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Hagihara H, Shoji H, Kuroiwa M, Graef IA, Crabtree GR, Nishi A, Miyakawa T. Forebrain-specific conditional calcineurin deficiency induces dentate gyrus immaturity and hyper-dopaminergic signaling in mice. Mol Brain 2022; 15:94. [PMID: 36414974 PMCID: PMC9682671 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-022-00981-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcineurin (Cn), a phosphatase important for synaptic plasticity and neuronal development, has been implicated in the etiology and pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease. Forebrain-specific conditional Cn knockout mice have been known to exhibit multiple behavioral phenotypes related to these disorders. In this study, we investigated whether Cn mutant mice show pseudo-immaturity of the dentate gyrus (iDG) in the hippocampus, which we have proposed as an endophenotype shared by these disorders. Expression of calbindin and GluA1, typical markers for mature DG granule cells (GCs), was decreased and that of doublecortin, calretinin, phospho-CREB, and dopamine D1 receptor (Drd1), markers for immature GC, was increased in Cn mutants. Phosphorylation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) substrates (GluA1, ERK2, DARPP-32, PDE4) was increased and showed higher sensitivity to SKF81297, a Drd1-like agonist, in Cn mutants than in controls. While cAMP/PKA signaling is increased in the iDG of Cn mutants, chronic treatment with rolipram, a selective PDE4 inhibitor that increases intracellular cAMP, ameliorated the iDG phenotype significantly and nesting behavior deficits with nominal significance. Chronic rolipram administration also decreased the phosphorylation of CREB, but not the other four PKA substrates examined, in Cn mutants. These results suggest that Cn deficiency induces pseudo-immaturity of GCs and that cAMP signaling increases to compensate for this maturation abnormality. This study further supports the idea that iDG is an endophenotype shared by certain neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideo Hagihara
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Center for Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192 Japan
| | - Hirotaka Shoji
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Center for Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192 Japan
| | - Mahomi Kuroiwa
- Department of Pharmacology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011 Japan
| | - Isabella A. Graef
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Gerald R. Crabtree
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
| | - Akinori Nishi
- Department of Pharmacology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka 830-0011 Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Miyakawa
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Center for Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192 Japan
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Hasan MK, Alam S, Mirkovic J, Hossain MF. Screening of Human Proteins for Fluoride and Aluminum Binding. Bioinformation 2018; 14:68-74. [PMID: 29618902 PMCID: PMC5879948 DOI: 10.6026/97320630014068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies showed that prolonged exposure to fluoride (F-) and aluminum (Al3+) ions is associated with numerous diseases including neurological disorders. They don't have any known biological function. But they can bind with proteins that interact with ions similar to them. Such unwanted interactions affect the normal biological function of the target proteins, as well as their downstream protein-protein interactions. Several studies show the detrimental effects posed by them including Alzheimer's disease. However, their target proteins have never been reported. Here, we have screened for the human protein targets subjected to F- and Al3+ interactions by using data-driven prediction tools. We have identified 20 different proteins that directly bind with them (10 interact with fluoride and 10 with aluminum). In addition, protein-protein interaction has been explored to find the proteins that indirectly interact with F- and Al3+. We have found 86 indirect targets for F- and 90 for Al3+. Furthermore, 19 common protein targets have been identified, including proteins (9 out of 19) associated with neurodegenerative disorders. However, wet lab experiments are beyond our scopes to validate the binding networks. Additional studies must be warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Kamrul Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Saruar Alam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jovan Mirkovic
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, New York 11439
| | - Md. Faruk Hossain
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. John's University, Queens, New York 11439
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Marballi KK, Gallitano AL. Immediate Early Genes Anchor a Biological Pathway of Proteins Required for Memory Formation, Long-Term Depression and Risk for Schizophrenia. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:23. [PMID: 29520222 PMCID: PMC5827560 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
While the causes of myriad medical and infectious illnesses have been identified, the etiologies of neuropsychiatric illnesses remain elusive. This is due to two major obstacles. First, the risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, is determined by both genetic and environmental factors. Second, numerous genes influence susceptibility for these illnesses. Genome-wide association studies have identified at least 108 genomic loci for schizophrenia, and more are expected to be published shortly. In addition, numerous biological processes contribute to the neuropathology underlying schizophrenia. These include immune dysfunction, synaptic and myelination deficits, vascular abnormalities, growth factor disruption, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction. However, the field of psychiatric genetics lacks a unifying model to explain how environment may interact with numerous genes to influence these various biological processes and cause schizophrenia. Here we describe a biological cascade of proteins that are activated in response to environmental stimuli such as stress, a schizophrenia risk factor. The central proteins in this pathway are critical mediators of memory formation and a particular form of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, long-term depression (LTD). Each of these proteins is also implicated in schizophrenia risk. In fact, the pathway includes four genes that map to the 108 loci associated with schizophrenia: GRIN2A, nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFATc3), early growth response 1 (EGR1) and NGFI-A Binding Protein 2 (NAB2); each of which contains the "Index single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)" (most SNP) at its respective locus. Environmental stimuli activate this biological pathway in neurons, resulting in induction of EGR immediate early genes: EGR1, EGR3 and NAB2. We hypothesize that dysfunction in any of the genes in this pathway disrupts the normal activation of Egrs in response to stress. This may result in insufficient electrophysiologic, immunologic, and neuroprotective, processes that these genes normally mediate. Continued adverse environmental experiences, over time, may thereby result in neuropathology that gives rise to the symptoms of schizophrenia. By combining multiple genes associated with schizophrenia susceptibility, in a functional cascade triggered by neuronal activity, the proposed biological pathway provides an explanation for both the polygenic and environmental influences that determine the complex etiology of this mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ketan K. Marballi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, United States
| | - Amelia L. Gallitano
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, United States
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Okazaki H, Hayashi-Takagi A, Nagaoka A, Negishi M, Ucar H, Yagishita S, Ishii K, Toyoizumi T, Fox K, Kasai H. Calcineurin knockout mice show a selective loss of small spines. Neurosci Lett 2018; 671:99-102. [PMID: 29427598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Calcineurin is required for long-term depression and activity-dependent spine shrinkage, and calcineurin mutations have been identified in patients with schizophrenia. Moreover, mice with conditional knockout of calcineurin B (CNB-KO) exhibit behavioral abnormalities suggestive of schizophrenia. Changes in the dendritic spines of these mice, however, have not been investigated. We therefore examined the dendritic spines of CNB-KO mice, and observed a significant reduction in small spines and an increase in large spines in the prefrontal and visual cortices. The effect of CNB-KO on the spine sizes was relatively moderate, possibly due to the presence of spontaneous fluctuations (dynamics) in the dendritic spines themselves. Thus, CNB-KO mice showed a spine phenotype similar to those recently reported in patients with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitoshi Okazaki
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akiko Hayashi-Takagi
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Laboratory of Medical Neuroscience, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Regulation, Gunma University, Maebashi-city, Gunma, Japan; PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Akira Nagaoka
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makiko Negishi
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hasan Ucar
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sho Yagishita
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Ishii
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taro Toyoizumi
- RIKEN Brain Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kevin Fox
- School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Haruo Kasai
- Laboratory of Structural Physiology, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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In Vivo Calcium Signaling during Synaptic Refinement at the Drosophila Neuromuscular Junction. J Neurosci 2017; 37:5511-5526. [PMID: 28476946 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2922-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural activity plays a key role in pruning aberrant synapses in various neural systems, including the mammalian cortex, where low-frequency (0.01 Hz) calcium oscillations refine topographic maps. However, the activity-dependent molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Activity-dependent pruning also occurs at embryonic Drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), where low-frequency Ca2+ oscillations are required for synaptic refinement and the response to the muscle-derived chemorepellant Sema2a. We examined embryonic growth cone filopodia in vivo to directly observe their exploration and to analyze the episodic Ca2+ oscillations involved in refinement. Motoneuron filopodia repeatedly contacted off-target muscle fibers over several hours during late embryogenesis, with episodic Ca2+ signals present in both motile filopodia as well as in later-stabilized synaptic boutons. The Ca2+ transients matured over several hours into regular low-frequency (0.03 Hz) oscillations. In vivo imaging of intact embryos of both sexes revealed that the formation of ectopic filopodia is increased in Sema2a heterozygotes. We provide genetic evidence suggesting a complex presynaptic Ca2+-dependent signaling network underlying refinement that involves the phosphatases calcineurin and protein phosphatase-1, as well the serine/threonine kinases CaMKII and PKA. Significantly, this network influenced the neuron's response to the muscle's Sema2a chemorepellant, critical for the removal of off-target contacts.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To address the question of how synaptic connectivity is established during development, we examined the behavior of growth cone filopodia during the exploration of both correct and off-target muscle fibers in Drosophila embryos. We demonstrate that filopodia repeatedly contact off-target muscles over several hours, until they ultimately retract. We show that intracellular signals are observed in motile and stabilized "ectopic" contacts. Several genetic experiments provide insight in the molecular pathway underlying network refinement, which includes oscillatory calcium signals via voltage-gated calcium channels as a key component. Calcium orchestrates the activity of several kinases and phosphatases, which interact in a coordinated fashion to regulate chemorepulsion exerted by the muscle.
