1
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Adamo G, Santonicola P, Picciotto S, Gargano P, Nicosia A, Longo V, Aloi N, Romancino DP, Paterna A, Rao E, Raccosta S, Noto R, Salamone M, Deidda I, Costa S, Di Sano C, Zampi G, Morsbach S, Landfester K, Colombo P, Wei M, Bergese P, Touzet N, Manno M, Di Schiavi E, Bongiovanni A. Extracellular vesicles from the microalga Tetraselmis chuii are biocompatible and exhibit unique bone tropism along with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Commun Biol 2024; 7:941. [PMID: 39097626 PMCID: PMC11297973 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06612-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed bio-nanoparticles secreted by cells and naturally evolved to transport various bioactive molecules between cells and even organisms. These cellular objects are considered one of the most promising bio-nanovehicles for the delivery of native and exogenous molecular cargo. However, many challenges with state-of-the-art EV-based candidates as drug carriers still exist, including issues with scalability, batch-to-batch reproducibility, and cost-sustainability of the final therapeutic formulation. Microalgal extracellular vesicles, which we named nanoalgosomes, are naturally released by various microalgal species. Here, we evaluate the innate biological properties of nanoalgosomes derived from cultures of the marine microalgae Tetraselmis chuii, using an optimized manufacturing protocol. Our investigation of nanoalgosome biocompatibility in preclinical models includes toxicological analyses, using the invertebrate model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, hematological and immunological evaluations ex vivo and in mice. We evaluate nanoalgosome cellular uptake mechanisms in C. elegans at cellular and subcellular levels, and study their biodistribution in mice with accurate space-time resolution. Further examination highlights the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities of nanoalgosomes. This holistic approach to nanoalgosome functional characterization demonstrates that they are biocompatible and innate bioactive effectors with unique bone tropism. These findings suggest that nanoalgosomes have significant potential for future therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Adamo
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Pamela Santonicola
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Sabrina Picciotto
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Paola Gargano
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Aldo Nicosia
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Valeria Longo
- Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Noemi Aloi
- Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Daniele P Romancino
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Angela Paterna
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Estella Rao
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Samuele Raccosta
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Rosina Noto
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Monica Salamone
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Irene Deidda
- Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Salvatore Costa
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Caterina Di Sano
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Zampi
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Svenja Morsbach
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP), Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Paolo Colombo
- Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Mingxing Wei
- Cellvax SAS, Villejuif Bio Park, 1 Mail du Professeur Georges Mathé, Villejuif, France
| | - Paolo Bergese
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Center for Colloid and Surface Science (CSGI), Florence, Italy
| | - Nicolas Touzet
- Department of Environmental Science, School of Science, Centre for Environmental Research, Innovation and Sustainability, CERIS, Atlantic Technological University Sligo, Sligo, Ireland
| | - Mauro Manno
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy
| | - Elia Di Schiavi
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Antonella Bongiovanni
- Cell-Tech HUB at Institute for Research and Biomedical Innovation, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Palermo, Italy.
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2
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Ng J, Barral S, Waddington SN, Kurian MA. Dopamine Transporter Deficiency Syndrome (DTDS): Expanding the Clinical Phenotype and Precision Medicine Approaches. Cells 2023; 12:1737. [PMID: 37443770 PMCID: PMC10341083 DOI: 10.3390/cells12131737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Infantile parkinsonism-dystonia due to dopamine transporter deficiency syndrome (DTDS) is an ultrarare childhood movement disorder caused by biallelic loss-of-function mutations in the SLC6A3 gene. Advances in genomic analysis have revealed an evolving spectrum of SLC6A3-related neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Since the initial clinical and genetic characterisation of DTDS in 2009, there have been thirty-one published cases with a variety of protein-truncating variants (nonsense variants, splice-site changes, and deletions) and missense changes. Amino acid substitutions result in mutant proteins with impaired dopamine transporter function due to reduced transporter activity, impaired dopamine binding, reduced cell-surface expression, and aberrant posttranslational protein modification with impaired glycosylation. In this review, we provide an overview of the expanding clinical phenotype of DTDS and the precision therapies in development, including pharmacochaperones and gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Ng
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA UCL Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London WC1E 6HX, UK; (J.N.); (S.N.W.)
- Genetic Therapy Accelerator Centre, Queens Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Serena Barral
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1DZ, UK;
| | - Simon N. Waddington
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA UCL Institute for Women’s Health, University College London, London WC1E 6HX, UK; (J.N.); (S.N.W.)
- Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
| | - Manju A. Kurian
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1DZ, UK;
- Paediatric Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London WC1N 3JH, UK
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3
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Ng J, Barral S, De La Fuente Barrigon C, Lignani G, Erdem FA, Wallings R, Privolizzi R, Rossignoli G, Alrashidi H, Heasman S, Meyer E, Ngoh A, Pope S, Karda R, Perocheau D, Baruteau J, Suff N, Antinao Diaz J, Schorge S, Vowles J, Marshall LR, Cowley SA, Sucic S, Freissmuth M, Counsell JR, Wade-Martins R, Heales SJR, Rahim AA, Bencze M, Waddington SN, Kurian MA. Gene therapy restores dopamine transporter expression and ameliorates pathology in iPSC and mouse models of infantile parkinsonism. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eaaw1564. [PMID: 34011628 PMCID: PMC7612279 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaw1564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Most inherited neurodegenerative disorders are incurable, and often only palliative treatment is available. Precision medicine has great potential to address this unmet clinical need. We explored this paradigm in dopamine transporter deficiency syndrome (DTDS), caused by biallelic loss-of-function mutations in SLC6A3, encoding the dopamine transporter (DAT). Patients present with early infantile hyperkinesia, severe progressive childhood parkinsonism, and raised cerebrospinal fluid dopamine metabolites. The absence of effective treatments and relentless disease course frequently leads to death in childhood. Using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), we generated a midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neuron model of DTDS that exhibited marked impairment of DAT activity, apoptotic neurodegeneration associated with TNFα-mediated inflammation, and dopamine toxicity. Partial restoration of DAT activity by the pharmacochaperone pifithrin-μ was mutation-specific. In contrast, lentiviral gene transfer of wild-type human SLC6A3 complementary DNA restored DAT activity and prevented neurodegeneration in all patient-derived mDA lines. To progress toward clinical translation, we used the knockout mouse model of DTDS that recapitulates human disease, exhibiting parkinsonism features, including tremor, bradykinesia, and premature death. Neonatal intracerebroventricular injection of human SLC6A3 using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector provided neuronal expression of human DAT, which ameliorated motor phenotype, life span, and neuronal survival in the substantia nigra and striatum, although off-target neurotoxic effects were seen at higher dosage. These were avoided with stereotactic delivery of AAV2.SLC6A3 gene therapy targeted to the midbrain of adult knockout mice, which rescued both motor phenotype and neurodegeneration, suggesting that targeted AAV gene therapy might be effective for patients with DTDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Ng
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
| | - Serena Barral
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK.
| | | | - Gabriele Lignani
- Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Fatma A Erdem
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
- Institute of Pharmacology and Gaston H. Glock Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Research, Centre of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rebecca Wallings
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Riccardo Privolizzi
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
| | - Giada Rossignoli
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
| | - Haya Alrashidi
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Sonja Heasman
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
| | - Esther Meyer
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
| | - Adeline Ngoh
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
| | - Simon Pope
- Neurometabolic Unit, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Rajvinder Karda
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK
| | - Dany Perocheau
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK
| | - Julien Baruteau
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Natalie Suff
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College London, London, WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Juan Antinao Diaz
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK
| | - Stephanie Schorge
- Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Jane Vowles
- James Martin Stem Cell Facility, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Lucy R Marshall
- Infection, Immunity, Inflammation, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Sally A Cowley
- James Martin Stem Cell Facility, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Sonja Sucic
- Institute of Pharmacology and Gaston H. Glock Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Research, Centre of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Freissmuth
- Institute of Pharmacology and Gaston H. Glock Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Research, Centre of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - John R Counsell
- Developmental Neurosciences, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Richard Wade-Martins
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Simon J R Heales
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
- Neurometabolic Unit, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Ahad A Rahim
- Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Maximilien Bencze
- Developmental Neurosciences, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH, UK
- University Paris Est Creteil, INSERM, IMRB, 94000 Creteil, France
| | - Simon N Waddington
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, EGA-Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, WC1E 6HX, UK.
- Wits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2193 Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Manju A Kurian
- Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, GOS-Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1DZ, UK
- Department of Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, WC1N 3JH, UK
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4
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Di Martino RMC, Pruccoli L, Bisi A, Gobbi S, Rampa A, Martinez A, Pérez C, Martinez-Gonzalez L, Paglione M, Di Schiavi E, Seghetti F, Tarozzi A, Belluti F. Novel Curcumin-Diethyl Fumarate Hybrid as a Dualistic GSK-3β Inhibitor/Nrf2 Inducer for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:2728-2740. [PMID: 32663009 PMCID: PMC8009478 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
![]()
Common
copathogenic factors, including oxidative stress and neuroinflammation,
are found to play a vital role in the development of neurodegenerative
disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s
disease (PD). Nowadays, owing to the multifactorial character of the
diseases, no effective therapies are available, thus underlying the
need for new strategies. Overexpression of the enzyme GSK-3β
and downregulation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway are responsible for a decrease
in antioxidant defense effects. These pieces of evidence underline
the usefulness of dual GSK-3β inhibitors/Nrf2 inducers. In this
regard, to design a dual modulator, the structures of a curcumin-based
analogue, as GSK-3β inhibitor, and a diethyl fumarate fragment,
as Nrf2 inducer, were combined. Among the hybrids, 5 and 6 proved to effectively inhibit GSK-3β, while 4 and 5 showed a marked ability to activate Nrf2
together to increase the neuronal resistance to oxidative stress.
