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Branigan KS, Dotta BT. Cognitive Decline: Current Intervention Strategies and Integrative Therapeutic Approaches for Alzheimer's Disease. Brain Sci 2024; 14:298. [PMID: 38671950 PMCID: PMC11048559 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14040298] [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: 01/06/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a pressing global health challenge, with an anticipated surge in diagnoses over the next two decades. This progressive neurodegenerative disorder unfolds gradually, with observable symptoms emerging after two decades of imperceptible brain changes. While traditional therapeutic approaches, such as medication and cognitive therapy, remain standard in AD management, their limitations prompt exploration into novel integrative therapeutic approaches. Recent advancements in AD research focus on entraining gamma waves through innovative methods, such as light flickering and electromagnetic fields (EMF) stimulation. Flickering light stimulation (FLS) at 40 Hz has demonstrated significant reductions in AD pathologies in both mice and humans, providing improved cognitive functioning. Additionally, recent experiments have demonstrated that APOE mutations in mouse models substantially reduce tau pathologies, with microglial modulation playing a crucial role. EMFs have also been demonstrated to modulate microglia. The exploration of EMFs as a therapeutic approach is gaining significance, as many recent studies have showcased their potential to influence microglial responses. Th article concludes by speculating on the future directions of AD research, emphasizing the importance of ongoing efforts in understanding the complexities of AD pathogenesis through a holistic approach and developing interventions that hold promise for improved patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Blake T. Dotta
- Behavioural Neuroscience & Biology Programs, School of Natural Science, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E2C6, Canada
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Vinci M, Costanza C, Galati Rando R, Treccarichi S, Saccone S, Carotenuto M, Roccella M, Calì F, Elia M, Vetri L. STXBP6 Gene Mutation: A New Form of SNAREopathy Leads to Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16436. [PMID: 38003627 PMCID: PMC10670990 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Syntaxin-binding protein 6 (STXBP6), also known as amysin, is an essential component of the SNAP receptor (SNARE) complex and plays a crucial role in neuronal vesicle trafficking. Mutations in genes encoding SNARE proteins are often associated with a broad spectrum of neurological conditions defined as "SNAREopathies", including epilepsy, intellectual disability, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders. The present whole exome sequencing (WES) study describes, for the first time, the occurrence of developmental epileptic encephalopathy and autism spectrum disorders as a result of a de novo deletion within the STXBP6 gene. The truncated protein in the STXBP6 gene leading to a premature stop codon could negatively modulate the synaptic vesicles' exocytosis. Our research aimed to elucidate a plausible, robust correlation between STXBP6 gene deletion and the manifestation of developmental epileptic encephalopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirella Vinci
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy; (M.V.); (R.G.R.); (S.T.); (M.E.); (L.V.)
| | - Carola Costanza
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy; (C.C.); (M.R.)
| | - Rosanna Galati Rando
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy; (M.V.); (R.G.R.); (S.T.); (M.E.); (L.V.)
| | - Simone Treccarichi
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy; (M.V.); (R.G.R.); (S.T.); (M.E.); (L.V.)
| | - Salvatore Saccone
- Department Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy;
| | - Marco Carotenuto
- Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Michele Roccella
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90141 Palermo, Italy; (C.C.); (M.R.)
| | - Francesco Calì
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy; (M.V.); (R.G.R.); (S.T.); (M.E.); (L.V.)
| | - Maurizio Elia
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy; (M.V.); (R.G.R.); (S.T.); (M.E.); (L.V.)
| | - Luigi Vetri
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy; (M.V.); (R.G.R.); (S.T.); (M.E.); (L.V.)
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Clawson W, Waked B, Madec T, Ghestem A, Quilichini PP, Battaglia D, Bernard C. Perturbed Information Processing Complexity in Experimental Epilepsy. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6573-6587. [PMID: 37550052 PMCID: PMC10513075 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0383-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Comorbidities, such as cognitive deficits, which often accompany epilepsies, constitute a basal state, while seizures are rare and transient events. This suggests that neural dynamics, in particular those supporting cognitive function, are altered in a permanent manner in epilepsy. Here, we test the hypothesis that primitive processes of information processing at the core of cognitive function (i.e., storage and sharing of information) are altered in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex in experimental epilepsy in adult, male Wistar rats. We find that information storage and sharing are organized into substates across the stereotypic states of slow and theta oscillations in both epilepsy and control conditions. However, their internal composition and organization through time are disrupted in epilepsy, partially losing brain state selectivity compared with controls, and shifting toward a regimen of disorder. We propose that the alteration of information processing at this algorithmic level of computation, the theoretical intermediate level between structure and function, may be a mechanism behind the emergent and widespread comorbidities associated with epilepsy, and perhaps other disorders.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Comorbidities, such as cognitive deficits, which often accompany epilepsies, constitute a basal state, while seizures are rare and transient events. This suggests that neural dynamics, in particular those supporting cognitive function, are altered in a permanent manner in epilepsy. Here, we show that basic processes of information processing at the core of cognitive function (i.e., storage and sharing of information) are altered in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex (two regions involved in memory processes) in experimental epilepsy. Such disruption of information processing at the algorithmic level itself could underlie the general performance impairments in epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley Clawson
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Benjamin Waked
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
| | - Tanguy Madec
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
| | - Antoine Ghestem
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
| | - Pascale P Quilichini
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
| | - Demian Battaglia
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
- University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Studies, Strasbourg, France
| | - Christophe Bernard
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
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Aquilani R, Cotta Ramusino M, Maestri R, Iadarola P, Boselli M, Perini G, Boschi F, Dossena M, Bellini A, Buonocore D, Doria E, Costa A, Verri M. Several dementia subtypes and mild cognitive impairment share brain reduction of neurotransmitter precursor amino acids, impaired energy metabolism, and lipid hyperoxidation. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1237469. [PMID: 37655338 PMCID: PMC10466813 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1237469] [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: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective Dementias and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are associated with variously combined changes in the neurotransmitter system and signaling, from neurotransmitter synthesis to synaptic binding. The study tested the hypothesis that different dementia subtypes and MCI may share similar reductions of brain availability in amino acid precursors (AAPs) of neurotransmitter synthesis and concomitant similar impairment in energy production and increase of oxidative stress, i.e., two important metabolic alterations that impact neurotransmission. Materials and methods Sixty-five demented patients (Alzheimer's disease, AD, n = 44; frontotemporal disease, FTD, n = 13; vascular disease, VaD, n = 8), 10 subjects with MCI and 15 control subjects (CTRL) were recruited for this study. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma levels of AAPs, energy substrates (lactate, pyruvate), and an oxidative stress marker (malondialdehyde, MDA) were measured in all participants. Results Demented patients and subjects with MCI were similar for age, anthropometric parameters, biohumoral variables, insulin resistance (HOMA index model), and CSF neuropathology markers. Compared to age-matched CTRL, both demented patients and MCI subjects showed low CSF AAP tyrosine (precursor of dopamine and catecholamines), tryptophan (precursor of serotonin), methionine (precursor of acetylcholine) limited to AD and FTD, and phenylalanine (an essential amino acid largely used for protein synthesis) (p = 0.03 to <0.0001). No significant differences were found among dementia subtypes or between each dementia subtype and MCI subjects. In addition, demented patients and MCI subjects, compared to CTRL, had similar increases in CSF and plasma levels of pyruvate (CSF: p = 0.023 to <0.0001; plasma: p < 0.002 to <0.0001) and MDA (CSF: p < 0.035 to 0.002; plasma: p < 0.0001). Only in AD patients was the CSF level of lactate higher than in CTRL (p = 0.003). Lactate/pyruvate ratios were lower in all experimental groups than in CTRL. Conclusion AD, FTD, and VaD dementia patients and MCI subjects may share similar deficits in AAPs, partly in energy substrates, and similar increases in oxidative stress. These metabolic alterations may be due to AAP overconsumption following high brain protein turnover (leading to phenylalanine reductions), altered mitochondrial structure and function, and an excess of free radical production. All these metabolic alterations may have a negative impact on synaptic plasticity and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Aquilani
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, “Lazzaro Spallanzani,” University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Matteo Cotta Ramusino
- Unit of Behavioral Neurology and Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia, IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Dementia Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Roberto Maestri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering of the Montescano Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Montescano, Italy
| | - Paolo Iadarola
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, “Lazzaro Spallanzani,” University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mirella Boselli
- Neurorehabilitation Unit of the Montescano Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Montescano, Italy
| | - Giulia Perini
- Unit of Behavioral Neurology and Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia, IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Dementia Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Boschi
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Maurizia Dossena
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, “Lazzaro Spallanzani,” University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna Bellini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, “Lazzaro Spallanzani,” University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Daniela Buonocore
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, “Lazzaro Spallanzani,” University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Enrico Doria
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, “Lazzaro Spallanzani,” University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alfredo Costa
- Unit of Behavioral Neurology and Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia, IRCCS C. Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Manuela Verri
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, “Lazzaro Spallanzani,” University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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de Ávila C, Suazo C, Nolz J, Cochran JN, Wang Q, Velazquez R, Dammer E, Readhead B, Mastroeni D. Reduced PIN1 gene expression in neocortical and limbic brain regions in female Alzheimer's patients correlates with cognitive and neuropathological phenotypes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.14.553279. [PMID: 37645898 PMCID: PMC10462057 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.14.553279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Women have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), even after adjusting for increased longevity. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify the molecular networks that underpin the sex-associated risk of AD. Recent efforts have identified PIN1 as a key regulator of tau phosphorylation signaling pathway. Pin1 is the only gene, to date, that when deleted can cause both tau and Aβ-related pathologies in an age-dependent manner. We analyzed multiple brain transcriptomic datasets focusing on sex differences in PIN1 mRNA levels, in an aging and AD cohort, which revealed reduced PIN1 levels driven by females. Then, we validated this observation in an independent dataset (ROS/MAP) which also revealed that PIN1 is negatively correlated with multiregional neurofibrillary tangle density and global cognitive function, in females only. Additional analysis revealed a decrease in PIN1 in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with aged individuals, again, driven predominantly by female subjects. Our results show that while both male and female AD patients show decreased PIN1 expression, changes occur before the onset of clinical symptoms of AD in females and correlate to early events associated with AD risk (e.g., synaptic dysfunction). These changes are specific to neurons, and may be a potential prognostic marker to assess AD risk in the aging population and even more so in AD females with increased risk of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila de Ávila
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Crystal Suazo
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Nolz
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - J. Nicholas Cochran
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, 601 Genome Way, Huntsville, AL, 35806, USA
| | - Qi Wang
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Ramon Velazquez
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Eric Dammer
- Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Benjamin Readhead
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
| | - Diego Mastroeni
- ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center, and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
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Guebel DV. Human hippocampal astrocytes: Computational dissection of their transcriptome, sexual differences and exosomes across ageing and mild-cognitive impairment. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:2677-2707. [PMID: 37427765 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
The role of astrocytes in Alzheimer's disease is often disregarded. Hence, characterization of astrocytes along their early evolution toward Alzheimer would be greatly beneficial. However, due to their exquisite responsiveness, in vivo studies are difficult. So public microarray data of hippocampal homogenates from (healthy) young, (healthy) elder and elder with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were subjected to re-analysis by a multi-step computational pipeline. Ontologies and pathway analyses were compared after determining the differential genes that, belonging to astrocytes, have splice forms. Likewise, the subset of molecules exportable to exosomes was also determined. The results showed that astrocyte's phenotypes changed significantly. While already 'activated' astrocytes were found in the younger group, major changes occurred during ageing (increased vascular remodelling and response to mechanical stimulus, diminished long-term potentiation and increased long-term depression). MCI's astrocytes showed some 'rejuvenated' features, but their sensitivity to shear stress was markedly lost. Importantly, most of the changes showed to be sex biassed. Men's astrocytes are enriched in a type 'endfeet-astrocytome', whereas women's astrocytes appear close to the 'scar-forming' type (prone to endothelial dysfunction, hypercholesterolemia, loss of glutamatergic synapses, Ca+2 dysregulation, hypoxia, oxidative stress and 'pro-coagulant' phenotype). In conclusion, the computational dissection of the networks based on the hippocampal gene isoforms provides a relevant proxy to in vivo astrocytes, also revealing the occurrence of sexual differences. Analyses of the astrocytic exosomes did not provide an acceptable approximation to the overall functioning of astrocytes in the hippocampus, probably due to the selective cellular mechanisms which charge the cargo molecules.
