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Teng Y, Zhu M, Qiu Z. G-Quadruplexes in Repeat Expansion Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032375. [PMID: 36768697 PMCID: PMC9916761 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The repeat expansions are the main genetic cause of various neurodegeneration diseases. More than ten kinds of repeat sequences with different lengths, locations, and structures have been confirmed in the past two decades. G-rich repeat sequences, such as CGG and GGGGCC, are reported to form functional G-quadruplexes, participating in many important bioprocesses. In this review, we conducted an overview concerning the contribution of G-quadruplex in repeat expansion disorders and summarized related mechanisms in current pathological studies, including the increasing genetic instabilities in replication and transcription, the toxic RNA foci formed in neurons, and the loss/gain function of proteins and peptides. Furthermore, novel strategies targeting G-quadruplex repeats were developed based on the understanding of disease mechanism. Small molecules and proteins binding to G-quadruplex in repeat expansions were investigated to protect neurons from dysfunction and delay the progression of neurodegeneration. In addition, the effects of environment on the stability of G-quadruplex were discussed, which might be critical factors in the pathological study of repeat expansion disorders.
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Rodríguez-Urgellés E, Rodríguez-Navarro I, Ballasch I, Del Toro D, Del Castillo I, Brito V, Alberch J, Giralt A. Postnatal Foxp2 regulates early psychiatric-like phenotypes and associated molecular alterations in the R6/1 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 173:105854. [PMID: 36029989 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2022.105854] [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: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's Disease (HD) is a devastating disorder characterized by a triad of motor, psychiatric and cognitive manifestations. Psychiatric and emotional symptoms appear at early stages of the disease which are consistently described by patients and caregivers among the most disabling. Here, we show for the first time that Foxp2 is strongly associated with some psychiatric-like disturbances in the R6/1 mouse model of HD. First, 4-week-old (juvenile) R6/1 mice behavioral phenotype was characterized by an increased impulsive-like behavior and less aggressive-like behavior. In this line, we identified an early striatal downregulation of Foxp2 protein starting as soon as at postnatal day 15 that could explain such deficiencies. Interestingly, the rescue of striatal Foxp2 levels from postnatal stages completely reverted the impulsivity-phenotype and partially the social impairments concomitant with a rescue of dendritic spine pathology. A mass spectrometry study indicated that the rescue of spine loss was associated with an improvement of several altered proteins related with cytoskeleton dynamics. Finally, we reproduced and mimicked the impulsivity and social deficits in wild type mice by reducing their striatal Foxp2 expression from postnatal stages. Overall, these results imply that early postnatal reduction of Foxp2 might contribute to the appearance of some of the early psychiatric symptoms in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ened Rodríguez-Urgellés
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Irene Rodríguez-Navarro
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Iván Ballasch
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Daniel Del Toro
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Ignacio Del Castillo
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Verónica Brito
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Jordi Alberch
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain; Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies (Creatio), Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Albert Giralt
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain; Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies (Creatio), Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.
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St-Cyr S, Smith AR, Davidson BL. Temporal Phenotypic Changes in Huntington's Disease Models for Preclinical Studies. J Huntingtons Dis 2022; 11:35-57. [PMID: 35213386 PMCID: PMC9028736 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-210515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Mouse models bearing genetic disease mutations are instrumental in the development of therapies for genetic disorders. Huntington’s disease (HD) is a late-onset lethal dominant genetic disorder due to a CAG repeat within exon 1 of the Huntingtin (Htt) gene. Several mice were developed to model HD through the expression of a transgenic fragment (exon 1 of the human HTT), the knock-in mutation of the CAG repeat in the context of the mouse Htt gene, or the full-length HTT human gene. The different mouse models present distinct onset, symptoms, and progression of the disease. Objective: The objective of this study is to advise on the best behavioral tests to assess disease progression in three HD mouse models. Methods: We tested N171-82Q transgenic mice, zQ175 knock-in mice, and BACHD full-length mice in a comprehensive behavior test battery in early, mid-, and late disease stages. Results: We contrast and compare the models and the emerging phenotypes with the available literature. These results suggest the most effective behavioral tests and appropriate sample sizes to detect treatment efficacy in each model at the different ages. We provide options for early detection of motor deficits while minimizing testing time and training. Conclusion: This information will inform researchers in the HD field as to which mouse model, tests and sample sizes can accurately and sensitively detect treatment efficacy in preclinical HD research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie St-Cyr
- The Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alicia R Smith
- The Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Beverly L Davidson
- The Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,The Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, The Perelman School of Medicine, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Shenoy SA, Zheng S, Liu W, Dai Y, Liu Y, Hou Z, Mori S, Tang Y, Cheng J, Duan W, Li C. A novel and accurate full-length HTT mouse model for Huntington's disease. eLife 2022; 11:e70217. [PMID: 35023827 PMCID: PMC8758142 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Here, we report the generation and characterization of a novel Huntington's disease (HD) mouse model BAC226Q by using a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) system, expressing full-length human HTT with ~226 CAG-CAA repeats and containing endogenous human HTT promoter and regulatory elements. BAC226Q recapitulated a full-spectrum of age-dependent and progressive HD-like phenotypes without unwanted and erroneous phenotypes. BAC226Q mice developed normally, and gradually exhibited HD-like psychiatric and cognitive phenotypes at 2 months. From 3 to 4 months, BAC226Q mice showed robust progressive motor deficits. At 11 months, BAC226Q mice showed significant reduced life span, gradual weight loss and exhibited neuropathology including significant brain atrophy specific to striatum and cortex, striatal neuronal death, widespread huntingtin inclusions, and reactive pathology. Therefore, the novel BAC226Q mouse accurately recapitulating robust, age-dependent, progressive HD-like phenotypes will be a valuable tool for studying disease mechanisms, identifying biomarkers, and testing gene-targeting therapeutic approaches for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushila A Shenoy
- Department of Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical SciencesNew YorkUnited States
| | - Sushuang Zheng
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Wencheng Liu
- Department of Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical SciencesNew YorkUnited States
| | - Yuanyi Dai
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Yuanxiu Liu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Zhipeng Hou
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Susumu Mori
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Yi Tang
- Innovation Center for Neurological Disorders, Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Center for Neurological DisordersBeijingChina
| | - Jerry Cheng
- Department of Computer Science, New York Institute of TechnologyNew YorkUnited States
| | - Wenzhen Duan
- Division of Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Solomon H.Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of medicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Chenjian Li
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
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5
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Klonarakis M, De Vos M, Woo E, Ralph L, Thacker JS, Gil-Mohapel J. The three sisters of fate: Genetics, pathophysiology and outcomes of animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104541. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 11/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Barry J, Bui MTN, Levine MS, Cepeda C. Synaptic pathology in Huntington's disease: Beyond the corticostriatal pathway. Neurobiol Dis 2022; 162:105574. [PMID: 34848336 PMCID: PMC9328779 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a heritable, fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the Huntingtin gene. It is characterized by chorea, as well as cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Histopathologically, there is a massive loss of striatal projection neurons and less but significant loss in other areas throughout the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical (CBGTC) loop. The mutant huntingtin protein has been implicated in numerous functions, including an important role in synaptic transmission. Most studies on anatomical and physiological alterations in HD have focused on striatum and cerebral cortex. However, based on recent CBGTC projectome evidence, the need to study other pathways has become increasingly clear. In this review, we examine the current status of our knowledge of morphological and electrophysiological alterations of those pathways in animal models of HD. Based on recent studies, there is accumulating evidence that synaptic disconnection, particularly along excitatory pathways, is pervasive and almost universal in HD, thus supporting a critical role of the huntingtin protein in synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Barry
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Minh T N Bui
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Levine
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- IDDRC, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Martinez B, Peplow PV. Altered microRNA expression in animal models of Huntington's disease and potential therapeutic strategies. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:2159-2169. [PMID: 33818488 PMCID: PMC8354140 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.310673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A review of recent animal models of Huntington's disease showed many microRNAs had altered expression levels in the striatum and cerebral cortex, and which were mostly downregulated. Among the altered microRNAs were miR-9/9*, miR-29b, miR-124a, miR-132, miR-128, miR-139, miR-122, miR-138, miR-23b, miR-135b, miR-181 (all downregulated) and miR-448 (upregulated), and similar changes had been previously found in Huntington's disease patients. In the animal cell studies, the altered microRNAs included miR-9, miR-9*, miR-135b, miR-222 (all downregulated) and miR-214 (upregulated). In the animal models, overexpression of miR-155 and miR-196a caused a decrease in mutant huntingtin mRNA and protein level, lowered the mutant huntingtin aggregates in striatum and cortex, and improved performance in behavioral tests. Improved performance in behavioral tests also occurred with overexpression of miR-132 and miR-124. In the animal cell models, overexpression of miR-22 increased the viability of rat primary cortical and striatal neurons infected with mutant huntingtin and decreased huntingtin -enriched foci of ≥ 2 µm. Also, overexpression of miR-22 enhanced the survival of rat primary striatal neurons treated with 3-nitropropionic acid. Exogenous expression of miR-214, miR-146a, miR-150, and miR-125b decreased endogenous expression of huntingtin mRNA and protein in HdhQ111/HdhQ111 cells. Further studies with animal models of Huntington's disease are warranted to validate these findings and identify specific microRNAs whose overexpression inhibits the production of mutant huntingtin protein and other harmful processes and may provide a more effective means of treating Huntington's disease in patients and slowing its progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Martinez
- Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Department of Medicine, St. Georges University School of Medicine, Grenada
| | - Philip V. Peplow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Correspondence to: Philip V. Peplow, .
