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Ratz-Wirsching V, Habermeyer J, Moceri S, Harrer J, Schmitz C, von Hörsten S. Gene-dosage- and sex-dependent differences in the prodromal-Like phase of the F344tgHD rat model for Huntington disease. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1354977. [PMID: 38384482 PMCID: PMC10879377 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1354977] [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: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
In Huntington disease (HD) the prodromal phase has been increasingly investigated and is currently in focus for early interventional treatments. Also, the influence of sex on disease progression and severity in patients is under discussion, as a sex-specific impact has been reported in transgenic rodent models for HD. To this end, we have been studying these aspects in Sprague Dawley rats transgenic for HD. Here, we took up on the congenic F344tgHD rat model, expressing a fragmented Htt construct with 51 CAG repeats on an inbred F344 rat background and characterized potential sexual dimorphism and gene-dosage effects in rats during the pre-symptomatic phase (1-8 months of age). Our study comprises a longitudinal phenotyping of motor function, emotion and sensorimotor gating, as well as screening of metabolic parameters with classical and automated assays in combination with investigation of molecular HD hallmarks (striatal cell number and volume estimation, appearance of HTT aggregates). Differences between sexes became apparent during middle age, particularly in the motor and sensorimotor domains. Female individuals were generally more active, demonstrated different gait characteristics than males and less anxiolytic-like behavior. Alterations in both the time course and affected behavioral domains varied between male and female F344tgHD rats. First subtle behavioral anomalies were detected in transgenic F344tgHD rats prior to striatal MSN cell loss, revealing a prodromal-like phase in this model. Our findings demonstrate that the congenic F344tgHD rat model shows high face-validity, closely resembling the human disease's temporal progression, while having a relatively low number of CAG repeats, a slowly progressing pathology with a prodromal-like phase and a comparatively subtle phenotype. By differentiating the sexes regarding HD-related changes and characterizing the prodromal-like phase in this model, these findings provide a foundation for future treatment studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Ratz-Wirsching
- Department of Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Preclinical Experimental Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Johanna Habermeyer
- Department of Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Preclinical Experimental Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sandra Moceri
- Department of Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Julia Harrer
- Department of Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christoph Schmitz
- Chair of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stephan von Hörsten
- Department of Experimental Therapy, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Preclinical Experimental Center, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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2
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Zhang G, Zhu C, Chen X, Yan J, Xue D, Wei Z, Chuai G, Liu Q. Systematic Exploration of Optimized Base Editing gRNA Design and Pleiotropic Effects with BExplorer. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2023; 21:1237-1245. [PMID: 35792260 PMCID: PMC11082405 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2022.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Base editing technology is being increasingly applied in genome engineering, but the current strategy for designing guide RNAs (gRNAs) relies substantially on empirical experience rather than a dependable and efficient in silico design. Furthermore, the pleiotropic effect of base editing on disease treatment remains unexplored, which prevents its further clinical usage. Here, we presented BExplorer, an integrated and comprehensive computational pipeline to optimize the design of gRNAs for 26 existing types of base editors in silico. Using BExplorer, we described its results for two types of mainstream base editors, BE3 and ABE7.10, and evaluated the pleiotropic effects of the corresponding base editing loci. BExplorer revealed 524 and 900 editable pathogenic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci in the human genome together with the selected optimized gRNAs for BE3 and ABE7.10, respectively. In addition, the impact of 707 edited pathogenic SNP loci following base editing on 131 diseases was systematically explored by revealing their pleiotropic effects, indicating that base editing should be carefully utilized given the potential pleiotropic effects. Collectively, the systematic exploration of optimized base editing gRNA design and the corresponding pleiotropic effects with BExplorer provides a computational basis for applying base editing in disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gongchen Zhang
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chenyu Zhu
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiaohan Chen
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jifang Yan
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Dongyu Xue
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Zixuan Wei
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Guohui Chuai
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Qi Liu
- Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy and Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Bioinformatics Department, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
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3
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Finger E, Malik R, Bocchetta M, Coleman K, Graff C, Borroni B, Masellis M, Laforce R, Greaves CV, Russell LL, Convery RS, Bouzigues A, Cash DM, Otto M, Synofzik M, Rowe JB, Galimberti D, Tiraboschi P, Bartha R, Shoesmith C, Tartaglia MC, van Swieten JC, Seelaar H, Jiskoo LC, Sorbi S, Butler CR, Gerhard A, Sanchez-Valle R, de Mendonça A, Moreno F, Vandenberghe R, Le Ber I, Levin J, Pasquier F, Santana I, Rohrer JD, Ducharme S. Neurodevelopmental effects of genetic frontotemporal dementia in young adult mutation carriers. Brain 2022; 146:2120-2131. [PMID: 36458975 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
