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Rosselot C, Li Y, Wang P, Alvarsson A, Beliard K, Lu G, Kang R, Li R, Liu H, Gillespie V, Tzavaras N, Kumar K, DeVita RJ, Stewart AF, Stanley SA, Garcia-Ocaña A. Harmine and exendin-4 combination therapy safely expands human β cell mass in vivo in a mouse xenograft system. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadg3456. [PMID: 38985854 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adg3456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Five hundred thirty-seven million people globally suffer from diabetes. Insulin-producing β cells are reduced in number in most people with diabetes, but most individuals still have some residual β cells. However, none of the many diabetes drugs in common use increases human β cell numbers. Recently, small molecules that inhibit dual tyrosine-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) have been shown to induce immunohistochemical markers of human β cell replication, and this is enhanced by drugs that stimulate the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) receptor (GLP1R) on β cells. However, it remains to be demonstrated whether these immunohistochemical findings translate into an actual increase in human β cell numbers in vivo. It is also unknown whether DYRK1A inhibitors together with GLP1R agonists (GLP1RAs) affect human β cell survival. Here, using an optimized immunolabeling-enabled three-dimensional imaging of solvent-cleared organs (iDISCO+) protocol in mouse kidneys bearing human islet grafts, we demonstrate that combination of a DYRK1A inhibitor with exendin-4 increases actual human β cell mass in vivo by a mean of four- to sevenfold in diabetic and nondiabetic mice over 3 months and reverses diabetes, without alteration in human α cell mass. The augmentation in human β cell mass occurred through mechanisms that included enhanced human β cell proliferation, function, and survival. The increase in human β cell survival was mediated, in part, by the islet prohormone VGF. Together, these findings demonstrate the therapeutic potential and favorable preclinical safety profile of the DYRK1A inhibitor-GLP1RA combination for diabetes treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Rosselot
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Yansui Li
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Peng Wang
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Alexandra Alvarsson
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kara Beliard
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Geming Lu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Randy Kang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Rosemary Li
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Hongtao Liu
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Virginia Gillespie
- Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Nikolaos Tzavaras
- Microscopy CoRE and Advanced Bioimaging Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kunal Kumar
- Drug Discovery Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Robert J DeVita
- Drug Discovery Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Andrew F Stewart
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sarah A Stanley
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Adolfo Garcia-Ocaña
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Arthur Riggs Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, City of Hope Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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Wu Z, Jiao M, Shu C, Zhang S, Wang J, Pu J, Zhu J, Zeng Y, Zhu Y, Liu Z. Integrin αVβ1-activated PYK2 promotes the progression of non-small-cell lung cancer via the STAT3-VGF axis. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:313. [PMID: 38844957 PMCID: PMC11157819 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01639-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80-85% of all lung cancer and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Although various treatment strategies have been introduced, the 5-year survival rate of patients with NSCLC is only 20-30%. Thus, it remains necessary to study the pathogenesis of NSCLC and develop new therapeutic drugs. Notably, PYK2 has been implicated in the progression of many tumors, including NSCLC, but its detailed mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanisms through which PYK2 promotes NSCLC progression. METHODS The mRNA and protein levels of various molecules were measured using qRT-PCR, western blot (WB), and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. We established stable PYK2 knockdown and overexpression cell lines, and CCK-8, EdU, and clonogenic assays; wound healing, transwell migration, and Matrigel invasion assays; and flow cytometry were employed to assess the phenotypes of tumor cells. Protein interactions were evaluated with co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), immunofluorescence (IF)-based colocalization, and nucleocytoplasmic separation assays. RNA sequencing was performed to explore the transcriptional regulation mediated by PYK2. Secreted VGF levels were examined using ELISA. Dual-luciferase reporter system was used to detect transcriptional regulation site. PF4618433 (PYK2 inhibitor) and Stattic (STAT3 inhibitor) were used for rescue experiments. A public database was mined to analyze the effect of these molecules on NSCLC prognosis. To investigate the role of PYK2 in vivo, mouse xenograft models of lung carcinoma were established and examined. RESULTS The protein level of PYK2 was higher in human NSCLC tumors than in the adjacent normal tissue, and higher PYK2 expression was associated with poorer prognosis. PYK2 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and motility of tumor cells and caused G1-S arrest and cyclinD1 downregulation in A549 and H460 cells. Meanwhile, PYK2 overexpression had the opposite effect in H1299 cells. The siRNA-induced inhibition of integrins alpha V and beta 1 led to the downregulation of p-PYK2(Tyr402). Activated PYK2 could bind to STAT3 and enhance its phosphorylation at Tyr705, regulating the nuclear accumulation of p-STAT3(Tyr705). This further promoted the expression of VGF, as confirmed by RNA sequencing in a PYK2-overexpressing H1299 cell line and validated by rescue experiments. Two sites in promoter region of VGF gene were confirmed as binding sites of STAT3 by Dual-luciferase assay. Data from the TGCA database showed that VGF was related to the poor prognosis of NSCLC. IHC revealed higher p-PYK2(Tyr402) and VGF expression in lung tumors than in adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, both proteins showed higher levels in advanced TNM stages than earlier ones. A positive linear correlation existed between the IHC score of p-PYK2(Tyr402) and VGF. Knockdown of VGF inhibited tumor progression and reversed the tumor promoting effect of PYK2 overexpression in NSCLC cells. Finally, the mouse model exhibited enhanced tumor growth when PYK2 was overexpressed, while the inhibitors PF4618433 and Stattic could attenuate this effect. CONCLUSIONS The Integrin αVβ1-PYK2-STAT3-VGF axis promotes NSCLC development, and the PYK2 inhibitor PF4618433 and STAT3 inhibitor Stattic can reverse the pro-tumorigenic effect of high PYK2 expression in mouse models. Our findings provide insights into NSCLC progression and could guide potential therapeutic strategies against NSCLC with high PYK2 expression levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyan Wu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Department of Health Management Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Min Jiao
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Chenying Shu
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Saiqun Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Jiajia Wang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Jianhong Pu
- Department of Health Management Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Jianjie Zhu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Yuanyuan Zeng
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Yehan Zhu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China.
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China.
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Zeyi Liu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China.
- Suzhou Key Laboratory for Respiratory Diseases, Suzhou, 215000, China.
- Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
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Morderer D, Wren MC, Liu F, Kouri N, Maistrenko A, Khalil B, Pobitzer N, Salemi M, Phinney BS, Dickson DW, Murray ME, Rossoll W. Probe-dependent Proximity Profiling (ProPPr) Uncovers Similarities and Differences in Phospho-Tau-Associated Proteomes Between Tauopathies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.25.585597. [PMID: 38585836 PMCID: PMC10996607 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.25.585597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Tauopathies represent a diverse group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the abnormal aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. Despite extensive research, the precise mechanisms underlying the complexity of different types of tau pathology remain incompletely understood. Here we describe an approach for proteomic profiling of aggregate-associated proteomes on slides with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue that utilizes proximity labelling upon high preservation of aggregate morphology, which permits the profiling of pathological aggregates regardless of their size. To comprehensively investigate the common and unique protein interactors associated with the variety of tau lesions present across different human tauopathies, Alzheimer's disease (AD), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), Pick's disease (PiD), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), were selected to represent the major tauopathy diseases. Implementation of our widely applicable Probe-dependent Proximity Profiling (ProPPr) strategy, using the AT8 antibody, permitted identification and quantification of proteins associated with phospho-tau lesions in well-characterized human post-mortem tissue. The analysis revealed both common and disease-specific proteins associated with phospho-tau aggregates, highlighting potential targets for therapeutic intervention and biomarker development. Candidate validation through high-resolution co-immunofluorescence of distinct aggregates across disease and control cases, confirmed the association of retromer complex protein VPS35 with phospho-tau lesions across the studied tauopathies. Furthermore, we discovered disease-specific associations of proteins including ferritin light chain (FTL) and the neuropeptide precursor VGF within distinct pathological lesions. Notably, examination of FTL-positive microglia in CBD astrocytic plaques indicate a potential role for microglial involvement in the pathogenesis of these tau lesions. Our findings provide valuable insights into the proteomic landscape of tauopathies, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms underlying tau pathology. This first comprehensive characterization of tau-associated proteomes across different tauopathies enhances our understanding of disease heterogeneity and provides a resource for future functional investigation, as well as development of targeted therapies and diagnostic biomarkers.
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Basak I, Harfoot R, Palmer JE, Kumar A, Quiñones-Mateu ME, Schweitzer L, Hughes SM. Neuroproteomic Analysis after SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reveals Overrepresented Neurodegeneration Pathways and Disrupted Metabolic Pathways. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1597. [PMID: 38002279 PMCID: PMC10669333 DOI: 10.3390/biom13111597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Besides respiratory illness, SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, leads to neurological symptoms. The molecular mechanisms leading to neuropathology after SARS-CoV-2 infection are sparsely explored. SARS-CoV-2 enters human cells via different receptors, including ACE-2, TMPRSS2, and TMEM106B. In this study, we used a human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuronal model, which expresses ACE-2, TMPRSS2, TMEM106B, and other possible SARS-CoV-2 receptors, to evaluate its susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The neurons were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, followed by RT-qPCR, immunocytochemistry, and proteomic analyses of the infected neurons. Our findings showed that SARS-CoV-2 infects neurons at a lower rate than other human cells; however, the virus could not replicate or produce infectious virions in this neuronal model. Despite the aborted SARS-CoV-2 replication, the infected neuronal nuclei showed irregular morphology compared to other human cells. Since cytokine storm is a significant effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection in COVID-19 patients, in addition to the direct neuronal infection, the neurons were treated with pre-conditioned media from SARS-CoV-2-infected lung cells, and the neuroproteomic changes were investigated. The limited SARS-CoV-2 infection in the neurons and the neurons treated with the pre-conditioned media showed changes in the neuroproteomic profile, particularly affecting mitochondrial proteins and apoptotic and metabolic pathways, which may lead to the development of neurological complications. The findings from our study uncover a possible mechanism behind SARS-CoV-2-mediated neuropathology that might contribute to the lingering effects of the virus on the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indranil Basak
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Rhodri Harfoot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand (M.E.Q.-M.)
| | - Jennifer E. Palmer
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Abhishek Kumar
- Centre for Protein Research, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Miguel E. Quiñones-Mateu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand (M.E.Q.-M.)
| | - Lucia Schweitzer
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Stephanie M. Hughes
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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Li XX, Lee JD, Lee HS, Clark RJ, Woodruff TM. TLQP-21 is a low potency partial C3aR activator on human primary macrophages. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1086673. [PMID: 36776827 PMCID: PMC9909341 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1086673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
TLQP-21 is a 21-amino acid neuropeptide derived from the VGF precursor protein. TLQP-21 is expressed in the nervous system and neuroendocrine glands, and demonstrates pleiotropic roles including regulating metabolism, nociception and microglial functions. Several possible receptors for TLQP-21 have been identified, with complement C3a receptor (C3aR) being the most commonly reported. However, few studies have characterised the activity of TLQP-21 in immune cells, which represent the major cell type expressing C3aR. In this study, we therefore aimed to define the activity of both human and mouse TLQP-21 on cell signalling in primary human and mouse macrophages. We first confirmed that TLQP-21 induced ERK signalling in CHO cells overexpressing human C3aR, and did not activate human C5aR1 or C5aR2. TLQP-21 mediated ERK signalling was also observed in primary human macrophages. However, the potency for human TLQP-21 was 135,000-fold lower relative to C3a, and only reached 45% at the highest dose tested (10 μM). Unlike in humans, mouse TLQP-21 potently triggered ERK signalling in murine macrophages, reaching near full activation, but at ~10-fold reduced potency compared to C3a. We further confirmed the C3aR dependency of the TLQP-21 activities. Our results reveal significant discrepancy in TLQP-21 C3aR activity between human and murine receptors, with mouse TLQP-21 being consistently more potent than the human counterpart in both systems. Considering the supraphysiological concentrations of hTLQP-21 needed to only partially activate macrophages, it is likely that the actions of TLQP-21, at least in these immune cells, may not be mediated by C3aR in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xaria X Li
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - John D Lee
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Han S Lee
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Richard J Clark
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Trent M Woodruff
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
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Park OS, Bang JK, Cheong C, Jeon YH. Structure of AQEE-30 of VGF Neuropeptide in Membrane-Mimicking Environments. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232213953. [PMID: 36430431 PMCID: PMC9696787 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232213953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
AQEE-30 is one of the VGF peptides, which are derived from the VGF polypeptide precursor, and related to various physiological phenomena including neuroprotective effects in Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although various functions of AQEE-30 have been reported so far, the structure of this peptide has not been reported yet. In this study, the structure of human AQEE-30 was investigated in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) micelle solutions, using circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. CD results showed that AQEE-30 had a partial helical structure in aqueous buffer, and the helical structure was stabilized in the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions. The 3D structures determined by NMR spectroscopy showed that AQEE-30 adopted mainly α-helical structure in both the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions. The surface of AQEE-30 showed that it was predominantly negatively charged. The residues from 601 to 611 in both the HFIP and DPC micelle solutions showed amphiphilicity with four negatively charged residues, glutamate. The C-terminal consecutive arginine residues formed a partial positively charged surface. These results suggest an α-helical active structure of AQEE-30 in the cell-membrane environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- One-Sung Park
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University Sejong Campus, Sejong 30019, Korea
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Korea
| | - Jeong-Kyu Bang
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Korea
| | - Chaejoon Cheong
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju 28119, Korea
- Department of Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Science and Technology, Cheongju 28119, Korea
- Correspondence: (C.C.); (Y.-H.J.)
| | - Young-Ho Jeon
- College of Pharmacy, Korea University Sejong Campus, Sejong 30019, Korea
- Correspondence: (C.C.); (Y.-H.J.)
