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Hewson L, Choo A, Webber DL, Trim PJ, Snel MF, Fedele AO, Hopwood JJ, Hemsley KM, O'Keefe LV. Drosophila melanogaster models of MPS IIIC (Hgsnat-deficiency) highlight the role of glia in disease presentation. J Inherit Metab Dis 2024; 47:340-354. [PMID: 38238109 DOI: 10.1002/jimd.12712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2024]
Abstract
Sanfilippo syndrome (Mucopolysaccharidosis type III or MPS III) is a recessively inherited neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder. Mutations in genes encoding enzymes in the heparan sulphate degradation pathway lead to the accumulation of partially degraded heparan sulphate, resulting ultimately in the development of neurological deficits. Mutations in the gene encoding the membrane protein heparan-α-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (HGSNAT; EC2.3.1.78) cause MPS IIIC (OMIM#252930), typified by impaired cognition, sleep-wake cycle changes, hyperactivity and early death, often before adulthood. The precise disease mechanism that causes symptom emergence remains unknown, posing a significant challenge in the development of effective therapeutics. As HGSNAT is conserved in Drosophila melanogaster, we now describe the creation and characterisation of the first Drosophila models of MPS IIIC. Flies with either an endogenous insertion mutation or RNAi-mediated knockdown of hgsnat were confirmed to have a reduced level of HGSNAT transcripts and age-dependent accumulation of heparan sulphate leading to engorgement of the endo/lysosomal compartment. This resulted in abnormalities at the pre-synapse, defective climbing and reduced overall activity. Altered circadian rhythms (shift in peak morning activity) were seen in hgsnat neuronal knockdown lines. Further, when hgsnat was knocked down in specific glial subsets (wrapping, cortical, astrocytes or subperineural glia), impaired climbing or reduced activity was noted, implying that hgsnat function in these specific glial subtypes contributes significantly to this behaviour and targeting treatments to these cell groups may be necessary to ameliorate or prevent symptom onset. These novel models of MPS IIIC provide critical research tools for delineating the key cellular pathways causal in the onset of neurodegeneration in this presently untreatable disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Hewson
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Amanda Choo
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Dani L Webber
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Paul J Trim
- Proteomics, Metabolomics & MS-Imaging Core, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Marten F Snel
- Proteomics, Metabolomics & MS-Imaging Core, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Anthony O Fedele
- Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - John J Hopwood
- Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Kim M Hemsley
- Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia
| | - Louise V O'Keefe
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Kraft N, Muenz TS, Reinhard S, Werner C, Sauer M, Groh C, Rössler W. Expansion microscopy in honeybee brains for high-resolution neuroanatomical analyses in social insects. Cell Tissue Res 2023; 393:489-506. [PMID: 37421435 PMCID: PMC10484815 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-023-03803-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
The diffraction limit of light microscopy poses a problem that is frequently faced in structural analyses of social insect brains. With the introduction of expansion microscopy (ExM), a tool became available to overcome this limitation by isotropic physical expansion of preserved specimens. Our analyses focus on synaptic microcircuits (microglomeruli, MG) in the mushroom body (MB) of social insects, high-order brain centers for sensory integration, learning, and memory. MG undergo significant structural reorganizations with age, sensory experience, and during long-term memory formation. However, the changes in subcellular architecture involved in this plasticity have only partially been accessed yet. Using the western honeybee Apis mellifera as an experimental model, we established ExM for the first time in a social insect species and applied it to investigate plasticity in synaptic microcircuits within MG of the MB calyces. Using combinations of antibody staining and neuronal tracing, we demonstrate that this technique enables quantitative and qualitative analyses of structural neuronal plasticity at high resolution in a social insect brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Kraft
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, 97074, Germany.
