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Hasnain N, Arif TB, Shafaut R, Zakaria F, Fatima SZ, Haque IU. Association between sex and Huntington's disease: an updated review on symptomatology and prognosis of neurodegenerative disorders. Wien Med Wochenschr 2024; 174:87-94. [PMID: 35723821 DOI: 10.1007/s10354-022-00941-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a rare autosomal dominant disorder presenting with chorea, rigidity, hypo-/akinesia, cognitive decline, and psychiatric disturbances. Numerous risk factors have been defined in the onset of this disease. However, the number of CAG repeats in the genes are the most crucial factor rendering patients susceptible to the disease. Studies have shown significant differences in onset and disease presentation among the sexes, which prompts analysis of the impact of different sexes on disease etiology and progression. This article therefore discusses the evidence-based role of sex in aspects of symptomatology, pathogenesis, biomarkers, progression, and prognosis of Huntington's disease, with a secondary review of sex-linked differences in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nimra Hasnain
- Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
- Department of Medicine, Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfao Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Taha Bin Arif
- Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
- Department of Medicine, Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfao Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
| | - Roha Shafaut
- Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Faiza Zakaria
- Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Ibtehaj Ul Haque
- Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
- Department of Medicine, Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfao Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
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2
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Bains RS, Forrest H, Sillito RR, Armstrong JD, Stewart M, Nolan PM, Wells SE. Longitudinal home-cage automated assessment of climbing behavior shows sexual dimorphism and aging-related decrease in C57BL/6J healthy mice and allows early detection of motor impairment in the N171-82Q mouse model of Huntington's disease. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1148172. [PMID: 37035623 PMCID: PMC10073658 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1148172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Monitoring the activity of mice within their home cage is proving to be a powerful tool for revealing subtle and early-onset phenotypes in mouse models. Video-tracking, in particular, lends itself to automated machine-learning technologies that have the potential to improve the manual annotations carried out by humans. This type of recording and analysis is particularly powerful in objective phenotyping, monitoring behaviors with no experimenter intervention. Automated home-cage testing allows the recording of non-evoked voluntary behaviors, which do not require any contact with the animal or exposure to specialist equipment. By avoiding stress deriving from handling, this approach, on the one hand, increases the welfare of experimental animals and, on the other hand, increases the reliability of results excluding confounding effects of stress on behavior. In this study, we show that the monitoring of climbing on the wire cage lid of a standard individually ventilated cage (IVC) yields reproducible data reflecting complex phenotypes of individual mouse inbred strains and of a widely used model of neurodegeneration, the N171-82Q mouse model of Huntington's disease (HD). Measurements in the home-cage environment allowed for the collection of comprehensive motor activity data, which revealed sexual dimorphism, daily biphasic changes, and aging-related decrease in healthy C57BL/6J mice. Furthermore, home-cage recording of climbing allowed early detection of motor impairment in the N171-82Q HD mouse model. Integrating cage-floor activity with cage-lid activity (climbing) has the potential to greatly enhance the characterization of mouse strains, detecting early and subtle signs of disease and increasing reproducibility in preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasneer S. Bains
- Mary Lyon Centre at Medical Research Council, Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Hamish Forrest
- Mary Lyon Centre at Medical Research Council, Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - J. Douglas Armstrong
- Actual Analytics Ltd., Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Stewart
- Mary Lyon Centre at Medical Research Council, Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick M. Nolan
- Medical Research Council, Harwell Science Campus, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sara E. Wells
- Mary Lyon Centre at Medical Research Council, Harwell, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
