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Van Raamsdonk JM, Al-Shekaili HH, Wagner L, Bredy TW, Chan L, Pearson J, Schwab C, Murphy Z, Devon RS, Lu G, Kobor MS, Hayden MR, Leavitt BR. Huntingtin Decreases Susceptibility to a Spontaneous Seizure Disorder in FVN/B Mice. Aging Dis 2023; 14:2249-2266. [PMID: 37199581 PMCID: PMC10676795 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2023.0423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by a trinucleotide CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene that codes for the protein huntingtin (HTT in humans or Htt in mice). HTT is a multi-functional, ubiquitously expressed protein that is essential for embryonic survival, normal neurodevelopment, and adult brain function. The ability of wild-type HTT to protect neurons against various forms of death raises the possibility that loss of normal HTT function may worsen disease progression in HD. Huntingtin-lowering therapeutics are being evaluated in clinical trials for HD, but concerns have been raised that decreasing wild-type HTT levels may have adverse effects. Here we show that Htt levels modulate the occurrence of an idiopathic seizure disorder that spontaneously occurs in approximately 28% of FVB/N mice, which we have called FVB/N Seizure Disorder with SUDEP (FSDS). These abnormal FVB/N mice demonstrate the cardinal features of mouse models of epilepsy including spontaneous seizures, astrocytosis, neuronal hypertrophy, upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and sudden seizure-related death. Interestingly, mice heterozygous for the targeted inactivation of Htt (Htt+/- mice) exhibit an increased frequency of this disorder (71% FSDS phenotype), while over-expression of either full length wild-type HTT in YAC18 mice or full length mutant HTT in YAC128 mice completely prevents it (0% FSDS phenotype). Examination of the mechanism underlying huntingtin's ability to modulate the frequency of this seizure disorder indicated that over-expression of full length HTT can promote neuronal survival following seizures. Overall, our results demonstrate a protective role for huntingtin in this form of epilepsy and provide a plausible explanation for the observation of seizures in the juvenile form of HD, Lopes-Maciel-Rodan syndrome, and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Adverse effects caused by decreasing huntingtin levels have ramifications for huntingtin-lowering therapies that are being developed to treat HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy M. Van Raamsdonk
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
- Metabolic Disorders and Complications (MeDiC) and Brain Repair and Integrated Neuroscience (BRaIN) Programs, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.
| | - Hilal H. Al-Shekaili
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Laura Wagner
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Tim W Bredy
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, QLD 4072, Australia..
| | - Laura Chan
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Jacqueline Pearson
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Claudia Schwab
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Zoe Murphy
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Rebecca S. Devon
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Ge Lu
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Michael S. Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Michael R. Hayden
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
| | - Blair R. Leavitt
- Department of Medical Genetics and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada.
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2
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Prowse ENP, Chaudhary AR, Sharon D, Hendricks AG. Huntingtin S421 phosphorylation increases kinesin and dynein engagement on early endosomes and lysosomes. Biophys J 2023; 122:1168-1184. [PMID: 36772794 PMCID: PMC10111264 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntingtin (HTT) is a scaffolding protein that recruits motor proteins to vesicular cargoes, enabling it to regulate kinesin-1, dynein, and myosin-VI-dependent transport. To maintain the native stoichiometry of HTT with its interacting partners, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to induce a phosphomimetic mutation of the endogenous HTT at S421 (HTT-S421D). Using single-particle tracking, optical tweezers, and immunofluorescence, we examined the effects of this mutation on the motility of early endosomes and lysosomes. In HTT-S421D cells, lysosomes exhibit longer displacements and higher processive fractions compared with wild-type (HTT-WT) cells. Kinesins and dyneins exert greater forces on early endosomes and lysosomes in cells expressing HTT-S421D. In addition, endosomes bind to microtubules faster and are more resistant to detachment under load. The recruitment of kinesins and dyneins to microtubules is enhanced in HTT-S421D cells. In contrast, overexpression of HTT had variable effects on the processivity, displacement, and directional bias of both early endosomes and lysosomes. These data indicate that phosphorylation of the endogenous HTT causes early endosomes and lysosomes to move longer distances and more processively by recruiting and activating both kinesin-1 and dynein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily N P Prowse
- Bioengineering Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - David Sharon
- Bioengineering Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Adam G Hendricks
- Bioengineering Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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3
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Chen X, Ma L, Gan K, Pan X, Chen S. Phosphorylated proteomics-based analysis of the effects of semaglutide on hippocampi of high-fat diet-induced-obese mice. Diabetol Metab Syndr 2023; 15:63. [PMID: 36998046 PMCID: PMC10064769 DOI: 10.1186/s13098-023-01023-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this paper was to investigate the effects of semaglutide on phosphorylated protein expression, and its neuroprotective mechanism in hippocampi of high-fat-diet-induced obese mice. In total, 16 obese mice were randomly divided into model group (H group) and semaglutide group (S group), with 8 mice in each group. In addition, a control group (C group) was set up comprising 8 C57BL/6J male normal mice. The Morris water maze assay was conducted to detect cognitive function changes in the mice, and to observe and compare body weight and expression levels of serological indicators between groups after the intervention. Phosphorylated proteomic analysis was performed to detect the hippocampal protein profile in mice. Proteins up-regulated twofold or down-regulated 0.5-fold in each group and with t-test p < 0.05 were defined as differentially phosphorylated proteins and were analyzed bioinformatically. The results showed that the high-fat diet-induced obese mice had reduced body weight, improved oxidative stress indexes, significantly increased the percentage of water maze trips and the number of platform crossings, and significantly shortened the water maze platform latency after semaglutide intervention. The phosphorylated proteomics results identified that 44 overlapping proteins among the three experimental groups. Most of the phosphorylated proteins identified were closely associated with pathways of neurodegeneration-multiple diseases. In addition, we identified Huntington, Neurofilament light chain, Neurofilament heavy chain as drug targets. This study demonstrates for the first time that semaglutide exerts neuroprotective effects by reducing HTT Ser1843, NEFH Ser 661 phosphorylation and increasing NEFL Ser 473 phosphorylation in hippocampal tissue of obese mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Chen
- Graduate School of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, China
- Department of Endocrinology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Liang Ma
- Department of Neurology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Kexin Gan
- Department of Endocrinology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xiaoyu Pan
- Department of Endocrinology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Shuchun Chen
- Department of Endocrinology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, China.
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Sturchio A, Duker AP, Muñoz-Sanjuan I, Espay AJ. Subtyping monogenic disorders: Huntington disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2023; 193:171-184. [PMID: 36803810 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-85555-6.00003-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Huntington disease is a highly disabling neurodegenerative disease characterized by psychiatric, cognitive, and motor deficits. The causal genetic mutation in huntingtin (Htt, also known as IT15), located on chromosome 4p16.3, leads to an expansion of a triplet coding for polyglutamine. The expansion is invariably associated with the disease when >39 repeats. Htt encodes for the protein huntingtin (HTT), which carries out many essential biological functions in the cell, in particular in the nervous system. The precise mechanism of toxicity is not known. Based on a one-gene-one-disease framework, the prevailing hypothesis ascribes toxicity to the universal aggregation of HTT. However, the aggregation process into mutant huntingtin (mHTT) is associated with a reduction of the levels of wild-type HTT. A loss of wild-type HTT may plausibly be pathogenic, contributing to the disease onset and progressive neurodegeneration. Moreover, many other biological pathways are altered in Huntington disease, such as in the autophagic system, mitochondria, and essential proteins beyond HTT, potentially explaining biological and clinical differences among affected individuals. As one gene does not mean one disease, future efforts at identifying specific Huntington subtypes are important to design biologically tailored therapeutic approaches that correct the corresponding biological pathways-rather than continuing to exclusively target the common denominator of HTT aggregation for elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Sturchio
- James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Neuro Svenningsson, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Andrew P Duker
- James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | | | - Alberto J Espay
- James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Center for Parkinson's disease and Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
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Clabough EBD, Aspili C, Fussy WS, Ingersoll JD, Kislyakov A, Li ES, Su MJ, Wiles DB, Watson TE, Willy AJ, Thomas Vinyard H, Mollica Iii PJ, Taylor JV, Smith CW, Roark DA, Tabrani ZP, Thomas HL, Shin M, Venton BJ, Hayes D, Sipe CW. Huntingtin Plays a Role in the Physiological Response to Ethanol in Drosophila. J Huntingtons Dis 2023; 12:241-252. [PMID: 37661891 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-230581] [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] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntingtin (htt) protein is an essential regulator of nervous system function through its various neuroprotective and pro-survival functions, and loss of wild-type htt function is implicated in the etiology of Huntington's disease. While its pathological role is typically understood as a toxic gain-of-function, some neuronal phenotypes also result from htt loss. Therefore, it is important to understand possible roles for htt in other physiological circumstances. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the role of htt in the context of ethanol exposure, we investigated how loss of htt impacts behavioral and physiological responses to ethanol in Drosophila. METHODS We tested flies lacking htt for ethanol sensitivity and tolerance, preference for ethanol using capillary feeder assays, and recovery of mobility after intoxication. Levels of dopamine neurotransmitter and numbers of dopaminergic cells in brains lacking dhtt were also measured. RESULTS We found that dhtt-null flies are both less sensitive and more tolerant to ethanol exposure in adulthood. Moreover, flies lacking dhtt are more averse to alcohol than controls, and they recover mobility faster following acute ethanol intoxication. We showed that dhtt mediates these effects at least in part through the dopaminergic system, as dhtt is required to maintain normal levels of dopamine in the brain and normal numbers of dopaminergic cells in the adult protocerebrum. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that htt regulates the physiological response to ethanol and indicate a novel neuroprotective role for htt in the dopaminergic system, raising the possibility that it may be involved more generally in the response to toxic stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin B D Clabough
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Christia Aspili
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - William S Fussy
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - James D Ingersoll
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Amy Kislyakov
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Li
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Meng-Jiuan Su
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Dustin B Wiles
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Thomas E Watson
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Aaron J Willy
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - H Thomas Vinyard
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | | | - James V Taylor