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John J, Bhatia T, Kukshal P, Chandna P, Nimgaonkar VL, Deshpande SN, Thelma BK. Association study of MiRSNPs with schizophrenia, tardive dyskinesia and cognition. Schizophr Res 2016; 174:29-34. [PMID: 27106592 PMCID: PMC5487370 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) bind to 3'UTRs of genes and negatively regulate their expression. With ~50% of miRNAs expressing in the brain, they play an important role in neuronal development, plasticity, cognition and neurological disorders. Conserved miRNA targets are present in >60% genes in humans and are under evolutionary pressure to maintain pairing with miRNA. However, such binding may be affected by genetic variant(s) in the target sites (MiRSNPs), thereby altering gene expression. Differential expression of a large number of genes in postmortem brains of schizophrenia (SZ) patients compared to controls has been documented. Thus studying the role of MiRSNPs which are underinvestigated in SZ becomes attractive. We systematically selected 35 MiRSNPs with predicted functional relevance in 3'UTRs of genes shown previously to be associated with SZ, genotyped and tested their association with disease, using independent discovery and replication samples (total n=1017 cases; n=1073 controls). We also explored genetic associations with two sets of quantitative traits, namely tardive dyskinesia (TD) and cognitive functions disrupted in SZ in subsets of the study cohort. In the primary analysis, a significant association of MiRSNP rs7430 at PPP3CC was observed with SZ in the discovery and the replication samples [discovery: P=0.01; OR (95% CI) 1.24 (1.04-1.48); replication: P=0.03; OR (95% CI) 1.20 (1.02-1.43)]. In the exploratory analyses, five SNPs were nominally associated with TD (P values 0.04-0.004). Separately, 12 SNPs were associated with one or more of the eight cognitive domains (P values 0.05-0.003). These associations, particularly the SNP at PPP3CC merit further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jibin John
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110 021, India
| | - Triptish Bhatia
- Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER-Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi 110 001, India
| | - Prachi Kukshal
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110 021, India
| | - Puneet Chandna
- AceProbe Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India
| | - Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Smita N Deshpande
- Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER-Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi 110 001, India
| | - B K Thelma
- Department of Genetics, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi 110 021, India.
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Osier ND, Bales JW, Pugh B, Shin S, Wyrobek J, Puccio AM, Okonkwo DO, Ren D, Alexander S, Conley YP, Dixon CE. Variation in PPP3CC Genotype Is Associated with Long-Term Recovery after Severe Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 2016; 34:86-96. [PMID: 27225880 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2015.4343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
After experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI), calcineurin is upregulated; blocking calcineurin is associated with improved outcomes. In humans, variation in the calcineurin A-gamma gene (PPP3CC) has been associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, though any role in TBI recovery remains unknown. This study examines associations between PPP3CC genotype and mortality, as well as gross functional status assessed at admission using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and at 3, 6, and 12 months after severe TBI using the Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS). The following tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) in PPP3CC were genotyped: rs2443504, rs2461491, rs2469749, and rs10108011. The rs2443504 AA genotype was univariately associated with GCS (p = 0.022), GOS at 3, 6, and 12 months (p = 0.002, p = 0.034, and p = 0.004, respectively), and mortality (p = 0.007). In multivariate analysis controlling for age, sex, and GCS, the AA genotype of rs2443504 was associated with GOS at 3 (p = 0.02), and 12 months (p = 0.01), with a trend toward significance at 6 months (p = 0.05); the AA genotype also was associated with mortality in the multivariate model (p = 0.04). Further work is warranted to better understand the role of calcineurin, as well as the genes encoding it and their relevance to outcomes after brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole D Osier
- 1 Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,3 School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - James W Bales
- 2 Department of Neurosurgery, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
| | - Bunny Pugh
- 1 Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,4 Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, Seton Hill University , Greensburg, Pennsylvania
| | - Samuel Shin
- 1 Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Julie Wyrobek
- 5 Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ava M Puccio
- 6 Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - David O Okonkwo
- 6 Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Dianxu Ren
- 3 School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Sheila Alexander
- 3 School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,7 School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Yvette P Conley
- 3 School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,8 Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - C Edward Dixon
- 1 Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,6 Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,9 VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Wu JQ, Green MJ, Gardiner EJ, Tooney PA, Scott RJ, Carr VJ, Cairns MJ. Altered neural signaling and immune pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of schizophrenia patients with cognitive impairment: A transcriptome analysis. Brain Behav Immun 2016; 53:194-206. [PMID: 26697997 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2015] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive deficits are a core feature of schizophrenia and contribute significantly to functional disability. We investigated the molecular pathways associated with schizophrenia (SZ; n=47) cases representing both 'cognitive deficit' (CD; n=22) and 'cognitively spared' (CS; n=25) subtypes of schizophrenia (based on latent class analysis of 9 cognitive performance indicators), compared with 49 healthy controls displaying 'normal' cognition. This was accomplished using gene-set analysis of transcriptome data derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We detected 27 significantly altered pathways (19 pathways up-regulated and 8 down-regulated) in the combined SZ group and a further 6 pathways up-regulated in the CS group and 5 altered pathways (4 down-regulated and 1 up-regulated) in the CD group. The transcriptome profiling in SZ and cognitive subtypes were characterized by the up-regulated pathways involved in immune dysfunction (e.g., antigen presentation in SZ), energy metabolism (e.g., oxidative phosphorylation), and down-regulation of the pathways involved in neuronal signaling (e.g., WNT in SZ/CD and ERBB in SZ). When we looked for pathways that differentiated the two cognitive subtypes we found that the WNT signaling was significantly down-regulated (FDR<0.05) in the CD group in accordance with the combined SZ cohort, whereas it was unaffected in the CS group. This suggested suppression of WNT signaling was a defining feature of cognitive decline in schizophrenia. The WNT pathway plays a role in both the development/function of the central nervous system and peripheral tissues, therefore its alteration in PBMCs may be indicative of an important genomic axis relevant to cognition in the neuropathology of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Qin Wu
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Melissa J Green
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia; School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Erin J Gardiner
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Paul A Tooney
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia
| | - Rodney J Scott
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW 2305, Australia
| | - Vaughan J Carr
- Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia; School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Murray J Cairns
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health, The University of Newcastle, University Drive, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW 2305, Australia.
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Cottrell JR, Li B, Kyung JW, Ashford CJ, Mann JJ, Horvath TL, Ryan TA, Kim SH, Gerber DJ. Calcineurin Aγ is a Functional Phosphatase That Modulates Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis. J Biol Chem 2015; 291:1948-1956. [PMID: 26627835 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.705319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in PPP3CC, the gene that encodes the γ isoform of the calcineurin catalytic subunit, has been reported to be associated with schizophrenia. Because of its low expression level in most tissues, there has been little research devoted to the specific function of the calcineurin Aγ (CNAγ) versus the calcineurin Aα (CNAα) and calcineurin Aβ (CNAβ) catalytic isoforms. Consequently, we have a limited understanding of the role of altered CNAγ function in psychiatric disease. In this study, we demonstrate that CNAγ is present in the rodent and human brain and dephosphorylates a presynaptic substrate of calcineurin. Through a combination of immunocytochemistry and immuno-EM, we further show that CNAγ is localized to presynaptic terminals in hippocampal neurons. Critically, we demonstrate that RNAi-mediated knockdown of CNAγ leads to a disruption of synaptic vesicle cycling in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. These data indicate that CNAγ regulates a critical aspect of synaptic vesicle cycling and suggest that variation in PPP3CC may contribute to psychiatric disease by altering presynaptic function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bing Li
- From the Galenea Corporation, Wakefield, MA 01880
| | - Jae Won Kyung
- the Department of Physiology, Neurodegeneration Control Research Center, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, South Korea
| | | | - James J Mann
- From the Galenea Corporation, Wakefield, MA 01880
| | - Tamas L Horvath
- the Program in Integrative Cell Signaling and Neurobiology of Metabolism, Section of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, and
| | - Timothy A Ryan
- the Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York 10021
| | - Sung Hyun Kim
- the Department of Physiology, Neurodegeneration Control Research Center, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, 02447, South Korea.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is currently regarded as a significant treatment option for intractable psychiatric disorders, such as catatonic schizophrenia or treatment-resistant depression; however, the underlying molecular mechanism for its therapeutic effect remains obscure. METHODS Employing microarray analysis (Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array; Affymetrix, United States) of cDNA derived from the peripheral blood of patients with catatonic schizophrenia (n = 5), we detected a significant change in 145 genes (0.68%) before and after modified ECT (mECT). Moreover, we performed quantitative polymerase chain reaction validation of genes that had previously been suggested to be functionally related to schizophrenia. RESULTS Of 4 genes examined (AKT3, TCF7, PPP3R1, and GADD45B), only TCF7 was increased during the mECT procedure (P = 0.0025). DISCUSSION This study describes the first attempt to uncover the molecular mechanism of mECT using a microarray assay of mRNA derived from peripheral blood, and our results suggest that the TCF family may play a role in the functional mechanism of mECT.
