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Hedreen JC, Berretta S, White III CL. Postmortem neuropathology in early Huntington disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2024; 83:294-306. [PMID: 38553027 PMCID: PMC11029463 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlae022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Two aspects of the neuropathology of early Huntington disease (HD) are examined. Neurons of the neostriatum are counted to determine relative loss in striosomes versus matrix at early stages, including for the first time in preclinical cases. An immunohistochemical procedure is described that tentatively distinguishes early HD from HD mimic disorders in postmortem brains. Counts of striatal projection neurons (SPNs) in striosomes defined by calbindin immunohistochemistry versus counts in the surrounding matrix are reported for 8 Vonsattel grade 0 (including 5 premanifest), 8 grade 1, 2 grade 2 HD, and for 8 control postmortem brains. Mean counts of striosome and matrix SPNs were significantly lower in premanifest grade 0 versus controls, with striosome counts significantly lower than matrix. In 8 grade 1 and 2 grade 2 brains, no striosomes with higher SPN counts than in the surrounding matrix were observed. Comparing dorsal versus ventral neostriatum, SPNs in dorsal striosomes and matrix declined more than ventral, making clear the importance of the dorsoventral site of tissue selection for research studies. A characteristic pattern of expanded polyglutamine-immunopositive inclusions was seen in all HD cases. Inclusions were always present in some SPNs and some pontine nucleus neurons and were absent in Purkinje cells, which showed no obvious cell loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Hedreen
- Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sabina Berretta
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Charles L White III
- Neuropathology Section, Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
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2
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Korpela S, Sundblom J, Zetterberg H, Constantinescu R, Svenningsson P, Paucar M, Niemelä V. Cerebrospinal fluid glial fibrillary acidic protein, in contrast to amyloid beta protein, is associated with disease symptoms in Huntington's disease. J Neurol Sci 2024; 459:122979. [PMID: 38569376 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2024.122979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease, currently lacking disease-modifying treatments. Biomarkers are needed for objective assessment of disease progression. Evidence supports both complex protein aggregation and astrocyte activation in HD. This study assesses the 42 amino acid long amyloid beta (Aβ42) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as potential biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of HD mutation carriers. METHODS CSF from participants was obtained from three sites in Sweden. Clinical symptoms were graded with the composite Unified Huntington's disease rating scale (cUHDRS). Protein concentrations were measured using ELISA. Pearson correlations were calculated to assess disease progression association. Results were adjusted for age and collection site. RESULTS The study enrolled 28 manifest HD patients (ManHD), 13 premanifest HD gene-expansion carriers (PreHD) and 20 controls. Aβ42 levels did not differ between groups and there was no correlation with measures of disease progression. GFAP concentration was higher in ManHD (424 ng/l, SD 253) compared with both PreHD (266 ng/l, SD 92.4) and controls (208 ng/l, SD 83.7). GFAP correlated with both cUHDRS (r = -0.77, p < 0.001), and 5-year risk of disease onset (r = 0.70, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION We provide evidence that indicates CSF Aβ42 has limited potential as a biomarker for HD. GFAP is a potential biomarker of progression in HD. Validation in larger cohorts measuring GFAP in blood and CSF would be of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Korpela
- Department of Medicine, Neurology, Västerås Central Hospital, Västerås, Sweden
| | - Jimmy Sundblom
- Department of Medical Sciences, Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden; Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden; Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK; UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK; Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China
| | - Radu Constantinescu
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Clinical Neuroscience, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Per Svenningsson
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Martin Paucar
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Valter Niemelä
- Department of Medical Sciences, Neurology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Pérot JB, Brouillet E, Flament J. The contribution of preclinical magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy to Huntington's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2024; 16:1306312. [PMID: 38414634 PMCID: PMC10896846 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1306312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is an inherited disorder characterized by psychiatric, cognitive, and motor symptoms due to degeneration of medium spiny neurons in the striatum. A prodromal phase precedes the onset, lasting decades. Current biomarkers include clinical score and striatal atrophy using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). These markers lack sensitivity for subtle cellular changes during the prodromal phase. MRI and MR spectroscopy offer different contrasts for assessing metabolic, microstructural, functional, or vascular alterations in the disease. They have been used in patients and mouse models. Mouse models can be of great interest to study a specific mechanism of the degenerative process, allow better understanding of the pathogenesis from the prodromal to the symptomatic phase, and to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. Mouse models can be divided into three different constructions: transgenic mice expressing exon-1 of human huntingtin (HTT), mice with an artificial chromosome expressing full-length human HTT, and knock-in mouse models with CAG expansion inserted in the murine htt gene. Several studies have used MRI/S to characterized these models. However, the multiplicity of modalities and mouse models available complicates the understanding of this rich corpus. The present review aims at giving an overview of results obtained using MRI/S for each mouse model of HD, to provide a useful resource for the conception of neuroimaging studies using mouse models of HD. Finally, despite difficulties in translating preclinical protocols to clinical applications, many biomarkers identified in preclinical models have already been evaluated in patients. This review also aims to cover this aspect to demonstrate the importance of MRI/S for studying HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Baptiste Pérot
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Institut du Cerveau – Paris Brain Institute – ICM, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Brouillet
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Julien Flament
- Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Molecular Imaging Research Center, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
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4
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Ferrari Bardile C, Radulescu CI, Pouladi MA. Oligodendrocyte pathology in Huntington's disease: from mechanisms to therapeutics. Trends Mol Med 2023; 29:802-816. [PMID: 37591764 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2023.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Oligodendrocytes (OLGs), highly specialized glial cells that wrap axons with myelin sheaths, are critical for brain development and function. There is new recognition of the role of OLGs in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), including Huntington's disease (HD), a prototypic NDD caused by a polyglutamine tract expansion in huntingtin (HTT), which results in gain- and loss-of-function effects. Clinically, HD is characterized by a constellation of motor, cognitive, and psychiatric disturbances. White matter (WM) structures, representing myelin-rich regions of the brain, are profoundly affected in HD, and recent findings reveal oligodendroglia dysfunction as an early pathological event. Here, we focus on mechanisms that underlie oligodendroglial deficits and dysmyelination in the progression of the disease, highlighting the pathogenic contributions of mutant HTT (mHTT). We also discuss potential therapeutic implications involving these molecular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costanza Ferrari Bardile
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Carola I Radulescu
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Mahmoud A Pouladi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada.
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5
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Jiang A, Handley RR, Lehnert K, Snell RG. From Pathogenesis to Therapeutics: A Review of 150 Years of Huntington's Disease Research. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13021. [PMID: 37629202 PMCID: PMC10455900 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241613021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative genetic disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine-coding (CAG) trinucleotide repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. HD behaves as a highly penetrant dominant disorder likely acting through a toxic gain of function by the mutant huntingtin protein. Widespread cellular degeneration of the medium spiny neurons of the caudate nucleus and putamen are responsible for the onset of symptomology that encompasses motor, cognitive, and behavioural abnormalities. Over the past 150 years of HD research since George Huntington published his description, a plethora of pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed with key themes including excitotoxicity, dopaminergic imbalance, mitochondrial dysfunction, metabolic defects, disruption of proteostasis, transcriptional dysregulation, and neuroinflammation. Despite the identification and characterisation of the causative gene and mutation and significant advances in our understanding of the cellular pathology in recent years, a disease-modifying intervention has not yet been clinically approved. This review includes an overview of Huntington's disease, from its genetic aetiology to clinical presentation and its pathogenic manifestation. An updated view of molecular mechanisms and the latest therapeutic developments will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Jiang
- Applied Translational Genetics Group, Centre for Brain Research, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; (R.R.H.); (K.L.); (R.G.S.)
