scholarly journals HuD Regulates mRNA-circRNA-miRNA Networks in the Mouse Striatum Linked to Neuronal Development and Drug Addiction

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 939
Author(s):  
Michela Dell’Orco ◽  
Amir Elyaderani ◽  
Annika Vannan ◽  
Shobana Sekar ◽  
Gregory Powell ◽  
...  

The RNA-binding protein HuD (a.k.a., ELAVL4) is involved in neuronal development and synaptic plasticity mechanisms, including addiction-related processes such as cocaine conditioned-place preference (CPP) and food reward. The most studied function of this protein is mRNA stabilization; however, we have recently shown that HuD also regulates the levels of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in neurons. To examine the role of HuD in the control of coding and non-coding RNA networks associated with substance use, we identified sets of differentially expressed mRNAs, circRNAs and miRNAs in the striatum of HuD knockout (KO) mice. Our findings indicate that significantly downregulated mRNAs are enriched in biological pathways related to cell morphology and behavior. Furthermore, deletion of HuD altered the levels of 15 miRNAs associated with drug seeking. Using these sets of data, we predicted that a large number of upregulated miRNAs form competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks with circRNAs and mRNAs associated with the neuronal development and synaptic plasticity proteins LSAMP and MARK3. Additionally, several downregulated miRNAs form ceRNA networks with mRNAs and circRNAs from MEF2D, PIK3R3, PTRPM and other neuronal proteins. Together, our results indicate that HuD regulates ceRNA networks controlling the levels of mRNAs associated with neuronal differentiation and synaptic physiology.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Liu ◽  
He Zhu ◽  
Li Fu ◽  
Tianmin Xu

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNA molecules, and these are differentially expressed in various diseases, including cancer, suggesting that circRNAs can regulate certain diseases. CircRNAs can act as miRNAs sponges, RNA-binding protein (RBP) sponges, and translation regulators, and they can become an important part of the regulation of gene expression. Furthermore, because of their biomedical features in body fluids, such as high abundance, conservation, and stability, circRNAs are seen as potential biomarkers for various cancers. Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the main causes of cancer-related death in women, and there have been a large number of studies that analyze circRNAs as a new object to be evaluated in CC. Therefore, this review, by understanding the role of circRNAs in CC, may create innovative strategies in the future clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of CC and promote the development of personalized and highly accurate cancer therapy.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 4240
Author(s):  
Thomas Meyer ◽  
Michael Sand ◽  
Lutz Schmitz ◽  
Eggert Stockfleth

Keratinocyte carcinomas (KC) include basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCC) and represents the most common cancer in Europe and North America. Both entities are characterized by a very high mutational burden, mainly UV signature mutations. Predominately mutated genes in BCC belong to the sonic hedgehog pathway, whereas, in cSCC, TP53, CDKN2A, NOTCH1/2 and others are most frequently mutated. In addition, the dysregulation of factors associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) was shown in invasive cSCC. The expression of factors associated with tumorigenesis can be controlled in several ways and include non-coding RNA molecules, such as micro RNAs (miRNA) long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) and circular RNAs (circRNA). To update findings on circRNA in KC, we reviewed 13 papers published since 2016, identified in a PubMed search. In both BCC and cSCC, numerous circRNAs were identified that were differently expressed compared to healthy skin. Some of them were shown to target miRNAs that are also dysregulated in KC. Moreover, some studies confirmed the biological functions of individual circRNAs involved in cancer development. Thus, circRNAs may be used as biomarkers of disease and disease progression and represent potential targets of new therapeutic approaches for KC.


