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Dachet F, Brown JB, Valyi-Nagy T, Narayan KD, Serafini A, Boley N, Gingeras TR, Celniker SE, Mohapatra G, Loeb JA. Selective time-dependent changes in activity and cell-specific gene expression in human postmortem brain. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6078. [PMID: 33758256 PMCID: PMC7988150 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85801-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
As a means to understand human neuropsychiatric disorders from human brain samples, we compared the transcription patterns and histological features of postmortem brain to fresh human neocortex isolated immediately following surgical removal. Compared to a number of neuropsychiatric disease-associated postmortem transcriptomes, the fresh human brain transcriptome had an entirely unique transcriptional pattern. To understand this difference, we measured genome-wide transcription as a function of time after fresh tissue removal to mimic the postmortem interval. Within a few hours, a selective reduction in the number of neuronal activity-dependent transcripts occurred with relative preservation of housekeeping genes commonly used as a reference for RNA normalization. Gene clustering indicated a rapid reduction in neuronal gene expression with a reciprocal time-dependent increase in astroglial and microglial gene expression that continued to increase for at least 24 h after tissue resection. Predicted transcriptional changes were confirmed histologically on the same tissue demonstrating that while neurons were degenerating, glial cells underwent an outgrowth of their processes. The rapid loss of neuronal genes and reciprocal expression of glial genes highlights highly dynamic transcriptional and cellular changes that occur during the postmortem interval. Understanding these time-dependent changes in gene expression in post mortem brain samples is critical for the interpretation of research studies on human brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Dachet
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
| | - James B Brown
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | | | | - Anna Serafini
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Nathan Boley
- University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jeffrey A Loeb
- University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
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Schueller E, Paiva I, Blanc F, Wang XL, Cassel JC, Boutillier AL, Bousiges O. Dysregulation of histone acetylation pathways in hippocampus and frontal cortex of Alzheimer's disease patients. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2020; 33:101-116. [PMID: 32057591 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Memory impairment is the main feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Initial impairments originate in the temporal lobe area and propagate throughout the brain in a sequential manner. Epigenetic mechanisms, especially histone acetylation, regulate plasticity and memory processes. These may be dismantled during the disease. The aim of this work was to establish changes in the acetylation-associated pathway in two key brain regions affected in AD: the hippocampus and the F2 area of frontal cortex in end-stage AD patients and age-matched controls. We found that the F2 area was more affected than the hippocampus. Indeed, CREB-Binding Protein (CBP), P300/CBP-associated protein (PCAF), Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and HDAC2 (but not HDAC3) levels were strongly decreased in F2 area of AD compared to controls patients, whereas only HDAC1 was decreased and CBP showed a downward trend in the hippocampus. At the histone level, we detected a substantial increase in total (H3 and H2B) histone levels in the frontal cortex, but these were decreased in nuclear extracts, pointing to a dysregulation in histone trafficking/catabolism in this brain region. Histone H3 acetylation levels were increased in cell nuclei mainly in the frontal cortex. These findings provide evidence for acetylation dysfunctions at the level of associated enzymes and of histones in AD brains, which may underlie transcriptional dysregulations and AD-related cognitive impairments. They further point to stronger dysregulations in the F2 area of the frontal cortex than in the hippocampus at an end-stage of the disease, suggesting a differential vulnerability and/or compensatory mechanisms efficiency towards epigenetic alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Schueller
- Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7364 CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), 12 Rue Goethe, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Isabel Paiva
- Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7364 CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), 12 Rue Goethe, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Frédéric Blanc
- Neuropsychology Unit, Neurology Service, and CNRS, ICube laboratory UMR 7357 and FMTS (Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg), team IMIS/Neurocrypto, and CMRR (Memory Resources and Research Centre), and Geriatrics Day Hospital, Geriatrics Service, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Xiao-Lan Wang
- Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7364 CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), 12 Rue Goethe, Strasbourg 67000, France; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam University Medical Center (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7364 CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), 12 Rue Goethe, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Anne-Laurence Boutillier
- Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7364 CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), 12 Rue Goethe, Strasbourg 67000, France.
| | - Olivier Bousiges
- Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7364 CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), 12 Rue Goethe, Strasbourg 67000, France; Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Hospital of Strasbourg, Hôpital de Hautepierre, Avenue Molière, Strasbourg, France.