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Ukraintseva S, Duan M, Arbeev K, Wu D, Bagley O, Yashkin AP, Gorbunova G, Akushevich I, Kulminski A, Yashin A. Interactions Between Genes From Aging Pathways May Influence Human Lifespan and Improve Animal to Human Translation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:692020. [PMID: 34490245 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.692020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A major goal of aging research is identifying genetic targets that could be used to slow or reverse aging - changes in the body and extend limits of human lifespan. However, majority of genes that showed the anti-aging and pro-survival effects in animal models were not replicated in humans, with few exceptions. Potential reasons for this lack of translation include a highly conditional character of genetic influence on lifespan, and its heterogeneity, meaning that better survival may be result of not only activity of individual genes, but also gene-environment and gene-gene interactions, among other factors. In this paper, we explored associations of genetic interactions with human lifespan. We selected candidate genes from well-known aging pathways (IGF1/FOXO growth signaling, P53/P16 apoptosis/senescence, and mTOR/SK6 autophagy and survival) that jointly decide on outcomes of cell responses to stress and damage, and so could be prone to interactions. We estimated associations of pairwise statistical epistasis between SNPs in these genes with survival to age 85+ in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, and found significant (FDR < 0.05) effects of interactions between SNPs in IGF1R, TGFBR2, and BCL2 on survival 85+. We validated these findings in the Cardiovascular Health Study sample, with P < 0.05, using survival to age 85+, and to the 90th percentile, as outcomes. Our results show that interactions between SNPs in genes from the aging pathways influence survival more significantly than individual SNPs in the same genes, which may contribute to heterogeneity of lifespan, and to lack of animal to human translation in aging research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Ukraintseva
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Matt Duan
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Konstantin Arbeev
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Deqing Wu
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Olivia Bagley
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Arseniy P Yashkin
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Galina Gorbunova
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Igor Akushevich
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Alexander Kulminski
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Anatoliy Yashin
- Biodemography of Aging Research Unit, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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Genetic deletion of S6k1 does not rescue the phenotypic deficits observed in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16133. [PMID: 31695068 PMCID: PMC6834565 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52391-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal inherited autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion in the number of CAG trinucleotide repeats in the huntingtin gene. The disease is characterized by motor, behavioural and cognitive symptoms for which at present there are no disease altering treatments. It has been shown that manipulating the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway using rapamycin or its analogue CCI-779 can improve the cellular and behavioural phenotypes of HD models. Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) is a major downstream signalling molecule of mTOR, and its activity is reduced by rapamycin suggesting that deregulation of S6K1 activity may be beneficial in HD. Furthermore, S6k1 knockout mice have increased lifespan and improvement in age-related phenotypes. To evalute the potential benefit of S6k1 loss on HD-related phenotypes, we crossed the R6/2 HD model with the long-lived S6k1 knockout mouse line. We found that S6k1 knockout does not ameliorate behavioural or physiological phenotypes in the R6/2 mouse model. Additionally, no improvements were seen in brain mass reduction or mutant huntingtin protein aggregate levels. Therefore, these results suggest that while a reduction in S6K1 signalling has beneficial effects on ageing it is unlikely to be a therapeutic strategy for HD patients.
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Sex-dependent impaired locomotion and motor coordination in the HdhQ200/200 mouse model of Huntington's Disease. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 132:104607. [PMID: 31499139 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's Disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by severe loss of medium spiny neuron (MSN) function and striatal-dependent behaviors. We report that female HdhQ200/200 mice display an earlier onset and more robust deterioration in spontaneous locomotion and motor coordination measured at 8 months of age compared to male HdhQ200/200 mice. Remarkably, HdhQ200/200 mice of both sexes exhibit comparable impaired spontaneous locomotion and motor coordination at 10 months of age and reach moribund stage by 12 months of age, demonstrating reduced life span in this model system. Histopathological analysis revealed enhanced mutant huntingtin protein aggregation in male HdhQ200/200 striatal tissue at 8 months of age compared to female HdhQ200/200. Functional analysis of calcium dynamics in MSNs of female HdhQ200/200 mice using GCaMP6m imaging revealed elevated responses to excitatory cortical-striatal stimulation suggesting increased MSN excitability. Although there was no down-regulation of the expression of common HD biomarkers (DARPP-32, enkephalin and CB1R), we measured a sex-dependent reduction of the astrocytic glutamate transporter, GLT-1, in female HdhQ200/200 mice that was not detected in male HdhQ200/200 mice when compared to respective wild-type littermates. Our study outlines a sex-dependent rapid deterioration of striatal-dependent behaviors occurring in the HdhQ200/200 mouse line that does not involve alterations in the expression of common HD biomarkers and yet includes impaired MSN function.
