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Clayton EL, Huggon L, Cousin MA, Mizielinska S. Synaptopathy: presynaptic convergence in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain 2024; 147:2289-2307. [PMID: 38451707 PMCID: PMC11224618 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae074] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are common forms of neurodegenerative disease that share overlapping genetics and pathologies. Crucially, no significantly disease-modifying treatments are available for either disease. Identifying the earliest changes that initiate neuronal dysfunction is important for designing effective intervention therapeutics. The genes mutated in genetic forms of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have diverse cellular functions, and multiple disease mechanisms have been proposed for both. Identification of a convergent disease mechanism in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis would focus research for a targetable pathway, which could potentially effectively treat all forms of frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (both familial and sporadic). Synaptopathies are diseases resulting from physiological dysfunction of synapses, and define the earliest stages in multiple neuronal diseases, with synapse loss a key feature in dementia. At the presynapse, the process of synaptic vesicle recruitment, fusion and recycling is necessary for activity-dependent neurotransmitter release. The unique distal location of the presynaptic terminal means the tight spatio-temporal control of presynaptic homeostasis is dependent on efficient local protein translation and degradation. Recently, numerous publications have shown that mutations associated with frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis present with synaptopathy characterized by presynaptic dysfunction. This review will describe the complex local signalling and membrane trafficking events that occur at the presynapse to facilitate neurotransmission and will summarize recent publications linking frontotemporal dementia/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetic mutations to presynaptic function. This evidence indicates that presynaptic synaptopathy is an early and convergent event in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and illustrates the need for further research in this area, to identify potential therapeutic targets with the ability to impact this convergent pathomechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Clayton
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Laura Huggon
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Michael A Cousin
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
- Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XD, UK
| | - Sarah Mizielinska
- UK Dementia Research Institute at King’s College London, London SE5 9RT, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, London SE5 9RT, UK
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Wei S, Yang Y, Wang Y. Proximity Proteomics Revealed Aberrant mRNA Splicing Elicited by ALS-Linked Profilin-1 Mutants. Anal Chem 2023; 95:15141-15145. [PMID: 37787459 PMCID: PMC10689300 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Profilin 1 (PFN1) is a cytoskeleton protein that modulates actin dynamics through binding to monomeric actin and polyproline-containing proteins. Mutations in PFN1 have been linked to the pathogenesis of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we employed an unbiased proximity labeling strategy in combination with proteomic analysis for proteome-wide profiling of proteins that differentially interact with mutant and wild-type (WT) PFN1 proteins in human cells. We uncovered 11 mRNA splicing proteins that are preferentially enriched in the proximity proteomes of the two ALS-linked PFN1 variants, C71G and M114T, over that of wild-type PFN1. We validated the preferential interactions of the ALS-linked PFN1 variants with two mRNA splicing factors, hnRNPC and U2AF2, by immunoprecipitation, followed with immunoblotting. We also found that the two ALS-linked PFN1 variants promoted the exonization of Alu elements in the mRNAs of MTO1, TCFL5, WRN and POLE genes in human cells. Together, we showed that the two ALS-linked PFN1 variants interacted preferentially with mRNA splicing proteins, which elicited aberrant exonization of the Alu elements in mRNAs. Thus, our work provided pivotal insights into the perturbations of ALS-linked PFN1 variants in RNA biology and their potential contributions to ALS pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songbo Wei
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0403, United States
| | - YenYu Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0403, United States
| | - Yinsheng Wang
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0403, United States