While frontotemporal dementia (frontotemporal dementia) has been considered a neurodegenerative disease that starts in mid-life or later, it is now clearly established that cortical and subcortical volume loss is observed more than a decade prior to symptom onset and progresses with aging. To test the hypothesis that genetic mutations causing frontotemporal dementia have neurodevelopmental consequences, we have examined the youngest adults in the GENFI cohort of pre-symptomatic frontotemporal dementia mutation carriers who are between the ages of 19 and 30y. Structural brain differences and improved performance on some cognitive tests was found for MAPT and GRN mutation carriers relative to familial non-carriers, while smaller volumes were observed in C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers at a mean age of 26y. The detection of such early differences supports potential advantageous neurodevelopmental consequences of some frontotemporal dementia causing genetic mutations. These results have implications for design of therapeutic interventions for frontotemporal dementia. Future studies at younger ages are needed to identify specific early pathophysiologic or compensatory processes in the neurodevelopmental period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Finger
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Rubina Malik
- Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Martina Bocchetta
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kristy Coleman
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Caroline Graff
- Karolinska Institutet, Department NVS, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Stockholm, Sweden
- Unit for Hereditary Dementia, Theme Aging, Karolinska University Hospital-Solna Stockholm Sweden
| | - Barbara Borroni
- Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders, Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Mario Masellis
- Campbell Cognitive Neurology Research Unit, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Robert Laforce
- Clinique Interdisciplinaire de Mémoire, Département des Sciences Neurologiques, CHU de Québec, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Caroline V Greaves
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lucy L Russell
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rhian S Convery
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Arabella Bouzigues
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - David M Cash
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Division Translational Genomics of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research (HIH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - James B Rowe
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and Medical Research Council Cognition and brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniela Galimberti
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Robert Bartha
- Department of Medical Biophysics, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christen Shoesmith
- Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Maria Carmela Tartaglia
- Toronto Western Hospital, Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - John C van Swieten
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer center, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Harro Seelaar
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Lize C Jiskoo
- Department of Neurology and Alzheimer center, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sandro Sorbi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Chris R Butler
- Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alexander Gerhard
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Departments of Geriatric Medicine and Nuclear Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Raquel Sanchez-Valle
- Neurology Department, Hospital Clinic, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Fermin Moreno
- Hospital Universitario Donostia, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Isabelle Le Ber
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Inserm U1127, CNRS UMR 7225, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Centre de référence des démences rares ou précoces, IM2A, Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Département de Neurologie, AP-HP - Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Johannes Levin
- Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich; Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology, Munich, Germany
| | - Florence Pasquier
- Univ Lille, Lille, France
- Inserm 1172, Lille, France
- CHU, CNR-MAJ, Labex Distalz, LiCEND, Lille, France
| | - Isabel Santana
- Neurology Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Simon Ducharme
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Abstract
Between the 1930s and 1950s, scientists developed key principles of population genetics to try and explain the aging process. Almost a century later, these aging theories, including antagonistic pleiotropy and mutation accumulation, have been experimentally validated in animals. Although the theories have been much harder to test in humans despite research dating back to the 1970s, recent research is closing this evidence gap. Here we examine the strength of evidence for antagonistic pleiotropy in humans, one of the leading evolutionary explanations for the retention of genetic risk variation for non-communicable diseases. We discuss the analytical tools and types of data that are used to test for patterns of antagonistic pleiotropy and provide a primer of evolutionary theory on types of selection as a guide for understanding this mechanism and how it may manifest in other diseases. We find an abundance of non-experimental evidence for antagonistic pleiotropy in many diseases. In some cases, several studies have independently found corroborating evidence for this mechanism in the same or related sets of diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies also suggest antagonistic pleiotropy may be involved in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There are also compelling examples of disease risk variants that confer fitness benefits ranging from resistance to other diseases or survival in extreme environments. This provides increasingly strong support for the theory that antagonistic pleiotropic variants have enabled improved fitness but have been traded for higher burden of disease later in life. Future research in this field is required to better understand how this mechanism influences contemporary disease and possible consequences for their treatment.
