Direct Neuronal Reprogramming of Common Marmoset Fibroblasts by ASCL1, microRNA-9/9*, and microRNA-124 Overexpression

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has attracted considerable attention, especially in the biomedical science and neuroscience research fields, because of its potential to recapitulate the complex and multidimensional phenotypes of human diseases, and several neurodegenerative transgenic models have been reported. However, there remain several issues as (i) it takes years to generate late-onset disease models, and (ii) the onset age and severity of phenotypes can vary among individuals due to differences in genetic background. In the present study, we established an efficient and rapid direct neuronal induction method (induced neurons; iNs) from embryonic and adult marmoset fibroblasts to investigate cellular-level phenotypes in the marmoset brain in vitro. We overexpressed reprogramming effectors, i.e., microRNA-9/9*, microRNA-124, and Achaete-Scute family bHLH transcription factor 1, in fibroblasts with a small molecule cocktail that facilitates neuronal induction. The resultant iNs from embryonic and adult marmoset fibroblasts showed neuronal characteristics within two weeks, including neuron-specific gene expression and spontaneous neuronal activity. As directly reprogrammed neurons have been shown to model neurodegenerative disorders, the neuronal reprogramming of marmoset fibroblasts may offer new tools for investigating neurological phenotypes associated with disease progression in non-human primate neurological disease models.

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Angelman syndrome-derived neurons display late onset of paternal UBE3A silencing

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/srep30792 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Jana Stanurova ◽

Anika Neureiter ◽

Michaela Hiber ◽

Hannah de Oliveira Kessler ◽

Kristin Stolp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Angelman Syndrome ◽

Late Onset ◽

Gene Mutations ◽

Neuronal Model ◽

Dermal Fibroblasts ◽

Differentially Methylated Region ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Region Gene ◽

Base Pair Deletion

Abstract Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon resulting in parent-of-origin-specific gene expression that is regulated by a differentially methylated region. Gene mutations or failures in the imprinting process lead to the development of imprinting disorders, such as Angelman syndrome. The symptoms of Angelman syndrome are caused by the absence of functional UBE3A protein in neurons of the brain. To create a human neuronal model for Angelman syndrome, we reprogrammed dermal fibroblasts of a patient carrying a defined three-base pair deletion in UBE3A into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In these iPSCs, both parental alleles are present, distinguishable by the mutation and express UBE3A. Detailed characterization of these iPSCs demonstrated their pluripotency and exceptional stability of the differentially methylated region regulating imprinted UBE3A expression. We observed strong induction of SNHG14 and silencing of paternal UBE3A expression only late during neuronal differentiation, in vitro. This new Angelman syndrome iPSC line allows to study imprinted gene regulation on both parental alleles and to dissect molecular pathways affected by the absence of UBE3A protein.

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Exploiting Anti-Inflammation Effects of Flavonoids in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612826666200408101550 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (22) ◽

pp. 2610-2619 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tarique Hussain ◽

Ghulam Murtaza ◽

Huansheng Yang ◽

Muhammad S. Kalhoro ◽

Dildar H. Kalhoro

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Therapeutic Option ◽

Cellular Level ◽

Antiinflammatory Drugs ◽

Suitable Alternative ◽

Chronic Inflammatory Diseases

Background: Inflammation is a complex response of the host defense system to different internal and external stimuli. It is believed that persistent inflammation may lead to chronic inflammatory diseases such as, inflammatory bowel disease, neurological and cardiovascular diseases. Oxidative stress is the main factor responsible for the augmentation of inflammation via various molecular pathways. Therefore, alleviating oxidative stress is effective a therapeutic option against chronic inflammatory diseases. Methods: This review article extends the knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms of flavonoids targeting inflammatory pathways in chronic diseases, which would be the best approach for the development of suitable therapeutic agents against chronic diseases. Results: Since the inflammatory response is initiated by numerous signaling molecules like NF-κB, MAPK, and Arachidonic acid pathways, their encountering function can be evaluated with the activation of Nrf2 pathway, a promising approach to inhibit/prevent chronic inflammatory diseases by flavonoids. Over the last few decades, flavonoids drew much attention as a potent alternative therapeutic agent. Recent clinical evidence has shown significant impacts of flavonoids on chronic diseases in different in-vivo and in-vitro models. Conclusion: Flavonoid compounds can interact with chronic inflammatory diseases at the cellular level and modulate the response of protein pathways. A promising approach is needed to overlook suitable alternative compounds providing more therapeutic efficacy and exerting fewer side effects than commercially available antiinflammatory drugs.

