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Zerva MC, Triantafylloudis C, Paspaliaris V, Skoulakis EMC, Papanikolopoulou K. Choline Metabolites Reverse Differentially the Habituation Deficit and Elevated Memory of Tau Null Drosophila. Cells 2024; 13:746. [PMID: 38727282 PMCID: PMC11083674 DOI: 10.3390/cells13090746] [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: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Impaired neuronal plasticity and cognitive decline are cardinal features of Alzheimer's disease and related Tauopathies. Aberrantly modified Tau protein and neurotransmitter imbalance, predominantly involving acetylcholine, have been linked to these symptoms. In Drosophila, we have shown that dTau loss specifically enhances associative long-term olfactory memory, impairs foot shock habituation, and deregulates proteins involved in the regulation of neurotransmitter levels, particularly acetylcholine. Interestingly, upon choline treatment, the habituation and memory performance of mutants are restored to that of control flies. Based on these surprising results, we decided to use our well-established genetic model to understand how habituation deficits and memory performance correlate with different aspects of choline physiology as an essential component of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, the lipid phosphatidylcholine, and the osmoregulator betaine. The results revealed that the two observed phenotypes are reversed by different choline metabolites, implying that they are governed by different underlying mechanisms. This work can contribute to a broader knowledge about the physiologic function of Tau, which may be translated into understanding the mechanisms of Tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria-Christina Zerva
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Vari, Greece (V.P.)
- Athens International Master’s Program in Neurosciences, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Triantafylloudis
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Vari, Greece (V.P.)
- Master’s Program in Molecular Biomedicine, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Vassilis Paspaliaris
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Vari, Greece (V.P.)
- Laboratory of Experimental Physiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Efthimios M. C. Skoulakis
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Vari, Greece (V.P.)
| | - Katerina Papanikolopoulou
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre “Alexander Fleming”, 16672 Vari, Greece (V.P.)
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Johns B, Ficken M, Engberg M, Wecker L, Philpot R. Increasing dietary choline attenuates spatial memory deficits resulting from exposure to the chemotherapeutic agents cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:1300-1309. [PMID: 34225528 PMCID: PMC9152698 DOI: 10.1177/02698811211029752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Choline supplementation (+Ch) improves cognitive function in impaired animals and humans. Chemotherapy-related cognitive deficits (CRCDs) occur in cancer patients, and these deficits persist following treatment, adversely impacting quality of life. To date, there are no approved treatments for this condition. AIM Because +Ch improves impaired memory, it was of interest to determine whether +Ch can attenuate spatial memory deficits induced by the chemotherapeutic agents doxorubicin (DOX) and cyclophosphamide (CYP). METHODS Female BALB/C mice, 64 days of age, were trained in the Morris water maze and baseline performance determined on day 15. Following baseline assessment, mice were placed on +Ch diet (2.0% Ch) or remained on standard diet (0.12% Ch). Mice received intravenous injections of DOX (2.5 mg/kg) and CYP (25 mg/kg), or equivalent volumes of saline (0.9% NaCl), on days 16, 23, 30, and 37, and spatial memory was assessed weekly from day 22 to 71. RESULTS DOX and CYP produced a prolonged impairment in spatial memory as indicated by an increased latency to the correct zone (p < 0.05), and a decrease in time in the correct zone (p < 0.05), % of total swim distance in the correct zone (p < 0.05) and % entries to the correct zone (p < 0.05). These effects were attenuated by +Ch. CONCLUSION Although it remains to be determined whether this effect extends to other cognitive domains and whether +Ch is prophylactic or therapeutic, these findings suggest that +Ch may be an effective intervention for CRCDs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - R.M. Philpot
- Corresponding Author: Rex M. Philpot, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, 3515 E Fletcher Ave., Tampa, FL 33612,
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Horbach T, Götz C, Kietzmann T, Dimova EY. Protein kinases as switches for the function of upstream stimulatory factors: implications for tissue injury and cancer. Front Pharmacol 2015; 6:3. [PMID: 25741280 PMCID: PMC4332324 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The upstream stimulatory factors (USFs) are regulators of important cellular processes. Both USF1 and USF2 are supposed to have major roles in metabolism, tissue protection and tumor development. However, the knowledge about the mechanisms that control the function of USFs, in particular in tissue protection and cancer, is limited. Phosphorylation is a versatile tool to regulate protein functions. Thereby, phosphorylation can positively or negatively affect different aspects of transcription factor function including protein stability, protein-protein interaction, cellular localization, or DNA binding. The present review aims to summarize the current knowledge about the regulation of USFs by direct phosphorylation and the consequences for USF functions in tissue protection and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Horbach
