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Mredul MBR, Khan U, Rana HK, Meem TM, Awal MA, Rahman MH, Khan MS. Bioinformatics and System Biology Techniques to Determine Biomolecular Signatures and Pathways of Prion Disorder. Bioinform Biol Insights 2022; 16:11779322221145373. [PMID: 36582393 PMCID: PMC9793038 DOI: 10.1177/11779322221145373] [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: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion disorder (PD) is caused by misfolding and the formation of clumps of proteins in the brain, notably Prion proteins resulting in a steady decrease in brain function. Early detection of PD is difficult due to its unpredictable nature, and diagnosis is limited regarding specificity and sensitivity. Considering the uncertainties, the current study used network-based integrative system biology approaches to reveal promising molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for PD. In this study, brain transcriptomics gene expression microarray datasets (GSE160208 and GSE124571) of human PD were evaluated and 35 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. By employing network-based protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis on these DEGs, 10 central hub proteins, including SPP1, FKBP5, HPRT1, CDKN1A, BAG3, HSPB1, SYK, TNFRSF1A, PTPN6, and CD44, were identified. Employing bioinformatics approaches, a variety of transcription factors (EGR1, SSRP1, POLR2A, TARDP, and NR2F1) and miRNAs (hsa-mir-8485, hsa-mir-148b-3p, hsa-mir-4295, hsa-mir-26b-5p, and hsa-mir-16-5p) were predicted. EGR1 was found as the most imperative transcription factor (TF), and hsa-mir-16-5p and hsa-mir-148b-3p were found as the most crucial miRNAs targeted in PD. Finally, resveratrol and hypochlorous acid were predicted as possible therapeutic drugs for PD. This study could be helpful in better understanding of molecular systems and prospective pharmacological targets for developing effective PD treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Bazlur Rahman Mredul
- Statistics Discipline, Science,
Engineering and Technology School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Umama Khan
- Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Humayan Kabir Rana
- Department of Computer Science and
Engineering, Green University of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tahera Mahnaz Meem
- Statistics Discipline, Science,
Engineering and Technology School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Md Abdul Awal
- Electronics and Communication
Engineering Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Md Habibur Rahman
- Department of Computer Science and
Engineering, Islamic University, Kushtia, Bangladesh
| | - Md Salauddin Khan
- Statistics Discipline, Science,
Engineering and Technology School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh,Md Salauddin Khan, Statistics Discipline,
Science, Engineering and Technology School, Khulna University, Khulna 9208,
Bangladesh.
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2
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Mercer RCC, Harris DA. Mechanisms of prion-induced toxicity. Cell Tissue Res 2022; 392:81-96. [PMID: 36070155 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-022-03683-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are devastating neurodegenerative diseases caused by the structural conversion of the normally benign prion protein (PrPC) to an infectious, disease-associated, conformer, PrPSc. After decades of intense research, much is known about the self-templated prion conversion process, a phenomenon which is now understood to be operative in other more common neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we provide the current state of knowledge concerning a relatively poorly understood aspect of prion diseases: mechanisms of neurotoxicity. We provide an overview of proposed functions of PrPC and its interactions with other extracellular proteins in the central nervous system, in vivo and in vitro models used to delineate signaling events downstream of prion propagation, the application of omics technologies, and the emerging appreciation of the role played by non-neuronal cell types in pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C C Mercer
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
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3
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Hailemariam D, Lam TH, Dervishi E, Zwierzchowski G, Wishart DS, Ametaj BN. Combination of mouse prion protein with detoxified lipopolysaccharide triggers colon genes related to inflammatory, antibacterial, and apoptotic responses. Res Vet Sci 2022; 144:98-107. [DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2022.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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4
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Cheng L, Quek C, Li X, Bellingham SA, Ellett LJ, Shambrook M, Zafar S, Zerr I, Lawson VA, Hill AF. Distribution of microRNA profiles in pre-clinical and clinical forms of murine and human prion disease. Commun Biol 2021; 4:411. [PMID: 33767334 PMCID: PMC7994852 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-01868-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are distinguished by long pre-clinical incubation periods during which prions actively propagate in the brain and cause neurodegeneration. In the pre-clinical stage, we hypothesize that upon prion infection, transcriptional changes occur that can lead to early neurodegeneration. A longitudinal analysis of miRNAs in pre-clinical and clinical forms of murine prion disease demonstrated dynamic expression changes during disease progression in the affected thalamus region and serum. Serum samples at each timepoint were collected whereby extracellular vesicles (EVs) were isolated and used to identify blood-based biomarkers reflective of pathology in the brain. Differentially expressed EV miRNAs were validated in human clinical samples from patients with human sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), with the molecular subtype at codon 129 either methionine-methionine (MM, n = 14) or valine-valine (VV, n = 12) compared to controls (n = 20). EV miRNA biomarkers associated with prion infection predicted sCJD with an AUC of 0.800 (85% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity) in a second independent validation cohort (n = 26) of sCJD and control patients with MM or VV subtype. This study discovered clinically relevant miRNAs that benefit diagnostic development to detect prion-related diseases and therapeutic development to inhibit prion infectivity. Cheng et al. present differentially expressed extracellular vesicle miRNAs in human clinical samples from patients who suffer from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. This study identifies biomarkers that can be used to detect prion-related diseases, providing insights into drug development for inhibiting prion infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia. .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Camelia Quek
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Xia Li
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | - Shayne A Bellingham
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Laura J Ellett
- Department of Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mitch Shambrook
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Saima Zafar
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Göttingen, Germany.,Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Department, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (SMME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Victoria A Lawson
- Department of Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew F Hill
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia. .,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Region-specific glial homeostatic signature in prion diseases is replaced by a uniform neuroinflammation signature, common for brain regions and prion strains with different cell tropism. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 137:104783. [PMID: 32001329 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic neuroinflammation is recognized as a major neuropathological hallmark in a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Frontal Temporal Dementia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and prion diseases. Both microglia and astrocytes exhibit region-specific homeostatic transcriptional identities, which under chronic neurodegeneration, transform into reactive phenotypes in a region- and disease-specific manner. Little is known about region-specific identity of glia in prion diseases. The current study was designed to determine whether the region-specific homeostatic signature of glia changes with the progression of prion diseases, and whether these changes occur in a region-dependent or universal manner. Also of interest was whether different prion strains give rise to different reactive phenotypes. To answer these questions, we analyzed gene expression in the thalamus, cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus of mice infected with 22L and ME7 prion strains using a Nanostring Neuroinflammation panel at the subclinical, early clinical and advanced stages of the disease. We found that at the preclinical stage of the disease, the region-specific homeostatic identities were preserved. However, with the appearance of clinical signs, the region-specific signatures were partially lost and replaced with a neuroinflammation signature. While the same sets of genes were activated by both prion strains, the timing of neuroinflammation and the degree of activation in different brain regions was strain-specific. Changes in astrocyte function scored at the top of the activated pathways. Moreover, clustering analysis suggested that the astrocyte function pathway responded to prion infection prior to the Activated Microglia or Neuron and Neurotransmission pathways. The current work established neuroinflammation gene expression signature associated with prion diseases. Our results illustrate that with the disease progression, the region-specific homeostatic transcriptome signatures are replaced by the region-independent neuroinflammation signature, which is common for prion strains with different cell tropism. The prion-associated neuroinflammation signature identified in the current study overlapped only partially with the microglia degenerative phenotype and the disease-associated microglia phenotype reported for animal models of other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Abstract
Complex diseases involve dynamic perturbations of pathophysiological processes during disease progression. Transcriptional programs underlying such perturbations are unknown in many diseases. Here, we present core transcriptional regulatory circuits underlying early and late perturbations in prion disease. We first identified cellular processes perturbed early and late using time-course gene expression data from three prion-infected mouse strains. We then built a transcriptional regulatory network (TRN) describing regulation of early and late processes. We found over-represented feed-forward loops (FFLs) comprising transcription factor (TF) pairs and target genes in the TRN. Using gene expression data of brain cell types, we further selected active FFLs where TF pairs and target genes were expressed in the same cell type and showed correlated temporal expression changes in the brain. We finally determined core transcriptional regulatory circuits by combining these active FFLs. These circuits provide insights into transcriptional programs for early and late pathophysiological processes in prion disease.
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Abstract
Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by rapidly progressive dementia. Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) is the most prevalent. We report that, specific gene-expression alterations utilizing a reliable in vivo mouse model (tg340-PRNP129MM) with sCJD MM1 subtype, correlate with human disease manifestations in the brain cortex related to disease progression. RNA-editing functions mediated by the APOBEC and ADAR deaminases possibly affecting protein expression necessary for normal brain function, are altered in disease stages. Our data provide powerful evidence, derived from a humanized sCJD mouse model and human autopsy material, discerning the critical role of gene expression and RNA-editing signatures, introducing disease-associated targets that can be extrapolated in other neurodegenerative disorders with common clinical and molecular features. Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders caused by misfolding of the normal prion protein into an infectious cellular pathogen. Clinically characterized by rapidly progressive dementia and accounting for 85% of human prion disease cases, sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (sCJD) is the prevalent human prion disease. Although sCJD neuropathological hallmarks are well-known, associated molecular alterations are elusive due to rapid progression and absence of preclinical stages. To investigate transcriptome alterations during disease progression, we utilized tg340-PRNP129MM mice infected with postmortem material from sCJD patients of the most susceptible genotype (MM1 subtype), a sCJD model that faithfully recapitulates the molecular and pathological alterations of the human disease. Here we report that transcriptomic analyses from brain cortex in the context of disease progression, reveal epitranscriptomic alterations (specifically altered RNA edited pathway profiles, eg., ER stress, lysosome) that are characteristic and possibly protective mainly for preclinical and clinical disease stages. Our results implicate regulatory epitranscriptomic mechanisms in prion disease neuropathogenesis, whereby RNA-editing targets in a humanized sCJD mouse model were confirmed in pathological human autopsy material.