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Schmeisser K, Parker JA. Pleiotropic Effects of mTOR and Autophagy During Development and Aging. Front Cell Dev Biol 2019; 7:192. [PMID: 31572724 PMCID: PMC6749033 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy as a ubiquitous catabolic process causes degradation of cytoplasmic components and is generally considered to have beneficial effects on health and lifespan. In contrast, inefficient autophagy has been linked with detrimental effects on the organism and various diseases, such as Parkinson's disease. Previous research, however, showed that this paradigm is far from being black and white. For instance, it has been reported that increased levels of autophagy during development can be harmful, but become advantageous in the aging cell or organism, causing enhanced healthspan and even longevity. The antagonistic pleiotropy hypothesis postulates that genes, which control various traits in an organism, can be fitness-promoting in early life, but subsequently trigger aging processes later. Autophagy is controlled by the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), a key player of nutrient sensing and signaling and classic example of a pleiotropic gene. mTOR acts upstream of transcription factors such as FOXO, NRF, and TFEB, controlling protein synthesis, degradation, and cellular growth, thereby regulating fertility as well as aging. Here, we review recent findings about the pleiotropic role of autophagy during development and aging, examine the upstream factors, and contemplate specific mechanisms leading to disease, especially neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Schmeisser
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - J Alex Parker
- Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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6
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Morton AJ, Skillings EA, Wood NI, Zheng Z. Antagonistic pleiotropy in mice carrying a CAG repeat expansion in the range causing Huntington's disease. Sci Rep 2019; 9:37. [PMID: 30631090 PMCID: PMC6328633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37102-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Antagonist pleiotropy, where a gene exerts a beneficial effect at early stages and a deleterious effect later on in an animal’s life, may explain the evolutionary persistence of devastating genetic diseases such as Huntington’s disease (HD). To date, however, there is little direct experimental evidence to support this theory. Here, we studied a transgenic mouse carrying the HD mutation with a repeat of 50 CAGs (R6/2_50) that is within the pathological range of repeats causing adult-onset disease in humans. R6/2_50 mice develop characteristic HD brain aggregate pathology, with aggregates appearing predominantly in the striatum and cortex. However, they show few signs of disease in their lifetime. On the contrary, R6/2_50 mice appear to benefit from carrying the mutation. They have extended lifespans compared to wildtype (WT) mice, and male mice show enhanced fecundity. Furthermore, R6/2_50 mice outperform WT mice on the rotarod and show equal or better performance in the two choice discrimination task than WT mice. This novel mouse line provides direct experimental evidence that, although the HD mutation causes a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, there may be premorbid benefits of carrying the mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Morton
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom.
