1
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Picchiarelli G, Dupuis L. Role of RNA Binding Proteins with prion-like domains in muscle and neuromuscular diseases. Cell Stress 2020; 4:76-91. [PMID: 32292882 PMCID: PMC7146060 DOI: 10.15698/cst2020.04.217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A number of neuromuscular and muscular diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and several myopathies, are associated to mutations in related RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), including TDP-43, FUS, MATR3 or hnRNPA1/B2. These proteins harbor similar modular primary sequence with RNA binding motifs and low complexity domains, that enables them to phase separate and create liquid microdomains. These RBPs have been shown to critically regulate multiple events of RNA lifecycle, including transcriptional events, splicing and RNA trafficking and sequestration. Here, we review the roles of these disease-related RBPs in muscle and motor neurons, and how their dysfunction in these cell types might contribute to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Picchiarelli
- Université de Strasbourg, INSERM, Mécanismes Centraux et Périphériques de la Neurodégénérescence, UMR_S 1118, Strasbourg, France
| | - Luc Dupuis
- Université de Strasbourg, INSERM, Mécanismes Centraux et Périphériques de la Neurodégénérescence, UMR_S 1118, Strasbourg, France
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2
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Abstract
This study aims to investigate the role of miR-181a in multiple myeloma (MM). Fresh peripheral blood and bone marrows were collected. Expression of miR-181a, BCL-2 mRNA, and NOVA1 mRNA was detected by RT-qPCR. The correlation between miR-181a and clinical features of MM was further analyzed. miR-181a in serum and bone marrow mononuclear cells of MM patients were significantly higher. And, miR-181a level was significantly higher in MM Durie-Salmon stage III than that in stage I+II. miR-181a was positively correlated to Durie-Salmon staging, age, kidney injury, bone injury, β2-MG whereas negatively related to red blood cell, hemoglobin, and albumin. Additionally, BCL-2 and NOVA1 were predicted to be downstream targets of miR-181a. BCL-2 mRNA was significantly higher in the bone marrow mononuclear cells from MM patients. To sum up, the miR-181a expression is increased in peripheral blood and bone marrow of MM patients and is closely related to the clinical pathological indicators of MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruili Yuan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an
| | - Ni Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an
| | - Jinyu Yang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, An’kang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, An’kang
| | - Jing Peng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xi’an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi’an, China
| | - Lina Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an
| | - Xuan Guo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an
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3
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Oaks AW, Zamarbide M, Tambunan DE, Santini E, Di Costanzo S, Pond HL, Johnson MW, Lin J, Gonzalez DM, Boehler JF, Wu GK, Klann E, Walsh CA, Manzini MC. Cc2d1a Loss of Function Disrupts Functional and Morphological Development in Forebrain Neurons Leading to Cognitive and Social Deficits. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:1670-1685. [PMID: 26826102 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in CC2D1A cause a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and seizures, identifying a critical role for this gene in cognitive and social development. CC2D1A regulates intracellular signaling processes that are critical for neuronal function, but previous attempts to model the human LOF phenotypes have been prevented by perinatal lethality in Cc2d1a-deficient mice. To overcome this challenge, we generated a floxed Cc2d1a allele for conditional removal of Cc2d1a in the brain using Cre recombinase. While removal of Cc2d1a in neuronal progenitors using Cre expressed from the Nestin promoter still causes death at birth, conditional postnatal removal of Cc2d1a in the forebrain via calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-alpha (CamKIIa) promoter-driven Cre generates animals that are viable and fertile with grossly normal anatomy. Analysis of neuronal morphology identified abnormal cortical dendrite organization and a reduction in dendritic spine density. These animals display deficits in neuronal plasticity and in spatial learning and memory that are accompanied by reduced sociability, hyperactivity, anxiety, and excessive grooming. Cc2d1a conditional knockout mice therefore recapitulate features of both cognitive and social impairment caused by human CC2D1A mutation, and represent a model that could provide much needed insights into the developmental mechanisms underlying nonsyndromic neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam W Oaks
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Marta Zamarbide
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Dimira E Tambunan
- Division of Genetics and Genomics and the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Emanuela Santini
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Stefania Di Costanzo
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Heather L Pond
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Mark W Johnson
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Jeff Lin
- Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Dilenny M Gonzalez
- Division of Genetics and Genomics and the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jessica F Boehler
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Guangying K Wu
- Department of Psychology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Eric Klann
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Christopher A Walsh
- Division of Genetics and Genomics and the Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - M Chiara Manzini
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20037, USA
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4
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Ballantyne CJ, Núñez M, Manoussaki K. Visuo-spatial construction trajectories in Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): Evidence of cognitive heterogeneity within neurodevelopmental conditions. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2017; 70:113-125. [PMID: 28923376 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS There have been discrepancies reported in visuo-spatial construction ability in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), fragile X Syndrome (FXS) and those with a comorbid diagnosis of FXS and ASD (AFXS). This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the visuo-spatial processing styles in these heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders. METHODS AND PROCEDURE Navon-type tasks were used to assess visuo-spatial construction ability across 5 groups of children: typically developing, FXS, AFXS, ASD children who scored low-moderate (HFA) and ASD children that scored severe (LFA) on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Analyses of their developmental trajectories compared the performance of these groups. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Each group produced their own distinct trajectory. HFA achieved higher scores from an earlier age than the TD group, while the LFA group's performance was driven by a bias in local processing. The FXS performance was normalised by using mental age as a predictor while neither mental nor chronological age predicted the AFXS group performance. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The study showed unique processing styles. These findings highlight the importance of taking comorbidity and the severity of symptoms within each condition into account in order to understand cognitive abilities and cognitive profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie J Ballantyne
- Department of Psychology, School of Media, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, High Street, PA1 2BE, United Kingdom.
| | - María Núñez
- Department of Psychology, School of Media, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, High Street, PA1 2BE, United Kingdom.
| | - Kallia Manoussaki
- Department of Psychology, School of Media, Culture and Society, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, High Street, PA1 2BE, United Kingdom.
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5
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Lee S, Won J, Park S, Lee SR, Chang KT, Kim JH, Hong Y. Beneficial effect of interventional exercise on autistic Fragile X syndrome. J Phys Ther Sci 2017; 29:760-762. [PMID: 28533625 PMCID: PMC5430288 DOI: 10.1589/jpts.29.760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of the present review is to discuss recent published articles in
the understanding of efficacy of interventional exercise on autistic Fragile X syndrome
(FXS) with special emphasis on its significance in clinical application in patients.
