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Tandon S, Aggarwal P, Sarkar S. Polyglutamine disorders: Pathogenesis and potential drug interventions. Life Sci 2024; 344:122562. [PMID: 38492921 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122562] [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: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Polyglutamine/poly(Q) diseases are a group nine hereditary neurodegenerative disorders caused due to abnormally expanded stretches of CAG trinucleotide in functionally distinct genes. All human poly(Q) diseases are characterized by the formation of microscopically discernable poly(Q) positive aggregates, the inclusion bodies. These toxic inclusion bodies are responsible for the impairment of several cellular pathways such as autophagy, transcription, cell death, etc., that culminate in disease manifestation. Although, these diseases remain largely without treatment, extensive research has generated mounting evidences that various events of poly(Q) pathogenesis can be developed as potential drug targets. The present review article briefly discusses the key events of disease pathogenesis, model system-based investigations that support the development of effective therapeutic interventions against pathogenesis of human poly(Q) disorders, and a comprehensive list of pharmacological and bioactive compounds that have been experimentally shown to alleviate poly(Q)-mediated neurotoxicity. Interestingly, due to the common cause of pathogenesis, all poly(Q) diseases share etiology, thus, findings from one disease can be potentially extrapolated to other poly(Q) diseases as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Tandon
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India
| | - Prerna Aggarwal
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India
| | - Surajit Sarkar
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110021, India.
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2
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Thompson LM, Orr HT. HD and SCA1: Tales from two 30-year journeys since gene discovery. Neuron 2023; 111:3517-3530. [PMID: 37863037 PMCID: PMC10842341 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.036] [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: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
One of the more transformative findings in human genetics was the discovery that the expansion of unstable nucleotide repeats underlies a group of inherited neurological diseases. A subset of these unstable repeat neurodegenerative diseases is due to the expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat encoding a stretch of glutamines, i.e., the polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat neurodegenerative diseases. Among the CAG/polyQ repeat diseases are Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), in which the expansions are within widely expressed proteins. Although both HD and SCA1 are autosomal dominantly inherited, and both typically cause mid- to late-life-onset movement disorders with cognitive decline, they each are characterized by distinct clinical characteristics and predominant sites of neuropathology. Importantly, the respective affected proteins, Huntingtin (HTT, HD) and Ataxin 1 (ATXN1, SCA1), have unique functions and biological properties. Here, we review HD and SCA1 with a focus on how their disease-specific and shared features may provide informative insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie M Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute of Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Harry T Orr
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN 55455, USA.
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3
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Jiang A, Handley RR, Lehnert K, Snell RG. From Pathogenesis to Therapeutics: A Review of 150 Years of Huntington's Disease Research. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13021. [PMID: 37629202 PMCID: PMC10455900 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241613021] [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: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative genetic disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine-coding (CAG) trinucleotide repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. HD behaves as a highly penetrant dominant disorder likely acting through a toxic gain of function by the mutant huntingtin protein. Widespread cellular degeneration of the medium spiny neurons of the caudate nucleus and putamen are responsible for the onset of symptomology that encompasses motor, cognitive, and behavioural abnormalities. Over the past 150 years of HD research since George Huntington published his description, a plethora of pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed with key themes including excitotoxicity, dopaminergic imbalance, mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic defects, disruption of proteostasis, transcriptional dysregulation, and neuroinflammation. Despite the identification and characterisation of the causative gene and mutation and significant advances in our understanding of the cellular pathology in recent years, a disease-modifying intervention has not yet been clinically approved. This review includes an overview of Huntington's disease, from its genetic aetiology to clinical presentation and its pathogenic manifestation. An updated view of molecular mechanisms and the latest therapeutic developments will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Jiang
- Applied Translational Genetics Group, Centre for Brain Research, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; (R.R.H.); (K.L.); (R.G.S.)
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4
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Zsindely N, Nagy G, Siági F, Farkas A, Bodai L. Dysregulated miRNA and mRNA Expression Affect Overlapping Pathways in a Huntington's Disease Model. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11942. [PMID: 37569316 PMCID: PMC10419151 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241511942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat in the Huntingtin gene. Transcriptional dysregulation is one of the main cellular processes affected by mutant Huntingtin (mHtt). In this study, we investigate the alterations in miRNA and mRNA expression levels in a Drosophila model of HD by RNA sequencing and assess the functional effects of misregulated miRNAs in vivo. We found that in head samples of HD flies, the level of 32 miRNAs changed significantly; half of these were upregulated, while the other half were downregulated. After comparing miRNA and mRNA expression data, we discovered similarities in the impacted molecular pathways. Additionally, we observed that the putative targets of almost all dysregulated miRNAs were overrepresented among the upregulated mRNAs. We tested the effects of overexpression of five misregulated miRNAs in the HD model and found that while mir-10 and mir-219 enhanced, mir-137, mir-305, and mir-1010 ameliorated mHtt-induced phenotypes. Based on our results, we propose that while altered expression of mir-10, mir-137, and mir-1010 might be part of HD pathology, the upregulation of mir-305 might serve as a compensatory mechanism as a response to mHtt-induced transcriptional dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nóra Zsindely
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary;
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gábor Nagy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Fruzsina Siági
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Doctoral School in Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Anita Farkas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Doctoral School in Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - László Bodai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
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5
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Martella N, Pensabene D, Varone M, Colardo M, Petraroia M, Sergio W, La Rosa P, Moreno S, Segatto M. Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal Proteins in Brain Physiology and Pathology: BET-ing on Epigenetic Regulation. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11030750. [PMID: 36979729 PMCID: PMC10045827 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BET proteins function as histone code readers of acetylated lysins that determine the positive regulation in transcription of genes involved in cell cycle progression, differentiation, inflammation, and many other pathways. In recent years, thanks to the development of BET inhibitors, interest in this protein family has risen for its relevance in brain development and function. For example, experimental evidence has shown that BET modulation affects neuronal activity and the expression of genes involved in learning and memory. In addition, BET inhibition strongly suppresses molecular pathways related to neuroinflammation. These observations suggest that BET modulation may play a critical role in the onset and during the development of diverse neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, fragile X syndrome, and Rett syndrome. In this review article, we summarize the most recent evidence regarding the involvement of BET proteins in brain physiology and pathology, as well as their pharmacological potential as targets for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi Martella
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Daniele Pensabene
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
- Department of Science, University Roma Tre, Viale Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopment, Neurogenetics and Neuromolecular Biology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 64 via del Fosso di Fiorano, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Varone
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Mayra Colardo
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Michele Petraroia
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - William Sergio
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
| | - Piergiorgio La Rosa
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Moreno
- Department of Science, University Roma Tre, Viale Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopment, Neurogenetics and Neuromolecular Biology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 64 via del Fosso di Fiorano, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Segatto
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Mielcarek M, Isalan M. A minimal region of the HSP90AB1 promoter is suitable for ubiquitous expression in different somatic tissues with applicability for gene therapy. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1175407. [PMID: 37138658 PMCID: PMC10149993 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1175407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a multi-tissue failure disorder for which there is no cure. We have previously shown an effective therapeutic approach limited mainly to the central nervous system, based on a synthetic zinc finger (ZF) transcription repressor gene therapy, but it would be important to target other tissues as well. In this study, we identify a novel minimal HSP90AB1 promoter region that can efficiently control expression not only in the CNS but also in other affected HD tissues. This promoter-enhancer is effective in driving expression of ZF therapeutic molecules in both HD skeletal muscles and the heart, in the symptomatic R6/1 mouse model. Moreover, for the first time we show that ZF molecules repressing mutant HTT reverse transcriptional pathological remodelling in HD hearts. We conclude that this HSP90AB1 minimal promoter may be used to target multiple HD organs with therapeutic genes. The new promoter has the potential to be added to the portfolio of gene therapy promoters, for use where ubiquitous expression is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Mielcarek
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Isalan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Mark Isalan,
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7
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Huntingtin and Other Neurodegeneration-Associated Proteins in the Development of Intracellular Pathologies: Potential Target Search for Therapeutic Intervention. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415533. [PMID: 36555175 PMCID: PMC9779313 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are currently incurable. Numerous experimental data accumulated over the past fifty years have brought us closer to understanding the molecular and cell mechanisms responsible for their development. However, these data are not enough for a complete understanding of the genesis of these diseases, nor to suggest treatment methods. It turns out that many cellular pathologies developing during neurodegeneration coincide from disease to disease. These observations give hope to finding a common intracellular target(s) and to offering a universal method of treatment. In this review, we attempt to analyze data on similar cellular disorders among neurodegenerative diseases in general, and polyglutamine neurodegenerative diseases in particular, focusing on the interaction of various proteins involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases with various cellular organelles. The main purposes of this review are: (1) to outline the spectrum of common intracellular pathologies and to answer the question of whether it is possible to find potential universal target(s) for therapeutic intervention; (2) to identify specific intracellular pathologies and to speculate about a possible general approach for their treatment.
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8
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Saha S, Dey MJ, Promon SK, Araf Y. Pathogenesis and potential therapeutic application of stem cells transplantation in Huntington’s disease. Regen Ther 2022; 21:406-412. [PMID: 36196447 PMCID: PMC9513215 DOI: 10.1016/j.reth.2022.09.001] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which is caused due to repetitive CAG or glutamine expression along the coding region of the Huntington gene. This disease results in certain movement abnormalities, affective disturbances, dementia and cognitive impairments. To this date, there is no proper cure for this rare and fatal neurological condition but there have been certain advancements in the field of genetic animal model research studies to elucidate the understanding of the pathogenesis of this condition. Currently, HD follows a certain therapeutic approach which just relieves the symptoms but doesn't cure the underlying cause of the disease. Stem cell therapy can be a breakthrough in developing a potential cure for this condition. In this review, we have discussed the pathogenesis and the efficacy and clinical practicality of the therapeutic application of stem cell transplantation in Huntington's disease. The application of this groundbreaking therapy on genetically altered animal models has been listed and analyzed in brief.
