Decreased nuclear distribution nudE-like 1 enzyme activity in an animal model with dysfunctional disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 signaling featuring aberrant neurodevelopment and amphetamine-supersensitivity

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
João V Nani ◽  
Matheus C Fonseca ◽  
Sheila A Engi ◽  
Mayara G Perillo ◽  
Carlos SB Dias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neuronal Cell Body ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Peptidase Activity ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Wild Type Littermate ◽  
Nuclear Distribution ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Phenotype

Background: Interaction of nuclear-distribution element-like 1 with disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 protein is crucial for neurite outgrowth/neuronal migration, and this interaction competitively inhibits nuclear-distribution element-like 1 peptidase activity. Nuclear-distribution element-like 1 activity is reduced in antipsychotic-naïve first-episode psychosis and in medicated chronic schizophrenia, with even lower activity in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate in a rat model overexpressing human non-mutant disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1, with consequent dysfunctional disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 signaling, the relation of nuclear-distribution element-like 1 activity with neurodevelopment and dopamine-related phenotypes. Methods: We measured cell distribution in striatum and cortex by histology and microtomography, and quantified the basal and amphetamine-stimulated locomotion and nuclear-distribution element-like 1 activity (in blood and brain) of transgenic disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 rat vs wild-type littermate controls. Results: 3D assessment of neuronal cell body number and spatial organization of mercury-impregnated neurons showed defective neuronal positioning, characteristic of impaired cell migration, in striatum/nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex of transgenic disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 compared to wild-type brains. Basal nuclear-distribution element-like 1 activity was lower in the blood and also in several brain regions of transgenic disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 compared to wild-type. Locomotion and nuclear-distribution element-like 1 activity were both significantly increased by amphetamine in transgenic disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1, but not in wild-type. Conclusions: Our findings in the transgenic disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 rat allow us to state that decreased nuclear-distribution element-like 1 activity reflects both a trait (neurodevelopmental phenotype) and a state (amphetamine-induced dopamine release). We thus define here a role for decreased nuclear-distribution element-like 1 peptidase activity both for the developing brain (the neurodevelopmental phenotype) and for the adult (interaction with dopaminergic responses), and present nuclear-distribution element-like 1 activity in a novel way, as unifying neurodevelopmental with dysfunctional dopamine response phenotypes.

Conceptual disorganization and redistribution of resting state cortical hubs in untreated first episode psychosis: A 7T MRI study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avyarthana Dey ◽  
Kara Dempster ◽  
Michael Mackinley ◽  
Peter Jeon ◽  
Tushar Das ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
Cortical Reorganization ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Formal Thought Disorder ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Episode Psychosis ◽  
Positive And Negative Symptoms

Background:Network level dysconnectivity has been studied in positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Conceptual disorganization (CD) is a symptom subtype which predicts impaired real-world functioning in psychosis. Systematic reviews have reported aberrant connectivity in formal thought disorder, a construct related to CD. However, no studies have investigated whole-brain functional correlates of CD in psychosis. We sought to investigate brain regions explaining the severity of CD in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEPs) compared with healthy controls (HCs).Methods:We computed whole-brain binarized degree centrality maps of 31 FEPs, 25 HCs and characterized the patterns of network connectivity in the two groups. In FEPs, we related these findings to the severity of CD. We also studied the effect of positive and negative symptoms on altered network connectivity.Results:Compared to HCs, reduced hubness of a right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) cluster was observed in the FEPs. In patients exhibiting high CD, increased hubness of a medial superior parietal (mSPL) cluster was observed, compared to patients exhibiting low CD. These two regions were strongly correlated with CD scores but not with other symptom scores.Discussion:Our observations are congruent with previous findings of reduced but not increased hubness. We observed increased hubness of mSPL suggesting that cortical reorganization occurs to provide alternate routes for information transfer.Conclusion:These findings provide insight into the underlying neural processes mediating the presentation of symptoms in untreated FEP. A longitudinal tracking of the symptom course will be useful to assess the mechanisms underlying these compensatory changes.

scholarly journals Knockout of Putative Tumor Suppressor Aldh1l1 in Mice Reprograms Metabolism to Accelerate Growth of Tumors in a Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) Model of Liver Carcinogenesis

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3219
Author(s):  
Natalia I. Krupenko ◽  
Jaspreet Sharma ◽  
Halle M. Fogle ◽  
Peter Pediaditakis ◽  
Kyle C. Strickland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Growth ◽  
Chemical Carcinogenesis ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Liver Carcinogenesis ◽  
Wild Type Littermate ◽  
Tumor Multiplicity ◽  
Accelerate Growth ◽  
Putative Tumor Suppressor ◽  
Formyltetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase

Cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (ALDH1L1) is commonly downregulated in human cancers through promoter methylation. We proposed that ALDH1L1 loss promotes malignant tumor growth. Here, we investigated the effect of the Aldh1l1 mouse knockout (Aldh1l1−/−) on hepatocellular carcinoma using a chemical carcinogenesis model. Fifteen-day-old male Aldh1l1 knockout mice and their wild-type littermate controls (Aldh1l1+/+) were injected intraperitoneally with 20 μg/g body weight of DEN (diethylnitrosamine). Mice were sacrificed 10, 20, 28, and 36 weeks post-DEN injection, and livers were examined for tumor multiplicity and size. We observed that while tumor multiplicity did not differ between Aldh1l1−/− and Aldh1l1+/+ animals, larger tumors grew in Aldh1l1−/− compared to Aldh1l1+/+ mice at 28 and 36 weeks. Profound differences between Aldh1l1−/− and Aldh1l1+/+ mice in the expression of inflammation-related genes were seen at 10 and 20 weeks. Of note, large tumors from wild-type mice showed a strong decrease of ALDH1L1 protein at 36 weeks. Metabolomic analysis of liver tissues at 20 weeks showed stronger differences in Aldh1l1+/+ versus Aldh1l1−/− metabotypes than at 10 weeks, which underscores metabolic pathways that respond to DEN in an ALDH1L1-dependent manner. Our study indicates that Aldh1l1 knockout promoted liver tumor growth without affecting tumor initiation or multiplicity.

scholarly journals Wild-Type and Mutant FUS Expression Reduce Proliferation and Neuronal Differentiation Properties of Neural Stem Progenitor Cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7566
Author(s):  
Eleonora Stronati ◽  
Stefano Biagioni ◽  
Mario Fiore ◽  
Mauro Giorgi ◽  
Giancarlo Poiana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Neuronal Differentiation ◽  
Neuronal Cell Death ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Nervous System Development ◽  
Mutant Form ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Glial Lineage

Nervous system development involves proliferation and cell specification of progenitor cells into neurons and glial cells. Unveiling how this complex process is orchestrated under physiological conditions and deciphering the molecular and cellular changes leading to neurological diseases is mandatory. To date, great efforts have been aimed at identifying gene mutations associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mutations in the RNA/DNA binding protein Fused in Sarcoma/Translocated in Liposarcoma (FUS/TLS) have been associated with motor neuron degeneration in rodents and humans. Furthermore, increased levels of the wild-type protein can promote neuronal cell death. Despite the well-established causal link between FUS mutations and ALS, its role in neural cells remains elusive. In order to shed new light on FUS functions we studied its role in the control of neural stem progenitor cell (NSPC) properties. Here, we report that human wild-type Fused in Sarcoma (WT FUS), exogenously expressed in mouse embryonic spinal cord-derived NSPCs, was localized in the nucleus, caused cell cycle arrest in G1 phase by affecting cell cycle regulator expression, and strongly reduced neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, the expression of the human mutant form of FUS (P525L-FUS), associated with early-onset ALS, drives the cells preferentially towards a glial lineage, strongly reducing the number of developing neurons. These results provide insight into the involvement of FUS in NSPC proliferation and differentiation into neurons and glia.

scholarly journals Disruption of a RAC1-centred network is associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology and causes age-dependent neurodegeneration

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 817-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masataka Kikuchi ◽  
Michiko Sekiya ◽  
Norikazu Hara ◽  
Akinori Miyashita ◽  
Ryozo Kuwano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Neurofibrillary Tangle ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Protein Domain ◽  
Expression Data ◽  
Integrated Network ◽  
Age Dependent

Abstract The molecular biological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) involve disease-associated crosstalk through many genes and include a loss of normal as well as a gain of abnormal interactions among genes. A protein domain network (PDN) is a collection of physical bindings that occur between protein domains, and the states of the PDNs in patients with AD are likely to be perturbed compared to those in normal healthy individuals. To identify PDN changes that cause neurodegeneration, we analysed the PDNs that occur among genes co-expressed in each of three brain regions at each stage of AD. Our analysis revealed that the PDNs collapsed with the progression of AD stage and identified five hub genes, including Rac1, as key players in PDN collapse. Using publicly available as well as our own gene expression data, we confirmed that the mRNA expression level of the RAC1 gene was downregulated in the entorhinal cortex (EC) of AD brains. To test the causality of these changes in neurodegeneration, we utilized Drosophila as a genetic model and found that modest knockdown of Rac1 in neurons was sufficient to cause age-dependent behavioural deficits and neurodegeneration. Finally, we identified a microRNA, hsa-miR-101-3p, as a potential regulator of RAC1 in AD brains. As the Braak neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) stage progressed, the expression levels of hsa-miR-101-3p were increased specifically in the EC. Furthermore, overexpression of hsa-miR-101-3p in the human neuronal cell line SH-SY5Y caused RAC1 downregulation. These results highlight the utility of our integrated network approach for identifying causal changes leading to neurodegeneration in AD.

