Arsenic Induces Members of the mmu-miR-466-669 Cluster Which Reduces NeuroD1 Expression

An integrative analysis of miRNA and mRNA expression in the brains of Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice after real-world PM2.5 exposure

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is associated with increased risks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the toxicological mechanisms of PM_2.5 promoting AD remain unclear. In this study, wild-type and APP/PS1 transgenic mice (AD mice) were exposed to either filtered air (FA) or PM_2.5 for eight weeks with a real-world exposure system in Taiyuan, China (mean PM_2.5 concentration in the cage was 61 µg/m³). We found that PM_2.5 exposure could remarkably aggravate AD mice's ethological and brain ultrastructural damage, along with the elevation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α), Aβ-42 and AChE levels and the decline of ChAT levels in the brains. Based on high-throughput sequencing results, some differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs and DE miRNAs in the brains of AD mice after PM_2.5 exposure were screened. Using RT-qPCR, seven DE miRNAs (mmu-miR-193b-5p, 122b-5p, 466h-3p, 10b-5p, 1895, 384-5p, and 6412) and six genes (Pcdhgb8, Unc13b, Robo3, Prph, Pter, and Tbata) were evidenced the and verified. Two miRNA-target gene pairs (miR-125b-Pcdhgb8 pair and miR-466h-3p-IL-17Rα/TGF-βR2/Aβ-42/AChE pairs) were demonstrated that they were more related to PM_2.5-induced brain injury. Results of Gene Ontology (GO) pathways and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways predicted that synaptic and postsynaptic regulation, axon guidance, Wnt, MAPK, and mTOR pathways might be the possible regulatory mechanisms associated with pathological response. These revealed that PM_2.5-elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and PM_2.5-altered neurotransmitter levels in AD mice could be the important causes of brain damage and proposed the promising miRNA and mRNA biomarkers and potential miRNA-mRNA interaction networks of PM_2.5-promoted AD.

Epigenetic modifications from arsenic exposure: A comprehensive review

Arsenic is a notorious element with the potential to harm exposed individuals in ways that include cancerous and non-cancerous health complications. Millions of people across the globe (especially in South and Southeast Asian countries including China, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh) are currently being unknowingly exposed to precarious levels of arsenic. Among the diverse effects associated with such arsenic levels of exposure is the propensity to alter the epigenome. Although a large volume of literature exists on arsenic-induced genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and inter-individual susceptibility due to active research on these subject areas from the last millennial, it is only recently that attention has turned on the ramifications and mechanisms of arsenic-induced epigenetic changes. The present review summarizes the possible mechanisms involved in arsenic induced epigenetic alterations. It focuses on the mechanisms underlying epigenome reprogramming from arsenic exposure that result in improper cell signaling and dysfunction of various epigenetic components. The mechanistic information articulated from the review is used to propose a number of novel therapeutic strategies with a potential for ameliorating the burden of worldwide arsenic poisoning.

Research progress of natural products interfering with cell signaling pathway in liver fibrosis

Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are the late stage of liver fibrosis. How to early use drugs to intervene in liver fibrosis is a prerequisite for the reversal of liver fibrosis. This paper mainly introduces a cell signaling transduction pathway in liver fibrosis and the intervention of natural products in order to provide theoretical basis for the treatment of liver fibrosis.

Arsenic exposure in drinking water reduces Lgr5 and secretory cell marker gene expression in mouse intestines

Arsenic is a global health concern that causes toxicity through ingestion of contaminated water and food. In vitro studies suggest that arsenic reduces stem and progenitor cell differentiation. Thus, this study determined if arsenic disrupted intestinal stem cell (ISC) differentiation, thereby altering the number, location, and/or function of intestinal epithelial cells. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 0 or 100 ppb sodium arsenite (AsIII) through drinking water for 5 weeks. Duodenal sections were collected to assess changes in morphology, proliferation, and cell types. qPCR analysis revealed a 40% reduction in Lgr5 transcripts, an ISC marker, in the arsenic-exposed mice, although there were no changes in the protein expression of Olfm4. Secretory cell-specific transcript markers of Paneth (Defa1), Goblet (Tff3), and secretory transit amplifying (Math1) cells were reduced by 51%, 44%, and 30% respectively, in the arsenic-exposed mice, indicating significant impacts on the Wnt-dependent differentiation pathway. Further, protein levels of phosphorylated β-catenin were reduced in the arsenic-exposed mice, which increased the expression of Wnt-dependent transcripts CD44 and c-myc. PCA analysis, followed by MANOVA and regression analyses, revealed significant changes and correlations between Lgr5 and the transit amplifying (TA) cell markers Math1 and Hes1, which are in the secretory cell pathway. Similar comparisons between Math1 and Defa1 show that terminal differentiation into Paneth cells is also reduced in the arsenic-exposed mice. The data suggests that ISCs are not lost following arsenic exposure, but rather, specific Wnt-dependent progenitor cell formation and terminal differentiation in the small intestine is reduced.