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Li Y, Song J, Zhou P, Zhou J, Xie S. Targeting Undruggable Transcription Factors with PROTACs: Advances and Perspectives. J Med Chem 2022; 65:10183-10194. [PMID: 35881047 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Dysregulation of transcription factors has been implicated in a variety of human diseases. However, these proteins have traditionally been regarded as undruggable and only a handful of them have been successfully targeted by conventional small molecules. Moreover, the development of intrinsic and acquired resistance has hampered the clinical use of these agents. Over the past years, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have shown great promise because of their potential for overcoming drug resistance and their ability to target previously undruggable proteins. Indeed, several small molecule-based PROTACs have demonstrated superior efficacy in therapy-resistant metastatic cancers. Nevertheless, it remains challenging to identify ligands for the majority of transcription factors. Given that transcription factors recognize short DNA motifs in a sequence-specific manner, multiple novel approaches exploit DNA motifs as warheads in PROTAC design for the degradation of aberrant transcription factors. These PROTACs pave the way for targeting undruggable transcription factors with potential therapeutic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, China
| | - Jian Song
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, China
| | - Ping Zhou
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, China
| | - Jun Zhou
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, China.,State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Songbo Xie
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, Shandong 250014, China.,School of Life Sciences and Medicine, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, Shandong 255000, China
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10
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Martí-Martínez S, Valor LM. A Glimpse of Molecular Biomarkers in Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23105411. [PMID: 35628221 PMCID: PMC9142992 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG repeats in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Although the main symptomatology is explained by alterations at the level of the central nervous system, predominantly affecting the basal ganglia, a peripheral component of the disease is being increasingly acknowledged. Therefore, the manifestation of the disease is complex and variable among CAG expansion carriers, introducing uncertainty in the appearance of specific signs, age of onset and severity of disease. The monogenic nature of the disorder allows a precise diagnosis, but the use of biomarkers with prognostic value is still needed to achieve clinical management of the patients in an individual manner. In addition, we need tools to evaluate the patient's response to potential therapeutic approaches. In this review, we provide a succinct summary of the most interesting molecular biomarkers that have been assessed in patients, mostly obtained from body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid, peripheral blood and saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Martí-Martínez
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain;
| | - Luis M. Valor
- Laboratorio de Apoyo a la Investigación, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-965-913-988
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11
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Pradhan S, Gao R, Bush K, Zhang N, Wairkar YP, Sarkar PS. Polyglutamine Expansion in Huntingtin and Mechanism of DNA Damage Repair Defects in Huntington’s Disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:837576. [PMID: 35444517 PMCID: PMC9013776 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.837576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that DNA repair deficiency and genome instability may be the impending signs of many neurological diseases. Genome-wide association (GWAS) studies have established a strong correlation between genes that play a role in DNA damage repair and many neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease (HD), and several other trinucleotides repeat expansion-related hereditary ataxias. Recently, many reports have documented a significant role played by the DNA repair processes in aging and in modifying many neurodegenerative diseases, early during their progression. Studies from our lab and others have now begun to understand the mechanisms that cause defective DNA repair in HD and surprisingly, many proteins that have a strong link to known neurodegenerative diseases seem to be important players in these cellular pathways. Mutations in huntingtin (HTT) gene that lead to polyglutamine repeat expansion at the N-terminal of HTT protein has been shown to disrupt transcription-coupled DNA repair process, a specialized DNA repair process associated with transcription. Due to the recent progress made in understanding the mechanisms of DNA repair in relation to HD, in this review, we will mainly focus on the mechanisms by which the wild-type huntingtin (HTT) protein helps in DNA repair during transcription, and the how polyglutamine expansions in HTT impedes this process in HD. Further studies that identify new players in DNA repair will help in our understanding of this process in neurons. Furthermore, it should help us understand how various DNA repair mechanism(s) coordinate to maintain the normal physiology of neurons, and provide insights for the development of novel drugs at prodromal stages of these neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Pradhan
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Rui Gao
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Keegan Bush
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Nan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Yogesh P. Wairkar
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Partha S. Sarkar
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Partha S. Sarkar,
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Sawant N, Morton H, Kshirsagar S, Reddy AP, Reddy PH. Mitochondrial Abnormalities and Synaptic Damage in Huntington's Disease: a Focus on Defective Mitophagy and Mitochondria-Targeted Therapeutics. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:6350-6377. [PMID: 34519969 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02556-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal and pure genetic disease with a progressive loss of medium spiny neurons (MSN). HD is caused by expanded polyglutamine repeats in the exon 1 of HD gene. Clinically, HD is characterized by chorea, seizures, involuntary movements, dystonia, cognitive decline, intellectual impairment, and emotional disturbances. Several years of intense research revealed that multiple cellular changes, including defective axonal transport, protein-protein interactions, defective bioenergetics, calcium dyshomeostasis, NMDAR activation, synaptic damage, mitochondrial abnormalities, and selective loss of medium spiny neurons are implicated in HD. Recent research on mutant huntingtin (mHtt) and mitochondria has found that mHtt interacts with the mitochondrial division protein, dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), enhances GTPase DRP1 enzymatic activity, and causes excessive mitochondrial fragmentation and abnormal distribution, leading to defective axonal transport of mitochondria and selective synaptic degeneration. Recent research also revealed that failure to remove dead and/or dying mitochondria is an early event in the disease progression. Currently, efforts are being made to reduce abnormal protein interactions and enhance synaptic mitophagy as therapeutic strategies for HD. The purpose of this article is to discuss recent research in HD progression. This article also discusses recent developments of cell and mouse models, cellular changes, mitochondrial abnormalities, DNA damage, bioenergetics, oxidative stress, mitophagy, and therapeutics strategies in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Sawant
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Hallie Morton
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Sudhir Kshirsagar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Arubala P Reddy
- Nutritional Sciences Department, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, 1301 Akron Ave, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - P Hemachandra Reddy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
- Neuroscience & Pharmacology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
- Neurology, Department of School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
- Public Health Department of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, School Health Professions, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Public Health and School of Health Professions, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Neuroscience & Pharmacology3601 4th Street, NeurologyLubbock, TX, 79430, USA.
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13
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Malla B, Guo X, Senger G, Chasapopoulou Z, Yildirim F. A Systematic Review of Transcriptional Dysregulation in Huntington's Disease Studied by RNA Sequencing. Front Genet 2021; 12:751033. [PMID: 34721539 PMCID: PMC8554124 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.751033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of polyglutamine repeats in exon 1 of the Huntingtin gene. Transcriptional dysregulation accompanied by epigenetic alterations is an early and central disease mechanism in HD yet, the exact mechanisms and regulators, and their associated gene expression programs remain incompletely understood. This systematic review investigates genome-wide transcriptional studies that were conducted using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology in HD patients and models. The review protocol was registered at the Open Science Framework (OSF). The biomedical literature and gene expression databases, PubMed and NCBI BioProject, Array Express, European Nucleotide Archive (ENA), European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA), respectively, were searched using the defined terms specified in the protocol following the PRISMA guidelines. We conducted a complete literature and database search to retrieve all RNA-seq-based gene expression studies in HD published until August 2020, retrieving 288 articles and 237 datasets from PubMed and the databases, respectively. A total of 27 studies meeting the eligibility criteria were included in this review. Collectively, comparative analysis of the datasets revealed frequent genes that are consistently dysregulated in HD. In postmortem brains from HD patients, DNAJB1, HSPA1B and HSPB1 genes were commonly upregulated across all brain regions and cell types except for medium spiny neurons (MSNs) at symptomatic disease stage, and HSPH1 and SAT1 genes were altered in expression in all symptomatic brain datasets, indicating early and sustained changes in the expression of genes related to heat shock response as well as response to misfolded proteins. Specifically in indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (iMSNs), mitochondria related genes were among the top uniquely dysregulated genes. Interestingly, blood from HD patients showed commonly differentially expressed genes with a number of brain regions and cells, with the highest number of overlapping genes with MSNs and BA9 region at symptomatic stage. We also found the differential expression and predicted altered activity of a set of transcription factors and epigenetic regulators, including BCL6, EGR1, FOSL2 and CREBBP, HDAC1, KDM4C, respectively, which may underlie the observed transcriptional changes in HD. Altogether, our work provides a complete overview of the transcriptional studies in HD, and by data synthesis, reveals a number of common and unique gene expression and regulatory changes across different cell and tissue types in HD. These changes could elucidate new insights into molecular mechanisms of differential vulnerability in HD. Systematic Review Registration: https://osf.io/pm3wq.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bimala Malla
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Xuanzong Guo
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gökçe Senger
- Department of Experimental Oncology, IEO European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Zoi Chasapopoulou
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ferah Yildirim
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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14
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Isoform-Specific Reduction of the Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor TCF4 Levels in Huntington's Disease. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0197-21.2021. [PMID: 34518368 PMCID: PMC8519306 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0197-21.2021] [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: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder with onset of characteristic motor symptoms at midlife, preceded by subtle cognitive and behavioral disturbances. Transcriptional dysregulation emerges early in the disease course and is considered central to HD pathogenesis. Using wild-type (wt) and HD knock-in mouse striatal cell lines we observed a HD genotype-dependent reduction in the protein levels of transcription factor 4 (TCF4), a member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family with critical roles in brain development and function. We characterized mouse Tcf4 gene structure and expression of alternative mRNAs and protein isoforms in cell-based models of HD, and in four different brain regions of male transgenic HD mice (R6/1) from young to mature adulthood. The largest decrease in the levels of TCF4 at mRNA and specific protein isoforms were detected in the R6/1 mouse hippocampus. Translating this finding to human disease, we found reduced expression of long TCF4 isoforms in the postmortem hippocampal CA1 area and in the cerebral cortex of HD patients. Additionally, TCF4 protein isoforms showed differential synergism with the proneural transcription factor ASCL1 in activating reporter gene transcription in hippocampal and cortical cultured neurons. Induction of neuronal activity increased these synergistic effects in hippocampal but not in cortical neurons, suggesting brain region-dependent differences in TCF4 functions. Collectively, this study demonstrates isoform-specific changes in TCF4 expression in HD that could contribute to the progressive impairment of transcriptional regulation and neuronal function in this disease.
