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Azam HMH, Rößling RI, Geithe C, Khan MM, Dinter F, Hanack K, Prüß H, Husse B, Roggenbuck D, Schierack P, Rödiger S. MicroRNA biomarkers as next-generation diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative diseases: a comprehensive review. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1386735. [PMID: 38883980 PMCID: PMC11177777 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1386735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are characterized by abnormalities within neurons of the brain or spinal cord that gradually lose function, eventually leading to cell death. Upon examination of affected tissue, pathological changes reveal a loss of synapses, misfolded proteins, and activation of immune cells-all indicative of disease progression-before severe clinical symptoms become apparent. Early detection of NDs is crucial for potentially administering targeted medications that may delay disease advancement. Given their complex pathophysiological features and diverse clinical symptoms, there is a pressing need for sensitive and effective diagnostic methods for NDs. Biomarkers such as microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as potential tools for detecting these diseases. We explore the pivotal role of miRNAs in the context of NDs, focusing on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The review delves into the intricate relationship between aging and NDs, highlighting structural and functional alterations in the aging brain and their implications for disease development. It elucidates how miRNAs and RNA-binding proteins are implicated in the pathogenesis of NDs and underscores the importance of investigating their expression and function in aging. Significantly, miRNAs exert substantial influence on post-translational modifications (PTMs), impacting not just the nervous system but a wide array of tissues and cell types as well. Specific miRNAs have been found to target proteins involved in ubiquitination or de-ubiquitination processes, which play a significant role in regulating protein function and stability. We discuss the link between miRNA, PTM, and NDs. Additionally, the review discusses the significance of miRNAs as biomarkers for early disease detection, offering insights into diagnostic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hafiz Muhammad Husnain Azam
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Rosa Ilse Rößling
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christiane Geithe
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg, The Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the University of Potsdam, Berlin, Germany
| | - Muhammad Moman Khan
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Franziska Dinter
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
- PolyAn GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Hanack
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Harald Prüß
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Britta Husse
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Dirk Roggenbuck
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Peter Schierack
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Rödiger
- Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Sciences, Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Senftenberg, Germany
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg, The Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the University of Potsdam, Berlin, Germany
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2
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Sun J, Wu H, Luo J, Qiu Y, Li Y, Xu Y, Liu L, Liu X, Zhang Q. CircTBC1D22A inhibits the progression of colorectal cancer through autophagy regulated via miR-1825/ATG14 axis. iScience 2024; 27:109168. [PMID: 38439965 PMCID: PMC10910227 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Distant metastasis is the main cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). A better understanding of the mechanisms of metastasis can greatly improve the outcome of patients with CRC. Accumulating evidence suggests that circRNA plays pivotal roles in cancer progression and metastasis, especially acting as a miRNA sponge to regulate the expression of the target gene. A public database bioinformatics analysis found that miR-1825 was highly expressed in CRC tissues. In this study, miR-1825 was highly expressed in CRC tissues, which was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that miR-1825 was positively correlated with the proliferation and migration of CRC cells. This event can be inhibited by circTBC1D22A. CircTBC1D22A can directly interact with miR-1825 and subsequently act as a miRNA sponge to regulate the expression of the target gene ATG14, which collectively advances the autophagy-mediated progression and metastasis of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingbo Sun
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, 183 West Zhongshan Avenue, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongmei Wu
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junjie Luo
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, 183 West Zhongshan Avenue, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yue Qiu
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yanyan Li
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yangwei Xu
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lixin Liu
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, 183 West Zhongshan Avenue, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaolong Liu
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, 183 West Zhongshan Avenue, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qingling Zhang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
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3
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Van Schoor E, Strubbe D, Braems E, Weishaupt J, Ludolph AC, Van Damme P, Thal DR, Bercier V, Van Den Bosch L. TUBA4A downregulation as observed in ALS post-mortem motor cortex causes ALS-related abnormalities in zebrafish. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1340240. [PMID: 38463699 PMCID: PMC10921936 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1340240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Disease-associated variants of TUBA4A (alpha-tubulin 4A) have recently been identified in familial ALS. Interestingly, a downregulation of TUBA4A protein expression was observed in familial as well as sporadic ALS brain tissue. To investigate whether a decreased TUBA4A expression could be a driving factor in ALS pathogenesis, we assessed whether TUBA4A knockdown in zebrafish could recapitulate an ALS-like phenotype. For this, we injected an antisense oligonucleotide morpholino in zebrafish embryos targeting the zebrafish TUBA4A orthologue. An antibody against synaptic vesicle 2 was used to visualize motor axons in the spinal cord, allowing the analysis of embryonic ventral root projections. Motor behavior was assessed using the touch-evoked escape response. In post-mortem ALS motor cortex, we observed reduced TUBA4A levels. The knockdown of the zebrafish TUBA4A orthologue induced a motor axonopathy and a significantly disturbed motor behavior. Both phenotypes were dose-dependent and could be rescued by the addition of human wild-type TUBA4A mRNA. Thus, TUBA4A downregulation as observed in ALS post-mortem motor cortex could be modeled in zebrafish and induced a motor axonopathy and motor behavior defects reflecting a motor neuron disease phenotype, as previously described in embryonic zebrafish models of ALS. The rescue with human wild-type TUBA4A mRNA suggests functional conservation and strengthens the causal relation between TUBA4A protein levels and phenotype severity. Furthermore, the loss of TUBA4A induces significant changes in post-translational modifications of tubulin, such as acetylation, detyrosination and polyglutamylation. Our data unveil an important role for TUBA4A in ALS pathogenesis, and extend the relevance of TUBA4A to the majority of ALS patients, in addition to cases bearing TUBA4A mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelien Van Schoor
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dufie Strubbe
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elke Braems
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Albert C. Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, Ulm, Germany
| | - Philip Van Damme
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dietmar Rudolf Thal
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valérie Bercier
