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Dong W, Liu S, Li S, Wang Z. Cell reprogramming therapy for Parkinson's disease. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:2444-2455. [PMID: 38526281 PMCID: PMC11090434 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.390965] [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: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease is typically characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Many studies have been performed based on the supplementation of lost dopaminergic neurons to treat Parkinson's disease. The initial strategy for cell replacement therapy used human fetal ventral midbrain and human embryonic stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease, which could substantially alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease in clinical practice. However, ethical issues and tumor formation were limitations of its clinical application. Induced pluripotent stem cells can be acquired without sacrificing human embryos, which eliminates the huge ethical barriers of human stem cell therapy. Another widely considered neuronal regeneration strategy is to directly reprogram fibroblasts and astrocytes into neurons, without the need for intermediate proliferation states, thus avoiding issues of immune rejection and tumor formation. Both induced pluripotent stem cells and direct reprogramming of lineage cells have shown promising results in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, there are also ethical concerns and the risk of tumor formation that need to be addressed. This review highlights the current application status of cell reprogramming in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, focusing on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells in cell replacement therapy, including preclinical animal models and progress in clinical research. The review also discusses the advancements in direct reprogramming of lineage cells in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, as well as the controversy surrounding in vivo reprogramming. These findings suggest that cell reprogramming may hold great promise as a potential strategy for treating Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Shuyi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Shangang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Zhengbo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
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2
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Vázquez-Lizarraga R, Mendoza-Viveros L, Cid-Castro C, Ruiz-Montoya S, Carreño-Vázquez E, Orozco-Solis R. Hypothalamic circuits and aging: keeping the circadian clock updated. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1919-1928. [PMID: 38227516 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.389624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the past century, age-related diseases, such as cancer, type-2 diabetes, obesity, and mental illness, have shown a significant increase, negatively impacting overall quality of life. Studies on aged animal models have unveiled a progressive discoordination at multiple regulatory levels, including transcriptional, translational, and post-translational processes, resulting from cellular stress and circadian derangements. The circadian clock emerges as a key regulator, sustaining physiological homeostasis and promoting healthy aging through timely molecular coordination of pivotal cellular processes, such as stem-cell function, cellular stress responses, and inter-tissue communication, which become disrupted during aging. Given the crucial role of hypothalamic circuits in regulating organismal physiology, metabolic control, sleep homeostasis, and circadian rhythms, and their dependence on these processes, strategies aimed at enhancing hypothalamic and circadian function, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches, offer systemic benefits for healthy aging. Intranasal brain-directed drug administration represents a promising avenue for effectively targeting specific brain regions, like the hypothalamus, while reducing side effects associated with systemic drug delivery, thereby presenting new therapeutic possibilities for diverse age-related conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucia Mendoza-Viveros
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), México City, México
- Centro de Investigacíon sobre el Envejecimiento, Centro de Investigacíon y de Estudios Avanzados (CIE-CINVESTAV), México City, México
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México UNAM, México City, México
| | - Carolina Cid-Castro
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), México City, México
- Centro de Investigacíon sobre el Envejecimiento, Centro de Investigacíon y de Estudios Avanzados (CIE-CINVESTAV), México City, México
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México UNAM, México City, México
| | | | | | - Ricardo Orozco-Solis
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (INMEGEN), México City, México
- Centro de Investigacíon sobre el Envejecimiento, Centro de Investigacíon y de Estudios Avanzados (CIE-CINVESTAV), México City, México
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3
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Man JHK, Breur M, van Gelder CAGH, Marcon G, Maderna E, Giaccone G, Altelaar M, van der Knaap MS, Bugiani M. Region-specific and age-related differences in astrocytes in the human brain. Neurobiol Aging 2024; 140:102-115. [PMID: 38763075 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.02.016] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Astrocyte heterogeneity and its relation to aging in the normal human brain remain poorly understood. We here analyzed astrocytes in gray and white matter brain tissues obtained from donors ranging in age between the neonatal period to over 100 years. We show that astrocytes are differently distributed with higher density in the white matter. This regional difference in cellular density becomes less prominent with age. Additionally, we confirm the presence of morphologically distinct astrocytes, with gray matter astrocytes being morphologically more complex. Notably, gray matter astrocytes morphologically change with age, while white matter astrocytes remain relatively consistent in morphology. Using regional mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we did, however, identify astrocyte specific proteins with regional differences in abundance, reflecting variation in cellular density or expression level. Importantly, the expression of some astrocyte specific proteins region-dependently decreases with age. Taken together, we provide insights into region- and age-related differences in astrocytes in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodie H K Man
- Department of Child Neurology, Amsterdam Leukodystrophy Center, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Breur
- Department of Child Neurology, Amsterdam Leukodystrophy Center, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Charlotte A G H van Gelder
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Gabriella Marcon
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy; DAME, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Emanuela Maderna
- Division of Neurology 5 - Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- Division of Neurology 5 - Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Maarten Altelaar
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Marjo S van der Knaap
- Department of Child Neurology, Amsterdam Leukodystrophy Center, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marianna Bugiani
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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4
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Zhang W, Sun HS, Wang X, Dumont AS, Liu Q. Cellular senescence, DNA damage, and neuroinflammation in the aging brain. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:461-474. [PMID: 38729785 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.04.003] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Aging may lead to low-level chronic inflammation that increases the susceptibility to age-related conditions, including memory impairment and progressive loss of brain volume. As brain health is essential to promoting healthspan and lifespan, it is vital to understand age-related changes in the immune system and central nervous system (CNS) that drive normal brain aging. However, the relative importance, mechanistic interrelationships, and hierarchical order of such changes and their impact on normal brain aging remain to be clarified. Here, we synthesize accumulating evidence that age-related DNA damage and cellular senescence in the immune system and CNS contribute to the escalation of neuroinflammation and cognitive decline during normal brain aging. Targeting cellular senescence and immune modulation may provide a logical rationale for developing new treatment options to restore immune homeostasis and counteract age-related brain dysfunction and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, International Joint Laboratory of Ocular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China
| | - Hong-Shuo Sun
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Xiaoying Wang
- Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Aaron S Dumont
- Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences, Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Qiang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin Institute of Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, International Joint Laboratory of Ocular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
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5
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Li Y, Zhang J, Gao X, Zhang QC. Tissue module discovery in single-cell-resolution spatial transcriptomics data via cell-cell interaction-aware cell embedding. Cell Syst 2024:S2405-4712(24)00124-8. [PMID: 38823396 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2024.05.001] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Computational methods are desired for single-cell-resolution spatial transcriptomics (ST) data analysis to uncover spatial organization principles for how individual cells exert tissue-specific functions. Here, we present ST data analysis via interaction-aware cell embedding (SPACE), a deep-learning method for cell-type identification and tissue module discovery from single-cell-resolution ST data by learning a cell representation that captures its gene expression profile and interactions with its spatial neighbors. SPACE identified spatially informed cell subtypes defined by their special spatial distribution patterns and distinct proximal-interacting cell types. SPACE also automatically discovered "cell communities"-tissue modules with discernible boundaries and a uniform spatial distribution of constituent cell types. For each cell community, SPACE outputs a characteristic proximal cell-cell interaction network associated with physiological processes, which can be used to refine ligand-receptor-based intercellular signaling analyses. We envision that SPACE can be used in large-scale ST projects to understand how proximal cell-cell interactions contribute to emergent biological functions within cell communities. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhe Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology & Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology & Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China; Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Xin Gao
- Computer Science Program, Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; KAUST Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; BioMap, Beijing 100086, China.
| | - Qiangfeng Cliff Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology & Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China.
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6
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Cullen PF, Gammerdinger WJ, Ho Sui SJ, Mazumder AG, Sun D. Transcriptional profiling of retinal astrocytes identifies a specific marker and points to functional specialization. Glia 2024. [PMID: 38785355 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Astrocyte heterogeneity is an increasingly prominent research topic, and studies in the brain have demonstrated substantial variation in astrocyte form and function, both between and within regions. In contrast, retinal astrocytes are not well understood and remain incompletely characterized. Along with optic nerve astrocytes, they are responsible for supporting retinal ganglion cell axons and an improved understanding of their role is required. We have used a combination of microdissection and Ribotag immunoprecipitation to isolate ribosome-associated mRNA from retinal astrocytes and investigate their transcriptome, which we also compared to astrocyte populations in the optic nerve. Astrocytes from these regions are transcriptionally distinct, and we identified retina-specific astrocyte genes and pathways. Moreover, although they share much of the "classical" gene expression patterns of astrocytes, we uncovered unexpected variation, including in genes related to core astrocyte functions. We additionally identified the transcription factor Pax8 as a highly specific marker of retinal astrocytes and demonstrated that these astrocytes populate not only the retinal surface, but also the prelaminar region at the optic nerve head. These findings are likely to contribute to a revised understanding of the role of astrocytes in the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul F Cullen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - William J Gammerdinger
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shannan J Ho Sui
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Arpan Guha Mazumder
- Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Daniel Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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Loganathan N, Lieu CV, Belsham DD. Immortalization and Characterization of GFAP-expressing Glial Cells from the Adult Mouse Hypothalamus, Cortex, and Brain Stem. Neuroscience 2024; 551:43-54. [PMID: 38788830 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.05.022] [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: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The generation of astrocyte cell lines from the hypothalamus is key to study glial involvement in hypothalamic physiology, including energy homeostasis. As such, we immortalized astrocytes from the hypothalamus of an adult male CD-1 mouse using SV40 T-antigen to generate the mHypoA-Ast1 cell line. A comparative approach was taken with two other murine GFAP-expressing cell lines that were also generated in this study: a mixed glial cell line from the cortex (mCortA-G1) and an oligodendrocyte cell line from the brainstem (mBstA-Olig1), as well as an established microglial cell line (IMG). mHypoA-Ast1 cells express GFAP, alongside other astrocytic markers such as Aldh1l1, Aqp4, Glt1 and S100b, and express low levels of microglial, ependymal and oligodendrocyte markers. 100 ng/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) elevated mRNA levels of Il6, Il1b, Tnfα and Cxcl5 in mHypoA-Ast1 cells after 4 h, while 50 μM palmitate increased Il6 and Chop mRNA, demonstrating the ability of these cells to respond to inflammatory and nutrient signals. Interestingly, co-culture of mHypoA-Ast1 cells with mHypoE-N46 hypothalamic neuronal cells prevented the palmitate-mediated increase in orexigenic neuropeptide Agrp mRNA in mHypoE-N46 cells, suggesting that this cell line can alter neuronal responses to nutrients. In conclusion, we report mHypoA-Ast1 cells representing a functional astrocyte cell line from the adult mouse brain that can be used to study the complex interactions of hypothalamic cells, as well as dysregulation that may occur in disease states, providing a key tool for neuroendocrine research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neruja Loganathan
- Departments of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Calvin V Lieu
- Departments of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Denise D Belsham
- Departments of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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8
