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Mäki-Marttunen T, Blackwell KT, Akkouh I, Shadrin A, Valstad M, Elvsåshagen T, Linne ML, Djurovic S, Einevoll GT, Andreassen OA. Genetic mechanisms for impaired synaptic plasticity in schizophrenia revealed by computational modeling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2312511121. [PMID: 39141354 PMCID: PMC11348150 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312511121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia phenotypes are suggestive of impaired cortical plasticity in the disease, but the mechanisms of these deficits are unknown. Genomic association studies have implicated a large number of genes that regulate neuromodulation and plasticity, indicating that the plasticity deficits have a genetic origin. Here, we used biochemically detailed computational modeling of postsynaptic plasticity to investigate how schizophrenia-associated genes regulate long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD). We combined our model with data from postmortem RNA expression studies (CommonMind gene-expression datasets) to assess the consequences of altered expression of plasticity-regulating genes for the amplitude of LTP and LTD. Our results show that the expression alterations observed post mortem, especially those in the anterior cingulate cortex, lead to impaired protein kinase A (PKA)-pathway-mediated LTP in synapses containing GluR1 receptors. We validated these findings using a genotyped electroencephalogram (EEG) dataset where polygenic risk scores for synaptic and ion channel-encoding genes as well as modulation of visual evoked potentials were determined for 286 healthy controls. Our results provide a possible genetic mechanism for plasticity impairments in schizophrenia, which can lead to improved understanding and, ultimately, treatment of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuomo Mäki-Marttunen
- Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere33720, Finland
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo0371, Norway
| | - Kim T. Blackwell
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA52242
| | - Ibrahim Akkouh
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
| | - Alexey Shadrin
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
| | - Mathias Valstad
- Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo0456, Norway
| | - Torbjørn Elvsåshagen
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
- Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
| | - Marja-Leena Linne
- Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere33720, Finland
| | - Srdjan Djurovic
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
| | - Gaute T. Einevoll
- Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås1433, Norway
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo0316, Norway
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo0450, Norway
- Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research (NORMENT), Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo0450, Norway
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Dear R, Wagstyl K, Seidlitz J, Markello RD, Arnatkevičiūtė A, Anderson KM, Bethlehem RAI, Raznahan A, Bullmore ET, Vértes PE. Cortical gene expression architecture links healthy neurodevelopment to the imaging, transcriptomics and genetics of autism and schizophrenia. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:1075-1086. [PMID: 38649755 PMCID: PMC11156586 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01624-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Human brain organization involves the coordinated expression of thousands of genes. For example, the first principal component (C1) of cortical transcription identifies a hierarchy from sensorimotor to association regions. In this study, optimized processing of the Allen Human Brain Atlas revealed two new components of cortical gene expression architecture, C2 and C3, which are distinctively enriched for neuronal, metabolic and immune processes, specific cell types and cytoarchitectonics, and genetic variants associated with intelligence. Using additional datasets (PsychENCODE, Allen Cell Atlas and BrainSpan), we found that C1-C3 represent generalizable transcriptional programs that are coordinated within cells and differentially phased during fetal and postnatal development. Autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia were specifically associated with C1/C2 and C3, respectively, across neuroimaging, differential expression and genome-wide association studies. Evidence converged especially in support of C3 as a normative transcriptional program for adolescent brain development, which can lead to atypical supragranular cortical connectivity in people at high genetic risk for schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Dear
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | | | - Jakob Seidlitz
- Lifespan Brain Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ross D Markello
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Aurina Arnatkevičiūtė
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | | | - Armin Raznahan
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Petra E Vértes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Burrack N, Yitzhaky A, Mizrahi L, Wang M, Stern S, Hertzberg L. Altered Expression of PDE4 Genes in Schizophrenia: Insights from a Brain and Blood Sample Meta-Analysis and iPSC-Derived Neurons. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:609. [PMID: 38790238 PMCID: PMC11121586 DOI: 10.3390/genes15050609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia symptomatology includes negative symptoms and cognitive impairment. Several studies have linked schizophrenia with the PDE4 family of enzymes due to their genetic association and function in cognitive processes such as long-term potentiation. We conducted a systematic gene expression meta-analysis of four PDE4 genes (PDE4A-D) in 10 brain sample datasets (437 samples) and three blood sample datasets (300 samples). Subsequently, we measured mRNA levels in iPSC-derived hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons generated from fibroblasts of three groups: healthy controls, healthy monozygotic twins (MZ), and their MZ siblings with schizophrenia. We found downregulation of PDE4B in brain tissues, further validated by independent data of the CommonMind consortium (515 samples). Interestingly, the downregulation signal was present in a subgroup of the patients, while the others showed no differential expression or even upregulation. Notably, PDE4A, PDE4B, and PDE4D exhibited upregulation in iPSC-derived neurons compared to healthy controls, whereas in blood samples, PDE4B was found to be upregulated while PDE4A was downregulated. While the precise mechanism and direction of altered PDE4 expression necessitate further investigation, the observed multilevel differential expression across the brain, blood, and iPSC-derived neurons compellingly suggests the involvement of PDE4 genes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitzan Burrack