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15
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Tan X, Liu Y, Liu Y, Zhang T, Cong S. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs and their mechanisms in Huntington's disease. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:2074-2090. [PMID: 34031910 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Extensive alterations in gene regulatory networks are a typical characteristic of Huntington's disease (HD); these include alterations in protein-coding genes and poorly understood non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which are associated with pathology caused by mutant huntingtin. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an important class of ncRNAs involved in a variety of biological functions, including transcriptional regulation and post-transcriptional modification of many targets, and likely contributed to the pathogenesis of HD. While a number of changes in lncRNAs expression have been observed in HD, little is currently known about their functions. Here, we discuss their possible mechanisms and molecular functions, with a particular focus on their roles in transcriptional regulation. These findings give us a better insight into HD pathogenesis and may provide new targets for the treatment of this neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Tan
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Taiming Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
| | - Shuyan Cong
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, P.R. China
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16
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Dutta D, Majumder M, Paidi RK, Pahan K. Alleviation of Huntington pathology in mice by oral administration of food additive glyceryl tribenzoate. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 153:105318. [PMID: 33636386 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation of mutant huntingtin protein and significant loss of neurons in striatum and cortex. Along with motor difficulties, the HD patients also manifest anxiety and loss of cognition. Unfortunately, the clinically approved drugs only offer symptomatic relief and are not free from side effects. This study underlines the importance of glyceryl tribenzoate (GTB), an FDA-approved food flavoring ingredient, in alleviating HD pathology in transgenic N171-82Q mouse model. Oral administration of GTB significantly reduced mutant huntingtin level in striatum, motor cortex as well as hippocampus and increased the integrity of viable neurons. Furthermore, we found the presence of sodium benzoate (NaB), a FDA-approved drug for urea cycle disorders and glycine encephalopathy, in the brain of GTB-fed HD mice. Accordingly, NaB administration also markedly decreased huntingtin level in striatum and cortex. Glial activation is found to coincide with neuronal death in affected regions of HD brains. Interestingly, both GTB and NaB treatment suppressed activation of glial cells and inflammation in the brain. Finally, neuroprotective effect of GTB and NaB resulted in improved motor performance of HD mice. Collectively, these results suggest that GTB and NaB may be repurposed for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debashis Dutta
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, USA
| | - Moumita Majumder
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, USA
| | - Ramesh Kumar Paidi
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, USA
| | - Kalipada Pahan
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, USA; Division of Research and Development, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, USA.
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17
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Tan X, Liu Y, Zhang T, Cong S. Integrated analysis of differentially expressed genes and construction of a competing endogenous RNA network in human Huntington neural progenitor cells. BMC Med Genomics 2021; 14:48. [PMID: 33579286 PMCID: PMC7881634 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-021-00894-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Huntington's disease (HD) is one of the most common polyglutamine disorders, leading to progressive dyskinesia, cognitive impairment, and neuropsychological problems. Besides the dysregulation of many protein-coding genes in HD, previous studies have revealed a variety of non-coding RNAs that are also dysregulated in HD, including several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, an integrated analysis of differentially expressed (DE) genes based on a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network is still currently lacking. Methods In this study, we have systematically analyzed the gene expression profile data of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from patients with HD and controls (healthy controls and the isogenic controls of HD patient cell lines corrected using a CRISPR-Cas9 approach at the HTT locus) to screen out DE mRNAs and DE lncRNAs and create a ceRNA network. To learn more about the possible functions of lncRNAs in the ceRNA regulatory network in HD, we conducted a functional analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and established a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network for mRNAs interacting with these lncRNAs. Results We identified 490 DE mRNAs and 94 DE lncRNAs, respectively. Of these, 189 mRNAs and 20 lncRNAs were applied to create a ceRNA network. The results showed that the function of DE lncRNAs mainly correlated with transcriptional regulation as demonstrated by GO analysis. Also, KEGG enrichment analysis showed these lncRNAs were involved in tumor necrosis factor, calcium, Wnt, and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. Interestingly, the PPI network revealed that a variety of transcription factors in the ceRNA network interacted with each other, suggesting such lncRNAs may regulate transcription in HD by controlling the expression of such protein-coding genes, especially transcription factors. Conclusions Our research provides new clues for uncovering the mechanisms of lncRNAs in HD and can be used as the focus for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Tan
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Taiming Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuyan Cong
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
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18
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Kedaigle AJ, Reidling JC, Lim RG, Adam M, Wu J, Wassie B, Stocksdale JT, Casale MS, Fraenkel E, Thompson LM. Treatment with JQ1, a BET bromodomain inhibitor, is selectively detrimental to R6/2 Huntington's disease mice. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 29:202-215. [PMID: 31696228 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional and epigenetic alterations occur early in Huntington's disease (HD), and treatment with epigenetic modulators is beneficial in several HD animal models. The drug JQ1, which inhibits histone acetyl-lysine reader bromodomains, has shown promise for multiple cancers and neurodegenerative disease. We tested whether JQ1 could improve behavioral phenotypes in the R6/2 mouse model of HD and modulate HD-associated changes in transcription and epigenomics. R6/2 and non-transgenic (NT) mice were treated with JQ1 daily from 5 to 11 weeks of age and behavioral phenotypes evaluated over this period. Following the trial, cortex and striatum were isolated and subjected to mRNA-seq and ChIP-seq for the histone marks H3K4me3 and H3K27ac. Initially, JQ1 enhanced motor performance in NT mice. In R6/2 mice, however, JQ1 had no effect on rotarod or grip strength but exacerbated weight loss and worsened performance on the pole test. JQ1-induced gene expression changes in NT mice were distinct from those in R6/2 and primarily involved protein translation and bioenergetics pathways. Dysregulation of HD-related pathways in striatum was exacerbated by JQ1 in R6/2 mice, but not in NTs, and JQ1 caused a corresponding increase in the formation of a mutant huntingtin protein-dependent high molecular weight species associated with pathogenesis. This study suggests that drugs predicted to be beneficial based on their mode of action and effects in wild-type or in other neurodegenerative disease models may have an altered impact in the HD context. These observations have important implications in the development of epigenetic modulators as therapies for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ryan G Lim
- Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders Research Unit
| | - Miriam Adam
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jie Wu
- Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders Research Unit
| | - Brook Wassie
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | | | | | - Ernest Fraenkel
- Computational and Systems Biology Program.,Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Leslie M Thompson
- Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders Research Unit.,Departments of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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19
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Ollà I, Santos-Galindo M, Elorza A, Lucas JJ. P2X7 Receptor Upregulation in Huntington's Disease Brains. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:567430. [PMID: 33122998 PMCID: PMC7573237 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.567430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal degenerative disorder affecting the nervous system. It is characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric dysfunctions, with a late onset and an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. HD-causing mutation consists in an expansion of repeated CAG triplets in the huntingtin gene (HTT), encoding for an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) stretch in the huntingtin protein (htt). The mutation causes neuronal dysfunction and loss through multiple mechanisms, affecting both the nucleus and cytoplasm. P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) emerged as a major player in neuroinflammation, since ATP – its endogenous ligand – is massively released under this condition. Indeed, P2X7R stimulation in the central nervous system (CNS) is known to enhance the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from microglia and of neurotransmitters from neuronal presynaptic terminals, as well as to promote apoptosis. Previous experiments performed with neurons expressing the mutant huntingtin and exploiting HD mouse models demonstrated a role of P2X7R in HD. On the basis of those results, here, we explore for the first time the status of P2X7R in HD patients’ brain. We report that in HD postmortem striatum, as earlier observed in HD mice, the protein levels of the full-length form of P2X7R, also named P2X7R-A, are upregulated. In addition, the exclusively human naturally occurring variant lacking the C-terminus region, P2X7R-B, is upregulated as well. As we show here, this augmented protein levels can be explained by elevated mRNA levels. Furthermore, in HD patients’ striatum, P2X7R shows not only an augmented total transcript level but also an alteration of its splicing. Remarkably, P2X7R introns 10 and 11 are more retained in HD patients when compared with controls. Taken together, our data confirm that P2X7R is altered in brains of HD subjects and strengthen the notion that P2X7R may represent a potential therapeutic target for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Ollà
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa' (CBMSO) CSIC/UAM, Madrid, Spain.,Networking Research Centre on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Santos-Galindo
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa' (CBMSO) CSIC/UAM, Madrid, Spain.,Networking Research Centre on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ainara Elorza
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa' (CBMSO) CSIC/UAM, Madrid, Spain.,Networking Research Centre on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - José J Lucas
- Centro de Biología Molecular 'Severo Ochoa' (CBMSO) CSIC/UAM, Madrid, Spain.,Networking Research Centre on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
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20
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Narayan P, Reid S, Scotter EL, McGregor AL, Mehrabi NF, Singh-Bains MK, Glass M, Faull RLM, Snell RG, Dragunow M. Inconsistencies in histone acetylation patterns among different HD model systems and HD post-mortem brains. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 146:105092. [PMID: 32979507 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.105092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in exon 1 of the huntingtin gene. Emerging evidence shows that additional epigenetic factors can modify disease phenotypes. Harnessing the ability of the epigenome to modify the disease for therapeutic purposes is therefore of interest. Epigenome modifiers, such as histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), have improved pathology in a range of HD models. Yet in clinical trials, HDACi have failed to alleviate HD symptoms in patients. This study investigated potential reasons for the lack of translation of the therapeutic benefits of HDACi from lab to clinic. We analysed histone acetylation patterns of immuno-positive nuclei from brain sections and tissue microarrays from post-mortem human control and HD cases alongside several well-established HD models (OVT73 transgenic HD sheep, YAC128 mice, and an in vitro cell model expressing 97Q mutant huntingtin). Significant increases in histone H4 acetylation were observed in post-mortem HD cases, OVT73 transgenic HD sheep and in vitro models; these changes were absent in YAC128 mice. In addition, nuclear labelling for acetyl-histone H4 levels were inversely proportional to mutant huntingtin aggregate load in HD human cortex. Our data raise concerns regarding the utility of HDACi for the treatment of HD when regions of pathology exhibit already elevated histone acetylation patterns and emphasize the importance of searching for alternative epigenetic targets in future therapeutic strategies aiming to rescue HD phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pritika Narayan
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
| | - Suzanne Reid
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
| | - Emma L Scotter
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
| | - Ailsa L McGregor
- School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.
