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Assis-de-Lemos G, Moura-do-Nascimento R, Amaral-do-Nascimento M, Miceli AC, Vieira TCRG. Interactions between Cytokines and the Pathogenesis of Prion Diseases: Insights and Implications. Brain Sci 2024; 14:413. [PMID: 38790392 PMCID: PMC11117815 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14050413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), including prion diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow Disease) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, pose unique challenges to the scientific and medical communities due to their infectious nature, neurodegenerative effects, and the absence of a cure. Central to the progression of TSEs is the conversion of the normal cellular prion protein (PrPC) into its infectious scrapie form (PrPSc), leading to neurodegeneration through a complex interplay involving the immune system. This review elucidates the current understanding of the immune response in prion diseases, emphasizing the dual role of the immune system in both propagating and mitigating the disease through mechanisms such as glial activation, cytokine release, and blood-brain barrier dynamics. We highlight the differential cytokine profiles associated with various prion strains and stages of disease, pointing towards the potential for cytokines as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Immunomodulatory strategies are discussed as promising avenues for mitigating neuroinflammation and delaying disease progression. This comprehensive examination of the immune response in TSEs not only advances our understanding of these enigmatic diseases but also sheds light on broader neuroinflammatory processes, offering hope for future therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Tuane C. R. G. Vieira
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis and National Institute of Science and Technology for Structural Biology and Bioimaging, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil; (G.A.-d.-L.); (R.M.-d.-N.); (M.A.-d.-N.); (A.C.M.)
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Garcés M, Guijarro IM, Ritchie DL, Badiola JJ, Monzón M. Novel Morphological Glial Alterations in the Spectrum of Prion Disease Types: A Focus on Common Findings. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10050596. [PMID: 34068251 PMCID: PMC8153175 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10050596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Human prion diseases are a group of rare fatal neurodegenerative diseases with sporadic, genetic, and acquired forms. They are neuropathologically characterized by pathological prion protein accumulation, neuronal death, and vacuolation. Classical immunological response has long been known not to play a major in prion diseases; however, gliosis is known to be a common feature although variable in extent and poorly described. In this investigation, astrogliosis and activated microglia in two brain regions were assessed and compared with non-neurologically affected patients in a representative sample across the spectrum of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) forms and subtypes in order to analyze the influence of prion strain on pathological processes. In this report, we choose to focus on features common to all CJD types rather than the diversity among them. Novel pathological changes in both glial cell types were found to be shared by all CJD types. Microglial activation correlated to astrogliosis. Spongiosis, but not pathological prion protein deposition, correlated to both astrogliosis and microgliosis. At the ultrastructural level, astrocytic glial filaments correlated with pathological changes associated with prion disease. These observations confirm that neuroglia play a prominent role in the neurodegenerative process of prion diseases, regardless of the causative prion type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moisés Garcés
- Research Centre for Encephalopathies and Transmissible Emerging Diseases, Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS), University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; (M.G.); (I.M.G.); (J.J.B.)
| | - Isabel M. Guijarro
- Research Centre for Encephalopathies and Transmissible Emerging Diseases, Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS), University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; (M.G.); (I.M.G.); (J.J.B.)
| | - Diane L. Ritchie
- National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK;
| | - Juan J. Badiola
- Research Centre for Encephalopathies and Transmissible Emerging Diseases, Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS), University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; (M.G.); (I.M.G.); (J.J.B.)
| | - Marta Monzón
- Research Centre for Encephalopathies and Transmissible Emerging Diseases, Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS), University of Zaragoza, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain; (M.G.); (I.M.G.); (J.J.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-976-762944
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Short and sweet: How glycans impact prion conversion, cofactor interactions, and cross-species transmission. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009123. [PMID: 33444414 PMCID: PMC7808606 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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González-Sanmiguel J, Schuh CMAP, Muñoz-Montesino C, Contreras-Kallens P, Aguayo LG, Aguayo S. Complex Interaction between Resident Microbiota and Misfolded Proteins: Role in Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration. Cells 2020; 9:E2476. [PMID: 33203002 PMCID: PMC7697492 DOI: 10.3390/cells9112476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) are brain conditions affecting millions of people worldwide. These diseases are associated with the presence of amyloid-β (Aβ), alpha synuclein (α-Syn) and prion protein (PrP) depositions in the brain, respectively, which lead to synaptic disconnection and subsequent progressive neuronal death. Although considerable progress has been made in elucidating the pathogenesis of these diseases, the specific mechanisms of their origins remain largely unknown. A body of research suggests a potential association between host microbiota, neuroinflammation and dementia, either directly due to bacterial brain invasion because of barrier leakage and production of toxins and inflammation, or indirectly by modulating the immune response. In the present review, we focus on the emerging topics of neuroinflammation and the association between components of the human microbiota and the deposition of Aβ, α-Syn and PrP in the brain. Special focus is given to gut and oral bacteria and biofilms and to the potential mechanisms associating microbiome dysbiosis and toxin production with neurodegeneration. The roles of neuroinflammation, protein misfolding and cellular mediators in membrane damage and increased permeability are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christina M. A. P. Schuh
- Centro de Medicina Regenerativa, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7710162, Chile; (C.M.A.P.S.); (P.C.-K.)
| | - Carola Muñoz-Montesino
- Department of Physiology, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (J.G.-S.); (C.M.-M.)
| | - Pamina Contreras-Kallens
- Centro de Medicina Regenerativa, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago 7710162, Chile; (C.M.A.P.S.); (P.C.-K.)
| | - Luis G. Aguayo
- Department of Physiology, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile; (J.G.-S.); (C.M.-M.)