scholarly journals Decreased connexin43 expression in the mouse heart potentiates pacing-induced remodeling of repolarizing currents

2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (5) ◽  
pp. H1905-H1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrianos Kontogeorgis ◽  
Xiaodong Li ◽  
Eunice Y. Kang ◽  
Jonathan E. Feig ◽  
Marc Ponzio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junction ◽  
Ventricular Myocytes ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Mouse Heart ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Wild Type Littermate ◽  
Cx43 Expression ◽  
Significant Prolongation ◽  
Electrophysiological Effects

Gap junction redistribution and reduced expression, a phenomenon termed gap junction remodeling (GJR), is often seen in diseased hearts and may predispose toward arrhythmias. We have recently shown that short-term pacing in the mouse is associated with changes in connexin43 (Cx43) expression and localization but not with increased inducibility into sustained arrhythmias. We hypothesized that short-term pacing, if imposed on murine hearts with decreased Cx43 abundance, could serve as a model for evaluating the electrophysiological effects of GJR. We paced wild-type (normal Cx43 abundance) and heterozygous Cx43 knockout (Cx43+/−; 66% mean reduction in Cx43) mice for 6 h at 10–15% above their average sinus rate. We investigated the electrophysiological effects of pacing on the whole animal using programmed electrical stimulation and in isolated ventricular myocytes with patch-clamp studies. Cx43+/− myocytes had significantly shorter action potential durations (APD) and increased steady-state ( Iss) and inward rectifier ( IK1) potassium currents compared with those of wild-type littermate cells. In Cx43+/− hearts, pacing resulted in a significant prolongation of ventricular effective refractory period and APD and significant diminution of Iss compared with unpaced Cx43+/− hearts. However, these changes were not seen in paced wild-type mice. These data suggest that Cx43 abundance plays a critical role in regulating currents involved in myocardial repolarization and their response to pacing. Our study may aid in understanding how dyssynchronous activation of diseased, Cx43-deficient myocardial tissue can lead to electrophysiological changes, which may contribute to the worsened prognosis often associated with pacing in the failing heart.

scholarly journals Multi-scale analysis of schizophrenia risk genes, brain structure, and clinical symptoms reveals integrative clues for subtyping schizophrenia patients

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 678-687
Author(s):  
Liang Ma ◽  
Edmund T Rolls ◽  
Xiuqin Liu ◽  
Yuting Liu ◽  
Zeyu Jiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Scale Analysis ◽  
Risk Genes ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Multi Scale Analysis

AbstractAnalysis linking directly genomics, neuroimaging phenotypes and clinical measurements is crucial for understanding psychiatric disorders, but remains rare. Here, we describe a multi-scale analysis using genome-wide SNPs, gene expression, grey matter volume (GMV), and the positive and negative syndrome scale scores (PANSS) to explore the etiology of schizophrenia. With 72 drug-naive schizophrenic first episode patients (FEPs) and 73 matched heathy controls, we identified 108 genes, from schizophrenia risk genes, that correlated significantly with GMV, which are highly co-expressed in the brain during development. Among these 108 candidates, 19 distinct genes were found associated with 16 brain regions referred to as hot clusters (HCs), primarily in the frontal cortex, sensory-motor regions and temporal and parietal regions. The patients were subtyped into three groups with distinguishable PANSS scores by the GMV of the identified HCs. Furthermore, we found that HCs with common GMV among patient groups are related to genes that mostly mapped to pathways relevant to neural signaling, which are associated with the risk for schizophrenia. Our results provide an integrated view of how genetic variants may affect brain structures that lead to distinct disease phenotypes. The method of multi-scale analysis that was described in this research, may help to advance the understanding of the etiology of schizophrenia.

Neurotransmission in neonatal rat cardiac ganglion in situ

1990 ◽  
Vol 259 (4) ◽  
pp. H997-H1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Seabrook ◽  
L. A. Fieber ◽  
D. J. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Heart Beat ◽  
Neonatal Rat ◽  
Neuronal Cell Body ◽  
High Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Cardiac Ganglion ◽  
Cardiac Ganglia