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Sugimoto N, Endoh T, Takahashi S, Tateishi-Karimata H. Chemical Biology of Double Helical and Non-Double Helical Nucleic Acids: “To B or Not To B, That Is the Question”. BULLETIN OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN 2021. [DOI: 10.1246/bcsj.20210131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Sugimoto
- Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, 17-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
- Graduate School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 17-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Tamaki Endoh
- Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, 17-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Shuntaro Takahashi
- Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, 17-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Hisae Tateishi-Karimata
- Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, 17-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
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9
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Tateishi-Karimata H, Sugimoto N. Roles of non-canonical structures of nucleic acids in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:7839-7855. [PMID: 34244785 PMCID: PMC8373145 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer and neurodegenerative diseases are caused by genetic and environmental factors. Expression of tumour suppressor genes is suppressed by mutations or epigenetic silencing, whereas for neurodegenerative disease-related genes, nucleic acid-based effects may be presented through loss of protein function due to erroneous protein sequences or gain of toxic function from extended repeat transcripts or toxic peptide production. These diseases are triggered by damaged genes and proteins due to lifestyle and exposure to radiation. Recent studies have indicated that transient, non-canonical structural changes in nucleic acids in response to the environment can regulate the expression of disease-related genes. Non-canonical structures are involved in many cellular functions, such as regulation of gene expression through transcription and translation, epigenetic regulation of chromatin, and DNA recombination. Transcripts generated from repeat sequences of neurodegenerative disease-related genes form non-canonical structures that are involved in protein transport and toxic aggregate formation. Intracellular phase separation promotes transcription and protein assembly, which are controlled by the nucleic acid structure and can influence cancer and neurodegenerative disease progression. These findings may aid in elucidating the underlying disease mechanisms. Here, we review the influence of non-canonical nucleic acid structures in disease-related genes on disease onset and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hisae Tateishi-Karimata
- Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Naoki Sugimoto
- Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, 7-1-20 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
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10
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Benn CL, Gibson KR, Reynolds DS. Drugging DNA Damage Repair Pathways for Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion Diseases. J Huntingtons Dis 2021; 10:203-220. [PMID: 32925081 PMCID: PMC7990437 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-200421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
DNA damage repair (DDR) mechanisms have been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative diseases (both genetically determined and sporadic). Consistent with this, recent genome-wide association studies in Huntington’s disease (HD) and other trinucleotide repeat expansion diseases have highlighted genes involved in DDR mechanisms as modifiers for age of onset, rate of progression and somatic instability. At least some clinical genetic modifiers have been shown to have a role in modulating trinucleotide repeat expansion biology and could therefore provide new disease-modifying therapeutic targets. In this review, we focus on key considerations with respect to drug discovery and development using DDR mechanisms as a target for trinucleotide repeat expansion diseases. Six areas are covered with specific reference to DDR and HD: 1) Target identification and validation; 2) Candidate selection including therapeutic modality and delivery; 3) Target drug exposure with particular focus on blood-brain barrier penetration, engagement and expression of pharmacology; 4) Safety; 5) Preclinical models as predictors of therapeutic efficacy; 6) Clinical outcome measures including biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline L Benn
- LoQus23 Therapeutics, Riverside, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Karl R Gibson
- Sandexis Medicinal Chemistry Ltd, Innovation House, Discovery Park, Sandwich, Kent, UK
| | - David S Reynolds
- LoQus23 Therapeutics, Riverside, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
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Donaldson J, Powell S, Rickards N, Holmans P, Jones L. What is the Pathogenic CAG Expansion Length in Huntington's Disease? J Huntingtons Dis 2021; 10:175-202. [PMID: 33579866 PMCID: PMC7990448 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-200445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) (OMIM 143100) is caused by an expanded CAG repeat tract in the HTT gene. The inherited CAG length is known to expand further in somatic and germline cells in HD subjects. Age at onset of the disease is inversely correlated with the inherited CAG length, but is further modulated by a series of genetic modifiers which are most likely to act on the CAG repeat in HTT that permit it to further expand. Longer repeats are more prone to expansions, and this expansion is age dependent and tissue-specific. Given that the inherited tract expands through life and most subjects develop disease in mid-life, this implies that in cells that degenerate, the CAG length is likely to be longer than the inherited length. These findings suggest two thresholds- the inherited CAG length which permits further expansion, and the intracellular pathogenic threshold, above which cells become dysfunctional and die. This two-step mechanism has been previously proposed and modelled mathematically to give an intracellular pathogenic threshold at a tract length of 115 CAG (95% confidence intervals 70- 165 CAG). Empirically, the intracellular pathogenic threshold is difficult to determine. Clues from studies of people and models of HD, and from other diseases caused by expanded repeat tracts, place this threshold between 60- 100 CAG, most likely towards the upper part of that range. We assess this evidence and discuss how the intracellular pathogenic threshold in manifest disease might be better determined. Knowing the cellular pathogenic threshold would be informative for both understanding the mechanism in HD and deploying treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Donaldson
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sophie Powell
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Nadia Rickards
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Peter Holmans
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Lesley Jones
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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12
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Monckton DG. The Contribution of Somatic Expansion of the CAG Repeat to Symptomatic Development in Huntington's Disease: A Historical Perspective. J Huntingtons Dis 2021; 10:7-33. [PMID: 33579863 PMCID: PMC7990401 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-200429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The discovery in the early 1990s of the expansion of unstable simple sequence repeats as the causative mutation for a number of inherited human disorders, including Huntington's disease (HD), opened up a new era of human genetics and provided explanations for some old problems. In particular, an inverse association between the number of repeats inherited and age at onset, and unprecedented levels of germline instability, biased toward further expansion, provided an explanation for the wide symptomatic variability and anticipation observed in HD and many of these disorders. The repeats were also revealed to be somatically unstable in a process that is expansion-biased, age-dependent and tissue-specific, features that are now increasingly recognised as contributory to the age-dependence, progressive nature and tissue specificity of the symptoms of HD, and at least some related disorders. With much of the data deriving from affected individuals, and model systems, somatic expansions have been revealed to arise in a cell division-independent manner in critical target tissues via a mechanism involving key components of the DNA mismatch repair pathway. These insights have opened new approaches to thinking about how the disease could be treated by suppressing somatic expansion and revealed novel protein targets for intervention. Exciting times lie ahead in turning these insights into novel therapies for HD and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darren G. Monckton
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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13