| | - E A Skillings
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
| | - N I Wood
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
| | - Z Zheng
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
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7
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Golubev A, Hanson AD, Gladyshev VN. A Tale of Two Concepts: Harmonizing the Free Radical and Antagonistic Pleiotropy Theories of Aging. Antioxid Redox Signal 2018; 29:1003-1017. [PMID: 28874059 PMCID: PMC6104246 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2017.7105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE The two foremost concepts of aging are the mechanistic free radical theory (FRT) of how we age and the evolutionary antagonistic pleiotropy theory (APT) of why we age. Both date from the late 1950s. The FRT holds that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the principal contributors to the lifelong cumulative damage suffered by cells, whereas the APT is generally understood as positing that genes that are good for young organisms can take over a population even if they are bad for the old organisms. Recent Advances: Here, we provide a common ground for the two theories by showing how aging can result from the inherent chemical reactivity of many biomolecules, not just ROS, which imposes a fundamental constraint on biological evolution. Chemically reactive metabolites spontaneously modify slowly renewable macromolecules in a continuous way over time; the resulting buildup of damage wrought by the genes coding for enzymes that generate such small molecules eventually masquerades as late-acting pleiotropic effects. In aerobic organisms, ROS are major agents of this damage but they are far from alone. CRITICAL ISSUES Being related to two sides of the same phenomenon, these theories should be compatible. However, the interface between them is obscured by the FRT mistaking a subset of damaging processes for the whole, and the APT mistaking a cumulative quantitative process for a qualitative switch. FUTURE DIRECTIONS The manifestations of ROS-mediated cumulative chemical damage at the population level may include the often-observed negative correlation between fitness and the rate of its decline with increasing age, further linking FRT and APT. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 29, 1003-1017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Golubev
- Department of Carcinogenesis and Oncogerontology, Petrov Research Institute of Oncology, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Andrew D. Hanson
- Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Vadim N. Gladyshev
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow Russia
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Hashimoto M, Ho G, Takamatsu Y, Wada R, Sugama S, Takenouchi T, Masliah E, Waragai M. Possible Role of the Polyglutamine Elongation in Evolution of Amyloid-Related Evolvability. J Huntingtons Dis 2018; 7:297-307. [PMID: 30372687 PMCID: PMC6294593 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-180309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, such as Huntington's disease and the spinocerebellar ataxias, are characterized by the accumulation of elongated polyQ sequences (epolyQ) and mostly occur during midlife. Considering that polyQ disorders have not been selected out in evolution, there might be important physiological functions of epolyQ during development and/or reproduction. In a similar context, the physiological functions of neurodegeneration-associated amyloidogenic proteins (APs), such as β-amyloid in Alzheimer's disease and α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease, remain elusive. In this regard, we recently proposed that evolvability for coping with diverse stressors in the brain, which is beneficial for offspring, might be relevant to the physiological functions of APs. Given analogous properties of APs and epolyQ in terms of neurotoxic amyloid-fibril formation, the objective of this paper is to determine whether evolvability could also be applied to the physiological functions of epolyQ. Indeed, APs and epolyQ are similar in many ways, including functional redundancy of non-amyloidogenic homologues, hormesis conferred by the heterogeneity of the stress-induced protein aggregates, the transgenerational prion-like transmission of the protein aggregates via germ cells, and the antagonistic pleiotropy relationship between evolvability and neurodegenerative disease. Given that epolyQ is widely expressed from microorganisms to human brain, whereas APs are only identified in vertebrates, evolvability of epolyQ is considered to be much more primitive compared to those of APs during evolution. Collectively, epolyQ may be not only be important in the pathophysiology of polyQ diseases, but also in the evolution of amyloid-related evolvability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Hashimoto
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Gilbert Ho
- PCND Neuroscience Research Institute, Poway, CA, USA
| | - Yoshiki Takamatsu
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryoko Wada
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shuei Sugama
- Department of Physiology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takato Takenouchi
- Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Eliezer Masliah
- Division of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Masaaki Waragai
