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Contreras A, Djebari S, Temprano-Carazo S, Múnera A, Gruart A, Delgado-Garcia JM, Jiménez-Díaz L, Navarro-López JD. Impairments in hippocampal oscillations accompany the loss of LTP induced by GIRK activity blockade. Neuropharmacology 2023:109668. [PMID: 37474000 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Learning and memory occurrence requires of hippocampal long-term synaptic plasticity and precise neural activity orchestrated by brain network oscillations, both processes reciprocally influencing each other. As G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels rule synaptic plasticity that supports hippocampal-dependent memory, here we assessed their unknown role in hippocampal oscillatory activity in relation to synaptic plasticity induction. In alert male mice, pharmacological GIRK modulation did not alter neural oscillations before long-term potentiation (LTP) induction. However, after an LTP generating protocol, both gain- and loss-of basal GIRK activity transformed LTP into long-term depression, but only specific suppression of constitutive GIRK activity caused a disruption of network synchronization (δ, α, γ bands), even leading to long-lasting ripples and fast ripples pathological oscillations. Together, our data showed that constitutive GIRK activity plays a key role in the tuning mechanism of hippocampal oscillatory activity during long-term synaptic plasticity processes that underlies hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Contreras
- NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Souhail Djebari
- NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Sara Temprano-Carazo
- NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Alejandro Múnera
- NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain; Behavioral Neurophysiology Laboratory, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 111321, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Agnès Gruart
- Division of Neurosciences, University Pablo de Olavide, 41013, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Lydia Jiménez-Díaz
- NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Juan D Navarro-López
- NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071, Ciudad Real, Spain.
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2
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Araújo-Vilar D, Fernández-Pombo A, Cobelo-Gómez S, Castro AI, Sánchez-Iglesias S. Lipodystrophy-associated progeroid syndromes. Hormones (Athens) 2022; 21:555-571. [PMID: 35835948 DOI: 10.1007/s42000-022-00386-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
With the exception of HIV-associated lipodystrophy, lipodystrophy syndromes are rare conditions characterized by a lack of adipose tissue, which is not generally recovered. As a consequence, an ectopic deposition of lipids frequently occurs, which usually leads to insulin resistance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis. These disorders include certain accelerated aging syndromes or progeroid syndromes. Even though each of them has unique clinical features, most show common clinical characteristics that affect growth, skin and appendages, adipose tissue, muscle, and bone and, in some of them, life expectancy is reduced. Although the molecular bases of these Mendelian disorders are very diverse and not well known, genomic instability is frequent as a consequence of impairment of nuclear organization, chromatin structure, and DNA repair, as well as epigenetic dysregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, the main clinical features of the lipodystrophy-associated progeroid syndromes will be described along with their causes and pathogenic mechanisms, and an attempt will be made to identify which of López-Otín's hallmarks of aging are present.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Araújo-Vilar
- UETeM-Molecular Pathology Group, Department of Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine (Medicine Area), Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS)-IDIS, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
- Division of Endocrinology and Nutrition, University Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - Antía Fernández-Pombo
- UETeM-Molecular Pathology Group, Department of Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine (Medicine Area), Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS)-IDIS, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Division of Endocrinology and Nutrition, University Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Silvia Cobelo-Gómez
- UETeM-Molecular Pathology Group, Department of Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine (Medicine Area), Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS)-IDIS, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ana I Castro
- Division of Endocrinology and Nutrition, University Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBERobn), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sofía Sánchez-Iglesias
- UETeM-Molecular Pathology Group, Department of Psychiatry, Radiology, Public Health, Nursing and Medicine (Medicine Area), Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CIMUS)-IDIS, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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3
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Spatial Memory Training Counteracts Hippocampal GIRK Channel Decrease in the Transgenic APPSw,Ind J9 Alzheimer’s Disease Mouse Model. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113444. [PMID: 36362230 PMCID: PMC9659077 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels are critical determinants of neuronal excitability. They have been proposed as potential targets to restore excitatory/inhibitory balance in acute amyloidosis models, where hyperexcitability is a hallmark. However, the role of GIRK signaling in transgenic mice models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is largely unknown. Here, we study whether progressive amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation in the hippocampus during aging alters GIRK channel expression in mutant β-amyloid precursor protein (APPSw,Ind J9) transgenic AD mice. Additionally, we examine the impact of spatial memory training in a hippocampal-dependent task, on protein expression of GIRK subunits and Regulator of G-protein signaling 7 (RGS7) in the hippocampus of APPSw,Ind J9 mice. Firstly, we found a reduction in GIRK2 expression (the main neuronal GIRK channels subunit) in the hippocampus of 6-month-old APPSw,Ind J9 mice. Moreover, we found an aging effect on GIRK2 and GIRK3 subunits in both wild type (WT) and APPSw,Ind J9 mice. Finally, when 6-month-old animals were challenged to a spatial memory training, GIRK2 expression in the APPSw,Ind J9 mice were normalized to WT levels. Together, our results support the evidence that GIRK2 could account for the excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmission imbalance found in AD models, and training in a cognitive hippocampal dependent task may have therapeutic benefits of reversing this effect and lessen early AD deficits.
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Kleschevnikov AM. Enhanced GIRK2 channel signaling in Down syndrome: A feasible role in the development of abnormal nascent neural circuits. Front Genet 2022; 13:1006068. [PMID: 36171878 PMCID: PMC9510977 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1006068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The most distinctive feature of Down syndrome (DS) is moderate to severe cognitive impairment. Genetic, molecular, and neuronal mechanisms of this complex DS phenotype are currently under intensive investigation. It is becoming increasingly clear that the abnormalities arise from a combination of initial changes caused by triplication of genes on human chromosome 21 (HSA21) and later compensatory adaptations affecting multiple brain systems. Consequently, relatively mild initial cognitive deficits become pronounced with age. This pattern of changes suggests that one approach to improving cognitive function in DS is to target the earliest critical changes, the prevention of which can change the ‘trajectory’ of the brain development and reduce the destructive effects of the secondary alterations. Here, we review the experimental data on the role of KCNJ6 in DS-specific brain abnormalities, focusing on a putative role of this gene in the development of abnormal neural circuits in the hippocampus of genetic mouse models of DS. It is suggested that the prevention of these early abnormalities with pharmacological or genetic means can ameliorate cognitive impairment in DS.
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5
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Viard J, Loe-Mie Y, Daudin R, Khelfaoui M, Plancon C, Boland A, Tejedor F, Huganir RL, Kim E, Kinoshita M, Liu G, Haucke V, Moncion T, Yu E, Hindie V, Bléhaut H, Mircher C, Herault Y, Deleuze JF, Rain JC, Simonneau M, Lepagnol-Bestel AM. Chr21 protein-protein interactions: enrichment in proteins involved in intellectual disability, autism, and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:e202101205. [PMID: 35914814 PMCID: PMC9348576 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202101205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is caused by human chromosome 21 (HSA21) trisomy. It is characterized by a poorly understood intellectual disability (ID). We studied two mouse models of DS, one with an extra copy of the <i>Dyrk1A</i> gene (189N3) and the other with an extra copy of the mouse Chr16 syntenic region (Dp(16)1Yey). RNA-seq analysis of the transcripts deregulated in the embryonic hippocampus revealed an enrichment in genes associated with chromatin for the 189N3 model, and synapses for the Dp(16)1Yey model. A large-scale yeast two-hybrid screen (82 different screens, including 72 HSA21 baits and 10 rebounds) of a human brain library containing at least 10<sup>7</sup> independent fragments identified 1,949 novel protein-protein interactions. The direct interactors of HSA21 baits and rebounds were significantly enriched in ID-related genes (<i>P</i>-value < 2.29 × 10<sup>-8</sup>). Proximity ligation assays showed that some of the proteins encoded by HSA21 were located at the dendritic spine postsynaptic density, in a protein network at the dendritic spine postsynapse. We located HSA21 DYRK1A and DSCAM, mutations of which increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) 20-fold, in this postsynaptic network. We found that an intracellular domain of DSCAM bound either DLGs, which are multimeric scaffolds comprising receptors, ion channels and associated signaling proteins, or DYRK1A. The DYRK1A-DSCAM interaction domain is conserved in <i>Drosophila</i> and humans. The postsynaptic network was found to be enriched in proteins associated with ARC-related synaptic plasticity, ASD, and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. These results highlight links between DS and brain diseases with a complex genetic basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Viard
- Centre Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, INSERM U894, Paris, France
- Laboratoire de Génomique Fonctionnelle, CNG, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Evry, France
| | - Yann Loe-Mie
- Centre Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, INSERM U894, Paris, France
| | - Rachel Daudin
- Centre Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, INSERM U894, Paris, France
| | - Malik Khelfaoui
- Centre Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, INSERM U894, Paris, France
| | - Christine Plancon
- Laboratoire de Génomique Fonctionnelle, CNG, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Evry, France
| | - Anne Boland
- Laboratoire de Génomique Fonctionnelle, CNG, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Evry, France
| | - Francisco Tejedor
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Miguel Hernández (CSIC-UMH), Universidad Miguel Hernandez-Campus de San Juan, San Juan, Spain
| | - Richard L Huganir
- Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Eunjoon Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Makoto Kinoshita
- Department of Molecular Biology, Division of Biological Science, Nagoya University Graduate School of Science, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Guofa Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Volker Haucke
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Cell Biology, Leibniz Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) and Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Eugene Yu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Roswell Park Division of Graduate School, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Yann Herault
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, Illkirch, France
- INSERM, U964, Illkirch, France
- Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
- PHENOMIN, Institut Clinique de la Souris, ICS, GIE CERBM, CNRS, INSERM, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France
| | - Jean-François Deleuze
- Laboratoire de Génomique Fonctionnelle, CNG, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), Evry, France
| | | | - Michel Simonneau
- Centre Psychiatrie and Neurosciences, INSERM U894, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, ENS Paris-Saclay, CentraleSupélec, LuMIn, Gif sur Yvette, France
- Department of Biology, Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette, France
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Dai Y, Jia P, Zhao Z, Gottlieb A. A Method for Bridging Population-Specific Genotypes to Detect Gene Modules Associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Cells 2022; 11:2219. [PMID: 35883662 PMCID: PMC9319087 DOI: 10.3390/cells11142219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies have successfully identified variants associated with multiple conditions. However, generalizing discoveries across diverse populations remains challenging due to large variations in genetic composition. Methods that perform gene expression imputation have attempted to address the transferability of gene discoveries across populations, but with limited success. METHODS Here, we introduce a pipeline that combines gene expression imputation with gene module discovery, including a dense gene module search and a gene set variation analysis, to address the transferability issue. Our method feeds association probabilities of imputed gene expression with a selected phenotype into tissue-specific gene-module discovery over protein interaction networks to create higher-level gene modules. RESULTS We demonstrate our method's utility in three case-control studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) for three different race/ethnic populations (Whites, African descent and Hispanics). We discovered 182 AD-associated genes from gene modules shared between these populations, highlighting new gene modules associated with AD. CONCLUSIONS Our innovative framework has the potential to identify robust discoveries across populations based on gene modules, as demonstrated in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulin Dai
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Peilin Jia
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zhongming Zhao
