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Nagaraj V, Kim R, Martianou T, Kurian S, Nayak A, Patel M, Schachner M, Theis T. Effects of L1 adhesion molecule agonistic mimetics on signal transduction in neuronal functions. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 642:27-34. [PMID: 36543021 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.12.031] [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: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The L1 cell adhesion molecule plays an essential role in neural development and repair. It is not only a 'lock and key' recognition molecule, but an important signal transducer that stimulates regenerative-beneficial cellular functions such as neurite outgrowth, neuronal cell migration, survival, myelination, and synapse formation. Triggering L1 functions after neurotrauma improves functional recovery. In addition, loss-of-function mutations in the L1 gene lead to the L1 syndrome, a rare, X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder with an incidence of approximately 1:30,000 in newborn males. To use L1 for beneficial functions, we screened small compound libraries for L1 agonistic mimetics that trigger L1 functions and improve conditions in animal models of neurotrauma and the L1 syndrome. To understand the mechanisms underlying these functions, it is important to gain a better understanding of L1-dependent cellular signaling that is triggered by the L1 agonistic mimetics. We tested the cell signaling features of L1 agonistic mimetics that contribute to neurite outgrowth and neuronal migration. Our findings indicates that L1 agonistic mimetics trigger the same cell signaling pathways underlying neurite outgrowth, but only the L1 mimetics tacrine, polydatin, trimebutine and honokiol trigger neuronal migration. In contrast, the mimetics crotamiton and duloxetine did not affect neuronal migration, thus limiting their use in increasing neuronal migration, leaving open the question of whether this is a desired or not desired feature in the adult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vini Nagaraj
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Roy Kim
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Talia Martianou
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Shyam Kurian
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Ashana Nayak
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Mukti Patel
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Melitta Schachner
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Thomas Theis
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
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The Interactions of the 70 kDa Fragment of Cell Adhesion Molecule L1 with Topoisomerase 1, Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ and NADH Dehydrogenase (Ubiquinone) Flavoprotein 2 Are Involved in Gene Expression and Neuronal L1-Dependent Functions. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032097. [PMID: 36768419 PMCID: PMC9916828 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell adhesion molecule L1 is essential not only for neural development, but also for synaptic functions and regeneration after trauma in adulthood. Abnormalities in L1 functions cause developmental and degenerative disorders. L1's functions critically depend on proteolysis which underlies dynamic cell interactions and signal transduction. We showed that a 70 kDa fragment (L1-70) supports mitochondrial functions and gene transcription. To gain further insights into L1-70's functions, we investigated several binding partners. Here we show that L1-70 interacts with topoisomerase 1 (TOP1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) flavoprotein 2 (NDUFV2). TOP1, PPARγ and NDUFV2 siRNAs reduced L1-dependent neurite outgrowth, and the topoisomerase inhibitors topotecan and irinotecan inhibited L1-dependent neurite outgrowth, neuronal survival and migration. In cultured neurons, L1 siRNA reduces the expression levels of the long autism genes neurexin-1 (Nrxn1) and neuroligin-1 (Nlgn1) and of the mitochondrially encoded gene NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase core subunit 2 (ND2). In mutant mice lacking L1-70, Nrxn1 and Nlgn1, but not ND2, mRNA levels are reduced. Since L1-70's interactions with TOP1, PPARγ and NDUFV2 contribute to the expression of two essential long autism genes and regulate important neuronal functions, we propose that L1 may not only ameliorate neurological problems, but also psychiatric dysfunctions.
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Schwann Cell Role in Selectivity of Nerve Regeneration. Cells 2020; 9:cells9092131. [PMID: 32962230 PMCID: PMC7563640 DOI: 10.3390/cells9092131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Peripheral nerve injuries result in the loss of the motor, sensory and autonomic functions of the denervated segments of the body. Neurons can regenerate after peripheral axotomy, but inaccuracy in reinnervation causes a permanent loss of function that impairs complete recovery. Thus, understanding how regenerating axons respond to their environment and direct their growth is essential to improve the functional outcome of patients with nerve lesions. Schwann cells (SCs) play a crucial role in the regeneration process, but little is known about their contribution to specific reinnervation. Here, we review the mechanisms by which SCs can differentially influence the regeneration of motor and sensory axons. Mature SCs express modality-specific phenotypes that have been associated with the promotion of selective regeneration. These include molecular markers, such as L2/HNK-1 carbohydrate, which is differentially expressed in motor and sensory SCs, or the neurotrophic profile after denervation, which differs remarkably between SC modalities. Other important factors include several molecules implicated in axon-SC interaction. This cell–cell communication through adhesion (e.g., polysialic acid) and inhibitory molecules (e.g., MAG) contributes to guiding growing axons to their targets. As many of these factors can be modulated, further research will allow the design of new strategies to improve functional recovery after peripheral nerve injuries.
