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Sweat SC, Cheetham CEJ. Deficits in olfactory system neurogenesis in neurodevelopmental disorders. Genesis 2024; 62:e23590. [PMID: 38490949 PMCID: PMC10990073 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23590] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The role of neurogenesis in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) merits much attention. The complex process by which stem cells produce daughter cells that in turn differentiate into neurons, migrate various distances, and form synaptic connections that are then refined by neuronal activity or experience is integral to the development of the nervous system. Given the continued postnatal neurogenesis that occurs in the mammalian olfactory system, it provides an ideal model for understanding how disruptions in distinct stages of neurogenesis contribute to the pathophysiology of various NDDs. This review summarizes and discusses what is currently known about the disruption of neurogenesis within the olfactory system as it pertains to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Rett syndrome. Studies included in this review used either human subjects, mouse models, or Drosophila models, and lay a compelling foundation for continued investigation of NDDs by utilizing the olfactory system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C Sweat
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Claire E J Cheetham
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Torres-Pérez JV, Martínez-Rodríguez E, Forte A, Blanco-Gómez C, Stork O, Lanuza E, Santos M, Agustín-Pavón C. Early life stress exacerbates behavioural and neuronal alterations in adolescent male mice lacking methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (Mecp2). Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:974692. [PMID: 36082308 PMCID: PMC9447412 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.974692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The methyl-CpG binding protein 2 gene (MECP2) encodes an epigenetic transcriptional regulator implicated in neuronal plasticity. Loss-of-function mutations in this gene are the primary cause of Rett syndrome and, to a lesser degree, of other neurodevelopmental disorders. Recently, we demonstrated that both Mecp2 haploinsuficiency and mild early life stress decrease anxiety-like behaviours and neuronal activation in brain areas controlling these responses in adolescent female mice. Here, we extend this work to males by using Mecp2-null and wild type adolescent mice subjected to maternal separation and their non-stressed controls. We assessed their behavioural responses in a battery of anxiety-provoking tests. Upon exposure to an elevated plus maze in aversive conditions, we evaluated changes in c-FOS expression in stress- and anxiety-related brain regions. In addition, we assessed the impact of maternal separation in neuronal maturation using doublecortin and reelin as surrogate markers. Mutant males showed reduced motor abilities, increased activation of the olfactory bulbs, probably due to breathing abnormalities, and decreased activation of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus, when compared to wild type mice. In addition, maternal separation increased the number of immature doublecortin-like neurons found in Mecp2-null animals. Moreover, this work shows for the first time that reelin is decreased in the mutant animals at the olfactory tubercle, piriform cortex and hippocampal dentate gyrus, an effect also associated to maternal separation. Taken together, our results suggest that maternal separation exacerbates some phenotypical alterations associated with lack of MeCP2 in adolescent males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Vicente Torres-Pérez
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació en Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Elena Martínez-Rodríguez
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació en Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Anabel Forte
- Department of Statistics and Operational Research, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos Blanco-Gómez
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació en Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Oliver Stork
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació en Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Mónica Santos
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra (IIIUC), Coimbra, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Mónica Santos, ;
| | - Carmen Agustín-Pavón
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació en Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel⋅lular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, València, Spain
- Carmen Agustín-Pavón,
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Reversal of prenatal heroin-induced alterations in hippocampal gene expression via transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells during adulthood. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2022; 90:107063. [PMID: 34999215 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2022.107063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Neurobehavioral teratology is the study of typically subtle neurobehavioral birth defects. Our previously described mouse model demonstrated septohippocampal cholinergic innervation-related molecular and behavioral deficits after prenatal exposure to heroin. Since the alterations are below malformation level, they are likely to represent consequences of regulatory processes, feasibly gene expression. Consequently, in the present study pregnant mice were injected with heroin on gestation days 9-18 and were transplanted with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on postnatal day (PD) 105. The hippocampi of the offspring were analyzed on PD120 for the expression of the pertinent genes. Heroin induced global gender-dependent statistically significant changes in the expression of several genes. Significant Treatment X Sex interaction occurred in D1 and SOX2 genes (p < 0.01). Transplantation of MSC reversed the prenatal heroin-induced alterations in approximately 80% of the genes. The reversal index (RI), shifting the score of the heroin-exposed offspring by transplantation back toward the control level, was 0.61 ± 0.10 for the difference from RI = 0 (p < 0.001), confirming the validity of the effect of the neuroteratogens across variations among different genes. The present study suggests that neurobehavioral defects induced by prenatal heroin exposure are likely to be a consequence of regulatory changes. This study on prenatal exposure to insults with subsequent MSC therapy provides a model for elucidating the mechanisms of both the neuroteratogenicity and the therapy, steps that are critical for progress toward therapeutic applications.
