NADPH oxidase-mediated Rac1 GTP activity is necessary for nongenomic actions of the mineralocorticoid receptor in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus

Time-dependent inhibition of Rac1 in the VTA enhances long-term aversive memory: implications in active forgetting mechanisms

The fate of memories depends mainly on two opposing forces: the mechanisms required for the storage and maintenance of memory and the mechanisms underlying forgetting, being the latter much less understood. Here, we show the effect of inhibiting the small Rho GTPase Rac1 on the fate of inhibitory avoidance memory in male rats. The immediate post-training micro-infusion of the specific Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 (150 ng/0.5 µl/ side) into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) enhanced long-term memory at 1, 7, and 14 days after a single training. Additionally, an opposed effect occurred when the inhibitor was infused at 12 h after training while no effect was observed immediately after testing animals at 1 day. Control experiments ruled out the possibility that post-training memory enhancement was due to facilitation of memory formation since no effect was found when animals were tested at 1 h after acquisition and no memory enhancement was observed after the formation of a weak memory. Immediate post-training micro-infusion of Rac1 inhibitor into the dorsal hippocampus, or the amygdala did not affect memory. Our findings support the idea of a Rac1-dependent time-specific active forgetting mechanism in the VTA controlling the strength of a long-term aversive memory.

Neurobiological Links between Stress, Brain Injury, and Disease

Stress, which refers to a combination of physiological, neuroendocrine, behavioral, and emotional responses to novel or threatening stimuli, is essentially a defensive adaptation under physiological conditions. However, strong and long-lasting stress can lead to psychological and pathological damage. Growing evidence suggests that patients suffering from mild and moderate brain injuries and diseases often show severe neurological dysfunction and experience severe and persistent stressful events or environmental stimuli, whether in the acute, subacute, or recovery stage. Previous studies have shown that stress has a remarkable influence on key brain regions and brain diseases. The mechanisms through which stress affects the brain are diverse, including activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), apoptosis, oxidative stress, and excitatory/inhibitory neuron imbalance, and may lead to behavioral and cognitive deficits. The impact of stress on brain diseases is complex and involves impediment of recovery, aggravation of cognitive impairment, and neurodegeneration. This review summarizes various stress models and their applications and then discusses the effects and mechanisms of stress on key brain regions—including the hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex—and in brain injuries and diseases—including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and epilepsy. Lastly, this review highlights psychological interventions and potential therapeutic targets for patients with brain injuries and diseases who experience severe and persistent stressful events.

Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Diabetic Kidney Disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a major cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) worldwide. Mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) plays an important role in the development of DKD. A series of preclinical studies revealed that MR is overactivated under diabetic conditions, resulting in promoting inflammatory and fibrotic process in the kidney. Clinical studies demonstrated the usefulness of MR antagonists (MRAs), such as spironolactone and eplerenone, on DKD. However, concerns regarding their selectivity for MR and hyperkalemia have remained for these steroidal MRAs. Recently, nonsteroidal MRAs, including finerenone, have been developed. These agents are highly selective and have potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties with a low risk of hyperkalemia. We herein review the current knowledge and future perspectives of MRAs in DKD treatment.

Oxidative Stress: A Unifying Mechanism for Cell Damage Induced by Noise, (Water-Pipe) Smoking, and Emotional Stress-Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Redox Imbalance

SIGNIFICANCE

Modern technologies have eased our lives but these conveniences can impact our lifestyles in destructive ways. Noise pollution, mental stresses, and smoking (as a stress-relieving solution) are some environmental hazards that affect our well-being and healthcare budgets. Scrutinizing their pathophysiology could lead to solutions to reduce their harmful effects. Recent Advances: Oxidative stress plays an important role in initiating local and systemic inflammation after noise pollution, mental stress, and smoking. Lipid peroxidation and release of lysolipid by-products, disturbance in activation and function of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), induction of stress hormones and their secondary effects on intracellular kinases, and dysregulation of intracellular Ca²⁺ can all potentially trigger other vicious cycles. Recent clinical data suggest that boosting the antioxidant system through nonpharmacological measures, for example, lifestyle changes that include exercise have benefits that cannot easily be achieved with pharmacological interventions alone.