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Ganesh K, Basnet H, Kaygusuz Y, Laughney AM, He L, Sharma R, O'Rourke KP, Reuter VP, Huang YH, Turkekul M, Emrah E, Masilionis I, Manova-Todorova K, Weiser MR, Saltz LB, Garcia-Aguilar J, Koche R, Lowe SW, Pe'er D, Shia J, Massagué J. L1CAM defines the regenerative origin of metastasis-initiating cells in colorectal cancer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 1:28-45. [PMID: 32656539 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-019-0006-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Metastasis-initiating cells with stem-like properties drive cancer lethality, yet their origins and relationship to primary-tumor-initiating stem cells are not known. We show that L1CAM+ cells in human colorectal cancer (CRC) have metastasis-initiating capacity, and we define their relationship to tissue regeneration. L1CAM is not expressed in the homeostatic intestinal epithelium, but is induced and required for epithelial regeneration following colitis and in CRC organoid growth. By using human tissues and mouse models, we show that L1CAM is dispensable for adenoma initiation but required for orthotopic carcinoma propagation, liver metastatic colonization and chemoresistance. L1CAMhigh cells partially overlap with LGR5high stem-like cells in human CRC organoids. Disruption of intercellular epithelial contacts causes E-cadherin-REST transcriptional derepression of L1CAM, switching chemoresistant CRC progenitors from an L1CAMlow to an L1CAMhigh state. Thus, L1CAM dependency emerges in regenerative intestinal cells when epithelial integrity is lost, a phenotype of wound healing deployed in metastasis-initiating cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karuna Ganesh
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Molecular Pharmacology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Harihar Basnet
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,These authors contributed equally: Harihar Basnet, Yasemin Kaygusuz, Ashley M. Laughney
| | - Yasemin Kaygusuz
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,These authors contributed equally: Harihar Basnet, Yasemin Kaygusuz, Ashley M. Laughney
| | - Ashley M Laughney
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Present address: Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.,These authors contributed equally: Harihar Basnet, Yasemin Kaygusuz, Ashley M. Laughney
| | - Lan He
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Roshan Sharma
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Applied Physics and Applied Math, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Present address: New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kevin P O'Rourke
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vincent P Reuter
- Center for Epigenetics Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yun-Han Huang
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mesruh Turkekul
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ekrem Emrah
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Present address: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ignas Masilionis
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katia Manova-Todorova
- Molecular Cytology Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Martin R Weiser
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Leonard B Saltz
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julio Garcia-Aguilar
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard Koche
- Center for Epigenetics Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Scott W Lowe
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dana Pe'er
- Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jinru Shia
- Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joan Massagué
- Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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Sensory axons inhibit motor axon regeneration in vitro. Exp Neurol 2019; 323:113073. [PMID: 31639375 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.113073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
During mammalian embryonic development sensory and motor axons interact as an integral part of the pathfinding process. During regeneration, however, little is known of their interactions with one another. It is thus possible that sensory axons might influence motor axon regeneration in ways not currently appreciated. To explore this possibility we have developed an organotypic model of post-natal nerve regeneration in which sensory and motor axons are color-coded by modality. Motor axons that express yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and sensory axons that express red fluorescent protein (RFP) are blended within a three-dimensional segment of peripheral nerve. This nerve is then transected, allowing axons to interact with one another as they grow out on a collagen/laminin gel that is initially devoid of directional cues. Within hours it is apparent that sensory axons extend more rapidly than motor axons and precede them during the early stages of regeneration, the opposite of their developmental order. Motor axons thus enter an environment already populated with sensory axons, and they adhere to these axons throughout most of their course. As a result, motor axon growth is reduced dramatically. Physical delay of sensory regeneration, allowing motor axons to grow ahead, restores normal motor growth; direct axonal interactions on the gel, rather than some other aspect of the model, are thus responsible for motor inhibition. Potential mechanisms for this inhibition are explored by electroporating siRNA to the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and the L1 adhesion molecule (L1CAM) into dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) to block expression of these molecules by regenerating sensory axons. Although neither maneuver improved motor regeneration, the results were consistent with early receptor-mediated signaling among axons rather than physical adhesion as the mechanism of motor inhibition in this model.