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Cody W Smith
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Dallas A Roark
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Zachary P Tabrani
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Harris L Thomas
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Mimi Shin
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - B Jill Venton
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - David Hayes
- Department of Biology, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV, USA
- Department of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Conor W Sipe
- Department of Biology, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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6
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Cattaneo M, Maciag A, Milella MS, Ciaglia E, Bruno A, Puca AA. Longevity-Associated Variant of BPIFB4 Confers Neuroprotection in the STHdh Cell Model of Huntington Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315313. [PMID: 36499641 PMCID: PMC9737551 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by the production of mutant Huntingtin (mHTT), characterized by long polyglutamine repeats with toxic effects. There are currently no clinically validated therapeutic agents that slow or halt HD progression, resulting in a significant clinical unmet need. The striatum-derived STHdh cell line, generated from mHTT knock-in mouse embryos (STHdhQ111/Q111), represents a useful model to study mechanisms behind pathogenesis of HD and to investigate potential new therapeutic targets. Indeed, these cells show susceptibility to nucleolar stress, activated DNA damage response and apoptotic signals, and elevated levels of H3K9me3 that all together concur in the progressive HD pathogenesis. We have previously shown that the adeno-associated viral vector-mediated delivery of the longevity-associated variant (LAV) of BPIFB4 prevents HD progression in a mouse model of HD. Here, we show that LAV-BPIFB4 stably infected in STHdhQ111/Q111 cells reduces (i) nucleolar stress and DNA damage through the improvement of DNA repair machinery, (ii) apoptosis, through the inhibition of the caspase 3 death signaling, and (iii) the levels of H3K9me3, by accelerating the histone clearance, via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. These findings pave the way to propose LAV-BPIFB4 as a promising target for innovative therapeutic strategies in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Cattaneo
- Cardiovascular Department, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Maciag
- Cardiovascular Department, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Elena Ciaglia
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
| | - Antonino Bruno
- Laboratory of Innate Immunity, Unit of Molecular Pathology, Biochemistry and Immunology, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy
- Laboratory of Immunology and General Pathology, Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences (DBSV), University of Insubria, 20138 Varese, Italy
| | - Annibale Alessandro Puca
- Cardiovascular Department, IRCCS MultiMedica, 20138 Milan, Italy
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, 84081 Salerno, Italy
- Correspondence:
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7
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Palaiogeorgou AM, Papakonstantinou E, Golfinopoulou R, Sigala M, Mitsis T, Papageorgiou L, Diakou I, Pierouli K, Dragoumani K, Spandidos DA, Bacopoulou F, Chrousos GP, Eliopoulos E, Vlachakis D. Recent approaches on Huntington's disease (Review). Biomed Rep 2022; 18:5. [PMID: 36544856 PMCID: PMC9756286 DOI: 10.3892/br.2022.1587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by severe motor, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Patients of all ages can present with a dysfunction of the nervous system, which leads to the progressive loss of movement control and disabilities in speech, swallowing, communications, etc. The molecular basis of the disease is well-known, as HD is related to a mutated gene, a trinucleotide expansion, which encodes to the huntingtin protein. This protein is linked to neurogenesis and the loss of its function leads to neurodegenerative disorders. Although the genetic cause of the disorder has been known for decades, no effective treatment is yet available to prevent onset or to eliminate the progression of symptoms. Thus, the present review focused on the development of novel methods for the timely and accurate diagnosis of HD in an aim to aid the development of therapies which may reduce the severity of the symptoms and control their progression. The majority of the therapies include gene-silencing mechanisms of the mutated huntingtin gene aiming to suppress its expression, and the use of various substances as drugs with highly promising results. In the present review, the latest approaches on the diagnosis of HD are discussed along with the need for genetic counseling and an up-to-date presentation of the applied treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Marina Palaiogeorgou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Papakonstantinou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Rebecca Golfinopoulou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Markezina Sigala
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Thanasis Mitsis
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Louis Papageorgiou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Io Diakou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Katerina Pierouli
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantina Dragoumani
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Demetrios A. Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Flora Bacopoulou
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Aghia Sophia’ Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - George P. Chrousos
- University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Aghia Sophia’ Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Elias Eliopoulos
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Vlachakis
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece,University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, ‘Aghia Sophia’ Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece,Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece,Correspondence to: Dr Dimitrios Vlachakis, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 75 Iera Odos, 11855 Athens, Greece
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8
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Conroy F, Miller R, Alterman JF, Hassler MR, Echeverria D, Godinho BMDC, Knox EG, Sapp E, Sousa J, Yamada K, Mahmood F, Boudi A, Kegel-Gleason K, DiFiglia M, Aronin N, Khvorova A, Pfister EL. Chemical engineering of therapeutic siRNAs for allele-specific gene silencing in Huntington's disease models. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5802. [PMID: 36192390 PMCID: PMC9530163 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33061-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Small interfering RNAs are a new class of drugs, exhibiting sequence-driven, potent, and sustained silencing of gene expression in vivo. We recently demonstrated that siRNA chemical architectures can be optimized to provide efficient delivery to the CNS, enabling development of CNS-targeted therapeutics. Many genetically-defined neurodegenerative disorders are dominant, favoring selective silencing of the mutant allele. In some cases, successfully targeting the mutant allele requires targeting single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heterozygosities. Here, we use Huntington’s disease (HD) as a model. The optimized compound exhibits selective silencing of mutant huntingtin protein in patient-derived cells and throughout the HD mouse brain, demonstrating SNP-based allele-specific RNAi silencing of gene expression in vivo in the CNS. Targeting a disease-causing allele using RNAi-based therapies could be helpful in a range of dominant CNS disorders where maintaining wild-type expression is essential. Chemically modified siRNAs distinguish between mutant and normal huntingtin based on a single nucleotide difference and lower mutant huntingtin specifically in patient derived cells and in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faith Conroy
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Rachael Miller
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Julia F Alterman
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Matthew R Hassler
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Dimas Echeverria
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Bruno M D C Godinho
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Emily G Knox
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Ellen Sapp
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Jaquelyn Sousa
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Ken Yamada
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Farah Mahmood
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Adel Boudi
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Kimberly Kegel-Gleason
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Marian DiFiglia
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Neil Aronin
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.,RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Anastasia Khvorova
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
| | - Edith L Pfister
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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9
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Sindhu RK, Kaur P, Kaur P, Singh H, Batiha GES, Verma I. Exploring multifunctional antioxidants as potential agents for management of neurological disorders. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:24458-24477. [PMID: 35064486 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17667-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Free radical or oxidative stress may be a fundamental mechanism underlying several human neurologic diseases. Therapy using free radical scavengers (antioxidants) has the potential to prevent, delay, or ameliorate many neurologic disorders. However, the biochemistry of oxidative pathobiology is complex, and optimum antioxidant therapeutic options may vary and need to be tailored to individual diseases. In vitro and animal model studies support the potential beneficial role of various antioxidant compounds in neurological disease. Antioxidants generally play an important role in reducing or preventing the cell damage and other changes which occur in the cells like mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA mutations, and lipid peroxidation in the cell membrane. Based on their mechanism of action, antioxidants can be used to treat various neurological disorders like Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Vitamin E has a scavenging action for reactive oxygen species (ROS) and also prevents the lipid peroxidation. Creatine generally reduces the mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Various metal chelators are used in PD for the prevention of accumulation of the metals. Superoxidase dismutase (SOD), lipases, and proteases act as repair enzymes in patients with AD. Accordingly, the antioxidant defense system is found to be most useful for treating various neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh K Sindhu
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, 140401, India.
| | - Prabhjot Kaur
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, 140401, India
| | - Parneet Kaur
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, 140401, India
| | - Harmanpreet Singh
- Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Punjab, 140401, India
| | - Gaber El-Saber Batiha
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, 22511, Egypt
| | - Inderjeet Verma
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, M.M. College of Pharmacy, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Ambala, 133207, Haryana, India
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10
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Rook ME, Southwell AL. Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy: From Design to the Huntington Disease Clinic. BioDrugs 2022; 36:105-119. [PMID: 35254632 PMCID: PMC8899000 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-022-00519-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by an inherited mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, which encodes mutant HTT protein. Though HD remains incurable, various preclinical studies have reported a favorable response to HTT suppression, emphasizing HTT lowering strategies as prospective disease-modifying treatments. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) lower HTT by targeting transcripts and are well suited for treating neurodegenerative disorders as they distribute broadly throughout the central nervous system (CNS) and are freely taken up by neurons, glia, and ependymal cells. With the FDA approval of an ASO therapy for another disease of the CNS, spinal muscular atrophy, ASOs have become a particularly attractive therapeutic option for HD. However, two types of ASOs were recently assessed in human clinical trials for the treatment of HD, and both were halted early. In this review, we will explore the differences in chemistry, targeting, and specificity of these HTT ASOs as well as preliminary clinical findings and potential reasons for and implications of these halted trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E Rook
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32827, USA.