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7
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Jeanne PV, McLamb F, Feng Z, Griffin L, Gong S, Shea D, Szuch MA, Scott S, Gersberg RM, Bozinovic G. Locomotion and brain gene expression exhibit sex-specific non-monotonic dose-response to HFPO-DA during Drosophila melanogaster lifespan. Neurotoxicology 2023; 96:207-221. [PMID: 37156305 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2023.05.005] [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: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known for their environmental persistence and bio-accumulative properties, have been phased out in the U.S. due to public health concerns. A newer polymerization aid used in the manufacture of some fluoropolymers, hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA), has lower reported bioaccumulation and toxicity, but is a potential neurotoxicant implicated in dopaminergic neurodegeneration. OBJECTIVE We investigated HFPO-DA's bio-accumulative potential and sex-specific effects on lifespan, locomotion, and brain gene expression in fruit flies. METHODS We quantified bioaccumulation of HFPO-DA in fruit flies exposed to 8.7×104µg/L of HFPO-DA in the fly media for 14 days via UHPLC-MS. Long-term effect on lifespan was determined by exposing both sexes to 8.7×102 - 8.7×105µg/L of HFPO-DA in media. Locomotion was measured following 3, 7, and 14 days of exposures at 8.7×101 - 8.7×105µg/L of HFPO-DA in media, and high-throughput 3'-end RNA-sequencing was used to quantify gene expression in fly brains across the same time points. RESULTS Bioaccumulation of HFPO-DA in fruit flies was not detected. HFPO-DA-induced effects on lifespan, locomotion, and brain gene expression, and lowest adverse effect level (LOAEL) showed sexually dimorphic patterns. Locomotion scores significantly decreased in at least one dose at all time points for females and only at 3-day exposure for males, while brain gene expression exhibited non-monotonic dose-response. Differentially expressed genes correlated to locomotion scores revealed sex-specific numbers of positively and negatively correlated genes per functional category. CONCLUSION Although HFPO-DA effects on locomotion and survival were significant at doses higher than the US EPA reference dose, the brain transcriptomic profiling reveals sex-specific changes and neurological molecular targets; gene enrichments highlight disproportionately affected categories, including immune response: female-specific co-upregulation suggests potential neuroinflammation. Consistent sex-specific exposure effects necessitate blocking for sex in experimental design during HFPO-DA risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Vu Jeanne
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego State University, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego, CA, USA; University of California, San Diego, Division of Extended Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Flannery McLamb
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA; University of California, San Diego, Division of Extended Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Zuying Feng
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego State University, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Lindsey Griffin
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA; University of California, San Diego, Division of Extended Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sylvia Gong
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego State University, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego, CA, USA; University of California, San Diego, Division of Extended Studies, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Mary A Szuch
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Savannah Scott
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Richard M Gersberg
- San Diego State University, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Goran Bozinovic
- Boz Life Science Research and Teaching Institute, San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego State University, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego, CA, USA; University of California, San Diego, School of Biological Sciences, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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8
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Saura CA, Deprada A, Capilla-López MD, Parra-Damas A. Revealing cell vulnerability in Alzheimer's disease by single-cell transcriptomics. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 139:73-83. [PMID: 35623983 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that by affecting specific brain cell types and regions cause severe pathological and functional changes in memory neural circuits. A comprehensive knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying AD requires a deeper understanding of the cell-specific pathological responses through integrative molecular analyses. Recent application of high-throughput single-cell transcriptomics to postmortem tissue has proved powerful to unravel cell susceptibility and biological networks responding to amyloid and tau pathologies. Here, we review single-cell transcriptomic studies successfully applied to decipher cell-specific gene expression programs and pathways in the brain of AD patients. Transcriptional information reveals both specific and common gene signatures affecting the major cerebral cell types, including astrocytes, endothelial cells, microglia, neurons, and oligodendrocytes. Cell type-specific transcriptomes associated with AD pathology and clinical symptoms are related to common biological networks affecting, among others pathways, synaptic function, inflammation, proteostasis, cell death, oxidative stress, and myelination. The general picture that emerges from systems-level single-cell transcriptomics is a spatiotemporal pattern of cell diversity and biological pathways, and novel cell subpopulations affected in AD brain. We argue that broader implementation of cell transcriptomics in larger AD human cohorts using standardized protocols is fundamental for reliable assessment of temporal and regional cell-type gene profiling. The possibility of applying this methodology for personalized medicine in clinics is still challenging but opens new roads for future diagnosis and treatment in dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Saura
- Institut de Neurociències, Department de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain.
| | - Angel Deprada
- Institut de Neurociències, Department de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Maria Dolores Capilla-López
- Institut de Neurociències, Department de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Arnaldo Parra-Damas
- Institut de Neurociències, Department de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
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Scaduto P, Lauterborn JC, Cox CD, Fracassi A, Zeppillo T, Gutierrez BA, Keene CD, Crane PK, Mukherjee S, Russell WK, Taglialatela G, Limon A. Functional excitatory to inhibitory synaptic imbalance and loss of cognitive performance in people with Alzheimer's disease neuropathologic change. Acta Neuropathol 2023; 145:303-324. [PMID: 36538112 PMCID: PMC9925531 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-022-02526-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Individuals at distinct stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) show abnormal electroencephalographic activity, which has been linked to network hyperexcitability and cognitive decline. However, whether pro-excitatory changes at the synaptic level are observed in brain areas affected early in AD, and if they are emergent in MCI, is not clearly known. Equally important, it is not known whether global synaptic E/I imbalances correlate with the severity of cognitive impairment in the continuum of AD. Measuring the amplitude of ion currents of human excitatory and inhibitory synaptic receptors microtransplanted from the hippocampus and temporal cortex of cognitively normal, mildly cognitively impaired and AD individuals into surrogate cells, we found regional differences in pro-excitatory shifts of the excitatory to inhibitory (E/I) current ratio that correlates positively with toxic proteins and degree of pathology, and impinges negatively on cognitive performance scores. Using these data with electrophysiologically anchored analysis of the synapto-proteome in the same individuals, we identified a group of proteins sustaining synaptic function and those related to synaptic toxicity. We also found an uncoupling between the function and expression of proteins for GABAergic signaling in the temporal cortex underlying larger E/I and worse cognitive performance. Further analysis of transcriptomic and in situ hybridization datasets from an independent cohort across the continuum of AD confirm regional differences in pro-excitatory shifts of the E/I balance that correlate negatively with the most recent calibrated composite scores for memory, executive function, language and visuospatial abilities, as well as overall cognitive performance. These findings indicate that early shifts of E/I balance may contribute to loss of cognitive capabilities in the continuum of AD clinical syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Scaduto
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Julie C Lauterborn
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Conor D Cox
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Anna Fracassi
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Tommaso Zeppillo
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Berenice A Gutierrez
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - C Dirk Keene
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Paul K Crane
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - William K Russell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, USA
| | - Giulio Taglialatela
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Agenor Limon
- Department of Neurology, Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA.
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10
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Aguilar-Hernández L, Alejandre R, César Morales-Medina J, Iannitti T, Flores G. Cellular mechanisms in brain aging: Focus on physiological and pathological aging. J Chem Neuroanat 2023; 128:102210. [PMID: 36496000 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2022.102210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Aging is a natural phenomenon characterized by accumulation of cellular damage and debris. Oxidative stress, cellular senescence, sustained inflammation, and DNA damage are the main cellular processes characteristic of aging associated with morphological and functional decline. These effects tend to be more pronounced in tissues with high metabolic rates such as the brain, mainly in regions such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala. These regions are highly related to cognitive behavior, and therefore their atrophy usually leads to decline in processes such as memory and learning. These cognitive declines can occur in physiological aging and are exacerbated in pathological aging. In this article, we review the cellular processes that underlie the triggers of aging and how they relate to one another, causing the atrophy of nerve tissue that is typical of aging. The main topic of this review to determine the central factor that triggers all the cellular processes that lead to cellular aging and discriminate between normal and pathological aging. Finally, we review how the use of supplements with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties reduces the cognitive decline typical of aging, which reinforces the hypothesis of oxidative stress and cellular damage as contributors of physiological atrophy of aging. Moreover, cumulative evidence suggests their possible use as therapies, which improve the aging population's quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Aguilar-Hernández
- Lab. Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, San Manuel 72570, Puebla, Mexico; Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ricardo Alejandre
- Departamento de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Julio César Morales-Medina
- Centro de Investigación en Reproducción Animal, CINVESTAV-Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, AP 62, CP 90000 Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Tommaso Iannitti
- University of Ferrara, Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Experimental Medicine, Via Fossato di Mortara 70, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Gonzalo Flores
- Lab. Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur 6301, San Manuel 72570, Puebla, Mexico.
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11
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Differential dysregulation of CREB and synaptic genes in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster expressing shaggy (GSK3), Tau WT, or Amyloid-beta. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:1101-1108. [PMID: 36399243 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-08059-9] [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: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tau, Amyloid-beta (Aβ42), and Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) contribute to synaptic dysfunction observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. In the current study, the effect of pan-neuronal expression of TauWT, Aβ42, or shaggy (orthologue of GSK3) in Drosophila melanogaster was assessed on the locomotor function, ethanol sensitivity, synaptic genes and CREB expression. The effect of TauWT and Aβ42 on the expression of shaggy was also determined. METHODS AND RESULTS Gene expression analysis was performed using quantitative real-time RT-PCR method. While syt1, SNAP25 and CREB (upstream transcription factor of syt1 and SNAP25) were upregulated in flies expressing TauWT or Aβ42, a prominent decline was observed in those genes in shaggy expressing flies. Although all transgenic flies showed climbing disability and higher sensitivity to ethanol, abnormality in these features was significantly more prominent in transgenic flies expressing shaggy compared to TauWT or Aβ42. Despite a significant upregulation of shaggy transcription in TauWT expressing flies, Aβ42 transgenic flies witnessed no significant changes. CONCLUSIONS TauWT, Aβ42, and shaggy may affect synaptic plasticity through dysregulation of synaptic genes and CREB, independently. However shaggy has more detrimental effect on synaptic genes expression, locomotor ability and sensitivity to ethanol. It is important when it comes to drug discovery. It appears that CREB is a direct effector of changes in synaptic genes expression as they showed similar pattern of alteration and it is likely to be a part of compensatory mechanisms independent of the GSK3/CREB pathway in TauWT or Aβ42 expressing flies.
