Age-dependent changes in the proteome following complete spinal cord transection in a postnatal South American opossum (Monodelphis domestica)

Proteomic analysis of opossum Monodelphis domestica spinal cord reveals the changes of proteins related to neurodegenerative diseases during developmental period when neuroregeneration stops being possible

One of the major challenges of modern neurobiology concerns the inability of the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) to regenerate and repair itself after injury. It is still unclear why the ability to regenerate CNS is lost during evolution and development and why it becomes very limited in adult mammals. A convenient model to study cellular and molecular basis of this loss is neonatal opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Opossums are marsupials that are born very immature with the unique possibility to successfully regenerate postnatal spinal cord after injury in the first two weeks of their life, after which this ability abbruptly stops. Using comparative proteomic approach we identified the proteins that are differentially distributed in opossum spinal tissue that can and cannot regenerate after injury, among which stand out the proteins related to neurodegenerative diseases (NDD), such as Huntington, Parkinson and Alzheimer's disease, previously detected by comparative transcriptomics on the analog tissue. The different distribution of the selected proteins detected by comparative proteomics was further confirmed by Western blot (WB), and the changes in the expression of related genes were analysed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, we explored the cellular localization of the selected proteins using immunofluorescent microscopy. To our knowledge, this is the first report on proteins differentially present in developing, non-injured mammalian spinal cord tissue with different regenerative capacities. The results of this study indicate that the proteins known to have an important role in the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration in aged CNS, could also have an important phyisological role during CNS postnatal development and in neuroregeneration process.

Identification of regenerative processes in neonatal spinal cord injury in the opossum (Monodelphis domestica): A transcriptomic study

This study investigates the response to spinal cord injury in the gray short‐tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica). In opossums spinal injury early in development results in spontaneous axon growth through the injury, but this regenerative potential diminishes with maturity until it is lost entirely. The mechanisms underlying this regeneration remain unknown. RNA sequencing was used to identify differential gene expression in regenerating (SCI at postnatal Day 7, P7SCI) and nonregenerating (SCI at Day 28, P28SCI) cords +1d, +3d, and +7d after complete spinal transection, compared to age‐matched controls. Genes showing significant differential expression (log2FC ≥ 1, Padj ≤ 0.05) were used for downstream analysis. Across all time‐points 233 genes altered expression after P7SCI, and 472 genes altered expression after P28SCI. One hundred and forty‐seven genes altered expression in both injury ages (63% of P7SCI data set). The majority of changes were gene upregulations. Gene ontology overrepresentation analysis in P7SCI gene‐sets showed significant overrepresentations only in immune‐associated categories, while P28SCI gene‐sets showed overrepresentations in these same immune categories, along with other categories such as “cell proliferation,” “cell adhesion,” and “apoptosis.” Cell‐type–association analysis suggested that, regardless of injury age, injury‐associated gene transcripts were most strongly associated with microglia and endothelial cells, with strikingly fewer astrocyte, oligodendrocyte and neuron‐related genes, the notable exception being a cluster of mostly downregulated oligodendrocyte‐associated genes in the P7SCI + 7d gene‐set. Our findings demonstrate a more complex transcriptomic response in nonregenerating cords, suggesting a strong influence of non‐neuronal cells in the outcome after injury and providing the largest survey yet of the transcriptomic changes occurring after SCI in this model.

Comparative gene expression profiling between optic nerve and spinal cord injury in Xenopus laevis reveals a core set of genes inherent in successful regeneration of vertebrate central nervous system axons

BACKGROUND

The South African claw-toed frog, Xenopus laevis, is uniquely suited for studying differences between regenerative and non-regenerative responses to CNS injury within the same organism, because some CNS neurons (e.g., retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve crush (ONC)) regenerate axons throughout life, whereas others (e.g., hindbrain neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI)) lose this capacity as tadpoles metamorphose into frogs. Tissues from these CNS regions (frog ONC eye, tadpole SCI hindbrain, frog SCI hindbrain) were used in a three-way RNA-seq study of axotomized CNS axons to identify potential core gene expression programs for successful CNS axon regeneration.

RESULTS

Despite tissue-specific changes in expression dominating the injury responses of each tissue, injury-induced changes in gene expression were nonetheless shared between the two axon-regenerative CNS regions that were not shared with the non-regenerative region. These included similar temporal patterns of gene expression and over 300 injury-responsive genes. Many of these genes and their associated cellular functions had previously been associated with injury responses of multiple tissues, both neural and non-neural, from different species, thereby demonstrating deep phylogenetically conserved commonalities between successful CNS axon regeneration and tissue regeneration in general. Further analyses implicated the KEGG adipocytokine signaling pathway, which links leptin with metabolic and gene regulatory pathways, and a novel gene regulatory network with genes regulating chromatin accessibility at its core, as important hubs in the larger network of injury response genes involved in successful CNS axon regeneration.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identifies deep, phylogenetically conserved commonalities between CNS axon regeneration and other examples of successful tissue regeneration and provides new targets for studying the molecular underpinnings of successful CNS axon regeneration, as well as a guide for distinguishing pro-regenerative injury-induced changes in gene expression from detrimental ones in mammals.