| | - Nasim F Mehrabi
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
| | | | - Michelle Glass
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand.
| | - Richard L M Faull
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
| | - Russell G Snell
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand; School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
| | - Mike Dragunow
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
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21
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Taran AS, Shuvalova LD, Lagarkova MA, Alieva IB. Huntington's Disease-An Outlook on the Interplay of the HTT Protein, Microtubules and Actin Cytoskeletal Components. Cells 2020; 9:E1514. [PMID: 32580314 PMCID: PMC7348758 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a severe and currently incurable neurodegenerative disease. An autosomal dominant mutation in the Huntingtin gene (HTT) causes an increase in the polyglutamine fragment length at the protein N-terminus. The consequence of the mutation is the death of neurons, mostly striatal neurons, leading to the occurrence of a complex of motor, cognitive and emotional-volitional personality sphere disorders in carriers. Despite intensive studies, the functions of both mutant and wild-type huntingtin remain poorly understood. Surprisingly, there is the selective effect of the mutant form of HTT even on nervous tissue, whereas the protein is expressed ubiquitously. Huntingtin plays a role in cell physiology and affects cell transport, endocytosis, protein degradation and other cellular and molecular processes. Our experimental data mining let us conclude that a significant part of the Huntingtin-involved cellular processes is mediated by microtubules and other cytoskeletal cell structures. The review attempts to look at unresolved issues in the study of the huntingtin and its mutant form, including their functions affecting microtubules and other components of the cell cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra S. Taran
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–73, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.T.); (L.D.S.)
| | - Lilia D. Shuvalova
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–73, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.T.); (L.D.S.)
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria A. Lagarkova
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina B. Alieva
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
- A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–40, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia
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22
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Lontay B, Kiss A, Virág L, Tar K. How Do Post-Translational Modifications Influence the Pathomechanistic Landscape of Huntington's Disease? A Comprehensive Review. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21124282. [PMID: 32560122 PMCID: PMC7349273 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of motor control and cognitive ability, which eventually leads to death. The mutant huntingtin protein (HTT) exhibits an expansion of a polyglutamine repeat. The mechanism of pathogenesis is still not fully characterized; however, evidence suggests that post-translational modifications (PTMs) of HTT and upstream and downstream proteins of neuronal signaling pathways are involved. The determination and characterization of PTMs are essential to understand the mechanisms at work in HD, to define possible therapeutic targets better, and to challenge the scientific community to develop new approaches and methods. The discovery and characterization of a panoply of PTMs in HTT aggregation and cellular events in HD will bring us closer to understanding how the expression of mutant polyglutamine-containing HTT affects cellular homeostasis that leads to the perturbation of cell functions, neurotoxicity, and finally, cell death. Hence, here we review the current knowledge on recently identified PTMs of HD-related proteins and their pathophysiological relevance in the formation of abnormal protein aggregates, proteolytic dysfunction, and alterations of mitochondrial and metabolic pathways, neuroinflammatory regulation, excitotoxicity, and abnormal regulation of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Lontay
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
| | - Andrea Kiss
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
| | - László Virág
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
- MTA-DE Cell Biology and Signaling Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Krisztina Tar
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +36-52-412345
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23
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Smith-Geater C, Hernandez SJ, Lim RG, Adam M, Wu J, Stocksdale JT, Wassie BT, Gold MP, Wang KQ, Miramontes R, Kopan L, Orellana I, Joy S, Kemp PJ, Allen ND, Fraenkel E, Thompson LM. Aberrant Development Corrected in Adult-Onset Huntington's Disease iPSC-Derived Neuronal Cultures via WNT Signaling Modulation. Stem Cell Reports 2020; 14:406-419. [PMID: 32109367 PMCID: PMC7066322 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant neuronal development and the persistence of mitotic cellular populations have been implicated in a multitude of neurological disorders, including Huntington's disease (HD). However, the mechanism underlying this potential pathology remains unclear. We used a modified protocol to differentiate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from HD patients and unaffected controls into neuronal cultures enriched for medium spiny neurons, the cell type most affected in HD. We performed single-cell and bulk transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses and demonstrated that a persistent cyclin D1+ neural stem cell (NSC) population is observed selectively in adult-onset HD iPSCs during differentiation. Treatment with a WNT inhibitor abrogates this NSC population while preserving neurons. Taken together, our findings identify a mechanism that may promote aberrant neurodevelopment and adult neurogenesis in adult-onset HD striatal neurons with the potential for therapeutic compensation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlene Smith-Geater
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Sarah J Hernandez
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | - Ryan G Lim
- Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Miriam Adam
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jie Wu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Jennifer T Stocksdale
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | | | - Maxwell Philip Gold
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Keona Q Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | - Ricardo Miramontes
- Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Lexi Kopan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | - Iliana Orellana
- Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Shona Joy
- Neural Stem Cell Institute, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
| | - Paul J Kemp
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | | | - Ernest Fraenkel
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Leslie M Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA; Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.
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24
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Bertogliat MJ, Morris-Blanco KC, Vemuganti R. Epigenetic mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and acute brain injury. Neurochem Int 2020; 133:104642. [PMID: 31838024 PMCID: PMC8074401 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2019.104642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications are emerging as major players in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders and susceptibility to acute brain injury. DNA and histone modifications act together with non-coding RNAs to form a complex gene expression machinery that adapts the brain to environmental stressors and injury response. These modifications influence cell-level operations like neurogenesis and DNA repair to large, intricate processes such as brain patterning, memory formation, motor function and cognition. Thus, epigenetic imbalance has been shown to influence the progression of many neurological disorders independent of aberrations in the genetic code. This review aims to highlight ways in which epigenetics applies to several commonly researched neurodegenerative diseases and forms of acute brain injury as well as shed light on the benefits of epigenetics-based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario J Bertogliat
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kahlilia C Morris-Blanco
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; William S. Middleton VA Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Raghu Vemuganti
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; William S. Middleton VA Hospital, Madison, WI, USA.
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25
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Lo Giudice C, Tangaro MA, Pesole G, Picardi E. Investigating RNA editing in deep transcriptome datasets with REDItools and REDIportal. Nat Protoc 2020; 15:1098-1131. [PMID: 31996844 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-019-0279-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
RNA editing is a widespread post-transcriptional mechanism able to modify transcripts through insertions/deletions or base substitutions. It is prominent in mammals, in which millions of adenosines are deaminated to inosines by members of the ADAR family of enzymes. A-to-I RNA editing has a plethora of biological functions, but its detection in large-scale transcriptome datasets is still an unsolved computational task. To this aim, we developed REDItools, the first software package devoted to the RNA editing profiling in RNA-sequencing (RNAseq) data. It has been successfully used in human transcriptomes, proving the tissue and cell type specificity of RNA editing as well as its pervasive nature. Outcomes from large-scale REDItools analyses on human RNAseq data have been collected in our specialized REDIportal database, containing more than 4.5 million events. Here we describe in detail two bioinformatic procedures based on our computational resources, REDItools and REDIportal. In the first procedure, we outline a workflow to detect RNA editing in the human cell line NA12878, for which transcriptome and whole genome data are available. In the second procedure, we show how to identify dysregulated editing at specific recoding sites in post-mortem brain samples of Huntington disease donors. On a 64-bit computer running Linux with ≥32 GB of random-access memory (RAM), both procedures should take ~76 h, using 4 to 24 cores. Our protocols have been designed to investigate RNA editing in different organisms with available transcriptomic and/or genomic reads. Scripts to complete both procedures and a docker image are available at https://github.com/BioinfoUNIBA/REDItools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Lo Giudice
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM), National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Marco Antonio Tangaro
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM), National Research Council, Bari, Italy
| | - Graziano Pesole
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM), National Research Council, Bari, Italy.,Department of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.,National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (INBB), Rome, Italy
| | - Ernesto Picardi
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM), National Research Council, Bari, Italy. .,Department of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. .,National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (INBB), Rome, Italy.
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26
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Gallardo-Orihuela A, Hervás-Corpión I, Hierro-Bujalance C, Sanchez-Sotano D, Jiménez-Gómez G, Mora-López F, Campos-Caro A, Garcia-Alloza M, Valor LM. Transcriptional correlates of the pathological phenotype in a Huntington's disease mouse model. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18696. [PMID: 31822756 PMCID: PMC6904489 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55177-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder without a cure that is caused by an aberrant expansion of CAG repeats in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Although a negative correlation between the number of CAG repeats and the age of disease onset is established, additional factors may contribute to the high heterogeneity of the complex manifestation of symptoms among patients. This variability is also observed in mouse models, even under controlled genetic and environmental conditions. To better understand this phenomenon, we analysed the R6/1 strain in search of potential correlates between pathological motor/cognitive phenotypical traits and transcriptional alterations. HD-related genes (e.g., Penk, Plk5, Itpka), despite being downregulated across the examined brain areas (the prefrontal cortex, striatum, hippocampus and cerebellum), exhibited tissue-specific correlations with particular phenotypical traits that were attributable to the contribution of the brain region to that trait (e.g., striatum and rotarod performance, cerebellum and feet clasping). Focusing on the striatum, we determined that the transcriptional dysregulation associated with HD was partially exacerbated in mice that showed poor overall phenotypical scores, especially in genes with relevant roles in striatal functioning (e.g., Pde10a, Drd1, Drd2, Ppp1r1b). However, we also observed transcripts associated with relatively better outcomes, such as Nfya (CCAAT-binding transcription factor NF-Y subunit A) plus others related to neuronal development, apoptosis and differentiation. In this study, we demonstrated that altered brain transcription can be related to the manifestation of HD-like symptoms in mouse models and that this can be extrapolated to the highly heterogeneous population of HD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Gallardo-Orihuela
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Av. Ana de Viya 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Irati Hervás-Corpión
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Av. Ana de Viya 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Carmen Hierro-Bujalance
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Plaza Fragela, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Daniel Sanchez-Sotano
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Plaza Fragela, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Gema Jiménez-Gómez
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Av. Ana de Viya 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Francisco Mora-López
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Servicio de Inmunología, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Av. Ana de Viya 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Antonio Campos-Caro
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Av. Ana de Viya 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Monica Garcia-Alloza
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain.,Área de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Cádiz, Plaza Fragela, 11003, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Luis M Valor
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de la Provincia de Cádiz (INiBICA), Cádiz, Spain. .,Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Puerta del Mar, Av. Ana de Viya 21, 11009, Cádiz, Spain.