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Michael AV, Greenlee JJ, Harm TA, Moore SJ, Zhang M, Lind MS, Greenlee MHW, Smith JD. In Situ Temporospatial Characterization of the Glial Response to Prion Infection. Vet Pathol 2019; 57:90-107. [PMID: 31331254 DOI: 10.1177/0300985819861708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) display marked activation of astrocytes and microglia that precedes neuronal loss. Investigation of clinical parallels between TSEs and other neurodegenerative protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, has revealed similar patterns of neuroinflammatory responses to the accumulation of self-propagating amyloids. The contribution of glial activation to the progression of protein misfolding diseases is incompletely understood, with evidence for mediation of both protective and deleterious effects. Glial populations are heterogeneously distributed throughout the brain and capable of dynamic transitions along a spectrum of functional activation states between pro- and antiinflammatory polarization extremes. Using a murine model of Rocky Mountain Laboratory scrapie, the neuroinflammatory response to prion infection was characterized by evaluating glial activation across 15 brain regions over time and correlating it to traditional markers of prion neuropathology, including vacuolation and PrPSc deposition. Quantitative immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate glial expression of iNOS and Arg1, markers of classical and alternative glial activation, respectively. The results indicate progressive upregulation of iNOS in microglia and a mixed astrocytic profile featuring iNOS expression in white matter tracts and detection of Arg1-positive populations throughout the brain. These data establish a temporospatial lesion profile for this prion infection model and demonstrate evidence of multiple glial activation states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyona V Michael
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Justin J Greenlee
- US Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Tyler A Harm
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - S Jo Moore
- US Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Min Zhang
- Department of Statistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Melissa S Lind
- US Department of Agriculture, Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA.,BluePearl Pet Hospital, Des Moines, IA, USA
| | - M Heather West Greenlee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Jodi D Smith
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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Majer A, Medina SJ, Sorensen D, Martin MJ, Frost KL, Phillipson C, Manguiat K, Booth SA. The cell type resolved mouse transcriptome in neuron-enriched brain tissues from the hippocampus and cerebellum during prion disease. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1099. [PMID: 30705335 PMCID: PMC6355796 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37715-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple cell types and complex connection networks are an intrinsic feature of brain tissue. In this study we used expression profiling of specific microscopic regions of heterogeneous tissue sections isolated by laser capture microdissection (LCM) to determine insights into the molecular basis of brain pathology in prion disease. Temporal profiles in two mouse models of prion disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and a mouse-adapted strain of scrapie (RML) were performed in microdissected regions of the CA1 hippocampus and granular layer of the cerebellum which are both enriched in neuronal cell bodies. We noted that during clinical disease the number of activated microglia and astrocytes that occur in these areas are increased, thereby likely diluting the neuronal gene expression signature. We performed a comparative analysis with gene expression profiles determined from isolated populations of neurons, microglia and astrocytes to identify transcripts that are enriched in each of these cell types. Although the incubation periods of these two models are quite different, over 300 days for BSE and ~160 days for RML scrapie, these regional microdissections revealed broadly similar profiles. Microglial and astrocyte-enriched genes contributed a profound inflammatory profile consisting of inflammatory cytokines, genes related to phagocytosis, proteolysis and genes coding for extracellular matrix proteins. CA1 pyramidal neurons displayed a net upregulation of transcription factors and stress induced genes at pre-clinical stages of disease while all tissues showed profound decrease of overlapping genes related to neuronal function, in particular transcripts related to neuronal communication including glutamate receptors, phosphatase subunits and numerous synapse-related markers. Of note, we found a small number of genes expressed in neurons that were upregulated during clinical disease including, COX6A2, FZD9, RXRG and SOX11, that may be biomarkers of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Majer
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,Viral Diseases, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Sarah J Medina
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Debra Sorensen
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Matthew J Martin
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.,Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Kathy L Frost
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Clark Phillipson
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Kathy Manguiat
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stephanie A Booth
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. .,Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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Neuroinflammation, Microglia, and Cell-Association during Prion Disease. Viruses 2019; 11:v11010065. [PMID: 30650564 PMCID: PMC6356204 DOI: 10.3390/v11010065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2018] [Revised: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion disorders are transmissible diseases caused by a proteinaceous infectious agent that can infect the lymphatic and nervous systems. The clinical features of prion diseases can vary, but common hallmarks in the central nervous system (CNS) are deposition of abnormally folded protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres or PrPSc), astrogliosis, microgliosis, and neurodegeneration. Numerous proinflammatory effectors expressed by astrocytes and microglia are increased in the brain during prion infection, with many of them potentially damaging to neurons when chronically upregulated. Microglia are important first responders to foreign agents and damaged cells in the CNS, but these immune-like cells also serve many essential functions in the healthy CNS. Our current understanding is that microglia are beneficial during prion infection and critical to host defense against prion disease. Studies indicate that reduction of the microglial population accelerates disease and increases PrPSc burden in the CNS. Thus, microglia are unlikely to be a foci of prion propagation in the brain. In contrast, neurons and astrocytes are known to be involved in prion replication and spread. Moreover, certain astrocytes, such as A1 reactive astrocytes, have proven neurotoxic in other neurodegenerative diseases, and thus might also influence the progression of prion-associated neurodegeneration.
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Burak K, Lamoureux L, Boese A, Majer A, Saba R, Niu Y, Frost K, Booth SA. MicroRNA-16 targets mRNA involved in neurite extension and branching in hippocampal neurons during presymptomatic prion disease. Neurobiol Dis 2017; 112:1-13. [PMID: 29277556 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2017.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms that lead to neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases are poorly understood. Prion diseases, like many more common disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, are characterized by the progressive accumulation of misfolded disease-specific proteins. The earliest changes observed in brain tissue include a reduction in synaptic number and retraction of dendritic spines, followed by reduced length and branching of neurites. These pathologies are observable during presymptomatic stages of disease and are accompanied by altered expression of transcripts that include miRNAs. Here we report that miR-16 localized within hippocampal CA1 neurons is increased during early prion disease. Modulating miR-16 expression in mature murine hippocampal neurons by expression from a lentivirus, thus mimicking the modest increase seen in vivo, was found to induce neurodegeneration. This was characterized by retraction of neurites and reduced branching. We performed immunoprecipitation of the miR-16 enriched RISC complex, and identified associated transcripts from the co-immunoprecipitated RNA (Ago2 RIP-Chip). These transcripts were enriched with predicted binding sites for miR-16, including the validated miR-16 targets APP and BCL2, as well as numerous novel targets. In particular, genes within the neurotrophin receptor mediated MAPK/ERK pathway were potentially regulated by miR-16; including TrkB (NTRK2), MEK1 (MAP2K1) and c-Raf (RAF). Increased miR-16 expression in neurons during presymptomatic prion disease and reduction in proteins involved in MAPK/ERK signaling represents a possible mechanism by which neurite length and branching are decreased during early stages of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristyn Burak
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Lise Lamoureux
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Amrit Boese
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Anna Majer
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Reuben Saba
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Yulian Niu
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Kathy Frost
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stephanie A Booth
- Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
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Abstract
Prion diseases are unique neurodegenerative pathologies that can occur with sporadic, genetic, and acquired etiologies. Human and animal prion diseases can be recapitulated in laboratory animals with good reproducibility providing highly controlled models for studying molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. In this chapter the overall area of omics research in prion diseases is described. The term omics includes all fields of studies that employ a comprehensive, unbiased, and high-throughput approach to areas of research such as functional genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. These kind of approaches can be extremely helpful in identifying disease susceptibility factors and pathways that are dysregulated upon the onset and the progression of the disease. Herein, the most important research about the various forms of prion pathologies in human and in models of prion diseases in animals is presented and discussed.
