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Hernaiz A, Sentre S, Betancor M, López-Pérez Ó, Salinas-Pena M, Zaragoza P, Badiola JJ, Toivonen JM, Bolea R, Martín-Burriel I. 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Scrapie-Infected Sheep and Mouse Brain Tissues. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021621. [PMID: 36675131 PMCID: PMC9864596 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Scrapie is a neurodegenerative disorder belonging to the group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies or prion diseases, which are caused by an infectious isoform of the innocuous cellular prion protein (PrPC) known as PrPSc. DNA methylation, one of the most studied epigenetic mechanisms, is essential for the proper functioning of the central nervous system. Recent findings point to possible involvement of DNA methylation in the pathogenesis of prion diseases, but there is still a lack of knowledge about the behavior of this epigenetic mechanism in such neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we evaluated by immunohistochemistry the 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) levels in sheep and mouse brain tissues infected with scrapie. Expression analysis of different gene coding for epigenetic regulatory enzymes (DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, HDAC1, HDAC2, TET1, and TET2) was also carried out. A decrease in 5mC levels was observed in scrapie-affected sheep and mice compared to healthy animals, whereas 5hmC displayed opposite patterns between the two models, demonstrating a decrease in 5hmC in scrapie-infected sheep and an increase in preclinical mice. 5mC correlated with prion-related lesions in mice and sheep, but 5hmC was associated with prion lesions only in sheep. Differences in the expression changes of epigenetic regulatory genes were found between both disease models, being differentially expressed Dnmt3b, Hdac1, and Tet1 in mice and HDAC2 in sheep. Our results support the evidence that DNA methylation in both forms, 5mC and 5hmC, and its associated epigenetic enzymes, take part in the neurodegenerative course of prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelaida Hernaiz
- Laboratorio de Genética Bioquímica (LAGENBIO), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Sara Sentre
- Laboratorio de Genética Bioquímica (LAGENBIO), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Marina Betancor
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CEETE), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Óscar López-Pérez
- Laboratorio de Genética Bioquímica (LAGENBIO), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Mónica Salinas-Pena
- Laboratorio de Genética Bioquímica (LAGENBIO), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Pilar Zaragoza
- Laboratorio de Genética Bioquímica (LAGENBIO), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan José Badiola
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CEETE), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Janne Markus Toivonen
- Laboratorio de Genética Bioquímica (LAGENBIO), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rosa Bolea
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CEETE), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Martín-Burriel
- Laboratorio de Genética Bioquímica (LAGENBIO), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
- Centro de Encefalopatías y Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes (CEETE), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, IA2, IIS Aragón, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-976-761662
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Epigenetic Changes in Prion and Prion-like Neurodegenerative Diseases: Recent Advances, Potential as Biomarkers, and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012609. [PMID: 36293477 PMCID: PMC9604074 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012609] [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: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Prion diseases are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) caused by a conformational conversion of the native cellular prion protein (PrPC) to an abnormal, infectious isoform called PrPSc. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases are also known as prion-like diseases because they share common features with prion diseases, including protein misfolding and aggregation, as well as the spread of these misfolded proteins into different brain regions. Increasing evidence proposes the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms, namely DNA methylation, post-translational modifications of histones, and microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation in the pathogenesis of prion-like diseases. Little is known about the role of epigenetic modifications in prion diseases, but recent findings also point to a potential regulatory role of epigenetic mechanisms in the pathology of these diseases. This review highlights recent findings on epigenetic modifications in TSEs and prion-like diseases and discusses the potential role of such mechanisms in disease pathology and their use as potential biomarkers.
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