1
|
Raffaele S, Nguyen N, Milanese M, Mannella FC, Boccazzi M, Frumento G, Bonanno G, Abbracchio MP, Bonifacino T, Fumagalli M. Montelukast improves disease outcome in SOD1 G93A female mice by counteracting oligodendrocyte dysfunction and aberrant glial reactivity. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:3303-3326. [PMID: 38751168 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor neuron (MN) loss and consequent muscle atrophy, for which no effective therapies are available. Recent findings reveal that disease progression is fuelled by early aberrant neuroinflammation and the loss of oligodendrocytes with neuroprotective and remyelinating properties. On this basis, pharmacological interventions capable of restoring a pro-regenerative local milieu and re-establish proper oligodendrocyte functions may be beneficial. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Here, we evaluated the in vivo therapeutic effects of montelukast (MTK), an antagonist of the oligodendroglial G protein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17) and of cysteinyl-leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLT1R) receptors on microglia and astrocytes, in the SOD1G93A ALS mouse model. We chronically treated SOD1G93A mice with MTK, starting from the early symptomatic disease stage. Disease progression was assessed by behavioural and immunohistochemical approaches. KEY RESULTS Oral MTK treatment significantly extended survival probability, delayed body weight loss and ameliorated motor functionalityonly in female SOD1G93A mice. Noteworthy, MTK significantly restored oligodendrocyte maturation and induced significant changes in the reactive phenotype and morphological features of microglia/macrophages and astrocytes in the spinal cord of female SOD1G93A mice, suggesting enhanced pro-regenerative functions. Importantly, concomitant MN preservation has been detected after MTK administration. No beneficial effects were observed in male mice, highlighting a sex-based difference in the protective activity of MTK. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Our results provide the first preclinical evidence indicating that repurposing of MTK, a safe and marketed anti-asthmatic drug, may be a promising sex-specific strategy for personalized ALS treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Raffaele
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology of Purinergic Transmission, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Nhung Nguyen
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marco Milanese
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesca C Mannella
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology of Purinergic Transmission, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Boccazzi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology of Purinergic Transmission, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Frumento
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giambattista Bonanno
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maria P Abbracchio
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology of Purinergic Transmission, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziana Bonifacino
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3R Principles in Teaching and Research (Centro 3R), Pisa, Italy
| | - Marta Fumagalli
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology of Purinergic Transmission, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences "Rodolfo Paoletti", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hale OJ, Wells TR, Mead RJ, Cooper HJ. Mass spectrometry imaging of SOD1 protein-metal complexes in SOD1G93A transgenic mice implicates demetalation with pathology. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6518. [PMID: 39117623 PMCID: PMC11310518 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50514-7] [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: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by degeneration of motor neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Mutations in the metalloenzyme SOD1 are associated with inherited forms of ALS and cause a toxic gain of function thought to be mediated by dimer destabilization and misfolding. SOD1 binds two Cu and two Zn ions in its homodimeric form. We have applied native ambient mass spectrometry imaging to visualize the spatial distributions of intact metal-bound SOD1G93A complexes in SOD1G93A transgenic mouse spinal cord and brain sections and evaluated them against disease pathology. The molecular specificity of our approach reveals that metal-deficient SOD1G93A species are abundant in CNS structures correlating with ALS pathology whereas fully metalated SOD1G93A species are homogenously distributed. Monomer abundance did not correlate with pathology. We also show that the dimer-destabilizing post-translational modification, glutathionylation, has limited influence on the spatial distribution of SOD1 dimers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver J Hale
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Tyler R Wells
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Richard J Mead
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK.
| | - Helen J Cooper
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lee AJB, Kittel TE, Kim RB, Bach TN, Zhang T, Mitchell CS. Comparing therapeutic modulators of the SOD1 G93A Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis mouse pathophysiology. Front Neurosci 2023; 16:1111763. [PMID: 36741054 PMCID: PMC9893287 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1111763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a paralyzing, multifactorial neurodegenerative disease with limited therapeutics and no known cure. The study goal was to determine which pathophysiological treatment targets appear most beneficial. Methods A big data approach was used to analyze high copy SOD1 G93A experimental data. The secondary data set comprised 227 published studies and 4,296 data points. Treatments were classified by pathophysiological target: apoptosis, axonal transport, cellular chemistry, energetics, neuron excitability, inflammation, oxidative stress, proteomics, or systemic function. Outcome assessment modalities included onset delay, health status (rotarod performance, body weight, grip strength), and survival duration. Pairwise statistical analysis (two-tailed t-test with Bonferroni correction) of normalized fold change (treatment/control) assessed significant differences in treatment efficacy. Cohen's d quantified pathophysiological treatment category effect size compared to "all" (e.g., all pathophysiological treatment categories combined). Results Inflammation treatments were best at delaying onset (d = 0.42, p > 0.05). Oxidative stress treatments were significantly better for prolonging survival duration (d = 0.18, p < 0.05). Excitability treatments were significantly better for prolonging overall health status (d = 0.22, p < 0.05). However, the absolute best pathophysiological treatment category for prolonging health status varied with disease progression: oxidative stress was best for pre-onset health (d = 0.18, p > 0.05); excitability was best for prolonging function near onset (d = 0.34, p < 0.05); inflammation was best for prolonging post-onset function (d = 0.24, p > 0.05); and apoptosis was best for prolonging end-stage function (d = 0.49, p > 0.05). Finally, combination treatments simultaneously targeting multiple pathophysiological categories (e.g., polytherapy) performed significantly (p < 0.05) better than monotherapies at end-stage. Discussion In summary, the most effective pathophysiological treatments change as function of assessment modality and disease progression. Shifting pathophysiological treatment category efficacy with disease progression supports the homeostatic instability theory of ALS disease progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Albert J. B. Lee
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Machine Learning, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Tyler E. Kittel
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Renaid B. Kim
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Thao-Nguyen Bach
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Tian Zhang
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cassie S. Mitchell
