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Liu MQ, Xue C, Li XH, Ding HQ, Zhang MY, Chen K, Li Y, Gao SZ, Xu XJ, Zhang WN. Mutation of the attractin gene impairs working memory in rats. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e2876. [PMID: 36621889 PMCID: PMC9927853 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Attractin (ATRN) is a widely expressed member of the cell adhesion and guidance protein family in humans that is closely related to cellular immunity and neurodevelopment. However, while previous studies in our laboratory have confirmed the effect of ATRN mutations on long-term memory, its specific role and the molecular mechanism by which it influences spatial cognition are poorly understood. METHODS This study aimed to examine the effect of ATRN mutations on working memory in water maze with a novel ATRN-mutant rat generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 system; the mutation involved the substitution of the 505th amino acid, glycine (G), with cysteine (C), namely, a mutation from GGC to TGC. The changes in myelin basic protein (MBP) expression in rats were also analyzed with the western blot. RESULTS The ATRN-G505C(KI/KI) rats exhibited significant increases in the required latency and distance traveled to locate the escape platform in a Morris water maze test of working memory. In addition, the expression of MBP was reduced in ATRN-mutant rats, as shown in the western blot analysis. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that ATRN gene mutations may directly lead to the impairment of working memory in the water maze; this impairment may be due to the inhibition of MBP expression, which in turn affects the spatial cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Qi Liu
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China
| | - Cheng Xue
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Changzhou Second People's Hospital affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, P. R. China
| | - Xiao-Hui Li
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Xiangyang First People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, P. R. China
| | - Hong-Qun Ding
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China
| | - Meng-Yu Zhang
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China
| | - Kai Chen
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China
| | - Ying Li
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China
| | - Shu-Zhan Gao
- Department of Psychiatry, the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Xi-Jia Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Ning Zhang
- School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China
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Azouz A, Duke-Cohan JS. Post-developmental extracellular proteoglycan maintenance in attractin-deficient mice. BMC Res Notes 2020; 13:301. [PMID: 32580758 PMCID: PMC7313179 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-020-05130-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Neurodegeneration and hair pigmentation alterations in mice occur consequent to aberrations at the Atrn locus coding for the transmembrane form of attractin. Earlier results pointed to a possible involvement in intracellular trafficking/export of secretory vesicles containing proteoglycan. Here we examined kidney and liver, both heavily dependent upon proteoglycan, of attractin-deficient mice to determine whether abnormalities were observed in these tissues. Results Histological and histochemical analysis to detect glycosylated protein identified a severe loss in attractin-deficient mice of extracellular proteoglycan between kidney tubules in addition to a loss of glycosylated material within the intratubular brush border. In the liver, extracellular matrix material was significantly depleted between hepatocytes together with swollen sinuses and aberrations in the proteoglycan-dependent space of Disse. These results are consistent with a generalized defect in extracellular proteoglycan deposition in Atrn-mutant mice and support previous reports suggesting a role for attractin in the secretory vesicle pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdallah Azouz
- Department of Pathology, Regional One Health, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jonathan S Duke-Cohan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, JF517, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Li J, Yang J, Cheng D, Shen SL, Xiong CL. New clues to identify proteins correlated with Attractin. Andrologia 2013; 46:796-804. [PMID: 23998293 DOI: 10.1111/and.12151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J. Li
- Reproductive Medical Center; Renmin hospital of Wuhan University; Wuhan China
- Family Planning Research Institute; Tongji Medical College; Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Wuhan China
| | - J. Yang
- Reproductive Medical Center; Renmin hospital of Wuhan University; Wuhan China
| | - D. Cheng
- Reproductive Medical Center; Renmin hospital of Wuhan University; Wuhan China
- Family Planning Research Institute; Tongji Medical College; Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Wuhan China
| | - S.-L. Shen
- Department of Pathology; Kindstar Global; Wuhan China
| | - C.-L. Xiong
- Family Planning Research Institute; Tongji Medical College; Huazhong University of Science and Technology; Wuhan China
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Abstract
While the conversion of the normal form of prion protein to a conformationally distinct pathogenic form is recognized to be the primary cause of prion disease, it is not clear how this leads to spongiform change, neuronal dysfunction and death. Mahogunin ring finger-1 (Mgrn1) and Attractin (Atrn) null mutant mice accumulate vacuoles throughout the brain that appear very similar to those associated with prion disease, but they do not accumulate the protease-resistant scrapie form of the prion protein or become sick. A study demonstrating an interaction between cytosolically-exposed prion protein and MGRN1 suggested that disruption of MGRN1 function may contribute to prion disease pathogenesis, but we recently showed that neither loss of MGRN1 nor MGRN1 overexpression influences the onset or progression of prion disease following intracerebral inoculation with Rocky Mountain Laboratory prions. Here, we show that loss of ATRN also has no effect on prion disease onset or progression and discuss possible mechanisms that could cause vacuolation of the central nervous system in Mgrn1 and Atrn null mutant mice and whether the same pathways might contribute to this intriguing phenotype in prion disease.