[Methods] This review article was identified scientifically and/or clinically relevant
articles from PubMed that directly/indirectly met the inclusion criteria. [Results]
Mutation of fragile X mental retardation 1 (fmr1) gene on the X
chromosome is related with loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) that
affecting physiological and behavioral abnormalities. Autistic FXS individuals exhibit
disturbed sleep and altered circadian behavior. Although the underlying molecular
mechanisms are not been fully explored, interventional exercise in autistic FXS has been
clinically used for the treatment of physiological and behavioral abnormalities as well as
psychiatric disorder in autistic FXS. [Conclusion] This review describes beneficial
efficacy of interventional exercise and its controversy in patients with autistic FXS.
This review also provides interventional strategies for clinicians and scientists that the
way of neurophysiological approaches according to the level of physical and behavioral
abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seunghoon Lee
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School of Inje University, Republic of Korea.,u-Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Republic of Korea.,Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinyoung Won
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School of Inje University, Republic of Korea.,u-Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Republic of Korea.,Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Republic of Korea
| | - Sookyoung Park
- u-Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Republic of Korea.,Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Republic of Korea.,Department of Physical Therapy, College of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inje University, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Rae Lee
- National Primate Research Center (NPRC), Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Republic of Korea
| | - Kyu-Tae Chang
- National Primate Research Center (NPRC), Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Republic of Korea
| | - Joo-Heon Kim
- Institute of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Republic of Korea
| | - Yonggeun Hong
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School of Inje University, Republic of Korea.,u-Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Republic of Korea.,Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Republic of Korea.,Department of Physical Therapy, College of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inje University, Republic of Korea
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6
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Gene expression analysis in Fmr1KO mice identifies an immunological signature in brain tissue and mGluR5-related signaling in primary neuronal cultures. Mol Autism 2015; 6:66. [PMID: 26697163 PMCID: PMC4687343 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-015-0061-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder whose biochemical manifestations involve dysregulation of mGluR5-dependent pathways, which are widely modeled using cultured neurons. In vitro phenotypes in cultured neurons using standard morphological, functional, and chemical approaches have demonstrated considerable variability. Here, we study transcriptomes obtained in situ in the intact brain tissues of a murine model of FXS to see how they reflect the in vitro state. METHODS We used genome-wide mRNA expression profiling as a robust characterization tool for studying differentially expressed pathways in fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) murine primary neuronal cultures and in embryonic hippocampal and cortical murine tissue. To study the developmental trajectory and to relate mouse model data to human data, we used an expression map of human development to plot murine differentially expressed genes in KO/WT cultures and brain. RESULTS We found that transcriptomes from cell cultures showed a stronger signature of Fmr1KO than whole tissue transcriptomes. We observed an over-representation of immunological signaling pathways in embryonic Fmr1KO cortical and hippocampal tissues and over-represented mGluR5-downstream signaling pathways in Fmr1KO cortical and hippocampal primary cultures. Genes whose expression was up-regulated in Fmr1KO murine cultures tended to peak early in human development, whereas differentially expressed genes in embryonic cortical and hippocampal tissues clustered with genes expressed later in human development. CONCLUSIONS The transcriptional profile in brain tissues primarily centered on immunological mechanisms, whereas the profiles from cell cultures showed defects in neuronal activity. We speculate that the isolation and culturing of neurons caused a shift in neurological transcriptome towards a "juvenile" or "de-differentiated" state. Moreover, cultured neurons lack the close coupling with glia that might be responsible for the immunological phenotype in the intact brain. Our results suggest that cultured cells may recapitulate an early phase of the disease, which is also less obscured with a consequent "immunological" phenotype and in vivo compensatory mechanisms observed in the embryonic brain. Together, these results suggest that the transcriptome of cultured primary neuronal cells, in comparison to whole brain tissue, more robustly demonstrated the difference between Fmr1KO and WT mice and might reveal a molecular phenotype, which is typically hidden by compensatory mechanisms present in vivo. Moreover, cultures might be useful for investigating the perturbed pathways in early human brain development and genes previously implicated in autism.
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7
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Yoo H. Genetics of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Current Status and Possible Clinical Applications. Exp Neurobiol 2015; 24:257-72. [PMID: 26713075 PMCID: PMC4688327 DOI: 10.5607/en.2015.24.4.257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most complex behavioral disorders with a strong genetic influence. The objectives of this article are to review the current status of genetic research in ASD, and to provide information regarding the potential candidate genes, mutations, and genetic loci possibly related to pathogenesis in ASD. Investigations on monogenic causes of ASD, candidate genes among common variants, rare de novo mutations, and copy number variations are reviewed. The current possible clinical applications of the genetic knowledge and their future possibilities are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heejeong Yoo
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam 13620, Korea
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8
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Lee M, Won J, Lee S, Hong Y, Kim JH, Hong Y. Benefits of Physical Exercise for Individuals with Fragile X Syndrome in Humans. J Lifestyle Med 2015; 5:35-8. [PMID: 26770889 PMCID: PMC4711957 DOI: 10.15280/jlm.2015.5.2.35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common known genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder, and is also linked to other neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this review article is to examine a variety of recent studies on the correlation between physical exercise and autistic behavior in individuals with fragile X syndrome. Additionally, we discuss promising approaches for further investigation of the benefits of physical exercise for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. A systematic search of the PubMed digital library database for pertinent articles published from 1995 to 2011 was conducted. Individuals with ASD who experience exercise tend to exhibit improvement in physical function. In addition, exercise promotes neurotrophic factors and boosts the growth of new brain cells. The collected review articles describe how physical exercise has particular effects on stereotypic behavior and cognition among ASD patients. Finally, physical exercise may benefit patients with autism spectrum disorder through the improvement of muscular strength for increased physical capability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minkyung Lee
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Ubiquitous Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea
| | - Jinyoung Won
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Ubiquitous Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea
| | - Seonghoon Lee
- Ubiquitous Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Department of Physical Therapy, College of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea
| | - Yunkyung Hong
- Ubiquitous Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Department of Physical Therapy, College of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea
| | - Joo-Heon Kim
- Institute of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea
| | - Yonggeun Hong
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Ubiquitous Healthcare & Anti-aging Research Center (u-HARC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Biohealth Products Research Center (BPRC), Inje University, Gimhae, Korea; Department of Physical Therapy, College of Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea
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9
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Garrido-Mesa N, Zarzuelo A, Gálvez J. Minocycline: far beyond an antibiotic. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 169:337-52. [PMID: 23441623 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 627] [Impact Index Per Article: 62.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Revised: 01/26/2013] [Accepted: 02/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Minocycline is a second-generation, semi-synthetic tetracycline that has been in therapeutic use for over 30 years because of its antibiotic properties against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. It is mainly used in the treatment of acne vulgaris and some sexually transmitted diseases. Recently, it has been reported that tetracyclines can exert a variety of biological actions that are independent of their anti-microbial activity, including anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities, and inhibition of proteolysis, angiogenesis and tumour metastasis. These findings specifically concern to minocycline as it has recently been found to have multiple non-antibiotic biological effects that are beneficial in experimental models of various diseases with an inflammatory basis, including dermatitis, periodontitis, atherosclerosis and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Of note, minocycline has also emerged as the most effective tetracycline derivative at providing neuroprotection. This effect has been confirmed in experimental models of ischaemia, traumatic brain injury and neuropathic pain, and of several neurodegenerative conditions including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. Moreover, other pre-clinical studies have shown its ability to inhibit malignant cell growth and activation and replication of human immunodeficiency virus, and to prevent bone resorption. Considering the above-mentioned findings, this review will cover the most important topics in the pharmacology of minocycline to date, supporting its evaluation as a new therapeutic approach for many of the diseases described herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Garrido-Mesa
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red - Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBER-EHD), Department of Pharmacology, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Granada, Avenida del Conocimiento s/n, Granada, Spain.