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Ye Q, Huang Z, Lu W, Yan F, Zeng W, Xie J, Zhong W. Identification of the common differentially expressed genes and pathogenesis between neuropathic pain and aging. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:994575. [PMCID: PMC9626798 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.994575] [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: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neuropathic pain is a debilitating disease caused by damage or diseases of the somatosensory nervous system. Previous research has indicated potential associations between neuropathic pain and aging. However, the mechanisms by which they are interconnected remain unclear. In this study, we aim to identify the common differentially expressed genes (co-DEGs) between neuropathic pain and aging through integrated bioinformatics methods and further explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods The microarray datasets GSE24982, GSE63442, and GSE63651 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and co-DEGs were first identified. Functional enrichment analyses, protein-protein Interaction (PPI) network, module construction and hub genes identification were performed. Immune infiltration analysis was conducted. Targeted transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and potential effective drug compounds for hub genes were also predicted. Results A total of 563 and 1,250 DEGs of neuropathic pain and aging were screened, respectively. 16 genes were further identified as co-DEGs. The functional analysis emphasizes the vital roles of the humoral immune response and complement and coagulation cascades in these two diseases. Cxcl14, Fblim1, RT1-Da, Serping1, Cfd, and Fcgr2b were identified as hub genes. Activated B cell, mast cell, activated dendritic cell, CD56 bright natural killer cell, effector memory CD8 + T cell, and type 2 T helper cell were significantly up-regulated in the pain and aging condition. Importantly, hub genes were found to correlate with the activated B cell, activated dendritic cell, Gamma delta T cell, central memory CD4 + T cell and mast cell in pain and aging diseases. Finally, Spic, miR-883-5p, and miR-363-5p et al. were predicted as the potential vital regulators for hub genes. Aldesleukin, Valziflocept, MGD-010, Cinryze, and Rhucin were the potential effective drugs in neuropathic pain and aging. Conclusion This study identified co-DEGs, revealed molecular mechanisms, demonstrated the immune microenvironment, and predicted the possible TFs, miRNAs regulation networks and new drug targets for neuropathic pain and aging, providing novel insights into further research.
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Wang Y, Qin X, Han Y, Li B. VGF: A prospective biomarker and therapeutic target for neuroendocrine and nervous system disorders. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 151:113099. [PMID: 35594706 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroendocrine regulatory polypeptide VGF (nerve growth factor inducible) was firstly found in the rapid induction of nerve growth factor on PC12 cells. It was selectively distributed in neurons and many neuroendocrine tissues. This paper reviewed the latest literatures on the gene structure, transcriptional regulation, protein processing, distribution and potential receptors of VGF. The neuroendocrine roles of VGF and its derived polypeptides in regulating energy, water electrolyte balance, circadian rhythm and reproductive activities were also summarized. Furthermore, based on the experimental evidence in vivo and in vitro, dysregulation of VGF in different neuroendocrine diseases and the possible mechanism mediated by VGF polypeptides were discussed. We next discussed the potential as the clinical diagnosis and therapy for VGF related diseases in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibei Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China; Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
| | - Xiaoxue Qin
- Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
| | - Yun Han
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
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Mizoguchi T, Fujimori H, Ohba T, Shimazawa M, Nakamura S, Shinohara M, Hara H. Glutamatergic dysfunction is associated with phenotypes of VGF-overexpressing mice. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:2051-2060. [PMID: 35587282 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06384-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
VGF nerve growth factor inducible (VGF) is a neuropeptide precursor, which is induced by several neurotrophic factors, including nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Clinically, an upregulation of VGF levels has been reported in the cerebrospinal fluid and prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia. In our previous study, mice overexpressing VGF exhibited schizophrenia-related behaviors. In the current study, we characterized the biochemical changes in the brains of VGF-overexpressing mice. Metabolomics analysis of neurotransmitters revealed that glutamic acid and N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid were increased in the striatum of VGF-overexpressing mice. Additionally, the present study revealed that MK-801, which causes the disturbance in glutamic acid metabolism, increased the expression level of VGF-derived peptide (NAPP129, named VGF20), and VGF-overexpressing mice had higher sensitivity to MK-801. These results suggest that VGF may modulate the regulation of glutamic acid levels and the degree of glutamic acid signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Mizoguchi
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Honoka Fujimori
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Takuya Ohba
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Masamitsu Shimazawa
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan.
| | - Shinsuke Nakamura
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - Masakazu Shinohara
- The Integrated Center for Mass Spectrometry, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.,Division of Epidemiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan
| | - Hideaki Hara
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
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GADD45A induces neuropathic pain by activating P53 apoptosis pathway in mice. Genes Genomics 2022; 44:1051-1060. [PMID: 35167054 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-022-01226-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuropathic pain is a common condition with current heights of varying etiology. The therapeutic drugs are also poorly work and often limited by side effects such as dizziness. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the function mechanism of GADD45A in neuropathic pain. METHODS The DEGs in neuropathic pain mouse model chip were screened by bioinformatics analysis. The expression of GADD45A in SNL model was determined by RT-qPCR and Immunofluorescence assay. The protein expression of p53-apoptosis pathway proteins was determined by western blotting. RESULTS Combination analysis of bioinformatics methods revealed that the expression of GADD45A was upregulated in SNL. The results of RT-qPCR assay and Immunofluorescence assay revealed that GADD45A was overexpressed in all of time points SNL model. Furthermore, knockdown of GADD45A in SNL remarkably antagonized the malignance phenotype compared with the Ad-GFP treated SNL. In addition, knockdown of GADD45A downregulated the expression of p53 and reduced the apoptosis of spinal cord nerve cells. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that GADD45A may be a biomarker in the neuropathic pain of mice.
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Sahu BS, Nguyen ME, Rodriguez P, Pallais JP, Ghosh V, Razzoli M, Sham YY, Salton SR, Bartolomucci A. The molecular identity of the TLQP-21 peptide receptor. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:7133-7144. [PMID: 34626205 PMCID: PMC8629782 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03944-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The TLQP-21 neuropeptide has been implicated in functions as diverse as lipolysis, neurodegeneration and metabolism, thus suggesting an important role in several human diseases. Three binding targets have been proposed for TLQP-21: C3aR1, gC1qR and HSPA8. The aim of this review is to critically evaluate the molecular identity of the TLQP-21 receptor and the proposed multi-receptor mechanism of action. Several studies confirm a critical role for C3aR1 in TLQP-21 biological activity and a largely conserved mode of binding, receptor activation and signaling with C3a, its first-identified endogenous ligand. Conversely, data supporting a role of gC1qR and HSPA8 in TLQP-21 activity remain limited, with no signal transduction pathways being described. Overall, C3aR1 is the only receptor for which a necessary and sufficient role in TLQP-21 activity has been confirmed thus far. This conclusion calls into question the validity of a multi-receptor mechanism of action for TLQP-21 and should inform future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavani S Sahu
- National Brain Research Centre, NH-8, Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana, 122052, India
| | - Megin E Nguyen
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Pedro Rodriguez
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Jean Pierre Pallais
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Vinayak Ghosh
- National Brain Research Centre, NH-8, Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana, 122052, India
| | - Maria Razzoli
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Yuk Y Sham
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Stephen R Salton
- Departments of Neuroscience and Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Alessandro Bartolomucci
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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Quinn JP, Kandigian SE, Trombetta BA, Arnold SE, Carlyle BC. VGF as a biomarker and therapeutic target in neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcab261. [PMID: 34778762 PMCID: PMC8578498 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurosecretory protein VGF (non-acronymic) belongs to the granin family of neuropeptides. VGF and VGF-derived peptides have been repeatedly identified in well-powered and well-designed multi-omic studies as dysregulated in neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. New therapeutics is urgently needed for these devastating and costly diseases, as are new biomarkers to improve disease diagnosis and mechanistic understanding. From a list of 537 genes involved in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, VGF was highlighted by the Accelerating Medicines Partnership in Alzheimer's disease as the potential therapeutic target of greatest interest. VGF levels are consistently decreased in brain tissue and CSF samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease compared to controls, and its levels correlate with disease severity and Alzheimer's disease pathology. In the brain, VGF exists as multiple functional VGF-derived peptides. Full-length human VGF1-615 undergoes proteolytic processing by prohormone convertases and other proteases in the regulated secretory pathway to produce at least 12 active VGF-derived peptides. In cell and animal models, these VGF-derived peptides have been linked to energy balance regulation, neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, learning and memory, and depression-related behaviours throughout development and adulthood. The C-terminal VGF-derived peptides, TLQP-62 (VGF554-615) and TLQP-21 (VGF554-574) have differential effects on Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, neuronal and microglial activity, and learning and memory. TLQP-62 activates neuronal cell-surface receptors and regulates long-term hippocampal memory formation. TLQP-62 also prevents immune-mediated memory impairment, depression-like and anxiety-like behaviours in mice. TLQP-21 binds to microglial cell-surface receptors, triggering microglial chemotaxis and phagocytosis. These actions were reported to reduce amyloid-β plaques and decrease neuritic dystrophy in a transgenic mouse model of familial Alzheimer's disease. Expression differences of VGF-derived peptides have also been associated with frontotemporal lobar dementias, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lewy body diseases, Huntington's disease, pain, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression and antidepressant response. This review summarizes current knowledge and highlights questions for future investigation regarding the roles of VGF and its dysregulation in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disease. Finally, the potential of VGF and VGF-derived peptides as biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases is highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Quinn
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer's Clinical & Translational Research Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Savannah E Kandigian
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer's Clinical & Translational Research Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bianca A Trombetta
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer's Clinical & Translational Research Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Steven E Arnold
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer's Clinical & Translational Research Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Becky C Carlyle
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer's Clinical & Translational Research Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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13
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Corda G, Noli B, Manconi B, Brancia C, Pellegrini M, Naro F, Olianas A, Ferri GL, Cocco C. TLQP-21 changes in response to a glucose load. Tissue Cell 2020; 68:101471. [PMID: 33348234 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2020.101471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The TLQP-21 peptide potentiates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, hence we investigated its endogenous response to glucose. METHODS Fasted mice received intraperitoneal glucose (3 g/kg), or saline (controls), and were sacrificed 30 and 120 min later (4 groups, n = 6/group). We investigated TLQP-21 in pancreas and plasma using immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), as well as TLQP-21 receptors (gC1q-R and C3a-R1) expression in pancreas by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS In pancreas, TLQP-immunoreactivity (TLQP-ir.) was shown in insulin-, glucagon- and somatostatin-containing cells. Upon glucose, TLQP-ir. decreased at 30 min (∼40 % vs. controls), while returning to basal values at 120 min. In all groups, C3a-R1 was localized in ∼50 % of TLQP labelled islet cells (mostly central), while gC1q-R was detected in ∼25 % of TLQP cells (mainly peripheral). HPLC fractions of control pancreas extracts, assessed by ELISA, confirmed the presence of a TLQP-21 compatible-form (∼2.5 kDa MW). In plasma, TLQP-ir. increased at 30 min (∼30 %), with highest concentrations at 120 min (both: p<0.05 vs. controls), while HPLC fractions showed an increase in the TLQP-21 compatible form. CONCLUSIONS Upon hyperglycaemia, TLQP-21 would be released from islets, to enhance insulin secretion but we cannot exclude an autocrine activity which may regulate insulin storage/secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Corda
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, CA, Italy.