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12
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Lardelli M. An Alternative View of Familial Alzheimer's Disease Genetics. J Alzheimers Dis 2023; 96:13-39. [PMID: 37718800 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230313] [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] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Probabilistic and parsimony-based arguments regarding available genetics data are used to propose that Hardy and Higgin's amyloid cascade hypothesis is valid but is commonly interpreted too narrowly to support, incorrectly, the primacy of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in driving Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis. Instead, increased activity of the βCTF (C99) fragment of AβPP is the critical pathogenic determinant altered by mutations in the APP gene. This model is consistent with the regulation of APP mRNA translation via its 5' iron responsive element. Similar arguments support that the pathological effects of familial Alzheimer's disease mutations in the genes PSEN1 and PSEN2 are not exerted directly via changes in AβPP cleavage to produce different ratios of Aβ length. Rather, these mutations likely act through effects on presenilin holoprotein conformation and function, and possibly the formation and stability of multimers of presenilin holoprotein and/or of the γ-secretase complex. All fAD mutations in APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 likely find unity of pathological mechanism in their actions on endolysosomal acidification and mitochondrial function, with detrimental effects on iron homeostasis and promotion of "pseudo-hypoxia" being of central importance. Aβ production is enhanced and distorted by oxidative stress and accumulates due to decreased lysosomal function. It may act as a disease-associated molecular pattern enhancing oxidative stress-driven neuroinflammation during the cognitive phase of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lardelli
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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13
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Haukedal H, Corsi GI, Gadekar VP, Doncheva NT, Kedia S, de Haan N, Chandrasekaran A, Jensen P, Schiønning P, Vallin S, Marlet FR, Poon A, Pires C, Agha FK, Wandall HH, Cirera S, Simonsen AH, Nielsen TT, Nielsen JE, Hyttel P, Muddashetty R, Aldana BI, Gorodkin J, Nair D, Meyer M, Larsen MR, Freude K. Golgi fragmentation - One of the earliest organelle phenotypes in Alzheimer's disease neurons. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1120086. [PMID: 36875643 PMCID: PMC9978754 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1120086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, with no current cure. Consequently, alternative approaches focusing on early pathological events in specific neuronal populations, besides targeting the well-studied amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulations and Tau tangles, are needed. In this study, we have investigated disease phenotypes specific to glutamatergic forebrain neurons and mapped the timeline of their occurrence, by implementing familial and sporadic human induced pluripotent stem cell models as well as the 5xFAD mouse model. We recapitulated characteristic late AD phenotypes, such as increased Aβ secretion and Tau hyperphosphorylation, as well as previously well documented mitochondrial and synaptic deficits. Intriguingly, we identified Golgi fragmentation as one of the earliest AD phenotypes, indicating potential impairments in protein processing and post-translational modifications. Computational analysis of RNA sequencing data revealed differentially expressed genes involved in glycosylation and glycan patterns, whilst total glycan profiling revealed minor glycosylation differences. This indicates general robustness of glycosylation besides the observed fragmented morphology. Importantly, we identified that genetic variants in Sortilin-related receptor 1 (SORL1) associated with AD could aggravate the Golgi fragmentation and subsequent glycosylation changes. In summary, we identified Golgi fragmentation as one of the earliest disease phenotypes in AD neurons in various in vivo and in vitro complementary disease models, which can be exacerbated via additional risk variants in SORL1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette Haukedal
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Giulia I Corsi
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.,Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Veerendra P Gadekar
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.,Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Nadezhda T Doncheva
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.,Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.,Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Shekhar Kedia
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Noortje de Haan
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Abinaya Chandrasekaran
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Pia Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Pernille Schiønning
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Sarah Vallin
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Frederik Ravnkilde Marlet
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Poon
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Carlota Pires
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Fawzi Khoder Agha
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hans H Wandall
- Copenhagen Center for Glycomics, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Susanna Cirera
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Anja Hviid Simonsen
- Danish Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Troels Tolstrup Nielsen
- Danish Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jørgen Erik Nielsen
- Danish Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Poul Hyttel
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Ravi Muddashetty
- Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, Bengaluru, India
| | - Blanca I Aldana
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jan Gorodkin
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.,Center for Non-coding RNA in Technology and Health, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Deepak Nair
- Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Morten Meyer
- Department of Neurobiology Research, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Martin Røssel Larsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Kristine Freude
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
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14
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An Alzheimer’s Disease Patient-Derived Olfactory Stem Cell Model Identifies Gene Expression Changes Associated with Cognition. Cells 2022; 11:cells11203258. [PMID: 36291125 PMCID: PMC9601087 DOI: 10.3390/cells11203258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
An early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an impaired sense of smell, for which the molecular basis remains elusive. Here, we generated human olfactory neurosphere-derived (ONS) cells from people with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and performed global RNA sequencing to determine gene expression changes. ONS cells expressed markers of neuroglial differentiation, providing a unique cellular model to explore changes of early AD-associated pathways. Our transcriptomics data from ONS cells revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with cognitive processes in AD cells compared to MCI, or matched healthy controls (HC). A-Kinase Anchoring Protein 6 (AKAP6) was the most significantly altered gene in AD compared to both MCI and HC, and has been linked to cognitive function. The greatest change in gene expression of all DEGs occurred between AD and MCI. Gene pathway analysis revealed defects in multiple cellular processes with aging, intellectual deficiency and alternative splicing being the most significantly dysregulated in AD ONS cells. Our results demonstrate that ONS cells can provide a cellular model for AD that recapitulates disease-associated differences. We have revealed potential novel genes, including AKAP6 that may have a role in AD, particularly MCI to AD transition, and should be further examined.
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15
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Gutierrez BA, Limon A. Synaptic Disruption by Soluble Oligomers in Patients with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10071743. [PMID: 35885050 PMCID: PMC9313353 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10071743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are the result of progressive dysfunction of the neuronal activity and subsequent neuronal death. Currently, the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases are by far Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD) disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. Although amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are the neuropathological hallmarks for AD and Lewy bodies (LB) are the hallmark for PD, current evidence strongly suggests that oligomers seeding the neuropathological hallmarks are more toxic and disease-relevant in both pathologies. The presence of small soluble oligomers is the common bond between AD and PD: amyloid β oligomers (AβOs) and Tau oligomers (TauOs) in AD and α-synuclein oligomers (αSynOs) in PD. Such oligomers appear to be particularly increased during the early pathological stages, targeting synapses at vulnerable brain regions leading to synaptic plasticity disruption, synapse loss, inflammation, excitation to inhibition imbalance and cognitive impairment. Absence of TauOs at synapses in individuals with strong AD disease pathology but preserved cognition suggests that mechanisms of resilience may be dependent on the interactions between soluble oligomers and their synaptic targets. In this review, we will discuss the current knowledge about the interactions between soluble oligomers and synaptic dysfunction in patients diagnosed with AD and PD, how it affects excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, and the potential mechanisms of synaptic resilience in humans.
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16
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Katsel P, Fam P, Tan W, Khan S, Gama-Sosa M, De Gasperi R, Roussos P, Robinson A, Cooper I, Schnaider-Beeri M, Haroutunian V. Engagement of vascular early response genes typifies mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimers Dement 2022; 18:1357-1369. [PMID: 34758195 PMCID: PMC10878080 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Molecular responses in the brains of persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the earliest transitional state between normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease (AD), are poorly understood. METHODS We examined AD-related neuropathology and transcriptome changes in the neocortex of individuals with MCI relative to controls and temporal responses to the mild hypoxia in mouse brains. RESULTS Subsets of vascular early response to hypoxia genes were upregulated in MCI prior to the buildup of AD neuropathology. Early activation of pro-angiogenic hypoxia-inducible factor signaling in response to mild hypoxia was detected in mouse brains similar to those that were altered in MCI. Protracted responses to hypoxia were characterized by activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt)-the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways in brain microvessel isolates. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that cerebrovascular remodeling is an important antecedent to the development of dementia and a component of the homeostatic response to reduced oxygen tension in aging prior to the onset of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Katsel
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Peter Fam
- Department of Neuroscience, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Weilun Tan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sonia Khan
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Miguel Gama-Sosa
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rita De Gasperi
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Genetics and Genomic Sciences, The Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics and Friedman
Brain Institute, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York,
USA
| | - Ari Robinson
- The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center Tel-Hashomer,
Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Itzik Cooper
- The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center Tel-Hashomer,
Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Michal Schnaider-Beeri
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center Tel-Hashomer,
Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Vahram Haroutunian
- Department of Psychiatry, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, The Icahn School of Medicine at
Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
(MIRECC), James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA
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17
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Kelley CM, Ginsberg SD, Liang WS, Counts SE, Mufson EJ. Posterior cingulate cortex reveals an expression profile of resilience in cognitively intact elders. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac162. [PMID: 35813880 PMCID: PMC9263888 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The posterior cingulate cortex, a key hub of the default mode network, underlies autobiographical memory retrieval and displays hypometabolic changes early in Alzheimer disease. To obtain an unbiased understanding of the molecular pathobiology of the aged posterior cingulate cortex, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on tissue obtained from 26 participants of the Rush Religious Orders Study (11 males/15 females; aged 76-96 years) with a pre-mortem clinical diagnosis of no cognitive impairment and post-mortem neurofibrillary tangle Braak Stages I/II, III, and IV. Transcriptomic data were gathered using next-generation sequencing of RNA extracted from posterior cingulate cortex generating an average of 60 million paired reads per subject. Normalized expression of RNA-seq data was calculated using a global gene annotation and a microRNA profile. Differential expression (DESeq2, edgeR) using Braak staging as the comparison structure isolated genes for dimensional scaling, associative network building and functional clustering. Curated genes were correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination and semantic, working and episodic memory, visuospatial ability, and a composite Global Cognitive Score. Regulatory mechanisms were determined by co-expression networks with microRNAs and an overlap of transcription factor binding sites. Analysis revealed 750 genes and 12 microRNAs significantly differentially expressed between Braak Stages I/II and III/IV and an associated six groups of transcription factor binding sites. Inputting significantly different gene/network data into a functional annotation clustering model revealed elevated presynaptic, postsynaptic and ATP-related expression in Braak Stages III and IV compared with Stages I/II, suggesting these pathways are integral for cognitive resilience seen in unimpaired elderly subjects. Principal component analysis and Kruskal-Wallis testing did not associate Braak stage with cognitive function. However, Spearman correlations between genes and cognitive test scores followed by network analysis revealed upregulation of classes of synaptic genes positively associated with performance on the visuospatial perceptual orientation domain. Upregulation of key synaptic genes suggests a role for these transcripts and associated synaptic pathways in cognitive resilience seen in elders despite Alzheimer disease pathology and dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christy M Kelley
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA
- Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA
| | - Stephen D Ginsberg
- Center for Dementia Research, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Department of Neuroscience & Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Winnie S Liang
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - Scott E Counts
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
- Department of Family Medicine, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, USA
| | - Elliott J Mufson
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA
- Department of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ 85013, USA
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18
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Baik JY, Kim M, Bao J, Long Q, Shen L. Identifying Alzheimer's genes via brain transcriptome mapping. BMC Med Genomics 2022; 15:116. [PMID: 35590321 PMCID: PMC9118564 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-022-01260-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive decline in cognitive function. Targeted genetic analyses, genome-wide association studies, and imaging genetic analyses have been performed to detect AD risk and protective genes and have successfully identified dozens of AD susceptibility loci. Recently, brain imaging transcriptomics analyses have also been conducted to investigate the relationship between neuroimaging traits and gene expression measures to identify interesting gene-traits associations. These imaging transcriptomic studies typically do not involve the disease outcome in the analysis, and thus the identified brain or transcriptomic markers may not be related or specific to the disease outcome. RESULTS We propose an innovative two-stage approach to identify genes whose expression profiles are related to diagnosis phenotype via brain transcriptome mapping. Specifically, we first map the effects of a diagnosis phenotype onto imaging traits across the brain using a linear regression model. Then, the gene-diagnosis association is assessed by spatially correlating the brain transcriptome map with the diagnostic effect map on the brain-wide imaging traits. To demonstrate the promise of our approach, we apply it to the integrative analysis of the brain transcriptome data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas (AHBA) and the amyloid imaging data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort. Our method identifies 12 genes whose brain-wide transcriptome patterns are highly correlated with six different diagnostic effect maps on the amyloid imaging traits. These 12 genes include four confirmatory findings (i.e., AD genes reported in DisGeNET) and eight novel genes that have not be associated with AD in DisGeNET. CONCLUSION We have proposed a novel disease-related brain transcriptomic mapping method to identify genes whose expression profiles spatially correlated with regional diagnostic effects on a studied brain trait. Our empirical study on the AHBA and ADNI data shows the promise of the approach, and the resulting AD gene discoveries provide valuable information for better understanding biological pathways from transcriptomic signatures to intermediate brain traits and to phenotypic disease outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Young Baik
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Mansu Kim
- grid.411947.e0000 0004 0470 4224Department of Artificial intelligence, Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jingxuan Bao
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Qi Long
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Li Shen
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
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19
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Stoccoro A, Baldacci F, Ceravolo R, Giampietri L, Tognoni G, Siciliano G, Migliore L, Coppedè F. Increase in Mitochondrial D-Loop Region Methylation Levels in Mild Cognitive Impairment Individuals. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23105393. [PMID: 35628202 PMCID: PMC9142993 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylation levels of the mitochondrial displacement loop (D-loop) region have been reported to be altered in the brain and blood of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Moreover, a dynamic D-loop methylation pattern was observed in the brain of transgenic AD mice along with disease progression. However, investigations on the blood cells of AD patients in the prodromal phases of the disease have not been performed so far. The aim of this study was to analyze D-loop methylation levels by means of the MS-HRM technique in the peripheral blood cells of 14 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, 18 early stage AD patients, 70 advanced stage AD patients, and 105 healthy control subjects. We found higher D-loop methylation levels in MCI patients than in control subjects and AD patients. Moreover, higher D-loop methylation levels were observed in control subjects than in AD patients in advanced stages of the disease, but not in those at early stages. The present pilot study shows that peripheral D-loop methylation levels differ in patients at different stages of AD pathology, suggesting that further studies deserve to be performed in order to validate the usefulness of D-loop methylation analysis as a peripheral biomarker for the early detection of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Stoccoro
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (F.C.); Tel.: +39-0502-218549 (A.S.); +39-0502-218544 (F.C.)
| | - Filippo Baldacci
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (R.C.); (L.G.); (G.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Roberto Ceravolo
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (R.C.); (L.G.); (G.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Linda Giampietri
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (R.C.); (L.G.); (G.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Gloria Tognoni
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (R.C.); (L.G.); (G.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Gabriele Siciliano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (F.B.); (R.C.); (L.G.); (G.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Lucia Migliore
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Fabio Coppedè
- Department of Translational Research and of New Surgical and Medical Technologies, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (F.C.); Tel.: +39-0502-218549 (A.S.); +39-0502-218544 (F.C.)
