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Cheung G, Lin YC, Papadopoulos V. Translocator protein in the rise and fall of central nervous system neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1210205. [PMID: 37416505 PMCID: PMC10322222 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1210205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Translocator protein (TSPO), a 18 kDa protein found in the outer mitochondrial membrane, has historically been associated with the transport of cholesterol in highly steroidogenic tissues though it is found in all cells throughout the mammalian body. TSPO has also been associated with molecular transport, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and energy metabolism. TSPO levels are typically low in the central nervous system (CNS), but a significant upregulation is observed in activated microglia during neuroinflammation. However, there are also a few specific regions that have been reported to have higher TSPO levels than the rest of the brain under normal conditions. These include the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, the olfactory bulb, the subventricular zone, the choroid plexus, and the cerebellum. These areas are also all associated with adult neurogenesis, yet there is no explanation of TSPO's function in these cells. Current studies have investigated the role of TSPO in microglia during neuron degeneration, but TSPO's role in the rest of the neuron lifecycle remains to be elucidated. This review aims to discuss the known functions of TSPO and its potential role in the lifecycle of neurons within the CNS.
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Carrageta DF, Guerra-Carvalho B, Spadella MA, Yeste M, Oliveira PF, Alves MG. Animal models of male reproductive ageing to study testosterone production and spermatogenesis. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 2022; 23:1341-1360. [PMID: 35604584 DOI: 10.1007/s11154-022-09726-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Ageing is the time-dependent gradual decline of the functional characteristics in an organism. It has been shown that it results in the loss of reproductive health and fertility. The age-dependent decline of fertility is a potential issue as the parenthood age is increasing in Western countries, mostly due to socioeconomic factors. In comparison to women, for whom the consequences of ageing are well documented and general awareness of the population is extensively raised, the effects of ageing for male fertility and the consequences of advanced paternal age for the offspring have not been widely studied. Studies with humans are welcome but it is hard to implement relevant experimental approaches to unveil the molecular mechanisms by which ageing affects male reproductive potential. Animal models have thus been extensively used. These models are advantageous due to their reduced costs, general easy maintenance in laboratory facilities, rigorous manipulation tools, short lifespan, known genetic backgrounds, and reduced ethical constraints. Herein, we discuss animal models for the study of male reproductive ageing. The most well-known and studied reproductive ageing models are rodents and non-human primates. The data collected from these models, particularly studies on testicular ageing, steroidogenesis, and genetic and epigenetic changes in spermatogenesis are detailed. Notably, some species challenge the currently accepted ageing theories and the concept of senescence itself, which renders them interesting animal models for the study of male reproductive ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- David F Carrageta
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, UMIB - Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Guerra-Carvalho
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, UMIB - Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Chemistry, QOPNA & LAQV, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | - Marc Yeste
- Biotechnology of Animal and Human Reproduction (TechnoSperm), Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology, University of Girona, ES-17003, Girona, Spain
- Unit of Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, ES-17003, Girona, Spain
| | - Pedro F Oliveira
- Department of Chemistry, QOPNA & LAQV, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Marco G Alves
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, UMIB - Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- Biotechnology of Animal and Human Reproduction (TechnoSperm), Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology, University of Girona, ES-17003, Girona, Spain.
- Unit of Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, ES-17003, Girona, Spain.
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Han X, Wang F, Yang P, Di B, Xu X, Zhang C, Yao M, Sun Y, Lin Y. A Bioinformatic Approach Based on Systems Biology to Determine the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. COMPUTATIONAL AND MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN MEDICINE 2022; 2022:5337380. [PMID: 36203534 PMCID: PMC9532139 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5337380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has infected millions of individuals worldwide. While COVID-19 generally affects the lungs, it also damages other organs, including those of the cardiovascular system. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common genetic cardiovascular disorder. Studies have shown that HCM patients with COVID-19 have a higher mortality rate; however, the reason for this phenomenon is not yet elucidated. Herein, we conducted transcriptomic analyses to identify shared biomarkers between HCM and COVID-19 to bridge this knowledge gap. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained using the Gene Expression Omnibus ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing datasets, GSE147507 and GSE89714, to identify shared pathways and potential drug candidates. We discovered 30 DEGs that were common between these two datasets. Using a combination of statistical and biological tools, protein-protein interactions were constructed in response to these findings to support hub genes and modules. We discovered that HCM is linked to COVID-19 progression based on a functional analysis under ontology terms. Based on the DEGs identified from the datasets, a coregulatory network of transcription factors, genes, proteins, and microRNAs was also discovered. Lastly, our research suggests that the potential drugs we identified might be helpful for COVID-19 therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Han
- Department of Cardiology, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Di
- Department of Cardiology, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiangdong Xu
- Department of Cardiology, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunya Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Man Yao
- Department of Cardiology, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaping Sun
- Department of Cardiology, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yangyi Lin
