Your browser doesn't support javascript.
loading
Mostrar: 20 | 50 | 100
Resultados 1 - 15 de 15
Filtrar
Mais filtros













Base de dados
Intervalo de ano de publicação
1.
Mol Brain ; 17(1): 15, 2024 Mar 05.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38443995

RESUMO

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes loss of balance and motor co-ordination, eventually leading to paralysis. It is caused by the autosomal dominant inheritance of a long CAG trinucleotide repeat sequence within the ATXN3 gene, encoding for an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat sequence within the ataxin-3 protein. Ataxin-3 containing an expanded polyQ repeat is known to be highly prone to intraneuronal aggregation, and previous studies have demonstrated that protein quality control pathways, such as autophagy, are impaired in MJD patients and animal models of the disease. In this study, we tested the therapeutic potential of spermidine on zebrafish and rodent models of MJD to determine its capacity to induce autophagy and improve functional output. Spermidine treatment of transgenic MJD zebrafish induced autophagy and resulted in increased distances swum by the MJD zebrafish. Interestingly, treatment of the CMVMJD135 mouse model of MJD with spermidine added to drinking water did not produce any improvement in motor behaviour assays, neurological testing or neuropathology. In fact, wild type mice treated with spermidine were found to have decreased rotarod performance when compared to control animals. Immunoblot analysis of protein lysates extracted from mouse cerebellar tissue found little differences between the groups, except for an increased level of phospho-ULK1 in spermidine treated animals, suggesting that autophagy was indeed induced. As we detected decreased motor performance in wild type mice following treatment with spermidine, we conducted follow up studies into the effects of spermidine treatment in zebrafish. Interestingly, we found that in addition to inducing autophagy, spermidine treatment also induced apoptosis, particularly in wild type zebrafish. These findings suggest that spermidine treatment may not be therapeutically beneficial for the treatment of MJD, and in fact warrants caution due to the potential negative side effects caused by induction of apoptosis.


Assuntos
Doença de Machado-Joseph , Doenças Neurodegenerativas , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Espermidina/farmacologia , Espermidina/uso terapêutico , Peixe-Zebra , Apoptose , Autofagia , Modelos Animais de Doenças
2.
FASEB J ; 38(2): e23429, 2024 01 31.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38258931

RESUMO

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3, also known as Machado Joseph disease) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of the trinucleotide repeat region within the ATXN3/MJD gene. Mutation of ATXN3 causes formation of ataxin-3 protein aggregates, neurodegeneration, and motor deficits. Here we investigated the therapeutic potential and mechanistic activity of sodium butyrate (SB), the sodium salt of butyric acid, a metabolite naturally produced by gut microbiota, on cultured SH-SY5Y cells and transgenic zebrafish expressing human ataxin-3 containing 84 glutamine (Q) residues to model SCA3. SCA3 SH-SY5Y cells were found to contain high molecular weight ataxin-3 species and detergent-insoluble protein aggregates. Treatment with SB increased the activity of the autophagy protein quality control pathway in the SCA3 cells, decreased the presence of ataxin-3 aggregates and presence of high molecular weight ataxin-3 in an autophagy-dependent manner. Treatment with SB was also beneficial in vivo, improving swimming performance, increasing activity of the autophagy pathway, and decreasing the presence of insoluble ataxin-3 protein species in the transgenic SCA3 zebrafish. Co-treating the SCA3 zebrafish with SB and chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, prevented the beneficial effects of SB on zebrafish swimming, indicating that the improved swimming performance was autophagy-dependent. To understand the mechanism by which SB induces autophagy we performed proteomic analysis of protein lysates from the SB-treated and untreated SCA3 SH-SY5Y cells. We found that SB treatment had increased activity of Protein Kinase A and AMPK signaling, with immunoblot analysis confirming that SB treatment had increased levels of AMPK protein and its substrates. Together our findings indicate that treatment with SB can increase activity of the autophagy pathway process and that this has beneficial effects in vitro and in vivo. While our results suggested that this activity may involve activity of a PKA/AMPK-dependent process, this requires further confirmation. We propose that treatment with sodium butyrate warrants further investigation as a potential treatment for neurodegenerative diseases underpinned by mechanisms relating to protein aggregation including SCA3.


