1
|
Scarian E, Viola C, Dragoni F, Di Gerlando R, Rizzo B, Diamanti L, Gagliardi S, Bordoni M, Pansarasa O. New Insights into Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Response in Neurodegenerative Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2698. [PMID: 38473944 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation are two important and well-studied pathological hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs). Due to elevated oxygen consumption, the high presence of easily oxidizable polyunsaturated fatty acids and the weak antioxidant defenses, the brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative injury. Uncertainty exists over whether these deficits contribute to the development of NDDs or are solely a consequence of neuronal degeneration. Furthermore, these two pathological hallmarks are linked, and it is known that OS can affect the inflammatory response. In this review, we will overview the last findings about these two pathways in the principal NDDs. Moreover, we will focus more in depth on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to understand how anti-inflammatory and antioxidants drugs have been used for the treatment of this still incurable motor neuron (MN) disease. Finally, we will analyze the principal past and actual clinical trials and the future perspectives in the study of these two pathological mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eveljn Scarian
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Camilla Viola
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Agostino Bassi 21, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Dragoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata, 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Rosalinda Di Gerlando
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "L. Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata, 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Bartolo Rizzo
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Diamanti
- Neuroncology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Stella Gagliardi
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Matteo Bordoni
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Garofalo M, Bonanno S, Marcuzzo S, Pandini C, Scarian E, Dragoni F, Di Gerlando R, Bordoni M, Parravicini S, Gellera C, Masson R, Dosi C, Zanin R, Pansarasa O, Cereda C, Berardinelli A, Gagliardi S. Preliminary insights into RNA in CSF of pediatric SMA patients after 6 months of nusinersen. Biol Direct 2023; 18:57. [PMID: 37705059 PMCID: PMC10498611 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-023-00413-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare autosomal-recessive neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, and consequent loss of function of SMN protein, which results in progressive loss of lower motor neurons, and muscular wasting. Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) nusinersen (Spinraza®) modulates the pre-mRNA splicing of the SMN2 gene, allowing rebalance of biologically active SMN. It is administered intrathecally via lumbar puncture after removing an equal amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Its effect was proven beneficial and approved since 2017 for SMA treatment. Given the direct effect of nusinersen on RNA metabolism, the aim of this project was to evaluate cell-free RNA (cfRNA) in CSF of SMA patients under ASOs treatment for biomarker discovery. METHODS By RNA-sequencing approach, RNA obtained from CSF of pediatric SMA type 2 and 3 patients was processed after 6 months of nusinersen treatment, at fifth intrathecal injection (T6), and compared to baseline (T0). RESULTS We observed the deregulation of cfRNAs in patients at T6 and we were able to classify these RNAs into disease specific, treatment specific and treatment dependent. Moreover, we subdivided patients into "homogeneous" and "heterogeneous" according to their gene expression pattern. The "heterogeneous" group showed peculiar activation of genes coding for ribosomal components, meaning that in these patients a different molecular effect of nusinersen is observable, even if this specific molecular response was not referable to a clinical pattern. CONCLUSIONS This study provides preliminary insights into modulation of gene expression dependent on nusinersen treatment and lays the foundation for biomarkers discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - S Bonanno
- Neurology IV-Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - S Marcuzzo
- Neurology IV-Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - C Pandini
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - E Scarian
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - F Dragoni
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - R Di Gerlando
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - M Bordoni
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - S Parravicini
- IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - C Gellera
- Unit of Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - R Masson
- Neurology IV-Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - C Dosi
- Neurology IV-Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - R Zanin
- Neurology IV-Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | | | - C Cereda
- Center of Functional Genomics and Rare Diseases, V. Buzzi Children's Hospital, 20154, Milan, Italy