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Assaf Gottlieb
- Center for Precision Health, School of Biomedical Informatics, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Luo H, Marron Fernandez de Velasco E, Wickman K. Neuronal G protein-gated K + channels. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2022; 323:C439-C460. [PMID: 35704701 PMCID: PMC9362898 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00102.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK/Kir3) channels exert a critical inhibitory influence on neurons. Neuronal GIRK channels mediate the G protein-dependent, direct/postsynaptic inhibitory effect of many neurotransmitters including γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), serotonin, dopamine, adenosine, somatostatin, and enkephalin. In addition to their complex regulation by G proteins, neuronal GIRK channel activity is sensitive to PIP2, phosphorylation, regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins, intracellular Na+ and Ca2+, and cholesterol. The application of genetic and viral manipulations in rodent models, together with recent progress in the development of GIRK channel modulators, has increased our understanding of the physiological and behavioral impact of neuronal GIRK channels. Work in rodent models has also revealed that neuronal GIRK channel activity is modified, transiently or persistently, by various stimuli including exposure drugs of abuse, changes in neuronal activity patterns, and aversive experience. A growing body of preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that dysregulation of GIRK channel activity contributes to neurological diseases and disorders. The primary goals of this review are to highlight fundamental principles of neuronal GIRK channel biology, mechanisms of GIRK channel regulation and plasticity, the nascent landscape of GIRK channel pharmacology, and the potential relevance of GIRK channels to the pathophysiology and treatment of neurological diseases and disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haichang Luo
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | | | - Kevin Wickman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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8
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Zheng F, Valero-Aracama MJ, Schaefer N, Alzheimer C. Activin A Reduces GIRK Current to Excite Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:920388. [PMID: 35711474 PMCID: PMC9197229 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.920388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Activin A, a member of the TGF-β family, is recognized as a multifunctional protein in the adult brain with a particular impact on neuronal circuits associated with cognitive and affective functions. Activin receptor signaling in mouse hippocampus is strongly enhanced by the exploration of an enriched environment (EE), a behavioral paradigm known to improve performance in learning and memory tasks and to ameliorate depression-like behaviors. To interrogate the relationship between EE, activin signaling, and cellular excitability in the hippocampus, we performed ex vivo whole-cell recordings from dentate gyrus (DG) granule cells (GCs) of wild type mice and transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative mutant of activin receptor IB (dnActRIB), which disrupts activin signaling in a forebrain-specific fashion. We found that, after overnight EE housing, GC excitability was strongly enhanced in an activin-dependent fashion. Moreover, the effect of EE on GC firing was mimicked by pre-treatment of hippocampal slices from control mice with recombinant activin A for several hours. The excitatory effect of activin A was preserved when canonical SMAD-dependent signaling was pharmacologically suppressed but was blocked by inhibitors of ERK-MAPK and PKA signaling. The involvement of a non-genomic signaling cascade was supported by the fact that the excitatory effect of activin A was already achieved within minutes of application. With respect to the ionic mechanism underlying the increase in intrinsic excitability, voltage-clamp recordings revealed that activin A induced an apparent inward current, which resulted from the suppression of a standing G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) current. The link between EE, enhanced activin signaling, and inhibition of GIRK current was strengthened by the following findings: (i) The specific GIRK channel blocker tertiapin Q (TQ) occluded the characteristic electrophysiological effects of activin A in both current- and voltage-clamp recordings. (ii) The outward current evoked by the GIRK channel activator adenosine was significantly reduced by preceding EE exploration as well as by recombinant activin A in control slices. In conclusion, our study identifies GIRK current suppression via non-canonical activin signaling as a mechanism that might at least in part contribute to the beneficial effects of EE on cognitive performance and affective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Zheng
- Institute of Physiology
and Pathophysiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Christian Alzheimer Fang Zheng
| | - Maria Jesus Valero-Aracama
- Institute of Physiology
and Pathophysiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Natascha Schaefer
- Institute for Clinical Neurobiology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Alzheimer
- Institute of Physiology
and Pathophysiology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Christian Alzheimer Fang Zheng
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9
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Kleschevnikov A. GIRK2 Channels in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease. Curr Alzheimer Res 2022; 19:819-829. [PMID: 36567290 DOI: 10.2174/1567205020666221223122110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive impairment in Down syndrome (DS) results from the abnormal expression of hundreds of genes. However, the impact of KCNJ6, a gene located in the middle of the 'Down syndrome critical region' of chromosome 21, seems to stand out. KCNJ6 encodes GIRK2 (KIR3.2) subunits of G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels, which serve as effectors for GABAB, m2, 5HT1A, A1, and many other postsynaptic metabotropic receptors. GIRK2 subunits are heavily expressed in neocortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus. By controlling resting membrane potential and neuronal excitability, GIRK2 channels may thus affect both synaptic plasticity and stability of neural circuits in the brain regions important for learning and memory. Here, we discuss recent experimental data regarding the role of KCNJ6/GIRK2 in neuronal abnormalities and cognitive impairment in models of DS and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results compellingly show that signaling through GIRK2 channels is abnormally enhanced in mouse genetic models of Down syndrome and that partial suppression of GIRK2 channels with pharmacological or genetic means can restore synaptic plasticity and improve impaired cognitive functions. On the other hand, signaling through GIRK2 channels is downregulated in AD models, such as models of early amyloidopathy. In these models, reduced GIRK2 channel signaling promotes neuronal hyperactivity, causing excitatory-inhibitory imbalance and neuronal death. Accordingly, activation of GABAB/GIRK2 signaling by GIRK channel activators or GABAB receptor agonists may reduce Aβ-induced hyperactivity and subsequent neuronal death, thereby exerting a neuroprotective effect in models of AD.
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10
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Antonaros F, Pitocco M, Abete D, Vione B, Piovesan A, Vitale L, Strippoli P, Caracausi M, Pelleri MC. Structural Characterization of the Highly Restricted Down Syndrome Critical Region on 21q22.13: New KCNJ6 and DSCR4 Transcript Isoforms. Front Genet 2021; 12:770359. [PMID: 34956324 PMCID: PMC8692863 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.770359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS) is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21 and it is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID) in humans. Subjects with DS show a typical phenotype marked by facial dysmorphisms and ID. Partial trisomy 21 (PT21) is a rare genotype characterized by the duplication of a delimited chromosome 21 (Hsa21) portion and it may or may not be associated with DS diagnosis. The highly restricted Down syndrome critical region (HR-DSCR) is a region of Hsa21 present in three copies in all individuals with PT21 and a diagnosis of DS. This region, located on distal 21q22.13, is 34 kbp long and does not include characterized genes. The HR-DSCR is annotated as an intergenic region between KCNJ6-201 transcript encoding for potassium inwardly rectifying channel subfamily J member 6 and DSCR4-201 transcript encoding Down syndrome critical region 4. Two transcripts recently identified by massive RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) and automatically annotated on Ensembl database reveal that the HR-DSCR seems to be partially crossed by KCNJ6-202 and DSCR4-202 isoforms. KCNJ6-202 shares the coding sequence with KCNJ6-201 which is involved in many physiological processes, including heart rate in cardiac cells and circuit activity in neuronal cells. DSCR4-202 transcript has the first two exons in common with DSCR4-201, the only experimentally verified gene uniquely present in Hominidae. In this study, we performed in silico and in vitro analyses of the HR-DSCR. Bioinformatic data, obtained using Sequence Read Archive (SRA) and SRA-BLAST software, were confirmed by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Sanger sequencing on a panel of human tissues. Our data demonstrate that the HR-DSCR cannot be defined as an intergenic region. Further studies are needed to investigate the functional role of the new transcripts, likely involved in DS phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Antonaros
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Margherita Pitocco
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Domenico Abete
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Beatrice Vione
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Allison Piovesan
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lorenza Vitale
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Strippoli
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Caracausi
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Pelleri
- Unit of Histology, Embryology and Applied Biology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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11
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Anderson EM, Loke S, Wrucke B, Engelhardt A, Demis S, O'Reilly K, Hess E, Wickman K, Hearing MC. Suppression of pyramidal neuron G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ channel signaling impairs prelimbic cortical function and underlies stress-induced deficits in cognitive flexibility in male, but not female, mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2158-2169. [PMID: 34158613 PMCID: PMC8505646 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01063-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Imbalance in prefrontal cortical (PFC) pyramidal neuron excitation:inhibition is thought to underlie symptomologies shared across stress-related disorders and neuropsychiatric disease, including dysregulation of emotion and cognitive function. G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK/Kir3) channels mediate excitability of medial PFC pyramidal neurons, however, the functional role of these channels in mPFC-dependent regulation of affect, cognition, and cortical dynamics is unknown. We used a viral-cre approach in male and female mice harboring a "floxed" version of the kcnj3 (Girk1) gene, to disrupt GIRK1-containing channel expression in pyramidal neurons within the prelimbic cortex (PrL). In males, loss of pyramidal GIRK1-dependent signaling differentially impacted measures of affect and impaired working memory and cognitive flexibility. Unexpectedly, ablation of PrL GIRK1-dependent signaling did not impact affect or cognition in female mice. Additional studies used a model of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) to determine the impact on PrL GIRK-dependent signaling and cognitive function. CUS exposure in male mice produced deficits in cognition that paralleled a reduction in PrL pyramidal GIRK-dependent signaling akin to viral approaches whereas CUS exposure in female mice did not alter cognitive flexibility performance. Stress-induced behavioral deficits in male mice were rescued by systemic injection of a novel, GIRK1-selective agonist, ML297. In conclusion, GIRK1-dependent signaling in male mice, but not females, is critical for maintaining optimal PrL function and behavioral control. Disruption of this inhibition may underlie stress-related dysfunction of the PrL and represent a therapeutic target for treating stress-induced deficits in affect regulation and impaired cognition that reduce quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eden M Anderson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Steven Loke
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Benjamin Wrucke
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Annabel Engelhardt
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Skyler Demis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Kevin O'Reilly
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Evan Hess
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Kevin Wickman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Matthew C Hearing
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
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12
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Kir Channel Molecular Physiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutic Implications. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2021; 267:277-356. [PMID: 34345939 DOI: 10.1007/164_2021_501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
For the past two decades several scholarly reviews have appeared on the inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels. We would like to highlight two efforts in particular, which have provided comprehensive reviews of the literature up to 2010 (Hibino et al., Physiol Rev 90(1):291-366, 2010; Stanfield et al., Rev Physiol Biochem Pharmacol 145:47-179, 2002). In the past decade, great insights into the 3-D atomic resolution structures of Kir channels have begun to provide the molecular basis for their functional properties. More recently, computational studies are beginning to close the time domain gap between in silico dynamic and patch-clamp functional studies. The pharmacology of these channels has also been expanding and the dynamic structural studies provide hope that we are heading toward successful structure-based drug design for this family of K+ channels. In the present review we focus on placing the physiology and pharmacology of this K+ channel family in the context of atomic resolution structures and in providing a glimpse of the promising future of therapeutic opportunities.