| | - Thomas S Muenz
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
| | - Sebastian Reinhard
- Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
| | - Christian Werner
- Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
| | - Markus Sauer
- Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
| | - Claudia Groh
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Rössler
- Department of Behavioral Physiology and Sociobiology (Zoology II), Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Biocenter, Julius Maximilian University, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
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Koch SC, Nelson A, Hartenstein V. Structural aspects of the aging invertebrate brain. Cell Tissue Res 2021; 383:931-947. [PMID: 33409654 PMCID: PMC7965346 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03314-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Aging is characterized by a decline in neuronal function in all animal species investigated so far. Functional changes are accompanied by and may be in part caused by, structurally visible degenerative changes in neurons. In the mammalian brain, normal aging shows abnormalities in dendrites and axons, as well as ultrastructural changes in synapses, rather than global neuron loss. The analysis of the structural features of aging neurons, as well as their causal link to molecular mechanisms on the one hand, and the functional decline on the other hand is crucial in order to understand the aging process in the brain. Invertebrate model organisms like Drosophila and C. elegans offer the opportunity to apply a forward genetic approach to the analysis of aging. In the present review, we aim to summarize findings concerning abnormalities in morphology and ultrastructure in invertebrate brains during normal aging and compare them to what is known for the mammalian brain. It becomes clear that despite of their considerably shorter life span, invertebrates display several age-related changes very similar to the mammalian condition, including the retraction of dendritic and axonal branches at specific locations, changes in synaptic density and increased accumulation of presynaptic protein complexes. We anticipate that continued research efforts in invertebrate systems will significantly contribute to reveal (and possibly manipulate) the molecular/cellular pathways leading to neuronal aging in the mammalian brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra C Koch
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Annie Nelson
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Volker Hartenstein
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA.
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Effects of aversive conditioning on expression of physiological stress in honey bees (Apis mellifera). Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 178:107363. [PMID: 33333317 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Stress is defined as any deviation from an organism's baseline physiological levels. Therefore, introduction of new stimuli and information, such as in learning, can be defined as a stressor. A large body of research exists examining the role that stress plays in learning, but virtually none addresses whether or not learning itself is a measurable cause of stress. The current study used a wide variety of learning centric stress responses. Researchers examined changes in expression of ten stress and learning related genes in various physiological systems in domesticated honey bees (Apis mellifera) as a result of exposure to an aversive conditioning task. Gene expression was examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction following the learning task. Results indicate that learning affects expression of some stress related genes.
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Schatton A, Agoro J, Mardink J, Leboulle G, Scharff C. Identification of the neurotransmitter profile of AmFoxP expressing neurons in the honeybee brain using double-label in situ hybridization. BMC Neurosci 2018; 19:69. [PMID: 30400853 PMCID: PMC6219247 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-018-0469-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND FoxP transcription factors play crucial roles for the development and function of vertebrate brains. In humans the neurally expressed FOXPs, FOXP1, FOXP2, and FOXP4 are implicated in cognition, including language. Neural FoxP expression is specific to particular brain regions but FoxP1, FoxP2 and FoxP4 are not limited to a particular neuron or neurotransmitter type. Motor- or sensory activity can regulate FoxP2 expression, e.g. in the striatal nucleus Area X of songbirds and in the auditory thalamus of mice. The DNA-binding domain of FoxP proteins is highly conserved within metazoa, raising the possibility that cellular functions were preserved across deep evolutionary time. We have previously shown in bee brains that FoxP is expressed in eleven specific neuron populations, seven tightly packed clusters and four loosely arranged groups. RESULTS The present study examined the co-expression of honeybee FoxP (AmFoxP) with markers for glutamatergic, GABAergic, cholinergic and monoaminergic transmission. We found that AmFoxP could co-occur with any one of those markers. Interestingly, AmFoxP clusters and AmFoxP groups differed with respect to homogeneity of marker co-expression; within a cluster, all neurons co-expressed the same neurotransmitter marker, within a group co-expression varied. We also assessed qualitatively whether age or housing conditions providing different sensory and motor experiences affected the AmFoxP neuron populations, but found no differences. CONCLUSIONS Based on the neurotransmitter homogeneity we conclude that AmFoxP neurons within the clusters might have a common projection and function whereas the AmFoxP groups are more diverse and could be further sub-divided. The obtained information about the neurotransmitters co-expressed in the AmFoxP neuron populations facilitated the search of similar neurons described in the literature. These comparisons revealed e.g. a possible function of AmFoxP neurons in the central complex. Our findings provide opportunities to focus future functional studies on invertebrate FoxP expressing neurons. In a broader context, our data will contribute to the ongoing efforts to discern in which cases relationships between molecular and phenotypic signatures are linked evolutionary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Schatton
