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Nikolić L, Ferracin C, Legname G. Recent advances in cellular models for discovering prion disease therapeutics. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2022; 17:985-996. [PMID: 35983689 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2022.2113773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Prion diseases are a group of rare and lethal rapidly progressive neurodegenerative diseases arising due to conversion of the physiological cellular prion protein into its pathological counterparts, denoted as "prions". These agents are resistant to inactivation by standard decontamination procedures and can be transmitted between individuals, consequently driving the irreversible brain damage typical of the diseases. AREAS COVERED Since its infancy, prion research has mainly depended on animal models for untangling the pathogenesis of the disease as well as for the drug development studies. With the advent of prion-infected cell lines, relevant animal models have been complemented by a variety of cell-based models presenting a much faster, ethically acceptable alternative. EXPERT OPINION To date, there are still either no effective prophylactic regimens or therapies for human prion diseases. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more relevant cellular models that best approximate in vivo models. Each cellular model presented and discussed in detail in this review has its own benefits and limitations. Once embarking in a drug screening campaign for the identification of molecules that could interfere with prion conversion and replication, one should carefully consider the ideal cellular model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Nikolić
- PhD Student in Functional and Structural Genomics, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy,
| | - Chiara Ferracin
- PhD Student in Functional and Structural Genomics, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- D.Phil., Full Professor of Biochemistry, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
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Gorter RP, Dijksman NS, Baron W, Colognato H. Investigating demyelination, efficient remyelination and remyelination failure in organotypic cerebellar slice cultures: Workflow and practical tips. Methods Cell Biol 2022; 168:103-123. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2021.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Sherafat A, Pfeiffer F, Reiss AM, Wood WM, Nishiyama A. Microglial neuropilin-1 promotes oligodendrocyte expansion during development and remyelination by trans-activating platelet-derived growth factor receptor. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2265. [PMID: 33859199 PMCID: PMC8050320 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22532-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Nerve-glia (NG2) glia or oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are distributed throughout the gray and white matter and generate myelinating cells. OPCs in white matter proliferate more than those in gray matter in response to platelet-derived growth factor AA (PDGF AA), despite similar levels of its alpha receptor (PDGFRα) on their surface. Here we show that the type 1 integral membrane protein neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) is expressed not on OPCs but on amoeboid and activated microglia in white but not gray matter in an age- and activity-dependent manner. Microglia-specific deletion of Nrp1 compromised developmental OPC proliferation in white matter as well as OPC expansion and subsequent myelin repair after acute demyelination. Exogenous Nrp1 increased PDGF AA-induced OPC proliferation and PDGFRα phosphorylation on dissociated OPCs, most prominently in the presence of suboptimum concentrations of PDGF AA. These findings uncover a mechanism of regulating oligodendrocyte lineage cell density that involves trans-activation of PDGFRα on OPCs via Nrp1 expressed by adjacent microglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Sherafat
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Friederike Pfeiffer
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander M Reiss
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - William M Wood
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Akiko Nishiyama
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
- The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
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Medved J, Wood WM, van Heyst MD, Sherafat A, Song JY, Sakya S, Wright DL, Nishiyama A. Novel guanidine compounds inhibit platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha transcription and oligodendrocyte precursor cell proliferation. Glia 2020; 69:792-811. [PMID: 33098183 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), also known as NG2 cells or polydendrocytes, are distributed widely throughout the developing and mature central nervous system. They remain proliferative throughout life and are an important source of myelinating cells in normal and demyelinating brain as well as a source of glioma, the most common type of primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis. OPC proliferation is dependent on signaling mediated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) AA binding to its alpha receptor (PDGFRα). Here, we describe a group of structurally related compounds characterized by the presence of a basic guanidine group appended to an aromatic core that is effective in specifically repressing the transcription of Pdgfra but not the related beta receptor (Pdgfrb) in OPCs. These compounds specifically and dramatically reduced proliferation of OPCs but not that of astrocytes and did not affect signal transduction by PDGFRα. These findings suggest that the compounds could be further developed for potential use in combinatorial treatment strategies for neoplasms with dysregulated PDGFRα function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Medved
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - William M Wood
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michael D van Heyst