Assuntos
Doença de Machado-Joseph , Neuroblastoma , Doenças Neurodegenerativas , Humanos , Animais , Ácido Butírico/farmacologia , Ataxina-3/genética , Doença de Machado-Joseph/tratamento farmacológico , Doença de Machado-Joseph/genética , Peixe-Zebra , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por AMP , Agregados Proteicos , Proteômica , Autofagia , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Proteínas Quinases Dependentes de AMP Cíclico
3.
Cells ; 12(6)2023 03 14.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36980234

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3, also known as Machado Joseph disease) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of the trinucleotide repeat region within the ATXN3/MJD gene. The presence of this genetic expansion results in an ataxin-3 protein containing a polyglutamine repeat region, which renders the ataxin-3 protein aggregation prone. Formation of ataxin-3 protein aggregates is linked with neuronal loss and, therefore, the development of motor deficits. METHODS: Here, we investigated whether the autophagy protein quality control pathway, which is important in the process of protein aggregate removal, is impaired in a cell culture and zebrafish model of SCA3. RESULTS: We found that SH-SY5Y cells expressing human ataxin-3 containing polyglutamine expansion exhibited aberrant levels of autophagy substrates, including increased p62 and decreased LC3II (following bafilomycin treatment), compared to the controls. Similarly, transgenic SCA3 zebrafish showed signs of autophagy impairment at early disease stages (larval), as well as p62 accumulation at advanced age stages (18 months old). We then examined whether treating with compounds known to induce autophagy activity, would aid removal of human ataxin-3 84Q and improve the swimming of the SCA3 zebrafish larvae. We found that treatment with loperamide, trehalose, rapamycin, and MG132 each improved the swimming of the SCA3 zebrafish compared to the vehicle-treated controls. CONCLUSION: We propose that signs of autophagy impairment occur in the SH-SY5Y model of SCA3 and SCA3 zebrafish at larval and advanced age stages. Treatment of the larval SCA3 zebrafish with various compounds with autophagy induction capacity was able to produce the improved swimming of the zebrafish, suggesting the potential benefit of autophagy-inducing compounds for the treatment of SCA3.


Assuntos
Doença de Machado-Joseph , Neuroblastoma , Doenças Neurodegenerativas , Animais , Humanos , Lactente , Doença de Machado-Joseph/genética , Doença de Machado-Joseph/metabolismo , Ataxina-3/genética , Peixe-Zebra/metabolismo , Autofagia/fisiologia
4.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 118(47)2021 11 23.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34785590

RESUMO

Aberrant O-GlcNAcylation, a protein posttranslational modification defined by the O-linked attachment of the monosaccharide N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc), has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. However, although many neuronal proteins are substrates for O-GlcNAcylation, this process has not been extensively investigated in polyglutamine disorders. We aimed to evaluate the enzyme O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT), which attaches O-GlcNAc to target proteins, in Machado-Joseph disease (MJD). MJD is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by ataxia and caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine stretch within the deubiquitinase ataxin-3, which then present increased propensity to aggregate. By analyzing MJD cell and animal models, we provide evidence that OGT is dysregulated in MJD, therefore compromising the O-GlcNAc cycle. Moreover, we demonstrate that wild-type ataxin-3 modulates OGT protein levels in a proteasome-dependent manner, and we present OGT as a substrate for ataxin-3. Targeting OGT levels and activity reduced ataxin-3 aggregates, improved protein clearance and cell viability, and alleviated motor impairment reminiscent of ataxia of MJD patients in zebrafish model of the disease. Taken together, our results point to a direct interaction between OGT and ataxin-3 in health and disease and propose the O-GlcNAc cycle as a promising target for the development of therapeutics in the yet incurable MJD.


