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Redl M, Shayegan A, Rollinger JM. Application of 3Rs in Caenorhabditis elegans Research for the Identification of Health-Promoting Natural Products. PLANTA MEDICA 2024; 90:576-587. [PMID: 38843797 DOI: 10.1055/a-2254-0131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
The average age of the population is increasing worldwide, which has a profound impact on our society. This leads to an increasing demand for medicines and requires the development of new strategies to promote health during the additional years. In the search for resources and therapeutics for improved health during an extended life span, attention has to be paid to environmental exposure and ecosystem burdens that inevitably emerge with the extended consumption of medicines and drug development, even in the preclinical stage. The hereby introduced sustainable strategy for drug discovery is built on 3Rs, "R: obustness, R: eliability, and saving R: esources", inspired by both the 3Rs used in animal experiments and environmental protection, and centers on the usefulness and the variety of the small model organism Caenorhabditis elegans for detecting health-promoting natural products. A workflow encompassing a multilevel screening approach is presented to maximize the amount of information on health-promoting samples, while considering the 3Rs. A detailed, methodology- and praxis-oriented compilation and discussion of proposed C. elegans health span assays and more disease-specific assays are presented to offer guidance for scientists intending to work with C. elegans, thus facilitating the initial steps towards the integration of C. elegans assays in their laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Redl
- Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Pharmaceutical, Nutritional, and Sport Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anusha Shayegan
- Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Judith M Rollinger
- Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Hudgins AD, Zhou S, Arey RN, Rosenfeld MG, Murphy CT, Suh Y. A systems biology-based identification and in vivo functional screening of Alzheimer's disease risk genes reveal modulators of memory function. Neuron 2024:S0896-6273(24)00247-2. [PMID: 38692279 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have uncovered over 75 genomic loci associated with risk for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), but identification of the underlying causal genes remains challenging. Studies of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons from LOAD patients have demonstrated the existence of neuronal cell-intrinsic functional defects. Here, we searched for genetic contributions to neuronal dysfunction in LOAD using an integrative systems approach that incorporated multi-evidence-based gene mapping and network-analysis-based prioritization. A systematic perturbation screening of candidate risk genes in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) revealed that neuronal knockdown of the LOAD risk gene orthologs vha-10 (ATP6V1G2), cmd-1 (CALM3), amph-1 (BIN1), ephx-1 (NGEF), and pho-5 (ACP2) alters short-/intermediate-term memory function, the cognitive domain affected earliest during LOAD progression. These results highlight the impact of LOAD risk genes on evolutionarily conserved memory function, as mediated through neuronal endosomal dysfunction, and identify new targets for further mechanistic interrogation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D Hudgins
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shiyi Zhou
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Rachel N Arey
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Michael G Rosenfeld
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Coleen T Murphy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; LSI Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Yousin Suh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
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3
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Fabrizio P, Alcolei A, Solari F. Considering Caenorhabditis elegans Aging on a Temporal and Tissue Scale: The Case of Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling. Cells 2024; 13:288. [PMID: 38334680 PMCID: PMC10854721 DOI: 10.3390/cells13030288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The aging process is inherently complex, involving multiple mechanisms that interact at different biological scales. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a simple model organism that has played a pivotal role in aging research following the discovery of mutations extending lifespan. Longevity pathways identified in C. elegans were subsequently found to be conserved and regulate lifespan in multiple species. These pathways intersect with fundamental hallmarks of aging that include nutrient sensing, epigenetic alterations, proteostasis loss, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Here we summarize recent data obtained in C. elegans highlighting the importance of studying aging at both the tissue and temporal scale. We then focus on the neuromuscular system to illustrate the kinetics of changes that take place with age. We describe recently developed tools that enabled the dissection of the contribution of the insulin/IGF-1 receptor ortholog DAF-2 to the regulation of worm mobility in specific tissues and at different ages. We also discuss guidelines and potential pitfalls in the use of these new tools. We further highlight the opportunities that they present, especially when combined with recent transcriptomic data, to address and resolve the inherent complexity of aging. Understanding how different aging processes interact within and between tissues at different life stages could ultimately suggest potential intervention points for age-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Fabrizio
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modélisation de la Cellule, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS UMR5239, INSERM 1210, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69364 Lyon, France;
| | - Allan Alcolei
- INMG, MeLiS, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69008 Lyon, France;
| | - Florence Solari
- INMG, MeLiS, CNRS UMR 5284, INSERM U1314, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69008 Lyon, France;
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4