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Liu LC, Liang JY, Liu YH, Liu B, Dong XH, Cai WH, Zhang N. The Intersection of cerebral cholesterol metabolism and Alzheimer's disease: Mechanisms and therapeutic prospects. Heliyon 2024; 10:e30523. [PMID: 38726205 PMCID: PMC11079309 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly, the exact pathogenesis of which remains incompletely understood, and effective preventive and therapeutic drugs are currently lacking. Cholesterol plays a vital role in cell membrane formation and neurotransmitter synthesis, and its abnormal metabolism is associated with the onset of AD. With the continuous advancement of imaging techniques and molecular biology methods, researchers can more accurately explore the relationship between cholesterol metabolism and AD. Elevated cholesterol levels may lead to vascular dysfunction, thereby affecting neuronal function. Additionally, abnormal cholesterol metabolism may affect the metabolism of β-amyloid protein, thereby promoting the onset of AD. Brain cholesterol levels are regulated by multiple factors. This review aims to deepen the understanding of the subtle relationship between cholesterol homeostasis and AD, and to introduce the latest advances in cholesterol-regulating AD treatment strategies, thereby inspiring readers to contemplate deeply on this complex relationship. Although there are still many unresolved important issues regarding the risk of brain cholesterol and AD, and some studies may have opposite conclusions, further research is needed to enrich our understanding. However, these findings are expected to deepen our understanding of the pathogenesis of AD and provide important insights for the future development of AD treatment strategies targeting brain cholesterol homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-cheng Liu
- Pharmaceutical Branch, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Co., Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Jun-yi Liang
- Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Yan-hong Liu
- Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xiao-hong Dong
- Jiamusi College, Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Wen-hui Cai
- Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China
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9
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Chen Q, Wu M, Tang Q, Yan P, Zhu L. Age-Related Alterations in Immune Function and Inflammation: Focus on Ischemic Stroke. Aging Dis 2024; 15:1046-1074. [PMID: 37728582 PMCID: PMC11081165 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2023.0721-1] [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: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The aging of the global population poses significant scientific challenges. Moreover, the biological process of aging is the most significant risk factor for most chronic illnesses; therefore, understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these aging-related challenges is crucial for extending the healthy lifespan of older individuals. Preventing brain aging remains a priority public health goal, and integrative and comprehensive aging analyses have revealed that immunosenescence is a potential cause of age-related brain damage and disease (e.g., stroke). Importantly, the neuroinflammatory and immune systems present two-way contact and thus can affect each other. Emerging evidence supports the numerous effects of immunosenescence- and inflammation-mediated immunity in neurologically injured brains. In this study, we briefly outline how aging alters the pathophysiology and transcriptional amplitude in patients who experienced stroke and then discuss how the immune system and its cellular components and molecular mechanisms are affected by age after stroke. Finally, we highlight emerging interventions with the potential to slow down or reduce aging and prevent stroke onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuxin Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150000, China
| | - Minmin Wu
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150000, China
| | - Qiang Tang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150000, China
| | - Peiyu Yan
- Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
| | - Luwen Zhu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150000, China
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Ding F, Sun Q, Long C, Rasmussen RN, Peng S, Xu Q, Kang N, Song W, Weikop P, Goldman SA, Nedergaard M. Dysregulation of extracellular potassium distinguishes healthy ageing from neurodegeneration. Brain 2024; 147:1726-1739. [PMID: 38462589 PMCID: PMC11068329 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae075] [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: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Progressive neuronal loss is a hallmark feature distinguishing neurodegenerative diseases from normal ageing. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Extracellular K+ homeostasis is a potential mediator of neuronal injury as K+ elevations increase excitatory activity. The dysregulation of extracellular K+ and potassium channel expressions during neurodegeneration could contribute to this distinction. Here we measured the cortical extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]e) in awake wild-type mice as well as murine models of neurodegeneration using K+-sensitive microelectrodes. Unexpectedly, aged wild-type mice exhibited significantly lower cortical [K+]e than young mice. In contrast, cortical [K+]e was consistently elevated in Alzheimer's disease (APP/PS1), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (SOD1G93A) and Huntington's disease (R6/2) models. Cortical resting [K+]e correlated inversely with neuronal density and the [K+]e buffering rate but correlated positively with the predicted neuronal firing rate. Screening of astrocyte-selective genomic datasets revealed a number of potassium channel genes that were downregulated in these disease models but not in normal ageing. In particular, the inwardly rectifying potassium channel Kcnj10 was downregulated in ALS and Huntington's disease models but not in normal ageing, while Fxyd1 and Slc1a3, each of which acts as a negative regulator of potassium uptake, were each upregulated by astrocytes in both Alzheimer's disease and ALS models. Chronic elevation of [K+]e in response to changes in gene expression and the attendant neuronal hyperexcitability may drive the neuronal loss characteristic of these neurodegenerative diseases. These observations suggest that the dysregulation of extracellular K+ homeostasis in a number of neurodegenerative diseases could be due to aberrant astrocytic K+ buffering and as such, highlight a fundamental role for glial dysfunction in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengfei Ding
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Qian Sun
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Carter Long
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Rune Nguyen Rasmussen
- Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Neurology Department, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sisi Peng
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Qiwu Xu
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Ning Kang
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Wei Song
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Pia Weikop
- Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Neurology Department, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Steven A Goldman
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Neurology Department, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maiken Nedergaard
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
- Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Neurology Department, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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Firth W, Pye KR, Weightman Potter PG. Astrocytes at the intersection of ageing, obesity, and neurodegeneration. Clin Sci (Lond) 2024; 138:515-536. [PMID: 38652065 DOI: 10.1042/cs20230148] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Once considered passive cells of the central nervous system (CNS), glia are now known to actively maintain the CNS parenchyma; in recent years, the evidence for glial functions in CNS physiology and pathophysiology has only grown. Astrocytes, a heterogeneous group of glial cells, play key roles in regulating the metabolic and inflammatory landscape of the CNS and have emerged as potential therapeutic targets for a variety of disorders. This review will outline astrocyte functions in the CNS in healthy ageing, obesity, and neurodegeneration, with a focus on the inflammatory responses and mitochondrial function, and will address therapeutic outlooks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyn Firth
- School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, U.K
| | - Katherine R Pye
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, U.K
| | - Paul G Weightman Potter
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, U.K
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12
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Kumar NH, Kluever V, Barth E, Krautwurst S, Furlan M, Pelizzola M, Marz M, Fornasiero EF. Comprehensive transcriptome analysis reveals altered mRNA splicing and post-transcriptional changes in the aged mouse brain. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:2865-2885. [PMID: 38471806 PMCID: PMC11014377 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive understanding of molecular changes during brain aging is essential to mitigate cognitive decline and delay neurodegenerative diseases. The interpretation of mRNA alterations during brain aging is influenced by the health and age of the animal cohorts studied. Here, we carefully consider these factors and provide an in-depth investigation of mRNA splicing and dynamics in the aging mouse brain, combining short- and long-read sequencing technologies with extensive bioinformatic analyses. Our findings encompass a spectrum of age-related changes, including differences in isoform usage, decreased mRNA dynamics and a module showing increased expression of neuronal genes. Notably, our results indicate a reduced abundance of mRNA isoforms leading to nonsense-mediated RNA decay and suggest a regulatory role for RNA-binding proteins, indicating that their regulation may be altered leading to the reshaping of the aged brain transcriptome. Collectively, our study highlights the importance of studying mRNA splicing events during brain aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Hemandhar Kumar
- Department of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Verena Kluever
- Department of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Emanuel Barth
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Sebastian Krautwurst
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Mattia Furlan
- Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 20139 Milan, Italy
| | - Mattia Pelizzola
- Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), 20139 Milan, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Manja Marz
- Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Age Research, FLI, Beutenbergstraße 11, Jena 07743, Germany
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Friedrich Schiller University, Leutragraben 1, Jena 07743, Germany
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Puschstraße 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Michael Stifel Center Jena, Friedrich Schiller University, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, Jena 07743, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University, Fuerstengraben 1, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Eugenio F Fornasiero
- Department of Neuro- and Sensory Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
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13
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Zimmer TS, Orr AL, Orr AG. Astrocytes in selective vulnerability to neurodegenerative disease. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:289-302. [PMID: 38521710 PMCID: PMC11006581 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.02.008] [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: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Selective vulnerability of specific brain regions and cell populations is a hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders. Mechanisms of selective vulnerability involve neuronal heterogeneity, functional specializations, and differential sensitivities to stressors and pathogenic factors. In this review we discuss the growing body of literature suggesting that, like neurons, astrocytes are heterogeneous and specialized, respond to and integrate diverse inputs, and induce selective effects on brain function. In disease, astrocytes undergo specific, context-dependent changes that promote different pathogenic trajectories and functional outcomes. We propose that astrocytes contribute to selective vulnerability through maladaptive transitions to context-divergent phenotypes that impair specific brain regions and functions. Further studies on the multifaceted roles of astrocytes in disease may provide new therapeutic approaches to enhance resilience against neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till S Zimmer
- Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adam L Orr
- Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Anna G Orr
- Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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14
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Harley J, Santosa MM, Ng CY, Grinchuk OV, Hor JH, Liang Y, Lim VJ, Tee WW, Ong DST, Ng SY. Telomere shortening induces aging-associated phenotypes in hiPSC-derived neurons and astrocytes. Biogerontology 2024; 25:341-360. [PMID: 37987889 PMCID: PMC10998800 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-023-10076-5] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Telomere shortening is a well-established hallmark of cellular aging. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) plays a crucial role in maintaining the length of telomeres, which are specialised protective caps at the end of chromosomes. The lack of in vitro aging models, particularly for the central nervous system (CNS), has impeded progress in understanding aging and age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to explore the possibility of inducing aging-associated features in cell types of the CNS using hiPSC (human induced pluripotent stem cell) technology. To achieve this, we utilised CRISPR/Cas9 to generate hiPSCs with a loss of telomerase function and shortened telomeres. Through directed differentiation, we generated motor neurons and astrocytes to investigate whether telomere shortening could lead to age-associated phenotypes. Our findings revealed that shortened telomeres induced age-associated characteristics in both motor neurons and astrocytes including increased cellular senescence, heightened inflammation, and elevated DNA damage. We also observed cell-type specific age-related morphology changes. Additionally, our study highlighted the fundamental role of TERT and telomere shortening in neural progenitor cell (NPC) proliferation and neuronal differentiation. This study serves as a proof of concept that telomere shortening can effectively induce aging-associated phenotypes, thereby providing a valuable tool to investigate age-related decline and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Harley
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Munirah Mohamad Santosa
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Singapore
| | - Chong Yi Ng
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Oleg V Grinchuk
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Jin-Hui Hor
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Yajing Liang
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Singapore
| | - Valerie Jingwen Lim
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Wee Wei Tee
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Singapore
| | - Derrick Sek Tong Ong
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Singapore
| | - Shi-Yan Ng
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673, Singapore.
