National Center Biobank Network

Correlation between myelin basic protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid and motor speed in patients with schizophrenia

Alterations in the white matter have been implicated in schizophrenia. Myelin basic protein (MBP), a component of the myelin sheath, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been suggested as a biomarker for white matter damage in demyelinating diseases. This prompted us to examine the CSF-MBP levels in patients with schizophrenia. We analyzed the CSF-MBP levels in 152 patients with schizophrenia and 117 age- and sex-matched controls. A significant positive correlation between age and CSF-MBP levels was observed both in the patients (p < 0.001) and controls (p = 0.014). No significant difference was observed in the CSF-MBP levels between the two groups. However, among a subsample of the patients (N = 32), a significantly negative correlation was observed between CSF-MBP and age-adjusted motor speed score of the brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia (ρ = -0.59, p < 0.001). Further, among patients who underwent diffusional magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (N = 27), the CSF-MBP levels showed a significantly negative correlation with the mean kurtosis value in the right temporo-parietal region (p < 0.001). Our results suggest that the CSF-MBP level has limited utility as a diagnostic marker; however, higher CSF-MBP levels are associated with poorer motor speed, which may be associated with regional white matter damage in the brain in patients with schizophrenia.

Proteomic insights into extracellular vesicles in ALS for therapeutic potential of Ropinirole and biomarker discovery

BACKGROUND

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) hold the potential for elucidating the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and serve as biomarkers. Notably, the comparative and longitudinal alterations in the protein profiles of EVs in serum (sEVs) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF; cEVs) of sporadic ALS (SALS) patients remain uncharted. Ropinirole hydrochloride (ROPI; dopamine D2 receptor [D2R] agonist), a new anti-ALS drug candidate identified through induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based drug discovery, has been suggested to inhibit ALS disease progression in the Ropinirole Hydrochloride Remedy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ROPALS) trial, but its mechanism of action is not well understood. Therefore, we tried to reveal longitudinal changes with disease progression and the effects of ROPI on protein profiles of EVs.

METHODS

We collected serum and CSF at fixed intervals from ten controls and from 20 SALS patients participating in the ROPALS trial. Comprehensive proteomic analysis of EVs, extracted from these samples, was conducted using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer (LC/MS). Furthermore, we generated iPSC-derived astrocytes (iPasts) and performed RNA sequencing on astrocytes with or without ROPI treatment.

RESULTS

The findings revealed notable disparities yet high congruity in sEVs and cEVs protein profiles concerning disease status, time and ROPI administration. In SALS, both sEVs and cEVs presented elevated levels of inflammation-related proteins but reduced levels associated with unfolded protein response (UPR). These results mirrored the longitudinal changes after disease onset and correlated with the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) at sampling time, suggesting a link to the onset and progression of SALS. ROPI appeared to counteract these changes, attenuating inflammation-related protein levels and boosting those tied to UPR in SALS, proposing an anti-ALS impact on EV protein profiles. Reverse translational research using iPasts indicated that these changes may partly reflect the DRD2-dependent neuroinflammatory inhibitory effects of ROPI. We have also identified biomarkers that predict diagnosis and disease progression by machine learning-driven biomarker search.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the limited sample size, this study pioneers in reporting time-series proteomic alterations in serum and CSF EVs from SALS patients, offering comprehensive insights into SALS pathogenesis, ROPI-induced changes, and potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers.

Neuronal autoantibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid of 148 patients with schizophrenia and 151 healthy controls

Schizophrenia is a syndrome with multiple etiologies, one of which is the potential for an autoimmune disease of the brain such as N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, which can induce psychosis resembling schizophrenia. Here, we examined anti-neuronal autoantibodies related to psychosis using both cell- (CBA) and tissue-based assays (TBA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with chronic schizophrenia and control participants. First, we screened for the antibodies against leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1), γ-aminobutyric acid B receptor (GABABR), dipeptidyl aminopeptidase-like protein 6 (DPPX), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR1/R2), and contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) in 148 patients with schizophrenia. No antibodies were detected. Next, we performed CBA for NMDAR antibodies in 148 patients with schizophrenia and 151 age- and sex-matched controls. Although we detected relatively weak immunoreactivity for NMDAR in the CSFs of two patients with schizophrenia and three controls, no samples were positive when strict criteria were applied. For TBA in the rat hippocampus and cerebellum, we detected positive signals in the CSFs of 13 patients with schizophrenia and eight controls. Positive samples were analyzed for paraneoplastic syndrome and antinuclear antibodies using immunoblotting. The CSFs of nine patients and six controls were positive for dense fine speckle 70 (DFS70) antibodies. Additionally, antibodies against centromere protein (CENP)-A and CENP-B were detected in patients with schizophrenia. Our results suggest that autoantibodies against NMDAR, LG1, GABABR, DPPX, AMPAR1/R2, and CASPR2 are not associated with the pathogenesis of chronic schizophrenia. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of considering the effect of anti-DFS70 antibodies when analyzing autoantibodies in CSF samples. Conclusively, we obtained no evidence suggesting that the most frequent neuronal autoantibodies in the CSF play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, even in our sample.