A bipedal mammalian model for spinal cord injury research: The tammar wallaby

Background: Most animal studies of spinal cord injury are conducted in quadrupeds, usually rodents. It is unclear to what extent functional results from such studies can be translated to bipedal species such as humans because bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion involve very different patterns of spinal control of muscle coordination. Bipedalism requires upright trunk stability and coordinated postural muscle control; it has been suggested that peripheral sensory input is less important in humans than quadrupeds for recovery of locomotion following spinal injury.

Methods: We used an Australian macropod marsupial, the tammar wallaby (Macropuseugenii), because tammars exhibit an upright trunk posture, human-like alternating hindlimb movement when swimming and bipedal over-ground locomotion. Regulation of their muscle movements is more similar to humans than quadrupeds. At different postnatal (P) days (P7–60) tammars received a complete mid-thoracic spinal cord transection. Morphological repair, as well as functional use of hind limbs, was studied up to the time of their pouch exit.

Results: Growth of axons across the lesion restored supraspinal innervation in animals injured up to 3 weeks of age but not in animals injured after 6 weeks of age. At initial pouch exit (P180), the young injured at P7-21 were able to hop on their hind limbs similar to age-matched controls and to swim albeit with a different stroke. Those animals injured at P40-45 appeared to be incapable of normal use of hind limbs even while still in the pouch.

Conclusions: Data indicate that the characteristic over-ground locomotion of tammars provides a model in which regrowth of supraspinal connections across the site of injury can be studied in a bipedal animal. Forelimb weight-bearing motion and peripheral sensory input appear not to compensate for lack of hindlimb control, as occurs in quadrupeds. Tammars may be a more appropriate model for studies of therapeutic interventions relevant to humans.

Regenerative Potential of Ependymal Cells for Spinal Cord Injuries Over Time

Stem cells have a high therapeutic potential for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI). We have shown previously that endogenous stem cell potential is confined to ependymal cells in the adult spinal cord which could be targeted for non-invasive SCI therapy. However, ependymal cells are an understudied cell population. Taking advantage of transgenic lines, we characterize the appearance and potential of ependymal cells during development. We show that spinal cord stem cell potential in vitro is contained within these cells by birth. Moreover, juvenile cultures generate more neurospheres and more oligodendrocytes than adult ones. Interestingly, juvenile ependymal cells in vivo contribute to glial scar formation after severe but not mild SCI, due to a more effective sealing of the lesion by other glial cells. This study highlights the importance of the age-dependent potential of stem cells and post-SCI environment in order to utilize ependymal cell's regenerative potential.

Tropomyosins in the healthy and diseased nervous system

Regulation of the actin cytoskeleton is dependent on a plethora of actin-associated proteins in all eukaryotic cells. The family of tropomyosins plays a key role in controlling the function of several of these actin-associated proteins and their access to actin filaments. In order to understand the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton in highly dynamic subcellular compartments of neurons such as growth cones of developing neurons and the synaptic compartment of mature neurons, it is pivotal to decipher the functional role of tropomyosins in the nervous system. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding and recent findings on the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton by tropomyosins and potential implication that this has for the dysregulation of the actin cytoskeleton in neurological diseases.

The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System: Potential Therapeutic Targets for Alzheimer's Disease and Spinal Cord Injury

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is a crucial protein degradation system in eukaryotes. Herein, we will review advances in the understanding of the role of several proteins of the UPS in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). The UPS consists of many factors that include E3 ubiquitin ligases, ubiquitin hydrolases, ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like molecules, and the proteasome itself. An extensive body of work links UPS dysfunction with AD pathogenesis and progression. More recently, the UPS has been shown to have vital roles in recovery of function after SCI. The ubiquitin hydrolase (Uch-L1) has been proposed to increase cellular levels of mono-ubiquitin and hence to increase rates of protein turnover by the UPS. A low Uch-L1 level has been linked with Aβ accumulation in AD and reduced neuroregeneration after SCI. One likely mechanism for these beneficial effects of Uch-L1 is reduced turnover of the PKA regulatory subunit and consequently, reduced signaling via CREB. The neuron-specific F-box protein Fbx2 ubiquitinates β-secretase thus targeting it for proteasomal degradation and reducing generation of Aβ. Both Uch-L1 and Fbx2 improve synaptic plasticity and cognitive function in mouse AD models. The role of Fbx2 after SCI has not been examined, but abolishing ß-secretase reduces neuronal recovery after SCI, associated with reduced myelination. UBB+1, which arises through a frame-shift mutation in the ubiquitin gene that adds 19 amino acids to the C-terminus of ubiquitin, inhibits proteasomal function and is associated with increased neurofibrillary tangles in patients with AD, Pick’s disease and Down’s syndrome. These advances in understanding of the roles of the UPS in AD and SCI raise new questions but, also, identify attractive and exciting targets for potential, future therapeutic interventions.

Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Axonal Regeneration After Spinal Cord Injury

Following axotomy, a complex temporal and spatial coordination of molecular events enables regeneration of the peripheral nerve. In contrast, multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to the general failure of axonal regeneration in the central nervous system. In this review, we examine the current understanding of differences in protein expression and post-translational modifications, activation of signaling networks, and environmental cues that may underlie the divergent regenerative capacity of central and peripheral axons. We also highlight key experimental strategies to enhance axonal regeneration via modulation of intraneuronal signaling networks and the extracellular milieu. Finally, we explore potential applications of proteomics to fill gaps in the current understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying regeneration, and to provide insight into the development of more effective approaches to promote axonal regeneration following injury to the nervous system.

Ontogeny of inter-alpha inhibitor proteins in ovine brain and somatic tissues

Inter-alpha inhibitor proteins (IAIPs) found in relatively high concentrations in human plasma are important in inflammation. IAIPs attenuate brain damage in young and adult subjects, decrease during sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants, and attenuate sepsis-related inflammation in newborn rats. Although a few studies have reported adult organ-specific IAIP expression, information is not available on age-dependent IAIP expression. Given evidence suggesting IAIPs attenuate brain damage in young and adult subjects, and inflammation in newborns, we examined IAIP expression in plasma, cerebral cortex (CC), choroid plexus (CP), cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), and somatic organs in fetal, newborn, and adult sheep to determine the endogenous expression patterns of these proteins during development. IAIPs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were higher in newborn and adult than fetal plasma (P < 0.05). Western immunoblot detected 125 kDa PaI (Pre-alpha Inhibitor) and 250 kDa IaI (Inter-alpha Inhibitor) in plasma, CNS, and somatic organs. PaI expression in CC and CP was higher in fetuses than newborns and adults, but IaI expression was higher in adults than fetuses and newborns. Both PaI and IaI were higher in fetal than newborn CSF. IAIPs exhibited organ-specific ontogenic patterns in placenta, liver, heart, and kidney. These results provide evidence for the first time that plasma, brain, placenta, liver, heart, and kidney express IAIPs throughout ovine development and that expression patterns are unique to each organ. Although exact functions of IAIPs in CNS and somatic tissues are not known, their presence in relatively high amounts during development suggests their potential importance in brain and organ development.

Arrested development of the dorsal column following neonatal spinal cord injury in the opossum, Monodelphis domestica

Developmental studies of spinal cord injury in which regrowth of axons occurs across the site of transection rarely distinguish between the recovery of motor-controlling pathways and that of ascending axons carrying sensory information. We describe the morphological changes that occur in the dorsal column (DC) of the grey short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, following spinal cord injury at two early developmental ages. The spinal cords of opossums that had had their mid-thoracic spinal cords completely transected at postnatal day 7 (P7) or P28 were analysed. Profiles of neurofilament immunoreactivity in transected cords showing DC development were differentially affected by the injury compared with the rest of the cord and cytoarchitecture was modified in an age- and site-dependent manner. The ability of DC neurites to grow across the site of transection was confirmed by injection of fluorescent tracer below the injury. P7 transected cords showed labelling in the DC above the site of original transection indicating that neurites of this sensory tract were able to span the injury. No growth of any neuronal processes was seen after P28 transection. Thus, DC is affected by spinal injury in a differential manner depending on the age at which the transection occurs. This age-differential response, together with other facets of remodelling that occur after neonatal spinal injury, might explain the locomotor adaptations and recovery observed in these animals.

Age-dependent transcriptome and proteome following transection of neonatal spinal cord of Monodelphis domestica (South American grey short-tailed opossum)