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117593, Singapore.
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15
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Wang D, Wang Y, Shi J, Jiang W, Huang W, Chen K, Wang X, Zhang G, Li Y, Cao C, Lee KY, Lin L. Edaravone dexborneol alleviates ischemic injury and neuroinflammation by modulating microglial and astrocyte polarization while inhibiting leukocyte infiltration. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 130:111700. [PMID: 38382262 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Poststroke inflammation is essential in the mechanism of secondary injury, and it is orchestrated by resident microglia, astrocytes, and circulating immune cells. Edaravone dexborneol (EDB) is a combination of edaravone and borneol that has been identified as a clinical protectant for stroke management. In this study, we verified the anti-inflammatory effect of EDB in the mouse model of ischemia and investigated its modulatory action on inflammation-related cells. C57BL/6 male mice, which had the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO), were treated (i.p.) with EDB (15 mg/kg). EDB administration significantly reduced the brain infarction and improved the sensorimotor function after stroke. And EDB alleviated the neuroinflammation by restraining the polarization of microglia/macrophages and astrocyte toward proinflammatory phenotype and inhibiting the production of proinflammatory cytokines (such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6) and chemokines (including MCP-1 and CXCL1). Furthermore, EDB ameliorated the MCAO-induced impairment of Blood-brain barrier (BBB) by suppressing the degradation of tight junction protein and attenuated the accumulation of peripheral leukocytes in the ischemic brain. Additionally, systemic EDB administration inhibited the macrophage phenotypic shift toward the M1 phenotype and the macrophage-dependent inflammatory response in the spleen and blood. Collectively, EDB protects against ischemic stroke injury by inhibiting the proinflammatory activation of microglia/macrophages and astrocytes and through reduction by invasion of circulating immune cells, which reduces central and peripheral inflammation following stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxue Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China; College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Yutao Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Junfeng Shi
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Wenyi Jiang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Wenting Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Keyang Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Xue Wang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China
| | - Gongchun Zhang
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuankuan Li
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea
| | - Chengkun Cao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China.
| | - Kwang-Youl Lee
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Republic of Korea.
| | - Li Lin
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China.
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16
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Nam YR, Kang M, Kim M, Seok MJ, Yang Y, Han YE, Oh SJ, Kim DG, Son H, Chang MY, Lee SH. Preparation of human astrocytes with potent therapeutic functions from human pluripotent stem cells using ventral midbrain patterning. J Adv Res 2024:S2090-1232(24)00112-7. [PMID: 38521186 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2024.03.012] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Astrocytes are glial-type cells that protect neurons from toxic insults and support neuronal functions and metabolism in a healthy brain. Leveraging these physiological functions, transplantation of astrocytes or their derivatives has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach for neurodegenerative disorders. METHODS To substantiate the clinical application of astrocyte-based therapy, we aimed to prepare human astrocytes with potent therapeutic capacities from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). To that end, we used ventral midbrain patterning during the differentiation of hPSCs into astrocytes, based on the roles of midbrain-specific factors in potentiating glial neurotrophic/anti-inflammatory activity. To assess the therapeutic effects of human midbrain-type astrocytes, we transplanted them into mouse models of Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). RESULTS Through a comprehensive series of in-vitro and in-vivo experiments, we were able to establish that the midbrain-type astrocytes exhibited the abilities to effectively combat oxidative stress, counter excitotoxic glutamate, and manage pathological protein aggregates. Our strategy for preparing midbrain-type astrocytes yielded promising results, demonstrating the strong therapeutic potential of these cells in various neurotoxic contexts. Particularly noteworthy is their efficacy in PD and AD-specific proteopathic conditions, in which the midbrain-type astrocytes outperformed forebrain-type astrocytes derived by the same organoid-based method. CONCLUSION The enhanced functions of the midbrain-type astrocytes extended to their ability to release signaling molecules that inhibited neuronal deterioration and senescence while steering microglial cells away from a pro-inflammatory state. This success was evident in both in-vitro studies using human cells and in-vivo experiments conducted in mouse models of PD and AD. In the end, our human midbrain-type astrocytes demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in alleviating neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and the pathologies associated with the accumulation of α-synuclein and Amyloid β proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Rim Nam
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Minji Kang
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Minji Kim
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Min Jong Seok
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Yunseon Yang
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Young Eun Han
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea
| | - Soo-Jin Oh
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea
| | - Do Gyeong Kim
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyeon Son
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Korea
| | - Mi-Yoon Chang
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Department of Premedicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Korea; Hanyang Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea.
| | - Sang-Hun Lee
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Korea.
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17
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Sancho L, Boisvert MM, Dawoodtabar T, Burgado J, Wang E, Allen NJ. Astrocyte CCN1 stabilizes neural circuits in the adult brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.14.585077. [PMID: 38559139 PMCID: PMC10979986 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.14.585077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Neural circuits in many brain regions are refined by experience. Sensory circuits support higher plasticity at younger ages during critical periods - times of circuit refinement and maturation - and limit plasticity in adulthood for circuit stability. The mechanisms underlying these differing plasticity levels and how they serve to maintain and stabilize the properties of sensory circuits remain largely unclear. By combining a transcriptomic approach with ex vivo electrophysiology and in vivo imaging techniques, we identify that astrocytes release cellular communication network factor 1 (CCN1) to maintain synapse and circuit stability in the visual cortex. By overexpressing CCN1 in critical period astrocytes, we find that it promotes the maturation of inhibitory circuits and limits ocular dominance plasticity. Conversely, by knocking out astrocyte CCN1 in adults, binocular circuits are destabilized. These studies establish CCN1 as a novel astrocyte-secreted factor that stabilizes neuronal circuits. Moreover, they demonstrate that the composition and properties of sensory circuits require ongoing maintenance in adulthood, and that these maintenance cues are provided by astrocytes.
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18
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Jagaraj CJ, Shadfar S, Kashani SA, Saravanabavan S, Farzana F, Atkin JD. Molecular hallmarks of ageing in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:111. [PMID: 38430277 PMCID: PMC10908642 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05164-9] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, severely debilitating and rapidly progressing disorder affecting motor neurons in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord. Unfortunately, there are few effective treatments, thus there remains a critical need to find novel interventions that can mitigate against its effects. Whilst the aetiology of ALS remains unclear, ageing is the major risk factor. Ageing is a slowly progressive process marked by functional decline of an organism over its lifespan. However, it remains unclear how ageing promotes the risk of ALS. At the molecular and cellular level there are specific hallmarks characteristic of normal ageing. These hallmarks are highly inter-related and overlap significantly with each other. Moreover, whilst ageing is a normal process, there are striking similarities at the molecular level between these factors and neurodegeneration in ALS. Nine ageing hallmarks were originally proposed: genomic instability, loss of telomeres, senescence, epigenetic modifications, dysregulated nutrient sensing, loss of proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, stem cell exhaustion, and altered inter-cellular communication. However, these were recently (2023) expanded to include dysregulation of autophagy, inflammation and dysbiosis. Hence, given the latest updates to these hallmarks, and their close association to disease processes in ALS, a new examination of their relationship to pathophysiology is warranted. In this review, we describe possible mechanisms by which normal ageing impacts on neurodegenerative mechanisms implicated in ALS, and new therapeutic interventions that may arise from this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Jones Jagaraj
- MND Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Sina Shadfar
- MND Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Sara Assar Kashani
- MND Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Sayanthooran Saravanabavan
- MND Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Fabiha Farzana
- MND Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Julie D Atkin
- MND Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, 75 Talavera Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
- La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, VIC, 3086, Australia.
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19
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Liu W, Jia M, Zhang K, Chen J, Zhu X, Li R, Xu Z, Zang Y, Wang Y, Pan J, Ma D, Yang J, Wang D. Increased A1 astrocyte activation-driven hippocampal neural network abnormality mediates delirium-like behavior in aged mice undergoing cardiac surgery. Aging Cell 2024; 23:e14074. [PMID: 38155547 DOI: 10.1111/acel.14074] [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: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Delirium is the most common neurological complication after cardiac surgery with adverse impacts on surgical outcomes. Advanced age is an independent risk factor for delirium occurrence but its underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Although increased A1 astrocytes and abnormal hippocampal networks are involved in neurodegenerative diseases, whether A1 astrocytes and hippocampal network changes are involved in the delirium-like behavior of aged mice remains unknown. In the present study, a mice model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion mimicking cardiac surgery and various assessments were used to investigate the different susceptibility of the occurrence of delirium-like behavior between young and aged mice and the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that surgery significantly increased hippocampal A1 astrocyte activation in aged compared to young mice. The high neuroinflammatory state induced by surgery resulted in glutamate accumulation in the extrasynaptic space, which subsequently decreased the excitability of pyramidal neurons and increased the PV interneurons inhibition through enhancing N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors' tonic currents in the hippocampus. These further induced the abnormal activities of the hippocampal neural networks and consequently contributed to delirium-like behavior in aged mice. Notably, the intraperitoneal administration of exendin-4, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, downregulated A1 astrocyte activation and alleviated delirium-like behavior in aged mice, while IL-1α, TNF-α, and C1q in combination administered intracerebroventricularly upregulated A1 astrocyte activation and induced delirium-like behavior in young mice. Therefore, our study suggested that cardiac surgery increased A1 astrocyte activation which subsequently impaired the hippocampal neural networks and triggered delirium development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxue Liu
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Cardiothoracic Vascular Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Min Jia
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Keyin Zhang
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Cardiothoracic Vascular Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiang Chen
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Department of Neurology, Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiyu Zhu
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Cardiothoracic Vascular Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ruisha Li
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Cardiothoracic Vascular Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhenjun Xu
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Cardiothoracic Vascular Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanyu Zang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yapeng Wang
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Pan
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Cardiothoracic Vascular Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Daqing Ma
- Division of Anaesthetics, Pain Medicine and Intensive Care, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK
- Perioperative and Systems Medicine Laboratory, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianjun Yang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Dongjin Wang
- Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Cardiothoracic Vascular Disease, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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20
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Markarian N, Van Auken KM, Ebert D, Sternberg PW. Enrichment on steps, not genes, improves inference of differentially expressed pathways. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011968. [PMID: 38527066 PMCID: PMC10994554 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Enrichment analysis is frequently used in combination with differential expression data to investigate potential commonalities amongst lists of genes and generate hypotheses for further experiments. However, current enrichment analysis approaches on pathways ignore the functional relationships between genes in a pathway, particularly OR logic that occurs when a set of proteins can each individually perform the same step in a pathway. As a result, these approaches miss pathways with large or multiple sets because of an inflation of pathway size (when measured as the total gene count) relative to the number of steps. We address this problem by enriching on step-enabling entities in pathways. We treat sets of protein-coding genes as single entities, and we also weight sets to account for the number of genes in them using the multivariate Fisher's noncentral hypergeometric distribution. We then show three examples of pathways that are recovered with this method and find that the results have significant proportions of pathways not found in gene list enrichment analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Markarian
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Kimberly M. Van Auken
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Dustin Ebert
- Division of Bioinformatics, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Paul W. Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
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21
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Han KA, Yoon TH, Kim J, Lee J, Lee JY, Jang G, Um JW, Kim JK, Ko J. Specification of neural circuit architecture shaped by context-dependent patterned LAR-RPTP microexons. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1624. [PMID: 38388459 PMCID: PMC10883964 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45695-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
LAR-RPTPs are evolutionarily conserved presynaptic cell-adhesion molecules that orchestrate multifarious synaptic adhesion pathways. Extensive alternative splicing of LAR-RPTP mRNAs may produce innumerable LAR-RPTP isoforms that act as regulatory "codes" for determining the identity and strength of specific synapse signaling. However, no direct evidence for this hypothesis exists. Here, using targeted RNA sequencing, we detected LAR-RPTP mRNAs in diverse cell types across adult male mouse brain areas. We found pronounced cell-type-specific patterns of two microexons, meA and meB, in Ptprd mRNAs. Moreover, diverse neural circuits targeting the same neuronal populations were dictated by the expression of different Ptprd variants with distinct inclusion patterns of microexons. Furthermore, conditional ablation of Ptprd meA+ variants at presynaptic loci of distinct hippocampal circuits impaired distinct modes of synaptic transmission and objection-location memory. Activity-triggered alterations of the presynaptic Ptprd meA code in subicular neurons mediates NMDA receptor-mediated postsynaptic responses in CA1 neurons and objection-location memory. Our data provide the evidence of cell-type- and/or circuit-specific expression patterns in vivo and physiological functions of LAR-RPTP microexons that are dynamically regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Ah Han
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea
- Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea
| | - Taek-Han Yoon
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea
| | - Jinhu Kim
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea
| | - Jusung Lee
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea
| | - Ju Yeon Lee
- Korea Basic Science Institute, Research Center for Bioconvergence Analysis, Cheongju, 28119, Korea
| | - Gyubin Jang
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea
- Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea
| | - Ji Won Um
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea
- Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea
| | - Jong Kyoung Kim
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Jaewon Ko
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea.
- Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity, DGIST, Daegu, 42988, Korea.
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22
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De Fazio E, Pittarello M, Gans A, Ghosh B, Slika H, Alimonti P, Tyler B. Intrinsic and Microenvironmental Drivers of Glioblastoma Invasion. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2563. [PMID: 38473812 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052563] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Gliomas are diffusely infiltrating brain tumors whose prognosis is strongly influenced by their extent of invasion into the surrounding brain tissue. While lower-grade gliomas present more circumscribed borders, high-grade gliomas are aggressive tumors with widespread brain infiltration and dissemination. Glioblastoma (GBM) is known for its high invasiveness and association with poor prognosis. Its low survival rate is due to the certainty of its recurrence, caused by microscopic brain infiltration which makes surgical eradication unattainable. New insights into GBM biology at the single-cell level have enabled the identification of mechanisms exploited by glioma cells for brain invasion. In this review, we explore the current understanding of several molecular pathways and mechanisms used by tumor cells to invade normal brain tissue. We address the intrinsic biological drivers of tumor cell invasion, by tackling how tumor cells interact with each other and with the tumor microenvironment (TME). We focus on the recently discovered neuronal niche in the TME, including local as well as distant neurons, contributing to glioma growth and invasion. We then address the mechanisms of invasion promoted by astrocytes and immune cells. Finally, we review the current literature on the therapeutic targeting of the molecular mechanisms of invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emerson De Fazio
- Department of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University School of Medicine, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Matilde Pittarello
- Department of Medicine, Humanitas University School of Medicine, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gans
- Department of Neurology, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Bikona Ghosh
- School of Medicine and Surgery, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
| | - Hasan Slika
- Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
| | - Paolo Alimonti
- Department of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University School of Medicine, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Betty Tyler
- Hunterian Neurosurgical Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
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23
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Scott EY, Safarian N, Casasbuenas DL, Dryden M, Tockovska T, Ali S, Peng J, Daniele E, Nie Xin Lim I, Bang KWA, Tripathy S, Yuzwa SA, Wheeler AR, Faiz M. Integrating single-cell and spatially resolved transcriptomic strategies to survey the astrocyte response to stroke in male mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1584. [PMID: 38383565 PMCID: PMC10882052 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45821-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the central nervous system (CNS), adopt diverse states in response to injury that are influenced by their location relative to the insult. Here, we describe a platform for spatially resolved, single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics, called tDISCO (tissue-digital microfluidic isolation of single cells for -Omics). We use tDISCO alongside two high-throughput platforms for spatial (Visium) and single-cell transcriptomics (10X Chromium) to examine the heterogeneity of the astrocyte response to a cortical ischemic stroke in male mice. We show that integration of Visium and 10X Chromium datasets infers two astrocyte populations, proximal or distal to the injury site, while tDISCO determines the spatial boundaries and molecular profiles that define these populations. We find that proximal astrocytes show differences in lipid shuttling, with enriched expression of Apoe and Fabp5. Our datasets provide a resource for understanding the roles of astrocytes in stroke and showcase the utility of tDISCO for hypothesis-driven, spatially resolved single-cell experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Y Scott
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Nickie Safarian
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College St., Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada
- The Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, CA, 250 College St., Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Daniela Lozano Casasbuenas
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Michael Dryden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
| | - Teodora Tockovska
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Shawar Ali
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jiaxi Peng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
| | - Emerson Daniele
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Isabel Nie Xin Lim
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - K W Annie Bang
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Flow Cytometry Core, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X5, Canada
| | - Shreejoy Tripathy
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 250 College St., Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada
- The Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, CA, 250 College St., Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1R8, Canada
| | - Scott A Yuzwa
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Aaron R Wheeler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3H6, Canada
- Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, University of Toronto, 160 College Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3E1, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Maryam Faiz
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada.
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada.
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada.
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24
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Thumu SCR, Jain M, Soman S, Das S, Verma V, Nandi A, Gutmann DH, Jayaprakash B, Nair D, Clement JP, Marathe S, Ramanan N. SRF-deficient astrocytes provide neuroprotection in mouse models of excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration. eLife 2024; 13:e95577. [PMID: 38289036 PMCID: PMC10857791 DOI: 10.7554/elife.95577] [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: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Reactive astrogliosis is a common pathological hallmark of CNS injury, infection, and neurodegeneration, where reactive astrocytes can be protective or detrimental to normal brain functions. Currently, the mechanisms regulating neuroprotective astrocytes and the extent of neuroprotection are poorly understood. Here, we report that conditional deletion of serum response factor (SRF) in adult astrocytes causes reactive-like hypertrophic astrocytes throughout the mouse brain. These SrfGFAP-ERCKO astrocytes do not affect neuron survival, synapse numbers, synaptic plasticity or learning and memory. However, the brains of Srf knockout mice exhibited neuroprotection against kainic-acid induced excitotoxic cell death. Relevant to human neurodegenerative diseases, SrfGFAP-ERCKO astrocytes abrogate nigral dopaminergic neuron death and reduce β-amyloid plaques in mouse models of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, respectively. Taken together, these findings establish SRF as a key molecular switch for the generation of reactive astrocytes with neuroprotective functions that attenuate neuronal injury in the setting of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Monika Jain
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
| | - Sumitha Soman
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
| | - Soumen Das
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
| | - Vijaya Verma
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific ResearchBangaloreIndia
| | - Arnab Nandi
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
| | - David H Gutmann
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
| | | | - Deepak Nair
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
| | - James P Clement
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific ResearchBangaloreIndia
| | - Swananda Marathe
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of ScienceBangaloreIndia
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25
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Saito K, Shigetomi E, Shinozaki Y, Kobayashi K, Parajuli B, Kubota Y, Sakai K, Miyakawa M, Horiuchi H, Nabekura J, Koizumi S. Microglia sense astrocyte dysfunction and prevent disease progression in an Alexander disease model. Brain 2024; 147:698-716. [PMID: 37955589 PMCID: PMC10834242 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Alexander disease (AxD) is an intractable neurodegenerative disorder caused by GFAP mutations. It is a primary astrocyte disease with a pathological hallmark of Rosenthal fibres within astrocytes. AxD astrocytes show several abnormal phenotypes. Our previous study showed that AxD astrocytes in model mice exhibit aberrant Ca2+ signals that induce AxD aetiology. Here, we show that microglia have unique phenotypes with morphological and functional alterations, which are related to the pathogenesis of AxD. Immunohistochemical studies of 60TM mice (AxD model) showed that AxD microglia exhibited highly ramified morphology. Functional changes in microglia were assessed by Ca2+ imaging using hippocampal brain slices from Iba1-GCaMP6-60TM mice and two-photon microscopy. We found that AxD microglia showed aberrant Ca2+ signals, with high frequency Ca2+ signals in both the processes and cell bodies. These microglial Ca2+ signals were inhibited by pharmacological blockade or genetic knockdown of P2Y12 receptors but not by tetrodotoxin, indicating that these signals are independent of neuronal activity but dependent on extracellular ATP from non-neuronal cells. Our single-cell RNA sequencing data showed that the expression level of Entpd2, an astrocyte-specific gene encoding the ATP-degrading enzyme NTPDase2, was lower in AxD astrocytes than in wild-type astrocytes. In situ ATP imaging using the adeno-associated virus vector GfaABC1D ATP1.0 showed that exogenously applied ATP was present longer in 60TM mice than in wild-type mice. Thus, the increased ATP level caused by the decrease in its metabolizing enzyme in astrocytes could be responsible for the enhancement of microglial Ca2+ signals. To determine whether these P2Y12 receptor-mediated Ca2+ signals in AxD microglia play a significant role in the pathological mechanism, a P2Y12 receptor antagonist, clopidogrel, was administered. Clopidogrel significantly exacerbated pathological markers in AxD model mice and attenuated the morphological features of microglia, suggesting that microglia play a protective role against AxD pathology via P2Y12 receptors. Taken together, we demonstrated that microglia sense AxD astrocyte dysfunction via P2Y12 receptors as an increase in extracellular ATP and alter their morphology and Ca2+ signalling, thereby protecting against AxD pathology. Although AxD is a primary astrocyte disease, our study may facilitate understanding of the role of microglia as a disease modifier, which may contribute to the clinical diversity of AxD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kozo Saito
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
- GLIA Center, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Eiji Shigetomi
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
- GLIA Center, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Youichi Shinozaki
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
- GLIA Center, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Kenji Kobayashi
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Bijay Parajuli
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
- GLIA Center, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Yuto Kubota
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Kent Sakai
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
- GLIA Center, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Miho Miyakawa
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
- GLIA Center, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Horiuchi
- Division of Homeostatic Development, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Junichi Nabekura
- Division of Homeostatic Development, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Aichi 444-8585, Japan
| | - Schuichi Koizumi
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
- GLIA Center, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi 409-3898, Japan
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26
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Kołacz K, Robaszkiewicz A. PARP1 at the crossroad of cellular senescence and nucleolar processes. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 94:102206. [PMID: 38278370 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Senescent cells that occur in response to telomere shortening, oncogenes, extracellular and intracellular stress factors are characterized by permanent cell cycle arrest, the morphological and structural changes of the cell that include the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and nucleoli rearrangement. The associated DNA lesions induce DNA damage response (DDR), which activates the DNA repair protein - poly-ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1). This protein consumes NAD+ to synthesize ADP-ribose polymer (PAR) on its own protein chain and on other interacting proteins. The involvement of PARP1 in nucleoli processes, such as rRNA transcription and ribosome biogenesis, the maintenance of heterochromatin and nucleoli structure, as well as controlling the crucial DDR protein release from the nucleoli to nucleus, links PARP1 with cellular senescence and nucleoli functioning. In this review we describe and discuss the impact of PARP1-mediated ADP-ribosylation on early cell commitment to senescence with the possible role of senescence-induced PARP1 transcriptional repression and protein degradation on nucleoli structure and function. The cause-effect interplay between PARP1 activation/decline and nucleoli functioning during senescence needs to be studied in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinga Kołacz
- Department of General Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland; Bio-Med-Chem Doctoral School of the University of Lodz and Lodz Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, University of Lodz, Banacha 12 /16, 90-237 Lodz, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Robaszkiewicz
- Department of General Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research (IFBR), 600 5th Street South, St. Petersburgh, FL 33701, USA.