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10
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Lemonnier E, Robin G, Degrez C, Tyzio R, Grandgeorge M, Ben-Ari Y. Treating Fragile X syndrome with the diuretic bumetanide: a case report. Acta Paediatr 2013; 102:e288-90. [PMID: 23647528 DOI: 10.1111/apa.12235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2012] [Revised: 01/10/2013] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED We report that daily administration of the diuretic NKCC1 chloride co-transporter, bumetanide, reduces the severity of autism in a 10-year-old Fragile X boy using CARS, ADOS, ABC, RDEG and RRB before and after treatment. In keeping with extensive clinical use of this diuretic, the only side effect was a small hypokalaemia. A double-blind clinical trial is warranted to test the efficacy of bumetanide in FRX. CONCLUSION This single case report showed an improvement of the scores of each test used after 3 months of treatment. Double-blind clinical trials are warranted to test the efficacy of bumetanide in FRX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Lemonnier
- Laboratory of Neurosciences de Brest; University of Bretagne Occidentale; Brest France
| | - Gaëlle Robin
- Child Psychiatry Service; Centre de Ressources Autisme; CHRU of Brest; Brest France
| | - Céline Degrez
- Child Psychiatry Service; Centre de Ressources Autisme; CHRU of Brest; Brest France
| | | | - Marine Grandgeorge
- Laboratory of Neurosciences de Brest; University of Bretagne Occidentale; Brest France
- Child Psychiatry Service; Centre de Ressources Autisme; CHRU of Brest; Brest France
| | - Yehezkel Ben-Ari
- INMED; INSERM U901; Marseille France
- Neurochlore; INMED-INSERM U901; Marseille France
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11
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Matrix metalloproteinases and minocycline: therapeutic avenues for fragile X syndrome. Neural Plast 2012; 2012:124548. [PMID: 22685676 PMCID: PMC3364018 DOI: 10.1155/2012/124548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Accepted: 02/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common known genetic form of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. FXS patients suffer a broad range of other neurological symptoms, including hyperactivity, disrupted circadian activity cycles, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and childhood seizures. The high incidence and devastating effects of this disease state make finding effective pharmacological treatments imperative. Recently, reports in both mouse and Drosophila FXS disease models have indicated that the tetracycline derivative minocycline may hold great therapeutic promise for FXS patients. Both models strongly suggest that minocycline acts on the FXS disease state via inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a class of zinc-dependent extracellular proteases important in tissue remodeling and cell-cell signaling. Recent FXS clinical trials indicate that minocycline may be effective in treating human patients. In this paper, we summarize the recent studies in Drosophila and mouse FXS disease models and human FXS patients, which indicate that minocycline may be an effective FXS therapeutic treatment, and discuss the data forming the basis for the proposed minocycline mechanism of action as an MMP inhibitor.
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12
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Coffee RL, Williamson AJ, Adkins CM, Gray MC, Page TL, Broadie K. In vivo neuronal function of the fragile X mental retardation protein is regulated by phosphorylation. Hum Mol Genet 2011; 21:900-15. [PMID: 22080836 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddr527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS), caused by loss of the Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (FMR1) gene product (FMRP), is the most common heritable cause of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. It has been long hypothesized that the phosphorylation of serine 500 (S500) in human FMRP controls its function as an RNA-binding translational repressor. To test this hypothesis in vivo, we employed neuronally targeted expression of three human FMR1 transgenes, including wild-type (hFMR1), dephosphomimetic (S500A-hFMR1) and phosphomimetic (S500D-hFMR1), in the Drosophila FXS disease model to investigate phosphorylation requirements. At the molecular level, dfmr1 null mutants exhibit elevated brain protein levels due to loss of translational repressor activity. This defect is rescued for an individual target protein and across the population of brain proteins by the phosphomimetic, whereas the dephosphomimetic phenocopies the null condition. At the cellular level, dfmr1 null synapse architecture exhibits increased area, branching and bouton number. The phosphomimetic fully rescues these synaptogenesis defects, whereas the dephosphomimetic provides no rescue. The presence of Futsch-positive (microtubule-associated protein 1B) supernumerary microtubule loops is elevated in dfmr1 null synapses. The human phosphomimetic restores normal Futsch loops, whereas the dephosphomimetic provides no activity. At the behavioral level, dfmr1 null mutants exhibit strongly impaired olfactory associative learning. The human phosphomimetic targeted only to the brain-learning center restores normal learning ability, whereas the dephosphomimetic provides absolutely no rescue. We conclude that human FMRP S500 phosphorylation is necessary for its in vivo function as a neuronal translational repressor and regulator of synaptic architecture, and for the manifestation of FMRP-dependent learning behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Lane Coffee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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13
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Introduction: reminiscing on models and modeling. Results Probl Cell Differ 2011. [PMID: 22009344 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-21649-7_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2023]
Abstract
This chapter answers three basic questions, which are: (1) Why build models, (2) why build models of fragile X syndrome, and (3) what has been learned from the models of fragile X syndrome that have been made? The first question is used to frame the other two questions, providing the appropriate context by which the rest of the book should be examined. Of necessity the last two questions are only addressed briefly, and from one man's point of view, as they contain the subject matter of the entirety of the book. Thus, the reader is introduced to the various topics under review and urged to read for him/herself their contents, drawing such conclusions as he/she thinks are warranted.