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Cai S, Yang F, Wang X, Wu S, Huang L. Structural brain characteristics and gene co-expression analysis: A study with outcome label from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 191:107620. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Monteiro-Fernandes D, Silva JM, Soares-Cunha C, Dalla C, Kokras N, Arnaud F, Billiras R, Zhuravleva V, Waites C, Bretin S, Sousa N, Sotiropoulos I. Allosteric modulation of AMPA receptors counteracts Tau-related excitotoxic synaptic signaling and memory deficits in stress- and Aβ-evoked hippocampal pathology. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:5899-5911. [PMID: 32467647 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0794-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite considerable progress in the understanding of its neuropathology, Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a complex disorder with no effective treatment that counteracts the memory deficits and the underlying synaptic malfunction triggered by the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) and Tau protein. Mounting evidence supports a precipitating role for chronic environmental stress and glutamatergic excitotoxicity in AD, suggesting that targeting of glutamate receptor signaling may be a promising approach against both stress and AD pathologies. In light of the limited cognitive benefit of the direct antagonism of NMDA receptors in AD, we here focus on an alternative way to modify glutamatergic signaling through positive allosteric modulation of AMPA receptors, by the use of a PAM-AMPA compound. Using non-transgenic animal model of Aβ oligomer injection as well as the combined stress and Aβ i.c.v. infusion, we demonstrate that positive allosteric modulation of AMPA receptors by PAM-AMPA treatment reverted memory, but not mood, deficits. Furthermore, PAM-AMPA treatment reverted stress/Aβ-driven synaptic missorting of Tau and associated Fyn/GluN2B-driven excitotoxic synaptic signaling accompanied by recovery of neurotransmitter levels in the hippocampus. Our findings suggest that positive allosteric modulation of AMPA receptors restores synaptic integrity and cognitive performance in stress- and Aβ-evoked hippocampal pathology. As the prevalence of AD is increasing at an alarming rate, novel therapeutic targeting of glutamatergic signaling should be further explored against the early stages of AD synaptic malfunction with the goal of attenuating further synaptic damage before it becomes irreversible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Monteiro-Fernandes
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Medical School, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Minho, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana Margarida Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Medical School, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Minho, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Carina Soares-Cunha
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Medical School, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Minho, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Christina Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - François Arnaud
- Pôle Innovation Thérapeutique Neuropsychiatrie, Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Suresnes, France
| | - Rodolphe Billiras
- Pôle Innovation Thérapeutique Neuropsychiatrie, Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Suresnes, France
| | - Viktoriya Zhuravleva
- Neurobiology and Behavior Graduate Program, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Clarissa Waites
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sylvie Bretin
- Pôle Innovation Thérapeutique Neuropsychiatrie, Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Suresnes, France
| | - Nuno Sousa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Medical School, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Minho, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Ioannis Sotiropoulos
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Medical School, University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Minho, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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22
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Cuttler K, Hassan M, Carr J, Cloete R, Bardien S. Emerging evidence implicating a role for neurexins in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Open Biol 2021; 11:210091. [PMID: 34610269 PMCID: PMC8492176 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptopathies are brain disorders characterized by dysfunctional synapses, which are specialized junctions between neurons that are essential for the transmission of information. Synaptic dysfunction can occur due to mutations that alter the structure and function of synaptic components or abnormal expression levels of a synaptic protein. One class of synaptic proteins that are essential to their biology are cell adhesion proteins that connect the pre- and post-synaptic compartments. Neurexins are one type of synaptic cell adhesion molecule that have, recently, gained more pathological interest. Variants in both neurexins and their common binding partners, neuroligins, have been associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize some of the key physiological functions of the neurexin protein family and the protein networks they are involved in. Furthermore, examination of published literature has implicated neurexins in both neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. There is a clear link between neurexins and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. However, multiple expression studies have also shown changes in neurexin expression in several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Therefore, this review highlights the potential importance of neurexins in brain disorders and the importance of doing more targeted studies on these genes and proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn Cuttler
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Maryam Hassan
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jonathan Carr
- Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa,South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ruben Cloete
- South African Medical Research Council Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Soraya Bardien
- Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa,South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders Research Unit, Cape Town, South Africa
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23
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Barthelson K, Dong Y, Newman M, Lardelli M. PRESENILIN 1 Mutations Causing Early-Onset Familial Alzheimer's Disease or Familial Acne Inversa Differ in Their Effects on Genes Facilitating Energy Metabolism and Signal Transduction. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 82:327-347. [PMID: 34024832 DOI: 10.3233/jad-210128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The most common cause of early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (EOfAD) is mutations in PRESENILIN 1 (PSEN1) allowing production of mRNAs encoding full-length, but mutant, proteins. In contrast, a single known frameshift mutation in PSEN1 causes familial acne inversa (fAI) without EOfAD. The molecular consequences of heterozygosity for these mutation types, and how they cause completely different diseases, remains largely unexplored. OBJECTIVE To analyze brain transcriptomes of young adult zebrafish to identify similarities and differences in the effects of heterozygosity for psen1 mutations causing EOfAD or fAI. METHODS RNA sequencing was performed on mRNA isolated from the brains of a single family of 6-month-old zebrafish siblings either wild type or possessing a single, heterozygous EOfAD-like or fAI-like mutation in their endogenous psen1 gene. RESULTS Both mutations downregulate genes encoding ribosomal subunits, and upregulate genes involved in inflammation. Genes involved in energy metabolism appeared significantly affected only by the EOfAD-like mutation, while genes involved in Notch, Wnt and neurotrophin signaling pathways appeared significantly affected only by the fAI-like mutation. However, investigation of direct transcriptional targets of Notch signaling revealed possible increases in γ-secretase activity due to heterozygosity for either psen1 mutation. Transcriptional adaptation due to the fAI-like frameshift mutation was evident. CONCLUSION We observed both similar and contrasting effects on brain transcriptomes of the heterozygous EOfAD-like and fAI-like mutations. The contrasting effects may illuminate how these mutation types cause distinct diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karissa Barthelson
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Yang Dong
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Morgan Newman
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Michael Lardelli
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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24
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Cuestas Torres DM, Cardenas FP. Synaptic plasticity in Alzheimer's disease and healthy aging. Rev Neurosci 2021; 31:245-268. [PMID: 32250284 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2019-0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The strength and efficiency of synaptic connections are affected by the environment or the experience of the individual. This property, called synaptic plasticity, is directly related to memory and learning processes and has been modeled at the cellular level. These types of cellular memory and learning models include specific stimulation protocols that generate a long-term strengthening of the synapses, called long-term potentiation, or a weakening of the said long-term synapses, called long-term depression. Although, for decades, researchers have believed that the main cause of the cognitive deficit that characterizes Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aging was the loss of neurons, the hypothesis of an imbalance in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity underlying this deficit is currently widely accepted. An understanding of the molecular and cellular changes underlying the process of synaptic plasticity during the development of AD and aging will direct future studies to specific targets, resulting in the development of much more efficient and specific therapeutic strategies. In this review, we classify, discuss, and describe the main findings related to changes in the neurophysiological mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in excitatory synapses underlying AD and aging. In addition, we suggest possible mechanisms in which aging can become a high-risk factor for the development of AD and how its development could be prevented or slowed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Marcela Cuestas Torres
- Departamento de Psicología and Departamento de Biología, Laboratorio de Neurociencia y Comportamiento, Universidad de los Andes, Cra 1 N° 18A-12, CP 111711, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Fernando P Cardenas
- Departamento de Psicología, Laboratorio de Neurociencia y Comportamiento, Universidad de los Andes, Cra 1 N° 18A-12, CP 111711, Bogotá, Colombia
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25
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Guebel DV, Torres NV, Acebes Á. Mapping the transcriptomic changes of endothelial compartment in human hippocampus across aging and mild cognitive impairment. Biol Open 2021; 10:264940. [PMID: 34184731 PMCID: PMC8181899 DOI: 10.1242/bio.057950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Compromise of the vascular system has important consequences on cognitive abilities and neurodegeneration. The identification of the main molecular signatures present in the blood vessels of human hippocampus could provide the basis to understand and tackle these pathologies. As direct vascular experimentation in hippocampus is problematic, we achieved this information by computationally disaggregating publicly available whole microarrays data of human hippocampal homogenates. Three conditions were analyzed: ‘Young Adults’, ‘Aged’, and ‘aged with Mild Cognitive Impairment’ (MCI). The genes identified were contrasted against two independent data-sets. Here we show that the endothelial cells from the Younger Group appeared in an ‘activated stage’. In turn, in the Aged Group, the endothelial cells showed a significant loss of response to shear stress, changes in cell adhesion molecules, increased inflammation, brain-insulin resistance, lipidic alterations, and changes in the extracellular matrix. Some specific changes in the MCI group were also detected. Noticeably, in this study the features arisen from the Aged Group (high tortuosity, increased bifurcations, and smooth muscle proliferation), pose the need for further experimental verification to discern between the occurrence of arteriogenesis and/or vascular remodeling by capillary arterialization. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: An integrative picture about the mechanisms operating in the hippocampal vasculature under normal and pathological scenarios is achieved by the computational dissection of microarray data corresponding to whole tissue samples and focusing on gene splice forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel V Guebel
- Program Agustín de Betancourt, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry, Cellular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
| | - Néstor V Torres
- Department of Biochemistry, Cellular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
| | - Ángel Acebes
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, University of La Laguna, Tenerife 38200, Spain
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26
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Wang X, Huang K, Yang F, Chen D, Cai S, Huang L. Association between structural brain features and gene expression by weighted gene co-expression network analysis in conversion from MCI to AD. Behav Brain Res 2021; 410:113330. [PMID: 33940051 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a state of cognitive function between normal cognition and dementia. Longitudinal studies showed that some MCI patients remained in a state of MCI, and some developed AD. The reason for these different conversions from MCI remains to be investigated. 180 MCI participants were followed for eight years. 143 MCI patients maintained the MCI state (MCI_S), and the remaining thirty-seven MCI patients were re-evaluated as having AD (MCI_AD). We obtained 1,036 structural brain characteristics and 15,481 gene expression values from the 180 MCI participants and applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to explore the relationship between structural brain features and gene expression. Regulating mediator effect analysis was employed to explore the relationships among gene expression, brain region measurements and clinical phenotypes. We found that 60 genes from the MCI_S group and 18 genes from the MCI_AD group respectively had the most significant correlations with left paracentral lobule and sulcus (L.PTS) and right subparietal sulcus (R.SubPS) thickness; CTCF, UQCR11 and WDR5B were the mutual genes between the two groups. The expression of CTCF gene and clinical score are completely mediated by L.PTS thickness, and the UQCR11 and WDR5B gene expression levels significantly regulate the mediating effect pathway. In conclusion, the factors affecting the different conversions from MCI are closely related to L.PTS thickness and the CTCF, UQCR11 and WDR5B gene expression levels. Our results add a theoretical foundation of imaging genetics for conversion from MCI to AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuwen Wang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, PR China
| | - Kexin Huang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, PR China
| | - Fan Yang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, PR China
| | - Dihun Chen
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, PR China
| | - Suping Cai
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, PR China.
| | - Liyu Huang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710071, PR China.
