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Braz JM, Hamel K, Craik V, Rodriguez-Rosado S, Bhardwaj K, Jewell M, Bieri G, Villeda SA, Basbaum AI. Pain and Itch Processing in Aged Mice. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:53-63. [PMID: 37482234 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Most reports agree that aging negatively impacts pain processing and that the prevalence of chronic pain increases significantly with age. To improve current therapies, it is critical that aged animals be included in preclinical studies. Here we compared sensitivities to pain and itch-provoking stimuli in naïve and injured young and aged mice. Surprisingly, we found that in the absence of injury, aged male and female mice are significantly less responsive to mechanical stimuli and, in females, also to noxious thermal (heat) stimuli. In both older male and female mice, compared to younger (6-month-old mice), we also recorded reduced pruritogen-evoked scratching. On the other hand, after nerve injury, aged mice nevertheless developed significant mechanical hypersensitivity. Interestingly, however, and in contrast to young mice, aged mice developed both ipsilateral and contralateral postinjury mechanical allodynia. In a parallel immunohistochemical analysis of microglial and astrocyte markers, we found that the ipsilateral to the contralateral ratio of nerve injury-induced expression decreased with age. That observation is consistent with our finding of contralateral hypersensitivity after nerve injury in the aged but not the young mice. We conclude that aging has opposite effects on baseline versus postinjury pain and itch processing. PERSPECTIVE: Aged male and female mice (22-24 months) are less sensitive to mechanical, thermal (heat), and itch-provoking stimuli than are younger mice (6 months).
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Affiliation(s)
- João M Braz
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Katherine Hamel
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Veronica Craik
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Sian Rodriguez-Rosado
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Karnika Bhardwaj
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Madison Jewell
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Gregor Bieri
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Saul A Villeda
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Allan I Basbaum
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
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Changes in Serum Protein-Peptide Patterns in Atopic Children Allergic to Plant Storage Proteins. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021804. [PMID: 36675318 PMCID: PMC9861933 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021804] [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: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Next to cow's milk and eggs, plant foods, i.e., legumes, tree nuts and cereal grains, most often sensitise atopic children. Storage proteins constitutes the most relevant protein fraction of plant foods, causing primary sensitisation. They exhibit strong allergenic properties and immunogenicity. Our goal was to analyse sensitisation to 26 plant storage proteins in a group of 76 children aged 0-5 years with chronic symptoms of atopic dermatitis using Allergy Explorer ALEX2 and to discover changes in serum protein-peptide patterns in allergic patients with the use of MALDI-TOF-MS. We reported that 25% of children were allergic to 2S albumins, 19.7% to 7S globulins, 13.2% to 11S globulins and 1.3% to cereal prolamins. The most common allergenic molecules were Ara h 1 (18.4%), Ara h 2 (17.1%), Ara h 6 (15.8%) and Ara h 3 (11.8%) from peanuts, and the mean serum sIgE concentrations in allergic patients were 10.93 kUA/L, 15.353 kUA/L, 15.359 kUA/L and 9.038 kUA/L, respectively. In children allergic to storage proteins compared to the other patients (both allergic and non-allergic), the cell cycle control protein 50A, testis-expressed sequence 13B, DENN domain-containing protein 5A and SKI family transcriptional corepressor 2 were altered. Our results indicate that the IgE-mediated allergy to storage proteins is a huge problem in a group of young, atopic children, and show the potential of proteomic analysis in the prediction of primary sensitisation to plant foods. It is the next crucial step for understanding the molecular consequences of allergy to storage proteins.