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13
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Anderson EM, Demis S, D’Acquisto H, Engelhardt A, Hearing M. The Role of Parvalbumin Interneuron GIRK Signaling in the Regulation of Affect and Cognition in Male and Female Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:621751. [PMID: 33841107 PMCID: PMC8032990 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.621751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathological impairments in the regulation of affect (i.e., emotion) and flexible decision-making are commonly observed across numerous neuropsychiatric disorders and are thought to reflect dysfunction of cortical and subcortical circuits that arise in part from imbalances in excitation and inhibition within these structures. Disruptions in GABA transmission, in particular, that from parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PVI), has been highlighted as a likely mechanism by which this imbalance arises, as they regulate excitation and synchronization of principle output neurons. G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium ion (GIRK/Kir3) channels are known to modulate excitability and output of pyramidal neurons in areas like the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus; however, the role GIRK plays in PVI excitability and behavior is unknown. Male and female mice lacking GIRK1 in PVI (Girk1flox/flox:PVcre) and expressing td-tomato in PVI (Girk1flox/flox:PVCre:PVtdtom) exhibited increased open arm time in the elevated plus-maze, while males showed an increase in immobile episodes during the forced swim test (FST). Loss of GIRK1 did not alter motivated behavior for an appetitive reward or impair overall performance in an operant-based attention set-shifting model of cognitive flexibility; however it did alter types of errors committed during the visual cue test. Unexpectedly, baseline sex differences were also identified in these tasks, with females exhibiting overall poorer performance compared to males and distinct types of errors, highlighting potential differences in task-related problem-solving. Interestingly, reductions in PVI GIRK signaling did not correspond to changes in membrane excitability but did increase action potential (AP) firing at higher current injections in PVI of males, but not females. This is the first investigation on the role that PVI GIRK-signaling has on membrane excitability, AP firing, and their role on affect and cognition together increasing the understanding of PVI cellular mechanisms and function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Matthew Hearing
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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14
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Therapeutic potential of targeting G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels in the central nervous system. Pharmacol Ther 2021; 223:107808. [PMID: 33476640 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels (Kir3/GirK) are important for maintaining resting membrane potential, cell excitability and inhibitory neurotransmission. Coupled to numerous G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), they mediate the effects of many neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and hormones contributing to the general homeostasis and particular synaptic plasticity processes, learning, memory and pain signaling. A growing number of behavioral and genetic studies suggest a critical role for the appropriate functioning of the central nervous system, as well as their involvement in many neurologic and psychiatric conditions, such as neurodegenerative diseases, mood disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, epilepsy, alcoholism and drug addiction. Hence, GirK channels emerge as a very promising tool to be targeted in the current scenario where these conditions already are or will become a global public health problem. This review examines recent findings on the physiology, function, dysfunction, and pharmacology of GirK channels in the central nervous system and highlights the relevance of GirK channels as a worthful potential target to improve therapies for related diseases.
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15
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Mett A, Karbat I, Tsoory M, Fine S, Iwanir S, Reuveny E. Reduced activity of GIRK1-containing heterotetramers is sufficient to affect neuronal functions, including synaptic plasticity and spatial learning and memory. J Physiol 2020; 599:521-545. [PMID: 33124684 DOI: 10.1113/jp280434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS G-protein inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels consist of four homologous subunits (GIRK1-4) and are essential regulators of electrical excitability in the nervous system. GIRK2-null mice have been widely investigated for their distinct behaviour and altered depotentiation following long-term potentiation (LTP), whereas GIRK1 mice are less well characterized. Here we utilize a novel knockin mouse strain in which the GIRK1 subunit is fluorescently tagged with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP-GIRK1) and the GIRK1-null mouse line to investigate the role of GIRK1 in neuronal processes such as spatial learning and memory, locomotion and depotentiation following LTP. Neurons dissected from YFP-GIRK1 mice had significantly reduced potassium currents and this mouse line phenotypically resembled GIRK1-null mice, making it a 'functional knockdown' model of GIRK1-containing channels. YFP-GIRK1 and GIRK1-null mice had increased locomotion, reduced spatial learning and memory and blunted depotentiation following LTP. ABSTRACT GIRK channels are essential for the slow inhibition of electrical activity in the nervous system and heart rate regulation via the parasympathetic system. The implications of individual GIRK isoforms in specific physiological activities are based primarily on studies conducted with GIRK-null mouse lines. Here we utilize a novel knockin mouse line in which YFP was fused in-frame to the N-terminus of GIRK1 (YFP-GIRK1) to correlate GIRK1 spatial distribution with physiological activities. These mice, however, displayed spontaneous seizure-like activity and thus were investigated for the origin of such activity. We show that GIRK tetramers containing YFP-GIRK1 are correctly assembled and trafficked to the plasma membrane, but are functionally impaired. A battery of behavioural assays conducted on YFP-GIRK1 and GIRK1-null (GIRK1-/- ) mice revealed similar phenotypes, including impaired nociception, reduced anxiety and hyperactivity in an unfamiliar environment. However, YFP-GIRK1 mice exhibited increased home-cage locomotion while GIRK1-/- mice did not. In addition, we show that the GIRK1 subunit is essential for intact spatial learning and memory and synaptic plasticity in hippocampal brain slices. This study expands our knowledge regarding the role of GIRK1 in neuronal processes and underlines the importance of GIRK1-containing heterotetramers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Mett
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Izhar Karbat
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Michael Tsoory
- Department of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shachar Fine
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shachar Iwanir
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eitan Reuveny
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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16
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Guedj F, Siegel AE, Pennings JLA, Alsebaa F, Massingham LJ, Tantravahi U, Bianchi DW. Apigenin as a Candidate Prenatal Treatment for Trisomy 21: Effects in Human Amniocytes and the Ts1Cje Mouse Model. Am J Hum Genet 2020; 107:911-931. [PMID: 33098770 PMCID: PMC7675036 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2020.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human fetuses with trisomy 21 (T21) have atypical brain development that is apparent sonographically in the second trimester. We hypothesize that by analyzing and integrating dysregulated gene expression and pathways common to humans with Down syndrome (DS) and mouse models we can discover novel targets for prenatal therapy. Here, we tested the safety and efficacy of apigenin, identified with this approach, in both human amniocytes from fetuses with T21 and in the Ts1Cje mouse model. In vitro, T21 cells cultured with apigenin had significantly reduced oxidative stress and improved antioxidant defense response. In vivo, apigenin treatment mixed with chow was administered prenatally to the dams and fed to the pups over their lifetimes. There was no significant increase in birth defects or pup deaths resulting from prenatal apigenin treatment. Apigenin significantly improved several developmental milestones and spatial olfactory memory in Ts1Cje neonates. In addition, we noted sex-specific effects on exploratory behavior and long-term hippocampal memory in adult mice, and males showed significantly more improvement than females. We demonstrated that the therapeutic effects of apigenin are pleiotropic, resulting in decreased oxidative stress, activation of pro-proliferative and pro-neurogenic genes (KI67, Nestin, Sox2, and PAX6), reduction of the pro-inflammatory cytokines INFG, IL1A, and IL12P70 through the inhibition of NFκB signaling, increase of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL10 and IL12P40, and increased expression of the angiogenic and neurotrophic factors VEGFA and IL7. These studies provide proof of principle that apigenin has multiple therapeutic targets in preclinical models of DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faycal Guedj
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy Section, Medical Genomics and Metabolic Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
| | - Ashley E Siegel
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy Section, Medical Genomics and Metabolic Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Jeroen L A Pennings
- Center for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, BA 3720, the Netherlands
| | - Fatimah Alsebaa
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Lauren J Massingham
- Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Umadevi Tantravahi
- Department of Pathology, Women and Infants' Hospital, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Diana W Bianchi
- Prenatal Genomics and Therapy Section, Medical Genomics and Metabolic Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Mother Infant Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
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17
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Lu Y, Yang J, Sun J, Lu W, Wang JH. mRNA and miRNA profiles in the nucleus accumbens are associated with psychological stress-induced susceptible and resilient mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 199:173062. [PMID: 33098854 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.173062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress may be one of the main causes of fear and anxiety. Previous studies have shown that the nucleus accumbens is involved in emotional responses. However, in the nucleus accumbens, the mRNA and miRNA profiles of stress susceptibility and resilience of psychological stress still need to be studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, by observing the conspecific being attacked, the witness group experienced psychological stress. After five days of psychological stress, the fear memory of mice was measured by social interaction test, and the degree of anxiety was measured by elevated plus maze. mRNA and miRNA profiles in the nucleus accumbens tissue of control, susceptible and resilient mice were established by high-throughput sequencing. RESULTS In susceptible mice versus resilient mice, the Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) may be related to psychological stress-induced susceptibility. DEGs enriched in Cell adhesion molecules, Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, Gap junction, PI3K-Akt, VEGF, Jak-STAT, Ras, and Chemokine pathways were up-regulated. DEGs enriched in cGMP-PKG, B cell receptor, and NOD-like receptor pathways were down- regulated. The sequencing results of mRNAs and miRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR and dual luciferase reporter assay. CONCLUSION The imbalance of different synapses and pathways in the nucleus accumbens may be related to susceptibility and resilience caused by psychological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjun Lu
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong 266021, China
| | - Jiuyong Yang
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong 266021, China
| | - Jinyan Sun
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong 266021, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong 266021, China.