- Program on Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4070386, Chile
| | - Sebastian Aguayo
- School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Schools of Engineering, Medicine and Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
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Microglia in Prion Diseases: Angels or Demons? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21207765. [PMID: 33092220 PMCID: PMC7589037 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are rare transmissible neurodegenerative disorders caused by the accumulation of a misfolded isoform (PrPSc) of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) in the central nervous system (CNS). Neuropathological hallmarks of prion diseases are neuronal loss, astrogliosis, and enhanced microglial proliferation and activation. As immune cells of the CNS, microglia participate both in the maintenance of the normal brain physiology and in driving the neuroinflammatory response to acute or chronic (e.g., neurodegenerative disorders) insults. Microglia involvement in prion diseases, however, is far from being clearly understood. During this review, we summarize and discuss controversial findings, both in patient and animal models, suggesting a neuroprotective role of microglia in prion disease pathogenesis and progression, or—conversely—a microglia-mediated exacerbation of neurotoxicity in later stages of disease. We also will consider the active participation of PrPC in microglial functions, by discussing previous reports, but also by presenting unpublished results that support a role for PrPC in cytokine secretion by activated primary microglia.
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Region-specific glial homeostatic signature in prion diseases is replaced by a uniform neuroinflammation signature, common for brain regions and prion strains with different cell tropism. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 137:104783. [PMID: 32001329 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic neuroinflammation is recognized as a major neuropathological hallmark in a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Frontal Temporal Dementia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and prion diseases. Both microglia and astrocytes exhibit region-specific homeostatic transcriptional identities, which under chronic neurodegeneration, transform into reactive phenotypes in a region- and disease-specific manner. Little is known about region-specific identity of glia in prion diseases. The current study was designed to determine whether the region-specific homeostatic signature of glia changes with the progression of prion diseases, and whether these changes occur in a region-dependent or universal manner. Also of interest was whether different prion strains give rise to different reactive phenotypes. To answer these questions, we analyzed gene expression in the thalamus, cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus of mice infected with 22L and ME7 prion strains using a Nanostring Neuroinflammation panel at the subclinical, early clinical and advanced stages of the disease. We found that at the preclinical stage of the disease, the region-specific homeostatic identities were preserved. However, with the appearance of clinical signs, the region-specific signatures were partially lost and replaced with a neuroinflammation signature. While the same sets of genes were activated by both prion strains, the timing of neuroinflammation and the degree of activation in different brain regions was strain-specific. Changes in astrocyte function scored at the top of the activated pathways. Moreover, clustering analysis suggested that the astrocyte function pathway responded to prion infection prior to the Activated Microglia or Neuron and Neurotransmission pathways. The current work established neuroinflammation gene expression signature associated with prion diseases. Our results illustrate that with the disease progression, the region-specific homeostatic transcriptome signatures are replaced by the region-independent neuroinflammation signature, which is common for prion strains with different cell tropism. The prion-associated neuroinflammation signature identified in the current study overlapped only partially with the microglia degenerative phenotype and the disease-associated microglia phenotype reported for animal models of other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Abu-Rumeileh S, Steinacker P, Polischi B, Mammana A, Bartoletti-Stella A, Oeckl P, Baiardi S, Zenesini C, Huss A, Cortelli P, Capellari S, Otto M, Parchi P. CSF biomarkers of neuroinflammation in distinct forms and subtypes of neurodegenerative dementia. Alzheimers Res Ther 2019; 12:2. [PMID: 31892365 PMCID: PMC6937795 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-019-0562-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In neurodegenerative dementias (NDs) such as prion disease, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), protein misfolding leads to the tissue deposition of protein aggregates which, in turn, trigger neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers have the potential to reflect different aspects of these phenomena across distinct clinicopathological subtypes and disease stages. METHODS We investigated CSF glial markers, namely chitotriosidase 1 (CHIT1), chitinase-3-like protein 1 (YKL-40) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in prion disease subtypes (n = 101), AD (n = 40), clinicopathological subgroups of FTLD (n = 72), and controls (n = 40) using validated, commercially available ELISA assays. We explored glial biomarker levels' associations with disease variables and neurodegenerative CSF biomarkers and evaluated their diagnostic accuracy. The genotype of the CHIT1 rs3831317 polymorphic site was also analyzed. RESULTS Each ND group showed increased levels of CHIT1, YKL-40, and GFAP compared to controls with a difference between prion disease and AD or FTLD limited to YKL-40, which showed higher values in the former group. CHIT1 levels were reduced in both heterozygotes and homozygotes for the CHIT1 24-bp duplication (rs3831317) in FTLD and controls, but this effect was less significant in AD and prion disease. After stratification according to molecular subgroups, we demonstrated (i) an upregulation of all glial markers in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease VV2 compared to other disease subtypes, (ii) a difference in CHIT1 levels between FTLD with TAU and TDP43 pathology, and (iii) a marked increase of YKL-40 in FTLD with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in comparison with FTLD without ALS. In prion disease, glial markers correlated with disease stage and were already elevated in one pre-symptomatic case of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. Regarding the diagnostic value, YKL-40 was the only glial marker that showed a moderate accuracy in the distinction between controls and NDs. CONCLUSIONS NDs share a CSF profile characterized by increased levels of CSF CHIT1, YKL-40, and GFAP, which likely reflects a common neuroinflammatory response to protein misfolding and aggregation. CSF glial markers of neuroinflammation demonstrate limited diagnostic value but have some potential for monitoring the clinical and, possibly, preclinical phases of NDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Abu-Rumeileh