CRITICAL ISSUES

Indiscriminate manipulation of the cellular redox network could lead to a new series of ailments. An ideal approach requires meticulous scrutiny of redox balance mechanisms for individual pathologies so as to create new treatment strategies that target key pathways while minimizing side effects.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Extrapolating our understanding of redox balance to other debilitating conditions such as diabetes and the metabolic syndrome could potentially lead to devising a unifying therapeutic strategy. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 741-759.

Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Cardiovascular Health

SIGNIFICANCE

Social and demographic changes have led to an increased prevalence of loneliness and social isolation in modern society. Recent Advances: Population-based studies have demonstrated that both objective social isolation and the perception of social isolation (loneliness) are correlated with a higher risk of mortality and that both are clearly risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lonely individuals have increased peripheral vascular resistance and elevated blood pressure. Socially isolated animals develop more atherosclerosis than those housed in groups.

CRITICAL ISSUES

Molecular mechanisms responsible for the increased cardiovascular risk are poorly understood. In recent reports, loneliness and social stress were associated with activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Repeated and chronic social stress leads to glucocorticoid resistance, enhanced myelopoiesis, upregulated proinflammatory gene expression, and oxidative stress. However, the causal role of these mechanisms in the development of loneliness-associated CVD remains unclear.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of how CVD is induced by loneliness and social isolation requires additional studies. Understanding of the pathomechanisms is essential for the development of therapeutic strategies to prevent the detrimental effects of social stress on health. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 837-851.

Neuronal Rho GTPase Rac1 elimination confers neuroprotection in a mouse model of permanent ischemic stroke

The Rho GTPase Rac1 is a multifunctional protein involved in distinct pathways ranging from development to pathology. The aim of the present study was to unravel the contribution of neuronal Rac1 in regulating the response to brain injury induced by permanent focal cerebral ischemia (pMCAO). Our results show that pMCAO significantly increased total Rac1 levels in wild type mice, mainly through rising nuclear Rac1, while a reduction in Rac1 activation was observed. Such changes preceded cell death induced by excitotoxic stress. Pharmacological inhibition of Rac1 in primary neuronal cortical cells prevented the increase in oxidative stress induced after overactivation of glutamate receptors. However, this was not sufficient to prevent the associated neuronal cell death. In contrast, RNAi-mediated knock down of Rac1 in primary cortical neurons prevented cell death elicited by glutamate excitotoxicity and decreased the activity of NADPH oxidase. To test whether in vivo down regulation of neuronal Rac1 was neuroprotective after pMCAO, we used tamoxifen-inducible neuron-specific conditional Rac1-knockout mice. We observed a significant 50% decrease in brain infarct volume of knockout mice and a concomitant increase in HIF-1α expression compared to littermate control mice, demonstrating that ablation of Rac1 in neurons is neuroprotective. Transmission electron microscopy performed in the ischemic brain showed that lysosomes in the infarct of Rac1- knockout mice were preserved at similar levels to those of non-infarcted tissue, while littermate mice displayed a decrease in the number of lysosomes, further corroborating the notion that Rac1 ablation in neurons is neuroprotective. Our results demonstrate that Rac1 plays important roles in the ischemic pathological cascade and that modulation of its levels is of therapeutic interest.

Traumatic brain injury, diabetic neuropathy and altered-psychiatric health: The fateful triangle

Traumatic brain injury is a detrimental medical condition particularly when accompanied by diabetes. There are several comorbidities going along with diabetes including, but not limited to, kidney failure, obesity, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, hypertension, stroke, neuropathies and amputations. Unlike diabetes type 1, diabetes type 2 is more common in adults who simultaneously suffer from other comorbid conditions making them susceptible to repetitive fall incidents and sustaining head trauma. The resulting brain insult exacerbates current psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, which, in turn, increases the risk of sustaining further brain traumas. The relationship between diabetes, traumatic brain injury and psychiatric health constitutes a triad forming a non-reversible vicious cycle. At the proteomic and psychiatric levels, cellular, molecular and behavioral alterations have been reported with the induction of non-traumatic brain injury in diabetic models such as stroke. However, research into traumatic brain injury has not been systematically investigated. Thus, in cases of diabetic neuropathy complicated with traumatic brain injury, utilizing fine structural and analytical techniques allows the identification of key biological markers that can then be used as innovative diagnostics as well as novel therapeutic targets in an attempt to treat diabetes and its sequelae especially those arising from repetitive mild brain trauma.