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11
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Shifting towards a model of mGluR5 dysregulation in schizophrenia: Consequences for future schizophrenia treatment. Neuropharmacology 2015; 115:73-91. [PMID: 26349010 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Revised: 08/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5), encoded by the GRM5 gene, represents a compelling novel drug target for the treatment of schizophrenia. mGluR5 is a postsynaptic G-protein coupled glutamate receptor strongly linked with several critical cellular processes that are reported to be disrupted in schizophrenia. Accordingly, mGluR5 positive allosteric modulators show encouraging therapeutic potential in preclinical schizophrenia models, particularly for the treatment of cognitive dysfunctions against which currently available therapeutics are largely ineffective. More work is required to support the progression of mGluR5-targeting drugs into the clinic for schizophrenia treatment, although some obstacles may be overcome by comprehensively understanding how mGluR5 itself is involved in the neurobiology of the disorder. Several processes that are necessary for the regulation of mGluR5 activity have been identified, but not examined, in the context of schizophrenia. These processes include protein-protein interactions, dimerisation, subcellular trafficking, the impact of genetic variability or mutations on protein function, as well as epigenetic, post-transcriptional and post-translational processes. It is essential to understand these aspects of mGluR5 to determine whether they are affected in schizophrenia pathology, and to assess the consequences of mGluR5 dysfunction for the future use of mGluR5-based drugs. Here, we summarise the known processes that regulate mGluR5 and those that have already been studied in schizophrenia, and discuss the consequences of this dysregulation for current mGluR5 pharmacological strategies. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors, 5 years on'.
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Cohen SM, Tsien RW, Goff DC, Halassa MM. The impact of NMDA receptor hypofunction on GABAergic neurons in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2015; 167:98-107. [PMID: 25583246 PMCID: PMC4724170 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Revised: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
While the dopamine hypothesis has dominated schizophrenia research for several decades, more recent studies have highlighted the role of fast synaptic transmitters and their receptors in schizophrenia etiology. Here we review evidence that schizophrenia is associated with a reduction in N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function. By highlighting postmortem, neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies, we provide evidence for preferential disruption of GABAergic circuits in the context of NMDAR hypo-activity states. The functional relationship between NMDARs and GABAergic neurons is realized at the molecular, cellular, microcircuit and systems levels. A synthesis of findings across these levels explains how NMDA-mediated inhibitory dysfunction may lead to aberrant interactions among brain regions, accounting for key clinical features of schizophrenia. This synthesis of schizophrenia unifies observations from diverse fields and may help chart pathways for developing novel diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel M. Cohen
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Richard W. Tsien
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Donald C. Goff
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, New York City, NY 10016, USA
,Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, 140 Old Orangeburg Road, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA
| | - Michael M. Halassa
- NYU Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
,Department of Psychiatry, NYU Langone Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, New York City, NY 10016, USA
,To whom correspondence should be addressed:
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13
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Ma H, Groth RD, Cohen SM, Emery JF, Li B, Hoedt E, Zhang G, Neubert TA, Tsien RW. γCaMKII shuttles Ca²⁺/CaM to the nucleus to trigger CREB phosphorylation and gene expression. Cell 2015; 159:281-94. [PMID: 25303525 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Activity-dependent CREB phosphorylation and gene expression are critical for long-term neuronal plasticity. Local signaling at CaV1 channels triggers these events, but how information is relayed onward to the nucleus remains unclear. Here, we report a mechanism that mediates long-distance communication within cells: a shuttle that transports Ca(2+)/calmodulin from the surface membrane to the nucleus. We show that the shuttle protein is γCaMKII, its phosphorylation at Thr287 by βCaMKII protects the Ca(2+)/CaM signal, and CaN triggers its nuclear translocation. Both βCaMKII and CaN act in close proximity to CaV1 channels, supporting their dominance, whereas γCaMKII operates as a carrier, not as a kinase. Upon arrival within the nucleus, Ca(2+)/CaM activates CaMKK and its substrate CaMKIV, the CREB kinase. This mechanism resolves long-standing puzzles about CaM/CaMK-dependent signaling to the nucleus. The significance of the mechanism is emphasized by dysregulation of CaV1, γCaMKII, βCaMKII, and CaN in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Ma
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
| | - Rachel D Groth
- Centers for Therapeutic Innovation, Pfizer, 1700 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Samuel M Cohen
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - John F Emery
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Boxing Li
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Esthelle Hoedt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Skirball Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Guoan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Skirball Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Thomas A Neubert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and Skirball Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Richard W Tsien
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Crabtree GW, Gogos JA. Synaptic plasticity, neural circuits, and the emerging role of altered short-term information processing in schizophrenia. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2014; 6:28. [PMID: 25505409 PMCID: PMC4243504 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2014.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptic plasticity alters the strength of information flow between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons and thus modifies the likelihood that action potentials in a presynaptic neuron will lead to an action potential in a postsynaptic neuron. As such, synaptic plasticity and pathological changes in synaptic plasticity impact the synaptic computation which controls the information flow through the neural microcircuits responsible for the complex information processing necessary to drive adaptive behaviors. As current theories of neuropsychiatric disease suggest that distinct dysfunctions in neural circuit performance may critically underlie the unique symptoms of these diseases, pathological alterations in synaptic plasticity mechanisms may be fundamental to the disease process. Here we consider mechanisms of both short-term and long-term plasticity of synaptic transmission and their possible roles in information processing by neural microcircuits in both health and disease. As paradigms of neuropsychiatric diseases with strongly implicated risk genes, we discuss the findings in schizophrenia and autism and consider the alterations in synaptic plasticity and network function observed in both human studies and genetic mouse models of these diseases. Together these studies have begun to point toward a likely dominant role of short-term synaptic plasticity alterations in schizophrenia while dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may be due to a combination of both short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregg W. Crabtree
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia UniversityNew York, NY, USA
| | - Joseph A. Gogos
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia UniversityNew York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia UniversityNew York, NY, USA
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15
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Wearne TA, Mirzaei M, Franklin JL, Goodchild AK, Haynes PA, Cornish JL. Methamphetamine-induced sensitization is associated with alterations to the proteome of the prefrontal cortex: implications for the maintenance of psychotic disorders. J Proteome Res 2014; 14:397-410. [PMID: 25245100 DOI: 10.1021/pr500719f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Repeat administration of psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine, produces a progressive increase in locomotor activity (behavioral sensitization) in rodents that is believed to represent the underlying neurochemical changes driving psychoses. Alterations to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are suggested to mediate the etiology and maintenance of these behavioral changes. As such, the aim of the current study was to investigate changes to protein expression in the PFC in male rats sensitized to methamphetamine using quantitative label-free shotgun proteomics. A methamphetamine challenge resulted in a significant sensitized locomotor response in methamphetamine pretreated animals compared to saline controls. Proteomic analysis revealed 96 proteins that were differentially expressed in the PFC of methamphetamine treated rats, with 20% of these being previously implicated in the neurobiology of schizophrenia in the PFC. We identified multiple biological functions in the PFC that appear to be commonly altered across methamphetamine-induced sensitization and schizophrenia, and these include synaptic regulation, protein phosphatase signaling, mitochondrial function, and alterations to the inhibitory GABAergic network. These changes could inform how alterations to the PFC could underlie the cognitive and behavioral dysfunction commonly seen across psychoses and places such biological changes as potential mediators in the maintenance of psychosis vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis A Wearne
- Department of Psychology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, §Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University , Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
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A combined metabonomic and proteomic approach identifies frontal cortex changes in a chronic phencyclidine rat model in relation to human schizophrenia brain pathology. Neuropsychopharmacology 2013; 38:2532-44. [PMID: 23942359 PMCID: PMC3799075 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2013] [Revised: 06/03/2013] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Current schizophrenia (SCZ) treatments fail to treat the broad range of manifestations associated with this devastating disorder. Thus, new translational models that reproduce the core pathological features are urgently needed to facilitate novel drug discovery efforts. Here, we report findings from the first comprehensive label-free liquid-mass spectrometry proteomic- and proton nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabonomic profiling of the rat frontal cortex after chronic phencyclidine (PCP) intervention, which induces SCZ-like symptoms. The findings were compared with results from a proteomic profiling of post-mortem prefrontal cortex from SCZ patients and with relevant findings in the literature. Through this approach, we identified proteomic alterations in glutamate-mediated Ca(2+) signaling (Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, PPP3CA, and VISL1), mitochondrial function (GOT2 and PKLR), and cytoskeletal remodeling (ARP3). Metabonomic profiling revealed changes in the levels of glutamate, glutamine, glycine, pyruvate, and the Ca(2+) regulator taurine. Effects on similar pathways were also identified in the prefrontal cortex tissue from human SCZ subjects. The discovery of similar but not identical proteomic and metabonomic alterations in the chronic PCP rat model and human brain indicates that this model recapitulates only some of the molecular alterations of the disease. This knowledge may be helpful in understanding mechanisms underlying psychosis, which, in turn, can facilitate improved therapy and drug discovery for SCZ and other psychiatric diseases. Most importantly, these molecular findings suggest that the combined use of multiple models may be required for more effective translation to studies of human SCZ.