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13
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The role of extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative diseases. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 483:1178-1186. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.09.090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2016] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Alibhai J, Blanco RA, Barria MA, Piccardo P, Caughey B, Perry VH, Freeman TC, Manson JC. Distribution of Misfolded Prion Protein Seeding Activity Alone Does Not Predict Regions of Neurodegeneration. PLoS Biol 2016; 14:e1002579. [PMID: 27880767 PMCID: PMC5120774 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein misfolding is common across many neurodegenerative diseases, with misfolded proteins acting as seeds for "prion-like" conversion of normally folded protein to abnormal conformations. A central hypothesis is that misfolded protein accumulation, spread, and distribution are restricted to specific neuronal populations of the central nervous system and thus predict regions of neurodegeneration. We examined this hypothesis using a highly sensitive assay system for detection of misfolded protein seeds in a murine model of prion disease. Misfolded prion protein (PrP) seeds were observed widespread throughout the brain, accumulating in all brain regions examined irrespective of neurodegeneration. Importantly, neither time of exposure nor amount of misfolded protein seeds present determined regions of neurodegeneration. We further demonstrate two distinct microglia responses in prion-infected brains: a novel homeostatic response in all regions and an innate immune response restricted to sites of neurodegeneration. Therefore, accumulation of misfolded prion protein alone does not define targeting of neurodegeneration, which instead results only when misfolded prion protein accompanies a specific innate immune response. The distribution of misfolded prion protein seeding activity alone does not predict regions of neurodegeneration in prion disease; rather, a complex microglial response appears to determine selective vulnerability and provides new strategies for therapy. Normal brain function requires tight regulation of protein folding; when this goes wrong, proteins can fold into abnormal conformations, which have severe impacts on brain performance, leading to conditions like dementia. Previous studies show that abnormally folded proteins are found in restricted parts of the brain, and neuronal cells in these specific brain regions have been shown to undergo degeneration. Recent technological advances have enhanced the detection of abnormally folded prion protein (PrP) during disease; we used these technologies to test whether distribution of abnormally folded proteins is indeed restricted to regions of the brain undergoing degeneration. Surprisingly, we observed abnormally folded proteins throughout the brain, demonstrating that these proteins can accumulate in parts of the brain that do not show degeneration. Thus, the distribution of abnormally folded protein, by itself, is not sufficient for neuronal degeneration. In addition, we found that microglia (one of the nonneuronal cell types in the brain) change their response during prion disease in two different ways; one response is associated with resilient brain regions, and the second, an inflammatory response is associated with regions susceptible to degeneration. Thus, the microglial response appears to be important in determining the outcome of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Alibhai
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Richard A. Blanco
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Marcelo A. Barria
- The National CJD Research and Surveillance Unit, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Pedro Piccardo
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - V. Hugh Perry
- Centre for Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Tom C. Freeman
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jean C. Manson
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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15
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Yin F, Yu H, Lepp D, Shi X, Yang X, Hu J, Leeson S, Yang C, Nie S, Hou Y, Gong J. Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Regulation of Gene Expression for Lipid Catabolism in Young Broilers by Butyrate Glycerides. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160751. [PMID: 27508934 PMCID: PMC4979964 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Butyrate has been shown to potently regulate energy expenditure and lipid metabolism in animals, yet the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of butyrate (in the form of butyrate glycerides, BG)-induced lipid metabolism at the level of gene expression in the jejunum and liver of broilers. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Two animal experiments were included in this study. In Experiment 1, two hundred and forty male broiler chickens were equally allocated into two groups: 1) basal diet (BD), 2) BG diets (BD + BG). Growth performance was compared between treatments for the 41-day trial. In Experiment 2, forty male broiler chickens were equally allocated into two groups. The general experimental design, group and management were the same as described in Experiment 1 except for reduced bird numbers and 21-day duration of the trial. Growth performance, abdominal fat deposition, serum lipid profiles as well as serum and tissue concentrations of key enzymes involved in lipid metabolism were compared between treatments. RNA-seq was employed to identify both differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and treatment specifically expressed genes (TSEGs). Functional clustering of DEGs and TSEGs and signaling pathways associated with lipid metabolism were identified using Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) and DAVID Bioinformatics Resources 6.7 (DAVID-BR). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays were subsequently conducted to further examine the expression of genes in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) signaling pathway identified by DAVID-BR. Dietary BG intervention significantly reduced abdominal fat ratio (abdominal fat weight/final body weight) in broilers. The decreased fat deposition in BG-fed chickens was in accordance with serum lipid profiles as well as the level of lipid metabolism-related enzymes in the serum, abdominal adipose, jejunum and liver. RNA-seq analysis indicated that dietary BG intervention induced 79 and 205 characterized DEGs in the jejunum and liver, respectively. In addition, 255 and 165 TSEGs were detected in the liver and jejunum of BG-fed group, while 162 and 211 TSEGs genes were observed in the liver and jejunum of BD-fed birds, respectively. Bioinformatic analysis with both IPA and DAVID-BR further revealed a significant enrichment of DEGs and TSEGs in the biological processes for reducing the synthesis, storage, transportation and secretion of lipids in the jejunum, while those in the liver were for enhancing the oxidation of ingested lipids and fatty acids. In particular, transcriptional regulators of THRSP and EGR-1 as well as several DEGs involved in the PPAR-α signaling pathway were significantly induced by dietary BG intervention for lipid catabolism. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that BG reduces body fat deposition via regulation of gene expression, which is involved in the biological events relating to the reduction of synthesis, storage, transportation and secretion, and improvement of oxidation of lipids and fatty acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fugui Yin
- Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hai Yu
- Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dion Lepp
- Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xuejiang Shi
- Next Generation Sequencing Platforms, Clinical Genomics Centre, the UHN/MSH Gene Profiling Facility, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Xiaojian Yang
- Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jielun Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Steve Leeson
- Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chengbo Yang
- Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Shaoping Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yongqing Hou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Joshua Gong
- Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
- * E-mail:
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16
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Dervishi E, Lam TH, Dunn SM, Zwierzchowski G, Saleem F, Wishart DS, Ametaj BN. Recombinant mouse prion protein alone or in combination with lipopolysaccharide alters expression of innate immunity genes in the colon of mice. Prion 2016; 9:59-73. [PMID: 25695140 DOI: 10.1080/19336896.2015.1019694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to test whether recombinant mouse (mo)PrP alone or in combination with LPS or under simulated endotoxemia would affect expression of genes related to host inflammatory and antimicrobial responses. To test our hypotheses colon tissues were collected from 16 male mice (FVB/N strain) and mounted in an Ussing chamber. Application of moPrP to the mucosal side of the colon affected genes related to TLR- and NLR- signaling and antimicrobial responses. When LPS was added on the mucosal side of the colon, genes related to TLR, Nlrp3 inflammasome, and iron transport proteins were over-expressed. Addition of LPS to the serosal side of the colon up-regulated genes related to TLR- and NLR-signaling, Nlrp3 inflammasome, and a chemokine. Treatment with both moPrP and LPS to the mucosal side of the colon upregulated genes associated with TLR, downstream signal transduction (DST), inflammatory response, attraction of dendritic cells to the site of inflammation, and the JNK-apoptosis pathway. Administration of moPrP to the mucosal side and LPS to the serosal side of the colon affected genes related to TLR- and NLR-signaling, DST, apoptosis, inflammatory response, cytokines, chemokines, and antimicrobial peptides. Overall this study suggests a potential role for moPrP as an endogenous 'danger signal' associated with activation of colon genes related to innate immunity and antibacterial responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elda Dervishi
- a Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science ; University of Alberta , Edmonton , AB , Canada
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17
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Muñoz-Gutiérrez JF, Aguilar Pierlé S, Schneider DA, Baszler TV, Stanton JB. Transcriptomic Determinants of Scrapie Prion Propagation in Cultured Ovine Microglia. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147727. [PMID: 26807844 PMCID: PMC4726464 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Susceptibility to infection by prions is highly dependent on the amino acid sequence and host expression of the cellular prion protein (PrPC); however, cellular expression of a genetically susceptible PrPC is insufficient. As an example, it has been shown in cultured cells that permissive and resistant sublines derived from the same parental population often have similar expression levels of PrPC. Thus, additional cellular factors must influence susceptibility to prion infection. The aim of this study was to elucidate the factors associated with relative permissiveness and resistance to scrapie prions in cultured cells derived from a naturally affected species. Two closely related ovine microglia clones with different prion susceptibility, but no detectable differences in PrPC expression levels, were inoculated with either scrapie-positive or scrapie-negative sheep brainstem homogenates. Five passages post-inoculation, the transcriptional profiles of mock and infected clones were sequenced using Illumina technology. Comparative transcriptional analyses identified twenty-two differentially transcribed genes, most of which were upregulated in poorly permissive microglia. This included genes encoding for selenoprotein P, endolysosomal proteases, and proteins involved in extracellular matrix remodeling. Furthermore, in highly permissive microglia, transforming growth factor β–induced, retinoic acid receptor response 1, and phosphoserine aminotranspherase 1 gene transcripts were upregulated. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis identified proteolysis, translation, and mitosis as the most affected pathways and supported the upregulation trend of several genes encoding for intracellular proteases and ribosomal proteins in poorly permissive microglia. This study identifies new genes potentially involved in scrapie prion propagation, corroborates results from other studies, and extends those results into another cell culture model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan F. Muñoz-Gutiérrez
- Department of Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JFMG); (JBS)
| | - Sebastián Aguilar Pierlé
- Department of Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - David A. Schneider
- Department of Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Timothy V. Baszler
- Department of Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - James B. Stanton
- Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JFMG); (JBS)
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18
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Seyhan AA. microRNAs with different functions and roles in disease development and as potential biomarkers of diabetes: progress and challenges. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2016; 11:1217-34. [PMID: 25765998 DOI: 10.1039/c5mb00064e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Biomarkers provide information on early detection of diseases, in determining individuals at risk of developing complications or subtyping individuals for disease phenotypes. In addition, biomarkers may lead to better treatment strategies, personalized therapy, and improved outcome. A major gap in the field of biomarker development is that we have not identified appropriate (minimally invasive, life-style independent and informative) biomarkers for the underlying disease process(es) that can be measured in readily accessible samples (e.g. serum, plasma, blood, urine). miRNAs function as regulators in wide ranging cellular and physiological functions and also participate in many physiopathological processes and thus have been linked to many diseases including diabetes, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and autoimmunity. Many miRNAs have been shown to have predictive value as potential biomarkers in a variety of diseases including diabetes, which are detectable in some instances many years before the manifestation of disease. Although some technical challenges still remain, due to their availability in the circulation, relative stability, and ease of detection; miRNAs have emerged as a promising new class of biomarkers to provide information on early detection of disease, monitoring disease progression, in determining individual's risk of developing complications or subtyping individuals for disease phenotypes, and to monitor response to therapeutic interventions. As a final note, most of the miRNAs reported in the literature have not yet been validated in sufficiently powered and longitudinal studies for specificity for that particular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attila A Seyhan
- Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes, Florida Hospital, Sanford Burnham Institute, 301 E. Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32804, USA.