| | - Amber L Southwell
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32827, USA
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11
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Huntingtin Ubiquitination Mechanisms and Novel Possible Therapies to Decrease the Toxic Effects of Mutated Huntingtin. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11121309. [PMID: 34945781 PMCID: PMC8709430 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11121309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington Disease (HD) is a dominant, lethal neurodegenerative disorder caused by the abnormal expansion (>35 copies) of a CAG triplet located in exon 1 of the HTT gene encoding the huntingtin protein (Htt). Mutated Htt (mHtt) easily aggregates, thereby inducing ER stress that in turn leads to neuronal injury and apoptosis. Therefore, both the inhibition of mHtt aggregate formation and the acceleration of mHtt degradation represent attractive strategies to delay HD progression, and even for HD treatment. Here, we describe the mechanism underlying mHtt degradation by the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS), which has been shown to play a more important role than the autophagy–lysosomal pathway. In particular, we focus on E3 ligase proteins involved in the UPS and detail their structure–function relationships. In this framework, we discuss the possible exploitation of PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) for HD therapy. PROTACs are heterobifunctional small molecules that comprise two different ligands joined by an appropriate linker; one of the ligands is specific for a selected E3 ubiquitin ligase, the other ligand is able to recruit a target protein of interest, in this case mHtt. As a consequence of PROTAC binding, mHtt and the E3 ubiquitin ligase can be brought to a relative position that allows mHtt to be ubiquitinated and, ultimately, allows a reduction in the amount of mHtt in the cell.
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12
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Barron JC, Hurley EP, Parsons MP. Huntingtin and the Synapse. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:689332. [PMID: 34211373 PMCID: PMC8239291 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.689332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a monogenic disease that results in a combination of motor, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms. HD is caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, which results in the production of a pathogenic mutant HTT protein (mHTT). Although there is no cure at present for HD, a number of RNA-targeting therapies have recently entered clinical trials which aim to lower mHTT production through the use of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and RNAi. However, many of these treatment strategies are non-selective in that they cannot differentiate between non-pathogenic wild type HTT (wtHTT) and the mHTT variant. As HD patients are already born with decreased levels of wtHTT, these genetic therapies may result in critically low levels of wtHTT. The consequence of wtHTT reduction in the adult brain is currently under debate, and here we argue that wtHTT loss is not well-tolerated at the synaptic level. Synaptic dysfunction is an extremely sensitive measure of subsequent cell death, and is known to precede neurodegeneration in numerous brain diseases including HD. The present review focuses on the prominent role of wtHTT at the synapse and considers the consequences of wtHTT loss on both pre- and postsynaptic function. We discuss how wtHTT is implicated in virtually all major facets of synaptic neurotransmission including anterograde and retrograde transport of proteins to/from terminal buttons and dendrites, neurotransmitter release, endocytic vesicle recycling, and postsynaptic receptor localization and recycling. We conclude that wtHTT presence is essential for proper synaptic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C Barron
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Emily P Hurley
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Matthew P Parsons
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada
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13
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Burrus CJ, McKinstry SU, Kim N, Ozlu MI, Santoki AV, Fang FY, Ma A, Karadeniz YB, Worthington AK, Dragatsis I, Zeitlin S, Yin HH, Eroglu C. Striatal Projection Neurons Require Huntingtin for Synaptic Connectivity and Survival. Cell Rep 2021; 30:642-657.e6. [PMID: 31968243 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by an autosomal dominant polyglutamine expansion mutation of Huntingtin (HTT). HD patients suffer from progressive motor, cognitive, and psychiatric impairments, along with significant degeneration of the striatal projection neurons (SPNs) of the striatum. HD is widely accepted to be caused by a toxic gain-of-function of mutant HTT. However, whether loss of HTT function, because of dominant-negative effects of the mutant protein, plays a role in HD and whether HTT is required for SPN health and function are not known. Here, we delete Htt from specific subpopulations of SPNs using the Cre-Lox system and find that SPNs require HTT for motor regulation, synaptic development, cell health, and survival during aging. Our results suggest that loss of HTT function in SPNs could play a critical role in HD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caley J Burrus
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Spencer U McKinstry
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Namsoo Kim
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - M Ilcim Ozlu
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Aditya V Santoki
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Francia Y Fang
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Annie Ma
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Yonca B Karadeniz
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Atesh K Worthington
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Ioannis Dragatsis
- Department of Physiology, The University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
| | - Scott Zeitlin
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Henry H Yin
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Cagla Eroglu
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Regeneration Next Initiative, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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14
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Tan X, Liu Y, Zhang T, Cong S. Integrated analysis of differentially expressed genes and construction of a competing endogenous RNA network in human Huntington neural progenitor cells. BMC Med Genomics 2021; 14:48. [PMID: 33579286 PMCID: PMC7881634 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-021-00894-2] [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: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Huntington's disease (HD) is one of the most common polyglutamine disorders, leading to progressive dyskinesia, cognitive impairment, and neuropsychological problems. Besides the dysregulation of many protein-coding genes in HD, previous studies have revealed a variety of non-coding RNAs that are also dysregulated in HD, including several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, an integrated analysis of differentially expressed (DE) genes based on a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network is still currently lacking. Methods In this study, we have systematically analyzed the gene expression profile data of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from patients with HD and controls (healthy controls and the isogenic controls of HD patient cell lines corrected using a CRISPR-Cas9 approach at the HTT locus) to screen out DE mRNAs and DE lncRNAs and create a ceRNA network. To learn more about the possible functions of lncRNAs in the ceRNA regulatory network in HD, we conducted a functional analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and established a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network for mRNAs interacting with these lncRNAs. Results We identified 490 DE mRNAs and 94 DE lncRNAs, respectively. Of these, 189 mRNAs and 20 lncRNAs were applied to create a ceRNA network. The results showed that the function of DE lncRNAs mainly correlated with transcriptional regulation as demonstrated by GO analysis. Also, KEGG enrichment analysis showed these lncRNAs were involved in tumor necrosis factor, calcium, Wnt, and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. Interestingly, the PPI network revealed that a variety of transcription factors in the ceRNA network interacted with each other, suggesting such lncRNAs may regulate transcription in HD by controlling the expression of such protein-coding genes, especially transcription factors. Conclusions Our research provides new clues for uncovering the mechanisms of lncRNAs in HD and can be used as the focus for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Tan
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Taiming Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuyan Cong
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
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15
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Liu YY, Lin YC, Hsiao HT, Wang JCF, Liu YC. Morphine produces better thermal analgesia in young Huntington mice and are associated with less neuroinflammation in spinal cord. J Chin Med Assoc 2021; 84:73-78. [PMID: 33177404 DOI: 10.1097/jcma.0000000000000448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited disease characterized by both mental and motor dysfunctions. Our previous studies showed that HD mice demonstrate a diminished pain response. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between HD and morphine analgesia. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the analgesic effects of morphine in HD and wild-type (WT) mice. METHODS We used clinically similar transgenic HD mice (7-10 weeks of age with motor dysfunction at 8-9 mo of age) carrying a mutant Huntington CAG trinucleotide repeats to evaluate morphine analgesia. The morphine (10 mg/kg subcutaneously) analgesia was evaluated with a tail-flick in hot water (52°C). Mice spinal cords were harvested at the end of the analgesia studies. An immunofluorescence assay and western blotting were used to identify changes in the cells and cytokines. RESULTS Our data demonstrate that preonset young HD mice exhibited a better analgesic response to morphine than the WT mice. Western blotting and an immunohistological examination of the lumbar spinal cord tissue indicated less activation of glial cells and astrocytes in the HD mice compared with the WT mice. The production levels of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukine-1β were also lower in the young HD mice. CONCLUSION Our data demonstrate better morphine analgesic and less pain-related cytokine responses at the spinal cord level for HD mice. Further studies are needed to determine the morphine analgesia mechanism in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Yuarn Liu
- Division of Trauma, Department of Emergency, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ya-Chi Lin
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Hung-Tsung Hsiao
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Jeffery Chi-Fei Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yen-Chin Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC
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16
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O'Regan GC, Farag SH, Ostroff GR, Tabrizi SJ, Andre R. Wild-type huntingtin regulates human macrophage function. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17269. [PMID: 33057179 PMCID: PMC7560844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74042-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The huntingtin (HTT) protein in its mutant form is the cause of the inherited neurodegenerative disorder, Huntington's disease. Beyond its effects in the central nervous system, disease-associated mutant HTT causes aberrant phenotypes in myeloid-lineage innate immune system cells, namely monocytes and macrophages. Whether the wild-type form of the protein, however, has a role in normal human macrophage function has not been determined. Here, the effects of lowering the expression of wild-type (wt)HTT on the function of primary monocyte-derived macrophages from healthy, non-disease human subjects were examined. This demonstrated a previously undescribed role for wtHTT in maintaining normal macrophage health and function. Lowered wtHTT expression was associated, for instance, with a diminished release of induced cytokines, elevated phagocytosis and increased vulnerability to cellular stress. These may well occur by mechanisms different to that associated with the mutant form of the protein, given an absence of any effect on the intracellular signalling pathway predominantly associated with macrophage dysfunction in Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace C O'Regan
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Sahar H Farag
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Gary R Ostroff
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Two Biotech, Suite 113, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK. .,UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | - Ralph Andre
- UCL Huntington's Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
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17
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Manickam N, Radhakrishnan RK, Vergil Andrews JF, Selvaraj DB, Kandasamy M. Cell cycle re-entry of neurons and reactive neuroblastosis in Huntington's disease: Possibilities for neural-glial transition in the brain. Life Sci 2020; 263:118569. [PMID: 33049278 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant pathogenic condition that causes progressive degeneration of GABAergic neurons in the brain. The abnormal expansion of the CAG repeats in the exon 1 of the Huntingtin gene (HTT gene) has been associated with the onset and progression of movement disorders, psychiatric disturbance and cognitive decline in HD. Microglial activation and reactive astrogliosis have been recognized as the key pathogenic cellular events in the brains of HD subjects. Besides, HD has been characterized by induced quiescence of neural stem cells (NSCs), reactive neuroblastosis and reduced survival of newborn neurons in the brain. Strikingly, the expression of the mutant HTT gene has been reported to induce the cell cycle re-entry of neurons in HD brains. However, the underlying basis for the induction of cell cycle in neurons and the fate of dedifferentiating neurons in the pathological brain remain largely unknown. Thus, this review article revisits the reports on the regulation of key signaling pathways responsible for altered cell cycle events in diseased brains, with special reference to HD and postulates the occurrence of reactive neuroblastosis as a consequential cellular event of dedifferentiation of neurons. Meanwhile, a substantial number of studies indicate that many neuropathogenic events are associated with the expression of potential glial cell markers by neuroblasts. Taken together, this article represents a hypothesis that transdifferentiation of neurons into glial cells might be highly possible through the transient generation of reactive neuroblasts in the brain upon certain pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nivethitha Manickam
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Risna Kanjirassery Radhakrishnan
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Jemi Feiona Vergil Andrews
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Divya Bharathi Selvaraj
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mahesh Kandasamy
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India; Faculty Recharge Programme, University Grants Commission (UGC-FRP), New Delhi 110002, India.