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de Mello NP, Orellana AM, Mazucanti CH, de Morais Lima G, Scavone C, Kawamoto EM. Insulin and Autophagy in Neurodegeneration. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:491. [PMID: 31231176 PMCID: PMC6558407 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Crosstalk in the pathophysiological processes underpinning metabolic diseases and neurodegenerative disorders have been the subject of extensive investigation, in which insulin signaling and autophagy impairment demonstrate to be a common factor in both conditions. Although it is still somewhat conflicting, pharmacological and genetic strategies that regulate these pathways may be a promising approach for aggregate protein clearancing and consequently the delaying of onset or progression of the disease. However, as the response due to this modulation seems to be time-dependent, finding the right regulation of autophagy may be a potential target for drug development for neurodegenerative diseases. In this way, this review focuses on the role of insulin signaling/resistance and autophagy in some neurodegenerative diseases, discussing pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions in these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália Prudente de Mello
- Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Neurobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Orellana
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Caio Henrique Mazucanti
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Geovanni de Morais Lima
- Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Neurobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cristoforo Scavone
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elisa Mitiko Kawamoto
- Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Neurobiology, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Lewitt MS, Boyd GW. The Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factors and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Proteins in the Nervous System. BIOCHEMISTRY INSIGHTS 2019; 12:1178626419842176. [PMID: 31024217 PMCID: PMC6472167 DOI: 10.1177/1178626419842176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) and their receptors are widely expressed in nervous tissue from early embryonic life. They also cross the blood brain barriers by active transport, and their regulation as endocrine factors therefore differs from other tissues. In brain, IGFs have paracrine and autocrine actions that are modulated by IGF-binding proteins and interact with other growth factor signalling pathways. The IGF system has roles in nervous system development and maintenance. There is substantial evidence for a specific role for this system in some neurodegenerative diseases, and neuroprotective actions make this system an attractive target for new therapeutic approaches. In developing new therapies, interaction with IGF-binding proteins and other growth factor signalling pathways should be considered. This evidence is reviewed, gaps in knowledge are highlighted, and recommendations are made for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moira S Lewitt
- School of Health & Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK
| | - Gary W Boyd
- School of Health & Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK
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Corrochano S, Blanco G, Williams D, Wettstein J, Simon M, Kumar S, Moir L, Agnew T, Stewart M, Landman A, Kotiadis VN, Duchen MR, Wackerhage H, Rubinsztein DC, Brown SDM, Acevedo-Arozena A. A genetic modifier suggests that endurance exercise exacerbates Huntington's disease. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 27:1723-1731. [PMID: 29509900 PMCID: PMC5932560 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine expansions in the huntingtin gene cause Huntington's disease (HD). Huntingtin is ubiquitously expressed, leading to pathological alterations also in peripheral organs. Variations in the length of the polyglutamine tract explain up to 70% of the age-at-onset variance, with the rest of the variance attributed to genetic and environmental modifiers. To identify novel disease modifiers, we performed an unbiased mutagenesis screen on an HD mouse model, identifying a mutation in the skeletal muscle voltage-gated sodium channel (Scn4a, termed 'draggen' mutation) as a novel disease enhancer. Double mutant mice (HD; Scn4aDgn/+) had decreased survival, weight loss and muscle atrophy. Expression patterns show that the main tissue affected is skeletal muscle. Intriguingly, muscles from HD; Scn4aDgn/+ mice showed adaptive changes similar to those found in endurance exercise, including AMPK activation, fibre type switching and upregulation of mitochondrial biogenesis. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of endurance training on HD mice. Crucially, this training regime also led to detrimental effects on HD mice. Overall, these results reveal a novel role for skeletal muscle in modulating systemic HD pathogenesis, suggesting that some forms of physical exercise could be deleterious in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Corrochano
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | | | - Debbie Williams
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | | | - Michelle Simon
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Saumya Kumar
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Lee Moir
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Thomas Agnew
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Michelle Stewart
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Allison Landman
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Vassilios N Kotiadis
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Michael R Duchen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Henning Wackerhage
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.,Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Exercise Biology, Munich, Germany
| | - David C Rubinsztein
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Steve D M Brown
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Abraham Acevedo-Arozena
- Mammalian Genetics Unit, Harwell Institute, Medical Research Council, Oxfordshire, UK.,Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Fundación Canaria de Investigación Sanitaria e Instituto de Tecnologías Biomédicas, La Laguna, Spain
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