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6
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Khakh BS, Goldman SA. Astrocytic contributions to Huntington's disease pathophysiology. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2023; 1522:42-59. [PMID: 36864567 PMCID: PMC10145027 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal, monogenic, autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by a polyglutamine-encoding CAG expansion in the huntingtin (HTT) gene that results in mutant huntingtin proteins (mHTT) in cells throughout the body. Although large parts of the central nervous system (CNS) are affected, the striatum is especially vulnerable and undergoes marked atrophy. Astrocytes are abundant within the striatum and contain mHTT in HD, as well as in mouse models of the disease. We focus on striatal astrocytes and summarize how they participate in, and contribute to, molecular pathophysiology and disease-related phenotypes in HD model mice. Where possible, reference is made to pertinent astrocyte alterations in human HD. Astrocytic dysfunctions related to cellular morphology, extracellular ion and neurotransmitter homeostasis, and metabolic support all accompany the development and progression of HD, in both transgenic mouse and human cellular and chimeric models of HD. These findings reveal the potential for the therapeutic targeting of astrocytes so as to restore synaptic as well as tissue homeostasis in HD. Elucidation of the mechanisms by which astrocytes contribute to HD pathogenesis may inform a broader understanding of the role of glial pathology in neurodegenerative disorders and, by so doing, enable new strategies of glial-directed therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baljit S. Khakh
- Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Steven A. Goldman
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
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7
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Gangwani MR, Soto JS, Jami-Alahmadi Y, Tiwari S, Kawaguchi R, Wohlschlegel JA, Khakh BS. Neuronal and astrocytic contributions to Huntington's disease dissected with zinc finger protein transcriptional repressors. Cell Rep 2023; 42:111953. [PMID: 36640336 PMCID: PMC9898160 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by expanded CAG repeats in the huntingtin gene (HTT) resulting in expression of mutant HTT proteins (mHTT) with extended polyglutamine tracts, including in striatal neurons and astrocytes. It is unknown whether pathophysiology in vivo can be attenuated by lowering mHTT in either cell type throughout the brain, and the relative contributions of neurons and astrocytes to HD remain undefined. We use zinc finger protein (ZFP) transcriptional repressors to cell-selectively lower mHTT in vivo. Astrocytes display loss of essential functions such as cholesterol metabolism that are partly driven by greater neuronal dysfunctions, which encompass neuromodulation, synaptic, and intracellular signaling pathways. Using transcriptomics, proteomics, electrophysiology, and behavior, we dissect neuronal and astrocytic contributions to HD pathophysiology. Remarkably, brain-wide delivery of neuronal ZFPs results in strong mHTT lowering, rescue of HD-associated behavioral and molecular phenotypes, and significant extension of lifespan, findings that support translational development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohitkumar R. Gangwani
- Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA
| | - Joselyn S. Soto
- Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA
| | - Yasaman Jami-Alahmadi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA
| | - Srushti Tiwari
- Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA
| | - Riki Kawaguchi
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA
| | - James A. Wohlschlegel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA
| | - Baljit S. Khakh
- Department of Physiology, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA,Department of Neurobiology, University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA
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8
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Reyes-Ortiz AM, Abud EM, Burns MS, Wu J, Hernandez SJ, McClure N, Wang KQ, Schulz CJ, Miramontes R, Lau A, Michael N, Miyoshi E, Van Vactor D, Reidling JC, Blurton-Jones M, Swarup V, Poon WW, Lim RG, Thompson LM. Single-nuclei transcriptome analysis of Huntington disease iPSC and mouse astrocytes implicates maturation and functional deficits. iScience 2023; 26:105732. [PMID: 36590162 PMCID: PMC9800269 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by expanded CAG repeats in the huntingtin gene that alters cellular homeostasis, particularly in the striatum and cortex. Astrocyte signaling that establishes and maintains neuronal functions are often altered under pathological conditions. We performed single-nuclei RNA-sequencing on human HD patient-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived astrocytes and on striatal and cortical tissue from R6/2 HD mice to investigate high-resolution HD astrocyte cell state transitions. We observed altered maturation and glutamate signaling in HD human and mouse astrocytes. Human HD astrocytes also showed upregulated actin-mediated signaling, suggesting that some states may be cell-autonomous and human specific. In both species, astrogliogenesis transcription factors may drive HD astrocyte maturation deficits, which are supported by rescued climbing deficits in HD drosophila with NFIA knockdown. Thus, dysregulated HD astrocyte states may induce dysfunctional astrocytic properties, in part due to maturation deficits influenced by astrogliogenesis transcription factor dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M. Reyes-Ortiz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Edsel M. Abud
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Mara S. Burns
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Jie Wu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Sarah J. Hernandez
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Nicolette McClure
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Keona Q. Wang
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Corey J. Schulz
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Ricardo Miramontes
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Alice Lau
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Neethu Michael
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Emily Miyoshi
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - David Van Vactor
- Harvard Medical School, Department of Cell Biology, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - John C. Reidling
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Mathew Blurton-Jones
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Vivek Swarup
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Wayne W. Poon
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Ryan G. Lim
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Leslie M. Thompson
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
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9
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Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are broadly characterized neuropathologically by the degeneration of vulnerable neuronal cell types in a specific brain region. The degeneration of specific cell types has informed on the various phenotypes/clinical presentations in someone suffering from these diseases. Prominent neurodegeneration of specific neurons is seen in polyglutamine expansion diseases including Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA). The clinical manifestations observed in these diseases could be as varied as the abnormalities in motor function observed in those who have Huntington's disease (HD) as demonstrated by a chorea with substantial degeneration of striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) or those with various forms of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) with an ataxic motor presentation primarily due to degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells. Due to the very significant nature of the degeneration of MSNs in HD and Purkinje cells in SCAs, much of the research has centered around understanding the cell autonomous mechanisms dysregulated in these neuronal cell types. However, an increasing number of studies have revealed that dysfunction in non-neuronal glial cell types contributes to the pathogenesis of these diseases. Here we explore these non-neuronal glial cell types with a focus on how each may contribute to the pathogenesis of HD and SCA and the tools used to evaluate glial cells in the context of these diseases. Understanding the regulation of supportive and harmful phenotypes of glia in disease could lead to development of novel glia-focused neurotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Cvetanovic
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA
| | - Michelle Gray
- Department of Neurology, Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
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10
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Lim RG, Al-Dalahmah O, Wu J, Gold MP, Reidling JC, Tang G, Adam M, Dansu DK, Park HJ, Casaccia P, Miramontes R, Reyes-Ortiz AM, Lau A, Hickman RA, Khan F, Paryani F, Tang A, Ofori K, Miyoshi E, Michael N, McClure N, Flowers XE, Vonsattel JP, Davidson S, Menon V, Swarup V, Fraenkel E, Goldman JE, Thompson LM. Huntington disease oligodendrocyte maturation deficits revealed by single-nucleus RNAseq are rescued by thiamine-biotin supplementation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7791. [PMID: 36543778 PMCID: PMC9772349 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35388-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The complexity of affected brain regions and cell types is a challenge for Huntington's disease (HD) treatment. Here we use single nucleus RNA sequencing to investigate molecular pathology in the cortex and striatum from R6/2 mice and human HD post-mortem tissue. We identify cell type-specific and -agnostic signatures suggesting oligodendrocytes (OLs) and oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs) are arrested in intermediate maturation states. OL-lineage regulators OLIG1 and OLIG2 are negatively correlated with CAG length in human OPCs, and ATACseq analysis of HD mouse NeuN-negative cells shows decreased accessibility regulated by OL maturation genes. The data implicates glucose and lipid metabolism in abnormal cell maturation and identify PRKCE and Thiamine Pyrophosphokinase 1 (TPK1) as central genes. Thiamine/biotin treatment of R6/1 HD mice to compensate for TPK1 dysregulation restores OL maturation and rescues neuronal pathology. Our insights into HD OL pathology spans multiple brain regions and link OL maturation deficits to abnormal thiamine metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan G Lim
- UCI MIND, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Osama Al-Dalahmah
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jie Wu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Maxwell P Gold
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Guomei Tang
- Department of Neurology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Miriam Adam
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David K Dansu
- Advanced Science Research Center at the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hye-Jin Park
- Advanced Science Research Center at the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Patrizia Casaccia
- Advanced Science Research Center at the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Andrea M Reyes-Ortiz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Alice Lau
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Richard A Hickman
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Fatima Khan
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Fahad Paryani
- Department of Neurology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alice Tang
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kenneth Ofori
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Emily Miyoshi
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Neethu Michael
- Department of Pathology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Nicolette McClure
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Xena E Flowers
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jean Paul Vonsattel
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shawn Davidson
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Vilas Menon
- Department of Neurology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Vivek Swarup
- UCI MIND, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Ernest Fraenkel
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - James E Goldman
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Leslie M Thompson
- UCI MIND, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Center University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
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11
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Churkina Taran AS, Shakhov AS, Kotlobay AA, Alieva IB. Huntingtin and Other Neurodegeneration-Associated Proteins in the Development of Intracellular Pathologies: Potential Target Search for Therapeutic Intervention. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23. [PMID: 36555175 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are currently incurable. Numerous experimental data accumulated over the past fifty years have brought us closer to understanding the molecular and cell mechanisms responsible for their development. However, these data are not enough for a complete understanding of the genesis of these diseases, nor to suggest treatment methods. It turns out that many cellular pathologies developing during neurodegeneration coincide from disease to disease. These observations give hope to finding a common intracellular target(s) and to offering a universal method of treatment. In this review, we attempt to analyze data on similar cellular disorders among neurodegenerative diseases in general, and polyglutamine neurodegenerative diseases in particular, focusing on the interaction of various proteins involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases with various cellular organelles. The main purposes of this review are: (1) to outline the spectrum of common intracellular pathologies and to answer the question of whether it is possible to find potential universal target(s) for therapeutic intervention; (2) to identify specific intracellular pathologies and to speculate about a possible general approach for their treatment.
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12
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Sun Y, Tong H, Yang T, Liu L, Li XJ, Li S. Insights into White Matter Defect in Huntington's Disease. Cells 2022; 11:3381. [PMID: 36359783 PMCID: PMC9656068 DOI: 10.3390/cells11213381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal-dominant inherited progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the Huntingtin gene that is translated to an expanded polyglutamine (PolyQ) repeat in huntingtin protein. HD is characterized by mood swings, involuntary movement, and cognitive decline in the late disease stage. HD patients often die 15-20 years after disease onset. Currently, there is no cure for HD. Due to the striking neuronal loss in HD, most studies focused on the investigation of the predominantly neuronal degeneration in specific brain regions. However, the pathology of the white matter area in the brains of HD patients was also reported by clinical imaging studies, which showed white matter abnormalities even before the clinical onset of HD. Since oligodendrocytes form myelin sheaths around the axons in the brain, white matter lesions are likely attributed to alterations in myelin and oligodendrocyte-associated changes in HD. In this review, we summarized the evidence for white matter, myelin, and oligodendrocytes alterations that were previously observed in HD patients and animal models. We also discussed potential mechanisms for white matter changes and possible treatment to prevent glial dysfunction in HD.