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Jiang Q, Xie Q, Hu C, Yang Z, Huang P, Shen H, Schachner M, Zhao W. Glioma malignancy is linked to interdependent and inverse AMOG and L1 adhesion molecule expression. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:911. [PMID: 31510944 PMCID: PMC6739972 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-6091-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gliomas account for the majority of primary human brain tumors and remain a challenging neoplasm for cure due to limited therapeutic options. Cell adhesion molecules play pivotal roles in the growth and progression of glial tumors. Roles of the adhesion molecules on glia (AMOG) and L1CAM (L1) in glioma cells have been shown to correlate with tumorigenesis: Increased expression of L1 and decreased expression of AMOG correlate with degree of malignancy. METHODS We evaluated the interdependence in expression of these molecules by investigating the role of AMOG in vitro via modulation of L1 expression and analyzing apoptosis and cell senescence of glioma cells. RESULTS Immunohistochemical staining of normal human cortical and glioma tissue microarrays demonstrated that AMOG expression was lower in human gliomas compared to normal tissue and is inversely correlated with the degree of malignancy. Moreover, reduction of AMOG expression in human glioblastoma cells elevated L1 expression, which is accompanied by decreased cell apoptosis as well as senescence. CONCLUSION AMOG and L1 interdependently regulate their expression levels not only in U-87 MG cells but also in U251 and SHG44 human glioma cell lines. The capacity of AMOG to reduce L1 expression suggests that methods for increasing AMOG expression may provide a therapeutic choice for the management of glial tumors with high expression of L1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Jiang
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Xie
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China
| | - Chengliang Hu
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhai Yang
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China
| | - Peizhi Huang
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China
| | - Huifan Shen
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China
| | - Melitta Schachner
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China.
- Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 604 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Weijiang Zhao
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, 515041, People's Republic of China.
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Vulovic M, Divac N, Jakovcevski I. Confocal Synaptology: Synaptic Rearrangements in Neurodegenerative Disorders and upon Nervous System Injury. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:11. [PMID: 29497366 PMCID: PMC5818405 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The nervous system is a notable exception to the rule that the cell is the structural and functional unit of tissue systems and organs. The functional unit of the nervous system is the synapse, the contact between two nerve cells. As such, synapses are the foci of investigations of nervous system organization and function, as well as a potential readout for the progression of various disorders of the nervous system. In the past decade the development of antibodies specific to presynaptic terminals has enabled us to assess, at the optical, laser scanning microscopy level, these subcellular structures, and has provided a simple method for the quantification of various synapses. Indeed, excitatory (glutamatergic) and inhibitory synapses can be visualized using antibodies against the respective vesicular transporters, and choline-acetyl transferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity identifies cholinergic synapses throughout the central nervous system. Here we review the results of several studies in which these methods were used to estimate synaptic numbers as the structural equivalent of functional outcome measures in spinal cord and femoral nerve injuries, as well as in genetic mouse models of neurodegeneration, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results implicate disease- and brain region-specific changes in specific types of synapses, which correlate well with the degree of functional deficit caused by the disease process. Additionally, results are reproducible between various studies and experimental paradigms, supporting the reliability of the method. To conclude, this quantitative approach enables fast and reliable estimation of the degree of the progression of neurodegenerative changes and can be used as a parameter of recovery in experimental models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Vulovic
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Nevena Divac
- Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Igor Jakovcevski
- Institute for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, University Hospital Cologne, Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Experimental Neurophysiology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bonn, Germany