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18
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Svrzikapa N, Longo KA, Prasad N, Boyanapalli R, Brown JM, Dorset D, Yourstone S, Powers J, Levy SE, Morris AJ, Vargeese C, Goyal J. Investigational Assay for Haplotype Phasing of the Huntingtin Gene. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2020; 19:162-173. [PMID: 33209959 PMCID: PMC7648085 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Novel treatments for Huntington's disease (HD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, include selective targeting of the mutant allele of the huntingtin gene (mHTT) carrying the abnormally expanded disease-causing cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat. WVE-120101 and WVE-120102 are investigational stereopure antisense oligonucleotides that enable selective suppression of mHTT by targeting single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are in haplotype phase with the CAG repeat expansion. Recently developed long-read sequencing technologies can capture CAG expansions and distant SNPs of interest and potentially facilitate haplotype-based identification of patients for clinical trials of oligonucleotide therapies. However, improved methods are needed to phase SNPs with CAG repeat expansions directly and reliably without need for familial genotype/haplotype data. Our haplotype phasing method uses single-molecule real-time sequencing and a custom algorithm to determine with confidence bases at SNPs on mutant alleles, even without familial data. Herein, we summarize this methodology and validate the approach using patient-derived samples with known phasing results. Comparison of experimentally measured CAG repeat lengths, heterozygosity, and phasing with previously determined results showed improved performance. Our methodology enables the haplotype phasing of SNPs of interest and the disease-causing, expanded CAG repeat of the huntingtin gene, enabling accurate identification of patients with HD eligible for allele-selective clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nenad Svrzikapa
- Wave Life Sciences Ltd., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Department of Paediatrics, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | | | - Nripesh Prasad
- HudsonAlpha Discovery, Discovery Life Sciences, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA.,Genomic Services Laboratory, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | | | | | - Daniel Dorset
- HudsonAlpha Discovery, Discovery Life Sciences, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA.,Genomic Services Laboratory, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | | | - Jason Powers
- Q Solutions
- EA Genomics, LLC, Morrisville, NC 27560, USA
| | - Shawn E Levy
- HudsonAlpha Discovery, Discovery Life Sciences, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA.,Genomic Services Laboratory, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | | | | | - Jaya Goyal
- Wave Life Sciences Ltd., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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19
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Claassen DO, Corey-Bloom J, Dorsey ER, Edmondson M, Kostyk SK, LeDoux MS, Reilmann R, Rosas HD, Walker F, Wheelock V, Svrzikapa N, Longo KA, Goyal J, Hung S, Panzara MA. Genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms for allele-selective therapy in Huntington disease. NEUROLOGY-GENETICS 2020; 6:e430. [PMID: 32548276 PMCID: PMC7249892 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000000430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background The huntingtin gene (HTT) pathogenic cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat expansion responsible for Huntington disease (HD) is phased with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), providing targets for allele-selective treatments. Objective This prospective observational study defined the frequency at which rs362307 (SNP1) or rs362331 (SNP2) was found on the same allele with pathogenic CAG expansions. Methods Across 7 US sites, 202 individuals with HD provided blood samples that were processed centrally to determine the number and size of CAG repeats, presence and heterozygosity of SNPs, and whether SNPs were present on the mutant HTT allele using long-read sequencing and phasing. Results Heterozygosity of SNP1 and/or SNP2 was identified in 146 (72%) individuals. The 2 polymorphisms were associated only with the mHTT allele in 61% (95% high density interval: 55%, 67%) of individuals. Conclusions These results are consistent with previous reports and demonstrate the feasibility of genotyping, phasing, and targeting of HTT SNPs for personalized treatment of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel O Claassen
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Jody Corey-Bloom
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - E Ray Dorsey
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Mary Edmondson
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Sandra K Kostyk
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Mark S LeDoux
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Ralf Reilmann
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - H Diana Rosas
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Francis Walker
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Vicki Wheelock
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Nenad Svrzikapa
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Kenneth A Longo
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Jaya Goyal
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Serena Hung
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Michael A Panzara
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center (D.O.C.), Nashville, TN; University of California San Diego (J.C.-B.), La Jolla; University of Rochester Medical Center (E.R.D.), NY; HD Reach (M.E.), Raleigh, NC; Ohio State University (S.K.K.), Columbus; University of Memphis and Veracity Neuroscience, LLC (M.S.L.), TN; George-Huntingon-Institute & Department of Clinical Radiology University of Muenster (R.R.), Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany; Havard Medical School (H.D.R.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Wake Forest University School of Medicine (F.W.), Winston Salem, NC; University of California Davis Health (V.W.), Sacramento, CA; Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (N.S., K.A.L., J.G., S.H., M.A.P.), Cambridge, MA; and Department of Paediatrics (N.S.), Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, UK
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20
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Selvaraj K, Manickam N, Kumaran E, Thangadurai K, Elumalai G, Sekar A, Radhakrishnan RK, Kandasamy M. Deterioration of neuroregenerative plasticity in association with testicular atrophy and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in Huntington's disease: A putative role of the huntingtin gene in steroidogenesis. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 197:105526. [PMID: 31715317 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2019.105526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disorder mainly affecting the structure and functions of the striatum, cerebral cortex and hippocampus leading to movement disorders, cognitive dysfunctions and emotional disturbances. The onset of HD has been linked to a pathogenic CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene that encodes for the polyglutamine (polyQ) stretches in the huntingtin (Htt) protein. Notably, the neuropathogenic events of the mutant HTT gene appear to be primed during adulthood and magnified along the ageing process. While the normal Htt protein is vital for the neuronal differentiation and neuroprotection, experimental HD models and postmortem human HD brains have been characterized by neurodegeneration and defects in neuroregenerative plasticity in the basal ganglia and limbic system including the hippocampus. Besides gonadal dysfunctions, reduced androgen levels and abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis have increasingly been evident in HD. Recently, ageing-related changes in levels of steroid sex hormones have been proposed to play a detrimental effect on the regulation of hippocampal neurogenesis in the adult brain. Considering its adult-onset nature, a potential relationship between dysregulation in the synthesis of sex steroid hormones and the pathogenesis of the mutant HTT gene appears to be an important clinical issue in HD. While the hippocampus and testis are the major sites of steroidogenesis, the presence of Htt in both areas is conclusively evident. Hence, the expression of the normal HTT gene may take part in the steroidogenic events in aforementioned organs in the physiological state, whereas the mutant HTT gene may cause defects in steroidogenesis in HD. Therefore, this review article comprehends the potential relationship between the gonadal dysfunctions and abnormal hippocampal plasticity in HD and represents a hypothesis for the putative role of the HTT gene in the regulation of steroidogenesis in gonads and in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaviya Selvaraj
- School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Nivethitha Manickam
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Elamathi Kumaran
- School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Kayalvizhi Thangadurai
- Department of Bio-Medical Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Gokul Elumalai
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Aravinthan Sekar
- Department of Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Risna Kanjirassery Radhakrishnan
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Mahesh Kandasamy
- School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India; Laboratory of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli 620024, Tamil Nadu, India; Faculty Recharge Programme, University Grants Commission (UGC-FRP), New Delhi, India.