Assuntos
Ataxina-3/metabolismo , Doença de Machado-Joseph/metabolismo , Doença de Machado-Joseph/patologia , N-Acetilglucosaminiltransferases/metabolismo , Animais , Ataxina-3/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Peptídeos , Complexo de Endopeptidases do Proteassoma , Peixe-Zebra/metabolismo
5.
Cells ; 10(10)2021 09 29.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34685571

RESUMO

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a hereditary ataxia caused by inheritance of a mutated form of the human ATXN3 gene containing an expanded CAG repeat region, encoding a human ataxin-3 protein with a long polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat region. Previous studies have demonstrated that ataxin-3 containing a long polyQ length is highly aggregation prone. Cleavage of the ataxin-3 protein by calpain proteases has been demonstrated to be enhanced in SCA3 models, leading to an increase in the aggregation propensity of the protein. Here, we tested the therapeutic potential of a novel calpain inhibitor BLD-2736 for the treatment of SCA3 by testing its efficacy on a transgenic zebrafish model of SCA3. We found that treatment with BLD-2736 from 1 to 6 days post-fertilisation (dpf) improves the swimming of SCA3 zebrafish larvae and decreases the presence of insoluble protein aggregates. Furthermore, delaying the commencement of treatment with BLD-2736, until a timepoint when protein aggregates were already known to be present in the zebrafish larvae, was still successful at removing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fused-ataxin-3 aggregates and improving the zebrafish swimming. Finally, we demonstrate that treatment with BLD-2736 increased the synthesis of LC3II, increasing the activity of the autophagy protein quality control pathway. Together, these findings suggest that BLD-2736 warrants further investigation as a treatment for SCA3 and related neurodegenerative diseases.


Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/uso terapêutico , Ataxina-3/efeitos dos fármacos , Glicoproteínas/metabolismo , Doenças Neurodegenerativas/tratamento farmacológico , Animais , Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Peixe-Zebra
6.
Dis Model Mech ; 14(10)2021 10 01.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34473252

RESUMO

Spinocerebellar ataxia 3 (SCA3, also known as Machado-Joseph disease) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by inheritance of a CAG repeat expansion within the ATXN3 gene, resulting in polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat expansion within the ataxin-3 protein. In this study, we have identified protein aggregates in both neuronal-like (SHSY5Y) cells and transgenic zebrafish expressing human ataxin-3 with expanded polyQ. We have adapted a previously reported flow cytometry methodology named flow cytometric analysis of inclusions and trafficking, allowing rapid quantification of detergent insoluble forms of ataxin-3 fused to a GFP in SHSY5Y cells and cells dissociated from the zebrafish larvae. Flow cytometric analysis revealed an increased number of detergent-insoluble ataxin-3 particles per nuclei in cells and in zebrafish expressing polyQ-expanded ataxin-3 compared to those expressing wild-type human ataxin-3. Treatment with compounds known to modulate autophagic activity altered the number of detergent-insoluble ataxin-3 particles in cells and zebrafish expressing mutant human ataxin-3. We conclude that flow cytometry can be harnessed to rapidly count ataxin-3 aggregates, both in vitro and in vivo, and can be used to compare potential therapies targeting protein aggregates. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.


Assuntos
Citometria de Fluxo , Doença de Machado-Joseph/patologia , Agregados Proteicos , Peixe-Zebra/fisiologia , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Ataxina-3/metabolismo , Autofagia/efeitos dos fármacos , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Núcleo Celular/metabolismo , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Proteínas de Fluorescência Verde/metabolismo , Humanos , Neurônios/metabolismo , Peptídeos , Solubilidade
7.
Mol Brain ; 14(1): 128, 2021 08 20.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34416891

