Stage-specific requirement for cyclin D1 in glial progenitor cells of the cerebral cortex

MicroRNAs dysregulated in multiple sclerosis affect the differentiation of CG-4 cells, an oligodendrocyte progenitor cell line

Introduction

Demyelination is one of the hallmarks of multiple sclerosis (MS). While remyelination occurs during the disease, it is incomplete from the start and strongly decreases with its progression, mainly due to the harm to oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), causing irreversible neurological deficits and contributing to neurodegeneration. Therapeutic strategies promoting remyelination are still very preliminary and lacking within the current treatment panel for MS.

Methods

In a previous study, we identified 21 microRNAs dysregulated mostly in the CSF of relapsing and/or remitting MS patients. In this study we transfected the mimics/inhibitors of several of these microRNAs separately in an OPC cell line, called CG-4. We aimed (1) to phenotypically characterize their effect on OPC differentiation and (2) to identify corroborating potential mRNA targets via immunocytochemistry, RT-qPCR analysis, RNA sequencing, and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis.

Results

We observed that the majority of 13 transfected microRNA mimics decreased the differentiation of CG-4 cells. We demonstrate, by RNA sequencing and independent RT-qPCR analyses, that miR-33-3p, miR-34c-5p, and miR-124-5p arrest OPC differentiation at a late progenitor stage and miR-145-5p at a premyelinating stage as evidenced by the downregulation of premyelinating oligodendrocyte (OL) [Tcf7l2, Cnp (except for miR-145-5p)] and mature OL (Plp1, Mbp, and Mobp) markers, whereas only miR-214-3p promotes OPC differentiation. We further propose a comprehensive exploration of their change in cell fate through Gene Ontology enrichment analysis. We finally confirm by RT-qPCR analyses the downregulation of several predicted mRNA targets for each microRNA that possibly support their effect on OPC differentiation by very distinctive mechanisms, of which some are still unexplored in OPC/OL physiology.

Conclusion

miR-33-3p, miR-34c-5p, and miR-124-5p arrest OPC differentiation at a late progenitor stage and miR-145-5p at a premyelinating stage, whereas miR-214-3p promotes the differentiation of CG-4 cells. We propose several potential mRNA targets and hypothetical mechanisms by which each microRNA exerts its effect. We hereby open new perspectives in the research on OPC differentiation and the pathophysiology of demyelination/remyelination, and possibly even in the search for new remyelinating therapeutic strategies in the scope of MS.

Cyclin D1 mediates pain behaviour in a rat model of breast cancer-induced bone pain by a mechanism involving regulation of the proliferation of spinal microglia

Aims

The involvement of cyclin D1 in the proliferation of microglia, and the generation and maintenance of bone cancer pain (BCP), have not yet been clarified. We investigated the expression of microglia and cyclin D1, and the influences of cyclin D1 on pain threshold.

Methods

Female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish a rat model of BCP, and the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA1) and cyclin D1 were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot, respectively. The proliferation of spinal microglia was detected by immunohistochemistry. The pain behaviour test was assessed by quantification of spontaneous flinches, limb use, and guarding during forced ambulation, mechanical paw withdrawal threshold, and thermal paw withdrawal latency.

Results

IBA1 and cyclin D1 in the ipsilateral spinal horn increased in a time-dependent fashion. Spinal microglia proliferated in BCP rats. The microglia inhibitor minocycline attenuated the pain behaviour in BCP rats. The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor flavopiridol inhibited the proliferation of spinal microglia, and was associated with an improvement in pain behaviour in BCP rats.

Conclusion

Our results revealed that the inhibition of spinal microglial proliferation was associated with a decrease in pain behaviour in a rat model of BCP. Cyclin D1 acts as a key regulator of the proliferation of spinal microglia in a rat model of BCP. Disruption of cyclin D1, the restriction-point control of cell cycle, inhibited the proliferation of microglia and attenuated the pain behaviours in BCP rats. Cyclin D1 and the proliferation of spinal microglia may be potential targets for the clinical treatment of BCP.

Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2022;11(11):803–813.

Extracellular vesicles from neurons promote neural induction of stem cells through cyclin D1

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are thought to mediate the transport of proteins and RNAs involved in intercellular communication. Here, we show dynamic changes in the buoyant density and abundance of EVs that are secreted by PC12 cells stimulated with nerve growth factor (NGF), N2A cells treated with retinoic acid to induce neural differentiation, and mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) differentiated into neuronal cells. EVs secreted from in vitro differentiated cells promote neural induction of mESCs. Cyclin D1 enriched within the EVs derived from differentiated neuronal cells contributes to this induction. EVs purified from cells overexpressing cyclin D1 are more potent in neural induction of mESC cells. Depletion of cyclin D1 from the EVs reduced the neural induction effect. Our results suggest that EVs regulate neural development through sorting of cyclin D1.

Cyclins, Cyclin-Dependent Kinases, and Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors in the Mouse Nervous System

Development and normal physiology of the nervous system require proliferation and differentiation of stem and progenitor cells in a strictly controlled manner. The number of cells generated depends on the type of cell division, the cell cycle length, and the fraction of cells that exit the cell cycle to become quiescent or differentiate. The underlying processes are tightly controlled and modulated by cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) and their interactions with cyclins and Cdk inhibitors (CKIs). Studies performed in the nervous system with mouse models lacking individual Cdks, cyclins, and CKIs, or combinations thereof, have shown that many of these molecules control proliferation rates in a cell-type specific and time-dependent manner. In this review, we will provide an update on the in vivo studies on cyclins, Cdks, and CKIs in neuronal and glial tissue. The goal is to highlight their impact on proliferation processes during the development of the peripheral and central nervous system, including and comparing normal and pathological conditions in the adult.

Histone Deacetylase SIRT1 Mediates C5b-9-Induced Cell Cycle in Oligodendrocytes

Sublytic levels of C5b-9 increase the survival of oligodendrocytes (OLGs) and induce the cell cycle. We have previously observed that SIRT1 co-localizes with surviving OLGs in multiple sclerosis (MS) plaques, but it is not yet known whether SIRT1 is involved in OLGs survival after exposure to sublytic C5b-9. We have now investigated the role of SIRT1 in OLGs differentiation and the effect of sublytic levels of C5b-9 on SIRT1 and phosphorylated-SIRT1 (Ser27) expression. We also examined the downstream effects of SIRT1 by measuring histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) and the expression of cyclin D1 as a marker of cell cycle activation. OLG progenitor cells (OPCs) purified from the brain of rat pups were differentiated in vitro and treated with sublytic C5b-9 or C5b6. To investigate the signaling pathway activated by C5b-9 and required for SIRT1 expression, we pretreated OLGs with a c-jun antisense oligonucleotide, a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor (LY294002), and a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor (H7). Our data show a significant reduction in phospho-SIRT1 and SIRT1 expression during OPCs differentiation, associated with a decrease in H3K9me3 and a peak of cyclin D1 expression in the first 24 h. Stimulation of OLGs with sublytic C5b-9 resulted in an increase in the expression of SIRT1 and phospho-SIRT1, H3K9me3, cyclin D1 and decreased expression of myelin-specific genes. C5b-9-stimulated SIRT1 expression was significantly reduced after pretreatment with c-jun antisense oligonucleotide, H7 or LY294002. Inhibition of SIRT1 with sirtinol also abolished C5b-9-induced DNA synthesis. Taken together, these data show that induction of SIRT1 expression by C5b-9 is required for cell cycle activation and is mediated through multiple signaling pathways.