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Machine Learning, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhang J, Wen A, Chai W, Liang H, Tang C, Gan W, Xu R. Potential proteomic alteration in the brain of Tg(SOD1*G93A)1Gur mice: A new pathogenesis insight of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cell Biol Int 2022; 46:1378-1398. [PMID: 35801511 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.11842] [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: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains unclear. The recent studies have suggested that the protein abnormalities could play some important roles in ALS because several protein mutations were found in individuals with this disease. However, proteins that are currently known to be associated with ALS only explain the pathogenesis of this disease in a minority of cases, thus, further screening is needed to identify other ALS-related proteins. In this study, we systematically analyzed and compared the brain proteomic alterations between a mouse model of ALS, the Tg(SOD1*G93A)1Gur model, and wild-type mice using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) as well as bioinformatics methods. The results revealed some significant up- and downregulated proteins at the different developmental stages in the ALS-like mice as well as the possibly related cellular components, molecular functions, biological processes, and pathways in the development of ALS. Our results identified some possible proteins that participate in the pathogenesis of ALS as well as the cellular components that are damaged by these proteins, we additionally identified the molecular functions, the biological processes, and the pathways of these proteins as well as the molecules that are associated with these pathways. This study represents an important preliminary investigation of the role of proteomic abnormalities in the pathogenesis of ALS, both in human patients and other animal models. We present some novel findings that may serve as a basis for further investigation of abnormal proteins that are involved in the pathogenesis of ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - An Wen
- Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Clinical College of Nanchang Medical College, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Affiliated People's Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Wen Chai
- Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Clinical College of Nanchang Medical College, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Affiliated People's Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Huiting Liang
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Chunyan Tang
- Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Clinical College of Nanchang Medical College, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Affiliated People's Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Weiming Gan
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Renshi Xu
- Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.,Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Clinical College of Nanchang Medical College, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Affiliated People's Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Marini C, Cossu V, Kumar M, Milanese M, Cortese K, Bruno S, Bellese G, Carta S, Zerbo RA, Torazza C, Bauckneht M, Venturi C, Raffa S, Orengo AM, Donegani MI, Chiola S, Ravera S, Castellani P, Morbelli S, Sambuceti G, Bonanno G. The Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum in the Differential Endurance against Redox Stress in Cortical and Spinal Astrocytes from the Newborn SOD1 G93A Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:antiox10091392. [PMID: 34573024 PMCID: PMC8472526 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10091392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies reported that the uptake of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is increased in the spinal cord (SC) and decreased in the motor cortex (MC) of patients with ALS, suggesting that the disease might differently affect the two nervous districts with different time sequence or with different mechanisms. Here we show that MC and SC astrocytes harvested from newborn B6SJL-Tg (SOD1G93A) 1Gur mice could play different roles in the pathogenesis of the disease. Spectrophotometric and cytofluorimetric analyses showed an increase in redox stress, a decrease in antioxidant capacity and a relative mitochondria respiratory uncoupling in MC SOD1G93A astrocytes. By contrast, SC mutated cells showed a higher endurance against oxidative damage, through the increase in antioxidant defense, and a preserved respiratory function. FDG uptake reproduced the metabolic response observed in ALS patients: SOD1G93A mutation caused a selective enhancement in tracer retention only in mutated SC astrocytes, matching the activity of the reticular pentose phosphate pathway and, thus, of hexose-6P dehydrogenase. Finally, both MC and SC mutated astrocytes were characterized by an impressive ultrastructural enlargement of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and impairment in ER–mitochondria networking, more evident in mutated MC than in SC cells. Thus, SOD1G93A mutation differently impaired MC and SC astrocyte biology in a very early stage of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Marini
- CNR Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology (IBFM), Segrate, 20054 Milan, Italy
- Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (M.B.); (A.M.O.); (S.C.); (S.M.); (G.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Vanessa Cossu
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (V.C.); (S.R.); (M.I.D.)
| | - Mandeep Kumar
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (M.K.); (M.M.); (R.A.Z.); (C.T.); (G.B.)
| | - Marco Milanese
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (M.K.); (M.M.); (R.A.Z.); (C.T.); (G.B.)
| | - Katia Cortese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Human Anatomy, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (K.C.); (S.B.); (G.B.); (C.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Silvia Bruno
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Human Anatomy, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (K.C.); (S.B.); (G.B.); (C.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Grazia Bellese
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Human Anatomy, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (K.C.); (S.B.); (G.B.); (C.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Sonia Carta
- Cell Biology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (S.C.); (P.C.)
| | - Roberta Arianna Zerbo
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (M.K.); (M.M.); (R.A.Z.); (C.T.); (G.B.)
| | - Carola Torazza
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (M.K.); (M.M.); (R.A.Z.); (C.T.); (G.B.)
| | - Matteo Bauckneht
- Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (M.B.); (A.M.O.); (S.C.); (S.M.); (G.S.)
| | - Consuelo Venturi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Human Anatomy, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (K.C.); (S.B.); (G.B.); (C.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Stefano Raffa
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (V.C.); (S.R.); (M.I.D.)
| | - Anna Maria Orengo
- Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (M.B.); (A.M.O.); (S.C.); (S.M.); (G.S.)
| | - Maria Isabella Donegani
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (V.C.); (S.R.); (M.I.D.)
| | - Silvia Chiola
- Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (M.B.); (A.M.O.); (S.C.); (S.M.); (G.S.)
| | - Silvia Ravera
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Human Anatomy, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (K.C.); (S.B.); (G.B.); (C.V.); (S.R.)
| | - Patrizia Castellani
- Cell Biology Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (S.C.); (P.C.)
| | - Silvia Morbelli
- Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (M.B.); (A.M.O.); (S.C.); (S.M.); (G.S.)
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (V.C.); (S.R.); (M.I.D.)
| | - Gianmario Sambuceti
- CNR Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology (IBFM), Segrate, 20054 Milan, Italy
- Nuclear Medicine, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy; (M.B.); (A.M.O.); (S.C.); (S.M.); (G.S.)
| | - Giambattista Bonanno
- Department of Pharmacy, Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (M.K.); (M.M.); (R.A.Z.); (C.T.); (G.B.)