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21
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Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide expansion in the HTT gene, which encodes for an abnormal polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein (HTT). This review examines the known mechanisms of HTT gene regulation. We discuss HTT expression patterns, features of the HTT promoter, regulatory regions of the HTT promoter with functional significance, and HTT regulators located outside of the proximal promoter region. The factors that influence HTT expression in the brain and the mechanisms of HTT transcriptional regulation are currently poorly understood, despite continuing research. Expanding knowledge of HTT regulation will inform future studies investigating HTT function. Improving understanding of HTT expression and control may also uncover novel therapeutic approaches for HD through the development of methods to modulate mHTT levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah B Thomson
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Medicine, Centre for Brain Health, and Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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22
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FGF2 and dual agonist of NCAM and FGF receptor 1, Enreptin, rescue neurite outgrowth loss in hippocampal neurons expressing mutated huntingtin proteins. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2019; 126:1493-1500. [PMID: 31501979 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-019-02073-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we developed an in vitro model of Huntington disease (HD) by transfecting primary rat hippocampal neurons with plasmids coding for m-htt exon 1 with different number of CAG repeats (18, 50 and 115) and demonstrated the influence of the length of polyQ sequence on neurite elongation. We found that exogenously applied FGF2 significantly rescued the m-htt-induced loss of neurite outgrowth. Moreover, the Enreptin peptide, an FGFR1 and NCAM dual agonist, had a similar neuritogenic effect to FGF2 in clinically relevant m-htt 50Q-expressing neurons. This study has developed an in vitro model of primary hippocampal neurons transfected with m-htt-coding vectors that is a powerful tool to study m-htt-related effects on neuronal placticity.
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23
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Smith‐Dijak AI, Sepers MD, Raymond LA. Alterations in synaptic function and plasticity in Huntington disease. J Neurochem 2019; 150:346-365. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy I. Smith‐Dijak
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience the University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health the University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Marja D. Sepers
- Department of Psychiatry and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health the University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Lynn A. Raymond
- Department of Psychiatry and Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health the University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
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24
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Irmak D, Fatima A, Gutiérrez-Garcia R, Rinschen MM, Wagle P, Altmüller J, Arrigoni L, Hummel B, Klein C, Frese CK, Sawarkar R, Rada-Iglesias A, Vilchez D. Mechanism suppressing H3K9 trimethylation in pluripotent stem cells and its demise by polyQ-expanded huntingtin mutations. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 27:4117-4134. [PMID: 30452683 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells are invaluable resources to study development and disease, holding a great promise for regenerative medicine. Here we use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients with Huntington's disease (HD-iPSCs) to shed light into the normal function of huntingtin (HTT) and its demise in disease. We find that HTT binds ATF7IP, a regulator of the histone H3 methyltransferase SETDB1. HTT inhibits the interaction of the ATF7IP-SETDB1 complex with other heterochromatin regulators and transcriptional repressors, maintaining low levels of H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) in hESCs. Loss of HTT promotes global increased H3K9me3 levels and enrichment of H3K9me3 marks at distinct genes, including transcriptional regulators of neuronal differentiation. Although these genes are normally expressed at low amounts in hESCs, HTT knockdown (KD) reduces their induction during neural differentiation. Notably, mutant expanded polyglutamine repeats in HTT diminish its interaction with ATF7IP-SETDB1 complex and trigger H3K9me3 in HD-iPSCs. Conversely, KD of ATF7IP in HD-iPSCs reduces H3K9me3 alterations and ameliorates gene expression changes in their neural counterparts. Taken together, our results indicate ATF7IP as a potential target to correct aberrant H3K9me3 levels induced by mutant HTT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilber Irmak
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Azra Fatima
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ricardo Gutiérrez-Garcia
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus M Rinschen
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Prerana Wagle
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Janine Altmüller
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, Cologne, Germany.,Cologne Center for Genomics (CCG), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Laura Arrigoni
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Barbara Hummel
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Corinna Klein
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Christian K Frese
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ritwick Sawarkar
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alvaro Rada-Iglesias
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Strasse 21, Cologne, Germany
| | - David Vilchez
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, Cologne, Germany
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Bhadoriya P, Jain M, Kaicker G, Saidullah B, Saran S. Deletion of Htt cause alterations in cAMP signaling and spatial patterning in Dictyostelium discoideum. J Cell Physiol 2019; 234:18858-18871. [PMID: 30916411 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.28524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, we have analyzed in detail the functions of Htt during growth and development of the protist, Dictyostelium discoideum by creating mutants (both overexpressor and knockout). The mRNA was present at all stages of growth and development. Overexpression of htt did not show any major anomaly, while deletion resulted in delayed aggregation territory formation and showed asynchronous development especially after slug stage. The slugs formed by htt - cells showed aberration in anterior-posterior boundary, showing increased prestalk region. DdHtt regulates STAT transcription factors in the tip organizer region that help maintain patterning and culmination. In chimeras with the wild-type, htt - cells preferentially localized to the tip of the slug and basal disc regions of the fruiting body showing prestalk/stalk bias, while the overexpressing cells majorly populated the prespore/spore region showing spore bias. These differences could be attributed to protein kinase A (PKA)-regulated cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Bhadoriya
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.,School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India
| | - Mukul Jain
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.,School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India
| | - Geeta Kaicker
- School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India
| | - Bano Saidullah
- School of Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India
| | - Shweta Saran
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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26
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Kaemmerer WF, Grondin RC. The effects of huntingtin-lowering: what do we know so far? Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis 2019; 9:3-17. [PMID: 30881191 PMCID: PMC6413743 DOI: 10.2147/dnnd.s163808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapies targeting mutant huntingtin DNA, mRNA, and protein have a chance at becoming the first disease-modifying treatments for Huntington’s disease, a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disorder for which only symptom management treatments are available today. This review focuses on evidence addressing several key questions pertinent to huntingtin-lowering, ranging from the functions of wild-type huntingtin (wtHTT) that may be disrupted by huntingtin-lowering treatments through the various ways huntingtin can be lowered, the tolerability of wtHTT-lowering in mice and primates, what has been found in the Ionis Pharmaceutical safety trial of a huntingtin-lowering therapy, and to the question of how much mutant huntingtin may need to be lowered for a therapy to be clinically effective. We conclude that adverse consequences of lowering wtHTT in animals appear to be brain region-specific, and/or dependent upon the animal’s stage of development and the amount by which huntingtin is lowered. Therefore, safe approaches to huntingtin-lowering in patients may be to lower huntingtin only moderately, or lower huntingtin only in the most affected brain regions, or lower huntingtin allele-selectively, or all of the above. Many additional questions about huntingtin-lowering remain open, and will only be answered by upcoming clinical trials, such as whether the delivery approaches currently planned will be adequate to get the treatment to the necessary brain regions, and whether non-allele-selective huntingtin-lowering will be safe in the long run. Meantime, there is a role for preclinical research to address key knowledge gaps, including the effects of non-allele-selective huntingtin-lowering on protein trafficking and viability at the cellular level, the tolerability of wtHTT-lowering in the corticostriatal connections of the primate brain, and the effects of this lowering on the functioning of neurotransmitter systems and the transport of neurotrophic factors to the striatum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard C Grondin
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, KY, USA,
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27
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Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by expanded polyglutamine (polyQ)-encoding repeats in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Traditionally, HD cellular models consisted of either patient cells not affected by disease or rodent neurons expressing expanded polyQ repeats in HTT. As these models can be limited in their disease manifestation or proper genetic context, respectively, human HD pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are currently under investigation as a way to model disease in patient-derived neurons and other neural cell types. This chapter reviews embryonic stem cell (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models of disease, including published differentiation paradigms for neurons and their associated phenotypes, as well as current challenges to the field such as validation of the PSCs and PSC-derived cells. Highlighted are potential future technical advances to HD PSC modeling, including transdifferentiation, complex in vitro multiorgan/system reconstruction, and personalized medicine. Using a human HD patient model of the central nervous system, hopefully one day researchers can tease out the consequences of mutant HTT (mHTT) expression on specific cell types within the brain in order to identify and test novel therapies for disease.
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Mi Y, Gao X, Xu H, Cui Y, Zhang Y, Gou X. The Emerging Roles of Ferroptosis in Huntington's Disease. Neuromolecular Med 2019; 21:110-119. [PMID: 30600476 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-018-8518-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, which is caused by an abnormal CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene. Despite its well-defined genetic origin, the molecular mechanisms of neuronal death are unclear yet, thus there are no effective strategies to block or postpone the process of HD. Ferroptosis, a recently identified iron-dependent cell death, attracts considerable attention due to its putative involvement in neurodegenerative diseases. Accumulative data suggest that ferroptosis is very likely to participate in HD, and inhibition of the molecules and signaling pathways involved in ferroptosis can significantly eliminate the symptoms and pathology of HD. This review first describes evidence for the close relevance of ferroptosis and HD in patients and mouse models, then summarizes advances for the mechanisms of ferroptosis involved in HD, finally outlines some therapeutic strategies targeted ferroptosis. Comprehensive understanding of the emerging roles of ferroptosis in the occurrence of HD will help us to explore effective therapies for slowing the progression of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajing Mi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, and Department of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Xingchun Gao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, and Department of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, and Department of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Yuanyuan Cui
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, and Department of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, 710021, China
| | - Yuelin Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, and Department of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, 710021, China.
| | - Xingchun Gou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, and Department of Basic Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, 710021, China.