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Fink EA, Xu J, Hübner H, Braz JM, Seemann P, Avet C, Craik V, Weikert D, Schmidt MF, Webb CM, Tolmachova NA, Moroz YS, Huang XP, Kalyanaraman C, Gahbauer S, Chen G, Liu Z, Jacobson MP, Irwin JJ, Bouvier M, Du Y, Shoichet BK, Basbaum AI, Gmeiner P. Structure-based discovery of nonopioid analgesics acting through the α 2A-adrenergic receptor. Science 2022; 377:eabn7065. [PMID: 36173843 PMCID: PMC10360211 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn7065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Because nonopioid analgesics are much sought after, we computationally docked more than 301 million virtual molecules against a validated pain target, the α2A-adrenergic receptor (α2AAR), seeking new α2AAR agonists chemotypes that lack the sedation conferred by known α2AAR drugs, such as dexmedetomidine. We identified 17 ligands with potencies as low as 12 nanomolar, many with partial agonism and preferential Gi and Go signaling. Experimental structures of α2AAR complexed with two of these agonists confirmed the docking predictions and templated further optimization. Several compounds, including the initial docking hit '9087 [mean effective concentration (EC50) of 52 nanomolar] and two analogs, '7075 and PS75 (EC50 4.1 and 4.8 nanomolar), exerted on-target analgesic activity in multiple in vivo pain models without sedation. These newly discovered agonists are interesting as therapeutic leads that lack the liabilities of opioids and the sedation of dexmedetomidine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa A. Fink
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Graduate Program in Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jun Xu
- Kobilka Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery, School of Life and Health Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, China
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Harald Hübner
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Joao M. Braz
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Philipp Seemann
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Charlotte Avet
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Veronica Craik
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dorothee Weikert
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maximilian F. Schmidt
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Chase M. Webb
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nataliya A. Tolmachova
- Enamine Ltd., 02094 Kyiv, Ukraine
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry, National Ukrainian Academy of Science, 02660 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Yurii S. Moroz
- National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine
- Chemspace, Riga LV-1082, Latvia
| | - Xi-Ping Huang
- National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (NIMH PDSP), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Chakrapani Kalyanaraman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stefan Gahbauer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Geng Chen
- Kobilka Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery, School of Life and Health Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, China
| | - Zheng Liu
- Kobilka Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery, School of Life and Health Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, China
| | - Matthew P. Jacobson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - John J. Irwin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michel Bouvier
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Yang Du
- Kobilka Institute of Innovative Drug Discovery, School of Life and Health Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, China
| | - Brian K. Shoichet
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Allan I. Basbaum
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Peter Gmeiner
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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Yu Z, Du M, Lu L. A Novel 16-Genes Signature Scoring System as Prognostic Model to Evaluate Survival Risk in Patients with Glioblastoma. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10020317. [PMID: 35203526 PMCID: PMC8869708 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have found that gene expression levels are associated with prognosis and some genes can be used to predict the survival risk of glioblastoma (GBM) patients. However, most of them just built the survival-related gene signature, and personal survival risk can be evaluated only in group. This study aimed to find the prognostic survival related genes of GBM, and construct survival risk prediction model, which can be used to evaluate survival risk by individual. We collected gene expression data and clinical information from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Cox regression analysis and LASSO-cox regression analysis were performed to get survival-related genes and establish the overall survival prediction model. The ROC curve and Kaplan Meier analysis were used to evaluate the prediction ability of the model in training set and two independent cohorts. We also analyzed the biological functions of survival-related genes by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. We identified 99 genes associated with overall survival and selected 16 genes (IGFBP2, GPRASP1, C1R, CHRM3, CLSTN2, NELL1, SEZ6L2, NMB, ICAM5, HPCAL4, SNAP91, PCSK1N, PGBD5, INA, UCHL1 and LHX6) to establish the survival risk prediction model. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicted that the risk score could predict overall survival independent of age and gender. ROC analyses showed that our model was more robust than four existing signatures. The sixteen genes can also be potential transcriptional biomarkers and the model can assist doctors on clinical decision-making and personalized treatment of GBM patients.