RESUMO

Machado-Joseph disease (MJD, also known as spinocerebellar ataxia type 3) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that impairs control and coordination of movement. Here we tested whether treatment with the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium valproate (valproate) prevented a movement phenotype that develops in larvae of a transgenic zebrafish model of the disease. We found that treatment with valproate improved the swimming of the MJD zebrafish, affected levels of acetylated histones 3 and 4, but also increased expression of polyglutamine expanded human ataxin-3. Proteomic analysis of protein lysates generated from the treated and untreated MJD zebrafish also predicted that valproate treatment had activated the sirtuin longevity signaling pathway and this was confirmed by findings of increased SIRT1 protein levels and sirtuin activity in valproate treated MJD zebrafish and HEK293 cells expressing ataxin-3 84Q, respectively. Treatment with resveratrol (another compound known to activate the sirtuin pathway), also improved swimming in the MJD zebrafish. Co-treatment with valproate alongside EX527, a SIRT1 activity inhibitor, prevented induction of autophagy by valproate and the beneficial effects of valproate on the movement in the MJD zebrafish, supporting that they were both dependent on sirtuin activity. These findings provide the first evidence of sodium valproate inducing activation of the sirtuin pathway. Further, they indicate that drugs that target the sirtuin pathway, including sodium valproate and resveratrol, warrant further investigation for the treatment of MJD and related neurodegenerative diseases.


Assuntos
Inibidores de Histona Desacetilases/uso terapêutico , Doença de Machado-Joseph/tratamento farmacológico , Sirtuínas/efeitos dos fármacos , Ácido Valproico/uso terapêutico , Acetilação , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Ataxina-3/antagonistas & inibidores , Ataxina-3/genética , Ataxina-3/metabolismo , Autofagia/efeitos dos fármacos , Carbazóis/farmacologia , Carbazóis/uso terapêutico , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos , Sinergismo Farmacológico , Genes Reporter , Células HEK293 , Inibidores de Histona Desacetilases/farmacologia , Histonas/metabolismo , Humanos , Peptídeos/genética , Processamento de Proteína Pós-Traducional , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/metabolismo , Proteínas Repressoras/genética , Proteínas Repressoras/metabolismo , Resveratrol/farmacologia , Resveratrol/uso terapêutico , Transdução de Sinais , Sirtuína 1/fisiologia , Sirtuínas/fisiologia , Natação , Expansão das Repetições de Trinucleotídeos , Ácido Valproico/farmacologia , Peixe-Zebra , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/genética , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/metabolismo
8.
Front Mol Neurosci ; 14: 627740, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33986643

RESUMO

The past decade has seen a rapid acceleration in the discovery of new genetic causes of ALS, with more than 20 putative ALS-causing genes now cited. These genes encode proteins that cover a diverse range of molecular functions, including free radical scavenging (e.g., SOD1), regulation of RNA homeostasis (e.g., TDP-43 and FUS), and protein degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome system (e.g., ubiquilin-2 and cyclin F) and autophagy (TBK1 and sequestosome-1/p62). It is likely that the various initial triggers of disease (either genetic, environmental and/or gene-environment interaction) must converge upon a common set of molecular pathways that underlie ALS pathogenesis. Given the complexity, it is not surprising that a catalog of molecular pathways and proteostasis dysfunctions have been linked to ALS. One of the challenges in ALS research is determining, at the early stage of discovery, whether a new gene mutation is indeed disease-specific, and if it is linked to signaling pathways that trigger neuronal cell death. We have established a proof-of-concept proteogenomic workflow to assess new gene mutations, using CCNF (cyclin F) as an example, in cell culture models to screen whether potential gene candidates fit the criteria of activating apoptosis. This can provide an informative and time-efficient output that can be extended further for validation in a variety of in vitro and in vivo models and/or for mechanistic studies. As a proof-of-concept, we expressed cyclin F mutations (K97R, S195R, S509P, R574Q, S621G) in HEK293 cells for label-free quantitative proteomics that bioinformatically predicted activation of the neuronal cell death pathways, which was validated by immunoblot analysis. Proteomic analysis of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patient fibroblasts bearing the S621G mutation showed the same activation of these pathways providing compelling evidence for these candidate gene mutations to be strong candidates for further validation and mechanistic studies (such as E3 enzymatic activity assays, protein-protein and protein-substrate studies, and neuronal apoptosis and aberrant branching measurements in zebrafish). Our proteogenomics approach has great utility and provides a relatively high-throughput screening platform to explore candidate gene mutations for their propensity to cause neuronal cell death, which will guide a researcher for further experimental studies.

