1
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Wu Y, Chen Y, Yu X, Zhang M, Li Z. Towards Understanding Neurodegenerative Diseases: Insights from Caenorhabditis elegans. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:443. [PMID: 38203614 PMCID: PMC10778690 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010443] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The elevated occurrence of debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease (HD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), demands urgent disease-modifying therapeutics. Owing to the evolutionarily conserved molecular signalling pathways with mammalian species and facile genetic manipulation, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) emerges as a powerful and manipulative model system for mechanistic insights into neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we review several representative C. elegans models established for five common neurodegenerative diseases, which closely simulate disease phenotypes specifically in the gain-of-function aspect. We exemplify applications of high-throughput genetic and drug screenings to illustrate the potential of C. elegans to probe novel therapeutic targets. This review highlights the utility of C. elegans as a comprehensive and versatile platform for the dissection of neurodegenerative diseases at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Zhaoyu Li
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; (Y.W.); (Y.C.); (X.Y.); (M.Z.)
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2
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Diomede L, Zanier ER, Moro F, Vegliante G, Colombo L, Russo L, Cagnotto A, Natale C, Xodo FM, De Luigi A, Mosconi M, Beeg M, Catania M, Rossi G, Tagliavini F, Di Fede G, Salmona M. Aβ1-6 A2V(D) peptide, effective on Aβ aggregation, inhibits tau misfolding and protects the brain after traumatic brain injury. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:2433-2444. [PMID: 37198260 PMCID: PMC10611578 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02101-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia in older adults, is a double proteinopathy characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau pathology. Despite enormous efforts that have been spent in the last decades to find effective therapies, late pharmacological interventions along the course of the disease, inaccurate clinical methodologies in the enrollment of patients, and inadequate biomarkers for evaluating drug efficacy have not allowed the development of an effective therapeutic strategy. The approaches followed so far for developing drugs or antibodies focused solely on targeting Aβ or tau protein. This paper explores the potential therapeutic capacity of an all-D-isomer synthetic peptide limited to the first six amino acids of the N-terminal sequence of the A2V-mutated Aβ, Aβ1-6A2V(D), that was developed following the observation of a clinical case that provided the background for its development. We first performed an in-depth biochemical characterization documenting the capacity of Aβ1-6A2V(D) to interfere with the aggregation and stability of tau protein. To tackle Aβ1-6A2V(D) in vivo effects against a neurological decline in genetically predisposed or acquired high AD risk mice, we tested its effects in triple transgenic animals harboring human PS1(M146 V), APP(SW), and MAPT(P301L) transgenes and aged wild-type mice exposed to experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI), a recognized risk factor for AD. We found that Aβ1-6A2V(D) treatment in TBI mice improved neurological outcomes and reduced blood markers of axonal damage. Exploiting the C. elegans model as a biosensor of amyloidogenic proteins' toxicity, we observed a rescue of locomotor defects in nematodes exposed to the brain homogenates from TBI mice treated with Aβ1-6A2V(D) compared to TBI controls. By this integrated approach, we demonstrate that Aβ1-6A2V(D) not only impedes tau aggregation but also favors its degradation by tissue proteases, confirming that this peptide interferes with both Aβ and tau aggregation propensity and proteotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy.
| | - Elisa R Zanier
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Moro
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Gloria Vegliante
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Russo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Marta Xodo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Ada De Luigi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Mosconi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy
| | - Marcella Catania
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Giacomina Rossi
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Di Fede
- Neurology V - Neuropathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Via Celoria 11, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milan, Italy.