- Department of Pulmonary Vascular Disease, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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Wang H, Zhou S, Liu Y, Yu Y, Xu S, Peng L, Ni C. Exploration study on serum metabolic profiles of Chinese male patients with artificial stone silicosis, silicosis, and coal worker's pneumoconiosis. Toxicol Lett 2021; 356:132-142. [PMID: 34861340 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2021.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Long-term exposure to inhaled silica dust induces pneumoconiosis, which remains a heavy burden in developing countries. Modern industry provides new resources of occupational SiO2 leading to artificial stone silicosis especially in developed countries. This study aimed to characterize the serum metabolic profile of pneumoconiosis and artificial stone silicosis patients. Our case-control study recruited 46 pairs of pneumoconiosis patients and dust-exposed workers. Nontargeted metabolomics and lipidomics by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry platform were conducted to characterize serum metabolic profile in propensity score-matched (PSM) pilot study. 54 differential metabolites were screened, 24 of which showed good screening efficiency through receiver operating characteristics (ROC) in pilot study and validation study (both AUC > 0.75). 4 of the 24 metabolites can predict pneumoconiosis stages, which are 1,2-dioctanoylthiophosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylcholine(O-18:1/20:1), indole-3-acetamide and l-homoarginine. Kynurenine, N-tetradecanoylsphingosine 1-phosphate, 5-methoxytryptophol and phosphatidylethanolamine(22:6/18:1) displayed the potential as specific biomarkers for artificial stone silicosis. Taken together, our results confirmed that tryptophan metabolism is closely related to pneumoconiosis and may be related to disease progression. Hopefully, our results could supplement the biomarkers of pneumoconiosis and provide evidence for the discovery of artificial stone silicosis-specific biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huanqiang Wang
- National Institute of Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 100000, PR China
| | - Siyun Zhou
- Department of Occupational Medical and Environmental Health, Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, PR China
| | - Yi Liu
- Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, PR China
| | - Yihan Yu
- Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese & Western Medicine, Wuhan, 430000, PR China
| | - Sha Xu
- Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese & Western Medicine, Wuhan, 430000, PR China
| | - Lan Peng
- Department of Occupational Medical and Environmental Health, Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, PR China
| | - Chunhui Ni
- Department of Occupational Medical and Environmental Health, Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology of Ministry of Education, Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, PR China.
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Chung JY, Brown S, Chen H, Liu J, Papadopoulos V, Zirkin B. Effects of pharmacologically induced Leydig cell testosterone production on intratesticular testosterone and spermatogenesis†. Biol Reprod 2021; 102:489-498. [PMID: 31504200 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioz174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Leydig cells of the mammalian testis produce testosterone (T) in response to luteinizing hormone (LH). In rats and men with reduced serum T levels, T replacement therapy (TRT) will raise T levels, but typically with suppressive effects on sperm formation. The rate-determining step in T formation is the translocation of cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial membrane, mediated by protein-protein interactions of cytosolic and outer mitochondrial membrane proteins. Among the involved proteins is cholesterol-binding translocator protein (TSPO) (18 kDa TSPO). We hypothesized that in contrast to TRT, the administration of the TSPO agonist N,N-dihexyl-2-(4-fluorophenyl)indole-3-acetamide (FGIN-1-27), by stimulating the ability of the Leydig cells to produce T, would result in the elevation of serum T levels while maintaining intratesticular T concentration and therefore without suppression of spermatogenesis. Age-related reductions in both serum and intratesticular T levels were seen in old Brown Norway rats. Both exogenous T and FGIN-1-27 increased serum T levels. With exogenous T, serum LH and Leydig cell T formation were suppressed, and intratesticular T was reduced to below the concentration required to maintain spermatogenesis quantitatively. In contrast, FGIN-1-27 stimulated Leydig cell T formation, resulting in increased serum T without reductions in intratesticular T concentrations or in testicular sperm numbers. FGIN-1-27 also significantly increased serum and intratesticular T levels in rats made LH-deficient by treatment with the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist cetrorelix. These results point to a possible approach to increasing serum T without negative effects on spermatogenesis, based upon stimulating T production by the Leydig cells themselves rather than administering T exogenously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Yong Chung
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sean Brown
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Haolin Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - June Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vassilios Papadopoulos
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Barry Zirkin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Musicki B, Karakus S, La Favor JD, Chen H, Silva FH, Sturny M, Zirkin BR, Burnett AL. TSPO ligand FGIN-1-27 controls priapism in sickle cell mice via endogenous testosterone production. J Cell Physiol 2020; 236:3073-3082. [PMID: 32974910 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.30075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Priapism, a prolonged penile erection in the absence of sexual arousal, is common among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Hypogonadism is also common in patients with SCD. While the administration of exogenous testosterone reverses hypogonadism, it is contraceptive. We hypothesized that the stimulation of endogenous testosterone production decreases priapism by normalizing molecular signaling involved in penile erection without decreasing intratesticular testosterone production, which would affect fertility. Treatment of SCD mice with FGIN-1-27, a ligand for translocator protein (TSPO) that mobilizes cholesterol to the inner mitochondrial membrane, resulted in eugonadal levels of serum testosterone without decreasing intratesticular testosterone production. Normalized testosterone levels, in turn, decreased priapism. At the molecular level, TSPO restored phosphodiesterase 5 activity and decreased NADPH oxidase-mediated oxidative stress in the penis, which are major molecular signaling molecules involved in penile erection and are dysregulated in SCD. These results indicate that pharmacologic activation of TSPO could be a novel, targetable pathway for treating hypogonadal men, particularly patients with SCD, without adverse effects on fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biljana Musicki
- Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Serkan Karakus
- Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Justin D La Favor
- Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Haolin Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Fabio H Silva
- Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mikael Sturny
- Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Barry R Zirkin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Arthur L Burnett
- Department of Urology, The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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