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Stevenson ME, Bieri G, Kaletsky R, St Ange J, Remesal L, Pratt KJB, Zhou S, Weng Y, Murphy CT, Villeda SA. Neuronal activation of G αq EGL-30/GNAQ late in life rejuvenates cognition across species. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113151. [PMID: 37713310 PMCID: PMC10627507 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113151] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss of cognitive function with age is devastating. EGL-30/GNAQ and Gαq signaling pathways are highly conserved between C. elegans and mammals, and murine Gnaq is enriched in hippocampal neurons and declines with age. We found that activation of EGL-30 in aged worms triples memory span, and GNAQ gain of function significantly improved memory in aged mice: GNAQ(gf) in hippocampal neurons of 24-month-old mice (equivalent to 70- to 80-year-old humans) rescued age-related impairments in well-being and memory. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing revealed increased expression of genes regulating synaptic function, axon guidance, and memory in GNAQ-treated mice, and worm orthologs of these genes were required for long-term memory extension in worms. These experiments demonstrate that C. elegans is a powerful model to identify mammalian regulators of memory, leading to the identification of a pathway that improves memory in extremely old mice. To our knowledge, this is the oldest age at which an intervention has improved age-related cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E Stevenson
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Gregor Bieri
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Bakar Aging Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Rachel Kaletsky
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jonathan St Ange
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - L Remesal
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Bakar Aging Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Karishma J B Pratt
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Bakar Aging Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Shiyi Zhou
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Yifei Weng
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Coleen T Murphy
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Saul A Villeda
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Bakar Aging Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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5
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Rosales-Pérez KE, Elizalde-Velázquez GA, Gómez-Oliván LM, Orozco-Hernández JM, Cardoso-Vera JD, Heredia-García G, Islas-Flores H, García-Medina S, Galar-Martínez M. Response to letter to the editor about Rosales-Pérez et al., 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133791)instigating reflections on methodological and analytical rigor in ecotoxicological studies based on the research by Rosales-Pérez et al. (2022) by Guilherme Malafaia. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 312:137128. [PMID: 36370758 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Karina Elisa Rosales-Pérez
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Paseo Colón intersección Paseo Tollocan, Colonia Residencial Colón, CP, 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Gustavo Axel Elizalde-Velázquez
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Paseo Colón intersección Paseo Tollocan, Colonia Residencial Colón, CP, 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Leobardo Manuel Gómez-Oliván
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Paseo Colón intersección Paseo Tollocan, Colonia Residencial Colón, CP, 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - José Manuel Orozco-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Paseo Colón intersección Paseo Tollocan, Colonia Residencial Colón, CP, 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Jesús Daniel Cardoso-Vera
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Paseo Colón intersección Paseo Tollocan, Colonia Residencial Colón, CP, 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Heredia-García
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Paseo Colón intersección Paseo Tollocan, Colonia Residencial Colón, CP, 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Hariz Islas-Flores
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Paseo Colón intersección Paseo Tollocan, Colonia Residencial Colón, CP, 50120, Toluca, Estado de México, Mexico
| | - Sandra García-Medina
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Acuática, Departamento de Farmacia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Unidad Professional Adolfo López Mateos, Av. Wilfrido Massieu s/n y cerrada Manuel Stampa, Col. Industrial Vallejo, Ciudad de México, CP, 07700, Mexico
| | - Marcela Galar-Martínez
- Laboratorio de Toxicología Acuática, Departamento de Farmacia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Unidad Professional Adolfo López Mateos, Av. Wilfrido Massieu s/n y cerrada Manuel Stampa, Col. Industrial Vallejo, Ciudad de México, CP, 07700, Mexico
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6
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Identification of a Hydroxygallic Acid Derivative, Zingibroside R1 and a Sterol Lipid as Potential Active Ingredients of Cuscuta chinensis Extract That Has Neuroprotective and Antioxidant Effects in Aged Caenorhabditis elegans. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14194199. [PMID: 36235851 PMCID: PMC9570774 DOI: 10.3390/nu14194199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the effects of the extracts from two traditional Chinese medicine plants, Cuscuta chinensis and Eucommia ulmoides, on the healthspan of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. C. chinensis increased the short-term memory and the mechanosensory response of aged C. elegans. Furthermore, both extracts improved the resistance towards oxidative stress, and decreased the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species. Chemical analyses of the extracts revealed the presence of several bioactive compounds such as chlorogenic acid, cinnamic acid, and quercetin. A fraction from the C. chinensis extract enriched in zingibroside R1 improved the lifespan, the survival after heat stress, and the locomotion in a manner similar to the full C. chinensis extract. Thus, zingibroside R1 could be (partly) responsible for the observed health benefits of C. chinensis. Furthermore, a hydroxygallic acid derivative and the sterol lipid 4-alpha-formyl-stigmasta-7,24(241)-dien-3-beta-ol are abundantly present in the C. chinensis extract and its most bioactive fraction, but hardly in E. ulmoides, making them good candidates to explain the overall healthspan benefits of C. chinensis compared to the specific positive effects on stress resistance by E. ulmoides. Our findings highlight the overall anti-aging effects of C. chinensis in C. elegans and provide first hints about the components responsible for these effects.