The intrinsic cardiac ganglia of the neonatal rat heart in situ were studied using electrophysiological and histochemical techniques. The vagal branches innervating the atrial myocardium and cardiac ganglia were identified and individual ganglion cells visualized using Hoffman modulation contrast optics. Histochemical studies revealed the presence of acetylcholinesterase activity associated with neuronal cell bodies and fibers, catecholamine-containing, small intensely fluorescent cells, and cell bodies and nerve fibers immunoreactive for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Intracellular recordings from the "principal" cells of the rat cardiac ganglion in situ revealed a fast excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) evoked after electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve, which was inhibited by the nicotinic receptor antagonist, mecamylamine. No spontaneously firing neurons were found, although infrequent (less than 2 min-1) spontaneous miniature EPSPs were observed in most neurons. The quantal content of neurally evoked responses was between 10 and 30 quanta, and the presence of multiple EPSPs in some cells suggested polyneuronal innervation. The neurally evoked EPSP amplitude was dependent on the rate of nerve stimulation, decreasing with increasing frequency of stimulation. Neurons exhibited a sustained depolarization during high frequency stimulation (greater than 1 Hz), and in approximately 15% of the cells a slow depolarization lasting 1-3 min was observed after a train of stimuli. The presence of catecholamine- and neuropeptide-containing neuronal cell body fibers in neonatal rat cardiac ganglia in situ, along with neurally evoked postsynaptic responses resistant to cholinergic ganglionic blockers, suggests a role for noncholinergic transmission in the regulation of the mammalian heart beat.

scholarly journals Individual Palmitoyl Residues Serve Distinct Roles in H-Ras Trafficking, Microlocalization, and Signaling

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (15) ◽  
pp. 6722-6733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Roy ◽  
Sarah Plowman ◽  
Barak Rotblat ◽  
Ian A. Prior ◽  
Cornelia Muncke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Lipid Rafts ◽  
Lipid Bilayer ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Cysteine Residues ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Membrane Affinity ◽  
Lateral Segregation

ABSTRACT H-ras is anchored to the plasma membrane by two palmitoylated cysteine residues, Cys181 and Cys184, operating in concert with a C-terminal S-farnesyl cysteine carboxymethylester. Here we demonstrate that the two palmitates serve distinct biological roles. Monopalmitoylation of Cys181 is required and sufficient for efficient trafficking of H-ras to the plasma membrane, whereas monopalmitoylation of Cys184 does not permit efficient trafficking beyond the Golgi apparatus. However, once at the plasma membrane, monopalmitoylation of Cys184 supports correct GTP-regulated lateral segregation of H-ras between cholesterol-dependent and cholesterol-independent microdomains. In contrast, monopalmitoylation of Cys181 dramatically reverses H-ras lateral segregation, driving GTP-loaded H-ras into cholesterol-dependent microdomains. Intriguingly, the Cys181 monopalmitoylated H-ras anchor emulates the GTP-regulated microdomain interactions of N-ras. These results identify N-ras as the Ras isoform that normally signals from lipid rafts but also reveal that spacing between palmitate and prenyl groups influences anchor interactions with the lipid bilayer. This concept is further supported by the different plasma membrane affinities of the monopalmitoylated anchors: Cys181-palmitate is equivalent to the dually palmitoylated wild-type anchor, whereas Cys184-palmitate is weaker. Thus, membrane affinity of a palmitoylated anchor is a function both of the hydrophobicity of the lipid moieties and their spatial organization. Finally we show that the plasma membrane affinity of monopalmitoylated anchors is absolutely dependent on cholesterol, identifying a new role for cholesterol in promoting interactions with the raft and nonraft plasma membrane.

scholarly journals Focal changes in brain energy and phospholipid metabolism in first-episode schizophrenia

2004 ◽  
Vol 184 (5) ◽  
pp. 409-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Eric Jensen ◽  
Jodi Miller ◽  
Peter C. Williamson ◽  
Richard W J. Neufeld ◽  
Ravi S. Menon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Resonance Spectroscopy ◽  
Membrane Breakdown ◽  
First Episode Schizophrenia

BackgroundMembrane phospholipid and high-energy abnormalities measured with phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) have been reported in patients with schizophrenia in several brain regions.AimsUsing improved imaging techniques, previously inaccessible brain regions were examined in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and healthy volunteers with 4.0 T 31P-MRS.MethodBrain spectra were collected in vivo from 15 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 15 healthy volunteers from 15 cm3 effective voxels in the thalamus, cerebellum, hippocampus, anterior/posterior cingulate, prefrontal cortex and parieto-occipital cortex.ResultsPeople with first-episode schizophrenia showed increased levels of glycerophosphocholine in the anterior cingulate. Inorganic phosphate, phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate concentrations were also increased in the anterior cingulate in this group.ConclusionsThe increased phosphodiester and high-energy phosphate levels in the anterior cingulate of brains of people with first-episode schizophrenia may indicate neural overactivity in this region during the early stages of the illness, resulting in increased excitotoxic neural membrane breakdown.

Separation of a process from the neuronal cell body using a thin aluminum foil separator

1998 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kosuke Noda ◽  
Keita Jimbo ◽  
Kazuo Suzuki ◽  
Kentaro Yoda
Keyword(s):  
Cell Body ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Aluminum Foil ◽  
Neuronal Cell Body ◽  
Thin Aluminum ◽  
Thin Aluminum Foil
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