresomes. Aggresomes are cytoprotective proteinaceous inclusions formed at the centrosome that segregate and facilitate the degradation of excess amounts of unwanted and possibly cytotoxic proteins. The concept of Lewy bodies as aggresome-related inclusions fits well with ongoing discoveries suggesting that altered protein handling might contribute to the neurodegenerative process in familial and sporadic forms of PD.

Neuroanatomical distribution of huntingtin-associated protein 1-mRNA in the male mouse brain

Huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1) was identified as an interactor of the gene product (Huntingtin) responsible for Huntington's disease and found to be a core component of the stigmoid body. Even though HAP1 is highly expressed in the brain, detailed information on HAP1 distribution has not been fully described. Focusing on the neuroanatomical analysis of HAP1-mRNA expression using in situ hybridization histochemistry, the present study clarified its detailed regional distribution in the entire mouse brain. Mouse HAP1 (Hap1)-mRNAs were abundantly expressed in the limbic-related forebrain regions and midline/periventricular brainstem regions including the olfactory bulb, limbic-associated cortices, hippocampus, septum, amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, preoptico-hypothalamic regions, central gray, raphe nuclei, locus coeruleus, parabrachial nuclei, nucleus of the solitary tract, and area postrema. In contrast, little expression was detected in the striatum and thalamus, implying that Hap1 is associated with neurodegeneration-sparing regions rather than target lesions in Huntington's disease. The distribution pattern, resembling that of the stigmoid body, suggests that HAP1 and the stigmoid body are implicated in protection from neuronal death rather than induction of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease, and that they play an important role in integrating instinct behaviors and underlying autonomic, visceral, arousal, drive, memory, and neuroendocrinergic functions, particularly during extensive homeostatic or emotional processes. These data will provide an important morphological base for a future understanding of functions of HAP1 and the stigmoid body in the brain.

Stigmoid bodies contain type I receptor proteins SorLA/LR11 and sortilin: new perspectives on their function

Stigmoid bodies (SBs) are structures in the cytoplasm of neurons. SBs are mostly found in the hypothalamic region of the rat and contain a protein called huntingtin-associated protein 1 (HAP1). In a recent publication, large cytoplasmic structures were shown to be immunoreactive for a type I receptor called SorLA/LR11. By light microscopic analysis, these structures appeared similar to SBs in size and in brain regional and subcellular localization. To determine whether these large puncta correspond to HAP1-containing SBs, we used antibodies specific to various domains of the apolipoprotein receptor LR11 to perform immunocytochemistry in rat and mouse brain tissue. Transfection studies using HeLa cells were conducted to demonstrate the specificity of the antibodies. We found that, in both species, antibodies to the domain II (or VSP10 for vacuolar sorting protein 10 domain) of LR11 immunoreact with large cytoplasmic structures. Co-localization immunolabeling experiments in rat brain tissue sections and in neuron cultures showed that these LR11-immunoreactive structures correspond to HAP1-positive SBs. Electron microscopy was performed in rat hypothalamus and further demonstrated the presence of LR11 in SBs and its co-localization with HAP1. LR11-containing SBs were most abundant in the hypothalamus but were also found in many brainstem nuclei, thalamus, and hippocampus. Our data also show that sortilin, another transmembrane protein containing a VPS10 domain, localizes to large cytoplasmic puncta and is found in LR11-positive and Hap1-positive SBs in hypothalamic neuron cultures.

Proteolytic stress: a unifying concept for the etiopathogenesis of Parkinson's disease

The etiopathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) has been elusive. Recently, several lines of evidence have converged to suggest that defects in the ubiquitin-proteasome system and proteolytic stress underlie nigral pathology in both familial and sporadic forms of the illness. In support of this concept, mutations in alpha-synuclein that cause the protein to misfold and resist proteasomal degradation cause familial PD. Similarly, mutations in two enzymes involved in the normal function of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, parkin and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1, are also associated with hereditary PD. Furthermore, structural and function defects in 26/20S proteasomes with accumulation and aggregation of potentially cytotoxic abnormal proteins have been identified in the substantia nigra pars compacta of patients with sporadic PD. Thus, a defect in protein handling appears to be a common factor in sporadic and the various familial forms of PD. This hypothesis may also account for the vulnerability of the substantia nigra pars compacta in PD, why the disorder is age related, and the nature of the Lewy body. It has also facilitated the development of experimental models that recapitulate the behavioral and pathological features of PD, and hopefully will lead to the development of novel neuroprotective therapies for the disorder.

Aggresome-related biogenesis of Lewy bodies

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and 'dementia with Lewy bodies' (DLB) are characterized pathologically by selective neuronal death and the appearance of intracytoplasmic protein aggregates (Lewy bodies). The process by which these inclusions are formed and their role in the neurodegenerative process remain elusive. In this study, we demonstrate a close relationship between Lewy bodies and aggresomes, which are cytoplasmic inclusions formed at the centrosome as a cytoprotective response to sequester and degrade excess levels of potentially toxic abnormal proteins within cells. We show that the centrosome/aggresome-related proteins gamma-tubulin and pericentrin display an aggresome-like distribution in Lewy bodies in PD and DLB. Lewy bodies also sequester the ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), the proteasome activators PA700 and PA28, and HSP70, all of which are recruited to aggresomes for enhanced proteolysis. Using novel antibodies that are specific and highly sensitive to ubiquitin-protein conjugates, we revealed the presence of numerous discrete ubiquitinated protein aggregates in neuronal soma and processes in PD and DLB. These aggregates appear to be being transported from peripheral sites to the centrosome where they are sequestered to form Lewy bodies in neurons. Finally, we have shown that inhibition of proteasomal function or generation of misfolded proteins cause the formation of aggresome/Lewy body-like inclusions and cytotoxicity in dopaminergic neurons in culture. These observations suggest that Lewy body formation may be an aggresome-related event in response to increasing levels of abnormal proteins in neurons. This phenomenon is consistent with growing evidence that altered protein handling underlies the etiopathogenesis of PD and related disorders.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha increases neuronal vulnerability to excitotoxic necrosis by inducing expression of the AMPA-glutamate receptor subunit GluR1 via an acid sphingomyelinase- and NF-kappaB-dependent mechanism

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase) and NF-kappaB participate in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) signal transduction. Mice in which the genes encoding ASMase or the p50 subunit of NF-kappaB are disrupted have been reported to be less vulnerable than wild-type mice to focal brain ischemia. We now demonstrate selective diminution in expression of GluR1, an alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate-type glutamate receptor (AMPA-GluR) protein subunit, in these two groups of knockout mice. To confirm that neuronal GluR1 expression is regulated by ASMase and NF-kappaB, and to learn whether this regulation has pathophysiological significance, we treated cultured human NT2-N neurons with TNFalpha. This induced GluR1 expression and increased susceptibility of the neurons to kainate necrosis. Both induction of GluR1 and heightened vulnerability to kainate were blocked by inhibiting ASMase or by antisense knockdown of NF-kappaB p50. We conclude that TNFalpha can sensitize neurons to excitotoxic necrosis by inducing expression of GluR1 via an ASMase- and NF-kappaB-dependent mechanism. TNFalpha levels are frequently elevated during ischemia and other CNS diseases in which excitotoxicity contributes to neuronal loss. Our results suggest that inhibiting TNFalpha signal transduction will diminish neuronal necrosis in these diseases.