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Gumber S, Connor-Stroud F, Howard D, Zhang X, Bradley BJ, Sherwood CC, Walker LC. Polyglucosan body disease in an aged chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). Neuropathology 2023; 43:463-471. [PMID: 37086019 PMCID: PMC10642523 DOI: 10.1111/neup.12906] [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: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
A 57-year-old female chimpanzee presented with a brief history of increasing lethargy and rapidly progressive lower-limb weakness that culminated in loss of use. Postmortem examination revealed no significant gross lesions in the nervous system or other organ systems. Histological analysis revealed round, basophilic to amphophilic polyglucosan bodies (PGBs) in the white and gray matter of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and coccygeal regions of spinal cord. Only rare PGBs were observed in forebrain samples. The lesions in the spinal cord were polymorphic, and they were positively stained with hematoxylin, periodic acid Schiff, Alcian blue, toluidine blue, Bielschowsky silver, and Grocott-Gomori methenamine-silver methods, and they were negative for von Kossa and Congo Red stains. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed reactivity with antibodies to ubiquitin, but they were negative for glial fibrillary acidic protein, neuron-specific enolase, neurofilaments, tau protein, and Aβ protein. Electron microscopy revealed non-membrane-bound deposits composed of densely packed filaments within axons and in the extracellular space. Intra-axonal PGBs were associated with disruption of the axonal fine structure and disintegration of the surrounding myelin sheath. These findings are the first description of PGBs linked to neurological dysfunction in a chimpanzee. Clinicopathologically, the disorder resembled adult PGB disease in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjeev Gumber
- Division of Pathology, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Fawn Connor-Stroud
- Division of Veterinary Medicine, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Dustin Howard
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Emory Primate Center Imaging Center, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Brenda J. Bradley
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Lary C. Walker
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
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Burgos DF, Sciaccaluga M, Worby CA, Zafra-Puerta L, Iglesias-Cabeza N, Sánchez-Martín G, Prontera P, Costa C, Serratosa JM, Sánchez MP. Epm2a R240X knock-in mice present earlier cognitive decline and more epileptic activity than Epm2a -/- mice. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 181:106119. [PMID: 37059210 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Lafora disease is a rare recessive form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy, usually diagnosed during adolescence. Patients present with myoclonus, neurological deterioration, and generalized tonic-clonic, myoclonic, or absence seizures. Symptoms worsen until death, usually within the first ten years of clinical onset. The primary histopathological hallmark is the formation of aberrant polyglucosan aggregates called Lafora bodies in the brain and other tissues. Lafora disease is caused by mutations in either the EPM2A gene, encoding laforin, or the EPM2B gene, coding for malin. The most frequent EPM2A mutation is R241X, which is also the most prevalent in Spain. The Epm2a-/- and Epm2b-/- mouse models of Lafora disease show neuropathological and behavioral abnormalities similar to those seen in patients, although with a milder phenotype. To obtain a more accurate animal model, we generated the Epm2aR240X knock-in mouse line with the R240X mutation in the Epm2a gene, using genetic engineering based on CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Epm2aR240X mice exhibit most of the alterations reported in patients, including the presence of LBs, neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, interictal spikes, neuronal hyperexcitability, and cognitive decline, despite the absence of motor impairments. The Epm2aR240X knock-in mouse displays some symptoms that are more severe that those observed in the Epm2a-/- knock-out, including earlier and more pronounced memory loss, increased levels of neuroinflammation, more interictal spikes and increased neuronal hyperexcitability, symptoms that more precisely resemble those observed in patients. This new mouse model can therefore be specifically used to evaluate how new therapies affects these features with greater precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel F Burgos
- Laboratory of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid 28040, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid 28029, Spain; Program in Neuroscience, Autonoma de Madrid University-Cajal Institute, Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Miriam Sciaccaluga
- Section of Neurology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy; Fondazione Malattie Rare Mauro Baschirotto BIRD Onlus, Longare (VI), Italy
| | - Carolyn A Worby
- University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla CA92093-0721, USA
| | - Luis Zafra-Puerta
- Laboratory of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid 28040, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid 28029, Spain; Program in Neuroscience, Autonoma de Madrid University-Cajal Institute, Madrid 28029, Spain; Fondazione Malattie Rare Mauro Baschirotto BIRD Onlus, Longare (VI), Italy
| | - Nerea Iglesias-Cabeza
- Laboratory of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid 28040, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Gema Sánchez-Martín
- Laboratory of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid 28040, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Paolo Prontera
- Medical Genetics Unit, S. Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Perugia 06132, Italy
| | - Cinzia Costa
- Section of Neurology, S. Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, Perugia 06132, Italy
| | - José M Serratosa
- Laboratory of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid 28040, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Marina P Sánchez
- Laboratory of Neurology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid 28040, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid 28029, Spain.
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Cheng LL. High-resolution magic angle spinning NMR for intact biological specimen analysis: Initial discovery, recent developments, and future directions. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 36:e4684. [PMID: 34962004 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
High-resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) NMR, an approach for intact biological material analysis discovered more than 25 years ago, has been advanced by many technical developments and applied to many biomedical uses. This article provides a history of its discovery, first by explaining the key scientific advances that paved the way for HRMAS NMR's invention, and then by turning to recent developments that have profited from applying and advancing the technique during the last 5 years. Developments aimed at directly impacting healthcare include HRMAS NMR metabolomics applications within studies of human disease states such as cancers, brain diseases, metabolic diseases, transplantation medicine, and adiposity. Here, the discussion describes recent HRMAS NMR metabolomics studies of breast cancer and prostate cancer, as well as of matching tissues with biofluids, multimodality studies, and mechanistic investigations, all conducted to better understand disease metabolic characteristics for diagnosis, opportune windows for treatment, and prognostication. In addition, HRMAS NMR metabolomics studies of plants, foods, and cell structures, along with longitudinal cell studies, are reviewed and discussed. Finally, inspired by the technique's history of discoveries and recent successes, future biomedical arenas that stand to benefit from HRMAS NMR-initiated scientific investigations are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo L Cheng
- Departments of Radiology and Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Mitra S, Gumusgoz E, Minassian BA. Lafora disease: Current biology and therapeutic approaches. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2021; 178:315-325. [PMID: 34301405 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitin system impacts most cellular processes and is altered in numerous neurodegenerative diseases. However, little is known about its role in neurodegenerative diseases due to disturbances of glycogen metabolism such as Lafora disease (LD). In LD, insufficiently branched and long-chained glycogen forms and precipitates into insoluble polyglucosan bodies (Lafora bodies), which drive neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and epilepsy. LD is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the glycogen phosphatase laforin or the gene coding for the laforin interacting partner ubiquitin E3 ligase malin. The role of the malin-laforin complex in regulating glycogen structure remains with full of gaps. In this review we bring together the disparate body of data on these two proteins and propose a mechanistic hypothesis of the disease in which malin-laforin's role to monitor and prevent over-elongation of glycogen branch chains, which drive glycogen molecules to precipitate and accumulate into Lafora bodies. We also review proposed connections between Lafora bodies and the ensuing neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and intractable epilepsy. Finally, we review the exciting activities in developing therapies for Lafora disease based on replacing the missing genes, slowing the enzyme - glycogen synthase - that over-elongates glycogen branches, and introducing enzymes that can digest Lafora bodies. Much more work is needed to fill the gaps in glycogen metabolism in which laforin and malin operate. However, knowledge appears already adequate to advance disease course altering therapies for this catastrophic fatal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Mitra
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - E Gumusgoz
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - B A Minassian
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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