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3
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Schorr AL, Mejia AF, Miranda MY, Mangone M. An updated C. elegans nuclear body muscle transcriptome for studies in muscle formation and function. Skelet Muscle 2023; 13:4. [PMID: 36859305 PMCID: PMC9979539 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-023-00314-2] [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: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The body muscle is an important tissue used in organisms for proper viability and locomotion. Although this tissue is generally well studied and characterized, and many pathways have been elucidated throughout the years, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of its transcriptome and how it controls muscle development and function. Here, we have updated a nuclear FACS sorting-based methodology to isolate and sequence a high-quality muscle transcriptome from Caenorhabditis elegans mixed-stage animals. We have identified 2848 muscle-specific protein-coding genes, including 78 transcription factors and 206 protein-coding genes containing an RNA binding domain. We studied their interaction network, performed a detailed promoter analysis, and identified novel muscle-specific cis-acting elements. We have also identified 16 high-quality muscle-specific miRNAs, studied their function in vivo using fluorochrome-based analyses, and developed a high-quality C. elegans miRNA interactome incorporating other muscle-specific datasets produced by our lab and others.Our study expands our understanding of how muscle tissue functions in C. elegans andin turn provides results that can in the future be applied to humans to study muscular-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna L. Schorr
- grid.215654.10000 0001 2151 2636Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ USA ,grid.215654.10000 0001 2151 2636Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ USA ,grid.215654.10000 0001 2151 2636School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 751 E Lemon Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
| | - Alejandro Felix Mejia
- grid.215654.10000 0001 2151 2636School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 751 E Lemon Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
| | - Martina Y. Miranda
- grid.250942.80000 0004 0507 3225Helios Scholars at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, 445 N 5th St 4th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85004 USA
| | - Marco Mangone
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA. .,Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ, USA. .,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 751 E Lemon Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
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4
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Palmioli A, Mazzoni V, De Luigi A, Bruzzone C, Sala G, Colombo L, Bazzini C, Zoia CP, Inserra M, Salmona M, De Noni I, Ferrarese C, Diomede L, Airoldi C. Alzheimer's Disease Prevention through Natural Compounds: Cell-Free , In Vitro, and In Vivo Dissection of Hop ( Humulus lupulus L.) Multitarget Activity. ACS Chem Neurosci 2022; 13:3152-3167. [PMID: 36283035 PMCID: PMC9673154 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The relevant social and economic costs associated with aging and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD), entail considerable efforts to develop effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. The search for natural compounds, whose intake through diet can help prevent the main biochemical mechanisms responsible for AD onset, led us to screen hops, one of the main ingredients of beer. To explore the chemical variability of hops, we characterized four hop varieties, i.e., Cascade, Saaz, Tettnang, and Summit. We investigated the potential multitarget hop activity, in particular its ability to hinder Aβ1-42 peptide aggregation and cytotoxicity, its antioxidant properties, and its ability to enhance autophagy, promoting the clearance of misfolded and aggregated proteins in a human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Moreover, we provided evidence of in vivo hop efficacy using the transgenic CL2006Caenorhabditis elegans strain expressing the Aβ3-42 peptide. By combining cell-free and in vitro assays with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MS-based metabolomics, NMR molecular recognition studies, and atomic force microscopy, we identified feruloyl and p-coumaroylquinic acids flavan-3-ol glycosides and procyanidins as the main anti-Aβ components of hop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Palmioli
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy,NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,
| | - Valeria Mazzoni
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Ada De Luigi
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Bruzzone
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Gessica Sala
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Bazzini
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Chiara Paola Zoia
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Mariagiovanna Inserra
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Mario Salmona
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Ivano De Noni
- Department
of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Carlo Ferrarese
- NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,School
of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy,Department
of Neuroscience, San Gerardo Hospital, ASST-Monza, Via Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, MB, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department
of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via M. Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Cristina Airoldi
- Department
of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University
of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy,NeuroMI,
Milan Center for Neuroscience, University
of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy,
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5