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Dragoni F, Garau J, Orcesi S, Varesio C, Bordoni M, Scarian E, Di Gerlando R, Fazzi E, Battini R, Gjurgjaj A, Rizzo B, Pansarasa O, Gagliardi S. Comparison between D-loop methylation and mtDNA copy number in patients with Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1152237. [PMID: 36998476 PMCID: PMC10043473 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1152237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome (AGS) is a rare encephalopathy with early onset that can be transmitted in both dominant and recessive forms. Its phenotypic covers a wide range of neurological and extraneurological symptoms. Nine genes that are all involved in nucleic acids (NAs) metabolism or signaling have so far been linked to the AGS phenotype. Recently, a link between autoimmune or neurodegenerative conditions and mitochondrial dysfunctions has been found. As part of the intricate system of epigenetic control, the mtDNA goes through various alterations. The displacement (D-loop) region represents one of the most methylated sites in the mtDNA. The term "mitoepigenetics" has been introduced as a result of increasing data suggesting that epigenetic processes may play a critical role in the control of mtDNA transcription and replication. Since we showed that RNASEH2B and RNASEH2A-mutated Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines (LCLs) derived from AGS patients had mitochondrial alterations, highlighting changes in the mtDNA content, the main objective of this study was to examine any potential methylation changes in the D-loop regulatory region of mitochondria and their relationship to the mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood cells of AGS patients with mutations in various AGS genes and healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS We collected blood samples from 25 AGS patients and we performed RT-qPCR to assess the mtDNA copy number and pyrosequencing to measure DNA methylation levels in the D-loop region. RESULTS Comparing AGS patients to healthy controls, D-loop methylation levels and mtDNA copy number increased significantly. We also observed that in AGS patients, the mtDNA copy number increased with age at sampling, but not the D-loop methylation levels, and there was no relationship between sex and mtDNA copy number. In addition, the D-loop methylation levels and mtDNA copy number in the AGS group showed a non-statistically significant positive relation. CONCLUSION These findings, which contradict the evidence for an inverse relationship between D-loop methylation levels and mtDNA copy number, show that AGS patients have higher D-loop methylation levels than healthy control subjects. Additional research is needed to identify the function of these features in the etiology and course of AGS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Dragoni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Jessica Garau
- Neurogenetics Research Centre, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Simona Orcesi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Costanza Varesio
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Matteo Bordoni
- Cellular Model and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Eveljn Scarian
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Cellular Model and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Rosalinda Di Gerlando
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elisa Fazzi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
- Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy
| | - Roberta Battini
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Altea Gjurgjaj
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Bartolo Rizzo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology “L. Spallanzani”, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Cellular Model and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- *Correspondence: Orietta Pansarasa,
| | - Stella Gagliardi
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bordoni M, Pansarasa O, Scarian E, Cristofani R, Leone R, Fantini V, Garofalo M, Diamanti L, Bernuzzi S, Gagliardi S, Carelli S, Poletti A, Cereda C. Lysosomes Dysfunction Causes Mitophagy Impairment in PBMCs of Sporadic ALS Patients. Cells 2022; 11:cells11081272. [PMID: 35455952 PMCID: PMC9030813 DOI: 10.3390/cells11081272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria alterations are present in tissues derived from patients and animal models, but no data are available for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of ALS patients. This work aims to investigate mitophagy in PBMCs of sporadic (sALS) patients and how this pathway can be tuned by using small molecules. We found the presence of morphologically atypical mitochondria by TEM and morphological abnormalities by MitoTracker™. We found a decreased number of healthy mitochondria in sALS PBMCs and an impairment of mitophagy with western blot and immunofluorescence. After rapamycin treatment, we found a higher increase in the LC3 marker in sALS PBMCs, while after NH4Cl treatment, we found a lower increase in the LC3 marker. Finally, mTOR-independent autophagy induction with trehalose resulted in a significant decrease in the lysosomes level sALS PBMCs. Our data suggest that the presence of morphologically altered mitochondria and an inefficient turnover of damaged mitochondria in PBMCs of sALS patients rely on the impairment of the mitophagy pathway. We also found that the induction of the mTOR-independent autophagy pathway leads to a decrease in lysosomes level, suggesting a more sensitivity of sALS PBMCs to trehalose. Such evidence suggests that trehalose could represent an effective treatment for ALS patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Bordoni
- Genomic and Post-Genomic Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (E.S.); (M.G.); (S.G.); (C.C.)
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Genomic and Post-Genomic Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (E.S.); (M.G.); (S.G.); (C.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +0382-380-248
| | - Eveljn Scarian
- Genomic and Post-Genomic Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (E.S.); (M.G.); (S.G.); (C.C.)
