scholarly journals Adenovirus RID-α activates an autonomous cholesterol regulatory mechanism that rescues defects linked to Niemann-Pick disease type C

2009 ◽  
Vol 187 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas L. Cianciola ◽  
Cathleen R. Carlin

Host–pathogen interactions are important model systems for understanding fundamental cell biological processes. In this study, we describe a cholesterol-trafficking pathway induced by the adenovirus membrane protein RID-α that also subverts the cellular autophagy pathway during early stages of an acute infection. A palmitoylation-defective RID-α mutant deregulates cholesterol homeostasis and elicits lysosomal storage abnormalities similar to mutations associated with Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease. Wild-type RID-α rescues lipid-sorting defects in cells from patients with this disease by a mechanism involving a class III phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase. In contrast to NPC disease gene products that are localized to late endosomes/lysosomes, RID-α induces the accumulation of autophagy-like vesicles with a unique molecular composition. Ectopic RID-α regulates intracellular cholesterol trafficking at two distinct levels: the egress from endosomes and transport to the endoplasmic reticulum necessary for homeostatic gene regulation. However, RID-α also induces a novel cellular phenotype, suggesting that it activates an autonomous cholesterol regulatory mechanism distinct from NPC disease gene products.

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 1886-1892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anneliese O. Speak ◽  
Nicholas Platt ◽  
Mariolina Salio ◽  
Danielle te Vruchte ◽  
David A. Smith ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Sara Awan ◽  
Magalie Lambert ◽  
Ali Imtiaz ◽  
Fabien Alpy ◽  
Catherine Tomasetto ◽  
...  

Background: Impairment of cellular cholesterol trafficking is at the heart of atherosclerotic lesions formation. This involves egress of cholesterol from the lysosomes and two lysosomal proteins, the Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) and NPC2 that promotes cholesterol trafficking. However, movement of cholesterol out the lysosome and how disrupted cholesterol trafficking leads to atherosclerosis is unclear. As the Wnt ligand, Wnt5a inhibits the intracellular accumulation of cholesterol in multiple cell types, we tested whether Wnt5a interacts with the lysosomal cholesterol export machinery and studied its role in atherosclerotic lesions formation. Methods: We generated mice deleted for the Wnt5a gene in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). To establish whether Wnt5a also protects against cholesterol accumulation in human VSMCs, we used a CRISPR/Cas9 guided nuclease approach to generate human VSMCs knockout for Wnt5a. Results: We show that Wnt5a is a crucial component of the lysosomal cholesterol export machinery. By increasing lysosomal acid lipase expression, decreasing metabolic signaling by the mTORC1 kinase, and through binding to NPC1 and NPC2, Wnt5a senses changes in dietary cholesterol supply and promotes lysosomal cholesterol egress to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Consequently, loss of Wnt5a decoupled mTORC1 from variations in lysosomal sterol levels, disrupted lysosomal function, decreased cholesterol content in the ER, and promoted atherosclerosis. Conclusions: These results reveal an unexpected function of the Wnt5a pathway as essential for maintaining cholesterol homeostasis in vivo.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Eun Lee ◽  
Nari Shin ◽  
Myung Geun Kook ◽  
Dasom Kong ◽  
Nam Gyo Kim ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent studies on developing three-dimensional (3D) brain organoids from stem cells have allowed the generation of in vitro models of neural disease and have enabled the screening of drugs because these organoids mimic the complexity of neural tissue. Niemann-Pick disease, type C (NPC) is a neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the NPC1 or NPC2. The pathological features underlying NPC are characterized by the abnormal accumulation of cholesterol in acidic compartments, including late endosomes and lysosomes. Due to the inaccessibility of brain tissues from human NPC patients, we developed NPC brain organoids with induced neural stem cells from NPC patient-derived fibroblasts. NPC organoids exhibit significantly reduced size and proliferative ability, which are accompanied by accumulation of cholesterol, impairment in neuronal differentiation, and autophagic flux and dysfunction of lysosomes; therefore, NPC organoids can recapitulate the main phenotypes of NPC patients. Furthermore, these pathological phenotypes observed in NPC organoids were reversed by treatment with valproic acid and HPBCD, which are known to be an effective treatment for several neurodegenerative diseases. Our data present patient-specific phenotypes in 3D organoid-based models of NPC and highlight the application of this model to drug screening in vitro.