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7
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Invited review: Unearthing the mechanisms of age-related neurodegenerative disease using Caenorhabditis elegans. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 267:111166. [PMID: 35176489 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
As human life expectancy increases, neurodegenerative diseases present a growing public health threat, for which there are currently few effective treatments. There is an urgent need to understand the molecular and genetic underpinnings of these disorders so new therapeutic targets can be identified. Here we present the argument that the simple nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful tool to rapidly study neurodegenerative disorders due to their short lifespan and vast array of genetic tools, which can be combined with characterization of conserved neuronal processes and behavior orthologous to those disrupted in human disease. We review how pre-existing C. elegans models provide insight into human neurological disease as well as an overview of current tools available to study neurodegenerative diseases in the worm, with an emphasis on genetics and behavior. We also discuss open questions that C. elegans may be particularly well suited for in future studies and how worms will be a valuable preclinical model to better understand these devastating neurological disorders.
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8
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Kalia V, Niedzwiecki MM, Bradner JM, Lau FK, Anderson FL, Bucher ML, Manz KE, Schlotter AP, Fuentes ZC, Pennell KD, Picard M, Walker DI, Hu WT, Jones DP, Miller GW. Cross-species metabolomic analysis of tau- and DDT-related toxicity. PNAS NEXUS 2022; 1:pgac050. [PMID: 35707205 PMCID: PMC9186048 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a disease also associated with hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) protein aggregation. We investigated whether exposure to DDT can exacerbate tau protein toxicity in Caenorhabditiselegans using a transgenic strain that expresses human tau protein prone to aggregation by measuring changes in size, swim behavior, respiration, lifespan, learning, and metabolism. In addition, we examined the association between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) p-tau protein-as a marker of postmortem tau burden-and global metabolism in both a human population study and in C. elegans, using the same p-tau transgenic strain. From the human population study, plasma and CSF-derived metabolic features associated with p-tau levels were related to drug, amino acid, fatty acid, and mitochondrial metabolism pathways. A total of five metabolites overlapped between plasma and C. elegans, and four between CSF and C. elegans. DDT exacerbated the inhibitory effect of p-tau protein on growth and basal respiration. In the presence of p-tau protein, DDT induced more curling and was associated with reduced levels of amino acids but increased levels of uric acid and adenosylselenohomocysteine. Our findings in C. elegans indicate that DDT exposure and p-tau aggregation both inhibit mitochondrial function and DDT exposure can exacerbate the mitochondrial inhibitory effects of p-tau aggregation. Further, biological pathways associated with exposure to DDT and p-tau protein appear to be conserved between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vrinda Kalia
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032 USA
| | - Megan M Niedzwiecki
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029 USA
| | - Joshua M Bradner
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032 USA
| | - Fion K Lau
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032 USA
| | - Faith L Anderson
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032 USA
| | - Meghan L Bucher
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032 USA
| | - Katherine E Manz
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912 USA
| | - Alexa Puri Schlotter
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032 USA
| | - Zoe Coates Fuentes
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029 USA
| | - Kurt D Pennell
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912 USA
| | - Martin Picard
- Department of Neurology, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032 USA
| | - Douglas I Walker
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029 USA
| | - William T Hu
- Department of Neurology, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901 USA
| | - Dean P Jones
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322 USA
| | - Gary W Miller
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032 USA
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9
