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Martínez AL, Brea J, López D, Cosme N, Barro M, Monroy X, Burgueño J, Merlos M, Loza MI. In vitro models for neuropathic pain phenotypic screening in brain therapeutics. Pharmacol Res 2024; 202:107111. [PMID: 38382648 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107111] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
The discovery of brain therapeutics faces a significant challenge due to the low translatability of preclinical results into clinical success. To address this gap, several efforts have been made to obtain more translatable neuronal models for phenotypic screening. These models allow the selection of active compounds without predetermined knowledge of drug targets. In this review, we present an overview of various existing models within the field, examining their strengths and limitations, particularly in the context of neuropathic pain research. We illustrate the usefulness of these models through a comparative review in three crucial areas: i) the development of novel phenotypic screening strategies specifically for neuropathic pain, ii) the validation of the models for both primary and secondary screening assays, and iii) the use of the models in target deconvolution processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Martínez
- BioFarma Research Group, Centro Singular de Investigación en Medicina Molecular e Enfermidades Crónicas (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Instituto de Investigacións Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Departamento de Farmacoloxía, Farmacia e Tecnoloxía Farmacéutica, Facultade de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - J Brea
- BioFarma Research Group, Centro Singular de Investigación en Medicina Molecular e Enfermidades Crónicas (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Instituto de Investigacións Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Departamento de Farmacoloxía, Farmacia e Tecnoloxía Farmacéutica, Facultade de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - D López
- BioFarma Research Group, Centro Singular de Investigación en Medicina Molecular e Enfermidades Crónicas (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Instituto de Investigacións Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - N Cosme
- BioFarma Research Group, Centro Singular de Investigación en Medicina Molecular e Enfermidades Crónicas (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Instituto de Investigacións Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - M Barro
- BioFarma Research Group, Centro Singular de Investigación en Medicina Molecular e Enfermidades Crónicas (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Instituto de Investigacións Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - X Monroy
- WeLab Barcelona, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Burgueño
- WeLab Barcelona, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Merlos
- WeLab Barcelona, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M I Loza
- BioFarma Research Group, Centro Singular de Investigación en Medicina Molecular e Enfermidades Crónicas (CIMUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Instituto de Investigacións Sanitarias de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Departamento de Farmacoloxía, Farmacia e Tecnoloxía Farmacéutica, Facultade de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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Boyd RJ, McClymont SA, Barrientos NB, Hook PW, Law WD, Rose RJ, Waite EL, Rathinavelu J, Avramopoulos D, McCallion AS. Evaluating the mouse neural precursor line, SN4741, as a suitable proxy for midbrain dopaminergic neurons. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:306. [PMID: 37286935 PMCID: PMC10245633 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09398-y] [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: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
To overcome the ethical and technical limitations of in vivo human disease models, the broader scientific community frequently employs model organism-derived cell lines to investigate disease mechanisms, pathways, and therapeutic strategies. Despite the widespread use of certain in vitro models, many still lack contemporary genomic analysis supporting their use as a proxy for the affected human cells and tissues. Consequently, it is imperative to determine how accurately and effectively any proposed biological surrogate may reflect the biological processes it is assumed to model. One such cellular surrogate of human disease is the established mouse neural precursor cell line, SN4741, which has been used to elucidate mechanisms of neurotoxicity in Parkinson disease for over 25 years. Here, we are using a combination of classic and contemporary genomic techniques - karyotyping, RT-qPCR, single cell RNA-seq, bulk RNA-seq, and ATAC-seq - to characterize the transcriptional landscape, chromatin landscape, and genomic architecture of this cell line, and evaluate its suitability as a proxy for midbrain dopaminergic neurons in the study of Parkinson disease. We find that SN4741 cells possess an unstable triploidy and consistently exhibits low expression of dopaminergic neuron markers across assays, even when the cell line is shifted to the non-permissive temperature that drives differentiation. The transcriptional signatures of SN4741 cells suggest that they are maintained in an undifferentiated state at the permissive temperature and differentiate into immature neurons at the non-permissive temperature; however, they may not be dopaminergic neuron precursors, as previously suggested. Additionally, the chromatin landscapes of SN4741 cells, in both the differentiated and undifferentiated states, are not concordant with the open chromatin profiles of ex vivo, mouse E15.5 forebrain- or midbrain-derived dopaminergic neurons. Overall, our data suggest that SN4741 cells may reflect early aspects of neuronal differentiation but are likely not a suitable proxy for dopaminergic neurons as previously thought. The implications of this study extend broadly, illuminating the need for robust biological and genomic rationale underpinning the use of in vitro models of molecular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel J. Boyd