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Wiprich MT, Zanandrea R, Altenhofen S, Bonan CD. Influence of 3-nitropropionic acid on physiological and behavioral responses in zebrafish larvae and adults. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 234:108772. [PMID: 32353558 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2020.108772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Long-term treatment with 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA), a toxin derived from plants and fungi, may reproduce symptoms and biochemical characteristics of Huntington's disease (HD). Our study evaluated the effects of 3-NPA on the physiological and behavioral responses in zebrafish larvae and adults. Larvae exposed to 0.1, 0.2, or 0.5 mM 3-NPA exhibited an increase in heart rate at 2- and 5-days post-fertilization (dpf). There was a decrease in the ocular distance at 5 dpf with 0.05 mM 3-NPA treatment. However, 3-NPA did not alter larval locomotor parameters. Adult zebrafish received 3-NPA intraperitoneal injections (a total of seven injections at doses 10, 20, or 60 mg/kg every 96 h) and showed a decrease in body weight , locomotion and aggressive behavior. No changes were observed in anxiety-like behavior and social interaction between 3-NPA-exposed animals and control groups. However, 3-NPA-treated animals (at 60 mg/kg) demonstrated impaired long-term aversive memory. Overall, 3-NPA exposure induced morphological and heart rate alterations in zebrafish larvae. Additionally, our study showed behavioral changes in zebrafish that were submitted to long-term 3-NPA treatment, which could be related to HD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Talita Wiprich
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina e Ciências da Saúde, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Zanandrea
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina e Ciências da Saúde, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Stefani Altenhofen
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina e Ciências da Saúde, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Cerebrais, Excitotoxicidade e Neuroproteção, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Carla Denise Bonan
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina e Ciências da Saúde, Escola de Medicina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Laboratório de Neuroquímica e Psicofarmacologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Doenças Cerebrais, Excitotoxicidade e Neuroproteção, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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14
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Protein changes in synaptosomes of Huntington's disease knock-in mice are dependent on age and brain region. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 141:104950. [PMID: 32439598 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular changes at synapses are thought to underly the deficits in motor and cognitive dysfunction seen in Huntington's disease (HD). Previously we showed in synaptosome preparations age dependent changes in levels of selected proteins examined by western blot assay in the striatum of Q140/Q140 HD mice. To assess if CAG repeat length influenced protein changes at the synapse, we examined synaptosomes from 6-month old heterozygote HD mice with CAG repeat lengths ranging from 50 to 175. Analysis of 19 selected proteins showed that increasing CAG repeat length in huntingtin (HTT) increased the number of affected proteins in HD striatal synaptosomes. Moreover, SDS-soluble total HTT (WT plus mutant HTT) and pThr3 HTT were reduced with increasing CAG repeat length, and there was no pSer421 mutant HTT detected in any HD mice. A LC-MS/MS and bioinfomatics study of synaptosomes from 2 and 6-month old striatum and cortex of Q140/Q7 HD mice showed enrichment of synaptic proteins and an influence of age, gender and brain region on the number of protein changes. HD striatum at 6 months had the most protein changes that included many HTT protein interactors, followed by 2-month old HD striatum, 2-month old HD cortex and 6-month HD cortex. SDS-insoluble mutant HTT was detected in HD striatal synaptosomes consistent with the presence of aggregates. Proteins changed in cortex differed from those in striatum. Pathways affected in HD striatal synaptosomes that were not identified in whole striatal lysates of the same HD mouse model included axon guidance, focal adhesion, neurotrophin signaling, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, endocytosis, and synaptic vesicle cycle. Results suggest that synaptosomes prepared from HD mice are highly informative for monitoring protein changes at the synapse and may be preferred for assessing the effects of experimental therapies on synaptic function in HD.
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15
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So KH, Choi JH, Islam J, Kc E, Moon HC, Won SY, Kim HK, Kim S, Hyun SH, Park YS. An Optimization of AAV-82Q-Delivered Rat Model of Huntington's Disease. J Korean Neurosurg Soc 2020; 63:579-589. [PMID: 32131152 PMCID: PMC7477157 DOI: 10.3340/jkns.2019.0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective No optimum genetic rat Huntington model both neuropathological using an adeno-associated virus (AAV-2) vector vector has been reported to date. We investigated whether direct infection of an AAV2 encoding a fragment of mutant huntingtin (AV2-82Q) into the rat striatum was useful for optimizing the Huntington rat model.
Methods We prepared ten unilateral models by injecting AAV2-82Q into the right striatum, as well as ten bilateral models. In each group, five rats were assigned to either the 2×1012 genome copies (GC)/mL of AAV2-82Q (×1, low dose) or 2×1013 GC/mL of AAV2-82Q (×10, high dose) injection model. Ten unilateral and ten bilateral models injected with AAV-empty were also prepared as control groups. We performed cylinder and stepping tests 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks after injection, tested EM48 positive mutant huntingtin aggregates.
Results The high dose of unilateral and bilateral AAV2-82Q model showed a greater decrease in performance on the stepping and cylinder tests. We also observed more prominent EM48-positive mutant huntingtin aggregates in the medium spiny neurons of the high dose of AAV2-82Q injected group.
Conclusion Based on the results from the present study, high dose of AAV2-82Q is the optimum titer for establishing a Huntington rat model. Delivery of high dose of human AAV2-82Q resulted in the manifestation of Huntington behaviors and optimum expression of the huntingtin protein in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung-Ha So
- Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.,Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Jai Ho Choi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jaisan Islam
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Elina Kc
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Hyeong Cheol Moon
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neurosurgery, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea
| | - So Yoon Won
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Research Center, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Hyong Kyu Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Research Center, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Soochong Kim
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Sang-Hwan Hyun
- Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.,Laboratory of Veterinary Embryology and Biotechnology (VETEMBIO), Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Young Seok Park
- Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Medical Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea.,Department of Neurosurgery, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea
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16
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Assessing average somatic CAG repeat instability at the protein level. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19152. [PMID: 31844074 PMCID: PMC6915696 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55202-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sandwich ELISA-based methods use Abs that target the expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) tract to quantify mutant huntingtin (mHTT). Using Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) assay, the mHTT signal detected with MW1 Ab correlated with polyQ length and doubled with a difference of only 7 glutamine residues between equivalent amounts of purified mHTTexon1 proteins. Similar polyQ length-dependent effects on MSD signals were confirmed using endogenous full length mHTT from brains of Huntington’s disease (HD) knock-in (KI) mice. We used this avidity bias to devise a method to assess average CAG repeat instability at the protein level in a mixed population of HTT proteins present in tissues. Signal detected for average polyQ length quantification at the protein level by our method exhibited a strong correlation with average CAG repeat length at the genomic DNA level determined by PCR method in striatal tissue homogenates from HdhQ140 KI mice and in human HD postmortem cortex. This work establishes that CAG repeat instability in mutant HTT is reflected at the protein level.