| | - Jin-Hui Wang
- Qingdao University, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao, Shandong 266021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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18
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Ziegler GC, Röser C, Renner T, Hahn T, Ehlis AC, Weber H, Dempfle A, Walitza S, Jacob C, Romanos M, Fallgatter AJ, Reif A, Lesch KP. KCNJ6 variants modulate reward-related brain processes and impact executive functions in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2020; 183:247-257. [PMID: 31099984 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
KCNJ6, encoding a potassium channel subunit, regulates the excitability of dopaminergic neurons and is expressed in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-relevant brain regions. As a potential ADHD risk gene, KCNJ6, therefore, may contribute to the endophenotypic variation of the disorder. The impact of two SNPs, rs7275707 and rs6517442, both located in the transcriptional control region of KCNJ6, on reporter gene expression was explored in cultured cells. The KCNJ6 variants were then tested for association with ADHD and personality traits in a family-based sample (165 affected children) and an adult case-control sample (450 patients, 426 controls). Furthermore, the genotypic influence on performance in an n-back task and a cued continuous performance test (cCPT) was investigated by electroencephalography recordings. Finally, rs6517442 function was assessed by a reward anticipation paradigm using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Different haplotypes of rs7275707 and rs6517442 significantly influenced KCNJ6 gene expression proving their functional relevance on the molecular level. In the family-based children sample rs7275707 was associated with ADHD (p = .038). Moreover, rs7275707 showed association with the personality trait of Reward Dependence (p = .031). In the ADHD group, both rs7275707 and rs6517442 influenced the Go-centroid location in the cCPT and the N200 amplitude in the n-back task. Furthermore, ventral striatal activation was impacted by rs6517442 during reward anticipation. Our data indicate that functional variants of KCNJ6 influence brain activity during reward-related and executive processes supporting the view of a differential, age-dependent modulatory impact of dopamine-related brain processes in ADHD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg C Ziegler
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, ADHD Clinical Research Unit, Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Röser
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, ADHD Clinical Research Unit, Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Renner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tim Hahn
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Heike Weber
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, ADHD Clinical Research Unit, Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Astrid Dempfle
- Institute of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Christian Albrecht-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Susanne Walitza
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Jacob
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, ADHD Clinical Research Unit, Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medius Hospital of Kirchheim, Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany
| | - Marcel Romanos
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Reif
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, ADHD Clinical Research Unit, Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Klaus-Peter Lesch
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, ADHD Clinical Research Unit, Laboratory of Translational Neuroscience, Center of Mental Health, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Translational Neuroscience, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Laboratory of Psychiatric Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
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19
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Wang H, Vanyukov MM, Xing EP, Wu W. Discovering weaker genetic associations guided by known associations. BMC Med Genomics 2020; 13:19. [PMID: 32093702 PMCID: PMC7038505 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-020-0667-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The current understanding of the genetic basis of complex human diseases is that they are caused and affected by many common and rare genetic variants. A considerable number of the disease-associated variants have been identified by Genome Wide Association Studies, however, they can explain only a small proportion of heritability. One of the possible reasons for the missing heritability is that many undiscovered disease-causing variants are weakly associated with the disease. This can pose serious challenges to many statistical methods, which seems to be only capable of identifying disease-associated variants with relatively stronger coefficients. Results In order to help identify weaker variants, we propose a novel statistical method, Constrained Sparse multi-locus Linear Mixed Model (CS-LMM) that aims to uncover genetic variants of weaker associations by incorporating known associations as a prior knowledge in the model. Moreover, CS-LMM accounts for polygenic effects as well as corrects for complex relatednesses. Our simulation experiments show that CS-LMM outperforms other competing existing methods in various settings when the combinations of MAFs and coefficients reflect different scenarios in complex human diseases. Conclusions We also apply our method to the GWAS data of alcoholism and Alzheimer’s disease and exploratively discover several SNPs. Many of these discoveries are supported through literature survey. Furthermore, our association results strengthen the belief in genetic links between alcoholism and Alzheimer’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haohan Wang
- Language Technologies Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael M Vanyukov
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Departments of Psychiatry, and Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Eric P Xing
- Language Technologies Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Machine Learning Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Wei Wu
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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20
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Decoding the development of the human hippocampus. Nature 2020; 577:531-536. [PMID: 31942070 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1917-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The hippocampus is an important part of the limbic system in the human brain that has essential roles in spatial navigation and the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory1,2. Here we use single-cell RNA sequencing and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) analysis to illustrate the cell types, cell linage, molecular features and transcriptional regulation of the developing human hippocampus. Using the transcriptomes of 30,416 cells from the human hippocampus at gestational weeks 16-27, we identify 47 cell subtypes and their developmental trajectories. We also identify the migrating paths and cell lineages of PAX6+ and HOPX+ hippocampal progenitors, and regional markers of CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus neurons. Multiomic data have uncovered transcriptional regulatory networks of the dentate gyrus marker PROX1. We also illustrate spatially specific gene expression in the developing human prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. The molecular features of the human hippocampus at gestational weeks 16-20 are similar to those of the mouse at postnatal days 0-5 and reveal gene expression differences between the two species. Transient expression of the primate-specific gene NBPF1 leads to a marked increase in PROX1+ cells in the mouse hippocampus. These data provides a blueprint for understanding human hippocampal development and a tool for investigating related diseases.
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21
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Importin α5 Regulates Anxiety through MeCP2 and Sphingosine Kinase 1. Cell Rep 2019; 25:3169-3179.e7. [PMID: 30540948 PMCID: PMC6302549 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.11.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Importins mediate transport from synapse to soma and from cytoplasm to nucleus, suggesting that perturbation of importin-dependent pathways should have significant neuronal consequences. A behavioral screen on five importin α knockout lines revealed that reduced expression of importin α5 (KPNA1) in hippocampal neurons specifically decreases anxiety in mice. Re-expression of importin α5 in ventral hippocampus of knockout animals increased anxiety behaviors to wild-type levels. Hippocampal neurons lacking importin α5 reveal changes in presynaptic plasticity and modified expression of MeCP2-regulated genes, including sphingosine kinase 1 (Sphk1). Knockout of importin α5, but not importin α3 or α4, reduces MeCP2 nuclear localization in hippocampal neurons. A Sphk1 blocker reverses anxiolysis in the importin α5 knockout mouse, while pharmacological activation of sphingosine signaling has robust anxiolytic effects in wild-type animals. Thus, importin α5 influences sphingosine-sensitive anxiety pathways by regulating MeCP2 nuclear import in hippocampal neurons. Reduced expression of importin α5 in hippocampal neurons decreases anxiety Importin α5 is required for nuclear localization of MeCP2 in hippocampal neurons Importin α5 knockout increases expression of Sphk1, an MeCP2-regulated gene Pharmacological modulation of Sphk1 and the S1P receptor affects anxiety
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22
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Muñiz Moreno MDM, Brault V, Birling MC, Pavlovic G, Herault Y. Modeling Down syndrome in animals from the early stage to the 4.0 models and next. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 251:91-143. [PMID: 32057313 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The genotype-phenotype relationship and the physiopathology of Down Syndrome (DS) have been explored in the last 20 years with more and more relevant mouse models. From the early age of transgenesis to the new CRISPR/CAS9-derived chromosomal engineering and the transchromosomic technologies, mouse models have been key to identify homologous genes or entire regions homologous to the human chromosome 21 that are necessary or sufficient to induce DS features, to investigate the complexity of the genetic interactions that are involved in DS and to explore therapeutic strategies. In this review we report the new developments made, how genomic data and new genetic tools have deeply changed our way of making models, extended our panel of animal models, and increased our understanding of the neurobiology of the disease. But even if we have made an incredible progress which promises to make DS a curable condition, we are facing new research challenges to nurture our knowledge of DS pathophysiology as a neurodevelopmental disorder with many comorbidities during ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Del Mar Muñiz Moreno
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Véronique Brault
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France
| | - Marie-Christine Birling
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, PHENOMIN Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France
| | - Guillaume Pavlovic
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, PHENOMIN Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France
| | - Yann Herault
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France; Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, INSERM, PHENOMIN Institut Clinique de la Souris, Illkirch, France.
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23
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Sánchez-Rodríguez I, Gruart A, Delgado-García JM, Jiménez-Díaz L, Navarro-López JD. Role of GirK Channels in Long-Term Potentiation of Synaptic Inhibition in an In Vivo Mouse Model of Early Amyloid- β Pathology. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20051168. [PMID: 30866445 PMCID: PMC6429279 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20051168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Imbalances of excitatory/inhibitory synaptic transmission occur early in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), leading to hippocampal hyperexcitability and causing synaptic, network, and cognitive dysfunctions. G-protein-gated potassium (GirK) channels play a key role in the control of neuronal excitability, contributing to inhibitory signaling. Here, we evaluate the relationship between GirK channel activity and inhibitory hippocampal functionality in vivo. In a non-transgenic mouse model of AD, field postsynaptic potentials (fPSPs) from the CA3–CA1 synapse in the dorsal hippocampus were recorded in freely moving mice. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of amyloid-β (Aβ) or GirK channel modulators impaired ionotropic (GABAA-mediated fPSPs) and metabotropic (GirK-mediated fPSPs) inhibitory signaling and disrupted the potentiation of synaptic inhibition. However, the activation of GirK channels prevented Aβ-induced changes in GABAA components. Our data shows, for the first time, the presence of long-term potentiation (LTP) for both the GABAA and GirK-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic responses in vivo. In addition, our results support the importance of an accurate level of GirK-dependent signaling for dorsal hippocampal performance in early amyloid pathology models by controlling the excess of excitation that disrupts synaptic plasticity processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Sánchez-Rodríguez
- Neurophysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Agnès Gruart
- Division of Neurosciences, University Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Seville, Spain.
| | | | - Lydia Jiménez-Díaz
- Neurophysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Juan D Navarro-López
- Neurophysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
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24
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Bukiya AN, Blank PS, Rosenhouse-Dantsker A. Cholesterol intake and statin use regulate neuronal G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels. J Lipid Res 2018; 60:19-29. [PMID: 30420402 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.m081240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholesterol, a critical component of the cellular plasma membrane, is essential for normal neuronal function. Cholesterol content is highest in the brain, where most cholesterol is synthesized de novo; HMG-CoA reductase controls the synthesis rate. Despite strict control, elevated blood cholesterol levels are common and are associated with various neurological disorders. G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels mediate the actions of inhibitory brain neurotransmitters. Loss of GIRK function enhances neuron excitability; gain of function reduces neuronal activity. However, the effect of dietary cholesterol or HMG-CoA reductase inhibition (i.e., statin therapy) on GIRK function remains unknown. Using a rat model, we compared the effects of a high-cholesterol versus normal diet both with and without atorvastatin, a widely prescribed HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, on neuronal GIRK currents. The high-cholesterol diet increased hippocampal CA1 region cholesterol levels and correspondingly increased neuronal GIRK currents. Both phenomena were reversed by cholesterol depletion in vitro. Atorvastatin countered the high-cholesterol diet effects on neuronal cholesterol content and GIRK currents; these effects were reversed by cholesterol enrichment in vitro. Our findings suggest that high-cholesterol diet and atorvastatin therapy affect ion channel function in the brain by modulating neuronal cholesterol levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna N Bukiya
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163
| | - Paul S Blank
- Section on Integrative Biophysics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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25
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Herault Y, Delabar JM, Fisher EMC, Tybulewicz VLJ, Yu E, Brault V. Rodent models in Down syndrome research: impact and future opportunities. Dis Model Mech 2018; 10:1165-1186. [PMID: 28993310 PMCID: PMC5665454 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.029728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21. To date, a multiplicity of mouse models with Down-syndrome-related features has been developed to understand this complex human chromosomal disorder. These mouse models have been important for determining genotype-phenotype relationships and identification of dosage-sensitive genes involved in the pathophysiology of the condition, and in exploring the impact of the additional chromosome on the whole genome. Mouse models of Down syndrome have also been used to test therapeutic strategies. Here, we provide an overview of research in the last 15 years dedicated to the development and application of rodent models for Down syndrome. We also speculate on possible and probable future directions of research in this fast-moving field. As our understanding of the syndrome improves and genome engineering technologies evolve, it is necessary to coordinate efforts to make all Down syndrome models available to the community, to test therapeutics in models that replicate the whole trisomy and design new animal models to promote further discovery of potential therapeutic targets. Summary: Mouse models have boosted therapeutic options for Down syndrome, and improved models are being developed to better understand the pathophysiology of this genetic condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Herault
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch, France .,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France.,T21 Research Society, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), 75013 Paris
| | - Jean M Delabar
- T21 Research Society, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), 75013 Paris.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Unité de Biologie Fonctionnelle et Adaptative, UMR8251, CNRS, 75205 Paris, France.,INSERM U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06 UMR S 1127, Institut du Cerveau et la Moelle épinière, ICM, 75013 Paris, France.,Brain and Spine Institute (ICM) CNRS UMR7225, INSERM UMRS 975, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Elizabeth M C Fisher
- T21 Research Society, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), 75013 Paris.,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.,LonDownS Consortium, London, W1T 7NF UK
| | - Victor L J Tybulewicz
- T21 Research Society, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), 75013 Paris.,LonDownS Consortium, London, W1T 7NF UK.,The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.,Department of Medicine, Imperial College, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Eugene Yu
- T21 Research Society, Brain and Spine Institute (ICM), 75013 Paris.,The Children's Guild Foundation Down Syndrome Research Program, Department of Cancer Genetics and Genetics Program, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Roswell Park Division of Graduate School, Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics Program, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Veronique Brault
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, 1 rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, Illkirch, France.,Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U964, Illkirch, France.,Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
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26
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Kcnj6(GIRK2) trisomy is not sufficient for conferring the susceptibility to infantile spasms seen in the Ts65Dn mouse model of down syndrome. Epilepsy Res 2018; 145:82-88. [PMID: 29929098 DOI: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2018.06.006] [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: 03/18/2018] [Revised: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Infantile spasms (IS) is a catastrophic childhood seizure disorder that is characterized by extensor and/or flexor spasms, cognitive deterioration and a characteristic EEG abnormality. The latter consists of a pattern of a spike-wave followed by an electrodecremental response (EDR), which is a flattening of the EEG waveform amplitude. The mechanism/circuitry that underpins IS is unknown. Children with Down Syndrome (DS) are particularly vulnerable to IS. The standard mouse model of DS is the Ts65Dn mutant mouse (Ts). Using the Ts mouse, we have created an animal model of IS in DS. This model entails the treatment of Ts mice with a GABABR agonist with a resultant recapitulation of the semiological, electrographic, and pharmacological phenotype of IS. One of the genes triplicated in Ts mice is the kcnj6 gene which codes for the G-protein inwardly rectifying potassium channel 2 (GIRK2) protein. We have shown that over expression of GIRK2 in Ts brain is necessary for the production of the GABABR agonist induced IS phenotype in the Ts mouse. Here, we ask the question whether the excess GIRK2 is sufficient for the production of the GABABR agonist induced IS phenotype. METHODS To address this question, we used kcnj6 triploid mice, and compared the number of spasms via video analysis and EDR events via EEG to that of the WT mice. RESULTS We now show that GABARR agonist-treated kcnj6 triploid mice failed to show susceptibility to the IS phenotype. Therefore, over expression of GIRK2 in the brain is necessary, but not sufficient to confer susceptibility to the GABABR agonist-induced IS phenotype in the Ts model of DS. SIGNIFICANCE It is therefore likely that GIRK2 is working in concert with another factor or factors that are altered in the Ts brain in the production of the GABABR agonist-induced IS phenotype.
