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Frago LM, Gómez-Romero A, Collado-Pérez R, Argente J, Chowen JA. Synergism Between Hypothalamic Astrocytes and Neurons in Metabolic Control. Physiology (Bethesda) 2024; 39:0. [PMID: 38530221 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00009.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are no longer considered as passive support cells. In the hypothalamus, these glial cells actively participate in the control of appetite, energy expenditure, and the processes leading to obesity and its secondary complications. Here we briefly review studies supporting this conclusion and the advances made in understanding the underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Frago
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Gómez-Romero
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberto Collado-Pérez
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Argente
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- IMDEA Food Institute, Campus of International Excellence, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julie A Chowen
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación La Princesa, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- IMDEA Food Institute, Campus of International Excellence, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
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2
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Shaw BC, Williams JL. A novel PSMB8 isoform associated with multiple sclerosis lesions induces P-body formation. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1379261. [PMID: 38812791 PMCID: PMC11133558 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1379261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Current therapies primarily target the inflammatory component of the disease and are highly effective in early stages of MS while limited therapies have an effect in the more chronic progressive stages of MS where resident glia have a larger role. MS lesions tend to be inflammatory even after the initial peripheral immune cell invasion has subsided and this inflammation is known to cause alternative splicing events. Methods We used qPCR of normal-appearing white matter and white matter lesions from postmortem MS tissue, in vitro studies, and immunostaining in MS tissue to investigate the alternative splicing of one gene known to be important during recovery in an animal model of MS, PSMB8. Results We found a novel, intron-retained isoform which has not been annotated, upregulated specifically in MS patient white matter lesions. We found that this novel isoform activates the nonsense-mediated decay pathway in primary human astrocytes, the most populous glial cell in the CNS, and is then degraded. Overexpression of this isoform in astrocytes leads to an increased number of processing bodies in vitro, the primary site of mRNA decay. Finally, we demonstrated that MS white matter lesions have a higher burden of processing bodies compared to normal-appearing white matter, predominantly in GFAP-positive astrocytes. Discussion The increase in alternative splicing of the PSMB8 gene, the stress that this alternative splicing causes, and the observation that processing bodies are increased in white matter lesions suggests that the lesion microenvironment may lead to increased alternative splicing of many genes. This alternative splicing may blunt the protective or reparative responses of resident glia in and around white matter lesions in MS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C. Shaw
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jessica L. Williams
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
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3
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Gao Y, Wang Y, Wu Y, Liu S. Biomaterials targeting the microenvironment for spinal cord injury repair: progression and perspectives. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1362494. [PMID: 38784712 PMCID: PMC11111957 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1362494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts nerve pathways and affects sensory, motor, and autonomic function. There is currently no effective treatment for SCI. SCI occurs within three temporal periods: acute, subacute, and chronic. In each period there are different alterations in the cells, inflammatory factors, and signaling pathways within the spinal cord. Many biomaterials have been investigated in the treatment of SCI, including hydrogels and fiber scaffolds, and some progress has been made in the treatment of SCI using multiple materials. However, there are limitations when using individual biomaterials in SCI treatment, and these limitations can be significantly improved by combining treatments with stem cells. In order to better understand SCI and to investigate new strategies for its treatment, several combination therapies that include materials combined with cells, drugs, cytokines, etc. are summarized in the current review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yating Gao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianyou Hospital, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianyou Hospital, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yaqi Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shengwen Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Ravizza T, Scheper M, Di Sapia R, Gorter J, Aronica E, Vezzani A. mTOR and neuroinflammation in epilepsy: implications for disease progression and treatment. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:334-350. [PMID: 38531962 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00805-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Epilepsy remains a major health concern as anti-seizure medications frequently fail, and there is currently no treatment to stop or prevent epileptogenesis, the process underlying the onset and progression of epilepsy. The identification of the pathological processes underlying epileptogenesis is instrumental to the development of drugs that may prevent the generation of seizures or control pharmaco-resistant seizures, which affect about 30% of patients. mTOR signalling and neuroinflammation have been recognized as critical pathways that are activated in brain cells in epilepsy. They represent a potential node of biological convergence in structural epilepsies with either a genetic or an acquired aetiology. Interventional studies in animal models and clinical studies give strong support to the involvement of each pathway in epilepsy. In this Review, we focus on available knowledge about the pathophysiological features of mTOR signalling and the neuroinflammatory brain response, and their interactions, in epilepsy. We discuss mitigation strategies for each pathway that display therapeutic effects in experimental and clinical epilepsy. A deeper understanding of these interconnected molecular cascades could enhance our strategies for managing epilepsy. This could pave the way for new treatments to fill the gaps in the development of preventative or disease-modifying drugs, thus overcoming the limitations of current symptomatic medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Ravizza
- Department of Acute Brain and Cardiovascular Injury, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Mirte Scheper
- Department of (Neuro)Pathology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rossella Di Sapia
- Department of Acute Brain and Cardiovascular Injury, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy
| | - Jan Gorter
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eleonora Aronica
- Department of (Neuro)Pathology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN), Heemstede, The Netherlands.