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Alternative Targets to Fight Alzheimer's Disease: Focus on Astrocytes. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11040600. [PMID: 33921556 PMCID: PMC8073475 DOI: 10.3390/biom11040600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The available treatments for patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are not curative. Numerous clinical trials have failed during the past decades. Therefore, scientists need to explore new avenues to tackle this disease. In the present review, we briefly summarize the pathological mechanisms of AD known so far, based on which different therapeutic tools have been designed. Then, we focus on a specific approach that is targeting astrocytes. Indeed, these non-neuronal brain cells respond to any insult, injury, or disease of the brain, including AD. The study of astrocytes is complicated by the fact that they exert a plethora of homeostatic functions, and their disease-induced changes could be context-, time-, and disease specific. However, this complex but fervent area of research has produced a large amount of data targeting different astrocytic functions using pharmacological approaches. Here, we review the most recent literature findings that have been published in the last five years to stimulate new hypotheses and ideas to work on, highlighting the peculiar ability of palmitoylethanolamide to modulate astrocytes according to their morpho-functional state, which ultimately suggests a possible potential disease-modifying therapeutic approach for AD.
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28
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Dong Y, Newman M, Pederson SM, Barthelson K, Hin N, Lardelli M. Transcriptome analyses of 7-day-old zebrafish larvae possessing a familial Alzheimer's disease-like mutation in psen1 indicate effects on oxidative phosphorylation, ECM and MCM functions, and iron homeostasis. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:211. [PMID: 33761877 PMCID: PMC7992352 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07509-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease (EOfAD) is promoted by dominant mutations, enabling the study of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenic mechanisms through generation of EOfAD-like mutations in animal models. In a previous study, we generated an EOfAD-like mutation, psen1Q96_K97del, in zebrafish and performed transcriptome analysis comparing entire brains from 6-month-old wild type and heterozygous mutant fish. We identified predicted effects on mitochondrial function and endolysosomal acidification. Here we aimed to determine whether similar effects occur in 7 day post fertilization (dpf) zebrafish larvae that might be exploited in screening of chemical libraries to find ameliorative drugs. RESULTS We generated clutches of wild type and heterozygous psen1Q96_K97del 7 dpf larvae using a paired-mating strategy to reduce extraneous genetic variation before performing a comparative transcriptome analysis. We identified 228 differentially expressed genes and performed various bioinformatics analyses to predict cellular functions. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses predicted a significant effect on oxidative phosphorylation, consistent with our earlier observations of predicted effects on ATP synthesis in adult heterozygous psen1Q96_K97del brains. The dysregulation of minichromosome maintenance protein complex (MCM) genes strongly contributed to predicted effects on DNA replication and the cell cycle and may explain earlier observations of genome instability due to PSEN1 mutation. The upregulation of crystallin gene expression may be a response to defective activity of mutant Psen1 protein in endolysosomal acidification. Genes related to extracellular matrix (ECM) were downregulated, consistent with previous studies of EOfAD mutant iPSC neurons and postmortem late onset AD brains. Also, changes in expression of genes controlling iron ion transport were observed without identifiable changes in the prevalence of transcripts containing iron responsive elements (IREs) in their 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). These changes may, therefore, predispose to the apparent iron dyshomeostasis previously observed in 6-month-old heterozygous psen1Q96_K97del EOfAD-like mutant brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Dong
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Morgan Newman
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Stephen M Pederson
- Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Karissa Barthelson
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Nhi Hin
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
- Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Michael Lardelli
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
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Habif M, Do Carmo S, Báez MV, Colettis NC, Cercato MC, Salas DA, Acutain MF, Sister CL, Berkowicz VL, Canal MP, González Garello T, Cuello AC, Jerusalinsky DA. Early Long-Term Memory Impairment and Changes in the Expression of Synaptic Plasticity-Associated Genes, in the McGill-R-Thy1-APP Rat Model of Alzheimer's-Like Brain Amyloidosis. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 12:585873. [PMID: 33551786 PMCID: PMC7862771 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.585873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Accruing evidence supports the hypothesis that memory deficits in early Alzheimer Disease (AD) might be due to synaptic failure caused by accumulation of intracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) oligomers, then secreted to the extracellular media. Transgenic mouse AD models provide valuable information on AD pathology. However, the failure to translate these findings to humans calls for models that better recapitulate the human pathology. McGill-R-Thy1-APP transgenic (Tg) rat expresses the human amyloid precursor protein (APP751) with the Swedish and Indiana mutations (of familial AD), leading to an AD-like slow-progressing brain amyloid pathology. Therefore, it offers a unique opportunity to investigate learning and memory abilities at early stages of AD, when Aβ accumulation is restricted to the intracellular compartment, prior to plaque deposition. Our goal was to further investigate early deficits in memory, particularly long-term memory in McGill-R-Thy1-APP heterozygous (Tg+/–) rats. Short-term- and long-term habituation to an open field were preserved in 3-, 4-, and 6-month-old (Tg+/–). However, long-term memory of inhibitory avoidance to a foot-shock, novel object-recognition and social approaching behavior were seriously impaired in 4-month-old (Tg+/–) male rats, suggesting that they are unable to either consolidate and/or evoke such associative and discriminative memories with aversive, emotional and spatial components. The long-term memory deficits were accompanied by increased transcript levels of genes relevant to synaptic plasticity, learning and memory processing in the hippocampus, such as Grin2b, Dlg4, Camk2b, and Syn1. Our findings indicate that in addition to the previously well-documented deficits in learning and memory, McGill-R-Thy1-APP rats display particular long-term-memory deficits and deep social behavior alterations at pre-plaque early stages of the pathology. This highlights the importance of Aβ oligomers and emphasizes the validity of the model to study AD-like early processes, with potentially predictive value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín Habif
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sonia Do Carmo
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - María Verónica Báez
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Natalia Claudia Colettis
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Magalí Cecilia Cercato
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniela Alejandra Salas
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Florencia Acutain
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Caterina Laura Sister
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Valeria Laura Berkowicz
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Pilar Canal
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Tomás González Garello
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - A Claudio Cuello
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Diana Alicia Jerusalinsky
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neurotoxins (LaN&N), Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia (IBCN) "Prof. Eduardo De Robertis" (Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Linial M, Stern A, Weinstock M. Effect of ladostigil treatment of aging rats on gene expression in four brain areas associated with regulation of memory. Neuropharmacology 2020; 177:108229. [PMID: 32738309 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108229] [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: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Episodic and spatial memory decline in aging and are controlled by the hippocampus, perirhinal, frontal and parietal cortices and the connections between them. Ladostigil, a drug with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, was shown to prevent the loss of episodic and spatial memory in aging rats. To better understand the molecular effects of aging and ladostigil on these brain regions we characterized the changes in gene expression using RNA-sequencing technology in rats aged 6 and 22 months. We found that the changes induced by aging and chronic ladostigil treatment were brain region specific. In the hippocampus, frontal and perirhinal cortex, ladostigil decreased the overexpression of genes regulating calcium homeostasis, ion channels and those adversely affecting synaptic function. In the parietal cortex, ladostigil increased the expression of several genes that provide neurotrophic support, while reducing that of pro-apoptotic genes and those encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors. Ladostigil also decreased the expression of axonal growth inhibitors and those impairing mitochondrial function. Together, these actions could explain the protection by ladostigil against age-related memory decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Linial
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Life Science Institute, Israel; The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, Israel
| | - Amos Stern
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Life Science Institute, Israel
| | - Marta Weinstock
- Institute of Drug Research, School of Pharmacy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
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Jęśko H, Cieślik M, Gromadzka G, Adamczyk A. Dysfunctional proteins in neuropsychiatric disorders: From neurodegeneration to autism spectrum disorders. Neurochem Int 2020; 141:104853. [PMID: 32980494 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2020.104853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Despite fundamental differences in disease course and outcomes, neurodevelopmental (autism spectrum disorders - ASD) and neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's disease - AD and Parkinson's disease - PD) present surprising, common traits in their molecular pathomechanisms. Uncontrolled oligomerization and aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ), microtubule-associated protein (MAP) tau, or α-synuclein (α-syn) contribute to synaptic impairment and the ensuing neuronal death in both AD and PD. Likewise, the pathogenesis of ASD may be attributed, at least in part, to synaptic dysfunction; attention has also been recently paid to irregularities in the metabolism and function of the Aβ precursor protein (APP), tau, or α-syn. Commonly affected elements include signaling pathways that regulate cellular metabolism and survival such as insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) - PI3 kinase - Akt - mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and a number of key synaptic proteins critically involved in neuronal communication. Understanding how these shared pathomechanism elements operate in different conditions may help identify common targets and therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henryk Jęśko
- Department of Cellular Signalling, M. Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawińskiego Str., 02-106, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Magdalena Cieślik
- Department of Cellular Signalling, M. Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawińskiego Str., 02-106, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Grażyna Gromadzka
- Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Faculty of Medicine. Collegium Medicum, Wóycickiego 1/3, 01-938, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Agata Adamczyk
- Department of Cellular Signalling, M. Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, 5 Pawińskiego Str., 02-106, Warsaw, Poland.
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Brito LM, Ribeiro-dos-Santos Â, Vidal AF, de Araújo GS. Differential Expression and miRNA-Gene Interactions in Early and Late Mild Cognitive Impairment. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:biology9090251. [PMID: 32872134 PMCID: PMC7565463 DOI: 10.3390/biology9090251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) are complex diseases with their molecular architecture not elucidated. APOE, Amyloid Beta Precursor Protein (APP), and Presenilin-1 (PSEN1) are well-known genes associated with both MCI and AD. Recently, epigenetic alterations and dysregulated regulatory elements, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), have been reported associated with neurodegeneration. In this study, differential expression analysis (DEA) was performed for genes and miRNAs based on microarray and RNA-Seq data. Global gene profile of healthy individuals, early and late mild cognitive impairment (EMCI and LMCI, respectively), and AD was obtained from ADNI Cohort. miRNA global profile of healthy individuals and AD patients was extracted from public RNA-Seq data. DEA performed with limma package on ADNI Cohort data highlighted eight differential expressed (DE) genes (AGER, LINC00483, MMP19, CATSPER1, ARFGAP1, GPER1, PHLPP2, TRPM2) (false discovery rate (FDR) p-value < 0.05) between EMCI and LMCI patients. Previous molecular studies showed associations between these genes with dementia and neurological-related pathways. Five dysregulated miRNAs were identified by DEA performed with RNA-Seq data and edgeR (FDR p-value < 0.002). All reported miRNAs in AD interact with the aforementioned genes. Our integrative transcriptomic analysis was able to identify a set of miRNA-gene interactions that may be involved in cognitive and neurodegeneration processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Miranda Brito
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil; (L.M.B.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (A.F.V.)
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
| | - Ândrea Ribeiro-dos-Santos
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil; (L.M.B.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (A.F.V.)
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
| | - Amanda Ferreira Vidal
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil; (L.M.B.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (A.F.V.)
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
| | - Gilderlanio Santana de Araújo
- Laboratório de Genética Humana e Médica, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil; (L.M.B.); (Â.R.-d.-S.); (A.F.V.)
