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Yeo YG, Park J, Kim Y, Rah JC, Shin CH, Oh SJ, Jang JH, Lee Y, Yoon JH, Oh YS. Retinoic acid modulation of granule cell activity and spatial discrimination in the adult hippocampus. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1379438. [PMID: 38694537 PMCID: PMC11061364 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1379438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA), derived from vitamin A (retinol), plays a crucial role in modulating neuroplasticity within the adult brain. Perturbations in RA signaling have been associated with memory impairments, underscoring the necessity to elucidate RA's influence on neuronal activity, particularly within the hippocampus. In this study, we investigated the cell type and sub-regional distribution of RA-responsive granule cells (GCs) in the mouse hippocampus and delineated their properties. We discovered that RA-responsive GCs tend to exhibit a muted response to environmental novelty, typically remaining inactive. Interestingly, chronic dietary depletion of RA leads to an abnormal increase in GC activation evoked by a novel environment, an effect that is replicated by the localized application of an RA receptor beta (RARβ) antagonist. Furthermore, our study shows that prolonged RA deficiency impairs spatial discrimination-a cognitive function reliant on the hippocampus-with such impairments being reversible with RA replenishment. In summary, our findings significantly contribute to a better understanding of RA's role in regulating adult hippocampal neuroplasticity and cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Gwon Yeo
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeongrak Park
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonsub Kim
- Sensory and Motor Systems Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Cheol Rah
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Sensory and Motor Systems Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Chang-Hoon Shin
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Seo-Jin Oh
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Hyeok Jang
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Yaebin Lee
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Hyuk Yoon
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Seok Oh
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
- Emotion, Cognition and Behavior Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu, Republic of Korea
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Chen Y, Zhou Y, Cai J, Xu J, Hu C, Chen H, Hong Y, Pan N, Jiang Y, Zhou C, Wei H, Xu Z, Liu L, Wu X, Cui W. The activation of RARα prevents surgery-induced cognitive impairments via the inhibition of neuroinflammation and the restoration of synaptic proteins in elderly mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 130:111772. [PMID: 38432148 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111772] [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: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Post-operative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a multi-etiological symptom mainly occurred in elderly people after surgery. The activation of retinoic acid receptor α (RARα), a transcriptional factor, was previously predicated to be negatively associated with the occurrence of POCD. However, the mechanisms underlying anti-POCD effects of RARα were still unclear. In this study, AM580, a selective agonist of RARα, and all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), a pan agonist of RAR, significantly alleviated cognitive dysfunction and increased the expression of RARα in elderly mice after surgery, which was decreased by RO41-5253, an antagonist of RARα. A bioinformatic study further predicted that the activation of RARα might produce anti-POCD effects via the restoration of synaptic proteins. Both agonists inhibited the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (Myd88) and the phosphorylation of nuclear factorkappa-B (NF-κB), leading to the prevention of microglial over-activation and pro-inflammatory cytokines secretion in the hippocampal regions of elderly mice after surgery. Moreover, AM580 and ATRA increased the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95), and the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB). All these results suggested that the activation of RARα prevented surgery-induced cognitive impairments via the inhibition of neuroinflammation by the reduction of the TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB pathway and the restoration of synaptic proteins by the activation of the BDNF/ERK/CREB pathway, providing a further support that RARα could be developed as a therapeutic target for POCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China; Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yi Zhou
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Jinhan Cai
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Jiayi Xu
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chenwei Hu
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Huiyue Chen
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yirui Hong
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Nanyi Pan
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Yujie Jiang
- Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chenhui Zhou
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Hua Wei
- Ningbo College of Health Sciences, Ningbo 315100, China
| | - Zhipeng Xu
- Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai 200120, China
| | - Lin Liu
- Women and Children's Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xiang Wu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China; Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
| | - Wei Cui
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China; Translational Medicine Center of Pain, Emotion and Cognition, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Health Science Center, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China; Ningbo Kangning Hospital, Ningbo 315211, China.
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Xu D, Zhi Y, Liu X, Guan L, Yu J, Zhang D, Zhang W, Wang Y, Tao W, Xu Z. WDR62-deficiency Causes Autism-like Behaviors Independent of Microcephaly in Mice. Neurosci Bull 2023; 39:1333-1347. [PMID: 36571716 PMCID: PMC10465473 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00997-5] [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: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain size abnormality is correlated with an increased frequency of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Genetic analysis indicates that heterozygous mutations of the WD repeat domain 62 (WDR62) are associated with ASD. However, biological evidence is still lacking. Our study showed that Wdr62 knockout (KO) led to reduced brain size with impaired learning and memory, as well as ASD-like behaviors in mice. Interestingly, Wdr62 Nex-cKO mice (depletion of WDR62 in differentiated neurons) had a largely normal brain size but with aberrant social interactions and repetitive behaviors. WDR62 regulated dendritic spinogenesis and excitatory synaptic transmission in cortical pyramidal neurons. Finally, we revealed that retinoic acid gavages significantly alleviated ASD-like behaviors in mice with WDR62 haploinsufficiency, probably by complementing the expression of ASD and synapse-related genes. Our findings provide a new perspective on the relationship between the microcephaly gene WDR62 and ASD etiology that will benefit clinical diagnosis and intervention of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Xu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, Institute of Neuroscience, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350005, China.
| | - Yiqiang Zhi
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Xinyi Liu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Le Guan
- Key Laboratory of Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Jurui Yu
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Weiya Zhang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yaqing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Wucheng Tao
- Key Laboratory of Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350108, China.
| | - Zhiheng Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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Su XH, Li WP, Wang YJ, Liu J, Liu JY, Jiang Y, Peng FH. Chronic Administration of 13-cis-retinoic Acid Induces Depression-Like Behavior by Altering the Activity of Dentate Granule Cells. Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:421-433. [PMID: 34893965 PMCID: PMC9130401 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-021-01168-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression is a common but serious mental disorder and can be caused by the side effects of medications. Evidence from abundant clinical case reports and experimental animal models has revealed the association between the classic anti-acne drug 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA) and depressive symptoms. However, direct experimental evidence of this mechanism and information on appropriate therapeutic rescue strategies are lacking. Herein, our data revealed that chronic administration of 13-cis-RA to adolescent mice induced depression-like behavior but not anxiety-like behavior. We next demonstrated that chronic 13-cis-RA application increased neural activity in the dentate gyrus (DG) using c-Fos immunostaining, which may be critically involved in some aspects of depression-like behavior. Therefore, we assessed electrophysiological functions by obtaining whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of dentate granule cells (DGCs), which revealed that chronic 13-cis-RA treatment shifted the excitatory-inhibitory balance toward excitation and increased intrinsic excitability. Furthermore, a pharmacogenetic approach was performed to repeatedly silence DGCs, and this manipulation could rescue depression-like behavior in chronically 13-cis-RA-treated mice, suggesting DGCs as a potential cellular target for the direct alleviation of 13-cis-RA-induced depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Hong Su
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei-Peng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Jie Wang
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jia Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Yu Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Jiang
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China
| | - Fu-Hua Peng
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
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