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Cho Y, Jonas‐Closs RA, Yampolsky LY, Kirschner MW, Peshkin L. Intelligent high-throughput intervention testing platform in Daphnia. Aging Cell 2022; 21:e13571. [PMID: 35195332 PMCID: PMC8920439 DOI: 10.1111/acel.13571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a novel platform for testing the effects of interventions on the life- and healthspan of a short-lived freshwater organism with complex behavior and physiology-the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna. Within this platform, dozens of complex behavioral features of both routine motion and response to stimuli are continuously quantified over large synchronized cohorts via an automated phenotyping pipeline. We build predictive machine-learning models calibrated using chronological age and extrapolate onto phenotypic age. We further apply the model to estimate the phenotypic age under pharmacological perturbation. Our platform provides a scalable framework for drug screening and characterization in both life-long and instant assays as illustrated using a long-term dose-response profile of metformin and a short-term assay of well-studied substances such as caffeine and alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongmin Cho
- Department of Systems Biology Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA
| | | | - Lev Y. Yampolsky
- Department of Biological Sciences East Tennessee State University Johnson City Tennessee USA
| | - Marc W. Kirschner
- Department of Systems Biology Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA
| | - Leonid Peshkin
- Department of Systems Biology Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA
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10
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Lopez ME, Vacio AM, Cantu J, Holgado A. UNC-33L partially rescues life span and locomotion defects in unc-33 mutants but fails to rescue dauer formation defects. MICROPUBLICATION BIOLOGY 2022; 2022:10.17912/micropub.biology.000515. [PMID: 35088044 PMCID: PMC8787492 DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Herein, we tested the ability of UNC-33L to rescue dauer formation, lifespan, and locomotion defects of unc-33(mn407) mutants. Results show that the presence of UNC-33L does not rescue the defective dauer phenotype in unc-33(mn407) mutants. However, UNC-33L significantly rescued premature death and uncoordinated locomotion in young unc-33(mn407) adults. The degree of UNC-33L-mediated rescue was less noticeable as the nematodes aged, denoting that both age and the presence of UNC-33L interact in the production of the phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa E Lopez
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. Edward's University, Austin, TX
| | - Arianna M Vacio
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. Edward's University, Austin, TX
| | - Jason Cantu
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. Edward's University, Austin, TX
| | - Andrea Holgado
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. Edward's University, Austin, TX,
Correspondence to: Andrea Holgado ()
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11
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Health and longevity studies in C. elegans: the "healthy worm database" reveals strengths, weaknesses and gaps of test compound-based studies. Biogerontology 2021; 22:215-236. [PMID: 33683565 PMCID: PMC7973913 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-021-09913-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Several biogerontology databases exist that focus on genetic or gene expression data linked to health as well as survival, subsequent to compound treatments or genetic manipulations in animal models. However, none of these has yet collected experimental results of compound-related health changes. Since quality of life is often regarded as more valuable than length of life, we aim to fill this gap with the “Healthy Worm Database” (http://healthy-worm-database.eu). Literature describing health-related compound studies in the aging model Caenorhabditis elegans was screened, and data for 440 compounds collected. The database considers 189 publications describing 89 different phenotypes measured in 2995 different conditions. Besides enabling a targeted search for promising compounds for further investigations, this database also offers insights into the research field of studies on healthy aging based on a frequently used model organism. Some weaknesses of C. elegans-based aging studies, like underrepresented phenotypes, especially concerning cognitive functions, as well as the convenience-based use of young worms as the starting point for compound treatment or phenotype measurement are discussed. In conclusion, the database provides an anchor for the search for compounds affecting health, with a link to public databases, and it further highlights some potential shortcomings in current aging research.