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Instituto de Ciêncas Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
- Correspondence:
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Newman M, Nik HM, Sutherland GT, Hin N, Kim WS, Halliday GM, Jayadev S, Smith C, Laird AS, Lucas CW, Kittipassorn T, Peet DJ, Lardelli M. Accelerated loss of hypoxia response in zebrafish with familial Alzheimer's disease-like mutation of presenilin 1. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 29:2379-2394. [PMID: 32588886 PMCID: PMC8604272 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ageing is the major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), a condition involving brain hypoxia. The majority of early-onset familial AD (EOfAD) cases involve dominant mutations in the gene PSEN1. PSEN1 null mutations do not cause EOfAD. We exploited putative hypomorphic and EOfAD-like mutations in the zebrafish psen1 gene to explore the effects of age and genotype on brain responses to acute hypoxia. Both mutations accelerate age-dependent changes in hypoxia-sensitive gene expression supporting that ageing is necessary, but insufficient, for AD occurrence. Curiously, the responses to acute hypoxia become inverted in extremely aged fish. This is associated with an apparent inability to upregulate glycolysis. Wild-type PSEN1 allele expression is reduced in post-mortem brains of human EOfAD mutation carriers (and extremely aged fish), possibly contributing to EOfAD pathogenesis. We also observed that age-dependent loss of HIF1 stabilization under hypoxia is a phenomenon conserved across vertebrate classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Newman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Hani Moussavi Nik
- School of Biological Sciences, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Greg T Sutherland
- Discipline of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences and Charles
Perkins Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of
Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Nhi Hin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
- Bioinformatics Hub, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Woojin S Kim
- Brain and Mind Centre, Central Clinical School, Faculty of
Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New
South Wales 2052, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South
Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales,
Australia
| | - Glenda M Halliday
- Brain and Mind Centre, Central Clinical School, Faculty of
Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New
South Wales 2052, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South
Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales,
Australia
| | - Suman Jayadev
- Department of Neurology, University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Carole Smith
- Department of Neurology, University of
Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Angela S Laird
- Centre for MND Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University,
New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Caitlin W Lucas
- Centre for MND Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University,
New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Thaksaon Kittipassorn
- School of Biological Sciences, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital,
Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Dan J Peet
- School of Biological Sciences, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - Michael Lardelli
- School of Biological Sciences, University of
Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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Niculescu AB, Le-Niculescu H, Roseberry K, Wang S, Hart J, Kaur A, Robertson H, Jones T, Strasburger A, Williams A, Kurian SM, Lamb B, Shekhar A, Lahiri DK, Saykin AJ. Blood biomarkers for memory: toward early detection of risk for Alzheimer disease, pharmacogenomics, and repurposed drugs. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:1651-1672. [PMID: 31792364 PMCID: PMC7387316 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0602-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Short-term memory dysfunction is a key early feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Psychiatric patients may be at higher risk for memory dysfunction and subsequent AD due to the negative effects of stress and depression on the brain. We carried out longitudinal within-subject studies in male and female psychiatric patients to discover blood gene expression biomarkers that track short term memory as measured by the retention measure in the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test. These biomarkers were subsequently prioritized with a convergent functional genomics approach using previous evidence in the field implicating them in AD. The top candidate biomarkers were then tested in an independent cohort for ability to predict state short-term memory, and trait future positive neuropsychological testing for cognitive impairment. The best overall evidence was for a series of new, as well as some previously known genes, which are now newly shown to have functional evidence in humans as blood biomarkers: RAB7A, NPC2, TGFB1, GAP43, ARSB, PER1, GUSB, and MAPT. Additional top blood biomarkers include GSK3B, PTGS2, APOE, BACE1, PSEN1, and TREM2, well known genes implicated in AD by previous brain and genetic studies, in humans and animal models, which serve as reassuring de facto positive controls for our whole-genome gene expression discovery approach. Biological pathway analyses implicate LXR/RXR activation, neuroinflammation, atherosclerosis signaling, and amyloid processing. Co-directionality of expression data provide new mechanistic insights that are consistent with a compensatory/scarring scenario for brain pathological changes. A majority of top biomarkers also have evidence for involvement in other psychiatric disorders, particularly stress, providing a molecular basis for clinical co-morbidity and for stress as an early precipitant/risk factor. Some of them are modulated by existing drugs, such as antidepressants, lithium and omega-3 fatty acids. Other drug and nutraceutical leads were identified through bioinformatic drug repurposing analyses (such as pioglitazone, levonorgestrel, salsolidine, ginkgolide A, and icariin). Our work contributes to the overall pathophysiological understanding of memory disorders and AD. It also opens new avenues for precision medicine- diagnostics (assement of risk) as well as early treatment (pharmacogenomically informed, personalized, and preventive).
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Affiliation(s)
- A B Niculescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
| | - H Le-Niculescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - K Roseberry
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - S Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - J Hart
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A Kaur
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - H Robertson
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - T Jones
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A Strasburger
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A Williams
- Indianapolis VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - S M Kurian
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - B Lamb
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A Shekhar
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - D K Lahiri
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - A J Saykin
- Indiana Alzheimer Disease Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
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Wang X, Allen M, Li S, Quicksall ZS, Patel TA, Carnwath TP, Reddy JS, Carrasquillo MM, Lincoln SJ, Nguyen TT, Malphrus KG, Dickson DW, Crook JE, Asmann YW, Ertekin-Taner N. Deciphering cellular transcriptional alterations in Alzheimer's disease brains. Mol Neurodegener 2020; 15:38. [PMID: 32660529 PMCID: PMC7359236 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-020-00392-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Large-scale brain bulk-RNAseq studies identified molecular pathways implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), however these findings can be confounded by cellular composition changes in bulk-tissue. To identify cell intrinsic gene expression alterations of individual cell types, we designed a bioinformatics pipeline and analyzed three AD and control bulk-RNAseq datasets of temporal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex from 685 brain samples. We detected cell-proportion changes in AD brains that are robustly replicable across the three independently assessed cohorts. We applied three different algorithms including our in-house algorithm to identify cell intrinsic differentially expressed genes in individual cell types (CI-DEGs). We assessed the performance of all algorithms by comparison to single nucleus RNAseq data. We identified consensus CI-DEGs that are common to multiple brain regions. Despite significant overlap between consensus CI-DEGs and bulk-DEGs, many CI-DEGs were absent from bulk-DEGs. Consensus CI-DEGs and their enriched GO terms include genes and pathways previously implicated in AD or neurodegeneration, as well as novel ones. We demonstrated that the detection of CI-DEGs through computational deconvolution methods is promising and highlight remaining challenges. These findings provide novel insights into cell-intrinsic transcriptional changes of individual cell types in AD and may refine discovery and modeling of molecular targets that drive this complex disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Wang
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
| | - Mariet Allen
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Shaoyu Li
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Zachary S Quicksall
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Tulsi A Patel
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Troy P Carnwath
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Joseph S Reddy
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Sarah J Lincoln
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Thuy T Nguyen
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | | | - Dennis W Dickson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Julia E Crook
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Yan W Asmann
- Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Nilüfer Ertekin-Taner
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
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Nali LH, Olival GS, Sousa FTG, de Oliveira ACS, Montenegro H, da Silva IT, Dias-Neto E, Naya H, Spangenberg L, Penalva-de-Oliveira AC, Romano CM. Whole transcriptome analysis of multiple Sclerosis patients reveals active inflammatory profile in relapsing patients and downregulation of neurological repair pathways in secondary progressive cases. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2020; 44:102243. [PMID: 32559700 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2020.102243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune neurologic disease that causes progressive destruction of myelin sheath and axons. Affecting more than 2 million people worldwide, MS may presents distinct clinical courses. However, information regarding key gene expression and genic pathways related to each clinical form is still limited. OBJECTIVE To assess the whole transcriptome of blood leukocytes from patients with remittent-recurrent (RRMS) and secondary-progressive (SPMS) forms to explore the gene expression profile of each form. METHODS Total RNA was obtained and sequenced in Illumina HiSeq platform. Reads were aligned to human genome (GRCh38/hg38), BAM files were mapped and differential expression was obtained with DeSeq2. Up or downregulated pathways were obtained through Ingenuity IPA. Pro-inflammatory cytokines levels were also assessed. RESULTS The transcriptome was generated for nine patients (6 SPMS and 3 RRMS) and 5 healthy controls. A total of 731 and 435 differentially expressed genes were identified in SPMS and RRMS, respectively. RERE, IRS2, SIPA1L1, TANC2 and PLAGL1 were upregulated in both forms, whereas PAD2 and PAD4 were upregulated in RRMS and downregulated in SPMS. Inflammatory and neuronal repair pathways were upregulated in RRMS, which was also observed in cytokine analysis. Conversely, SPMS patients presented IL-8, IL-1, Neurothrophin and Neuregulin pathways down regulated. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the transcriptome of RRMS and SPMS clearly indicated distinct inflammatory profiles, where RRMS presented marked pro-inflammatory profile but SPMS did not. SPMS individuals also presented a decrease on expression of neuronal repair pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz H Nali
- Laboratório de Virologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, LIM-52 (LIMHC) Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 470, São Paulo, 05403-000, Brazil.; Post-graduation Program in Health Sciences, Santo Amaro University, Rua Prof. Enéas de Siqueira Neto, 340, São Paulo, 04829-300, Brazil
| | - Guilherme S Olival
- Departamento de Neurologia Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, R. Dr. Cesário Mota Júnior, 112, São Paulo, 01221-020 Brazil
| | - Francielle T G Sousa
- Laboratório de Virologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, LIM-52 (LIMHC) Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 470, São Paulo, 05403-000, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina S de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Virologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, LIM-52 (LIMHC) Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 470, São Paulo, 05403-000, Brazil
| | | | - Israel T da Silva
- Laboratory of Medical Genomics, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, 01525-001, Brazil
| | - Emamnuel Dias-Neto
- Laboratory of Medical Genomics, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, 01525-001, Brazil; Laboratory of Neurosciences (LIM-27), Institute of Psychiatry, São Paulo Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hugo Naya
- Unidad de Bioinformática Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay
| | - Lucia Spangenberg
- Unidad de Bioinformática Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay
| | - Augusto C Penalva-de-Oliveira
- Departamento de Neurologia Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, R. Dr. Cesário Mota Júnior, 112, São Paulo, 01221-020 Brazil; Departamento de Neurologia, Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas, Avenida Doutor Arnaldo, 165, São Paulo, 01246-900, Brazil
| | - Camila M Romano
- Laboratório de Virologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, LIM-52 (LIMHC) Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 470, São Paulo, 05403-000, Brazil.; Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP (LIM52), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
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Fessel J. The paradox of opposite directions of gene expressions in MCI and AD suggests possible therapy to prevent progression of MCI to AD. ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA (NEW YORK, N. Y.) 2020; 6:e12003. [PMID: 32258360 PMCID: PMC7111579 DOI: 10.1002/trc2.12003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
One of the puzzling observations concerning mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), is that many gene expressions in MCI may be in the opposite direction of those seen in AD. Several examples of this paradox are provided. The likely explanation lies in in the control mechanisms of gene transcription. These mechanisms include (1) modification of DNA and histones by methylation or acetylation, affecting the balance between the Compass group of proteins that enhances mRNA formation, and the Polycomb group that suppresses it; (2) compensation for the loss of one gene's function by another gene with overlapping functions; (3) reduced control of the entire neural RNA production; and (4) response to microRNAs (miRNA). Although data are inadequate to exclude with certainty any one of the indicated mechanisms, the available evidence favors overall reduced control of neural mRNA production, including the effect of miRNA. The switch occurs at a specific stage, somewhere between Braak 0-1 and Braak 2-3, in the progression from MCI to AD, which reduces the number of its likely causes. Two strong but related candidates are the repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST), which in adult neurons impairs plasticity; and a miRNA, for example, miRNA124, that represses REST. Another possible explanation is that only those patients with MCI who will not progress to AD are the ones that have gene expressions in the opposite direction as in AD. The solution to the paradox may have pragmatic value.
