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Pukale DD, Adkins-Travis K, Aryal SR, Shriver LP, Patti GJ, Leipzig ND. Investigating post-traumatic syringomyelia and local fluid osmoregulation via a rat model. Fluids Barriers CNS 2024; 21:19. [PMID: 38409031 PMCID: PMC10895764 DOI: 10.1186/s12987-024-00514-y] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Syringomyelia (SM) is characterized by the development of fluid-filled cavities, referred to as syrinxes, within the spinal cord tissue. The molecular etiology of SM post-spinal cord injury (SCI) is not well understood and only invasive surgical based treatments are available to treat SM clinically. This study builds upon our previous omics studies and in vitro cellular investigations to further understand local fluid osmoregulation in post-traumatic SM (PTSM) to highlight important pathways for future molecular interventions. METHODS A rat PTSM model consisting of a laminectomy at the C7 to T1 level followed by a parenchymal injection of 2 μL quisqualic acid (QA) and an injection of 5 μL kaolin in the subarachnoid space was utilized 6 weeks after initial surgery, parenchymal fluid and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected, and the osmolality of fluids were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), metabolomics analysis using LC-MS, and mass spectrometry-based imaging (MSI) were performed on injured and laminectomy-only control spinal cords. RESULTS We demonstrated that the osmolality of the local parenchymal fluid encompassing syrinxes was higher compared to control spinal cords after laminectomy, indicating a local osmotic imbalance due to SM injury. Moreover, we also found that parenchymal fluid is more hypertonic than CSF, indicating establishment of a local osmotic gradient in the PTSM injured spinal cord (syrinx site) forcing fluid into the spinal cord parenchyma to form and/or expand syrinxes. IHC results demonstrated upregulation of betaine, ions, water channels/transporters, and enzymes (BGT1, AQP1, AQP4, CHDH) at the syrinx site as compared to caudal and rostral sites to the injury, implying extensive local osmoregulation activities at the syrinx site. Further, metabolomics analysis corroborated alterations in osmolality at the syrinx site by upregulation of small molecule osmolytes including betaine, carnitine, glycerophosphocholine, arginine, creatine, guanidinoacetate, and spermidine. CONCLUSIONS In summary, PTSM results in local osmotic disturbance that propagates at 6 weeks following initial injury. This coincides with and may contribute to syrinx formation/expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipak D Pukale
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Kayla Adkins-Travis
- Departments of Chemistry and Medicine, Center for Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Isotope Tracing, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Siddhartha R Aryal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Leah P Shriver
- Departments of Chemistry and Medicine, Center for Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Isotope Tracing, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Gary J Patti
- Departments of Chemistry and Medicine, Center for Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Isotope Tracing, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Nic D Leipzig
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA.
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Knight LS, Knight TA. Making the case for prophylactic use of betaine to promote brain health in young (15-24 year old) athletes at risk for concussion. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1214976. [PMID: 37811321 PMCID: PMC10556504 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1214976] [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: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Betaine supplementation in the context of human nutrition, athletic performance, and clinical therapy demonstrate that the osmolyte and methyl donor, betaine, is cytoprotective and beneficial to human health. These studies also demonstrate that betaine supplementation in healthy humans is straight-forward with no reported adverse effects. Here, we explore betaine uptake in the central nervous system (CNS) and contribute to evidence that betaine may be uniquely protective to the brain. We specifically describe the therapeutic potential of betaine and explore the potential implications of betaine on inhibition mediated by GABA and glycine neurotransmission. The influence of betaine on neurophysiology complement betaine's role as an osmolyte and metabolite and is consistent with clinical evidence of betaine-mediated improvements to cognitive function (reported in elderly populations) and its anti-convulsant properties. Betaine's therapeutic potential in neurological disorders including epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases combined with benefits of betaine supplementation on athletic performance support the unique application of betaine as a prophylaxis to concussion. As an example, we identify young athletes (15-24 years old), especially females, for prophylactic betaine supplementation to promote brain health and resilience in a cohort at high risk for concussion and for developing Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas A. Knight
- Biology Department, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, United States
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Pukale DD, Lazarenko D, Aryal SR, Khabaz F, Shriver LP, Leipzig ND. Osmotic Contribution of Synthesized Betaine by Choline Dehydrogenase Using In Vivo and In Vitro Models of Post-traumatic Syringomyelia. Cell Mol Bioeng 2023; 16:41-54. [PMID: 36660584 PMCID: PMC9842837 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-022-00749-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Syringomyelia (SM) is a debilitating spinal cord disorder in which a cyst, or syrinx, forms in the spinal cord parenchyma due to congenital and acquired causes. Over time syrinxes expand and elongate, which leads to compressing the neural tissues and a mild to severe range of symptoms. In prior omics studies, significant upregulation of betaine and its synthesis enzyme choline dehydrogenase (CHDH) were reported during syrinx formation/expansion in SM injured spinal cords, but the role of betaine regulation in SM etiology remains unclear. Considering betaine's known osmoprotectant