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27
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Liu M, Fitzgibbon M, Wang Y, Reilly J, Qian X, O'Brien T, Clapcote S, Shen S, Roche M. Ulk4 regulates GABAergic signaling and anxiety-related behavior. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:43. [PMID: 29391390 PMCID: PMC5804027 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-017-0091-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Excitation/inhibition imbalance has been proposed as a fundamental mechanism in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, in which copy number variations of the Unc-51 like kinase 4 (ULK4) gene encoding a putative Serine/Threonine kinase have been reported in approximately 1/1000 of patients suffering pleiotropic clinical conditions of schizophrenia, depression, autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delay, language delay, intellectual disability, or behavioral disorder. The current study characterized behavior of heterozygous Ulk4 +/tm1a mice, demonstrating that Ulk4 +/tm1a mice displayed no schizophrenia-like behavior in acoustic startle reactivity and prepulse inhibition tests or depressive-like behavior in the Porsolt swim or tail suspension tests. However, Ulk4 +/tm1a mice exhibited an anxiety-like behavioral phenotype in several tests. Previously identified hypo-anxious (Atp1a2, Ptn, and Mdk) and hyper-anxious (Gria1, Syngap1, and Npy2r) genes were found to be dysregulated accordingly in Ulk4 mutants. Ulk4 was found to be expressed in GABAergic neurons and the Gad67+ interneurons were significantly reduced in the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala of Ulk4 +/tm1a mice. Transcriptome analyses revealed a marked reduction of GABAergic neuronal subtypes, including Pvalb, Sst, Cck, Npy, and Nos3, as well as significant upregulation of GABA receptors, including Gabra1, Gabra3, Gabra4, Gabra5, and Gabrb3. This is the first evidence that Ulk4 plays a major role in regulating GABAergic signaling and anxiety-like behavior, which may have implications for the development of novel anxiolytic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Liu
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Marie Fitzgibbon
- Physiology, School of Medicine, Galway Neuroscience Centre and Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Yanqin Wang
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
- Department of Physiology, College of Life Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jamie Reilly
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Xiaohong Qian
- National Center for Protein Sciences, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Engineering Research Center for Protein Drugs, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Timothy O'Brien
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Steve Clapcote
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Sanbing Shen
- Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Michelle Roche
- Physiology, School of Medicine, Galway Neuroscience Centre and Centre for Pain Research, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
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28
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Sánchez-Rodríguez I, Temprano-Carazo S, Nájera A, Djebari S, Yajeya J, Gruart A, Delgado-García JM, Jiménez-Díaz L, Navarro-López JD. Activation of G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir3/GirK) channels rescues hippocampal functions in a mouse model of early amyloid-β pathology. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14658. [PMID: 29116174 PMCID: PMC5676742 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15306-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus plays a critical role in learning and memory. Its correct performance relies on excitatory/inhibitory synaptic transmission balance. In early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), neuronal hyperexcitability leads to network dysfunction observed in cortical regions such as the hippocampus. G-protein-gated potassium (GirK) channels induce neurons to hyperpolarize, contribute to the resting membrane potential and could compensate any excesses of excitation. Here, we have studied the relationship between GirK channels and hippocampal function in a mouse model of early AD pathology. Intracerebroventricular injections of amyloid-β (Aβ1-42) peptide—which have a causal role in AD pathogenesis—were performed to evaluate CA3–CA1 hippocampal synapse functionality in behaving mice. Aβ increased the excitability of the CA3–CA1 synapse, impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) and hippocampal oscillatory activity, and induced deficits in novel object recognition (NOR) tests. Injection of ML297 alone, a selective GirK activator, was also translated in LTP and NOR deficits. However, increasing GirK activity rescued all hippocampal deficits induced by Aβ due to the restoration of excitability values in the CA3–CA1 synapse. Our results show a synaptic mechanism, through GirK channel modulation, for the prevention of the hyperexcitability that causally contributes to synaptic, network, and cognitive deficits found in early AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Sánchez-Rodríguez
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Sara Temprano-Carazo
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Alberto Nájera
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Souhail Djebari
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Javier Yajeya
- University of Salamanca, Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Agnès Gruart
- Pablo de Olavide University, Division of Neurosciences, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Lydia Jiménez-Díaz
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Juan D Navarro-López
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, NeuroPhysiology & Behavior Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain.
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29
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Kamarajan C, Pandey AK, Chorlian DB, Manz N, Stimus AT, Edenberg HJ, Wetherill L, Schuckit M, Wang JC, Kuperman S, Kramer J, Tischfield JA, Porjesz B. A KCNJ6 gene polymorphism modulates theta oscillations during reward processing. Int J Psychophysiol 2017; 115:13-23. [PMID: 27993610 PMCID: PMC5392377 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Event related oscillations (EROs) are heritable measures of neurocognitive function that have served as useful phenotype in genetic research. A recent family genome-wide association study (GWAS) by the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) found that theta EROs during visual target detection were associated at genome-wide levels with several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including a synonymous SNP, rs702859, in the KCNJ6 gene that encodes GIRK2, a G-protein inward rectifying potassium channel that regulates excitability of neuronal networks. The present study examined the effect of the KCNJ6 SNP (rs702859), previously associated with theta ERO to targets in a visual oddball task, on theta EROs during reward processing in a monetary gambling task. The participants were 1601 adolescent and young adult offspring within the age-range of 17-25years (800 males and 801 females) from high-dense alcoholism families as well as control families of the COGA prospective study. Theta ERO power (3.5-7.5Hz, 200-500ms post-stimulus) was compared across genotype groups. ERO theta power at central and parietal regions increased as a function of the minor allele (A) dose in the genotype (AA>AG>GG) in both loss and gain conditions. These findings indicate that variations in the KCNJ6 SNP influence magnitude of theta oscillations at posterior loci during the evaluation of loss and gain, reflecting a genetic influence on neuronal circuits involved in reward-processing. Increased theta power as a function of minor allele dose suggests more efficient cognitive processing in those carrying the minor allele of the KCNJ6 SNPs. Future studies are needed to determine the implications of these genetic effects on posterior theta EROs as possible "protective" factors, or as indices of delays in brain maturation (i.e., lack of frontalization).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chella Kamarajan
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
| | - Ashwini K Pandey
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - David B Chorlian
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Niklas Manz
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Arthur T Stimus
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | | | - Leah Wetherill
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Marc Schuckit
- University of California San Diego Medical Center, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Bernice Porjesz
- Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Lab, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA
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30
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Kleschevnikov AM, Yu J, Kim J, Lysenko LV, Zeng Z, Yu YE, Mobley WC. Evidence that increased Kcnj6 gene dose is necessary for deficits in behavior and dentate gyrus synaptic plasticity in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome. Neurobiol Dis 2017; 103:1-10. [PMID: 28342823 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2017.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS), trisomy 21, is caused by increased dose of genes present on human chromosome 21 (HSA21). The gene-dose hypothesis argues that a change in the dose of individual genes or regulatory sequences on HSA21 is necessary for creating DS-related phenotypes, including cognitive impairment. We focused on a possible role for Kcnj6, the gene encoding Kir3.2 (Girk2) subunits of a G-protein-coupled inwardly-rectifying potassium channel. This gene resides on a segment of mouse Chromosome 16 that is present in one extra copy in the genome of the Ts65Dn mouse, a well-studied genetic model of DS. Kir3.2 subunit-containing potassium channels serve as effectors for a number of postsynaptic metabotropic receptors including GABAB receptors. Several studies raise the possibility that increased Kcnj6 dose contributes to synaptic and cognitive abnormalities in DS. To assess directly a role for Kcnj6 gene dose in cognitive deficits in DS, we produced Ts65Dn mice that harbor only 2 copies of Kcnj6 (Ts65Dn:Kcnj6++- mice). The reduction in Kcnj6 gene dose restored to normal the hippocampal level of Kir3.2. Long-term memory, examined in the novel object recognition test with the retention period of 24h, was improved to the level observed in the normosomic littermate control mice (2N:Kcnj6++). Significantly, both short-term and long-term potentiation (STP and LTP) was improved to control levels in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the Ts65Dn:Kcnj6++- mouse. In view of the ability of fluoxetine to suppress Kir3.2 channels, we asked if fluoxetine-treated DG slices of Ts65Dn:Kcnj6+++ mice would rescue synaptic plasticity. Fluoxetine increased STP and LTP to control levels. These results are evidence that increased Kcnj6 gene dose is necessary for synaptic and cognitive dysfunction in the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS. Strategies aimed at pharmacologically reducing channel function should be explored for enhancing cognition in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Kleschevnikov
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Jessica Yu
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jeesun Kim
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Larisa V Lysenko
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Academy of Biology and Biotechnology of Southern Federal University, 194/1 Stachki Str, Rostov-na-Donu 344090, Russian Federation
| | - Zheng Zeng
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Y Eugene Yu
- The Children's Guild Foundation Down Syndrome Research Program, Genetics Program and Department of Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - William C Mobley
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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31
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Bukiya AN, Durdagi S, Noskov S, Rosenhouse-Dantsker A. Cholesterol up-regulates neuronal G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel activity in the hippocampus. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6135-6147. [PMID: 28213520 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.753350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Revised: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypercholesterolemia is a well known risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative disease. However, the underlying mechanisms are mostly unknown. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that cholesterol-driven effects on physiology and pathophysiology derive from its ability to alter the function of a variety of membrane proteins including ion channels. Yet, the effect of cholesterol on G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels expressed in the brain is unknown. GIRK channels mediate the actions of inhibitory brain neurotransmitters. As a result, loss of GIRK function can enhance neuron excitability, whereas gain of GIRK function can reduce neuronal activity. Here we show that in rats on a high-cholesterol diet, cholesterol levels in hippocampal neurons are increased. We also demonstrate that cholesterol plays a critical role in modulating neuronal GIRK currents. Specifically, cholesterol enrichment of rat hippocampal neurons resulted in enhanced channel activity. In accordance, elevated currents upon cholesterol enrichment were also observed in Xenopus oocytes expressing GIRK2 channels, the primary GIRK subunit expressed in the brain. Furthermore, using planar lipid bilayers, we show that although cholesterol did not affect the unitary conductance of GIRK2, it significantly enhanced the frequency of channel openings. Last, combining computational and functional approaches, we identified two putative cholesterol-binding sites in the transmembrane domain of GIRK2. These findings establish that cholesterol plays a critical role in modulating GIRK activity in the brain. Because up-regulation of GIRK function can reduce neuronal activity, our findings may lead to novel approaches for prevention and therapy of cholesterol-driven neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna N Bukiya
- the Department of Pharmacology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee 38103
| | - Serdar Durdagi
- the Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 Canada, and.,the Department of Biophysics, School of Medicine, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul 34353, Turkey
| | - Sergei Noskov
- the Centre for Molecular Simulation and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 Canada, and
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32
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Roubertoux PL, Baril N, Cau P, Scajola C, Ghata A, Bartoli C, Bourgeois P, Christofaro JD, Tordjman S, Carlier M. Differential Brain, Cognitive and Motor Profiles Associated with Partial Trisomy. Modeling Down Syndrome in Mice. Behav Genet 2017; 47:305-322. [PMID: 28204906 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-017-9835-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We hypothesize that the trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) is the additive and interactive outcome of the triple copy of different regions of HSA21. Because of the small number of patients with partial trisomy 21, we addressed the question in the Mouse in which three chromosomal regions located on MMU10, MMU17 and MMU16 carries almost all the HSA21 homologs. Male mice from four segmental trisomic strains covering the D21S17-ETS2 (syntenic to MMU16) were examined with an exhaustive battery of cognitive tests, motor tasks and MRI and compared with TS65Dn that encompasses D21S17-ETS2. None of the four strains gather all the impairments (measured by the effect size) of TS65Dn strain. The 152F7 strain was close to TS65Dn for motor behavior and reference memory and the three other strains 230E8, 141G6 and 285E6 for working memory. Episodic memory was impaired only in strain 285E6. The hippocampus and cerebellum reduced sizes that were seen in all the strains indicate that trisomy 21 is not only a hippocampus syndrome but that it results from abnormal interactions between the two structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre L Roubertoux
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.