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Natale C, Barzago MM, Colnaghi L, De Luigi A, Orsini F, Fioriti L, Diomede L. A Combined Cell-Worm Approach to Search for Compounds Counteracting the Toxicity of Tau Oligomers In Vivo. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:11277. [PMID: 36232578 PMCID: PMC9569484 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A clear relationship between the tau assemblies and toxicity has still to be established. To correlate the tau conformation with its proteotoxic effect in vivo, we developed an innovative cell-worm-based approach. HEK293 cells expressing tau P301L under a tetracycline-inducible system (HEK T-Rex) were employed to produce different tau assemblies whose proteotoxic potential was evaluated using C. elegans. Lysates from cells induced for five days significantly reduced the worm's locomotor activity. This toxic effect was not related to the total amount of tau produced by cells or to its phosphorylation state but was related to the formation of multimeric tau assemblies, particularly tetrameric ones. We investigated the applicability of this approach for testing compounds acting against oligomeric tau toxicity, using doxycycline (Doxy) as a prototype drug. Doxy affected tau solubility and promoted the disassembly of already formed toxic aggregates in lysates of cells induced for five days. These effects translated into a dose-dependent protective action in C. elegans. These findings confirm the validity of the combined HEK T-Rex cells and the C. elegans-based approach as a platform for pharmacological screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Monica Barzago
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Colnaghi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Ada De Luigi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Franca Orsini
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luana Fioriti
- Dulbecco Telethon Institute and Department of Neuroscience, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto Di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy
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6
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Zheng F, Chen C, Aschner M. Neurotoxicity Evaluation of Nanomaterials Using C. elegans: Survival, Locomotion Behaviors, and Oxidative Stress. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e496. [PMID: 35849041 PMCID: PMC9299521 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nanomaterials are broadly used in a variety of industries and consumer products. However, studies have demonstrated that many nanomaterials, including metal-containing nanoparticles and nanoplastics, have neurotoxic effects. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a widely used model organism with numerous advantages for research, including transparency, short life span, well-characterized nervous system, complete connectome, available genome, and numerous genetic tools. C. elegans has been extensively used to assess the neurotoxicity of multiple chemicals via survival assays, behavioral tests, neuronal morphology studies, and various molecular and mechanistic analyses. However, detailed protocols describing general assays in C. elegans to examine the neurotoxic effects of nanomaterials are limited. Here, we describe protocols for assessing nanomaterial neurotoxicity in C. elegans. We describe the steps for exposure and subsequent evaluation of survival, locomotion behavior, and oxidative stress. Survival and locomotion behavior are measured in wild-type N2 strains to assess acute neurotoxicity. Oxidative stress is used as an endpoint here since it is one of the most predominant and common changes induced by nanomaterials. VP596 nematodes, which express GFP upon activation of skn-1 (the worm homolog of Nrf2), are evaluated for assays of oxidative stress in response to test nanomaterials. These assays can be readily used to quickly examine the neurotoxicity of nanomaterials in vivo, laying the foundation for mechanistic studies of nanomaterials and their impacts on health and physiology. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Exposure of C. elegans to nanomaterials Basic Protocol 2: Survival assessment Basic Protocol 3: Assessment of locomotion behavior Basic Protocol 4: Analysis of oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuli Zheng
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, 1 Xueyuan Road, University Town, Fuzhou, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Cheng Chen
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Forchheimer 209, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461 Bronx, NY, USA
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7
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Zhu A, Zheng F, Zhang W, Li L, Li Y, Hu H, Wu Y, Bao W, Li G, Wang Q, Li H. Oxidation and Antioxidation of Natural Products in the Model Organism Caenorhabditiselegans. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11040705. [PMID: 35453390 PMCID: PMC9029379 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11040705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural products are small molecules naturally produced by multiple sources such as plants, animals, fungi, bacteria and archaea. They exert both beneficial and detrimental effects by modulating biological targets and pathways involved in oxidative stress and antioxidant response. Natural products’ oxidative or antioxidative properties are usually investigated in preclinical experimental models, including virtual computing simulations, cell and tissue cultures, rodent and nonhuman primate animal models, and human studies. Due to the renewal of the concept of experimental animals, especially the popularization of alternative 3R methods for reduction, replacement and refinement, many assessment experiments have been carried out in new alternative models. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has been used for medical research since Sydney Brenner revealed its genetics in 1974 and has been introduced into pharmacology and toxicology in the past two decades. The data from C. elegans have been satisfactorily correlated with traditional experimental models. In this review, we summarize the advantages of C. elegans in assessing oxidative and antioxidative properties of natural products and introduce methods to construct an oxidative damage model in C. elegans. The biomarkers and signaling pathways involved in the oxidative stress of C. elegans are summarized, as well as the oxidation and antioxidation in target organs of the muscle, nervous, digestive and reproductive systems. This review provides an overview of the oxidative and antioxidative properties of natural products based on the model organism C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- An Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China; (Y.W.); (W.B.)
