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Joseph S, Robbins CB, Haystead A, Hemesath A, Allen A, Kundu A, Ma JP, Scott BL, Moore KPL, Agrawal R, Gunasan V, Stinnett SS, Grewal DS, Fekrat S. Characterizing differences in retinal and choroidal microvasculature and structure in individuals with Huntington's Disease compared to healthy controls: A cross-sectional prospective study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296742. [PMID: 38289919 PMCID: PMC10826956 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize retinal and choroidal microvascular and structural changes in patients who are gene positive for mutant huntingtin protein (mHtt) with symptoms of Huntington's Disease (HD). METHODS This study is a cross-sectional comparison of patients who are gene positive for mHtt and exhibit symptoms of HD, either motor manifest or prodromal (HD group), and cognitively normal individuals without a family history of HD (control group). HD patients were diagnosed by Duke movement disorder neurologists based on the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS). Fovea and optic nerve centered OCT and OCTA images were captured using Zeiss Cirrus HD-5000 with AngioPlex. Outcome metrics included central subfield thickness (CST), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness, ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness, and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) on OCT, and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, vessel density (VD), perfusion density (PD), capillary perfusion density (CPD), and capillary flux index (CFI) on OCTA. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used to account for inter-eye correlation. RESULTS Forty-four eyes of 23 patients in the HD group and 77 eyes of 39 patients in the control group were analyzed. Average GCIPL thickness and FAZ area were decreased in the HD group compared to controls (p = 0.001, p < 0.001). No other imaging metrics were significantly different between groups. CONCLUSIONS Patients in the HD group had decreased GCIPL thickness and smaller FAZ area, highlighting the potential use of retinal biomarkers in detecting neurodegenerative changes in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanna Joseph
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Cason B. Robbins
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Alice Haystead
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Angela Hemesath
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Ariana Allen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Anita Kundu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Justin P. Ma
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Burton L. Scott
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Kathryn P. L. Moore
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Rupesh Agrawal
- National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vithiya Gunasan
- National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sandra S. Stinnett
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Dilraj S. Grewal
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Sharon Fekrat
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- iMIND Research Group, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
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Akyol S, Ashrafi N, Yilmaz A, Turkoglu O, Graham SF. Metabolomics: An Emerging "Omics" Platform for Systems Biology and Its Implications for Huntington Disease Research. Metabolites 2023; 13:1203. [PMID: 38132886 PMCID: PMC10744751 DOI: 10.3390/metabo13121203] [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: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. The precise mechanisms of HD progression are poorly understood; however, it is known that there is an expansion of the trinucleotide cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat in the Huntingtin gene. Important new strategies are of paramount importance to identify early biomarkers with predictive value for intervening in disease progression at a stage when cellular dysfunction has not progressed irreversibly. Metabolomics is the study of global metabolite profiles in a system (cell, tissue, or organism) under certain conditions and is becoming an essential tool for the systemic characterization of metabolites to provide a snapshot of the functional and pathophysiological states of an organism and support disease diagnosis and biomarker discovery. This review briefly highlights the historical progress of metabolomic methodologies, followed by a more detailed review of the use of metabolomics in HD research to enable a greater understanding of the pathogenesis, its early prediction, and finally the main technical platforms in the field of metabolomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumeyya Akyol
- NX Prenatal Inc., 4350 Brownsboro Road, Louisville KY 40207, USA;
| | - Nadia Ashrafi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oakland University-William Beaumont School of Medicine, 318 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester, MI 48309, USA; (N.A.); (A.Y.); (O.T.)
| | - Ali Yilmaz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oakland University-William Beaumont School of Medicine, 318 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester, MI 48309, USA; (N.A.); (A.Y.); (O.T.)