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van der Vorst EPC, Pepe MAA, Peters LJF, Haberbosch M, Jansen Y, Nauman R, Stathopoulos GT, Weber C, Bidzhekov K. Transcriptome signature of miRNA-26b KO mouse model suggests novel targets. BMC Genom Data 2021; 22:23. [PMID: 34193044 PMCID: PMC8243710 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-021-00976-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (20–24 nt) non-coding RNAs that are involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in multicellular organisms by affecting both the stability and translation of mRNAs. One of the miRNAs that has been shown to play a role in various pathologies like cancer, neurological disorders and cardiovascular diseases is miRNA-26b. However, these studies only demonstrated rather ambiguous associations without revealing a causal relationship. Therefore, the aim of this study is to establish and validate a mouse model which enables the elucidation of the exact role of miRNA-26b in various pathologies. Results A miRNA-26b-deficient mouse model was established using homologous recombination and validated using PCR. miRNA-26b-deficient mice did not show any physiological abnormalities and no effects on systemic lipid levels, blood parameters or tissue leukocytes. Using next generation sequencing, the gene expression patterns in miRNA-26b-deficient mice were analyzed and compared to wild type controls. This supported the already suggested role of miRNA-26b in cancer and neurological processes, but also revealed novel associations of miRNA-26b with thermogenesis and allergic reactions. In addition, detailed analysis identified several genes that seem to be highly regulated by miRNA-26b, which are linked to the same pathological conditions, further confirming the role of miRNA-26b in these pathologies and providing a strong validation of our mouse model. Conclusions miRNA-26b plays an important role in various pathologies, although causal relationships still have to be established. The described mouse model of miRNA-26b deficiency is a crucial first step towards the identification of the exact role of miRNA-26b in various diseases that could identify miRNA-26b as a promising novel diagnostic or even therapeutic target in a broad range of pathologies. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-021-00976-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emiel P C van der Vorst
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, Munich, Germany. .,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany. .,Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. .,Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Linsey J F Peters
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, Munich, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), Institute for Molecular Cardiovascular Research (IMCAR), RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Department of Pathology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Markus Haberbosch
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, Munich, Germany
| | - Yvonne Jansen
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, Munich, Germany
| | - Ronald Nauman
- MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Christian Weber
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, Munich, Germany.,DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany.,Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Kiril Bidzhekov
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, Munich, Germany.
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McSweeney C, Dong F, Chen M, Vitale J, Xu L, Crowley N, Luscher B, Zou D, Mao Y. Full function of exon junction complex factor, Rbm8a, is critical for interneuron development. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:379. [PMID: 33154347 PMCID: PMC7644723 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01065-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of the nervous system requires a balance between proliferation, differentiation, and migration of neural progenitors (NPs). Mutations in genes regulating development impede neurogenesis and lead to neuropsychiatric diseases, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and schizophrenia (SZ). Recently, mutations in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay genes have been associated with ASDs, intellectual disability (ID), and SZ. Here, we examine the function of a gene in the exon junction complex, Rbm8a, in the cortical development. When Rbm8a is selectively knocked out in neural stem cells, the resulting mice exhibit microcephaly, early postnatal lethality, and altered distribution of excitatory neurons in the neocortex. Moreover, Rbm8a haploinsufficiency in the central nervous system decreases cell proliferation in the ganglionic eminences. Parvalbumin+ and neuropeptide Y+ interneurons in the cortex are significantly reduced, and distribution of interneurons are altered. Consistently, neurons in the cortex of conditional knockout (cKO) mice show a significant decrease in GABA frequency. Transcriptomic analysis revealed differentially expressed genes enriched in telencephalon development and mitosis. To further investigate the role of Rbm8a in interneuron differentiation, conditional KO of Rbm8a in NKX2.1 interneuron progenitor cells reduces progenitor proliferation and alters interneuron distributions. Taken together, these data reveal a critical role of Rbm8a in interneuron development, and establish that perturbation of this gene leads to profound cortical deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen McSweeney
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Fengping Dong
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Miranda Chen
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Jessica Vitale
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Li Xu
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA ,grid.268505.c0000 0000 8744 8924Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 310053 Hangzhou, Zhejiang China
| | - Nicole Crowley
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Bernhard Luscher
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA ,grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Donghua Zou
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA. .,Department of Neurology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, 530021, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
| | - Yingwei Mao
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
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