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Tsamou M, Roggen EL. Sex-associated microRNAs potentially implicated in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD). Brain Res 2024; 1829:148791. [PMID: 38307153 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The onset and pathology of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) seem to be affected by both sex and genetic mechanisms. Evidence supports that the high prevalence of sAD in women, worldwide, may be attributed to an interplay among aging, sex, and lifestyle, influenced by genetics, metabolic changes, and hormones. Interestingly, epigenetic mechanisms such as microRNAs (miRNAs), known as master regulators of gene expression, may contribute to this observed sexual dimorphism in sAD. OBJECTIVES To investigate the potential impact of sex-associated miRNAs on processes manifesting sAD pathology, as described by the Tau-driven Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) leading to memory loss. METHODS Using publicly available human miRNA datasets, sex-biased miRNAs, defined as differentially expressed by sex in tissues possibly affected by sAD pathology, were collected. In addition, sex hormone-related miRNAs were also retrieved from the literature. The compiled sex-biased and sex hormone-related miRNAs were further plugged into the dysregulated processes of the Tau-driven AOP for memory loss. RESULTS Several miRNAs, previously identified as sex-associated, were implicated in dysregulated processes associated with the manifestation of sAD pathology. Importantly, the described pathology processes were not confined to a particular sex. A mechanistic-based approach utilizing miRNAs was adopted in order to elucidate the link between sex and biological processes potentially involved in the development of memory loss. CONCLUSIONS The identification of sex-associated miRNAs involved in the early processes manifesting memory loss may shed light to the complex molecular mechanisms underlying sAD pathogenesis in a sex-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsamou
- ToxGenSolutions (TGS), Oxfordlaan 70, 6229EV Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Erwin L Roggen
- ToxGenSolutions (TGS), Oxfordlaan 70, 6229EV Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Meerman JJ, Legler J, Piersma AH, Westerink RHS, Heusinkveld HJ. An adverse outcome pathway for chemical-induced Parkinson's disease: Calcium is key. Neurotoxicology 2023; 99:226-243. [PMID: 37926220 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2023.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to pesticides is associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). Currently, rodent-based risk assessment studies cannot adequately capture neurodegenerative effects of pesticides due to a lack of human-relevant endpoints targeted at neurodegeneration. Thus, there is a need for improvement of the risk assessment guidelines. Specifically, a mechanistic assessment strategy, based on human physiology and (patho)biology is needed, which can be applied in next generation risk assessment. The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework is particularly well-suited to provide the mechanistic basis for such a strategy. Here, we conducted a semi-systematic review in Embase and MEDLINE, focused on neurodegeneration and pesticides, to develop an AOP network for parkinsonian motor symptoms. Articles were labelled and included/excluded using the online platform Sysrev. Only primary articles, written in English, focused on effects of pesticides or PD model compounds in models for the brain were included. A total of 66 articles, out of the 1700 screened, was included. PD symptoms are caused by loss of function and ultimately death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Our literature review highlights that a unique feature of these cells that increases their vulnerability is their reliance on continuous low-level influx of calcium. As such, excess intracellular calcium was identified as a central early Key Event (KE). This KE can lead to death of dopaminergic neurons of the SN, and eventually parkinsonian motor symptoms, via four distinct pathways: 1) activation of calpains, 2) endoplasmic reticulum stress, 3) impairment of protein degradation, and 4) oxidative damage. Several receptors have been identified that may serve as molecular initiating events (MIEs) to trigger one or more of these pathways. The proposed AOP network provides the biological basis that can be used to develop a mechanistic testing strategy that captures neurodegenerative effects of pesticides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia J Meerman
- Centre for Health Protection, Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Juliette Legler
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Aldert H Piersma
- Centre for Health Protection, Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Remco H S Westerink
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Harm J Heusinkveld
- Centre for Health Protection, Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