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Petra Steinacker
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University Hospital, 89073 Ulm, Germany
| | - Barbara Polischi
- Ospedale Bellaria, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Mammana
- Ospedale Bellaria, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Anna Bartoletti-Stella
- Ospedale Bellaria, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Patrick Oeckl
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University Hospital, 89073 Ulm, Germany
| | - Simone Baiardi
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Corrado Zenesini
- Ospedale Bellaria, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - André Huss
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University Hospital, 89073 Ulm, Germany
| | - Pietro Cortelli
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
- Ospedale Bellaria, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabina Capellari
- Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
- Ospedale Bellaria, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
| | - Markus Otto
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University Hospital, 89073 Ulm, Germany
| | - Piero Parchi
- Ospedale Bellaria, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, 40139 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Experimental Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
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Makarava N, Chang JCY, Kushwaha R, Baskakov IV. Region-Specific Response of Astrocytes to Prion Infection. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1048. [PMID: 31649496 PMCID: PMC6794343 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic neuroinflammation involves reactive microgliosis and astrogliosis, and is regarded as a common pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and prion diseases. Reactive astrogliosis, routinely observed immunohistochemically as an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) signal, is a well-documented feature of chronic neuroinflammation associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies on single-cell transcriptional profiling of a mouse brain revealed that, under normal conditions, several distinct subtypes of astrocytes with regionally specialized distribution exist. However, it remains unclear whether astrocytic response to pro-inflammatory pathological conditions is uniform across whole brain or is region-specific. The current study compares the response of microglia and astrocytes to prions in mice infected with 22L mouse-adapted prion strain. While the intensity of reactive microgliosis correlated well with the extent of PrPSc deposition, reactive astrogliosis displayed a different, region-specific pattern. In particular, the thalamus and stratum oriens of hippocampus, which are both affected by 22L prions, displayed strikingly different response of astrocytes to PrPSc. Astrocytes in stratum oriens of hippocampus responded to accumulation of PrPSc with visible hypertrophy and increased GFAP, while in the thalamus, despite stronger PrPSc signal, the increase of GFAP was milder than in hippocampus, and the change in astrocyte morphology was less pronounced. The current study suggests that astrocyte response to prion infection is heterogeneous and, in part, defined by brain region. Moreover, the current work emphasizes the needs for elucidating region-specific changes in functional states of astrocytes and exploring the impact of these changes to chronic neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natallia Makarava
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jennifer Chen-Yu Chang
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Rajesh Kushwaha
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ilia V Baskakov
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Di Fede G, Giaccone G, Salmona M, Tagliavini F. Translational Research in Alzheimer's and Prion Diseases. J Alzheimers Dis 2019; 62:1247-1259. [PMID: 29172000 PMCID: PMC5869996 DOI: 10.3233/jad-170770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Translational neuroscience integrates the knowledge derived by basic neuroscience with the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools that may be applied to clinical practice in neurological diseases. This information can be used to improve clinical trial designs and outcomes that will accelerate drug development, and to discover novel biomarkers which can be efficiently employed to early recognize neurological disorders and provide information regarding the effects of drugs on the underlying disease biology. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and prion disease are two classes of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by incomplete knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying their occurrence and the lack of valid biomarkers and effective treatments. For these reasons, the design of therapies that prevent or delay the onset, slow the progression, or improve the symptoms associated to these disorders is urgently needed. During the last few decades, translational research provided a framework for advancing development of new diagnostic devices and promising disease-modifying therapies for patients with prion encephalopathies and AD. In this review, we provide present evidence of how supportive can be the translational approach to the study of dementias and show some results of our preclinical studies which have been translated to the clinical application following the ‘bed-to-bench-and-back’ research model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Di Fede
- IRCCS Foundation "Carlo Besta" Neurological Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- IRCCS Foundation "Carlo Besta" Neurological Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- IRCCS Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche "Mario Negri", Milan, Italy
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Sikorska B, Gajos A, Bogucki A, Zielonka E, Sigurdson C, Liberski PP. Electron microscopic and confocal laser microscopy analysis of amyloid plaques in chronic wasting disease transmitted to transgenic mice. Prion 2019; 11:431-439. [PMID: 29105545 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2017.1384109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We report here on the ultrastructure of amyloid plaques in chronic wasting disease (CWD) transmitted to Tg20 transgenic mice overexpressing prion protein (PrPc). We identified three main types of amyloid deposits in mCWD: large amyloid deposits, unicentric plaques similar to kuru plaques in human prion diseases and multicentric plaques reminiscent of plaques typical of GSS. The most unique type of plaques were large subpial amyloid deposits. They were composed of large areas of amyloid fibrils but did not form "star-like" appearances of unicentric plaques. All types of plaques were totally devoid of dystrophic neuritic elements. However, numerous microglial cells invaded them. The plaques observed by confocal laser microscope were of the same types as those analyzed by electron microscopy. Neuronal processes surrounding the plaques did not show typical features of neuroaxonal dystrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Sikorska