| | - Barbara Noli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Barbara Manconi
- Department of Life and Enviromental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Carla Brancia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Manuela Pellegrini
- Department of Anatomical, Istological and Legal Medicine Sciences of the locomotor apparatus, University of "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy
| | - Fabio Naro
- Department of Anatomical, Istological and Legal Medicine Sciences of the locomotor apparatus, University of "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy
| | - Alessandra Olianas
- Department of Life and Enviromental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Gian-Luca Ferri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Cristina Cocco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, CA, Italy
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14
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Park O, Bang JK, Ryu K, Hwang E, Hong KS, Byun Y, Cheong C, Jeon YH. Structure of neuroendocrine regulatory peptide‐2 in membrane‐mimicking environments. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- One‐Sung Park
- College of Pharmacy Korea University Sejong Campus Sejong South Korea
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis Korea Basic Science Institute Cheongju South Korea
| | - Jeong Kyu Bang
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis Korea Basic Science Institute Cheongju South Korea
| | - Kyoung‐Seok Ryu
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis Korea Basic Science Institute Cheongju South Korea
| | - Eunha Hwang
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis Korea Basic Science Institute Cheongju South Korea
| | - Kwan Soo Hong
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis Korea Basic Science Institute Cheongju South Korea
| | - Youngjoo Byun
- College of Pharmacy Korea University Sejong Campus Sejong South Korea
| | - Chaejoon Cheong
- Division of Bioconvergence Analysis Korea Basic Science Institute Cheongju South Korea
| | - Young Ho Jeon
- College of Pharmacy Korea University Sejong Campus Sejong South Korea
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15
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Kim JY, Bai Y, Jayne LA, Abdulkader F, Gandhi M, Perreau T, Parikh SV, Gardner DS, Davidson AJ, Sander V, Song MA, Bajwa A, Pabla NS. SOX9 promotes stress-responsive transcription of VGF nerve growth factor inducible gene in renal tubular epithelial cells. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:16328-16341. [PMID: 32887795 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.015110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical condition associated with diverse etiologies and abrupt loss of renal function. In patients with sepsis, rhabdomyolysis, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders, the underlying disease or associated therapeutic interventions can cause hypoxia, cytotoxicity, and inflammatory insults to renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs), resulting in the onset of AKI. To uncover stress-responsive disease-modifying genes, here we have carried out renal transcriptome profiling in three distinct murine models of AKI. We find that Vgf nerve growth factor inducible gene up-regulation is a common transcriptional stress response in RTECs to ischemia-, cisplatin-, and rhabdomyolysis-associated renal injury. The Vgf gene encodes a secretory peptide precursor protein that has critical neuroendocrine functions; however, its role in the kidneys remains unknown. Our functional studies show that RTEC-specific Vgf gene ablation exacerbates ischemia-, cisplatin-, and rhabdomyolysis-associated AKI in vivo and cisplatin-induced RTEC cell death in vitro Importantly, aggravation of cisplatin-induced renal injury caused by Vgf gene ablation is partly reversed by TLQP-21, a Vgf-derived peptide. Finally, in vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies showed that injury-induced Vgf up-regulation in RTECs is driven by the transcriptional regulator Sox9. These findings reveal a crucial downstream target of the Sox9-directed transcriptional program and identify Vgf as a stress-responsive protective gene in kidney tubular epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Young Kim
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
| | - Yuntao Bai
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Laura A Jayne
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Ferdos Abdulkader
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Megha Gandhi
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Tayla Perreau
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Samir V Parikh
- Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - David S Gardner
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
| | - Alan J Davidson
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Veronika Sander
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Min-Ae Song
- Division of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Amandeep Bajwa
- Transplant Research Institute, James D. Eason Transplant Institute, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Navjot Singh Pabla
- Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy and Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
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Noli B, Brancia C, Corda G, Ferri GL, Cocco C. Dynamic of TLQP-peptides upon fasting. Tissue Cell 2020; 65:101368. [PMID: 32746995 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2020.101368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The VGF-derived TLQP peptides (TLQPp), a new potential drug target for obesity, are expressed in stomach, pancreas, adrenal gland as well as in adipose tissues, and, when exogenously injected, regulate energy expenditure and food intake. However, it is not clear if these peptides physiologically change in these organs in response to fasting. METHODS Rats were subdivided into four groups: (A) fed ad libitum, (B) fed with restrictions (once a day) (C) fast for 48 h and (D) fast for 48 h and then fed 1 h before sacrifice. Immunosorbent assay was used to possibly reveal TLQPp changes upon fasting in plasma as well as in pancreas, adrenal gland, stomach and adipose tissues. In the latter organs, we also measured the levels of the VGF precursor protein while immunohistochemistry was used to investigate the presence of the TLQP-21 receptors. RESULTS During fasting, TLQPp were down-regulated in the stomach (45 %), pancreas (47 %), adrenal gland (51 %) and WAT (45.2 %) in parallel with a significant increase in the blood (36.6 %), all versus ad libitum group. In the same organs where the TLQPp were decreased upon fasting, the VGF precursor levels were not changed. In ad libitum rats, TLQP-21 receptors were well represented within the same cells that expressed TLQPp, suggesting an autocrine activity to be better investigated. CONCLUSIONS During fasting, TLQPp are probably produced and immediately secreted into the blood circulation, until the hypoglycaemia is counteracted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Noli
- NEF-Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Carla Brancia
- NEF-Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Giulia Corda
- NEF-Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Gian-Luca Ferri
- NEF-Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy
| | - Cristina Cocco
- NEF-Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042, Monserrato, CA, Italy.
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Cho K, Jang YJ, Lee SJ, Jeon YN, Shim YL, Lee JY, Lim DS, Kim DH, Yoon SY. TLQP-21 mediated activation of microglial BV2 cells promotes clearance of extracellular fibril amyloid-β. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 524:764-771. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.01.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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18
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Zambelli V, Rizzi L, Delvecchio P, Bresciani E, Molteni L, Meanti R, Pascal V, Fehrentz JA, Omeljaniuk RJ, Bellani G, Torsello A. JMV5656, a short synthetic derivative of TLQP-21, alleviates acid-induced lung injury and fibrosis in mice. Pulm Pharmacol Ther 2020; 62:101916. [PMID: 32205280 DOI: 10.1016/j.pupt.2020.101916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
TLQP-21, a peptide encoded by the prohormone VGF, is expressed in neuroendocrine cells and can modulate inflammatory processes. Since TLQP-21 can bind the complement 3a receptor 1 on macrophages, interest has risen in this peptide as a potential drug for the treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), whose hospital mortality can reach 35-46%. Since no effective pharmacologic therapies are available, our aim was to exploit the potential of a short analog of TLQP-21(JMV5656) in order to modulate the inflammatory process in ARDS and the progression to pulmonary fibrosis in an experimental model of unilateral acid aspiration in mice. Mice were divided in 2 treatment groups. In the acute protocol, mice received intra-peritoneal injection of either vehicle or 0.6 mg/kg JMV5656 on experimental days 1 and 2, and ARDS was induced on day 3 under deep anesthesia by instillation of HCl (1.5 ml/kg of 0.1 M HCl in 0.9% NaCl) into the right lung; all measurements were performed 24 h later. In the subacute protocol, mice were treated as previously, but treatment with vehicle or JMV5656 was repeated also on day 4 and measurements were made 2 weeks later. Twenty-four hours after acid instillation, the total number of immune cell in the BAL rose sharply due primarily to an increase in the PMN population which increased from 1% up to 58% of total cell numbers. JMV5656 significantly reduced PMN recruitment into the alveolar space, but had no effects on cytokine levels in BAL. Two weeks after acid injury, static compliance of the right lung was significantly higher in the JMV5656-treated group compared to vehicle-treated group. Treatment with JMV5656 also blunted the acid-induced collagen deposition in the right lung. These results suggest that JMV5656 can ameliorate mechanical compliance, and reduce collagen deposition in acid-injured lungs in mice. This effect was likely due to the ability of JMV5656 to inhibit PMN recruitment in the injured lung.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Zambelli
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Rizzi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.
| | - Paolo Delvecchio
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Elena Bresciani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Molteni
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Ramona Meanti
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Verdiè Pascal
- Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules UMR5247, CNRS, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Alain Fehrentz
- Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules UMR5247, CNRS, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Giacomo Bellani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Antonio Torsello
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
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The VGF-derived Peptide TLQP21 Impairs Purinergic Control of Chemotaxis and Phagocytosis in Mouse Microglia. J Neurosci 2020; 40:3320-3331. [PMID: 32060170 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1458-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglial cells are considered as sensors of brain pathology by detecting any sign of brain lesions, infections, or dysfunction and can influence the onset and progression of neurological diseases. They are capable of sensing their neuronal environment via many different signaling molecules, such as neurotransmitters, neurohormones and neuropeptides. The neuropeptide VGF has been associated with many metabolic and neurological disorders. TLQP21 is a VGF-derived peptide and has been shown to signal via C3aR1 and C1qBP receptors. The effect of TLQP21 on microglial functions in health or disease is not known. Studying microglial cells in acute brain slices, we found that TLQP21 impaired metabotropic purinergic signaling. Specifically, it attenuated the ATP-induced activation of a K+ conductance, the UDP-stimulated phagocytic activity, and the ATP-dependent laser lesion-induced process outgrowth. These impairments were reversed by blocking C1qBP, but not C3aR1 receptors. While microglia in brain slices from male mice lack C3aR1 receptors, both receptors are expressed in primary cultured microglia. In addition to the negative impact on purinergic signaling, we found stimulating effects of TLQP21 in cultured microglia, which were mediated by C3aR1 receptors: it directly evoked membrane currents, stimulated basal phagocytic activity, evoked intracellular Ca2+ transient elevations, and served as a chemotactic signal. We conclude that TLQP21 has differential effects on microglia depending on C3aR1 activation or C1qBP-dependent attenuation of purinergic signaling. Thus, TLQP21 can modulate the functional phenotype of microglia, which may have an impact on their function in health and disease.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The neuropeptide VGF and its peptides have been associated with many metabolic and neurological disorders. TLQP21 is a VGF-derived peptide that activates C1qBP receptors, which are expressed by microglia. We show here, for the first time, that TLQP21 impairs P2Y-mediated purinergic signaling and related functions. These include modulation of phagocytic activity and responses to injury. As purinergic signaling is central for microglial actions in the brain, this TLQP21-mediated mechanism might regulate microglial activity in health and disease. We furthermore show that, in addition to C1qBP, functional C3aR1 responses contribute to TLQP21 action on microglia. However, C3aR1 responses were only present in primary cultures but not in situ, suggesting that the expression of these receptors might vary between different microglial activation states.