Long-term arsenic exposure impairs differentiation in mouse embryonal stem cells

Arsenic is a contaminant found in many foods and drinking water. Exposure to arsenic during development can cause improper neuronal progenitor cell development, differentiation, and function, while in vitro studies have determined that acute arsenic exposure to stem and progenitor cells reduced their ability to differentiate. In the current study, P19 mouse embryonal stem cells were exposed continuously to 0.1-μM (7.5 ppb) arsenic for 32 weeks. A cell lineage array examining messenger RNA (mRNA) changes after 8 and 32 weeks of exposure showed that genes involved in pluripotency were increased, whereas those involved in differentiation were reduced. Therefore, temporal changes of select pluripotency and neuronal differentiation markers throughout the 32-week chronic arsenic exposure were investigated. Sox2 and Oct4 mRNA expression were increased by 1.9- to 2.5-fold in the arsenic-exposed cells, beginning at Week 12. Sox2 protein expression was similarly increased starting at Week 16 and remained elevated by 1.5-fold to sixfold. One target of Sox2 is N-cadherin, whose expression is a hallmark of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs). Exposure to arsenic significantly increased N-cadherin protein levels beginning at Week 20, concurrent with increased grouping of N-cadherin positive cells at the perimeter of the embryoid body. Expression of Zeb1, which helps increase the expression of Sox2, was also increased started at Week 16. In contrast, Gdf3 mRNA expression was reduced by 3.4- to 7.2-fold beginning at Week 16, and expression of its target protein, phospho-Smad2/3, was also reduced. These results suggest that chronic, low-level arsenic exposure may delay neuronal differentiation and maintain pluripotency.

Intracerebral overexpression of miR-669c is protective in mouse ischemic stroke model by targeting MyD88 and inducing alternative microglial/macrophage activation

Background

Ischemic stroke is a devastating disease without a cure. The available treatments for ischemic stroke, thrombolysis by tissue plasminogen activator, and thrombectomy are suitable only to a fraction of patients and thus novel therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. The neuroinflammatory responses elicited secondary to the ischemic attack further aggravate the stroke-induced neuronal damage. It has been demonstrated that these responses are regulated at the level of non-coding RNAs, especially miRNAs.

Methods

We utilized lentiviral vectors to overexpress miR-669c in BV2 microglial cells in order to modulate their polarization. To detect whether the modulation of microglial activation by miR-669c provides protection in a mouse model of transient focal ischemic stroke, miR-669c overexpression was driven by a lentiviral vector injected into the striatum prior to induction of ischemic stroke.

Results

Here, we demonstrate that miR-669c-3p, a member of chromosome 2 miRNA cluster (C2MC), is induced upon hypoxic and excitotoxic conditions in vitro and in two different in vivo models of stroke. Rather than directly regulating the neuronal survival in vitro, miR-669c is capable of attenuating the microglial proinflammatory activation in vitro and inducing the expression of microglial alternative activation markers arginase 1 (Arg1), chitinase-like 3 (Ym1), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ). Intracerebral overexpression of miR-669c significantly decreased the ischemia-induced cell death and ameliorated the stroke-induced neurological deficits both at 1 and 3 days post injury (dpi). Albeit miR-669c overexpression failed to alter the overall Iba1 protein immunoreactivity, it significantly elevated Arg1 levels in the ischemic brain and increased colocalization of Arg1 and Iba1. Moreover, miR-669c overexpression under cerebral ischemia influenced several morphological characteristics of Iba1 positive cells. We further demonstrate the myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) transcript as a direct target for miR-669c-3p in vitro and show reduced levels of MyD88 in miR-669c overexpressing ischemic brains in vivo.

Conclusions

Collectively, our data provide the evidence that miR-669c-3p is protective in a mouse model of ischemic stroke through enhancement of the alternative microglial/macrophage activation and inhibition of MyD88 signaling. Our results accentuate the importance of controlling miRNA-regulated responses for the therapeutic benefit in conditions of stroke and neuroinflammation.

Exposure to arsenic during embryogenesis impairs olfactory sensory neuron differentiation and function into adulthood

Arsenic is a contaminant of food and drinking water. Epidemiological studies have reported correlations between arsenic exposure and neurodevelopmental abnormalities, such as reduced sensory functioning, while in vitro studies have shown that arsenic reduces neurogenesis and alters stem cell differentiation. The goal of this study was assess whether arsenic exposure during embryogenesis reduced olfactory stem cell function and/or numbers, and if so, whether those changes persist into adulthood. Killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) embryos were exposed to 0, 10, 50 or 200 ppb arsenite (As^III) until hatching, and juvenile fish were raised in clean water. At 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 28 and 40 weeks of age, odorant response tests were performed to assess specific olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) function. Olfactory epithelia were then collected for immunohistochemical analysis of stem cell (Sox2) and proliferating cell numbers (PCNA), as well as the number and expression of ciliated (calretinin) and microvillus OSNs (G_αi3) at 0, 4, 16 and 28 weeks. Odorant tests indicated that arsenic exposure during embryogenesis increased the start time of killifish responding to pheromones, and this altered start time persisted to 40 weeks post-exposure. Response to the odorant taurocholic acid (TCA) was also reduced through week 28, while responses to amino acids were not consistently altered. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine whether changes in odorant responses were correlated to altered cell numbers in the olfactory epithelium, using markers of proliferating cells, progenitor cells, and specific OSNs. Comparisons between response to pheromones and PCNA + cells indicated that, at week 0, both parameters in exposed fish were significantly reduced from the control group. At week 28, all exposure are still significantly different than control fish, but now with higher PCNA expression coupled with reduced pheromone responses. A similar trend was seen in the comparisons between Sox2-expressing progenitor cells and response to pheromones, although Sox2 expression in the 28 week-old fish only recovers back to the level of control fish rather than being significantly higher. Comparisons between calretinin expression (ciliated OSNs) and response to TCA demonstrated that both parameters were reduced in the 200 ppb arsenic-exposed fish in at weeks 4, 16, and 28. Correlations between TCA response and the number of PCNA + cells revealed that, at 28 weeks of age, all arsenic exposure groups had reductions in response to TCA, but higher PCNA expression, similar to that seen with the pheromones. Few changes in G_αi3 (microvillus OSNs) were seen. Thus, it appears that embryonic-only exposure to arsenic has long-term reductions in proliferation and differentiation of olfactory sensory neurons, leading to persistent effects in their function.