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27
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Fernández-Albarral JA, Ramírez AI, de Hoz R, Matamoros JA, Salobrar-García E, Elvira-Hurtado L, López-Cuenca I, Sánchez-Puebla L, Salazar JJ, Ramírez JM. Glaucoma: from pathogenic mechanisms to retinal glial cell response to damage. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1354569. [PMID: 38333055 PMCID: PMC10850296 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1354569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease of the retina characterized by the irreversible loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) leading to visual loss. Degeneration of RGCs and loss of their axons, as well as damage and remodeling of the lamina cribrosa are the main events in the pathogenesis of glaucoma. Different molecular pathways are involved in RGC death, which are triggered and exacerbated as a consequence of a number of risk factors such as elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), age, ocular biomechanics, or low ocular perfusion pressure. Increased IOP is one of the most important risk factors associated with this pathology and the only one for which treatment is currently available, nevertheless, on many cases the progression of the disease continues, despite IOP control. Thus, the IOP elevation is not the only trigger of glaucomatous damage, showing the evidence that other factors can induce RGCs death in this pathology, would be involved in the advance of glaucomatous neurodegeneration. The underlying mechanisms driving the neurodegenerative process in glaucoma include ischemia/hypoxia, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. In glaucoma, like as other neurodegenerative disorders, the immune system is involved and immunoregulation is conducted mainly by glial cells, microglia, astrocytes, and Müller cells. The increase in IOP produces the activation of glial cells in the retinal tissue. Chronic activation of glial cells in glaucoma may provoke a proinflammatory state at the retinal level inducing blood retinal barrier disruption and RGCs death. The modulation of the immune response in glaucoma as well as the activation of glial cells constitute an interesting new approach in the treatment of glaucoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose A. Fernández-Albarral
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana I. Ramírez
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa de Hoz
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José A. Matamoros
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Elena Salobrar-García
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorena Elvira-Hurtado
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Inés López-Cuenca
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lidia Sánchez-Puebla
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan J. Salazar
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Faculty of Optics and Optometry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José M. Ramírez
- Ramon Castroviejo Ophthalmological Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), Grupo UCM 920105, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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28
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Niu J, Jiao Q, Cui D, Dou R, Guo Y, Yu G, Zhang X, Sun F, Qiu J, Dong L, Cao W. Age-associated cortical similarity networks correlate with cell type-specific transcriptional signatures. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad454. [PMID: 38037843 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad454] [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: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Human brain structure shows heterogeneous patterns of change across adults aging and is associated with cognition. However, the relationship between cortical structural changes during aging and gene transcription signatures remains unclear. Here, using structural magnetic resonance imaging data of two separate cohorts of healthy participants from the Cambridge Centre for Aging and Neuroscience (n = 454, 18-87 years) and Dallas Lifespan Brain Study (n = 304, 20-89 years) and a transcriptome dataset, we investigated the link between cortical morphometric similarity network and brain-wide gene transcription. In two cohorts, we found reproducible morphometric similarity network change patterns of decreased morphological similarity with age in cognitive related areas (mainly located in superior frontal and temporal cortices), and increased morphological similarity in sensorimotor related areas (postcentral and lateral occipital cortices). Changes in morphometric similarity network showed significant spatial correlation with the expression of age-related genes that enriched to synaptic-related biological processes, synaptic abnormalities likely accounting for cognitive decline. Transcription changes in astrocytes, microglia, and neuronal cells interpreted most of the age-related morphometric similarity network changes, which suggest potential intervention and therapeutic targets for cognitive decline. Taken together, by linking gene transcription signatures to cortical morphometric similarity network, our findings might provide molecular and cellular substrates for cortical structural changes related to cognitive decline across adults aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinpeng Niu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271000, China
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Qing Jiao
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271000, China
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Dong Cui
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271000, China
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Ruhai Dou
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271000, China
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Yongxin Guo
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271000, China
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Guanghui Yu
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271000, China
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Xiaotong Zhang
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Fengzhu Sun
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Jianfeng Qiu
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
| | - Li Dong
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Weifang Cao
- Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an 271000, China
- School of Radiology, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Tai'an 271016, China
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29
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Kong Y, Cai Z, Chen S, Ye X, Liu Z. Small molecule probes as versatile energy acceptors: A breakthrough in photoelectrochemical sensing for sulfur dioxide recording in rat brain. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 243:115760. [PMID: 37866324 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115760] [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: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Microelectrode-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensing is a newly developed and promising analytical technique for in vivo analysis. However, the inadequate specificity in complex environment of living bodies restricted its further in vivo application. Herein, we utilized a small molecule probe as the energy acceptor to quench the photocurrent of CdTe quantum dots through energy transfer. The efficiency of energy transfer was modulated by the concentration of target SO2, resulting in changes in photocurrent. The chemical recognition reaction between small molecule probes and SO2 enhanced the specificity of PEC sensing, thus guaranteeing its in vivo applications. Furthermore, with the use of light addressing strategy, simultaneous detection in the multiple brain regions was implemented. The energy transfer based light addressable PEC microsensor achieved monitoring fluctuations of SO2 levels in multiple brain regions of rats with epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Kong
- College of Health Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Zirui Cai
- College of Health Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Shizhen Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Xiaoxue Ye
- College of Health Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China.
| | - Zhihong Liu
- College of Health Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China
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30
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Labarta-Bajo L, Deng J, Contreras M, Allen NJ. Protocol for the purification and transcriptomic analysis of mouse astrocytes using GFAT. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102599. [PMID: 37742178 PMCID: PMC10522990 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102599] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are glial cells of the central nervous system that modulate neuronal function. Here, we present glyoxal-fixed astrocyte nuclei transcriptomics (GFAT), a protocol for the purification and transcriptomic analysis of astrocyte nuclei from the cortex and cerebellum of adult and aged fresh mouse brain. We describe steps for tissue dissection, glyoxal fixation, homogenization, nuclei isolation, antibody staining, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and RT-qPCR or bulk RNA sequencing. GFAT does not require transgenic lines or viral injection and allows parallel astrocyte and neuron profiling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Deng
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Minerva Contreras
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Nicola J Allen
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Hu ZL, Yuan YQ, Tong Z, Liao MQ, Yuan SL, Jian Y, Yang JL, Liu WF. Reexamining the Causes and Effects of Cholesterol Deposition in the Brains of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:6852-6868. [PMID: 37507575 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03529-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: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Numerous studies have shown that imbalances in cholesterol homeostasis in the brains of AD patients precede the onset of clinical symptoms. In addition, cholesterol deposition has been observed in the brains of AD patients even though peripheral cholesterol does not enter the brain through the blood‒brain barrier (BBB). Studies have demonstrated that cholesterol metabolism in the brain is associated with many pathological conditions, such as amyloid beta (Aβ) production, Tau protein phosphorylation, oxidative stress, and inflammation. In 2022, some scholars put forward a new hypothesis of AD: the disease involves lipid invasion and its exacerbation of the abnormal metabolism of cholesterol in the brain. In this review, by discussing the latest research progress, the causes and effects of cholesterol retention in the brains of AD patients are analyzed and discussed. Additionally, the possible mechanism through which AD may be improved by targeting cholesterol is described. Finally, we propose that improving the impairments in cholesterol removal observed in the brains of AD patients, instead of further reducing the already impaired cholesterol synthesis in the brain, may be the key to preventing cholesterol deposition and improving the corresponding pathological symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze-Lin Hu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China
| | - Yang-Qi Yuan
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China
| | - Zhen Tong
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China
| | - Mei-Qing Liao
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China
| | - Shun-Ling Yuan
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China
| | - Ye Jian
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China
| | - Jia-Lun Yang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China
| | - Wen-Feng Liu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Physical Fitness and Sports Rehabilitation, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410012, China.
- Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China.