- a Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Agata Gajos
- b Department of Extrapyramidal Diseases , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Andrzej Bogucki
- b Department of Extrapyramidal Diseases , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Emil Zielonka
- a Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
| | - Christina Sigurdson
- c Center for Veterinary Sciences and Comparative Medicine , University of California , San Diego , United States of America
| | - Pawel P Liberski
- a Department of Molecular Pathology and Neuropathology , Medical University of Lodz , Kosciuszki 4 st, Lodz , Poland
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Inflammatory response of microglia to prions is controlled by sialylation of PrP Sc. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11326. [PMID: 30054538 PMCID: PMC6063910 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29720-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is recognized as one of the obligatory pathogenic features of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or prion diseases. In prion diseases, space and time correlations between deposition of disease-associated, pathogenic form of the prion protein or PrPSc and microglial-mediated neuroinflammation has been established. Yet, it remains unclear whether activation of microglia is triggered directly by a contact with PrPSc, and what molecular features of PrPSc microglia sense and respond to that drive microglia to inflammatory states. The current study asked the questions whether PrPSc can directly trigger activation of microglia and whether the degree of microglia response depends on the nature of terminal carbohydrate groups on the surface of PrPSc particles. PrPSc was purified from brains of mice infected with mouse-adapted prion strain 22L or neuroblastoma N2a cells stably infected with 22L. BV2 microglial cells or primary microglia were cultured in the presence of purified 22L. We found that exposure of BV2 cells or primary microglia to purified PrPSc triggered proinflammatory responses characterized by an increase in the levels of TNFα, IL6, nitric oxide (NO) and expression of inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS). Very similar patterns of inflammatory response were induced by PrPSc purified from mouse brains and neuroblastoma cells arguing that microglia response is independent of the source of PrPSc. To test whether the microglial response is mediated by carbohydrate epitopes on PrPSc surface, the levels of sialylation of PrPSc N-linked glycans was altered by treatment of purified PrPSc with neuraminidase. Partial cleavage of sialic acid residues was found to boost the inflammatory response of microglia to PrPSc. Moreover, transient degradation of Iκβα observed upon treatment with partially desialylated PrPSc suggests that canonical NFκB activation pathway is involved in inflammatory response. The current study is the first to demonstrate that PrPSc can directly trigger inflammatory response in microglia. In addition, this work provides direct evidence that the chemical nature of the carbohydrate groups on PrPSc surface is important for microglial activation.
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12
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Franceschini A, Strammiello R, Capellari S, Giese A, Parchi P. Regional pattern of microgliosis in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in relation to phenotypic variants and disease progression. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2018; 44:574-589. [PMID: 29345730 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AIMS The aim of this study was to describe the regional profiles of microglial activation in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) subtypes and analyse the influence of prion strain, disease duration and codon 129 genotype. METHODS We studied the amount/severity and distribution of activated microglia, protease-resistant prion protein (PrPSc ) spongiform change, and astrogliosis in eight regions of 57 brains, representative of the entire spectrum of sCJD subtypes. RESULTS In each individual subtype, the regional extent and distribution of microgliosis significantly correlated with PrPSc deposition and spongiform change, leading to subtype-specific 'lesion profiles'. However, large differences in the ratio between PrPSc load or the score of spongiform change and microglial activation were seen among disease subtypes. Most significantly, atypical sCJD subtypes such as VV1 and MM2T showed a degree of microglial activation comparable to other disease variants despite the relatively low PrPSc deposition and the less severe spongiform change. Moreover, the mean microglial total load was significantly higher in subtype MM1 than in MM2C, whereas the opposite was true for the PrPSc and spongiform change total loads. Finally, some sCJD subtypes showed distinctive regional cerebellar profiles of microgliosis characterized by a high granular/molecular layer ratio (MV2K) and/or a predominant involvement of white matter (MVK and MM2T). CONCLUSIONS Microglial activation is an early event in sCJD pathogenesis and is strongly influenced by prion strain, PRNP codon 129 genotype and disease duration. Microglial lesion profiling, by highlighting strain-specific properties of prions, contributes to prion strain characterization and classification of human prion diseases, and represents a valid support to molecular and histopathologic typing.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Franceschini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - R Strammiello
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - S Capellari
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.,IRCCS, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna, Italy
| | - A Giese
- Institut für Neuropathologie und Prion Forschung, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - P Parchi