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
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4
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Rizzuti M, Sali L, Melzi V, Scarcella S, Costamagna G, Ottoboni L, Quetti L, Brambilla L, Papadimitriou D, Verde F, Ratti A, Ticozzi N, Comi GP, Corti S, Gagliardi D. Genomic and transcriptomic advances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 92:102126. [PMID: 37972860 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder and the most common motor neuron disease. ALS shows substantial clinical and molecular heterogeneity. In vitro and in vivo models coupled with multiomic techniques have provided important contributions to unraveling the pathomechanisms underlying ALS. To date, despite promising results and accumulating knowledge, an effective treatment is still lacking. Here, we provide an overview of the literature on the use of genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics and microRNAs to deeply investigate the molecular mechanisms developing and sustaining ALS. We report the most relevant genes implicated in ALS pathogenesis, discussing the use of different high-throughput sequencing techniques and the role of epigenomic modifications. Furthermore, we present transcriptomic studies discussing the most recent advances, from microarrays to bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing. Finally, we discuss the use of microRNAs as potential biomarkers and promising tools for molecular intervention. The integration of data from multiple omic approaches may provide new insights into pathogenic pathways in ALS by shedding light on diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, helping to stratify patients into clinically relevant subgroups, revealing novel therapeutic targets and supporting the development of new effective therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mafalda Rizzuti
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Sali
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Melzi
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Simone Scarcella
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianluca Costamagna
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Linda Ottoboni
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Quetti
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Brambilla
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Federico Verde
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonia Ratti
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Ticozzi
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giacomo Pietro Comi
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Neuromuscular and Rare Diseases Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Corti
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Delia Gagliardi
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Dino Ferrari Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
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5
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RNAseq Analysis of FABP4 Knockout Mouse Hippocampal Transcriptome Suggests a Role for WNT/β-Catenin in Preventing Obesity-Induced Cognitive Impairment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043381. [PMID: 36834799 PMCID: PMC9961923 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglial fatty-acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) is a regulator of neuroinflammation. We hypothesized that the link between lipid metabolism and inflammation indicates a role for FABP4 in regulating high fat diet (HFD)-induced cognitive decline. We have previously shown that obese FABP4 knockout mice exhibit decreased neuroinflammation and cognitive decline. FABP4 knockout and wild type mice were fed 60% HFD for 12 weeks starting at 15 weeks old. Hippocampal tissue was dissected and RNA-seq was performed to measure differentially expressed transcripts. Reactome molecular pathway analysis was utilized to examine differentially expressed pathways. Results showed that HFD-fed FABP4 knockout mice have a hippocampal transcriptome consistent with neuroprotection, including associations with decreased proinflammatory signaling, ER stress, apoptosis, and cognitive decline. This is accompanied by an increase in transcripts upregulating neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation, and spatial working memory. Pathway analysis revealed that mice lacking FABP4 had changes in metabolic function that support reduction in oxidative stress and inflammation, and improved energy homeostasis and cognitive function. Analysis suggested a role for WNT/β-Catenin signaling in the protection against insulin resistance, alleviating neuroinflammation and cognitive decline. Collectively, our work shows that FABP4 represents a potential target in alleviating HFD-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive decline and suggests a role for WNT/β-Catenin in this protection.
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6
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Pinho-Correia LM, Prokop A. Maintaining essential microtubule bundles in meter-long axons: a role for local tubulin biogenesis? Brain Res Bull 2023; 193:131-145. [PMID: 36535305 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Axons are the narrow, up-to-meter long cellular processes of neurons that form the biological cables wiring our nervous system. Most axons must survive for an organism's lifetime, i.e. up to a century in humans. Axonal maintenance depends on loose bundles of microtubules that run without interruption all along axons. The continued turn-over and the extension of microtubule bundles during developmental, regenerative or plastic growth requires the availability of α/β-tubulin heterodimers up to a meter away from the cell body. The underlying regulation in axons is poorly understood and hardly features in past and contemporary research. Here we discuss potential mechanisms, particularly focussing on the possibility of local tubulin biogenesis in axons. Current knowledge might suggest that local translation of tubulin takes place in axons, but far less is known about the post-translational machinery of tubulin biogenesis involving three chaperone complexes: prefoldin, CCT and TBC. We discuss functional understanding of these chaperones from a range of model organisms including yeast, plants, flies and mice, and explain what is known from human diseases. Microtubules across species depend on these chaperones, and they are clearly required in the nervous system. However, most chaperones display a high degree of functional pleiotropy, partly through independent functions of individual subunits outside their complexes, thus posing a challenge to experimental studies. Notably, we found hardly any studies that investigate their presence and function particularly in axons, thus highlighting an important gap in our understanding of axon biology and pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana Maria Pinho-Correia
- The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biology, Manchester, UK
| | - Andreas Prokop
- The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, School of Biology, Manchester, UK.
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7
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Epigenetic Changes in Prion and Prion-like Neurodegenerative Diseases: Recent Advances, Potential as Biomarkers, and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012609. [PMID: 36293477 PMCID: PMC9604074 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) caused by a conformational conversion of the native cellular prion protein (PrPC) to an abnormal, infectious isoform called PrPSc. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases are also known as prion-like diseases because they share common features with prion diseases, including protein misfolding and aggregation, as well as the spread of these misfolded proteins into different brain regions. Increasing evidence proposes the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms, namely DNA methylation, post-translational modifications of histones, and microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation in the pathogenesis of prion-like diseases. Little is known about the role of epigenetic modifications in prion diseases, but recent findings also point to a potential regulatory role of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathology of these diseases. This review highlights recent findings on epigenetic modifications in TSEs and prion-like diseases and discusses the potential role of such mechanisms in disease pathology and their use as potential biomarkers.