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Iyer AK, Schoch KM, Verbeck A, Galasso G, Chen H, Smith S, Oldenborg A, Miller TM, Karch CM, Bonni A. Targeted ASO-mediated Atp1a2 knockdown in astrocytes reduces SOD1 aggregation and accelerates disease onset in mutant SOD1 mice. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294731. [PMID: 38015828 PMCID: PMC10683999 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocyte-specific ion pump α2-Na+/K+-ATPase plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we test the effect of Atp1a2 mRNA-specific antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to induce α2-Na+/K+-ATPase knockdown in the widely used ALS animal model, SOD1*G93A mice. Two ASOs led to efficient Atp1a2 knockdown and significantly reduced SOD1 aggregation in vivo. Although Atp1a2 ASO-treated mice displayed no off-target or systemic toxicity, the ASO-treated mice exhibited an accelerated disease onset and shorter lifespan than control mice. Transcriptomics studies reveal downregulation of genes involved in oxidative response, metabolic pathways, trans-synaptic signaling, and upregulation of genes involved in glutamate receptor signaling and complement activation, suggesting a potential role for these molecular pathways in de-coupling SOD1 aggregation from survival in Atp1a2 ASO-treated mice. Together, these results reveal a role for α2-Na+/K+-ATPase in SOD1 aggregation and highlight the critical effect of temporal modulation of genetically validated therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhirami K. Iyer
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Kathleen M. Schoch
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Anthony Verbeck
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Grant Galasso
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Hao Chen
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Sarah Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Anna Oldenborg
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Timothy M. Miller
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Celeste M. Karch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Azad Bonni
- Neuroscience and Rare Diseases, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Centre Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Saibro-Girardi C, Scheibel IM, Santos L, Bittencourt RR, Fröhlich NT, Dos Reis Possa L, Moreira JCF, Gelain DP. Bexarotene drives the self-renewing proliferation of adult neural stem cells, promotes neuron-glial fate shift, and regulates late neuronal differentiation. J Neurochem 2023. [PMID: 37984072 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Treatment with bexarotene, a selective retinoid X receptor (RXR) agonist, significantly improves behavioral dysfunctions in various neurodegenerative animal models. Additionally, it activates neurodevelopmental and plasticity pathways in the brains of adult mice. Our objective was to investigate the impact of RXR activation by bexarotene on adult neural stem cells (aNSC) and their cell lineages. To achieve this, we treated NSCs isolated from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult rat brains from the proliferative stage to the differentiated status. The results showed that bexarotene-treated aNSC exhibited increased BrdU incorporation, SOX2+ dividing cell pairs, and cell migration from neurospheres, revealing that the treatment promotes self-renewing proliferation and cell motility in SVZ-aNCS. Furthermore, bexarotene induced a cell fate shift characterized by a significant increase in GFAP+/S100B+ differentiated astrocytes, which uncovers the participation of activated-RXR in astrogenesis. In the neuronal lineage, the fate shift was counteracted by bexarotene-induced enhancement of NeuN+ nuclei together with neurite network outgrowth, indicating that the RXR agonist stimulates SVZ-aNCS neuronal differentiation at later stages. These findings establish new connections between RXR activation, astro- and neurogenesis in the adult brain, and contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies targeting nuclear receptors for neural repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Saibro-Girardi
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Biotecnologia-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Ingrid Matsubara Scheibel
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Lucas Santos
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Biotecnologia-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Reykla Ramon Bittencourt
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Nicole Taís Fröhlich
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Luana Dos Reis Possa
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - José Claudio Fonseca Moreira
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Biotecnologia-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Daniel Pens Gelain
- Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo, Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (ICBS-UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Biotecnologia-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
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Kim RD, Marchildon AE, Frazel PW, Hasel P, Guo AX, Liddelow SA. Temporal and spatial analysis of astrocytes following stroke identifies novel drivers of reactivity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.12.566710. [PMID: 38014211 PMCID: PMC10680590 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.12.566710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes undergo robust gene expression changes in response to a variety of perturbations, including ischemic injury. How these transitions are affected by time, and how heterogeneous and spatially distinct various reactive astrocyte populations are, remain unclear. To address these questions, we performed spatial transcriptomics as well as single nucleus RNAseq of ∼138,000 mouse forebrain astrocytes at 1, 3, and 14 days after ischemic injury. We observed a widespread and temporally diverse response across many astrocyte subtypes. We identified astrocyte clusters unique in injury, including a transiently proliferative substate that may be BRCA1-dependent. We also found an interferon-responsive population that rapidly expands to the perilesion cortex at 1 day and persists up to 14 days post stroke. These lowly abundant, spatially restricted populations are likely functionally important in post-injury stabilization and resolution. These datasets offer valuable insights into injury-induced reactive astrocyte heterogeneity and can be used to guide functional interrogation of biologically meaningful reactive astrocyte substates to understand their pro- and anti-reparative functions following acute injuries such as stroke.
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Adams JM, Rege SV, Liu AT, Vu NV, Raina S, Kirsher DY, Nguyen AL, Harish R, Szoke B, Leone DP, Czirr E, Braithwaite S, Kerrisk Campbell M. Leukotriene A4 hydrolase inhibition improves age-related cognitive decline via modulation of synaptic function. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadf8764. [PMID: 37976357 PMCID: PMC10656077 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf8764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Leukotrienes, a class of inflammatory bioactive lipids, are well studied in the periphery, but less is known of their importance in the brain. We identified that the enzyme leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) is expressed in healthy mouse neurons, and inhibition of LTA4H in aged mice improves hippocampal dependent memory. Single-cell nuclear RNA sequencing of hippocampal neurons after inhibition reveals major changes to genes important for synaptic organization, structure, and activity. We propose that LTA4H inhibition may act to improve cognition by directly inhibiting the enzymatic activity in neurons, leading to improved synaptic function. In addition, LTA4H plasma levels are increased in both aging and Alzheimer's disease and correlated with cognitive impairment. These results identify a role for LTA4H in the brain, and we propose that LTA4H inhibition may be a promising therapeutic strategy to treat cognitive decline in aging related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M. Adams
- Alkahest Inc., 125 Shoreway Road, Suite D, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA
| | - Sanket V. Rege
- Alkahest Inc., 125 Shoreway Road, Suite D, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA
| | | | - Ninh V. Vu
- Alkahest Inc., 125 Shoreway Road, Suite D, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA
| | - Sharda Raina
- Alkahest Inc., 125 Shoreway Road, Suite D, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA
| | | | - Amy L. Nguyen
- Alkahest Inc., 125 Shoreway Road, Suite D, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA
| | | | - Balazs Szoke
- Alkahest Inc., 125 Shoreway Road, Suite D, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA
| | - Dino P. Leone
- Alkahest Inc., 125 Shoreway Road, Suite D, San Carlos, CA 94070, USA
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Rupareliya VP, Singh AA, Butt AM, A H, Kumar H. The "molecular soldiers" of the CNS: Astrocytes, a comprehensive review on their roles and molecular signatures. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 959:176048. [PMID: 37758010 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176048] [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] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
For a long time, neurons held the position of central players in the nervous system. Since there are far more astrocytes than neurons in the brain, it makes us wonder if these cells just take up space and support the neurons or if they are actively participating in central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis. Now, astrocytes' contribution to CNS physiology is appreciated as they are known to regulate ion and neurotransmitter levels, synapse formation and elimination, blood-brain barrier integrity, immune function, cerebral blood flow, and many more. In many neurological and psychiatric disorders, astrocyte functions are altered. Advancements in microscopic and transcriptomic tools revealed populations of astrocytes with varied morphology, electrophysiological properties, and transcriptomic profiles. Neuron-circuit-specific functions and neuron-specific interactions of astroglial subpopulations are found, which suggests that diversity is essential in carrying out diverse region-specific CNS functions. Investigations on heterogeneous astrocyte populations are revealing new astrocyte functions and their role in pathological conditions, opening a new therapeutic avenue for targeting neurological conditions. The true extent of astrocytic heterogeneity and its functional implications are yet to be fully explored. This review summarizes essential astrocytic functions and their relevance in pathological conditions and discusses astrocytic diversity in relation to morphology, function, and gene expression throughout the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vimal P Rupareliya
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Aditya A Singh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Ayub Mohammed Butt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Hariharan A
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Hemant Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India.
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Schartz ND, Aroor A, Li Y, Pinzón-Hoyos N, Brewster AL. Mice deficient in complement C3 are protected against recognition memory deficits and astrogliosis induced by status epilepticus. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1265944. [PMID: 38035266 PMCID: PMC10682718 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1265944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Status epilepticus (SE) can significantly increase the risk of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and cognitive comorbidities. A potential candidate mechanism underlying memory defects in epilepsy may be the immune complement system. The complement cascade, part of the innate immune system, modulates inflammatory and phagocytosis signaling, and has been shown to contribute to learning and memory dysfunctions in neurodegenerative disorders. We previously reported that complement C3 is elevated in brain biopsies from human drug-resistant epilepsy and in experimental rodent models. We also found that SE-induced increases in hippocampal C3 levels paralleled the development of hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and memory deficits in rats. Thus, we hypothesized that SE-induced C3 activation contributes to this pathophysiology in a mouse model of SE and acquired TLE. Methods In this study C3 knockout (KO) and wild type (WT) mice were subjected to one hour of pilocarpine-induced SE or sham conditions (control; C). Following a latent period of two weeks, recognition memory was assessed utilizing the novel object recognition (NOR) test. Western blotting was utilized to determine the protein levels of C3 in hippocampal lysates. In addition, we assessed the protein levels and distribution of the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Results In the NOR test, control WT + C or C3 KO + C mice spent significantly more time exploring the novel object compared to the familiar object. In contrast, WT+SE mice did not show preference for either object, indicating a memory defect. This deficit was prevented in C3 KO + SE mice, which performed similarly to controls. In addition, we found that SE triggered significant increases in the protein levels of GFAP in hippocampi of WT mice but not in C3 KO mice. Discussion These findings suggest that ablation of C3 prevents SE-induced recognition memory deficits and that a C3-astrocyte interplay may play a role. Therefore, it is possible that enhanced C3 signaling contributes to SE-associated cognitive decline during epileptogenesis and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating cognitive comorbidities in acquired TLE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole D. Schartz
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
- Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Alisha Aroor
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Yibo Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Nicole Pinzón-Hoyos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Amy L. Brewster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States
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Munkhzul C, Yi SS, Kim J, Lee S, Kim H, Moon JS, Lee M. The microRNA-mediated gene regulatory network in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of the aging mouse. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291943. [PMID: 37943864 PMCID: PMC10635555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging leads to time-dependent functional decline of all major organs. In particular, the aging brain is prone to cognitive decline and several neurodegenerative diseases. Various studies have attempted to understand the aging process and underlying molecular mechanisms by monitoring changes in gene expression in the aging mouse brain using high-throughput sequencing techniques. However, the effect of microRNA (miRNA) on the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression has not yet been comprehensively investigated. In this study, we performed global analysis of mRNA and miRNA expression simultaneously in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of young and aged mice. We identified aging-dependent differentially expressed genes, most of which were specific either to the hypothalamus or hippocampus. However, genes related to immune response-related pathways were enriched in upregulated differentially expressed genes, whereas genes related to metabolism-related pathways were enriched in downregulated differentially expressed genes in both regions of the aging brain. Furthermore, we identified many differentially expressed miRNAs, including three that were upregulated and three that were downregulated in both the hypothalamus and hippocampus. The two downregulated miRNAs, miR-322-3p, miR-542-3p, and the upregulated protein-encoding coding gene C4b form a regulatory network involved in complement and coagulation cascade pathways in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of the aging brain. These results advance our understanding of the miRNA-mediated gene regulatory network and its influence on signaling pathways in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of the aging mouse brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choijamts Munkhzul
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
- Department of Integrated Biomedical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Sun Shin Yi
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Medical Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Korea
| | - Junhyung Kim
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
- Department of Integrated Biomedical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Seongsoo Lee
- Gwangju Center, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Gwangju, Korea
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Korea
| | - Hyuntae Kim
- Gwangju Center, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Gwangju, Korea
| | - Jong-Seok Moon
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
- Department of Integrated Biomedical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
| | - Mihye Lee
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-Bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
- Department of Integrated Biomedical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea