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13
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de Oliveira Furlam T, Roque IG, Machado da Silva EW, Vianna PP, Costa Valadão PA, Guatimosim C, Teixeira AL, de Miranda AS. Inflammasome activation and assembly in Huntington's disease. Mol Immunol 2022; 151:134-142. [PMID: 36126501 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2022.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes capable of sensing pathogen-associated and damage-associated molecular patterns, triggering innate immune pathways. Activation of inflammasomes results in a pro-inflammatory cascade involving, among other molecules, caspases and interleukins. NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-repeat containing family, pyrin domain-containing 3) is the most studied inflammasome complex, and its activation results in caspase-1 mediated cleavage of the pro-interleukins IL-1β and IL-18 into their mature forms, also inducing a gasdermin D mediated form of pro-inflammatory cell death, i.e. pyroptosis. Accumulating evidence has implicated NLRP3 inflammasome complex in neurodegenerative diseases. The evidence in HD is still scant and mostly derived from pre-clinical studies. This review aims to present the available evidence on NLRP3 inflammasome activation in HD and to discuss whether targeting this innate immune system complex might be a promising therapeutic strategy to alleviate its symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Pedro Parenti Vianna
- School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Cristina Guatimosim
- Department of Morphology - Biological Science Institute, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Antônio Lúcio Teixeira
- Neuropsychiatry Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Faculdade Santa Casa BH, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Aline Silva de Miranda
- Department of Morphology - Biological Science Institute, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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14
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Donnelly KM, Coleman CM, Fuller ML, Reed VL, Smerina D, Tomlinson DS, Pearce MMP. Hunting for the cause: Evidence for prion-like mechanisms in Huntington’s disease. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:946822. [PMID: 36090278 PMCID: PMC9448931 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.946822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothesis that pathogenic protein aggregates associated with neurodegenerative diseases spread from cell-to-cell in the brain in a manner akin to infectious prions has gained substantial momentum due to an explosion of research in the past 10–15 years. Here, we review current evidence supporting the existence of prion-like mechanisms in Huntington’s disease (HD), an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by expansion of a CAG repeat tract in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. We summarize information gained from human studies and in vivo and in vitro models of HD that strongly support prion-like features of the mutant HTT (mHTT) protein, including potential involvement of molecular features of mHTT seeds, synaptic structures and connectivity, endocytic and exocytic mechanisms, tunneling nanotubes, and nonneuronal cells in mHTT propagation in the brain. We discuss mechanisms by which mHTT aggregate spreading and neurotoxicity could be causally linked and the potential benefits of targeting prion-like mechanisms in the search for new disease-modifying therapies for HD and other fatal neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirby M. Donnelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Cevannah M. Coleman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Madison L. Fuller
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Victoria L. Reed
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Dayna Smerina
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - David S. Tomlinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Margaret M. Panning Pearce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Biology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Margaret M. Panning Pearce,
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15
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Casella C, Chamberland M, Laguna PL, Parker GD, Rosser AE, Coulthard E, Rickards H, Berry SC, Jones DK, Metzler‐Baddeley C. Mutation-related magnetization-transfer, not axon density, drives white matter differences in premanifest Huntington disease: Evidence from in vivo ultra-strong gradient MRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:3439-3460. [PMID: 35396899 PMCID: PMC9248323 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
White matter (WM) alterations have been observed in Huntington disease (HD) but their role in the disease-pathophysiology remains unknown. We assessed WM changes in premanifest HD by exploiting ultra-strong-gradient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This allowed to separately quantify magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) and hindered and restricted diffusion-weighted signal fractions, and assess how they drove WM microstructure differences between patients and controls. We used tractometry to investigate region-specific alterations across callosal segments with well-characterized early- and late-myelinating axon populations, while brain-wise differences were explored with tract-based cluster analysis (TBCA). Behavioral measures were included to explore disease-associated brain-function relationships. We detected lower MTR in patients' callosal rostrum (tractometry: p = .03; TBCA: p = .03), but higher MTR in their splenium (tractometry: p = .02). Importantly, patients' mutation-size and MTR were positively correlated (all p-values < .01), indicating that MTR alterations may directly result from the mutation. Further, MTR was higher in younger, but lower in older patients relative to controls (p = .003), suggesting that MTR increases are detrimental later in the disease. Finally, patients showed higher restricted diffusion signal fraction (FR) from the composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion (CHARMED) in the cortico-spinal tract (p = .03), which correlated positively with MTR in the posterior callosum (p = .033), potentially reflecting compensatory mechanisms. In summary, this first comprehensive, ultra-strong gradient MRI study in HD provides novel evidence of mutation-driven MTR alterations at the premanifest disease stage which may reflect neurodevelopmental changes in iron, myelin, or a combination of these.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Casella
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging SciencesKing's College London, St Thomas' HospitalLondonUK
| | - Maxime Chamberland
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and BehaviorRadboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Pedro L. Laguna
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Greg D. Parker
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Anne E. Rosser
- Department of Neurology and Psychological MedicineHayden Ellis BuildingCardiffUK
- School of BiosciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | | | - Hugh Rickards
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation TrustBirminghamUK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental SciencesUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Samuel C. Berry
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Derek K. Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Claudia Metzler‐Baddeley
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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16
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Pérez-Sisqués L, Solana-Balaguer J, Campoy-Campos G, Martín-Flores N, Sancho-Balsells A, Vives-Isern M, Soler-Palazón F, Garcia-Forn M, Masana M, Alberch J, Pérez-Navarro E, Giralt A, Malagelada C. RTP801/REDD1 Is Involved in Neuroinflammation and Modulates Cognitive Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease. Biomolecules 2021; 12:34. [PMID: 35053183 PMCID: PMC8773874 DOI: 10.3390/biom12010034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
RTP801/REDD1 is a stress-regulated protein whose levels are increased in several neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases (HD). RTP801 downregulation ameliorates behavioral abnormalities in several mouse models of these disorders. In HD, RTP801 mediates mutant huntingtin (mhtt) toxicity in in vitro models and its levels are increased in human iPSCs, human postmortem putamen samples, and in striatal synaptosomes from mouse models of the disease. Here, we investigated the role of RTP801 in the hippocampal pathophysiology of HD. We found that RTP801 levels are increased in the hippocampus of HD patients in correlation with gliosis markers. Although RTP801 expression is not altered in the hippocampus of the R6/1 mouse model of HD, neuronal RTP801 silencing in the dorsal hippocampus with shRNA containing AAV particles ameliorates cognitive alterations. This recovery is associated with a partial rescue of synaptic markers and with a reduction in inflammatory events, especially microgliosis. Altogether, our results indicate that RTP801 could be a marker of hippocampal neuroinflammation in HD patients and a promising therapeutic target of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia Pérez-Sisqués
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
| | - Júlia Solana-Balaguer
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
| | - Genís Campoy-Campos
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
| | - Núria Martín-Flores
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
| | - Anna Sancho-Balsells
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marcel Vives-Isern
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
| | - Ferran Soler-Palazón
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
| | - Marta Garcia-Forn
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
| | - Mercè Masana
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Alberch
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
- Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies (Creatio), Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esther Pérez-Navarro
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
| | - Albert Giralt
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
- Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies (Creatio), Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Malagelada
- Departament de Biomedicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (L.P.-S.); (J.S.-B.); (G.C.-C.); (N.M.-F.); (A.S.-B.); (M.V.-I.); (F.S.-P.); (M.G.-F.); (M.M.); (J.A.); (E.P.-N.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28031 Madrid, Spain
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17
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Phillips GR, Saville JT, Hancock SE, Brown SHJ, Jenner AM, McLean C, Fuller M, Newell KA, Mitchell TW. The long and the short of Huntington’s disease: how the sphingolipid profile is shifted in the caudate of advanced clinical cases. Brain Commun 2021; 4:fcab303. [PMID: 35169703 PMCID: PMC8833324 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that onsets in late adulthood as progressive and terminal cognitive, psychiatric and motor deficits. The disease is genetic, triggered by a CAG repeat (polyQ) expansion mutation in the Huntingtin gene and resultant huntingtin protein. Although the mutant huntingtin protein is ubiquitously expressed, the striatum degenerates early and consistently in the disease. The polyQ mutation at the N-terminus of the huntingtin protein alters its natural interactions with neural phospholipids in vitro, suggesting that the specific lipid composition of brain regions could influence their vulnerability to interference by mutant huntingtin; however, this has not yet been demonstrated in vivo. Sphingolipids are critical cell signalling molecules, second messengers and membrane components. Despite evidence of sphingolipid disturbance in Huntington’s mouse and cell models, there is limited knowledge of how these lipids are affected in human brain tissue. Using post-mortem brain tissue from five brain regions implicated in Huntington’s disease (control n = 13, Huntington’s n = 13), this study aimed to identify where and how sphingolipid species are affected in the brain of clinically advanced Huntington’s cases. Sphingolipids were extracted from the tissue and analysed using targeted mass spectrometry analysis; proteins were analysed by western blot. The caudate, putamen and cerebellum had distinct sphingolipid changes in Huntington’s brain whilst the white and grey frontal cortex were spared. The caudate of Huntington’s patients had a shifted sphingolipid profile, favouring long (C13–C21) over very-long-chain (C22–C26) ceramides, sphingomyelins and lactosylceramides. Ceramide synthase 1, which synthesizes the long-chain sphingolipids, had a reduced expression in Huntington’s caudate, correlating positively with a younger age at death and a longer CAG repeat length of the Huntington’s patients. The expression of ceramide synthase 2, which synthesizes very-long-chain sphingolipids, was not different in Huntington’s brain. However, there was evidence of possible post-translational modifications in the Huntington’s patients only. Post-translational modifications to ceramide synthase 2 may be driving the distinctive sphingolipid profile shifts of the caudate in advanced Huntington’s disease. This shift in the sphingolipid profile is also found in the most severely affected brain regions of several other neurodegenerative conditions and may be an important feature of region-specific cell dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle R. Phillips
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Jennifer T. Saville
- Genetics and Molecular Pathology, SA Pathology at Women’s and Children’s Hospital, North Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia
| | - Sarah E. Hancock
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Simon H. J. Brown
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Andrew M. Jenner
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Catriona McLean
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Alfred Health and Florey Neuroscience, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Maria Fuller
- Genetics and Molecular Pathology, SA Pathology at Women’s and Children’s Hospital, North Adelaide, SA 5006, Australia
- Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Kelly A. Newell
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Todd W. Mitchell
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
- Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
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18
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Kim C, Yousefian-Jazi A, Choi SH, Chang I, Lee J, Ryu H. Non-Cell Autonomous and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12499. [PMID: 34830381 PMCID: PMC8617801 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeat located in the exon 1 of Huntingtin (HTT) gene in human chromosome 4. The HTT protein is ubiquitously expressed in the brain. Specifically, mutant HTT (mHTT) protein-mediated toxicity leads to a dramatic degeneration of the striatum among many regions of the brain. HD symptoms exhibit a major involuntary movement followed by cognitive and psychiatric dysfunctions. In this review, we address the conventional role of wild type HTT (wtHTT) and how mHTT protein disrupts the function of medium spiny neurons (MSNs). We also discuss how mHTT modulates epigenetic modifications and transcriptional pathways in MSNs. In addition, we define how non-cell autonomous pathways lead to damage and death of MSNs under HD pathological conditions. Lastly, we overview therapeutic approaches for HD. Together, understanding of precise neuropathological mechanisms of HD may improve therapeutic approaches to treat the onset and progression of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaebin Kim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea; (C.K.); (A.Y.-J.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Ali Yousefian-Jazi
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea; (C.K.); (A.Y.-J.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Seung-Hye Choi
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea; (C.K.); (A.Y.-J.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Inyoung Chang
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA;
| | - Junghee Lee
- Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
- VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA
| | - Hoon Ryu
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Korea; (C.K.); (A.Y.-J.); (S.-H.C.)