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27
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Goodnight AV, Kremsky I, Khampang S, Jung YH, Billingsley JM, Bosinger SE, Corces VG, Chan AWS. Chromatin accessibility and transcription dynamics during in vitro astrocyte differentiation of Huntington's Disease Monkey pluripotent stem cells. Epigenetics Chromatin 2019; 12:67. [PMID: 31722751 PMCID: PMC6852955 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-019-0313-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's Disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion, resulting in a mutant huntingtin protein. While it is now clear that astrocytes are affected by HD and significantly contribute to neuronal dysfunction and pathogenesis, the alterations in the transcriptional and epigenetic profiles in HD astrocytes have yet to be characterized. Here, we examine global transcription and chromatin accessibility dynamics during in vitro astrocyte differentiation in a transgenic non-human primate model of HD. RESULTS We found global changes in accessibility and transcription across different stages of HD pluripotent stem cell differentiation, with distinct trends first observed in neural progenitor cells (NPCs), once cells have committed to a neural lineage. Transcription of p53 signaling and cell cycle pathway genes was highly impacted during differentiation, with depletion in HD NPCs and upregulation in HD astrocytes. E2F target genes also displayed this inverse expression pattern, and strong associations between E2F target gene expression and accessibility at nearby putative enhancers were observed. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that chromatin accessibility and transcription are altered throughout in vitro HD astrocyte differentiation and provide evidence that E2F dysregulation contributes to aberrant cell-cycle re-entry and apoptosis throughout the progression from NPCs to astrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra V Goodnight
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 1462 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Isaac Kremsky
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Sujittra Khampang
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center, School of Biotechnology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
| | - Yoon Hee Jung
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - James M Billingsley
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Steven E Bosinger
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Victor G Corces
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 1462 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Anthony W S Chan
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 1462 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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28
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Wanker EE, Ast A, Schindler F, Trepte P, Schnoegl S. The pathobiology of perturbed mutant huntingtin protein-protein interactions in Huntington's disease. J Neurochem 2019; 151:507-519. [PMID: 31418858 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Mutations are at the root of many human diseases. Still, we largely do not exactly understand how they trigger pathogenesis. One, more recent, hypothesis has been that they comprehensively perturb protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and significantly alter key biological processes. Under this premise, many rare genetic disorders with Mendelian inheritance, like Huntington's disease and several spinocerebellar ataxias, are likely to be caused by complex genotype-phenotype relationships involving abnormal PPIs. These altered PPI networks and their effects on cellular pathways are poorly understood at the molecular level. In this review, we focus on PPIs that are perturbed by the expanded pathogenic polyglutamine tract in huntingtin (HTT), the protein which, in its mutated form, leads to the autosomal dominant, neurodegenerative Huntington's disease. One aspect of perturbed mutant HTT interactions is the formation of abnormal protein species such as fibrils or large neuronal inclusions as a result of homotypic and heterotypic aberrant molecular interactions. This review focuses on abnormal PPIs that are associated with the assembly of mutant HTT aggregates in cells and their potential relevance in disease. Furthermore, the mechanisms and pathobiological processes that may contribute to phenotype development, neuronal dysfunction and toxicity in Huntington's disease brains are also discussed. This article is part of the Special Issue "Proteomics".
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Affiliation(s)
- Erich E Wanker
- Neuroproteomics, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne Ast
- Neuroproteomics, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franziska Schindler
- Neuroproteomics, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Trepte
- Neuroproteomics, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sigrid Schnoegl
- Neuroproteomics, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
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29
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Irmak D, Fatima A, Gutiérrez-Garcia R, Rinschen MM, Wagle P, Altmüller J, Arrigoni L, Hummel B, Klein C, Frese CK, Sawarkar R, Rada-Iglesias A, Vilchez D. Mechanism suppressing H3K9 trimethylation in pluripotent stem cells and its demise by polyQ-expanded huntingtin mutations. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 27:4117-4134. [PMID: 30452683 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells are invaluable resources to study development and disease, holding a great promise for regenerative medicine. Here we use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients with Huntington's disease (HD-iPSCs) to shed light into the normal function of huntingtin (HTT) and its demise in disease. We find that HTT binds ATF7IP, a regulator of the histone H3 methyltransferase SETDB1. HTT inhibits the interaction of the ATF7IP-SETDB1 complex with other heterochromatin regulators and transcriptional repressors, maintaining low levels of H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) in hESCs. Loss of HTT promotes global increased H3K9me3 levels and enrichment of H3K9me3 marks at distinct genes, including transcriptional regulators of neuronal differentiation. Although these genes are normally expressed at low amounts in hESCs, HTT knockdown (KD) reduces their induction during neural differentiation. Notably, mutant expanded polyglutamine repeats in HTT diminish its interaction with ATF7IP-SETDB1 complex and trigger H3K9me3 in HD-iPSCs. Conversely, KD of ATF7IP in HD-iPSCs reduces H3K9me3 alterations and ameliorates gene expression changes in their neural counterparts. Taken together, our results indicate ATF7IP as a potential target to correct aberrant H3K9me3 levels induced by mutant HTT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilber Irmak
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Azra Fatima
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ricardo Gutiérrez-Garcia
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus M Rinschen
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Prerana Wagle
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Janine Altmüller
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, Cologne, Germany.,Cologne Center for Genomics (CCG), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Laura Arrigoni
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Barbara Hummel
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Corinna Klein
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Christian K Frese
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ritwick Sawarkar
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alvaro Rada-Iglesias
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, Cologne, Germany
| | - David Vilchez
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
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30
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Gao R, Chakraborty A, Geater C, Pradhan S, Gordon KL, Snowden J, Yuan S, Dickey AS, Choudhary S, Ashizawa T, Ellerby LM, La Spada AR, Thompson LM, Hazra TK, Sarkar PS. Mutant huntingtin impairs PNKP and ATXN3, disrupting DNA repair and transcription. eLife 2019; 8:42988. [PMID: 30994454 PMCID: PMC6529219 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How huntingtin (HTT) triggers neurotoxicity in Huntington's disease (HD) remains unclear. We report that HTT forms a transcription-coupled DNA repair (TCR) complex with RNA polymerase II subunit A (POLR2A), ataxin-3, the DNA repair enzyme polynucleotide-kinase-3'-phosphatase (PNKP), and cyclic AMP-response element-binding (CREB) protein (CBP). This complex senses and facilitates DNA damage repair during transcriptional elongation, but its functional integrity is impaired by mutant HTT. Abrogated PNKP activity results in persistent DNA break accumulation, preferentially in actively transcribed genes, and aberrant activation of DNA damage-response ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) signaling in HD transgenic mouse and cell models. A concomitant decrease in Ataxin-3 activity facilitates CBP ubiquitination and degradation, adversely impacting transcription and DNA repair. Increasing PNKP activity in mutant cells improves genome integrity and cell survival. These findings suggest a potential molecular mechanism of how mutant HTT activates DNA damage-response pro-degenerative pathways and impairs transcription, triggering neurotoxicity and functional decline in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Gao
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States
| | - Anirban Chakraborty
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States
| | - Charlene Geater
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
| | - Subrata Pradhan
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States
| | - Kara L Gordon
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, United States
| | - Jeffrey Snowden
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States
| | - Subo Yuan
- Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States
| | - Audrey S Dickey
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, United States
| | - Sanjeev Choudhary
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Genetics, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, United States
| | - Tetsuo Ashizawa
- Department of Neurology, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, United States
| | - Lisa M Ellerby
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, United States
| | - Albert R La Spada
- Department of Neurology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, United States
| | - Leslie M Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States.,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, Irvine, United States
| | - Tapas K Hazra
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States
| | - Partha S Sarkar
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, United States
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31
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Laprairie RB, Bagher AM, Rourke JL, Zrein A, Cairns EA, Kelly MEM, Sinal CJ, Kulkarni PM, Thakur GA, Denovan-Wright EM. Positive allosteric modulation of the type 1 cannabinoid receptor reduces the signs and symptoms of Huntington's disease in the R6/2 mouse model. Neuropharmacology 2019; 151:1-12. [PMID: 30940536 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive, and behavioural changes. One of the earliest changes to occur in HD is a reduction in cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1) levels in the striatum, which is strongly correlated with HD pathogenesis. CB1 positive allosteric modulators (PAM) enhance receptor affinity for, and efficacy of activation by, orthosteric ligands, including the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol. The goal of this study was to determine whether the recently characterized CB1 allosteric modulators GAT211 (racemic), GAT228 (R-enantiomer), and GAT229 (S-enantiomer), affected the signs and symptoms of HD. GAT211, GAT228, and GAT229 were evaluated in normal and HD cell models, and in a transgenic mouse model of HD (7-week-old male R6/2 mice, 10 mg/kg/d, 21 d, i.p.). GAT229 was a CB1 PAM that improved cell viability in HD cells and improved motor coordination, delayed symptom onset, and normalized gene expression in R6/2 HD mice. GAT228 was an allosteric agonist that did not enhance endocannabinoid signaling or change symptom progression in R6/2 mice. GAT211 displayed intermediate effects between its enantiomers. The compounds used here are not drugs, but probe compounds used to determine the potential utility of CB1 PAMs in HD. Changes in gene expression, and not protein, were quantified in R6/2 HD mice because HD pathogenesis is associated with dysregulation of mRNA levels. The data presented here provide the first proof of principle for the use of CB1 PAMs to treat the signs and symptoms of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert B Laprairie
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Canada; Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Canada
| | - Amina M Bagher
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King AbdulAziz University,Saudi Arabia; Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Canada
| | - Jillian L Rourke
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Canada; Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Mount Allison University, Canada
| | - Adel Zrein
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Canada
| | | | - Melanie E M Kelly
- Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Canada; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University, Canada
| | | | - Pushkar M Kulkarni
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, USA
| | - Ganesh A Thakur
- Center for Drug Discovery, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, USA
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32
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Illarioshkin SN, Klyushnikov SA, Vigont VA, Seliverstov YA, Kaznacheyeva EV. Molecular Pathogenesis in Huntington's Disease. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2018; 83:1030-1039. [PMID: 30472941 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297918090043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a severe autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms, atrophy of the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex, and inevitably progressive course resulting in death 5-20 years after manifestation of its symptoms. HD is caused by expansion of CAG repeats in the HTT gene, which leads to pathological elongation of the polyglutamine tract within the respective protein - huntingtin. In this review, we present a modern view on molecular biology of HD as a representative of the group of polyglutamine diseases, with an emphasis on conformational changes of mutant huntingtin, disturbances in its cellular processing, and proteolytic stress in degenerating neurons. Main pathogenetic mechanisms of neurodegeneration in HD are discussed in detail, such as systemic failure of transcription, mitochondrial dysfunction and suppression of energy metabolism, abnormalities of cytoskeleton and axonal transport, microglial inflammation, decrease in synthesis of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S A Klyushnikov
- Research Center of Neurology, Moscow, 125367, Russia.,Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - V A Vigont
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia.