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19
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Newaz K, Sriram K, Bera D. Identification of Major Signaling Pathways in Prion Disease Progression Using Network Analysis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0144389. [PMID: 26646948 PMCID: PMC4672924 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative diseases that arise due to conformational change of normal, cellular prion protein (PrPC) to protease-resistant isofrom (rPrPSc). Deposition of misfolded PrpSc proteins leads to an alteration of many signaling pathways that includes immunological and apoptotic pathways. As a result, this culminates in the dysfunction and death of neuronal cells. Earlier works on transcriptomic studies have revealed some affected pathways, but it is not clear which is (are) the prime network pathway(s) that change during the disease progression and how these pathways are involved in crosstalks with each other from the time of incubation to clinical death. We perform network analysis on large-scale transcriptomic data of differentially expressed genes obtained from whole brain in six different mouse strain-prion strain combination models to determine the pathways involved in prion diseases, and to understand the role of crosstalks in disease propagation. We employ a notion of differential network centrality measures on protein interaction networks to identify the potential biological pathways involved. We also propose a crosstalk ranking method based on dynamic protein interaction networks to identify the core network elements involved in crosstalk with different pathways. We identify 148 DEGs (differentially expressed genes) potentially related to the prion disease progression. Functional association of the identified genes implicates a strong involvement of immunological pathways. We extract a bow-tie structure that is potentially dysregulated in prion disease. We also propose an ODE model for the bow-tie network. Predictions related to diseased condition suggests the downregulation of the core signaling elements (PI3Ks and AKTs) of the bow-tie network. In this work, we show using transcriptomic data that the neuronal dysfunction in prion disease is strongly related to the immunological pathways. We conclude that these immunological pathways occupy influential positions in the PFNs (protein functional networks) that are related to prion disease. Importantly, this functional network involvement is prevalent in all the five different mouse strain-prion strain combinations that we studied. We also conclude that the dysregulation of the core elements of the bow-tie structure, which belongs to PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, leads to dysregulation of the downstream components corresponding to other biological pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalique Newaz
- Department of Computer Science, IIIT Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - K. Sriram
- Center for Computational Biology, IIIT Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Debajyoti Bera
- Department of Computer Science, IIIT Delhi, New Delhi, India
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20
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Abstract
Prion diseases are a heterogeneous class of fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with misfolding of host cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) into a pathological isoform, termed PrP(Sc). Prion diseases affect various mammals, including humans, and effective treatments are not available. Prion diseases are distinguished from other protein misfolding disorders - such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease - in that they are infectious. Prion diseases occur sporadically without any known exposure to infected material, and hereditary cases resulting from rare mutations in the prion protein have also been documented. The mechanistic underpinnings of prion and other neurodegenerative disorders remain poorly understood. Various proteomics techniques have been instrumental in early PrP(Sc) detection, biomarker discovery, elucidation of PrP(Sc) structure and mapping of biochemical pathways affected by pathogenesis. Moving forward, proteomics approaches will likely become more integrated into the clinical and research settings for the rapid diagnosis and characterization of prion pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger A Moore
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, NIH,NIAID, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
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21
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Trovato A, Panelli S, Strozzi F, Cambulli C, Barbieri I, Martinelli N, Lombardi G, Capoferri R, Williams JL. Expression of genes involved in the T cell signalling pathway in circulating immune cells of cattle 24 months following oral challenge with Bovine Amyloidotic Spongiform Encephalopathy (BASE). BMC Vet Res 2015; 11:105. [PMID: 25956229 PMCID: PMC4424883 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-015-0412-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bovine Amyloidotic Spongiform Encephalopathy (BASE) is a variant of classical BSE that affects cows and can be transmitted to primates and mice. BASE is biochemically different from BSE and shares some molecular and histo-pathological features with the MV2 sub-type of human sporadic Creutzfeld Jakob Disease (sCJD). Results The present work examined the effects of BASE on gene expression in circulating immune cells. Ontology analysis of genes differentially expressed between cattle orally challenged with brain homogenate from cattle following intracranial inoculation with BASE and control cattle identified three main pathways which were affected. Within the immune function pathway, the most affected genes were related to the T cell receptor-mediated T cell activation pathways. The differential expression of these genes in BASE challenged animals at 10,12 and 24 months following challenge, vs unchallenged controls, was investigated by real time PCR. Conclusions The results of this study show that the effects of prion diseases are not limited to the CNS, but involve the immune system and particularly T cell signalling during the early stage following challenge, before the appearance of clinical signs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Trovato
- Parco Tecnologico Padano, via Einstein, Lodi, 26900, Italy.
| | - Simona Panelli
- Istituto Sperimentale Italiano Lazzaro Spallanzani, Loc. La Quercia, 26027, Rivolta d'Adda, Italy.
| | | | - Caterina Cambulli
- Istituto Sperimentale Italiano Lazzaro Spallanzani, Loc. La Quercia, 26027, Rivolta d'Adda, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Barbieri
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, via Bianchi 9, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Nicola Martinelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, via Bianchi 9, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Guerino Lombardi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna, via Bianchi 9, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Rossana Capoferri
- Istituto Sperimentale Italiano Lazzaro Spallanzani, Loc. La Quercia, 26027, Rivolta d'Adda, Italy.
| | - John L Williams
- Parco Tecnologico Padano, via Einstein, Lodi, 26900, Italy. .,Present address: School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, SA, 5371, Australia.
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22
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Majer A, Booth SA. Microdissection and transcriptional profiling: a window into the pathobiology of preclinical prion disease. Prion 2015; 8:67-74. [PMID: 24406429 DOI: 10.4161/pri.27729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases share common features on a sub-cellular level with many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer disease; the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease world-wide. The most obvious similarity is the accumulation of misfolded forms of the host proteins which forms aggregates in the brains of patients. Remarkably, one of the earliest pathological changes detected in degenerating brain tissue, well before clinical symptoms are observed, is synaptic dysfunction and loss. This pathology was recently shown to be reversible in early stages of mouse prion disease suggesting that synaptic regeneration and reestablishment of neuronal function is possible. Determination of the molecular events that underlie synapse degeneration and how this eventually results in neuronal loss is therefore a research priority that may contribute to the search for new therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative disorders. Functional genomic studies using unbiased whole genome expression analyses represent one method that can provide insights into these perplexing processes. However, transcriptional profiles from brain tissues are representative of a heterogeneous mixture of cell types that effectively mask the expression of low abundance transcripts, or molecular changes that occur only in a small population of affected neurons. One method that was recently applied to address these challenges was laser capture microdissection which was used to effectively isolate the CA1 neuronal rich region of the hippocampus prior to RNA extraction. Profiling of both mRNAs and microRNAs revealed previously unidentified neuronal-specific genes and expression signatures that are relevant to understanding the pathophysiological processes involved in preclinical stages of prion disease. In this review we will highlight these molecular signatures and discuss their implications with respect to prion-induced neurodegeneration.
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23
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Subcellular distribution of the prion protein in sickness and in health. Virus Res 2015; 207:136-45. [PMID: 25683509 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2015.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) is an ubiquitously expressed glycoprotein that is most abundant in the central nervous system. It is thought to play a role in many cellular processes, including neuroprotection, but may also contribute to Alzheimer's disease and some cancers. However, it is best known for its central role in the prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and scrapie. These protein misfolding diseases can be sporadic, acquired, or genetic and are caused by refolding of endogenous PrP(C) into a beta sheet-rich, pathogenic form, PrP(Sc). Once prions are present in the central nervous system, they increase and spread during a long incubation period that is followed by a relatively short clinical disease phase, ending in death. PrP molecules can be broadly categorized as either 'good' (cellular) PrP(C) or 'bad' (scrapie prion-type) PrP(Sc), but both populations are heterogeneous and different forms of PrP(C) may influence various cellular activities. Both PrP(C) and PrP(Sc) are localized predominantly at the cell surface, with the C-terminus attached to the plasma membrane via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor and both can exist in cleaved forms. PrP(C) also has cytosolic and transmembrane forms, and PrP(Sc) is known to exist in a variety of conformations and aggregation states. Here, we discuss the roles of different PrP isoforms in sickness and in health, and show the subcellular distributions of several forms of PrP that are particularly relevant for PrP(C) to PrP(Sc) conversion and prion-induced pathology in the hippocampus.
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Prion infection of mouse brain reveals multiple new upregulated genes involved in neuroinflammation or signal transduction. J Virol 2014; 89:2388-404. [PMID: 25505076 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02952-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Gliosis is often a preclinical pathological finding in neurodegenerative diseases, including prion diseases, but the mechanisms facilitating gliosis and neuronal damage in these diseases are not understood. To expand our knowledge of the neuroinflammatory response in prion diseases, we assessed the expression of key genes and proteins involved in the inflammatory response and signal transduction in mouse brain at various times after scrapie infection. In brains of scrapie-infected mice at pre- and postclinical stages, we identified 15 previously unreported differentially expressed genes related to inflammation or activation of the STAT signal transduction pathway. Levels for the majority of differentially expressed genes increased with time postinfection. In quantitative immunoblotting experiments of STAT proteins, STAT1α, phosphorylated-STAT1α (pSTAT1α), and pSTAT3 were increased between 94 and 131 days postinfection (p.i.) in brains of mice infected with strain 22L. Furthermore, a select group of STAT-associated genes was increased preclinically during scrapie infection, suggesting early activation of the STAT signal transduction pathway. Comparison of inflammatory markers between mice infected with scrapie strains 22L and RML indicated that the inflammatory responses and gene expression profiles in the brains were strikingly similar, even though these scrapie strains infect different brain regions. The endogenous interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), an inflammatory marker, was newly identified as increasing preclinically in our model and therefore might influence scrapie pathogenesis in vivo. However, in IL-1Ra-deficient or overexpressor transgenic mice inoculated with scrapie, neither loss nor overexpression of IL-1Ra demonstrated any observable effect on gliosis, protease-resistant prion protein (PrPres) formation, disease tempo, pathology, or expression of the inflammatory genes analyzed. IMPORTANCE Prion infection leads to PrPres deposition, gliosis, and neuroinflammation in the central nervous system before signs of clinical illness. Using a scrapie mouse model of prion disease to assess various time points postinoculation, we identified 15 unreported genes that were increased in the brains of scrapie-infected mice and were associated with inflammation and/or JAK-STAT activation. Comparison of mice infected with two scrapie strains (22L and RML), which have dissimilar neuropathologies, indicated that the inflammatory responses and gene expression profiles in the brains were similar. Genes that increased prior to clinical signs might be involved in controlling scrapie infection or in facilitating damage to host tissues. We tested the possible role of the endogenous IL-1Ra, which was increased at 70 days p.i. In scrapie-infected mice deficient in or overexpressing IL-1Ra, there was no observable effect on gliosis, PrPres formation, disease tempo, pathology, or expression of inflammatory genes analyzed.
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25
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Gossner AG, Hopkins J. Transcriptome analysis of CNS immediately before and after the detection of PrP(Sc) in SSBP/1 sheep scrapie. Vet Microbiol 2014; 173:201-7. [PMID: 25183238 PMCID: PMC4206282 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2014.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Arrays and DGE-tags quantified gene expression in the CNS during sheep scrapie. Neurological receptors were increased with disease progression. Clues to basis of psychiatric changes. Step changes to gene expression after the detection of PrPSc in CNS.