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Gabery S, Kwa JE, Cheong RY, Baldo B, Ferrari Bardile C, Tan B, McLean C, Georgiou-Karistianis N, Poudel GR, Halliday G, Pouladi MA, Petersén Å. Early white matter pathology in the fornix of the limbic system in Huntington disease. Acta Neuropathol 2021; 142:791-806. [PMID: 34448021 PMCID: PMC8500909 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-021-02362-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The typical motor symptoms have been associated with basal ganglia pathology. However, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms often precede the motor component and may be due to changes in the limbic system. Recent work has indicated pathology in the hypothalamus in HD but other parts of the limbic system have not been extensively studied. Emerging evidence suggests that changes in HD also include white matter pathology. Here we investigated if the main white matter tract of the limbic system, the fornix, is affected in HD. We demonstrate that the fornix is 34% smaller already in prodromal HD and 41% smaller in manifest HD compared to controls using volumetric analyses of MRI of the IMAGE-HD study. In post-mortem fornix tissue from HD cases, we confirm the smaller fornix volume in HD which is accompanied by signs of myelin breakdown and reduced levels of the transcription factor myelin regulating factor but detect no loss of oligodendrocytes. Further analyses using RNA-sequencing demonstrate downregulation of oligodendrocyte identity markers in the fornix of HD cases. Analysis of differentially expressed genes based on transcription-factor/target-gene interactions also revealed enrichment for binding sites of SUZ12 and EZH2, components of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, as well as RE1 Regulation Transcription Factor. Taken together, our data show that there is early white matter pathology of the fornix in the limbic system in HD likely due to a combination of reduction in oligodendrocyte genes and myelin break down.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaz Gabery
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jing Eugene Kwa
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
| | - Rachel Y Cheong
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden
| | - Barbara Baldo
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden
- Evotec SE, HD Research and Translational Sciences, 22419, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Costanza Ferrari Bardile
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
- Department of Medical Genetics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Brendan Tan
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3180, Australia
| | - Catriona McLean
- Department of Pathology, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Govinda R Poudel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3180, Australia
| | - Glenda Halliday
- The Brain and Mind Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mahmoud A Pouladi
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine (TLGM), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore
- Department of Medical Genetics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V5Z 4H4, Canada
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Åsa Petersén
- Translational Neuroendocrine Research Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC D11, 22184, Lund, Sweden.
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Malaiya S, Cortes-Gutierrez M, Herb BR, Coffey SR, Legg SRW, Cantle JP, Colantuoni C, Carroll JB, Ament SA. Single-Nucleus RNA-Seq Reveals Dysregulation of Striatal Cell Identity Due to Huntington's Disease Mutations. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5534-5552. [PMID: 34011527 PMCID: PMC8221598 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2074-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a trinucleotide expansion in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Cell death in HD occurs primarily in striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs), but the involvement of specific MSN subtypes and of other striatal cell types remains poorly understood. To gain insight into cell type-specific disease processes, we studied the nuclear transcriptomes of 4524 cells from the striatum of a genetically precise knock-in mouse model of the HD mutation, HttQ175/+, and from wild-type controls. We used 14- to 15-month-old male mice, a time point at which multiple behavioral, neuroanatomical, and neurophysiological changes are present but at which there is no known cell death. Thousands of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were distributed across most striatal cell types, including transcriptional changes in glial populations that are not apparent from RNA-seq of bulk tissue. Reconstruction of cell type-specific transcriptional networks revealed a striking pattern of bidirectional dysregulation for many cell type-specific genes. Typically, these genes were repressed in their primary cell type, yet de-repressed in other striatal cell types. Integration with existing epigenomic and transcriptomic data suggest that partial loss-of-function of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) may underlie many of these transcriptional changes, leading to deficits in the maintenance of cell identity across virtually all cell types in the adult striatum.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Huntington's disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by specific loss of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the striatum, accompanied by more subtle changes in many other cell types. It is thought that changes in transcriptional regulation are an important underlying mechanism, but cell type-specific gene expression changes are not well understood, particularly at time points relevant to the onset of disease-related symptoms. Single-nucleus (sn)RNA-seq in a genetically precise mouse model enabled us to identify novel patterns of transcriptional dysregulation because of HD mutations, including bidirectional dysregulation of many cell type identity genes that may be driven by partial loss-of-function of the polycomb repressive complex (PRC). Identifying these regulators of transcriptional dysregulation in HD can be leveraged to design novel disease-modifying therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Malaiya
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Marcia Cortes-Gutierrez
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Brian R Herb
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
| | - Sydney R Coffey
- Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225
| | - Samuel R W Legg
- Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225
| | - Jeffrey P Cantle
- Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225
| | - Carlo Colantuoni
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287
| | - Jeffrey B Carroll
- Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225
| | - Seth A Ament
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
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Yu JH, Nam BG, Kim MG, Pyo S, Seo JH, Cho SR. In Vivo Expression of Reprogramming Factor OCT4 Ameliorates Myelination Deficits and Induces Striatal Neuroprotection in Huntington's Disease. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:712. [PMID: 34068799 DOI: 10.3390/genes12050712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
White matter atrophy has been shown to precede the massive loss of striatal GABAergic neurons in Huntington’s disease (HD). This study investigated the effects of in vivo expression of reprogramming factor octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) on neural stem cell (NSC) niche activation in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and induction of cell fate specific to the microenvironment of HD. R6/2 mice randomly received adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-OCT4, AAV9-Null, or phosphate-buffered saline into both lateral ventricles at 4 weeks of age. The AAV9-OCT4 group displayed significantly improved behavioral performance compared to the control groups. Following AAV9-OCT4 treatment, the number of newly generated NSCs and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) significantly increased in the SVZ, and the expression of OPC-related genes and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) significantly increased. Further, amelioration of myelination deficits in the corpus callosum was observed through electron microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging, and striatal DARPP32+ GABAergic neurons significantly increased in the AAV9-OCT4 group. These results suggest that in situ expression of the reprogramming factor OCT4 in the SVZ induces OPC proliferation, thereby attenuating myelination deficits. Particularly, GDNF released by OPCs seems to induce striatal neuroprotection in HD, which explains the behavioral improvement in R6/2 mice overexpressing OCT4.
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Casella C, Kleban E, Rosser AE, Coulthard E, Rickards H, Fasano F, Metzler-Baddeley C, Jones DK. Multi-compartment analysis of the complex gradient-echo signal quantifies myelin breakdown in premanifest Huntington's disease. Neuroimage Clin 2021; 30:102658. [PMID: 33865029 PMCID: PMC8079666 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
White matter (WM) alterations have been identified as a relevant pathological feature of Huntington's disease (HD). Increasing evidence suggests that WM changes in this disorder are due to alterations in myelin-associated biological processes. Multi-compartmental analysis of the complex gradient-echo MRI signal evolution in WM has been shown to quantify myelin in vivo, therefore pointing to the potential of this technique for the study of WM myelin changes in health and disease. This study first characterized the reproducibility of metrics derived from the complex multi-echo gradient-recalled echo (mGRE) signal across the corpus callosum in healthy participants, finding highest reproducibility in the posterior callosal segment. Subsequently, the same analysis pipeline was applied in this callosal region in a sample of premanifest HD patients (n = 19) and age, sex and education matched healthy controls (n = 21). In particular, we focused on two myelin-associated derivatives: i. the myelin water signal fraction (fm), a parameter dependent on myelin content; and ii. The difference in frequency between myelin and intra-axonal water pools (Δω), a parameter dependent on the ratio between the inner and the outer axonal radii. fm was found to be lower in HD patients (β = -0.13, p = 0.03), while Δω did not show a group effect. Performance in tests of working memory, executive function, social cognition and movement was also assessed, and a greater age-related decline in executive function was detected in HD patients (β = -0.06, p = 0.006), replicating previous evidence of executive dysfunction in HD. Finally, the correlation between fm, executive function, and proximity to disease onset was explored in patients, and a positive correlation between executive function and fm was detected (r = 0.542; p = 0.02). This study emphasises the potential of complex mGRE signal analysis for aiding understanding of HD pathogenesis and progression. Moreover, expanding on evidence from pathology and animal studies, it provides novel in vivo evidence supporting myelin breakdown as an early feature of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Casella
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF 24 4HQ, UK.
