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Cheng Y, Zhai Y, Yuan Y, Wang Q, Li S, Sun H. The Contributions of Thrombospondin-1 to Epilepsy Formation. Neurosci Bull 2024; 40:658-672. [PMID: 38528256 PMCID: PMC11127911 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01194-2] [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: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a neural network disorder caused by uncontrolled neuronal hyperexcitability induced by an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory networks. Abnormal synaptogenesis plays a vital role in the formation of overexcited networks. Recent evidence has confirmed that thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), mainly secreted by astrocytes, is a critical cytokine that regulates synaptogenesis during epileptogenesis. Furthermore, numerous studies have reported that TSP-1 is also involved in other processes, such as angiogenesis, neuroinflammation, and regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis, which are closely associated with the occurrence and development of epilepsy. In this review, we summarize the potential contributions of TSP-1 to epilepsy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Cheng
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Yujie Zhai
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Yi Yuan
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Qiaoyun Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China
| | - Shucui Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China.
| | - Hongliu Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China.
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Shen M, Zhang L, Chen C, Wei X, Ma Y, Ma Y. Investigating the causal relationship between immune cell and Alzheimer's disease: a mendelian randomization analysis. BMC Neurol 2024; 24:98. [PMID: 38500057 PMCID: PMC10946133 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-024-03599-y] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Complex interactions between the immune system and the brain may affect neural development, survival, and function, with etiological and therapeutic implications for neurodegenerative diseases. However, previous studies investigating the association between immune inflammation and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have yielded inconsistent results. METHODS We applied Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine the causal relationship between immune cell traits and AD risk using genetic variants as instrumental variables. MR is an epidemiological study design based on genetic information that reduces the effects of confounding and reverse causation. We analyzed the causal associations between 731 immune cell traits and AD risk based on publicly available genetic data. RESULTS We observed that 5 immune cell traits conferred protection against AD, while 7 immune cell traits increased the risk of AD. These immune cell traits mainly involved T cell regulation, monocyte activation and B cell differentiation. Our findings suggest that immune regulation may influence the development of AD and provide new insights into potential targets for AD prevention and treatment. We also conducted various sensitivity analyses to test the validity and robustness of our results, which revealed no evidence of pleiotropy or heterogeneity. CONCLUSION Our research shows that immune regulation is important for AD and provides new information on potential targets for AD prevention and treatment. However, this study has limitations, including the possibility of reverse causality, lack of validation in independent cohorts, and potential confounding by population stratification. Further research is needed to validate and amplify these results and to elucidate the potential mechanisms of the immune cell-AD association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Shen
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Linlin Zhang
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Chen Chen
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xiaocen Wei
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yuning Ma
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
| | - Yuxia Ma
- Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
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Yuan D, Huang B, Gu M, Qin BE, Su Z, Dai K, Peng FH, Jiang Y. Exploring Shared Genetic Signatures of Alzheimer's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis: A Bioinformatic Analysis Study. Eur Neurol 2023; 86:363-376. [PMID: 37848007 PMCID: PMC10733940 DOI: 10.1159/000533397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Many clinical studies reported the coexistence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), but the common molecular signature between AD and MS remains elusive. The purpose of our study was to explore the genetic linkage between AD and MS through bioinformatic analysis, providing new insights into the shared signatures and possible pathogenesis of two diseases. METHODS The common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined between AD and MS from datasets obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Further, functional and pathway enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction network construction, and identification of hub genes were carried out. The expression level of hub genes was validated in two other external AD and MS datasets. Transcription factor (TF)-gene interactions and gene-miRNA interactions were performed in NetworkAnalyst. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to evaluate the predictive value of hub genes. RESULTS A total of 75 common DEGs were identified between AD and MS. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis emphasized the importance of exocytosis and synaptic vesicle cycle, respectively. Six significant hub genes, including CCL2, CD44, GFAP, NEFM, STXBP1, and TCEAL6, were identified and verified as common hub genes shared by AD and MS. FOXC1 and hsa-mir-16-5p are the most common TF and miRNA in regulating hub genes, respectively. In the ROC curve analysis, all hub genes showed good efficiency in helping distinguish patients from controls. CONCLUSION Our study first identified a common genetic signature between AD and MS, paving the road for investigating shared mechanism of AD and MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dasen Yuan
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Bihui Huang
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, PR China
| | - Meifeng Gu
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Bang-e Qin
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Zhihui Su
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Kai Dai
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Fu-hua Peng
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Ying Jiang
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