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Wells C, Brennan SE, Keon M, Saksena NK. Prionoid Proteins in the Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:271. [PMID: 31780895 PMCID: PMC6861308 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing body of evidence that prionoid protein behaviors are a core element of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) that afflict humans. Common elements in pathogenesis, pathological effects and protein-level behaviors exist between Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Huntington's Disease (HD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). These extend beyond the affected neurons to glial cells and processes. This results in a complicated system of disease progression, which often takes advantage of protective processes to promote the propagation of pathological protein aggregates. This review article provides a current snapshot of knowledge on these proteins and their intrinsic role in the pathogenesis and disease progression seen across NDs.
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Lin YC, Hsiao HT, Wu SN, Liu YC. Huntington Mice Demonstrate Diminished Pain Response in Inflammatory Pain Model. Anesth Analg 2018; 126:661-669. [PMID: 28858902 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0000000000002419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington disease (HD) affects the nervous system and leads to mental and motor dysfunction. Previous studies have shown that HD is caused by the exon 1 region of the huntingtin (HTT) gene having expanded CAG trinucleotide repeats. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between HD and pain. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between HD and pain response. METHODS We used clinical similar transgenic HD mice carrying a mutant HTT exon 1 containing 84 CAG trinucleotide repeats to evaluate the relationship between HD and pain. Inflammatory pain models were induced by either formalin or complete Freund adjuvant injection over the hind paw. Spinal cord, dorsal root ganglion, and paw skin tissues were harvested at the end of the behavioral inflammatory pain studies. Immunofluorescence assay, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to identify changes in cells and cytokines. RESULTS Our data demonstrate that preonset HD mice exhibited less pain behavior than wild-type (WT) mice in both young (n = 11 [WT], 13 [HD]) and aged (n = 8 [WT], 9 [HD]) mice. Western blotting and immunohistological examination of lumbar spinal cord tissue and dorsal root ganglion indicate less activation of glial cells and astrocytes in young HD mice (n = 6-7) compared to that in WT mice (n = 6-7). The production levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and substance P were also lower in young HD mice (n = 6-7). CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate less pain behavior and pain-related cytokine response at the spinal cord level for HD mice compared to those for WT mice. Further studies are needed for determining the mechanism as to how mutant HTT leads to altered pain behavior and pain-related cytokine response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Chi Lin
- From the Department of Physiology.,Department of Anesthesiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Tsung Hsiao
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
| | | | - Yen-Chin Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
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Ehrnhoefer DE, Southwell AL, Sivasubramanian M, Qiu X, Villanueva EB, Xie Y, Waltl S, Anderson L, Fazeli A, Casal L, Felczak B, Tsang M, Hayden MR. HACE1 is essential for astrocyte mitochondrial function and influences Huntington disease phenotypes in vivo. Hum Mol Genet 2018; 27:239-253. [PMID: 29121340 PMCID: PMC5886116 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddx394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress is a prominent feature of Huntington disease (HD), and we have shown previously that reduced levels of hace1 (HECT domain and Ankyrin repeat containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1) in patient striatum may contribute to the pathogenesis of HD. Hace1 promotes the stability of Nrf2 and thus plays an important role in antioxidant response mechanisms, which are dysfunctional in HD. Moreover, hace1 overexpression mitigates mutant huntingtin (mHTT)-induced oxidative stress in vitro through promotion of the Nrf2 antioxidant response. Here, we show that the genetic ablation of hace1 in the YAC128 mouse model of HD accelerates motor deficits and exacerbates cognitive and psychiatric phenotypes in vivo. We find that both the expression of mHTT and the ablation of hace1 alone are sufficient to cause deficits in astrocytic mitochondrial respiration. We confirm the crucial role of hace1 in astrocytes in vivo, since its ablation is sufficient to cause dramatic astrogliosis in wild-type FVB/N mice. Astrogliosis is not observed in the presence of mHTT but a strong dysregulation in the expression of astrocytic markers in HACE1-/- x YAC128 striatum suggests an additive effect of mHTT expression and hace1 loss on this cell type. HACE1-/- x YAC128 mice and primary cells derived from these animals therefore provide model systems that will allow for the further dissection of Nrf2 pathways and astrocyte dysfunction in the context of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagmar E Ehrnhoefer
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Amber L Southwell
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Meenalochani Sivasubramanian
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Xiaofan Qiu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Erika B Villanueva
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Yuanyun Xie
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Sabine Waltl
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Lisa Anderson
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Anita Fazeli
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Lorenzo Casal
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Boguslaw Felczak
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Michelle Tsang
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics (CMMT), CFRI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
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Girling KD, Demers MJ, Laine J, Zhang S, Wang YT, Graham RK. Activation of caspase-6 and cleavage of caspase-6 substrates is an early event in NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity. J Neurosci Res 2017; 96:391-406. [DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly D. Girling
- University of British Columbia, Brain Research Centre & Department of Medicine; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Marie-Josee Demers
- Research Centre on Aging, Department Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; University of Sherbrooke; Sherbrooke Quebec Canada
| | - Jean Laine
- Research Centre on Aging, Department Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; University of Sherbrooke; Sherbrooke Quebec Canada
| | - Shu Zhang
- University of British Columbia, Brain Research Centre & Department of Medicine; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Yu Tian Wang
- University of British Columbia, Brain Research Centre & Department of Medicine; Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Rona K. Graham
- Research Centre on Aging, Department Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; University of Sherbrooke; Sherbrooke Quebec Canada
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Yu MS, Tanese N. Huntingtin Is Required for Neural But Not Cardiac/Pancreatic Progenitor Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells In vitro. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:33. [PMID: 28270748 PMCID: PMC5318384 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene causes Huntington's disease (HD). It is an autosomal dominant trinucleotide-repeat expansion disease in which CAG repeat sequence expands to >35. This results in the production of mutant HTT protein with an increased stretch of glutamines near the N-terminus. The wild type HTT gene encodes a 350 kD protein whose function remains elusive. Mutant HTT protein has been implicated in transcription, axonal transport, cytoskeletal structure/function, signal transduction, and autophagy. HD is characterized by the appearance of nuclear inclusions and degeneration of the striatum. Although HTT protein is expressed early in embryos, most patients develop symptoms in mid-life. It is also unclear why the ubiquitously expressed mutant HTT specifically causes striatal atrophy. Wild type Htt is essential for development as Htt knockout mice die at day E7.5. Increasing evidence suggests mutant Htt may alter neurogenesis and development of striatal neurons resulting in neuronal loss. Using a mouse embryonic stem cell model, we examined the role of Htt in neural differentiation. We found cells lacking Htt inefficient in generating neural stem cells. In contrast differentiation into progenitors of mesoderm and endoderm lineages was not affected. The data suggests Htt is essential for neural but not cardiac/pancreatic progenitor differentiation of embryonic stem cells in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Shan Yu
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York NY, USA
| | - Naoko Tanese
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York NY, USA
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Arteaga-Bracho EE, Gulinello M, Winchester ML, Pichamoorthy N, Petronglo JR, Zambrano AD, Inocencio J, De Jesus CD, Louie JO, Gokhan S, Mehler MF, Molero AE. Postnatal and adult consequences of loss of huntingtin during development: Implications for Huntington's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2016; 96:144-155. [PMID: 27623015 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Revised: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The mutation in huntingtin (mHtt) leads to a spectrum of impairments in the developing forebrain of Huntington's disease (HD) mouse models. Whether these developmental alterations are due to loss- or gain-of-function mechanisms and contribute to HD pathogenesis is unknown. We examined the role of selective loss of huntingtin (Htt) function during development on postnatal vulnerability to cell death. We employed mice expressing very low levels of Htt throughout embryonic life to postnatal day 21 (Hdhd•hyp). We demonstrated that Hdhd•hyp mice exhibit: (1) late-life striatal and cortical neuronal degeneration; (2) neurological and skeletal muscle alterations; and (3) white matter tract impairments and axonal degeneration. Hdhd•hyp embryos also exhibited subpallial heterotopias, aberrant striatal maturation and deregulation of gliogenesis. These results indicate that developmental deficits associated with Htt functions render cells present at discrete neural foci increasingly susceptible to cell death, thus implying the potential existence of a loss-of-function developmental component to HD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo E Arteaga-Bracho
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Maria Gulinello
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Behavioral Core Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Michael L Winchester
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Nandini Pichamoorthy
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Jenna R Petronglo
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Alicia D Zambrano
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Julio Inocencio
- The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Chirstopher D De Jesus
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Joseph O Louie
- The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Solen Gokhan
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Mark F Mehler
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Center for Epigenomics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Aldrin E Molero
- Roslyn and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; The Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