| | - Nathalie Baril
- Department 3C, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Pierre Cau
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.,Department of Medical Genetics, AP-HM, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France.,Service de Biologie Cellulaire, AP-HM, Hôpital La Timone, 13385, Marseille Cedex 5, France
| | - Christophe Scajola
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Adeline Ghata
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Catherine Bartoli
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France
| | - Patrice Bourgeois
- Aix Marseille University, INSERM, UMR_S 910, GMGF, TIMONE - 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005, Marseille, France.,Department of Medical Genetics, AP-HM, Timone Hospital, Marseille, France
| | | | - Sylvie Tordjman
- Paris Descartes University, CNRS, LPP, Paris, France.,Rennes 1 University, PHUPEA, Rennes, France
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G Protein-Gated K + Channel Ablation in Forebrain Pyramidal Neurons Selectively Impairs Fear Learning. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:796-806. [PMID: 26612516 PMCID: PMC4862939 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Revised: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive dysfunction occurs in many debilitating conditions including Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome, schizophrenia, and mood disorders. The dorsal hippocampus is a critical locus of cognitive processes linked to spatial and contextual learning. G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium ion (GIRK/Kir3) channels, which mediate the postsynaptic inhibitory effect of many neurotransmitters, have been implicated in hippocampal-dependent cognition. Available evidence, however, derives primarily from constitutive gain-of-function models that lack cellular specificity. METHODS We used constitutive and neuron-specific gene ablation models targeting an integral subunit of neuronal GIRK channels (GIRK2) to probe the impact of GIRK channels on associative learning and memory. RESULTS Constitutive Girk2-/- mice exhibited a striking deficit in hippocampal-dependent (contextual) and hippocampal-independent (cue) fear conditioning. Mice lacking GIRK2 in gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons (GAD-Cre:Girk2flox/flox mice) exhibited a clear deficit in GIRK-dependent signaling in dorsal hippocampal gamma-aminobutyric acid neurons but no evident behavioral phenotype. Mice lacking GIRK2 in forebrain pyramidal neurons (CaMKII-Cre(+):Girk2flox/flox mice) exhibited diminished GIRK-dependent signaling in dorsal, but not ventral, hippocampal pyramidal neurons. CaMKII-Cre(+):Girk2flox/flox mice also displayed a selective impairment in contextual fear conditioning, as both cue fear and spatial learning were intact in these mice. Finally, loss of GIRK2 in forebrain pyramidal neurons correlated with enhanced long-term depression and blunted depotentiation of long-term potentiation at the Schaffer collateral/cornu ammonis 1 synapse in the dorsal hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that GIRK channels in dorsal hippocampal pyramidal neurons are necessary for normal learning involving aversive stimuli and support the contention that dysregulation of GIRK-dependent signaling may underlie cognitive dysfunction in some disorders.
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Mouse models of Down syndrome: gene content and consequences. Mamm Genome 2016; 27:538-555. [PMID: 27538963 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-016-9661-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS), trisomy of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21), is challenging to model in mice. Not only is it a contiguous gene syndrome spanning 35 Mb of the long arm of Hsa21, but orthologs of Hsa21 genes map to segments of three mouse chromosomes, Mmu16, Mmu17, and Mmu10. The Ts65Dn was the first viable segmental trisomy mouse model for DS; it is a partial trisomy currently popular in preclinical evaluations of drugs for cognition in DS. Limitations of the Ts65Dn are as follows: (i) it is trisomic for 125 human protein-coding orthologs, but only 90 of these are Hsa21 orthologs and (ii) it lacks trisomy for ~75 Hsa21 orthologs. In recent years, several additional mouse models of DS have been generated, each trisomic for a different subset of Hsa21 genes or their orthologs. To best exploit these models and interpret the results obtained with them, prior to proposing clinical trials, an understanding of their trisomic gene content, relative to full trisomy 21, is necessary. Here we first review the functional information on Hsa21 protein-coding genes and the more recent annotation of a large number of functional RNA genes. We then discuss the conservation and genomic distribution of Hsa21 orthologs in the mouse genome and the distribution of mouse-specific genes. Lastly, we consider the strengths and weaknesses of mouse models of DS based on the number and nature of the Hsa21 orthologs that are, and are not, trisomic in each, and discuss their validity for use in preclinical evaluations of drug responses.
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Joshi K, Shen L, Michaeli A, Salter M, Thibault-Messier G, Hashmi S, Eubanks JH, Cortez MA, Snead OC. Infantile spasms in down syndrome: Rescue by knockdown of the GIRK2 channel. Ann Neurol 2016; 80:511-21. [PMID: 27462820 DOI: 10.1002/ana.24749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The Ts65Dn (Ts) mouse model of Down syndrome (DS) is exquisitely sensitive to an infantile spasms phenotype induced by γ-aminobutyric acidB receptor (GABAB R) agonists. The Ts mouse contains the core genomic triplication of the DS critical region, which includes 3 copies of the Kcnj6 gene that encodes the GABAB R-coupled G protein-coupled inward rectifying potassium channel subunit 2 (GIRK2) channel. We test the hypothesis that GIRK2 is necessary for the GABAB R agonist-induced infantile spasms phenotype in Ts. METHODS We assessed the result of either genetic or pharmacological knockdown of the GIRK2 channel in Ts brain upon the GABAB R agonist-induced infantile spasms phenotype in the Ts mouse model of DS. As well, we examined GABAB R currents in hippocampal neurons prepared from GIRK2-trisomic Ts control mice and GIRK2-disomic Ts mice in which Kcnj6 had been genetically knocked down from 3 to 2 copies. RESULTS The reduction of the copy number of Kcnj6 in Ts mice rescued the GABAB R agonist-induced infantile spasms phenotype. There was an increase in GABAB R-mediated GIRK2 currents in GIRK2-trisomic Ts mouse hippocampal neurons, which were normalized in the GIRK2-disomic Ts mice. Similarly, pharmacological knockdown of the GIRK2 channel in Ts brain using the GIRK antagonist tertiapin-Q also rescued the GABAB R agonist-induced infantile spasms phenotype in Ts mutants. INTERPRETATION The GABAB R-coupled GIRK2 channel is necessary for the GABAB R agonist-induced infantile spasms phenotype in the Ts mouse and may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of infantile spasms in DS. Ann Neurol 2016;80:511-521.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krutika Joshi
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. .,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Lily Shen
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Avner Michaeli
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Salter
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Sumaiya Hashmi
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - James H Eubanks
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,University Health Network, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miguel A Cortez
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - O Carter Snead
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Alkelai A, Olender T, Haffner-Krausz R, Tsoory MM, Boyko V, Tatarskyy P, Gross-Isseroff R, Milgrom R, Shushan S, Blau I, Cohn E, Beeri R, Levy-Lahad E, Pras E, Lancet D. A role for TENM1 mutations in congenital general anosmia. Clin Genet 2016; 90:211-9. [PMID: 27040985 DOI: 10.1111/cge.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Revised: 03/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Congenital general anosmia (CGA) is a neurological disorder entailing a complete innate inability to sense odors. While the mechanisms underlying vertebrate olfaction have been studied in detail, there are still gaps in our understanding of the molecular genetic basis of innate olfactory disorders. Applying whole-exome sequencing to a family multiply affected with CGA, we identified three members with a rare X-linked missense mutation in the TENM1 (teneurin 1) gene (ENST00000422452:c.C4829T). In Drosophila melanogaster, TENM1 functions in synaptic-partner-matching between axons of olfactory sensory neurons and target projection neurons and is involved in synapse organization in the olfactory system. We used CRISPR-Cas9 system to generate a Tenm1 disrupted mouse model. Tenm1(-/-) and point-mutated Tenm1(A) (/A) adult mice were shown to have an altered ability to locate a buried food pellet. Tenm1(A) (/A) mice also displayed an altered ability to sense aversive odors. Results of our study, that describes a new Tenm1 mouse, agree with the hypothesis that TENM1 has a role in olfaction. However, additional studies should be done in larger CGA cohorts, to provide statistical evidence that loss-of-function mutations in TENM1 can solely cause the disease in our and other CGA cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Alkelai
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - T Olender
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - R Haffner-Krausz
- Department of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - M M Tsoory
- Department of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - V Boyko
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - P Tatarskyy
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - R Gross-Isseroff
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - R Milgrom
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - S Shushan
- Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Edith Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel
| | - I Blau
- Department of Otolaryngology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel
| | - E Cohn
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - R Beeri
- Medical Genetics Institute, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - E Levy-Lahad
- Department of Otolaryngology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel
| | - E Pras
- The Danek Gertner Institute of Human Genetics, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel.,The Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - D Lancet
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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Isolation of proflavine as a blocker of G protein-gated inward rectifier potassium channels by a cell growth-based screening system. Neuropharmacology 2016; 109:18-28. [PMID: 27236080 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.05.016] [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] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The overexpression of Kir3.2, a subunit of the G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K(+) channel, is implicated in some of the neurological phenotypes of Down syndrome (DS). Chemical compounds that block Kir3.2 are expected to improve the symptoms of DS. The purpose of this study is to develop a cell-based screening system to identify Kir3.2 blockers and then investigate the mode of action of the blocker. Chemical screening was carried out using a K(+) transporter-deficient yeast strain that expressed a constitutively active Kir3.2 mutant. The mode of action of an effective blocker was electrophysiologically analyzed using Kir channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Proflavine was identified to inhibit the growth of Kir3.2-transformant cells and Kir3.2 activity in a concentration-dependent manner. The current inhibition was strong when membrane potentials (Vm) was above equilibrium potential of K(+) (EK). When Vm was below EK, the blockage apparently depended on the difference between Vm and [K(+)]. Furthermore, the inhibition became stronger by lowering extracellular [K(+)]. These results indicated that the yeast strain serves as a screening system to isolate Kir3.2 blockers and proflavine is a prototype of a pore blocker of Kir3.2.