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17
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Min B, Park M, Jeon K, Park JS, Seo H, Jeong S, Kang YK. Age-associated bimodal transcriptional drift reduces intergenic disparities in transcription. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 10:789-807. [PMID: 29706608 PMCID: PMC5940109 DOI: 10.18632/aging.101428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
This study addressed the question of how well the quantitative transcriptome structure established in early life is maintained and how consistently it appears with increasing age, and if there is age-associated alteration of gene expression (A3GE), how much influence the Huntington’s disease (HD) genotype exerts on it. We examined 285 exonic sequences of 175 genes using targeted PCR sequencing in skeletal muscle, brain, and splenic CD4+ T cells of wild-type and HD mice. In contrast to the muscle and brain, T cells exhibited large A3GE, suggesting a strong contribution to functional decline of the organism. This A3GE was markedly intensified in age-matched HD T cells, which exhibited accelerated aging as determined by reduced telomere length. Regression analysis suggested that gene expression levels change at a rate of approximately 3% per month with age. We found a bimodal relationship in A3GE in T cells in that weakly expressed genes in young mice were increasingly transcribed in older animals whereas highly expressed genes in the young were decreasingly expressed with age. This bimodal transcriptional drift in the T cell transcriptome data causes the differences in transcription rate between genes to progressively reduce with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byungkuk Min
- Development and Differentiation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Myungsun Park
- Development and Differentiation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Kyuheum Jeon
- Development and Differentiation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Jung Sun Park
- Development and Differentiation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Hyemyung Seo
- Department of Molecular and Life Sciences, Hanyang University, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, South Korea
| | - Sangkyun Jeong
- Mibyeong Research Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), Daejeon 305-811, Korea
| | - Yong-Kook Kang
- Development and Differentiation Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, South Korea
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18
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Lavisse S, Williams S, Lecourtois S, van Camp N, Guillermier M, Gipchtein P, Jan C, Goutal S, Eymin L, Valette J, Delzescaux T, Perrier AL, Hantraye P, Aron Badin R. Longitudinal characterization of cognitive and motor deficits in an excitotoxic lesion model of striatal dysfunction in non-human primates. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 130:104484. [PMID: 31132407 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
As research progresses in the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington's disease (HD) and expands towards preclinical work for the development of new therapies, highly relevant animal models are increasingly needed to test new hypotheses and to validate new therapeutic approaches. In this light, we characterized an excitotoxic lesion model of striatal dysfunction in non-human primates (NHPs) using cognitive and motor behaviour assessment as well as functional imaging and post-mortem anatomical analyses. NHPs received intra-striatal stereotaxic injections of quinolinic acid bilaterally in the caudate nucleus and unilaterally in the left sensorimotor putamen. Post-operative MRI scans showed atrophy of the caudate nucleus and a large ventricular enlargement in all 6 NHPs that correlated with post-mortem measurements. Behavioral analysis showed deficits in 2 analogues of the Wisconsin card sorting test (perseverative behavior) and in an executive task, while no deficits were observed in a visual recognition or an episodic memory task at 6 months following surgery. Spontaneous locomotor activity was decreased after lesion and the incidence of apomorphine-induced dyskinesias was significantly increased at 3 and 6 months following lesion. Positron emission tomography scans obtained at end-point showed a major deficit in glucose metabolism and D2 receptor density limited to the lesioned striatum of all NHPs compared to controls. Post-mortem analyses revealed a significant loss of medium-sized spiny neurons in the striatum, a loss of neurons and fibers in the globus pallidus, a unilateral decrease in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra and a loss of neurons in the motor and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Overall, we show that this robust NHP model presents specific behavioral (learning, execution and retention of cognitive tests) and metabolic functional deficits that, to the best of our knowledge, are currently not mimicked in any available large animal model of striatal dysfunction. Moreover, we used non-invasive, translational techniques like behavior and imaging to quantify such deficits and found that they correlate to a significant cell loss in the striatum and its main input and output structures. This model can thus significantly contribute to the pre-clinical longitudinal evaluation of the ability of new therapeutic cell, gene or pharmacotherapy approaches in restoring the functionality of the striatal circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Lavisse
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Susannah Williams
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Sophie Lecourtois
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Nadja van Camp
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Martine Guillermier
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Pauline Gipchtein
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Caroline Jan
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Sébastien Goutal
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Leopold Eymin
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Julien Valette
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Thierry Delzescaux
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Anselme L Perrier
- Inserm U861, I-STEM, AFM, Corbeil-Essonnes 91100, cedex, France; UEVE U861, I-STEM, AFM, Corbeil-Essonnes 91100, cedex, France.
| | - Philippe Hantraye
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
| | - Romina Aron Badin
- MIRCen, CEA/IBFJ/DRF/LMN, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France; UMR CEA CNRS 9199-Université Paris Saclay, 18 Route du Panorama, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
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19
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Franco NH, Olsson IAS. “How Sick Must Your Mouse Be?” — An Analysis of the Use of Animal Models in Huntington's Disease Research. Altern Lab Anim 2019; 40:271-83. [DOI: 10.1177/026119291204000506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nuno H. Franco
- IBMC — Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (Laboratory Animal Science Group), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - I. Anna S. Olsson
- IBMC — Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology (Laboratory Animal Science Group), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
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20
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Morton AJ, Skillings EA, Wood NI, Zheng Z. Antagonistic pleiotropy in mice carrying a CAG repeat expansion in the range causing Huntington's disease. Sci Rep 2019; 9:37. [PMID: 30631090 PMCID: PMC6328633 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37102-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Antagonist pleiotropy, where a gene exerts a beneficial effect at early stages and a deleterious effect later on in an animal’s life, may explain the evolutionary persistence of devastating genetic diseases such as Huntington’s disease (HD). To date, however, there is little direct experimental evidence to support this theory. Here, we studied a transgenic mouse carrying the HD mutation with a repeat of 50 CAGs (R6/2_50) that is within the pathological range of repeats causing adult-onset disease in humans. R6/2_50 mice develop characteristic HD brain aggregate pathology, with aggregates appearing predominantly in the striatum and cortex. However, they show few signs of disease in their lifetime. On the contrary, R6/2_50 mice appear to benefit from carrying the mutation. They have extended lifespans compared to wildtype (WT) mice, and male mice show enhanced fecundity. Furthermore, R6/2_50 mice outperform WT mice on the rotarod and show equal or better performance in the two choice discrimination task than WT mice. This novel mouse line provides direct experimental evidence that, although the HD mutation causes a fatal neurodegenerative disorder, there may be premorbid benefits of carrying the mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Morton
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom.
| | - E A Skillings
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
| | - N I Wood
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
| | - Z Zheng
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, United Kingdom
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21
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Al-Mahdawi S, Ging H, Bayot A, Cavalcanti F, La Cognata V, Cavallaro S, Giunti P, Pook MA. Large Interruptions of GAA Repeat Expansion Mutations in Friedreich Ataxia Are Very Rare. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:443. [PMID: 30519163 PMCID: PMC6258883 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Friedreich ataxia is a multi-system autosomal recessive inherited disorder primarily caused by homozygous GAA repeat expansion mutations within intron 1 of the frataxin gene. The resulting deficiency of frataxin protein leads to progressive mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and cell death, with the main affected sites being the large sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia and the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum. The GAA repeat expansions may be pure (GAA)n in sequence or may be interrupted with regions of non-GAA sequence. To our knowledge, there has been no large-scale study of FRDA patient DNA samples to determine the frequency of large interruptions in GAA repeat expansions. Therefore, we have investigated a panel of 245 Friedreich ataxia patient and carrier DNA samples using GAA repeat PCR amplification and MboII restriction enzyme digestion. We demonstrate that the vast majority (97.8%) of Friedreich ataxia GAA repeat expansion samples do not contain significant sequence changes that would result in abnormal MboII digestion profiles, indicating that they are primarily pure GAA repeats. These results show for the first time that large interruptions in the GAA repeats are very rare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Al-Mahdawi
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom.,Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | - Heather Ging
- Ataxia Centre, Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aurelien Bayot
- Ataxia Centre, Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Paola Giunti
- Ataxia Centre, Department of Molecular Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark A Pook
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom.,Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
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22