| | - Annamaria Vezzani
- Department of Acute Brain and Cardiovascular Injury, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS, Milano, Italy.
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Limone F, Liddelow S. The silence of the reactive astrocytes. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:607-609. [PMID: 38424325 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01593-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Limone
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shane Liddelow
- Neuroscience Institute, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Zhang Y, Pei Y, Sun Y, Yang X, Liang J, Yin Z, Liu QS, Zhou Q, Jiang G. AhR Agonistic Components in Urban Particulate Matter Regulate Astrocytic Activation and Function. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:4571-4580. [PMID: 38430186 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) has been found to accelerate the onset of neurological disorders via the induction of detrimental neuroinflammatory responses. To reveal how astrocytes respond to urban atmospheric PM stimulation, a commercially available standard reference material (SRM1648a) was tested in this study on the activation of rat cortical astrocytes. The results showed that SRM1648a stimulation induced both A1 and A2 phenotypes in astrocytes, as characterized by the exposure concentration-dependent increases in Fkbp5, Sphk1, S100a10, and Il6 mRNA levels. Studying the functional alterations of astrocytes indicated that the neurotrophic factors of Gdnf and Ngf were transcriptionally upregulated due to astrocytic A2-type activation. SRM1648a also promoted autonomous motility of astrocytes and elevated the expressions of chemokines. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonistic components, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were recognized to greatly contribute to SRM1648a-induced effects on astrocytes, which was confirmed by the attenuation of PM-disturbed astrocytic effects via AhR blockage. This study, for the first time, uncovered the direct regulation of urban atmospheric PM on astrocytic activation and function and traced the containing bioactive components (e.g., PAHs) with AhR agonistic activity. The findings provided new knowledge on understanding the ambiguous neurological disturbance from ambient fine PM pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yao Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yumiao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Xiaoxi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Jiefeng Liang
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Zhipeng Yin
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Qian S Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Qunfang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
| | - Guibin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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7
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Lee HG, Rone JM, Li Z, Akl CF, Shin SW, Lee JH, Flausino LE, Pernin F, Chao CC, Kleemann KL, Srun L, Illouz T, Giovannoni F, Charabati M, Sanmarco LM, Kenison JE, Piester G, Zandee SEJ, Antel JP, Rothhammer V, Wheeler MA, Prat A, Clark IC, Quintana FJ. Disease-associated astrocyte epigenetic memory promotes CNS pathology. Nature 2024; 627:865-872. [PMID: 38509377 PMCID: PMC11016191 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07187-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Disease-associated astrocyte subsets contribute to the pathology of neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis1-8 (EAE), an experimental model for multiple sclerosis. However, little is known about the stability of these astrocyte subsets and their ability to integrate past stimulation events. Here we report the identification of an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset that exhibits exacerbated pro-inflammatory responses upon rechallenge. Specifically, using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing, focused interrogation of cells by nucleic acid detection and sequencing, and cell-specific in vivo CRISPR-Cas9-based genetic perturbation studies we established that astrocyte memory is controlled by the metabolic enzyme ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY), which produces acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) that is used by histone acetyltransferase p300 to control chromatin accessibility. The number of ACLY+p300+ memory astrocytes is increased in acute and chronic EAE models, and their genetic inactivation ameliorated EAE. We also detected the pro-inflammatory memory phenotype in human astrocytes in vitro; single-cell RNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry studies detected increased numbers of ACLY+p300+ astrocytes in chronic multiple sclerosis lesions. In summary, these studies define an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset that promotes CNS pathology in EAE and, potentially, multiple sclerosis. These findings may guide novel therapeutic approaches for multiple sclerosis and other neurologic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Gyun Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joseph M Rone
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhaorong Li
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Camilo Faust Akl
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Seung Won Shin
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Joon-Hyuk Lee
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lucas E Flausino
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Florian Pernin
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Chun-Cheih Chao
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Lena Srun
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tomer Illouz
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Federico Giovannoni
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marc Charabati
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liliana M Sanmarco
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica E Kenison
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gavin Piester
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Stephanie E J Zandee
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jack P Antel
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Veit Rothhammer
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Michael A Wheeler
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alexandre Prat
- Neuroimmunology Research Lab, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Iain C Clark
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Boston, MA, USA.