- IRCCS, Institute of Neurological Sciences, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG-PET) Correlation of Histopathology and MRI in Prion Disease. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 2017; 31:1-7. [PMID: 28121634 DOI: 10.1097/wad.0000000000000188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and other prion diseases are rapidly progressive spongiform encephalopathies that are invariably fatal. Clinical features and magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram, and cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities may suggest prion disease, but a definitive diagnosis can only be made by means of neuropathologic examination. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is not routinely used to evaluate patients with suspected prion disease. This study includes 11 cases of definite prion disease in which FDG-PET scans were obtained. There were 8 sporadic CJD cases, 2 genetic CJD cases, and 1 fatal familial insomnia case. Automated FDG-PET analysis revealed parietal region hypometabolism in all cases. Surprisingly, limbic and mesolimbic hypermetabolism were also present in the majority of cases. When FDG-PET hypometabolism was compared with neuropathologic changes (neuronal loss, astrocytosis, spongiosis), hypometabolism was predictive of neuropathology in 80.6% of cortical regions versus 17.6% of subcortical regions. The odds of neuropathologic changes were 2.1 times higher in cortical regions than subcortical regions (P=0.0265). A similar discordance between cortical and subcortical regions was observed between FDG-PET hypometabolism and magnetic resonance imaging diffusion weighted imaging hyperintensity. This study shows that there may be a relationship between FDG-PET hypometabolism and neuropathology in cortical regions in prion disease but it is unlikely to be helpful for diagnosis.
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Obst J, Simon E, Mancuso R, Gomez-Nicola D. The Role of Microglia in Prion Diseases: A Paradigm of Functional Diversity. Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 9:207. [PMID: 28690540 PMCID: PMC5481309 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation is a major component of neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia are the innate immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS). In the healthy brain, microglia contribute to tissue homeostasis and regulation of synaptic plasticity. Under disease conditions, they play a key role in the development and maintenance of the neuroinflammatory response, by showing enhanced proliferation and activation. Prion diseases are progressive chronic neurodegenerative disorders associated with the accumulation of the scrapie prion protein PrPSc, a misfolded conformer of the cellular prion protein PrPC. This review article provides the current knowledge on the role of microglia in the pathogenesis of prion disease. A large body of evidence shows that microglia can trigger neurotoxic pathways contributing to progressive degeneration. Yet, microglia are also crucial for controlling inflammatory, repair and regenerative processes. This dual role of microglia is regulated by multiple pathways and evidences the ability of these cells to polarize into distinct phenotypes with characteristic functions. The awareness that the neuroinflammatory response is inextricably involved in producing tissue damage as well as repair in neurodegenerative disorders, opens new perspectives for the modulation of the immune system. A better understanding of this complex process will be essential for developing effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, in order to improve the quality of life of patients and mitigating the personal, economic and social consequences derived from these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Obst
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalSouthampton, United Kingdom
| | - Emilie Simon
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalSouthampton, United Kingdom
| | - Renzo Mancuso
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalSouthampton, United Kingdom
| | - Diego Gomez-Nicola
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalSouthampton, United Kingdom
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Iaccarino L, Moresco RM, Presotto L, Bugiani O, Iannaccone S, Giaccone G, Tagliavini F, Perani D. An In Vivo 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET and In Vitro Pathology Study of Microglia Activation in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2017; 55:2856-2868. [PMID: 28455699 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0522-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Microgliosis is part of the immunobiology of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). This is the first report using 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET imaging in vivo to measure 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) expression, indexing microglia activation, in symptomatic CJD patients, followed by a postmortem neuropathology comparison. One genetic CJD (gCJD) patient, two sporadic CJD (sCJD) patients, one variant CJD (vCJD) patient (mean ± SD age, 47.50 ± 15.95 years), and nine healthy controls (mean ± SD age, 44.00 ± 11.10 years) were included in the study. TSPO binding potentials were estimated using clustering and parametric analyses of reference regions. Statistical comparisons were run at the regional and at the voxel-wise levels. Postmortem evaluation measured scrapie prion protein (PrPSc) immunoreactivity, neuronal loss, spongiosis, astrogliosis, and microgliosis. 11C-(R)-PK11195-PET showed a significant TSPO overexpression at the cortical level in the two sCJD patients, as well as thalamic and cerebellar involvement; very limited parieto-occipital activation in the gCJD case; and significant increases at the subcortical level in the thalamus, basal ganglia, and midbrain and in the cerebellum in the vCJD brain. Along with misfolded prion deposits, neuropathology in all patients revealed neuronal loss, spongiosis and astrogliosis, and a diffuse cerebral and cerebellar microgliosis which was particularly dense in thalamic and basal ganglia structures in the vCJD brain. These findings confirm significant microgliosis in CJD, which was variably modulated in vivo and more diffuse at postmortem evaluation. Thus, TSPO overexpression in microglia activation, topography, and extent can vary in CJD subtypes, as shown in vivo, possibly related to the response to fast apoptotic processes, but reaches a large amount at the final disease course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Iaccarino
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy.,In Vivo Human Molecular and Structural Neuroimaging Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Rosa Maria Moresco
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.,IBFM-CNR, Via F.lli Cervi 93, Segrate, 20090, Milan, Italy.,Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Presotto
- In Vivo Human Molecular and Structural Neuroimaging Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy.,Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Orso Bugiani
- IRCCS Foundation "Carlo Besta" Neurological Institute, Via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Sandro Iannaccone
- Neurological Rehabilitation Unit, Clinical Neurosciences Department, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giaccone
- IRCCS Foundation "Carlo Besta" Neurological Institute, Via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- IRCCS Foundation "Carlo Besta" Neurological Institute, Via Celoria 11, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Perani
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy. .,In Vivo Human Molecular and Structural Neuroimaging Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy. .,Nuclear Medicine Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Via Olgettina 60, 20132, Milan, Italy.