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Hung CLK, Maiuri T, Bowie LE, Gotesman R, Son S, Falcone M, Giordano JV, Gillis T, Mattis V, Lau T, Kwan V, Wheeler V, Schertzer J, Singh K, Truant R. A patient-derived cellular model for Huntington's disease reveals phenotypes at clinically relevant CAG lengths. Mol Biol Cell 2018; 29:2809-2820. [PMID: 30256717 PMCID: PMC6249865 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e18-09-0590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The huntingtin protein participates in several cellular processes that are disrupted when the polyglutamine tract is expanded beyond a threshold of 37 CAG DNA repeats in Huntington’s disease (HD). Cellular biology approaches to understand these functional disruptions in HD have primarily focused on cell lines with synthetically long CAG length alleles that clinically represent outliers in this disease and a more severe form of HD that lacks age onset. Patient-derived fibroblasts are limited to a finite number of passages before succumbing to cellular senescence. We used human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) to immortalize fibroblasts taken from individuals of varying age, sex, disease onset, and CAG repeat length, which we have termed TruHD cells. TruHD cells display classic HD phenotypes of altered morphology, size and growth rate, increased sensitivity to oxidative stress, aberrant adenosine diphosphate/adenosine triphosphate (ADP/ATP) ratios, and hypophosphorylated huntingtin protein. We additionally observed dysregulated reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent huntingtin localization to nuclear speckles in HD cells. We report the generation and characterization of a human, clinically relevant cellular model for investigating disease mechanisms in HD at the single-cell level, which, unlike transformed cell lines, maintains functions critical for huntingtin transcriptional regulation and genomic integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Lin-Kar Hung
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Tamara Maiuri
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Laura Erin Bowie
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Ryan Gotesman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Susie Son
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Mina Falcone
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - James Victor Giordano
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Tammy Gillis
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Virginia Mattis
- Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048
| | - Trevor Lau
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Vickie Kwan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada.,Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Vanessa Wheeler
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114.,Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Jonathan Schertzer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Karun Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Ray Truant
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
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23
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Manfré G, Novati A, Faccini I, Rossetti AC, Bosch K, Molteni R, Riva MA, Van der Harst JE, Nguyen HP, Homberg JR. BACHD rats expressing full-length mutant huntingtin exhibit differences in social behavior compared to wild-type littermates. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192289. [PMID: 29415038 PMCID: PMC5802907 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Huntington disease (HD) is a devastating inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms without any cure to slow down or stop the progress of the disease. The BACHD rat model for HD carrying the human full-length mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) with 97 polyQ repeats has been recently established as a promising model which reproduces several HD-like features. While motor and cognitive functions have been characterized in BACHD rats, little is known about their social phenotype. Objective This study focuses especially on social behavior since evidence for social disturbances exists in human patients. Our objective was to compare social behavior in BACHD and wild-type (WT) rats at different ages, using two different measures of sociability. Methods Animals were tested longitudinally at the age of 2, 4 and 8 months in the social interaction test to examine different parameters of sociability. A separate cohort of 7 month old rats was tested in the three chamber social test to measure both sociability and social novelty. Gene expression analyses in 8 months old animals were performed by real time qRT-PCR to evaluate a potential involvement of D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors and the contribution of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to the observed behavioral alterations. Results In the social interaction test, BACHD rats showed age-dependent changes in behaviour when they were-re introduced to their cagemate after a 24 hours-period of individual housing. The time spent on nape attacks increased with aging. Furthermore, a significant higher level of pinning at 2 months of age was shown in the BACHD rats compared to wild-types, followed by a reduction at 4 and 8 months. On the other hand, BACHD rats exhibited a decreased active social behaviour compared to wild-types, reflected by genotype-effects on approaching, following and social nose contact. In the three chamber social test, BACHD rats seemed to show a mild deficit in preference for social novelty, but no changes in social interest. Molecular analyses revealed that BACHD animals exposed to the social interaction test displayed decreased mRNA levels of the total form of BDNF in ventral striatum and unaltered striatal expression of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors. Conclusions Taken together, these results indicate deficits in several parameters representative of sociability. Altered BDNF expression in the ventral striatum may contribute to the deficits in sociability in 8 months old BACHD rats. These data support the validity of the BACHD rat model in mimicking features of certain social deficits that could be relevant to symptoms in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Manfré
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Noldus Information Technology BV, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Arianna Novati
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre of Rare Diseases, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ilaria Faccini
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea C. Rossetti
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Kari Bosch
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Raffaella Molteni
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco A. Riva
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Johanneke E. Van der Harst
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Noldus Information Technology BV, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Huu Phuc Nguyen
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Centre of Rare Diseases, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Judith R. Homberg
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant progressive neurological disorder characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms that typically present later on in life, although juvenile cases do exist. The identification of the disease-causing mutation, a CAG triplet repeat expansion in the HTT gene, in 1993 generated numerous investigations into the cellular and molecular pathways underlying the disorder. HD mouse models have played a prominent role in these studies, and the use of these mouse models of HD in the development and evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies is reviewed in this chapter. As new interventions and therapeutic approaches are evaluated and implemented, genetic mouse models will continue to be used with the hope of developing effective treatments for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Kosior
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, and Department of Medical Genetics, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, and Department of Medical Genetics, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Of rodents and men: understanding the emergence of motor and cognitive symptoms in Huntington disease. Behav Pharmacol 2017; 27:403-14. [PMID: 26886208 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Arguably, one of the most important milestones in Huntington disease research since the discovery of the gene responsible has been the generation of different genetic animal models. Although clinical reports have shown evidence of progressive cognitive impairments in gene carriers before motor symptoms are diagnosed, such symptoms have been much less obvious in animal models. In this review, we summarize the three main classes of animal models for Huntington disease and describe some relevant translational assays for behavioural deficits evaluation. Finally, we argue that a good knowledge of the emergence of motor and cognitive symptoms in mice and rat models is indispensable for the selection of endpoint measures in early preclinical drug screening studies.
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Genetic Contributors to Intergenerational CAG Repeat Instability in Huntington's Disease Knock-In Mice. Genetics 2016; 205:503-516. [PMID: 27913616 PMCID: PMC5289832 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.195578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 11/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat in exon 1 of the HTT gene. Longer repeat sizes are associated with increased disease penetrance and earlier ages of onset. Intergenerationally unstable transmissions are common in HD families, partly underlying the genetic anticipation seen in this disorder. HD CAG knock-in mouse models also exhibit a propensity for intergenerational repeat size changes. In this work, we examine intergenerational instability of the CAG repeat in over 20,000 transmissions in the largest HD knock-in mouse model breeding datasets reported to date. We confirmed previous observations that parental sex drives the relative ratio of expansions and contractions. The large datasets further allowed us to distinguish effects of paternal CAG repeat length on the magnitude and frequency of expansions and contractions, as well as the identification of large repeat size jumps in the knock-in models. Distinct degrees of intergenerational instability were observed between knock-in mice of six background strains, indicating the occurrence of trans-acting genetic modifiers. We also found that lines harboring a neomycin resistance cassette upstream of Htt showed reduced expansion frequency, indicative of a contributing role for sequences in cis, with the expanded repeat as modifiers of intergenerational instability. These results provide a basis for further understanding of the mechanisms underlying intergenerational repeat instability.
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Lokhande S, Patra BN, Ray A. A link between chromatin condensation mechanisms and Huntington's disease: connecting the dots. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2016; 12:3515-3529. [PMID: 27714015 DOI: 10.1039/c6mb00598e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder whose complex pathophysiology exhibits system-wide changes in the body, with striking and debilitating clinical features targeting the central nervous system. Among the various molecular functions affected in this disease, mitochondrial dysfunction and transcriptional dysregulation are some of the most studied aspects of this disease. However, there is evidence of the involvement of a mutant Huntingtin protein in the processes of DNA damage, chromosome condensation and DNA repair. This review attempts to briefly recapitulate the clinical features, model systems used to study the disease, major molecular processes affected, and, more importantly, examines recent evidence for the involvement of the mutant Huntingtin protein in the processes regulating chromosome condensation, leading to DNA damage response and neuronal death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Lokhande
- Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
| | - Biranchi N Patra
- Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
| | - Animesh Ray
- Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences, Claremont, CA 91711, USA.