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Epithelial Organotypic Cultures: A Viable Model to Address Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis by Epitheliotropic Viruses

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1568026618666180410125850 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 246-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lara Termini ◽

Enrique Boccardo

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Cell Types ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Biological Research ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Specific Cell ◽

Organotypic Cultures ◽

Skin Physiology

In vitro culture of primary or established cell lines is one of the leading techniques in many areas of basic biological research. The use of pure or highly enriched cultures of specific cell types obtained from different tissues and genetics backgrounds has greatly contributed to our current understanding of normal and pathological cellular processes. Cells in culture are easily propagated generating an almost endless source of material for experimentation. Besides, they can be manipulated to achieve gene silencing, gene overexpression and genome editing turning possible the dissection of specific gene functions and signaling pathways. However, monolayer and suspension cultures of cells do not reproduce the cell type diversity, cell-cell contacts, cell-matrix interactions and differentiation pathways typical of the three-dimensional environment of tissues and organs from where they were originated. Therefore, different experimental animal models have been developed and applied to address these and other complex issues in vivo. However, these systems are costly and time consuming. Most importantly the use of animals in scientific research poses moral and ethical concerns facing a steadily increasing opposition from different sectors of the society. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of alternative in vitro experimental models that accurately reproduce the events observed in vivo to reduce the use of animals. Organotypic cultures combine the flexibility of traditional culture systems with the possibility of culturing different cell types in a 3D environment that reproduces both the structure and the physiology of the parental organ. Here we present a summarized description of the use of epithelial organotypic for the study of skin physiology, human papillomavirus biology and associated tumorigenesis.

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A novel BRD4 inhibitor suppresses osteoclastogenesis and ovariectomized osteoporosis by blocking RANKL-mediated MAPK and NF-κB pathways

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-021-03939-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Liu ◽

Wenjie Liu ◽

Ziqiang Yu ◽

Yan Zhang ◽

Yinghua Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bone Loss ◽

Osteoporosis Treatment ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Actin Ring ◽

Treatment Target ◽

Significant Inhibitory Effect ◽

Promising Treatment

AbstractBromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) has emerged as a promising treatment target for bone-related disorders. (+)-JQ1, a thienotriazolodiazepine compound, has been shown to inhibit pro-osteoclastic activity in a BRD4-dependent approach and impede bone loss caused by ovariectomy (OVX) in vivo. However, clinical trials of (+)-JQ1 are limited because of its poor druggability. In this study, we synthesized a new (+)-JQ1 derivative differing in structure and chirality. One such derivative, (+)-ND, exhibited higher solubility and excellent inhibitory activity against BRD4 compared with its analogue (+)-JQ1. Interestingly, (-)-JQ1 and (-)-ND exhibited low anti-proliferative activity and had no significant inhibitory effect on RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis as compared with (+)-JQ1 and (+)-ND, suggesting the importance of chirality in the biological activity of compounds. Among these compounds, (+)-ND displayed the most prominent inhibitory effect on RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis. Moreover, (+)-ND could inhibit osteoclast-specific gene expression, F‐actin ring generation, and bone resorption in vitro and prevent bone loss in OVX mice. Collectively, these findings indicated that (+)-ND represses RANKL‐stimulated osteoclastogenesis and averts OVX-triggered osteoporosis by suppressing MAPK and NF-κB signalling cascades, suggesting that it may be a prospective candidate for osteoporosis treatment.