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Chen WJ. Taiwan Schizophrenia Linkage Study: lessons learned from endophenotype-based genome-wide linkage scans and perspective. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2013; 162B:636-47. [PMID: 24132895 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Taiwan Schizophrenia Linkage Study (TSLS) was initiated with a linkage strategy for locating multiple genes, each of small to moderate effect, and aimed to recruit a large enough sample of pairs of affected siblings and their families ascertained from a multisite study. With a sample of 607 families successfully recruited, a total of 2,242 individuals (1,207 affected and 1,035 unaffected) from 557 families were genotyped using 386 microsatellite markers spaced at an average of 9-cM intervals. Here the author reviews the establishment of TSLS and initial signal derived from linkage scan using the diagnosis of schizophrenia. Based on the limited success of the initial linkage analysis, a sufficient-component causal model is proposed to incorporate endophenotypes and genes for schizophrenia. Four types of candidate endophenotype measured in TSLS, including schizotypal personality, Continuous Performance Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and niacin skin flush test, are briefly described. The author discusses different strategies of linkage analysis incorporating these endophenotypes, including quantitative trait loci (QTL) linkage analysis, clustering-derived subgroups, ordered subset analysis (OSA), and latent classes for linkage scan. Then the author summarizes the linkage signals generated from seven studies of endophenotype-based linkage analysis using TSLS, including QTL scan of neurocognitive performance, QTL scan of niacin skin flush, the family cluster of attention deficit and execution deficit, OSA by schizophrenia-schizotypy factors, nested OSA by age at onset and neurocognitive performance, and the latent class of deficit schizophrenia for linkage analysis. The perspective of combining next-generation sequencing with linkage analysis of families is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei J Chen
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Genetic Epidemiology Core Laboratory, Center of Genomic Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Working memory impairment in calcineurin knock-out mice is associated with alterations in synaptic vesicle cycling and disruption of high-frequency synaptic and network activity in prefrontal cortex. J Neurosci 2013; 33:10938-49. [PMID: 23825400 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5362-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Working memory is an essential component of higher cognitive function, and its impairment is a core symptom of multiple CNS disorders, including schizophrenia. Neuronal mechanisms supporting working memory under normal conditions have been described and include persistent, high-frequency activity of prefrontal cortical neurons. However, little is known about the molecular and cellular basis of working memory dysfunction in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders. To elucidate synaptic and neuronal mechanisms of working memory dysfunction, we have performed a comprehensive analysis of a mouse model of schizophrenia, the forebrain-specific calcineurin knock-out mouse. Biochemical analyses of cortical tissue from these mice revealed a pronounced hyperphosphorylation of synaptic vesicle cycling proteins known to be necessary for high-frequency synaptic transmission. Examination of the synaptic vesicle cycle in calcineurin-deficient neurons demonstrated an impairment of vesicle release enhancement during periods of intense stimulation. Moreover, brain slice and in vivo electrophysiological analyses showed that loss of calcineurin leads to a gene dose-dependent disruption of high-frequency synaptic transmission and network activity in the PFC, correlating with selective working memory impairment. Finally, we showed that levels of dynamin I, a key presynaptic protein and calcineurin substrate, are significantly reduced in prefrontal cortical samples from schizophrenia patients, extending the disease relevance of our findings. Our data provide support for a model in which impaired synaptic vesicle cycling represents a critical node for disease pathologies underlying the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.
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Shaltout TE, Alali KA, Bushra S, Alkaseri AM, Jose ED, Al-Khainji M, Saleh R, Salama Dahir A, Shaltout H, Al-Abdullah M, Rizk NM. Significant association of close homologue of L1 gene polymorphism rs2272522 with schizophrenia in Qatar. Asia Pac Psychiatry 2013; 5:17-23. [PMID: 23857787 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2012] [Accepted: 09/25/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Previous reports have found that polymorphisms in the close homologue of L1 (CHL1) gene located on chromosome 3p26 are associated with schizophrenia among different ethnic populations. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CHL1 gene locus, including rs2055314 (C/T), rs2272522 (C/T) and rs331894 (A/G), with schizophrenia in the Qatari population. METHODS An association case control study was carried out on 86 Qatari schizophrenic patients from the Psychiatry Hospital, Hammed Medical Corporation, Qatar and 88 Qatari unrelated, healthy, control subjects. Schizophrenia was diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for schizophrenia by two independent psychiatrists. Genotyping of the SNPs rs2055314 (C/T), rs2272522 (C/T) and rs331894 (A/G) was conducted using the 5' nuclease assay with the TaqMan MGB probe and an ABI 7500. RESULTS Individuals with the rs2272522 TT genotype had approximately 4.2 times greater risk of schizophrenia compared to individuals with the CC genotype (OR = 4.21; 95% CI: 1.12-15.53; P = 0.047). In addition, individuals carrying a T allele of the rs2272522 SNP had a significantly increased risk of schizophrenia (1.78 times) among the population (P = 0.028). SNPs rs2055314 and rs331894 had no significant association with schizophrenia. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium (LD) between the three polymorphisms was modest in the schizophrenic group. DISCUSSION The rs2272522 polymorphism was found to exhibit a highly significant association with schizophrenia in the Qatari population. This finding supports the hypothesis that cell adhesion molecules may be involved in the etiology of this disease among Qatari patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taher E Shaltout
- Department of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
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Abstract
Schizophrenia is a prevalent complex trait disorder manifested by severe neurocognitive dysfunctions and lifelong disability. During the past few years several studies have provided direct evidence for the involvement of different signaling pathways in schizophrenia. In this review, we mainly focus on AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway in schizophrenia. The original study on the involvement of this pathway in schizophrenia was published by Emamian et al. in 2004. This study reported convergent evidence for a decrease in AKT1 protein levels and levels of phosphorylation of GSK-3β in the peripheral lymphocytes and brains of individuals with schizophrenia; a significant association between schizophrenia and an AKT1 haplotype; and a greater sensitivity to the sensorimotor gating-disruptive effect of amphetamine, conferred by AKT1 deficiency. It also showed that haloperidol can induce a stepwise increase in regulatory phosphorylation of AKT1 in the brains of treated mice that could compensate for the impaired function of this signaling pathway in schizophrenia. Following this study, several independent studies were published that not only confirmed the association of this signaling pathway with schizophrenia across different populations, but also shed light on the mechanisms by which AKT/GSK3 pathway may contribute to the development of this complex disorder. In this review, following an introduction on the role of AKT in human diseases and its functions in neuronal and non-neuronal cells, a review on the results of studies published on AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway in schizophrenia after the original 2004 paper will be provided. A brief review on other signaling pathways involved in schizophrenia and the possible connections with AKT/GSK3 signaling pathway will be discussed. Moreover, some possible molecular mechanisms acting through this pathway will be discussed besides the mechanisms by which they may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Finally, different transcription factors related to schizophrenia will be reviewed to see how hypo-activity of AKT signaling pathway may impact such transcriptional mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Effat S Emamian
- Advanced Technologies for Novel Therapeutics (ATNT), Newark NJ, USA.
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Abstract
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The Ca2+-dependent protein phosphatase enzyme calcineurin (Cn) (protein phosphatase 3) is best known for its role as director of the adaptive immune response. One of its principal substrates is the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), which translocates to the nucleus after dephosphorylation to mediate gene transcription. Drugs targeting Cn (the Cn inhibitors tacrolimus and cyclosporin A) have revolutionized posttransplantation therapy in allograft recipients by considerably reducing rejection rates.
CONTENT
Owing primarily to intensive study of the side effects of the Cn inhibitors, the unique importance of Cn and Cn/NFAT signaling in the normal physiological processes of many other cell and tissue types is becoming more evident. During the last decade, it has become clear that an extensive and diverse array of clinical conditions can be traced back, at least in part, to a disturbed Cn-signaling axis. Hence, both diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring could benefit from a technique that conveniently reads out Cn/NFAT operative status.
SUMMARY
This review outlines the current knowledge on the pathologic conditions that have calcineurin as a common denominator and reports on the progress that has been made toward successfully applying Cn and Cn/NFAT activity markers in molecular diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben E A Musson
- Departments of Clinical Chemistry and
- Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
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Greenwood TA, Lazzeroni LC, Murray SS, Cadenhead KS, Calkins ME, Dobie DJ, Green MF, Gur RE, Gur RC, Hardiman G, Kelsoe JR, Leonard S, Light GA, Nuechterlein KH, Olincy A, Radant AD, Schork NJ, Seidman LJ, Siever LJ, Silverman JM, Stone WS, Swerdlow NR, Tsuang DW, Tsuang MT, Turetsky BI, Freedman R, Braff DL. Analysis of 94 candidate genes and 12 endophenotypes for schizophrenia from the Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 2011; 168:930-46. [PMID: 21498463 PMCID: PMC3751972 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10050723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The authors used a custom array of 1,536 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to interrogate 94 functionally relevant candidate genes for schizophrenia and identify associations with 12 heritable neurophysiological and neurocognitive endophenotypes in data collected by the Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia. METHOD Variance-component association analyses of 534 genotyped subjects from 130 families were conducted by using Merlin software. A novel bootstrap total significance test was also developed to overcome the limitations of existing genomic multiple testing methods and robustly demonstrate significant associations in the context of complex family data and possible population stratification effects. RESULTS Associations with endophenotypes were observed for 46 genes of potential functional significance, with three SNPs at p<10(-4), 27 SNPs at p<10(-3), and 147 SNPs at p<0.01. The bootstrap analyses confirmed that the 47 SNP-endophenotype combinations with the strongest evidence of association significantly exceeded that expected by chance alone, with 93% of these findings expected to be true. Many of the genes interact on a molecular level, and eight genes (e.g., NRG1 and ERBB4) displayed evidence for pleiotropy, revealing associations with four or more endophenotypes. The results collectively support a strong role for genes related to glutamate signaling in mediating schizophrenia susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS This study supports use of relevant endophenotypes and the bootstrap total significance test for identifying genetic variation underlying the etiology of schizophrenia. In addition, the observation of extensive pleiotropy for some genes and singular associations for others suggests alternative, independent pathways mediating pathogenesis in the "group of schizophrenias."