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González-Velasco O, Papy-García D, Le Douaron G, Sánchez-Santos JM, De Las Rivas J. Transcriptomic landscape, gene signatures and regulatory profile of aging in the human brain. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2020; 1863:194491. [PMID: 32006715 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2020.194491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The molecular characteristics of aging that lead to increased disease susceptibility remain poorly understood. Here we present a transcriptomic profile of the human brain associated with age and aging, derived from a systematic integrative analysis of four independent cohorts of genome-wide expression data from 2202 brain samples (cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum) of individuals of different ages (from young infants, 5-10 years old, to elderly people, up to 100 years old) categorized in age stages by decades. The study provides a signature of 1148 genes detected in cortex, 874 genes in hippocampus and 657 genes in cerebellum, that present significant differential expression changes with age according to a robust gamma rank correlation profiling. The signatures show a significant large overlap of 258 genes between cortex and hippocampus, and 63 common genes between the three brain regions. Focusing on cortex, functional enrichment analysis and cell-type analysis provided biological insight about the aging signature. Response to stress and immune response were up-regulated functions. Synapse, neurotransmission and calcium signaling were down-regulated functions. Cell analysis, derived from single-cell data, disclosed an increase of neuronal activity in the young stages of life and a decline of such activity in the old stages. A regulatory analysis identified the transcription factors (TF) associated with the signature of 258 genes, common to cortex and hippocampus; revealing the role of MEF2(A,D), PDX1, FOSL(1,2) and RFX(5,1) as candidate regulators of the signature. Finally, a deep-learning neural network algorithm was used to build a biological age predictor based on the aging signature. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Transcriptional Profiles and Regulatory Gene Networks edited by Dr. Federico Manuel Giorgi and Dr. Shaun Mahony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar González-Velasco
- Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics Group, Cancer Research Center (CiC-IMBCC, CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), University of Salamanca (USAL), Campus Miguel de Unamuno s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Dulce Papy-García
- Cell Growth, Tissue Repair and Regeneration (CRRET), CNRS ERL 9215, Université Paris Est Créteil (UPEC), Créteil F-94000, France
| | - Gael Le Douaron
- Cell Growth, Tissue Repair and Regeneration (CRRET), CNRS ERL 9215, Université Paris Est Créteil (UPEC), Créteil F-94000, France
| | - José M Sánchez-Santos
- Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics Group, Cancer Research Center (CiC-IMBCC, CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), University of Salamanca (USAL), Campus Miguel de Unamuno s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain; Department of Statistics, University of Salamanca (USAL), Plaza de los Caídos s/n, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Javier De Las Rivas
- Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics Group, Cancer Research Center (CiC-IMBCC, CSIC/USAL/IBSAL), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), University of Salamanca (USAL), Campus Miguel de Unamuno s/n, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
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Accelerated brain aging towards transcriptional inversion in a zebrafish model of the K115fs mutation of human PSEN2. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227258. [PMID: 31978074 PMCID: PMC6980398 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The molecular changes involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression remain unclear since we cannot easily access antemortem human brains. Some non-mammalian vertebrates such as the zebrafish preserve AD-relevant transcript isoforms of the PRESENILIN genes lost from mice and rats. One example is PS2V, the alternative transcript isoform of the PSEN2 gene. PS2V is induced by hypoxia/oxidative stress and shows increased expression in late onset, sporadic AD brains. A unique, early onset familial AD mutation of PSEN2, K115fs, mimics the PS2V coding sequence suggesting that forced, early expression of PS2V-like isoforms may contribute to AD pathogenesis. Here we use zebrafish to model the K115fs mutation to investigate the effects of forced PS2V-like expression on the transcriptomes of young adult and aged adult brains. Methods We edited the zebrafish genome to model the K115fs mutation. To explore its effects at the molecular level, we analysed the brain transcriptome and proteome of young (6-month-old) and aged (24-month-old) wild type and heterozygous mutant female sibling zebrafish. Finally, we used gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to compare molecular changes in the brains of these fish to human AD. Results Young heterozygous mutant fish show transcriptional changes suggesting accelerated brain aging and increased glucocorticoid signalling. These early changes precede a transcriptional ‘inversion’ that leads to glucocorticoid resistance and other likely pathological changes in aged heterozygous mutant fish. Notably, microglia-associated immune responses regulated by the ETS transcription factor family are altered in both our zebrafish mutant model and in human AD. The molecular changes we observe in aged heterozygous mutant fish occur without obvious histopathology and possibly in the absence of Aβ. Conclusions Our results suggest that forced expression of a PS2V-like isoform contributes to immune and stress responses favouring AD pathogenesis. This highlights the value of our zebrafish genetic model for exploring molecular mechanisms involved in AD pathogenesis.
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Pesini A, Iglesias E, Bayona-Bafaluy MP, Garrido-Pérez N, Meade P, Gaudó P, Jiménez-Salvador I, Andrés-Benito P, Montoya J, Ferrer I, Pesini P, Ruiz-Pesini E. Brain pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis and Alzheimer disease. Aging (Albany NY) 2019; 11:8433-8462. [PMID: 31560653 PMCID: PMC6814620 DOI: 10.18632/aging.102328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Many patients suffering late-onset Alzheimer disease show a deficit in respiratory complex IV activity. The de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway connects with the mitochondrial respiratory chain upstream from respiratory complex IV. We hypothesized that these patients would have decreased pyrimidine nucleotide levels. Then, different cell processes for which these compounds are essential, such as neuronal membrane generation and maintenance and synapses production, would be compromised. Using a cell model, we show that inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation function reduces neuronal differentiation. Linking these processes to pyrimidine nucleotides, uridine treatment recovers neuronal differentiation. To unmask the importance of these pathways in Alzheimer disease, we firstly confirm the existence of the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway in adult human brain. Then, we report altered mRNA levels for genes from both de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis and pyrimidine salvage pathways in brain from patients with Alzheimer disease. Thus, uridine supplementation might be used as a therapy for those Alzheimer disease patients with low respiratory complex IV activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Pesini
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Eldris Iglesias
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - M Pilar Bayona-Bafaluy
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.,Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria Garrido-Pérez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.,Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Meade
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Paula Gaudó
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Irene Jiménez-Salvador
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Pol Andrés-Benito
- Departamento de Patología y Terapéutica Experimental, Universidad de Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julio Montoya
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.,Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
| | - Isidro Ferrer
- Departamento de Patología y Terapéutica Experimental, Universidad de Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Eduardo Ruiz-Pesini
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Aragón (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.,Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain.,Fundación ARAID, Zaragoza, Spain
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Nygaard M, Larsen MJ, Thomassen M, McGue M, Christensen K, Tan Q, Christiansen L. Global expression profiling of cognitive level and decline in middle-aged monozygotic twins. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 84:141-147. [PMID: 31585296 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Only few studies have investigated the genomewide transcriptome of normative cognitive aging. We therefore aimed at investigating blood gene expression patterns associated with cognitive aging using a population-based sample of 235 middle-aged monozygotic twin pairs with longitudinal data on cognitive function. This unique setup enabled examination of gene expression differences associated with individual and intrapair differences in cognitive level and change while controlling for underlying genetic variation and shared early environment. Overall, increased expression of several gene sets was found to strongly correlate with a lower cognitive level and cognitive decline. The most significantly correlated gene sets were related to protein metabolism, translation, RNA metabolism, infectious disease, and the immune system, which are all processes previously linked to transcription signatures of pathological and normal brain aging, and aging in blood. The results of our study thus suggest that gene expression patterns of cognitive level and decline in our sample mirror those seen in cognitively impaired individuals, which could point toward a more generic response to cognitive aging and aging in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Nygaard
- The Danish Twin Registry and The Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark.
| | - Martin J Larsen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Research, Human Genetics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Mads Thomassen
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Research, Human Genetics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Matt McGue
- The Danish Twin Registry and The Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Kaare Christensen
- The Danish Twin Registry and The Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Qihua Tan
- The Danish Twin Registry and The Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, Odense C, Denmark
| | - Lene Christiansen
- The Danish Twin Registry and The Danish Aging Research Center, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Immunology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen OE, Denmark
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42
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Yang J, Long Y, Xu DM, Zhu BL, Deng XJ, Yan Z, Sun F, Chen GJ. Age- and Nicotine-Associated Gene Expression Changes in the Hippocampus of APP/PS1 Mice. J Mol Neurosci 2019; 69:608-622. [PMID: 31399937 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-019-01389-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been intensively studied. However, little is known about the molecular alterations in early-stage and late-stage AD. Hence, we performed RNA sequencing and assessed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hippocampus of 18-month and 7-month-old APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, the DEGs induced by treatment with nicotine, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist that is known to improve cognition in AD, were also analyzed in old and young APP/PS1 mice. When comparing old APP/PS1 mice with their younger littermates, we found an upregulation in genes associated with calcium overload, immune response, cancer, and synaptic function; the transcripts of 14 calcium ion channel subtypes were significantly increased in aged mice. In contrast, the downregulated genes in aged mice were associated with ribosomal components, mitochondrial respiratory chain complex, and metabolism. Through comparison with DEGs in normal aging from previous reports, we found that changes in calcium channel genes remained one of the prominent features in aged APP/PS1 mice. Nicotine treatment also induced changes in gene expression. Indeed, nicotine augmented glycerolipid metabolism, but inhibited PI3K and MAPK signaling in young mice. In contrast, nicotine affected genes associated with cell senescence and death in old mice. Our study suggests a potential network connection between calcium overload and cellular signaling, in which additional nicotinic activation might not be beneficial in late-stage AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, 1 Youyi Road, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yan Long
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, 1 Youyi Road, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - De-Mei Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, 1 Youyi Road, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Bing-Lin Zhu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, 1 Youyi Road, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Deng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, 1 Youyi Road, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Zhen Yan
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA
| | - Fei Sun
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
| | - Guo-Jun Chen
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurology, 1 Youyi Road, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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Cherry AE, Vicente JJ, Xu C, Morrison RS, Ong SE, Wordeman L, Stella N. GPR124 regulates microtubule assembly, mitotic progression, and glioblastoma cell proliferation. Glia 2019; 67:1558-1570. [PMID: 31058365 PMCID: PMC6557680 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
GPR124 is involved in embryonic development and remains expressed by select organs. The importance of GPR124 during development suggests that its aberrant expression might participate in tumor growth. Here we show that both increases and decreases in GPR124 expression in glioblastoma cells reduce cell proliferation by differentially altering the duration mitotic progression. Using mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we discovered that GPR124 interacts with ch-TOG, a known regulator of both microtubule (MT)-plus-end assembly and mitotic progression. Accordingly, changes in GPR124 expression and ch-TOG similarly affect MT assembly measured by real-time microscopy in cells. Our study describes a novel molecular interaction involving GPR124 and ch-TOG at the plasma membrane that controls glioblastoma cell proliferation by modifying MT assembly rates and controlling the progression of distinct phases of mitosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison E. Cherry
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Juan Jesus Vicente
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Cong Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | | | - Shao-En Ong
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Linda Wordeman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Nephi Stella
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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44
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Age and Sex Influence the Hippocampal Response and Recovery Following Sepsis. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:8557-8572. [PMID: 31278440 PMCID: PMC6834928 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01681-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Although in-hospital mortality rates for sepsis have decreased, survivors often experience lasting physical and cognitive deficits. Moreover, older adults are more vulnerable to long-term complications associated with sepsis. We employed a murine model to examine the influence of age and sex on the brain’s response and recovery following sepsis. Young (~ 4 months) and old (~ 20 months) mice (C57BL/6) of both sexes underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) with restraint stress. The hippocampal transcriptome was examined in age- and sex-matched controls at 1 and 4 days post-CLP. In general, immune- and stress-related genes increased, while neuronal, synaptic, and glial genes decreased 1 day after CLP-induced sepsis. However, specific age and sex differences were observed for the initial responsiveness to sepsis as well as the rate of recovery examined on day 4. Young females exhibited a muted transcriptional response relative to young males and old females. Old females exhibited a robust shift in gene transcription on day 1, and while most genes recovered, genes linked to neurogenesis and myelination continued to be downregulated by day 4. In contrast, old males exhibited a more delayed or prolonged response to sepsis, such that neuronal and synaptic genes continued to decrease while immune response genes continued to increase on day 4. These results suggest that aging is associated with delayed recovery from sepsis, which is particularly evident in males.
