scholarly journals Translational control in neurovascular brain development

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kleanthi Chalkiadaki ◽  
Elpida Statoulla ◽  
Maria Markou ◽  
Sofia Bellou ◽  
Eleni Bagli ◽  
...  

The human brain carries out complex tasks and higher functions and is crucial for organismal survival, as it senses both intrinsic and extrinsic environments. Proper brain development relies on the orchestrated development of different precursor cells, which will give rise to the plethora of mature brain cell-types. Within this process, neuronal cells develop closely to and in coordination with vascular cells (endothelial cells (ECs), pericytes) in a bilateral communication process that relies on neuronal activity, attractive or repulsive guidance cues for both cell types and on tight-regulation of gene expression. Translational control is a master regulator of the gene-expression pathway and in particular for neuronal and ECs, it can be localized in developmentally relevant (axon growth cone, endothelial tip cell) and mature compartments (synapses, axons). Herein, we will review mechanisms of translational control relevant to brain development in neurons and ECs in health and disease.

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. eaau6190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Kozlenkov ◽  
Junhao Li ◽  
Pasha Apontes ◽  
Yasmin L. Hurd ◽  
William M. Byne ◽  
...  

Brain function depends on interaction of diverse cell types whose gene expression and identity are defined, in part, by epigenetic mechanisms. Neuronal DNA contains two major epigenetic modifications, methylcytosine (mC) and hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC), yet their cell type–specific landscapes and relationship with gene expression are poorly understood. We report high-resolution (h)mC analyses, together with transcriptome and histone modification profiling, in three major cell types in human prefrontal cortex: glutamatergic excitatory neurons, medial ganglionic eminence–derived γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inhibitory neurons, and oligodendrocytes. We detected a unique association between hmC and gene expression in inhibitory neurons that differed significantly from the pattern in excitatory neurons and oligodendrocytes. We also found that risk loci associated with neuropsychiatric diseases were enriched near regions of reduced hmC in excitatory neurons and reduced mC in inhibitory neurons. Our findings indicate differential roles for mC and hmC in regulation of gene expression in different brain cell types, with implications for the etiology of human brain diseases.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Godfrey Grech ◽  
Marieke von Lindern

Organisation of RNAs into functional subgroups that are translated in response to extrinsic and intrinsic factors underlines a relatively unexplored gene expression modulation that drives cell fate in the same manner as regulation of the transcriptome by transcription factors. Recent studies on the molecular mechanisms of inflammatory responses and haematological disorders indicate clearly that the regulation of mRNA translation at the level of translation initiation, mRNA stability, and protein isoform synthesis is implicated in the tight regulation of gene expression. This paper outlines how these posttranscriptional control mechanisms, including control at the level of translation initiation factors and the role of RNA binding proteins, affect hematopoiesis. The clinical relevance of these mechanisms in haematological disorders indicates clearly the potential therapeutic implications and the need of molecular tools that allow measurement at the level of translational control. Although the importance of miRNAs in translation control is well recognised and studied extensively, this paper will exclude detailed account of this level of control.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devanshi Patel ◽  
Xiaoling Zhang ◽  
John J. Farrell ◽  
Jaeyoon Chung ◽  
Thor D. Stein ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBecause regulation of gene expression is heritable and context-dependent, we investigated AD-related gene expression patterns in cell-types in blood and brain. Cis-expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping was performed genome-wide in blood from 5,257 Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants and in brain donated by 475 Religious Orders Study/Memory & Aging Project (ROSMAP) participants. The association of gene expression with genotypes for all cis SNPs within 1Mb of genes was evaluated using linear regression models for unrelated subjects and linear mixed models for related subjects. Cell type-specific eQTL (ct-eQTL) models included an interaction term for expression of “proxy” genes that discriminate particular cell type. Ct-eQTL analysis identified 11,649 and 2,533 additional significant gene-SNP eQTL pairs in brain and blood, respectively, that were not detected in generic eQTL analysis. Of note, 386 unique target eGenes of significant eQTLs shared between blood and brain were enriched in apoptosis and Wnt signaling pathways. Five of these shared genes are established AD loci. The potential importance and relevance to AD of significant results in myeloid cell-types is supported by the observation that a large portion of GWS ct-eQTLs map within 1Mb of established AD loci and 58% (23/40) of the most significant eGenes in these eQTLs have previously been implicated in AD. This study identified cell-type specific expression patterns for established and potentially novel AD genes, found additional evidence for the role of myeloid cells in AD risk, and discovered potential novel blood and brain AD biomarkers that highlight the importance of cell-type specific analysis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana J. Chucair-Elliott ◽  
Sarah R. Ocañas ◽  
David R. Stanford ◽  
Victor A. Ansere ◽  
Kyla B. Buettner ◽  
...  

AbstractEpigenetic regulation of gene expression occurs in a cell type-specific manner. Current cell-type specific neuroepigenetic studies rely on cell sorting methods that can alter cell phenotype and introduce potential confounds. Here we demonstrate and validate a Nuclear Tagging and Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (NuTRAP) approach for temporally controlled labeling and isolation of ribosomes and nuclei, and thus RNA and DNA, from specific central nervous system cell types. Analysis of gene expression and DNA modifications in astrocytes or microglia from the same animal demonstrates differential usage of DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in CpG and non-CpG contexts that corresponds to cell type-specific gene expression. Application of this approach in LPS treated mice uncovers microglia-specific transcriptome and epigenome changes in inflammatory pathways that cannot be detected with tissue-level analysis. The NuTRAP model and the validation approaches presented can be applied to any brain cell type for which a cell type-specific cre is available.