NADPH Oxidase Contributes to Photoreceptor Degeneration in Constitutively Active RAC1 Mice

Purpose

The active form of small GTPase RAC1 is required for activation of NADPH oxidase (NOX), which in turn generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) in nonphagocytic cells. We explored whether NOX-induced oxidative stress contributes to rod degeneration in retinas expressing constitutively active (CA) RAC1.

Methods

Transgenic (Tg)–CA-RAC1 mice were given apocynin (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), a NOX inhibitor, or vehicle daily for up to 13 weeks. Superoxide production and oxidative damage were assessed by dihydroethidium staining and by protein carbonyls and malondialdehyde levels, respectively. Outer nuclear layer (ONL) cells were counted and electroretinogram (ERG) amplitudes measured in Tg-CA-RAC1 mice. Outer nuclear layer cells were counted in wild-type (WT) mice after transfer of CA-Rac1 gene by subretinal injection of AAV8-pOpsin-CA Rac1-GFP.

Results

Transgenic-CA-RAC1 retinas had significantly fewer photoreceptor cells and more apoptotic ONL cells than WT controls from postnatal week (Pw) 3 to Pw13. Superoxide accumulation and protein and lipid oxidation were increased in Tg-CA-RAC1 retinas and were reduced in mice treated with apocynin. Apocynin reduced the loss of photoreceptors and increased the rod ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes when compared with vehicle-injected transgenic controls. Photoreceptor loss was also observed in regions of adult WT retina transduced with AAV8-pOpsin-CA Rac1-GFP but not in neighboring regions that were not transduced or in AAV8-pOpsin-GFP–transduced retinas.

Conclusions

Constitutively active RAC1 promotes photoreceptor cell death by oxidative damage that occurs, at least partially, through NOX-induced ROS. Reactive oxygen species are likely involved in multiple forms of retinal degenerations, and our results support investigating RAC1 inhibition as a therapeutic approach that targets this disease pathway.

Effect of mineralocorticoid receptor blockade on hippocampal-dependent memory in adults with obesity

OBJECTIVE

The hippocampus is crucial for paired-associate learning. Obesity is associated with increased mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activity in peripheral and possibly central tissues, decreased hippocampal size in humans, and impaired hippocampal learning in rodents. The MR is expressed in hippocampal neurons, and MR blockade improves hippocampal learning in obese animals. The goal of the study was to determine whether MR blockade would modulate paired-associate learning in men and women with obesity.

METHODS

Men and women ages 20-61 years with BMI between 30-45 kg/m(2) were randomly assigned to placebo (n = 11; 7 women) or 50 mg spironolactone daily (n = 12; 7 women) for six weeks. At baseline and post-treatment, subjects underwent a clinical and hormonal evaluation. They also underwent a computerized task that assesses paired-associate learning and has been shown by functional magnetic resonance imaging to activate the hippocampus.

RESULTS

In an ANCOVA model that adjusted for baseline paired-associate learning, age, and race, spironolactone treatment was associated with a significant (P = 0.043) improvement in hippocampal memory as compared to placebo treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that blocking MR with chronic, low-dose spironolactone treatment improves paired-associate learning in individuals with obesity, suggesting that MR activation contributes to hippocampal memory modulation in humans.

