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Urrutia-Ruiz C, Rombach D, Cursano S, Gerlach-Arbeiter S, Schoen M, Bockmann J, Demestre M, Boeckers TM. Deletion of the Autism-Associated Protein SHANK3 Abolishes Structural Synaptic Plasticity after Brain Trauma. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23116081. [PMID: 35682760 PMCID: PMC9181590 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23116081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by repetitive behaviors and impairments of sociability and communication. About 1% of ASD cases are caused by mutations of SHANK3, a major scaffolding protein of the postsynaptic density. We studied the role of SHANK3 in plastic changes of excitatory synapses within the central nervous system by employing mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in WT and Shank3 knockout mice. In WT mice, mTBI triggered ipsi- and contralateral loss of hippocampal dendritic spines and excitatory synapses with a partial recovery over time. In contrast, no significant synaptic alterations were detected in Shank3∆11−/− mice, which showed fewer dendritic spines and excitatory synapses at baseline. In line, mTBI induced the upregulation of synaptic plasticity-related proteins Arc and p-cofilin only in WT mice. Interestingly, microglia proliferation was observed in WT mice after mTBI but not in Shank3∆11−/− mice. Finally, we detected TBI-induced increased fear memory at the behavioral level, whereas in Shank3∆11−/− animals, the already-enhanced fear memory levels increased only slightly after mTBI. Our data show the lack of structural synaptic plasticity in Shank3 knockout mice that might explain at least in part the rigidity of behaviors, problems in adjusting to new situations and cognitive deficits seen in ASDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Urrutia-Ruiz
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
| | - Daniel Rombach
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
| | - Silvia Cursano
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
| | - Susanne Gerlach-Arbeiter
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
| | - Michael Schoen
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
| | - Juergen Bockmann
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
| | - Maria Demestre
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
| | - Tobias M. Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Albert Einstein Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (C.U.-R.); (D.R.); (S.C.); (S.G.-A.); (M.S.); (J.B.); (M.D.)
- Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Translational Biochemistry, 89081 Ulm, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-731-5002-3220
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Grabrucker S, Pagano J, Schweizer J, Urrutia-Ruiz C, Schön M, Thome K, Ehret G, Grabrucker AM, Zhang R, Hengerer B, Bockmann J, Verpelli C, Sala C, Boeckers TM. Activation of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) ameliorates loss of maternal behavior in a Shank2 mouse model for autism. EMBO J 2021; 40:e104267. [PMID: 33491217 PMCID: PMC7917557 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2019104267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Impairments in social relationships and awareness are features observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Shank2 is a high‐confidence ASD candidate gene and localizes primarily to postsynaptic densities (PSDs) of excitatory synapses in the central nervous system (CNS). We show here that loss of Shank2 in mice leads to a lack of social attachment and bonding behavior towards pubs independent of hormonal, cognitive, or sensitive deficits. Shank2−/− mice display functional changes in nuclei of the social attachment circuit that were most prominent in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the hypothalamus. Selective enhancement of MPOA activity by DREADD technology re‐established social bonding behavior in Shank2−/− mice, providing evidence that the identified circuit might be crucial for explaining how social deficits in ASD can arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Grabrucker
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Jessica Pagano
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Johanna Schweizer
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Michael Schön
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Kevin Thome
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Günter Ehret
- Institute of Neurobiology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Andreas M Grabrucker
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,Health Research Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Rong Zhang
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health and Family Planning Commission, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | | | - Jürgen Bockmann
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Carlo Sala
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Tobias M Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.,DZNE, Ulm Site, Ulm, Germany
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Cursano S, Battaglia CR, Urrutia-Ruiz C, Grabrucker S, Schön M, Bockmann J, Braumüller S, Radermacher P, Roselli F, Huber-Lang M, Boeckers TM. A CRHR1 antagonist prevents synaptic loss and memory deficits in a trauma-induced delirium-like syndrome. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:3778-3794. [PMID: 32051550 PMCID: PMC8550963 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0659-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Older patients with severe physical trauma are at high risk of developing neuropsychiatric syndromes with global impairment of cognition, attention, and consciousness. We employed a thoracic trauma (TxT) mouse model and thoroughly analyzed age-dependent spatial and temporal posttraumatic alterations in the central nervous system. Up to 5 days after trauma, we observed a transient 50% decrease in the number of excitatory synapses specifically in hippocampal pyramidal neurons accompanied by alterations in attention and motor activity and disruption of contextual memory consolidation. In parallel, hippocampal corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression was highly upregulated, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were significantly reduced. In vitro experiments revealed that CRH application induced neuronal autophagy with rapid lysosomal degradation of BDNF via the NF-κB pathway. The subsequent synaptic loss was rescued by BDNF as well as by specific NF-κB and CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1) antagonists. In vivo, the chronic application of a CRHR1 antagonist after TxT resulted in reversal of the observed histological, molecular, and behavioral alterations. The data suggest that neuropsychiatric syndromes (i.e., delirium) after peripheral trauma might be at least in part due to the activation of the hippocampal CRH/NF-κB/BDNF pathway, which results in a dramatic loss of synaptic contacts. The successful rescue by stress hormone receptor antagonists should encourage clinical trials focusing on trauma-induced delirium and/or other posttraumatic syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Cursano
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany ,International Graduate School in Molecular Medicine, IGradU, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Chiara R. Battaglia
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany ,International Graduate School in Molecular Medicine, IGradU, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Carolina Urrutia-Ruiz
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Stefanie Grabrucker
- grid.10049.3c0000 0004 1936 9692Department of Biological Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, V94 PH61 Ireland
| | - Michael Schön
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bockmann
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Sonja Braumüller
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anesthesiological Pathophysiology, Ulm University, Helmholtzstr. 8/1, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Peter Radermacher
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anesthesiological Pathophysiology, Ulm University, Helmholtzstr. 8/1, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Francesco Roselli
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Clinic for Neurology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Markus Huber-Lang
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Clinical and Experimental Trauma-Immunology, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Tobias M. Boeckers
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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