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Jarmasz JS, Stirton H, Davie JR, Del Bigio MR. DNA methylation and histone post-translational modification stability in post-mortem brain tissue. Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:5. [PMID: 30635019 PMCID: PMC6330433 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-018-0596-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Epigenetic (including DNA and histone) modifications occur in a variety of neurological disorders. If epigenetic features of brain autopsy material are to be studied, it is critical to understand the post-mortem stability of the modifications. Methods Pig and mouse brain tissue were formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded, or frozen after post-mortem delays of 0, 24, 48, and 72 h. Epigenetic modifications frequently reported in the literature were studied by DNA agarose gel electrophoresis, DNA methylation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. We constructed a tissue microarray of human neocortex samples with devitalization or death to fixation times ranging from < 60 min to 5 days. Results In pig and mouse brain tissue, we found that DNA cytosine modifications (5mC, 5hmC, 5fC, and 5caC) were stable for ≥ 72 h post-mortem. Histone methylation was generally stable for ≥ 48 h (H3K9me2/K9me3, H3K27me2, H3K36me3) or ≥ 72 h post-mortem (H3K4me3, H3K27me3). Histone acetylation was generally less stable. The levels of H3K9ac, H3K27ac, H4K5ac, H4K12ac, and H4K16ac declined as early as ≤ 24 h post-mortem, while the levels of H3K14ac did not change at ≥ 48 h. Immunohistochemistry showed that histone acetylation loss occurred primarily in the nuclei of large neurons, while immunoreactivity in glial cell nuclei was relatively unchanged. In the human brain tissue array, immunoreactivity for DNA cytosine modifications and histone methylation was stable, while subtle changes were apparent in histone acetylation at 4 to 5 days post-mortem. Conclusion We conclude that global epigenetic studies on human post-mortem brain tissue are feasible, but great caution is needed for selection of post-mortem delay matched controls if histone acetylation is of interest. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13148-018-0596-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica S Jarmasz
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba, Room 674 JBRC - 727 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3P4, Canada
| | - Hannah Stirton
- Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Room 260 Brodie Centre - 727 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - James R Davie
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Room 333A BMSB, 745 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0J9, Canada
| | - Marc R Del Bigio
- Department of Pathology, University of Manitoba, Room 401 Brodie Centre - 727 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3P5, Canada.
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Schut MH, Patassini S, Kim EH, Bullock J, Waldvogel HJ, Faull RLM, Pepers BA, den Dunnen JT, van Ommen GJB, van Roon-Mom WMC. Effect of post-mortem delay on N-terminal huntingtin protein fragments in human control and Huntington disease brain lysates. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178556. [PMID: 28570578 PMCID: PMC5453542 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease is associated with elongation of a CAG repeat in the HTT gene that results in a mutant huntingtin protein. Several studies have implicated N-terminal huntingtin protein fragments in Huntington disease pathogenesis. Ideally, these fragments are studied in human brain tissue. However, the use of human brain tissue comes with certain unavoidable variables such as post mortem delay, artefacts from freeze-thaw cycles and subject-to-subject variation. Knowledge on how these variables might affect N-terminal huntingtin protein fragments in post mortem human brain is important for a proper interpretation of study results. The effect of post mortem delay on protein in human brain is known to vary depending on the protein of interest. In the present study, we have assessed the effect of post mortem delay on N-terminal huntingtin protein fragments using western blot. We mimicked post mortem delay in one individual control case and one individual Huntington disease case with low initial post mortem delay. The influence of subject-to-subject variation on N-terminal huntingtin fragments was assessed in human cortex and human striatum using two cohorts of control and Huntington disease subjects. Our results show that effects of post mortem delay on N-terminal huntingtin protein fragments are minor in our individual subjects. Additionally, one freeze-thaw cycle decreases the huntingtin western blot signal intensity in the cortex control subject, but does not introduce additional N-terminal huntingtin fragments. Our results suggest that subject-to-subject variation contributes more to variability in N-terminal huntingtin fragments than post mortem delay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menno H. Schut
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Stefano Patassini
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy with Radiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Eric H. Kim
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy with Radiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jocelyn Bullock
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy with Radiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Henry J. Waldvogel
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy with Radiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Richard L. M. Faull
- Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy with Radiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Barry A. Pepers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Johan T. den Dunnen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Leiden Genome Technology Center, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gert-Jan B. van Ommen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Postmortem brain research is invaluable to the study of neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer disease, schizophrenia, and major depression. A major confounder in molecular studies using human brain tissue is postmortem interval (i.e. the amount of time between a subject's death and processing of tissue). We examined the integrity of biomolecules that were of interest to molecular studies of neurologic disorders, including RNA, microRNA, histone modifications, and proteins, at various postmortem intervals in an animal model to assess their robustness and suitability for experimentation. Sprague-Dawley rats were selected as model and subjected to 2 conditions: a variable postmortem interval at room temperature and a fixed time of 24 hours at 4°C, which simulates the period commonly spent in the morgue before brain collection. Eight time points were investigated. MicroRNA was impressively resistant to postmortem intervals; methylated histone modifications showed a threshold between 72 and 96 hours, mirroring results from histone proteins at 72 hours. RNA degradation was transcript-specific, with housekeeping genes being more robust than genes with lower expression. Our results suggest that molecules commonly investigated in genetic and epigenetic studies were highly stable through the postmortem intervals investigated. These results support the continued use of postmortem tissue for neuropsychiatric research.
