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Lutfi Ismaeel G, Makki AlHassani OJ, S Alazragi R, Hussein Ahmed A, H Mohamed A, Yasir Jasim N, Hassan Shari F, Almashhadani HA. Genetically engineered neural stem cells (NSCs) therapy for neurological diseases; state-of-the-art. Biotechnol Prog 2023; 39:e3363. [PMID: 37221947 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3363] [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: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent stem cells with remarkable self-renewal potential and also unique competencies to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes (ODCs) and improve the cellular microenvironment. In addition, NSCs secret diversity of mediators, including neurotrophic factors (e.g., BDNF, NGF, GDNF, CNTF, and NT-3), pro-angiogenic mediators (e.g., FGF-2 and VEGF), and anti-inflammatory biomolecules. Thereby, NSCs transplantation has become a reasonable and effective treatment for various neurodegenerative disorders by their capacity to induce neurogenesis and vasculogenesis and dampen neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Nonetheless, various drawbacks such as lower migration and survival and less differential capacity to a particular cell lineage concerning the disease pathogenesis hinder their application. Thus, genetic engineering of NSCs before transplantation is recently regarded as an innovative strategy to bypass these hurdles. Indeed, genetically modified NSCs could bring about more favored therapeutic influences post-transplantation in vivo, making them an excellent option for neurological disease therapy. This review for the first time offers a comprehensive review of the therapeutic capability of genetically modified NSCs rather than naïve NSCs in neurological disease beyond brain tumors and sheds light on the recent progress and prospect in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghufran Lutfi Ismaeel
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Al-Ameed, Karbala, Iraq
| | | | - Reem S Alazragi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ammar Hussein Ahmed
- Department of Radiology and Sonar, College of Medical Techniques, Al-Farahidi University, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Asma'a H Mohamed
- Intelligent Medical Systems Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Babylon, Iraq
| | - Nisreen Yasir Jasim
- Collage of Pharmacy, National University of Science and Technology, Dhi Qar, Iraq
| | - Falah Hassan Shari
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
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Paliga D, Raudzus F, Leppla SH, Heumann R, Neumann S. Lethal Factor Domain-Mediated Delivery of Nurr1 Transcription Factor Enhances Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity and Protects from Neurotoxin-Induced Degeneration of Dopaminergic Cells. Mol Neurobiol 2018; 56:3393-3403. [PMID: 30121937 PMCID: PMC6476859 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-018-1311-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [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: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The orphan transcription factor nuclear receptor-related 1 protein (Nurr1, also known as NR4A2) plays a key role in embryonic development and maintenance of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Nurr1 deficiency is associated with Parkinson’s disease where dopaminergic neurons degenerate suggesting that counter-regulation of Nurr1 activity may have therapeutic effects. Here, we bacterially expressed and isolated a human Nurr1 fusion protein containing a N-terminal cell delivery domain derived from detoxified anthrax lethal factor followed by wild type ubiquitin with deubiquitinating enzyme recognition site for intracellular cleavage. Addition of the Nurr1 fusion protein to dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells generated a cleaved, cytosolic Nurr1-containing fragment which was associated with increased levels of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis. Promoter-activity assays confirmed that exposure of cells to full-length Nurr1 fusion protein activated not only its cognate human tyrosine hydroxylase promoter but also the corresponding mouse sequence, although at a reduced efficiency. Using 6-hydroxydopamine as a dopaminergic cell specific neurotoxin, we demonstrate that full-length Nurr1 fusion protein promotes a concentration-dependent protection from this toxic insult. Altogether, the enhancement of tyrosine hydroxylase in naïve dopaminergic cells and the protective effects in a cellular model of Parkinson’s disease suggest that full-length Nurr1 fusion protein may contribute to the development of a novel concept of protein-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Paliga
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Fabian Raudzus
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stephen H Leppla
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rolf Heumann
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Sebastian Neumann
- Department of Biochemistry II - Molecular Neurobiochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
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Dong J, Li S, Mo JL, Cai HB, Le WD. Nurr1-Based Therapies for Parkinson's Disease. CNS Neurosci Ther 2016; 22:351-9. [PMID: 27012974 DOI: 10.1111/cns.12536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2015] [Revised: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have documented that orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 (also known as NR4A2) plays important roles in the midbrain dopamine (DA) neuron development, differentiation, and survival. Furthermore, it has been reported that the defects in Nurr1 are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Thus, Nurr1 might be a potential therapeutic target for PD. Emerging evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies has recently demonstrated that Nurr1-activating compounds and Nurr1 gene therapy are able not only to enhance DA neurotransmission but also to protect DA neurons from cell injury induced by environmental toxin or microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. Moreover, modulators that interact with Nurr1 or regulate its function, such as retinoid X receptor, cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, and Wnt/β-catenin pathway, have the potential to enhance the effects of Nurr1-based therapies in PD. This review highlights the recent progress in preclinical studies of Nurr1-based therapies and discusses the outlook of this emerging therapy as a promising new generation of PD medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Dong