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8
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Biochemical Pathways of Cellular Mechanosensing/Mechanotransduction and Their Role in Neurodegenerative Diseases Pathogenesis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11193093. [PMID: 36231055 PMCID: PMC9563116 DOI: 10.3390/cells11193093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we shed light on recent advances regarding the characterization of biochemical pathways of cellular mechanosensing and mechanotransduction with particular attention to their role in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis. While the mechanistic components of these pathways are mostly uncovered today, the crosstalk between mechanical forces and soluble intracellular signaling is still not fully elucidated. Here, we recapitulate the general concepts of mechanobiology and the mechanisms that govern the mechanosensing and mechanotransduction processes, and we examine the crosstalk between mechanical stimuli and intracellular biochemical response, highlighting their effect on cellular organelles' homeostasis and dysfunction. In particular, we discuss the current knowledge about the translation of mechanosignaling into biochemical signaling, focusing on those diseases that encompass metabolic accumulation of mutant proteins and have as primary characteristics the formation of pathological intracellular aggregates, such as Alzheimer's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson's Disease. Overall, recent findings elucidate how mechanosensing and mechanotransduction pathways may be crucial to understand the pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and emphasize the importance of these pathways for identifying potential therapeutic targets.
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9
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Rizzuti M, Melzi V, Gagliardi D, Resnati D, Meneri M, Dioni L, Masrori P, Hersmus N, Poesen K, Locatelli M, Biella F, Silipigni R, Bollati V, Bresolin N, Comi GP, Van Damme P, Nizzardo M, Corti S. Insights into the identification of a molecular signature for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis exploiting integrated microRNA profiling of iPSC-derived motor neurons and exosomes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:189. [PMID: 35286466 PMCID: PMC8921154 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04217-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons (MNs). Most cases are sporadic, whereas 10% are familial. The pathological mechanisms underlying the disease are partially understood, but it is increasingly being recognized that alterations in RNA metabolism and deregulation of microRNA (miRNA) expression occur in ALS. In this study, we performed miRNA expression profile analysis of iPSC-derived MNs and related exosomes from familial patients and healthy subjects. We identified dysregulation of miR-34a, miR-335 and miR-625-3p expression in both MNs and exosomes. These miRNAs regulate genes and pathways which correlate with disease pathogenesis, suggesting that studying miRNAs deregulation can contribute to deeply investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease. We also assayed the expression profile of these miRNAs in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of familial (fALS) and sporadic patients (sALS) and we identified a significant dysregulation of miR-34a-3p and miR-625-3p levels in ALS compared to controls. Taken together, all these findings suggest that miRNA analysis simultaneously performed in different human biological samples could represent a promising molecular tool to understand the etiopathogenesis of ALS and to develop new potential miRNA-based strategies in this new propitious therapeutic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mafalda Rizzuti
- Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neurology Unit, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Melzi
- Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neurology Unit, Milan, Italy
| | - Delia Gagliardi
- Department of Physiopathology and Transplants, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Resnati
- Department of Physiopathology and Transplants, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Megi Meneri
- Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neurology Unit, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Dioni
- EPIGET LAB, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Pegah Masrori
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Center for Brain and Disease, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicole Hersmus
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Center for Brain and Disease, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Koen Poesen
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiomarker Research, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Martina Locatelli
- Department of Physiopathology and Transplants, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Biella
- Department of Physiopathology and Transplants, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Rosamaria Silipigni
- Laboratory of Medical Genetics, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Bollati
- EPIGET LAB, Unit of Occupational Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, IRCCS Ca' Granda Foundation Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Nereo Bresolin
- Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neurology Unit, Milan, Italy.,Department of Physiopathology and Transplants, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Giacomo Pietro Comi
- Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neurology Unit, Milan, Italy.,Department of Physiopathology and Transplants, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy.,Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neuromuscular and Rare Diseases Unit, Milan, Italy
| | - Philip Van Damme
- Department of Neurosciences, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Center for Brain and Disease, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Monica Nizzardo
- Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neurology Unit, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Corti
- Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Neurology Unit, Milan, Italy. .,Department of Physiopathology and Transplants, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy.
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10
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Van Schoor E, Vandenbulcke M, Bercier V, Vandenberghe R, van der Zee J, Van Broeckhoven C, Otto M, Hanseeuw B, Van Damme P, Van Den Bosch L, Thal DR. Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Case with an N-Terminal TUBA4A Mutation Exhibits Reduced TUBA4A Levels in the Brain and TDP-43 Pathology. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12030440. [PMID: 35327632 PMCID: PMC8946841 DOI: 10.3390/biom12030440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, disease-associated variants of the TUBA4A gene were identified in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here, we present the neuropathological report of a patient with the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia with a family history of Parkinsonism, harboring a novel frameshift mutation c.187del (p.Arg64Glyfs*90) in TUBA4A. Immunohistochemistry showed abundant TAR DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) dystrophic neurite pathology in the frontal and temporal cortex and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, consistent with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). The observed pathology pattern fitted best with that of FTLD-TDP Type C. qPCR showed the presence of mutant TUBA4A mRNA. However, no truncated TUBA4A was detected at the protein level. A decrease in total TUBA4A mRNA and protein levels suggests loss-of-function as a potential pathogenic mechanism. This report strengthens the idea that N-terminal TUBA4A mutations are associated with FTLD-TDP. These N-terminal mutations possibly exert their pathogenic effects through haploinsufficiency, contrary to C-terminal TUBA4A mutations which are thought to disturb the microtubule network via a dominant-negative mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelien Van Schoor
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (V.B.); (P.V.D.); (L.V.D.B.)
