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Mohammad S, Page SJ, Sasaki T, Ayvazian N, Rakic P, Kawasawa YI, Hashimoto-Torii K, Torii M. Long-term spatial tracking of cells affected by environmental insults. J Neurodev Disord 2020; 12:38. [PMID: 33327938 PMCID: PMC7745478 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-020-09339-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Harsh environments surrounding fetuses and children can induce cellular damage in the developing brain, increasing the risk of intellectual disability and other neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms by which early damage leads to disease manifestation in later life remain largely unknown. Previously, we demonstrated that the activation of heat shock (HS) signaling can be utilized as a unique reporter to label the cells that undergo specific molecular/cellular changes upon exposure to environmental insults throughout the body. Since the activation of HS signaling is an acute and transient event, this approach was not intended for long-term tracing of affected cells after the activation has diminished. In the present study, we generated new reporter transgenic mouse lines as a novel tool to achieve systemic and long-term tracking of affected cells and their progeny. Methods The reporter transgenic mouse system was designed so that the activation of HS signaling through HS response element (HSE) drives flippase (FLPo)-flippase recognition target (FRT) recombination-mediated permanent expression of the red fluorescent protein (RFP), tdTomato. With a priority on consistent and efficient assessment of the reporter system, we focused on intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection models of high-dose, short prenatal exposure to alcohol (ethanol) and sodium arsenite (ethanol at 4.0 g/kg/day and sodium arsenite at 5.0 mg/kg/day, at embryonic day (E) 12 and 13). Long-term reporter expression was examined in the brain of reporter mice that were prenatally exposed to these insults. Electrophysiological properties were compared between RFP+ and RFP− cortical neurons in animals prenatally exposed to arsenite. Results We detected RFP+ neurons and glia in the brains of postnatal mice that had been prenatally exposed to alcohol or sodium arsenite. In animals prenatally exposed to sodium arsenite, we also detected reduced excitability in RFP+ cortical neurons. Conclusion The reporter transgenic mice allowed us to trace the cells that once responded to prenatal environmental stress and the progeny derived from these cells long after the exposure in postnatal animals. Tracing of these cells indicates that the impact of prenatal exposure on neural progenitor cells can lead to functional abnormalities in their progeny cells in the postnatal brain. Further studies using more clinically relevant exposure models are warranted to explore this mechanism. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s11689-020-09339-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahid Mohammad
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Stephen J Page
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Toru Sasaki
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nicholas Ayvazian
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.,Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Pasko Rakic
- Department of Neuroscience and Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yuka Imamura Kawasawa
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute for Personalized Medicine, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Kazue Hashimoto-Torii
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Masaaki Torii
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
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Hashimoto-Torii K, Sasaki M, Chang YW, Hwang H, Waxman SG, Kocsis JD, Rakic P, Torii M. Detection of local and remote cellular damage caused by spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury using a heat shock signaling reporter system. IBRO Rep 2018; 5:91-98. [PMID: 30480161 PMCID: PMC6240805 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibror.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury results in extensive damage to the locally injured cells as well as distant cells that are functionally connected to them. Both primary and secondary damage can cause a broad range of clinical abnormalities, including neuropathic pain and cognitive and memory dysfunction. However, the mechanisms underlying these abnormalities remain unclear, awaiting new methods to identify affected cells to enable examination of their molecular, cellular and physiological characteristics. Here, we report that both primary and secondary damage to cells in mouse models of spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury can be detected in vivo using a novel fluorescent reporter system based on the immediate stress response via activation of Heat Shock Factor 1. We also provide evidence for altered electrophysiological properties of reporter-positive secondarily-injured neurons. The comprehensive identification of injured, but surviving cells located both close and at distant locations from the injury site in vivo will provide a way to study their pathophysiology and possibly prevention of their further deterioration.
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Key Words
- Cellular damage
- DRG, dorsal root ganglion
- FG, Fluoro-Gold
- HRP, horseradish peroxidase
- HSE, heat shock-response element
- HSF1, heat shock factor 1
- HSP, heat shock protein
- Heat shock signaling
- IL-6, interleukin 6
- M1, primary motor cortex
- M2, secondary motor cortex
- MPtA, medial parietal association cortex
- PBS, phosphate buffered saline
- PCR, polymerase chain reaction
- RFP, red fluorescent protein
- Reporter mouse
- SCI, spinal cord injury
- SNI, sciatic nerve injury
- Sciatic nerve injury
- Spinal cord injury
- WDR, wide-dynamic range
- WGA, wheat germ agglutinin
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazue Hashimoto-Torii
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children’s Research Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Masanori Sasaki
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, USA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, 06516, USA
- Department of Neural Regenerative Medicine, Research Institute for Frontier Medicine, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Yu-Wen Chang
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, USA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, 06516, USA
| | - Hye Hwang
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children’s Research Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Stephen G. Waxman
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, USA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, 06516, USA
| | - Jeffery D. Kocsis
- Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, USA
- Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration Research, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut, 06516, USA
| | - Pasko Rakic
- Department of Neurobiology and Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Masaaki Torii
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Children’s Research Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
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