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Hohman TJ, Bush WS, Jiang L, Brown-Gentry KD, Torstenson ES, Dudek SM, Mukherjee S, Naj A, Kunkle BW, Ritchie MD, Martin ER, Schellenberg GD, Mayeux R, Farrer LA, Pericak-Vance MA, Haines JL, Thornton-Wells TA. Discovery of gene-gene interactions across multiple independent data sets of late onset Alzheimer disease from the Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium. Neurobiol Aging 2016; 38:141-150. [PMID: 26827652 PMCID: PMC4735733 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.10.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2015] [Revised: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) has a complex genetic etiology, involving locus heterogeneity, polygenic inheritance, and gene-gene interactions; however, the investigation of interactions in recent genome-wide association studies has been limited. We used a biological knowledge-driven approach to evaluate gene-gene interactions for consistency across 13 data sets from the Alzheimer Disease Genetics Consortium. Fifteen single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-SNP pairs within 3 gene-gene combinations were identified: SIRT1 × ABCB1, PSAP × PEBP4, and GRIN2B × ADRA1A. In addition, we extend a previously identified interaction from an endophenotype analysis between RYR3 × CACNA1C. Finally, post hoc gene expression analyses of the implicated SNPs further implicate SIRT1 and ABCB1, and implicate CDH23 which was most recently identified as an AD risk locus in an epigenetic analysis of AD. The observed interactions in this article highlight ways in which genotypic variation related to disease may depend on the genetic context in which it occurs. Further, our results highlight the utility of evaluating genetic interactions to explain additional variance in AD risk and identify novel molecular mechanisms of AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Hohman
- Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer's Center, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - William S Bush
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Lan Jiang
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Eric S Torstenson
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Scott M Dudek
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Adam Naj
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Brian W Kunkle
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Marylyn D Ritchie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Eden R Martin
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Gerard D Schellenberg
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Richard Mayeux
- Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lindsay A Farrer
- Department of Medicine (Biomedical Genetics), Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margaret A Pericak-Vance
- Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics and John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA; Department of Neurology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Jonathan L Haines
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Tricia A Thornton-Wells
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
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Yakubovich D, Berlin S, Kahanovitch U, Rubinstein M, Farhy-Tselnicker I, Styr B, Keren-Raifman T, Dessauer CW, Dascal N. A Quantitative Model of the GIRK1/2 Channel Reveals That Its Basal and Evoked Activities Are Controlled by Unequal Stoichiometry of Gα and Gβγ. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004598. [PMID: 26544551 PMCID: PMC4636287 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
G protein-gated K+ channels (GIRK; Kir3), activated by Gβγ subunits derived from Gi/o proteins, regulate heartbeat and neuronal excitability and plasticity. Both neurotransmitter-evoked (Ievoked) and neurotransmitter-independent basal (Ibasal) GIRK activities are physiologically important, but mechanisms of Ibasal and its relation to Ievoked are unclear. We have previously shown for heterologously expressed neuronal GIRK1/2, and now show for native GIRK in hippocampal neurons, that Ibasal and Ievoked are interrelated: the extent of activation by neurotransmitter (activation index, Ra) is inversely related to Ibasal. To unveil the underlying mechanisms, we have developed a quantitative model of GIRK1/2 function. We characterized single-channel and macroscopic GIRK1/2 currents, and surface densities of GIRK1/2 and Gβγ expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Based on experimental results, we constructed a mathematical model of GIRK1/2 activity under steady-state conditions before and after activation by neurotransmitter. Our model accurately recapitulates Ibasal and Ievoked in Xenopus oocytes, HEK293 cells and hippocampal neurons; correctly predicts the dose-dependent activation of GIRK1/2 by coexpressed Gβγ and fully accounts for the inverse Ibasal-Ra correlation. Modeling indicates that, under all conditions and at different channel expression levels, between 3 and 4 Gβγ dimers are available for each GIRK1/2 channel. In contrast, available Gαi/o decreases from ~2 to less than one Gα per channel as GIRK1/2's density increases. The persistent Gβγ/channel (but not Gα/channel) ratio support a strong association of GIRK1/2 with Gβγ, consistent with recruitment to the cell surface of Gβγ, but not Gα, by GIRK1/2. Our analysis suggests a maximal stoichiometry of 4 Gβγ but only 2 Gαi/o per one GIRK1/2 channel. The unique, unequal association of GIRK1/2 with G protein subunits, and the cooperative nature of GIRK gating by Gβγ, underlie the complex pattern of basal and agonist-evoked activities and allow GIRK1/2 to act as a sensitive bidirectional detector of both Gβγ and Gα. Many neurotransmitters and hormones inhibit the electric activity of excitable cells (such as cardiac cells and neurons) by activating a K+ channel, GIRK (G protein-gated Inwardly Rectifying K+ channel). GIRK channels also possess constitutive “basal” activity which contributes to regulation of neuronal and cardiac excitability and certain disorders, but the mechanism of this activity and its interrelation with the neurotransmitter-evoked activity are poorly understood. In this work we show that key features of basal and neurotransmitter-evoked activities are similar in cultured hippocampal neurons and in two model systems (mammalian HEK293 cells and Xenopus oocytes). Using experimental data of the neuronal GIRK1/2 channel function upon changes in GIRK and G protein concentrations, we constructed a mathematical model that quantitatively accounts for basal and evoked activity, and for the inverse correlation between the two. Our analysis suggests a novel and unexpected mechanism of interaction of GIRK1/2 with the G protein subunits, where the tetrameric GIRK channel can assemble with 4 molecules of the Gβγ subunits but only 2 molecules of Gα. GIRK is a prototypical effector of Gβγ, and the unequal stoichiometry of interaction with G protein subunits may have general implications for G protein signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Yakubovich
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Berlin
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Uri Kahanovitch
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Moran Rubinstein
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Isabella Farhy-Tselnicker
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Boaz Styr
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tal Keren-Raifman
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Carmen W. Dessauer
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Nathan Dascal
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail:
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40
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Belichenko PV, Kleschevnikov AM, Becker A, Wagner GE, Lysenko LV, Yu YE, Mobley WC. Down Syndrome Cognitive Phenotypes Modeled in Mice Trisomic for All HSA 21 Homologues. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134861. [PMID: 26230397 PMCID: PMC4521889 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS), trisomy for chromosome 21, is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. The genomic regions on human chromosome 21 (HSA21) are syntenically conserved with regions on mouse chromosomes 10, 16, and 17 (Mmu10, Mmu16, and Mmu17). Recently, we created a genetic model of DS which carries engineered duplications of all three mouse syntenic regions homologous to HSA21. This 'triple trisomic' or TTS model thus represents the most complete and accurate murine model currently available for experimental studies of genotype-phenotype relationships in DS. Here we extended our initial studies of TTS mice. Locomotor activity, stereotypic and repetitive behavior, anxiety, working memory, long-term memory, and synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus were examined in the TTS and wild-type (WT) control mice. Changes in locomotor activity were most remarkable for a significant increase in ambulatory time and a reduction in average velocity of TTS mice. No changes were detected in repetitive and stereotypic behavior and in measures of anxiety. Working memory showed no changes when tested in Y-maze, but deficiency in a more challenging T-maze test was detected. Furthermore, long-term object recognition memory was significantly reduced in the TTS mice. These changes were accompanied by deficient long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus, which was restored to the WT levels following blockade of GABAA receptors with picrotoxin (100 μM). TTS mice thus demonstrated a number of phenotypes characteristic of DS and may serve as a new standard by which to evaluate and direct findings in other less complete models of DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel V. Belichenko
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093–0649, United States of America
| | - Alexander M. Kleschevnikov
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093–0649, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Ann Becker
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093–0649, United States of America
| | - Grant E. Wagner
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093–0649, United States of America
| | - Larisa V. Lysenko
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093–0649, United States of America
| | - Y. Eugene Yu
- Genetics Program and Department of Cancer Genetics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, 14263, United States of America
| | - William C. Mobley
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093–0649, United States of America
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Mayordomo-Cava J, Yajeya J, Navarro-López JD, Jiménez-Díaz L. Amyloid-β(25-35) Modulates the Expression of GirK and KCNQ Channel Genes in the Hippocampus. PLoS One 2015. [PMID: 26218288 PMCID: PMC4517786 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD), synaptic dysfunction induced by toxic amyloid-β (Aβ) is present before the accumulation of histopathological hallmarks of the disease. This scenario produces impaired functioning of neuronal networks, altered patterns of synchronous activity and severe functional deficits mainly due to hyperexcitability of hippocampal networks. The molecular mechanisms underlying these alterations remain unclear but functional evidence, shown by our laboratory and others, points to the involvement of receptors/channels which modulate neuronal excitability, playing a pivotal role in early Aβ-induced AD pathogenesis. In particular, two potassium channels that control neuronal excitability, G protein-coupled activated inwardly-rectifying potassium channel (GirK), and voltage-gated K channel (KCNQ), have been recently linked to Aβ pathophysiology in the hippocampus. Specifically, by using Aβ25-35, we previously found that GirK conductance is greatly decreased in the hippocampus, and similar effects have also been reported on KCNQ conductance. Thus, in the present study, our goal was to determine the effect of Aβ on the transcriptional expression pattern of 17 genes encoding neurotransmitter receptors and associated channels which maintain excitatory-inhibitory neurotransmission balance in hippocampal circuits, with special focus in potassium channels. For this purpose, we designed a systematic and reliable procedure to analyze mRNA expression by reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in hippocampal rat slices incubated with Aβ25-35. We found that: 1) Aβ down-regulated mRNA expression of ionotropic GluN1 and metabotropic mGlu1 glutamate receptor subunits as previously reported in other AD models; 2) Aβ also reduced gene expression levels of GirK2, 3, and 4 subunits, and KCNQ2 and 3 subunits, but did not change expression levels of its associated GABAB and M1 receptors, respectively. Our results provide evidence that Aβ can modulate the expression of these channels which could affect the hippocampal activity balance underlying learning and memory processes impaired in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Mayordomo-Cava
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Neurophysiology & Behavior Lab, CRIB, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Javier Yajeya
- University of Salamanca, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Juan D. Navarro-López
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Neurophysiology & Behavior Lab, CRIB, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain
- * E-mail: (LJD); (JDNL)
| | - Lydia Jiménez-Díaz
- University of Castilla-La Mancha, Neurophysiology & Behavior Lab, CRIB, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, Ciudad Real, Spain
- * E-mail: (LJD); (JDNL)
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42
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Mayfield J, Blednov YA, Harris RA. Behavioral and Genetic Evidence for GIRK Channels in the CNS: Role in Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Drug Addiction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 123:279-313. [PMID: 26422988 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels are widely expressed throughout the brain and mediate the inhibitory effects of many neurotransmitters. As a result, these channels are important for normal CNS function and have also been implicated in Down syndrome, Parkinson's disease, psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, and drug addiction. Knockout mouse models have provided extensive insight into the significance of GIRK channels under these conditions. This review examines the behavioral and genetic evidence from animal models and genetic association studies in humans linking GIRK channels with CNS disorders. We further explore the possibility that subunit-selective modulators and other advanced research tools will be instrumental in establishing the role of individual GIRK subunits in drug addiction and other relevant CNS diseases and in potentially advancing treatment options for these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jody Mayfield
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.