- Center for Brain & Disease Research, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence: (E.V.S.); (D.R.T.)
| | - Mathieu Vandenbulcke
- Department of Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
| | - Valérie Bercier
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (V.B.); (P.V.D.); (L.V.D.B.)
- Center for Brain & Disease Research, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Julie van der Zee
- Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases, Center for Molecular Neurology, VIB, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.v.d.Z.); (C.V.B.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Christine Van Broeckhoven
- Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases, Center for Molecular Neurology, VIB, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (J.v.d.Z.); (C.V.B.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany;
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Halle (Saale), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06108 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bernard Hanseeuw
- UC Louvain and Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurosciences, University Hospital Saint-Luc, 1200 Brussels, Belgium;
| | - Philip Van Damme
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (V.B.); (P.V.D.); (L.V.D.B.)
- Center for Brain & Disease Research, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (V.B.); (P.V.D.); (L.V.D.B.)
- Center for Brain & Disease Research, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dietmar Rudolf Thal
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven (University of Leuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence: (E.V.S.); (D.R.T.)
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11
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The Biogenesis of miRNAs and Their Role in the Development of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030572. [PMID: 35159383 PMCID: PMC8833997 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects upper and lower motor neurons. As there is no effective treatment for ALS, it is particularly important to screen key gene therapy targets. The identifications of microRNAs (miRNAs) have completely changed the traditional view of gene regulation. miRNAs are small noncoding single-stranded RNA molecules involved in the regulation of post-transcriptional gene expression. Recent advances also indicate that miRNAs are biomarkers in many diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we summarize recent advances regarding the mechanisms underlying the role of miRNAs in ALS pathogenesis and its application to gene therapy for ALS. The potential of miRNAs to target diverse pathways opens a new avenue for ALS therapy.
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12
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Niccolini B, Palmieri V, De Spirito M, Papi M. Opportunities Offered by Graphene Nanoparticles for MicroRNAs Delivery for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 15:126. [PMID: 35009270 PMCID: PMC8745865 DOI: 10.3390/ma15010126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by the degeneration and death of motor neurons. This neurodegenerative disease leads to muscle atrophy, paralysis, and death due to respiratory failure. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding ribonucleic acids (RNAs) with a length of 19 to 25 nucleotides, participating in the regulation of gene expression. Different studies have demonstrated that miRNAs deregulation is critical for the onset of a considerable number of neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS. Some studies have underlined how miRNAs are deregulated in ALS patients and for this reason, design therapies are used to correct the aberrant expression of miRNAs. With this rationale, delivery systems can be designed to target specific miRNAs. Specifically, these systems can be derived from viral vectors (viral systems) or synthetic or natural materials, including exosomes, lipids, and polymers. Between many materials used for non-viral vectors production, the two-dimensional graphene and its derivatives represent a good alternative for efficiently delivering nucleic acids. The large surface-to-volume ratio and ability to penetrate cell membranes are among the advantages of graphene. This review focuses on the specific pathogenesis of miRNAs in ALS and on graphene delivery systems designed for gene delivery to create a primer for future studies in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedetta Niccolini
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Palmieri
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco De Spirito
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Papi
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCSS, 00168 Rome, Italy
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13
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Bonifacino T, Zerbo RA, Balbi M, Torazza C, Frumento G, Fedele E, Bonanno G, Milanese M. Nearly 30 Years of Animal Models to Study Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Historical Overview and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212236. [PMID: 34830115 PMCID: PMC8619465 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, multigenic, multifactorial, and non-cell autonomous neurodegenerative disease characterized by upper and lower motor neuron loss. Several genetic mutations lead to ALS development and many emerging gene mutations have been discovered in recent years. Over the decades since 1990, several animal models have been generated to study ALS pathology including both vertebrates and invertebrates such as yeast, worms, flies, zebrafish, mice, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and non-human primates. Although these models show different peculiarities, they are all useful and complementary to dissect the pathological mechanisms at the basis of motor neuron degeneration and ALS progression, thus contributing to the development of new promising therapeutics. In this review, we describe the up to date and available ALS genetic animal models, classified by the different genetic mutations and divided per species, pointing out their features in modeling, the onset and progression of the pathology, as well as their specific pathological hallmarks. Moreover, we highlight similarities, differences, advantages, and limitations, aimed at helping the researcher to select the most appropriate experimental animal model, when designing a preclinical ALS study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Bonifacino
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Genoa, Italy
| | - Roberta Arianna Zerbo
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Matilde Balbi
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Carola Torazza
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Giulia Frumento
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Ernesto Fedele
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Giambattista Bonanno
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Marco Milanese
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Genoa, Italy
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14
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Laneve P, Tollis P, Caffarelli E. RNA Deregulation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Noncoding Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:10285. [PMID: 34638636 PMCID: PMC8508793 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA metabolism is central to cellular physiopathology. Almost all the molecular pathways underpinning biological processes are affected by the events governing the RNA life cycle, ranging from transcription to degradation. The deregulation of these processes contributes to the onset and progression of human diseases. In recent decades, considerable efforts have been devoted to the characterization of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and to the study of their role in the homeostasis of the nervous system (NS), where they are highly enriched. Acting as major regulators of gene expression, ncRNAs orchestrate all the steps of the differentiation programs, participate in the mechanisms underlying neural functions, and are crucially implicated in the development of neuronal pathologies, among which are neurodegenerative diseases. This review aims to explore the link between ncRNA dysregulation and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most frequent motoneuron (MN) disorder in adults. Notably, defective RNA metabolism is known to be largely associated with this pathology, which is often regarded as an RNA disease. We also discuss the potential role that these transcripts may play as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Laneve