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12
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Li Q, Marcu DC, Palazzo O, Turner F, King D, Spires-Jones TL, Stefan MI, Busch KE. High neural activity accelerates the decline of cognitive plasticity with age in Caenorhabditis elegans. eLife 2020; 9:59711. [PMID: 33228848 PMCID: PMC7685709 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to learn progressively declines with age. Neural hyperactivity has been implicated in impairing cognitive plasticity with age, but the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that chronic excitation of the Caenorhabditis elegans O2-sensing neurons during ageing causes a rapid decline of experience-dependent plasticity in response to environmental O2 concentration, whereas sustaining lower activity of O2-sensing neurons retains plasticity with age. We demonstrate that neural activity alters the ageing trajectory in the transcriptome of O2-sensing neurons, and our data suggest that high-activity neurons redirect resources from maintaining plasticity to sustaining continuous firing. Sustaining plasticity with age requires the K+-dependent Na+/Ca2+ (NCKX) exchanger, whereas the decline of plasticity with age in high-activity neurons acts through calmodulin and the scaffold protein Kidins220. Our findings demonstrate directly that the activity of neurons alters neuronal homeostasis to govern the age-related decline of neural plasticity and throw light on the mechanisms involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaochu Li
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel-Cosmin Marcu
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Ottavia Palazzo
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Frances Turner
- Edinburgh Genomics (Genome Science), Ashworth Laboratories, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Declan King
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Tara L Spires-Jones
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Melanie I Stefan
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.,ZJU-UoE Institute, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Karl Emanuel Busch
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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13
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Sae-Lee W, Scott LL, Brose L, Encarnacion AJ, Shi T, Kore P, Oyibo LO, Ye C, Rozmiarek SK, Pierce JT. APP-Induced Patterned Neurodegeneration Is Exacerbated by APOE4 in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2020; 10:2851-2861. [PMID: 32580938 PMCID: PMC7407474 DOI: 10.1534/g3.120.401486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Genetic and epidemiological studies have found that variations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and the apoliopoprotein E (APOE) genes represent major modifiers of the progressive neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD). An extra copy of or gain-of-function mutations in APP correlate with early onset AD. Compared to the other variants (APOE2 and APOE3), the ε4 allele of APOE (APOE4) hastens and exacerbates early and late onset forms of AD. Convenient in vivo models to study how APP and APOE4 interact at the cellular and molecular level to influence neurodegeneration are lacking. Here, we show that the nematode C. elegans can model important aspects of AD including age-related, patterned neurodegeneration that is exacerbated by APOE4 Specifically, we found that APOE4, but not APOE3, acts with APP to hasten and expand the pattern of cholinergic neurodegeneration caused by APP Molecular mechanisms underlying how APP and APOE4 synergize to kill some neurons while leaving others unaffected may be uncovered using this convenient worm model of neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wisath Sae-Lee
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Luisa L Scott
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Lotti Brose
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Aliyah J Encarnacion
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Ted Shi
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Pragati Kore
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Lashaun O Oyibo
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Congxi Ye
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Susan K Rozmiarek
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
| | - Jonathan T Pierce
- Center for Learning and Memory; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research; Cell and Molecular Biology; Department of Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, TX, 78712
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14
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Arora S, Ligoxygakis P. Beyond Host Defense: Deregulation of Drosophila Immunity and Age-Dependent Neurodegeneration. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1574. [PMID: 32774336 PMCID: PMC7387716 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-dependent neurodegenerative disorders are a set of diseases that affect millions of individuals worldwide. Apart from a small subset that are the result of well-defined inherited autosomal dominant gene mutations (e.g., those encoding the β-amyloid precursor protein and presenilins), our understanding of the genetic network that underscores their pathology, remains scarce. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) especially in Alzheimer's disease patients and research in Parkinson's disease have implicated inflammation and the innate immune response as risk factors. However, even if GWAS etiology points toward innate immunity, untangling cause, and consequence is a challenging task. Specifically, it is not clear whether predisposition to de-regulated immunity causes an inadequate response to protein aggregation (such as amyloid or α-synuclein) or is the direct cause of this aggregation. Given the evolutionary conservation of the innate immune response in Drosophila and humans, unraveling whether hyperactive immune response in glia have a protective or pathological role in the brain could be a potential strategy in combating age-related neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srishti Arora
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Development and Genetics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Petros Ligoxygakis
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Development and Genetics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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15
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Richardson CE, Yee C, Shen K. A hormone receptor pathway cell-autonomously delays neuron morphological aging by suppressing endocytosis. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000452. [PMID: 31589601 PMCID: PMC6797217 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurons have a lifespan that parallels that of the organism and are largely irreplaceable. Their unusually long lifespan predisposes neurons to neurodegenerative disease. We sought to identify physiological mechanisms that delay neuron aging in Caenorhabditis elegans by asking how neuron morphological aging is arrested in the long-lived, alternate organismal state, the dauer diapause. We find that a hormone signaling pathway, the abnormal DAuer Formation (DAF) 12 nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) pathway, functions cell-intrinsically in the dauer diapause to arrest neuron morphological aging, and that same pathway can be cell-autonomously manipulated during normal organismal aging to delay neuron morphological aging. This delayed aging is mediated by suppressing constitutive endocytosis, which alters the subcellular localization of the actin regulator T cell lymphoma Invasion And Metastasis 1 (TIAM-1), thereby decreasing age-dependent neurite growth. Intriguingly, we show that suppressed endocytosis appears to be a general feature of cells in diapause, suggestive that this may be a mechanism to halt the growth and other age-related programs supported by most endosome recycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E. Richardson