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel;
- Clinical Research Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva 84101, Israel
| | - Assif Yitzhaky
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Liron Mizrahi
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3103301, Israel
| | - Meiyan Wang
- Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Shani Stern
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3103301, Israel
| | - Libi Hertzberg
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
- Shalvata Mental Health Center, Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, 13 Aliat Hanoar St., Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel
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Qu Y, Lim JJY, An O, Yang H, Toh YC, Chua JJE. FEZ1 participates in human embryonic brain development by modulating neuronal progenitor subpopulation specification and migrations. iScience 2023; 26:108497. [PMID: 38213789 PMCID: PMC10783620 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the human fasciculation and elongation protein zeta 1 (FEZ1) gene are found in schizophrenia and Jacobsen syndrome patients. Here, using human cerebral organoids (hCOs), we show that FEZ1 expression is turned on early during brain development and is detectable in both neuroprogenitor subtypes and immature neurons. FEZ1 deletion disrupts expression of neuronal and synaptic development genes. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we detected abnormal expansion of homeodomain-only protein homeobox (HOPX)- outer radial glia (oRG), concurrent with a reduction of HOPX+ oRG, in FEZ1-null hCOs. HOPX- oRGs show higher cell mobility as compared to HOPX+ oRGs. Ectopic localization of neuroprogenitors to the outer layer is seen in FEZ1-null hCOs. Anomalous encroachment of TBR2+ intermediate progenitors into CTIP2+ deep layer neurons further indicated abnormalities in cortical layer formation these hCOs. Collectively, our findings highlight the involvement of FEZ1 in early cortical brain development and how it contributes to neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinghua Qu
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
| | - Jonathan Jun-Yong Lim
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- Healthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- LSI Neurobiology Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
| | - Omer An
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Henry Yang
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Yi-Chin Toh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
- Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia
| | - John Jia En Chua
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- Healthy Longevity Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- LSI Neurobiology Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
- Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, Singapore 138473, Singapore
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Mekiten O, Yitzhaky A, Gould N, Rosenblum K, Hertzberg L. Ribosome subunits are upregulated in brain samples of a subgroup of individuals with schizophrenia: A systematic gene expression meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 164:372-381. [PMID: 37413782 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
One of the new theories accounting for the underlying pathophysiology of schizophrenia is excitation/inhibition imbalance. Interestingly, perturbation in protein synthesis machinery as well as oxidative stress can lead to excitation/inhibition imbalance. We thus performed a systematic meta-analysis of the expression of 79 ribosome subunit genes and two oxidative-stress related genes, HIF1A and NQO1, in brain samples of individuals with schizophrenia vs. healthy controls. We integrated 12 gene expression datasets, following the PRISMA guidelines (overall 511 samples, 253 schizophrenia and 258 controls). Five ribosome subunit genes were significantly upregulated in a subgroup of the patients with schizophrenia, while 24 (30%) showed a tendency for upregulation. HIF1A and NQO1 were also found to be significantly upregulated. Moreover, HIF1A and NQO1 showed positive correlation with the expression of the upregulated ribosome subunit genes. Our results, together with previous findings, suggest a possible role for altered mRNA translation in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, in association with markers of increased oxidative stress in a subgroup of patients. Further studies should define whether the upregulation of ribosome subunits result in altered mRNA translation, which proteins are modulated and how it characterizes a subgroup of the patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ori Mekiten
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
| | - Assif Yitzhaky
- Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Nathaniel Gould
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Kobi Rosenblum
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Center for Gene Manipulation in the Brain, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Libi Hertzberg
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel; Department of Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel; Shalvata Mental Health Center, Israel.
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