| | | | - E V Kaznacheyeva
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia.
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33
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Hsu YT, Chang YG, Chern Y. Insights into GABA Aergic system alteration in Huntington's disease. Open Biol 2018; 8:rsob.180165. [PMID: 30518638 PMCID: PMC6303784 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.180165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by a triad of motor, psychiatric and cognitive impairments. There is still no effective therapy to delay or halt the disease progress. The striatum and cortex are two particularly affected brain regions that exhibit dense reciprocal excitatory glutamate and inhibitory gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) connections. Imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory signalling is known to greatly affect motor and cognitive processes. Emerging evidence supports the hypothesis that disrupted GABAergic circuits underlie HD pathogenesis. In the present review, we focused on the multiple defects recently found in the GABAergic inhibitory system, including altered GABA level and synthesis, abnormal subunit composition and distribution of GABAA receptors and aberrant GABAA receptor-mediated signalling. In particular, the important role of cation–chloride cotransporters (i.e. NKCC1 and KCC2) is discussed. Recent studies also suggest that neuroinflammation contributes significantly to the abnormal GABAergic inhibition in HD. Thus, GABAA receptors and cation–chloride cotransporters are potential therapeutic targets for HD. Given the limited availability of therapeutic treatments for HD, a better understanding of GABAergic dysfunction in HD could provide novel therapeutic opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Hsu
- PhD Program for Translational Medicine, China Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Department of Neurology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Ya-Gin Chang
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Taiwan International Graduate Program in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Yijuang Chern
- PhD Program for Translational Medicine, China Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taiwan, Republic of China .,Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Mueller KA, Glajch KE, Huizenga MN, Wilson RA, Granucci EJ, Dios AM, Tousley AR, Iuliano M, Weisman E, LaQuaglia MJ, DiFiglia M, Kegel-Gleason K, Vakili K, Sadri-Vakili G. Hippo Signaling Pathway Dysregulation in Human Huntington's Disease Brain and Neuronal Stem Cells. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11355. [PMID: 30054496 PMCID: PMC6063913 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29319-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hippo signaling pathway is involved in organ size regulation and tumor suppression. Although inhibition of Hippo leads to tumorigenesis, activation of Hippo may play a role in neurodegeneration. Specifically, activation of the upstream regulator, mammalian sterile 20 (STE20)-like kinase 1 (MST1), reduces activity of the transcriptional co-activator Yes-Associated Protein (YAP), thereby mediating oxidative stress-induced neuronal death. Here, we investigated the possible role of this pathway in Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis. Our results demonstrate a significant increase in phosphorylated MST1, the active form, in post-mortem HD cortex and in the brains of CAG knock-in HdhQ111/Q111 mice. YAP nuclear localization was also decreased in HD post-mortem cortex and in neuronal stem cells derived from HD patients. Moreover, there was a significant increase in phosphorylated YAP, the inactive form, in HD post-mortem cortex and in HdhQ111/Q111 brain. In addition, YAP was found to interact with huntingtin (Htt) and the chaperone 14-3-3, however this interaction was not altered in the presence of mutant Htt. Lastly, YAP/TEAD interactions and expression of Hippo pathway genes were altered in HD. Together, these results demonstrate that activation of MST1 together with a decrease in nuclear YAP could significantly contribute to transcriptional dysregulation in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaly A Mueller
- NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Kelly E Glajch
- NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Megan N Huizenga
- NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Remi A Wilson
- NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Eric J Granucci
- NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Amanda M Dios
- NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Adelaide R Tousley
- Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Maria Iuliano
- Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Elizabeth Weisman
- Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | | | - Marian DiFiglia
- Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | - Kimberly Kegel-Gleason
- Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA
| | | | - Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili
- NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory, MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease (MIND), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129-4404, USA.
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Neueder A, Bates GP. RNA Related Pathology in Huntington's Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2018; 1049:85-101. [PMID: 29427099 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-71779-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
This chapter summarises research investigating the expression of huntingtin sense and anti-sense transcripts, the effect of the mutation on huntingtin processing as well as the more global effect of the mutation on the coding and non-coding transcriptomes. The huntingtin gene is ubiquitously expressed, although expression levels vary between tissues and cell types. A SNP that affects NF-ĸB binding in the huntingtin promoter modulates the expression level of huntingtin transcripts and is associated with the age of disease onset. Incomplete splicing between exon 1 and exon 2 has been shown to result in the expression of a small polyadenylated mRNA that encodes the highly pathogenic exon 1 huntingtin protein. This occurs in a CAG-repeat length dependent manner in all full-length mouse models of HD as well as HD patient post-mortem brains and fibroblasts. An antisense transcript to huntingtin is generated that contains a CUG repeat that is expanded in HD patients. In myotonic dystrophy, expanded CUG repeats form RNA foci in cell nuclei that bind specific proteins (e.g. MBL1). Short, pure CAG RNAs of approximately 21 nucleotides that have been processed by DICER can inhibit the translation of other CAG repeat containing mRNAs. The HD mutation affects the transcriptome at the level of mRNA expression, splicing and the expression of non-coding RNAs. Finally, expanded repetitive stretched of nucleotides can lead to RAN translation, in which the ribosome translates from the expanded repeat in all possible reading frames, producing proteins with various poly-amino acid tracts. The extent to which these events contribute to HD pathogenesis is largely unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Neueder
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Gillian P Bates
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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Early alteration of epigenetic-related transcription in Huntington's disease mouse models. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9925. [PMID: 29967375 PMCID: PMC6028428 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28185-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional dysregulation in Huntington’s disease (HD) affects the expression of genes involved in survival and neuronal functions throughout the progression of the pathology. In recent years, extensive research has focused on epigenetic and chromatin-modifying factors as a causative explanation for such dysregulation, offering attractive targets for pharmacological therapies. In this work, we extensively examined the gene expression profiles in the cortex, striatum, hippocampus and cerebellum of juvenile R6/1 and N171-82Q mice, models of rapidly progressive HD, to retrieve the early transcriptional signatures associated with this pathology. These profiles were largely consistent across HD datasets, contained tissular and neuronal-specific genes and showed significant correspondence with the transcriptional changes in mouse strains deficient for epigenetic regulatory genes. The most prominent cases were the conditional knockout of the lysine acetyltransferase CBP in post-mitotic forebrain neurons, the double knockout of the histone methyltransferases Ezh1 and Ezh2, components of the polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2), and the conditional mutants of the histone methyltransferases G9a (Ehmt2) and GLP (Ehmt1). Based on these observations, we propose that the neuronal epigenetic status is compromised in the prodromal stages of HD, leading to an altered transcriptional programme that is prominently involved in neuronal identity.