2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. S110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Wendt ◽  
Gita Pathak ◽  
Todd Lencz ◽  
John Krystal ◽  
Joel Gelernter ◽  
...  

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Garabedian ◽  
Charles A. Harris ◽  
Freddy Jeanneteau

Glucocorticoids via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) have effects on a variety of cell types, eliciting important physiological responses via changes in gene expression and signaling. Although decades of research have illuminated the mechanism of how this important steroid receptor controls gene expression using in vitro and cell culture–based approaches, how GR responds to changes in external signals in vivo under normal and pathological conditions remains elusive. The goal of this review is to highlight recent work on GR action in fat cells and liver to affect metabolism in vivo and the role GR ligands and receptor phosphorylation play in calibrating signaling outputs by GR in the brain in health and disease. We also suggest that both the brain and fat tissue communicate to affect physiology and behavior and that understanding this “brain-fat axis” will enable a more complete understanding of metabolic diseases and inform new ways to target them.


2000 ◽  
Vol 353 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. BURGOYNE ◽  
Jamie L. WEISS

Ca2+ plays a central role in the function of neurons as the trigger for neurotransmitter release, and many aspects of neuronal activity, from rapid modulation to changes in gene expression, are controlled by Ca2+. These actions of Ca2+ must be mediated by Ca2+-binding proteins, including calmodulin, which is involved in Ca2+ regulation, not only in neurons, but in most other cell types. A large number of other EF-hand-containing Ca2+-binding proteins are known. One family of these, the neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) proteins, has a restricted expression in retinal photoreceptors or neurons and neuroendocrine cells, suggesting that they have specialized roles in these cell types. Two members of the family (recoverin and guanylate cyclase-activating protein) have established roles in the regulation of phototransduction. Despite close sequence similarities, the NCS proteins have distinct neuronal distributions, suggesting that they have different functions. Recent work has begun to demonstrate the physiological roles of members of this protein family. These include roles in the modulation of neurotransmitter release, control of cyclic nucleotide metabolism, biosynthesis of polyphosphoinositides, regulation of gene expression and in the direct regulation of ion channels. In the present review we describe the known sequences and structures of the NCS proteins, information on their interactions with target proteins and current knowledge about their cellular and physiological functions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 10235-10250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna H. Schuh ◽  
Alex J. Tipping ◽  
Allison J. Clark ◽  
Isla Hamlett ◽  
Boris Guyot ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Lineage specification and cellular maturation require coordinated regulation of gene expression programs. In large part, this is dependent on the activator and repressor functions of protein complexes associated with tissue-specific transcriptional regulators. In this study, we have used a proteomic approach to characterize multiprotein complexes containing the key hematopoietic regulator SCL in erythroid and megakaryocytic cell lines. One of the novel SCL-interacting proteins identified in both cell types is the transcriptional corepressor ETO-2. Interaction between endogenous proteins was confirmed in primary cells. We then showed that SCL complexes are shared but also significantly differ in the two cell types. Importantly, SCL/ETO-2 interacts with another corepressor, Gfi-1b, in red cells but not megakaryocytes. The SCL/ETO-2/Gfi-1b association is lost during erythroid differentiation of primary fetal liver cells. Genetic studies of erythroid cells show that ETO-2 exerts a repressor effect on SCL target genes. We suggest that, through its association with SCL, ETO-2 represses gene expression in the early stages of erythroid differentiation and that alleviation/modulation of the repressive state is then required for expression of genes necessary for terminal erythroid maturation to proceed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Bryois ◽  
Daniela Calini ◽  
Will Macnair ◽  
Lynette Foo ◽  
Eduard Urich ◽  
...  

Most expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies to date have been performed in heterogeneous brain tissues as opposed to specific cell types. To investigate the genetics of gene expression in adult human cell types from the central nervous system (CNS), we performed an eQTL analysis using single nuclei RNA-seq from 196 individuals in eight CNS cell types. We identified 6108 eGenes, a substantial fraction (43%, 2620 out of 6108) of which show cell-type specific effects, with strongest effects in microglia. Integration of CNS cell-type eQTLs with GWAS revealed novel relationships between expression and disease risk for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. For most GWAS loci, a single gene colocalized in a single cell type providing new clues into disease etiology. Our findings demonstrate substantial contrast in genetic regulation of gene expression among CNS cell types and reveal genetic mechanisms by which disease risk genes influence neurological disorders.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2395
Author(s):  
Tobias Strunz ◽  
Martin Kellner ◽  
Christina Kiel ◽  
Bernhard H. F. Weber

Elucidating the role of genetic variation in the regulation of gene expression is key to understanding the pathobiology of complex diseases which, in consequence, is crucial in devising targeted treatment options. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis correlates a genetic variant with the strength of gene expression, thus defining thousands of regulated genes in a multitude of human cell types and tissues. Some eQTL may not act independently of each other but instead may be regulated in a coordinated fashion by seemingly independent genetic variants. To address this issue, we combined the approaches of eQTL analysis and colocalization studies. Gene expression was determined in datasets comprising 49 tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. From about 33,000 regulated genes, over 14,000 were found to be co-regulated in pairs and were assembled across all tissues to almost 15,000 unique clusters containing up to nine regulated genes affected by the same eQTL signal. The distance of co-regulated eGenes was, on average, 112 kilobase pairs. Of 713 genes known to express clinical symptoms upon haploinsufficiency, 231 (32.4%) are part of at least one of the identified clusters. This calls for caution should treatment approaches aim at an upregulation of a haploinsufficient gene. In conclusion, we present an unbiased approach to identifying co-regulated genes in and across multiple tissues. Knowledge of such common effects is crucial to appreciate implications on biological pathways involved, specifically when a treatment option targets a co-regulated disease gene.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document