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Strong MK, Southwell AL, Yonan JM, Hayden MR, Macgregor GR, Thompson LM, Steward O. Age-Dependent Resistance to Excitotoxicity in Htt CAG140 Mice and the Effect of Strain Background. J Huntingtons Dis 2016; 1:221-41. [PMID: 23833693 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-129005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Mouse strain background can influence vulnerability to excitotoxic neuronal cell death and potentially modulate phenotypes in transgenic mouse models of human disease. Evidence supports a contribution of excitotoxicity to the selective death of medium spiny neurons in Huntington's disease (HD). Here, we assess whether strain differences in excitotoxic vulnerability influence striatal cell death in a knock-in mouse model of HD. Previous studies that evaluated resistance to excitotoxic lesions in several mouse models of HD had variable outcomes. In the present study, we directly compare one model on two different background strains to test the contribution of strain to excitotoxicity-mediated neurodegeneration. Mice of the FVB/N strain, which are highly vulnerable to excitotoxicity, become extremely resistant to quinolinic acid-induced striatal neurodegeneration with age, when carrying a huntingtin (Htt) allele expressing a HD transgene (CAG140). The resistance is much greater than the age-dependent resistance that has been previously reported in YAC128 mice. By 12 months of age, both heterozygous and homozygous FVB.CAG140 mice displayed virtually complete resistance to quinolinic acid-induced striatal neurodegeneration. A similar resistance develops in CAG140 mice on a C57BL/6N background although the effect size is smaller because C57BL/6N mice are already resistant due to genetic background. In a direct comparison with the YAC128 mice, FVB.CAG140 mice have greater resistance. FVB.CAG140 mice are also resistant to neurodegeneration following kainic acid-induced status epilepticus suggesting the existence of a common cellular mechanism that provides protection against multiple types of excitotoxic insult. These findings establish FVB.CAG140 mice as a useful model to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that confer neuroprotection against excitotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa K Strong
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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Szeliga M, Różycka A, Jędrak P, Barańska S, Janik P, Jamrozik Z, Albrecht J. Expression of RNAs Coding for Metal Transporters in Blood of Patients with Huntington's Disease. Neurochem Res 2015; 41:101-6. [PMID: 26471164 PMCID: PMC4773475 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-015-1737-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Revised: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated elevated levels of iron (Fe) in brains of patients with Huntington's disease (HD). Striatal cells carrying mutated Huntingtin presented increased sensitivity to cadmium (Cd) toxicity, decreased sensitivity to manganese (Mn) toxicity and deficits in Mn uptake. The hypothesis arose that the observed alterations result from the altered expression and/or activity of proteins engaged in the transport of these metals, that is: transferrin (TF), transferrin receptor (TFR), divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and ZIP8 protein. Here we examined the expression levels of genes encoding these proteins in blood of HD patients and control subjects. A decreasing tendency in the level of TF transcript and increasing tendency of SLC11A2 mRNA encoding DMT1 was observed in the blood of HD patients compared to the control subjects, but neither attained statistical significance. No changes were found in the levels of TFRC coding for TFR and SLC39A8 coding for ZIP8 between HD patients and controls. The results indicate that HD-associated changes in metal homeostasis occur are not related to mechanisms other than the expression level of the here analyzed metal transporters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Szeliga
- Department of Neurotoxicology, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawińskiego Str., 02-106, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Aleksandra Różycka
- Faculty of Horticulture, Biotechnology and Landscape Architecture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 166 Nowoursynowska Str., 02-787, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paulina Jędrak
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdańsk, 59 Wita Stwosza Str., 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Sylwia Barańska
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdańsk, 59 Wita Stwosza Str., 80-308, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Piotr Janik
- Department of Neurology, The Wolski Hospital im Dr Anny Gostyńskiej, 17 Kasprzaka Str., 01-211, Warsaw, Poland.,Department of Neurology, Medical University of Warsaw, 1 Banacha Str., 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Zygmunt Jamrozik
- Department of Neurology, Medical University of Warsaw, 1 Banacha Str., 02-097, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan Albrecht
- Department of Neurotoxicology, Mossakowski Medical Research Centre Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawińskiego Str., 02-106, Warsaw, Poland
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Paine H. Does loss of the normal protein function contribute to the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/biohorizons/hzv005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Bečanović K, Nørremølle A, Neal SJ, Kay C, Collins JA, Arenillas D, Lilja T, Gaudenzi G, Manoharan S, Doty CN, Beck J, Lahiri N, Portales-Casamar E, Warby SC, Connolly C, De Souza RAG, Tabrizi SJ, Hermanson O, Langbehn DR, Hayden MR, Wasserman WW, Leavitt BR. A SNP in the HTT promoter alters NF-κB binding and is a bidirectional genetic modifier of Huntington disease. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:807-16. [PMID: 25938884 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cis-regulatory variants that alter gene expression can modify disease expressivity, but none have previously been identified in Huntington disease (HD). Here we provide in vivo evidence in HD patients that cis-regulatory variants in the HTT promoter are bidirectional modifiers of HD age of onset. HTT promoter analysis identified a NF-κB binding site that regulates HTT promoter transcriptional activity. A non-coding SNP, rs13102260:G > A, in this binding site impaired NF-κB binding and reduced HTT transcriptional activity and HTT protein expression. The presence of the rs13102260 minor (A) variant on the HD disease allele was associated with delayed age of onset in familial cases, whereas the presence of the rs13102260 (A) variant on the wild-type HTT allele was associated with earlier age of onset in HD patients in an extreme case-based cohort. Our findings suggest a previously unknown mechanism linking allele-specific effects of rs13102260 on HTT expression to HD age of onset and have implications for HTT silencing treatments that are currently in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Bečanović
- 1] Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [2] Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anne Nørremølle
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Scott J Neal
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chris Kay
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jennifer A Collins
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David Arenillas
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tobias Lilja
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Giulia Gaudenzi
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shiana Manoharan
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Crystal N Doty
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jessalyn Beck
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nayana Lahiri
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Elodie Portales-Casamar
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Simon C Warby
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Colúm Connolly
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rebecca A G De Souza
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ola Hermanson
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Douglas R Langbehn
- Department of Psychiatry and Biostatistics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Michael R Hayden
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Wyeth W Wasserman
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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40
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Walsh MJ, Cooper-Knock J, Dodd JE, Stopford MJ, Mihaylov SR, Kirby J, Shaw PJ, Hautbergue GM. Invited review: decoding the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie RNA dysregulation in neurodegenerative disorders: a review of the current state of the art. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2015; 41:109-34. [PMID: 25319671 PMCID: PMC4329338 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Altered RNA metabolism is a key pathophysiological component causing several neurodegenerative diseases. Genetic mutations causing neurodegeneration occur in coding and noncoding regions of seemingly unrelated genes whose products do not always contribute to the gene expression process. Several pathogenic mechanisms may coexist within a single neuronal cell, including RNA/protein toxic gain-of-function and/or protein loss-of-function. Genetic mutations that cause neurodegenerative disorders disrupt healthy gene expression at diverse levels, from chromatin remodelling, transcription, splicing, through to axonal transport and repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation. We address neurodegeneration in repeat expansion disorders [Huntington's disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, C9ORF72-related amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)] and in diseases caused by deletions or point mutations (spinal muscular atrophy, most subtypes of familial ALS). Some neurodegenerative disorders exhibit broad dysregulation of gene expression with the synthesis of hundreds to thousands of abnormal messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. However, the number and identity of aberrant mRNAs that are translated into proteins - and how these lead to neurodegeneration - remain unknown. The field of RNA biology research faces the challenge of identifying pathophysiological events of dysregulated gene expression. In conclusion, we discuss current research limitations and future directions to improve our characterization of pathological mechanisms that trigger disease onset and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Walsh
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - J Cooper-Knock
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - J E Dodd
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - M J Stopford
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - S R Mihaylov
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - J Kirby
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - P J Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - G M Hautbergue
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), Department of Neuroscience, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
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41
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Dietrich P, Dragatsis I. Use of Genetically Engineered Mice to Study the Biology of Huntingtin. Mov Disord 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-405195-9.00032-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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42
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Hosseini M, Moghadas M, Edalatmanesh MA, Hashemzadeh MR. Xenotransplantation of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells in a rodent model of Huntington’s disease: motor and non-motor outcomes. Neurol Res 2014; 37:309-19. [DOI: 10.1179/1743132814y.0000000456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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43
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Zizkova M, Sucha R, Tyleckova J, Jarkovska K, Mairychova K, Kotrcova E, Marsala M, Gadher SJ, Kovarova H. Proteome-wide analysis of neural stem cell differentiation to facilitate transition to cell replacement therapies. Expert Rev Proteomics 2014; 12:83-95. [PMID: 25363140 DOI: 10.1586/14789450.2015.977381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are devastating disorders and the demands on their treatment are set to rise in connection with higher disease incidence. Knowledge of the spatiotemporal profile of cellular protein expression during neural differentiation and definition of a set of markers highly specific for targeted neural populations is a key challenge. Intracellular proteins may be utilized as a readout for follow-up transplantation and cell surface proteins may facilitate isolation of the cell subpopulations, while secreted proteins could help unravel intercellular communication and immunomodulation. This review summarizes the potential of proteomics in revealing molecular mechanisms underlying neural differentiation of stem cells and presents novel candidate proteins of neural subpopulations, where understanding of their functionality may accelerate transition to cell replacement therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Zizkova
