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Patrono E, Svoboda J, Stuchlík A. Schizophrenia, the gut microbiota, and new opportunities from optogenetic manipulations of the gut-brain axis. Behav Brain Funct 2021; 17:7. [PMID: 34158061 PMCID: PMC8218443 DOI: 10.1186/s12993-021-00180-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia research arose in the twentieth century and is currently rapidly developing, focusing on many parallel research pathways and evaluating various concepts of disease etiology. Today, we have relatively good knowledge about the generation of positive and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. However, the neural basis and pathophysiology of schizophrenia, especially cognitive symptoms, are still poorly understood. Finding new methods to uncover the physiological basis of the mental inabilities related to schizophrenia is an urgent task for modern neuroscience because of the lack of specific therapies for cognitive deficits in the disease. Researchers have begun investigating functional crosstalk between NMDARs and GABAergic neurons associated with schizophrenia at different resolutions. In another direction, the gut microbiota is getting increasing interest from neuroscientists. Recent findings have highlighted the role of a gut-brain axis, with the gut microbiota playing a crucial role in several psychopathologies, including schizophrenia and autism. There have also been investigations into potential therapies aimed at normalizing altered microbiota signaling to the enteric nervous system (ENS) and the central nervous system (CNS). Probiotics diets and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) are currently the most common therapies. Interestingly, in rodent models of binge feeding, optogenetic applications have been shown to affect gut colony sensitivity, thus increasing colonic transit. Here, we review recent findings on the gut microbiota–schizophrenia relationship using in vivo optogenetics. Moreover, we evaluate if manipulating actors in either the brain or the gut might improve potential treatment research. Such research and techniques will increase our knowledge of how the gut microbiota can manipulate GABA production, and therefore accompany changes in CNS GABAergic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Patrono
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, 1830, Prague, 142 20, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Svoboda
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, 1830, Prague, 142 20, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Stuchlík
- Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, 1830, Prague, 142 20, Czech Republic.
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miRTil: An Extensive Repository for Nile Tilapia microRNA Next Generation Sequencing Data. Cells 2020; 9:cells9081752. [PMID: 32707870 PMCID: PMC7465656 DOI: 10.3390/cells9081752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Nile tilapia is the third most cultivated fish worldwide and a novel model species for evolutionary studies. Aiming to improve productivity and contribute to the selection of traits of economic impact, biotechnological approaches have been intensively applied to species enhancement. In this sense, recent studies have focused on the multiple roles played by microRNAs (miRNAs) in the post-transcriptional regulation of protein-coding genes involved in the emergence of phenotypes with relevance for aquaculture. However, there is still a growing demand for a reference resource dedicated to integrating Nile Tilapia miRNA information, obtained from both experimental and in silico approaches, and facilitating the analysis and interpretation of RNA sequencing data. Here, we present an open repository dedicated to Nile Tilapia miRNAs: the “miRTil database”. The database stores data on 734 mature miRNAs identified in 11 distinct tissues and five key developmental stages. The database provides detailed information about miRNA structure, genomic context, predicted targets, expression profiles, and relative 5p/3p arm usage. Additionally, miRTil also includes a comprehensive pre-computed miRNA-target interaction network containing 4936 targets and 19,580 interactions.
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van der Vaart M, Svoboda O, Weijts BG, Espín-Palazón R, Sapp V, Pietri T, Bagnat M, Muotri AR, Traver D. Mecp2 regulates tnfa during zebrafish embryonic development and acute inflammation. Dis Model Mech 2017; 10:1439-1451. [PMID: 28993314 PMCID: PMC5769600 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.026922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in MECP2 cause Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder with autism-like features. Duplication of MECP2 also causes severe neuropathology. Both diseases display immunological abnormalities that suggest a role for MECP2 in controlling immune and inflammatory responses. Here, we used mecp2-null zebrafish to study the potential function of Mecp2 as an immunological regulator. Mecp2 deficiency resulted in an increase in neutrophil infiltration and upregulated expression of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines Il1b and Il10 as a secondary response to disturbances in tissue homeostasis. By contrast, expression of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnfa) was consistently downregulated in mecp2-null animals during development, representing the earliest developmental phenotype described for MECP2 deficiency to date. Expression of tnfa was unresponsive to inflammatory stimulation, and was partially restored by re-expression of functional mecp2 Thus, Mecp2 is required for tnfa expression during zebrafish development and inflammation. Finally, RNA sequencing of mecp2-null embryos revealed dysregulated processes predictive for Rett syndrome phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M van der Vaart
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
| | - O Svoboda
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
| | - B G Weijts
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
| | - R Espín-Palazón
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
| | - V Sapp
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
| | - T Pietri
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, 07102 NJ, USA
| | - M Bagnat
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, 27708 NC, USA
| | - A R Muotri
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics/Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
| | - D Traver
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
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Wang W. Optogenetic manipulation of ENS - The brain in the gut. Life Sci 2017; 192:18-25. [PMID: 29155296 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2017.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Optogenetics has emerged as an important tool in neuroscience, especially in central nervous system research. It allows for the study of the brain's highly complex network with high temporal and spatial resolution. The enteric nervous system (ENS), the brain in the gut, plays critical roles for life. Although advanced progress has been made, the neural circuits of the ENS remain only partly understood because the appropriate research tools are lacking. In this review, I highlight the potential application of optogenetics in ENS research. Firstly, I describe the development of optogenetics with focusing on its three main components. I discuss the applications in vitro and in vivo, and summarize current findings in the ENS research field obtained by optogenetics. Finally, the challenges for the application of optogenetics to the ENS research will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou 363000, China.