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45
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Frere S, Slutsky I. Alzheimer's Disease: From Firing Instability to Homeostasis Network Collapse. Neuron 2019; 97:32-58. [PMID: 29301104 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) starts from pure cognitive impairments and gradually progresses into degeneration of specific brain circuits. Although numerous factors initiating AD have been extensively studied, the common principles underlying the transition from cognitive deficits to neuronal loss remain unknown. Here we describe an evolutionarily conserved, integrated homeostatic network (IHN) that enables functional stability of central neural circuits and safeguards from neurodegeneration. We identify the critical modules comprising the IHN and propose a central role of neural firing in controlling the complex homeostatic network at different spatial scales. We hypothesize that firing instability and impaired synaptic plasticity at early AD stages trigger a vicious cycle, leading to dysregulation of the whole IHN. According to this hypothesis, the IHN collapse represents the major driving force of the transition from early memory impairments to neurodegeneration. Understanding the core elements of homeostatic control machinery, the reciprocal connections between distinct IHN modules, and the role of firing homeostasis in this hierarchy has important implications for physiology and should offer novel conceptual approaches for AD and other neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Frere
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Inna Slutsky
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel.
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46
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Lupo G, Gaetani S, Cacci E, Biagioni S, Negri R. Molecular Signatures of the Aging Brain: Finding the Links Between Genes and Phenotypes. Neurotherapeutics 2019; 16:543-553. [PMID: 31161490 PMCID: PMC6694319 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-019-00743-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is associated with cognitive decline and increased vulnerability to neurodegenerative diseases. The progressive extension of the average human lifespan is bound to lead to a corresponding increase in the fraction of cognitively impaired elderly individuals among the human population, with an enormous societal and economic burden. At the cellular and tissue levels, cognitive decline is linked to a reduction in specific neuronal subpopulations, a widespread decrease in synaptic plasticity and an increase in neuroinflammation due to an enhanced activation of astrocytes and microglia, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these functional changes during normal aging and in neuropathological conditions remain poorly understood. In this review, we summarize very recent and outstanding progress in elucidating the molecular changes associated with cognitive decline through the genome-wide profiling of aging brain cells at different molecular levels (genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic). We discuss how the correlation of different molecular and phenotypic traits driven by mathematical and computational analyses of large datasets has led to the prediction of key molecular nodes of neurodegenerative pathways, and provide a few examples of candidate regulators of cognitive decline identified with these approaches. Furthermore, we highlight the dysregulation of the synaptic transcriptome in neuronal cells and of the inflammatory transcriptome in glial cells as some of the key events during normal and neuropathological human brain aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Lupo
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Silvana Gaetani
- Department of Physiology and Farmacology "V. Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuele Cacci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Biagioni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Rodolfo Negri
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "C. Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale A. Moro, 00185, Rome, Italy
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47
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Petty LE, Highland HM, Gamazon ER, Hu H, Karhade M, Chen HH, de Vries PS, Grove ML, Aguilar D, Bell GI, Huff CD, Hanis CL, Doddapaneni H, Munzy DM, Gibbs RA, Ma J, Parra EJ, Cruz M, Valladares-Salgado A, Arking DE, Barbeira A, Im HK, Morrison AC, Boerwinkle E, Below JE. Functionally oriented analysis of cardiometabolic traits in a trans-ethnic sample. Hum Mol Genet 2019; 28:1212-1224. [PMID: 30624610 PMCID: PMC6423424 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Interpretation of genetic association results is difficult because signals often lack biological context. To generate hypotheses of the functional genetic etiology of complex cardiometabolic traits, we estimated the genetically determined component of gene expression from common variants using PrediXcan (1) and determined genes with differential predicted expression by trait. PrediXcan imputes tissue-specific expression levels from genetic variation using variant-level effect on gene expression in transcriptome data. To explore the value of imputed genetically regulated gene expression (GReX) models across different ancestral populations, we evaluated imputed expression levels for predictive accuracy genome-wide in RNA sequence data in samples drawn from European-ancestry and African-ancestry populations and identified substantial predictive power using European-derived models in a non-European target population. We then tested the association of GReX on 15 cardiometabolic traits including blood lipid levels, body mass index, height, blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin, RR interval, fibrinogen level, factor VII level and white blood cell and platelet counts in 15 755 individuals across three ancestry groups, resulting in 20 novel gene-phenotype associations reaching experiment-wide significance across ancestries. In addition, we identified 18 significant novel gene-phenotype associations in our ancestry-specific analyses. Top associations were assessed for additional support via query of S-PrediXcan (2) results derived from publicly available genome-wide association studies summary data. Collectively, these findings illustrate the utility of transcriptome-based imputation models for discovery of cardiometabolic effect genes in a diverse dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Petty
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Heather M Highland
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Eric R Gamazon
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hao Hu
- Department of Epidemiology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mandar Karhade
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hung-Hsin Chen
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paul S de Vries
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Megan L Grove
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - David Aguilar
- Department of Cardiology, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA
| | - Graeme I Bell
- Departments of Medicine and Human Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Chad D Huff
- Department of Epidemiology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Craig L Hanis
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Donna M Munzy
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Richard A Gibbs
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jianzhong Ma
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Esteban J Parra
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miguel Cruz
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Bioquímica, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Adan Valladares-Salgado
- Unidad de Investigación Médica en Bioquímica, Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Dan E Arking
- McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alvaro Barbeira
- Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Hae Kyung Im
- Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Alanna C Morrison
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Eric Boerwinkle
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jennifer E Below
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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48
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Duggan MR, Joshi S, Tan YF, Slifker M, Ross EA, Wimmer M, Parikh V. Transcriptomic changes in the prefrontal cortex of rats as a function of age and cognitive engagement. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 163:107035. [PMID: 31185277 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2019.107035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Although changes in cognitive functions including attention are well documented in aging, the neurobiological basis for such alterations is not fully understood. Increasing evidence points towards the contribution of genetic factors in age-related cognitive decline. However, genetic studies have remained inconsistent in characterizing specific genes that could predict functional decline in aging. Here we utilized next generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify patterns of differentially expressed genes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a brain region implicated in attention, of young and aged animals that were either cognitively trained or had limited cognitive engagement. Consistent with previous investigations, aging alone was associated with increased expression of genes involved in multiple facets of innate and adaptive immune responses. On the contrary, the expression of immunity-related transcripts was reduced by cognitive engagement. In addition, transcripts across a wide range of cellular processes, including those associated with neuronal remodeling and plasticity, were upregulated by this behavioral manipulation. Surprisingly, aged subjects accounted for higher mean counts of upregulated transcripts and lower mean counts for downregulated transcripts as compared to the young subjects. Because aged rats exhibited lower attentional capacities, it is plausible that transcriptional changes associated with performance in these animals were reflective of compensatory changes that occurred to cope with the declining integrity of PFC functioning. Interestingly, the effects of both aging and cognitive engagement resulted in an upregulation of transcripts linked to extracellular exosomes, suggesting such extracellular vesicles may moderate a reciprocal gene by environment interaction in order to facilitate the reorganization of PFC circuitry and maintain functionality. Taken together, these findings provide novel insights into the capacities of both cognitive engagement as well as aging to alter gene expression in the PFC, and how the effects of such dynamic factors relate to variation in age-related cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R Duggan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
| | - Surbhi Joshi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
| | - Yin-Fei Tan
- Genetics Research Facilities, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, United States
| | - Michael Slifker
- Biostatisitics and Bionformatics Facilities, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, United States
| | - Eric A Ross
- Biostatisitics and Bionformatics Facilities, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, United States
| | - Mathieu Wimmer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States.
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The Aging Astrocyte Transcriptome from Multiple Regions of the Mouse Brain. Cell Rep 2019; 22:269-285. [PMID: 29298427 PMCID: PMC5783200 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.12.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 416] [Impact Index Per Article: 83.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging brains undergo cognitive decline, associated with decreased neuronal synapse number and function and altered metabolism. Astrocytes regulate neuronal synapse formation and function in development and adulthood, but whether these properties change during aging, contributing to neuronal dysfunction, is unknown. We addressed this by generating aged and adult astrocyte transcriptomes from multiple mouse brain regions. These data provide a comprehensive RNA-seq database of adult and aged astrocyte gene expression, available online as a resource. We identify astrocyte genes altered by aging across brain regions and regionally unique aging changes. Aging astrocytes show minimal alteration of homeostatic and neurotransmission-regulating genes. However, aging astrocytes upregulate genes that eliminate synapses and partially resemble reactive astrocytes. We further identified heterogeneous expression of synapse-regulating genes between astrocytes from different cortical regions. We find that alterations to astrocytes in aging create an environment permissive to synapse elimination and neuronal damage, potentially contributing to aging-associated cognitive decline.
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Seo EJ, Klauck SM, Efferth T, Panossian A. Adaptogens in chemobrain (Part III): Antitoxic effects of plant extracts towards cancer chemotherapy-induced toxicity - transcriptome-wide microarray analysis of neuroglia cells. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2019; 56:246-260. [PMID: 30668345 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxicity of chemotherapeutics is a serious problem in cancer therapy. Adaptogens are known to increase adaptability and survival organisms. AIM The aim of this study was to assess the effects of selected adaptogenic herbal extracts on FEC (fixed combination of 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide) induced changes in transcriptome-wide microarray profiles of neuroglia cells. Another task of the study was to identify those genes, which are associated with FEC-induced hepato-, cardio- and nephrotoxicity to predict potential effects of andrographolide (AND), Andrographis herb, Eleutherococcus roots genuine extracts (ES), their fixed combination (AE) and the combination of Rhodiola roots, Schisandra berries and Eleutherococcus roots (RSE) on the organismal level. METHODS Gene expression profiling was performed by transcriptome-wide mRNA microarray in the human T98G neuroglia cells after treatment with adaptogens. Interactive pathways downstream analysis was performed with data sets of significantly up- or down-regulated genes and predicted effects on cellular functions and diseases were identified by Ingenuity IPA database software. RESULT Significant differences of transcriptome-wide microarray profiles were observed after treatment of T98G cells with FEC and after co-incubation with adaptogens. FEC induced deregulation of certain genes with suggested toxicity associated with liver fibroses, necrosis and congenital heart diseases. Co-incubation of AE with FEC prevented FEC-induced deregulation of 66 genes increasing organismal death, 37 genes decreasing cell survival, 37 genes decreasing DNA repair, 37 genes decreasing viral infection and some other functions, indicating on potential beneficial effects of AE. Furthermore, FEC-induced hepato-, nephro- and cardiotoxicity related to deregulation of genes was predictably attenuated by AE. Moreover, co-incubation of AE with FEC caused differential expression of genes, which presumably are beneficial for an organism during chemotherapy. They include predicted activation of DNA repair, activation of movement of antigen presenting cells and inhibition of muscle cells death. The main active constituent of AE is AND. Co-incubation of FEC only with AND results in deregulation of 10 genes causing death of breast cancer cells, decrease of liver toxicity and attenuation of organismal death. Co-incubation of ES extract with FEC showed that ES suppressed FEC-induced deregulation of genes, which inhibit organismal death and fertility. Co-incubation of FEC with RSE indicated potential hepatoprotective effect against FEC-induced apoptosis of liver cells presumably due to suppression of FEC-induced expressions of genes, which increased liver cell apoptosis. Simultaneously, RSE activated expression of genes inhibiting tumor growth. Though, microarray analysis did not provide final proof that the genes induced by the AE, AP and ES are responsible for the physiological effects observed in human patients following their oral administration, it provided insights into putative genes and directions for future research and possible implementation into practice. CONCLUSION Application of cytostatic drugs in combination with adaptogenic plant extracts induced significant changes in transcriptome-wide microarray profiles of neuroglial cells. These changes indicate on potential beneficial effects of adaptogens on FEC induced adverse events in cancer chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ean-Jeong Seo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sabine M Klauck
- Division of Cancer Genome Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Thomas Efferth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Alexander Panossian
- EuroPharma USA Inc., 955 Challenger Dr., Green Bay, WI 54311; Phytomed AB, Vaxtorp, Halland, Sweden.
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