Function of FEZF1 during early neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells

Geniposide Alleviates Oxidative Stress of Mice With Depression-Like Behaviors by Upregulating Six3os1

Depression is a major cause of disease burden and severely impairs well-being of patients around the globe. Geniposide (GP) has been revealed to play a significant role in depression treatment. Of note, RNA sequencing of this study identified highly expressed long non-coding RNA Six3os1 in response to GP treatment. Thus, we aim to explore how GP affected chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression-like behaviors in mice in vivo and in vitro and the downstream molecular mechanism related to Six3os1. The relationship of Six3os1, miR-511-3p and Fezf1 was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, RIP assay, and RNA pulling down assay. Ectopic expression and knockdown experiments were developed in CUMS-induced mice and neurons with or without GP treatment. In vitro experiments and behavioral tests were conducted to examine alteration of CUMS-triggered oxidative stress following different interferences. The experimental data validated that GP treatment resulted in high expression of Six3os1 and Fezf1 and poor expression of miR-511-3p in CUMS-induced neurons. Six3os1 activated the AKT signaling pathway by upregulating miR-511-3p-targeted Fezf1. Either GP treatment or overexpression of Six3os1 or Fezf1 alleviated depression-like behaviors of CUMS-induced mice. GP treatment, miR-511-3p inhibition or overexpression of Six3os1 or Fezf1 not only reduced oxidative stress in CUMS-induced mice and neurons, but also reduced CUMS-induced neuronal apoptosis. Collectively, GP treatment-mediated Six3os1 upregulation ameliorated oxidative stress of mice with depression-like behaviors via the miR-511-3p/Fezf1/AKT axis.

C2H2-Type Zinc Finger Proteins in Brain Development, Neurodevelopmental, and Other Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Systematic Literature-Based Analysis

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are multifaceted pathologic conditions manifested with intellectual disability, autistic features, psychiatric problems, motor dysfunction, and/or genetic/chromosomal abnormalities. They are associated with skewed neurogenesis and brain development, in part through dysfunction of the neural stem cells (NSCs) where abnormal transcriptional regulation on key genes play significant roles. Recent accumulated evidence highlights C₂H₂-type zinc finger proteins (C₂H₂-ZNFs), the largest transcription factor family in humans, as important targets for the pathologic processes associated with NDDs. In this review, we identified their significant accumulation (74 C₂H₂-ZNFs: ~10% of all human member proteins) in brain physiology and pathology. Specifically, we discuss their physiologic contribution to brain development, particularly focusing on their actions in NSCs. We then explain their pathologic implications in various forms of NDDs, such as morphological brain abnormalities, intellectual disabilities, and psychiatric disorders. We found an important tendency that poly-ZNFs and KRAB-ZNFs tend to be involved in the diseases that compromise gross brain structure and human-specific higher-order functions, respectively. This may be consistent with their characteristic appearance in the course of species evolution and corresponding contribution to these brain activities.