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Fujii K, Yamakawa K, Takeda Y, Okuda N, Takasu A, Ono F. Understanding the pathophysiology of acute critical illness: translational lessons from zebrafish models. Intensive Care Med Exp 2024; 12:8. [PMID: 38291192 PMCID: PMC10828313 DOI: 10.1186/s40635-024-00595-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The models used to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms of acute critical illness are not limited to mammalian species. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a popular model organism for studying diseases due to its transparency and rapid development. The genes and signaling pathways involved in acute critical illness appear highly conserved among zebrafish and humans. Forward genetics such as random mutagenesis by a chemical mutagen or reverse genetics methods represented by CRISPR/Cas9 allowed researchers to reveal multiple novel aspects of pathological processes in areas including infection, immunity, and regeneration. As a model of sepsis, transgenic zebrafish allowed the visualization of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced vascular leakage in vivo and the demonstration of changes in the expression of cellular junction proteins. Other transgenic zebrafish visualizing the extravascular migration of neutrophils and macrophages have demonstrated a decrease in neutrophil numbers and an increased expression of an inflammatory gene, which replicates a phenomenon observed in humans in clinically encountered sepsis. The regenerative potential and the visibility of zebrafish organs also enabled clarification of important mechanisms in wound healing, angiogenesis, and neurogenesis. After spinal cord injury (SCI), a marker gene expressed in glial bridging was discovered. Furthermore, localized epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and molecular mechanisms leading to spinal cord repair were revealed. These translational studies using zebrafish show the potential of the model system for the treatment of acute critical illnesses such as sepsis, organ failure, and trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kensuke Fujii
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-8686, Japan
| | - Kazuma Yamakawa
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-8686, Japan.
| | - Yuriko Takeda
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-8686, Japan
| | - Natsuko Okuda
- Department of Physiology, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-8686, Japan
| | - Akira Takasu
- Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-8686, Japan
| | - Fumihito Ono
- Department of Physiology, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigakumachi, Takatsuki, Osaka, 569-8686, Japan
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Jiang YJ, Fann CSJ, Fuh JL, Chung MY, Huang HY, Chu KC, Wang YF, Hsu CL, Kao LS, Chen SP, Wang SJ. Genome-wide analysis identified novel susceptible genes of restless legs syndrome in migraineurs. J Headache Pain 2022; 23:39. [PMID: 35350973 PMCID: PMC8966278 DOI: 10.1186/s10194-022-01409-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Restless legs syndrome is a highly prevalent comorbidity of migraine; however, its genetic contributions remain unclear. Objectives To identify the genetic variants of restless legs syndrome in migraineurs and to investigate their potential pathogenic roles. Methods We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify susceptible genes for restless legs syndrome in 1,647 patients with migraine, including 264 with and 1,383 without restless legs syndrome, and also validated the association of lead variants in normal controls unaffected with restless legs syndrome (n = 1,053). We used morpholino translational knockdown (morphants), CRISPR/dCas9 transcriptional knockdown, transient CRISPR/Cas9 knockout (crispants) and gene rescue in one-cell stage embryos of zebrafish to study the function of the identified genes. Results We identified two novel susceptibility loci rs6021854 (in VSTM2L) and rs79823654 (in CCDC141) to be associated with restless legs syndrome in migraineurs, which remained significant when compared to normal controls. Two different morpholinos targeting vstm2l and ccdc141 in zebrafish demonstrated behavioural and cytochemical phenotypes relevant to restless legs syndrome, including hyperkinetic movements of pectoral fins and decreased number in dopaminergic amacrine cells. These phenotypes could be partially reversed with gene rescue, suggesting the specificity of translational knockdown. Transcriptional CRISPR/dCas9 knockdown and transient CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of vstm2l and ccdc141 replicated the findings observed in translationally knocked-down morphants. Conclusions Our GWAS and functional analysis suggest VSTM2L and CCDC141 are highly relevant to the pathogenesis of restless legs syndrome in migraineurs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10194-022-01409-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Jin Jiang
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, 35053, Taiwan.,Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | | | - Jong-Ling Fuh
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Yi Chung
- Department of Life Sciences & Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Ying Huang
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, 35053, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Chang Chu
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County, 35053, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Feng Wang
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Lin Hsu
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Lung-Sen Kao
- Department of Life Sciences & Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.,Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Pin Chen
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan. .,School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan. .,Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan. .,Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan. .,Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.
| | - Shuu-Jiun Wang
- Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan. .,School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan. .,Brain Research Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan.
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