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Kanwal Z, Wiegertjes GF, Veneman WJ, Meijer AH, Spaink HP. Comparative studies of Toll-like receptor signalling using zebrafish. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 46:35-52. [PMID: 24560981 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2013] [Revised: 02/04/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Zebrafish model systems for infectious disease are increasingly used for the functional analysis of molecular pattern recognition processes. These studies benefit from the high conservation level of all innate immune factors in vertebrates. Zebrafish studies are strategically well positioned for this because of the ease of comparisons with studies in other fish species of which the immune system also has been intensively studied, but that are currently still less amendable to detailed genetic or microscopic studies. In this paper we focus on Toll-like receptor (TLR) signalling factors, which currently are the best characterized in mammalian systems. We review the knowledge on TLR signalling in the context of recent advances in zebrafish studies and discuss possibilities for future approaches that can complement studies in cell cultures and rodent models. A focus in these comparisons is the role of negative control mechanisms in immune responses that appear very important in a whole organism to keep adverse systemic responses in check. We also pay much attention to comparisons with studies in common carp that is highly related to zebrafish and that because of its large body mass can complement immune studies in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakia Kanwal
- Department of Animal Sciences and Health, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Geert F Wiegertjes
- Cell Biology and Immunology Group, Wageningen Institute of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter J Veneman
- Department of Animal Sciences and Health, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Annemarie H Meijer
- Department of Animal Sciences and Health, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Herman P Spaink
- Department of Animal Sciences and Health, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Geiger BM, Gras-Miralles B, Ziogas DC, Karagiannis AKA, Zhen A, Fraenkel P, Kokkotou E. Intestinal upregulation of melanin-concentrating hormone in TNBS-induced enterocolitis in adult zebrafish. PLoS One 2013; 8:e83194. [PMID: 24376661 PMCID: PMC3869761 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), an evolutionarily conserved appetite-regulating neuropeptide, has been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Expression of MCH is upregulated in inflamed intestinal mucosa in humans with colitis and MCH-deficient mice treated with trinitrobenzene-sulfonic acid (TNBS) develop an attenuated form of colitis compared to wild type animals. Zebrafish have emerged as a new animal model of IBD, although the majority of the reported studies concern zebrafish larvae. Regulation MCH expression in the adult zebrafish intestine remains unknown. Methods In the present study we induced enterocolitis in adult zebrafish by intrarectal administration of TNBS. Follow-up included survival analysis, histological assessment of changes in intestinal architecture, and assessment of intestinal infiltration by myeloperoxidase positive cells and cytokine transcript levels. Results Treatment with TNBS dose-dependently reduced fish survival. This response required the presence of an intact microbiome, since fish pre-treated with vancomycin developed less severe enterocolitis. At 6 hours post-challenge, we detected a significant influx of myeloperoxidase positive cells in the intestine and upregulation of both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Most importantly, and in analogy to human IBD and TNBS-induced mouse experimental colitis, we found increased intestinal expression of MCH and its receptor in TNBS-treated zebrafish. Conclusions Taken together these findings not only establish a model of chemically-induced experimental enterocolitis in adult zebrafish, but point to effects of MCH in intestinal inflammation that are conserved across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda M Geiger
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Beatriz Gras-Miralles
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Dimitrios C Ziogas
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Apostolos K A Karagiannis
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Aileen Zhen
- Hematology/Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Paula Fraenkel
- Hematology/Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Efi Kokkotou
- Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Wang P, Lu YQ, Wen Y, Yu DY, Ge L, Dong WR, Xiang LX, Shao JZ. IL-16 induces intestinal inflammation via PepT1 upregulation in a pufferfish model: new insights into the molecular mechanism of inflammatory bowel disease. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 191:1413-27. [PMID: 23817423 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1202598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has long been a worldwide health care problem with a persistently increasing incidence. Although its clinical features have been well described, its etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. IL-16 is a chemoattractant cytokine with various effects on cellular activities and diseases. However, the involvement of IL-16 in IBD remains poorly understood. In this study, to our knowledge we report for the first time the mechanism by which IL-16 induces intestinal inflammation by upregulating the expression of oligopeptide transporter member 1 (PepT1) in a Tetraodon nigroviridis fish model. The dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis model in this species revealed that IL-16 levels significantly increase accompanied by elevations in PepT1 in the colon. Moreover, the signs of colitis were dramatically attenuated by IL-16 depletion using anti-IL-16 Abs. In vivo IL-16 administration induced remarkable intestinal inflammation with typical ulcerative colitis-like features, including histologic damage, inflammatory cell infiltration, increased myeloperoxidase activity, and proinflammatory cytokines expression, which corresponded with significant PepT1 upregulation in the colon. The IL-16-induced PepT1 expression and its upregulated fMLF transport were also demonstrated in vitro. To our knowledge, our study provides the first evidence of the connection between IL-16 and PepT1, which provides new insights into the molecular mechanism underlying IBD development. Additionally, this study suggests that fish species are an attractive model for studying IBD. By providing a better understanding of IL-16 biology from fish to mammals, this study should aid the development of IL-16-based therapies for IBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China
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Brugman S, Liu KY, Lindenbergh-Kortleve D, Samsom JN, Furuta GT, Renshaw SA, Willemsen R, Nieuwenhuis EES. Oxazolone-induced enterocolitis in zebrafish depends on the composition of the intestinal microbiota. Gastroenterology 2009; 137:1757-67.e1. [PMID: 19698716 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.07.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2008] [Revised: 07/27/2009] [Accepted: 07/31/2009] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease involves dysfunctional mucosal immune responses to commensal bacteria in genetically predisposed hosts. Interactions between host cells and bacteria are complicated, making it a challenge to assess their relative contribution to intestinal pathology. We developed a zebrafish model of enterocolitis to study these interactions. METHODS Enterocolitis was induced by intrarectal administration of the hapten oxazolone in adult wild-type and myeloperoxidase-reporter transgenic zebrafish in the presence or absence of antibiotics. Intestinal inflammation was evaluated by histological and flow cytometry analyses and cytokine profiling with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota following antibiotic administration were assessed by 16SrRNA sequencing and bacterial load was quantified by culture on nonselective media (colony-forming units). RESULTS In zebrafish, the infiltrate and severity of oxazolone-induced enterocolitis are influenced by the composition of the microbiota. Inflammation is characterized by granulocyte influx; epithelial damage; goblet cell depletion; and increased expression of interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-10. Zebrafish given vancomycin had bacterial populations dominated by Fusobacteria and reduced enterocolitis scores, intestinal damage, and percentages of infiltrating neutrophils and eosinophils. In contrast, zebrafish given colistin sulphate had a predominance of proteobacteria and reduced eosinophil and lymphocyte infiltration, but enterocolitis scores were not reduced. CONCLUSIONS In zebrafish with oxazolone-induced enterocolitis, components of the intestinal microbiota affect the severity and composition of the intestinal infiltrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Brugman
- Laboratory of Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Assessing the translatability of drug projects: what needs to be scored to predict success? Nat Rev Drug Discov 2009; 8:541-6. [PMID: 19543224 DOI: 10.1038/nrd2898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Drug development projects have high attrition rates, often because efficacy and safety issues have not been foreseen. More effective prediction of 'translational success' could therefore have a key role in addressing the widely acknowledged problems with weak drug development pipelines. Here, I discuss how a scoring system to systematically assess key determinants of translational success, such as biomarkers and animal and human data, could help identify deficiencies and potential improvements, and increase the reliability of portfolio risk estimates.
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Lan CC, Laurenson S, Copp BR, Cattin PM, Love DR. Whole organism approaches to chemical genomics: the promising role of zebrafish (Danio rerio). Expert Opin Drug Discov 2007; 2:1389-401. [PMID: 23484534 DOI: 10.1517/17460441.2.10.1389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Chemical genomics is a new and rapidly developing field. It refers to the use of cell-permeable small molecules, which are highly specific for their protein targets, in order to dissect biological pathways and to discover new drug leads. Small-molecule screening is usually limited to high-throughput approaches that use defined cell lines; however, whole organism screening is gaining increasing attention. This review addresses the latter concept and highlights the advances in whole organism-based screening, with an emphasis on the use of the zebrafish (Danio rerio).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan-Ching Lan
- University of Auckland, School of Biological Sciences, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre, Auckland 1142, New Zealand +64 9 3737599 ; ext: 87228; +64 9 3737417 ;
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