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Barnett D, Bohmbach K, Grelot V, Charlet A, Dallérac G, Ju YH, Nagai J, Orr AG. Astrocytes as Drivers and Disruptors of Behavior: New Advances in Basic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targeting. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7463-7471. [PMID: 37940585 PMCID: PMC10634555 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1376-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are emerging as key regulators of cognitive function and behavior. This review highlights some of the latest advances in the understanding of astrocyte roles in different behavioral domains across lifespan and in disease. We address specific molecular and circuit mechanisms by which astrocytes modulate behavior, discuss their functional diversity and versatility, and highlight emerging astrocyte-targeted treatment strategies that might alleviate behavioral and cognitive dysfunction in pathologic conditions. Converging evidence across different model systems and manipulations is revealing that astrocytes regulate behavioral processes in a precise and context-dependent manner. Improved understanding of these astrocytic functions may generate new therapeutic strategies for various conditions with cognitive and behavioral impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Barnett
- Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
| | - Kirsten Bohmbach
- Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Valentin Grelot
- Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Alexandre Charlet
- Institute of Cellular and Integrative Neuroscience, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Glenn Dallérac
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Paris-Saclay University, Paris-Saclay Institute for Neurosciences, Paris, 91400, France
| | - Yeon Ha Ju
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, University of Texas-Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Jun Nagai
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Laboratory for Glia-Neuron Circuit Dynamics, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Anna G Orr
- Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10021
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40
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Das Gupta A, Asan L, John J, Beretta C, Kuner T, Knabbe J. Accurate classification of major brain cell types using in vivo imaging and neural network processing. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002357. [PMID: 37943858 PMCID: PMC10689024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Comprehensive analysis of tissue cell type composition using microscopic techniques has primarily been confined to ex vivo approaches. Here, we introduce NuCLear (Nucleus-instructed tissue composition using deep learning), an approach combining in vivo two-photon imaging of histone 2B-eGFP-labeled cell nuclei with subsequent deep learning-based identification of cell types from structural features of the respective cell nuclei. Using NuCLear, we were able to classify almost all cells per imaging volume in the secondary motor cortex of the mouse brain (0.25 mm3 containing approximately 25,000 cells) and to identify their position in 3D space in a noninvasive manner using only a single label throughout multiple imaging sessions. Twelve weeks after baseline, cell numbers did not change yet astrocytic nuclei significantly decreased in size. NuCLear opens a window to study changes in relative density and location of different cell types in the brains of individual mice over extended time periods, enabling comprehensive studies of changes in cell type composition in physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrita Das Gupta
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Livia Asan
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jennifer John
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carlo Beretta
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Kuner
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Johannes Knabbe
- Department of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of General Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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41
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Rurak GM, Gahelrasoul A, Aguilar-Valles A, Salmaso N. Neonatal estrogen induces male-like expression of astroglial markers of maturation and plasticity in the neocortex of female mice. Brain Res 2023; 1818:148499. [PMID: 37499732 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148499] [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: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Astroglia play a crucial role in various aspects of neurodevelopment including building, maintaining, and modulating neuronal circuits that underly complex behaviours in the neocortex. Telencephalic regions exhibit sex differences in neuronal networks that arise early in development. Astroglia express receptors for gonadal hormones responsible for the organization of sex differences, such as estrogen, placing them in a key position to modulate sex differences in the development of neuronal networks. Astroglial cells express specific proteins related to their morphology, function, and maturation. We have previously shown that P7-P14 is a key transition period for neocortical astroglial maturation and that males reach a mature phenotype earlier than females, at P7. In this study, we investigated whether administration of perinatal estradiol to female mice is sufficient to masculinize astroglial protein and gene expression related to maturation that we previously observed at P7. We found that canonical astroglial markers like glial fibrillary acidic protein and glutamine synthetase are not affected by perinatal estrogen, but markers of astroglial maturation, Vimentin, Aldh1a1, Dio2, and the number of actively dividing astroglia are masculinized by perinatal estradiol administration. These findings suggest that sex differences in neocortical astroglial maturation are at least in-part due to the role of perinatal estrogen. Given the higher prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders in males compared to females and the involvement of astroglia in virtually all neurodevelopmental disorders, further research is needed to determine other contributions to sex differences in neocortical astroglial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Rurak
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| | - A Gahelrasoul
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| | - A Aguilar-Valles
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| | - N Salmaso
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Verkhratsky A, Butt A, Li B, Illes P, Zorec R, Semyanov A, Tang Y, Sofroniew MV. Astrocytes in human central nervous system diseases: a frontier for new therapies. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:396. [PMID: 37828019 PMCID: PMC10570367 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01628-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Astroglia are a broad class of neural parenchymal cells primarily dedicated to homoeostasis and defence of the central nervous system (CNS). Astroglia contribute to the pathophysiology of all neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental to disorder outcome. Pathophysiological changes in astroglia can be primary or secondary and can result in gain or loss of functions. Astroglia respond to external, non-cell autonomous signals associated with any form of CNS pathology by undergoing complex and variable changes in their structure, molecular expression, and function. In addition, internally driven, cell autonomous changes of astroglial innate properties can lead to CNS pathologies. Astroglial pathophysiology is complex, with different pathophysiological cell states and cell phenotypes that are context-specific and vary with disorder, disorder-stage, comorbidities, age, and sex. Here, we classify astroglial pathophysiology into (i) reactive astrogliosis, (ii) astroglial atrophy with loss of function, (iii) astroglial degeneration and death, and (iv) astrocytopathies characterised by aberrant forms that drive disease. We review astroglial pathophysiology across the spectrum of human CNS diseases and disorders, including neurotrauma, stroke, neuroinfection, autoimmune attack and epilepsy, as well as neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, metabolic and neuropsychiatric disorders. Characterising cellular and molecular mechanisms of astroglial pathophysiology represents a new frontier to identify novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- International Joint Research Centre on Purinergic Signalling/School of Health and Rehabilitation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
- Department of Forensic Analytical Toxicology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
- Achucarro Centre for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, LT-01102, Vilnius, Lithuania.
| | - Arthur Butt
- Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Baoman Li
- Department of Forensic Analytical Toxicology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Peter Illes
- International Joint Research Centre on Purinergic Signalling/School of Health and Rehabilitation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Rudolf Boehm Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Leipzig, 04109, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Robert Zorec
- Celica Biomedical, Lab Cell Engineering, Technology Park, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology-Molecular Cell Physiology, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Alexey Semyanov
- Department of Physiology, Jiaxing University College of Medicine, 314033, Jiaxing, China
| | - Yong Tang
- International Joint Research Centre on Purinergic Signalling/School of Health and Rehabilitation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
- Key Laboratory of Acupuncture for Senile Disease (Chengdu University of TCM), Ministry of Education/Acupuncture and Chronobiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China.
| | - Michael V Sofroniew
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Chen R, Routh BN, Gaudet AD, Fonken LK. Circadian Regulation of the Neuroimmune Environment Across the Lifespan: From Brain Development to Aging. J Biol Rhythms 2023; 38:419-446. [PMID: 37357738 PMCID: PMC10475217 DOI: 10.1177/07487304231178950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Circadian clocks confer 24-h periodicity to biological systems, to ultimately maximize energy efficiency and promote survival in a world with regular environmental light cycles. In mammals, circadian rhythms regulate myriad physiological functions, including the immune, endocrine, and central nervous systems. Within the central nervous system, specialized glial cells such as astrocytes and microglia survey and maintain the neuroimmune environment. The contributions of these neuroimmune cells to both homeostatic and pathogenic demands vary greatly across the day. Moreover, the function of these cells changes across the lifespan. In this review, we discuss circadian regulation of the neuroimmune environment across the lifespan, with a focus on microglia and astrocytes. Circadian rhythms emerge in early life concurrent with neuroimmune sculpting of brain circuits and wane late in life alongside increasing immunosenescence and neurodegeneration. Importantly, circadian dysregulation can alter immune function, which may contribute to susceptibility to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we highlight circadian neuroimmune interactions across the lifespan and share evidence that circadian dysregulation within the neuroimmune system may be a critical component in human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruizhuo Chen
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Brandy N. Routh
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Andrew D. Gaudet
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Laura K. Fonken
- Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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Gao MY, Wang JQ, He J, Gao R, Zhang Y, Li X. Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing in Astrocyte Development, Heterogeneity, and Disease. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2023; 43:3449-3464. [PMID: 37552355 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-023-01397-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes are the most plentiful cell type in the central nervous system (CNS) and perform complicated functions in health and disease. It is obvious that different astrocyte subpopulations, or activation states, are relevant with specific genomic programs and functions. In recent years, the emergence of new technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has made substantial advance in the characterization of astrocyte heterogeneity, astrocyte developmental trajectory, and its role in CNS diseases which has had a significant impact on neuroscience. In this review, we present an overview of astrocyte development, heterogeneity, and its essential role in the physiological and pathological environments of the CNS. We focused on the critical role of single-cell sequencing in revealing astrocyte development, heterogeneity, and its role in different CNS diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Yuan Gao
- A National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), The Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jia-Qi Wang
- A National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), The Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jin He
- A National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), The Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Rui Gao
- A National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), The Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- A National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), The Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xing Li
- A National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), The Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China.
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45
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Nissar K, Firdous P, Hussain A, Bashir S, Ahmad Z, Ganai BA. Transcriptomic Downregulation of APOE, Polymorphic Variations of APOE, Diet, Social Isolation, and Co-morbidities as Contributing Factors to Alzheimer's Disease: a Case-Control Study of Kashmiri Population. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:5891-5901. [PMID: 37357229 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03425-5] [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: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, generally affecting elderly people in the age group of above 60-65 years. Amyloid deposition has been found to be a possible cause and a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease. Mutations, variant genotypes, or downregulation that reduce amyloid clearance or accelerate amyloid accumulation can lead to Alzheimer's disease. This study involved clinically confirmed AD patients, age matched controls of similar ethnicity, and patients who had no history of cancer or any other chronic disease. DNA and RNA extractions of samples were done as per Saguna et al. [45] and TRIzol method, respectively. Frequencies of variant genotypes were observed using the RFLP technique, whereas, for expression analysis, qPCR was performed. The association between diet, smoking status, family history, and co-morbidities was calculated using statistical tools. Expression analysis showed downregulation in more than 65% of AD cases. Hypertension and diabetes also had a significant association with AD. Allelic isoforms ε2:ε2 and ε2:ε3 tend to be less frequent among AD cases compared to controls (2.85% vs 26.15% and 11.42% vs 21.43%, respectively). Among individuals (AD cases) with ε2:ε3 and ε2:ε4, 37.5% of the patients were having severe dementia and 62.5% were having mild to moderate dementia, whereas, among individuals with ε3:ε4 and ε4:ε4, 57% were having severe dementia and 43% were having mild to moderate dementia. Besides this, all early-onset Alzheimer's patients were found to have at least one ε4 allele. The percentage of individuals with family history (cases vs controls) was 34.17% vs 3.75%, without family history 64.55% vs 95%. On comparing AD cases against controls for smoking status, the results observed are the following: chain smokers, 12.65% vs 18.75%; moderate smokers, 16.45% vs 6.25%; ex-smokers, 36.70% vs 22.50%; non-smokers, 34.17% vs 52.50%. On comparing dietary habits in AD cases against controls, the results were as follows: individuals with generally fatty diet 26.58% vs 11.25%, with mixed diet 36.70% vs 78.75%, with generally vegetarian diet 34.17% vs 10.00%, data not available 2.53% among AD cases. Family history, dietary habits, genetics, and socioeconomic status are strongly associated with the development of Alzheimer disease. Although family history or genetic makeup cannot be changed, eating habits can be changed quite easily. We simply need to go from a high-fat diet to one that is lower in fat. Regarding socioeconomic status, which includes stress of both kinds, including economic stress, stress brought on by the loss of loved ones through death or separation, and co-morbidities (hypertension and diabetes), all are manageable and even modifiable through counseling, positive behavior, and physical activity like exercise, walking, cycling, and playing games.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamran Nissar
- Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
- Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
- Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Srinagar, India
| | - Parveena Firdous
- Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Arshad Hussain
- Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Srinagar, India
| | - Samirul Bashir
- Dept. of Biotechnology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Zubair Ahmad
- Dept. of Biotechnology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Bashir Ahmad Ganai
- Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India.
