Assessment of ANG variants in Parkinson's disease

Dysregulated angiogenin and related pathways in the ventral midbrain of "redhead" mice with MC1R disruption

A relationship between the melanoma-related pigmentation gene melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) and Parkinson's disease (PD) has been previously suggested. The present study aims to investigate the gene expression pattern in the ventral midbrain (VMB) of MC1R extension (MC1Re/e) mice to provide insights into the underlying mechanism of dopaminergic neuron loss in these mice. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was conducted on VMB tissues from MC1Re/e mice and their wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J littermates. Gene expression levels and pathway activity were assessed using differential gene expression analysis, Gene ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). To validate the RNA-seq results, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blotting (WB), and ELISA were performed. Our analyses found significant transcriptomic differences in the VMB between MC1Re/e mice and WT controls. Several immune response-related pathways were identified to be downregulated in the MC1Re/e group. Angiogenin (ANG) was implicated in several of the enriched pathways in MC1Re/e mice. Furthermore, Ang was found to be significantly downregulated in the VMB of MC1Re/e mice, which was confirmed at both mRNA and protein levels. There was no significant difference in Ang protein levels in the serum of MC1Re/e and WT mice. Our results suggest a differential gene expression pattern in the VMB as a result of MC1R mutation. Notably, lower Ang expression may be involved in the neuronal loss observed in the VMB of the MC1Re/e mice.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our study identifies reduced angiogenin (Ang) expression in the ventral midbrain (VMB) of MC1Re/e mice, validated through RNA-seq, RT-qPCR, and Western blot. This CNS-specific downregulation suggests localized regulatory mechanisms linked to neuroprotection and Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. Ang's role in neurodegeneration, angiogenesis, and oxidative stress responses highlights its therapeutic potential in PD. These findings provide critical insights into Ang's CNS-specific function and underscore the importance of further research into its mechanistic role in PD.

A Neglected Gene: The Role of the ANG Gene in the Pathogenesis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease with a poor prognosis. To date, more than 40 ALS-related genes have been identified. However, there is still a lack of targeted therapeutic drugs for the treatment of ALS, especially for patients with acute onset and severe disease. A series of studies reported missense heterozygous mutations with loss of function in the coding region of the ANG gene in ALS patients. ANG deficiency is related to the pathogenesis of ALS, but the underlying mechanism has not been determined. This article aimed to synthesize and consolidate the knowledge of the pathological mechanism of ALS induced by ANG mutation and provide a theoretical basis for ALS diagnosis and targeted therapy. This article further delves into the mechanisms underlying the current understanding of the structure and function of the ANG gene, the association between ANG and ALS, and its pathogenesis. Mutations in ANG may lead to the development of ALS through the loss of neuroprotective function, induction of oxidative stress, or inhibition of rRNA synthesis. ANG mutations and genetic and environmental factors may cause disease heterogeneity and more severe disease than in ALS patients with the wild-type gene. Exploring this mechanism is expected to provide a new approach for ALS treatment through increasing ANG expression or angiogenin activity. However, the related study is still in its infancy; therefore, this article also highlights the need for further exploration of the application of ANG gene mutations in clinical trials and animal experiments is needed to achieve improved early diagnosis and treatment of ALS.