Author(s):  
Patricia S. Churchland ◽  
Terrence J. Sejnowski

This chapter examines the physical mechanisms in nervous systems in order to elucidate the structural bases and functional principles of synaptic plasticity. Neuroscientific research on plasticity can be divided into four main streams: the neural mechanism for relatively simple kinds of plasticity, such as classical conditioning or habituation; anatomical and physiological studies of temporal lobe structures, including the hippocampus and the amygdala; study of the development of the visual system; and the relation between the animal's genes and the development of its nervous system. The chapter first considers the role of the mammalian hippocampus in learning and memory before discussing Donald Hebb's views on synaptic plasticity. It then explores the mechanisms underlying neuronal plasticity and those that decrease synaptic strength, the relevance of time with respect to plasticity, and the occurrence of plasticity during the development of the nervous system. It also describes modules, modularity, and networks in the brain.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1119-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jee Hae Kim ◽  
Hey-Kyoung Lee ◽  
Kogo Takamiya ◽  
Richard L. Huganir

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 5206-5219
Author(s):  
Meng-Ping Jiang ◽  
Wen-Xiu Xu ◽  
Jun-Chen Hou ◽  
Qi Xu ◽  
Dan-Dan Wang ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnab Nandi ◽  
Garima Virmani ◽  
Swananda Marathe

Early-life stress (ELS), including chronic deprivation of maternal care, exerts persistent life-long effects on animal physiology and behavior, and is associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders. Long-lasting changes in neuronal plasticity and electrophysiology are documented extensively in the animal models of ELS. However, the role of astroglia in the lasting effects of ELS remains elusive. Astrocytes are intricately involved in the regulation of synaptic physiology and behavior. Moreover, astrocytes play a major role in the innate and adaptive immune responses in the central nervous system (CNS). The role of immune responses and neuroinflammation in the altered brain development and persistent adverse effects of ELS are beginning to be explored. Innate immune response in the CNS is characterized by a phenomenon called astrogliosis, a process in which astrocytes undergo hypertrophy, along with changes in gene expression and function. While the immune activation and neuroinflammatory changes concomitant with ELS, or in juveniles and young adults have been reported, it is unclear whether mice subjected to ELS exhibit astrogliosis-like alterations well into late-adulthood. Here, we subjected mice to maternal separation from postnatal day 2 to day 22 and performed comprehensive morphometric analysis of hippocampal astrocytes during late-adulthood. We found that the astrocytes in the stratum radiatum region of the CA1 hippocampal subfield from maternally separated mice exhibit significant hypertrophy as late as 8 months of age, revealing the crucial changes in astrocytes that manifest long after the cessation of ELS. This study highlights the persistence of neuroinflammatory changes in mice exposed to ELS.


Author(s):  
Edward Beamer ◽  
Sonia A. L. Corrêa

p38 is a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), that responds primarily to stress stimuli. p38 has a number of targets for phosphorylation, including MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2). MK2 primarily functions as a master regulator of RNA-binding proteins, indirectly controlling gene expression at the level of translation. The role of MK2 in regulating the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines downstream of inflammation and cellular stress is well-described. A significant amount of evidence, however, now points to a role for the p38MAPK-MK2 signaling axis in mediating synaptic plasticity through control of AMPA receptor trafficking and the morphology of dendritic spines. These processes are mediated through control of cytoskeletal dynamics via the activation of cofilin-1 and possibly control of the expression of Arc/Arg3.1. There is evidence that MK2 is necessary for group I metabotropic glutamate receptors long-term depression (mGluR-LTD). Disruption of this signaling may play an important role in mediating cognitive dysfunction in neurological disorders such as fragile X syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. To date, the role of neuronal MK2 mediating synaptic plasticity in response to inflammatory stimuli has not yet been investigated. In immune cells, it is clear that MK2 is phosphorylated following activation of a broad range of cell surface receptors for cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. We propose that neuronal MK2 may be an important player in the link between inflammatory states and dysregulation of synaptic plasticity underlying cognitive functions. Finally, we discuss the potential of the p38MAPK-MK2 signaling axis as target for therapeutic intervention in a number of neurological disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Shirane ◽  
Hirotaka Shoji ◽  
Yutaka Hashimoto ◽  
Hiroyuki Katagiri ◽  
Shizuka Kobayashi ◽  
...  