These last pieces of evidence translated into specific neuroprotective
effects of 4 and 5 against PD pathological
events including neurotoxicity elicited by α-synuclein aggregates
and 6-hydroxydopamine. Hybrid 5 also showed neuroprotective
effects in a C. elegans model of PD where the activation
of GSK-3β is intimately involved in Nrf2 regulation. In summary, 5 emerged as an interesting multitarget derivative, valuable
to be exploited in a multitarget PD perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Maria Concetta Di Martino
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Letizia Pruccoli
- Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Corso d’Augusto 237, 47921 Rimini, Italy
| | - Alessandra Bisi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Silvia Gobbi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Rampa
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Ana Martinez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologica, CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Concepción Pérez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologica, CSIC, Ramiro de Maeztu 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Maria Paglione
- Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Science, National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR), Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Elia Di Schiavi
- Department of Biology, Agriculture and Food Science, National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR), Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Seghetti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Tarozzi
- Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Corso d’Augusto 237, 47921 Rimini, Italy
| | - Federica Belluti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Via Belmeloro 6, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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5
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Mazzarella N, Giangrieco I, Visone S, Santonicola P, Achenbach J, Zampi G, Tamburrini M, Di Schiavi E, Ciardiello MA. Green kiwifruit extracts protect motor neurons from death in a spinal muscular atrophy model in Caenorhabditis elegans. Food Sci Nutr 2019; 7:2327-2335. [PMID: 31367361 PMCID: PMC6657744 DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.1078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Kiwifruit is considered a functional food and a good source of nutraceuticals. Among the possible beneficial effects of kiwifruit species, a neuroprotective activity exerted in rats with learning and memory impairment induced by exposure to different chemicals was reported. We sought to investigate the neuroprotective activities of kiwifruit toward spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). To this purpose, we have used a recently developed Caenorhabditis elegans SMA model, displaying an age-dependent degeneration of motor neurons detected as locomotory defects, disappearance of fluorescent markers, and apoptotic death of targeted neurons. Although an anti-nematode activity is reported for kiwifruit, it has been verified that neither green (Actinidia deliciosa, cultivar Hayward) nor gold (Actinidia chinensis, cultivar Hort 16A) kiwifruit extracts cause detectable effects on wild-type C. elegans growth and life cycle. Conversely, green kiwifruit extracts have a clear effect on the C. elegans SMA model by partially rescuing the degeneration and death of motor neurons and the locomotion impairment. The gold species does not show the same effect. The components responsible for the neuroprotection are macromolecules with a molecular weight higher than 3 kDa, present in the green and not in the yellow kiwifruit. In conclusion, this is the first study reporting a protective activity of green kiwifruit toward motor neurons. In addition, we demonstrate that C. elegans is an animal model suitable to study the biological activities contained in kiwifruit. Therefore, this model can be exploited for future investigations aimed at identifying kiwifruit molecules with potential applications in the field of human health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Serena Visone
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResourcesCNRNaplesItaly
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6
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Lanzo A, Safratowich BD, Kudumala SR, Gallotta I, Zampi G, Di Schiavi E, Carvelli L. Silencing of Syntaxin 1A in the Dopaminergic Neurons Decreases the Activity of the Dopamine Transporter and Prevents Amphetamine-Induced Behaviors in C. elegans. Front Physiol 2018; 9:576. [PMID: 29872404 PMCID: PMC5972276 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a cell membrane protein whose main function is to reuptake the dopamine (DA) released in the synaptic cleft back into the dopaminergic neurons. Previous studies suggested that the activity of DAT is regulated by allosteric proteins such as Syntaxin-1A and is altered by drugs of abuse such as amphetamine (Amph). Because Caenorhabditis elegans expresses both DAT (DAT-1) and Syntaxin-1A (UNC-64), we used this model system to investigate the functional and behavioral effects caused by lack of expression of unc-64 in cultured dopaminergic neurons and in living animals. Using an inheritable RNA silencing technique, we were able to knockdown unc-64 specifically in the dopaminergic neurons. This cell-specific knockdown approach avoids the pleiotropic phenotypes caused by knockout mutations of unc-64 and ensures the transmission of dopaminergic specific unc-64 silencing to the progeny. We found that, similarly to dat-1 knockouts and dat-1 silenced lines, animals with reduced unc-64 expression in the dopaminergic neurons did not respond to Amph treatment when tested for locomotor behaviors. Our in vitro data demonstrated that in neuronal cultures derived from animals silenced for unc-64, the DA uptake was reduced by 30% when compared to controls, and this reduction was similar to that measured in neurons isolated from animals silenced for dat-1 (40%). Moreover, reduced expression of unc-64 in the dopaminergic neurons significantly reduced the DA release elicited by Amph. Because in C. elegans DAT-1 is the only protein capable to reuptake DA, these data show that reduced expression of unc-64 in the dopaminergic neurons decreases the capability of DAT in re-accumulating synaptic DA. Moreover, these results demonstrate that decreased expression of unc-64 in the dopaminergic neurons abrogates the locomotor behavior induced by Amph. Taken together these data suggest that Syntaxin-1A plays an important role in both functional and behavioral effects caused by Amph.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambra Lanzo