role in biological systems, along with antioxidant and methyl donor activities, this study aimed to better understand osmotic contributions of synthesized betaine by CHDH in response to SM injuries in the spinal cord. Methods A post-traumatic SM (PTSM) rat model and in vitro cellular models using rat astrocytes and HepG2 liver cells were utilized to investigate the role of betaine synthesis by CHDH. Additionally, the osmotic contributions of betaine were evaluated using a combination of experimental as well as simulation approaches. Results In the PTSM injured spinal cord CHDH expression was observed in cells surrounding syrinxes. We next found that rat astrocytes and HepG2 cells were capable of synthesizing betaine via CHDH under osmotic stress in vitro to maintain osmoregulation. Finally, our experimental and simulation approaches showed that betaine was capable of directly increasing meaningful osmotic pressure. Conclusions The findings from this study demonstrate new evidence that CHDH activity in the spinal cord provides locally synthesized betaine for osmoregulation in SM pathophysiology. Supplementary Information The online version of this article contains supplementary material available 10.1007/s12195-022-00749-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipak D. Pukale
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
| | - Daria Lazarenko
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
| | - Siddhartha R. Aryal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
| | - Fardin Khabaz
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
- School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
| | - Leah P. Shriver
- Department of Chemistry, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130 USA
- Department of Medicine, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130 USA
- Center for Metabolomics and Isotope Tracing, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130 USA
| | - Nic D. Leipzig
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 USA
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Xia W, Zong J, Zheng K, Wang Y, Zhang D, Guo S, Sun G. DgCspC gene overexpression improves cotton yield and tolerance to drought and salt stress comparison with wild-type plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:985900. [PMID: 36147229 PMCID: PMC9485673 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.985900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Drought and high salinity are key limiting factors for cotton quality and yield. Therefore, research is increasingly focused on mining effective genes to improve the stress resistance of cotton. Few studies have demonstrated that bacterial Cold shock proteins (Csps) overexpression can enhance plants stress tolerance. Here, we first identified and cloned a gene DgCspC encoding 88 amino acids (aa) with an open reading frame (ORF) of 264 base pairs (bp) from a Deinococcus gobiensis I-0 with high resistance to strong radiation, drought, and high temperature. In this study, heterologous expression of DgCspC promoted cotton growth, as exhibited by larger leaf size and higher plant height than the wild-type plants. Moreover, transgenic cotton lines showed higher tolerance to drought and salts stresses than wild-type plants, as revealed by susceptibility phenotype and physiological indexes. Furthermore, the enhanced stresses tolerance was attributed to high capacity of cellular osmotic regulation and ROS scavenging resulted from DgCspC expression modulating relative genes upregulated to cause proline and betaine accumulation. Meanwhile, photosynthetic efficiency and yield were significantly higher in the transgenic cotton than in the wild-type control under field conditions. This study provides a newly effective gene resource to cultivate new cotton varieties with high stresses resistance and yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwen Xia
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- Hainan Yazhou Bay Seed Lab, Sanya, China
| | - Jiahang Zong
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China
| | - Kai Zheng
- College of Agriculture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dongling Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Sandui Guo
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guoqing Sun
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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Pukale DD, Farrag M, Leipzig ND. Detection of locomotion deficit in a post-traumatic syringomyelia rat model using automated gait analysis technique. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252559. [PMID: 34762669 PMCID: PMC8584658 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Syringomyelia (SM) is a spinal cord disorder in which a cyst (syrinx) filled with fluid forms in the spinal cord post-injury/disease, in patients syrinx symptoms include loss of pain and temperature sensation or locomotion deficit. Currently, there are no small animal models and connected tools to help study the functional impacts of SM. The objective of this study was to determine the detectability of subtle locomotion deficits due to syrinx formation/expansion in post-traumatic syringomyelia (PTSM) rat model using the recently reported method of Gait Analysis Instrumentation, and Technology Optimized for Rodents (GAITOR) with Automated Gait Analysis Through Hues and Areas (AGATHA) technique. First videos of the rats were collected while walking in an arena (using GAITOR) followed by extracting meaningful locomotion information from collected videos using AGATHA protocol. PTSM injured rats demonstrated detectable locomotion deficits in terms of duty factor imbalance, paw placement accuracy, step contact width, stride length, and phase dispersion parameters compared to uninjured rats due to SM. We concluded that this technique could detect mild and subtle locomotion deficits associated with PTSM injury, which also in future work could be used further to monitor locomotion responses after different treatment strategies for SM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipak D. Pukale
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Mahmoud Farrag
- Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Nic D. Leipzig
- Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States of America
- Integrated Bioscience Program, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States of America
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