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Blum D, Levi S. Targeting excitatory:inhibitory network imbalance in Alzheimer's disease. Brain 2024; 147:1931-1933. [PMID: 38736395 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae146] [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: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
This scientific commentary refers to ‘Seizures exacerbate excitatory: inhibitory imbalance in Alzheimer’s disease and 5XFAD mice’ by Barbour et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awae126).
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Affiliation(s)
- David Blum
- University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR-S1172 Lille Neuroscience & Cognition (LilNCog), F-59000, Lille, France
- Alzheimer and Tauopathies, LabEx DISTALZ, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Sabine Levi
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, Inserm UMR-S 1270, Sorbonne Université, F-75005, Paris, France
- Brain Plasticity Laboratory, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France
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2
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Marinaro G, Bruno L, Pirillo N, Coluccio ML, Nanni M, Malara N, Battista E, Bruno G, De Angelis F, Cancedda L, Di Mascolo D, Gentile F. The role of elasticity on adhesion and clustering of neurons on soft surfaces. Commun Biol 2024; 7:617. [PMID: 38778159 PMCID: PMC11111731 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06329-9] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The question of whether material stiffness enhances cell adhesion and clustering is still open to debate. Results from the literature are seemingly contradictory, with some reports illustrating that adhesion increases with surface stiffness and others suggesting that the performance of a system of cells is curbed by high values of elasticity. To address the role of elasticity as a regulator in neuronal cell adhesion and clustering, we investigated the topological characteristics of networks of neurons on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces - with values of elasticity (E) varying in the 0.55-2.65 MPa range. Results illustrate that, as elasticity increases, the number of neurons adhering on the surface decreases. Notably, the small-world coefficient - a topological measure of networks - also decreases. Numerical simulations and functional multi-calcium imaging experiments further indicated that the activity of neuronal cells on soft surfaces improves for decreasing E. Experimental findings are supported by a mathematical model, that explains adhesion and clustering of cells on soft materials as a function of few parameters - including the Young's modulus and roughness of the material. Overall, results indicate that - in the considered elasticity interval - increasing the compliance of a material improves adhesion, improves clustering, and enhances communication of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Marinaro
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Medicines (CIRM), University of Liège, Quartier Hôpital, 4000, Liège, Belgium
| | - Luigi Bruno
- Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, Italy
| | - Noemi Pirillo
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Maria Laura Coluccio
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Marina Nanni
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Natalia Malara
- Department of Health Science, University of "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Edmondo Battista
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine & Dentistry, University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, 66100, Chieti, Italy
| | - Giulia Bruno
- Plasmon Nanotechnologies, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesco De Angelis
- Plasmon Nanotechnologies, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Laura Cancedda
- Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - Daniele Di Mascolo
- Laboratory of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Italian Institute of Technology, 16163, Genoa, Italy.
- Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Polytechnic University of Bari, 70126, Bari, Italy.
| | - Francesco Gentile
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy.
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Faralli A, Fucà E, Lazzaro G, Menghini D, Vicari S, Costanzo F. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in neurogenetic syndromes: new treatment perspectives for Down syndrome? Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1328963. [PMID: 38456063 PMCID: PMC10917937 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1328963] [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: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
This perspective review aims to explore the potential neurobiological mechanisms involved in the application of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Down syndrome (DS), the leading cause of genetically-based intellectual disability. The neural mechanisms underlying tDCS interventions in genetic disorders, typically characterized by cognitive deficits, are grounded in the concept of brain plasticity. We initially present the neurobiological and functional effects elicited by tDCS applications in enhancing neuroplasticity and in regulating the excitatory/inhibitory balance, both associated with cognitive improvement in the general population. The review begins with evidence on tDCS applications in five neurogenetic disorders, including Rett, Prader-Willi, Phelan-McDermid, and Neurofibromatosis 1 syndromes, as well as DS. Available evidence supports tDCS as a potential intervention tool and underscores the importance of advancing neurobiological research into the mechanisms of tDCS action in these conditions. We then discuss the potential of tDCS as a promising non-invasive strategy to mitigate deficits in plasticity and promote fine-tuning of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in DS, exploring implications for cognitive treatment perspectives in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Faralli
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Fucà
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Lazzaro
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Deny Menghini
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Vicari
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- Life Sciences and Public Health Department, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Floriana Costanzo
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
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Ruiz Munevar M, Rizzi V, Portioli C, Vidossich P, Cao E, Parrinello M, Cancedda L, De Vivo M. Cation Chloride Cotransporter NKCC1 Operates through a Rocking-Bundle Mechanism. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:552-566. [PMID: 38146212 PMCID: PMC10786066 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c10258] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
The sodium, potassium, and chloride cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) plays a key role in tightly regulating ion shuttling across cell membranes. Lately, its aberrant expression and function have been linked to numerous neurological disorders and cancers, making it a novel and highly promising pharmacological target for therapeutic interventions. A better understanding of how NKCC1 dynamically operates would therefore have broad implications for ongoing efforts toward its exploitation as a therapeutic target through its modulation. Based on recent structural data on NKCC1, we reveal conformational motions that are key to its function. Using extensive deep-learning-guided atomistic simulations of NKCC1 models embedded into the membrane, we captured complex dynamical transitions between alternate open conformations of the inner and outer vestibules of the cotransporter and demonstrated that NKCC1 has water-permeable states. We found that these previously undefined conformational transitions occur via a rocking-bundle mechanism characterized by the cooperative angular motion of transmembrane helices (TM) 4 and 9, with the contribution of the extracellular tip of TM 10. We found these motions to be critical in modulating ion transportation and in regulating NKCC1's water transporting capabilities. Specifically, we identified interhelical dynamical contacts between TM 10 and TM 6, which we functionally validated through mutagenesis experiments of 4 new targeted NKCC1 mutants. We conclude showing that those 4 residues are highly conserved in most Na+-dependent cation chloride cotransporters (CCCs), which highlights their critical mechanistic implications, opening the way to new strategies for NKCC1's function modulation and thus to potential drug action on selected CCCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel