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14
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Fitzpatrick CJ, Lombroso PJ. The Role of Striatal-Enriched Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase (STEP) in Cognition. Front Neuroanat 2011; 5:47. [PMID: 21863137 PMCID: PMC3149150 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2011.00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Striatal-enriched protein tyrosine phosphatase (STEP) has recently been implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders with significant cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and fragile X syndrome. A model has emerged by which STEP normally opposes the development of synaptic strengthening and that disruption in STEP activity leads to aberrant synaptic function. We review the mechanisms by which STEP contributes to the etiology of these and other neuropsychiatric disorders. These findings suggest that disruptions in STEP activity may be a common mechanism for cognitive impairments in diverse illnesses.
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Verhoeven WM, Tuinier S, van der Burgt I. Top-down or bottom-up: Contrasting perspectives on psychiatric diagnoses. Biologics 2011; 2:409-17. [PMID: 19707372 PMCID: PMC2721407 DOI: 10.2147/btt.s3053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Clinical psychiatry is confronted with the expanding knowledge of medical genetics. Most of the research into the genetic underpinnings of major mental disorders as described in the categorical taxonomies, however, did reveal linkage with a variety of chromosomes. This heterogeneity of results is most probably due to the assumption that the nosological categories as used in these studies are disease entities with clear boundaries. If the reverse way of looking, the so-called bottom-up approach, is applied, it becomes clear that genetic abnormalities are in most cases not associated with a single psychiatric disorder but with a certain probability to develop a variety of aspecific psychiatric symptoms. The adequacy of the categorical taxonomy, the so-called top-down approach, seems to be inversely related to the amount of empirical etiological data. This is illustrated by four rather prevalent genetic syndromes, fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, 22q11 deletion syndrome, and Noonan syndrome, as well as by some cases with rare chromosomal abnormalities. From these examples, it becomes clear that psychotic symptoms as well as mood, anxiety, and autistic features can be found in a great variety of different genetic syndromes. A psychiatric phenotype exists, but comprises, apart from the chance to present several psychiatric symptoms, all elements from developmental, neurocognitive, and physical characteristics.
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16
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Gallagher A, Hallahan B. Fragile X-associated disorders: a clinical overview. J Neurol 2011; 259:401-13. [PMID: 21748281 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-011-6161-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2011] [Revised: 06/24/2011] [Accepted: 06/25/2011] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Fragile X Syndrome (FraX) is the most common inherited cause of learning disability worldwide. FraX is an X-linked neuro-developmental disorder involving an unstable trinucleotide repeat expansion of cytosine guanine guanine (CGG). Individuals with the full mutation of FraX have >200 GG repeats with premutation carriers having 55-200 GG repeats. A wide spectrum of physical, behavioural, cognitive, psychiatric and medical problems have been associated with both full mutation and premutation carriers of FraX. In this review, we detail the clinical profile and examine the aetiology, epidemiology, neuropathology, neuroimaging findings and possible management strategies for individuals with both the full mutation and premutation of FraX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry, Clinical Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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17
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Kéri S, Benedek G. Fragile X protein expression is linked to visual functions in healthy male volunteers. Neuroscience 2011; 192:345-50. [PMID: 21749915 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.06.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2011] [Revised: 06/27/2011] [Accepted: 06/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is characterized by the impairment of the magnocellular/dorsal visual system. In this study, we explored how fragile X protein (FMRP) expression may affect visual functions in healthy participants. The percentage of FMRP-positive lymphocytes was measured using a rapid antibody test in blood smears of 100 male volunteers. CGG triplet expansion was also determined. Results revealed that participants with fewer FMRP-positive lymphocytes exhibited lower performances on tests biasing information processing toward the magnocellular pathway and dorsal visual stream (contrast sensitivity at low spatial/high temporal frequency and motion coherence). It was not observed in the case of tests biasing information processing toward the parvocellular pathway and ventral stream (contrast sensitivity at high spatial/low temporal frequency and form coherence). These results suggest that healthy persons with lower peripheral FMRP expression display a visual phenotype similar to that described in patients with FXS.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Kéri
- Department of Physiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary; National Psychiatry Center, Budapest, Hungary.
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18
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Siller SS, Broadie K. Neural circuit architecture defects in a Drosophila model of Fragile X syndrome are alleviated by minocycline treatment and genetic removal of matrix metalloproteinase. Dis Model Mech 2011; 4:673-85. [PMID: 21669931 PMCID: PMC3180232 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.008045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS), caused by loss of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) product (FMRP), is the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. FXS patients suffer multiple behavioral symptoms, including hyperactivity, disrupted circadian cycles, and learning and memory deficits. Recently, a study in the mouse FXS model showed that the tetracycline derivative minocycline effectively remediates the disease state via a proposed matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibition mechanism. Here, we use the well-characterized Drosophila FXS model to assess the effects of minocycline treatment on multiple neural circuit morphological defects and to investigate the MMP hypothesis. We first treat Drosophila Fmr1 (dfmr1) null animals with minocycline to assay the effects on mutant synaptic architecture in three disparate locations: the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), clock neurons in the circadian activity circuit and Kenyon cells in the mushroom body learning and memory center. We find that minocycline effectively restores normal synaptic structure in all three circuits, promising therapeutic potential for FXS treatment. We next tested the MMP hypothesis by assaying the effects of overexpressing the sole Drosophila tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP) in dfmr1 null mutants. We find that TIMP overexpression effectively prevents defects in the NMJ synaptic architecture in dfmr1 mutants. Moreover, co-removal of dfmr1 similarly rescues TIMP overexpression phenotypes, including cellular tracheal defects and lethality. To further test the MMP hypothesis, we generated dfmr1;mmp1 double null mutants. Null mmp1 mutants are 100% lethal and display cellular tracheal defects, but co-removal of dfmr1 allows adult viability and prevents tracheal defects. Conversely, co-removal of mmp1 ameliorates the NMJ synaptic architecture defects in dfmr1 null mutants, despite the lack of detectable difference in MMP1 expression or gelatinase activity between the single dfmr1 mutants and controls. These results support minocycline as a promising potential FXS treatment and suggest that it might act via MMP inhibition. We conclude that FMRP and TIMP pathways interact in a reciprocal, bidirectional manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saul S Siller
- Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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19