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Shaw BC, Williams JL. A novel PSMB8 isoform associated with multiple sclerosis lesions induces P-body formation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.26.582162. [PMID: 38464190 PMCID: PMC10925105 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.26.582162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Current therapies primarily target the inflammatory component of the disease and are highly effective in early stages of MS while limited therapies have an effect in the more chronic progressive stages of MS where resident glia have a larger role. MS lesions tend to be inflammatory even after the initial peripheral immune cell invasion has subsided and this inflammation is known to cause alternative splicing events. We used qPCR of normal-appearing white matter and white matter lesions from postmortem MS tissue, in vitro studies, and immunostaining in MS tissue to investigate the alternative splicing of one gene known to be important during recovery in an animal model of MS, PSMB8. We found a novel, intron-retained isoform which has not been annotated, upregulated specifically in MS patient white matter lesions. We found that this novel isoform activates the nonsense-mediated decay pathway in primary human astrocytes, the most populous glial cell in the CNS, and is then degraded. Overexpression of this isoform in astrocytes leads to an increased number of processing bodies in vitro, the primary site of mRNA decay. Finally, we demonstrated that MS white matter lesions have a higher burden of processing bodies compared to normal-appearing white matter, predominantly in GFAP-positive astrocytes. The increase in alternative splicing of the PSMB8 gene, the stress that this alternative splicing causes, and the observation that processing bodies are increased in white matter lesions suggests that the lesion microenvironment may lead to increased alternative splicing of many genes. This alternative splicing may blunt the protective or reparative responses of resident glia in and around white matter lesions in MS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin C. Shaw
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jessica L. Williams
- Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
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9
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Lee HG, Rone JM, Li Z, Akl CF, Shin SW, Lee JH, Flausino LE, Pernin F, Chao CC, Kleemann KL, Srun L, Illouz T, Giovannoni F, Charabati M, Sanmarco LM, Kenison JE, Piester G, Zandee SEJ, Antel J, Rothhammer V, Wheeler MA, Prat A, Clark IC, Quintana FJ. Disease-associated astrocyte epigenetic memory promotes CNS pathology. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.04.574196. [PMID: 38260616 PMCID: PMC10802318 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.04.574196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Astrocytes play important roles in the central nervous system (CNS) physiology and pathology. Indeed, astrocyte subsets defined by specific transcriptional activation states contribute to the pathology of neurologic diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and its pre-clinical model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) 1-8 . However, little is known about the stability of these disease-associated astrocyte subsets, their regulation, and whether they integrate past stimulation events to respond to subsequent challenges. Here, we describe the identification of an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset which exhibits exacerbated pro-inflammatory responses upon re-challenge. Specifically, using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq), chromatin immunoprecipitation with sequencing (ChIP-seq), focused interrogation of cells by nucleic acid detection and sequencing (FIND-seq), and cell-specific in vivo CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic perturbation studies we established that astrocyte memory is controlled by the metabolic enzyme ATP citrate lyase (ACLY), which produces acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) used by the histone acetyltransferase p300 to control chromatin accessibility. ACLY + p300 + memory astrocytes are increased in acute and chronic EAE models; the genetic targeting of ACLY + p300 + astrocytes using CRISPR/Cas9 ameliorated EAE. We also detected responses consistent with a pro-inflammatory memory phenotype in human astrocytes in vitro ; scRNA-seq and immunohistochemistry studies detected increased ACLY + p300 + astrocytes in chronic MS lesions. In summary, these studies define an epigenetically controlled memory astrocyte subset that promotes CNS pathology in EAE and, potentially, MS. These findings may guide novel therapeutic approaches for MS and other neurologic diseases.
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