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Arnskötter F, da Silva PBG, Schouw ME, Lukasch C, Bianchini L, Sieber L, Garcia-Lopez J, Ahmad ST, Li Y, Lin H, Joshi P, Spänig L, Radoš M, Roiuk M, Sepp M, Zuckermann M, Northcott PA, Patrizi A, Kutscher LM. Loss of Elp1 in cerebellar granule cell progenitors models ataxia phenotype of Familial Dysautonomia. Neurobiol Dis 2024; 199:106600. [PMID: 38996985 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106600] [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: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a splice site mutation in the gene ELP1, which disproportionally affects neurons. While classically characterized by deficits in sensory and autonomic neurons, neuronal defects in the central nervous system have also been described. Although ELP1 expression remains high in the normal developing and adult cerebellum, its role in cerebellar development is unknown. To explore the role of Elp1 in the cerebellum, we knocked out Elp1 in cerebellar granule cell progenitors (GCPs) and examined the outcome on animal behavior and cellular composition. We found that GCP-specific conditional knockout of Elp1 (Elp1cKO) resulted in ataxia by 8 weeks of age. Cellular characterization showed that the animals had smaller cerebella with fewer granule cells. This defect was already apparent as early as 7 days after birth, when Elp1cKO animals also had fewer mitotic GCPs and shorter Purkinje dendrites. Through molecular characterization, we found that loss of Elp1 was associated with an increase in apoptotic cell death and cell stress pathways in GCPs. Our study demonstrates the importance of ELP1 in the developing cerebellum, and suggests that loss of Elp1 in the GC lineage may also play a role in the progressive ataxia phenotypes of FD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Arnskötter
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Patricia Benites Goncalves da Silva
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany
| | - Mackenna E Schouw
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany
| | - Chiara Lukasch
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany
| | - Luca Bianchini
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Laura Sieber
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany
| | - Jesus Garcia-Lopez
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Center of Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Sciences (CENOS), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of In vivo Pharmacology-Immunology, Tempest Therapeutics, Brisbane, CA, USA
| | - Shiekh Tanveer Ahmad
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Center of Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Sciences (CENOS), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yiran Li
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Center of Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Sciences (CENOS), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Hong Lin
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Center of Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Sciences (CENOS), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Piyush Joshi
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany
| | - Lisa Spänig
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany; Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Magdalena Radoš
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany
| | - Mykola Roiuk
- Signal Transduction in Cancer and Metabolism, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mari Sepp
- Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marc Zuckermann
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, Preclinical Modeling Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Paul A Northcott
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Center of Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Sciences (CENOS), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Annarita Patrizi
- Schaller Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lena M Kutscher
- Developmental Origins of Pediatric Cancer Junior Research Group, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ), Heidelberg, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Heidelberg, A partnership between DKFZ and Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany.
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Sun Y, Zhao Y, Johnson TK, Xie W. Immunohistochemical Analysis of the Drosophila Larval Neuromuscular Junction. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2746:201-211. [PMID: 38070091 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3585-8_16] [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] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Synapses are specialized junctions between cells that mediate neurotransmission to modify brain activity and body function. Studies on synapse structure and function play an important role in understanding how neurons communicate and the consequences of their dysfunction in neurological disorders. The Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction is an excellent model for dissecting the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the synapse, with its large size, accessibility, and well-characterized genetics. This protocol describes the steps required for morphological and immunohistochemical analysis of the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction including its dissection and multiplex labeling of synaptic proteins. This technique can be used to assess the impact of genetic manipulations on synaptic development, integrity, and plasticity, thus providing a valuable tool for probing complex neurological processes in a whole animal system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yichen Sun
- School of Life Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Yu Zhao
- School of Life Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Travis K Johnson
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, and La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | - Wei Xie
- School of Life Science and Technology, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Lee JH, Khan MM, Stark AP, Seo S, Norton A, Yao Z, Chen CH, Regehr WG. Cerebellar granule cell signaling is indispensable for normal motor performance. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112429. [PMID: 37141091 PMCID: PMC10258556 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112429] [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: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the cerebellar cortex, mossy fibers (MFs) excite granule cells (GCs) that excite Purkinje cells (PCs), which provide outputs to the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCNs). It is well established that PC disruption produces motor deficits such as ataxia. This could arise from either decreases in ongoing PC-DCN inhibition, increases in the variability of PC firing, or disruption of the flow of MF-evoked signals. Remarkably, it is not known whether GCs are essential for normal motor function. Here we address this issue by selectively eliminating calcium channels that mediate transmission (CaV2.1, CaV2.2, and CaV2.3) in a combinatorial manner. We observe profound motor deficits but only when all CaV2 channels are eliminated. In these mice, the baseline rate and variability of PC firing are unaltered, and locomotion-dependent increases in PC firing are eliminated. We conclude that GCs are indispensable for normal motor performance and that disruption of MF-induced signals impairs motor performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joon-Hyuk Lee
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mehak M Khan
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Amanda P Stark
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Soobin Seo
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Aliya Norton
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zhiyi Yao
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Christopher H Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wade G Regehr
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Li H, Guo R, Guan Y, Li J, Wang Y. Modulation of Trans-Synaptic Neurexin-Neuroligin Interaction in Pathological Pain. Cells 2022; 11:cells11121940. [PMID: 35741069 PMCID: PMC9222181 DOI: 10.3390/cells11121940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Synapses serve as the interface for the transmission of information between neurons in the central nervous system. The structural and functional characteristics of synapses are highly dynamic, exhibiting extensive plasticity that is shaped by neural activity and regulated primarily by trans-synaptic cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs). Prototypical trans-synaptic CAMs, such as neurexins (Nrxs) and neuroligins (Nlgs), directly regulate the assembly of presynaptic and postsynaptic molecules, including synaptic vesicles, active zone proteins, and receptors. Therefore, the trans-synaptic adhesion mechanisms mediated by Nrx-Nlg interaction can contribute to a range of synaptopathies in the context of pathological pain and other neurological disorders. The present review provides an overview of the current understanding of the roles of Nrx-Nlg interaction in the regulation of trans-synaptic connections, with a specific focus on Nrx and Nlg structures, the dynamic shaping of synaptic function, and the dysregulation of Nrx-Nlg in pathological pain. Additionally, we discuss a range of proteins capable of modulating Nrx-Nlg interactions at the synaptic cleft, with the objective of providing a foundation to guide the future development of novel therapeutic agents for managing pathological pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huili Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China;
| | - Ruijuan Guo
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100030, China;
| | - Yun Guan
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA;
| | - Junfa Li
- Department of Neurobiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China;
| | - Yun Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-10-85231463
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