Sheep scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), progressive and fatal neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) linked to the accumulation of misfolded prion protein, PrPSc. New Zealand Cheviot sheep, homozygous for the VRQ genotype of the PRNP gene are most susceptible with an incubation period of 193 days with SSBP/1 scrapie. However, the earliest time point that PrPSc can be detected in the CNS is 125 days (D125). The aim of this study was to quantify changes to the transcriptome of the thalamus and obex (medulla) at times immediately before (D75) and after (D125) PrPSc was detected. Affymetrix gene arrays were used to quantify gene expression in the thalamus and Illumina DGE-tag profiling for obex. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used to help describe the biological processes of scrapie pathology. Neurological disease and Cancer were common Bio Functions in each tissue at D75; inflammation and cell death were major processes at D125. Several neurological receptors were significantly increased at D75 (e.g. CHRNA6, GRM1, HCN2), which might be clues to the molecular basis of psychiatric changes associated with TSEs. No genes were significantly differentially expressed at both D75 and D125 and there was no progression of events from earlier to later time points. This implies that there is no simple linear progression of pathological or molecular events. There seems to be a step-change between D75 and D125, correlating with the detection of PrPSc, resulting in the involvement of different pathological processes in later TSE disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton G Gossner
- The Roslin Institute & R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK
| | - John Hopkins
- The Roslin Institute & R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK.
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Shott RH, Appanah C, Grenier C, Tremblay G, Roucou X, Schang LM. Development of kinomic analyses to identify dysregulated signaling pathways in cells expressing cytoplasmic PrP. Virol J 2014; 11:175. [PMID: 25280966 PMCID: PMC4283144 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-11-175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dysregulated protein kinase signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases. However, the dysregulated signaling pathways critical to prion pathogenesis remain incompletely characterized. Global analyses of signaling pathways may be useful to better characterize these pathways. We therefore set out to develop such global assays. To this end, we used as a model cytoplasmic mutants of the cellular prion protein (PrPC), which are toxic to N2a neuroblastoma cells. We tested the global assays for their sensitivity to detect changes in signaling pathways in cells expressing cytoplasmic PrP mutants. Methods We developed a targeted proteomics (kinomics) approach using multiplex Western blots to identify signaling pathways dysregulated in chronic neurological pathologies. We tested the approach for its potential ability to detect signaling changes in N2a cells expressing cytoplasmic PrP mutants. Results Multiplex Western blots were designed to quantitate the expression levels of 137 protein kinases in a single membrane and using only 1.2 mg of sample. The response of the blots was sensitive and linear to changes of 6% in protein levels. Hierarchical and functional clustering of the relative expression levels identified an mTOR signaling pathway as potentially dysregulated in N2a cells expressing cytoplasmic PrP. The mTOR signaling pathway regulates global protein synthesis, which is inhibited in cells expressing cytoplasmic PrP. The levels of proteins involved in the Akt1/p70S6K branch of mTOR signaling changed in synchrony with time of cytoplasmic PrP expression. Three kinases in this pathway, Akt, p70S6K, and eIF4B were in their inactive states, as evaluated by phosphorylation of their regulatory sites. Conclusion The results presented are consistent with the previously reported inhibition of Akt/p70S6K/eIF4B signaling as mediating pathogenesis of cytoplasmic PrP. We conclude that the kinomic analyses are sensitive and specific to detect signaling pathways dysregulated in a simple in vitro model of PrP pathogenesis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1743-422X-11-175) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Luis M Schang
- Department of Biochemistry and Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases (CPPFD), University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada.
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Moore RA, Sturdevant DE, Chesebro B, Priola SA. Proteomics analysis of amyloid and nonamyloid prion disease phenotypes reveals both common and divergent mechanisms of neuropathogenesis. J Proteome Res 2014; 13:4620-34. [PMID: 25140793 PMCID: PMC4227561 DOI: 10.1021/pr500329w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
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Prion
diseases are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders
affecting various mammals including humans. Prion diseases are characterized
by a misfolding of the host-encoded prion protein (PrPC) into a pathological isoform termed PrPSc. In wild-type
mice, PrPC is attached to the plasma membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol
(GPI) anchor and PrPSc typically accumulates in diffuse
nonamyloid deposits with gray matter spongiosis. By contrast, when
mice lacking the GPI anchor are infected with the same prion inoculum,
PrPSc accumulates in dense perivascular amyloid plaques
with little or no gray matter spongiosis. In order to evaluate whether
different host biochemical pathways were implicated in these two phenotypically
distinct prion disease models, we utilized a proteomics approach.
In both models, infected mice displayed evidence of a neuroinflammatory
response and complement activation. Proteins involved in cell death
and calcium homeostasis were also identified in both phenotypes. However,
mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis were implicated only in the nonamyloid
form, whereas metal binding and synaptic vesicle transport were more
disrupted in the amyloid phenotype. Thus, following infection with
a single prion strain, PrPC anchoring to the plasma membrane
correlated not only with the type of PrPSc deposition but
also with unique biochemical pathways associated with pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger A Moore
- Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases and ‡Research Technologies Branch, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , Hamilton, Montana 59840, United States
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Biological network inferences for a protection mechanism against familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with E200K pathogenic mutation. BMC Med Genomics 2014; 7:52. [PMID: 25149502 PMCID: PMC4151374 DOI: 10.1186/1755-8794-7-52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Human prion diseases are caused by abnormal accumulation of misfolded prion protein in the brain tissue. Inherited prion diseases, including familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD), are associated with mutations of the prion protein gene (PRNP). The glutamate (E)-to-lysine (K) substitution at codon 200 (E200K) in PRNP is the most common pathogenic mutation causing fCJD, but the E200K pathogenic mutation alone is regarded insufficient to cause prion diseases; thus, additional unidentified factors are proposed to explain the penetrance of E200K-dependent fCJD. Here, exome differences and biological network analysis between fCJD patients with E200K and healthy individuals, including a non-CJD individual with E200K, were analysed to gain new insights into possible mechanisms for CJD in individuals carrying E200K. Methods Exome sequencing of the three CJD patients with E200K and 11 of the family of one patient (case1) were performed using the Illumina HiSeq 2000. The exome sequences of 24 Healthy Koreans were used as control. The bioinformatic analysis of the exome sequences was performed using the CLC Genomics Workbench v5.5. Sanger sequencing for variants validation was processed using a BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Kit and an ABI 3730xl automated sequencer. Biological networks were created using Cytoscape (v2.8.3 and v3.0.2) and Pathway Studio 9.0 software. Results Nineteen sites were only observed in healthy individuals. Four proteins (NRXN2, KLKB1, KARS, and LAMA3) that harbour rarely observed single-nucleotide variants showed biological interactions that are associated with prion diseases and/or prion protein in our biological network analysis. Conclusion Through this study, we confirmed that individuals can have a CJD-free life, even if they carry a pathogenic E200K mutation. Our research provides a possible mechanism that involves a candidate protective factor; this could be exploited to prevent fCJD onset in individuals carrying E200K.
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Barbisin M, Vanni S, Schmädicke AC, Montag J, Motzkus D, Opitz L, Salinas-Riester G, Legname G. Gene expression profiling of brains from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-infected cynomolgus macaques. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:434. [PMID: 24898206 PMCID: PMC4061447 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders whose pathogenesis mechanisms are not fully understood. In this context, the analysis of gene expression alterations occurring in prion-infected animals represents a powerful tool that may contribute to unravel the molecular basis of prion diseases and therefore discover novel potential targets for diagnosis and therapeutics. Here we present the first large-scale transcriptional profiling of brains from BSE-infected cynomolgus macaques, which are an excellent model for human prion disorders. RESULTS The study was conducted using the GeneChip® Rhesus Macaque Genome Array and revealed 300 transcripts with expression changes greater than twofold. Among these, the bioinformatics analysis identified 86 genes with known functions, most of which are involved in cellular development, cell death and survival, lipid homeostasis, and acute phase response signaling. RT-qPCR was performed on selected gene transcripts in order to validate the differential expression in infected animals versus controls. The results obtained with the microarray technology were confirmed and a gene signature was identified. In brief, HBB and HBA2 were down-regulated in infected macaques, whereas TTR, APOC1 and SERPINA3 were up-regulated. CONCLUSIONS Some genes involved in oxygen or lipid transport and in innate immunity were found to be dysregulated in prion infected macaques. These genes are known to be involved in other neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Our results may facilitate the identification of potential disease biomarkers for many neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Legname
- Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy.