9.
Gut Microbes ; 12(1): 1-11, 2020 11 09.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33064972

RESUMO

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced by microbial fermentation of dietary fiber in the gut. Butyrate is a particularly important SCFA with anti-inflammatory properties and is generally present at lower levels in inflammatory diseases associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis in mammals. We aimed to determine if SCFAs are produced by the zebrafish microbiome and if SCFAs exert conserved effects on zebrafish immunity as an example of the non-mammalian vertebrate immune system. We demonstrate that bacterial communities from adult zebrafish intestines synthesize all three main SCFA in vitro, although SCFA were below our detectable limits in zebrafish intestines in vivo. Immersion in butyrate, but not acetate or propionate, reduced the recruitment of neutrophils and M1-type pro-inflammatory macrophages to wounds. We found conservation of butyrate sensing by neutrophils via orthologs of the hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 1 (hcar1) gene. Neutrophils from Hcar1-depleted embryos were no longer responsive to the anti-inflammatory effects of butyrate, while macrophage sensitivity to butyrate was independent of Hcar1. Our data demonstrate conservation of anti-inflammatory butyrate effects and identify the presence of a conserved molecular receptor in fish.


Assuntos
Anti-Inflamatórios/farmacologia , Butiratos/metabolismo , Butiratos/farmacologia , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/fisiologia , Macrófagos/imunologia , Neutrófilos/imunologia , Acetatos/farmacologia , Animais , Fibras na Dieta/metabolismo , Disbiose/microbiologia , Macrófagos/efeitos dos fármacos , Masculino , Neutrófilos/efeitos dos fármacos , Propionatos/farmacologia , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Ferimentos e Lesões/imunologia , Peixe-Zebra/embriologia , Peixe-Zebra/imunologia
10.
Front Neurosci ; 14: 707, 2020.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32765211

RESUMO

The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative diseases that share convergent disease features. A common symptom of these diseases is development of ataxia, involving impaired balance and motor coordination, usually stemming from cerebellar dysfunction and neurodegeneration. For most spinocerebellar ataxias, pathology can be attributed to an underlying gene mutation and the impaired function of the encoded protein through loss or gain-of-function effects. Strikingly, despite vast heterogeneity in the structure and function of disease-causing genes across the SCAs and the cellular processes affected, the downstream effects have considerable overlap, including alterations in cerebellar circuitry. Interestingly, aberrant function and degeneration of Purkinje cells, the major output neuronal population present within the cerebellum, precedes abnormalities in other neuronal populations within many SCAs, suggesting that Purkinje cells have increased vulnerability to cellular perturbations. Factors that are known to contribute to perturbed Purkinje cell function in spinocerebellar ataxias include altered gene expression resulting in altered expression or functionality of proteins and channels that modulate membrane potential, downstream impairments in intracellular calcium homeostasis and changes in glutamatergic input received from synapsing climbing or parallel fibers. This review will explore this enhanced vulnerability and the aberrant cerebellar circuitry linked with it in many forms of SCA. It is critical to understand why Purkinje cells are vulnerable to such insults and what overlapping pathogenic mechanisms are occurring across multiple SCAs, despite different underlying genetic mutations. Enhanced understanding of disease mechanisms will facilitate the development of treatments to prevent or slow progression of the underlying neurodegenerative processes, cerebellar atrophy and ataxic symptoms.

