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Do AN, Ali M, Timsina J, Wang L, Western D, Liu M, Sanford J, Rosende-Roca M, Boada M, Puerta R, Wilson T, Ruiz A, Pastor P, Wyss-Coray T, Cruchaga C, Sung YJ. CSF proteomic profiling with amyloid/tau positivity identifies distinctive sex-different alteration of multiple proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.03.15.24304164. [PMID: 38559166 PMCID: PMC10980123 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.15.24304164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, females have higher prevalence and faster progression, but sex-specific molecular findings in AD are limited. Here, we comprehensively examined and validated 7,006 aptamers targeting 6,162 proteins in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) from 2,077 amyloid/tau positive cases and controls to identify sex-specific proteomic signatures of AD. In discovery (N=1,766), we identified 330 male-specific and 121 female-specific proteomic alternations in CSF (FDR <0.05). These sex-specific proteins strongly predicted amyloid/tau positivity (AUC=0.98 in males; 0.99 in females), significantly higher than those with age, sex, and APOE-ε4 (AUC=0.85). The identified sex-specific proteins were well validated (r≥0.5) in the Stanford study (N=108) and Emory study (N=148). Biological follow-up of these proteins led to sex differences in cell-type specificity, pathways, interaction networks, and drug targets. Male-specific proteins, enriched in astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, were involved in postsynaptic and axon-genesis. The male network exhibited direct connections among 152 proteins and highlighted PTEN, NOTCH1, FYN, and MAPK8 as hubs. Drug target suggested melatonin (used for sleep-wake cycle regulation), nabumetone (used for pain), daunorubicin, and verteporfin for treating AD males. In contrast, female-specific proteins, enriched in neurons, were involved in phosphoserine residue binding including cytokine activities. The female network exhibits strong connections among 51 proteins and highlighted JUN and 14-3-3 proteins (YWHAG and YWHAZ) as hubs. Drug target suggested biperiden (for muscle control of Parkinson's disease), nimodipine (for cerebral vasospasm), quinostatin and ethaverine for treating AD females. Together, our findings provide mechanistic understanding of sex differences for AD risk and insights into clinically translatable interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anh N Do
- Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Muhammad Ali
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jigyasha Timsina
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lihua Wang
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Daniel Western
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Menghan Liu
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jessie Sanford
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Matitee Rosende-Roca
- Research Center and Memory clinic Fundació ACE. Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Merce Boada
- Research Center and Memory clinic Fundació ACE. Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raquel Puerta
- Research Center and Memory clinic Fundació ACE. Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ted Wilson
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Agustin Ruiz
- Research Center and Memory clinic Fundació ACE. Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pau Pastor
- Memory Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Mutua Terrassa, Terrassa, Spain
| | - Tony Wyss-Coray
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Hope Center for Neurologic Diseases, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yun Ju Sung
- Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Papazoglou A, Henseler C, Weickhardt S, Teipelke J, Papazoglou P, Daubner J, Schiffer T, Krings D, Broich K, Hescheler J, Sachinidis A, Ehninger D, Scholl C, Haenisch B, Weiergräber M. Sex- and region-specific cortical and hippocampal whole genome transcriptome profiles from control and APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease mice. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296959. [PMID: 38324617 PMCID: PMC10849391 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
A variety of Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models has been established and characterized within the last decades. To get an integrative view of the sophisticated etiopathogenesis of AD, whole genome transcriptome studies turned out to be indispensable. Here we carried out microarray data collection based on RNA extracted from the retrosplenial cortex and hippocampus of age-matched, eight months old male and female APP/PS1 AD mice and control animals to perform sex- and brain region specific analysis of transcriptome profiles. The results of our studies reveal novel, detailed insight into differentially expressed signature genes and related fold changes in the individual APP/PS1 subgroups. Gene ontology and Venn analysis unmasked that intersectional, upregulated genes were predominantly involved in, e.g., activation of microglial, astrocytic and neutrophilic cells, innate immune response/immune effector response, neuroinflammation, phagosome/proteasome activation, and synaptic transmission. The number of (intersectional) downregulated genes was substantially less in the different subgroups and related GO categories included, e.g., the synaptic vesicle docking/fusion machinery, synaptic transmission, rRNA processing, ubiquitination, proteasome degradation, histone modification and cellular senescence. Importantly, this is the first study to systematically unravel sex- and brain region-specific transcriptome fingerprints/signature genes in APP/PS1 mice. The latter will be of central relevance in future preclinical and clinical AD related studies, biomarker characterization and personalized medicinal approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Papazoglou
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Christina Henseler
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Sandra Weickhardt