Exploring the genetic diversity of the Japanese population: Insights from a large-scale whole genome sequencing analysis

The Japanese archipelago is a terminal location for human migration, and the contemporary Japanese people represent a unique population whose genomic diversity has been shaped by multiple migrations from Eurasia. We analyzed the genomic characteristics that define the genetic makeup of the modern Japanese population from a population genetics perspective from the genomic data of 9,287 samples obtained by high-coverage whole-genome sequencing (WGS) by the National Center Biobank Network. The dataset comprised populations from the Ryukyu Islands and other parts of the Japanese archipelago (Hondo). The Hondo population underwent two episodes of population decline during the Jomon period, corresponding to the Late Neolithic, and the Edo period, corresponding to the Early Modern era, while the Ryukyu population experienced a population decline during the shell midden period of the Late Neolithic in this region. Haplotype analysis suggested increased allele frequencies for genes related to alcohol and fatty acid metabolism, which were reported as loci that had experienced positive natural selection. Two genes related to alcohol metabolism were found to be 12,500 years out of phase with the time when they began to increase in the allele frequency; this finding indicates that the genomic diversity of Japanese people has been shaped by events closely related to agriculture and food production.

Association of thyroid peroxidase antibody with the RNF213 p.R4810K variant in ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

RNF213 is a susceptibility gene for moyamoya disease and vasospastic angina, with a second hit considered necessary for their development. Elevated thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) levels have been observed in both diseases, suggesting a possible role of TPO-Ab as a second hit for developing RNF213-related vasculopathy. We investigated the association of TPO-Ab levels with RNF213-related ischemic stroke (IS)/transient ischemic attack (TIA), other than moyamoya disease.

METHODS

From the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Genome Registry, a multicenter, prospective, observational study, we enrolled patients with IS/TIA who were admitted within 1 week of onset. Patients with IS/TIA due to definite moyamoya disease or hemorrhagic stroke were excluded. Participants underwent genotyping for RNF213 p. R4810K, and baseline characteristics and TPO-Ab levels were compared between RNF213 p. R4810K variant carriers and non-carriers.

RESULTS

In total, 2090 IS/TIA patients were analyzed [733 women (35.1%); median age 74 (interquartile range, 63-81) years, baseline NIHSS score 3 (2-6)], and 85 (4.1%) of them carried the variant. Median TPO-Ab levels were significantly higher in variant carriers (8.5 IU/mL vs. 2.1 IU/mL, p < 0.01), who also showed a higher frequency of elevated TPO-Ab levels (>16 IU/mL) (27.1% vs. 4.4%). In the multivariate analysis, presence of the RNF213 p. R4810K variant (adjusted odds ratio, 12.42; 95% confidential interval, 6.23-24.75) was significantly associated with elevated TPO-Ab levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated TPO-Ab levels may be significantly associated with presence of the RNF213 p. R4810K variant in IS/TIA patients. Thus, TPO-Ab may inherently modify IS/TIA development in RNF213 p. R4810K variant carriers.

The evolution of cancer genomic medicine in Japan and the role of the National Cancer Center Japan

The journey to implement cancer genomic medicine (CGM) in oncology practice began in the 1980s, which is considered the dawn of genetic and genomic cancer research. At the time, a variety of activating oncogenic alterations and their functional significance were unveiled in cancer cells, which led to the development of molecular targeted therapies in the 2000s and beyond. Although CGM is still a relatively new discipline and it is difficult to predict to what extent CGM will benefit the diverse pool of cancer patients, the National Cancer Center (NCC) of Japan has already contributed considerably to CGM advancement for the conquest of cancer. Looking back at these past achievements of the NCC, we predict that the future of CGM will involve the following: 1) A biobank of paired cancerous and non-cancerous tissues and cells from various cancer types and stages will be developed. The quantity and quality of these samples will be compatible with omics analyses. All biobank samples will be linked to longitudinal clinical information. 2) New technologies, such as whole-genome sequencing and artificial intelligence, will be introduced and new bioresources for functional and pharmacologic analyses (e.g., a patient-derived xenograft library) will be systematically deployed. 3) Fast and bidirectional translational research (bench-to-bedside and bedside-to-bench) performed by basic researchers and clinical investigators, preferably working alongside each other at the same institution, will be implemented; 4) Close collaborations between academia, industry, regulatory bodies, and funding agencies will be established. 5) There will be an investment in the other branch of CGM, personalized preventive medicine, based on the individual's genetic predisposition to cancer.

An overview of cord blood stem cell transplantation in Hong Kong

Haematopoietic stem cell graft derived from cord blood is standard therapy for several haematological malignancies and other diseases. The study reports cases of public and private (family) cord blood biobanking services and the related hematopoietic stem cell transplantation ever performed in Hong Kong. The published original research papers and review articles from inception to Nov 2022 have been searched for on Pubmed, Microsoft Academic Search, and Google Scholar to identify reports on existing or terminated cord blood biobanking and transplantation service in Hong Kong. Moreover, all data publicly available on the official websites of the local cord blood banks and local mainstream media has been analysed. The public Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service delivers the highest quantity of haematopoietic stem cell transplants. Among the private sector, HealthBaby releases the most cord blood units for clinical use in diseases in both autologous and allogeneic administration, followed by Cordlife HK.  Both public and private (family) cord blood biobanks have been and continue to contribute to the Hong Kong cord blood donor registry. However, the growth of the cord blood inventory is detrimental to donor-recipient matching for lifesaving therapy.