A Molecular Reporter for Monitoring Autophagic Flux in Nervous System In Vivo

Excessive Protein Accumulation and Impaired Autophagy in the Hippocampus of Angelman Syndrome Modeled in Mice

BACKGROUND

Angelman syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by abnormalities of the 15q11.2-q13.1 chromosome region, is characterized by impairment of cognitive and motor functions, sleep problems, and seizures. How the genetic defects of AS produce these neurological symptoms is unclear. Mice modeling AS (AS mice) accumulate activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (ARC/ARG3.1), a neuronal immediate early gene (IEG) critical for synaptic plasticity. This accumulation suggests an altered protein metabolism.

METHODS

Focusing on the dorsal hippocampus (dHC), a brain region critical for memory formation and cognitive functions, we assessed levels and tissue distribution of IEGs, de novo protein synthesis, and markers of protein synthesis, endosomes, autophagy, and synaptic functions in AS mice at baseline and following learning. We also tested autophagic flux and memory retention following autophagy-promoting treatment.

RESULTS

AS dHC exhibited accumulation of IEGs ARC, FOS, and EGR1; autophagy proteins MLP3B, SQSTM1, and LAMP1; and reduction of the endosomal protein RAB5A. AS dHC also had increased levels of de novo protein synthesis, impaired autophagic flux with accumulation of autophagosome, and altered synaptic protein levels. Contextual fear conditioning significantly increased levels of IEGs and autophagy proteins, de novo protein synthesis, and autophagic flux in the dHC of normal mice, but not in AS mice. Enhancing autophagy in the dHC alleviated AS-related memory and autophagic flux impairments.

CONCLUSIONS

A major biological deficit of AS brain is a defective protein metabolism, particularly that dynamically regulated by learning, resulting in stalled autophagy and accumulation of neuronal proteins. Activating autophagy ameliorates AS cognitive impairments and dHC protein accumulation.

CTB-targeted protocells enhance ability of lanthionine ketenamine analogs to induce autophagy in motor neuron-like cells

Impaired autophagy, a cellular digestion process that eliminates proteins and damaged organelles, has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, including motor neuron disorders. Motor neuron targeted upregulation of autophagy may serve as a promising therapeutic approach. Lanthionine ketenamine (LK), an amino acid metabolite found in mammalian brain tissue, activates autophagy in neuronal cell lines. We hypothesized that analogs of LK can be targeted to motor neurons using nanoparticles to improve autophagy flux. Using a mouse motor neuron-like hybrid cell line (NSC-34), we tested the effect of three different LK analogs on autophagy modulation, either alone or loaded in nanoparticles. For fluorescence visualization of autophagy flux, we used a mCherry-GFP-LC3 plasmid reporter. We also evaluated protein expression changes in LC3-II/LC3-I ratio obtained by western blot, as well as presence of autophagic vacuoles per cell obtained by electron microscopy. Delivering LK analogs with targeted nanoparticles significantly enhanced autophagy flux in differentiated motor neuron-like cells compared to LK analogs alone, suggesting the need of a delivery vehicle to enhance their efficacy. In conclusion, LK analogs loaded in nanoparticles targeting motor neurons constitute a promising treatment option to induce autophagy flux, which may serve to mitigate motor neuron degeneration/loss and preserve motor function in motor neuron disease.

Trehalose-Based Nucleolipids as Nanocarriers for Autophagy Modulation: An In Vitro Study

The Autophagy Lysosomal Pathway is one of the most important mechanisms for removing dysfunctional cellular components. Increasing evidence suggests that alterations in this pathway play a pathogenic role in Parkinson's disease, making it a point of particular vulnerability. Numerous studies have proposed nanotechnologies as a promising approach for delivering active substances within the central nervous system to treat and diagnose neurodegenerative diseases. In this context, the aim was to propose the development of a new pharmaceutical technology for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. We designed a trehalose-based nanosystem by combining both a small natural autophagy enhancer molecule named trehalose and an amphiphilic nucleolipid conjugate. To improve nucleolipid protection and cellular uptake, these conjugates were formulated by rapid mixing in either solid lipid nanoparticles (Ø = 120.4 ± 1.4 nm) or incorporated into poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (Ø = 167.2 ± 2.4 nm). In vitro biological assays demonstrated a safe and an efficient cellular uptake associated with autophagy induction. Overall, these nucleolipid-based formulations represent a promising new pharmaceutical tool to deliver trehalose and restore the autophagy impaired function.