Modulation of actin dynamics by Rac1 to target cognitive function

The small GTPase Rac1 is well known for regulating actin cytoskeleton reorganization in cells. Formation of extensions at the surface of the cell is required for migration and even for cell invasion and metastases. Because an elevated level and hyperactivation of this protein has been associated with metastasis in cancer, direct regulators of Rac1 are currently envisioned as a potential strategy to treat certain cancers. Less research, however, has been done regarding the role of this small GTP-binding protein in brain development, where it has an important role in dendritic spine morphogenesis through the regulation of actin. Alteration of dendritic development and spinogenesis has been often associated with mental disorders. Rac1 is associated with and required for learning and the formation of memories in the brain. Rac1 appears to be dysregulated in certain neurodevelopmental disorders that present all these three alterations: mental retardation, atypical synaptic plasticity and aberrant spine morphology. Thus, to develop novel therapies for rescuing cognitive impairment, a reasonable approach might be to target this protein, Rac1, which plays a pivotal role in directing signals that regulate actin dynamics, which in turn might have an effect in spine cytoarchitecture and synaptic function. It is possible that novel drugs that regulate Rac1 activation and function could modulate actin cytoskeleton and spine dynamics, representing potential candidates to repair intellectual disability in disorders associated with spine abnormalities. Herein, we present a list of the current Rac1 inhibitors that might fulfill this role together with a summary of the latest findings concerning their function as they relate to neuronal studies. While the small GTPase Rac1 is well known for regulating actin cytoskeleton reorganization in different type of cells, it appears to be also required for learning and the formation of memories in the brain. Abnormal regulation of this protein has been associated with cognitive disabilities, atypical synaptic plasticity and abnormal morphology of dendritic spines in certain neurodevelopmental disorders. Thus, modulation of Rac1 activity using novel inhibitors might be a strategy to reestablish cognitive function.

Renal mechanisms of salt-sensitive hypertension: contribution of two steroid receptor-associated pathways

Although salt is a major environmental factor in the development of hypertension, the degree of salt sensitivity varies widely among individuals. The mechanisms responsible for this variation remain to be elucidated. Recent studies have revealed the involvement of two important signaling pathways in renal tubules that play key roles in electrolyte balance and the maintenance of normal blood pressure: the β2-adrenergic stimulant-glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-with-no-lysine kinase (WNK)4-Na+-Cl− cotransporter pathway, which is active in distal convoluted tubule (DCT)1, and the Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate (Rac)1-mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) pathway, which is active in DCT2, connecting tubules, and collecting ducts. β2-Adrenergic stimulation due to increased renal sympathetic activity in obesity- and salt-induced hypertension suppresses histone deacetylase 8 activity via cAMP/PKA signaling, increasing the accessibility of GRs to the negative GR response element in the WNK4 promoter. This results in the suppression of WNK4 transcription followed by the activation of Na+-Cl− cotransporters in the DCT and elevated Na+ retention and blood pressure upon salt loading. Rac1 activates MRs, even in the absence of ligand binding, with this activity increased in the presence of ligand. In salt-sensitive animals, Rac1 activation due to salt loading activates MRs in DCT2, connecting tubules, and collecting ducts. Thus, GRs and MRs are independently involved in two pathways responsible for renal Na+ handling and salt-sensitive hypertension. These findings suggest novel therapeutic targets and may lead to the development of diagnostic tools to determine salt sensitivity in hypertensive patients.

Brain mineralocorticoid receptors in cognition and cardiovascular homeostasis

Mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) mediate diverse functions supporting osmotic and hemodynamic homeostasis, response to injury and inflammation, and neuronal changes required for learning and memory. Inappropriate MR activation in kidneys, heart, vessels, and brain hemodynamic control centers results in cardiovascular and renal pathology and hypertension. MR binds aldosterone, cortisol and corticosterone with similar affinity, while the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has less affinity for cortisol and corticosterone. As glucocorticoids are more abundant than aldosterone, aldosterone activates MR in cells co-expressing enzymes with 11β-hydroxydehydrogenase activity to inactivate them. MR and GR co-expressed in the same cell interact at the molecular and functional level and these functions may be complementary or opposing depending on the cell type. Thus the balance between MR and GR expression and activation is crucial for normal function. Where 11β-hydroxydehydrogenase 2 (11β-HSD2) that inactivates cortisol and corticosterone in aldosterone target cells of the kidney and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) is not expressed, as in most neurons, MR are activated at basal glucocorticoid concentrations, GR at stress concentrations. An exception may be pre-autonomic neurons of the PVN which express MR and 11β-HSD1 in the absence of hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase required to generate the requisite cofactor for reductase activity, thus it acts as a dehydrogenase. MR antagonists, valuable adjuncts to the treatment of cardiovascular disease, also inhibit MR in the brain that are crucial for memory formation and exacerbate detrimental effects of excessive GR activation on cognition and mood. 11β-HSD1 inhibitors combat metabolic and cognitive diseases related to glucocorticoid excess, but may exacerbate MR action where 11β-HSD1 acts as a dehydrogenase, while non-selective 11β-HSD1&2 inhibitors cause injurious disruption of MR hemodynamic control. MR functions in the brain are multifaceted and optimal MR:GR activity is crucial. Therefore selectively targeting down-stream effectors of MR specific actions may be a better therapeutic goal.