Proliferative cells in the rat developing neocortical grey matter: new insights into gliogenesis

The postnatal brain development is characterized by a substantial gain in weight and size, ascribed to increasing neuronal size and branching, and to massive addition of glial cells. This occurs concomitantly to the shrinkage of VZ and SVZ, considered to be the main germinal zones, thus suggesting the existence of other germinative niches. The aim of this study is to characterize the cortical grey matter proliferating cells during postnatal development, providing their stereological quantification and identifying the nature of their cell lineage. We performed double immunolabeling for the proliferation marker Ki67 and three proteins which identify either astrocytes (S100β) or oligodendrocytes (Olig2 and NG2), in addition to a wider panel of markers apt to validate the former markers or to investigate other cell lineages. We found that proliferating cells increase in number during the first postnatal week until P10 and subsequently decreased until P21. Cell lineage characterization revealed that grey matter proliferating cells are prevalently oligodendrocytes and astrocytes along with endothelial and microglial cells, while no neurons have been detected. Our data showed that astrogliogenesis occurs prevalently during the first 10 days of postnatal development, whereas contrary to the expected peak of oligodendrogenesis at the second postnatal week, we found a permanent pool of proliferating oligodendrocytes enduring from birth until P21. These data support the relevance of glial proliferation within the grey matter and could be a point of departure for further investigations of this complex process.

Expression of Cyclin-D1 in Astrocytes Varies During Aging

D-Cyclins control progression through the G1 phase and the G1/S transition of the cell cycle. In the adult brain, they regulate neurogenesis which is limited to the sub-granular zone of the dentate gyrus (DG) and to the sub-ventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles. Yet, D-cyclins have also been detected in other parts of the adult brain in differentiated neurons that do not proliferate and rather die by apoptosis in response to cell cycle reactivation. Expression of D-cyclins in astrocytes has also been reported but published results, such as those concerning neurons, appear conflictual. We carried out this study in order to clarify the general pattern of D-cyclin expression in the mouse brain. By performing GFAP/cyclin-D1 double labeling experiments, we detected hypertrophic astrocytes expressing cyclin-D1 in their cytoplasmic processes. Their number increased with age in the hippocampus area but decreased with age in the SVZ. Clusters of astrocytes expressing cyclin-D1 were also detected in the cortical areas of old mice and around blood vessels of neurogenic areas. Other non-asteroidal small cells, probably stem cells, expressed both GFAP and nuclear cyclin-D1 in the neurogenic area of the DG and in the SVZ at a higher density in young mice than in old mice. Finally, cells expressing cyclin-D1 but not GFAP were also found scattered in the striatum and the CA1 region of the hippocampus, and at a high percentage in cortical layers of young and old mice. Our results suggest that astrocytes may control neuronal functions and proliferation by modulating, in normal or altered conditions such as aging or degenerative diseases, cyclin-D1 expression.

Molecular underpinnings of prefrontal cortex development in rodents provide insights into the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders

The prefrontal cortex (PFC), seat of the highest-order cognitive functions, constitutes a conglomerate of highly specialized brain areas and has been implicated to have a role in the onset and installation of various neurodevelopmental disorders. The development of a properly functioning PFC is directed by transcription factors, guidance cues and other regulatory molecules and requires the intricate and temporal orchestration of a number of developmental processes. Disturbance or failure of any of these processes causing neurodevelopmental abnormalities within the PFC may contribute to several of the cognitive deficits seen in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. In this review, we elaborate on the specific processes underlying prefrontal development, such as induction and patterning of the prefrontal area, proliferation, migration and axonal guidance of medial prefrontal progenitors, and their eventual efferent and afferent connections. We furthermore integrate for the first time the available knowledge from genome-wide studies that have revealed genes linked to neurodevelopmental disorders with experimental molecular evidence in rodents. The integrated data suggest that the pathogenic variants in the neurodevelopmental disorder-associated genes induce prefrontal cytoarchitectonical impairments. This enhances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of prefrontal (mis)development underlying the four major neurodevelopmental disorders in humans, that is, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia, and may thus provide clues for the development of novel therapies.