- Pharmacology and Toxycology, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Milanese M, Bonifacino T, Torazza C, Provenzano F, Kumar M, Ravera S, Zerbo AR, Frumento G, Balbi M, Nguyen TPN, Bertola N, Ferrando S, Viale M, Profumo A, Bonanno G. Blocking glutamate mGlu 5 receptors with the negative allosteric modulator CTEP improves disease course in SOD1 G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Br J Pharmacol 2021; 178:3747-3764. [PMID: 33931856 PMCID: PMC8457068 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not fully clarified, although excessive glutamate (Glu) transmission and the downstream cytotoxic cascades are major mechanisms for motor neuron death. Two metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu1 and mGlu5 ) are overexpressed in ALS and regulate cellular disease processes. Expression and function of mGlu5 receptors are altered at early symptomatic stages in the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS and knockdown of mGlu5 receptors in SOD1G93A mice improved disease progression. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We treated male and female SOD1G93A mice with 2-chloro-4-((2,5-dimethyl-1-(4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl)ethynyl)pyridine (CTEP), an orally available mGlu5 receptor negative allosteric modulator (NAM), using doses of 2 mg·kg-1 per 48 h or 4 mg·kg-1 per 24 h from Day 90, an early symptomatic disease stage. Disease progression was studied by behavioural and histological approaches. KEY RESULTS CTEP dose-dependently ameliorated clinical features in SOD1G93A mice. The lower dose increased survival and improved motor skills in female mice, with barely positive effects in male mice. Higher doses significantly ameliorated disease symptoms and survival in both males and females, females being more responsive. CTEP also reduced motor neuron death, astrocyte and microglia activation, and abnormal glutamate release in the spinal cord, with equal effects in male and female mice. No differences were also observed in CTEP access to the brain. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Our results suggest that mGlu5 receptors are promising targets for the treatment of ALS and highlight mGlu5 receptor NAMs as effective pharmacological tools with translational potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Milanese
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), Genoa, Italy
| | - Tiziana Bonifacino
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), Genoa, Italy
| | - Carola Torazza
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesca Provenzano
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mandeep Kumar
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Silvia Ravera
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Arianna Roberta Zerbo
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giulia Frumento
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Matilde Balbi
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - T P Nhung Nguyen
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Nadia Bertola
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Sara Ferrando
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Science, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Aldo Profumo
- IRCCS Ospedale policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giambattista Bonanno
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCCS Ospedale policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sleigh JN, Mech AM, Aktar T, Zhang Y, Schiavo G. Altered Sensory Neuron Development in CMT2D Mice Is Site-Specific and Linked to Increased GlyRS Levels. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:232. [PMID: 32848623 PMCID: PMC7431706 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dominant, missense mutations in the widely and constitutively expressed GARS1 gene cause peripheral neuropathy that usually begins in adolescence and principally impacts the upper limbs. Caused by a toxic gain-of-function in the encoded glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS) enzyme, the neuropathology appears to be independent of the canonical role of GlyRS in aminoacylation. Patients display progressive, life-long weakness and wasting of muscles in hands followed by feet, with frequently associated deficits in sensation. When dysfunction is observed in motor and sensory nerves, there is a diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2D (CMT2D), or distal hereditary motor neuropathy type V if the symptoms are purely motor. The cause of this varied sensory involvement remains unresolved, as are the pathomechanisms underlying the selective neurodegeneration characteristic of the disease. We have previously identified in CMT2D mice that neuropathy-causing Gars mutations perturb sensory neuron fate and permit mutant GlyRS to aberrantly interact with neurotrophin receptors (Trks). Here, we extend this work by interrogating further the anatomy and function of the CMT2D sensory nervous system in mutant Gars mice, obtaining several key results: (1) sensory pathology is restricted to neurons innervating the hindlimbs; (2) perturbation of sensory development is not common to all mouse models of neuromuscular disease; (3) in vitro axonal transport of signaling endosomes is not impaired in afferent neurons of all CMT2D mouse models; and (4) Gars expression is selectively elevated in a subset of sensory neurons and linked to sensory developmental defects. These findings highlight the importance of comparative neurological assessment in mouse models of disease and shed light on key proposed neuropathogenic mechanisms in GARS1-linked neuropathy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James N. Sleigh
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aleksandra M. Mech
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tahmina Aktar
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yuxin Zhang
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giampietro Schiavo
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Discoveries Centre for Regenerative and Precision Medicine, University College London Campus, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Porro C, Cianciulli A, Panaro MA. The Regulatory Role of IL-10 in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10071017. [PMID: 32659950 PMCID: PMC7407888 DOI: 10.3390/biom10071017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
IL-10, an immunosuppressive cytokine, is considered an important anti-inflammatory modulator of glial activation, preventing inflammation-mediated neuronal degeneration under pathological conditions. In this narrative review, we summarize recent insights about the role of IL-10 in the neurodegeneration associated with neuroinflammation, in diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Parkinson’s Disease, focusing on the contribution of this cytokine not only in terms of protective action, but also as possibly responsible for clinical worsening. The knowledge of this double face of the same coin, regarding the biological role of the IL-10, could aid the development of targeted therapies useful for limiting neurodegenerative processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Porro
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy;
| | - Antonia Cianciulli
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy;
| | - Maria Antonietta Panaro
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy;
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Souza PT, Thallmair S, Marrink SJ, Mera-Adasme R. An Allosteric Pathway in Copper, Zinc Superoxide Dismutase Unravels the Molecular Mechanism of the G93A Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Linked Mutation. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:7740-7744. [PMID: 31747286 PMCID: PMC6926953 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b02868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Several different mutations of the protein copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1) produce the neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The molecular mechanism by which the diverse mutations converge to a similar pathology is currently unknown. The electrostatic loop (EL) of SOD1 is known to be affected in all of the studied ALS-linked mutations of SOD1. In this work, we employ a multiscale simulation approach to show that this perturbation corresponds to an increased probability of the EL detaching from its native position, exposing the metal site of the protein to water. From extensive atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we identify an allosteric pathway that explains the action of the distant G93A mutation on the EL. Finally, we employ quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics MD simulations to show that the opening of the EL decreases the Zn(II) affinity of the protein. As the loss of Zn(II) is at the center of several proposed pathogenic mechanisms in SOD1-linked ALS, the structural effect identified here not only is in agreement with the experimental data but also places the opening of the electrostatic loop as the possible main pathogenic effect for a significant number of ALS-linked SOD1 mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paulo
C. T. Souza
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Thallmair
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Siewert J. Marrink
- Groningen
Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Raúl Mera-Adasme
- Departamento
de Ciencias del Ambiente, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH), Av. Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins
3363, 9170022 Estacion
Central, Chile
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Construction of rat spinal cord injury model based on Allen's animal model. Saudi J Biol Sci 2019; 26:2122-2126. [PMID: 31889806 PMCID: PMC6923460 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2019.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the construction of rat spinal cord injury model guided by Allen's model. Methods: Male rats aged 4–5 weeks and weighing about 250 g are selected as subjects in the Animal Laboratory Center of XX Hospital. Rats are divided into two groups, which are experimental group 1 and experimental group 2, respectively, so as to construct spinal cord injury model in rats. The first group is given 300 g.cm hitting force of T10 spinal cord, and the second group is given 500 g.cm hitting force of T10 spinal cord. Within 25 days after spinal cord injury in Allen's rats, the survival, neurological function, diet, motor ability, tactile ability and auditory ability of the two groups are monitored and evaluated daily. Results: In terms of survival, the survival rate of rats in group 1 is 85%, while that of rats in group 2 is 21%, and there is a concentrated death phenomenon in group 2. In terms of neurological function recovery, experimental group 1 is stable and gets 7 points and experimental group 2 is stable and gets 3 points. In terms of diet, the experimental group 1 is stable and gets 5 points and the experimental group 2 is stable and gets 2 points. In terms of motor ability, the experimental group 1 is stable and gets 5 points and the experimental group 2 is stable and gets 2 points. In tactile sense, experimental group 1 is stable and gets 17 points and experimental group 2 is stable and gets 12 points. It can be seen that the post-operative recovery ability of the experimental group 1 is better than that of the experimental group 2. Conclusion: Under the guidance of Allen's model, compared with the group 2, the experimental group 1 of the rat spinal cord injury model has better recovery in each index. It can be seen that the smaller impact strength is more beneficial to the recovery of rats after spinal cord injury surgery.