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Tollis
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Elisa Caffarelli
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy
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15
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Two distinct skeletal muscle microRNA signatures revealing the complex mechanism of sporadic ALS. Acta Neurol Belg 2021; 122:1499-1509. [PMID: 34241798 DOI: 10.1007/s13760-021-01743-w] [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: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Skeletal muscle pathology is thought to have an important role in the onset and/or progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness. Since miRNAs are recognized as important regulatory factors of essential biological processes, we aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in the skeletal muscle of sporadic ALS patients through the combination of molecular-omic technologies and bioinformatic tools. We analyzed the miRnome profiles of skeletal muscle biopsies acquired from ten sALS patients and five controls with Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 4.0 Array. To find out differentially expressed miRNAs in patients, data were analyzed by The Institute for Genomic Research-Multi Experiment Viewer (MeV) and miRNAs whose expression difference were statistically significant were identified as candidates. The potential target genes of these miRNAs were predicted by miRWalk 2.0 and were functionally enriched by gene ontology (GO) analysis. The expression level of priority candidates was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. We identified ten differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with a fold change threshold ≥ 2.0, FDR = 0. We identified ten differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with a fold change threshold ≥ 2.0, FDR = 0. Nine out of the ten miRNAs were found to be related to top three enriched ALS-related terms. Based on the qRT-PCR validation of candidate miRNAs, patients were separated into two groups: those with upregulated miR-4429 and miR-1825 expression and those with downregulated miR-638 expression. The different muscle-specific miRNA profiles in sALS patients may indicate the involvement of etiologic heterogeneity, which may allow the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
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16
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Molecular Mechanisms, Biomarkers, and Therapeutic Strategies. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:antiox10071012. [PMID: 34202494 PMCID: PMC8300638 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10071012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease with the progressive loss of motor neurons, leading to a fatal paralysis. According to whether there is a family history of ALS, ALS can be roughly divided into two types: familial and sporadic. Despite decades of research, the pathogenesis of ALS is still unelucidated. To this end, we review the recent progress of ALS pathogenesis, biomarkers, and treatment strategies, mainly discuss the roles of immune disorders, redox imbalance, autophagy dysfunction, and disordered iron homeostasis in the pathogenesis of ALS, and introduce the effects of RNA binding proteins, ALS-related genes, and non-coding RNA as biomarkers on ALS. In addition, we also mention other ALS biomarkers such as serum uric acid (UA), cardiolipin (CL), chitotriosidase (CHIT1), and neurofilament light chain (NFL). Finally, we discuss the drug therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and stem cell-exosomal therapy for ALS, attempting to find new therapeutic targets and strategies. A challenge is to study the various mechanisms of ALS as a syndrome. Biomarkers that have been widely explored are indispensable for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ALS. Moreover, the development of new genes and targets is an urgent task in this field.
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17
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Bai JC, Huang GY. miR-1825 Accelerates Cell Proliferation and Inhibits Cell Apoptosis of Prostate Cancer via Targeting Suppressor of Cancer Cell Invasion. J BIOMATER TISS ENG 2021. [DOI: 10.1166/jbt.2021.2681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Prostate cancer (PC) is one major carcinoma threat to the health of males. microRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding transcripts with about 23 nt in length. Booming evidence has verified the various roles of miRNAs in human tumors. miR-1825 was once demonstrated to be highly expressed
in PC, but the potential role of miR-1825 in PC has never been clarified yet. This work aimed to explore the function of miR-1825 and reveal the underlying modulation mechanism in PC. First, miR-1825 was detected to be elevated in PC cells compared with normal prostate cells, as proved by
RT-qPCR. After miR-1825 expression was inhibited, cell proliferation was hindered and cell apoptosis was promoted, which was observed by CCK8, colony formation, TUNEL staining and western blot assays. Bioinformatics tools discovered the targeting of suppressor of cancer cell invasion (SCAI)
by miR-1825, which was further confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. Then the suppression of miR-1825 on SCAI protein expression was verified by western blotting. Eventually, rescue assays were implemented and affirmed the miR-1825/SCAI axis in PC cells. In conclusion, our present research
disclosed the oncogenic role of miR-1825 and the miR-1825/SCAI pathway in PC. These findings gave new clues for the therapy of PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Chao Bai
- Department of Urology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang, 322000, China
| | - Guang-Yi Huang
- Department of Urology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, Zhejiang, 322000, China
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18
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Kmetzsch V, Anquetil V, Saracino D, Rinaldi D, Camuzat A, Gareau T, Jornea L, Forlani S, Couratier P, Wallon D, Pasquier F, Robil N, de la Grange P, Moszer I, Le Ber I, Colliot O, Becker E. Plasma microRNA signature in presymptomatic and symptomatic subjects with C9orf72-associated frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2021; 92:485-493. [PMID: 33239440 PMCID: PMC8053348 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-324647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify potential biomarkers of preclinical and clinical progression in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 gene (C9orf72)-associated disease by assessing the expression levels of plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) in C9orf72 patients and presymptomatic carriers. METHODS The PREV-DEMALS study is a prospective study including 22 C9orf72 patients, 45 presymptomatic C9orf72 mutation carriers and 43 controls. We assessed the expression levels of 2576 miRNAs, among which 589 were above noise level, in plasma samples of all participants using RNA sequencing. The expression levels of the differentially expressed miRNAs between patients, presymptomatic carriers and controls were further used to build logistic regression classifiers. RESULTS Four miRNAs were differentially expressed between patients and controls: miR-34a-5p and miR-345-5p were overexpressed, while miR-200c-3p and miR-10a-3p were underexpressed in patients. MiR-34a-5p was also overexpressed in presymptomatic carriers compared with healthy controls, suggesting that miR-34a-5p expression is deregulated in cases with C9orf72 mutation. Moreover, miR-345-5p was also overexpressed in patients compared with presymptomatic carriers, which supports the correlation of miR-345-5p expression with the progression of C9orf72-associated disease. Together, miR-200c-3p and miR-10a-3p underexpression might be associated with full-blown disease. Four presymptomatic subjects in transitional/prodromal stage, close to the disease conversion, exhibited a stronger similarity with the expression levels of patients. CONCLUSIONS We identified a signature of four miRNAs differentially expressed in plasma between clinical conditions that have potential to represent progression biomarkers for C9orf72-associated frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This study suggests that dysregulation of miRNAs is dynamically altered throughout neurodegenerative diseases progression, and can be detectable even long before clinical onset. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT02590276.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virgilio Kmetzsch