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Bresciani E, Possenti R, Coco S, Rizzi L, Meanti R, Molteni L, Locatelli V, Torsello A. TLQP-21, A VGF-Derived Peptide Endowed of Endocrine and Extraendocrine Properties: Focus on In Vitro Calcium Signaling. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 21:ijms21010130. [PMID: 31878142 PMCID: PMC6982260 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
VGF gene encodes for a neuropeptide precursor of 68 kDa composed by 615 (human) and 617 (rat, mice) residues, expressed prevalently in the central nervous system (CNS), but also in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and in various endocrine cells. This precursor undergoes proteolytic cleavage, generating a family of peptides different in length and biological activity. Among them, TLQP-21, a peptide of 21 amino acids, has been widely investigated for its relevant endocrine and extraendocrine activities. The complement complement C3a receptor-1 (C3aR1) has been suggested as the TLQP-21 receptor and, in different cell lines, its activation by TLQP-21 induces an increase of intracellular Ca2+. This effect relies both on Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and extracellular Ca2+ entry. The latter depends on stromal interaction molecules (STIM)-Orai1 interaction or transient receptor potential channel (TRPC) involvement. After Ca2+ entry, the activation of outward K+-Ca2+-dependent currents, mainly the KCa3.1 currents, provides a membrane polarizing influence which offset the depolarizing action of Ca2+ elevation and indirectly maintains the driving force for optimal Ca2+ increase in the cytosol. In this review, we address the main endocrine and extraendocrine actions displayed by TLQP-21, highlighting recent findings on its mechanism of action and its potential in different pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Bresciani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (S.C.); (L.R.); (R.M.); (L.M.); (V.L.); (A.T.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Roberta Possenti
- Department of Systems Medicine, University of Roma Tor Vergata, 00133 Roma, Italy;
| | - Silvia Coco
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (S.C.); (L.R.); (R.M.); (L.M.); (V.L.); (A.T.)
| | - Laura Rizzi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (S.C.); (L.R.); (R.M.); (L.M.); (V.L.); (A.T.)
| | - Ramona Meanti
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (S.C.); (L.R.); (R.M.); (L.M.); (V.L.); (A.T.)
| | - Laura Molteni
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (S.C.); (L.R.); (R.M.); (L.M.); (V.L.); (A.T.)
| | - Vittorio Locatelli
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (S.C.); (L.R.); (R.M.); (L.M.); (V.L.); (A.T.)
| | - Antonio Torsello
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy; (S.C.); (L.R.); (R.M.); (L.M.); (V.L.); (A.T.)
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21
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Sun W, Kou D, Yu Z, Yang S, Jiang C, Xiong D, Xiao L, Deng Q, Xie H, Hao Y. A Transcriptomic Analysis of Neuropathic Pain in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglia Following Peripheral Nerve Injury. Neuromolecular Med 2019; 22:250-263. [PMID: 31858405 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-019-08581-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this work is to provide a comprehensive and unbiased understanding at the molecular correlates of peripheral nerve injury. In this study, we screened the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the DRG from rats using RNA-seq technique. Moreover, the bioinformatics methods were used to figure out the signaling pathways and expression regulation pattern of the DEGs enriched in. In addition, quantitative real-time RT-PCR was carried out to further confirm the expression of DEGs. 414 genes were upregulated, while 184 genes were downregulated in the DRG of rats 7 days after partial sciatic nerve ligation (pSNL) surgery. Moreover, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that most of the altered genes were involved in inflammatory responses and signaling transduction. In addition, our results state that they shared similar characters in the DRG among four types of neuropathic pain models. Eighteen genes have been altered (17 of them were upregulated) in the DRG of all four types of neuropathic pain models, in which Vgf, Atf3, Cd74, Gal, Jun, Npy, Serpina3n, and Hspb1 have been reported to be involved in neuropathic pain. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR results further confirmed the mRNA expression levels of Vgf, Atf3, Cd74, Gal, Jun, Npy, Serpina3n, and Hspb1 in the DRG of rats with pSNL surgery. The present study suggested that these eight genes may play important roles in neuropathic pain, revealing that these genes might serve as therapeutic targets for neuropathic pain. Moreover, anti-inflammatory therapy might be an effective approach for neuropathic pain treatment and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuping Sun
- Department of Pain Medicine and Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Pain Medicine, Shenzhen Nanshan People's Hospital and the 6th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Dongquan Kou
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chongqing Public Health Medical Center, Chongqing, 400080, China
| | - Zhijian Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Endogenous Infection, Shenzhen Nanshan People's Hospital and the 6th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Shaomin Yang
- Department of Pain Medicine and Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Pain Medicine, Shenzhen Nanshan People's Hospital and the 6th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Changyu Jiang
- Department of Pain Medicine and Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Pain Medicine, Shenzhen Nanshan People's Hospital and the 6th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Donglin Xiong
- Department of Pain Medicine and Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Pain Medicine, Shenzhen Nanshan People's Hospital and the 6th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Lizu Xiao
- Department of Pain Medicine and Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Pain Medicine, Shenzhen Nanshan People's Hospital and the 6th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Qiwen Deng
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Shenzhen Municipal Key Laboratory for Endogenous Infection, Shenzhen Nanshan People's Hospital and the 6th Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Health Science Center, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
| | - Hengtao Xie
- Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China.
| | - Yue Hao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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22
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VGF: a biomarker and potential target for the treatment of neuropathic pain? Pain Rep 2019; 4:e786. [PMID: 31875189 PMCID: PMC6882576 DOI: 10.1097/pr9.0000000000000786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Neuropathic pain (NP) remains an area of considerable unmet medical need. A persistent challenge in the management of NP is to target the specific mechanisms leading to a change from normal to abnormal sensory perception while ensuring that the defensive pain perception remains intact. Targeting VGF-derived neuropeptides may offer this opportunity. VGF was first identified in 1985 and is highly expressed after nerve injury and inflammation in neurons of both the peripheral and central nervous system. Subsequent studies implicate the vgf gene and its products in pain pathways. This narrative review was supported by a systematic search to identify, select, and critically appraise all relevant research investigating the role of VGF-derived neuropeptides in pain pathways. It predominantly focuses on in vivo investigations of the role of VGF in the initiation and maintenance of NP. VGF expression levels are very low under normal physiological conditions and nerve injury results in rapid and robust upregulation, increasing mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity. The identification of the 2 complement receptors with which VGF neuropeptides interact suggests a novel interplay of neuronal and immune signalling mediators. The understanding of the molecular mechanisms and signalling events by which VGF-derived active neuropeptides exert their physiological actions is in its infancy. Future work should aim to improve understanding of the downstream consequences of VGF neuropeptides thereby providing novel insights into pain mechanisms potentially leading to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
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23
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Shenoy PA, Kuo A, Leparc G, Hildebrandt T, Rust W, Nicholson JR, Corradini L, Vetter I, Smith MT. Transcriptomic characterisation of the optimised rat model of Walker 256 breast cancer cell-induced bone pain. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2019; 46:1201-1215. [PMID: 31429474 DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.13165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 07/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In patients with breast cancer, metastases of cancer cells to the axial skeleton may cause excruciating pain, particularly in the advanced stages. The current drug treatments available to alleviate this debilitating pain condition often lack efficacy and/or produce undesirable side effects. Preclinical animal models of cancer-induced bone pain are key to studying the mechanisms that cause this pain and for the success of drug discovery programs. In a previous study conducted in our laboratory, we validated and characterised the rat model of Walker 256 cell-induced bone pain, which displayed several key resemblances to the human pain condition. However, gene level changes that occur in the pathophysiology of cancer-induced bone pain in this preclinical model are unknown. Hence, in this study, we performed the transcriptomic characterisation of the Walker 256 cell line cultured in vitro to predict the molecular genetic profile of this cell line. We also performed transcriptomic characterisation of the Walker 256 cell-induced bone pain model in rats using the lumbar spinal cord and lumbar dorsal root ganglia tissues. Here we show that the Walker 256 cell line resembles the basal-B molecular subtype of human breast cancer cell lines. We also identify several genes that may underpin the progression of pain hypersensitivities in this condition, however, this needs further confirmatory studies. These transcriptomic insights have the potential to direct future studies aimed at identifying various mechanisms underpinning pain hypersensitivities in this model that may also assist in discovery of novel pain therapeutics for breast cancer-induced bone pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyank A Shenoy
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Andy Kuo
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - German Leparc
- Target Discovery Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany
| | - Tobias Hildebrandt
- Target Discovery Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany
| | - Werner Rust
- Target Discovery Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany
| | - Janet R Nicholson
- Department of CNS Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany
| | - Laura Corradini
- Department of CNS Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany
| | - Irina Vetter
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Maree T Smith
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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24
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Young KG, Yan K, Picketts DJ. C3aR signaling and gliosis in response to neurodevelopmental damage in the cerebellum. J Neuroinflammation 2019; 16:135. [PMID: 31272467 PMCID: PMC6610970 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-019-1530-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conditional ablation of the Smarca5 gene in mice severely impairs the postnatal growth of the cerebellum and causes an ataxic phenotype. Comparative gene expression studies indicated that complement-related proteins were upregulated in the cerebellum of Smarca5 mutant mice. Complement proteins play critical roles within innate immune signaling pathways and, in the brain, are produced by glial cells under both normal and pathological conditions. The C3 complement protein-derived signaling peptide, C3a, has been implicated in contributing to both tissue damage and repair in conditions such as multiple sclerosis and stroke. Here, we investigated whether C3a receptor (C3aR) signaling promoted damage or repair in the developing cerebellum of Smarca5 mutant mice. METHODS Brain and cerebellum lysates from single Smarca5 conditional knockout (Smarca5 cKO) mice, C3aR1 KO mice, or double mutant mice were used for qRT-PCR and immunoblotting to assess the contribution of C3aR to the Smarca5 cKO brain pathology. Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize alterations to astroglia and phagocyte cells in the developing cerebellum of each of the genotypes. RESULTS C3aR signaling was observed to limit gliosis and promote granule neuron survival during postnatal cerebellar development. In Smarca5 cKO mice, disorganized astroglia with increased GFAP expression develops concurrently with cerebellar granule neuron loss and phagocyte invasion over the first 10 days following birth. Potential ligand precursors of C3aR-VGF and C3-were found to have upregulated expression and/or altered processing during this time. Phagocytes (microglia and macrophages) in both the control and Smarca5 mutant mice were the only cells observed to express C3aR. Loss of C3aR in the Smarca5 cKO cerebellum resulted in increased numbers of apoptotic cells and early phagocyte invasion into the external granule cell layer, as well as an exacerbated disorganization of the Bergmann glia. The loss of C3aR expression also attenuated an increase in the expression of the efferocytosis-related protein, MerTK, whose transcript was upregulated ~ 2.5-fold in the Smarca5 mutant cerebellum at P10. CONCLUSIONS This data indicates that C3aR can play an important role in limiting astrogliosis and regulating phagocyte phenotypes following developmental cell loss in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin G Young
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.,Present address: Therapeutic Products Directorate, Health Canada, 1600 Scott St, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Keqin Yan
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - David J Picketts
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada. .,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada. .,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
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25
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Noda Y, Motoyama S, Nakamura S, Shimazawa M, Hara H. Neuropeptide VGF-Derived Peptide LQEQ-19 has Neuroprotective Effects in an In Vitro Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurochem Res 2019; 44:897-904. [PMID: 30656593 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-019-02725-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe neurodegenerative disease caused by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons resulting in muscle weakness and paralysis. Recently, VGF, a neuropeptide that is a precursor of bioactive polypeptides, was found to be decreased in ALS patients, and its inducer exerted protective effects in models of ALS. These findings suggested that VGF was involved in the pathology of ALS. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of various VGF-derived peptides in an in vitro ALS model. We applied seven VGF-derived peptides (TLQP-21, AQEE-30, AQEE-11, LQEQ-19, QEEL-16, LENY-13, and HVLL-7) to the motor neuron-derived cell line, NSC-34, expressing SOD1G93A, which is one of the mutated proteins responsible for familial ALS. Nuclear staining revealed that AQEE-30 and LQEQ-19, which are derived from the C-terminal polypeptide of the VGF precursor protein, attenuated neuronal cell death. Furthermore, immunoblot analysis demonstrated that LQEQ-19 promoted the phosphorylation of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, and inhibiting these mitogen-activated MAP kinases (MAPKs) with phosphoinositide 3-kinase or MEK/ERK inhibitors, eliminated the neuroprotective effects of LQEQ-19. In conclusion, these results suggest that VGF C-terminal peptides exert their neuroprotective effects via activation of MAPKs such as Akt and ERK1/2. Furthermore, these findings indicate that VGF-derived peptides have potential application in ALS therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Noda
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - S Motoyama
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - S Nakamura
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - M Shimazawa
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan
| | - H Hara
- Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Biofunctional Evaluation, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 1-25-4 Daigaku-nishi, Gifu, 501-1196, Japan.