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany A Greenwood
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA
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A genome-wide linkage scan for distinct subsets of schizophrenia characterized by age at onset and neurocognitive deficits. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24103. [PMID: 21897869 PMCID: PMC3163684 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2011] [Accepted: 07/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As schizophrenia is genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous, targeting genetically informative phenotypes may help identify greater linkage signals. The aim of the study is to evaluate the genetic linkage evidence for schizophrenia in subsets of families with earlier age at onset or greater neurocognitive deficits. METHODS Patients with schizophrenia (n = 1,207) and their first-degree relatives (n = 1,035) from 557 families with schizophrenia were recruited from six data collection field research centers throughout Taiwan. Subjects completed a face-to-face semi-structured interview, the Continuous Performance Test (CPT), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and were genotyped with 386 microsatellite markers across the genome. RESULTS A maximum nonparametric logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 4.17 at 2q22.1 was found in 295 families ranked by increasing age at onset, which had significant increases in the maximum LOD score compared with those obtained in initial linkage analyses using all available families. Based on this subset, a further subsetting by false alarm rate on the undegraded and degraded CPT obtained further increase in the nested subset-based LOD on 2q22.1, with a score of 7.36 in 228 families and 7.71 in 243 families, respectively. CONCLUSION We found possible evidence of linkage on chromosome 2q22.1 in families of schizophrenia patients with more CPT false alarm rates nested within the families with younger age at onset. These results highlight the importance of incorporating genetically informative phenotypes in unraveling the complex genetics of schizophrenia.
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Liu CM, Fann CSJ, Chen CY, Liu YL, Oyang YJ, Yang WC, Chang CC, Wen CC, Chen WJ, Hwang TJ, Hsieh MH, Liu CC, Faraone SV, Tsuang MT, Hwu HG. ANXA7, PPP3CB, DNAJC9, and ZMYND17 genes at chromosome 10q22 associated with the subgroup of schizophrenia with deficits in attention and executive function. Biol Psychiatry 2011; 70:51-8. [PMID: 21531385 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2010] [Revised: 12/31/2010] [Accepted: 02/01/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A genome scan of Taiwanese schizophrenia families suggested linkage to chromosome 10q22.3. We aimed to find the candidate genes in this region. METHODS A total of 476 schizophrenia families were included. Hierarchical clustering method was used for clustering families to homogeneous subgroups according to their performances of sustained attention and executive function. Association analysis was performed using family-based association testing and TRANSMIT. Candidate associated regions were identified using the longest significance run method. The relative messenger RNA expression level was determined using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS First, we genotyped 18 microsatellite markers between D10S1432 and D10S1239. The maximum nonparametric linkage score was 2.79 on D10S195. Through family clustering, we found the maximum nonparametric linkage score was 3.70 on D10S195 in the family cluster with deficits in attention and executive function. Second, we genotyped 79 single nucleotide polymorphisms between D10S1432 and D10S580 in 90 attention deficit and execution deficit families. Association analysis indicated significant transmission distortion for nine single nucleotide polymorphisms. Using the longest significance run method, we identified a 427-kilobase region as a significant candidate region, which encompasses nine genes. Third, we studied messenger RNA expression of these nine genes in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoblastic cells. In schizophrenic patients, there was significantly lower expression of ANXA7, PPP3CB, and DNAJC9 and significantly higher expression of ZMYND17. CONCLUSIONS ANXA7, PPP3CB, DNAJC9, and ZMYND17 genes are potential candidate genes for schizophrenia, especially in patients with deficits in sustained attention and executive function. The responsible functional variants remained to be clarified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Min Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Yun Lin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan
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Developing a Deeper Understanding of Autism: Connecting Knowledge through Literature Mining. AUTISM RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2011; 2011:307152. [PMID: 22937244 PMCID: PMC3420468 DOI: 10.1155/2011/307152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2011] [Accepted: 04/13/2011] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the field of autism, an enormous increase in available information makes it very difficult to connect fragments of knowledge into a more coherent picture. We present a literature mining method, RaJoLink, to search for matched themes in unrelated literature that may contribute to a better understanding of complex pathological conditions, such as autism. 214 full text articles on autism, published in PubMed, served as a source of data. Using ontology construction, we identified the main concepts of what is already known about autism. Then, the RaJoLink method, based on Swanson's ABC model, was used to reveal potentially interesting, but not yet investigated, connections between different concepts in research. Among the more interesting concepts identified with RaJoLink in our study were calcineurin and NF-kappaB. Both terms can be linked to neuro-immune abnormalities in the brain of patients with autism. Further research is needed to provide stronger evidence about calcineurin and NF-kappaB involvement in autism. However, the analysis presented confirms that this method could support experts on their way towards discovering hidden relationships and towards a better understanding of the disorder.
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Yamamori H, Hashimoto R, Verrall L, Yasuda Y, Ohi K, Fukumoto M, Umeda-Yano S, Ito A, Takeda M. Dysbindin-1 and NRG-1 gene expression in immortalized lymphocytes from patients with schizophrenia. J Hum Genet 2011; 56:478-83. [PMID: 21512575 DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2011.40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The dysbindin-1 and neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) genes are related to schizophrenia. Expression studies in postmortem brains have revealed lower expression of dysbindin-1 and higher expression of NRG-1 in brain tissue from subjects with schizophrenia. In addition to the difficulty of sampling, the use of postmortem brain tissues is not ideal because these tissues are heterogeneous with respect to biochemical parameters, lifetime history of medications and physiological status at the time of death. In contrast, medication and environmental influences that could mask the genetic basis of differences in RNA expression are removed in immortalized lymphocytes by culturing. Only a few microarray analysis studies using immortalized lymphocytes in schizophrenia have been reported, and whether immortalized lymphocytes are an appropriate alternative to neuronal tissue remains controversial. In this study, we measured the mRNA expression levels of dysbindin-1, NRG-1 and two other genes (NPY1R and GNAO1) in immortalized lymphocytes from 45 patients with schizophrenia and 45 controls using real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR. No difference was observed between patients and controls with respect to the expression of dysbindin-1, NRG-1, NPY1R or GNAO1 gene. Our findings suggest that the gene expression profile of immortalized lymphocyte from schizophrenic patients is different from that in postmortem brain tissue at least with respect to the dysbindin-1 and NRG-1 genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidenaga Yamamori
- Department of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
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Beaulieu JM, Gainetdinov RR. The physiology, signaling, and pharmacology of dopamine receptors. Pharmacol Rev 2011; 63:182-217. [PMID: 21303898 DOI: 10.1124/pr.110.002642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1784] [Impact Index Per Article: 137.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
G protein-coupled dopamine receptors (D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5) mediate all of the physiological functions of the catecholaminergic neurotransmitter dopamine, ranging from voluntary movement and reward to hormonal regulation and hypertension. Pharmacological agents targeting dopaminergic neurotransmission have been clinically used in the management of several neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Huntington's disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD(1)), and Tourette's syndrome. Numerous advances have occurred in understanding the general structural, biochemical, and functional properties of dopamine receptors that have led to the development of multiple pharmacologically active compounds that directly target dopamine receptors, such as antiparkinson drugs and antipsychotics. Recent progress in understanding the complex biology of dopamine receptor-related signal transduction mechanisms has revealed that, in addition to their primary action on cAMP-mediated signaling, dopamine receptors can act through diverse signaling mechanisms that involve alternative G protein coupling or through G protein-independent mechanisms via interactions with ion channels or proteins that are characteristically implicated in receptor desensitization, such as β-arrestins. One of the future directions in managing dopamine-related pathologic conditions may involve a transition from the approaches that directly affect receptor function to a precise targeting of postreceptor intracellular signaling modalities either directly or through ligand-biased signaling pharmacology. In this comprehensive review, we discuss dopamine receptor classification, their basic structural and genetic organization, their distribution and functions in the brain and the periphery, and their regulation and signal transduction mechanisms. In addition, we discuss the abnormalities of dopamine receptor expression, function, and signaling that are documented in human disorders and the current pharmacology and emerging trends in the development of novel therapeutic agents that act at dopamine receptors and/or on related signaling events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Martin Beaulieu
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval–Centre de Recherche de l'Université Laval Robert-Giffard, Québec-City, Québec, Canada
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Kyogoku C, Yanagi M, Nishimura K, Sugiyama D, Morinobu A, Fukutake M, Maeda K, Shirakawa O, Kuno T, Kumagai S. Association of calcineurin A gamma subunit (PPP3CC) and early growth response 3 (EGR3) gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to schizophrenia in a Japanese population. Psychiatry Res 2011; 185:16-9. [PMID: 20537399 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2009.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2009] [Revised: 09/08/2009] [Accepted: 11/06/2009] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
To examine the association of PPP3CC (rs10108011 and rs2461491) and EGR3 (rs3750192) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with Japanese schizophrenia, we performed a case-control association study using 337 patients and 369 healthy controls. As a result, by our moderated cohort-size study, PPP3CC and EGR3 are not genetic risk factors for schizophrenia, whereas meta-analysis showed weak association of rs10108011 with schizophrenia in the Japanese population (odds ratio (OR)=1.12, P=0.01).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chieko Kyogoku
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Immunology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
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Saito A, Fujikura-Ouchi Y, Ito C, Matsuoka H, Shimoda K, Akiyama K. An association study on polymorphisms in the PEA15, ENTPD4, and GAS2L1 genes and schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res 2011; 185:9-15. [PMID: 20537721 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2009.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2008] [Revised: 08/27/2009] [Accepted: 09/29/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Our previous study examined a number of methamphetamine (METH)/phencyclidine (PCP)-reactive tags in rat brain, using a serial analysis of gene expression. Among human homologous genes, which matched METH/PCP-reactive tags, three human genes were identified: phosphoprotein enriched in astrocyte 15 (PEA15), ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase 4 (ENTPD4), and growth arrest-specific 2 like 1 (GAS2L1), which are localized in the chromosome 1q21.1, 8p21.3, and 22q12.2, respectively. We postulated that these genes are plausible candidate genes that play a role in pathogenesis for schizophrenia. Using tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we performed a case-control comparison for three SNPs in the PEA15 gene, and six SNPs in the GAS2L1 gene in a sample set of subjects (240 schizophrenia patients and 286 control subjects). Twelve SNPs in the ENTPD4 gene were analyzed in a subset of subjects (94 schizophrenia patients and 94 control subjects). No single SNP displayed a significant difference regarding the allelic frequency or genotypic distribution between the affected cases and controls for any of the genes examined. There was neither a significant difference in the frequency of three marker haplotype in the PEA15 gene or of six marker haplotype in the GAS2L1 gene between the cases and controls. The present study fails to provide evidence for the contribution of PEA15, ENTPD4, and GAS2L1 genes to the etiology of schizophrenia in the Japanese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Saito
- Department of Biological Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu, Japan.
