Integrated transcriptome expression profiling reveals a novel lncRNA associated with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

L-DOPA Induces Spatially Discrete Changes in Gene Expression in the Forebrain of Mice with a Progressive Loss of Dopaminergic Neurons

L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) is effective at alleviating motor impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients but has mixed effects on nonmotor symptoms and causes adverse effects after prolonged treatment. Here, we analyzed the spatial profile of L-DOPA-induced gene expression in the forebrain of mice with an inducible progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons (the TIF-IADATCreERT2 strain), with a focus on the similarities and differences in areas relevant to different PD symptoms. The animals received a 14-day L-DOPA treatment, and 1 h after the final drug injection, a spatial transcriptome analysis was performed on coronal forebrain sections. A total of 121 genes were identified as being regulated by L-DOPA. We found that the treatment had widespread effects extending beyond the primary areas involved in dopamine-dependent movement control. An unsupervised clustering analysis of the transcripts recapitulated the forebrain anatomy and indicated both ubiquitous and region-specific effects on transcription. The changes were most pronounced in layers 2/3 and 5 of the dorsal cortex and the dorsal striatum, where a robust increase in the abundance of activity-regulated transcripts, including Fos, Egr1, and Junb, was observed. Conversely, transcripts with a decreased abundance, e.g., Plekhm2 or Pgs1, were identified primarily in the piriform cortex, the adjacent endopiriform nucleus, and the claustrum. Taken together, our spatial analysis of L-DOPA-induced alterations in gene expression reveals the anatomical complexity of treatment effects, identifying novel genes affected by the drug, as well as molecular activation in brain areas relevant to the nonmotor symptoms of PD.

Current advancements and future perspectives of long noncoding RNAs in lipid metabolism and signaling

BACKGROUND

The investigation of lncRNAs has provided a novel perspective for elucidating mechanisms underlying diverse physiological and pathological processes. Compelling evidence has revealed an intrinsic link between lncRNAs and lipid metabolism, demonstrating that lncRNAs-induced disruption of lipid metabolism and signaling contribute to the development of multiple cancers and some other diseases, including obesity, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease.

AIMOF REVIEW

The current review summarizes the recent advances in basic research about lipid metabolism and lipid signaling-related lncRNAs. Meanwhile, the potential and challenges of targeting lncRNA for the therapy of cancers and other lipid metabolism-related diseases are also discussed.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT OF REVIEW

Compared with the substantial number of lncRNA loci, we still know little about the role of lncRNAs in metabolism. A more comprehensive understanding of the function and mechanism of lncRNAs may provide a new standpoint for the study of lipid metabolism and signaling. Developing lncRNA-based therapeutic approaches is an effective strategy for lipid metabolism-related diseases.

Transcriptome Sequencing Reveal That Rno-Rsf1_0012 Participates in Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease Rats via Binding to Rno-mir-298-5p

Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a common complication of chronic dopamine replacement therapy in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and a noble cause of disability in advanced PD patients. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a novel type of non-coding RNA with a covalently closed-loop structure, which can regulate gene expression and participate in many biological processes. However, the biological roles of circRNAs in LID are not completely known. In the present study, we established typical LID rat models by unilateral lesions of the medial forebrain bundle and repeated levodopa therapy. High-throughput next-generation sequencing was used to screen circRNAs differentially expressed in the brain of LID and non-LID (NLID) rats, and key circRNAs were selected according to bioinformatics analyses. Regarding fold change ≥2 and p < 0.05 as the cutoff value, there were a total of 99 differential circRNAs, including 39 up-regulated and 60 down-regulated circRNAs between the NLID and LID groups. The expression of rno-Rsf1_0012 was significantly increased in the striatum of LID rats and competitively bound rno-mir-298-5p. The high expression of target genes PCP and TBP in LID rats also supports the conclusion that rno-Rsf1_0012 may be related to the occurrence of LID.

Integrated bioinformatics analysis of the anti-atherosclerotic mechanisms of the polysaccharide CM1 from Cordyceps militaris

Cordyceps militaris is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. Studies have demonstrated that the polysaccharides of C. militaris have various bioactivities. However, their mechanisms of action remain unclear. We previously purified a water-soluble polysaccharide CM1 from C. militaris and found that it has a cholesterol efflux improving capacity. This study further investigates the effect of CM1 in anti-atherosclerosis and its underlying mechanism in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. Our data indicated that CM1 significantly decreased the total cholesterol and triglyceride in the plasma of mice, and decreased lipid deposition and formation of atherosclerotic plaque in a dose-dependent manner. Integrated bioinformatics analysis revealed that CM1 interacted with multiple signaling pathways, including those involved in lipid metabolism, inflammatory response, oxidoreductase activity and fluid shear stress, to exert its anti-atherosclerotic effect. Molecular technology analysis showed that CM1 enhanced the expression of proteins involved in lipid metabolism, reduced the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α in the aorta, and decreased the content of oxidative products by enhancing the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Microarray analysis and biochemical data indicated that CM1 can improve lipid metabolism, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Taken together, CM1 could be used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