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu , Oulu, Finland ; Department of Chemistry, University of Kaiserslautern , Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Claudia Götz
- Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saarland University , Homburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Kietzmann
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu , Oulu, Finland
| | - Elitsa Y Dimova
- Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu , Oulu, Finland
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Abreu-Villaça Y, Filgueiras CC, Manhães AC. Developmental aspects of the cholinergic system. Behav Brain Res 2010; 221:367-78. [PMID: 20060019 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2009.12.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2009] [Accepted: 12/26/2009] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Beyond its importance in sustaining or modulating different aspects of the activity of the central nervous system (CNS), the cholinergic system plays important roles during development. In the current review, we focus on the developmental aspects associated with major components of the cholinergic system: Acetylcholine, choline acetyltransferase, vesicular acetylcholine transporter, high-affinity choline transporter, acetylcholinesterase, nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. We describe when and where each one of these components is first identified in the CNS and the changes in their levels that occur during the course of prenatal and postnatal development. We also describe how these components are relevant to many events that occur during the development of the CNS, including progenitor cells proliferation and differentiation, neurogenesis, gliogenesis, neuronal maturation and plasticity, axonal pathfinding, regulation of gene expression and cell survival. It will be noticed that evidence regarding the developmental aspects of the cholinergic system comes mostly from studies that used agonists, such as nicotine, and antagonists, such as hemicholinium-3. Studies using immunohistochemistry and genetically altered mice also provided valuable information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Abreu-Villaça
- Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Centro Biomédico, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Prof. Manoel de Abreu 444, 5 andar, Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20550-170, Brazil.
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Mustafa I, Elkamel A, Ibrahim G, Chen P, Elnashaie S. Effect of choline and acetate substrates on bifurcation and chaotic behavior of acetylcholine neurocycle and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Chem Eng Sci 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2009.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Mullen GP, Mathews EA, Vu MH, Hunter JW, Frisby DL, Duke A, Grundahl K, Osborne JD, Crowell JA, Rand JB. Choline transport and de novo choline synthesis support acetylcholine biosynthesis in Caenorhabditis elegans cholinergic neurons. Genetics 2007; 177:195-204. [PMID: 17603106 PMCID: PMC2013710 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.107.074120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The cho-1 gene in Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a high-affinity plasma-membrane choline transporter believed to be rate limiting for acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis in cholinergic nerve terminals. We found that CHO-1 is expressed in most, but not all cholinergic neurons in C. elegans. cho-1 null mutants are viable and exhibit mild deficits in cholinergic behavior; they are slightly resistant to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor aldicarb, and they exhibit reduced swimming rates in liquid. cho-1 mutants also fail to sustain swimming behavior; over a 33-min time course, cho-1 mutants slow down or stop swimming, whereas wild-type animals sustain the initial rate of swimming over the duration of the experiment. A functional CHO-1GFP fusion protein rescues these cho-1 mutant phenotypes and is enriched at cholinergic synapses. Although cho-1 mutants clearly exhibit defects in cholinergic behaviors, the loss of cho-1 function has surprisingly mild effects on cholinergic neurotransmission. However, reducing endogenous choline synthesis strongly enhances the phenotype of cho-1 mutants, giving rise to a synthetic uncoordinated phenotype. Our results indicate that both choline transport and de novo synthesis provide choline for ACh synthesis in C. elegans cholinergic neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P Mullen
- Program in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
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Bazalakova MH, Blakely RD. The high-affinity choline transporter: a critical protein for sustaining cholinergic signaling as revealed in studies of genetically altered mice. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2006:525-44. [PMID: 16722248 DOI: 10.1007/3-540-29784-7_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
