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Sampedro-Castañeda M, Baltussen LL, Lopes AT, Qiu Y, Sirvio L, Mihaylov SR, Claxton S, Richardson JC, Lignani G, Ultanir SK. Epilepsy-linked kinase CDKL5 phosphorylates voltage-gated calcium channel Cav2.3, altering inactivation kinetics and neuronal excitability. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7830. [PMID: 38081835 PMCID: PMC10713615 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43475-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are a group of rare childhood disorders characterized by severe epilepsy and cognitive deficits. Numerous DEE genes have been discovered thanks to advances in genomic diagnosis, yet putative molecular links between these disorders are unknown. CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD, DEE2), one of the most common genetic epilepsies, is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the brain-enriched kinase CDKL5. To elucidate CDKL5 function, we looked for CDKL5 substrates using a SILAC-based phosphoproteomic screen. We identified the voltage-gated Ca2+ channel Cav2.3 (encoded by CACNA1E) as a physiological target of CDKL5 in mice and humans. Recombinant channel electrophysiology and interdisciplinary characterization of Cav2.3 phosphomutant mice revealed that loss of Cav2.3 phosphorylation leads to channel gain-of-function via slower inactivation and enhanced cholinergic stimulation, resulting in increased neuronal excitability. Our results thus show that CDD is partly a channelopathy. The properties of unphosphorylated Cav2.3 closely resemble those described for CACNA1E gain-of-function mutations causing DEE69, a disorder sharing clinical features with CDD. We show that these two single-gene diseases are mechanistically related and could be ameliorated with Cav2.3 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucas L Baltussen
- Kinases and Brain Development Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
- Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases (VIB-KU Leuven), Department of Neurosciences, ON5 Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - André T Lopes
- Kinases and Brain Development Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Yichen Qiu
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square House, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Liina Sirvio
- Kinases and Brain Development Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Simeon R Mihaylov
- Kinases and Brain Development Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Suzanne Claxton
- Kinases and Brain Development Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jill C Richardson
- Neuroscience, MSD Research Laboratories, 120 Moorgate, London, EC2M 6UR, UK
| | - Gabriele Lignani
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square House, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Sila K Ultanir
- Kinases and Brain Development Lab, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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Mottolese N, Uguagliati B, Tassinari M, Cerchier CB, Loi M, Candini G, Rimondini R, Medici G, Trazzi S, Ciani E. Voluntary Running Improves Behavioral and Structural Abnormalities in a Mouse Model of CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1396. [PMID: 37759796 PMCID: PMC10527551 DOI: 10.3390/biom13091396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare neurodevelopmental disease caused by mutations in the X-linked CDKL5 gene. CDD is characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, including early-onset refractory epileptic seizures, intellectual disability, hypotonia, visual disturbances, and autism-like features. The Cdkl5 knockout (KO) mouse recapitulates several features of CDD, including autistic-like behavior, impaired learning and memory, and motor stereotypies. These behavioral alterations are accompanied by diminished neuronal maturation and survival, reduced dendritic branching and spine maturation, and marked microglia activation. There is currently no cure or effective treatment to ameliorate the symptoms of the disease. Aerobic exercise is known to exert multiple beneficial effects in the brain, not only by increasing neurogenesis, but also by improving motor and cognitive tasks. To date, no studies have analyzed the effect of physical exercise on the phenotype of a CDD mouse model. In view of the positive effects of voluntary running on the brain of mouse models of various human neurodevelopmental disorders, we sought to determine whether voluntary daily running, sustained over a month, could improve brain development and behavioral defects in Cdkl5 KO mice. Our study showed that long-term voluntary running improved the hyperlocomotion and impulsivity behaviors and memory performance of Cdkl5 KO mice. This is correlated with increased hippocampal neurogenesis, neuronal survival, spine maturation, and inhibition of microglia activation. These behavioral and structural improvements were associated with increased BDNF levels. Given the positive effects of BDNF on brain development and function, the present findings support the positive benefits of exercise as an adjuvant therapy for CDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Mottolese
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Beatrice Uguagliati
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marianna Tassinari
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Camilla Bruna Cerchier
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Manuela Loi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giulia Candini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Rimondini
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giorgio Medici
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefania Trazzi
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Ciani
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Viglione A, Mazziotti R, Pizzorusso T. From pupil to the brain: New insights for studying cortical plasticity through pupillometry. Front Neural Circuits 2023; 17:1151847. [PMID: 37063384 PMCID: PMC10102476 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1151847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Pupil size variations have been associated with changes in brain activity patterns related with specific cognitive factors, such as arousal, attention, and mental effort. The locus coeruleus (LC), a key hub in the noradrenergic system of the brain, is considered to be a key regulator of cognitive control on pupil size, with changes in pupil diameter corresponding to the release of norepinephrine (NE). Advances in eye-tracking technology and open-source software have facilitated accurate pupil size measurement in various experimental settings, leading to increased interest in using pupillometry to track the nervous system activation state and as a potential biomarker for brain disorders. This review explores pupillometry as a non-invasive and fully translational tool for studying cortical plasticity starting from recent literature suggesting that pupillometry could be a promising technique for estimating the degree of residual plasticity in human subjects. Given that NE is known to be a critical mediator of cortical plasticity and arousal, the review includes data revealing the importance of the LC-NE system in modulating brain plasticity and pupil size. Finally, we will review data suggesting that pupillometry could provide a quantitative and complementary measure of cortical plasticity also in pre-clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelia Viglione
- BIO@SNS Lab, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Aurelia Viglione,
| | | | - Tommaso Pizzorusso
- BIO@SNS Lab, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
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