The multifaceted mineralocorticoid receptor

The primary adrenal cortical steroid hormones, aldosterone, and the glucocorticoids cortisol and corticosterone, act through the structurally similar mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). Aldosterone is crucial for fluid, electrolyte, and hemodynamic homeostasis and tissue repair; the significantly more abundant glucocorticoids are indispensable for energy homeostasis, appropriate responses to stress, and limiting inflammation. Steroid receptors initiate gene transcription for proteins that effect their actions as well as rapid non-genomic effects through classical cell signaling pathways. GR and MR are expressed in many tissues types, often in the same cells, where they interact at molecular and functional levels, at times in synergy, others in opposition. Thus the appropriate balance of MR and GR activation is crucial for homeostasis. MR has the same binding affinity for aldosterone, cortisol, and corticosterone. Glucocorticoids activate MR in most tissues at basal levels and GR at stress levels. Inactivation of cortisol and corticosterone by 11β-HSD2 allows aldosterone to activate MR within aldosterone target cells and limits activation of the GR. Under most conditions, 11β-HSD1 acts as a reductase and activates cortisol/corticosterone, amplifying circulating levels. 11β-HSD1 and MR antagonists mitigate inappropriate activation of MR under conditions of oxidative stress that contributes to the pathophysiology of the cardiometabolic syndrome; however, MR antagonists decrease normal MR/GR functional interactions, a particular concern for neurons mediating cognition, memory, and affect.

Salt, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and resistant hypertension

High salt intake is a risk for developing resistant hypertension, and even under triple therapy with diuretics, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker and a calcium channel blocker, the volume is occasionally not controlled. In such cases, a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist additively lowers the circulating blood volume and blood pressure despite the lower circulating aldosterone level. This mechanism may be explained by the increase in the number of MR under some conditions or the activation of these receptors independent of aldosterone. Future diagnostic tools to evaluate receptor activity may be valuable for the proper diagnosis and choice of therapy. Additionally, basic research has suggested that oxidative stress and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the brain represent new targets for the treatment of resistant hypertension.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 accelerates phosphate-induced vascular calcification in the absence of Klotho deficiency

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a phosphate-regulating hormone that acts primarily on the kidney and parathyroid. With declining kidney function there is an increase in circulating FGF23 levels, which is associated with vascular calcification and mortality in chronic kidney disease. Whether FGF23 exerts direct effects on vasculature is unclear. We evaluated the expression of Klotho and FGF receptors in rat aortic rings and rat aorta vascular smooth muscle cells maintained in culture by reverse transcription-PCR, western blotting, and immunostaining. Signaling pathways underlying FGF23 effects were assessed by western blotting, and effects of FGF23 on osteogenic markers and phosphate transporters were assessed by real-time reverse transcription-PCR. We detected Klotho and FGFR1 in total aorta but not in vascular smooth muscle cells. FGF23 augmented phosphate-induced vascular calcification in the aortic rings from uremic rats and dose dependently increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in Klotho-overexpressing but not naive vascular smooth muscle cells. FGF23-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation was inhibited by SU5402 (FGFR1 inhibitor) and U0126 (MEK inhibitor). FGF23 enhanced phosphate-induced calcification in Klotho-overexpressing vascular smooth muscle cells and increased osteoblastic marker expression, which was inhibited by U0126. In contrast, phosphate transporter expression was not affected by phosphate or FGF23. Thus, FGF23 enhances phosphate-induced vascular calcification by promoting osteoblastic differentiation involving the ERK1/2 pathway.