- Inria, Aramis project-team, F-75013, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Anquetil
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Dario Saracino
- Inria, Aramis project-team, F-75013, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Centre de référence des démences rares ou précoces, IM2A, Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Daisy Rinaldi
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Centre de référence des démences rares ou précoces, IM2A, Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Agnès Camuzat
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,EPHE, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Gareau
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Ludmila Jornea
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Sylvie Forlani
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | | | - David Wallon
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Inserm U1245 and Rouen University Hospital, Department of Neurology and CNR-MAJ, Normandy Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Rouen, France
| | | | | | | | - Ivan Moszer
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Le Ber
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Centre de référence des démences rares ou précoces, IM2A, Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, FrontLab, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Colliot
- Inria, Aramis project-team, F-75013, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
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19
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Nolasco S, Bellido J, Serna M, Carmona B, Soares H, Zabala JC. Colchicine Blocks Tubulin Heterodimer Recycling by Tubulin Cofactors TBCA, TBCB, and TBCE. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:656273. [PMID: 33968934 PMCID: PMC8100514 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.656273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Colchicine has been used to treat gout and, more recently, to effectively prevent autoinflammatory diseases and both primary and recurrent episodes of pericarditis. The anti-inflammatory action of colchicine seems to result from irreversible inhibition of tubulin polymerization and microtubule (MT) assembly by binding to the tubulin heterodimer, avoiding the signal transduction required to the activation of the entire NLRP3 inflammasome. Emerging results show that the MT network is a potential regulator of cardiac mechanics. Here, we investigated how colchicine impacts in tubulin folding cofactors TBCA, TBCB, and TBCE activities. We show that TBCA is abundant in mouse heart insoluble protein extracts. Also, a decrease of the TBCA/β-tubulin complex followed by an increase of free TBCA is observed in human cells treated with colchicine. The presence of free TBCA is not observed in cells treated with other anti-mitotic agents such as nocodazole or cold shock, neither after translation inhibition by cycloheximide. In vitro assays show that colchicine inhibits tubulin heterodimer dissociation by TBCE/TBCB, probably by interfering with interactions of TBCE with tubulin dimers, leading to free TBCA. Manipulation of TBCA levels, either by RNAi or overexpression results in decreased levels of tubulin heterodimers. Together, these data strongly suggest that TBCA is mainly receiving β-tubulin from the dissociation of pre-existing heterodimers instead of newly synthesized tubulins. The TBCE/TBCB+TBCA system is crucial for controlling the critical concentration of free tubulin heterodimers and MT dynamics in the cells by recycling the tubulin heterodimers. It is conceivable that colchicine affects tubulin heterodimer recycling through the TBCE/TBCB+TBCA system producing the known benefits in the treatment of pericardium inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Nolasco
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, CIISA - Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Javier Bellido
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Marina Serna
- Spanish National Cancer Research Center, CNIO, Madrid, Spain
| | - Bruno Carmona
- Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Centro de Química Estrutural - Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Helena Soares
- Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Centro de Química Estrutural - Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Juan Carlos Zabala
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
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20
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The Novel Regulatory Role of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Axis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE 2021; 2021:5526179. [PMID: 33953791 PMCID: PMC8067776 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5526179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects motor neurons, causing muscle atrophy, bulbar palsy, and pyramidal tract signs. However, the aetiology and pathogenesis of ALS have not been elucidated to date. In this study, a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed by analyzing the expression profiles of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that were matched by 7 ALS samples and 4 control samples, and then a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify the genes related to ALS. Gene Ontology (GO) was used to study the potential functions of differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in the ceRNA network. For the ALS and control groups, 247177 potential lncRNA-mRNA ceRNA relationship pairs were screened. Analysis of significant relationship pairs demonstrated that the PPI modules formed by the MALAT1-regulated SYNRG, ITSN2, PICALM, AP3B1, and AAK1 genes may play important roles in the pathogenesis of ALS, and these results may help to characterize the pathogenesis of ALS.
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21
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Lobar Degenerations: Similarities in Genetic Background. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11030509. [PMID: 33805659 PMCID: PMC7998502 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11030509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, uniformly lethal progressive degenerative disorder of motor neurons that overlaps with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) clinically, morphologically, and genetically. Although many distinct mutations in various genes are known to cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, it remains poorly understood how they selectively impact motor neuron biology and whether they converge on common pathways to cause neuronal degeneration. Many of the gene mutations are in proteins that share similar functions. They can be grouped into those associated with cell axon dynamics and those associated with cellular phagocytic machinery, namely protein aggregation and metabolism, apoptosis, and intracellular nucleic acid transport. Analysis of pathways implicated by mutant ALS genes has provided new insights into the pathogenesis of both familial forms of ALS (fALS) and sporadic forms (sALS), although, regrettably, this has not yet yielded definitive treatments. Many genes play an important role, with TARDBP, SQSTM1, VCP, FUS, TBK1, CHCHD10, and most importantly, C9orf72 being critical genetic players in these neurological disorders. In this mini-review, we will focus on the molecular mechanisms of these two diseases.