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Klemmer P, Meredith RM, Holmgren CD, Klychnikov OI, Stahl-Zeng J, Loos M, van der Schors RC, Wortel J, de Wit H, Spijker S, Rotaru DC, Mansvelder HD, Smit AB, Li KW. Proteomics, ultrastructure, and physiology of hippocampal synapses in a fragile X syndrome mouse model reveal presynaptic phenotype. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:25495-504. [PMID: 21596744 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m110.210260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of hereditary mental retardation, is caused by a loss-of-function mutation of the Fmr1 gene, which encodes fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP affects dendritic protein synthesis, thereby causing synaptic abnormalities. Here, we used a quantitative proteomics approach in an FXS mouse model to reveal changes in levels of hippocampal synapse proteins. Sixteen independent pools of Fmr1 knock-out mice and wild type mice were analyzed using two sets of 8-plex iTRAQ experiments. Of 205 proteins quantified with at least three distinct peptides in both iTRAQ series, the abundance of 23 proteins differed between Fmr1 knock-out and wild type synapses with a false discovery rate (q-value) <5%. Significant differences were confirmed by quantitative immunoblotting. A group of proteins that are known to be involved in cell differentiation and neurite outgrowth was regulated; they included Basp1 and Gap43, known PKC substrates, and Cend1. Basp1 and Gap43 are predominantly expressed in growth cones and presynaptic terminals. In line with this, ultrastructural analysis in developing hippocampal FXS synapses revealed smaller active zones with corresponding postsynaptic densities and smaller pools of clustered vesicles, indicative of immature presynaptic maturation. A second group of proteins involved in synaptic vesicle release was up-regulated in the FXS mouse model. In accordance, paired-pulse and short-term facilitation were significantly affected in these hippocampal synapses. Together, the altered regulation of presynaptically expressed proteins, immature synaptic ultrastructure, and compromised short-term plasticity points to presynaptic changes underlying glutamatergic transmission in FXS at this stage of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Klemmer
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, VU University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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20
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Jackowski AP, Laureano MR, Del’Aquilla MA, de Moura LM, Assunção I, Silva I, Schwartzman JS. Update on Clinical Features and Brain Abnormalities in Neurogenetics Syndromes. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-3148.2010.00603.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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21
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Yuskaitis CJ, Beurel E, Jope RS. Evidence of reactive astrocytes but not peripheral immune system activation in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2010; 1802:1006-12. [PMID: 20600866 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2010.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Revised: 06/01/2010] [Accepted: 06/23/2010] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited mental retardation and is one of the few known genetic causes of autism. FXS results from the loss of Fmr1 gene function; thus, Fmr1 knockout mice provide a model to study impairments associated with FXS and autism and to test potential therapeutic interventions. The inhibitory serine phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) is lower in brain regions of Fmr1 knockout mice than wild-type mice and the GSK3 inhibitor lithium rescues several behavioral impairments in Fmr1 knockout mice. Therefore, we examined if the serine phosphorylation of GSK3 in Fmr1 knockout mice also was altered outside the brain and if administration of lithium ameliorated the macroorchidism phenotype. Additionally, since GSK3 regulates numerous functions of the immune system and immune alterations have been associated with autism, we tested if immune function is altered in Fmr1 knockout mice. The inhibitory serine phosphorylation of GSK3 was significantly lower in the testis and liver of Fmr1 knockout mice than wild-type mice, and chronic lithium treatment reduced macroorchidism in Fmr1 knockout mice. No alterations in peripheral immune function were identified in Fmr1 knockout mice. However, examination of glia, the immune cells of the brain, revealed reactive astrocytes in several brain regions of Fmr1 knockout mice and treatment with lithium reduced this in the striatum and cerebellum. These results provide further evidence of the involvement of dysregulated GSK3 in FXS, and demonstrate that lithium administration reduces macroorchidism and reactive astrocytes in Fmr1 knockout mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Yuskaitis
- Department of Psychiatry and behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0017, USA
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22
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Cabanyes-Truffino J. Manifestaciones neurológicas en el adulto con premutación X frágil. Neurologia 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nrl.2010.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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23
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Mines MA, Yuskaitis CJ, King MK, Beurel E, Jope RS. GSK3 influences social preference and anxiety-related behaviors during social interaction in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome and autism. PLoS One 2010; 5:e9706. [PMID: 20300527 PMCID: PMC2838793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2010] [Accepted: 02/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nearly 1% of children in the United States exhibit autism spectrum disorders, but causes and treatments remain to be identified. Mice with deletion of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene are used to model autism because loss of Fmr1 gene function causes Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) and many people with FXS exhibit autistic-like behaviors. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) is hyperactive in brains of Fmr1 knockout mice, and inhibition of GSK3 by lithium administration ameliorates some behavioral impairment in these mice. We extended our studies of this association by testing whether GSK3 contributes to socialization behaviors. This used two mouse models with disrupted regulation of GSK3, Fmr1 knockout mice and GSK3 knockin mice, in which inhibitory serines of the two isoforms of GSK3, GSK3alpha and GSK3beta, are mutated to alanines, leaving GSK3 fully active. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS To assess sociability, test mice were introduced to a restrained stimulus mouse (S1) for 10 min, followed by introduction of a second restrained stimulus mouse (S2) for 10 min, which assesses social preference. Fmr1 knockout and GSK3 knockin mice displayed no deficit in sociability with the S1 mouse, but unlike wild-type mice neither demonstrated social preference for the novel S2 mouse. Fmr1 knockout mice displayed more anxiety-related behaviors during social interaction (grooming, rearing, and digging) than wild-type mice, which was ameliorated by inhibition of GSK3 with chronic lithium treatment. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE These results indicate that impaired inhibitory regulation of GSK3 in Fmr1 knockout mice may contribute to some socialization deficits and that lithium treatment can ameliorate certain socialization impairments. As discussed in the present work, these results suggest a role for GSK3 in social behaviors and implicate inhibition of GSK3 as a potential therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjelo A. Mines
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Christopher J. Yuskaitis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Margaret K. King
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Eleonore Beurel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Richard S. Jope
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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24
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Kéri S, Benedek G. The perception of biological and mechanical motion in female fragile X premutation carriers. Brain Cogn 2010; 72:197-201. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2009.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2009] [Revised: 08/14/2009] [Accepted: 08/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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25
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Abstract
AIMS Over the past decade, genetic tests have become available for numerous heritable disorders, especially those whose inheritance follows the Mendelian model. Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) represent a group of developmental disorders with a strong genetic basis. During the past few years, genetic research in ASDs has been successful in identifying several vulnerability loci and a few cytogenetic abnormalities or single-base mutations implicated in the causation of autism. METHOD In this study the literature was reviewed to highlight genotype-phenotype correlations between causal gene mutations or cytogenetic abnormalities and behavioural or morphological phenotypes. RESULTS Based on this knowledge, practical information is offered to help clinicians pursue targeted genetic testing of individuals with autism whose clinical phenotype is suggestive of a specific genetic or genomic aetiology. INTERPRETATION Comprehensive research into the molecular mechanism of autism is required to aid the development of disease-specific targeted therapies. In order to transfer this recently acquired knowledge into clinical practice, it is critical to define a set of phenotypic inclusion criteria that must be met by affected probands to justify their enrolment in a specific genetic testing programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmet O Caglayan
- Kayseri Education and Research Hospital, Department of Medical Genetics, Kayseri, Turkey.