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Qualtieri A, Urso E, Pera ML, Sprovieri T, Bossio S, Gambardella A, Quattrone A. Proteomic profiling of cerebrospinal fluid in Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease. Expert Rev Proteomics 2014; 7:907-17. [DOI: 10.1586/epr.10.80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Basu U, Guan LL, Moore SS. Functional genomics approach for identification of molecular processes underlying neurodegenerative disorders in prion diseases. Curr Genomics 2013; 13:369-78. [PMID: 23372423 PMCID: PMC3401894 DOI: 10.2174/138920212801619223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 05/30/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are infectious neurodegenerative disorders leading to death. These include Cresutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), familial, sporadic and variant CJD and kuru in humans; and animal TSEs include scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, chronic wasting disease (CWD) of mule deer and elk, and transmissible mink encephalopathy. All these TSEs share common pathological features such as accumulation of mis-folded prion proteins in the central nervous system leading to cellular dysfunction and cell death. It is important to characterize the molecular pathways and events leading to prion induced neurodegeneration. Here we discuss the impact of the functional genomics approaches including microarrays, subtractive hybridization and microRNA profiling in elucidating transcriptional cascades at different stages of disease. Many of these transcriptional changes have been observed in multiple neurodegenerative diseases which may aid in identification of biomarkers for disease. A comprehensive characterization of expression profiles implicated in neurodegenerative disorders will undoubtedly advance our understanding on neuropathology and dysfunction during prion disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. We also present an outlook on the future work which may focus on analysis of structural genetic variation, genome and transcriptome sequencing using next generation sequencing with an integrated approach on animal and human TSE related studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urmila Basu
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5
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Asuni AA, Pankiewicz JE, Sadowski MJ. Differential molecular chaperone response associated with various mouse adapted scrapie strains. Neurosci Lett 2013; 538:26-31. [PMID: 23370284 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2012] [Revised: 12/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Prionoses are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by misfolding of cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) and accumulation of its diseases specific conformer PrP(Sc) in the brain and neuropathologically, they can be associated with presence or absence of PrP amyloid deposits. Functional molecular chaperones (MCs) that constitute the unfolded protein response include heat shock proteins and glucose-regulated protein families. They protect intracellular milieu against various stress conditions including accumulation of misfolded proteins and oxidative stress, typical of neurodegenerative diseases. Little is known about the role of MCs in pathogenesis of prionoses in mammalian prion model systems. In this study we characterized MCs response pattern in mice infected with various mouse adapted scrapie strains. Rather than uniform upregulation of MCs, we encountered two distinctly different patterns of MCs response distinguishing ME7 and 87V strains from 22L and 139A strains. ME7 and 87V strains are known for the induction of amyloid deposition in infected animals, while in mice infected with 22L and 139A strains amyloid deposits are absent. MCs response pattern similar to that associated with amyloidogenic ME7 and 87V strains was also observed in APPPS1-21 Alzheimer's transgenic mice, which represent an aggressive model of cerebral amyloidosis caused by β-amyloid deposition. Our results highlight the probability that different mechanisms of MCs regulation exist driven by amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic nature of prion strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayodeji A Asuni
- Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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Camero S, Benítez MJ, Jiménez JS. Anomalous Protein–DNA Interactions Behind Neurological Disorders. PROTEIN-NUCLEIC ACIDS INTERACTIONS 2013; 91:37-63. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-411637-5.00002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Bradford BM, Mabbott NA. Prion disease and the innate immune system. Viruses 2012; 4:3389-419. [PMID: 23342365 PMCID: PMC3528271 DOI: 10.3390/v4123389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2012] [Revised: 11/14/2012] [Accepted: 11/22/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are a unique category of infectious protein-misfolding neurodegenerative disorders. Hypothesized to be caused by misfolding of the cellular prion protein these disorders possess an infectious quality that thrives in immune-competent hosts. While much has been discovered about the routing and critical components involved in the peripheral pathogenesis of these agents there are still many aspects to be discovered. Research into this area has been extensive as it represents a major target for therapeutic intervention within this group of diseases. The main focus of pathological damage in these diseases occurs within the central nervous system. Cells of the innate immune system have been proven to be critical players in the initial pathogenesis of prion disease, and may have a role in the pathological progression of disease. Understanding how prions interact with the host innate immune system may provide us with natural pathways and mechanisms to combat these diseases prior to their neuroinvasive stage. We present here a review of the current knowledge regarding the role of the innate immune system in prion pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry M Bradford
- The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK.
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Rubenstein R. Proteomic analysis of prion diseases: creating clarity or causing confusion? Electrophoresis 2012; 33:3631-43. [PMID: 23161058 DOI: 10.1002/elps.201200310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Revised: 06/25/2012] [Accepted: 07/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are progressive, fatal neurodegenerative diseases. There are both human and animal forms of the disease and all are associated with the conversion of a normal host-coded cellular prion protein (PrP(C) ) into an abnormal protease-resistant isoform (PrP(Sc) ). Although methodologies are sensitive and specific for postmortem disease diagnosis, the use of PrP(Sc) as a preclinical or general biomarker for surveillance is difficult, due to the fact that it is present in extremely small amounts in accessible tissues or body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, and cerebrospinal fluid. Recently, amplification techniques have been developed, which have enabled increased sensitivity for PrP(Sc) detection. However, it has recently been reported that proteinase K sensitive, pathological isoforms of PrP may have a significant role in the pathogenesis of some prion diseases. Accordingly, the development of new diagnostic tests that do not rely on PrP(Sc) and proteinase K digestion is desirable. The search for biomarkers (other than PrP(Sc) ) as tools for diagnosis of prion diseases has a long history. Ideally biomarkers able to detect all transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, even at preclinical stages of infection are desirable but not yet possible due to the heterogeneity of the disease and lengthy disease progression. Recent advances in neuroproteomics have led to an overwhelming amount of information, which may offer insight on protein-protein interactions. While the amount of data obtained is impressive, the ability to relate it to the disease and validating its usefulness in diagnostic biomarker development remains a formidable challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Rubenstein
- Department of Neurology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
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Majer A, Medina SJ, Niu Y, Abrenica B, Manguiat KJ, Frost KL, Philipson CS, Sorensen DL, Booth SA. Early mechanisms of pathobiology are revealed by transcriptional temporal dynamics in hippocampal CA1 neurons of prion infected mice. PLoS Pathog 2012; 8:e1003002. [PMID: 23144617 PMCID: PMC3493483 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2012] [Accepted: 09/13/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases typically have long pre-clinical incubation periods during which time the infectious prion particle and infectivity steadily propagate in the brain. Abnormal neuritic sprouting and synaptic deficits are apparent during pre-clinical disease, however, gross neuronal loss is not detected until the onset of the clinical phase. The molecular events that accompany early neuronal damage and ultimately conclude with neuronal death remain obscure. In this study, we used laser capture microdissection to isolate hippocampal CA1 neurons and determined their pre-clinical transcriptional response during infection. We found that gene expression within these neurons is dynamic and characterized by distinct phases of activity. We found that a major cluster of genes is altered during pre-clinical disease after which expression either returns to basal levels, or alternatively undergoes a direct reversal during clinical disease. Strikingly, we show that this cluster contains a signature highly reminiscent of synaptic N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor signaling and the activation of neuroprotective pathways. Additionally, genes involved in neuronal projection and dendrite development were also altered throughout the disease, culminating in a general decline of gene expression for synaptic proteins. Similarly, deregulated miRNAs such as miR-132-3p, miR-124a-3p, miR-16-5p, miR-26a-5p, miR-29a-3p and miR-140-5p follow concomitant patterns of expression. This is the first in depth genomic study describing the pre-clinical response of hippocampal neurons to early prion replication. Our findings suggest that prion replication results in the persistent stimulation of a programmed response that is mediated, at least in part, by synaptic NMDA receptor activity that initially promotes cell survival and neurite remodelling. However, this response is terminated prior to the onset of clinical symptoms in the infected hippocampus, seemingly pointing to a critical juncture in the disease. Manipulation of these early neuroprotective pathways may redress the balance between degeneration and survival, providing a potential inroad for treatment. Neurodegenerative diseases affect an ever-increasing proportion of the population; therefore, there is an urgent need to develop treatments. Prion disorders belong to this group of diseases and although rare and uniquely transmissible, share many features on a sub-cellular level. Central to disease is progressive synaptic impairment that invariably leads to the irreversible loss of neurons. Understanding this process is undoubtedly essential for rational drug discovery. In this study we looked at neurons very early in disease, when prions are barely detectable and there are no clinical symptoms observed. Specifically, we performed a comprehensive analysis of transcriptional changes within a particularly dense area of neurons, the CA1 hippocampus region, from prion-infected and control mice. In this way we were able to enrich our data for molecular changes unique to neurons and minimize those changes characteristic of support cells such as astrocytes and microglia. We detected the activation of a transcriptional program indicative of a protective mechanism within these neurons early in disease. This mechanism diminished as disease progressed and was lost altogether, concurrently with the onset of clinical symptoms. These findings demonstrate the ability of neurons to mount an initial neuroprotective response to prions that could be exploited for therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Majer
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Sarah J. Medina
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Yulian Niu
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Bernard Abrenica
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Kathy J. Manguiat
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Kathy L. Frost
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Clark S. Philipson
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Debra L. Sorensen
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stephanie A. Booth
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Crespo I, Roomp K, Jurkowski W, Kitano H, del Sol A. Gene regulatory network analysis supports inflammation as a key neurodegeneration process in prion disease. BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2012; 6:132. [PMID: 23068602 PMCID: PMC3607922 DOI: 10.1186/1752-0509-6-132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 09/17/2012] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Background The activation of immune cells in the brain is believed to be one of the earliest events in prion disease development, where misfolded PrionSc protein deposits are thought to act as irritants leading to a series of events that culminate in neuronal cell dysfunction and death. The role of these events in prion disease though is still a matter of debate. To elucidate the mechanisms leading from abnormal protein deposition to neuronal injury, we have performed a detailed network analysis of genes differentially expressed in several mouse prion models. Results We found a master regulatory core of genes related to immune response controlling other genes involved in prion protein replication and accumulation, and neuronal cell death. This regulatory core determines the existence of two stable states that are consistent with the transcriptome analysis comparing prion infected versus uninfected mouse brain. An in silico perturbation analysis demonstrates that core genes are individually capable of triggering the transition and that the network remains locked once the diseased state is reached. Conclusions We hypothesize that this locking may be the cause of the sustained immune response observed in prion disease. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that sustained brain inflammation is the main pathogenic process leading to neuronal dysfunction and loss, which, in turn, leads to clinical symptoms in prion disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac Crespo
- Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Campus Belval, 7, avenue des Hauts fourneaux, Luxembourg L-4362, Luxembourg
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Basu U, Almeida LM, Dudas S, Graham CE, Czub S, Moore SS, Guan LL. Gene expression alterations in Rocky Mountain elk infected with chronic wasting disease. Prion 2012; 6:282-301. [PMID: 22561165 DOI: 10.4161/pri.19915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an invariably fatal neurologic disease that naturally infects mule deer, white tailed deer and elk. The understanding of CWD neurodegeneration at a molecular level is very limited. In this study, microarray analysis was performed to determine changes in the gene expression profiles in six different tissues including brain, midbrain, thalamus, spleen, RPLN and tonsil of CWD-infected elk in comparison to non-infected healthy elk, using 24,000 bovine specific oligo probes. In total, 329 genes were found to be differentially expressed (> 2.0-fold) between CWD negative and positive brain tissues, with 132 genes upregulated and 197 genes downregulated. There were 249 DE genes in the spleen (168 up- and 81 downregulated), 30 DE genes in the retropharyngeal lymph node (RPLN) (18 up- and 12 downregulated), and 55 DE genes in the tonsil (21 up- and 34 downregulated). Using Gene Ontology (GO), the DE genes were assigned to functional groups associated with cellular process, biological regulation, metabolic process, and regulation of biological process. For all brain tissues, the highest ranking networks for DE genes identified by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were associated with neurological disease, cell morphology, cellular assembly and organization. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) validated the expression of DE genes primarily involved in different regulatory pathways, including neuronal signaling and synapse function, calcium signaling, apoptosis and cell death and immune cell trafficking and inflammatory response. This is the first study to evaluate altered gene expression in multiple organs including brain from orally infected elk and the results will improve our understanding of CWD neurodegeneration at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urmila Basu
- Department of Agricultural, Food & Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Llorens F, Del Río JA. Unraveling the neuroprotective mechanisms of PrP (C) in excitotoxicity. Prion 2012; 6:245-51. [PMID: 22437735 DOI: 10.4161/pri.19639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the natural roles of cellular prion protein (PrP (C) ) is essential to an understanding of the molecular basis of prion pathologies. This GPI-anchored protein has been described in synaptic contacts, and loss of its synaptic function in complex systems may contribute to the synaptic loss and neuronal degeneration observed in prionopathy. In addition, Prnp knockout mice show enhanced susceptibility to several excitotoxic insults, GABAA receptor-mediated fast inhibition was weakened, LTP was modified and cellular stress increased. Although little is known about how PrP (C) exerts its function at the synapse or the downstream events leading to PrP (C) -mediated neuroprotection against excitotoxic insults, PrP (C) has recently been reported to interact with two glutamate receptor subunits (NR2D and GluR6/7). In both cases the presence of PrP (C) blocks the neurotoxicity induced by NMDA and Kainate respectively. Furthermore, signals for seizure and neuronal cell death in response to Kainate in Prnp knockout mouse are associated with JNK3 activity, through enhancing the interaction of GluR6 with PSD-95. In combination with previous data, these results shed light on the molecular mechanisms behind the role of PrP (C) in excitotoxicity. Future experimental approaches are suggested and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franc Llorens
- Molecular and Cellular Neurobiotechnology Group, Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya (IBEC), Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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Tortosa R, Castells X, Vidal E, Costa C, Ruiz de Villa MDC, Sánchez A, Barceló A, Torres JM, Pumarola M, Ariño J. Central nervous system gene expression changes in a transgenic mouse model for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Vet Res 2011; 42:109. [PMID: 22035425 PMCID: PMC3225326 DOI: 10.1186/1297-9716-42-109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression analysis has proven to be a very useful tool to gain knowledge of the factors involved in the pathogenesis of diseases, particularly in the initial or preclinical stages. With the aim of finding new data on the events occurring in the Central Nervous System in animals affected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, a comprehensive genome wide gene expression study was conducted at different time points of the disease on mice genetically modified to model the bovine species brain in terms of cellular prion protein. An accurate analysis of the information generated by microarray technique was the key point to assess the biological relevance of the data obtained in terms of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy pathogenesis. Validation of the microarray technique was achieved by RT-PCR confirming the RNA change and immunohistochemistry techniques that verified that expression changes were translated into variable levels of protein for selected genes. Our study reveals changes in the expression of genes, some of them not previously associated with prion diseases, at early stages of the disease previous to the detection of the pathological prion protein, that might have a role in neuronal degeneration and several transcriptional changes showing an important imbalance in the Central Nervous System homeostasis in advanced stages of the disease. Genes whose expression is altered at early stages of the disease should be considered as possible therapeutic targets and potential disease markers in preclinical diagnostic tool development. Genes non-previously related to prion diseases should be taken into consideration for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raül Tortosa
- Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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Moore RA, Timmes AG, Wilmarth PA, Safronetz D, Priola SA. Identification and removal of proteins that co-purify with infectious prion protein improves the analysis of its secondary structure. Proteomics 2011; 11:3853-65. [PMID: 21805638 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201100253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2011] [Revised: 05/30/2011] [Accepted: 06/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders associated with the accumulation of an abnormal isoform of the mammalian prion protein (PrP). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) has previously been used to show that the conformation of aggregated, infectious PrP (PrP(Sc) ) varies between prion strains and these unique conformations may determine strain-specific disease phenotypes. However, the relative amounts of α-helix, β-sheet and other secondary structures have not always been consistent between studies, suggesting that other proteins might be confounding the analysis of PrP(Sc) secondary structure. We have used FTIR and LC-MS/MS to analyze enriched PrP(Sc) from mouse and hamster prion strains both before and after the removal of protein contaminants that commonly co-purify with PrP(Sc) . Our data show that non-PrP proteins do contribute to absorbances that have been associated with α-helical, loop, turn and β-sheet structures attributed to PrP(Sc) . The major contaminant, the α-helical protein ferritin, absorbs strongly at 1652 cm(-1) in the FTIR spectrum associated with PrP(Sc) . However, even the removal of more than 99% of the ferritin from PrP(Sc) did not completely abolish absorbance at 1652 cm(-1) . Our results show that contaminating proteins alter the FTIR spectrum attributed to PrP(Sc) and suggest that the α-helical, loop/turn and β-sheet secondary structure that remains following their removal are derived from PrP(Sc) itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger A Moore
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories/Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 S. 4th St., Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
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Khalifé M, Young R, Passet B, Halliez S, Vilotte M, Jaffrezic F, Marthey S, Béringue V, Vaiman D, Le Provost F, Laude H, Vilotte JL. Transcriptomic analysis brings new insight into the biological role of the prion protein during mouse embryogenesis. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23253. [PMID: 21858045 PMCID: PMC3156130 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological function of the Prion protein remains largely unknown but recent data revealed its implication in early zebrafish and mammalian embryogenesis. To gain further insight into its biological function, comparative transcriptomic analysis between FVB/N and FVB/N Prnp knockout mice was performed at early embryonic stages. RNAseq analysis revealed the differential expression of 73 and 263 genes at E6.5 and E7.5, respectively. The related metabolic pathways identified in this analysis partially overlap with those described in PrP1 and PrP2 knockdown zebrafish embryos and prion-infected mammalian brains and emphasize a potentially important role for the PrP family genes in early developmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manal Khalifé
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Rachel Young
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Bruno Passet
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Halliez
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Marthe Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Florence Jaffrezic
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sylvain Marthey
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Vincent Béringue
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Fabienne Le Provost
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Hubert Laude
- INRA, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Luc Vilotte
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, INRA, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- * E-mail:
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Didonna A, Vaccari L, Bek A, Legname G. Infrared microspectroscopy: a multiple-screening platform for investigating single-cell biochemical perturbations upon prion infection. ACS Chem Neurosci 2011; 2:160-74. [PMID: 22778865 DOI: 10.1021/cn1000952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2010] [Accepted: 12/08/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the accumulation of prions in the central nervous system. The pathogenic prion (PrP(Sc)) possesses the capability to convert the host-encoded cellular isoform of the prion protein, PrP(C), into nascent PrP(Sc). The present work aims at providing novel insight into cellular response upon prion infection evidenced by synchrotron radiation infrared microspectroscopy (SR-IRMS). This non-invasive, label-free analytical technique was employed to investigate the biochemical perturbations undergone by prion infected mouse hypothalamic GT1-1 cells at the cellular and subcellular level. A decrement in total cellular protein content upon prion infection was identified by infrared (IR) whole-cell spectra and validated by bicinchoninic acid assay and single-cell volume analysis by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) of IR data discriminated between infected and uninfected cells and allowed to deduce an increment of lysosomal bodies within the cytoplasm of infected GT1-1 cells, a hypothesis further confirmed by SR-IRMS at subcellular spatial resolution and fluorescent microscopy. The purpose of this work, therefore, consists of proposing IRMS as a powerful multiscreening platform, drawing on the synergy with conventional biological assays and microscopy techniques in order to increase the accuracy of investigations performed at the single-cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Didonna
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Neurobiology Sector, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste, Italy
| | - Lisa Vaccari
- ELETTRA Synchrotron Light Laboratory, S.S. 14 Km. 163.5, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alpan Bek
- CBM S.c.r.l., Consorzio per il Centro di Biomedicina Molecolare—Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Area Science Park—Basovizza SS 14, Km 163.5, I-34149 Trieste (TS), Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- Laboratory of Prion Biology, Neurobiology Sector, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), via Bonomea 265, I-34136 Trieste, Italy
- ELETTRA Synchrotron Light Laboratory, S.S. 14 Km. 163.5, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste, Italy
- CBM S.c.r.l., Consorzio per il Centro di Biomedicina Molecolare—Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Area Science Park—Basovizza SS 14, Km 163.5, I-34149 Trieste (TS), Italy
- Italian Institute of Technology, SISSA Unit, Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy
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Almeida LM, Basu U, Khaniya B, Taniguchi M, Williams JL, Moore SS, Guan LL. Gene expression in the medulla following oral infection of cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2011; 74:110-126. [PMID: 21218340 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2011.529061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The identification of variations in gene expression in response to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) may help to elucidate the mechanisms of neuropathology and prion replication and discover biomarkers for disease. In this study, genes that are differentially expressed in the caudal medulla tissues of animals infected with different doses of PrP(BSE) at 12 and 45 mo post infection were compared using array containing 24,000 oligonucleotide probes. Data analysis identified 966 differentially expressed (DE) genes between control and infected animals. Genes identified in at least two of four experiments (control versus 1-g infected animals at 12 and 45-mo; control versus 100-g infected animals at 12 and 45 mo) were considered to be the genes that may be associated with BSE disease. From the 176 DE genes associated with BSE, 84 had functions described in the Gene Ontology (GO) database. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of 14 genes revealed that prion infection may cause dysfunction of several different networks, including extracellular matrix (ECM), cell adhesion, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, complement and coagulation cascades, MAPK signaling, neurodegenerative disorder, SNARE interactions in vesicular transport, and the transforming growth factor (TGF) beta signaling pathways. The identification of DE genes will contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of neuropathology in bovine species. Additional studies on larger number of animals are in progress in our laboratory to investigate the roles of these DE genes in pathogenesis of BSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciane M Almeida
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Basu U, Almeida L, Olson NE, Meng Y, Williams JL, Moore SS, Guan LL. Transcriptome analysis of the medulla tissue from cattle in response to bovine spongiform encephalopathy using digital gene expression tag profiling. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2011; 74:127-137. [PMID: 21218341 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2011.529062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a transmissible, fatal neurodegenerative disorder of cattle produced by prions. The use of excessive parallel sequencing for comparison of gene expression in bovine control and infected tissues may help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms associated with this disease. In this study, tag profiling Solexa sequencing was used for transcriptome analysis of bovine brain tissues. Replicate libraries were prepared from mRNA isolated from control and infected (challenged with 100 g of BSE-infected brain) medulla tissues 45 mo after infection. For each library, 5-6 million sequence reads were generated and approximately 67-70% of the reads were mapped against the Bovine Genome database to approximately 13,700-14,120 transcripts (each having at least one read). About 42-47% of the total reads mapped uniquely. Using the GeneSifter software package, 190 differentially expressed (DE) genes were identified (>2.0-fold change, p < .01): 73 upregulated and 117 downregulated. Seventy-nine DE genes had functions described in the Gene Ontology (GO) database and 16 DE genes were involved in 38 different pathways described in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Digital analysis expression by tag profiling may be a powerful approach to comprehensive transcriptome analysis to identify changes associated with disease progression, leading to a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of pathogenesis of BSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urmila Basu
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Huzarewich RLCH, Medina S, Robertson C, Parchaliuk D, Booth SA. Transcriptional modulation in a leukocyte-depleted splenic cell population during prion disease. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2011; 74:1504-1520. [PMID: 22043911 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2011.618979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Prion replication in the periphery precedes neuroinvasion in many experimental rodent scrapie models, and in natural sheep scrapie and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. Prions propagate in the germinal centers of secondary lymphoid organs and are strongly associated with follicular dendritic cells (FDC) and possibly circulating dendritic cells and macrophages. Given the importance of lymphoid organs in prion disease transmission and pathogenesis, gene expression studies may reveal host factors or biological pathways related to prion replication and accumulation. A procedure was developed to enrich for FDC, dendritic cells, and macrophages prior to the investigation of transcriptional alterations in murine splenic cells during prion pathogenesis. In total, 1753 transcripts exhibited fold changes greater than three (false discovery rates less than 2%) in this population isolated from spleens of prion-infected versus uninfected mice. The gene for the small leucine-rich proteoglycan decorin (DCN) was one of the genes most overexpressed in infected mice, and the splenic protein levels mirrored this in mice infected with scrapie as well as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). A number of groups of functionally related genes were also significantly decreased in infected spleens. These included genes related to iron metabolism and homeostasis, pathways that have also been implicated in prion pathogenesis in the brain. These gene expression alterations provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying prion disease pathogenesis and may serve as a pool of potential surrogate markers for the early detection and diagnosis of some prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhiannon L C H Huzarewich
- Molecular PathoBiology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Nourizadeh-Lillabadi R, Seilø Torgersen J, Vestrheim O, König M, Aleström P, Syed M. Early embryonic gene expression profiling of zebrafish prion protein (Prp2) morphants. PLoS One 2010; 5:e13573. [PMID: 21042590 PMCID: PMC2962645 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2010] [Accepted: 09/26/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Prion protein (PRNP/Prp) plays a crucial role in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), scrapie and mad cow disease. Notwithstanding the importance in human and animal disease, fundamental aspects of PRNP/Prp function and transmission remains unaccounted for. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The zebrafish (Danio rerio) genome contains three Prp encoding genes assigned prp1, prp2 and prp3. Currently, the second paralogue is believed to be the most similar to the mammalian PRNP gene in structure and function. Functional studies of the PRNP gene ortholog was addressed by prp2 morpholino (MO) knockdown experiments. Investigation of Prp2 depleted embryos revealed high mortality and apoptosis at 24 hours post fertilization (hpf) as well as impaired brain and neuronal development. In order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms, a genome-wide transcriptome analysis was carried out in viable 24 hpf morphants. The resulting changes in gene expression profiles revealed 249 differently expressed genes linked to biological processes like cell death, neurogenesis and embryonic development. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The current study contributes to the understanding of basic Prp functions and demonstrates that the zebrafish is an excellent model to address the role of Prp in vertebrates. The gene knockdown of prp2 indicates an essential biological function for the zebrafish ortholog with a morphant phenotype that suggests a neurodegenerative action and gene expression effects which are apoptosis related and effects gene networks controlling neurogenesis and embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob Seilø Torgersen
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - Olav Vestrheim
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - Melanie König
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - Peter Aleström
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mohasina Syed
- Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail:
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Shinkai-Ouchi F, Yamakawa Y, Hara H, Tobiume M, Nishijima M, Hanada K, Hagiwara K. Identification and structural analysis of C-terminally truncated collapsin response mediator protein-2 in a murine model of prion diseases. Proteome Sci 2010; 8:53. [PMID: 20961402 PMCID: PMC2978134 DOI: 10.1186/1477-5956-8-53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2010] [Accepted: 10/20/2010] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders that accompany an accumulation of the disease-associated form(s) of prion protein (PrPSc) in the central nervous system. The neuropathological changes in the brain begin with focal deposits of PrPSc, followed by pathomorphological abnormalities of axon terminal degeneration, synaptic loss, atrophy of dendritic trees, and eventual neuronal cell death in the lesions. However, the underlying molecular basis for these neuropathogenic abnormalities is not fully understood. Results In a proteomic analysis of soluble proteins in the brains of mice challenged intracerebrally with scrapie prion (Obihiro I strain), we found that the amount of the full-length form of collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2; 61 kDa) decreased in the late stages of the disease, while the amount of its truncated form (56 kDa) increased to comparable levels observed for the full-length form. Detailed analysis by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry showed that the 56-kDa form (named CRMP-2-ΔC) lacked the sequence from serine518 to the C-terminus, including the C-terminal phosphorylation sites important for the regulation of axonal growth and axon-dendrite specification in developing neurons. The invariable size of the mRNA transcript in Northern blot analysis suggested that the truncation was due to post-translational proteolysis. By overexpression of CRMP-2-ΔC in primary cultured neurons, we observed the augmentation of the development of neurite branch tips to the same levels as for CRMP-2T514A/T555A, a non-phosphorylated mimic of the full-length protein. This suggests that the increased level of CRMP-2-ΔC in the brain modulates the integrity of neurons, and may be involved in the pathogenesis of the neuronal abnormalities observed in the late stages of the disease. Conclusions We identified the presence of CRMP-2-ΔC in the brain of a murine model of prion disease. Of note, C-terminal truncations of CRMP-2 have been recently observed in models for neurodegenerative disorders such as ischemia, traumatic brain injury, and Wallerian degeneration. While the structural identity of CRMP-2-ΔC in those models remains unknown, the present study should provide clues to the molecular pathology of degenerating neurons in prion diseases in connection with other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiko Shinkai-Ouchi
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
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Moore RA, Timmes A, Wilmarth PA, Priola SA. Comparative profiling of highly enriched 22L and Chandler mouse scrapie prion protein preparations. Proteomics 2010; 10:2858-69. [PMID: 20518029 PMCID: PMC3742083 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201000104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2010] [Accepted: 05/16/2010] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are characterized by the accumulation of an aggregated isoform of the prion protein (PrP). This pathological isoform, termed PrP(Sc), appears to be the primary component of the TSE infectious agent or prion. However, it is not clear to what extent other protein cofactors may be involved in TSE pathogenesis or whether there are PrP(Sc)-associated proteins which help to determine TSE strain-specific disease phenotypes. We enriched PrP(Sc) from the brains of mice infected with either 22L or Chandler TSE strains and examined the protein content of these samples using nanospray LC-MS/MS. These samples were compared with "mock" PrP(Sc) preparations from uninfected brains. PrP was the major component of the infected samples and ferritin was the most abundant impurity. Mock enrichments contained no detectable PrP but did contain a significant amount of ferritin. Of the total proteins identified, 32% were found in both mock and infected samples. The similarities between PrP(Sc) samples from 22L and Chandler TSE strains suggest that the non-PrP(Sc) protein components found in standard enrichment protocols are not strain specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger A Moore
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
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Chadi S, Young R, Le Guillou S, Tilly G, Bitton F, Martin-Magniette ML, Soubigou-Taconnat L, Balzergue S, Vilotte M, Peyre C, Passet B, Béringue V, Renou JP, Le Provost F, Laude H, Vilotte JL. Brain transcriptional stability upon prion protein-encoding gene invalidation in zygotic or adult mouse. BMC Genomics 2010; 11:448. [PMID: 20649983 PMCID: PMC3091645 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2010] [Accepted: 07/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The physiological function of the prion protein remains largely elusive while its key role in prion infection has been expansively documented. To potentially assess this conundrum, we performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of the brain of wild-type mice with that of transgenic mice invalidated at this locus either at the zygotic or at the adult stages. RESULTS Only subtle transcriptomic differences resulting from the Prnp knockout could be evidenced, beside Prnp itself, in the analyzed adult brains following microarray analysis of 24 109 mouse genes and QPCR assessment of some of the putatively marginally modulated loci. When performed at the adult stage, neuronal Prnp disruption appeared to sequentially induce a response to an oxidative stress and a remodeling of the nervous system. However, these events involved only a limited number of genes, expression levels of which were only slightly modified and not always confirmed by RT-qPCR. If not, the qPCR obtained data suggested even less pronounced differences. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the physiological function of PrP is redundant at the adult stage or important for only a small subset of the brain cell population under classical breeding conditions. Following its early reported embryonic developmental regulation, this lack of response could also imply that PrP has a more detrimental role during mouse embryogenesis and that potential transient compensatory mechanisms have to be searched for at the time this locus becomes transcriptionally activated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sead Chadi
- INRA, UMR1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
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