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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Maiti K, Sultana Z, Aitken RJ, Morris J, Park F, Andrew B, Riley SC, Smith R. Evidence that fetal death is associated with placental aging. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2017. [PMID: 28645573 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2017.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The risk of unexplained fetal death or stillbirth increases late in pregnancy, suggesting that placental aging is an etiological factor. Aging is associated with oxidative damage to DNA, RNA, and lipids. We hypothesized that placentas at >41 completed weeks of gestation (late-term) would show changes consistent with aging that would also be present in placentas associated with stillbirths. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine whether placentas from late-term pregnancies and unexplained stillbirth show oxidative damage and other biochemical signs of aging. We also aimed to develop an in vitro term placental explant culture model to test the aging pathways. STUDY DESIGN We collected placentas from women at 37-39 weeks' gestation (early-term and term), late-term, and with unexplained stillbirth. We used immunohistochemistry to compare the 3 groups for: DNA/RNA oxidation (8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine), lysosomal distribution (lysosome-associated membrane protein 2), lipid oxidation (4-hydroxynonenal), and autophagosome size (microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B, LC3B). The expression of aldehyde oxidase 1 was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Using a placental explant culture model, we tested the hypothesis that aldehyde oxidase 1 mediates oxidative damage to lipids in the placenta. RESULTS Placentas from late-term pregnancies show increased aldehyde oxidase 1 expression, oxidation of DNA/RNA and lipid, perinuclear location of lysosomes, and larger autophagosomes compared to placentas from women delivered at 37-39 weeks. Stillbirth-associated placentas showed similar changes in oxidation of DNA/RNA and lipid, lysosomal location, and autophagosome size to placentas from late-term. Placental explants from term deliveries cultured in serum-free medium also showed evidence of oxidation of lipid, perinuclear lysosomes, and larger autophagosomes, changes that were blocked by the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 agonist G1, while the oxidation of lipid was blocked by the aldehyde oxidase 1 inhibitor raloxifene. CONCLUSION Our data are consistent with a role for aldehyde oxidase 1 and G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 in mediating aging of the placenta that may contribute to stillbirth. The placenta is a tractable model of aging in human tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Maiti
- Mothers and Babies Research Center, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia; Priority Research Center in Reproductive Science, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Zakia Sultana
- Mothers and Babies Research Center, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia; Priority Research Center in Reproductive Science, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Robert J Aitken
- Priority Research Center in Reproductive Science, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Jonathan Morris
- Kolling Institute, Royal North Shore Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Felicity Park
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Bronwyn Andrew
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Simon C Riley
- MRC Center for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Roger Smith
- Mothers and Babies Research Center, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia; Priority Research Center in Reproductive Science, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
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10
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Nance MA. Genetic counseling and testing for Huntington's disease: A historical review. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2017; 174:75-92. [PMID: 27174011 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
This manuscript describes the ways in which genetic counseling has evolved since John Pearson and Sheldon Reed first promoted "a genetic education" in the 1950s as a voluntary, non-directive clinical tool for permitting individual decision making. It reviews how the emergence of Huntington's disease (HD) registries and patient support organizations, genetic testing, and the discovery of a disease-causing CAG repeat expansion changed the contours of genetic counseling for families with HD. It also reviews the guidelines, outcomes, ethical and laboratory challenges, and uptake of predictive, prenatal, and preimplantation testing, and it casts a vision for how clinicians can better make use of genetic counseling to reach a broader pool of families that may be affected by HD and to ensure that genetic counseling is associated with the best levels of care. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha A Nance
- Struthers Parkinson's Center, Golden Valley, Minnesota.,Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Carter AJR, Nguyen AQ. Antagonistic pleiotropy as a widespread mechanism for the maintenance of polymorphic disease alleles. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2011; 12:160. [PMID: 22151998 PMCID: PMC3254080 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2350-12-160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2011] [Accepted: 12/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many serious diseases have a genetic basis which, from an evolutionary point of view, should have been selected against, resulting in very low frequencies. The remarkable sustained prevalence of a number of disease-associated alleles is therefore surprising. We believe that antagonistic pleiotropy, when multiple effects of a gene have opposing effects on fitness (e.g., sickle cell disease), may be more widespread than typically considered. We hypothesize that, rather than being an exception to the rule of genetic disorders, antagonistic pleiotropy may be common. METHODS We surveyed the medical literature in order to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to reassess the nature of antagonistic pleiotropy; from being considered an unusual scenario to one that is anticipated. We also used a simple population genetic model to examine the feasibility of antagonistic pleiotropy to act as a mechanism to maintain polymorphism for serious genetic disorders even if