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Genetic and Transcriptomic Profiles of Inflammation in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Alzheimer, Parkinson, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Tauopathies. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:206. [PMID: 26861289 PMCID: PMC4783939 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17020206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2015] [Revised: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Polymorphisms in certain inflammatory-related genes have been identified as putative differential risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases with abnormal protein aggregates, such as sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and sporadic Parkinson’s disease (sPD). Gene expression studies of cytokines and mediators of the immune response have been made in post-mortem human brain samples in AD, sPD, sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) subtypes MM1 and VV2, Pick’s disease (PiD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration linked to mutation P301L in MAPT Frontotemporal lobar degeneration-tau (FTLD-tau). The studies have disclosed variable gene regulation which is: (1) disease-dependent in the frontal cortex area 8 in AD, sPD, sCJD MM1 and VV2, PiD, PSP and FTLD-tau; (2) region-dependent as seen when comparing the entorhinal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and frontal cortex area 8 (FC) in AD; the substantia nigra, putamen, FC, and angular gyrus in PD, as well as the FC and cerebellum in sCJD; (3) genotype-dependent as seen considering sCJD MM1 and VV2; and (4) stage-dependent as seen in AD at different stages of disease progression. These observations show that regulation of inflammation is much more complicated and diverse than currently understood, and that new therapeutic approaches must be designed in order to selectively act on specific targets in particular diseases and at different time points of disease progression.
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Nuvolone M, Sorce S, Schwarz P, Aguzzi A. Prion pathogenesis in the absence of NLRP3/ASC inflammasomes. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117208. [PMID: 25671600 PMCID: PMC4324825 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of the scrapie prion protein PrPSc, a misfolded conformer of the cellular prion protein PrPC, is a crucial feature of prion diseases. In the central nervous system, this process is accompanied by conspicuous microglia activation. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multi-molecular complex which can sense heterogeneous pathogen-associated molecular patterns and culminates in the activation of caspase 1 and release of IL 1β. The NLRP3 inflammasome was reported to be essential for IL 1β release after in vitro exposure to the amyloidogenic peptide PrP106-126 and to recombinant PrP fibrils. We therefore studied the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in a mouse model of prion infection. Upon intracerebral inoculation with scrapie prions (strain RML), mice lacking NLRP3 (Nlrp3-/-) or the inflammasome adaptor protein ASC (Pycard-/-) succumbed to scrapie with attack rates and incubation times similar to wild-type mice, and developed the classic histologic and biochemical features of prion diseases. Genetic ablation of NLRP3 or ASC did not significantly impact on brain levels of IL 1β at the terminal stage of disease. Our results exclude a significant role for NLRP3 and ASC in prion pathogenesis and invalidate their claimed potential as therapeutic target against prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Nuvolone
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (AA); (MN)
| | - Silvia Sorce
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Petra Schwarz
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (AA); (MN)
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Haïk S, Marcon G, Mallet A, Tettamanti M, Welaratne A, Giaccone G, Azimi S, Pietrini V, Fabreguettes JR, Imperiale D, Cesaro P, Buffa C, Aucan C, Lucca U, Peckeu L, Suardi S, Tranchant C, Zerr I, Houillier C, Redaelli V, Vespignani H, Campanella A, Sellal F, Krasnianski A, Seilhean D, Heinemann U, Sedel F, Canovi M, Gobbi M, Di Fede G, Laplanche JL, Pocchiari M, Salmona M, Forloni G, Brandel JP, Tagliavini F. Doxycycline in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Neurol 2014; 13:150-8. [DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(13)70307-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Shi Q, Xie WL, Zhang B, Chen LN, Xu Y, Wang K, Ren K, Zhang XM, Chen C, Zhang J, Dong XP. Brain microglia were activated in sporadic CJD but almost unchanged in fatal familial insomnia and G114V genetic CJD. Virol J 2013; 10:216. [PMID: 23816234 PMCID: PMC3716817 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-10-216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Microglial activations have been described in different subtypes of human prion diseases such as sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), variant CJD, Kuru and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS). However, the situation of microglia in other genetic prion diseases such as fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and familial CJD remains less understood. The brain microglia was evaluated comparatively between the FFI, G114V and sCJD cases in the study. Methods Specific Western blots, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent assays were used to detect the changes of microglia and ELISA tests were used for levels of inflammatory cytokines. Results Western blots, immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent assays illustrated almost unchanged microglia in the temporal lobes of FFI and G114V gCJD, but obviously increased in those of sCJD. The Iba1-levels maintained comparable in six different brain regions of FFI and G114V cases, including thalamus, cingulate gyrus, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, occipital cortex and temporal cortex. ELISA tests for inflammatory cytokines revealed significantly up-regulated IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in the brain homogenates from sCJD, but not in those from FFI and G114V gCJD. Conclusion Data here demonstrates silent brain microglia in FFI and G114V gCJD but obviously increased in sCJD, which reflects various pathogenesis of different human prion diseases subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Shi
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Hangzhou), National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chang-Bai Rd 155, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
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20