| | - Yuri A Blednov
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - R Adron Harris
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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Masotti A, Uva P, Davis-Keppen L, Basel-Vanagaite L, Cohen L, Pisaneschi E, Celluzzi A, Bencivenga P, Fang M, Tian M, Xu X, Cappa M, Dallapiccola B. Keppen-Lubinsky syndrome is caused by mutations in the inwardly rectifying K+ channel encoded by KCNJ6. Am J Hum Genet 2015; 96:295-300. [PMID: 25620207 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Keppen-Lubinsky syndrome (KPLBS) is a rare disease mainly characterized by severe developmental delay and intellectual disability, microcephaly, large prominent eyes, a narrow nasal bridge, a tented upper lip, a high palate, an open mouth, tightly adherent skin, an aged appearance, and severe generalized lipodystrophy. We sequenced the exomes of three unrelated individuals affected by KPLBS and found de novo heterozygous mutations in KCNJ6 (GIRK2), which encodes an inwardly rectifying potassium channel and maps to the Down syndrome critical region between DIRK1A and DSCR4. In particular, two individuals shared an in-frame heterozygous deletion of three nucleotides (c.455_457del) leading to the loss of one amino acid (p.Thr152del). The third individual was heterozygous for a missense mutation (c.460G>A) which introduces an amino acid change from glycine to serine (p.Gly154Ser). In agreement with animal models, the present data suggest that these mutations severely impair the correct functioning of this potassium channel. Overall, these results establish KPLBS as a channelopathy and suggest that KCNJ6 (GIRK2) could also be a candidate gene for other lipodystrophies. We hope that these results will prompt investigations in this unexplored class of inwardly rectifying K(+) channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Masotti
- Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 00165 Rome, Italy.
| | - Paolo Uva
- CRS4 Bioinformatics Laboratory, Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico POLARIS, 09010 Pula, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Laura Davis-Keppen
- Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD 57105, USA
| | - Lina Basel-Vanagaite
- Pediatric Genetics Unit, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva 49202, Israel; Raphael Recanati Genetic Institute, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel; Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Lior Cohen
- Raphael Recanati Genetic Institute, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel
| | - Elisa Pisaneschi
- Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Celluzzi
- Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Bencivenga
- Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Xun Xu
- BGI Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China.
| | - Marco Cappa
- Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 00165 Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Dallapiccola
- Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, 00165 Rome, Italy
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Dascal N, Kahanovitch U. The Roles of Gβγ and Gα in Gating and Regulation of GIRK Channels. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 123:27-85. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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45
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de Velasco EMF, McCall N, Wickman K. GIRK Channel Plasticity and Implications for Drug Addiction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 123:201-38. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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46
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GIRK Channels: A Potential Link Between Learning and Addiction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 123:239-77. [PMID: 26422987 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The ability of drug-associated cues to reinitiate drug craving and seeking, even after long periods of abstinence, has led to the hypothesis that addiction represents a form of pathological learning, in which drugs of abuse hijack normal learning and memory processes to support long-term addictive behaviors. In this chapter, we review evidence suggesting that G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK/Kir3) channels are one mechanism through which numerous drugs of abuse can modulate learning and memory processes. We will examine the role of GIRK channels in two forms of experience-dependent long-term changes in neuronal function: homeostatic plasticity and synaptic plasticity. We will also discuss how drug-induced changes in GIRK-mediated signaling can lead to changes that support the development and maintenance of addiction.
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47
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Gardiner KJ. Pharmacological approaches to improving cognitive function in Down syndrome: current status and considerations. Drug Des Devel Ther 2014; 9:103-25. [PMID: 25552901 PMCID: PMC4277121 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s51476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS), also known as trisomy 21, is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID). Although ID can be mild, the average intelligence quotient is in the range of 40-50. All individuals with DS will also develop the neuropathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by the age of 30-40 years, and approximately half will display an AD-like dementia by the age of 60 years. DS is caused by an extra copy of the long arm of human chromosome 21 (Hsa21) and the consequent elevated levels of expression, due to dosage, of trisomic genes. Despite a worldwide incidence of one in 700-1,000 live births, there are currently no pharmacological treatments available for ID or AD in DS. However, over the last several years, very promising results have been obtained with a mouse model of DS, the Ts65Dn. A diverse array of drugs has been shown to rescue, or partially rescue, DS-relevant deficits in learning and memory and abnormalities in cellular and electrophysiological features seen in the Ts65Dn. These results suggest that some level of amelioration or prevention of cognitive deficits in people with DS may be possible. Here, we review information from the preclinical evaluations in the Ts65Dn, how drugs were selected, how efficacy was judged, and how outcomes differ, or not, among studies. We also summarize the current state of human clinical trials for ID and AD in DS. Lastly, we describe the genetic limitations of the Ts65Dn as a model of DS, and in the preclinical testing of pharmacotherapeutics, and suggest additional targets to be considered for potential pharmacotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katheleen J Gardiner
- Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, Department of Pediatrics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Human Medical Genetics and Genomics Program, Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
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Qureshi AI, Saed A, Tasneem N, Adil MM. Neuroanatomical correlates of atrial fibrillation: a longitudinal MRI study. JOURNAL OF VASCULAR AND INTERVENTIONAL NEUROLOGY 2014; 7:18-23. [PMID: 25566337 PMCID: PMC4280875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To determine baseline volume and rate of volume change of whole brain, hippocampus, and entorhinal cortex in patients with atrial fibrillation. METHODS We analyzed clinical and neuroimaging data collected as part of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative in the United States and Canada. Patients with atrial fibrillation were identified based on baseline clinical/cognitive assessments, and age and gender-matched controls without atrial fibrillations were selected (1:1 ratio). All participants underwent 1.5 T structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at specified intervals (6 or 12 months) for 2-3 years. RESULTS A total of 33 persons with atrial fibrillation were included. There was no difference in whole brain and ventricular volumes at baseline MRI between cases and controls. There was significantly lower entorhinal cortex volume on right (p = 0.01) and left (p = 0.01) sides in patients with atrial fibrillation. There was significantly lower volume for middle temporal lobes on right (p = 0.04) and left (p = 0.001) sides. The rate of progression of atrophy in entorhinal cortex and middle temporal lobes was not different between patients with atrial fibrillation and controls. CONCLUSIONS The association of atrial fibrillation with volume loss in entorhinal cortex and middle temporal lobes may provide new insights into pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aveen Saed
- Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute, St. Cloud, MN 56303, USA
| | - Nudrat Tasneem
- Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute, St. Cloud, MN 56303, USA
| | - Malik M Adil
- Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute, St. Cloud, MN 56303, USA
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Nagi K, Pineyro G. Kir3 channel signaling complexes: focus on opioid receptor signaling. Front Cell Neurosci 2014; 8:186. [PMID: 25071446 PMCID: PMC4085882 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Opioids are among the most effective drugs to treat severe pain. They produce their analgesic actions by specifically activating opioid receptors located along the pain perception pathway where they inhibit the flow of nociceptive information. This inhibition is partly accomplished by activation of hyperpolarizing G protein-coupled inwardly-rectifying potassium (GIRK or Kir3) channels. Kir3 channels control cellular excitability in the central nervous system and in the heart and, because of their ubiquitous distribution, they mediate the effects of a large range of hormones and neurotransmitters which, upon activation of corresponding G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) lead to channel opening. Here we analyze GPCR signaling via these effectors in reference to precoupling and collision models. Existing knowledge on signaling bias is discussed in relation to these models as a means of developing strategies to produce novel opioid analgesics with an improved side effects profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Nagi
- Département de Pharmacologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Centre de Recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Graciela Pineyro
- Département de Pharmacologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada ; Centre de Recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine Montréal, QC, Canada ; Département de Psychiatrie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada
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Nava-Mesa MO, Jiménez-Díaz L, Yajeya J, Navarro-Lopez JD. GABAergic neurotransmission and new strategies of neuromodulation to compensate synaptic dysfunction in early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2014; 8:167. [PMID: 24987334 PMCID: PMC4070063 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2014.00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by cognitive decline, brain atrophy due to neuronal and synapse loss, and formation of two pathological lesions: extracellular amyloid plaques, composed largely of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ), and neurofibrillary tangles formed by intracellular aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. Lesions mainly accumulate in brain regions that modulate cognitive functions such as the hippocampus, septum or amygdala. These brain structures have dense reciprocal glutamatergic, cholinergic, and GABAergic connections and their relationships directly affect learning and memory processes, so they have been proposed as highly susceptible regions to suffer damage by Aβ during AD course. Last findings support the emerging concept that soluble Aβ peptides, inducing an initial stage of synaptic dysfunction which probably starts 20–30 years before the clinical onset of AD, can perturb the excitatory–inhibitory balance of neural circuitries. In turn, neurotransmission imbalance will result in altered network activity that might be responsible of cognitive deficits in AD. Therefore, Aβ interactions on neurotransmission systems in memory-related brain regions such as amygdaloid complex, medial septum or hippocampus are critical in cognitive functions and appear as a pivotal target for drug design to improve learning and dysfunctions that manifest with age. Since treatments based on glutamatergic and cholinergic pharmacology in AD have shown limited success, therapies combining modulators of different neurotransmission systems including recent findings regarding the GABAergic system, emerge as a more useful tool for the treatment, and overall prevention, of this dementia. In this review, focused on inhibitory systems, we will analyze pharmacological strategies to compensate neurotransmission imbalance that might be considered as potential therapeutic interventions in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lydia Jiménez-Díaz
- Neurophysiology and Behavior Lab, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Javier Yajeya
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Salamanca Salamanca, Spain
| | - Juan D Navarro-Lopez
- Neurophysiology and Behavior Lab, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, School of Medicine of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha Ciudad Real, Spain
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