José Ruiz Munevar
- Laboratory
of Molecular Modelling & Drug Discovery, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Valerio Rizzi
- Biomolecular
& Pharmaceutical Modelling Group, Université
de Genève, Rue Michel-Servet 1, Geneva CH-1211 4, Switzerland
| | - Corinne Portioli
- Laboratory
of Nanotechnology for Precision Medicine, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
- Laboratory
of Brain Development and Disease, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Pietro Vidossich
- Laboratory
of Molecular Modelling & Drug Discovery, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Erhu Cao
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Utah School
of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-5650, United States
| | - Michele Parrinello
- Laboratory
of Atomistic Simulations, Istituto Italiano
di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Laura Cancedda
- Laboratory
of Brain Development and Disease, Istituto
Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
| | - Marco De Vivo
- Laboratory
of Molecular Modelling & Drug Discovery, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, Genoa 16163, Italy
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Zhang S, Meor Azlan NF, Josiah SS, Zhou J, Zhou X, Jie L, Zhang Y, Dai C, Liang D, Li P, Li Z, Wang Z, Wang Y, Ding K, Wang Y, Zhang J. The role of SLC12A family of cation-chloride cotransporters and drug discovery methodologies. J Pharm Anal 2023; 13:1471-1495. [PMID: 38223443 PMCID: PMC10785268 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2023.09.002] [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: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The solute carrier family 12 (SLC12) of cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) comprises potassium chloride cotransporters (KCCs, e.g. KCC1, KCC2, KCC3, and KCC4)-mediated Cl- extrusion, and sodium potassium chloride cotransporters (N[K]CCs, NKCC1, NKCC2, and NCC)-mediated Cl- loading. The CCCs play vital roles in cell volume regulation and ion homeostasis. Gain-of-function or loss-of-function of these ion transporters can cause diseases in many tissues. In recent years, there have been considerable advances in our understanding of CCCs' control mechanisms in cell volume regulations, with many techniques developed in studying the functions and activities of CCCs. Classic approaches to directly measure CCC activity involve assays that measure the transport of potassium substitutes through the CCCs. These techniques include the ammonium pulse technique, radioactive or nonradioactive rubidium ion uptake-assay, and thallium ion-uptake assay. CCCs' activity can also be indirectly observed by measuring γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity with patch-clamp electrophysiology and intracellular chloride concentration with sensitive microelectrodes, radiotracer 36Cl-, and fluorescent dyes. Other techniques include directly looking at kinase regulatory sites phosphorylation, flame photometry, 22Na+ uptake assay, structural biology, molecular modeling, and high-throughput drug screening. This review summarizes the role of CCCs in genetic disorders and cell volume regulation, current methods applied in studying CCCs biology, and compounds developed that directly or indirectly target the CCCs for disease treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyao Zhang
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 363001, China
| | - Nur Farah Meor Azlan
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Medical School, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
| | - Sunday Solomon Josiah
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Medical School, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
| | - Jing Zhou
- Department of Neurology, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institute of Biological Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiaoxia Zhou
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 363001, China
| | - Lingjun Jie
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 363001, China
| | - Yanhui Zhang
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 363001, China
| | - Cuilian Dai
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 363001, China
| | - Dong Liang
- Aurora Discovery Inc., Foshan, Guangdong, 528300, China
| | - Peifeng Li
- Institute for Translational Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266021, China
| | - Zhengqiu Li
- School of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Research Center of Chemical Kinomics, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yun Wang
- Department of Neurology, Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institute of Biological Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ke Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Research Center of Chemical Kinomics, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 363001, China
| | - Jinwei Zhang
- Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 363001, China
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Medical School, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Research Center of Chemical Kinomics, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
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van van Hugte EJH, Schubert D, Nadif Kasri N. Excitatory/inhibitory balance in epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders: Depolarizing γ-aminobutyric acid as a common mechanism. Epilepsia 2023; 64:1975-1990. [PMID: 37195166 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. Although many factors contribute to epileptogenesis, seizure generation is mostly linked to hyperexcitability due to alterations in excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance. The common hypothesis is that reduced inhibition, increased excitation, or both contribute to the etiology of epilepsy. Increasing evidence shows that this view is oversimplistic, and that increased inhibition through depolarizing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) similarly contributes to epileptogenisis. In early development, GABA signaling is depolarizing, inducing outward Cl- currents due to high intracellular Cl- concentrations. During maturation, the mechanisms of GABA action shift from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing, a critical event during brain development. Altered timing of this shift is associated with both neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsy. Here, we consider the different ways that depolarizing GABA contributes to altered E/I balance and epileptogenesis, and discuss that alterations in depolarizing GABA could be a common denominator underlying seizure generation in neurodevelopmental disorders and epilepsies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline J H van van Hugte
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Epileptology, Academic Centre for Epileptology (ACE) Kempenhaeghe, Heeze, the Netherlands
| | - Dirk Schubert
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Nael Nadif Kasri
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behavior, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Epileptology, Academic Centre for Epileptology (ACE) Kempenhaeghe, Heeze, the Netherlands
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