2005 ◽  
Vol 280 (22) ◽  
pp. 20917-20920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ta-Yuan Chang ◽  
Patrick C. Reid ◽  
Shigeki Sugii ◽  
Nobutaka Ohgami ◽  
Jonathan C. Cruz ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R.H. Evans ◽  
Elena-Raluca Nicoli ◽  
Raymond Y. Wang ◽  
Nina Movsesyan ◽  
Frances M. Platt

In this case series, we demonstrate that Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) improves liver dysfunction in Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) and may restore a suppressed cytochrome p450 system. NPC disease is a progressive neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in either the NPC1 or NPC2 genes. Liver disease is a common feature presenting either acutely as cholestatic jaundice in the neonatal period, or in later life as elevated liver enzymes indicative of liver dysfunction. Recently, an imbalance in bile acid synthesis in a mouse model of NPC disease was linked to suppression of the P450 detoxification system and was corrected by UDCA treatment. UDCA (3α, 7β-dihydroxy-5β-cholanic acid), a hydrophilic bile acid, is used to treat various cholestatic disorders. In this report we summarise the findings from four independent cases of NPC, three with abnormal liver enzyme levels at baseline, that were subsequently treated with UDCA. The patients differed in age and clinical features, they all tolerated the drug well, and in those with abnormal liver function, there were significant improvements in their liver enzyme parameters.


Author(s):  
Rami Ballout

In the face of the newly emergent COVID-19 pandemic, researchers around the world are racing to identify efficacious drugs capable of preventing or treating its infection. They are doing that by testing already available and approved antimicrobials for their rapid repurposing against COVID-19. Using the data emerging on the comparable efficacy of various compounds having different mechanisms of action and indications, I suggest in this report, their potential mechanistic convergence. Specifically, I highlight the lysosome as a key possible therapeutic target for COVID-19, proposing one of the lysosomal storage disorders, Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC), as a prototypical condition with inherent resistance or an “unfavorable” host cell environment for viral propagation. The included reasoning evolves from previously generated data in NPC, along with the emerging data on COVID-19. The aim of this report is to suggest that pharmacological induction of a “transient” NPC-like lysosomal dysfunction, could hold answers for targeting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Benussi ◽  
Maria Sofia Cotelli ◽  
Alessandro Padovani ◽  
Barbara Borroni

Niemann–Pick disease type C (NPC) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder with extensive biological, molecular, and clinical heterogeneity. Recently, numerous studies have tried to shed light on the pathophysiology of the disease, highlighting possible disease pathways common to other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia, and identifying possible candidate biomarkers for disease staging and response to treatment. Miglustat, which reversibly inhibits glycosphingolipid synthesis, has been licensed in the European Union and elsewhere for the treatment of NPC in both children and adults. A number of ongoing clinical trials might hold promise for the development of new treatments for NPC. The objective of the present work is to review and evaluate recent literature data in order to highlight the latest neuroimaging, neurophysiological, and neuropathological advances for the understanding of NPC pathophysiology. Furthermore, ongoing developments in disease-modifying treatments will be briefly discussed.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2159
Author(s):  
Elisa Balboa ◽  
Tamara Marín ◽  
Juan Esteban Oyarzún ◽  
Pablo S. Contreras ◽  
Robert Hardt ◽  
...  

Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPCD) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the NPC1 gene. The most affected tissues are the central nervous system and liver, and while significant efforts have been made to understand its neurological component, the pathophysiology of the liver damage remains unclear. In this study, hepatocytes derived from wild type and Npc1−/− mice were analyzed by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics in conjunction with bioinformatic analysis. We identified 3832 proteins: 416 proteins had a p-value smaller than 0.05, of which 37% (n = 155) were considered differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), 149 of them were considered upregulated, and 6 were considered downregulated. We focused the analysis on pathways related to NPC pathogenic mechanisms, finding that the most significant changes in expression levels occur in proteins that function in the pathways of liver damage, lipid metabolism, and inflammation. Moreover, in the group of DEPs, 30% (n = 47) were identified as lysosomal proteins and 7% (n = 10) were identified as mitochondrial proteins. Importantly, we found that lysosomal DEPs, including CTSB/D/Z, LIPA, DPP7 and GLMP, and mitocondrial DEPs, AKR1B10, and VAT1 had been connected with liver fibrosis, damage, and steatosis in previous studies, validiting our dataset. Our study found potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of liver damage in NPCD.


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