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Bodai L, Borosta R, Ferencz Á, Kovács M, Zsindely N. The Role of miR-137 in Neurodegenerative Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7229. [PMID: 39000336 PMCID: PMC11241563 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases affect an increasing part of the population of modern societies, burdening healthcare systems and causing immense suffering at the personal level. The pathogenesis of several of these disorders involves dysregulation of gene expression, which depends on several molecular processes ranging from transcription to protein stability. microRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA molecules that modulate gene expression by suppressing the translation of partially complementary mRNAs. miR-137 is a conserved, neuronally enriched miRNA that is implicated in neurodegeneration. Here, we review the current body of knowledge about the role that miR-137 plays in five prominent neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis. The presented data indicate that, rather than having a general neuroprotective role, miR-137 modulates the pathology of distinct disorders differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- László Bodai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Roberta Borosta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ágnes Ferencz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Mercédesz Kovács
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Nóra Zsindely
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary
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Chen Y, Mateski J, Gerace L, Wheeler J, Burl J, Prakash B, Svedin C, Amrick R, Adams BD. Non-coding RNAs and neuroinflammation: implications for neurological disorders. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2024; 249:10120. [PMID: 38463392 PMCID: PMC10911137 DOI: 10.3389/ebm.2024.10120] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation is considered a balanced inflammatory response important in the intrinsic repair process after injury or infection. Under chronic states of disease, injury, or infection, persistent neuroinflammation results in a heightened presence of cytokines, chemokines, and reactive oxygen species that result in tissue damage. In the CNS, the surrounding microglia normally contain macrophages and other innate immune cells that perform active immune surveillance. The resulting cytokines produced by these macrophages affect the growth, development, and responsiveness of the microglia present in both white and gray matter regions of the CNS. Controlling the levels of these cytokines ultimately improves neurocognitive function and results in the repair of lesions associated with neurologic disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are master regulators of the genome and subsequently control the activity of inflammatory responses crucial in sustaining a robust and acute immunological response towards an acute infection while dampening pathways that result in heightened levels of cytokines and chemokines associated with chronic neuroinflammation. Numerous reports have directly implicated miRNAs in controlling the abundance and activity of interleukins, TGF-B, NF-kB, and toll-like receptor-signaling intrinsically linked with the development of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's, ALS, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and neuromuscular degeneration. This review is focused on discussing the role miRNAs play in regulating or initiating these chronic neurological states, many of which maintain the level and/or activity of neuron-specific secondary messengers. Dysregulated miRNAs present in the microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and epididymal cells, contribute to an overall glial-specific inflammatory niche that impacts the activity of neuronal conductivity, signaling action potentials, neurotransmitter robustness, neuron-neuron specific communication, and neuron-muscular connections. Understanding which miRNAs regulate microglial activation is a crucial step forward in developing non-coding RNA-based therapeutics to treat and potentially correct the behavioral and cognitive deficits typically found in patients suffering from chronic neuroinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Chen
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Julia Mateski
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Biological Sciences, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN, United States
| | - Linda Gerace
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of English, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, United States
| | - Jonathan Wheeler
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Tech, New York Institute of Tech, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Jan Burl
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of English, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH, United States
| | - Bhavna Prakash
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Medford, MA, United States
| | - Cherie Svedin
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Biology, Utah Tech University, St. George, UT, United States
| | - Rebecca Amrick
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of English, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, United States
| | - Brian D Adams
- Department of RNA Sciences, The Brain Institute of America, New Haven, CT, United States
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Farkas A, Zsindely N, Nagy G, Kovács L, Deák P, Bodai L. The ubiquitin thioesterase YOD1 ameliorates mutant Huntingtin induced pathology in Drosophila. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21951. [PMID: 38081944 PMCID: PMC10713573 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49241-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a dominant gain-of-function mutation in the huntingtin gene, resulting in an elongated polyglutamine repeat in the mutant Huntingtin (mHtt) that mediates aberrant protein interactions. Previous studies implicated the ubiquitin-proteasome system in HD, suggesting that restoring cellular proteostasis might be a key element in suppressing pathology. We applied genetic interaction tests in a Drosophila model to ask whether modulating the levels of deubiquitinase enzymes affect HD pathology. By testing 32 deubiquitinase genes we found that overexpression of Yod1 ameliorated all analyzed phenotypes, including neurodegeneration, motor activity, viability, and longevity. Yod1 did not have a similar effect in amyloid beta overexpressing flies, suggesting that the observed effects might be specific to mHtt. Yod1 overexpression did not alter the number of mHtt aggregates but moderately increased the ratio of larger aggregates. Transcriptome analysis showed that Yod1 suppressed the transcriptional effects of mHtt and restored the expression of genes involved in neuronal plasticity, vesicular transport, antimicrobial defense, and protein synthesis, modifications, and clearance. Furthermore, Yod1 overexpression in HD flies leads to the upregulation of genes involved in transcriptional regulation and synaptic transmission, which might be part of a response mechanism to mHtt-induced stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Farkas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
- Doctoral School in Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Nóra Zsindely
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gábor Nagy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Levente Kovács
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
- Divison of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, 91125, USA
| | - Péter Deák
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
| | - László Bodai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary.
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