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Muneeswaran G, Lee JY. Mechanistic insights into the conformational switch in profilin-1 subject to collective effects of mutation and histidine tautomerism. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 230:123403. [PMID: 36706877 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Mutations and histidine (His) tautomerism in profilin-1 (PFN1) are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The conformational changes in PFN1 caused by the collective effects of G117V mutation and His tautomeric isomers εε, εδ, δε, and δδ were clarified using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The predominant structural variations were seen in α-helices, β-sheets, turns, and coils and the His tautomer's unique degree of disruption was seen in these conformations. The content of α-helices was 23.2 % in the εε and δδ isomers, but the observed α-helices in the isomers εδ and δε were 20.3 % and 21.7 % respectively. The percentage of β-sheet was found to be higher (34.1) in the εε isomer than in the εδ, δε, and δδ isomers, and the values were 30.4, 29.7, and 31.9, respectively. Intermolecular water dynamics analysis discloses that His 133 can form an intramolecular H-bond interaction (Nα-H---Nδ), confirming the experimental observations in the simulations of εε, δε, and δδ isomers of G117V PFN1 mutant. It was concluded that these solvent molecules are crucial for aggregation and must be considered in future research on the PFN1 associated with ALS. Overall, the study offers a thorough microscopic understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms behind conformational changes that cause aggregation illnesses like ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurusamy Muneeswaran
- Department of Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - Jin Yong Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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Kumar R, Malik Z, Singh M, Rachana R, Mani S, Ponnusamy K, Haider S. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Risk Genes and Suppressor. Curr Gene Ther 2023; 23:148-162. [PMID: 36366843 DOI: 10.2174/1566523223666221108113330] [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: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to death by progressive paralysis and respiratory failure within 2-4 years of onset. About 90-95% of ALS cases are sporadic (sALS), and 5-10% are inherited through family (fALS). Though the mechanisms of the disease are still poorly understood, so far, approximately 40 genes have been reported as ALS causative genes. The mutations in some crucial genes, like SOD1, C9ORF72, FUS, and TDP-43, are majorly associated with ALS, resulting in ROS-associated oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, protein aggregation, altered RNA processing, axonal and vesicular trafficking dysregulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent studies show that dysfunctional cellular pathways get restored as a result of the repair of a single pathway in ALS. In this review article, our aim is to identify putative targets for therapeutic development and the importance of a single suppressor to reduce multiple symptoms by focusing on important mutations and the phenotypic suppressors of dysfunctional cellular pathways in crucial genes as reported by other studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupesh Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Zubbair Malik
- School of Computational and Integrative Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067, India
| | - Manisha Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - R Rachana
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shalini Mani
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Shazia Haider
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Proteostasis Deregulation in Neurodegeneration and Its Link with Stress Granules: Focus on the Scaffold and Ribosomal Protein RACK1. Cells 2022; 11:cells11162590. [PMID: 36010666 PMCID: PMC9406587 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of protein misfolding, deposition, and clearance has been the dominant topic in the last decades of investigation in the field of neurodegeneration. The impairment of protein synthesis, along with RNA metabolism and RNA granules, however, are significantly emerging as novel potential targets for the comprehension of the molecular events leading to neuronal deficits. Indeed, defects in ribosome activity, ribosome stalling, and PQC—all ribosome-related processes required for proteostasis regulation—can contribute to triggering stress conditions and promoting the formation of stress granules (SGs) that could evolve in the formation of pathological granules, usually occurring during neurodegenerating effects. In this review, the interplay between proteostasis, mRNA metabolism, and SGs has been explored in a neurodegenerative context with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), although some defects in these same mechanisms can also be found in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which are discussed here. Finally, we highlight the role of the receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1) in these pathologies and note that, besides its well characterized function as a scaffold protein, it has an important role in translation and can associate to stress granules (SGs) determining cell fate in response to diverse stress stimuli.