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Gigliucci V, Teutsch J, Woodbury-Smith M, Luoni M, Busnelli M, Chini B, Banerjee A. Region-Specific KCC2 Rescue by rhIGF-1 and Oxytocin in a Mouse Model of Rett Syndrome. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2885-2894. [PMID: 34791112 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Rett syndrome (RTT) is characterized by dysfunction in neuronal excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance, potentially impacting seizure susceptibility via deficits in K+/Cl- cotransporter 2 (KCC2) function. Mice lacking the Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) recapitulate many symptoms of RTT, and recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-1 (rhIGF-1) restores KCC2 expression and E/I balance in MeCP2 KO mice. However, clinical trial outcomes of rhIGF-1 in RTT have been variable, and increasing its therapeutic efficacy is highly desirable. To this end, the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is promising, as it also critically modulates KCC2 function during early postnatal development. We measured basal KCC2 expression levels in MeCP2 KO mice and identified 3 key frontal brain regions showing KCC2 alterations in young adult mice, but not in postnatal P10 animals. We hypothesized that deficits in an IGF-1/OXT signaling crosstalk modulating KCC2 may occur in RTT during postnatal development. Consistently, we detected alterations of IGF-1 receptor and OXT receptor levels in those brain areas. rhIGF-1 and OXT treatments in KO mice rescued KCC2 expression in a region-specific and complementary manner. These results suggest that region-selective combinatorial pharmacotherapeutic strategies could be most effective at normalizing E/I balance in key brain regions subtending the RTT pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jasper Teutsch
- Neuroscience Theme, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.,Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marc Woodbury-Smith
- Neuroscience Theme, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
| | - Mirko Luoni
- Stem Cells and Neurogenesis Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Busnelli
- Institute of Neuroscience, CNR, Milan, Italy.,NeuroMi Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Bice Chini
- Institute of Neuroscience, CNR, Milan, Italy.,NeuroMi Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Abhishek Banerjee
- Neuroscience Theme, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, United Kingdom.,Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Bicker F, Nardi L, Maier J, Vasic V, Schmeisser MJ. Criss-crossing autism spectrum disorder and adult neurogenesis. J Neurochem 2021; 159:452-478. [PMID: 34478569 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises a group of multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorders primarily characterized by deficits in social interaction and repetitive behavior. Although the onset is typically in early childhood, ASD poses a lifelong challenge for both patients and caretakers. Adult neurogenesis (AN) is the process by which new functional neurons are created from neural stem cells existing in the post-natal brain. The entire event is based on a sequence of cellular processes, such as proliferation, specification of cell fate, maturation, and ultimately, synaptic integration into the existing neural circuits. Hence, AN is implicated in structural and functional brain plasticity throughout life. Accumulating evidence shows that impaired AN may underlie some of the abnormal behavioral phenotypes seen in ASD. In this review, we approach the interconnections between the molecular pathways related to AN and ASD. We also discuss existing therapeutic approaches targeting such pathways both in preclinical and clinical studies. A deeper understanding of how ASD and AN reciprocally affect one another could reveal important converging pathways leading to the emergence of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Bicker
- Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Leonardo Nardi
- Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jannik Maier
- Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Verica Vasic
- Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael J Schmeisser
- Institute for Microscopic Anatomy and Neurobiology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.,Focus Program Translational Neurosciences (FTN), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
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Martínez-Rodríguez E, Martín-Sánchez A, Kul E, Bose A, Martínez-Martínez FJ, Stork O, Martínez-García F, Lanuza E, Santos M, Agustín-Pavón C. Male-specific features are reduced in Mecp2-null mice: analyses of vasopressinergic innervation, pheromone production and social behaviour. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2219-2238. [PMID: 32749543 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02122-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT), two neuropeptides closely implicated in the modulation of social behaviours, have been reported in some early developmental disorders and autism spectrum disorders. Mutations in the X-linked methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene are associated to Rett syndrome and other neuropsychiatric conditions. Thus, we first analysed AVP and OT expression in the brain of Mecp2-mutant mice by immunohistochemistry. Our results revealed no significant differences in these systems in young adult Mecp2-heterozygous females, as compared to WT littermates. By contrast, we found a significant reduction in the sexually dimorphic, testosterone-dependent, vasopressinergic innervation in several nuclei of the social brain network and oxytocinergic innervation in the lateral habenula of Mecp2-null males, as compared to WT littermates. Analysis of urinary production of pheromones shows that Mecp2-null males lack the testosterone-dependent pheromone darcin, strongly suggesting low levels of androgens in these males. In addition, resident-intruder tests revealed lack of aggressive behaviour in Mecp2-null males and decreased chemoinvestigation of the intruder. By contrast, Mecp2-null males exhibited enhanced social approach, as compared to WT animals, in a 3-chamber social interaction test. In summary, Mecp2-null males, which display internal testicles, display a significant reduction of some male-specific features, such as vasopressinergic innervation within the social brain network, male pheromone production and aggressive behaviour. Thus, atypical social behaviours in Mecp2-null males may be caused, at least in part, by the effect of lack of MeCP2 over sexual differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Martínez-Rodríguez
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estellés, s/n, 46100, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Ana Martín-Sánchez
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació Neuroanatomia Funcional, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I de Castelló, Castelló, Spain.,Neurobiology of Behaviour Research Group (GReNeC-NeuroBio), Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Neuroscience Research Program, IMIM-Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emre Kul
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, and Center for Behavioral Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Aparajita Bose
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, and Center for Behavioral Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Neurologie, Ammerland-Klinik GmbH, Westerstede, Germany
| | - Francisco José Martínez-Martínez
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estellés, s/n, 46100, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Oliver Stork
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, and Center for Behavioral Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Fernando Martínez-García
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació Neuroanatomia Funcional, Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I de Castelló, Castelló, Spain
| | - Enrique Lanuza
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estellés, s/n, 46100, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Mónica Santos
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, and Center for Behavioral Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany. .,CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Rua Larga, Faculdade de Medicina, pólo I, 2º andar, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Carmen Agustín-Pavón
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació Neuroanatomia Funcional, Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Funcional i Antropologia Física, Universitat de València, Av. Vicent Andrés Estellés, s/n, 46100, Burjassot, Spain.
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