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26
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Neurological signs in the adult with fragile-X premutation. NEUROLOGÍA (ENGLISH EDITION) 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/s2173-5808(10)70045-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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27
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Walter E, Mazaika PK, Reiss AL. Insights into brain development from neurogenetic syndromes: evidence from fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome, Turner syndrome and velocardiofacial syndrome. Neuroscience 2009; 164:257-71. [PMID: 19376197 PMCID: PMC2795482 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2008] [Revised: 04/01/2009] [Accepted: 04/11/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Over the past few decades, behavioral, neuroimaging and molecular studies of neurogenetic conditions, such as Williams, fragile X, Turner and velocardiofacial (22q11.2 deletion) syndromes, have led to important insights regarding brain development. These investigations allow researchers to examine "experiments of nature" in which the deletion or alteration of one gene or a contiguous set of genes can be linked to aberrant brain structure or function. Converging evidence across multiple imaging modalities has now begun to highlight the abnormal neural circuitry characterizing many individual neurogenetic syndromes. Furthermore, there has been renewed interest in combining analyses across neurogenetic conditions in order to search for common organizing principles in development. In this review, we highlight converging evidence across syndromes from multiple neuroimaging modalities, with a particular emphasis on functional imaging. In addition, we discuss the commonalities and differences pertaining to selective deficits in visuospatial processing that occur across four neurogenetic syndromes. We suggest avenues for future exploration, with the goal of achieving a deeper understanding of the neural abnormalities in these affected populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Walter
- Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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28
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Gladding CM, Fitzjohn SM, Molnár E. Metabotropic glutamate receptor-mediated long-term depression: molecular mechanisms. Pharmacol Rev 2009; 61:395-412. [PMID: 19926678 DOI: 10.1124/pr.109.001735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to modify synaptic transmission between neurons is a fundamental process of the nervous system that is involved in development, learning, and disease. Thus, synaptic plasticity is the ability to bidirectionally modify transmission, where long-term potentiation and long-term depression (LTD) represent the best characterized forms of plasticity. In the hippocampus, two main forms of LTD coexist that are mediated by activation of either N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs) or metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Compared with NMDAR-LTD, mGluR-LTD is less well understood, but recent advances have started to delineate the underlying mechanisms. mGluR-LTD at CA3:CA1 synapses in the hippocampus can be induced either by synaptic stimulation or by bath application of the group I selective agonist (R,S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine. Multiple signaling mechanisms have been implicated in mGluR-LTD, illustrating the complexity of this form of plasticity. This review provides an overview of recent studies investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying hippocampal mGluR-LTD. It highlights the role of key molecular components and signaling pathways that are involved in the induction and expression of mGluR-LTD and considers how the different signaling pathways may work together to elicit a persistent reduction in synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare M Gladding
- MRC Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, Department of Anatomy, University of Bristol, School of Medical Sciences, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
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29
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Pilpel Y, Kolleker A, Berberich S, Ginger M, Frick A, Mientjes E, Oostra BA, Seeburg PH. Synaptic ionotropic glutamate receptors and plasticity are developmentally altered in the CA1 field of Fmr1 knockout mice. J Physiol 2009; 587:787-804. [PMID: 19103683 PMCID: PMC2669971 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2008.160929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2008] [Accepted: 12/17/2008] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome is one of the most common forms of mental retardation, yet little is known about the physiological mechanisms causing the disease. In this study, we probed the ionotropic glutamate receptor content in synapses of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in a mouse model for fragile X (Fmr1 KO2). We found that Fmr1 KO2 mice display a significantly lower AMPA to NMDA ratio than wild-type mice at 2 weeks of postnatal development but not at 6-7 weeks of age. This ratio difference at 2 weeks postnatally is caused by down-regulation of the AMPA and up-regulation of the NMDA receptor components. In correlation with these changes, the induction of NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation following a low-frequency pairing protocol is increased in Fmr1 KO2 mice at this developmental stage but not later in maturation. We propose that ionotropic glutamate receptors, as well as potentiation, are altered at a critical time point for hippocampal network development, causing long-term changes. Associated learning and memory deficits would contribute to the fragile X mental retardation phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yair Pilpel
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Heidelberg, Germany.