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Tsamou M, Kalligerou F, Ntanasi E, Scarmeas N, Skalicky S, Hackl M, Roggen EL. A Candidate microRNA Profile for Early Diagnosis of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease. J Alzheimers Dis Rep 2023; 7:235-248. [PMID: 37090956 PMCID: PMC10116165 DOI: 10.3233/adr-230001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Late-onset or sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (sAD) is a neurodegenerative disease leading to cognitive impairment and memory loss. The underlying pathological changes take place several years prior to the appearance of the first clinical symptoms, however, the early diagnosis of sAD remains obscure. Objective: To identify changes in circulating microRNA (miR) expression in an effort to detect early biomarkers of underlying sAD pathology. Methods: A set of candidate miRs, earlier detected in biofluids from subjects at early stage of sAD, was linked to the proposed tau-driven adverse outcome pathway for memory loss. The relative expression of the selected miRs in serum of 12 cases (mild cognitive impairment, MCI) and 27 cognitively normal subjects, recruited within the ongoing Aiginition Longitudinal Biomarker Investigation Of Neurodegeneration (ALBION) study, was measured by RT-qPCR. Data on the protein levels of amyloid-β (Aβ42) and total/phosphorylated tau (t-tau/p-tau), in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and the cognitive z-scores of the participants were also retrieved. Results: Each doubling in relative expression of 13 miRs in serum changed the odds of either having MCI (versus control), or having pathological Aβ42 or pathological Aβ42 and tau (versus normal) proteins in their CSF, or was associated with the global composite z-score. Conclusion: These candidate human circulating miRs may be of great importance in early diagnosis of sAD. There is an urgent need for confirming these proposed early predictive biomarkers for sAD, contributing not only to societal but also to economic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsamou
- ToxGenSolutions (TGS), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Faidra Kalligerou
- 1st Department of Neurology, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Eva Ntanasi
- 1st Department of Neurology, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Scarmeas
- 1st Department of Neurology, Aiginition Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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Neurodegeneration in a Regulatory Context: The Need for Speed. CURRENT OPINION IN TOXICOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cotox.2022.100383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
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Hogberg HT, Lam A, Ohayon E, Shahbaz MA, Clerbaux LA, Bal-Price A, Coecke S, Concha R, De Bernardi F, Edrosa E, Hargreaves AJ, Kanninen KM, Munoz A, Pistollato F, Saravanan S, Garcia-Reyero N, Wittwehr C, Sachana M. The Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework Applied to Neurological Symptoms of COVID-19. Cells 2022; 11:cells11213411. [PMID: 36359807 PMCID: PMC9658029 DOI: 10.3390/cells11213411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Several reports have shown that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has the potential to also be neurotropic. However, the mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 induces neurologic injury, including neurological and/or psychological symptoms, remain unclear. In this review, the available knowledge on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying COVID-19 was organized using the AOP framework. Four AOPs leading to neurological adverse outcomes (AO), anosmia, encephalitis, stroke, and seizure, were developed. Biological key events (KEs) identified to induce these AOs included binding to ACE2, blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption, hypoxia, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress. The modularity of AOPs allows the construction of AOP networks to visualize core pathways and recognize neuroinflammation and BBB disruption as shared mechanisms. Furthermore, the impact on the neurological AOPs of COVID-19 by modulating and multiscale factors such as age, psychological stress, nutrition, poverty, and food insecurity was discussed. Organizing the existing knowledge along an AOP framework can represent a valuable tool to understand disease mechanisms and identify data gaps and potentially contribute to treatment, and prevention. This AOP-aligned approach also facilitates synergy between experts from different backgrounds, while the fast-evolving and disruptive nature of COVID-19 emphasizes the need for interdisciplinarity and cross-community research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena T. Hogberg
- National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC 27518, USA
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Correspondence: (H.T.H.); (M.S.)
| | - Ann Lam
- Green Neuroscience Laboratory, Neurolinx Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92111, USA
- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, DC 20016, USA
| | - Elan Ohayon
- Green Neuroscience Laboratory, Neurolinx Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92111, USA
- Institute for Green & Open Sciences, Toronto, ON M6J 2J4, Canada
| | - Muhammad Ali Shahbaz
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | | | - Anna Bal-Price
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - Sandra Coecke
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - Rachel Concha
- Green Neuroscience Laboratory, Neurolinx Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92111, USA
| | - Francesca De Bernardi
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Eizleayne Edrosa
- Green Neuroscience Laboratory, Neurolinx Research Institute, San Diego, CA 92111, USA
| | - Alan J. Hargreaves
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG11 8NS, UK
| | - Katja M. Kanninen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Amalia Munoz
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 2440 Geel, Belgium
| | | | - Surat Saravanan
- Centre for Predictive Human Model Systems Atal Incubation Centre-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad 500039, India
| | - Natàlia Garcia-Reyero
- Environmental Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research & Development Center, Vicksburg, MS 39180, USA
| | - Clemens Wittwehr
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - Magdalini Sachana
- Environment Health and Safety Division, Environment Directorate, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 75016 Paris, France
- Correspondence: (H.T.H.); (M.S.)