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Muneeswaran G, Lee JY. Histidine tautomerism dependent conformational transitions driven aggregation of profilin-1: Implications in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 214:241-251. [PMID: 35688275 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Aggregation of profilin-1 (PFN1) causes a fatal neurodegenerative disease, familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). Histidine (His) tautomerism has been linked to the formation of fibril aggregation causing neurodegenerative disease. Characterization of intermediate species that form during aggregation is crucial, however, this has proven very challenging for experimentalists due to their transient nature. Hence, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed on the His tautomeric isomers εε, εδ, δε, and δδ of PFN1 to explain the structural changes and to correlate them with its aggregation propensity. MD simulations show that His133 presumably plays a major role in the aggregation of PFN1 upon His tautomerism compared to His119. Further, the formation of a new 310-helix is observed in εε and δε but 310-helix is not observed in δδ and εδ isomers. In addition, our findings unveil that β-sheet dominating conformations are observed in His119(δ)-His133(δ) δδ isomer of PFN1 with significant antiparallel β-sheets between residues T15-G23, S29-A33, L63-L65, Q68-S76, F83-T89, T97-T105, and K107-K115, suggesting a novel aggregation mechanism possibly occur for the formation of PFN1 aggregates. Overall, these results propose that MD simulations of PFN1 His tautomers can provide a detailed microscopic understanding of the aggregation mechanisms which are hard to probe through experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurusamy Muneeswaran
- Department of Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Yong Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
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Rosow L, Lomen-Hoerth C. Treatment and Management of Adult Motor Neuron Diseases. Neuromuscul Disord 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-71317-7.00012-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Wang H, Kodavati M, Britz GW, Hegde ML. DNA Damage and Repair Deficiency in ALS/FTD-Associated Neurodegeneration: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Implication. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:784361. [PMID: 34975400 PMCID: PMC8716463 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.784361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging studies reveal that neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), are commonly linked to DNA damage accumulation and repair deficiency. Neurons are particularly vulnerable to DNA damage due to their high metabolic activity, relying primarily on oxidative phosphorylation, which leads to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and subsequent DNA damage. Efficient and timely repair of such damage is critical for guarding the integrity of genomic DNA and for cell survival. Several genes predominantly associated with RNA/DNA metabolism have been implicated in both ALS and FTD, suggesting that the two diseases share a common underlying pathology with varied clinical manifestations. Recent studies reveal that many of the gene products, including RNA/DNA binding proteins (RBPs) TDP-43 and FUS are involved in diverse DNA repair pathways. A key question in the etiology of the ALS/FTD spectrum of neurodegeneration is the mechanisms and pathways involved in genome instability caused by dysfunctions/mutations of those RBP genes and their consequences in the central nervous system. The understanding of such converging molecular mechanisms provides insights into the underlying etiology of the rapidly progressing neurodegeneration in ALS/FTD, while also revealing novel DNA repair target avenues for therapeutic development. In this review, we summarize the common mechanisms of neurodegeneration in ALS and FTD, with a particular emphasis on the DNA repair defects induced by ALS/FTD causative genes. We also highlight the consequences of DNA repair defects in ALS/FTD and the therapeutic potential of DNA damage repair-targeted amelioration of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haibo Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience Research at Neurological Surgery, Weill Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Manohar Kodavati
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Gavin W. Britz
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience Research at Neurological Surgery, Weill Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Muralidhar L. Hegde
- Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Neuroscience Research at Neurological Surgery, Weill Medical College, New York, NY, United States
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Hommen F, Bilican S, Vilchez D. Protein clearance strategies for disease intervention. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2021; 129:141-172. [PMID: 34689261 PMCID: PMC8541819 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-021-02431-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, is essential for cell function and viability. Unwanted, damaged, misfolded and aggregated proteins are degraded by the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) and the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Growing evidence indicates that alterations in these major proteolytic mechanisms lead to a demise in proteostasis, contributing to the onset and development of distinct diseases. Indeed, dysregulation of the UPS or autophagy is linked to several neurodegenerative, infectious and inflammatory disorders as well as cancer. Thus, modulation of protein clearance pathways is a promising approach for therapeutics. In this review, we discuss recent findings and open questions on how targeting proteolytic mechanisms could be applied for disease intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Hommen
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Strasse 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Saygın Bilican
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Strasse 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - David Vilchez
- Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Strasse 26, 50931, Cologne, Germany. .,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. .,Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
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ALS-linked PFN1 variants exhibit loss and gain of functions in the context of formin-induced actin polymerization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2024605118. [PMID: 34074767 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024605118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Profilin-1 (PFN1) plays important roles in modulating actin dynamics through binding both monomeric actin and proteins enriched with polyproline motifs. Mutations in PFN1 have been linked to the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, whether ALS-linked mutations affect PFN1 function has remained unclear. To address this question, we employed an unbiased proteomics analysis in mammalian cells to identify proteins that differentially interact with mutant and wild-type (WT) PFN1. These studies uncovered differential binding between two ALS-linked PFN1 variants, G118V and M114T, and select formin proteins. Furthermore, both variants augmented formin-mediated actin assembly relative to PFN1 WT. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed mutation-induced changes in the internal dynamic couplings within an alpha helix of PFN1 that directly contacts both actin and polyproline, as well as structural fluctuations within the actin- and polyproline-binding regions of PFN1. These data indicate that ALS-PFN1 variants have the potential for heightened flexibility in the context of the ternary actin-PFN1-polyproline complex during actin assembly. Conversely, PFN1 C71G was more severely destabilized than the other PFN1 variants, resulting in reduced protein expression in both transfected and ALS patient lymphoblast cell lines. Moreover, this variant exhibited loss-of-function phenotypes in the context of actin assembly. Perturbations in actin dynamics and assembly can therefore result from ALS-linked mutations in PFN1. However, ALS-PFN1 variants may dysregulate actin polymerization through different mechanisms that depend upon the solubility and stability of the mutant protein.