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30
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Repicky S, Broadie K. Metabotropic glutamate receptor-mediated use-dependent down-regulation of synaptic excitability involves the fragile X mental retardation protein. J Neurophysiol 2009; 101:672-87. [PMID: 19036865 PMCID: PMC2657068 DOI: 10.1152/jn.90953.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2008] [Accepted: 11/24/2008] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss of the mRNA-binding protein FMRP results in the most common inherited form of both mental retardation and autism spectrum disorders: fragile X syndrome (FXS). The leading FXS hypothesis proposes that metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) signaling at the synapse controls FMRP function in the regulation of local protein translation to modulate synaptic transmission strength. In this study, we use the Drosophila FXS disease model to test the relationship between Drosophila FMRP (dFMRP) and the sole Drosophila mGluR (dmGluRA) in regulation of synaptic function, using two-electrode voltage-clamp recording at the glutamatergic neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Null dmGluRA mutants show minimal changes in basal synapse properties but pronounced defects during sustained high-frequency stimulation (HFS). The double null dfmr1;dmGluRA mutant shows repression of enhanced augmentation and delayed onset of premature long-term facilitation (LTF) and strongly reduces grossly elevated post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) phenotypes present in dmGluRA-null animals. Null dfmr1 mutants show features of synaptic hyperexcitability, including multiple transmission events in response to a single stimulus and cyclic modulation of transmission amplitude during prolonged HFS. The double null dfmr1;dmGluRA mutant shows amelioration of these defects but does not fully restore wildtype properties in dfmr1-null animals. These data suggest that dmGluRA functions in a negative feedback loop in which excess glutamate released during high-frequency transmission binds the glutamate receptor to dampen synaptic excitability, and dFMRP functions to suppress the translation of proteins regulating this synaptic excitability. Removal of the translational regulator partially compensates for loss of the receptor and, similarly, loss of the receptor weakly compensates for loss of the translational regulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Repicky
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, VU Station B, Box 351634, Nashville, TN 37235-1634, USA
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31
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Fähling M, Mrowka R, Steege A, Kirschner KM, Benko E, Förstera B, Persson PB, Thiele BJ, Meier JC, Scholz H. Translational regulation of the human achaete-scute homologue-1 by fragile X mental retardation protein. J Biol Chem 2008; 284:4255-66. [PMID: 19097999 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m807354200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome is a common inherited cause of mental retardation that results from loss or mutation of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). In this study, we identified the mRNA of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor human achaete-scute homologue-1 (hASH1 or ASCL1), which is required for normal development of the nervous system and has been implicated in the formation of neuroendocrine tumors, as a new FMRP target. Using a double-immunofluorescent staining technique we detected an overlapping pattern of both proteins in the hippocampus, temporal cortex, subventricular zone, and cerebellum of newborn rats. Forced expression of FMRP and gene silencing by small interference RNA transfection revealed a positive correlation between the cellular protein levels of FMRP and hASH1. A luciferase reporter construct containing the 5'-untranslated region of hASH1 mRNA was activated by the full-length FMRP, but not by naturally occurring truncated FMR proteins, in transient co-transfections. The responsible cis-element was mapped by UV-cross-linking experiments and reporter mutagenesis assays to a (U)(10) sequence located in the 5'-untranslated region of the hASH1 mRNA. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation revealed that hASH1 transcripts were translocated into a translationally active polysomal fraction upon transient transfection of HEK293 cells with FMRP, thus indicating translational activation of hASH1 mRNA. In conclusion, we identified hASH1 as a novel downstream target of FMRP. Improved translation efficiency of hASH1 mRNA by FMRP may represent an important regulatory switch in neuronal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Fähling
- Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Vegetative Physiologie, Tucholskystrasse 2, D-10117 Berlin
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Aberrant neural function during emotion attribution in female subjects with fragile X syndrome. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2008; 47:1443-354. [PMID: 18981933 PMCID: PMC4820328 DOI: 10.1097/chi.0b013e3181886e92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Fragile X (FraX) syndrome is caused by mutations of the FraX mental retardation-1 gene-a gene responsible for producing FraX mental retardation protein. The neurocognitive phenotype associated with FraX in female subjects includes increased risk for emotional disorders including social anxiety, depression, and attention deficit. Here, the authors investigated the neurobiological systems underlying emotion attribution in female subjects with FraX syndrome. METHOD While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, 10 high-functioning female subjects with FraX syndrome and 10 typically developing (TD) female subjects were presented with photographs of happy, sad, and neutral faces and instructed to determine the facial emotion. RESULTS No significant group differences were found for the recognition of happy faces, although the FraX group showed a trend toward a significant difference for the recognition of sad faces and significantly poorer recognition of neutral faces. Controlling for between-group differences in IQ and performance accuracy, the TD group had greater activation than the FraX group in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) for neutral faces compared with scrambled faces and the caudate for sad faces compared with scrambled faces (but not for sad faces compared with neutral faces). In the FraX group, FraX mental retardation protein levels positively correlated with activation in the dorsal ACC for neutral, happy, and sad faces when independently compared with scrambled faces. Significantly greater negative correlation between IQ and insula activation for neutral faces relative to scrambled faces was observed in the FraX group compared with the TD group. Significantly greater positive correlation between IQ and ACC activation for neutral faces relative to scrambled faces was observed in the TD group compared with the FraX group. CONCLUSIONS Although emotion recognition is generally spared in FraX syndrome, the emotion circuit (i.e., ACC, caudate, insula) that modulates emotional responses to facial stimuli may be disrupted.
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33
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Visual pathway deficit in female fragile X premutation carriers: a potential endophenotype. Brain Cogn 2008; 69:291-5. [PMID: 18789568 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2008.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2008] [Revised: 07/02/2008] [Accepted: 08/01/2008] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies indicated impaired magnocellular (M) and relatively spared parvocellular (P) visual pathway functioning in patients with fragile X syndrome. In this study, we assessed M and P pathways in 22 female fragile X premutation carriers with normal intelligence and in 20 healthy non-carrier controls. Testing procedure included visual contrast sensitivity and vernier threshold measurements. Results revealed that carriers were selectively impaired on tests of M pathways (low spatial/high temporal frequency contrast sensitivity and frequency-doubling vernier), whereas they showed intact performance on P pathway tests. These results suggest that the deficit of the M pathway is an endophenotype of fragile X syndrome.