Collapse
|
11
|
Sedler AR, Mitchell CS. SemNet: Using Local Features to Navigate the Biomedical Concept Graph. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2019; 7:156. [PMID: 31334227 PMCID: PMC6616276 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Literature-Based Discovery (LBD) aims to connect scientists across silos by assembling models of the literature to reveal previously hidden connections. Unfortunately, LBD systems have been unable to achieve user adoption on a large scale. This work develops opens source software in Python to convert a database of semantic predications of all of PubMed's 27.9 million indexed abstracts into a semantic inference network and biomedical concept graph in Neo4j. The developed software, called SemNet, queries a modified version of the publicly available SemMedDB and computes feature vectors on source-target pairs. Each unique United Medical Language System (UMLS) concept is represented as a node and each predication as an edge. Each node is assigned one of 132 node labels (e.g., Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein (AAPP); Gene or Genome (GG); etc.) and each edge is labeled with one of 58 predications (e.g. treats, causes, inhibits, etc.). SemNet computes a single feature value for each metapath, or sequence of node types, between a source node and user-specified target node(s). Several different types of metapath-based features (count, degree weighted path count, and HeteSim metric) are computed and vectorized. SemNet employs an unsupervised learning algorithm for rank aggregation (ULARA) to rank identified source nodes that are most relevant to the user-specified target nodes(s). Statistical analysis of correlation among identified source nodes or resultant literature network features are used to identify patterns that can guide future research. Analysis of high residual nodes is used to compare and contrast SemNet rankings between different targets of interest. An example SemNet use case is presented to assess “the differential impact of smoking on cognition in males and females” using the following target nodes: nicotine, learning, memory, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cigarette smoke, X chromosome, and Y chromosome. Detailed rankings are discussed. Overall results suggest a hypothesis where smoking negatively impacts cognition to a greater extent in females, but smoking has stronger cardiovascular impacts in males. In summary, SemNet provides an adoptable method for efficient LBD of PubMed that extends beyond omics-only relationships to true multi-scalar connections that can provide actionable insight for predictive medicine, research prioritization, and clinical care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Sedler
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cassie S Mitchell
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Malik R, Meng H, Wongkongkathep P, Corrales CI, Sepanj N, Atlasi RS, Klärner FG, Schrader T, Spencer MJ, Loo JA, Wiedau M, Bitan G. The molecular tweezer CLR01 inhibits aberrant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) self-assembly in vitro and in the G93A-SOD1 mouse model of ALS. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:3501-3513. [PMID: 30602569 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 01/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) cause 15-20% of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) cases. The resulting amino acid substitutions destabilize SOD1's protein structure, leading to its self-assembly into neurotoxic oligomers and aggregates, a process hypothesized to cause the characteristic motor-neuron degeneration in affected individuals. Currently, effective disease-modifying therapy is not available for ALS. Molecular tweezers prevent formation of toxic protein assemblies, yet their protective action has not been tested previously on SOD1 or in the context of ALS. Here, we tested the molecular tweezer CLR01-a broad-spectrum inhibitor of the self-assembly and toxicity of amyloid proteins-as a potential therapeutic agent for ALS. Using recombinant WT and mutant SOD1, we found that CLR01 inhibited the aggregation of all tested SOD1 forms in vitro Next, we examined whether CLR01 could prevent the formation of misfolded SOD1 in the G93A-SOD1 mouse model of ALS and whether such inhibition would have a beneficial therapeutic effect. CLR01 treatment decreased misfolded SOD1 in the spinal cord significantly. However, these histological findings did not correlate with improvement of the disease phenotype. A small, dose-dependent decrease in disease duration was found in CLR01-treated mice, relative to vehicle-treated animals, yet motor function did not improve in any of the treatment groups. These results demonstrate that CLR01 can inhibit SOD1 misfolding and aggregation both in vitro and in vivo, but raise the question whether such inhibition is sufficient for achieving a therapeutic effect. Additional studies in other less aggressive ALS models may be needed to determine the therapeutic potential of this approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ravinder Malik
- From the Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | - Helen Meng
- From the Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | | | | | - Niki Sepanj
- From the Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | - Ryan S Atlasi
- From the Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and
| | | | - Thomas Schrader
- the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, 47057 Essen, Germany
| | - Melissa J Spencer
- From the Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and.,Brain Research Institute, and
| | - Joseph A Loo
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and.,Biological Chemistry.,Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095 and
| | - Martina Wiedau
- From the Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and .,Brain Research Institute, and
| | - Gal Bitan
- From the Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, and .,Brain Research Institute, and.,Molecular Biology Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095 and
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Jordan K, Murphy J, Singh A, Mitchell CS. Astrocyte-Mediated Neuromodulatory Regulation in Preclinical ALS: A Metadata Analysis. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:491. [PMID: 30618638 PMCID: PMC6305074 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive degradation of motoneurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Astrocytes are key regulators for inflammation and neuromodulatory signaling, both of which contribute to ALS. The study goal was to ascertain potential temporal changes in astrocyte-mediated neuromodulatory regulation with transgenic ALS model progression: glutamate, GTL-1, GluR1, GluR2, GABA, ChAT activity, VGF, TNFα, aspartate, and IGF-1. We examine neuromodulatory changes in data aggregates from 42 peer-reviewed studies derived from transgenic ALS mixed cell cultures (neurons + astrocytes). For each corresponding experimental time point, the ratio of transgenic to wild type (WT) was found for each compound. ANOVA and a student's t-test were performed to compare disease stages (early, post-onset, and end stage). Glutamate in transgenic SOD1-G93A mixed cell cultures does not change over time (p > 0.05). GLT-1 levels were found to be decreased 23% over WT but only at end-stage (p < 0.05). Glutamate receptors (GluR1, GluR2) in SOD1-G93A were not substantially different from WT, although SOD1-G93A GluR1 decreased by 21% from post-onset to end-stage (p < 0.05). ChAT activity was insignificantly decreased. VGF is decreased throughout ALS (p < 0.05). Aspartate is elevated by 25% in SOD1-G93A but only during end-stage (p < 0.05). TNFα is increased by a dramatic 362% (p < 0.05). Furthermore, principal component analysis identified TNFα as contributing to 55% of the data variance in the first component. Thus, TNFα, which modulates astrocyte regulation via multiple pathways, could be a strategic treatment target. Overall results suggest changes in neuromodulator levels are subtle in SOD1-G93A ALS mixed cell cultures. If excitotoxicity is present as is often presumed, it could be due to ALS cells being more sensitive to small changes in neuromodulation. Hence, seemingly unsubstantial or oscillatory changes in neuromodulators could wreak havoc in ALS cells, resulting in failed microenvironment homeostasis whereby both hyperexcitability and hypoexcitability can coexist. Future work is needed to examine local, spatiotemporal neuromodulatory homeostasis and assess its functional impact in ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Jordan
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Joseph Murphy
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Anjanya Singh
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
- School of Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Cassie S. Mitchell
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Robinson KJ, Yuan KC, Don EK, Hogan AL, Winnick CG, Tym MC, Lucas CW, Shahheydari H, Watchon M, Blair IP, Atkin JD, Nicholson GA, Cole NJ, Laird AS. Motor Neuron Abnormalities Correlate with Impaired Movement in Zebrafish that Express Mutant Superoxide Dismutase 1. Zebrafish 2018; 16:8-14. [PMID: 30300572 PMCID: PMC6357263 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2018.1588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of motor neurons. ALS can be modeled in zebrafish (Danio rerio) through the expression of human ALS-causing genes, such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). Overexpression of mutated human SOD1 protein causes aberrant branching and shortening of spinal motor axons. Despite this, the functional relevance of this axon morphology remains elusive. Our aim was to determine whether this motor axonopathy is correlated with impaired movement in mutant (MT) SOD1-expressing zebrafish. Transgenic zebrafish embryos that express blue fluorescent protein (mTagBFP) in motor neurons were injected with either wild-type (WT) or MT (A4V) human SOD1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). At 48 hours post-fertilization, larvae movement (distance traveled during behavioral testing) was examined, followed by quantification of motor axon length. Larvae injected with MT SOD1 mRNA had significantly shorter and more aberrantly branched motor axons (p < 0.002) and traveled a significantly shorter distance during behavioral testing (p < 0.001) when compared with WT SOD1 and noninjected larvae. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between distance traveled and motor axon length (R2 = 0.357, p < 0.001). These data represent the first correlative investigation of motor axonopathies and impaired movement in SOD1-expressing zebrafish, confirming functional relevance and validating movement as a disease phenotype for the testing of disease treatments for ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J Robinson
- 1 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Kristy C Yuan
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Emily K Don
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Alison L Hogan
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Claire G Winnick
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Madelaine C Tym
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Caitlin W Lucas
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Hamideh Shahheydari
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Maxinne Watchon
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,3 Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian P Blair
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Julie D Atkin
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Garth A Nicholson
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.,4 Concord Clinical School and ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Repatriation Hospital, Concord, Australia
| | - Nicholas J Cole
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Angela S Laird
- 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Huber CM, Yee C, May T, Dhanala A, Mitchell CS. Cognitive Decline in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease: Amyloid-Beta versus Tauopathy. J Alzheimers Dis 2018; 61:265-281. [PMID: 29154274 PMCID: PMC5734131 DOI: 10.3233/jad-170490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We perform a large-scale meta-analysis of 51 peer-reviewed 3xTg-AD mouse publications to compare Alzheimer’s disease (AD) quantitative clinical outcome measures, including amyloid-β (Aβ), total tau, and phosphorylated tau (pTau), with cognitive performance in Morris water maze (MWM) and Novel Object Recognition (NOR). “High” levels of Aβ (Aβ40, Aβ42) showed significant but weak trends with cognitive decline (MWM: slope = 0.336, R2 = 0.149, n = 259, p < 0.001; NOR: slope = 0.156, R2 = 0.064, n = 116, p < 0.05); only soluble Aβ or directly measured Aβ meaningfully contribute. Tau expression in 3xTg-AD mice was within 10–20% of wild type and not associated with cognitive decline. In contrast, increased pTau is directly and significantly correlated with cognitive decline in MWM (slope = 0.408, R2 = 0.275, n = 371, p < < 0.01) and NOR (slope = 0.319, R2 = 0.176, n = 113, p < 0.05). While a variety of pTau epitopes (AT8, AT270, AT180, PHF-1) were examined, AT8 correlated most strongly with cognition (slope = 0.586, R2 = 0.521, n = 185, p < < 0.001). Multiple linear regression confirmed pTau is a stronger predictor of MWM performance than Aβ. Despite pTau’s lower physical concentration than Aβ, pTau levels more directly and quantitatively correlate with 3xTg-AD cognitive decline. pTau’s contribution to neurofibrillary tangles well after Aβ levels plateau makes pTau a viable treatment target even in late-stage clinical AD. Principal component analysis, which included hyperphosphorylation induced by kinases (pGSK3β, GSK3β, CDK5), identified phosphorylated ser9 GSK3β as the primary contributor to MWM variance. In summary, meta-analysis of cognitive decline in preclinical AD finds tauopathy more impactful than Aβ. Nonetheless, complex AD interactions dictate successful therapeutics harness synergy between Aβ and pTau, possibly through the GSK3 pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Colin M Huber
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Connor Yee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Taylor May
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Apoorva Dhanala