- Metabolomics Division, Beaumont Research Institute, 3811 W. 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA
| | - Onur Turkoglu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oakland University-William Beaumont School of Medicine, 318 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester, MI 48309, USA; (N.A.); (A.Y.); (O.T.)
| | - Stewart F. Graham
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oakland University-William Beaumont School of Medicine, 318 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester, MI 48309, USA; (N.A.); (A.Y.); (O.T.)
- Metabolomics Division, Beaumont Research Institute, 3811 W. 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI 48073, USA
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Suh A, Ong J, Kamran SA, Waisberg E, Paladugu P, Zaman N, Sarker P, Tavakkoli A, Lee AG. Retina Oculomics in Neurodegenerative Disease. Ann Biomed Eng 2023; 51:2708-2721. [PMID: 37855949 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-023-03365-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Ophthalmic biomarkers have long played a critical role in diagnosing and managing ocular diseases. Oculomics has emerged as a field that utilizes ocular imaging biomarkers to provide insights into systemic diseases. Advances in diagnostic and imaging technologies including electroretinography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy, and OCT angiography have revolutionized the ability to understand systemic diseases and even detect them earlier than clinical manifestations for earlier intervention. With the advent of increasingly large ophthalmic imaging datasets, machine learning models can be integrated into these ocular imaging biomarkers to provide further insights and prognostic predictions of neurodegenerative disease. In this manuscript, we review the use of ophthalmic imaging to provide insights into neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer Disease, Parkinson Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Huntington Disease. We discuss recent advances in ophthalmic technology including eye-tracking technology and integration of artificial intelligence techniques to further provide insights into these neurodegenerative diseases. Ultimately, oculomics opens the opportunity to detect and monitor systemic diseases at a higher acuity. Thus, earlier detection of systemic diseases may allow for timely intervention for improving the quality of life in patients with neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Suh
- Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
| | - Joshua Ong
- Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sharif Amit Kamran
- Human-Machine Perception Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Ethan Waisberg
- University College Dublin School of Medicine, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Phani Paladugu
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nasif Zaman
- Human-Machine Perception Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Prithul Sarker
- Human-Machine Perception Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Alireza Tavakkoli
- Human-Machine Perception Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Andrew G Lee
- Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, 6560 Fannin St #450, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Texas A&M College of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Zhang Y, Liang R, Chen Y, Wang Y, Li X, Wang S, Jin H, Liu L, Tang Z. HSF1 protects cells from cadmium toxicity by governing proteome integrity. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 266:115571. [PMID: 37837696 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cadmium toxicity has been associated with disruption of protein homeostasis by interfering with protein folding processes. Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) coordinates the rapid and extensive cellular response to maintain proteomic balance facing the challenges from many environmental stressors. Thus, we suspect that HSF1 may shield cells from cadmium toxicity by conserving proteome integrity. RESULTS Here, we demonstrate that cadmium, a highly poisonous metal, induces aggregation of cytosolic proteins in human cells, which disrupts protein homeostasis and activates HSF1. Cadmium exposure increases HSF1's phosphorylation, nuclear translocation and DNA bindings. Aside from this, HSF1 goes through liquid-liquid phase separation to form small nuclear condensates upon cadmium exposure. A specific regulatory domain of HSF1 is critical for HSF1's phase separation capability. Most importantly, human cells with impaired HSF1 are sensitized to cadmium, however, cells with overexpressed HSF1 are protected from cadmium toxicity. Overexpression of HSF1 in human cells reduces protein aggregates, amyloid fibrils and DNA damages to antagonize cadmium toxicity. CONCLUSIONS HSF1 protects cells from cadmium toxicity by governing the integrity of both proteome and genome. Similar mechanisms may enable HSF1 to alleviate cellular toxicity caused by other heavy metals. HSF1's role in cadmium exposure may provide important insights into the toxic effects of heavy metals on human cells and body organs, allowing us to better manage heavy metal poisoning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchun Zhang
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Rong Liang
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Yingxiao Chen
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Yaling Wang
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Xue Li
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Shang Wang
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Honglin Jin
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Lusha Liu
- College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
| | - Zijian Tang
- College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
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