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Gatto CL, Broadie K. Temporal requirements of the fragile X mental retardation protein in the regulation of synaptic structure. Development 2008; 135:2637-48. [PMID: 18579676 DOI: 10.1242/dev.022244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome (FraX), caused by the loss-of-function of one gene (FMR1), is the most common inherited form of both mental retardation and autism spectrum disorders. The FMR1 product (FMRP) is an mRNA-binding translation regulator that mediates activity-dependent control of synaptic structure and function. To develop any FraX intervention strategy, it is essential to define when and where FMRP loss causes the manifestation of synaptic defects, and whether the reintroduction of FMRP can restore normal synapse properties. In the Drosophila FraX model, dFMRP loss causes neuromuscular junction (NMJ) synapse over-elaboration (overgrowth, overbranching, excess synaptic boutons), accumulation of development-arrested satellite boutons, and altered neurotransmission. We used the Gene-Switch method to conditionally drive dFMRP expression to define the spatiotemporal requirements in synaptic mechanisms. Constitutive induction of targeted neuronal dFMRP at wild-type levels rescues all synaptic architectural defects in Drosophila Fmr1 (dfmr1)-null mutants, demonstrating a presynaptic requirement for synapse structuring. By contrast, presynaptic dFMRP expression does not ameliorate functional neurotransmission defects, indicating a postsynaptic dFMRP requirement. Strikingly, targeted early induction of dFMRP effects nearly complete rescue of synaptic structure defects, showing a primarily early-development role. In addition, acute dFMRP expression at maturity partially alleviates dfmr1-null defects, although rescue is not as complete as either early or constitutive dFMRP expression, showing a modest capacity for late-stage structural plasticity. We conclude that dFMRP predominantly acts early in synaptogenesis to modulate architecture, but that late dFMRP introduction at maturity can weakly compensate for early absence of dFMRP function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl L Gatto
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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35
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Abstract
The purposes of this study were to present DNA analysis findings of our case series of fragile X syndrome (FXS) based on methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR), PCR, and Southern blotting alongside developmental characteristics including psychological profiles and to review the literature on FXS in Korea. The reports of 65 children (male:female, 52:13; age, 6.12+/-4.00 yrs) referred for the diagnosis of FXS over a 26-months period were retrospectively reviewed for the identification of full mutation or premutation of fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1). Among the 65 children, there were 4 boys with full mutation, and one boy showed premutation of FMR1, yielding a 6.15% positive rate of FXS. All 4 children with full mutation showed significant developmental delay, cognitive dysfunction, and varying degrees of autistic behaviors. The boys with premutation showed also moderate mental retardation, severe drooling, and behavioral problems as severe as the boys with full mutation. Thirteen articles on FXS in Korea have been published since 1993, and they were reviewed. The positive rate of FXS was in the range of 0.77-8.51%, depending on the study groups and the method of diagnosis. Finally, the population-based prevalence study on FXS in Korea is required in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Young Yim
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
| | - Bo Hyun Jeon
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
| | - Jung A Yang
- Department of Medical Genetics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
| | - Hyon J. Kim
- Department of Medical Genetics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Pelc
- Department of Neurology, Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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37
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Prasad S, Singh K. Age- and sex-dependent differential interaction of nuclear trans-acting factors with Fmr-1 promoter in mice brain. Neurochem Res 2007; 33:1028-35. [PMID: 18080753 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-007-9545-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2007] [Accepted: 11/07/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We have investigated relation between interaction of the trans-acting factors with Fmr-1 promoter and expression of FMRP isoforms in intact mouse brain as a function of age and sex. Our EMSA data reveal that among the three complexes formed with 136 bp Fmr-1 promoter fragment, the level of complex C1 significantly increases in adult brain but decreases in old brain in comparison to that in young. The level of total FMRP significantly decreases from young to old in the brain of both the sexes, however, among the three isoforms, expression of the 80-kDa isoform significantly decreases in the brain of both the sexes where as the level of 70 kDa isoform decreases in females during aging. The present finding on relation between age- and sex-dependent interaction of trans-acting factors and expression of FMRP isoforms is novel and may be relevant for regulation of Fmr-1 gene in brain function during aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Prasad
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, UP, India.
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38
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Wishart JG, Cebula KR, Willis DS, Pitcairn TK. Understanding of facial expressions of emotion by children with intellectual disabilities of differing aetiology. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH : JIDR 2007; 51:551-63. [PMID: 17537169 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2006.00947.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interpreting emotional expressions is a socio-cognitive skill central to interpersonal interaction. Poor emotion recognition has been reported in autism but is less well understood in other kinds of intellectual disabilities (ID), with procedural differences making comparisons across studies and syndromes difficult. This study aimed to compare directly facial emotion recognition skills in children with fragile X syndrome (FXS), Down's syndrome (DS) and non-specific intellectual disability (NSID), contrasting ability and error profiles with those of typically developing (TD) children of equivalent cognitive and linguistic status. METHODS Sixty children participated in the study: 15 FXS, 15 DS, 15 NSID and 15 TD children. Standardised measures of cognitive, language and socialisation skills were collected for all children, along with measures of performance on two photo-matching tasks: an 'identity-matching' task (to control for basic face-processing ability) and an 'emotion-matching' task (happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, fear or disgust). RESULTS Identity-matching ability did not differ across the four child groups. Only the DS group performed significantly more poorly on the emotion-matching task and only in comparison to the TD group, with fear recognition an area of particular difficulty. CONCLUSION Findings support previous evidence of emotion recognition abilities commensurate with overall developmental level in children with FXS or NSID, but not DS. They also suggest, however, that syndrome-specific difficulties may be subtle and detectable, at least in smaller-scale studies, only in comparison with TD matches, and not always across syndromes. Implications for behavioural phenotype theory, educational interventions and future research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J G Wishart
- Moray House School of Education, Edinburgh, UK.
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Zhang M, Wang Q, Huang Y. Fragile X mental retardation protein FMRP and the RNA export factor NXF2 associate with and destabilize Nxf1 mRNA in neuronal cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:10057-62. [PMID: 17548835 PMCID: PMC1891223 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0700169104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome is caused by the inactivation of the X-linked FMR1 gene, leading to the loss of its encoded protein FMRP. Although macroorchidism and defects in neuronal architecture and function have been associated with lack of FMRP, the exact molecular mechanism underlying this disease remains unclear. We have reported previously that in the brain and testis of mice, FMRP specifically interacts with a distinct mRNA nuclear export factor NXF2 but not with its close relative NXF1, a ubiquitously expressed essential mRNA nuclear export factor. This interaction marked NXF2 as a putative functional partner of FMRP. Here, we demonstrate by immunoprecipitation and quantitative real-time RT-PCR that, in cultured mouse neuronal cells, both FMRP and NXF2 are present in Nxf1 mRNA-containing ribonucleoprotein particles. Further, we show that expression of NXF2 leads to the destabilization of Nxf1 mRNA and that this effect is abolished when Fmr1 expression is reduced by siRNA, arguing that both proteins collaborate to exert this effect. Importantly, these findings correlate well with our observations that in both mouse hippocampal neurons and male germ cells where the expression of FMRP and NXF2 is most prominent, the expression of NXF1 is relatively poorly expressed. Our studies thus identify Nxf1 mRNA as a likely biologically relevant in vivo target of both FMRP and NXF2 and implicate FMRP, in conjunction with NXF2, as a posttranscriptional regulator of a major mRNA export factor. Such regulation may prove important in the normal development and function of neurons as well as of male germ cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiqin Zhang
- *Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT 06511; and
- Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Tumor Hospital, Fudan University, 270 Dongan Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qiaoqiao Wang
- *Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT 06511; and
| | - Yingqun Huang
- *Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 George Street, New Haven, CT 06511; and
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