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Cassie S Mitchell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Khamankar N, Coan G, Weaver B, Mitchell CS. Associative Increases in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Survival Duration With Non-invasive Ventilation Initiation and Usage Protocols. Front Neurol 2018; 9:578. [PMID: 30050497 PMCID: PMC6052254 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: It is hypothesized earlier non-invasive (NIV) ventilation benefits Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients. NIV typically consists of the removable bi-level positive airway pressure (Bi-PAP) for adjunctive respiratory support and/or the cough assist intervention for secretion clearance. Historical international standards and current USA insurance standards often delay NIV until percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC %predict) is <50. We identify the optimal point for Bi-PAP initiation and the synergistic benefit of daily Bi-PAP and cough assist on associative increases in survival duration. Methods: Study population consisted of a retrospective ALS cohort (Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA). Primary analysis included 474 patients (403 Bi-PAP users, 71 non-users). Survival duration (time elapsed from baseline onset until death) is compared on the basis of Bi-PAP initiation threshold (FVC %predict); daily Bi-PAP usage protocol (hours/day); daily cough assist usage (users or non-users); ALS onset type; ALSFRS-R score; and time elapsed from baseline onset until Bi-PAP initiation, using Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and Kaplan Meier. Results: Bi-PAP users' median survival (21.03 months, IQR = 23.97, N = 403) is significantly longer (p < 0.001) than non-users (13.84 months, IQR = 11.97, N = 71). Survival consistently increases (p < 0.01) with FVC %predict Bi-PAP initiation threshold: <50% (20.3 months); ≥50% (23.60 months); ≥80% (25.36 months). Bi-PAP usage >8 hours/day (23.20 months) or any daily Bi-PAP usage with cough assist (25.73 months) significantly (p < 0.001) extends survival compared to Bi-PAP alone (15.0 months). Cough assist without Bi-PAP has insignificant impact (14.17 months) over no intervention (13.68 months). Except for bulbar onset Bi-PAP users, higher ALSFRS-R total scores at Bi-PAP initiation significantly correlate with higher initiation FVC %predict and longer survival duration. Time elapsed since ALS onset is not a good predictor of when NIV should be initiated. Conclusions: The “optimized” NIV protocol (Bi-PAP initiation while FVC %predict ≥80, Bi-PAP usage >8 h/day, daily cough assist usage) has a 30. 8 month survival median, which is double that of a “standard” NIV protocol (initiation FVC %predict <50, usage >4 h/day, no cough assist). Earlier access to Bi-PAP and cough assist, prior to precipitous respiratory decline, is needed to maximize NIV synergy and associative survival benefit.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nishad Khamankar
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Grant Coan
- School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Barry Weaver
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cassie S Mitchell
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Pfohl SR, Kim RB, Coan GS, Mitchell CS. Unraveling the Complexity of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Survival Prediction. Front Neuroinform 2018; 12:36. [PMID: 29962944 PMCID: PMC6010549 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2018.00036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: The heterogeneity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) survival duration, which varies from <1 year to >10 years, challenges clinical decisions and trials. Utilizing data from 801 deceased ALS patients, we: (1) assess the underlying complex relationships among common clinical ALS metrics; (2) identify which clinical ALS metrics are the "best" survival predictors and how their predictive ability changes as a function of disease progression. Methods: Analyses included examination of relationships within the raw data as well as the construction of interactive survival regression and classification models (generalized linear model and random forests model). Dimensionality reduction and feature clustering enabled decomposition of clinical variable contributions. Thirty-eight metrics were utilized, including Medical Research Council (MRC) muscle scores; respiratory function, including forced vital capacity (FVC) and FVC % predicted, oxygen saturation, negative inspiratory force (NIF); the Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and its activities of daily living (ADL) and respiratory sub-scores; body weight; onset type, onset age, gender, and height. Prognostic random forest models confirm the dominance of patient age-related parameters decline in classifying survival at thresholds of 30, 60, 90, and 180 days and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years. Results: Collective prognostic insight derived from the overall investigation includes: multi-dimensionality of ALSFRS-R scores suggests cautious usage for survival forecasting; upper and lower extremities independently degenerate and are autonomous from respiratory decline, with the latter associating with nearer-to-death classifications; height and weight-based metrics are auxiliary predictors for farther-from-death classifications; sex and onset site (limb, bulbar) are not independent survival predictors due to age co-correlation. Conclusion: The dimensionality and fluctuating predictors of ALS survival must be considered when developing predictive models for clinical trial development or in-clinic usage. Additional independent metrics and possible revisions to current metrics, like the ALSFRS-R, are needed to capture the underlying complexity needed for population and personalized forecasting of survival.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Pfohl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Department of Biomedical Informatics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Renaid B Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Grant S Coan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States.,School of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Cassie S Mitchell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bond L, Bernhardt K, Madria P, Sorrentino K, Scelsi H, Mitchell CS. A Metadata Analysis of Oxidative Stress Etiology in Preclinical Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Benefits of Antioxidant Therapy. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:10. [PMID: 29416499 PMCID: PMC5787557 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress, induced by an imbalance of free radicals, incites neurodegeneration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). In fact, a mutation in antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) accounts for 20% of familial ALS cases. However, the variance among individual studies examining ALS oxidative stress clouds corresponding conclusions. Therefore, we construct a comprehensive, temporal view of oxidative stress and corresponding antioxidant therapy in preclinical ALS by mining published quantitative experimental data and performing metadata analysis of 41 studies. In vitro aggregate analysis of innate oxidative stress inducers, glutamate and hydrogen peroxide, revealed 70–90% of cell death coincides to inducer exposure equivalent to 30–50% peak concentration (p < 0.05). A correlative plateau in cell death suggests oxidative stress impact is greatest in early-stage neurodegeneration. In vivo SOD1-G93A transgenic ALS mouse aggregate analysis of heat shock proteins (HSPs) revealed HSP levels are 30% lower in muscle than spine (p < 0.1). Overall spine HSP levels, including HSP70, are mildly upregulated in SOD1-G93A mice compared to wild type, but not significantly (p > 0.05). Thus, innate HSP compensatory responses to oxidative stress are simply insufficient, a result supportive of homeostatic system instability as central to ALS etiology. In vivo aggregate analysis of antioxidant therapy finds SOD1-G93A ALS mouse survival duration significantly increases by 11.2% (p << 0.001) but insignificantly decreases onset age by 2%. Thus, the aggregate antioxidant treatment effect on survival in preclinical ALS is not sufficient to overcome clinical heterogeneity, which explains the literature disparity between preclinical and clinical antioxidant survival benefit. The aggregate effect sizes on preclinical ALS survival and onset illustrate that present antioxidants, alone, are not sufficient to halt ALS, which underscores its multi-factorial nature. Nonetheless, antioxidant-treated SOD1-G93A ALS mice have significantly increased motor performance (p < 0.05) measured via rotarod. With a colossal aggregate preclinical effect size average of 59.6%, antioxidants are promising for increasing function/quality of life in clinical ALS patients, a premise worth exploration via low-risk nutritional supplements. Finally, more direct, quantitative measures of oxidative stress, antioxidant levels and bioavailability are key to developing powerful antioxidant therapeutics that can assert measurable impacts on redox homeostasis in the brain and spinal cord.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leila Bond
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Kamren Bernhardt
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Priyank Madria
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Katherine Sorrentino
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Hailee Scelsi
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Cassie S Mitchell
- Laboratory for Pathology Dynamics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Tyzack GE, Hall CE, Sibley CR, Cymes T, Forostyak S, Carlino G, Meyer IF, Schiavo G, Zhang SC, Gibbons GM, Newcombe J, Patani R, Lakatos A. A neuroprotective astrocyte state is induced by neuronal signal EphB1 but fails in ALS models. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1164. [PMID: 29079839 PMCID: PMC5660125 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01283-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocyte responses to neuronal injury may be beneficial or detrimental to neuronal recovery, but the mechanisms that determine these different responses are poorly understood. Here we show that ephrin type-B receptor 1 (EphB1) is upregulated in injured motor neurons, which in turn can activate astrocytes through ephrin-B1-mediated stimulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3). Transcriptional analysis shows that EphB1 induces a protective and anti-inflammatory signature in astrocytes, partially linked to the STAT3 network. This is distinct from the response evoked by interleukin (IL)-6 that is known to induce both pro inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes. Finally, we demonstrate that the EphB1-ephrin-B1 pathway is disrupted in human stem cell derived astrocyte and mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Our work identifies an early neuronal help-me signal that activates a neuroprotective astrocytic response, which fails in ALS, and therefore represents an attractive therapeutic target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia E Tyzack
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, E.D. Adrian Building, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0PY, UK
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Claire E Hall
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Christopher R Sibley
- Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Tomasz Cymes
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, E.D. Adrian Building, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Serhiy Forostyak
- Institute of Experimental Medicine ASCR and Charles University in Prague, Department of Neuroscience, Videnská 1083, Prague 4, 142 20, Czech Republic
| | - Giulia Carlino
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Ione F Meyer
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience & Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Giampietro Schiavo
- Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience & Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Su-Chun Zhang
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, 1500 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - George M Gibbons
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, E.D. Adrian Building, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Jia Newcombe
- Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 1PJ, UK
| | - Rickie Patani
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
| | - András Lakatos
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, E.D. Adrian Building, Forvie Site, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0PY, UK.
- Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
The Astrocytic S100B Protein with Its Receptor RAGE Is Aberrantly Expressed in SOD1 G93A Models, and Its Inhibition Decreases the Expression of Proinflammatory Genes. Mediators Inflamm 2017; 2017:1626204. [PMID: 28713206 PMCID: PMC5496121 DOI: 10.1155/2017/1626204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is one of the major players in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis, and astrocytes are significantly involved in this process. The astrocytic protein S100B can be released in pathological states activating the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Different indications point to an aberrant expression of S100B and RAGE in ALS. In this work, we observed that S100B and RAGE are progressively and selectively upregulated in astrocytes of diseased rats with a tissue-specific timing pattern, correlated to the level of neurodegeneration. The expression of the full-length and soluble RAGE isoforms could also be linked to the degree of tissue damage. The mere presence of mutant SOD1 is able to increase the intracellular levels and release S100B from astrocytes, suggesting the possibility that an increased astrocytic S100B expression might be an early occurring event in the disease. Finally, our findings indicate that the protein may exert a proinflammatory role in ALS, since its inhibition in astrocytes derived from SOD1G93A mice limits the expression of reactivity-linked/proinflammatory genes. Thus, our results propose the S100B-RAGE axis as an effective contributor to the pathogenesis of the disease, suggesting its blockade as a rational target for a therapeutic intervention in ALS.