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Skin Disease Models In Vitro and Inflammatory Mechanisms: Predictability for Drug Development

10.1007/164_2020_428 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hans Christian Hennies ◽

Yves Poumay

Keyword(s):

Drug Development ◽

Skin Disease ◽

Disease Models

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Repeated electromagnetic field stimulation lowers amyloid-β peptide levels in primary human mixed brain tissue cultures

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-77808-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Felipe P. Perez ◽

Bryan Maloney ◽

Nipun Chopra ◽

Jorge J. Morisaki ◽

Debomoy K. Lahiri

Keyword(s):

Electromagnetic Field ◽

Late Onset ◽

Amyloid Β ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Amyloid Β Peptide ◽

Field Stimulation ◽

Amino Acid Residues ◽

Hyperphosphorylated Tau Protein ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri

AbstractLate Onset Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia, characterized by extracellular deposition of plaques primarily of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide and tangles primarily of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. We present data to suggest a noninvasive strategy to decrease potentially toxic Aβ levels, using repeated electromagnetic field stimulation (REMFS) in primary human brain (PHB) cultures. We examined effects of REMFS on Aβ levels (Aβ40 and Aβ42, that are 40 or 42 amino acid residues in length, respectively) in PHB cultures at different frequencies, powers, and specific absorption rates (SAR). PHB cultures at day in vitro 7 (DIV7) treated with 64 MHz, and 1 hour daily for 14 days (DIV 21) had significantly reduced levels of secreted Aβ40 (p = 001) and Aβ42 (p = 0.029) peptides, compared to untreated cultures. PHB cultures (DIV7) treated at 64 MHz, for 1 or 2 hour during 14 days also produced significantly lower Aβ levels. PHB cultures (DIV28) treated with 64 MHz 1 hour/day during 4 or 8 days produced a similar significant reduction in Aβ40 levels. 0.4 W/kg was the minimum SAR required to produce a biological effect. Exposure did not result in cellular toxicity nor significant changes in secreted Aβ precursor protein-α (sAPPα) levels, suggesting the decrease in Aβ did not likely result from redirection toward the α-secretase pathway. EMF frequency and power used in our work is utilized in human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, thus suggesting REMFS can be further developed in clinical settings to modulate Aβ deposition.

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Angiogenic Effect of Pravastatin Alone and with Sera from Healthy and Complicated Pregnancies Studied by in vitro Vasculogenesis/Angiogenesis Assay

Journal of Vascular Research ◽

10.1159/000512831 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Anita Virtanen ◽

Outi Huttala ◽

Kati Tihtonen ◽

Tarja Toimela ◽

Tuula Heinonen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Direct Effect ◽

Late Onset ◽

Maternal Serum ◽

In Vitro Assay ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Therapeutic Concentration ◽

Tubule Formation ◽

Vitro Assay ◽

Angiogenesis Assay

Objective: To determine the direct effect of pravastatin on angiogenesis and to study the interaction between pravastatin and maternal sera from women with early- or late-onset pre-eclampsia (PE), intrauterine growth restriction, or healthy pregnancy. Methods: We collected 5 maternal serum samples from each group. The effect of pravastatin on angiogenesis was assessed with and without maternal sera by quantifying tubule formation in a human-based in vitro assay. Pravastatin was added at 20, 1,000, and 8,000 ng/mL concentrations. Concentrations of angiogenic and inflammatory biomarkers in serum and in test medium after supplementation of serum alone and with pravastatin (1,000 ng/mL) were measured. Results: Therapeutic concentration of pravastatin (20 ng/mL) did not have significant direct effect on angiogenesis, but the highest concentrations inhibited angiogenesis. Pravastatin did not change the levels of biomarkers in the test media. There were no changes in angiogenesis when therapeutic dose of pravastatin was added with maternal sera, but there was a trend to wide individual variation towards enhanced angiogenesis, particularly in the early-onset PE group. Conclusions: At therapeutic concentration, pravastatin alone or with maternal sera has no significant effect on angiogenesis, but at high concentrations the effect seems to be anti-angiogenic estimated by in vitro assay.