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Head MW, Ironside JW. The contribution of different prion protein types and host polymorphisms to clinicopathological variations in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Rev Med Virol 2012; 22:214-29. [DOI: 10.1002/rmv.725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Revised: 10/21/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark W. Head
- The National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, School of Molecular & Clinical Medicine; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh UK
| | - James W. Ironside
- The National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit, School of Molecular & Clinical Medicine; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh UK
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21
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Effects of S100B on Serotonergic Plasticity and Neuroinflammation in the Hippocampus in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease: Studies in an S100B Overexpressing Mouse Model. Cardiovasc Psychiatry Neurol 2010; 2010. [PMID: 20827311 PMCID: PMC2933893 DOI: 10.1155/2010/153657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2010] [Revised: 06/01/2010] [Accepted: 07/02/2010] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
S100B promotes development and maturation in the mammalian brain. However, prolonged or extensive exposure can lead to neurodegeneration. Two important functions of S100B in this regard, are its role in the development and plasticity of the serotonergic neurotransmitter system, and its role in the cascade of glial changes associated with neuroinflammation. Both of these processes are therefore accelerated towards degeneration in disease processes wherein S100B is increased, notably, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Down syndrome (DS).
In order to study the role of S100B in this context, we have examined S100B overexpressing transgenic mice. Similar to AD and DS, the transgenic animals show a profound change in serotonin innervation. By 28 weeks of age, there is a significant loss of terminals in the hippocampus. Similarly, the transgenic animals show neuroinflammatory changes analogous with AD and DS. These include decreased numbers of mature, stable astroglial cells, increased numbers of activated microglial cells and increased microglial expression of the cell surface receptor RAGE. Eventually, the S100B transgenic animals show neurodegeneration and the appearance of hyperphosphorylated tau structures, as seen in late stage DS and AD. The role of S100B in these conditions is discussed.
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22
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Head MW, Ironside JW. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: discrete subtypes or a spectrum of disease? Brain 2009; 132:2627-9. [DOI: 10.1093/brain/awp225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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23
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Loss of cerebellar granule neurons is associated with punctate but not with large focal deposits of prion protein in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2009; 68:892-901. [PMID: 19606064 DOI: 10.1097/nen.0b013e3181af7f23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether aggregates of prion protein (PrP) reflect neurotoxicity or are neuroprotective in prion diseases is unclear. To address this question, we performed a clinicopathologic study of cerebellar granular neurons in 100 patients affected with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). There was significant loss of these neurons in the subset of cases with Val/Val genotype at PRNP Codon 129 and Molecular Isotype 2 of abnormal PrP (sporadic CJD-VV2) (n=32) compared with both the other CJD subtypes and to controls. Pathological PrP deposits of the punctate-type (synaptic-type) in this subgroup correlated with neuronal loss and proliferation of astrocytes and microglia. By contrast, the numbers of large deposits (5- to 50-microm-diameter) and numbers of amyloid plaques did not correlate with neuronal loss. These findings are consistent with the view that large aggregates may protect neurons by sequestering neurotoxic PrP oligomers, whereas punctate deposits may indicate the location of neuronal death processes in CJD.
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Yull HM, Ironside JW, Head MW. Further characterisation of the prion protein molecular types detectable in the NIBSC Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease brain reference materials. Biologicals 2009; 37:210-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2009.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2008] [Revised: 12/29/2008] [Accepted: 01/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Crozet C, Beranger F, Lehmann S. Cellular pathogenesis in prion diseases. Vet Res 2008; 39:44. [DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2008021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2007] [Accepted: 04/15/2008] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
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26
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Rezaie P, Al-Sarraj S. Vacuolar degeneration affecting brain macrophages/microglia in variant CJD: a report on two cases. Acta Neuropathol 2007; 114:651-8. [PMID: 17943296 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-007-0294-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2007] [Revised: 09/10/2007] [Accepted: 09/10/2007] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
We present the neuropathology of two cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) showing significant vacuolar degenerative alterations specifically affecting brain macrophages/microglia within the thalamus and, to a lesser extent, within the neocortical grey matter. Vacuolar degeneration in these cells was extensive, and likely to be associated with the development of a uniform sub-type of 'spongiform' vacuole seen in vCJD. The extensive morphological alterations described here closely resemble those very recently reported by Zucconi and colleagues, in response to experimental copper deficiency induced through dietary restriction, but could not be detected in cases of sporadic CJD examined. The significance of these novel findings are discussed in relation to copper homeostasis, loss of function of cellular prion protein and aberrant lysosomal catabolism within brain macrophages/microglia. This type of vacuolation may constitute a component of the overall profile of spongiform changes associated with vCJD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Payam Rezaie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK.