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Bryan D Safratowich
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, United States
| | - Sirisha R Kudumala
- Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Ivan Gallotta
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Zampi
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Elia Di Schiavi
- Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy.,Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, National Research Council (CNR), Naples, Italy
| | - Lucia Carvelli
- Brain Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States.,Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
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7
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Asjad HMM, Kasture A, El-Kasaby A, Sackel M, Hummel T, Freissmuth M, Sucic S. Pharmacochaperoning in a Drosophila model system rescues human dopamine transporter variants associated with infantile/juvenile parkinsonism. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:19250-19265. [PMID: 28972153 PMCID: PMC5702666 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.797092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Point mutations in the gene encoding the human dopamine transporter (hDAT, SLC6A3) cause a syndrome of infantile/juvenile dystonia and parkinsonism. To unravel the molecular mechanism underlying these disorders and investigate possible pharmacological therapies, here we examined 13 disease-causing DAT mutants that were retained in the endoplasmic reticulum when heterologously expressed in HEK293 cells. In three of these mutants, i.e. hDAT-V158F, hDAT-G327R, and hDAT-L368Q, the folding deficit was remedied with the pharmacochaperone noribogaine or the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) inhibitor pifithrin-μ such that endoplasmic reticulum export of and radioligand binding and substrate uptake by these DAT mutants were restored. In Drosophila melanogaster, DAT deficiency results in reduced sleep. We therefore exploited the power of targeted transgene expression of mutant hDAT in Drosophila to explore whether these hDAT mutants could also be pharmacologically rescued in an intact organism. Noribogaine or pifithrin-μ treatment supported hDAT delivery to the presynaptic terminals of dopaminergic neurons and restored sleep to normal length in DAT-deficient (fumin) Drosophila lines expressing hDAT-V158F or hDAT-G327R. In contrast, expression of hDAT-L368Q in the Drosophila DAT mutant background caused developmental lethality, indicating a toxic action not remedied by pharmacochaperoning. Our observations identified those mutations most likely amenable to pharmacological rescue in the affected children. In addition, our findings also highlight the challenges of translating insights from pharmacochaperoning in cell culture to the clinical situation. Because of the evolutionary conservation in dopaminergic neurotransmission between Drosophila and people, pharmacochaperoning of DAT in D. melanogaster may allow us to bridge that gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Mazhar Asjad
- From the Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria and
| | - Ameya Kasture
- From the Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria and
| | - Ali El-Kasaby
- From the Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria and
| | - Michael Sackel
- the Department of Neurobiology, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Hummel
- the Department of Neurobiology, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Freissmuth
- From the Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria and
| | - Sonja Sucic
- From the Institute of Pharmacology and the Gaston H. Glock Research Laboratories for Exploratory Drug Development, Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria and
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Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus-mediated rescue of function in a mouse model of Dopamine Transporter Deficiency Syndrome. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46280. [PMID: 28417953 PMCID: PMC5394687 DOI: 10.1038/srep46280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine Transporter Deficiency Syndrome (DTDS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in dopamine transporter (DAT) gene, leading to severe neurological disabilities in children and adults. DAT-Knockout (DAT-KO) mouse is currently the best animal model for this syndrome, displaying functional hyperdopaminergia and neurodegenerative phenotype leading to premature death in ~36% of the population. We used DAT-KO mouse as model for DTDS to explore the potential utility of a novel combinatorial adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy by expressing DAT selectively in DA neurons and terminals, resulting in the rescue of aberrant striatal DA dynamics, reversal of characteristic phenotypic and behavioral abnormalities, and prevention of premature death. These data indicate the efficacy of a new combinatorial gene therapy aimed at rescuing DA function and related phenotype in a mouse model that best approximates DAT deficiency found in DTDS.
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