In cholinergic neurons, the presynaptic choline transporter (CHT) mediates high-affinity choline uptake (HACU) as the rate-limiting step in acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis. It has previously been shown that HACU is increased by behaviorally and pharmacologically-induced activity of cholinergic neurons in vivo, but the molecular mechanisms of this change in CHT function and regulation have only recently begun to be elucidated. The recent cloning of CHT has led to the generation of new valuable tools, including specific anti-CHT antibodies and a CHT knockout mouse. These new reagents have allowed researchers to investigate the possibility of a presynaptic, CHT-mediated, molecular plasticity mechanism, regulated by and necessary for sustained in vivo cholinergic activity. Studies in various mouse models of cholinergic dysfunction, including acetylcholinesterase (AChE) transgenic and knockout mice, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) heterozygote mice, muscarinic (mAChR) and nicotinic (mAChR) receptor knockout mice, as well as CHT knockout and heterozygote mice, have revealed new information about the role of CHT expression and regulation in response to long-term alterations in cholinergic neurotransmission. These mouse models highlight the capacity of CHT to provide for functional compensation in states of cholinergic dysfunction. A better understanding of modes of CHT regulation should allow for experimental manipulation of cholinergic signaling in vivo with potential utility in human disorders of known cholinergic dysfunction such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, Huntington's disease, and dysautonomia.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Bazalakova
- Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Suite 7140, MRB III, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA
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Guidry G, Willison BD, Blakely RD, Landis SC, Habecker BA. Developmental expression of the high affinity choline transporter in cholinergic sympathetic neurons. Auton Neurosci 2005; 123:54-61. [PMID: 16278103 PMCID: PMC1407245 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2005.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2005] [Revised: 10/03/2005] [Accepted: 10/11/2005] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Choline uptake by the high affinity choline transporter (CHT) is the rate-limiting step in acetylcholine synthesis. Induction of CHT is therefore a critical step in cholinergic differentiation, and we examined the developmental expression of CHT in cholinergic sympathetic neurons that innervate rodent sweat glands. During postnatal development the earliest sympathetic axons in the rear footpads are noradrenergic, containing intense tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity and lacking CHT-immunoreactivity (CHT-IR). By postnatal day 7 (P7) in mouse, and P10 in rat, weak CHT-IR appeared in axons associated with the sweat gland anlagen. CHT staining intensity increased during the following weeks in conjunction with plexus arborization and gland maturation. The pattern of CHT-immunoreactivity (CHT-IR) in the sweat gland innervation was similar to staining for the vesicular acetylcholine transporter and vasoactive intestinal peptide. Immunoblots of tissue from sympathectomized rats confirmed that most of the CHT in footpad was contained in sympathetic neurons. Although CHT expression has been reported in noradrenergic sympathetic neurons of the superior cervical ganglion, these data indicate that in the sympathetic neurons projecting to sweat glands CHT is present at detectable levels only after association with the glands.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Guidry
- Neural Development Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Lecomte MJ, De Gois S, Guerci A, Ravassard P, Faucon Biguet N, Mallet J, Berrard S. Differential expression and regulation of the high-affinity choline transporter CHT1 and choline acetyltransferase in neurons of superior cervical ganglia. Mol Cell Neurosci 2005; 28:303-13. [PMID: 15691711 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2004.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2004] [Revised: 09/17/2004] [Accepted: 09/22/2004] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies revealed that leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and retinoic acid (RA) induce a noradrenergic to cholinergic switch in cultured sympathetic neurons of superior cervical ganglia (SCG) by up-regulating the coordinate expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and the vesicular acetylcholine transporter. Here, we examined the effect of both factors on high-affinity choline uptake (HACU) and on expression of the high-affinity choline transporter CHT1. We found that HACU and CHT1-mRNA levels are up-regulated by LIF and down-regulated by RA in these neurons. Thus, in contrast to LIF, RA differentially regulates the expression of the presynaptic cholinergic proteins. Moreover, we showed that untreated SCG neurons express HACU and CHT1-mRNAs at much higher levels than ChAT activity and transcripts. In intact SCG, CHT1-mRNAs are abundant and synthesized by the noradrenergic neurons themselves. This study provides the first example of CHT1 expression in neurons which do not use acetylcholine as neurotransmitter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-José Lecomte