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Pandey M, Rajamma U. Huntington's disease: the coming of age. J Genet 2018; 97:649-664. [PMID: 30027901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused due to an abnormal expansion of polyglutamine repeats in the first exon of huntingtin gene. The mutation in huntingtin causes abnormalities in the functioning of protein, leading to deleterious effects ultimately to the demise of specific neuronal cells.The disease is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and leads to a plethora of neuropsychiatric behaviour and neuronal cell death mainly in striatal and cortical regions of the brain, eventually leading to death of the individual. The discovery of the mutant gene led to a surge in molecular diagnostics of the disease and in making different transgenic models in different organisms to understand the function of wild-type and mutant proteins. Despite difficult challenges, there has been a significant increase in understanding the functioning of the protein in normal and other gain-of-function interactions in mutant form. However, there have been no significant improvements in treatments of the patients suffering from this ailment and most of the treatment is still symptomatic. HD warrants more attention towards better understanding and treatment as more advancement in molecular diagnostics and therapeutic interventions are available. Several different transgenic models are available in different organisms, ranging from fruit flies to primate monkeys, for studies on understanding the pathogenicity of the mutant gene. It is the right time to assess the advancement in the field and try new strategies for neuroprotection using key pathways as target. The present review highlights the key ingredients of pathology in the HD and discusses important studies for drug trials and future goals for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mritunjay Pandey
- Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Xiang C, Zhang S, Dong X, Ma S, Cong S. Transcriptional Dysregulation and Post-translational Modifications in Polyglutamine Diseases: From Pathogenesis to Potential Therapeutic Strategies. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:153. [PMID: 29867345 PMCID: PMC5962650 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are hereditary neurodegenerative disorders caused by an abnormal expansion of a trinucleotide CAG repeat in the coding region of their respective associated genes. PolyQ diseases mainly display progressive degeneration of the brain and spinal cord. Nine polyQ diseases are known, including Huntington's disease (HD), spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA), and six forms of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA). HD is the best characterized polyQ disease. Many studies have reported that transcriptional dysregulation and post-translational disruptions, which may interact with each other, are central features of polyQ diseases. Post-translational modifications, such as the acetylation of histones, are closely associated with the regulation of the transcriptional activity. A number of groups have studied the interactions between the polyQ proteins and transcription factors. Pharmacological drugs or genetic manipulations aimed at correcting the dysregulation have been confirmed to be effective in the treatment of polyQ diseases in many animal and cellular models. For example, histone deaceylase inhibitors have been demonstrated to have beneficial effects in cases of HD, SBMA, DRPLA, and SCA3. In this review, we describe the transcriptional and post-translational dysregulation in polyQ diseases with special focus on HD, and we summarize and comment on potential treatment approaches targeting disruption of transcription and post-translation processes in these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Shuyan Cong
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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Mutant Huntingtin Causes a Selective Decrease in the Expression of Synaptic Vesicle Protein 2C. Neurosci Bull 2018; 34:747-758. [PMID: 29713895 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-018-0230-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 03/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin (Htt) protein. Mutant Htt causes synaptic transmission dysfunctions by interfering in the expression of synaptic proteins, leading to early HD symptoms. Synaptic vesicle proteins 2 (SV2s), a family of synaptic vesicle proteins including 3 members, SV2A, SV2B, and SV2C, plays important roles in synaptic physiology. Here, we investigated whether the expression of SV2s is affected by mutant Htt in the brains of HD transgenic (TG) mice and Neuro2a mouse neuroblastoma cells (N2a cells) expressing mutant Htt. Western blot analysis showed that the protein levels of SV2A and SV2B were not significantly changed in the brains of HD TG mice expressing mutant Htt with 82 glutamine repeats. However, in the TG mouse brain there was a dramatic decrease in the protein level of SV2C, which has a restricted distribution pattern in regions particularly vulnerable in HD. Immunostaining revealed that the immunoreactivity of SV2C was progressively weakened in the basal ganglia and hippocampus of TG mice. RT-PCR demonstrated that the mRNA level of SV2C progressively declined in the TG mouse brain without detectable changes in the mRNA levels of SV2A and SV2B, indicating that mutant Htt selectively inhibits the transcriptional expression of SV2C. Furthermore, we found that only SV2C expression was progressively inhibited in N2a cells expressing a mutant Htt containing 120 glutamine repeats. These findings suggest that the synaptic dysfunction in HD results from the mutant Htt-mediated inhibition of SV2C transcriptional expression. These data also imply that the restricted distribution and decreased expression of SV2C contribute to the brain region-selective pathology of HD.
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Saavedra A, García-Díaz Barriga G, Pérez-Navarro E, Alberch J. Huntington's disease: novel therapeutic perspectives hanging in the balance. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2018; 22:385-399. [PMID: 29671352 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2018.1465930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Huntington's disease (HD), an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of CAG repeats in the huntingtin gene, has long been characterized by the presence of motor symptoms due to the loss of striatal projection neurons. Cognitive dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms are also present and they occur in the absence of cell death in most mouse models, pointing to neuronal dysfunction and abnormal synaptic plasticity as causative mechanisms. Areas covered: Here, we focus on those common mechanisms altered by the presence of mutant huntingtin affecting corticostriatal and hippocampal function as therapeutic targets that could prove beneficial to ameliorate both cognitive and motor function in HD. Specifically, we discuss the importance of reestablishing the balance in (1) synaptic/extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor signaling, (2) mitochondrial dynamics/trafficking, (3) TrkB/p75NTR signaling, and (4) transcriptional activity. Expert opinion: Mutant huntingtin has a broad impact on multiple cellular processes, which makes it very challenging to design a curative therapeutic strategy. As we point out here, novel therapeutic interventions should look for multi-purpose drugs targeting common and early affected processes leading to corticostriatal and hippocampal dysfunction that additionally operate in a feedforward vicious cycle downstream the activation of extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Saavedra
- a Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències , Universitat de Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain.,b Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) , Barcelona , Spain.,c Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED) , Spain
| | - Gerardo García-Díaz Barriga
- a Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències , Universitat de Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain.,b Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) , Barcelona , Spain.,c Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED) , Spain
| | - Esther Pérez-Navarro
- a Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències , Universitat de Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain.,b Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) , Barcelona , Spain.,c Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED) , Spain
| | - Jordi Alberch
- a Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències , Universitat de Barcelona , Barcelona , Spain.,b Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) , Barcelona , Spain.,c Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED) , Spain
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Di Pardo A, Maglione V. The S1P Axis: New Exciting Route for Treating Huntington's Disease. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2018; 39:468-480. [PMID: 29559169 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2018.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a single-gene inheritable neurodegenerative disorder with an associated complex molecular pathogenic profile that renders it the most 'curable incurable' brain disorder. Continuous effort in the field has contributed to the recent discovery of novel potential pathogenic mechanisms. Findings in preclinical models of the disease as well as in human post-mortem brains from affected patients demonstrate that alteration of the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) axis may represent a possible key player in the pathogenesis of the disease and may act as a potential actionable drug target for the development of more targeted and effective therapeutic approaches. The relevance of the path of this new 'therapeutic route' is underscored by the fact that some drugs targeting the S1P axis are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of other brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Di Pardo
- Centre for Neurogenetics and Rare Diseases, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli (IS), Italy
| | - Vittorio Maglione
- Centre for Neurogenetics and Rare Diseases, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli (IS), Italy.
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Nizhnikov AA, Antonets KS, Bondarev SA, Inge-Vechtomov SG, Derkatch IL. Prions, amyloids, and RNA: Pieces of a puzzle. Prion 2017; 10:182-206. [PMID: 27248002 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2016.1181253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloids are protein aggregates consisting of fibrils rich in β-sheets. Growth of amyloid fibrils occurs by the addition of protein molecules to the tip of an aggregate with a concurrent change of a conformation. Thus, amyloids are self-propagating protein conformations. In certain cases these conformations are transmissible / infectious; they are known as prions. Initially, amyloids were discovered as pathological extracellular deposits occurring in different tissues and organs. To date, amyloids and prions have been associated with over 30 incurable diseases in humans and animals. However, a number of recent studies demonstrate that amyloids are also functionally involved in a variety of biological processes, from biofilm formation by bacteria, to long-term memory in animals. Interestingly, amyloid-forming proteins are highly overrepresented among cellular factors engaged in all stages of mRNA life cycle: from transcription and translation, to storage and degradation. Here we review rapidly accumulating data on functional and pathogenic amyloids associated with mRNA processing, and discuss possible significance of prion and amyloid networks in the modulation of key cellular functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton A Nizhnikov
- a Dept. of Genetics and Biotechnology , St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia.,b Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Branch , St. Petersburg , Russia.,c All-Russia Research Institute for Agricultural Microbiology , St. Petersburg , Russia
| | - Kirill S Antonets
- a Dept. of Genetics and Biotechnology , St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia.,b Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Branch , St. Petersburg , Russia
| | - Stanislav A Bondarev
- a Dept. of Genetics and Biotechnology , St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia
| | - Sergey G Inge-Vechtomov
- a Dept. of Genetics and Biotechnology , St. Petersburg State University , St. Petersburg , Russia.,b Vavilov Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Branch , St. Petersburg , Russia
| | - Irina L Derkatch
- d Department of Neuroscience , College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Columbia University , New York , NY , USA
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Wu Q, Yan H, Tao SQ, Wang XN, Mou L, Chen P, Cheng XW, Wu WY, Wu ZS. XIAP 3'-untranslated region as a ceRNA promotes FSCN1 function in inducing the progression of breast cancer by binding endogenous miR-29a-5p. Oncotarget 2017; 8:16784-16800. [PMID: 28186968 PMCID: PMC5370001 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.15159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The non-coding 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of genes play an important role in the regulation of microRNA (miRNA) functions, since it can bind and inactivate multiple miRNAs. Herein, we report that ectopic expression of XIAP 3′UTR increased human breast cancer cells proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion and xenograft tumor growth and suppressed tumor cell death. To investigate this process, we further correlated the genome-wide transcriptional profiling with the gene expression alterations after transfecting XIAP 3′UTR in MCF-7 cells. We identified a robust, genome-wide mechanism of cell migration, motility and epithelial to mesenchymal transition by which mediated by a previously described cellular component movement factor FSCN1. Expression of XIAP and FSCN1 were up-regulated synergistically after transfecting XIAP 3′UTR in vitro and in vivo. Interactions between XIAP and FSCN1 appear to be a key determinant of these processes. Co-transfection with Dicer siRNA reversed the XIAP 3′UTR-mediated oncogenicity, suggesting the miRNAs might be involved in that process. Furthermore, we demonstrated that one miRNA, miR-29a-5p, can bind to both the XIAP and FSCN1 3′UTRs and play an important role in that interactions. We showed that the 3′UTR of XIAP was able to antagonize miR-29a-5p, and resulted in the increased translation of XIAP and FSCN1. Thus, our findings reveal important new insights into how XIAP 3′UTR works, suggesting that the non-coding XIAP 3′UTR serves as a competitor for miRNA binding and subsequently inactivates miRNA functions, by which XIAP 3′UTR frees the target mRNAs from being repressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Wu
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Department of Pathology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Hong Yan
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Department of Pathology, Anhui Provincial Cancer Hospital, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Si-Qi Tao
- Department of Pathology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiao-Nan Wang
- Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Lang Mou
- Department of Pathology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Department of Pathology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xing-Wang Cheng
- Department of Emergency, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Wen-Yong Wu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Zheng-Sheng Wu
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Department of Pathology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
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Baronchelli S, La Spada A, Ntai A, Barbieri A, Conforti P, Jotti GS, Redaelli S, Bentivegna A, De Blasio P, Biunno I. Epigenetic and transcriptional modulation of WDR5, a chromatin remodeling protein, in Huntington's disease human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model. Mol Cell Neurosci 2017; 82:46-57. [PMID: 28476540 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2017.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation (DNAm) changes are of increasing relevance to neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's disease (HD). We performed genome-wide screening of possible DNAm changes occurring during striatal differentiation in human induced pluripotent stem cells derived from a HD patient (HD-hiPSCs) as cellular model. We identified 240 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) at promoters in fully differentiated HD-hiPSCs. Subsequently, we focused on the methylation differences in a subcluster of genes related to Jumonji Domain Containing 3 (JMJD3), a demethylase that epigenetically regulates neuronal differentiation and activates neuronal progenitor associated genes, which are indispensable for neuronal fate acquisition. Noticeably among these genes, WD repeat-containing protein 5 (WDR5) promoter was found hypermethylated in HD-hiPSCs, resulting in a significant down-modulation in its expression and of the encoded protein. A similar WDR5 expression decrease was seen in a small series of HD-hiPSC lines characterized by different CAG length. The decrease in WDR5 expression was particularly evident in HD-hiPSCs compared to hESCs and control-hiPSCs from healthy subjects. WDR5 is a core component of the MLL/SET1 chromatin remodeling complexes essential for H3K4me3, previously reported to play an important role in stem cells self-renewal and differentiation. These results suggest the existence of epigenetic mechanisms in HD and the identification of genes, which are able to modulate HD phenotype, is important both for biomarker discovery and therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Baronchelli
- Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council (IRGB-CNR), via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto La Spada
- Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council (IRGB-CNR), via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milan, Italy
| | - Aikaterini Ntai
- Integrated Systems Engineering Srl, Via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Barbieri
- Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council (IRGB-CNR), via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Conforti
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan and Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare Padiglione Invernizzi, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Gloria Saccani Jotti
- Department of Biological Science, Biotechnology and Translational - S.Bi.Bi.T., University of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43121 Parma, Italy
| | - Serena Redaelli
- Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Milan, Italy
| | - Angela Bentivegna
- Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Milan, Italy; NeuroMI, Milan Center of Neuroscience, via Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Pasquale De Blasio
- Integrated Systems Engineering Srl, Via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milano, Italy
| | - Ida Biunno
- Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council (IRGB-CNR), via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milan, Italy; IRCCS Multimedica, via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milano, Italy.