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Agoro
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Janis Mardink
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gérard Leboulle
- Department of Neurobiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 28-30, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Constance Scharff
- Department of Animal Behavior, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustraße 6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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Michels B, Zwaka H, Bartels R, Lushchak O, Franke K, Endres T, Fendt M, Song I, Bakr M, Budragchaa T, Westermann B, Mishra D, Eschbach C, Schreyer S, Lingnau A, Vahl C, Hilker M, Menzel R, Kähne T, Leßmann V, Dityatev A, Wessjohann L, Gerber B. Memory enhancement by ferulic acid ester across species. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaat6994. [PMID: 30417089 PMCID: PMC6224069 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat6994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cognitive impairments can be devastating for quality of life, and thus, preventing or counteracting them is of great value. To this end, the present study exploits the potential of the plant Rhodiola rosea and identifies the constituent ferulic acid eicosyl ester [icosyl-(2E)-3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-prop-2-enoate (FAE-20)] as a memory enhancer. We show that food supplementation with dried root material from R. rosea dose-dependently improves odor-taste reward associative memory scores in larval Drosophila and prevents the age-related decline of this appetitive memory in adult flies. Task-relevant sensorimotor faculties remain unaltered. From a parallel approach, a list of candidate compounds has been derived, including R. rosea-derived FAE-20. Here, we show that both R. rosea-derived FAE-20 and synthetic FAE-20 are effective as memory enhancers in larval Drosophila. Synthetic FAE-20 also partially compensates for age-related memory decline in adult flies, as well as genetically induced early-onset loss of memory function in young flies. Furthermore, it increases excitability in mouse hippocampal CA1 neurons, leads to more stable context-shock aversive associative memory in young adult (3-month-old) mice, and increases memory scores in old (>2-year-old) mice. Given these effects, and given the utility of R. rosea-the plant from which we discovered FAE-20-as a memory enhancer, these results may hold potential for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Michels
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Zwaka
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ruth Bartels
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oleh Lushchak
- Precarpathian National University, Department of Biochemistry, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
| | - Katrin Franke
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Thomas Endres
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fendt
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Inseon Song
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - May Bakr
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tuvshinjargal Budragchaa
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bernhard Westermann
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Dushyant Mishra
- University of Würzburg, Biocenter Am Hubland, Department of Genetics and Neurobiology, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Claire Eschbach
- University of Würzburg, Biocenter Am Hubland, Department of Genetics and Neurobiology, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Annika Lingnau
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Caroline Vahl
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marike Hilker
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Randolf Menzel
- Free University Berlin, Institute of Neurobiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thilo Kähne
- Otto von Guericke University, Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Volkmar Leßmann
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Dityatev
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Molecular Neuroplasticity Group, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto von Guericke University, Medical Faculty, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Wessjohann
- Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Bertram Gerber
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Department Genetics of Learning and Memory, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto von Guericke University, Institute of Biology, Magdeburg, Germany
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Sugie A, Marchetti G, Tavosanis G. Structural aspects of plasticity in the nervous system of Drosophila. Neural Dev 2018; 13:14. [PMID: 29960596 PMCID: PMC6026517 DOI: 10.1186/s13064-018-0111-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons extend and retract dynamically their neurites during development to form complex morphologies and to reach out to their appropriate synaptic partners. Their capacity to undergo structural rearrangements is in part maintained during adult life when it supports the animal's ability to adapt to a changing environment or to form lasting memories. Nonetheless, the signals triggering structural plasticity and the mechanisms that support it are not yet fully understood at the molecular level. Here, we focus on the nervous system of the fruit fly to ask to which extent activity modulates neuronal morphology and connectivity during development. Further, we summarize the evidence indicating that the adult nervous system of flies retains some capacity for structural plasticity at the synaptic or circuit level. For simplicity, we selected examples mostly derived from studies on the visual system and on the mushroom body, two regions of the fly brain with extensively studied neuroanatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Sugie
- Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata, 951-8585 Japan
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, 951-8585 Japan
| | | | - Gaia Tavosanis
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 53127 Bonn, Germany
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