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (G.L.); (Q.W.); (H.L.)
| | - Fuli Zheng
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China; (F.Z.); (H.H.)
| | - Wenjing Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China;
| | - Ludi Li
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (L.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yingzi Li
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (L.L.); (Y.L.)
| | - Hong Hu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China; (F.Z.); (H.H.)
| | - Yajiao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China; (Y.W.); (W.B.)
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Wenqiang Bao
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Gastrointestinal Cancer, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China; (Y.W.); (W.B.)
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China
| | - Guojun Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China;
- School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (G.L.); (Q.W.); (H.L.)
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; (L.L.); (Y.L.)
- Key Laboratory of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Compatibility Toxicology, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (G.L.); (Q.W.); (H.L.)
| | - Huangyuan Li
- Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China; (F.Z.); (H.H.)
- The Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350108, China
- Correspondence: (A.Z.); (G.L.); (Q.W.); (H.L.)
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8
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Barmaver SN, Muthaiyan Shanmugam M, Wagner OI. Methods to Quantify and Relate Axonal Transport Defects to Changes in C. elegans Behavior. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2431:481-497. [PMID: 35412294 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1990-2_26] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal growth, differentiation, homeostasis, viability, and injury response heavily rely on functional axonal transport (AT). Erroneous and disturbed AT may lead to accumulation of "disease proteins" such as tau, α-synuclein, or amyloid precursor protein causing various neurological disorders. Changes in AT often lead to observable behavioral consequences in C. elegans such as impeded movements, defects in touch response, chemosensation, and even egg laying. Long C. elegans neurons with clear distinguishable axons and dendrites provide an excellent platform to analyze AT. The possibility to relate changes in AT to neuronal defects that in turn lead to quantifiable changes in worm behavior allows for the advancement of neuropathological disease models. Even more, subsequent suppressor screens may aid in identifying genes responsible for observed behavioral changes providing a target for drug development to eventually delay or cure neurological diseases. Thus, in this chapter, we summarize critical methods to identify and quantify defects in axonal transport as well as exemplified behavioral assays that may relate to these defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Nooruzuha Barmaver
- Department of Life Science, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Muniesh Muthaiyan Shanmugam
- Department of Life Science, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Oliver Ingvar Wagner
- Department of Life Science, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
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9
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Annadurai N, Malina L, Salmona M, Diomede L, Bastone A, Cagnotto A, Romeo M, Šrejber M, Berka K, Otyepka M, Hajdúch M, Das V. Antitumour drugs targeting tau R3 VQIVYK and Cys322 prevent seeding of endogenous tau aggregates by exogenous seeds. FEBS J 2021; 289:1929-1949. [PMID: 34743390 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Emerging experimental evidence suggests tau pathology spreads between neuroanatomically connected brain regions in a prion-like manner in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tau seeding, the ability of prion-like tau to recruit and misfold naïve tau to generate new seeds, is detected early in human AD brains before the development of major tau pathology. Many antitumour drugs have been reported to confer protection against neurodegeneration, supporting the repurposing of approved and experimental or investigational oncology drugs for AD therapy. In this study, we evaluated whether antitumour drugs that abrogate the generation of seed-competent aggregates of tau Repeat 3 (R3) domain peptides can prevent tau seeding and toxicity in Tau-RD P301S FRET Biosensor cells and Caenorhabditis elegans. We demonstrate that drugs that interact with the N-terminal VQIVYK or the C-terminal region housing the Cys322 prevent R3 dimerisation, abolishing the generation of prion-like R3 seeds. Preformed R3 seeds (fibrils) capped with, or R3 seeds formed in the presence of VQIVYK- or Cys322-targeting drugs have a reduced potency to cause aggregation of naïve tau in biosensor cells and protect worms from aggregate toxicity. These findings indicate that VQIVYK- or Cys322-targeting drugs may act as prophylactic agents against tau seeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendran Annadurai