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26
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Ni X, Tan Z, Ding C, Zhang C, Song L, Yang S, Liu M, Jia R, Zhao C, Song L, Liu W, Zhou Q, Gong T, Li X, Tai Y, Zhu W, Shi T, Wang Y, Xu J, Zhen B, Qin J. A region-resolved mucosa proteome of the human stomach. Nat Commun 2019; 10:39. [PMID: 30604760 PMCID: PMC6318339 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07960-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The human gastric mucosa is the most active layer of the stomach wall, involved in food digestion, metabolic processes and gastric carcinogenesis. Anatomically, the human stomach is divided into seven regions, but the protein basis for cellular specialization is not well understood. Here we present a global analysis of protein profiles of 82 apparently normal mucosa samples obtained from living individuals by endoscopic stomach biopsy. We identify 6,258 high-confidence proteins and estimate the ranges of protein expression in the seven stomach regions, presenting a region-resolved proteome reference map of the near normal, human stomach. Furthermore, we measure mucosa protein profiles of tumor and tumor nearby tissues (TNT) from 58 gastric cancer patients, enabling comparisons between tumor, TNT, and normal tissue. These datasets provide a rich resource for the gastrointestinal tract research community to investigate the molecular basis for region-specific functions in mucosa physiology and pathology including gastric cancer. The human stomach is divided into seven anatomically distinct regions but their protein composition is largely unknown. Here, the authors present a region-resolved map of the healthy human stomach mucosa as well as mucosa proteomes of tumor and tumor nearby tissue from gastric cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotian Ni
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China.,State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China.,Center for Bioinformatics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Zhaoli Tan
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Chen Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China.,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Chunchao Zhang
- Alkek Center for Molecular Discovery, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Lan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China.,Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Shuai Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Mingwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Ru Jia
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Chuanhua Zhao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Lei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Wanlin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Quan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Tongqing Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xianju Li
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yanhong Tai
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China
| | - Weimin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Tieliu Shi
- Center for Bioinformatics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Yi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China.,Alkek Center for Molecular Discovery, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Jianming Xu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Fifth Medical Center, General Hospital of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China.
| | - Bei Zhen
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Jun Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (The PHOENIX Center, Beijing), Institute of lifeomics, Beijing, 102206, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Human Phenome Institute, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China. .,Alkek Center for Molecular Discovery, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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27
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Molteni L, Rizzi L, Bresciani E, Meanti R, Fehrentz JA, Verdié P, Omeljaniuk RJ, Biagini G, Locatelli V, Torsello A. STIM Proteins and Orai Ca 2+ Channels Are Involved in the Intracellular Pathways Activated by TLQP-21 in RAW264.7 Macrophages. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:1386. [PMID: 30542288 PMCID: PMC6277904 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
TLQP-21 is a neuropeptide which has been implicated in regulation of nociception and other relevant physiologic functions. Although recent studies identified C3a and gC1q receptors as targets for TLQP-21, its intracellular molecular mechanisms of action remain largely unidentified. Our aim was (i) to explore the intracellular signaling pathway(s) activated by JMV5656, a novel derivative of TLQP-21, in RAW264.7 macrophages, and (ii) to assess linkages of these pathways with its purported receptors. JMV5656 stimulated, in a dose-dependent fashion, a rapid and transient increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in RAW264.7 cells; repeated exposure to the peptide resulted in a lower response, suggesting a possible desensitization mechanism of the receptor. In particular, JMV5656 increased cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels by a PLC-dependent release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum. STIM proteins and Orai Ca2+ channels were activated and played a crucial role. In fact, treatment of the cells with U73122 and thapsigargin modulated the increase of intracellular Ca2+ levels stimulated by JMV5656. Moreover, in RAW264.7 cells intracellular Ca2+ increases did not occur through the binding of JMV5656 to the C3a receptor, since the increase of intracellular Ca2+ levels induced by JMV5656 was not affected by specific siRNA against C3aR. In summary, our study provides new indications for the downstream effects of JMV5656 in macrophages, suggesting that it could activate receptors different from the C3aR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Molteni
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Rizzi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Elena Bresciani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Ramona Meanti
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Jean-Alain Fehrentz
- CNRS, Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules UMR5247, ENSCM, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Pascal Verdié
- CNRS, Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules UMR5247, ENSCM, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Giuseppe Biagini
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Laboratory of Experimental Epileptology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Vittorio Locatelli
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Antonio Torsello
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
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28
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Turolla EA, Valtorta S, Bresciani E, Fehrentz JA, Giuliano L, Stucchi S, Belloli S, Rainone P, Sudati F, Rizzi L, Molteni L, Verdiè P, Martinez J, Torsello A, Moresco RM, Todde S. Study of the Tissue Distribution of TLQP-21 in Mice Using [ 18F]JMV5763, a Radiolabeled Analog Prepared via [ 18F]Aluminum Fluoride Chelation Chemistry. Front Pharmacol 2018; 9:1274. [PMID: 30542281 PMCID: PMC6277862 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.01274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
TLQP-21 is a neuropeptide that is involved in the control of several physiological functions, including energy homeostasis. Since TLQP-21 could oppose the early phase of diet-induced obesity, it has raised a huge interest, but very little is known about its mechanisms of action on peripheral tissues. Our aim was to investigate TLQP-21 distribution in brain and peripheral tissues after systemic administration using positron emission tomography. We report here the radiolabeling of NODA-methyl phenylacetic acid (MPAA) functionalized JMV5763, a short analog of TLQP-21, with [18F]aluminum fluoride. Labeling of JMV5763 was initially performed manually, on a small scale, and then optimized and implemented on a fully automated radiosynthesis system. In the first experiment, mice were injected in the tail vein with [18F]JMV5763, and central and peripheral tissues were collected 13, 30, and 60 min after injection. Significant uptake of [18F]JMV5763 was found in stomach, intestine, kidney, liver, and adrenal gland. In the CNS, very low uptake values were measured in all tested areas, suggesting that the tracer does not efficiently cross the blood–brain barrier. Pretreatment with non-radioactive JMV5763 caused a significant reduction of tracer uptake only in stomach and intestine. In the second experiment, PET analysis was performed in vivo 10–120 min after i.v. [18F]JMV5763 administration. Results were consistent with those of the ex vivo determinations. PET images showed a progressive increase of [18F]JMV5763 uptake in intestine and stomach reaching a peak at 30 min, and decreasing at 120 min. Our results demonstrate that 18F-labeling of TLQP-21 analogs is a suitable method to study its distribution in the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elia A Turolla
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Tecnomed Foundation, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Valtorta
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,National Research Council, Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Bresciani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Jean-Alain Fehrentz
- Institute of Biomolécules Max Mousseron, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, School of Pharmacy, Montpellier, France
| | - Liliana Giuliano
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Tecnomed Foundation, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Stucchi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Tecnomed Foundation, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Belloli
- National Research Council, Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, Milan, Italy.,Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Rainone
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Doctorate School of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Sudati
- Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Rizzi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Molteni
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Pascal Verdiè
- Institute of Biomolécules Max Mousseron, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, School of Pharmacy, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean Martinez
- Institute of Biomolécules Max Mousseron, University of Montpellier, CNRS, ENSCM, School of Pharmacy, Montpellier, France
| | - Antonio Torsello
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Rosa Maria Moresco
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,National Research Council, Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, Milan, Italy.,Nuclear Medicine Department, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Sergio Todde
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Tecnomed Foundation, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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29
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Brancia C, Noli B, Boido M, Pilleri R, Boi A, Puddu R, Marrosu F, Vercelli A, Bongioanni P, Ferri GL, Cocco C. TLQP Peptides in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Possible Blood Biomarkers with a Neuroprotective Role. Neuroscience 2018; 380:152-163. [PMID: 29588252 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
While the VGF-derived TLQP peptides have been shown to prevent neuronal apoptosis, and to act on synaptic strengthening, their involvement in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) remains unclarified. We studied human ALS patients' plasma (taken at early to late disease stages) and primary fibroblast cultures (patients vs controls), in parallel with SOD1-G93A transgenic mice (taken at pre-, early- and late symptomatic stages) and the mouse motor neuron cell line (NSC-34) treated with Sodium Arsenite (SA) to induce oxidative stress. TLQP peptides were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, in parallel with gel chromatography characterization, while their localization was studied by immunohistochemistry. In controls, TLQP peptides, including forms compatible with TLQP-21 and 62, were revealed in plasma and spinal cord motor neurons, as well as in fibroblasts and NSC-34 cells. TLQP peptides were reduced in ALS patients' plasma starting in the early disease stage (14% of controls) and remaining so at the late stage (16% of controls). In mice, a comparable pattern of reduction was shown (vs wild type), in both plasma and spinal cord already in the pre-symptomatic phase (about 26% and 70%, respectively). Similarly, the levels of TLQP peptides were reduced in ALS fibroblasts (31% of controls) and in the NSC-34 treated with Sodium Arsenite (53% of decrease), however, the exogeneous TLQP-21 improved cell viability (SA-treated cells with TLQP-21, vs SA-treated cells only: about 83% vs. 75%). Hence, TLQP peptides, reduced upon oxidative stress, are suggested as blood biomarkers, while TLQP-21 exerts a neuroprotective activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Brancia
- Dept. Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy.