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Southwell AL, Smith-Dijak A, Kay C, Sepers M, Villanueva EB, Parsons MP, Xie Y, Anderson L, Felczak B, Waltl S, Ko S, Cheung D, Dal Cengio L, Slama R, Petoukhov E, Raymond LA, Hayden MR. An enhanced Q175 knock-in mouse model of Huntington disease with higher mutant huntingtin levels and accelerated disease phenotypes. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:3654-3675. [PMID: 27378694 PMCID: PMC5216613 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) model mice with heterozygous knock-in (KI) of an expanded CAG tract in exon 1 of the mouse huntingtin (Htt) gene homolog genetically recapitulate the mutation that causes HD, and might be favoured for preclinical studies. However, historically these mice have failed to phenotypically recapitulate the human disease. Thus, homozygous KI mice, which lack wildtype Htt, and are much less relevant to human HD, have been used. The zQ175 model was the first KI mouse to exhibit significant HD-like phenotypes when heterozygous. In an effort to exacerbate HD-like phenotypes and enhance preclinical utility, we have backcrossed zQ175 mice to FVB/N, a strain highly susceptible to neurodegeneration. These Q175F mice display significant HD-like phenotypes along with sudden early death from fatal seizures. The zQ175 KI allele retains a floxed neomycin resistance cassette upstream of the Htt gene locus and produces dramatically reduced mutant Htt as compared to the endogenous wildtype Htt allele. By intercrossing with mice expressing cre in germ line cells, we have excised the neo cassette from Q175F mice generating a new line, Q175FΔneo (Q175FDN). Removal of the neo cassette resulted in a ∼2 fold increase in mutant Htt and rescue of fatal seizures, indicating that the early death phenotype of Q175F mice is caused by Htt deficiency rather than by mutant Htt. Additionally, Q175FDN mice exhibit earlier onset and a greater variety and severity of HD-like phenotypes than Q175F mice or any previously reported KI HD mouse model, making them valuable for preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber L Southwell
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Amy Smith-Dijak
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chris Kay
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Marja Sepers
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Erika B Villanueva
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Matthew P Parsons
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Yuanyun Xie
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Lisa Anderson
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Boguslaw Felczak
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Sabine Waltl
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Seunghyun Ko
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Daphne Cheung
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Louisa Dal Cengio
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Ramy Slama
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Eugenia Petoukhov
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
| | - Lynn A Raymond
- Department of Psychiatry, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute
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Freudenberg F, Carreño Gutierrez H, Post AM, Reif A, Norton WHJ. Aggression in non-human vertebrates: Genetic mechanisms and molecular pathways. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2016; 171:603-40. [PMID: 26284957 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Aggression is an adaptive behavioral trait that is important for the establishment of social hierarchies and competition for mating partners, food, and territories. While a certain level of aggression can be beneficial for the survival of an individual or species, abnormal aggression levels can be detrimental. Abnormal aggression is commonly found in human patients with psychiatric disorders. The predisposition to aggression is influenced by a combination of environmental and genetic factors and a large number of genes have been associated with aggression in both human and animal studies. In this review, we compare and contrast aggression studies in zebrafish and mouse. We present gene ontology and pathway analyses of genes linked to aggression and discuss the molecular pathways that underpin agonistic behavior in these species. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Freudenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Antonia M Post
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andreas Reif
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - William H J Norton
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
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Krench M, Cho RW, Littleton JT. A Drosophila model of Huntington disease-like 2 exhibits nuclear toxicity and distinct pathogenic mechanisms from Huntington disease. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:3164-3177. [PMID: 27288455 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease-like 2 (HDL2) and Huntington disease (HD) are adult-onset neurodegenerative diseases characterized by movement disorders, psychiatric disturbances and cognitive decline. Brain tissue from HD and HDL2 patients shows degeneration of the striatum and ubiquitinated inclusions immunoreactive for polyglutamine (polyQ) antibodies. Despite these similarities, the diseases result from different genetic mutations. HD is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, while HDL2 results from an expansion at the junctophilin 3 (JPH3) locus. Recent evidence indicates that the HDL2 expansion may give rise to a toxic polyQ protein translated from an antisense mRNA derived from the JPH3 locus. To investigate this hypothesis, we generated and characterized a Drosophila HDL2 model and compared it with a previously established HD model. We find that neuronal expression of HDL2-Q15 is not toxic, while the expression of an expanded HDL2-Q138 protein is lethal. HDL2-Q138 forms large nuclear aggregates, with only smaller puncta observed in the cytoplasm. This is in contrast to what is observed in a Drosophila model of HD, where polyQ aggregates localize exclusively to the cytoplasm. Altering localization of HLD2 with the addition of a nuclear localization or nuclear export sequence demonstrates that nuclear accumulation is required for toxicity in the Drosophila HDL2 model. Directing HDL2-Q138 to the nucleus exacerbates toxicity in multiple tissue types, while confining HDL2-Q138 to the cytoplasm restores viability to control levels. We conclude that while HD and HDL2 have similar clinical profiles, distinct pathogenic mechanisms are likely to drive toxicity in Drosophila models of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Krench
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
| | - Richard W Cho
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - J Troy Littleton
- The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences .,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Fisher SP, Schwartz MD, Wurts-Black S, Thomas AM, Chen TM, Miller MA, Palmerston JB, Kilduff TS, Morairty SR. Quantitative Electroencephalographic Analysis Provides an Early-Stage Indicator of Disease Onset and Progression in the zQ175 Knock-In Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease. Sleep 2016; 39:379-91. [PMID: 26446107 DOI: 10.5665/sleep.5448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Patients with Huntington's disease (HD) show a high prevalence of sleep disorders that typically occur prior to the onset of motoric symptoms and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the pathophysiological alterations in premanifest HD is limited, hindering the ability to measure disease modification in response to treatment. We used a full-length knock-in HD model to determine early changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and sleep that may predict the onset and progression of the disease. METHODS A 10-month longitudinal study was designed to determine the effect of the HD mutation on the EEG and sleep/wake changes in heterozygous (HET) and homozygous (HOM) zQ175 mice and wild-type (WT) littermates from 8 to 48 w of age. Mice were instrumented with tethered headmounts to record EEG/electromyography signals. Telemeters were implanted to continuously measure locomotor activity (LMA) and body temperature (Tb). Sleep deprivation (SDep) was performed at 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, and 48 w of age. RESULTS The HD mutation disrupted the EEG field potential from 8-12 w in an age- and mutant huntington dose-dependent manner, prior to changes in sleep/wake states, LMA, and Tb. Prominent effects of the HD mutation on the EEG included a progressive reduction in low frequency power, a slowing of rapid eye movement peak theta frequency, and the emergence of state-dependent beta/gamma oscillations. There was no effect of genotype on the relative increase in nonrapid eye movement delta power or sleep time in response to SDep. CONCLUSIONS The expression of the Huntington's disease (HD) mutation results in complex EEG alterations that occur prior to deficits in behavioral measures and are one of the earliest phenotypes uncovered in this mouse model. Despite these EEG changes, homeostatic responses to sleep loss were preserved in HET and HOM zQ175 mice. Greater insight into the localization and response of these EEG alterations to novel therapies may enable early intervention and improve outcomes for patients with HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon P Fisher
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Michael D Schwartz
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Sarah Wurts-Black
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Alexia M Thomas
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Tsui-Ming Chen
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Michael A Miller
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Jeremiah B Palmerston
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Thomas S Kilduff
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
| | - Stephen R Morairty
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, California
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32
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Young D. Gene Therapy-Based Modeling of Neurodegenerative Disorders: Huntington's Disease. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1382:383-95. [PMID: 26611601 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3271-9_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by impairments in motor control, and cognitive and psychiatric disturbances. In this chapter, viral vector-mediated approaches used in modeling the key neuropathological features of the disease including the production of abnormal intracellular protein aggregates, neuronal dysfunction and degeneration and motor impairments in rodents are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Young
- Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacology & Centre for Brain Research, School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Menalled L, Brunner D. Animal models of Huntington's disease for translation to the clinic: best practices. Mov Disord 2015; 29:1375-90. [PMID: 25216369 DOI: 10.1002/mds.26006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse models of Huntington's disease (HD) recapitulate many aspects of the human disease. These genetically modified mice are powerful tools that are used not only to examine the pathogenesis of the disease, but also to assess the efficacy of potential new treatments. Disappointingly, in the past few years we have seen the success of potential therapies in animal studies, subsequently followed by failure in clinical trials. We discuss here a number of factors that influence the translatability of findings from the preclinical to the clinical realm. In particular, we discuss issues related to sample size, reporting of information regarding experimental protocols and mouse models, assignment to experimental groups, incorporation of cognitive measures for early phases of the disease, environmental enrichment, surrogate measures for survival, and the use of more than one HD mouse model. Although it is reasonable to question the appropriateness of the animal models used, we argue that it is more parsimonious to assume that improvements in experimental design and publication of negative results will lead to improved translatability to the clinic and insights about HD pathophysiology.