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Satterlee JS, Beckel-Mitchener A, Little R, Procaccini D, Rutter JL, Lossie AC. Neuroepigenomics: Resources, Obstacles, and Opportunities. NEUROEPIGENETICS 2015; 1:2-13. [PMID: 25722961 PMCID: PMC4337407 DOI: 10.1016/j.nepig.2014.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Long-lived post-mitotic cells, such as the majority of human neurons, must respond effectively to ongoing changes in neuronal stimulation or microenvironmental cues through transcriptional and epigenomic regulation of gene expression. The role of epigenomic regulation in neuronal function is of fundamental interest to the neuroscience community, as these types of studies have transformed our understanding of gene regulation in post-mitotic cells. This perspective article highlights many of the resources available to researchers interested in neuroepigenomic investigations and discusses some of the current obstacles and opportunities in neuroepigenomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S. Satterlee
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Division of Basic Neurobiology and Behavioral Research, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20850, USA
| | - Andrea Beckel-Mitchener
- National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH), Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science, 6001 Executive Boulevard Bethesda, MD 20892-9641, USA
| | - Roger Little
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Division of Basic Neurobiology and Behavioral Research, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20850, USA
| | - Dena Procaccini
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Division of Basic Neurobiology and Behavioral Research, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20850, USA
| | - Joni L. Rutter
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Division of Basic Neurobiology and Behavioral Research, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20850, USA
| | - Amy C. Lossie
- Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Director/National Institutes of Health (NIH), 31 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Ferrer I. Selection of controls in the study of human neurodegenerative diseases in old age. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2014; 122:941-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s00702-014-1287-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Sköld K, Alm H, Scholz B. The impact of biosampling procedures on molecular data interpretation. Mol Cell Proteomics 2013; 12:1489-501. [PMID: 23382104 PMCID: PMC3675808 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.r112.024869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2012] [Revised: 01/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The separation between biological and technical variation without extensive use of technical replicates is often challenging, particularly in the context of different forms of protein and peptide modifications. Biosampling procedures in the research laboratory are easier to conduct within a shorter time frame and under controlled conditions as compared with clinical sampling, with the latter often having issues of reproducibility. But is the research laboratory biosampling really less variable? Biosampling introduces within minutes rapid tissue-specific changes in the cellular microenvironment, thus inducing a range of different pathways associated with cell survival. Biosampling involves hypoxia and, depending on the circumstances, hypothermia, circumstances for which there are evolutionarily conserved defense strategies in the range of species and also are relevant for the range of biomedical conditions. It remains unclear to what extent such adaptive processes are reflected in different biosampling procedures or how important they are for the definition of sample quality. Lately, an increasing number of comparative studies on different biosampling approaches, post-mortem effects and pre-sampling biological state, have investigated such immediate early biosampling effects. Commonalities between biosampling effects and a range of ischemia/reperfusion- and hypometabolism/anoxia-associated biological phenomena indicate that even small variations in post-sampling time intervals are likely to introduce a set of nonrandom and tissue-specific effects of experimental importance (both in vivo and in vitro). This review integrates the information provided by these comparative studies and discusses how an adaptive biological perspective in biosampling procedures may be relevant for sample quality issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Sköld
- From ‡Denator AB, Uppsala Science Park, SE-75183 Uppsala and
| | - Henrik Alm
- the §Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Drug Safety and Toxicology, Uppsala University, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Birger Scholz
- the §Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Drug Safety and Toxicology, Uppsala University, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
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