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Silvius D, Pitstick R, Ahn M, Meishery D, Oehler A, Barsh GS, DeArmond SJ, Carlson GA, Gunn TM. Levels of the Mahogunin Ring Finger 1 E3 ubiquitin ligase do not influence prion disease. PLoS One 2013; 8:e55575. [PMID: 23383230 PMCID: PMC3559536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2012] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are rare but invariably fatal neurodegenerative disorders. They are associated with spongiform encephalopathy, a histopathology characterized by the presence of large, membrane-bound vacuolar structures in the neuropil of the brain. While the primary cause is recognized as conversion of the normal form of prion protein (PrPC) to a conformationally distinct, pathogenic form (PrPSc), the cellular pathways and mechanisms that lead to spongiform change, neuronal dysfunction and death are not known. Mice lacking the Mahogunin Ring Finger 1 (MGRN1) E3 ubiquitin ligase develop spongiform encephalopathy by 9 months of age but do not become ill. In cell culture, PrP aberrantly present in the cytosol was reported to interact with and sequester MGRN1. This caused endo-lysosomal trafficking defects similar to those observed when Mgrn1 expression is knocked down, implicating disrupted MGRN1-dependent trafficking in the pathogenesis of prion disease. As these defects were rescued by over-expression of MGRN1, we investigated whether reduced or elevated Mgrn1 expression influences the onset, progression or pathology of disease in mice inoculated with PrPSc. No differences were observed, indicating that disruption of MGRN1-dependent pathways does not play a significant role in the pathogenesis of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Silvius
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, United States of America
| | - Rose Pitstick
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, United States of America
| | - Misol Ahn
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Delisha Meishery
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, United States of America
| | - Abby Oehler
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Gregory S. Barsh
- Departments of Genetics and Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Stephen J. DeArmond
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - George A. Carlson
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, United States of America
| | - Teresa M. Gunn
- McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Overton JD, Leibel RL. Mahoganoid and mahogany mutations rectify the obesity of the yellow mouse by effects on endosomal traffic of MC4R protein. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:18914-29. [PMID: 21460229 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.224592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitous overexpression of agouti-signaling protein (ASP), a paracrine-signaling molecule that regulates pigment-type switching in the hair follicle of the mouse, is responsible for the obesity and yellow pelage of the Yellow mouse (A(y)). Mahogany (Attractin, Atrn/mg) and mahoganoid (Mahogunin Ring Finger-1, Mgrn1/md) are mutations epistatic to A(y). These mutations have been described as suppressors of ASP action, blocking its antagonizing effects on the melanocortin 1 and 4 receptors (MC1R and MC4R) in the skin and the brain, respectively, via unknown mechanisms. Here, we describe the molecular bases for the md- and mg-dependent rescue of the A(y) phenotype at the MC4R. We show that overexpression of ASP inhibits the rise in cAMP levels in response to α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, an MC4R agonist, by blocking ligand binding and by directing MC4R trafficking to the lysosome. Loss-of-function of either attractin or MGRN1 blocks ASP-dependent MC4R degradation and promotes increased trafficking of internalized MC4R to the cell surface, but it does not restore α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-dependent cAMP signaling. We propose that MGRN1 and attractin are components of an evolutionarily conserved receptor trafficking pathway and that the md and mg mutations rescue the A(y) phenotypes by a primarily cAMP-independent mechanism promoting trafficking of MC4R and likely MC1R away from the lysosome toward the cell surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Overton
- Division of Molecular Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and the Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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Walker WP, Gunn TM. Shades of meaning: the pigment-type switching system as a tool for discovery. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2010; 23:485-95. [PMID: 20465596 DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-148x.2010.00721.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The pigment-type switching system, which controls whether melanocytes produce black/brown eumelanin or yellow/red pheomelanin, is responsible for many familiar coat coloration patterns in both domestic and wild mammals. In conjunction with the accessory proteins attractin and mahogunin ring finger 1, endogenous agonists and antagonists modulate signaling by the melanocortin 1 receptor to determine pigment type. Mutations in pigment-type switching genes can cause a variety of pleiotropic phenotypes, and these are often similar between mutants at different loci because the proteins encoded by these genes act together as part of conserved molecular pathways that are deployed in multiple biological contexts. When this is the case, pigment-type switching provides a powerful model system for elucidating the shared molecular mechanisms underlying the pigmentary and non-pigmentary phenotypes. This review outlines the current understanding of the pigment-type switching pathway and discusses the opportunities that exist for exploring the molecular basis of pleiotropic phenotypes using this model system.