| | - Elena Kleban
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF 24 4HQ, UK
| | - Anne E Rosser
- Department of Neurology and Psychological Medicine, Hayden Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | | | - Hugh Rickards
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, 50 Summer Hill Road, Birmingham B1 3RB, UK; Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Fabrizio Fasano
- Siemens Healthcare Ltd, Camberly, UK; Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Claudia Metzler-Baddeley
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF 24 4HQ, UK
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF 24 4HQ, UK
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Rocha NP, Charron O, Latham LB, Colpo GD, Zanotti-Fregonara P, Yu M, Freeman L, Furr Stimming E, Teixeira AL. Microglia Activation in Basal Ganglia Is a Late Event in Huntington Disease Pathophysiology. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm 2021; 8:8/3/e984. [PMID: 33795375 PMCID: PMC8017723 DOI: 10.1212/nxi.0000000000000984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To define the role played by microglia in different stages of Huntington disease (HD), we used the TSPO radioligand [11C]-ER176 and PET to evaluate microglial activation in relation to neurodegeneration and in relation to the clinical features seen at premanifest and manifest stages of the disease. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study in which 18 subjects (6 controls, 6 premanifest, and 6 manifest HD gene carriers) underwent a [11C]-ER176 PET scan and an MRI for anatomic localization. Segmentation of regions of interest (ROIs) was performed, and group differences in [11C]-ER176 binding (used to evaluate the extent of microglial activation) were assessed by the standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR). Microglial activation was correlated with ROIs volumes, disease burden, and the scores obtained in the clinical scales. As an exploratory aim, we evaluated the dynamic functions of microglia in vitro, by using induced microglia-like (iMG) cells from peripheral blood monocytes. RESULTS Individuals with manifest HD present higher [11C]-ER176 SUVR in both globi pallidi and putamina in comparison with controls. No differences were observed when we compared premanifest HD with controls or with manifest HD. We also found a significant correlation between increased microglial activation and cumulative disease burden, and with reduced volumes. iMG from controls, premanifest HD, and manifest HD patients showed similar phagocytic capacity. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, our data demonstrate that microglial activation is involved in HD pathophysiology and is associated with disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia P Rocha
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.).
| | - Odelin Charron
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
| | - Leigh B Latham
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
| | - Gabriela D Colpo
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
| | - Paolo Zanotti-Fregonara
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
| | - Meixiang Yu
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
| | - Leorah Freeman
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
| | - Erin Furr Stimming
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
| | - Antonio L Teixeira
- From the Mitchell Center for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Brain Disorders (N.P.R.), Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; Department of Neurology (O.C., L.F.), The University of Texas at Austin; School of Medicine (L.B.L.), University of Washington, Seattle; Neuropsychiatry Program (G.D.C., A.L.T.), Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, Houston; Houston Methodist Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine (P.Z.-F., M.Y.), TX; and HDSA Center of Excellence at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (E.F.S.)
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Saroj P, Bansal Y, Singh R, Akhtar A, Sodhi RK, Bishnoi M, Sah SP, Kuhad A. Neuroprotective effects of roflumilast against quinolinic acid-induced rat model of Huntington's disease through inhibition of NF-κB mediated neuroinflammatory markers and activation of cAMP/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway. Inflammopharmacology 2021; 29:499-511. [PMID: 33517508 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-020-00787-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative and hyperkinetic movement disorder. Decreased activity of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) is thought to contribute to the death of striatal medium spiny neurons in HD. The present study has been designed to explore the possible role of roflumilast against qunilonic acid (QA) induced neurotoxicity in rats intending to investigate whether it inhibits the neuroinflammatory response through activation of the cAMP/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway. QA was microinjected (200 nmol/2 µl, bilaterally) through the intrastriatal route in the stereotaxic apparatus. Roflumilast (0.5, 1, and 2 mg/kg, orally) once-daily treatment for 21 days significantly improved locomotor activity in actophotometer, motor coordination in rotarod, and impaired gait performance in narrow beam walk test. Moreover, roflumilast treatment significantly attenuated oxidative and nitrosative stress (p < 0.05) through attenuating lipid peroxidation nitrite concentration and enhancing reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase levels. Furthermore, roflumilast also significantly decreased elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α (p < 0.01), IL-6 (p < 0.01), IFN-γ (p < 0.05), NF-κB (p < 0.05) and significantly increased BDNF(p < 0.05) in the striatum and cortex of rat brain. The results further demonstrated that roflumilast effectively increased the gene expression of cAMP(p < 0.05), CREB(p < 0.05) and decreased the gene expression of PDE4 (p < 0.05) in qRT-PCR. These results conclusively depicted that roflumilast could be a potential candidate as an effective therapeutic agent in the management of HD through the cAMP/CREB/BDNF signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Saroj
- Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Centre of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Yashika Bansal
- Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Centre of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Raghunath Singh
- Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Centre of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Ansab Akhtar
- Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Centre of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Rupinder Kaur Sodhi
- Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Centre of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Mahendra Bishnoi
- National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institue (NABI), Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Mohali, Punjab, 140306, India
| | - Sangeeta Pilkhwal Sah
- Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Centre of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
- Department of Physiology, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Science (UIPS), UGC Center of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
| | - Anurag Kuhad
- Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), UGC Centre of Advanced Study (UGC-CAS), Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
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Johnson EB, Parker CS, Scahill RI, Gregory S, Papoutsi M, Zeun P, Osborne-Crowley K, Lowe J, Nair A, Estevez-Fraga C, Fayer K, Rees G, Zhang H, Tabrizi SJ; HD-YAS Investigators. Altered iron and myelin in premanifest Huntington's Disease more than 20 years before clinical onset: Evidence from the cross-sectional HD Young Adult Study. EBioMedicine 2021; 65:103266. [PMID: 33706250 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pathological processes in Huntington's disease (HD) begin many years prior to symptom onset. Recently we demonstrated that in a premanifest cohort approximately 24 years from predicted disease onset, despite intact function, there was evidence of subtle neurodegeneration. Here, we use novel imaging techniques to determine whether macro- and micro-structural changes can be detected across the whole-brain in the same cohort. Methods 62 premanifest HD (PreHD) and 61 controls from the HD Young Adult Study (HD-YAS) were included. Grey and white matter volume, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) measures of white matter microstructure, multiparametric maps (MPM) estimating myelin and iron content from magnetization transfer (MT), proton density (PD), longitudinal relaxation (R1) and effective transverse relaxation (R2*), and myelin g-ratio were examined. Group differences between PreHD and controls were assessed; associations between all imaging metrics and disease burden and CSF neurofilament light (NfL) were also performed. Volumetric and MPM results were corrected at a cluster-wise value of familywise error (FWE) 0.05. Diffusion and g-ratio results were corrected via threshold-free cluster enhancement at FWE 0.05. Findings We showed significantly increased R1 and R2*, suggestive of increased iron, in the putamen, globus pallidum and external capsule of PreHD participants. There was also a significant association between lower cortical R2*, suggestive of reduced myelin or iron, and higher CSF NfL in the frontal lobe and the parieto-occipital cortices. No other results were significant at corrected levels. Interpretation Increased iron in subcortical structures and the surrounding white matter is a feature of very early PreHD. Furthermore, increases in CSF NfL were linked to microstructural changes in the posterior parietal-occipital cortex, a region previously shown to undergo some of the earliest cortical changes in HD. These findings suggest that disease related process are occurring in both subcortical and cortical regions more than 20 years from predicted disease onset.
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Eskandari N, Boroujeni ME, Abdollahifar MA, Piryaei A, Khodagholi F, Mirbehbahani SH, Siroosi S, Moghaddam MH, Aliaghaei A, Sadeghi Y. Transplantation of human dental pulp stem cells compensates for striatal atrophy and modulates neuro-inflammation in 3-nitropropionic acid rat model of Huntington's disease. Neurosci Res 2020; 170:133-144. [PMID: 33359180 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2020.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Stem cell-based therapy has recently offered a promising alternative for the remedy of neurodegenerative disorders like Huntington's disease (HD). Herein, we investigated the potential ameliorative effects of implantation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) rat models of HD. In this regard, human DPSCs were isolated, culture-expanded and implanted in rats lesioned with 3-NP. Post-transplantation examinations revealed that DPSCs were able to survive and augment motor skills and muscle activity. Histological analysis showed DPSCs treatment hampered the shrinkage of the striatum along with the inhibition of gliosis and microgliosis in the striatum of 3-NP rat models. We also detected the downregulation of Caspase-3 and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF and IL-1β upon DPSCs grafting. Overall, these findings imply that the grafting of DPSCs could repair motor-skill impairment and induce neurogenesis, probably through the secretion of neurotrophic factors and the modulation of neuroinflammatory response in HD animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Eskandari
- Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Eskandarian Boroujeni
- Department of Human Molecular Genetics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Mohammad Amin Abdollahifar
- Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abbas Piryaei
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fariba Khodagholi
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Shokoofeh Siroosi
- Neuroscience Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Abbas Aliaghaei
- Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Yousef Sadeghi
- Department of Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Casella C, Bourbon-Teles J, Bells S, Coulthard E, Parker GD, Rosser A, Jones DK, Metzler-Baddeley C. Drumming Motor Sequence Training Induces Apparent Myelin Remodelling in Huntington's Disease: A Longitudinal Diffusion MRI and Quantitative Magnetization Transfer Study. J Huntingtons Dis 2020; 9:303-320. [PMID: 32894249 PMCID: PMC7836062 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-200424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Background: Impaired myelination may contribute to Huntington’s disease (HD) pathogenesis. Objective: This study assessed differences in white matter (WM) microstructure between HD patients and controls, and tested whether drumming training stimulates WM remodelling in HD. Furthermore, it examined whether training-induced microstructural changes are related to improvements in motor and cognitive function. Methods: Participants undertook two months of drumming exercises. Working memory and executive function were assessed before and post-training. Changes in WM microstructure were investigated with diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI)-based metrics, the restricted diffusion signal fraction (Fr) from the composite hindered and restricted model of diffusion (CHARMED) and the macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) from quantitative magnetization transfer (qMT) imaging. WM pathways linking putamen and supplementary motor areas (SMA-Putamen), and three segments of the corpus callosum (CCI, CCII, CCIII) were studied using deterministic tractography. Baseline MPF differences between patients and controls were assessed with tract-based spatial statistics. Results: MPF was reduced in the mid-section of the CC in HD subjects at baseline, while a significantly greater change in MPF was detected in HD patients relative to controls in the CCII, CCIII, and the right SMA-putamen post-training. Further, although patients improved their drumming and executive function performance, such improvements did not correlate with microstructural changes. Increased MPF suggests training-induced myelin changes in HD. Conclusion: Though only preliminary and based on a small sample size, these results suggest that tailored behavioural stimulation may lead to neural benefits in early HD, that could be exploited for delaying disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Casella