Acidic nanoparticles protect against α-synuclein-induced neurodegeneration through the restoration of lysosomal function

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age‐related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, associated with the accumulation of misfolded α‐synuclein and lysosomal impairment, two events deemed interconnected. Protein aggregation is linked to defects in degradation systems such as the autophagy‐lysosomal pathway, while lysosomal dysfunction is partly related to compromised acidification. We have recently proven that acidic nanoparticles (aNPs) can re‐acidify lysosomes and ameliorate neurotoxin‐mediated dopaminergic neurodegeneration in mice. However, no lysosome‐targeted approach has yet been tested in synucleinopathy models in vivo. Here, we show that aNPs increase α‐synuclein degradation through enhancing lysosomal activity in vitro. We further demonstrate in vivo that aNPs protect nigral dopaminergic neurons from cell death, ameliorate α‐synuclein pathology, and restore lysosomal function in mice injected with PD patient‐derived Lewy body extracts carrying toxic α‐synuclein aggregates. Our results support lysosomal re‐acidification as a disease‐modifying strategy for the treatment of PD and other age‐related proteinopathies.

Callyspongiolide kills cells by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction via cellular iron depletion

The highly cytotoxic marine natural product callyspongiolide holds great promise as a warhead of antibody-drug conjugate in cancer therapeutics; however, the mechanism underlying its cytotoxicity remains unclear. To elucidate how callyspongiolide kills cells, we employed label-free target identification with thermal stability-shift-based fluorescence difference in two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis (TS-FITGE), which allowed observation of a unique phenomenon of protein-spot separation on 2-D gels upon treatment with callyspongiolide at increasing temperatures. During our exploration of what proteins were associated with this phenomenon as well as why it happens, we found that callyspongiolide induces mitochondrial/lysosomal dysfunction and autophagy inhibition. Moreover, molecular biology studies revealed that callyspongiolide causes lysosomal dysfunction, which induces cellular iron depletion and leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent cytotoxicity. Notably, these effects were rescued through iron supplementation. Although our approach was unable to reveal the direct protein targets of callyspongiolide, unique phenomena observed only by TS-FITGE provided critical insight into the mechanism of action of callyspongiolide and specifically its cytotoxic activity via induction of mitochondrial dysfunction through cellular iron depletion caused by lysosomal deacidification, which occurred independent of known programmed cell death pathways.

In order to elucidate how callyspongiolide, a potent cytotoxic marine natural product, kills human lung cancer cells, Ha and Park employed TS-FITGE technique, a label-free target identification method with thermal stability-shift-based fluorescence difference in 2-D gel electrophoresis, allowing them to observe protein-spot separation upon treatment in increasing temperatures. They found that callyspongiolide induces lysosomal dysfunction followed by mitochondrial dysfunction as well as iron depletion, which sheds light on the mechanism of action of callyspongiolide.

Autophagy and post-ischemic conditioning in retinal ischemia

Retinal ischemia is a major cause of vision loss and a common underlying mechanism associated with diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and central retinal artery occlusion. We have previously demonstrated the robust neuroprotection in retina induced by post-conditioning (post-C), a brief period of ischemia, 24 h, following a prolonged and damaging initial ischemia. The mechanisms underlying post-C-mediated retinal protection are largely uncharacterized. We hypothesized that macroautophagy/autophagy is a mediator of post-C-induced neuroprotection. This study employed an in vitro model of oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) in the retinal R28 neuronal cell line, and an in vivo rat model of retinal ischemic injury. In vivo, there were significant increases in autophagy proteins, MAP1LC3-II/LC3-II, and decreases in SQSTM1/p62 (sequestosome 1) in ischemia/post-C vs. ischemia/sham post-C. Blockade of Atg5 and Atg7 in vivo decreased LC3-II, increased SQSTM1, attenuated the functional protective effect of post-C, and increased histological damage and TUNEL compared to non-silencing siRNA. TUNEL after ischemia in vivo was found in retinal ganglion, amacrine, and photoreceptor cells. Blockade of Atg5 attenuated the post-C neuroprotection by a brief period of OGD in vitro. Moreover, in vitro, post-C attenuated cell death, loss of cellular proliferation, and defective autophagic flux from prolonged OGD. Stimulating autophagy using Tat-Beclin 1 rescued retinal neurons from cell death after OGD. As a whole, our results suggest that autophagy is required for the neuroprotective effect of retinal ischemic post-conditioning and augmentation of autophagy offers promise in the treatment of retinal ischemic injury.Abbreviations: BECN1: Beclin 1, autophagy related; DAPI: 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; DR: diabetic retinopathy; EdU: 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine; ERG: Electroretinogram; FITC: Fluorescein isothiocyanate; GCL: Ganglion cell layer; GFAP: Glial fibrillary acidic protein; INL: Inner nuclear layer; IPL: Inner plexiform layer; MAP1LC3/LC3: Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3; OGD: Oxygen-glucose deprivation; ONL: Outer nuclear layer; OP: Oscillatory potential; PFA: Paraformaldehyde; PL: Photoreceptor layer; post-C: post-conditioning; RFP: Red fluorescent protein; RGC: Retinal ganglion cell; RPE: Retinal pigment epithelium; RT-PCR: Real-time polymerase chain reaction; SEM: Standard error of the mean; siRNA: Small interfering RNA; SQSTM1: Sequestosome 1; STR: Scotopic threshold response; Tat: Trans-activator of transcription; TUNEL: Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling.