Current Knowledge on the Background, Pathophysiology and Treatment of Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia-Literature Review

Levodopa remains the primary drug for controlling motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease through the whole course, but over time, complications develop in the form of dyskinesias, which gradually become more frequent and severe. These abnormal, involuntary, hyperkinetic movements are mainly characteristic of the ON phase and are triggered by excess exogenous levodopa. They may also occur during the OFF phase, or in both phases. Over the past 10 years, the issue of levodopa-induced dyskinesia has been the subject of research into both the substrate of this pathology and potential remedial strategies. The purpose of the present study was to review the results of recent research on the background and treatment of dyskinesia. To this end, databases were reviewed using a search strategy that included both relevant keywords related to the topic and appropriate filters to limit results to English language literature published since 2010. Based on the selected papers, the current state of knowledge on the morphological, functional, genetic and clinical features of levodopa-induced dyskinesia, as well as pharmacological, genetic treatment and other therapies such as deep brain stimulation, are described.

Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genome, Epigenome and Gut Microbiome: Emerging Molecular Biomarkers for Parkinson's Disease

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is currently the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, burdening about 10 million elderly individuals worldwide. The multifactorial nature of PD poses a difficult obstacle for understanding the mechanisms involved in its onset and progression. Currently, diagnosis depends on the appearance of clinical signs, some of which are shared among various neurologic disorders, hindering early diagnosis. There are no effective tools to prevent PD onset, detect the disease in early stages or accurately report the risk of disease progression. Hence, there is an increasing demand for biomarkers that may identify disease onset and progression, as treatment-based medicine may not be the best approach for PD. Over the last few decades, the search for molecular markers to predict susceptibility, aid in accurate diagnosis and evaluate the progress of PD have intensified, but strategies aimed to improve individualized patient care have not yet been established.

CONCLUSIONS

Genomic variation, regulation by epigenomic mechanisms, as well as the influence of the host gut microbiome seem to have a crucial role in the onset and progress of PD, thus are considered potential biomarkers. As such, the human nuclear and mitochondrial genome, epigenome, and the host gut microbiome might be the key elements to the rise of personalized medicine for PD patients.

Lnc-GD2H Promotes Proliferation by Forming a Feedback Loop With c-Myc and Enhances Differentiation Through Interacting With NACA to Upregulate Myog in C2C12 Myoblasts

In the present study, the roles of a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), lnc-GD2H, in promoting C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation and muscle regeneration were investigated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, Cell Counting Kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU), immunofluorescence staining, luciferase reporter, mass spectrometry, pulldown, chromatin immunoprecipitation, RNA immunoprecipitation assay, wound healing assays, and cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced muscle injury assays. It was observed that lnc-GD2H promoted myoblast proliferation as evidenced by the enhancement of the proliferation markers c-Myc, CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6, percentage of EdU-positive cells, and rate of cell survival during C2C12 myoblast proliferation. Additional experiments confirmed that c-Myc bound to the lnc-GD2H promoter and regulated its transcription. lnc-GD2H promoted cell differentiation with enhanced MyHC immunostaining as well as increased expression of the myogenic marker genes myogenin (Myog), Mef2a, and Mef2c during myoblast differentiation. Additional assays indicated that lnc-GD2H interacted with NACA which plays a role of transcriptional regulation in myoblast differentiation, and the enrichment of NACA at the Myog promoter was impaired by lnc-GD2H. Furthermore, inhibition of lnc-GD2H impaired muscle regeneration after CTX-induced injury in mice. lnc-GD2H facilitated the expression of proliferating marker genes and formed a feedback loop with c-Myc during myoblast proliferation. In differentiating myoblasts, lnc-GD2H interacted with NACA to relieve the inhibitory effect of NACA on Myog, facilitating Myog expression to promote differentiation. The results provide evidence for the role of lncRNAs in muscle regeneration and are useful for developing novel therapeutic targets for muscle disorders.

Transcriptome sequencing reveals aerobic exercise training-associated lncRNAs for improving Parkinson's disease

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of aerobic exercise training (AET) on the performance of mice with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to explore the molecular mechanism of AET-associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in PD treatment. The results showed that the behaviors of PD mice were significantly improved after 4 weeks of AET. The substantia nigra pars compacta of PD mice showed scattered large multipolar cells and surrounding neutrophils after AET. In addition, a total of 62 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) were identified between the AET group and the PD group, including 55 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated DE-lncRNAs in the AET group. Furthermore, the target genes of DE-lncRNAs, including LOC102633466, LOC102637865, and LOC102638670, were mainly involved in ECM-receptor interaction, the Wnt pathway and the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that these three DE-lncRNAs were significantly up-regulated in the AET group than in the PD group. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network suggested that these 3 DE-lncRNAs may improve PD via the ceRNA mechanism. In conclusion, this study suggests that aerobic exercise improves motor performance of PD mice and provides a foundation for further studies on the molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in treating PD.