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Barmpagiannos K, Theotokis P, Petratos S, Pagnin M, Einstein O, Kesidou E, Boziki M, Artemiadis A, Bakirtzis C, Grigoriadis N. The Diversity of Astrocyte Activation during Multiple Sclerosis: Potential Cellular Targets for Novel Disease Modifying Therapeutics. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11111585. [PMID: 37297725 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11111585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroglial cells, and especially astrocytes, constitute the most varied group of central nervous system (CNS) cells, displaying substantial diversity and plasticity during development and in disease states. The morphological changes exhibited by astrocytes during the acute and chronic stages following CNS injury can be characterized more precisely as a dynamic continuum of astrocytic reactivity. Different subpopulations of reactive astrocytes may be ascribed to stages of degenerative progression through their direct pathogenic influence upon neurons, neuroglia, the blood-brain barrier, and infiltrating immune cells. Multiple sclerosis (MS) constitutes an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the CNS. Despite the previously held notion that reactive astrocytes purely form the structured glial scar in MS plaques, their continued multifaceted participation in neuroinflammatory outcomes and oligodendrocyte and neuronal function during chronicity, suggest that they may be an integral cell type that can govern the pathophysiology of MS. From a therapeutic-oriented perspective, astrocytes could serve as key players to limit MS progression, once the integral astrocyte-MS relationship is accurately identified. This review aims toward delineating the current knowledge, which is mainly focused on immunomodulatory therapies of the relapsing-remitting form, while shedding light on uncharted approaches of astrocyte-specific therapies that could constitute novel, innovative applications once the role of specific subgroups in disease pathogenesis is clarified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Barmpagiannos
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology and Neuroimmunology, Second Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Paschalis Theotokis
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology and Neuroimmunology, Second Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Steven Petratos
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Maurice Pagnin
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
| | - Ofira Einstein
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
| | - Evangelia Kesidou
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology and Neuroimmunology, Second Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Marina Boziki
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology and Neuroimmunology, Second Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Christos Bakirtzis
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology and Neuroimmunology, Second Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Grigoriadis
- Laboratory of Experimental Neurology and Neuroimmunology, Second Department of Neurology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54621 Thessaloniki, Greece
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Shen Z, Li ZY, Yu MT, Tan KL, Chen S. Metabolic perspective of astrocyte dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes brains. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 158:114206. [PMID: 36916433 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.114206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The term type III diabetes (T3DM) has been proposed for Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to the shared molecular and cellular features between type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and insulin resistance-associated memory deficits and cognitive decline in elderly individuals. Astrocytes elicit neuroprotective or deleterious effects in AD progression and severity. Patients with T2DM are at a high risk of cognitive impairment, and targeting astrocytes might be promising in alleviating neurodegeneration in the diabetic brain. Recent studies focusing on cell-specific activities in the brain have revealed the important role of astrocytes in brain metabolism (e.g., glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism), neurovascular coupling, synapses, and synaptic plasticity. In this review, we discuss how astrocytes and their dysfunction result in multiple pathological and clinical features of AD and T2DM from a metabolic perspective and the potential comorbid mechanism in these two diseases from the perspective of astrocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Shen
- Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai Campus, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519041, China
| | - Zheng-Yang Li
- Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai Campus, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519041, China
| | - Meng-Ting Yu
- Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai Campus, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519041, China
| | - Kai-Leng Tan
- Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China.
| | - Si Chen
- Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai Campus, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519041, China.
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Coupled Neural–Glial Dynamics and the Role of Astrocytes in Alzheimer’s Disease. MATHEMATICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL APPLICATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/mca27030033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD) are associated with the propagation and aggregation of toxic proteins. In the case of AD, it was Alzheimer himself who showed the importance of both amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and tau protein neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in what he called the “disease of forgetfulness”. The amyloid beta forms extracellular aggregates and plaques, whereas tau proteins are intracellular proteins that stabilize axons by cross-linking microtubules that can form largely messy tangles. On the other hand, astrocytes and microglial cells constantly clear these plaques and NFTs from the brain. Astrocytes transport nutrients from the blood to neurons. Activated astrocytes produce monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), which attracts anti-inflammatory macrophages and clears Aβ. At the same time, the microglia cells are poorly phagocytic for Aβ compared to proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory macrophages. In addition to such distinctive neuropathological features of AD as amyloid beta and tau proteins, neuroinflammation has to be brought into the picture as well. Taking advantage of a coupled mathematical modelling framework, we formulate a network model, accounting for the coupling between neurons and astroglia and integrating all three main neuropathological features with the brain connectome data. We provide details on the coupled dynamics involving cytokines, astrocytes, and microglia. Further, we apply the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor and anti-Aβ drug and analyze their influence on the brain cells, suggesting conditions under which the drug can prevent cell damage. The important role of astrocytes and TNF-α inhibitors in AD pathophysiology is emphasized, along with potentially promising pathways for developing new AD therapies.
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