Sphingosine kinase 1 deficiency confers protection against hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia in a murine model: role of S1P signaling and Nox proteins

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia of the premature newborn is characterized by lung injury, resulting in alveolar simplification and reduced pulmonary function. Exposure of neonatal mice to hyperoxia enhanced sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) levels in lung tissues; however, the role of increased S1P in the pathobiological characteristics of bronchopulmonary dysplasia has not been investigated. We hypothesized that an altered S1P signaling axis, in part, is responsible for neonatal lung injury leading to bronchopulmonary dysplasia. To validate this hypothesis, newborn wild-type, sphingosine kinase1(-/-) (Sphk1(-/-)), sphingosine kinase 2(-/-) (Sphk2(-/-)), and S1P lyase(+/-) (Sgpl1(+/-)) mice were exposed to hyperoxia (75%) from postnatal day 1 to 7. Sphk1(-/-), but not Sphk2(-/-) or Sgpl1(+/-), mice offered protection against hyperoxia-induced lung injury, with improved alveolarization and alveolar integrity compared with wild type. Furthermore, SphK1 deficiency attenuated hyperoxia-induced accumulation of IL-6 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and NADPH oxidase (NOX) 2 and NOX4 protein expression in lung tissue. In vitro experiments using human lung microvascular endothelial cells showed that exogenous S1P stimulated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, whereas SphK1 siRNA, or inhibitor against SphK1, attenuated hyperoxia-induced S1P generation. Knockdown of NOX2 and NOX4, using specific siRNA, reduced both basal and S1P-induced ROS formation. These results suggest an important role for SphK1-mediated S1P signaling-regulated ROS in the development of hyperoxia-induced lung injury in a murine neonatal model of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Severe life stress and oxidative stress in the brain: from animal models to human pathology

SIGNIFICANCE

Severe life stress (SLS), as opposed to trivial everyday stress, is defined as a serious psychosocial event with the potential of causing an impacting psychological traumatism.

RECENT ADVANCES

Numerous studies have attempted to understand how the central nervous system (CNS) responds to SLS. This response includes a variety of morphological and neurochemical modifications; among them, oxidative stress is almost invariably observed. Oxidative stress is defined as disequilibrium between oxidant generation and the antioxidant response.

CRITICAL ISSUES

In this review, we discuss how SLS leads to oxidative stress in the CNS, and how the latter impacts pathophysiological outcomes. We also critically discuss experimental methods that measure oxidative stress in the CNS. The review covers animal models and human observations. Animal models of SLS include sleep deprivation, maternal separation, and social isolation in rodents, and the establishment of hierarchy in non-human primates. In humans, SLS, which is caused by traumatic events such as child abuse, war, and divorce, is also accompanied by oxidative stress in the CNS.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

The outcome of SLS in humans ranges from resilience, over post-traumatic stress disorder, to development of chronic mental disorders. Defining the sources of oxidative stress in SLS might in the long run provide new therapeutic avenues.

Elevated NADPH oxidase activity contributes to oxidative stress and cell death in Huntington's disease

A mutation in the huntingtin (Htt) gene produces mutant Htt and Huntington's disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disorder. HD patients have oxidative damage in the brain, but the causes are unclear. Compared with controls, we found brain levels of NADPH oxidase (NOX) activity, which produces reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevated in human HD postmortem cortex and striatum and highest in striatum of presymptomatic individuals. Synaptosome fractions from cortex and striatum of HD(140Q/140Q) mice had elevated NOX activity at 3 months of age and a further rise at 6 and 12 months compared with synaptosomes of age-matched wild-type (WT) mice. High NOX activity in primary cortical and striatal neurons of HD(140Q/140Q) mice correlated with more ROS and neurite swellings. These features and neuronal cell death were markedly reduced by treatment with NOX inhibitors such as diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), apocynin (APO) and VAS2870. The rise in ROS levels in mitochondria of HD(140Q/140Q) neurons followed the rise in NOX activity and inhibiting only mitochondrial ROS was not neuroprotective. Mutant Htt colocalized at plasma membrane lipid rafts with gp91-phox, a catalytic subunit for the NOX2 isoform. Assembly of NOX2 components at lipid rafts requires activation of Rac1 which was also elevated in HD(140Q/140Q) neurons. HD(140Q/140Q) mice bred to gp91-phox knock-out mice had lower NOX activity in the brain and in primary neurons, and neurons had normal ROS levels and significantly improved survival. These findings suggest that increased NOX2 activity at lipid rafts is an early and major source of oxidative stress and cell death in HD(140Q/140Q) neurons.