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Absence of S100A4 in the mouse lens induces an aberrant retina-specific differentiation program and cataract

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-81611-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rupalatha Maddala ◽

Junyuan Gao ◽

Richard T. Mathias ◽

Tylor R. Lewis ◽

Vadim Y. Arshavsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Calcium Binding ◽

Late Onset ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Transcriptome Profiling ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Pathway Network ◽

S100a4 Expression ◽

Histone H3k27 ◽

Pathway Analyses ◽

Upregulated Genes

AbstractS100A4, a member of the S100 family of multifunctional calcium-binding proteins, participates in several physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we demonstrate that S100A4 expression is robustly induced in differentiating fiber cells of the ocular lens and that S100A4(−/−) knockout mice develop late-onset cortical cataracts. Transcriptome profiling of lenses from S100A4(−/−) mice revealed a robust increase in the expression of multiple photoreceptor- and Müller glia-specific genes, as well as the olfactory sensory neuron-specific gene, S100A5. This aberrant transcriptional profile is characterized by corresponding increases in the levels of proteins encoded by the aberrantly upregulated genes. Ingenuity pathway network and curated pathway analyses of differentially expressed genes in S100A4(−/−) lenses identified Crx and Nrl transcription factors as the most significant upstream regulators, and revealed that many of the upregulated genes possess promoters containing a high-density of CpG islands bearing trimethylation marks at histone H3K27 and/or H3K4, respectively. In support of this finding, we further documented that S100A4(−/−) knockout lenses have altered levels of trimethylated H3K27 and H3K4. Taken together, our findings suggest that S100A4 suppresses the expression of retinal genes during lens differentiation plausibly via a mechanism involving changes in histone methylation.

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Investigation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa Protein as a Source of Novel Angiotensin I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) and Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) Inhibitory Peptides

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13051624 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 1624

Author(s):

Yuchen Li ◽

Gilda Aiello ◽

Enrico Mario Alessandro Fassi ◽

Giovanna Boschin ◽

Martina Bartolomei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chlorella Pyrenoidosa ◽

Cellular Level ◽

Potential Interaction ◽

Converting Enzyme ◽

Inhibitory Peptides ◽

Angiotensin I Converting Enzyme ◽

Dpp Iv ◽

Ace Activity ◽

The Stability

Chlorella pyrenoidosa (C. pyrenoidosa) is a microalgae species with a remarkably high protein content that may potentially become a source of hypotensive and hypoglycemic peptides. In this study, C. pyrenoidosa proteins were extracted and hydrolyzed overnight with pepsin and trypsin with final degrees of hydrolysis of 18.7% and 35.5%, respectively. By LC-MS/MS, 47 valid peptides were identified in the peptic hydrolysate (CP) and 66 in the tryptic one (CT). At the concentration of 1.0 mg/mL, CP and CT hydrolysates inhibit in vitro the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity by 84.2 ± 0.37% and 78.6 ± 1.7%, respectively, whereas, tested at cellular level at the concentration of 5.0 mg/mL, they reduce the ACE activity by 61.5 ± 7.7% and 69.9 ± 0.8%, respectively. At the concentration of 5.0 mg/mL, they decrease in vitro the DPP-IV activity by 63.7% and 69.6% and in Caco-2 cells by 38.4% and 42.5%, respectively. Short peptides (≤10 amino acids) were selected for investigating the potential interaction with ACE and DPP-IV by using molecular modeling approaches and four peptides were predicted to block both enzymes. Finally, the stability of these peptides was investigated against gastrointestinal digestion.

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Depression patient-derived cortical neurons reveal potential biomarkers for antidepressant response

Translational Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41398-021-01319-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yishai Avior ◽

Shiri Ron ◽

Dana Kroitorou ◽

Claudia Albeldas ◽

Vitaly Lerner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cortical Neurons ◽

Antidepressant Treatment ◽

Patient Specific ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Specific Information ◽

Patient Response ◽

Patient Will ◽

Gene Expression Alterations ◽

Treatment Alternatives

AbstractMajor depressive disorder is highly prevalent worldwide and has been affecting an increasing number of people each year. Current first line antidepressants show merely 37% remission, and physicians are forced to use a trial-and-error approach when choosing a single antidepressant out of dozens of available medications. We sought to identify a method of testing that would provide patient-specific information on whether a patient will respond to a medication using in vitro modeling. Patient-derived lymphoblastoid cell lines from the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study were used to rapidly generate cortical neurons and screen them for bupropion effects, for which the donor patients showed remission or non-remission. We provide evidence for biomarkers specific for bupropion response, including synaptic connectivity and morphology changes as well as specific gene expression alterations. These biomarkers support the concept of personalized antidepressant treatment based on in vitro platforms and could be utilized as predictors to patient response in the clinic.

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