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Comprehensive copy number variant (CNV) analysis of neuronal pathways genes in psychiatric disorders identifies rare variants within patients. J Psychiatr Res 2010; 44:971-8. [PMID: 20398908 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2010] [Revised: 03/12/2010] [Accepted: 03/16/2010] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Copy number variations (CNV) have become an important source of human genome variability noteworthy to consider when studying genetic susceptibility to complex diseases. As recent studies have found evidences for the potential involvement of CNVs in psychiatric disorders, we have studied the dosage effect of structural genome variants as a possible susceptibility factor for different psychiatric disorders in a candidate gene approach. METHODS After selection of 68 psychiatric disorders' candidate genes overlapping with CNVs, MLPA assays were designed to determine changes in copy number of these genes. The studied sample consisted of 724 patients with psychiatric disorders (accounting for anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders and schizophrenia) and 341 control individuals. RESULTS CNVs were detected in 30 out of the 68 genes screened, indicating that a considerable proportion of neuronal pathways genes contain CNVs. When testing the overall burden of rare structural genomic variants in the different psychiatric disorders compared to control individuals, there was no statistically significant difference in the total amount of gains and losses. However, 14 out of the 30 changes were only found in psychiatric disorder patients but not in control individuals. These genes include GRM7, previously associated to major depression disorder and bipolar disorder, SLC6A13, in anxiety disorders, and S100B, SSTR5 and COMT in schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS Although we have not been able to found a clear association between the studied CNVs and psychiatric disorders, the rare variants found only within the patients could account for a step further towards understanding the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.
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Rollins B, Martin MV, Morgan L, Vawter MP. Analysis of whole genome biomarker expression in blood and brain. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2010; 153B:919-36. [PMID: 20127885 PMCID: PMC3098564 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.31062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The consistency of peripheral gene expression data and the overlap with brain expression has not been evaluated in biomarker discovery, nor has it been reported in multiple tissues from the same subjects on a genome wide transcript level. The effects of processing whole blood, transformation, and passaged cell lines on gene expression profiling was studied in healthy subjects using Affymetrix arrays. Ficoll extracted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transformed lymphocytes, passaged lymphoblastic cell lines (LCLs), and whole blood from Tempus tubes were compared. There were 6,813 transcripts differentially expressed between different methods of blood preparation. Principal component analysis resolved two partitions involving pre- and post-transformation EBV effects. Combining results from Affymetrix arrays, postmortem subjects' brain and PBMC profiles showed co-expression levels of summarized transcripts for 4,103 of 17,859 (22.9%) RefSeq transcripts. In a control experiment, rat hemi-brain and blood showed similar expression levels for 19% of RefSeq transcripts. After filtering transcripts that were not significantly different in abundance between human cerebellum and PBMCs from the Affymetrix exon array the correlation in mean transcript abundance was high as expected (r = 0.98). Differences in the alternative splicing index in brain and blood were found for about 90% of all transcripts examined. This study demonstrates over 4,100 brain transcripts co-expressed in blood samples can be further examined by in vitro and in vivo experimental studies of blood and cell lines from patients with psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ling Morgan
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 92697-4260 USA
| | - Marquis P. Vawter
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 92697-4260 USA
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Bales JW, Ma X, Yan HQ, Jenkins LW, Dixon CE. Expression of protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) subunit A isoforms in rat hippocampus after traumatic brain injury. J Neurotrauma 2010; 27:109-20. [PMID: 19751097 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2009.1072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcineurin (CaN) is a calcium/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase directly activated by calcium as a result of neuronal activation that is important for neuronal function. CaN subunit isoforms are implicated in long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), and structural plasticity. CaN inhibitors are also beneficial to cognitive outcomes in animal models of traumatic brain injury (TBI). There are known changes in the CaN A (CnA) subunit following fluid percussion injury (FPI). The CnA subunit has two isoforms: CnAalpha and CnAbeta. The effect of moderate controlled cortical impact (CCI) on distribution of CnA isoforms was examined at 2 h and 2 weeks post-injury. CnA distribution was assayed by immunohistochemistry and graded for non-parametric analysis. Acutely CnA isoforms showed reduced immunoreactivity in stratum radiatum processes of the ipsilateral CA1 and CA1-2. There was also a significant alteration in the immunoreactivity of both CnA isoforms in the ipsilateral dentate gyrus, predominantly within the hidden blade. Alterations in CnA isoform regional distribution within the CA1, CA1-2, and dentate gyrus may have significant implications for persistent hippocampal dysfunction following TBI, including dysfunction in hippocampal plasticity. Understanding alterations in CnA isoform distribution may help improve the targeting of current therapeutic interventions and/or the development of new treatments for TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- James W Bales
- Brain Trauma Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA
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Chu TT, Liu Y. An integrated genomic analysis of gene-function correlation on schizophrenia susceptibility genes. J Hum Genet 2010; 55:285-92. [PMID: 20339380 DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2010.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a highly complex inheritable disease characterized by numerous genetic susceptibility elements, each contributing a modest increase in risk for the disease. Although numerous linkage or association studies have identified a large set of schizophrenia-associated loci, many are controversial. In addition, only a small portion of these loci overlaps with the large cumulative pool of genes that have shown changes of expression in schizophrenia. Here, we applied a genomic gene-function approach to identify susceptibility loci that show direct effect on gene expression, leading to functional abnormalities in schizophrenia. We carried out an integrated analysis by cross-examination of the literature-based susceptibility loci with the schizophrenia-associated expression gene list obtained from our previous microarray study (Journal of Human Genetics (2009) 54: 665-75) using bioinformatic tools, followed by confirmation of gene expression changes using qPCR. We found nine genes (CHGB, SLC18A2, SLC25A27, ESD, C4A/C4B, TCP1, CHL1 and CTNNA2) demonstrate gene-function correlation involving: synapse and neurotransmission; energy metabolism and defense mechanisms; and molecular chaperone and cytoskeleton. Our findings further support the roles of these genes in genetic influence and functional consequences on the development of schizophrenia. It is interesting to note that four of the nine genes are located on chromosome 6, suggesting a special chromosomal vulnerability in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tearina T Chu
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, NY 10029, USA.
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Comprehensive behavioral analysis of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV knockout mice. PLoS One 2010; 5:e9460. [PMID: 20209163 PMCID: PMC2830479 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2009] [Accepted: 02/03/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) is a protein kinase that activates the transcription factor CREB, the cyclic AMP-response element binding protein. CREB is a key transcription factor in synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation. To elucidate the behavioral effects of CaMKIV deficiency, we subjected CaMKIV knockout (CaMKIV KO) mice to a battery of behavioral tests. CaMKIV KO had no significant effects on locomotor activity, motor coordination, social interaction, pain sensitivity, prepulse inhibition, attention, or depression-like behavior. Consistent with previous reports, CaMKIV KO mice exhibited impaired retention in a fear conditioning test 28 days after training. In contrast, however, CaMKIV KO mice did not show any testing performance deficits in passive avoidance, one of the most commonly used fear memory paradigms, 28 days after training, suggesting that remote fear memory is intact. CaMKIV KO mice exhibited intact spatial reference memory learning in the Barnes circular maze, and normal spatial working memory in an eight-arm radial maze. CaMKIV KO mice also showed mildly decreased anxiety-like behavior, suggesting that CaMKIV is involved in regulating emotional behavior. These findings indicate that CaMKIV might not be essential for fear memory or spatial memory, although it is possible that the activities of other neural mechanisms or signaling pathways compensate for the CaMKIV deficiency.