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Abstract
Iron seems to be an essential factor in myelination and oligodendrocyte (OLGc) biology. However, the specific role of iron in these processes remains to be elucidated. Iron deficiency (ID) imposed to developing rats has been a relevant model to understand the role of iron in oligodendrogenesis and myelination. During early development ID causes specific changes in myelin composition, including a lower relative content of cholesterol, proteolipid protein (PLP), and myelin basic protein 21 (MBP21). These changes could be a consequence of the adverse effects of ID on OLGc development and function. We subsenquently studied the possible corrective effect of a single intracranial injection (ICI) of apotransferrin (aTf) on myelin formation in ID rats OLGc migration and differentiation after an ICI of aTf was evaluated at 3 days of age. ID increased the number of proliferating and undifferentiated cells in the corpus callosum (CC), while a single aTf injection reverts these effects, increasing the number of mature cells and myelin formation. Overall, results of a series of studies supports the concept that iron may affect OLGc development at early stages of embryogenesis rather than during late development. Myelin composition is altered by a limited iron supply, changes that can be reverted by a single injection of aTf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Elvira Badaracco
- Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Departamento de Química Biológica, Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológica (IQUIFIB), UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Li J, Wang S, Huang S, Cheng D, Shen S, Xiong C. Attractin gene deficiency contributes to testis vacuolization and sperm dysfunction in male mice. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 29:750-4. [DOI: 10.1007/s11596-009-0616-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2009] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Badaracco ME, Ortiz EH, Soto EF, Connor J, Pasquini JM. Effect of transferrin on hypomyelination induced by iron deficiency. J Neurosci Res 2009; 86:2663-73. [PMID: 18459135 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.21709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
We have used a model of iron deficiency in the rat to analyze the effects of a disruption in iron availability on oligodendroglial cell (OLGc) maturation and myelinogenesis and to explore the possible beneficial influence of an intracranial injection (ICI) of apotransferrin (aTf) at 3 days of age on this process. Studies carried out on postnatal days 17 and 24 showed that iron deficiency produced a decrease in myelin proteins and lipids at 24 days of age. Immunohistochemistry showed that in untreated iron-deficient (ID) rats, the immunoreactivity of anti-adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and anti-MBP antibodies decreased markedly with reference to normal controls, whereas in ID rats treated with an ICI of aTf, the immunoreactivity of these markers increased. A similar situation occurred with the immunoreactivity of H-ferritin. In primary OLGc cultures from ID rats, there was a high number of cells positive to the antibody against the polysialylated form of the cell surface glycoprotein NCAM (PSA-NCAM) compared with in OLGc cultures prepared from normal controls or from ID animals treated with aTf. The number of MBP+ cells in cultures from ID rats increased after treatment with aTf. The presence of lipid rafts evaluated with a specific anti-protein prion cellular (PrPc) antibody showed a smaller number of PrPc-positive structures in ID rat cultures. Treatment of the ID animals with a single ICI of aTf stimulated myelination, producing a significant correction in the different biochemical parameters affected by ID.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Badaracco
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológica (IQUIFIB) UBA-CONICET and Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Cota CD, Liu RR, Sumberac TM, Jung S, Vencato D, Millet YH, Gunn TM. Genetic and phenotypic studies of the dark-like mutant mouse. Genesis 2008; 46:562-73. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Sakakibara SI, Nakadate K, Ookawara S, Ueda S. Non-cell autonomous impairment of oligodendrocyte differentiation precedes CNS degeneration in the Zitter rat: implications of macrophage/microglial activation in the pathogenesis. BMC Neurosci 2008; 9:35. [PMID: 18394170 PMCID: PMC2323389 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-9-35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2007] [Accepted: 04/05/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The zitter (zi/zi) rat, a loss-of-function mutant of the glycosylated transmembrane protein attractin (atrn), exhibits widespread age-dependent spongiform degeneration, hypomyelination, and abnormal metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain. To date, the mechanisms underlying these phenotypes have remained unclear. RESULTS Here, we show differentiation defects in zi/zi oligodendrocytes, accompanied by aberrant extension of cell-processes and hypomyelination. Axonal bundles were relatively preserved during postnatal development. With increasing in age, the injured oligodendrocytes in zi/zi rats become pathological, as evidenced by the accumulation of iron in their cell bodies. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that atrn expression was absent from an oligodendrocyte lineage, including A2B5-positive progenitors and CNPase-positive differentiated cells. The number and distribution of Olig2-positive oligodendrocyte progenitors was unchanged in the zi/zi brain. Furthermore, an in vitro differentiation assay of cultured oligodendrocyte progenitors prepared from zi/zi brains revealed their normal competence for proliferation and differentiation into mature oligodendrocytes. Interestingly, we demonstrated the accelerated recruitment of ED1-positive macrophages/microglia to the developing zi/zi brain parenchyma prior to the onset of hypomyelination. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed a significant up-regulation of CD26 and IL1-beta in the zi/zi brain during this early postnatal stage. CONCLUSION We demonstrated that the onset of the impairment of oligodendrocyte differentiation occurs in a non-cell autonomous manner in zi/zi rats. Hypomyelination of oligodendrocytes was not due to a failure of the intrinsic program of oligodendrocytes, but rather, was caused by extrinsic factors that interrupt oligodendrocyte development. It is likely that macrophage/microglial activation in the zi/zi CNS leads to disturbances in oligodendrocyte differentiation via deleterious extrinsic factors, such as the cytokine IL1-beta or ROS. Atrn might be involved in the activation of brain macrophages/microglia by suppressing excessive migration of monocytes into the CNS, or by accelerating the transformation of brain monocytes into resting microglia. Understanding the pathogenesis of the zi/zi rat may provide novel insights into the developmental interaction betweens macrophages/microglia and cells of an oligodendrocyte lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-ichi Sakakibara
- Department of Histology and Neurobiology, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
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Walker WP, Aradhya S, Hu CL, Shen S, Zhang W, Azarani A, Lu X, Barsh GS, Gunn TM. Genetic analysis of attractin homologs. Genesis 2008; 45:744-56. [PMID: 18064672 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Attractin (ATRN) and Attractin-like 1 (ATRNL1) are highly similar type I transmembrane proteins. Atrn null mutant mice have a pleiotropic phenotype including dark fur, juvenile-onset spongiform neurodegeneration, hypomyelination, tremor, and reduced body weight and adiposity, implicating ATRN in numerous biological processes. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that Atrn and Atrnl1 arose from a common ancestral gene early in vertebrate evolution. To investigate the genetics of the ATRN system and explore potential redundancy between Atrn and Atrnl1, we generated and characterized Atrnl1 loss- and gain-of-function mutations in mice. Atrnl1 mutant mice were grossly normal with no alterations of pigmentation, central nervous system pathology or body weight. Atrn null mutant mice carrying a beta-actin promoter-driven Atrnl1 transgene had normal, agouti-banded hairs and significantly delayed onset of spongiform neurodegeneration, indicating that over-expression of ATRNL1 compensates for loss of ATRN. Thus, the two genes are redundant from the perspective of gain-of-function but not loss-of-function mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will P Walker
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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Izawa T, Takenaka S, Ihara H, Kotani T, Yamate J, Franklin RJ, Kuwamura M. Cellular responses in the spinal cord during development of hypomyelination in the mv rat. Brain Res 2008; 1195:120-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2007] [Revised: 12/10/2007] [Accepted: 12/12/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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