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Sarah A. McClymont
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Nelson B. Barrientos
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Paul W. Hook
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - William D. Law
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Rebecca J. Rose
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Eric L. Waite
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Jay Rathinavelu
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Dimitrios Avramopoulos
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
| | - Andrew S. McCallion
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287 USA
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Abstract
The critical first step of Group A Streptococcus (GAS) pathogenesis is adhesion to the host pharyngeal and skin epithelial cell surfaces (Brouwer et al., FEBS Lett 590:3739-3757, 2016). Host-cell adhesion assays provide a straightforward model to study these host-pathogen interactions. Here, we describe the culturing of immortalized cell lines into monolayers to mimic host epithelia. Various GAS strains can then be added to study their adhesion properties. In addition, we describe the use of antibodies raised against the cell-surface components of GAS to study if these are able to neutralize the binding of GAS to the cell lines. This provides an indication if these cell-surface components are involved in adhesion and if antibodies generated against them function through neutralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrina H J Khemlani
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biomolecular Discovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Thomas Proft
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biomolecular Discovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Jacelyn M S Loh
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, School of Medical Sciences and Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biomolecular Discovery, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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Abstract
The microvascular pericyte was identified in 1873 by the French scientist Charles Benjamin Rouget and originally called the Rouget cell (Rouget.Sciences 88:916-8, 1879). However, it was not until the early 1900s that Rouget's work was confirmed, and the Rouget cell renamed the pericyte by virtue of its peri-endothelial location (Dore. Brit J Dermatol 35:398-404, 1923; Zimmermann. Z Anat Entwicklungsgesch 68:3-109, 1923). Over the years a large number of publications have emerged, but the pericyte has remained a truly enigmatic cell. This is due, in part, by the paucity of easy and reliable methods to isolate and characterize the cell as well as its heterogeneity and pluripotent characteristics. However, more recent advances in molecular genetics and development of novel cell isolation and imaging techniques have enable scientists to more readily define pericyte function. This chapter will discuss general approaches to the isolation, characterization, and propagation of primary pericytes in the establishment of cell lines. We will attempt to dispel misinterpretations about the pericyte that cloud the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Dore-Duffy
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
| | - Nilufer Esen
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
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Hübers A, Marroquin N, Schmoll B, Vielhaber S, Just M, Mayer B, Högel J, Dorst J, Mertens T, Just W, Aulitzky A, Wais V, Ludolph AC, Kubisch C, Weishaupt JH, Volk AE. Polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot-based analysis of the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat in different motor neuron diseases. Neurobiol Aging 2013; 35:1214.e1-6. [PMID: 24378086 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.11.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2013] [Accepted: 11/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The GGGGCC-hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most common genetic cause of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. This study determined the frequency of C9orf72 repeat expansions in different motor neuron diseases (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), motor neuron diseases affecting primarily the first or the second motor neuron and hereditary spastic paraplegia). Whereas most studies on C9orf72 repeat expansions published so far rely on a polymerase chain reaction-based screening, we applied both polymerase chain reaction-based techniques and Southern blotting. Furthermore, we determined the sensitivity and specificity of Southern blotting of the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat in DNA derived from lymphoblastoid cell lines. C9orf72 repeat expansions were found in 27.1% out of 166 familial ALS patients, only once in 68 sporadic ALS patients, and not in 61 hereditary spastic paraplegia patients or 52 patients with motor neuron diseases affecting clinically primarily either the first or the second motor neuron. We found hints for a correlation between C9orf72 repeat length and the age of onset. Somatic instability of the C9orf72 repeat was observed in lymphoblastoid cell lines compared with DNA derived from whole blood from the same patient and therefore caution is warranted for repeat length determination in immortalized cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Birgit Schmoll
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Stefan Vielhaber
- Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Marlies Just
- Institute of Virology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Benjamin Mayer
- Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Josef Högel
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Johannes Dorst
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Walter Just
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Anna Aulitzky
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Verena Wais
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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