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36
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A case–control association analysis of CABIN1 with schizophrenia in a Japanese population. J Hum Genet 2010; 55:179-81. [DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2009.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Abstract
Schizophrenia is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, but despite some progress in identifying the genetic factors implicated in its development, the molecular mechanisms underlying its etiology and pathogenesis remain poorly understood. However, accumulating evidence suggests that regardless of the underlying genetic complexity, the mechanisms of the disease may impact a small number of common signaling pathways. In this review, we discuss the evidence for a role of schizophrenia susceptibility genes in intracellular signaling cascades by focusing on three prominent candidate genes: AKT, PPP3CC (calcineurin), and DISC1. We describe the regulation of a number of signaling cascades by AKT and calcineurin through protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, and the recently uncovered functions of DISC1 in cAMP and GSK3beta signaling. In addition, we present independent evidence for the involvement of their downstream signaling pathways in schizophrenia. Finally, we discuss evidence supporting an impact of these susceptibility genes on common intracellular signaling pathways and the convergence of their effects on neuronal processes implicated in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirna Kvajo
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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38
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Lin SH, Liu CM, Liu YL, Fann CSJ, Hsiao PC, Wu JY, Hung SI, Chen CH, Wu HM, Jou YS, Liu SK, Hwang TJ, Hsieh MH, Chang CC, Yang WC, Lin JJ, Chou FHC, Faraone SV, Tsuang MT, Hwu HG, Chen WJ. Clustering by neurocognition for fine mapping of the schizophrenia susceptibility loci on chromosome 6p. GENES, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR 2009; 8:785-94. [PMID: 19694819 PMCID: PMC4286260 DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2009.00523.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Chromosome 6p is one of the most commonly implicated regions in the genome-wide linkage scans of schizophrenia, whereas further association studies for markers in this region were inconsistent likely due to heterogeneity. This study aimed to identify more homogeneous subgroups of families for fine mapping on regions around markers D6S296 and D6S309 (both in 6p24.3) as well as D6S274 (in 6p22.3) by means of similarity in neurocognitive functioning. A total of 160 families of patients with schizophrenia comprising at least two affected siblings who had data for eight neurocognitive test variables of the continuous performance test (CPT) and the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) were subjected to cluster analysis with data visualization using the test scores of both affected siblings. Family clusters derived were then used separately in family-based association tests for 64 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering the region of 6p24.3 and 6p22.3. Three clusters were derived from the family-based clustering, with deficit cluster 1 representing deficit on the CPT, deficit cluster 2 representing deficit on both the CPT and the WCST, and a third cluster of nondeficit. After adjustment using false discovery rate for multiple testing, SNP rs13873 and haplotype rs1225934-rs13873 on BMP6-TXNDC5 genes were significantly associated with schizophrenia for the deficit cluster 1 but not for the deficit cluster 2 or nondeficit cluster. Our results provide further evidence that the BMP6-TXNDC5 locus on 6p24.3 may play a role in the selective impairments on sustained attention of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Hsiang Lin
- Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genetic Epidemiology Core Laboratory, Division of Genomic Medicine, Research Center for Medical Excellence, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Min Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Li Liu
- Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Taiwan
| | | | - Po-Chang Hsiao
- Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genetic Epidemiology Core Laboratory, Division of Genomic Medicine, Research Center for Medical Excellence, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jer-Yuarn Wu
- National Genotyping Center, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shuen-Iu Hung
- National Genotyping Center, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Houh Chen
- Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Han-Ming Wu
- Department of Mathematics, Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yuh-Shan Jou
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shi K. Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
- Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tzung J. Hwang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming H. Hsieh
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Wei-Chih Yang
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Molecular Medicine Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jin-Jia Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Chimei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
| | | | - Stephen V. Faraone
- Departments of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and Physiology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Ming T. Tsuang
- Harvard Institute of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Genetics, and Departments of Epidemiology and Psychiatry, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Center for Behavioral Genomics, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Hai-Gwo Hwu
- Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei J. Chen
- Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Genetic Epidemiology Core Laboratory, Division of Genomic Medicine, Research Center for Medical Excellence, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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Takao K, Miyakawa T. Intrauterine environment-genome interaction and children's development (4): Brain-behavior phenotypying of genetically-engineered mice using a comprehensive behavioral test battery on research of neuropsychiatric disorders. J Toxicol Sci 2009; 34 Suppl 2:SP293-305. [PMID: 19571483 DOI: 10.2131/jts.34.sp293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Despite massive research efforts, the exact pathogenesis and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, remain largely unknown. Animal models can serve as essential tools for investigating the etiology and treatment of such disorders. Some mutant mouse strains were found to exhibit behavioral abnormalities reminiscent of human psychiatric disorders. Here we outline our unique approach of extrapolating findings in mice to humans, and present studies on alpha-CaMKII heterozygous knockout (alpha-CaMKII+/-) mice as examples. Alpha-CaMKII+/- mice have profoundly dysregulated behavior and impaired neuronal development in the dentate gyrus (DG). The behavioral abnormalities include a severe working memory deficit and an exaggerated infradian rhythm, which are similar to symptoms seen in schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorder and other psychiatric disorders. By conducting a series of experiments, we discovered that almost all the neurons in the mutant DG were very similar to the immature DG neurons of normal rodents. In other words, alpha-CaMKII+/- mice have an "immature DG". We proposed that an "immature DG" in adulthood might induce alterations in behavior and serve as a promising candidate endophenotype of schizophrenia and other human psychiatric disorders. The impact of a large-scale mouse phenotyping on studies of psychiatric disorders and the potential utility of an "animal-model-array" of psychiatric disorders for the development of suitable therapeutic agents is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keizo Takao
- Division of Systems Medicine, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
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40
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Gaspar PA, Bustamante ML, Silva H, Aboitiz F. Molecular mechanisms underlying glutamatergic dysfunction in schizophrenia: therapeutic implications. J Neurochem 2009; 111:891-900. [PMID: 19686383 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2009.06325.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Early models for the etiology of schizophrenia focused on dopamine neurotransmission because of the powerful anti-psychotic action of dopamine antagonists. Nevertheless, recent evidence increasingly supports a primarily glutamatergic dysfunction in this condition, where dopaminergic disbalance is a secondary effect. A current model for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia involves a dysfunctional mechanism by which the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction leads to a dysregulation of GABA fast- spiking interneurons, consequently disinhibiting pyramidal glutamatergic output and disturbing the signal-to-noise ratio. This mechanism might explain better than other models some cognitive deficits observed in this disease, as well as the dopaminergic alterations and therapeutic effect of anti-psychotics. Although the modulation of glutamate activity has, in principle, great therapeutic potential, a side effect of NMDAR overactivation is neurotoxicity, which accelerates neuropathological alterations in this illness. We propose that metabotropic glutamate receptors can have a modulatory effect over the NMDAR and regulate excitotoxity mechanisms. Therefore, in our view metabotropic glutamate receptors constitute a highly promising target for future drug treatment in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo A Gaspar
- Clínica Psiquiátrica Universitaria, Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile, Casilla, Santiago, Chile.