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK
| | - Jose Bourbon-Teles
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sonya Bells
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Neurosciences and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Greg D Parker
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK
| | - Anne Rosser
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, UK.,Department of Neurology and Psychological Medicine, Hayden Ellis Building, Cardiff, UK
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK.,Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Claudia Metzler-Baddeley
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Maindy Road, Cardiff, UK
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28
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Wilton DK, Stevens B. The contribution of glial cells to Huntington's disease pathogenesis. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 143:104963. [PMID: 32593752 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Glial cells play critical roles in the normal development and function of neural circuits, but in many neurodegenerative diseases, they become dysregulated and may contribute to the development of brain pathology. In Huntington's disease (HD), glial cells both lose normal functions and gain neuropathic phenotypes. In addition, cell-autonomous dysfunction elicited by mutant huntingtin (mHTT) expression in specific glial cell types is sufficient to induce both pathology and Huntington's disease-related impairments in motor and cognitive performance, suggesting that these cells may drive the development of certain aspects of Huntington's disease pathogenesis. In support of this imaging studies in pre-symptomatic HD patients and work on mouse models have suggested that glial cell dysfunction occurs at a very early stage of the disease, prior to the onset of motor and cognitive deficits. Furthermore, selectively ablating mHTT from specific glial cells or correcting for HD-induced changes in their transcriptional profile rescues some HD-related phenotypes, demonstrating the potential of targeting these cells for therapeutic intervention. Here we review emerging research focused on understanding the involvement of different glial cell types in specific aspects of HD pathogenesis. This work is providing new insight into how HD impacts biological functions of glial cells in the healthy brain as well as how HD induced dysfunction in these cells might change the way they integrate into biological circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Wilton
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Beth Stevens
- Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Stanley Center, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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29
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Taran AS, Shuvalova LD, Lagarkova MA, Alieva IB. Huntington's Disease-An Outlook on the Interplay of the HTT Protein, Microtubules and Actin Cytoskeletal Components. Cells 2020; 9:E1514. [PMID: 32580314 PMCID: PMC7348758 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a severe and currently incurable neurodegenerative disease. An autosomal dominant mutation in the Huntingtin gene (HTT) causes an increase in the polyglutamine fragment length at the protein N-terminus. The consequence of the mutation is the death of neurons, mostly striatal neurons, leading to the occurrence of a complex of motor, cognitive and emotional-volitional personality sphere disorders in carriers. Despite intensive studies, the functions of both mutant and wild-type huntingtin remain poorly understood. Surprisingly, there is the selective effect of the mutant form of HTT even on nervous tissue, whereas the protein is expressed ubiquitously. Huntingtin plays a role in cell physiology and affects cell transport, endocytosis, protein degradation and other cellular and molecular processes. Our experimental data mining let us conclude that a significant part of the Huntingtin-involved cellular processes is mediated by microtubules and other cytoskeletal cell structures. The review attempts to look at unresolved issues in the study of the huntingtin and its mutant form, including their functions affecting microtubules and other components of the cell cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra S. Taran
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–73, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.T.); (L.D.S.)
| | - Lilia D. Shuvalova
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–73, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.T.); (L.D.S.)
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria A. Lagarkova
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina B. Alieva
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
- A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–40, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia
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30
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Casella C, Lipp I, Rosser A, Jones DK, Metzler-Baddeley C. A Critical Review of White Matter Changes in Huntington's Disease. Mov Disord 2020; 35:1302-1311. [PMID: 32537844 PMCID: PMC9393936 DOI: 10.1002/mds.28109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder. White matter alterations have recently been identified as a relevant pathophysiological feature of Huntington’s disease, but their etiology and role in disease pathogenesis and progression remain unclear. Increasing evidence suggests that white matter changes in this disorder are attributed to alterations in myelin‐associated biological processes. This review first discusses evidence from neurochemical studies lending support to the demyelination hypothesis of Huntington’s disease, demonstrating aberrant myelination and changes in oligodendrocytes in the Huntington’s brain. Next, evidence from neuroimaging studies is reviewed, the limitations of the described methodologies are discussed, and suggested interpretations of findings from published studies are challenged. Although our understanding of Huntington’s associated pathological changes in the brain will increasingly rely on neuroimaging techniques, the shortcomings of these methodologies must not be forgotten. Advances in magnetic resonance imaging techniques and tissue modeling will enable a better in vivo, longitudinal characterization of the biological properties of white matter microstructure. This in turn will facilitate identification of disease‐related biomarkers and the specification of outcome measures in clinical trials. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Casella
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ilona Lipp
- Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anne Rosser
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Claudia Metzler-Baddeley
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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31
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Abstract
White matter abnormalities are prominent neuropathological features in Huntington's disease (HD); however, the cellular culprits are unclear. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Osipovitch et al. (2019) show that patient-derived glial progenitor cells fail to properly differentiate and myelinate in the mouse brain due to cell-intrinsic transcriptional defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Wang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - X William Yang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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32
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Abstract
Polyglutamine expansion disorders, which include Huntington's disease, have expanded CAG repeats that result in polyglutamine expansions in affected proteins. How this specific feature leads to distinct neuropathies in 11 different diseases is a fascinating area of investigation. Most proteins affected by polyglutamine expansions are ubiquitously expressed, yet their mechanisms of selective neurotoxicity are unknown. Induced pluripotent stem cells have emerged as a valuable tool to model diseases, understand molecular mechanisms, and generate relevant human neural and glia subtypes, cocultures, and organoids. Ideally, this tool will generate specific neuronal populations that faithfully recapitulate specific polyglutamine expansion disorder phenotypes and mimic the selective vulnerability of a given disease. Here, we review how induced pluripotent technology is used to understand the effects of the disease-causing polyglutamine protein on cell function, identify new therapeutic targets, and determine how polyglutamine expansion affects human neurodevelopment and disease. We will discuss ongoing challenges and limitations in our use of induced pluripotent stem cells to model polyglutamine expansion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Naphade
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Blvd, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | | | - Lisa M Ellerby
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Blvd, Novato, CA, 94945, USA.
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Wells C, Brennan SE, Keon M, Saksena NK. Prionoid Proteins in the Pathogenesis of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:271. [PMID: 31780895 PMCID: PMC6861308 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing body of evidence that prionoid protein behaviors are a core element of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) that afflict humans. Common elements in pathogenesis, pathological effects and protein-level behaviors exist between Alzheimer's Disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), Huntington's Disease (HD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). These extend beyond the affected neurons to glial cells and processes. This results in a complicated system of disease progression, which often takes advantage of protective processes to promote the propagation of pathological protein aggregates. This review article provides a current snapshot of knowledge on these proteins and their intrinsic role in the pathogenesis and disease progression seen across NDs.
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Rowley CD, Tabrizi SJ, Scahill RI, Leavitt BR, Roos RAC, Durr A, Bock NA. Altered Intracortical T 1-Weighted/T 2-Weighted Ratio Signal in Huntington's Disease. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:805. [PMID: 30455625 PMCID: PMC6230564 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by neuronal cell death. Although medium spiny neurons in the striatum are predominantly affected, other brain regions including the cerebral cortex also degenerate. Previous structural imaging studies have reported decreases in cortical thickness in HD. Here we aimed to further investigate changes in cortical tissue composition in vivo in HD using standard clinical T1-weighted (T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) magnetic resonance images (MRIs). 326 subjects from the TRACK-HD dataset representing healthy controls and four stages of HD progression were analyzed. The intracortical T1W/T2W intensity was sampled in the middle depth of the cortex over 82 regions across the cortex. While these previously collected images were not optimized for intracortical analysis, we found a significant increase in T1W/T2W intensity (p < 0.05 Bonferroni-Holm corrected) beginning with HD diagnosis. Increases in ratio intensity were found in the insula, which then spread to ventrolateral frontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, medial temporal gyral pole, and cuneus with progression into the most advanced HD group studied. Mirroring past histological reports, this increase in the ratio image intensity may reflect disease-related increases in myelin and/or iron in the cortex. These findings suggest that future imaging studies are warranted with imaging optimized to more sensitively and specifically assess which features of cortical tissue composition are abnormal in HD to better characterize disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Rowley
- McMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery and Study Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah J. Tabrizi
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, University College London Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael I. Scahill
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, University College London Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, United Kingdom
| | - Blair R. Leavitt
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Raymund A. C. Roos
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Alexandra Durr
- INSERM U1127, CNRS UMR7225, UMR_S1127, UPMC Université Paris VI, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- APHP, Department of Genetics, Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Nicholas A. Bock
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
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35
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Croce KR, Yamamoto A. A role for autophagy in Huntington's disease. Neurobiol Dis 2018; 122:16-22. [PMID: 30149183 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The lysosome-mediated degradation pathway known as macroautophagy is the most versatile means through which cells can eliminate and recycle unwanted materials. Through both selective and non-selective means, macroautophagy can degrade a wide range of cargoes from bulk cytosol to organelles and aggregated proteins. Although studies of disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis suggest that autophagic and lysosomal dysfunction directly contributes to disease, this had not been the case for the polyglutamine disorder Huntington's disease (HD), for which there was little indication of a disruption in the autophagic-lysosomal system. This supported the possibility of targeting autophagy as a much needed therapeutic approach to combat this disease. Possibly challenging this view, however, are a recent set of studies suggesting that the protein affected in Huntington's disease, huntingtin, might mechanistically contribute to macroautophagy. In this review, we will explore how autophagy might impact or be impacted by HD pathogenesis, and whether a therapeutic approach centering on autophagy may be possible for this yet incurable disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R Croce
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States
| | - Ai Yamamoto
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States; Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States.