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Callista Yee
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Kang Shen
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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16
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Patel DS, Xu N, Lu H. Digging deeper: methodologies for high-content phenotyping in Caenorhabditis elegans. Lab Anim (NY) 2019; 48:207-216. [PMID: 31217565 DOI: 10.1038/s41684-019-0326-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Deep phenotyping is an emerging conceptual paradigm and experimental approach aimed at measuring and linking many aspects of a phenotype to understand its underlying biology. To date, deep phenotyping has been applied mostly in cultured cells and used less in multicellular organisms. However, in the past decade, it has increasingly been recognized that deep phenotyping could lead to a better understanding of how genetics, environment and stochasticity affect the development, physiology and behavior of an organism. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an invaluable model system for studying how genes affect a phenotypic trait, and new technologies have taken advantage of the worm's physical attributes to increase the throughput and informational content of experiments. Coupling of these technical advancements with computational and analytical tools has enabled a boom in deep-phenotyping studies of C. elegans. In this Review, we highlight how these new technologies and tools are digging into the biological origins of complex, multidimensional phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhaval S Patel
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Nan Xu
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hang Lu
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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17
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Griffin EF, Scopel SE, Stephen CA, Holzhauer AC, Vaji MA, Tuckey RA, Berkowitz LA, Caldwell KA, Caldwell GA. ApoE-associated modulation of neuroprotection from Aβ-mediated neurodegeneration in transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans. Dis Model Mech 2019; 12:dmm.037218. [PMID: 30683808 PMCID: PMC6398492 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.037218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Allele-specific distinctions in the human apolipoprotein E (APOE) locus represent the best-characterized genetic predictor of Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. Expression of isoform APOEε2 is associated with reduced risk, while APOEε3 is neutral and APOEε4 carriers exhibit increased susceptibility. Using Caenorhabditis elegans, we generated a novel suite of humanized transgenic nematodes to facilitate neuronal modeling of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) co-expression in the context of distinct human APOE alleles. We found that co-expression of human APOEε2 with Aβ attenuated Aβ-induced neurodegeneration, whereas expression of the APOEε4 allele had no effect on neurodegeneration, indicating a loss of neuroprotective capacity. Notably, the APOEε3 allele displayed an intermediate phenotype; it was not neuroprotective in young adults but attenuated neurodegeneration in older animals. There was no functional impact from the three APOE isoforms in the absence of Aβ co-expression. Pharmacological treatment that examined neuroprotective effects of APOE alleles on calcium homeostasis showed allele-specific responses to changes in ER-associated calcium dynamics in the Aβ background. Additionally, Aβ suppressed survival, an effect that was rescued by APOEε2 and APOEε3, but not APOEε4. Expression of the APOE alleles in neurons, independent of Aβ, exerted no impact on survival. Taken together, these results illustrate that C. elegans provides a powerful in vivo platform with which to explore how AD-associated neuronal pathways are modulated by distinct APOE gene products in the context of Aβ-associated neurotoxicity. The significance of both ApoE and Aβ to AD highlights the utility of this new pre-clinical model as a means to dissect their functional inter-relationship.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward F Griffin
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA
| | - Samuel E Scopel
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA
| | - Cayman A Stephen
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA
| | - Adam C Holzhauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA
| | - Madeline A Vaji
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA
| | - Ryan A Tuckey
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA
| | - Laura A Berkowitz
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA
| | - Kim A Caldwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA.,Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Nathan Shock Center for Research on the Basic Biology of Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Guy A Caldwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870344, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0344, USA .,Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology, Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, Nathan Shock Center for Research on the Basic Biology of Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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18
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Lacreuse A, Parr L, Chennareddi L, Herndon JG. Age-related decline in cognitive flexibility in female chimpanzees. Neurobiol Aging 2018; 72:83-88. [PMID: 30237074 PMCID: PMC6215734 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Data on cognitive aging in chimpanzees are extremely sparse, yet can provide an invaluable phylogenetic perspective, especially because Alzheimer disease (AD)-like neuropathology has recently been described in the oldest chimpanzee brains. This finding underscores the importance of data on cognitive aging in this fellow hominin, our closest biological relative. We tested 30 female chimpanzees, 12-56 years old, on a computerized analog of the Wisconsin Card Sort test. This test assesses cognitive flexibility, which is severely impaired in normal aging and AD. Subjects selected stimuli according to color or shape; the rewarded dimension (i.e., color or shape) switched without warning and the chimpanzee had to adapt her responses accordingly. We found that increasing age was associated with an increased number of perseverative errors and an increased number of trials to reach criterion in each switching dimension. The number of aborted trials was similar across age groups. These data show that similar to humans, chimpanzees show a clear age-related decline in cognitive flexibility that is already observed at middle age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnès Lacreuse
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA, USA
| | - Lisa Parr
- Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Emory University, Atlanta GA, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA, USA
| | | | - James G Herndon
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta GA, USA; Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta GA, USA.