- Laboratoire de la Neurotransmission et des Processus Neurodégénératifs, CNRS, UMR 7091, Bâtiment CERVI, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 83 boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
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Abstract
Identification of the genes and gene products involved in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylserine has lagged behind that in many other fields because of difficulties encountered in purifying the respective proteins. Nevertheless, most of these genes have now been identified. In this review article, we have highlighted important new findings on the individual enzymes and the corresponding genes of phosphatidylcholine synthesis via its two major biosynthetic pathways: the CDP-choline pathway and the methylation pathway. We also review recent studies on phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis by two pathways: the CDP-ethanolamine pathway, which is active in the endoplasmic reticulum, and the phosphatidylserine decarboxylase pathway, which operates in mitochondria. Finally, the two base-exchange enzymes, phosphatidylserine synthase-1 and phosphatidylserine synthase-2, that synthesize phosphatidylserine in mammalian cells are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean E Vance
- Department of Medicine and CIHR Group on the Molecualr and Cell Biology of Lipids, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
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Zweigner J, Jackowski S, Smith SH, Van Der Merwe M, Weber JR, Tuomanen EI. Bacterial inhibition of phosphatidylcholine synthesis triggers apoptosis in the brain. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 200:99-106. [PMID: 15238609 PMCID: PMC2213312 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20032100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis of high mortality and morbidity. Neurological sequelae include paralysis, mental retardation, and learning disorders. In humans, neurons of the hippocampus undergo apoptosis as a result of meningitis. Phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes and PtdCho deficiency, either due to chemicals or altered nutrition, leads to apoptosis, especially in hippocampal neurons. We show that apoptosis of a variety of brain cells after pneumococcal infection arises from inhibition of PtdCho biosynthesis, the first such activity described for a bacterium. Apoptosis inhibitors did not prevent the bacterial-dependent inhibition of PtdCho biosynthesis. Supplementation with exogenous lyso-phosphatidylcholine prevents cell death and treatment of mice with cytidine diphosphocholine attenuates hippocampal damage during meningitis, even after the onset of infection. We conclude that bacterial inhibition of PtdCho biosynthesis activates an apoptotic cascade that is a causative event in pathogenesis and amenable to therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine Zweigner
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 332 North Lauderdale Street, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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Kus L, Borys E, Ping Chu Y, Ferguson SM, Blakely RD, Emborg ME, Kordower JH, Levey AI, Mufson EJ. Distribution of high affinity choline transporter immunoreactivity in the primate central nervous system. J Comp Neurol 2003; 463:341-57. [PMID: 12820166 DOI: 10.1002/cne.10759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
A mouse monoclonal antibody (clone 62-2E8) raised against a human recombinant high-affinity choline transporter (CHT)-glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein was used to determine the distribution of immunoreactive profiles containing this protein in the monkey central nervous system (CNS). Within the monkey telencephalon, CHT-immunoreactive perikarya were found in the striatum, nucleus accumbens, medial septum, vertical and horizontal limb nuclei of the diagonal band, nucleus basalis complex, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Dense fiber staining was observed within the islands of Calleja, olfactory tubercle, hippocampal complex, amygdala; moderate to light fiber staining was seen in iso- and limbic cortices. CHT-containing fibers were also present in sensory and limbic thalamic nuclei, preoptic and hypothalamic areas, and the floccular lobe of the cerebellum. In the brainstem, CHT-immunoreactive profiles were observed in the pedunculopontine and dorsolateral tegmental nuclei, the Edinger-Westphal, oculomotor, trochlear, trigeminal, abducens, facial, ambiguus, dorsal vagal motor, and hypoglossal nuclei. In the spinal cord, CHT-immunoreactive ventral horn motoneurons were seen in close apposition to intensely immunoreactive C-terminals at the level of the cervical spinal cord. CHT immunostaining revealed a similar distribution of labeled profiles in the aged human brain and spinal cord. Dual fluorescent confocal microscopy revealed that the majority of CHT immunoreactive neurons contained the specific cholinergic marker, choline acetyltransferase, at all levels of the monkey CNS. The present observations indicate that the present CHT antibody labels cholinergic structures within the primate CNS and provides an additional marker for the investigation of cholinergic neuronal function in aging and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kus
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612
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