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Riccardo Cristofani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari (DiSFeB), Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022, Università Degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (R.C.); (A.P.)
| | | | - Valentina Fantini
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Neurogenetic, Golgi-Cenci Foundation, 20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy;
| | - Maria Garofalo
- Genomic and Post-Genomic Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (E.S.); (M.G.); (S.G.); (C.C.)
| | - Luca Diamanti
- Neuroncology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Stefano Bernuzzi
- Immunohematological and Transfusional Service and Centre of Transplantation Immunology, IRCCS “San Matteo Foundation”, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Stella Gagliardi
- Genomic and Post-Genomic Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (E.S.); (M.G.); (S.G.); (C.C.)
| | - Stephana Carelli
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy;
- Pediatric Clinical Research Centre Fondazione “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi”, University of Milano, 20157 Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Poletti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari (DiSFeB), Dipartimento di Eccellenza 2018-2022, Università Degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy; (R.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Cristina Cereda
- Genomic and Post-Genomic Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (M.B.); (E.S.); (M.G.); (S.G.); (C.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Scarian E, Fiamingo G, Diamanti L, Palmieri I, Gagliardi S, Pansarasa O. The Role of VCP Mutations in the Spectrum of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Frontotemporal Dementia. Front Neurol 2022; 13:841394. [PMID: 35273561 PMCID: PMC8902152 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.841394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [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: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) are two neurological diseases which, respectively, and primarily affect motor neurons and frontotemporal lobes. Although they can lead to different signs and symptoms, it is now evident that these two pathologies form a continuum and that hallmarks of both diseases can be present within the same person in the so-called ALS-FTD spectrum. Many studies have focused on the genetic overlap of these pathologies and it is now clear that different genes, such as C9orf72, TARDBP, SQSTM1, FUS, and p97/VCP can be mutated in both the diseases. VCP was one of the first genes associated with both FTD and ALS representing an early example of gene overlapping. VCP belongs to the type II AAA (ATPases Associated with diverse cellular activities) family and is involved in ubiquitinated proteins degradation, autophagy, lysosomal clearance and mitochondrial quality control. Since its numerous roles, mutations in this gene lead to different pathological features, first and foremost TDP-43 mislocalization. This review aims to outline recent findings on VCP roles and on how its mutations are linked to the neuropathology of ALS and FTD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eveljn Scarian
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fiamingo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Diamanti
- Neuroncology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Ilaria Palmieri
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Neurogenetics Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stella Gagliardi
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bordoni M, Scarian E, Rey F, Gagliardi S, Carelli S, Pansarasa O, Cereda C. Biomaterials in Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Promising Therapeutic Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21093243. [PMID: 32375302 PMCID: PMC7247337 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21093243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and spinal cord injury) represent a great problem worldwide and are becoming prevalent because of the increasing average age of the population. Despite many studies having focused on their etiopathology, the exact cause of these diseases is still unknown and until now, there are only symptomatic treatments. Biomaterials have become important not only for the study of disease pathogenesis, but also for their application in regenerative medicine. The great advantages provided by biomaterials are their ability to mimic the environment of the extracellular matrix and to allow the growth of different types of cells. Biomaterials can be used as supporting material for cell proliferation to be transplanted and as vectors to deliver many active molecules for the treatments of neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, we aim to report the potentiality of biomaterials (i.e., hydrogels, nanoparticles, self-assembling peptides, nanofibers and carbon-based nanomaterials) by analyzing their use in the regeneration of neural and glial cells their role in axon outgrowth. Although further studies are needed for their use in humans, the promising results obtained by several groups leads us to suppose that biomaterials represent a potential therapeutic approach for the treatments of neurodegenerative disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Bordoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari (DiSFeB), Centro di Eccellenza sulle Malattie Neurodegenerative, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Balzaretti 9, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Eveljn Scarian
- Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
- Genomic and post-Genomic Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (S.G.); (C.C.)
| | - Federica Rey
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, Via Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy; (F.R.); (S.C.)
- Pediatric Clinical Research Center Fondazione “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi”, University of Milan, Via Grassi, 74, 20157 Milan, Italy
| | - Stella Gagliardi
- Genomic and post-Genomic Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (S.G.); (C.C.)
| | - Stephana Carelli
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences “L. Sacco”, University of Milan, Via Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy; (F.R.); (S.C.)
- Pediatric Clinical Research Center Fondazione “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi”, University of Milan, Via Grassi, 74, 20157 Milan, Italy
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Genomic and post-Genomic Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (S.G.); (C.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0382-380-248
| | - Cristina Cereda
- Genomic and post-Genomic Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Via Mondino 2, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (S.G.); (C.C.)
| |
Collapse
|