Collapse
|
21
|
Hollinger SK, Okosun IS, Mitchell CS. Antecedent Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: What Is Protecting Whom? Front Neurol 2016; 7:47. [PMID: 27065942 PMCID: PMC4810157 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2016.00047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies have shown that antecedent diseases are less prevalent in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients than the general age-matched population, which suggests possible neuroprotection. Antecedent disease could be protective against ALS or, conversely, the asymptomatic early physiological underpinnings of ALS could be protective against other antecedent disease. Elucidating the impact of antecedent disease on ALS is critical for assessing diagnostic risk factors, prognostic outcomes, and intervention timing. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between antecedent conditions and ALS onset age and disease duration (i.e. survival). Medical history surveys for 1439 Emory ALS Clinic patients (Atlanta, GA, USA) were assessed for antecedent hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, obesity, asthma, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), thyroid, kidney, liver, and other non-ALS neurological diseases. The ALS onset age and disease duration are compared between the antecedent and non-antecedent populations using chi square, Kaplan-Meier, and ordinal logistic regression. When controlled for confounders, antecedent hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), arthritis, COPD, thyroid disease, and non-ALS neurological disease are found to be statistically associated with a delayed ALS onset age, whereas antecedent obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 30] was correlated to earlier ALS onset age. With the potential exceptions of liver disease and diabetes (the latter without other common comorbid conditions), antecedent disease is associated with overall shorter ALS disease duration. The unique potential relationship between antecedent liver disease and longer ALS disease duration warrants further investigation, especially given liver disease was found to be a factor of 4-7 times less prevalent in ALS. Notably, most conditions associated with delayed ALS onset are also associated with shorter disease duration. Pathological homeostatic instability exacerbated by hypervigilant regulation (over-zealous homeostatic regulation due to too high regulatory feedback gains) is a viable hypothesis for explaining the early-life protection against antecedent disease and the overall lower antecedent disease prevalence in ALS patients; the later ALS onset age in patients with antecedent disease; and the inverse relationship between ALS onset age and disease duration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina K. Hollinger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ike S. Okosun
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Cassie S. Mitchell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Jeyachandran A, Mertens B, McKissick EA, Mitchell CS. Type I Vs. Type II Cytokine Levels as a Function of SOD1 G93A Mouse Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Disease Progression. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:462. [PMID: 26648846 PMCID: PMC4664727 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal motoneuron disease that is characterized by the degradation of neurons throughout the central nervous system. Inflammation have been cited a key contributor to ALS neurodegeneration, but the timeline of cytokine upregulation remains unresolved. The goal of this study was to temporally examine the correlation between the varying levels of pro-inflammatory type I cytokines (IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-12, TNF-α, and GFAP) and anti-inflammatory type II cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10) throughout the progression of ALS in the SOD1 G93A mouse model. Cytokine level data from high copy SOD1 G93A transgenic mice was collected from 66 peer-reviewed studies. For each corresponding experimental time point, the ratio of transgenic to wild type (TG/WT) cytokine was calculated. One-way ANOVA and t-tests with Bonferonni correction were used to analyze the data. Meta-analysis was performed for four discrete stages: early, pre-onset, post-onset, and end stage. A significant increase in TG cytokine levels was found when compared to WT cytokine levels across the entire SOD1 G93A lifespan for majority of the cytokines. The rates of change of the individual cytokines, and type I and type II were not significantly different; however, the mean fold change of type I was expressed at significantly higher levels than type II levels across all stages with the difference between the means becoming more pronounced at the end stage. An overexpression of cytokines occurred both before and after the onset of ALS symptoms. The trend between pro-inflammatory type I and type II cytokine mean levels indicate a progressive instability of the dynamic balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines as anti-inflammatory cytokines fail to mediate the pronounced increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines. Very early immunoregulatory treatment is necessary to successfully interrupt ALS-induced neuroinflammation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amilia Jeyachandran
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benjamin Mertens
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eric A McKissick
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Cassie S Mitchell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University Atlanta, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Mitchell CS, Cates A, Kim RB, Hollinger SK. Undergraduate Biocuration: Developing Tomorrow's Researchers While Mining Today's Data. JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE NEUROSCIENCE EDUCATION : JUNE : A PUBLICATION OF FUN, FACULTY FOR UNDERGRADUATE NEUROSCIENCE 2015; 14:A56-A65. [PMID: 26557796 PMCID: PMC4640483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Revised: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Biocuration is a time-intensive process that involves extraction, transcription, and organization of biological or clinical data from disjointed data sets into a user-friendly database. Curated data is subsequently used primarily for text mining or informatics analysis (bioinformatics, neuroinformatics, health informatics, etc.) and secondarily as a researcher resource. Biocuration is traditionally considered a Ph.D. level task, but a massive shortage of curators to consolidate the ever-mounting biomedical "big data" opens the possibility of utilizing biocuration as a means to mine today's data while teaching students skill sets they can utilize in any career. By developing a biocuration assembly line of simplified and compartmentalized tasks, we have enabled biocuration to be effectively performed by a hierarchy of undergraduate students. We summarize the necessary physical resources, process for establishing a data path, biocuration workflow, and undergraduate hierarchy of curation, technical, information technology (IT), quality control and managerial positions. We detail the undergraduate application and training processes and give detailed job descriptions for each position on the assembly line. We present case studies of neuropathology curation performed entirely by undergraduates, namely the construction of experimental databases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) transgenic mouse models and clinical data from ALS patient records. Our results reveal undergraduate biocuration is scalable for a group of 8-50+ with relatively minimal required resources. Moreover, with average accuracy rates greater than 98.8%, undergraduate biocurators are equivalently accurate to their professional counterparts. Initial training to be completely proficient at the entry-level takes about five weeks with a minimal student time commitment of four hours/week.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cassie S. Mitchell
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Cassie S. Mitchell, Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Insitute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Irvin CW, Kim RB, Mitchell CS. Seeking homeostasis: temporal trends in respiration, oxidation, and calcium in SOD1 G93A Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis mice. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:248. [PMID: 26190973 PMCID: PMC4486844 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairments in mitochondria, oxidative regulation, and calcium homeostasis have been well documented in numerous Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) experimental models, especially in the superoxide dismutase 1 glycine 93 to alanine (SOD1 G93A) transgenic mouse. However, the timing of these deficiencies has been debatable. In a systematic review of 45 articles, we examine experimental measurements of cellular respiration, mitochondrial mechanisms, oxidative markers, and calcium regulation. We evaluate the quantitative magnitude and statistical temporal trend of these aggregated assessments in high transgene copy SOD1 G93A mice compared to wild type mice. Analysis of overall trends reveals cellular respiration, intracellular adenosine triphosphate, and corresponding mitochondrial elements (Cox, cytochrome c, complex I, enzyme activity) are depressed for the entire lifespan of the SOD1 G93A mouse. Oxidant markers (H2O2, 8OH2'dG, MDA) are initially similar to wild type but are double that of wild type by the time of symptom onset despite early post-natal elevation of protective heat shock proteins. All aspects of calcium regulation show early disturbances, although a notable and likely compensatory convergence to near wild type levels appears to occur between 40 and 80 days (pre-onset), followed by a post-onset elevation in intracellular calcium. The identified temporal trends and compensatory fluctuations provide evidence that the "cause" of ALS may lay within failed homeostatic regulation, itself, rather than any one particular perturbing event or cellular mechanism. We discuss the vulnerabilities of motoneurons to regulatory instability and possible hypotheses regarding failed regulation and its potential treatment in ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cameron W Irvin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology - Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Renaid B Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology - Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Cassie S Mitchell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology - Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| |
Collapse
|