This study describes a combined transcriptome and proteome analysis of Monodelphis domestica response to spinal cord injury at two different postnatal ages. Previously we showed that complete transection at postnatal day 7 (P7) is followed by profuse axon growth across the lesion with near-normal locomotion and swimming when adult. In contrast, at P28 there is no axon growth across the lesion, the animals exhibit weight-bearing locomotion, but cannot use hind limbs when swimming. Here we examined changes in gene and protein expression in the segment of spinal cord rostral to the lesion at 24 h after transection at P7 and at P28. Following injury at P7 only forty genes changed (all increased expression); most were immune/inflammatory genes. Following injury at P28 many more genes changed their expression and the magnitude of change for some genes was strikingly greater. Again many were associated with the immune/inflammation response. In functional groups known to be inhibitory to regeneration in adult cords the expression changes were generally muted, in some cases opposite to that required to account for neurite inhibition. For example myelin basic protein expression was reduced following injury at P28 both at the gene and protein levels. Only four genes from families with extracellular matrix functions thought to influence neurite outgrowth in adult injured cords showed substantial changes in expression following injury at P28: Olfactomedin 4 (Olfm4, 480 fold compared to controls), matrix metallopeptidase (Mmp1, 104 fold), papilin (Papln, 152 fold) and integrin α4 (Itga4, 57 fold). These data provide a resource for investigation of a priori hypotheses in future studies of mechanisms of spinal cord regeneration in immature animals compared to lack of regeneration at more mature stages.

Leptospiral LruA is required for virulence and modulates an interaction with mammalian apolipoprotein AI

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. While understanding of pathogenesis remains limited, the development of mutagenesis in Leptospira has provided a powerful tool for identifying novel virulence factors. LruA is a lipoprotein that has been implicated in leptospiral uveitis as a target of the immune response. In this study, two lruA mutants, M754 and M765, generated by transposon mutagenesis from Leptospira interrogans serovar Manilae, were characterized. In M754, the transposon inserted in the middle of lruA, resulting in no detectable expression of LruA. In M765, the transposon inserted toward the 3' end of the gene, resulting in expression of a truncated protein. LruA was demonstrated to be on the cell surface in M765 and the wild type (WT). M754, but not M765, was attenuated in a hamster model of acute infection. A search for differential binding to human serum proteins identified a serum protein of around 30 kDa bound to the wild type and the LruA deletion mutant (M754), but not to the LruA truncation mutant (M765). Two-dimensional separation of proteins from leptospiral cells incubated with guinea pig serum identified the 28-kDa apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) as a major mammalian serum protein that binds Leptospira in vitro. Interestingly, M754 (with no detectable LruA) bound more ApoA-I than did the LruA-expressing strains Manilae wild type and M765. Our data thus identify LruA as a surface-exposed leptospiral virulence factor that contributes to leptospiral pathogenesis, possibly by modulating cellular interactions with serum protein ApoA-I.

Expression and cellular distribution of ubiquitin in response to injury in the developing spinal cord of Monodelphis domestica

Ubiquitin, an 8.5 kDa protein associated with the proteasome degradation pathway has been recently identified as differentially expressed in segment of cord caudal to site of injury in developing spinal cord. Here we describe ubiquitin expression and cellular distribution in spinal cord up to postnatal day P35 in control opossums (Monodelphis domestica) and in response to complete spinal transection (T10) at P7, when axonal growth through site of injury occurs, and P28 when this is no longer possible. Cords were collected 1 or 7 days after injury, with age-matched controls and segments rostral to lesion were studied. Following spinal injury ubiquitin levels (western blotting) appeared reduced compared to controls especially one day after injury at P28. In contrast, after injury mRNA expression (qRT-PCR) was slightly increased at P7 but decreased at P28. Changes in isoelectric point of separated ubiquitin indicated possible post-translational modifications. Cellular distribution demonstrated a developmental shift between earliest (P8) and latest (P35) ages examined, from a predominantly cytoplasmic immunoreactivity to a nuclear expression; staining level and shift to nuclear staining was more pronounced following injury, except 7 days after transection at P28. After injury at P7 immunostaining increased in neurons and additionally in oligodendrocytes at P28. Mass spectrometry showed two ubiquitin bands; the heavier was identified as a fusion product, likely to be an ubiquitin precursor. Apparent changes in ubiquitin expression and cellular distribution in development and response to spinal injury suggest an intricate regulatory system that modulates these responses which, when better understood, may lead to potential therapeutic targets.

Visual acuity in the short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica)

Monodelphis domestica (short-tailed opossum) is an emerging animal model for studies of neural development due to the extremely immature state of the nervous system at birth and its subsequent rapid growth to adulthood. Yet little is known about its normal sensory discrimination abilities. In the present investigation, visual acuity was determined in this species using the optokinetic test (OPT), which relies on involuntary head tracking of a moving stimulus and can be easily elicited using a rotating visual stimulus of varying spatial frequencies. Using this methodology, we determined that the acuity of Monodelphis is 0.58 cycles per degree (cpd), which is similar to the acuity of rats using the same methodology, and higher than in mice. However, acuity in the short-tailed opossum is lower than in other marsupials. This is in part due to the methodology used to determine acuity, but may also be due to differences in diel patterns, lifestyle and phylogeny. We demonstrate that for the short-tailed opossum, the OPT is a rapid and reliable method of determining a baseline acuity and can be used to study enhanced acuities due to cortical plasticity.