the benefits are subtle. RESULTS We identified a number of examples of antagonistic pleiotropy where the deleterious effect, the beneficial effect, and the exact molecular cause have been demonstrated. We also identified putative cases in which there is circumstantial evidence or a strong reason to expect antagonistic pleiotropy in a genetic disorder. The population genetic model demonstrates that alleles with severe deleterious health effects can be maintained at medically relevant frequencies with only minor beneficial pleiotropic effects. CONCLUSION We believe that our identification of several cases of antagonistic pleiotropy, despite the lack of research on this question and the varied natures of the types of these disorders, speaks to both the underappreciated nature of this phenomenon and its potentially fundamental importance. If antagonistic pleiotropy is as common as our research suggests, this may explain why so many serious diseases, even apparently environmentally caused ones, have a genetic component. Furthermore, acceptance of a genome full of antagonistically pleiotropic genetic interactions poses important implications for clinical treatment and disease prevention research, especially genetically based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley JR Carter
- Biology Department, California State University Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
| | - Andrew Q Nguyen
- Biology Department, California State University Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA
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Warby SC, Visscher H, Butland S, Pearson CE, Hayden MR. Response to Falush: a role for cis-element polymorphisms in HD. Am J Hum Genet 2009; 85:942-5. [PMID: 20004773 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2009.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2009] [Revised: 11/02/2009] [Accepted: 11/02/2009] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
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Gene dysregulation in Huntington's disease: REST, microRNAs and beyond. Neuromolecular Med 2009; 11:183-99. [PMID: 19458943 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-009-8063-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2009] [Accepted: 04/17/2009] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an incurable, fatal neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin (Htt) protein. Neuronal death in the striatum-the most obvious manifestation of the disease-is likely to result from widespread dysregulation of gene expression in various brain regions. To date, several potential mechanisms for this have been discovered, including one involving REST (RE1-Silencing Transcription Factor), a master regulator of neuronal genes. Recently, independent studies have demonstrated that post-transcriptional gene regulation by microRNAs is also disrupted in HD. Expression of key neuronal microRNAs-including mir-9/9*, mir-124 and mir-132-is repressed in the brains of human HD patients and mouse models. These changes occur downstream of REST, and are likely to result in major disruption of mRNA regulation and neuronal function. In this study we will discuss these findings and their implications for our understanding of HD. Using updated bioinformatic analysis, we predict 21 new candidate microRNAs in HD. We propose future strategies for unifying large-scale transcriptional and microRNA datasets with the aim of explaining HD aetiology. By way of example, we show how available genomic datasets can be integrated to provide independent, analytical validation for dysregulation of REST and microRNA mir-124 in HD. As a consequence, gene ontology analysis indicates that HD is characterised by a broad-based depression of neural genes in the caudate and motor cortex. Thus, we propose that a combination of REST, microRNAs and possibly other non-coding RNAs profoundly affect the neuronal transcriptome in HD.
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Arora G, Polavarapu N, McDonald JF. Did natural selection for increased cognitive ability in humans lead to an elevated risk of cancer? Med Hypotheses 2009; 73:453-6. [PMID: 19409719 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2009.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2009] [Accepted: 03/14/2009] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Despite the overall genetic similarity that exists between humans and chimpanzees, the species are phenotypically distinct. Among the most notable distinctions are differences in brain size and cognitive abilities. Previous studies have shown that significant differences in gene expression exist between the human and chimpanzee brain. Integration of currently available gene expression data with known metabolic and signaling pathways indicates that the expression of genes involved in the programmed cell death of brain neurons is significantly different between humans and chimpanzees and predictive of a reduced level of neuron apoptosis in the human brain. This pattern of expression is generally maintained in other human organs suggesting that apoptosis is reduced in humans relative to chimpanzees. We propose that a decreased rate of programmed neuron death may have been a consequence of selection for increased cognitive ability in humans. Since reduced apoptotic function is associated with an increased risk of cancer and related diseases, we hypothesize that selection for increased cognitive ability in humans coincidently resulted in an increased risk of cancer and other diseases associated with reduced apoptotic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Arora
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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Albin RL. Comment on Eskenazi et al. Med Hypotheses 2008; 71:151-2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2008.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2008] [Revised: 01/25/2008] [Accepted: 01/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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