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22
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Castellanos-Montiel MJ, Chaineau M, Durcan TM. The Neglected Genes of ALS: Cytoskeletal Dynamics Impact Synaptic Degeneration in ALS. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:594975. [PMID: 33281562 PMCID: PMC7691654 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.594975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that selectively affects motor neurons (MNs) of the cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. Several genes have been linked to both familial (fALS) and sporadic (sALS) cases of ALS. Among all the ALS-related genes, a group of genes known to directly affect cytoskeletal dynamics (ALS2, DCTN1, PFN1, KIF5A, NF-L, NF-H, PRPH, SPAST, and TUBA4A) is of high importance for MN health and survival, considering that MNs are large polarized cells with axons that can reach up to 1 m in length. In particular, cytoskeletal dynamics facilitate the transport of organelles and molecules across the long axonal distances within the cell, playing a key role in synapse maintenance. The majority of ALS-related genes affecting cytoskeletal dynamics were identified within the past two decades, making it a new area to explore for ALS. The purpose of this review is to provide insights into ALS-associated cytoskeletal genes and outline how recent studies have pointed towards novel pathways that might be impacted in ALS. Further studies making use of extensive analysis models to look for true hits, the newest technologies such as CRIPSR/Cas9, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and axon sequencing, as well as the development of more transgenic animal models could potentially help to: differentiate the variants that truly act as a primary cause of the disease from the ones that act as risk factors or disease modifiers, identify potential interactions between two or more ALS-related genes in disease onset and progression and increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to cytoskeletal defects. Altogether, this information will give us a hint on the real contribution of the cytoskeletal ALS-related genes during this lethal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mathilde Chaineau
- Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Thomas M Durcan
- Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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23
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Wang L, Zhang L. MicroRNAs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: from pathogenetic involvement to diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic agent development. Neurol Sci 2020; 41:3569-3577. [PMID: 33006054 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-020-04773-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding small single-stranded RNAs that are 21-25 nucleotides (NTs) in length and participate in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Studies have shown that miRNA dysfunction plays a critical role in the occurrence and development of a variety of nervous system diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with an unclear etiology and is characterized by the selective invasion of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms can range from mild spasms in the limbs or medulla oblongata muscles to paralysis in almost all skeletal muscles. The role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of ALS has become of greater importance to those studying ALS. In this review, we reviewed experimentally confirmed miRNAs shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of ALS and that are used as diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic ALS agents. At present, there are at least 20-30 genes clearly related to the pathogenesis of ALS. Multiple miRNAs have been reported in different pathogenic gene models. MiRNAs could be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis of ALS; the differential expression of some miRNAs could be related to ALS prognosis. As therapeutic agents, miRNAs are still in the exploratory stage. Although encouraging results have been achieved using animal models, much research is still needed before clinical trials can ensue. However, with additional miRNA studies in ALS patients and animal models, the pathogenesis, early diagnosis, and therapy of ALS should be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Lijuan Zhang
- Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110004, People's Republic of China.
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24
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Ranganathan R, Haque S, Coley K, Shepheard S, Cooper-Knock J, Kirby J. Multifaceted Genes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Frontotemporal Dementia. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:684. [PMID: 32733193 PMCID: PMC7358438 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia are two progressive, adult onset neurodegenerative diseases, caused by the cell death of motor neurons in the motor cortex and spinal cord and cortical neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes, respectively. Whilst these have previously appeared to be quite distinct disorders, in terms of areas affected and clinical symptoms, identification of cognitive dysfunction as a component of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with some patients presenting with both ALS and FTD, overlapping features of neuropathology and the ongoing discoveries that a significant proportion of the genes underlying the familial forms of the disease are the same, has led to ALS and FTD being described as a disease spectrum. Many of these genes encode proteins in common biological pathways including RNA processing, autophagy, ubiquitin proteasome system, unfolded protein response and intracellular trafficking. This article provides an overview of the ALS-FTD genes before summarizing other known ALS and FTD causing genes where mutations have been found primarily in patients of one disease and rarely in the other. In discussing these genes, the review highlights the similarity of biological pathways in which the encoded proteins function and the interactions that occur between these proteins, whilst recognizing the distinctions of MAPT-related FTD and SOD1-related ALS. However, mutations in all of these genes result in similar pathology including protein aggregation and neuroinflammation, highlighting that multiple different mechanisms lead to common downstream effects and neuronal loss. Next generation sequencing has had a significant impact on the identification of genes associated with both diseases, and has also highlighted the widening clinical phenotypes associated with variants in these ALS and FTD genes. It is hoped that the large sequencing initiatives currently underway in ALS and FTD will begin to uncover why different diseases are associated with mutations within a single gene, especially as a personalized medicine approach to therapy, based on a patient's genetics, approaches the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Ranganathan
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Shaila Haque
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Barishal, Barishal, Bangladesh
| | - Kayesha Coley
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie Shepheard
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Johnathan Cooper-Knock
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Janine Kirby
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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25
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Maraldi T, Beretti F, Anselmi L, Franchin C, Arrigoni G, Braglia L, Mandrioli J, Vinceti M, Marmiroli S. Influence of selenium on the emergence of neuro tubule defects in a neuron-like cell line and its implications for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurotoxicology 2019; 75:209-220. [PMID: 31585128 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2019.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Impairment of the axonal transport system mediated by intracellular microtubules (MTs) is known to be a major drawback in neurodegenerative processes. Due to a growing interest on the neurotoxic effects of selenium in environmental health, our study aimed to assess the relationship between selenium and MTs perturbation, that may favour disease onset over a genetic predisposition to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We treated a neuron-like cell line with sodium selenite, sodium selenate and seleno-methionine and observed that the whole cytoskeleton was affected. We then investigated the protein interactome of cells overexpressing αTubulin-4A (TUBA4A) and found that selenium increases the interaction of TUBA4A with DNA- and RNA-binding proteins. TUBA4A ubiquitination and glutathionylation were also observed, possibly due to a selenium-dependent increase of ROS, leading to perturbation and degradation of MTs. Remarkably, the TUBA4A mutants R320C and A383 T, previously described in ALS patients, showed the same post-translational modifications to a similar extent. In conclusion this study gives insights into a specific mechanism characterizing selenium neurotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tullia Maraldi
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy.