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46
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Valenza M, Birolini G, Cattaneo E. The translational potential of cholesterol-based therapies for neurological disease. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:583-598. [PMID: 37644213 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00864-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Cholesterol is an important metabolite and membrane component and is enriched in the brain owing to its role in neuronal maturation and function. In the adult brain, cholesterol is produced locally, predominantly by astrocytes. When cholesterol has been used, recycled and catabolized, the derivatives are excreted across the blood-brain barrier. Abnormalities in any of these steps can lead to neurological dysfunction. Here, we examine how precise interactions between cholesterol production and its use and catabolism in neurons ensures cholesterol homeostasis to support brain function. As an example of a neurological disease associated with cholesterol dyshomeostasis, we summarize evidence from animal models of Huntington disease (HD), which demonstrate a marked reduction in cholesterol biosynthesis with clinically relevant consequences for synaptic activity and cognition. In addition, we examine the relationship between cholesterol loss in the brain and cognitive decline in ageing. We then present emerging therapeutic strategies to restore cholesterol homeostasis, focusing on evidence from HD mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Valenza
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', Milan, Italy.
| | - Giulia Birolini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Cattaneo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
- Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare 'Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi', Milan, Italy.
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Pei H, Yang J, Li W, Luo X, Xu Y, Sun X, Chen Q, Zhao Q, Hou L, Tan G, Ji D. Solanum nigrum Linn.: Advances in anti-cancer activity and mechanism in digestive system tumors. Med Oncol 2023; 40:311. [PMID: 37775552 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02167-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Cancer has currently become a serious public health issue in many countries worldwide, and tumors of the digestive system have attracted an increasing number of researchers' due to their numerous types, high proportion and wide area of occurrence. While tumors of the digestive system suffer from high mortality rates, leading to untimely diagnosis and a poor prognosis, making it necessary to update current treatment approaches such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. This highlights the importance of exploring novel therapeutic ideas and targets. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of clinical use due to its low toxicity and multi-factor targeting of multiple pathways. As a kind of traditional Chinese herb, S. nigrum Linn. is highly regarded for its proven antitumor activity. The aim of this study was to comprehensively recapitulate and analyze the anti-cancer effects and molecular mechanisms of treatment of gastrointestinal tumors with S. nigrum Linn. extracts and related compounds, including classical signaling pathways mediated by them as well as noncoding RNA pathways associated with tumor suppression. Components that have been found to be responsible for the anti-cancer activity of S. nigrum Linn. include solanine, solasonine, solamargine, a-L-rhhamnopyranose, uttroside B, degalactotigonin, glycoprotein, and other compounds. The underlying mechanisms of anti-cancer activity reflected in this study include apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, anti-angiogenesis, suppression of metastasis and invasion, immune escape, and increased sensitivity to radiotherapy. S. nigrum Linn. has great potential in the treatment of tumors of the digestive system, and through further clinical trials and pharmacological mechanisms it has the potential to become a uniform and standardized anti-tumor drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Pei
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Wang Li
- Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xing Luo
- Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yi Xu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xueying Sun
- Department of Molecular Medicine & Pathology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Qian Chen
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Qi Zhao
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Li Hou
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Gang Tan
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Daolin Ji
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China.
- The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Harbin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China.
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Mazumder AG, Julé AM, Sun D. Astrocytes of the optic nerve exhibit a region-specific and temporally distinct response to elevated intraocular pressure. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:68. [PMID: 37759301 PMCID: PMC10523752 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00658-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The optic nerve is an important tissue in glaucoma and the unmyelinated nerve head region remains an important site of many early neurodegenerative changes. In both humans and mice, astrocytes constitute the major glial cell type in the region, and in glaucoma they become reactive, influencing the optic nerve head (ONH) microenvironment and disease outcome. Despite recognizing their importance in the progression of the disease, the reactive response of optic nerve head astrocytes remains poorly understood. METHODS To determine the global reactive response of ONH astrocytes in glaucoma we studied their transcriptional response to an elevation in IOP induced by the microbead occlusion model. To specifically isolate astrocyte mRNA in vivo from complex tissues, we used the ribotag method to genetically tag ribosomes in astrocytes, restricting analysis to astrocytes and enabling purification of astrocyte-associated mRNA throughout the entire cell, including the fine processes, for bulk RNA-sequencing. We also assessed the response of astrocytes in the more distal myelinated optic nerve proper (ONP) as glaucomatous changes manifest differently between the two regions. RESULTS Astrocytes of the optic nerve exhibited a region-specific and temporally distinct response. Surprisingly, ONH astrocytes showed very few early transcriptional changes and ONP astrocytes demonstrated substantially larger changes over the course of the experimental period. Energy metabolism, particularly oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial protein translation emerged as highly upregulated processes in both ONH and ONP astrocytes, with the former showing additional upregulation in antioxidative capacity and proteolysis. Interestingly, optic nerve astrocytes demonstrated a limited neuroinflammatory response, even when challenged with a more severe elevation in IOP. Lastly, there were a greater number of downregulated processes in both astrocyte populations compared to upregulated processes. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate an essential role for energy metabolism in the response of optic nerve astrocytes to elevated IOP, and contrary to expectations, neuroinflammation had a limited overall role. The transcriptional response profile is supportive of the notion that optic nerve astrocytes have a beneficial role in glaucoma. These previously uncharacterized transcriptional response of optic nerve astrocytes to injury reveal their functional diversity and a greater heterogeneity than previously appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpan G Mazumder
- Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Amélie M Julé
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Daniel Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
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Eugenín J, Eugenín-von Bernhardi L, von Bernhardi R. Age-dependent changes on fractalkine forms and their contribution to neurodegenerative diseases. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1249320. [PMID: 37818457 PMCID: PMC10561274 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1249320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The chemokine fractalkine (FKN, CX3CL1), a member of the CX3C subfamily, contributes to neuron-glia interaction and the regulation of microglial cell activation. Fractalkine is expressed by neurons as a membrane-bound protein (mCX3CL1) that can be cleaved by extracellular proteases generating several sCX3CL1 forms. sCX3CL1, containing the chemokine domain, and mCX3CL1 have high affinity by their unique receptor (CX3CR1) which, physiologically, is only found in microglia, a resident immune cell of the CNS. The activation of CX3CR1contributes to survival and maturation of the neural network during development, glutamatergic synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, cognition, neuropathic pain, and inflammatory regulation in the adult brain. Indeed, the various CX3CL1 forms appear in some cases to serve an anti-inflammatory role of microglia, whereas in others, they have a pro-inflammatory role, aggravating neurological disorders. In the last decade, evidence points to the fact that sCX3CL1 and mCX3CL1 exhibit selective and differential effects on their targets. Thus, the balance in their level and activity will impact on neuron-microglia interaction. This review is focused on the description of factors determining the emergence of distinct fractalkine forms, their age-dependent changes, and how they contribute to neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. Changes in the balance among various fractalkine forms may be one of the mechanisms on which converge aging, chronic CNS inflammation, and neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Eugenín
- Facultad de Química y Biología, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, USACH, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Rommy von Bernhardi
- Facultad de Ciencias para el Cuidado de la Salud, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago, Chile
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Mich JK, Sunil S, Johansen N, Martinez RA, Leytze M, Gore BB, Mahoney JT, Ben-Simon Y, Bishaw Y, Brouner K, Campos J, Canfield R, Casper T, Dee N, Egdorf T, Gary A, Gibson S, Goldy J, Groce EL, Hirschstein D, Loftus L, Lusk N, Malone J, Martin NX, Monet D, Omstead V, Opitz-Araya X, Oster A, Pom CA, Potekhina L, Reding M, Rimorin C, Ruiz A, Sedeño-Cortés AE, Shapovalova NV, Taormina M, Taskin N, Tieu M, Valera Cuevas NJ, Weed N, Way S, Yao Z, McMillen DA, Kunst M, McGraw M, Thyagarajan B, Waters J, Bakken TE, Yao S, Smith KA, Svoboda K, Podgorski K, Kojima Y, Horwitz GD, Zeng H, Daigle TL, Lein ES, Tasic B, Ting JT, Levi BP. Enhancer-AAVs allow genetic access to oligodendrocytes and diverse populations of astrocytes across species. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.20.558718. [PMID: 37790503 PMCID: PMC10542530 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.20.558718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Proper brain function requires the assembly and function of diverse populations of neurons and glia. Single cell gene expression studies have mostly focused on characterization of neuronal cell diversity; however, recent studies have revealed substantial diversity of glial cells, particularly astrocytes. To better understand glial cell types and their roles in neurobiology, we built a new suite of adeno-associated viral (AAV)-based genetic tools to enable genetic access to astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. These oligodendrocyte and astrocyte enhancer-AAVs are highly specific (usually > 95% cell type specificity) with variable expression levels, and our astrocyte enhancer-AAVs show multiple distinct expression patterns reflecting the spatial distribution of astrocyte cell types. To provide the best glial-specific functional tools, several enhancer-AAVs were: optimized for higher expression levels, shown to be functional and specific in rat and macaque, shown to maintain specific activity in epilepsy where traditional promoters changed activity, and used to drive functional transgenes in astrocytes including Cre recombinase and acetylcholine-responsive sensor iAChSnFR. The astrocyte-specific iAChSnFR revealed a clear reward-dependent acetylcholine response in astrocytes of the nucleus accumbens during reinforcement learning. Together, this collection of glial enhancer-AAVs will enable characterization of astrocyte and oligodendrocyte populations and their roles across species, disease states, and behavioral epochs.
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