Chlorogenic acid enhances autophagy by upregulating lysosomal function to protect against SH-SY5Y cell injury induced by H2O2

Autophagy serves an important role in amyloid-β (Aβ) metabolism and τ processing and clearance in Alzheimer's disease. The progression of Aβ plaque accumulation and hyperphosphorylation of τ proteins are enhanced by oxidative stress. A hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) injury cell model was established using SH-SY5Y cells. Cells were randomly divided into normal, H₂O₂ and chlorogenic acid (5-caffeoylquinic acid; CGA) groups. The influence of CGA on cell viability was evaluated using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and cell death was assessed using Hoechst 33342 nuclear staining. Autophagy induction and fusion of autophagic vacuoles assays were performed using monodansylcadaverine staining. Additionally, SH-SY5Y cells expressing Ad-mCherry-green fluorescent protein-LC3B were established to detect autophagic flow. LysoTracker Red staining was used to evaluate lysosome function and LysoSensor™ Green staining assays were used to assess lysosomal acidification. The results demonstrated that CGA decreased the apoptosis rate, increased cell viability and improved cell morphology in H₂O₂-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Furthermore, CGA alleviated the accumulation of autophagic vacuoles, reduced the LC3BII/I ratio and decreased P62 levels, resulting in increased autophagic flux. Additionally, CGA upregulated lysosome acidity and increased the expression levels of cathepsin D. Importantly, these effects of CGA on H₂O₂-treated SH-SY5Y cells were mediated via the mTOR-transcription factor EB signaling pathway. These results indicated that CGA protected cells against H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage via the upregulation of autophagosomes, which promoted autophagocytic degradation and increased autophagic flux.

Cannabidiol directly targets mitochondria and disturbs calcium homeostasis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Anticancer properties of non-psychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) have been demonstrated on tumors of different histogenesis. Different molecular targets for CBD were proposed, including cannabinoid receptors and some plasma membrane ion channels. Here we have shown that cell lines derived from acute lymphoblastic leukemia of T lineage (T-ALL), but not resting healthy T cells, are highly sensitive to CBD treatment. CBD effect does not depend on cannabinoid receptors or plasma membrane Ca2+-permeable channels. Instead, CBD directly targets mitochondria and alters their capacity to handle Ca2+. At lethal concentrations, CBD causes mitochondrial Ca2+ overload, stable mitochondrial transition pore formation and cell death. Our results suggest that CBD is an attractive candidate to be included into chemotherapeutic protocols for T-ALL treatment.

Mechanisms and therapeutic significance of autophagy modulation by antipsychotic drugs

In this review we analyze the ability of antipsychotic medications to modulate macroautophagy, a process of controlled lysosomal digestion of cellular macromolecules and organelles. We focus on its molecular mechanisms, consequences for the function/survival of neuronal and other cells, and the contribution to the beneficial and side-effects of antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia, neurodegeneration, and cancer. A wide range of antipsychotics was able to induce neuronal autophagy as a part of the adaptive stress response apparently independent of mammalian target of rapamycin and dopamine receptor blockade. Autophagy induction by antipsychotics could contribute to reducing neuronal dysfunction in schizophrenia, but also to the adverse effects associated with their long-term use, such as brain volume loss and weight gain. In neurodegenerative diseases, antipsychotic-stimulated autophagy might help to increase the clearance and reduce neurotoxicity of aggregated proteotoxins. However, the possibility that some antipsychotics might block autophagic flux and potentially contribute to proteotoxin-mediated neurodegeneration must be considered. Finally, the anticancer effects of autophagy induction by antipsychotics make plausible their repurposing as adjuncts to standard cancer therapy.