| | - Francesca Beretti
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Del Pozzo 71, 41124, Modena, Italy.
| | - Laura Anselmi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, 41125, Italy.
| | - Cinzia Franchin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via G. Basso 58/B, 35131, Padova, Italy; Proteomics Center, University of Padova and Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, via G. Orus 2/B, 35129, Padova, Italy.
| | - Giorgio Arrigoni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via G. Basso 58/B, 35131, Padova, Italy; Proteomics Center, University of Padova and Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, via G. Orus 2/B, 35129, Padova, Italy.
| | - Luca Braglia
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, 41125, Italy.
| | - Jessica Mandrioli
- Neurology Unit, Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Modena, Modena, Italy.
| | - Marco Vinceti
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, 41125, Italy; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
| | - Sandra Marmiroli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, 41125, Italy.
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26
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Gentile F, Scarlino S, Falzone YM, Lunetta C, Tremolizzo L, Quattrini A, Riva N. The Peripheral Nervous System in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Opportunities for Translational Research. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:601. [PMID: 31293369 PMCID: PMC6603245 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Although amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been considered as a disorder of the motor neuron (MN) cell body, recent evidences show the non-cell-autonomous pathogenic nature of the disease. Axonal degeneration, loss of peripheral axons and destruction of nerve terminals are early events in the disease pathogenic cascade, anticipating MN degeneration, and the onset of clinical symptoms. Therefore, although ALS and peripheral axonal neuropathies should be differentiated in clinical practice, they also share damage to common molecular pathways, including axonal transport, RNA metabolism and proteostasis. Thus, an extensive evaluation of the molecular events occurring in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) could be fundamental to understand the pathogenic mechanisms of ALS, favoring the discovery of potential disease biomarkers, and new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Gentile
- Experimental Neuropathology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Neurology – San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Scarlino
- Experimental Neuropathology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Neurology – San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Yuri Matteo Falzone
- Experimental Neuropathology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Neurology – San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Lucio Tremolizzo
- Neurology Unit, ALS Clinic, San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Angelo Quattrini
- Experimental Neuropathology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Neurology – San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Nilo Riva
- Experimental Neuropathology Unit, Division of Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Neurology – San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Department of Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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27
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Vijayakumar UG, Milla V, Cynthia Stafford MY, Bjourson AJ, Duddy W, Duguez SMR. A Systematic Review of Suggested Molecular Strata, Biomarkers and Their Tissue Sources in ALS. Front Neurol 2019; 10:400. [PMID: 31139131 PMCID: PMC6527847 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease, is an incurable neurodegenerative condition, characterized by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons. It affects 1-1.8/100,000 individuals worldwide, and the number of cases is projected to increase as the population ages. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify both therapeutic targets and disease-specific biomarkers-biomarkers that would be useful to diagnose and stratify patients into different sub-groups for therapeutic strategies, as well as biomarkers to follow the efficacy of any treatment tested during clinical trials. There is a lack of knowledge about pathogenesis and many hypotheses. Numerous "omics" studies have been conducted on ALS in the past decade to identify a disease-signature in tissues and circulating biomarkers. The first goal of the present review was to group the molecular pathways that have been implicated in monogenic forms of ALS, to enable the description of patient strata corresponding to each pathway grouping. This strategy allowed us to suggest 14 strata, each potentially targetable by different pharmacological strategies. The second goal of this review was to identify diagnostic/prognostic biomarker candidates consistently observed across the literature. For this purpose, we explore previous biomarker-relevant "omics" studies of ALS and summarize their findings, focusing on potential circulating biomarker candidates. We systematically review 118 papers on biomarkers published during the last decade. Several candidate markers were consistently shared across the results of different studies in either cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or blood (leukocyte or serum/plasma). Although these candidates still need to be validated in a systematic manner, we suggest the use of combinations of biomarkers that would likely reflect the "health status" of different tissues, including motor neuron health (e.g., pNFH and NF-L, cystatin C, Transthyretin), inflammation status (e.g., MCP-1, miR451), muscle health (miR-338-3p, miR-206) and metabolism (homocysteine, glutamate, cholesterol). In light of these studies and because ALS is increasingly perceived as a multi-system disease, the identification of a panel of biomarkers that accurately reflect features of pathology is a priority, not only for diagnostic purposes but also for prognostic or predictive applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Stephanie Marie-Rose Duguez
- Northern Ireland Center for Stratified Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Londonderry, United Kingdom
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28
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Butti Z, Patten SA. RNA Dysregulation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Genet 2019; 9:712. [PMID: 30723494 PMCID: PMC6349704 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult-onset motor neuron disease and is characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. It has become increasingly clear that RNA dysregulation is a key contributor to ALS pathogenesis. The major ALS genes SOD1, TARDBP, FUS, and C9orf72 are involved in aspects of RNA metabolism processes such as mRNA transcription, alternative splicing, RNA transport, mRNA stabilization, and miRNA biogenesis. In this review, we highlight the current understanding of RNA dysregulation in ALS pathogenesis involving these major ALS genes and discuss the potential of therapeutic strategies targeting disease RNAs for treating ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Butti
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, National Institute of Scientific Research, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Shunmoogum A Patten
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, National Institute of Scientific Research, Laval, QC, Canada
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