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Luo W, Egger M, Cruz-Ochoa N, Tse A, Maloveczky G, Tamás B, Lukacsovich D, Seng C, Amrein I, Lukacsovich T, Wolfer D, Földy C. Activation of feedforward wiring in adult hippocampal neurons by the basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor Ascl4. PNAS Nexus 2024; 3:pgae174. [PMID: 38711810 PMCID: PMC11071515 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae174] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Although evidence indicates that the adult brain retains a considerable capacity for circuit formation, adult wiring has not been broadly considered and remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate wiring activation in adult neurons. We show that the basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor Ascl4 can induce wiring in different types of hippocampal neurons of adult mice. The new axons are mainly feedforward and reconfigure synaptic weights in the circuit. Mice with the Ascl4-induced circuits do not display signs of pathology and solve spatial problems equally well as controls. Our results demonstrate reprogrammed connectivity by a single transcriptional factor and provide insights into the regulation of brain wiring in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenshu Luo
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Matteo Egger
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Cruz-Ochoa
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Alice Tse
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Gyula Maloveczky
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Bálint Tamás
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - David Lukacsovich
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Seng
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Irmgard Amrein
- Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Tamás Lukacsovich
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - David Wolfer
- Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, D-HEST, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Csaba Földy
- Laboratory of Neural Connectivity, Brain Research Institute, Faculties of Medicine and Science, University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning (AdaBD), University Research Priority Program (URPP), University of Zürich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
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Xiang W, Li L, Hong F, Zeng Y, Zhang J, Xie J, Shen G, Wang J, Fang Z, Qi W, Yang X, Gao G, Zhou T. N-cadherin cleavage: A critical function that induces diabetic retinopathy fibrosis via regulation of β-catenin translocation. FASEB J 2023; 37:e22878. [PMID: 36939278 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202201664rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
Retinal fibrosis is a severe pathological change in the late stage of diabetic retinopathy and is also the leading cause of blindness. We have previously revealed that N-cadherin was significantly increased in type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice retinas and the fibrovascular membranes from proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) patients. However, whether N-cadherin directly induces retinal fibrosis in DR and the related mechanism is unknown. Here, we investigated the pathogenic role of N-cadherin in mediating retinal fibrosis and further explored the relevant therapeutic targets. We found that the level of N-cadherin was significantly increased in PDR patients and STZ-induced diabetic mice and positively correlated with the fibrotic molecules Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) and fibronectin (FN). Moreover, intravitreal injection of N-cadherin adenovirus significantly increased the expression of FN and CTGF in normal mice retinas. Mechanistically, overexpression of N-cadherin promotes N-cadherin cleavage, and N-cadherin cleavage can further induce translocation of non-p-β-catenin in the nucleus and upregulation of fibrotic molecules. Furthermore, we found a novel N-cadherin cleavage inhibitor, pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF), which ameliorated the N-cadherin cleavage and subsequent retinal fibrosis in diabetic mice. Thus, our findings provide novel evidence that elevated N-cadherin level not only acts as a classic EMT maker but also plays a causative role in diabetic retinal fibrosis, and targeting N-cadherin cleavage may provide a strategy to inhibit retinal fibrosis in DR patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xiang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Longhui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fuyan Hong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongcheng Zeng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinye Xie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gang Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinhong Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenzhen Fang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weiwei Qi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xia Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guoquan Gao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Engineering & Technology Research Center for Gene Manipulation and Biomacromolecular Products, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ti Zhou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Advanced Medical Technology Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- China Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China
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László ZI, Lele Z. Flying under the radar: CDH2 (N-cadherin), an important hub molecule in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:972059. [PMID: 36213737 PMCID: PMC9539934 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.972059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
CDH2 belongs to the classic cadherin family of Ca2+-dependent cell adhesion molecules with a meticulously described dual role in cell adhesion and β-catenin signaling. During CNS development, CDH2 is involved in a wide range of processes including maintenance of neuroepithelial integrity, neural tube closure (neurulation), confinement of radial glia progenitor cells (RGPCs) to the ventricular zone and maintaining their proliferation-differentiation balance, postmitotic neural precursor migration, axon guidance, synaptic development and maintenance. In the past few years, direct and indirect evidence linked CDH2 to various neurological diseases, and in this review, we summarize recent developments regarding CDH2 function and its involvement in pathological alterations of the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsófia I. László
- Momentum Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- Division of Cellular and Systems Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Zsolt Lele
- Momentum Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
- *Correspondence: Zsolt Lele,
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