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Shahbaz MA, De Bernardi F, Alatalo A, Sachana M, Clerbaux LA, Muñoz A, Parvatam S, Landesmann B, Kanninen KM, Coecke S. Mechanistic Understanding of the Olfactory Neuroepithelium Involvement Leading to Short-Term Anosmia in COVID-19 Using the Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework. Cells 2022; 11:3027. [PMID: 36230989 PMCID: PMC9563945 DOI: 10.3390/cells11193027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of the sense of smell (anosmia) has been included as a COVID-19 symptom by the World Health Organization. The majority of patients recover the sense of smell within a few weeks postinfection (short-term anosmia), while others report persistent anosmia. Several studies have investigated the mechanisms leading to anosmia in COVID-19; however, the evidence is scattered, and the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature, we aim here to evaluate the current knowledge and uncertainties regarding the mechanisms leading to short-term anosmia following SARS-CoV-2 infection. We applied an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework, well established in toxicology, to propose a sequence of measurable key events (KEs) leading to short-term anosmia in COVID-19. Those KEs are (1) SARS-CoV-2 Spike proteins binding to ACE-2 expressed by the sustentacular (SUS) cells in the olfactory epithelium (OE); (2) viral entry into SUS cells; (3) viral replication in the SUS cells; (4) SUS cell death; (5) damage to the olfactory sensory neurons and the olfactory epithelium (OE). This AOP-aligned approach allows for the identification of gaps where more research should be conducted and where therapeutic intervention could act. Finally, this AOP gives a frame to explain several disease features and can be linked to specific factors that lead to interindividual differences in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ali Shahbaz
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Francesca De Bernardi
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Arto Alatalo
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Magdalini Sachana
- Environment Health and Safety Division, Environment Directorate, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 75775 Paris, France
| | | | - Amalia Muñoz
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 2440 Geel, Belgium
| | - Surat Parvatam
- Centre for Predictive Human Model Systems, Atal Incubation Centre-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (AIC-CCMB), Habsiguda, Hyderabad 500039, India
| | | | - Katja M. Kanninen
- A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Sandra Coecke
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
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Tsamou M, Roggen EL. Building a Network of Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) Incorporating the Tau-Driven AOP Toward Memory Loss (AOP429). J Alzheimers Dis Rep 2022; 6:271-296. [PMID: 35891639 PMCID: PMC9277675 DOI: 10.3233/adr-220015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The adverse outcome pathway (AOP) concept was first proposed as a tool for chemical hazard assessment facilitating the regulatory decision-making in toxicology and was more recently recommended during the BioMed21 workshops as a tool for the characterization of crucial endpoints in the human disease development. This AOP framework represents mechanistically based approaches using existing data, more realistic and relevant to human biological systems. In principle, AOPs are described by molecular initiating events (MIEs) which induce key events (KEs) leading to adverse outcomes (AOs). In addition to the individual AOPs, the network of AOPs has been also suggested to beneficially support the understanding and prediction of adverse effects in risk assessment. The AOP-based networks can capture the complexity of biological systems described by different AOPs, in which multiple AOs diverge from a single MIE or multiple MIEs trigger a cascade of KEs that converge to a single AO. Here, an AOP network incorporating a recently proposed tau-driven AOP toward memory loss (AOP429) related to sporadic (late-onset) Alzheimer’s disease is constructed. This proposed AOP network is an attempt to extract useful information for better comprehending the interactions among existing mechanistic data linked to memory loss as an early phase of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsamou
- ToxGenSolutions (TGS), Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Tsamou M, Carpi D, Pistollato F, Roggen EL. Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease- and Neurotoxicity-Related microRNAs Affecting Key Events of Tau-Driven Adverse Outcome Pathway Toward Memory Loss. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 86:1427-1457. [PMID: 35213375 DOI: 10.3233/jad-215434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A complex network of aging-related homeostatic pathways that are sensitive to further deterioration in the presence of genetic, systemic, and environmental risk factors, and lifestyle, is implicated in the pathogenesis of progressive neurodegenerative diseases, such as sporadic (late-onset) Alzheimer's disease (sAD). OBJECTIVE Since sAD pathology and neurotoxicity share microRNAs (miRs) regulating common as well as overlapping pathological processes, environmental neurotoxic compounds are hypothesized to exert a risk for sAD initiation and progression. METHODS Literature search for miRs associated with human sAD and environmental neurotoxic compounds was conducted. Functional miR analysis using PathDip was performed to create miR-target interaction networks. RESULTS The identified miRs were successfully linked to the hypothetical starting point and key events of the earlier proposed tau-driven adverse outcome pathway toward memory loss. Functional miR analysis confirmed most of the findings retrieved from literature and revealed some interesting findings. The analysis identified 40 miRs involved in both sAD and neurotoxicity that dysregulated processes governing the plausible adverse outcome pathway for memory loss. CONCLUSION Creating miR-target interaction networks related to pathological processes involved in sAD initiation and progression, and environmental chemical-induced neurotoxicity, respectively, provided overlapping miR-target interaction networks. This overlap offered an opportunity to create an alternative picture of the mechanisms underlying sAD initiation and early progression. Looking at initiation and progression of sAD from this new angle may open for new biomarkers and novel drug targets for sAD before the appearance of the first clinical symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsamou
- ToxGenSolutions (TGS), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Donatella Carpi
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra VA, Italy
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