| | - Barbara Noli
- Dept. Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Marina Boido
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Dept. Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Roberta Pilleri
- Dept. Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Andrea Boi
- Dept. Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Roberta Puddu
- Dept. Neurology, Azienda Universitario Ospedaliera di Cagliari & University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Marrosu
- Dept. Neurology, Azienda Universitario Ospedaliera di Cagliari & University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alessandro Vercelli
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Dept. Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Paolo Bongioanni
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, Dept. Neuroscience, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gian-Luca Ferri
- Dept. Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Cristina Cocco
- Dept. Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
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30
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Akhter S, Chakraborty S, Moutinho D, Álvarez-Coiradas E, Rosa I, Viñuela J, Domínguez E, García A, Requena JR. The human VGF-derived bioactive peptide TLQP-21 binds heat shock 71 kDa protein 8 (HSPA8)on the surface of SH-SY5Y cells. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185176. [PMID: 28934328 PMCID: PMC5608341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
VGF (non-acronymic)is a secreted chromogranin/secretogranin that gives rise to a number of bioactive peptides by a complex proteolysis mechanism. VGF-derived peptides exert an extensive array of biological effects in energy metabolism, mood regulation, pain, gastric secretion function, reproduction and, perhaps, cancer. It is therefore surprising that very little is known about receptors and binding partners of VGF-derived peptides and their downstream molecular mechanisms of action. Here, using affinity chromatography and mass spectrometry-based protein identification, we have identified the heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein A8 (HSPA8)as a binding partner of human TLQP-21 on the surface of human neuroblastomaSH-SY5Y cells. Binding of TLQP-21 to membrane associated HSPA8 in live SH-SY5Y cells was further supported by cross-linking to live cells. Interaction between HSPA8 and TLQP-21 was confirmed in vitro by label-free Dynamic Mass Redistribution (DMR) studies. Furthermore, molecular modeling studies show that TLQP-21 can be docked into the HSPA8 peptide binding pocket. Identification of HSPA8 as a cell surface binding partner of TLQP-21 opens new avenues to explore the molecular mechanisms of its physiological actions, and of pharmacological modulation thereof.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamim Akhter
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | | | - Daniela Moutinho
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Elia Álvarez-Coiradas
- BioFarma Research Group, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Isaac Rosa
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Juan Viñuela
- Immunology Laboratory, Santiago University Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Eduardo Domínguez
- BioFarma Research Group, CIMUS, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Angel García
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Jesús R. Requena
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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31
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Doolen S, Cook J, Riedl M, Kitto K, Kohsaka S, Honda CN, Fairbanks CA, Taylor BK, Vulchanova L. Complement 3a receptor in dorsal horn microglia mediates pronociceptive neuropeptide signaling. Glia 2017; 65:1976-1989. [PMID: 28850719 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The complement 3a receptor (C3aR1) participates in microglial signaling under pathological conditions and was recently shown to be activated by the neuropeptide TLQP-21. We previously demonstrated that TLQP-21 elicits hyperalgesia and contributes to nerve injury-induced hypersensitivity through an unknown mechanism in the spinal cord. Here we determined that this mechanism requires C3aR1 and that microglia are the cellular target for TLQP-21. We propose a novel neuroimmune signaling pathway involving TLQP-21-induced activation of microglial C3aR1 that then contributes to spinal neuroplasticity and neuropathic pain. This unique dual-ligand activation of C3aR1 by a neuropeptide (TLQP-21) and an immune mediator (C3a) represents a potential broad-spectrum mechanism throughout the CNS for integration of neuroimmune crosstalk at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Doolen
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0298
| | - Jennifer Cook
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Maureen Riedl
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
| | - Kelley Kitto
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
| | | | - Christopher N Honda
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
| | - Carolyn A Fairbanks
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455.,Departments of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455.,Departments of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
| | - Bradley K Taylor
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky, 40536-0298
| | - Lucy Vulchanova
- Departments of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
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32
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Jiang C, Lin WJ, Sadahiro M, Shin AC, Buettner C, Salton SR. Embryonic ablation of neuronal VGF increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight. Neuropeptides 2017; 64:75-83. [PMID: 28024880 PMCID: PMC5478485 DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2016.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Germline ablation of VGF, a secreted neuronal, neuroendocrine, and endocrine peptide precursor, results in lean, hypermetabolic, and infertile adult mice that are resistant to diet-, lesion-, and genetically-induced obesity and diabetes (Hahm et al., 1999, 2002). To assess whether this phenotype is predominantly driven by reduced VGF expression in developing and/or adult neurons, or in peripheral endocrine and neuroendocrine tissues, we generated and analyzed conditional VGF knockout mice, obtained by mating loxP-flanked (floxed) Vgf mice with either pan-neuronal Synapsin-Cre- or forebrain alpha-CaMKII-Cre-recombinase-expressing transgenic mice. Adult male and female mice, with conditional ablation of the Vgf gene in embryonic neurons had significantly reduced body weight, increased energy expenditure, and were resistant to diet-induced obesity. Conditional forebrain postnatal ablation of VGF in male mice, primarily in adult excitatory neurons, had no measurable effect on body weight nor on energy expenditure, but led to a modest increase in adiposity, partially overlapping the effect of AAV-Cre-mediated targeted ablation of VGF in the adult ventromedial hypothalamus and arcuate nucleus of floxed Vgf mice (Foglesong et al., 2016), and also consistent with results of icv delivery of the VGF-derived peptide TLQP-21 to adult mice, which resulted in increased energy expenditure and reduced adiposity (Bartolomucci et al., 2006). Because the lean, hypermetabolic phenotype of germline VGF knockout mice is to a great extent recapitulated in Syn-Cre+/-,Vgfflpflox/flpflox mice, we conclude that the metabolic profile of germline VGF knockout mice is largely the result of VGF ablation in embryonic CNS neurons, rather than peripheral endocrine and/or neuroendocrine cells, and that in forebrain structures such as hypothalamus, VGF and/or VGF-derived peptides play uniquely different roles in the developing and adult nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Wei-Jye Lin
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Masato Sadahiro
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Andrew C Shin
- Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Christoph Buettner
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
| | - Stephen R Salton
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Department of Geriatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
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33
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Molteni L, Rizzi L, Bresciani E, Possenti R, Petrocchi Passeri P, Ghè C, Muccioli G, Fehrentz JA, Verdié P, Martinez J, Omeljaniuk RJ, Biagini G, Binda A, Rivolta I, Locatelli V, Torsello A. Pharmacological and Biochemical Characterization of TLQP-21 Activation of a Binding Site on CHO Cells. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:167. [PMID: 28424618 PMCID: PMC5371653 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
VGF is a propeptide of 617 amino acids expressed throughout the central and the peripheral nervous system. VGF and peptides derived from its processing have been found in dense core vesicles and are released from neuronal and neuroendocrine cells via the regulated secretory pathway. Among VGF-derived neuropeptides, TLQP-21 (VGF556-576) has raised a huge interest and is one of most studied. TLQP-21 is a multifunctional neuropeptide involved in the control of several physiological functions, potentially including energy homeostasis, pain modulation, stress responsiveness and reproduction. Although little information is available about its receptor and the intracellular mechanisms mediating its biological effects, recent reports suggest that TLQP-21 may bind to the complement receptors C3aR1 and/or gC1qR. The first aim of this study was to ascertain the existence and nature of TLQP-21 binding sites in CHO cells. Secondly, we endeavored to characterize the ligand binding to these sites by using a small panel of VGF-derived peptides. And finally, we investigated the influence of TLQP-21 on selected intracellular signaling pathways. We report that CHO cells express a single class of saturable and specific binding sites for TLQP-21 with an affinity and capacity of Kd = 0.55 ± 0.05 × 10-9 M and Bmax = 81.7 ± 3.9 fmol/mg protein, respectively. Among the many bioactive products derived from the C-terminal region of VGF that we tested, TLQP-21 was the most potent in stimulating intracellular calcium mobilization in CHO cells; this effect is primarily due to its C-terminal fragment (HFHH-10). TLQP-21 induced rapid and transient dephosphorylation of phospholipase Cγ1 and phospholipase A2. Generation of IP3 and diacylglycerol was crucial for TLQP-21 bioactivity. In conclusion, our results suggest that the receptor stimulated by TLQP-21 belongs to the family of the Gq-coupled receptors, and its activation first increases membrane-lipid derived second messengers which thereby induce the mobilization of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum followed by a slower store-operated Ca2+ entry from outside the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Molteni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy.,PhD Program in Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy
| | - Laura Rizzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy
| | - Elena Bresciani
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy
| | - Roberta Possenti
- Department of Medicine of Systems, University of Rome "Tor Vergata"Rome, Italy
| | | | - Corrado Ghè
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Giampiero Muccioli
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Jean-Alain Fehrentz
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules UMR5247, University of Montpellier, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | - Pascal Verdié
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules UMR5247, University of Montpellier, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | - Jean Martinez
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Max Mousseron Institute of Biomolecules UMR5247, University of Montpellier, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de MontpellierMontpellier, France
| | | | - Giuseppe Biagini
- Laboratory of Experimental Epileptology, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio EmiliaModena, Italy
| | - Anna Binda
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy
| | - Ilaria Rivolta
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy
| | - Vittorio Locatelli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy
| | - Antonio Torsello
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-BicoccaMonza, Italy
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34
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Neuropeptide VGF Promotes Maturation of Hippocampal Dendrites That Is Reduced by Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18030612. [PMID: 28287464 PMCID: PMC5372628 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18030612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide VGF (non-acronymic) is induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor and promotes hippocampal neurogenesis, as well as synaptic activity. However, morphological changes induced by VGF have not been elucidated. Developing hippocampal neurons were exposed to VGF through bath application or virus-mediated expression in vitro. VGF-derived peptide, TLQP-62, enhanced dendritic branching, and outgrowth. Furthermore, VGF increased dendritic spine density and the proportion of immature spines. Spine formation was associated with increased synaptic protein expression and co-localization of pre- and postsynaptic markers. Three non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected in human VGF gene. Transfection of N2a cells with plasmids containing these SNPs revealed no relative change in protein expression levels and normal protein size, except for a truncated protein from the premature stop codon, E525X. All three SNPs resulted in a lower proportion of N2a cells bearing neurites relative to wild-type VGF. Furthermore, all three mutations reduced the total length of dendrites in developing hippocampal neurons. Taken together, our results suggest VGF enhances dendritic maturation and that these effects can be altered by common mutations in the VGF gene. The findings may have implications for people suffering from psychiatric disease or other conditions who may have altered VGF levels.
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Rivolta I, Binda A, Molteni L, Rizzi L, Bresciani E, Possenti R, Fehrentz JA, Verdié P, Martinez J, Omeljaniuk RJ, Locatelli V, Torsello A. JMV5656, A Novel Derivative of TLQP-21, Triggers the Activation of a Calcium-Dependent Potassium Outward Current in Microglial Cells. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:41. [PMID: 28280458 PMCID: PMC5322282 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
TLQP-21 (TLQPPASSRRRHFHHALPPAR) is a multifunctional peptide that is involved in the control of physiological functions, including feeding, reproduction, stress responsiveness, and general homeostasis. Despite the huge interest in TLQP-21 biological activity, very little is known about its intracellular mechanisms of action. In microglial cells, TLQP-21 stimulates increases of intracellular Ca2+ that may activate functions, including proliferation, migration, phagocytosis and production of inflammatory molecules. Our aim was to investigate whether JMV5656 (RRRHFHHALPPAR), a novel short analogue of TLQP-21, stimulates intracellular Ca2+ in the N9 microglia cells, and whether this Ca2+ elevation is coupled with the activation Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels. TLQP-21 and JMV5656 induced a sharp, dose-dependent increment in intracellular calcium. In 77% of cells, JMV5656 also caused an increase in the total outward currents, which was blunted by TEA (tetraethyl ammonium chloride), a non-selective blocker of voltage-dependent and Ca2+-activated potassium (K+) channels. Moreover, the effects of ion channel blockers charybdotoxin and iberiotoxin, suggested that multiple calcium-activated K+ channel types drove the outward current stimulated by JMV5656. Additionally, inhibition of JMV5656-stimulated outward currents by NS6180 (4-[[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methyl]-2H-1,4 benzothiazin-3(4H)-one) and TRAM-34 (triarylmethane-34), indicated that KCa3.1 channels are involved in this JMV5656 mechanisms of action. In summary, we demonstrate that, in N9 microglia cells, the interaction of JMV5656 with the TLQP-21 receptors induced an increase in intracellular Ca2+, and, following extracellular Ca2+ entry, the opening of KCa3.1 channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Rivolta