- The Center for Translational Research on Neurological Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Song Li
- The Center for Translational Research on Neurological Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Jing-Lin Mo
- The Center for Translational Research on Neurological Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Huai-Bin Cai
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Wei-Dong Le
- The Center for Translational Research on Neurological Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.,Institute of Health Science, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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Stergiopoulos A, Politis PK. The role of nuclear receptors in controlling the fine balance between proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells. Arch Biochem Biophys 2013; 534:27-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2012.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Revised: 08/23/2012] [Accepted: 09/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Felfly H, Xue J, Zambon AC, Muotri A, Zhou D, Haddad GG. Identification of a neuronal gene expression signature: role of cell cycle arrest in murine neuronal differentiation in vitro. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2011; 301:R727-45. [PMID: 21677276 PMCID: PMC3174756 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00217.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2011] [Accepted: 06/08/2011] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Stem cells are a potential key strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases in which the generation of new neurons is critical. A better understanding of the characteristics and molecular properties of neural stem cells (NSCs) and differentiated neurons can help with assessing neuronal maturity and, possibly, in devising better therapeutic strategies. We have performed an in-depth gene expression profiling study of murine NSCs and primary neurons derived from embryonic mouse brains. Microarray analysis revealed a neuron-specific gene expression signature that distinguishes primary neurons from NSCs, with elevated levels of transcripts involved in neuronal functions, such as neurite development and axon guidance in primary neurons and decreased levels of multiple cytokine transcripts. Among the differentially expressed genes, we found a statistically significant enrichment of genes in the ephrin, neurotrophin, CDK5, and actin pathways, which control multiple neuronal-specific functions. We then artificially blocked the cell cycle of NSCs with mitomycin C (MMC) and examined cellular morphology and gene expression signatures. Although these MMC-treated NSCs displayed a neuronal morphology and expressed some neuronal differentiation marker genes, their gene expression patterns were very different from primary neurons. We conclude that 1) fully differentiated mouse primary neurons display a specific neuronal gene expression signature; 2) cell cycle block at the S phase in NSCs with MMC does not induce the formation of fully differentiated neurons; 3) cytokines change their expression pattern during differentiation of NSCs into neurons; and 4) signaling pathways of ephrin, neurotrophin, CDK5, and actin, related to major neuronal features, are dynamically enriched in genes showing changes in expression level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hady Felfly
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, CA, USA
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Abstract
The central nervous system has limited capacity of regenerating lost tissue in slowly progressive, degenerative neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease or Huntington's disease (HD), or in acute injuries resulting in rapid cell loss for example, in cerebrovascular damage (for example, stroke) or spinal cord injury. Although the adult brain contains small numbers of stem cells in restricted areas, they do not contribute significantly to functional recovery. Transplantation of stem cells or stem cell-derived progenitors has long been seen as a therapeutic solution to repair the damaged brain. With the advent of the induced pluripotent stem cells technique a new and potentially better source for transplantable cells may be available in future. This review aims to highlight current strategies to replace lost cellular populations in neurodegenerative diseases with the focus on HD and PD and traumatic brain injuries such as stroke, discussing many of the technical and biological issues associated with central nervous system cell transplantation.
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Bae EJ, Lee HS, Park CH, Lee SH. Orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 induces neuron differentiation from embryonic cortical precursor cells via an extrinsic paracrine mechanism. FEBS Lett 2009; 583:1505-10. [PMID: 19362551 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2009] [Revised: 03/30/2009] [Accepted: 04/07/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Nurr1 is an orphan nuclear receptor-type transcription factor (TF) that plays critical roles in midbrain dopamine neuron development. This study demonstrated a novel role for Nurr1 in neuronal/astrocytic differentiation of neural precursor (NP) cells isolated from rat embryonic cortices: overexpression of this TF promoted NP cell differentiation towards neurons at the expense of astrocytic differentiation. Single cell-based lineage analyses and experiments using co-cultures revealed that Nurr1 elicited its neurogenic role in an extrinsic paracrine manner. We defined diffusible factors and downstream neurogenic TFs responsible for the Nurr1-mediated neuronal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Ji Bae
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, # 17 Haengdang-dong, Sungdong-gu, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea
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