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27
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Thellung S, Corsaro A, Villa V, Venezia V, Nizzari M, Bisaglia M, Russo C, Schettini G, Aceto A, Florio T. Amino-terminally truncated prion protein PrP90-231 induces microglial activation in vitro. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2007; 1096:258-70. [PMID: 17405937 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1397.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The conversion of the prion protein (PrP) into a protease-resistant isoform (PrP(Res)) is considered the pathogenic event responsible for prion encephalopathies. Microglia activation accompanies PrP(Res) deposition representing an early event in the progression of these diseases. It is now believed that microglial cells play a worsening, if not causative, role in prion-induced neuronal death, through the release of proinflammatory and neurotoxic molecules. Indeed, in vitro observations have demonstrated that PrP(Res) and the synthetic prion fragment PrP106-126 induce neuronal death by activating microglial to migrate in the lesion area and secrete cytokines. Recently, we and others have demonstrated that the recombinant peptide, corresponding to the protease-resistant portion of PrP encompassing the amino acids 90-231 (PrP90-231), when beta-structured, is toxic for neuronal cells, in vitro. Here we report that PrP90-231 induces activation of N9 microglial cells, characterized by cell proliferation arrest and increased secretion of different cytokines (RANTES, GCSF, and IL-12). Moreover, the treatment of N9 cells with PrP90-231 elicited inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS) expression, nitric oxide release, and a delayed (15 min to 1 h of treatment) extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation/activation. Although ERK1/2 is known to regulate proliferative and differentiative events, we show that its blockade, using the specific MEK inhibitor PD98059, did not prevent PrP90-231-induced inhibition of N9 cell proliferation. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that a recombinant PrP(Res)-like peptide elicits microglial activation in vitro, thus representing a potentially important tool to develop possible therapeutic strategies to target prion-induced brain inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Thellung
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Oncology, Biology and Genetics, University of Genova, V. le Benedetto XV, 2, 16132 Genova, Italy
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Combarros O, Llorca J, Sánchez-Juan P, Mateo I, Infante J, Rodríguez E, Sánchez-Quintana C, Berciano J. Interaction between prion protein and interleukin-1A genes increases early-onset Alzheimer’s disease risk. J Neurol 2007; 254:115-7. [PMID: 17508146 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-006-0291-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2006] [Accepted: 12/05/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Abstract
In the last decade, the potential role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandins (PGs) in brain diseases has been extensively studied. COX-2 over-expression has been associated with neurotoxiticy in acute conditions, such as hypoxia/ischemia and seizures, as well as in inflammatory chronic diseases, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the role played by COX-2 in neurodegenerative diseases is still controversial and further clinical and experimental studies are warranted. In addition, the emerging role of COX-2 in behavioural and cognitive functions strongly indicates that studies aimed at improving our knowledge of the physiological role of COX-2 in the central nervous system are crucial to fully understand the pros and cons of its manipulation in disabling neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Minghetti
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Minghetti L, Pocchiari M. Cyclooxygenase-2, prostaglandin E2, and microglial activation in prion diseases. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2007; 82:265-75. [PMID: 17678966 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7742(07)82014-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Cyclooxygenase (COX) catalyzes the first committed step in the synthesis of prostaglandins (PGs) and is the main target of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The enzyme exists as constitutive (COX-1) and inducible (COX-2) isoforms, being the latter a major player in inflammation. In the brain, COX-2 expression has been associated with inflammatory and neurodegenerative processes of several human neurological diseases. Prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are a heterogeneous group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by deposition of the protease-resistant prion protein, astrocytosis, and spongiform degeneration. In addition, an extensive microglial activation supports the occurrence of local chronic inflammatory response. In experimental prion diseases, COX-2 immunoreactivity was found specifically localized to microglial cells and increased with the progression of disease, along with the number of activated microglia. The induction of COX-2 was paralleled by a substantial raise in the brain homogenate PGE(2) levels. In these models, only few scattered COX-1-positive microglia-like cells were detected, suggesting that COX-2 is the major form in prion diseases. In line with the animal models, elevated levels of PGE(2) were found in the cerebrospinal fluid of subjects affected by sporadic, genetic, or variant CJD. In sporadic CJD patients, the most numerous group of patients examined, higher CSF levels of PGE(2) were associated with shorter survival. Although the mechanisms leading to microglial COX-2 expression as well as its potential implication in prion disease pathogenesis remain to be established, PGE(2) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid might represent an important index to predict survival and disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Minghetti
- Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Degenerative and Inflammatory Neurological Diseases Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy
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