- Laboratory of Applied Proteome Analyses, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, AS CR, v.v.i., Libechov, Czech Republic
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44
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Kotrcova E, Jarkovska K, Valekova I, Zizkova M, Motlik J, Gadher SJ, Kovarova H. Challenges of Huntington's disease and quest for therapeutic biomarkers. Proteomics Clin Appl 2014; 9:147-58. [PMID: 25290828 DOI: 10.1002/prca.201400073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Revised: 08/29/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is the most common inherited neurodegenerative disorder among polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases caused by cytosine-adenine-guanine repeat expansion in exon 1 of the huntingtin gene whose translation results in polyQ stretch in the N-terminus of the huntingtin protein (HD protein). This mutation significantly affects huntingtin conformation, proteolysis, PTMs, as well as its ability to bind interacting proteins. As a consequence, a variety of cellular mechanisms such as transcription, mitochondrial energy metabolism, axonal transport, neuronal vulnerability to oxidative stress, neurotransmission, and immune response are altered and involved in the pathogenesis of HD. Promising candidate molecular biomarkers of HD have emerged from proteomic studies. Recent analyses focused on HD protein itself, its PTM, and interacting proteins, which are of great importance for disease course. Furthermore, brain, body fluids, and immune system are intensively studied in order to search for additional proteins with a view to their use as a biomarker(s) or set of biomarkers in clinical trials in HD translational research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Kotrcova
- Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Libechov, Czech Republic; Research Center PIGMOD, Libechov, Czech Republic
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45
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Dietz KN, Di Stefano L, Maher RC, Zhu H, Macdonald ME, Gusella JF, Walker JA. The Drosophila Huntington's disease gene ortholog dhtt influences chromatin regulation during development. Hum Mol Genet 2014; 24:330-45. [PMID: 25168387 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddu446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG expansion mutation in HTT, the gene encoding huntingtin. Evidence from both human genotype-phenotype relationships and mouse model systems suggests that the mutation acts by dysregulating some normal activity of huntingtin. Recent work in the mouse has revealed a role for huntingtin in epigenetic regulation during development. Here, we examine the role of the Drosophila huntingtin ortholog (dhtt) in chromatin regulation in the development of the fly. Although null dhtt mutants display no overt phenotype, we found that dhtt acts as a suppressor of position-effect variegation (PEV), suggesting that it influences chromatin organization. We demonstrate that dhtt affects heterochromatin spreading in a PEV model by modulating histone H3K9 methylation levels at the heterochromatin-euchromatin boundary. To gain mechanistic insights into how dhtt influences chromatin function, we conducted a candidate genetic screen using RNAi lines targeting known PEV modifier genes. We found that dhtt modifies phenotypes caused by knockdown of a number of key epigenetic regulators, including chromatin-associated proteins, histone demethylases (HDMs) and methyltransferases. Notably, dhtt strongly modifies phenotypes resulting from loss of the HDM dLsd1, in both the ovary and wing, and we demonstrate that dhtt appears to act as a facilitator of dLsd1 function in regulating global histone H3K4 methylation levels. These findings suggest that a fundamental aspect of huntingtin function in heterochromatin/euchromatin organization is evolutionarily conserved across phyla.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin N Dietz
- Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Luisa Di Stefano
- Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire du Contrôle de la Prolifération, UMR 5088, Université de Toulouse and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 31062 Toulouse, France and
| | - Robert C Maher
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Building 149, 13th Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Hui Zhu
- Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Marcy E Macdonald
- Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - James F Gusella
- Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - James A Walker
- Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
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46
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Muller M, Leavitt BR. Iron dysregulation in Huntington's disease. J Neurochem 2014; 130:328-50. [PMID: 24717009 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.12739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Revised: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is one of many neurodegenerative diseases with reported alterations in brain iron homeostasis that may contribute to neuropathogenesis. Iron accumulation in the specific brain areas of neurodegeneration in HD has been proposed based on observations in post-mortem tissue and magnetic resonance imaging studies. Altered magnetic resonance imaging signal within specific brain regions undergoing neurodegeneration has been consistently reported and interpreted as altered levels of brain iron. Biochemical studies using various techniques to measure iron species in human samples, mouse tissue, or in vitro has generated equivocal data to support such an association. Whether elevated brain iron occurs in HD, plays a significant contributing role in HD pathogenesis, or is a secondary effect remains currently unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Muller
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia and Children's and Women's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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47
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Choi KA, Hwang I, Park HS, Oh SI, Kang S, Hong S. Stem cell therapy and cellular engineering for treatment of neuronal dysfunction in Huntington's disease. Biotechnol J 2014; 9:882-94. [PMID: 24827816 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201300560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Revised: 02/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of neurons in the striatum, a sub-cortical region of the forebrain. The sub-cortical region of the forebrain is associated with the control of movement and behavior, thus HD initially presents with coordination difficulty and cognitive decline. Recent reprogramming technologies, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and induced neural stem cells (iNSCs), have created opportunities to understand the pathological cascades that underlie HD and to develop new treatments for this currently incurable neurological disease. The ultimate objectives of stem cell-based therapies for HD are to replace lost neurons and to prevent neuronal dysfunction and death. In this review, we examine the current understanding of the molecular and pathological mechanisms involved in HD. We discuss disease modeling with HD-iPSCs derived from the somatic cells of patients, which could provide an invaluable platform for understanding HD pathogenesis. We speculate about the benefits and drawbacks of using iNSCs as an alternative stem cell source for HD treatment. Finally, we discuss cell culture and engineering systems that promote the directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cell-derived NSCs into a striatal DARPP32(+) GABAergic MSN phenotype for HD. In conclusion, this review summarizes the potentials of cell reprogramming and engineering technologies relevant to the development of cell-based therapies for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung-Ah Choi
- School of Biosystem and Biomedical Science, College of Health Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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48
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Kay C, Skotte N, Southwell A, Hayden M. Personalized gene silencing therapeutics for Huntington disease. Clin Genet 2014; 86:29-36. [DOI: 10.1111/cge.12385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Kay
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute; University of British Columbia; Vancouver Canada
| | - N.H. Skotte
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute; University of British Columbia; Vancouver Canada
| | - A.L. Southwell
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute; University of British Columbia; Vancouver Canada
| | - M.R. Hayden
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute; University of British Columbia; Vancouver Canada
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49
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Abstract
Of the neurodegenerative diseases presented in this book, Huntington's disease (HD) stands as the archetypal autosomal dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder. Its occurrence through generations of affected families was noted long before the basic genetic underpinnings of hereditary diseases was understood. The early classification of HD as a distinct hereditary neurodegenerative disorder allowed the study of this disease to lead the way in the development of our understanding of the mechanisms of human genetic disorders. Following its clinical and pathologic characterization, the causative genetic mutation in HD was subsequently identified as a trinucleotide (CAG) repeat expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, and consequently, the HTT gene and huntingtin protein have been studied in great detail. Despite this concentrated effort, there is still much about the function of huntingtin that still remains unknown. Presented in this chapter is an overview of the current knowledge on the normal function of huntingtin and some of the potential neurobiologic mechanisms by which the mutant HTT gene may mediate neurodegeneration in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A G De Souza
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Room 2020, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
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50
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Parsons MP, Kang R, Buren C, Dau A, Southwell AL, Doty CN, Sanders SS, Hayden MR, Raymond LA. Bidirectional control of postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) clustering by Huntingtin. J Biol Chem 2013; 289:3518-28. [PMID: 24347167 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.513945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease is associated with early alterations in corticostriatal synaptic function that precede cell death, and it is postulated that ameliorating such changes may delay clinical onset and/or prevent neurodegeneration. Although many of these synaptic alterations are thought to be attributable to a toxic gain of function of the mutant huntingtin protein, the role that nonpathogenic huntingtin (HTT) plays in synaptic function is relatively unexplored. Here, we compare the immunocytochemical localization of a major postsynaptic scaffolding protein, PSD-95, in striatal neurons from WT mice and mice overexpressing HTT with 18 glutamine repeats (YAC18, nonpathogenic). We found that HTT overexpression resulted in a palmitoylation- and BDNF-dependent increase in PSD-95 clustering at synaptic sites in striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) co-cultured with cortical neurons. Surprisingly, the latter effect was mediated presynaptically, as HTT overexpression in cortical neurons alone was sufficient to increase PSD-95 clustering in the postsynaptic SPNs. In contrast, antisense oligonucleotide knockdown of HTT in WT co-cultures resulted in a significant reduction of PSD-95 clustering in SPNs. Notably, despite these bidirectional changes in PSD-95 clustering, we did not observe an alteration in basal electrophysiological measures of AMPA and NMDA receptors. Thus, unlike in previous studies in the hippocampus, enhanced or decreased PSD-95 clustering alone was insufficient to drive AMPA or NMDA receptors into or out of SPN synapses. In all, our results demonstrate that nonpathogenic HTT can indeed influence synaptic protein localization and uncover a novel role of HTT in PSD-95 distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew P Parsons
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Brain Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3 and
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