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Jenni Teipelke
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Panagiota Papazoglou
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Johanna Daubner
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Teresa Schiffer
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Damian Krings
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Karl Broich
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Jürgen Hescheler
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Agapios Sachinidis
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Dan Ehninger
- Translational Biogerontology, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Catharina Scholl
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | - Britta Haenisch
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, DZNE), Bonn, Germany
- Center for Translational Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marco Weiergräber
- Experimental Neuropsychopharmacology, Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM), Bonn, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Neurophysiology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Selles MC, Oliveira MM. The Oxytocin Puzzle: Unlocking Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 97:1101-1104. [PMID: 38189754 DOI: 10.3233/jad-231127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a multi-factorial disease that disrupts many aspects of human behavior. In this comment, we highlight the work by Koulousakis et al. published in a recent issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. In this study, the authors tested the therapeutic potential of the neuropeptide oxytocin in a pre-clinical model of Alzheimer's disease and found positive behavioral outcomes on memory assessments. We discuss these findings in the context of oxytocin research in the field of Alzheimer's disease and the literature regarding oxytocin-based therapeutics, including administration protocols and potential underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Clara Selles
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Santiago JA, Quinn JP, Potashkin JA. Co-Expression Network Analysis Identifies Molecular Determinants of Loneliness Associated with Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065909. [PMID: 36982982 PMCID: PMC10058494 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Loneliness and social isolation are detrimental to mental health and may lead to cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration. Although several molecular signatures of loneliness have been identified, the molecular mechanisms by which loneliness impacts the brain remain elusive. Here, we performed a bioinformatics approach to untangle the molecular underpinnings associated with loneliness. Co-expression network analysis identified molecular 'switches' responsible for dramatic transcriptional changes in the nucleus accumbens of individuals with known loneliness. Loneliness-related switch genes were enriched in cell cycle, cancer, TGF-β, FOXO, and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways. Analysis stratified by sex identified switch genes in males with chronic loneliness. Male-specific switch genes were enriched in infection, innate immunity, and cancer-related pathways. Correlation analysis revealed that loneliness-related switch genes significantly overlapped with 82% and 68% of human studies on Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's diseases (PD), respectively, in gene expression databases. Loneliness-related switch genes, BCAM, NECTIN2, NPAS3, RBM38, PELI1, DPP10, and ASGR2, have been identified as genetic risk factors for AD. Likewise, switch genes HLA-DRB5, ALDOA, and GPNMB are known genetic loci in PD. Similarly, loneliness-related switch genes overlapped in 70% and 64% of human studies on major depressive disorder and schizophrenia, respectively. Nine switch genes, HLA-DRB5, ARHGAP15, COL4A1, RBM38, DMD, LGALS3BP, WSCD2, CYTH4, and CNTRL, overlapped with known genetic variants in depression. Seven switch genes, NPAS3, ARHGAP15, LGALS3BP, DPP10, SMYD3, CPXCR1, and HLA-DRB5 were associated with known risk factors for schizophrenia. Collectively, we identified molecular determinants of loneliness and dysregulated pathways in the brain of non-demented adults. The association of switch genes with known risk factors for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases provides a molecular explanation for the observed prevalence of these diseases among lonely individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Judith A Potashkin
- Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutics, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Department, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
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Santiago JA, Potashkin JA. Biological and Clinical Implications of Sex-Specific Differences in Alzheimer's Disease. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2023; 282:181-197. [PMID: 37460661 DOI: 10.1007/164_2023_672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Mounting evidence indicates that the female sex is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia worldwide. Decades of research suggest that sex-specific differences in genetics, environmental factors, hormones, comorbidities, and brain structure and function may contribute to AD development. However, although significant progress has been made in uncovering specific genetic factors and biological pathways, the precise mechanisms underlying sex-biased differences are not fully characterized. Here, we review several lines of evidence, including epidemiological, clinical, and molecular studies addressing sex differences in AD. In addition, we discuss the challenges and future directions in advancing personalized treatments for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Judith A Potashkin
- Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology Department, Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutics, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA.
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