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19
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Adams MM, Kafaligonul H. Zebrafish-A Model Organism for Studying the Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying Cognitive Brain Aging and Use of Potential Interventions. Front Cell Dev Biol 2018; 6:135. [PMID: 30443547 PMCID: PMC6221905 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2018.00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M Adams
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics Department Zebrafish Facility, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hulusi Kafaligonul
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
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20
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MiR-34 inhibits polycomb repressive complex 2 to modulate chaperone expression and promote healthy brain aging. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4188. [PMID: 30305625 PMCID: PMC6180074 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06592-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging is a prominent risk factor for neurodegenerative disease. Defining gene expression mechanisms affecting healthy brain aging should lead to insight into genes that modulate susceptibility to disease. To define such mechanisms, we have pursued analysis of miR-34 mutants in Drosophila. The miR-34 mutant brain displays a gene expression profile of accelerated aging, and miR-34 upregulation is a potent suppressor of polyglutamine-induced neurodegeneration. We demonstrate that Pcl and Su(z)12, two components of polycomb repressive complex 2, (PRC2), are targets of miR-34, with implications for age-associated processes. Because PRC2 confers the repressive H3K27me3 mark, we hypothesize that miR-34 modulates PRC2 activity to relieve silencing of genes promoting healthful aging. Gene expression profiling of the brains of hypomorphic mutants in Enhancer of zeste (E(z)), the enzymatic methyltransferase component of PRC2, revealed a younger brain transcriptome profile and identified the small heat shock proteins as key genes reduced in expression with age. miR-34 is known to regulate age-related gene expression in the Drosophila brain, and miR-34 overexpression can attenuate neurodegeneration induced by polyQ-expanded proteins. Here, Kennerdell and colleagues show that miR-34 confers longevity and neuroprotection via an epigenetic regulator Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 and molecular chaperone expression.
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21
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Arey RN, Stein GM, Kaletsky R, Kauffman A, Murphy CT. Activation of G αq Signaling Enhances Memory Consolidation and Slows Cognitive Decline. Neuron 2018; 98:562-574.e5. [PMID: 29656871 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Perhaps the most devastating decline with age is the loss of memory. Therefore, identifying mechanisms to restore memory function with age is critical. Using C. elegans associative learning and memory assays, we identified a gain-of-function Gαq signaling pathway mutant that forms a long-term (cAMP response element binding protein [CREB]-dependent) memory following one conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) pairing, which usually requires seven CS-US pairings. Increased CREB activity in AIM interneurons reduces the threshold for memory consolidation through transcription of a set of previously identified "long-term memory" genes. Enhanced Gαq signaling in the AWC sensory neuron is both necessary and sufficient for improved memory and increased AIM CREB activity, and activation of Gαq specifically in aged animals rescues the ability to form memory. Activation of Gαq in AWC sensory neurons non-cell autonomously induces consolidation after one CS-US pairing, enabling both cognitive function maintenance with age and restoration of memory function in animals with impaired memory performance without decreased longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel N Arey
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Geneva M Stein
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Rachel Kaletsky
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Amanda Kauffman
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Coleen T Murphy
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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22
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Neuner SM, Wilmott LA, Burger C, Kaczorowski CC. Advances at the intersection of normal brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Behav Brain Res 2017; 322:187-190. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.01.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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