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36
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Soloveva MV, Jamadar SD, Poudel G, Georgiou-karistianis N. A critical review of brain and cognitive reserve in Huntington’s disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 88:155-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Di Pardo A, Maglione V. The S1P Axis: New Exciting Route for Treating Huntington's Disease. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2018; 39:468-480. [PMID: 29559169 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2018.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a single-gene inheritable neurodegenerative disorder with an associated complex molecular pathogenic profile that renders it the most 'curable incurable' brain disorder. Continuous effort in the field has contributed to the recent discovery of novel potential pathogenic mechanisms. Findings in preclinical models of the disease as well as in human post-mortem brains from affected patients demonstrate that alteration of the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) axis may represent a possible key player in the pathogenesis of the disease and may act as a potential actionable drug target for the development of more targeted and effective therapeutic approaches. The relevance of the path of this new 'therapeutic route' is underscored by the fact that some drugs targeting the S1P axis are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of other brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Di Pardo
- Centre for Neurogenetics and Rare Diseases, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli (IS), Italy
| | - Vittorio Maglione
- Centre for Neurogenetics and Rare Diseases, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli (IS), Italy.
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38
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Ebrahimi MJ, Aliaghaei A, Boroujeni ME, Khodagholi F, Meftahi G, Abdollahifar MA, Ahmadi H, Danyali S, Daftari M, Sadeghi Y. Human Umbilical Cord Matrix Stem Cells Reverse Oxidative Stress-Induced Cell Death and Ameliorate Motor Function and Striatal Atrophy in Rat Model of Huntington Disease. Neurotox Res 2018; 34:273-84. [DOI: 10.1007/s12640-018-9884-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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39
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Niemelä V, Burman J, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Larsson A, Sundblom J. Cerebrospinal fluid sCD27 levels indicate active T cell-mediated inflammation in premanifest Huntington's disease. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193492. [PMID: 29474427 PMCID: PMC5825143 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, but evidence also suggests neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis. The immune mechanisms involved and the timing of their activation need further clarification. METHODS A clinically well-characterized HD cohort and gene negative controls were enrolled. YKL-40 reflecting innate immunity and sCD27, a marker of adaptive immunity, were measured across disease stages. Comparisons were made with markers of neurodegeneration: neurofilament light (NFL), total-tau (T-tau), and phospho-tau (P-tau). RESULTS 52 cross-sectional cerebrospinal fluid samples and 23 follow-up samples were analyzed. sCD27 was elevated in manifest HD and premanifest gene expansion carriers, whereas controls mostly had undetectable levels. YKL-40 showed a trend toward increase in manifest HD. sCD27 correlated with YKL-40 which in turn was closely associated to all included markers of neurodegeneration. YKL-40, NFL, and both forms of tau could all independently predict HD symptoms, but only NFL levels differed between groups after age-adjustment. CONCLUSION Increased sCD27 in premanifest HD is a sign of T cell-mediated neuroinflammation. This finding is novel since other reports almost exclusively have found early involvement of innate immunity. Validation of sCD27 in a larger HD cohort is needed. The role of adaptive immunity in HD needs further clarification, as it may hasten disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valter Niemelä
- Department of Neuroscience, Neurology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Joachim Burman
- Department of Neuroscience, Neurology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anders Larsson
- Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jimmy Sundblom
- Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Schweser F, Raffaini Duarte Martins AL, Hagemeier J, Lin F, Hanspach J, Weinstock-Guttman B, Hametner S, Bergsland N, Dwyer MG, Zivadinov R. Mapping of thalamic magnetic susceptibility in multiple sclerosis indicates decreasing iron with disease duration: A proposed mechanistic relationship between inflammation and oligodendrocyte vitality. Neuroimage 2018; 167:438-452. [PMID: 29097315 PMCID: PMC5845810 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.10.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in susceptibility MRI have dramatically improved the visualization of deep gray matter brain regions and the quantification of their magnetic properties in vivo, providing a novel tool to study the poorly understood iron homeostasis in the human brain. In this study, we used an advanced combination of the recent quantitative susceptibility mapping technique with dedicated analysis methods to study intra-thalamic tissue alterations in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Thalamic pathology is one of the earliest hallmarks of MS and has been shown to correlate with cognitive dysfunction and fatigue, but the mechanisms underlying the thalamic pathology are poorly understood. We enrolled a total of 120 patients, 40 with CIS, 40 with Relapsing Remitting MS (RRMS), and 40 with Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS). For each of the three patient groups, we recruited 40 controls, group matched for age- and sex (120 total). We acquired quantitative susceptibility maps using a single-echo gradient echo MRI pulse sequence at 3 T. Group differences were studied by voxel-based analysis as well as with a custom thalamus atlas. We used threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) and multiple regression analyses, respectively. We found significantly reduced magnetic susceptibility compared to controls in focal thalamic subregions of patients with RRMS (whole thalamus excluding the pulvinar nucleus) and SPMS (primarily pulvinar nucleus), but not in patients with CIS. Susceptibility reduction was significantly associated with disease duration in the pulvinar, the left lateral nuclear region, and the global thalamus. Susceptibility reduction indicates a decrease in tissue iron concentration suggesting an involvement of chronic microglia activation in the depletion of iron from oligodendrocytes in this central and integrative brain region. Not necessarily specific to MS, inflammation-mediated iron release may lead to a vicious circle that reduces the protection of axons and neuronal repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Schweser
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Center for Biomedical Imaging, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - Ana Luiza Raffaini Duarte Martins
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jesper Hagemeier
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Fuchun Lin
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jannis Hanspach
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Institute of Radiology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bianca Weinstock-Guttman
- Jacobs Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Simon Hametner
- Department of Neuroimmunology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Niels Bergsland
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Michael G Dwyer
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Robert Zivadinov
- Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, Department of Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA; Center for Biomedical Imaging, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
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41
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Veldman MB, Yang XW. Molecular insights into cortico-striatal miscommunications in Huntington's disease. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2017; 48:79-89. [PMID: 29125980 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD), a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease, is defined by its genetic cause, a CAG-repeat expansion in the HTT gene, its motor and psychiatric symptomology and primary loss of striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). However, the molecular mechanisms from genetic lesion to disease phenotype remain largely unclear. Mouse models of HD have been created that exhibit phenotypes partially recapitulating those in the patient, and specifically, cortico-striatal disconnectivity appears to be a shared pathogenic event shared by HD mouse models and patients. Molecular studies have begun to unveil converging molecular and cellular pathogenic mechanisms that may account for cortico-striatal miscommunication in various HD mouse models. Systems biological approaches help to illuminate synaptic molecular networks as a nexus for HD cortio-striatal pathogenesis, and may offer new candidate targets to modify the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Veldman
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics and Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States
| | - X William Yang
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics and Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States.
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42
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Kreilaus F, Spiro AS, Hannan AJ, Garner B, Jenner AM. Therapeutic Effects of Anthocyanins and Environmental Enrichment in R6/1 Huntington's Disease Mice. J Huntingtons Dis 2017; 5:285-296. [PMID: 27567888 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-160204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatment or cure. Environmental enrichment has been used to slow processes leading to ageing and neurodegenerative diseases including HD. Phenolic phytochemicals including anthocyanins have also been shown to improve brain function in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases. OBJECTIVE This study examined the effects of anthocyanin dietary supplementation and environmental enrichment on behavioural phenotypes and brain cholesterol metabolic alterations in the R6/1 mouse model of HD. METHODS R6/1 HD mice and their wild-type littermate controls were randomised into the different experimental conditions, involving either environmentally enriched versus standard housing conditions, or anthocyanin versus control diet. Motor dysfunction was assessed from 6 to 26 weeks using the RotaRod and the hind-paw clasping tests. Gas chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry was used to quantify a broad range of sterols in the striatum and cortex of R6/1 HD mice. RESULTS Anthocyanin dietary supplementation delayed the onset of motor dysfunction in female HD mice. Environmental enrichment improved motor function and the hind paw clasping phenotype in male HD mice only. These mice also had lower levels of cholesterol oxidation products in the cortex compared to standard-housed mice. CONCLUSION Both anthocyanin supplementation and environmental enrichment are able to improve the motor dysfunction phenotype of R6/1 mice, however the effectiveness of these interventions was different between the two sexes. The interventions examined did not alter brain cholesterol metabolic deficits that have been reported previously in this mouse model of HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Kreilaus
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Adena S Spiro
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Brett Garner
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew M Jenner
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from controls and patients can act as a starting point for in vitro differentiation into human brain cells for discovery of novel targets and treatments for human disease without the same ethical limitations posed by embryonic stem cells. Numerous groups have successfully produced and characterized Huntington’s disease (HD) iPSCs with different CAG repeat lengths, including cells from patients with one or two HD alleles. HD iPSCs and the neural cell types derived from them recapitulate some disease phenotypes found in both human patients and animal models. Although these discoveries are encouraging, the use of iPSCs for cutting edge and reproducible research has been limited due to some of the inherent problems with cell lines and the technological differences in the way laboratories use them. The goal of this review is to summarize the current state of the HD iPSC field, and to highlight some of the issues that need to be addressed to maximize their potential as research tools.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kimberly B. Kegel-Gleason
- Correspondence to: Kimberly Kegel-Gleason, Assistant Professor in Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 114 16th Street, Room 2001, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. Tel.: +1 617 724 8754; E-mail:
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44
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Shamsi TN, Athar T, Parveen R, Fatima S. A review on protein misfolding, aggregation and strategies to prevent related ailments. Int J Biol Macromol 2017; 105:993-1000. [PMID: 28743576 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.07.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
This review aims to highlight the fundamental mechanism of protein misfolding leading to protein aggregation and associated diseases. It also aims to anticipate novel therapeutic strategies with which to prevent or treat these highly debilitating conditions linked to these pathologies. The failure of a protein to correctly fold de novo or to remain correctly folded can have profound consequences on a living system especially when the cellular quality control processes fail to eliminate the rogue proteins. The core cause of over 20 different human diseases which have now been designated as 'conformational diseases' including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) etc. A comprehensive study on protein misfolding, aggregation, and the outcomes of the effects of cytotoxic aggregates will lead to understand the aggregation-mediated cell toxicity and serves as a foundation for future research in development of promising therapies and drugs. This review has also shed light on the mechanism of protein misfolding which leads to its aggregation and hence the neurodegeneration. From these considerations, one could also envisage the possibility that protein aggregation may be exploited by nature to perform specific physiological functions in differing biological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tooba Naz Shamsi
- Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India.
| | - Teeba Athar
- Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India.
| | - Romana Parveen
- Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India.
| | - Sadaf Fatima
- Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India.