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Le Gras S, Keime C, Anthony A, Lotz C, De Longprez L, Brouillet E, Cassel JC, Boutillier AL, Merienne K. Altered enhancer transcription underlies Huntington's disease striatal transcriptional signature. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42875. [PMID: 28225006 PMCID: PMC5320509 DOI: 10.1038/srep42875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic and transcriptional alterations are both implicated in Huntington’s disease (HD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease resulting in degeneration of striatal neurons in the brain. However, how impaired epigenetic regulation leads to transcriptional dysregulation in HD is unclear. Here, we investigated enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), a class of long non-coding RNAs transcribed from active enhancers. We found that eRNAs are expressed from many enhancers of mouse striatum and showed that a subset of those eRNAs are deregulated in HD vs control mouse striatum. Enhancer regions producing eRNAs decreased in HD mouse striatum were associated with genes involved in striatal neuron identity. Consistently, they were enriched in striatal super-enhancers. Moreover, decreased eRNA expression in HD mouse striatum correlated with down-regulation of associated genes. Additionally, a significant number of RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) binding sites were lost within enhancers associated with decreased eRNAs in HD vs control mouse striatum. Together, this indicates that loss of RNAPII at HD mouse enhancers contributes to reduced transcription of eRNAs, resulting in down-regulation of target genes. Thus, our data support the view that eRNA dysregulation in HD striatum is a key mechanism leading to altered transcription of striatal neuron identity genes, through reduced recruitment of RNAPII at super-enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Le Gras
- GenomeEast Platform, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), CNRS/INSERM/University of Strasbourg-UMR 7104, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Céline Keime
- GenomeEast Platform, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), CNRS/INSERM/University of Strasbourg-UMR 7104, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Anne Anthony
- University of Strasbourg, Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neurosciences (LNCA), 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France.,CNRS, LNCA UMR 7364, 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Caroline Lotz
- University of Strasbourg, Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neurosciences (LNCA), 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France.,CNRS, LNCA UMR 7364, 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Lucie De Longprez
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Département de Recherches Fondamentales (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Emmanuel Brouillet
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA), Département de Recherches Fondamentales (DRF), Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale (I2BM), Molecular Imaging Research Center (MIRCen), F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9199, Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, F-92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Cassel
- University of Strasbourg, Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neurosciences (LNCA), 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France.,CNRS, LNCA UMR 7364, 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Anne-Laurence Boutillier
- University of Strasbourg, Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neurosciences (LNCA), 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France.,CNRS, LNCA UMR 7364, 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Karine Merienne
- University of Strasbourg, Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neurosciences (LNCA), 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France.,CNRS, LNCA UMR 7364, 12 rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France
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Adegbuyiro A, Sedighi F, Pilkington AW, Groover S, Legleiter J. Proteins Containing Expanded Polyglutamine Tracts and Neurodegenerative Disease. Biochemistry 2017; 56:1199-1217. [PMID: 28170216 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Several hereditary neurological and neuromuscular diseases are caused by an abnormal expansion of trinucleotide repeats. To date, there have been 10 of these trinucleotide repeat disorders associated with an expansion of the codon CAG encoding glutamine (Q). For these polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, there is a critical threshold length of the CAG repeat required for disease, and further expansion beyond this threshold is correlated with age of onset and symptom severity. PolyQ expansion in the translated proteins promotes their self-assembly into a variety of oligomeric and fibrillar aggregate species that accumulate into the hallmark proteinaceous inclusion bodies associated with each disease. Here, we review aggregation mechanisms of proteins with expanded polyQ-tracts, structural consequences of expanded polyQ ranging from monomers to fibrillar aggregates, the impact of protein context and post-translational modifications on aggregation, and a potential role for lipid membranes in aggregation. As the pathogenic mechanisms that underlie these disorders are often classified as either a gain of toxic function or loss of normal protein function, some toxic mechanisms associated with mutant polyQ tracts will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adewale Adegbuyiro
- The C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, 217 Clark Hall, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
| | - Faezeh Sedighi
- The C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, 217 Clark Hall, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
| | - Albert W Pilkington
- The C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, 217 Clark Hall, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
| | - Sharon Groover
- The C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, 217 Clark Hall, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
| | - Justin Legleiter
- The C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, 217 Clark Hall, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States.,Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, P.O. Box 9304, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States.,NanoSAFE, P.O. Box 6223, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
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Francelle L, Lotz C, Outeiro T, Brouillet E, Merienne K. Contribution of Neuroepigenetics to Huntington's Disease. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:17. [PMID: 28194101 PMCID: PMC5276857 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Unbalanced epigenetic regulation is thought to contribute to the progression of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease (HD), a genetic disorder considered as a paradigm of epigenetic dysregulation. In this review, we attempt to address open questions regarding the role of epigenetic changes in HD, in the light of recent advances in neuroepigenetics. We particularly discuss studies using genome-wide scale approaches that provide insights into the relationship between epigenetic regulations, gene expression and neuronal activity in normal and diseased neurons, including HD neurons. We propose that cell-type specific techniques and 3D-based methods will advance knowledge of epigenome in the context of brain region vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic changes and of their consequences in neurodegenerative diseases is required to design therapeutic strategies more effective than current strategies based on histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Researches in HD may play a driving role in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Francelle
- Department of NeuroDegeneration and Restorative Research, University Medical Center Goettingen Goettingen, Germany
| | - Caroline Lotz
- CNRS UMR 7364, Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neurosciences, University of Strasbourg Strasbourg, France
| | - Tiago Outeiro
- Department of NeuroDegeneration and Restorative Research, University Medical Center Goettingen Goettingen, Germany
| | - Emmanuel Brouillet
- Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Département de Recherche Fondamentale, Institut d'Imagerie Biomédicale, Molecular Imaging Center, Neurodegenerative diseases Laboratory, UMR 9199, CNRS Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Karine Merienne
- CNRS UMR 7364, Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptive Neurosciences, University of Strasbourg Strasbourg, France
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50
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION An inherited, chronic progressive, neurodegenerative disorder is Huntington's disease, characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Predictive genetic testing allows earlier diagnosis and identification of gene carriers for Huntington's disease. These individuals are ideal candidates for testing of therapeutic interventions for disease modification. Areas covered: According to queries in Pubmed, Embase and clinical register databases, research and clinical studies emerge on symptomatic and neuroprotective therapies in Huntington's disease. This review discusses novel agents for symptomatic therapy and disease modification. They are currently in phase I and II of drug development Expert opinion: There are promising, safe and well tolerated compounds for amelioration of motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms, but their efficacy still needs to be proven in clinical trials. Deterioration of mutant huntingtin expression, antiapoptotic or cell death inhibition as disease modifying concepts was efficacious in models of Huntington's disease. However, the risk for clinical trial failures is high not only due to ineffectiveness of the tested agent. Negative study outcomes may also result from design misconceptions, underestimation of the heterogeneity of Huntington's disease, too short study durations and too small study cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Müller
- a Department of Neurology , St. Joseph Hospital Berlin-Weißensee , Berlin , Germany
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