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Yang J, Dong J, Li H, Gong Z, Wang B, Du K, Zhang C, Bi H, Wang J, Tian X, Chen L. Circular RNA HIPK2 Promotes A1 Astrocyte Activation after Spinal Cord Injury through Autophagy and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress by Modulating miR-124-3p-Mediated Smad2 Repression. ACS Omega 2024; 9:781-797. [PMID: 38222662 PMCID: PMC10785321 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Glial scarring formed by reactive astrocytes after spinal cord injury (SCI) is the primary obstacle to neuronal regeneration within the central nervous system, making them a promising target for SCI treatment. Our previous studies have demonstrated the positive impact of miR-124-3p on neuronal repair, but it remains unclear how miR-124-3p is involved in autophagy or ER stress in astrocyte activation. To answer this question, the expression of A1 astrocyte-related markers at the transcriptional and protein levels after SCI was checked in RNA-sequencing data and verified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting in vitro and in vivo. The potential interactions among circHIPK2, miR-124-3p, and Smad2 were analyzed and confirmed by bioinformatics analyses and a luciferase reporter assay. In the end, the role of miR-124-3p in autophagy, ER stress, and SCI was investigated by using Western blotting to measure key biomarkers (C3, LC3, and Chop) in the absence or presence of corresponding selective inhibitors (siRNA, 4-PBA, TG). As a result, SCI caused the increase of A1 astrocyte markers, in which the upregulated circHIPK2 directly targeted miR-124-3p, and the direct downregulating effect of Smad2 by miR-124-3p was abolished, while Agomir-124 treatment reversed this effect. Injury caused a significant change of markers for ER stress and autophagy through the circHIPK2/miR-124-3p/Smad2 pathway, which might activate the A1 phenotype, and ER stress might promote autophagy in astrocytes. In conclusion, circHIPK2 may play a functional role in sequestering miR-124-3p and facilitating the activation of A1 astrocytes through regulating Smad2-mediated downstream autophagy and ER stress pathways, providing a new perspective on potential targets for functional recovery after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Haotian Li
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhiqiang Gong
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Bing Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Kaili Du
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Chunqiang Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Hangchuan Bi
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Junfei Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Xinpeng Tian
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
| | - Lingqiang Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China
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Basak I, Harfoot R, Palmer JE, Kumar A, Quiñones-Mateu ME, Schweitzer L, Hughes SM. Neuroproteomic Analysis after SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reveals Overrepresented Neurodegeneration Pathways and Disrupted Metabolic Pathways. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1597. [PMID: 38002279 PMCID: PMC10669333 DOI: 10.3390/biom13111597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Besides respiratory illness, SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, leads to neurological symptoms. The molecular mechanisms leading to neuropathology after SARS-CoV-2 infection are sparsely explored. SARS-CoV-2 enters human cells via different receptors, including ACE-2, TMPRSS2, and TMEM106B. In this study, we used a human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuronal model, which expresses ACE-2, TMPRSS2, TMEM106B, and other possible SARS-CoV-2 receptors, to evaluate its susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The neurons were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, followed by RT-qPCR, immunocytochemistry, and proteomic analyses of the infected neurons. Our findings showed that SARS-CoV-2 infects neurons at a lower rate than other human cells; however, the virus could not replicate or produce infectious virions in this neuronal model. Despite the aborted SARS-CoV-2 replication, the infected neuronal nuclei showed irregular morphology compared to other human cells. Since cytokine storm is a significant effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection in COVID-19 patients, in addition to the direct neuronal infection, the neurons were treated with pre-conditioned media from SARS-CoV-2-infected lung cells, and the neuroproteomic changes were investigated. The limited SARS-CoV-2 infection in the neurons and the neurons treated with the pre-conditioned media showed changes in the neuroproteomic profile, particularly affecting mitochondrial proteins and apoptotic and metabolic pathways, which may lead to the development of neurological complications. The findings from our study uncover a possible mechanism behind SARS-CoV-2-mediated neuropathology that might contribute to the lingering effects of the virus on the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indranil Basak
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Rhodri Harfoot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand (M.E.Q.-M.)
| | - Jennifer E. Palmer
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Abhishek Kumar
- Centre for Protein Research, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Miguel E. Quiñones-Mateu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand (M.E.Q.-M.)
| | - Lucia Schweitzer
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Stephanie M. Hughes
- Brain Health Research Centre, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
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