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Malina
- Department of Medical Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Mario Salmona
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Bastone
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alfredo Cagnotto
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Martin Šrejber
- Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN), Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM), Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Berka
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Otyepka
- Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN), Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM), Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.,IT4Innovations, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Marián Hajdúch
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Viswanath Das
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
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10
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Zanier ER, Barzago MM, Vegliante G, Romeo M, Restelli E, Bertani I, Natale C, Colnaghi L, Colombo L, Russo L, Micotti E, Fioriti L, Chiesa R, Diomede L. C. elegans detects toxicity of traumatic brain injury generated tau. Neurobiol Dis 2021; 153:105330. [PMID: 33711491 PMCID: PMC8039186 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with widespread tau pathology in about 30% of patients surviving late after injury. We previously found that TBI in mice induces the formation of an abnormal form of tau (tauTBI) which progressively spreads from the site of injury to remote brain regions. Intracerebral inoculation of TBI brain homogenates into naïve mice induced progressive tau pathology, synaptic loss and late cognitive decline, suggesting a pivotal role of tauTBI in post-TBI neurodegeneration. However, the possibility that tauTBI was a marker of TBI-associated neurodegeneration rather than a toxic driver of functional decline could not be excluded. Here we employed the nematode C. elegans as a biosensor to test the pathogenic role of TBI generated tau. The motility of this nematode depends on efficient neuromuscular transmission and is exceptionally sensitive to the toxicity of amyloidogenic proteins, providing a tractable model for our tests. We found that worms exposed to brain homogenates from chronic but not acute TBI mice, or from mice in which tauTBI had been transmitted by intracerebral inoculation, had impaired motility and neuromuscular synaptic transmission. Results were similar when worms were given brain homogenates from transgenic mice overexpressing tau P301L, a tauopathy mouse model, suggesting that TBI-induced and mutant tau have similar toxic properties. P301L brain homogenate toxicity was similar in wild-type and ptl-1 knock-out worms, indicating that the nematode tau homolog protein PTL-1 was not required to mediate the toxic effect. Harsh protease digestion to eliminate the protein component of the homogenates, pre-incubation with anti-tau antibodies or tau depletion by immunoprecipitation, abolished the toxicity. Homogenates of chronic TBI brains from tau knock-out mice were not toxic to C. elegans, whereas oligomeric recombinant tau was sufficient to impair their motility. This study indicates that tauTBI impairs motor activity and synaptic transmission in C. elegans and supports a pathogenic role of tauTBI in the long-term consequences of TBI. It also sets the groundwork for the development of a C. elegans-based platform for screening anti-tau compounds. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice induces a progressive tau pathology. Brain-injured tissue from chronic but not acute TBI mice impairs C. elegans motility. TBI tissue immunodepleted of tau or from tau knock-out mice has no toxic effect. Brain-injured tissue from TBI mice impairs neuromuscular transmission in worms. C. elegans is a tractable model for investigating tau toxicity generated by TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa R Zanier
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
| | - Maria Monica Barzago
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Gloria Vegliante
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Romeo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Restelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Bertani
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Colnaghi
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy; Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Colombo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Russo
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Edoardo Micotti
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Luana Fioriti
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Chiesa
- Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
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