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca Monza, Italy
| | - Anna Binda
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Molteni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Rizzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca Monza, Italy
| | - Elena Bresciani
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca Monza, Italy
| | - Roberta Possenti
- Department of Medicine of Systems, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" Rome, Italy
| | - Jean-Alain Fehrentz
- CNRS, Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron UMR5247, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier - University of Montpellier Montpellier, France
| | - Pascal Verdié
- CNRS, Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron UMR5247, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier - University of Montpellier Montpellier, France
| | - Jean Martinez
- CNRS, Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron UMR5247, École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier - University of Montpellier Montpellier, France
| | | | - Vittorio Locatelli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca Monza, Italy
| | - Antonio Torsello
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca Monza, Italy
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36
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Lind AL, Emami Khoonsari P, Sjödin M, Katila L, Wetterhall M, Gordh T, Kultima K. Spinal Cord Stimulation Alters Protein Levels in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Neuropathic Pain Patients: A Proteomic Mass Spectrometric Analysis. Neuromodulation 2017; 19:549-62. [PMID: 27513633 DOI: 10.1111/ner.12473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Electrical neuromodulation by spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a well-established method for treatment of neuropathic pain. However, the mechanism behind the pain relieving effect in patients remains largely unknown. In this study, we target the human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome, a little investigated aspect of SCS mechanism of action. METHODS Two different proteomic mass spectrometry protocols were used to analyze the CSF of 14 SCS responsive neuropathic pain patients. Each patient acted as his or her own control and protein content was compared when the stimulator was turned off for 48 hours, and after the stimulator had been used as normal for three weeks. RESULTS Eighty-six proteins were statistically significantly altered in the CSF of neuropathic pain patients using SCS, when comparing the stimulator off condition to the stimulator on condition. The top 12 of the altered proteins are involved in neuroprotection (clusterin, gelsolin, mimecan, angiotensinogen, secretogranin-1, amyloid beta A4 protein), synaptic plasticity/learning/memory (gelsolin, apolipoprotein C1, apolipoprotein E, contactin-1, neural cell adhesion molecule L1-like protein), nociceptive signaling (neurosecretory protein VGF), and immune regulation (dickkopf-related protein 3). CONCLUSION Previously unknown effects of SCS on levels of proteins involved in neuroprotection, nociceptive signaling, immune regulation, and synaptic plasticity are demonstrated. These findings, in the CSF of neuropathic pain patients, expand the picture of SCS effects on the neurochemical environment of the human spinal cord. An improved understanding of SCS mechanism may lead to new tracks of investigation and improved treatment strategies for neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Li Lind
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Payam Emami Khoonsari
- Department of Medical Sciences, Cancer Pharmacology and Computational Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marcus Sjödin
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Analytical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala//GE Healthcare, Sweden
| | - Lenka Katila
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Magnus Wetterhall
- Department of Chemistry-BMC, Analytical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala//GE Healthcare, Sweden
| | - Torsten Gordh
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kim Kultima
- Department of Medical Sciences, Cancer Pharmacology and Computational Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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37
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Cero C, Razzoli M, Han R, Sahu BS, Patricelli J, Guo Z, Zaidman NA, Miles JM, O'Grady SM, Bartolomucci A. The neuropeptide TLQP-21 opposes obesity via C3aR1-mediated enhancement of adrenergic-induced lipolysis. Mol Metab 2017; 6:148-158. [PMID: 28123945 PMCID: PMC5220279 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Obesity is characterized by excessive fat mass and is associated with serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Targeting excess fat mass by sustained lipolysis has been a major challenge for anti-obesity therapies due to unwanted side effects. TLQP-21, a neuropeptide encoded by the pro-peptide VGF (non-acronymic), that binds the complement 3a receptor 1 (C3aR1) on the adipocyte membrane, is emerging as a novel modulator of adipocyte functions and a potential target for obesity-associated diseases. The molecular mechanism is still largely uncharacterized. METHODS We used a combination of pharmacological and genetic gain and loss of function approaches. 3T3-L1 and mature murine adipocytes were used for in vitro experiments. Chronic in vivo experiments were conducted on diet-induced obese wild type, β1, β2, β3-adrenergic receptor (AR) deficient and C3aR1 knockout mice. Acute in vivo lipolysis experiments were conducted on Sprague Dawley rats. RESULTS We demonstrated that TLQP-21 does not possess lipolytic properties per se. Rather, it enhances β-AR activation-induced lipolysis by a mechanism requiring Ca2+ mobilization and ERK activation of Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL). TLQP-21 acutely potentiated isoproterenol-induced lipolysis in vivo. Finally, chronic peripheral TLQP-21 treatment decreases body weight and fat mass in diet induced obese mice by a mechanism involving β-adrenergic and C3a receptor activation without associated adverse metabolic effects. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, our data identify an alternative pathway modulating lipolysis that could be targeted to diminish fat mass in obesity without the side effects typically observed when using potent pro-lipolytic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Cero
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Maria Razzoli
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ruijun Han
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Bhavani Shankar Sahu
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Jessica Patricelli
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - ZengKui Guo
- Endocrine Research Unit, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Foundation, 5-194 Joseph, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Nathan A Zaidman
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - John M Miles
- Endocrine Research Unit, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism and Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Foundation, 5-194 Joseph, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Scott M O'Grady
- Department of Animal Science, Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 480 Haecker Hall, 1364 Eckles Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Alessandro Bartolomucci
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 2231 6th St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Orphan GPR110 (ADGRF1) targeted by N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine in development of neurons and cognitive function. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13123. [PMID: 27759003 PMCID: PMC5075789 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) is an omega-3 fatty acid essential for proper brain development. N-docosahexaenoylethanolamine (synaptamide), an endogenous metabolite of DHA, potently promotes neurogenesis, neuritogenesis and synaptogenesis; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is not known. Here, we demonstrate orphan G-protein coupled receptor 110 (GPR110, ADGRF1) as the synaptamide receptor, mediating synaptamide-induced bioactivity in a cAMP-dependent manner. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic characterization and cellular fluorescence tracing with chemical analogues of synaptamide reveal specific binding of GPR110 to synaptamide, which triggers cAMP production with low nM potency. Disruption of this binding or GPR110 gene knockout abolishes while GPR110 overexpression enhances synaptamide-induced bioactivity. GPR110 is highly expressed in fetal brains but rapidly decreases after birth. GPR110 knockout mice show significant deficits in object recognition and spatial memory. GPR110 deorphanized as a functional synaptamide receptor provides a novel target for neurodevelopmental control and new insight into mechanisms by which DHA promotes brain development and function.
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Identification and Evolutionary Analysis of Potential Candidate Genes in a Human Eating Disorder. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 2016:7281732. [PMID: 27088090 PMCID: PMC4819096 DOI: 10.1155/2016/7281732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Revised: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to find genes linked with eating disorders and associated with both metabolic and neural systems. Our operating hypothesis was that there are genetic factors underlying some eating disorders resting in both those pathways. Specifically, we are interested in disorders that may rest in both sleep and metabolic function, generally called Night Eating Syndrome (NES). A meta-analysis of the Gene Expression Omnibus targeting the mammalian nervous system, sleep, and obesity studies was performed, yielding numerous genes of interest. Through a text-based analysis of the results, a number of potential candidate genes were identified. VGF, in particular, appeared to be relevant both to obesity and, broadly, to brain or neural development. VGF is a highly connected protein that interacts with numerous targets via proteolytically digested peptides. We examined VGF from an evolutionary perspective to determine whether other available evidence supported a role for the gene in human disease. We conclude that some of the already identified variants in VGF from human polymorphism studies may contribute to eating disorders and obesity. Our data suggest that there is enough evidence to warrant eGWAS and GWAS analysis of these genes in NES patients in a case-control study.
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Foglesong GD, Huang W, Liu X, Slater AM, Siu J, Yildiz V, Salton SRJ, Cao L. Role of Hypothalamic VGF in Energy Balance and Metabolic Adaption to Environmental Enrichment in Mice. Endocrinology 2016; 157:983-96. [PMID: 26730934 PMCID: PMC4769365 DOI: 10.1210/en.2015-1627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE), a housing condition providing complex physical, social, and cognitive stimulation, leads to improved metabolic health and resistance to diet-induced obesity and cancer. One underlying mechanism is the activation of the hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte axis with hypothalamic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as the key mediator. VGF, a peptide precursor particularly abundant in the hypothalamus, was up-regulated by EE. Overexpressing BDNF or acute injection of BDNF protein to the hypothalamus up-regulated VGF, whereas suppressing BDNF signaling down-regulated VGF expression. Moreover, hypothalamic VGF expression was regulated by leptin, melanocortin receptor agonist, and food deprivation mostly paralleled to BDNF expression. Recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated gene transfer of Cre recombinase to floxed VGF mice specifically decreased VGF expression in the hypothalamus. In contrast to the lean and hypermetabolic phenotype of homozygous germline VGF knockout mice, specific knockdown of hypothalamic VGF in male adult mice led to increased adiposity, decreased core body temperature, reduced energy expenditure, and impaired glucose tolerance, as well as disturbance of molecular features of brown and white adipose tissues without effects on food intake. However, VGF knockdown failed to block the EE-induced BDNF up-regulation or decrease of adiposity indicating a minor role of VGF in the hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte axis. Taken together, our results suggest hypothalamic VGF responds to environmental demands and plays an important role in energy balance and glycemic control likely acting in the melanocortin pathway downstream of BDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant D Foglesong
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Xianglan Liu
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Andrew M Slater
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Jason Siu
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Vedat Yildiz
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Stephen R J Salton
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
| | - Lei Cao
- Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; The Comprehensive Cancer Center (G.D.F., W.H., X.L., A.M.S., J.S., L.C.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and The Center for Biostatistics (V.Y.), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210; and Department of Neuroscience (S.R.J.S.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10461
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VGF and Its C-Terminal Peptide TLQP-62 Regulate Memory Formation in Hippocampus via a BDNF-TrkB-Dependent Mechanism. J Neurosci 2015; 35:10343-56. [PMID: 26180209 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0584-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Regulated expression and secretion of BDNF, which activates TrkB receptor signaling, is known to play a critical role in cognition. Identification of additional modulators of cognitive behavior that regulate activity-dependent BDNF secretion and/or potentiate TrkB receptor signaling would therefore be of considerable interest. In this study, we show in the adult mouse hippocampus that expression of the granin family gene Vgf and secretion of its C-terminal VGF-derived peptide TLQP-62 are required for fear memory formation. We found that hippocampal VGF expression and TLQP-62 levels were transiently induced after fear memory training and that sequestering secreted TLQP-62 peptide in the hippocampus immediately after training impaired memory formation. Reduced VGF expression was found to impair learning-evoked Rac1 induction and phosphorylation of the synaptic plasticity markers cofilin and synapsin in the adult mouse hippocampus. Moreover, TLQP-62 induced acute, transient activation of the TrkB receptor and subsequent CREB phosphorylation in hippocampal slice preparations and its administration immediately after training enhanced long-term memory formation. A critical role of BDNF-TrkB signaling as a downstream effector in VGF/TLQP-62-mediated memory consolidation was further revealed by posttraining activation of BDNF-TrkB signaling, which rescued impaired fear memory resulting from hippocampal administration of anti-VGF antibodies or germline VGF ablation in mice. We propose that VGF is a critical component of a positive BDNF-TrkB regulatory loop and, upon its induced expression by memory training, the TLQP-62 peptide rapidly reinforces BDNF-TrkB signaling, regulating hippocampal memory consolidation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Identification of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate long-term memory formation and storage may provide alternative treatment modalities for degenerative and neuropsychiatric memory disorders. The neurotrophin BDNF plays a prominent role in cognitive function, and rapidly and robustly induces expression of VGF, a secreted neuronal peptide precursor. VGF knock-out mice have impaired fear and spatial memory. Our study shows that VGF and VGF-derived peptide TLQP-62 are transiently induced after fear memory training, leading to increased BDNF/TrkB signaling, and that sequestration of hippocampal TLQP-62 immediately after training impairs memory formation. We propose that TLQP-62 is a critical component of a positive regulatory loop that is induced by memory training, rapidly reinforces BDNF-TrkB signaling, and is required for hippocampal memory consolidation.