Abstract Protrudin is a protein that resides in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum and is highly expressed in the nervous system. Although mutations in the human protrudin gene (ZFYVE27, also known as SPG33) give rise to hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), the physiological role of the encoded protein has been largely unclear. We therefore generated mice deficient in protrudin and subjected them to a battery of behavioral tests designed to examine their intermediate phenotypes. The protrudin-deficient mice were found to have a reduced body size and to manifest pleiotropic behavioral abnormalities, including hyperactivity, depression-like behavior, and deficits in attention and fear-conditioning memory. They exhibited no signs of HSP, however, consistent with the notion that HSP-associated mutations of protrudin may elicit neural degeneration, not as a result of a loss of function, but rather as a result of a gain of toxic function. Overall, our results suggest that protrudin might play an indispensable role in normal neuronal development and behavior.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Bathke ◽  
A. Susann Gauernack ◽  
Oliver Rupp ◽  
Lennart Weber ◽  
Christian Preusser ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The archaeal exosome is an exoribonucleolytic multiprotein complex, which degrades single-stranded RNA in 3′ to 5′ direction phosphorolytically. In a reverse reaction, it can add A-rich tails to the 3′-end of RNA. The catalytic center of the exosome is in the aRrp41 subunit of its hexameric core. Its RNA-binding subunits aRrp4 and aDnaG confer poly(A) preference to the complex. The archaeal exosome was intensely characterized in vitro, but still little is known about its interaction with natural substrates in the cell, particularly because analysis of the transcriptome-wide interaction of an exoribonuclease with RNA is challenging. Results To determine binding sites of the exosome to RNA on a global scale, we performed individual-nucleotide resolution UV crosslinking and immunoprecipitation (iCLIP) analysis with antibodies directed against aRrp4 and aRrp41 of the chrenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. A relatively high proportion (17–19%) of the obtained cDNA reads could not be mapped to the genome. Instead, they corresponded to adenine-rich RNA tails, which are post-transcriptionally synthesized by the exosome, and to circular RNAs (circRNAs). We identified novel circRNAs corresponding to 5′ parts of two homologous, transposase-related mRNAs. To detect preferred substrates of the exosome, the iCLIP reads were compared to the transcript abundance using RNA-Seq data. Among the strongly enriched exosome substrates were RNAs antisense to tRNAs, overlapping 3′-UTRs and RNAs containing poly(A) stretches. The majority of the read counts and crosslink sites mapped in mRNAs. Furthermore, unexpected crosslink sites clustering at 5′-ends of RNAs was detected. Conclusions In this study, RNA targets of an exoribonuclease were analyzed by iCLIP. The data documents the role of the archaeal exosome as an exoribonuclease and RNA-tailing enzyme interacting with all RNA classes, and underlines its role in mRNA turnover, which is important for adaptation of prokaryotic cells to changing environmental conditions. The clustering of crosslink sites near 5′-ends of genes suggests simultaneous binding of both RNA ends by the S. solfataricus exosome. This may serve to prevent translation of mRNAs dedicated to degradation in 3′-5′ direction.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ukpong B. Eyo ◽  
Long-Jun Wu

Unlike other resident neural cells that are of neuroectodermal origin, microglia are resident neural cells of mesodermal origin. Traditionally recognized for their immune functions during disease, new roles are being attributed to these cells in the development and maintenance of the central nervous system (CNS) including specific communication with neurons. In this review, we highlight some of the recent findings on the bidirectional interaction between neurons and microglia. We discuss these interactions along two lines. First, we review data that suggest that microglial activity is modulated by neuronal signals, focusing on evidence that (i) neurons are capable of regulating microglial activation state and influence basal microglial activities; (ii) classic neurotransmitters affect microglial behavior; (iii) chemotactic signals attract microglia during acute neuronal injury. Next, we discuss some of the recent data on how microglia signal to neurons. Signaling mechanisms include (i) direct physical contact of microglial processes with neuronal elements; (ii) microglial regulation of neuronal synapse and circuit by fractalkine, complement, and DAP12 signaling. In addition, we discuss the use of microglial depletion strategies in studying the role of microglia in neuronal development and synaptic physiology. Deciphering the mechanisms of bidirectional microglial-neuronal communication provides novel insights in understanding microglial function in both the healthy and diseased brain.


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