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Chang R, Liu X, Li S, Li XJ. Transgenic animal models for study of the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease and therapy. DRUG DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND THERAPY 2015; 9:2179-88. [PMID: 25931812 PMCID: PMC4404937 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s58470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by a genetic mutation that results in polyglutamine expansion in the N-terminal regions of huntingtin. As a result, this polyQ expansion leads to the misfolding and aggregation of mutant huntingtin as well as age-dependent neurodegeneration. The genetic mutation in HD allows for generating a variety of animal models that express different forms of mutant huntingtin and show differential pathology. Studies of these animal models have provided an important insight into the pathogenesis of HD. Mouse models of HD include transgenic mice, which express N-terminal or full-length mutant huntingtin ubiquitously or selectively in different cell types, and knock-in mice that express full-length mutant Htt at the endogenous level. Large animals, such as pig, sheep, and monkeys, have also been used to generate animal HD models. This review focuses on the different features of commonly used transgenic HD mouse models as well as transgenic large animal models of HD, and also discusses how to use them to identify potential therapeutics. Since HD shares many pathological features with other neurodegenerative diseases, identification of therapies for HD would also help to develop effective treatment for different neurodegenerative diseases that are also caused by protein misfolding and occur in an age-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renbao Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xudong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Shihua Li
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xiao-Jiang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China ; Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Anjomani Virmouni S, Ezzatizadeh V, Sandi C, Sandi M, Al-Mahdawi S, Chutake Y, Pook MA. A novel GAA-repeat-expansion-based mouse model of Friedreich's ataxia. Dis Model Mech 2015; 8:225-35. [PMID: 25681319 PMCID: PMC4348561 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.018952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a GAA repeat expansion mutation within intron 1 of the FXN gene, resulting in reduced levels of frataxin protein. We have previously reported the generation of human FXN yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) transgenic FRDA mouse models containing 90-190 GAA repeats, but the presence of multiple GAA repeats within these mice is considered suboptimal. We now describe the cellular, molecular and behavioural characterisation of a newly developed YAC transgenic FRDA mouse model, designated YG8sR, which we have shown by DNA sequencing to contain a single pure GAA repeat expansion. The founder YG8sR mouse contained 120 GAA repeats but, due to intergenerational expansion, we have now established a colony of YG8sR mice that contain ~200 GAA repeats. We show that YG8sR mice have a single copy of the FXN transgene, which is integrated at a single site as confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis of metaphase and interphase chromosomes. We have identified significant behavioural deficits, together with a degree of glucose intolerance and insulin hypersensitivity, in YG8sR FRDA mice compared with control Y47R and wild-type (WT) mice. We have also detected increased somatic GAA repeat instability in the brain and cerebellum of YG8sR mice, together with significantly reduced expression of FXN, FAST-1 and frataxin, and reduced aconitase activity, compared with Y47R mice. Furthermore, we have confirmed the presence of pathological vacuoles within neurons of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of YG8sR mice. These novel GAA-repeat-expansion-based YAC transgenic FRDA mice, which exhibit progressive FRDA-like pathology, represent an excellent model for the investigation of FRDA disease mechanisms and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Anjomani Virmouni
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Vahid Ezzatizadeh
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Chiranjeevi Sandi
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Madhavi Sandi
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Sahar Al-Mahdawi
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Yogesh Chutake
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Genetics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Mark A Pook
- Ataxia Research Group, Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
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Indersmitten T, Tran CH, Cepeda C, Levine MS. Altered excitatory and inhibitory inputs to striatal medium-sized spiny neurons and cortical pyramidal neurons in the Q175 mouse model of Huntington's disease. J Neurophysiol 2015; 113:2953-66. [PMID: 25673747 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01056.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Q175 knockin mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD) carries a CAG trinucleotide expansion of the human mutant huntingtin allele in its native mouse genomic context and recapitulates the genotype more closely than transgenic models. In this study we examined the progression of changes in intrinsic membrane properties and excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, using whole cell patch-clamp recordings of medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs) in the dorsolateral striatum and cortical pyramidal neurons (CPNs) in layers 2/3 of the primary motor cortex in brain slices from heterozygous (Q175(+/-)) and homozygous (Q175(+/+)) mice. Input resistance in MSNs from Q175(+/+) and Q175(+/-) mice was significantly increased compared with wild-type (WT) littermates beginning at 2 mo. Furthermore, the frequency of spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) was significantly reduced in MSNs from Q175(+/+) and Q175(+/-) mice compared with WTs beginning at 7 mo. In contrast, the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) and IPSC-to-EPSC ratios were increased in MSNs from Q175(+/+) mice beginning at 2 mo. Morphologically, significant decreases in spine density of MSNs from Q175(+/-) and Q175(+/+) mice occurred at 7 and 12 mo. In CPNs, sIPSC frequencies and IPSC-to-EPSC ratios were significantly increased in Q175(+/-) mice compared with WTs at 12 mo. There were no changes in intrinsic membrane properties or morphology. In summary, we show a number of alterations in electrophysiological and morphological properties of MSNs in Q175 mice that are similar to other HD mouse models. However, unlike other models, CPN inhibitory activity is increased in Q175(+/-) mice, indicating reduced cortical excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Indersmitten
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Conny H Tran
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Carlos Cepeda
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Michael S Levine
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California
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Age-, tissue- and length-dependent bidirectional somatic CAG•CTG repeat instability in an allelic series of R6/2 Huntington disease mice. Neurobiol Dis 2015; 76:98-111. [PMID: 25662336 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2015.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2014] [Revised: 11/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The expansion of simple sequence CAG•CTG repeats is associated with a number of inherited disorders including Huntington disease (HD), myotonic dystrophy type 1 and several of the spinocerebellar ataxias. Inherited disease-associated alleles usually exceed 40 repeats and may be in excess of 1,000 repeats in some disorders. Inherited allele length is inversely proportional to age at onset, and frequent germline expansions account for the striking anticipation observed in affected families. Expanded disease associated alleles are also somatically unstable via a pathway that is age dependent and tissue specific, and also appears to be expansion biased. Somatic expansions are thought to contribute toward both tissue specificity and disease progression. Here we have examined the somatic mutational dynamics in brain and peripheral tissues from an allelic series of R6/2 HD transgenic mice inheriting from 52 to >700 CAG repeats. We found age-dependent, tissue-specific somatic instability, with particularly large expansions observed in the striatum and cortex. We also found a positive increase in somatic instability with increasing allele length. Surprisingly, however, the degree of somatic variation did not increase in a linear fashion, but leveled off with increasing allele length. Most unexpectedly, the almost exclusive bias toward the accumulation of expansions observed in mice inheriting smaller alleles was lost, and a high frequency of large somatic contractions was observed in mice inheriting very large alleles (>500 repeats). These data highlight the bidirectional nature of CAG•CTG repeat instability and the subtle balance that exists between expansion and contraction in vivo. Defining the dynamics and tissue specificity of expansion and contraction is important for understanding the role of genetic instability in pathophysiology and in particular the development of novel therapies based on suppressing expansions and/or promoting contractions.
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Hess EJ, Jinnah H. Mouse Models of Dystonia. Mov Disord 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-405195-9.00027-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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Ramani B, Harris GM, Huang R, Seki T, Murphy GG, Costa MDC, Fischer S, Saunders TL, Xia G, McEachin RC, Paulson HL. A knockin mouse model of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 exhibits prominent aggregate pathology and aberrant splicing of the disease gene transcript. Hum Mol Genet 2014; 24:1211-24. [PMID: 25320121 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddu532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine diseases, including spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), are caused by CAG repeat expansions that encode abnormally long glutamine repeats in the respective disease proteins. While the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration remain uncertain, evidence supports a proteotoxic role for the mutant protein dictated in part by the specific genetic and protein context. To further define pathogenic mechanisms in SCA3, we generated a mouse model in which a CAG expansion of 82 repeats was inserted into the murine locus by homologous recombination. SCA3 knockin mice exhibit region-specific aggregate pathology marked by intranuclear accumulation of the mutant Atxn3 protein, abundant nuclear inclusions and, in select brain regions, extranuclear aggregates localized to neuritic processes. Knockin mice also display altered splicing of the disease gene, promoting expression of an alternative isoform in which the intron immediately downstream of the CAG repeat is retained. In an independent mouse model expressing the full human ATXN3 disease gene, expression of this alternatively spliced transcript is also enhanced. These results, together with recent findings in other polyglutamine diseases, suggest that CAG repeat expansions can promote aberrant splicing to produce potentially more aggregate-prone isoforms of the disease proteins. This report of a SCA3 knockin mouse expands the repertoire of existing models of SCA3, and underscores the potential contribution of alternative splicing to disease pathogenesis in SCA3 and other polyglutamine disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biswarathan Ramani
- Department of Neurology, Medical Scientist Training Program and Neuroscience Graduate Program
| | - Ginny M Harris
- Medical Scientist Training and Cellular and Molecular Biology Graduate Programs, University of Iowa College of Medicine, IA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Guangbin Xia
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Richard C McEachin
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, MI, USA
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Im W, Lee ST, Chu K, Kim M, Roh JK. Stem Cells Transplantation and Huntington's Disease. Int J Stem Cells 2014; 2:102-8. [PMID: 24855528 DOI: 10.15283/ijsc.2009.2.2.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/19/2008] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive and devastating neurodegenerative disorder that results in movement abnormalities, cognitive impairments, dementia, and affective disturbances. As no proven medical therapy for this genetic disease is currently available, symptoms mitigation is the primary treatment for HD. Stem cells can play an important role in cell therapy therapeutic strategies to replace dysfunctional or dying cells in HD. Here, we present a brief overview of the current state of stem cells therapy and of the results obtained in animal models of HD, and discuss neuro-protective approaches that utilize stem cells-derived paracrine factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wooseok Im
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - Soon-Tae Lee
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea ; Program in Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute of SNUMRC, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kon Chu
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea ; Program in Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute of SNUMRC, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Manho Kim
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea ; Program in Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute of SNUMRC, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jae-Kyu Roh
- Department of Neurology, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea ; Program in Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute of SNUMRC, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
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A broad phenotypic screen identifies novel phenotypes driven by a single mutant allele in Huntington's disease CAG knock-in mice. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80923. [PMID: 24278347 PMCID: PMC3838378 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG trinucleotide repeat in the HTT gene encoding huntingtin. The disease has an insidious course, typically progressing over 10-15 years until death. Currently there is no effective disease-modifying therapy. To better understand the HD pathogenic process we have developed genetic HTT CAG knock-in mouse models that accurately recapitulate the HD mutation in man. Here, we describe results of a broad, standardized phenotypic screen in 10-46 week old heterozygous HdhQ111 knock-in mice, probing a wide range of physiological systems. The results of this screen revealed a number of behavioral abnormalities in HdhQ111/+ mice that include hypoactivity, decreased anxiety, motor learning and coordination deficits, and impaired olfactory discrimination. The screen also provided evidence supporting subtle cardiovascular, lung, and plasma metabolite alterations. Importantly, our results reveal that a single mutant HTT allele in the mouse is sufficient to elicit multiple phenotypic abnormalities, consistent with a dominant disease process in patients. These data provide a starting point for further investigation of several organ systems in HD, for the dissection of underlying pathogenic mechanisms and for the identification of reliable phenotypic endpoints for therapeutic testing.