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Amin Sherafat
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ju-Young Song
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sagune Sakya
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dennis L Wright
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Akiko Nishiyama
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.,Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, Connecticut, USA.,Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, Connecticut, USA
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Wedel M, Fröb F, Elsesser O, Wittmann MT, Lie DC, Reis A, Wegner M. Transcription factor Tcf4 is the preferred heterodimerization partner for Olig2 in oligodendrocytes and required for differentiation. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:4839-4857. [PMID: 32266943 PMCID: PMC7229849 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Development of oligodendrocytes and myelin formation in the vertebrate central nervous system is under control of several basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors such as Olig2, Ascl1, Hes5 and the Id proteins. The class I basic helix-loop-helix proteins Tcf3, Tcf4 and Tcf12 represent potential heterodimerization partners and functional modulators for all, but have not been investigated in oligodendrocytes so far. Using mouse mutants, organotypic slice and primary cell cultures we here show that Tcf4 is required in a cell-autonomous manner for proper terminal differentiation and myelination in vivo and ex vivo. Partial compensation is provided by the paralogous Tcf3, but not Tcf12. On the mechanistic level Tcf4 was identified as the preferred heterodimerization partner of the central regulator of oligodendrocyte development Olig2. Both genetic studies in the mouse as well as functional studies on enhancer regions of myelin genes confirmed the relevance of this physical interaction for oligodendrocyte differentiation. Considering that alterations in TCF4 are associated with syndromic and non-syndromic forms of intellectual disability, schizophrenia and autism in humans, our findings point to the possibility of an oligodendroglial contribution to these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Wedel
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Franziska Fröb
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Olga Elsesser
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Marie-Theres Wittmann
- Humangenetisches Institut, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - D Chichung Lie
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - André Reis
- Humangenetisches Institut, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael Wegner
- Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Yang C, Li X, Li S, Chai X, Guan L, Qiao L, Li H, Lin J. Organotypic slice culture based on in ovo electroporation for chicken embryonic central nervous system. J Cell Mol Med 2018; 23:1813-1826. [PMID: 30565384 PMCID: PMC6378233 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.14080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Organotypic slice culture is a living cell research technique which blends features of both in vivo and in vitro techniques. While organotypic brain slice culture techniques have been well established in rodents, there are few reports on the study of organotypic slice culture, especially of the central nervous system (CNS), in chicken embryos. We established a combined in ovo electroporation and organotypic slice culture method to study exogenous genes functions in the CNS during chicken embryo development. We performed in ovo electroporation in the spinal cord or optic tectum prior to slice culture. When embryonic development reached a specific stage, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive embryos were selected and fluorescent expression sites were cut under stereo fluorescence microscopy. Selected tissues were embedded in 4% agar. Tissues were sectioned on a vibratory microtome and 300 μm thick sections were mounted on a membrane of millicell cell culture insert. The insert was placed in a 30-mm culture dish and 1 ml of slice culture media was added. We show that during serum-free medium culture, the slice loses its original structure and propensity to be strictly regulated, which are the characteristics of the CNS. However, after adding serum, the histological structure of cultured-tissue slices was able to be well maintained and neuronal axons were significantly longer than that those of serum-free medium cultured-tissue slices. As the structure of a complete single neuron can be observed from a slice culture, this is a suitable way of studying single neuronal dynamics. As such, we present an effective method to study axon formation and migration of single neurons in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciqing Yang
- Stem Cells & Biotherapy Engineering Research Center of Henan, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Medical Tissue Regeneration, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xiaoying Li
- Stem Cells & Biotherapy Engineering Research Center of Henan, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Shuanqing Li
- Stem Cells & Biotherapy Engineering Research Center of Henan, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xuejun Chai
- Department of Anatomy, Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Lihong Guan
- Stem Cells & Biotherapy Engineering Research Center of Henan, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Liang Qiao
- Stem Cells & Biotherapy Engineering Research Center of Henan, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Han Li
- Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, University Sains Malaysia, Bertam, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Juntang Lin
- Stem Cells & Biotherapy Engineering Research Center of Henan, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Medical Tissue Regeneration, Xinxiang, China.,College of Biomedical Engineering, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
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