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Schmidlin T, Boender AJ, Frese CK, Heck AJR, Adan RAH, Altelaar AFM. Diet-Induced Neuropeptide Expression: Feasibility of Quantifying Extended and Highly Charged Endogenous Peptide Sequences by Selected Reaction Monitoring. Anal Chem 2015; 87:9966-73. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b03334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Schmidlin
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University and Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Arjen J. Boender
- Department
of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christian K. Frese
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University and Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Albert J. R. Heck
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University and Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Roger A. H. Adan
- Department
of Translational Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - A. F. Maarten Altelaar
- Biomolecular
Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular
Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University and Netherlands Proteomics Centre, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Sadahiro M, Erickson C, Lin WJ, Shin AC, Razzoli M, Jiang C, Fargali S, Gurney A, Kelley KA, Buettner C, Bartolomucci A, Salton SR. Role of VGF-derived carboxy-terminal peptides in energy balance and reproduction: analysis of "humanized" knockin mice expressing full-length or truncated VGF. Endocrinology 2015; 156:1724-38. [PMID: 25675362 PMCID: PMC4398760 DOI: 10.1210/en.2014-1826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Targeted deletion of VGF, a secreted neuronal and endocrine peptide precursor, produces lean, hypermetabolic, and infertile mice that are resistant to diet-, lesion-, and genetically-induced obesity and diabetes. Previous studies suggest that VGF controls energy expenditure (EE), fat storage, and lipolysis, whereas VGF C-terminal peptides also regulate reproductive behavior and glucose homeostasis. To assess the functional equivalence of human VGF(1-615) (hVGF) and mouse VGF(1-617) (mVGF), and to elucidate the function of the VGF C-terminal region in the regulation of energy balance and susceptibility to obesity, we generated humanized VGF knockin mouse models expressing full-length hVGF or a C-terminally deleted human VGF(1-524) (hSNP), encoded by a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs35400704). We show that homozygous male and female hVGF and hSNP mice are fertile. hVGF female mice had significantly increased body weight compared with wild-type mice, whereas hSNP mice have reduced adiposity, increased activity- and nonactivity-related EE, and improved glucose tolerance, indicating that VGF C-terminal peptides are not required for reproductive function, but 1 or more specific VGF C-terminal peptides are likely to be critical regulators of EE. Taken together, our results suggest that human and mouse VGF proteins are largely functionally conserved but that species-specific differences in VGF peptide function, perhaps a result of known differences in receptor binding affinity, likely alter the metabolic phenotype of hVGF compared with mVGF mice, and in hSNP mice in which several C-terminal VGF peptides are ablated, result in significantly increased activity- and nonactivity-related EE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masato Sadahiro
- Departments of Neuroscience (M.S., W.-J.L., C.J., S.F., C.B., S.R.S.), Medicine (A.C.S., C.B.), Geriatrics (S.R.S.), and Developmental and Regenerative Biology (K.A.K.), Friedman Brain Institute (S.R.S.), and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (M.S., C.J.), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029-6574; and Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology (C.E., M.R., A.G., A.B.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0001
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Sakamoto M, Miyazaki Y, Kitajo K, Yamaguchi A. VGF, Which Is Induced Transcriptionally in Stroke Brain, Enhances Neurite Extension and Confers Protection Against Ischemia In Vitro. Transl Stroke Res 2015; 6:301-8. [PMID: 25921200 DOI: 10.1007/s12975-015-0401-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Revised: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Ischemic stroke is a devastating neural event as currently no therapies other than physical rehabilitation are available to enhance recovery after stroke. To identify endogenous mediators to repair stroke brain, we performed the expression profiling analysis of transcripts in the mouse photothrombotic stroke brain. Based on real-time PCR analysis, we found VGF, identified as a nerve growth factor (NGF)-regulated transcript, was induced transcriptionally in stroke brain at 1-7 days after insult. The immunoreactivites of VGF were observed in the neurons around the ischemic core of stroke brain. Experiments with various inhibitors and plasmid transfections indicated that cAMP response element binding protein-mediated complex signaling pathways are possibly implicated in the NGF-mediated VGF expressions in vitro. Furthermore, the over-expression of VGF promoted neurite extensions and conferred protections from ischemic stress in vitro. These findings raise the possibility the application of VGF could be one of the promising therapeutic strategies to enhance recovery after stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muneki Sakamoto
- Department of Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan
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Chakraborty S, Akhter S, Requena JR, Basu S. Probing the Conformational Dynamics of the Bioactive Peptide TLQP-21 in Solution: A Molecular Dynamics Study. Chem Biol Drug Des 2015; 86:938-44. [PMID: 25682804 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2014] [Revised: 02/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
VGF-derived peptide, TLQP-21, is a physiologically active neuropeptide exhibiting important roles in energy expenditure and balance, gastric contractility, reproduction, pain modulation, and stress. Although the physiological functions of the peptide constitute a research area of considerable interest, structural information is clearly lacking. Here, using extensive 550 nanoseconds molecular dynamics simulation in explicit water model, we have explored the folding energy landscape of the peptide. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis have been used to identify highly populated conformational states of the peptide in solution. The most populated structure of the peptide adopts a highly compact globular form stabilized by several hydrogen-bonding interactions and π-cationic interactions. Strong surface complementarity of hydrophobic residues allows tighter spatial fit of the residues within the core region of the peptide. Our simulation also predicts that the peptide is highly flexible in solution and that the region A7 -R9 and three C-terminal residues, P19 -R21 , possess strong helical propensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandipan Chakraborty
- Department of Microbiology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700 019, India
| | - Shamim Akhter
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Avenida de Barcelona s/n 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Jesús R Requena
- CIMUS Biomedical Research Institute and Department of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela-IDIS, Avenida de Barcelona s/n 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Soumalee Basu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700 019, India
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46
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Abstract
The vgf gene (non-acronymic) is highly conserved and was identified on the basis of its rapid induction in vitro by nerve growth factor, although can also be induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glial-derived growth factor. The VGF gene gives rise to a 68 kDa precursor polypeptide, which is induced robustly, relatively selectively and is synthesized exclusively in neuronal and neuroendocrine cells. Post-translational processing by neuroendocrine specific prohormone convertases in these cells results in the production of a number of smaller peptides. The VGF gene and peptides are widely expressed throughout the brain, particularly in the hypothalamus and hippocampus, in peripheral tissues including the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands, and the pancreas, and in the gastrointestinal tract in both the myenteric plexus and in endocrine cells. VGF peptides have been associated with a number of neuroendocrine roles, and in this review, we aim to describe these roles to highlight the importance of VGF as therapeutic target for a number of disorders, particularly those associated with energy metabolism, pain, reproduction, and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo E. Lewis
- Queen’s Medical Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham Medical School, Nottingham, UK
| | - John M. Brameld
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, UK
| | - Preeti H. Jethwa
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, UK
- *Correspondence: Preeti H. Jethwa, Division of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK e-mail:
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Cero C, Vostrikov VV, Verardi R, Severini C, Gopinath T, Braun PD, Sassano MF, Gurney A, Roth BL, Vulchanova L, Possenti R, Veglia G, Bartolomucci A. The TLQP-21 peptide activates the G-protein-coupled receptor C3aR1 via a folding-upon-binding mechanism. Structure 2014; 22:1744-1753. [PMID: 25456411 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2014.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Revised: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
TLQP-21, a VGF-encoded peptide is emerging as a novel target for obesity-associated disorders. TLQP-21 is found in the sympathetic nerve terminals in the adipose tissue and targets the G-protein-coupled receptor complement-3a receptor1 (C3aR1). The mechanisms of TLQP-21-induced receptor activation remain unexplored. Here, we report that TLQP-21 is intrinsically disordered and undergoes a disorder-to-order transition, adopting an α-helical conformation upon targeting cells expressing the C3aR1. We determined that the hot spots for TLQP-21 are located at the C terminus, with mutations in the last four amino acids progressively reducing the bioactivity and, a single site mutation (R21A) or C-terminal amidation abolishing its function completely. Additionally, the human TLQP-21 sequence carrying a S20A substitution activates the human C3aR1 receptor with lower potency compared to the rodent sequence. These studies reveal the mechanism of action of TLQP-21 and provide molecular templates for designing agonists and antagonists to modulate C3aR1 functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Cero
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Vitaly V Vostrikov
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Raffaello Verardi
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Cinzia Severini
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, 00143 Rome, Italy
| | - Tata Gopinath
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Patrick D Braun
- Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Maria F Sassano
- Department of Pharmacology and National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Allison Gurney
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Bryan L Roth
- Department of Pharmacology and National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Lucy Vulchanova
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Roberta Possenti
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, 00143 Rome, Italy; Department of Medicine of System, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Veglia
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Alessandro Bartolomucci
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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48
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Noli B, Brancia C, D’Amato F, Ferri GL, Cocco C. VGF changes during the estrous cycle: a novel endocrine role for TLQP peptides? PLoS One 2014; 9:e108456. [PMID: 25280008 PMCID: PMC4184793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the VGF derived peptide TLQP-21 stimulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and gonadotropin secretion, available data on VGF peptides and reproduction are limited. We used antibodies specific for the two ends of the VGF precursor, and for two VGF derived peptides namely TLQP and PGH, to be used in immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay complemented with gel chromatography. In cycling female rats, VGF C-/N-terminus and PGH peptide antibodies selectively labelled neurones containing either GnRH, or kisspeptin (VGF N-terminus only), pituitary gonadotrophs and lactotrophs, or oocytes (PGH peptides only). Conversely, TLQP peptides were restricted to somatostatin neurones, gonadotrophs, and ovarian granulosa, interstitial and theca cells. TLQP levels were highest, especially in plasma and ovary, with several molecular forms shown in chromatography including one compatible with TLQP-21. Among the cycle phases, TLQP levels were higher during metestrus-diestrus in median eminence and pituitary, while increased in the ovary and decreased in plasma during proestrus. VGF N- and C-terminus peptides also showed modulations over the estrous cycle, in median eminence, pituitary and plasma, while PGH peptides did not. In ovariectomised rats, plasmatic TLQP peptide levels showed distinct reduction suggestive of a major origin from the ovary, while the estrogen-progesterone treatment modulated VGF C-terminus and TLQP peptides in the hypothalamus-pituitary complex. In in vitro hypothalamus, TLQP-21 stimulated release of growth hormone releasing hormone but not of somatostatin. In conclusion, various VGF peptides may regulate the hypothalamus-pituitary complex via specific neuroendocrine mechanisms while TLQP peptides may act at further, multiple levels via endocrine mechanisms involving the ovary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Noli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato (Cagliari), Italy
| | - Carla Brancia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato (Cagliari), Italy
| | - Filomena D’Amato
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato (Cagliari), Italy
| | - Gian-Luca Ferri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato (Cagliari), Italy
- * E-mail: (CC); (GLF)
| | - Cristina Cocco
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato (Cagliari), Italy
- * E-mail: (CC); (GLF)
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Thakker-Varia S, Behnke J, Doobin D, Dalal V, Thakkar K, Khadim F, Wilson E, Palmieri A, Antila H, Rantamaki T, Alder J. VGF (TLQP-62)-induced neurogenesis targets early phase neural progenitor cells in the adult hippocampus and requires glutamate and BDNF signaling. Stem Cell Res 2014; 12:762-77. [PMID: 24747217 PMCID: PMC4991619 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2014.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Revised: 02/24/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide VGF (non-acronymic), which has antidepressant-like effects, enhances adult hippocampal neurogenesis as well as synaptic activity and plasticity in the hippocampus, however the interaction between these processes and the mechanism underlying this regulation remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that VGF-derived peptide TLQP-62 specifically enhances the generation of early progenitor cells in nestin-GFP mice. Specifically, TLQP-62 significantly increases the number of Type 2a neural progenitor cells (NPCs) while reducing the number of more differentiated Type 3 cells. The effect of TLQP-62 on proliferation rather than differentiation was confirmed using NPCs in vitro; TLQP-62 but not scrambled peptide PEHN-62 increases proliferation in a cell line as well as in primary progenitors from adult hippocampus. Moreover, TLQP-62 but not scrambled peptide increases Cyclin D mRNA expression. The proliferation of NPCs induced by TLQP-62 requires synaptic activity, in particular through NMDA and metabotropic glutamate receptors. The activation of glutamate receptors by TLQP-62 activation induces phosphorylation of CaMKII through NMDA receptors and protein kinase D through metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5). Furthermore, pharmacological antagonists to CaMKII and PKD inhibit TLQP-62-induced proliferation of NPCs indicating that these signaling molecules downstream of glutamate receptors are essential for the actions of TLQP-62 on neurogenesis. We also show that TLQP-62 gradually activates Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)-receptor TrkB in vitro and that Trk signaling is required for TLQP-62-induced proliferation of NPCs. Understanding the precise molecular mechanism of how TLQP-62 influences neurogenesis may reveal mechanisms by which VGF-derived peptides act as antidepressant-like agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita Thakker-Varia
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Joseph Behnke
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - David Doobin
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Vidhi Dalal
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Keya Thakkar
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Farah Khadim
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Elizabeth Wilson
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Alicia Palmieri
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Hanna Antila
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, Viikinkaari 4, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Tomi Rantamaki
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, Viikinkaari 4, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Janet Alder
- Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
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50
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Saderi N, Buijs F, Salgado-Delgado R, Merkenstein M, Basualdo M, Ferri GL, Escobar C, Buijs R. A role for VGF in the hypothalamic arcuate and paraventricular nuclei in the control of energy homeostasis. Neuroscience 2014; 265:184-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.01.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Revised: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 01/29/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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