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45
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Jimenez-Sanchez M, Licitra F, Underwood BR, Rubinsztein DC. Huntington's Disease: Mechanisms of Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Strategies. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2017; 7:cshperspect.a024240. [PMID: 27940602 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a024240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a late-onset neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat in the gene encoding the huntingtin protein. Despite its well-defined genetic origin, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the disease are unclear and complex. Here, we review some of the currently known functions of the wild-type huntingtin protein and discuss the deleterious effects that arise from the expansion of the CAG repeats, which are translated into an abnormally long polyglutamine tract. Finally, we outline some of the therapeutic strategies that are currently being pursued to slow down the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Jimenez-Sanchez
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Floriana Licitra
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0XY, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin R Underwood
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Beechcroft, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge CB21 5EF, United Kingdom
| | - David C Rubinsztein
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0XY, United Kingdom
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46
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Khakh BS, Beaumont V, Cachope R, Munoz-Sanjuan I, Goldman SA, Grantyn R. Unravelling and Exploiting Astrocyte Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease. Trends Neurosci 2017; 40:422-437. [PMID: 28578789 PMCID: PMC5706770 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2017] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes are abundant within mature neural circuits and are involved in brain disorders. Here, we summarize our current understanding of astrocytes and Huntington's disease (HD), with a focus on correlative and causative dysfunctions of ion homeostasis, calcium signaling, and neurotransmitter clearance, as well as on the use of transplanted astrocytes to produce therapeutic benefit in mouse models of HD. Overall, the data suggest that astrocyte dysfunction is an important contributor to the onset and progression of some HD symptoms in mice. Additional exploration of astrocytes in HD mouse models and humans is needed and may provide new therapeutic opportunities to explore in conjunction with neuronal rescue and repair strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baljit S Khakh
- Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA; Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751, USA.
| | - Vahri Beaumont
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, 6080 Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
| | - Roger Cachope
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, 6080 Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
| | | | - Steven A Goldman
- Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Rosemarie Grantyn
- Exzellenzcluster NeuroCure & Abt. Experimentelle Neurologie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Robert-Koch-Platz 4, D-10115 Berlin, Germany
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47
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Buck E, Bayer H, Lindenberg KS, Hanselmann J, Pasquarelli N, Ludolph AC, Weydt P, Witting A. Comparison of Sirtuin 3 Levels in ALS and Huntington's Disease-Differential Effects in Human Tissue Samples vs. Transgenic Mouse Models. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:156. [PMID: 28603486 PMCID: PMC5445120 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by distinct patterns of neuronal loss. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) upper and lower motoneurons degenerate whereas in Huntington’s disease (HD) medium spiny neurons in the striatum are preferentially affected. Despite these differences the pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors are remarkably similar. In addition, non-neuronal features, such as weight loss implicate a dysregulation in energy metabolism. Mammalian sirtuins, especially the mitochondrial NAD+ dependent sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), regulate mitochondrial function and aging processes. SIRT3 expression depends on the activity of the metabolic master regulator peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), a modifier of ALS and HD in patients and model organisms. This prompted us to systematically probe Sirt3 mRNA and protein levels in mouse models of ALS and HD and to correlate these with patient tissue levels. We found a selective reduction of Sirt3 mRNA levels and function in the cervical spinal cord of end-stage ALS mice (superoxide dismutase 1, SOD1G93A). In sharp contrast, a tendency to increased Sirt3 mRNA levels was found in the striatum in HD mice (R6/2). Cultured primary neurons express the highest levels of Sirt3 mRNA. In primary cells from PGC-1α knock-out (KO) mice the Sirt3 mRNA levels were highest in astrocytes. In human post mortem tissue increased mRNA and protein levels of Sirt3 were found in the spinal cord in ALS, while Sirt3 levels were unchanged in the human HD striatum. Based on these findings we conclude that SIRT3 mediates the different effects of PGC-1α during the course of transgenic (tg) ALS and HD and in the human conditions only partial aspects Sirt3 dysregulation manifest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Buck
- Department of Neurology, Ulm UniversityUlm, Germany
| | - Hanna Bayer
- Department of Neurology, Ulm UniversityUlm, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Patrick Weydt
- Department of Neurology, Ulm UniversityUlm, Germany.,Department of Neurodegenerative Disorders and Gerontopsychiatry, Bonn UniversityBonn, Germany
| | - Anke Witting
- Department of Neurology, Ulm UniversityUlm, Germany
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48
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Moruno-Manchon JF, Uzor NE, Blasco-Conesa MP, Mannuru S, Putluri N, Furr-Stimming EE, Tsvetkov AS. Inhibiting sphingosine kinase 2 mitigates mutant Huntingtin-induced neurodegeneration in neuron models of Huntington disease. Hum Mol Genet 2017; 26:1305-1317. [PMID: 28175299 PMCID: PMC6251541 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddx046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is the most common inherited neurodegenerative disorder. It has no cure. The protein huntingtin causes HD, and mutations to it confer toxic functions to the protein that lead to neurodegeneration. Thus, identifying modifiers of mutant huntingtin-mediated neurotoxicity might be a therapeutic strategy for HD. Sphingosine kinases 1 (SK1) and 2 (SK2) synthesize sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid messenger critically involved in many vital cellular processes, such as cell survival. In the nucleus, SK2 binds to and inhibits histone deacetylases 1 and 2 (HDAC1/2). Inhibiting both HDACs has been suggested as a potential therapy in HD. Here, we found that SK2 is nuclear in primary neurons and, unexpectedly, overexpressed SK2 is neurotoxic in a dose-dependent manner. SK2 promotes DNA double-strand breaks in cultured primary neurons. We also found that SK2 is hyperphosphorylated in the brain samples from a model of HD, the BACHD mice. These data suggest that the SK2 pathway may be a part of a pathogenic pathway in HD. ABC294640, an inhibitor of SK2, reduces DNA damage in neurons and increases survival in two neuron models of HD. Our results identify a novel regulator of mutant huntingtin-mediated neurotoxicity and provide a new target for developing therapies for HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose F. Moruno-Manchon
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ndidi-Ese Uzor
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Maria P. Blasco-Conesa
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Sishira Mannuru
- The University of Texas Medical Training Program, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Nagireddy Putluri
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Erin E. Furr-Stimming
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Andrey S. Tsvetkov
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, The University of Texas McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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49
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Kumar V, Sami N, Kashav T, Islam A, Ahmad F, Hassan MI. Protein aggregation and neurodegenerative diseases: From theory to therapy. Eur J Med Chem 2016; 124:1105-1120. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2016.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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50
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Jansen AHP, van Hal M, Op den Kelder IC, Meier RT, de Ruiter AA, Schut MH, Smith DL, Grit C, Brouwer N, Kamphuis W, Boddeke HWGM, den Dunnen WFA, van Roon WMC, Bates GP, Hol EM, Reits EA. Frequency of nuclear mutant huntingtin inclusion formation in neurons and glia is cell-type-specific. Glia 2016; 65:50-61. [PMID: 27615381 PMCID: PMC5129569 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Revised: 08/07/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant inherited neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by a CAG expansion in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene, leading to HTT inclusion formation in the brain. The mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) is ubiquitously expressed and therefore nuclear inclusions could be present in all brain cells. The effects of nuclear inclusion formation have been mainly studied in neurons, while the effect on glia has been comparatively disregarded. Astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes are glial cells that are essential for normal brain function and are implicated in several neurological diseases. Here we examined the number of nuclear mHTT inclusions in both neurons and various types of glia in the two brain areas that are the most affected in HD, frontal cortex, and striatum. We compared nuclear mHTT inclusion body formation in three HD mouse models that express either full‐length HTT or an N‐terminal exon1 fragment of mHTT, and we observed nuclear inclusions in neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. When studying the frequency of cells with nuclear inclusions in mice, we found that half of the population of neurons contained nuclear inclusions at the disease end stage, whereas the proportion of GFAP‐positive astrocytes and oligodendrocytes having a nuclear inclusion was much lower, while microglia hardly showed any nuclear inclusions. Nuclear inclusions were also present in neurons and all studied glial cell types in human patient material. This is the first report to compare nuclear mHTT inclusions in glia and neurons in different HD mouse models and HD patient brains. GLIA 2016;65:50–61
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne H P Jansen
- Department of Cell biology & Histology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maurik van Hal
- Department of Cell biology & Histology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ilse C Op den Kelder
- Department of Cell biology & Histology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Romy T Meier
- Department of Cell biology & Histology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anna-Aster de Ruiter
- Department of Cell biology & Histology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Menno H Schut
- Center for Human and Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Donna L Smith
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Corien Grit
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, AV, 9713, The Netherlands
| | - Nieske Brouwer
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, AV, 9713, The Netherlands
| | - Willem Kamphuis
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - H W G M Boddeke
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, AV, 9713, The Netherlands
| | - Wilfred F A den Dunnen
- Department of Neuroscience, Section Medical Physiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, AV, 9713, The Netherlands
| | - Willeke M C van Roon
- Center for Human and Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gillian P Bates
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elly M Hol
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eric A Reits
- Department of Cell biology & Histology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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