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Wei Z, Zhao W, Schachner M. Electroacupuncture Restores Locomotor Functions After Mouse Spinal Cord Injury in Correlation With Reduction of PTEN and p53 Expression. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:411. [PMID: 30505267 PMCID: PMC6250832 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: We previously showed that electroacupuncture (EA) at Jiaji points promotes expression of adhesion molecule L1 in spinal cord tissue after mouse spinal cord injury (SCI) and contributes to recovery of neural functions. Objective: We investigated the effects of EA on downstream signaling molecules of L1 and molecules relevant to apoptosis with the aim to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: Female C57BL/6 mice were divided into a sham group, injury group, injury+acupuncture (AP) group and injury+EA group. We investigated the changes in cognate L1-triggered signaling molecules after SCI by immunofluorescence staining and immunoblot analysis. Results: Protein levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and p53 were decreased by EA at different time points after injury, whereas the levels of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (pmTOR), p-Akt and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulatedkinase (p-Erk) were increased. Also, levels of myelin basic protein (MBP) were increased by EA. AP alone showed less pronounced changes in expression of the investigated molecules, when compared to EA. Conclusion: We propose that EA contributes to neuroprotection by inhibiting PTEN and p53 expression and by increasing the levels of pmTOR/Akt/Erk and of MBP after SCI. These observations allow novel insights into the beneficial effects of EA via L1-triggered signaling molecules after injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wei
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Lishui University, Lishui, China
| | - Weijiang Zhao
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Melitta Schachner
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- *Correspondence: Melitta Schachner
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Wei Z, Wang Y, Zhao W, Schachner M. Electro-Acupuncture Modulates L1 Adhesion Molecule Expression After Mouse Spinal Cord Injury. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE 2017; 45:37-52. [PMID: 28068836 DOI: 10.1142/s0192415x17500045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury is a devastating neurological disease in desperate need of a cure. We have previously shown that overexpression of the adhesion molecule L1 contributes to locomotor recovery after injury and were therefore interested in how electro-acupuncture would influence the expression of this molecule. Here, we investigated the effects of electro-acupuncture at "Jiaji" points (EX-B2), newly established by us, in young adult mice to determine whether improved recovery via electro-acupuncture could be due to enhanced L1 expression. Locomotor function, as evaluated by the Basso Mouse Scale score and by catwalk gait parameters, was improved by electro-acupuncture at different time points after injury in parallel with enhanced levels of L1 expression. Interestingly, the levels of the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) were also increased, but only in the early phase after injury, being reduced at later stages during recovery. Acupuncture alone showed less pronounced changes in expression of these molecules. We propose that electro-acupuncture improves regeneration in part by promoting the L1 expression and beneficial activation of stem cells, and by differentially modulating the expression of GFAP by promoting regeneration-conductive astrocytic responses at initial stages and reducing regeneration-adversive activation in the secondary stages. Expression of the stem cell marker nestin was upregulated by electro-acupuncture in the acute stage. The combined observations show for the first time in mice the beneficial functions of electro-acupuncture at Jiaji points in the spinal cord injury mouse model and provide novel insights into some molecular mechanisms underlying electro-acupuncture in spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wei
- 1 Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515041, P.R. China
| | - Yan Wang
- 1 Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515041, P.R. China
| | - Weijiang Zhao
- 1 Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515041, P.R. China
| | - Melitta Schachner
- 1 Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, 22 Xin Ling Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515041, P.R. China
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Colombo F, Meldolesi J. L1-CAM and N-CAM: From Adhesion Proteins to Pharmacological Targets. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2015; 36:769-781. [PMID: 26478212 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 07/31/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1-CAM) and neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), key members of the immunoglobulin-like CAM (Ig-CAM) family, were first recognized to play critical roles in surface interactions of neurons, by binding with each other and with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Subsequently, adhesion was recognized to include signaling due to both activation of β-integrin, with the generation of intracellular cascades, and integration with the surface cytoskeleton. The importance of the two Ig-CAMs was revealed by their activation of the tyrosine kinase receptors of fibroblast growth factor (FGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and nerve growth factor (NGF). Based on these complex signaling properties, L1-CAM and N-CAM have become of great potential pharmacological interest in neurons and cancers. Treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and cognitive deficits of neurons is aimed to increase the cell Ig-CAM tone, possibly provided by synthetic/mimetic peptides. In cancer cells, where Ig-CAMs are often overexpressed, the proteins are employed for prognosis. The approaches to therapy are based on protein downregulation, antibodies, and adoptive immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Colombo
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Meldolesi
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy.
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