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Kilka S, Erdmann F, Migdoll A, Fischer G, Weiwad M. The proline-rich N-terminal sequence of calcineurin Abeta determines substrate binding. Biochemistry 2009; 48:1900-10. [PMID: 19154138 DOI: 10.1021/bi8019355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Three different genes of catalytic subunit A of the Ca(2+)-dependent serine/threonine protein phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) are encoded in the human genome forming heterodimers with regulatory subunit B. Even though physiological roles of CaN have been investigated extensively, less is known about the specific functions of the different catalytic isoforms. In this study, all human CaN holoenzymes containing either the alpha, beta, or gamma isoform of the catalytic subunit (CaN alpha, beta, or gamma, respectively) were expressed for the first time. Comparative kinetic analysis of the dephosphorylation of five specific CaN substrates provided evidence that the distinct isoforms of the catalytic subunit confer substrate specificities to the holoenzymes. CaN alpha dephosphorylates the transcription factor Elk-1 with 7- and 2-fold higher catalytic efficiencies than the beta and gamma isoforms, respectively. CaN gamma exhibits the highest k(cat)/K(m) value for DARPP-32, whereas the catalytic efficiencies for the dephosphorylation of NFAT and RII peptide were 3- and 5-fold lower, respectively, when compared with the other isoforms. Elk-1 and NFAT reporter gene activity measurements revealed even more pronounced substrate preferences of CaNA isoforms. Moreover, kinetic analysis demonstrated that CaN beta exhibits for all tested protein substrates the lowest K(m) values. Enzymatic characterization of the CaN beta(P14G/P18G) variant as well as the N-terminal truncated form CaN beta(22-524) revealed that the proline-rich sequence of CaN beta is involved in substrate recognition. CaN beta(22-524) exhibits an at least 4-fold decreased substrate affinity and a 5-fold increased turnover number. Since this study demonstrates that all CaN isoforms display the same cytoplasmic subcellular distribution and are expressed in each tested cell line, differences in substrate specificities may determine specific physiological functions of the distinct isoforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susann Kilka
- Max Planck Research Unit for Enzymology of Protein Folding, Weinbergweg 22, D-06120 Halle/Saale, Germany
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Tabarés-Seisdedos R, Rubenstein JLR. Chromosome 8p as a potential hub for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders: implications for schizophrenia, autism and cancer. Mol Psychiatry 2009; 14:563-89. [PMID: 19204725 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2009.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Defects in genetic and developmental processes are thought to contribute susceptibility to autism and schizophrenia. Presumably, owing to etiological complexity identifying susceptibility genes and abnormalities in the development has been difficult. However, the importance of genes within chromosomal 8p region for neuropsychiatric disorders and cancer is well established. There are 484 annotated genes located on 8p; many are most likely oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. Molecular genetics and developmental studies have identified 21 genes in this region (ADRA1A, ARHGEF10, CHRNA2, CHRNA6, CHRNB3, DKK4, DPYSL2, EGR3, FGF17, FGF20, FGFR1, FZD3, LDL, NAT2, NEF3, NRG1, PCM1, PLAT, PPP3CC, SFRP1 and VMAT1/SLC18A1) that are most likely to contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, autism, bipolar disorder and depression), neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease) and cancer. Furthermore, at least seven nonprotein-coding RNAs (microRNAs) are located at 8p. Structural variants on 8p, such as copy number variants, microdeletions or microduplications, might also contribute to autism, schizophrenia and other human diseases including cancer. In this review, we consider the current state of evidence from cytogenetic, linkage, association, gene expression and endophenotyping studies for the role of these 8p genes in neuropsychiatric disease. We also describe how a mutation in an 8p gene (Fgf17) results in a mouse with deficits in specific components of social behavior and a reduction in its dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. We finish by discussing the biological connections of 8p with respect to neuropsychiatric disorders and cancer, despite the shortcomings of this evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Tabarés-Seisdedos
- Teaching Unit of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Department of Medicine, CIBER-SAM, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
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Matsuo N, Tanda K, Nakanishi K, Yamasaki N, Toyama K, Takao K, Takeshima H, Miyakawa T. Comprehensive behavioral phenotyping of ryanodine receptor type 3 (RyR3) knockout mice: decreased social contact duration in two social interaction tests. Front Behav Neurosci 2009; 3:3. [PMID: 19503748 PMCID: PMC2691151 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.003.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2009] [Accepted: 04/06/2009] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic regulation of the intracellular Ca2+ concentration is crucial for various neuronal functions such as synaptic transmission and plasticity, and gene expression. Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are a family of intracellular calcium release channels that mediate calcium-induced calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum. Among the three RyR isoforms, RyR3 is preferentially expressed in the brain especially in the hippocampus and striatum. To investigate the behavioral effects of RyR3 deficiency, we subjected RyR3 knockout (RyR3–/–) mice to a battery of behavioral tests. RyR3–/– mice exhibited significantly decreased social contact duration in two different social interaction tests, where two mice can freely move and make contacts with each other. They also exhibited hyperactivity and mildly impaired prepulse inhibition and latent inhibition while they did not show significant abnormalities in motor function and working and reference memory tests. These results indicate that RyR3 has an important role in locomotor activity and social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Matsuo
- Division of Systems Medical Science, Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science, Fujita Health University Toyoake, Japan
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Domain architecture of the regulators of calcineurin (RCANs) and identification of a divergent RCAN in yeast. Mol Cell Biol 2009; 29:2777-93. [PMID: 19273587 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.01197-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulators of calcineurin (RCANs) in fungi and mammals have been shown to stimulate and inhibit calcineurin signaling in vivo through direct interactions with the catalytic subunit of the phosphatase. The dual effects of RCANs on calcineurin were examined by performing structure-function analyses on yeast Rcn1 and human RCAN1 (a.k.a. DSCR1, MCIP1, and calcipressin 1) proteins expressed at a variety of different levels in yeast. At high levels of expression, the inhibitory effects required a degenerate PxIxIT-like motif and a novel LxxP motif, which may be related to calcineurin-binding motifs in human NFAT proteins. The conserved glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) phosphorylation site was not required for inhibition, suggesting that RCANs can simply compete with other substrates for docking onto calcineurin. In addition to these docking motifs, two other highly conserved motifs plus the GSK-3 phosphorylation site in RCANs, along with the E3 ubiquitin ligase SCF(Cdc4), were required for stimulation of calcineurin signaling in yeast. These findings suggest that RCANs may function primarily as chaperones for calcineurin biosynthesis or recycling, requiring binding, phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, and proteasomal degradation for their stimulatory effect. Finally, another highly divergent yeast RCAN, termed Rcn2 (YOR220w), was identified through a functional genetic screen. Rcn2 lacks all stimulatory motifs, though its expression was still strongly induced by calcineurin signaling through Crz1 and it competed with other endogenous substrates when overexpressed, similar to canonical RCANs. These findings suggest a primary role for canonical RCANs in facilitating calcineurin signaling, but canonical RCANs may secondarily inhibit calcineurin signaling by interfering with substrate interactions and enzymatic activity.
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Targeting the hippocampal mossy fiber synapse for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Mol Neurobiol 2009; 39:24-36. [PMID: 19130314 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-008-8049-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2008] [Accepted: 12/12/2008] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
It is widely known that new neurons are continuously generated in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in the adult mammalian brain. This neurogenesis has been implicated in depression and antidepressant treatments. Recent evidence also suggests that the dentate gyrus is involved in the neuropathology and pathophysiology of schizophrenia and other related psychiatric disorders. Especially, abnormal neuronal development in the dentate gyrus may be a plausible risk factor for the diseases. The synapse made by the mossy fiber, the output fiber of the dentate gyrus, plays a critical role in regulating neuronal activity in its target CA3 area. The mossy fiber synapse is characterized by remarkable activity-dependent short-term synaptic plasticity that is established during the postnatal development and is supposed to be central to the functional role of the mossy fiber. Any defects, including developmental abnormalities, in the dentate gyrus and drugs acting on the dentate gyrus can modulate the mossy fiber-CA3 synaptic transmission, which may eventually affect hippocampal functions. In this paper, I review recent evidence for involvement of the dentate gyrus and mossy fiber synapse in psychiatric disorders and discuss potential importance of drugs targeting the mossy fiber synapse either directly or indirectly in the therapeutic treatments of psychiatric disorders.
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Kinoshita Y, Ikeda M, Ujike H, Kitajima T, Yamanouchi Y, Aleksic B, Kishi T, Kawashima K, Ohkouchi T, Ozaki N, Inada T, Harano M, Komiyama T, Hori T, Yamada M, Sekine Y, Iyo M, Sora I, Iwata N. Association Study of the Calcineurin A Gamma Subunit Gene (PPP3CC) and Methamphetamine-Use Disorder in a Japanese Population. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2008; 1139:57-62. [DOI: 10.1196/annals.1432.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Yamasaki N, Maekawa M, Kobayashi K, Kajii Y, Maeda J, Soma M, Takao K, Tanda K, Ohira K, Toyama K, Kanzaki K, Fukunaga K, Sudo Y, Ichinose H, Ikeda M, Iwata N, Ozaki N, Suzuki H, Higuchi M, Suhara T, Yuasa S, Miyakawa T. Alpha-CaMKII deficiency causes immature dentate gyrus, a novel candidate endophenotype of psychiatric disorders. Mol Brain 2008; 1:6. [PMID: 18803808 PMCID: PMC2562999 DOI: 10.1186/1756-6606-1-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 225] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2008] [Accepted: 09/10/2008] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the neural and genetic factors underlying psychiatric illness is hampered by current methods of clinical diagnosis. The identification and investigation of clinical endophenotypes may be one solution, but represents a considerable challenge in human subjects. Here we report that mice heterozygous for a null mutation of the alpha-isoform of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (alpha-CaMKII+/-) have profoundly dysregulated behaviours and impaired neuronal development in the dentate gyrus (DG). The behavioral abnormalities include a severe working memory deficit and an exaggerated infradian rhythm, which are similar to symptoms seen in schizophrenia, bipolar mood disorder and other psychiatric disorders. Transcriptome analysis of the hippocampus of these mutants revealed that the expression levels of more than 2000 genes were significantly changed. Strikingly, among the 20 most downregulated genes, 5 had highly selective expression in the DG. Whereas BrdU incorporated cells in the mutant mouse DG was increased by more than 50 percent, the number of mature neurons in the DG was dramatically decreased. Morphological and physiological features of the DG neurons in the mutants were strikingly similar to those of immature DG neurons in normal rodents. Moreover, c-Fos expression in the DG after electric footshock was almost completely and selectively abolished in the mutants. Statistical clustering of human post-mortem brains using 10 genes differentially-expressed in the mutant mice were used to classify individuals into two clusters, one of which contained 16 of 18 schizophrenic patients. Nearly half of the differentially-expressed probes in the schizophrenia-enriched cluster encoded genes that are involved in neurogenesis or in neuronal migration/maturation, including calbindin, a marker for mature DG neurons. Based on these results, we propose that an "immature DG" in adulthood might induce alterations in behavior and serve as a promising candidate endophenotype of schizophrenia and other human psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuyuki Yamasaki
- Frontier Technology Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
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Millan MJ, Brocco M. Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: a Review of Developmental and Genetic Models, and Pro-cognitive Profile of the Optimised D3 > D2 Antagonist, S33138. Therapie 2008; 63:187-229. [DOI: 10.2515/therapie:2008041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/02/2008] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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