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Dysregulation of synaptic proteins, dendritic spine abnormalities and pathological plasticity of synapses as experience-dependent mediators of cognitive and psychiatric symptoms in Huntington’s disease. Neuroscience 2013; 251:66-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2012] [Revised: 05/11/2012] [Accepted: 05/16/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Tomé S, Manley K, Simard JP, Clark GW, Slean MM, Swami M, Shelbourne PF, Tillier ERM, Monckton DG, Messer A, Pearson CE. MSH3 polymorphisms and protein levels affect CAG repeat instability in Huntington's disease mice. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003280. [PMID: 23468640 PMCID: PMC3585117 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 12/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Expansions of trinucleotide CAG/CTG repeats in somatic tissues are thought to contribute to ongoing disease progression through an affected individual's life with Huntington's disease or myotonic dystrophy. Broad ranges of repeat instability arise between individuals with expanded repeats, suggesting the existence of modifiers of repeat instability. Mice with expanded CAG/CTG repeats show variable levels of instability depending upon mouse strain. However, to date the genetic modifiers underlying these differences have not been identified. We show that in liver and striatum the R6/1 Huntington's disease (HD) (CAG)∼100 transgene, when present in a congenic C57BL/6J (B6) background, incurred expansion-biased repeat mutations, whereas the repeat was stable in a congenic BALB/cByJ (CBy) background. Reciprocal congenic mice revealed the Msh3 gene as the determinant for the differences in repeat instability. Expansion bias was observed in congenic mice homozygous for the B6 Msh3 gene on a CBy background, while the CAG tract was stabilized in congenics homozygous for the CBy Msh3 gene on a B6 background. The CAG stabilization was as dramatic as genetic deficiency of Msh2. The B6 and CBy Msh3 genes had identical promoters but differed in coding regions and showed strikingly different protein levels. B6 MSH3 variant protein is highly expressed and associated with CAG expansions, while the CBy MSH3 variant protein is expressed at barely detectable levels, associating with CAG stability. The DHFR protein, which is divergently transcribed from a promoter shared by the Msh3 gene, did not show varied levels between mouse strains. Thus, naturally occurring MSH3 protein polymorphisms are modifiers of CAG repeat instability, likely through variable MSH3 protein stability. Since evidence supports that somatic CAG instability is a modifier and predictor of disease, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that variable levels of CAG instability associated with polymorphisms of DNA repair genes may have prognostic implications for various repeat-associated diseases. The genetic instability of repetitive DNA sequences in particular genes can lead to numerous neurodegenerative, neurological, and neuromuscular diseases. These diseases show progressively increasing severity of symptoms through the life of the affected individual, a phenomenon that is linked with increasing instability of the repeated sequences as the person ages. There is variability in the levels of this instability between individuals—the source of this variability is unknown. We have shown in a mouse model of repeat instability that small differences in a certain DNA repair gene, MSH3, whose protein is known to fix broken DNA, can lead to variable levels of repeat instability. These DNA repair variants lead to different repair protein levels, where lower levels lead to reduced repeat instability. Our findings reveal that such naturally occurring variations in DNA repair genes in affected humans may serve as a predictor of disease progression. Moreover, our findings support the concept that pharmacological reduction of MSH3 protein should reduce repeat instability and disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Tomé
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kevin Manley
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Jodie P. Simard
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Greg W. Clark
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Campbell Family Institute for Cancer Research, Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meghan M. Slean
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Meera Swami
- Institute of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Peggy F. Shelbourne
- Institute of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Elisabeth R. M. Tillier
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Campbell Family Institute for Cancer Research, Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Darren G. Monckton
- Institute of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Anne Messer
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, New York, United States of America
| | - Christopher E. Pearson
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Hubener J, Weber JJ, Richter C, Honold L, Weiss A, Murad F, Breuer P, Wullner U, Bellstedt P, Paquet-Durand F, Takano J, Saido TC, Riess O, Nguyen HP. Calpain-mediated ataxin-3 cleavage in the molecular pathogenesis of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). Hum Mol Genet 2013; 22:508-518. [DOI: 10.1093/hmg/dds449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
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Figiel M, Szlachcic WJ, Switonski PM, Gabka A, Krzyzosiak WJ. Mouse models of polyglutamine diseases: review and data table. Part I. Mol Neurobiol 2012; 46:393-429. [PMID: 22956270 PMCID: PMC3461215 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-012-8315-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2012] [Accepted: 07/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders share many similarities, such as a common mutation type in unrelated human causative genes, neurological character, and certain aspects of pathogenesis, including morphological and physiological neuronal alterations. The similarities in pathogenesis have been confirmed by findings that some experimental in vivo therapy approaches are effective in multiple models of polyQ disorders. Additionally, mouse models of polyQ diseases are often highly similar between diseases with respect to behavior and the features of the disease. The common features shared by polyQ mouse models may facilitate the investigation of polyQ disorders and may help researchers explore the mechanisms of these diseases in a broader context. To provide this context and to promote the understanding of polyQ disorders, we have collected and analyzed research data about the characterization and treatment of mouse models of polyQ diseases and organized them into two complementary Excel data tables. The data table that is presented in this review (Part I) covers the behavioral, molecular, cellular, and anatomic characteristics of polyQ mice and contains the most current knowledge about polyQ mouse models. The structure of this data table is designed in such a way that it can be filtered to allow for the immediate retrieval of the data corresponding to a single mouse model or to compare the shared and unique aspects of many polyQ models. The second data table, which is presented in another publication (Part II), covers therapeutic research in mouse models by summarizing all of the therapeutic strategies employed in the treatment of polyQ disorders, phenotypes that are used to examine the effects of the therapy, and therapeutic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciej Figiel
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznan, Poland.
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Brooks S, Higgs G, Jones L, Dunnett SB. Longitudinal analysis of the behavioural phenotype in HdhQ92 Huntington's disease knock-in mice. Brain Res Bull 2012; 88:148-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2010] [Revised: 04/27/2010] [Accepted: 05/02/2010] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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50
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Brooks S, Higgs G, Janghra N, Jones L, Dunnett SB. Longitudinal analysis of the behavioural phenotype in YAC128 (C57BL/6J) Huntington's disease transgenic mice. Brain Res Bull 2012; 88:113-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2010] [Revised: 04/27/2010] [Accepted: 05/02/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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