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Wang HLV, Forestier S, Corces VG. Exposure to sevoflurane results in changes of transcription factor occupancy in sperm and inheritance of autism. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:705-719. [PMID: 33982067 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One in 54 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). De novo germline and somatic mutations cannot account for all cases of ASD, suggesting that epigenetic alterations triggered by environmental exposures may be responsible for a subset of ASD cases. Human and animal studies have shown that exposure of the developing brain to general anesthetic (GA) agents can trigger neurodegeneration and neurobehavioral abnormalities but the effects of general anesthetics on the germ line have not been explored in detail. We exposed pregnant mice to sevoflurane during the time of embryonic development when the germ cells undergo epigenetic reprogramming and found that more than 38% of the directly exposed F1 animals exhibit impairments in anxiety and social interactions. Strikingly, 44-47% of the F2 and F3 animals, which were not directly exposed to sevoflurane, show the same behavioral problems. We performed ATAC-seq and identified more than 1200 differentially accessible sites in the sperm of F1 animals, 69 of which are also present in the sperm of F2 animals. These sites are located in regulatory regions of genes strongly associated with ASD, including Arid1b, Ntrk2, and Stmn2. These findings suggest that epimutations caused by exposing germ cells to sevoflurane can lead to ASD in the offspring, and this effect can be transmitted through the male germline inter and trans-generationally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Lin V Wang
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael St, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Samantha Forestier
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael St, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Victor G Corces
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, 615 Michael St, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Wang L, Zhang L. Circulating MicroRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Motor Neuron Disease. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:354. [PMID: 32372911 PMCID: PMC7177050 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor neuron disease (MND) is a kind of neurodegenerative disease that selectively invades spinal cord anterior horn cells, brainstem motor neurons, cortical pyramidal cells and the pyramidal tract. The main clinical features are the symptoms and signs of impaired upper and lower motor neurons, manifested as muscle weakness, atrophy and pyramidal tract signs. Histopathology has shown the disappearance of pyramidal cells in the motor cortex, loss of motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and brainstem, and degeneration of the corticospinal tract. Due to the lack of effective treatment methods, the prognosis is generally poor, so it is of great significance to confirm the diagnosis early by various means. However, the current diagnosis of MND mainly relies on the combination of clinical manifestations and neurophysiological examinations, lacking effective means of early diagnosis. Circulating microRNA (CmiRNA) is a kind of stable miRNA molecule in serum, plasma and other body fluids, which has the characteristics of distinct differential expression, sensitive detection and convenient sample collection. As a possible new biomarker of MND, CmiRNA can not only reveal the pathophysiological process of MND, but also monitor disease progression and response to drug therapy. With the development of miRNA detection technology, more and more CmiRNAs as biomarkers with potential diagnostic value have been investigated. In this review, we explored the possibility of circulating samples as different sources of biomarkers for the diagnosis of MND, analyzing the progress of CmiRNA detection techniques, and presenting potential diagnostic MND biomarkers that have been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Lijuan Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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