11.
Zebrafish ; 16(1): 8-14, 2019 02.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30300572

RESUMO

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of motor neurons. ALS can be modeled in zebrafish (Danio rerio) through the expression of human ALS-causing genes, such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). Overexpression of mutated human SOD1 protein causes aberrant branching and shortening of spinal motor axons. Despite this, the functional relevance of this axon morphology remains elusive. Our aim was to determine whether this motor axonopathy is correlated with impaired movement in mutant (MT) SOD1-expressing zebrafish. Transgenic zebrafish embryos that express blue fluorescent protein (mTagBFP) in motor neurons were injected with either wild-type (WT) or MT (A4V) human SOD1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). At 48 hours post-fertilization, larvae movement (distance traveled during behavioral testing) was examined, followed by quantification of motor axon length. Larvae injected with MT SOD1 mRNA had significantly shorter and more aberrantly branched motor axons (p < 0.002) and traveled a significantly shorter distance during behavioral testing (p < 0.001) when compared with WT SOD1 and noninjected larvae. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between distance traveled and motor axon length (R2 = 0.357, p < 0.001). These data represent the first correlative investigation of motor axonopathies and impaired movement in SOD1-expressing zebrafish, confirming functional relevance and validating movement as a disease phenotype for the testing of disease treatments for ALS.


Assuntos
Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/genética , Neurônios Motores/fisiologia , Movimento , Mutação , Superóxido Dismutase-1/genética , Peixe-Zebra/fisiologia , Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/fisiopatologia , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados/genética , Animais Geneticamente Modificados/fisiologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Superóxido Dismutase-1/metabolismo
13.
Biol Open ; 7(10)2018 Oct 16.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30190267

RESUMO

We describe a protocol for culturing neurons from transgenic zebrafish embryos to investigate the subcellular distribution and protein aggregation status of neurodegenerative disease-causing proteins. The utility of the protocol was demonstrated on cell cultures from zebrafish that transgenically express disease-causing variants of human fused in sarcoma (FUS) and ataxin-3 proteins, in order to study amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinocerebellar ataxia type-3 (SCA3), respectively. A mixture of neuronal subtypes, including motor neurons, exhibited differentiation and neurite outgrowth in the cultures. As reported previously, mutant human FUS was found to be mislocalized from nuclei to the cytosol, mimicking the pathology seen in human ALS and the zebrafish FUS model. In contrast, neurons cultured from zebrafish expressing human ataxin-3 with disease-associated expanded polyQ repeats did not accumulate within nuclei in a manner often reported to occur in SCA3. Despite this, the subcellular localization of the human ataxin-3 protein seen in cell cultures was similar to that found in the SCA3 zebrafish themselves. The finding of similar protein localization and aggregation status in the neuronal cultures and corresponding transgenic zebrafish models confirms that this cell culture model is a useful tool for investigating the cell biology and proteinopathy signatures of mutant proteins for the study of neurodegenerative disease.

14.
J Neurosci ; 37(32): 7782-7794, 2017 08 09.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28687604

RESUMO

The neurodegenerative disease Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), also known as spinocerebellar ataxin-3, affects neurons of the brain and spinal cord, disrupting control of the movement of muscles. We have successfully established the first transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) model of MJD by expressing human ataxin-3 protein containing either 23 glutamines (23Q, wild-type) or 84Q (MJD-causing) within neurons. Phenotypic characterization of the zebrafish (male and female) revealed that the ataxin-3-84Q zebrafish have decreased survival compared with ataxin-3-23Q and develop ataxin-3 neuropathology, ataxin-3 cleavage fragments and motor impairment. Ataxin-3-84Q zebrafish swim shorter distances than ataxin-3-23Q zebrafish as early as 6 days old, even if expression of the human ataxin-3 protein is limited to motor neurons. This swimming phenotype provides a valuable readout for drug treatment studies. Treating the EGFP-ataxin-3-84Q zebrafish with the calpain inhibitor compound calpeptin decreased levels of ataxin-3 cleavage fragments, but also removed all human ataxin-3 protein (confirmed by ELISA) and prevented the early MJD zebrafish motor phenotype. We identified that this clearance of ataxin-3 protein by calpeptin treatment resulted from an increase in autophagic flux (indicated by decreased p62 levels and increased LC3II). Cotreatment with the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine blocked the decrease in human ataxin-3 levels and the improved movement produced by calpeptin treatment. This study demonstrates that this first transgenic zebrafish model of MJD is a valuable tool for testing potential treatments for MJD. Calpeptin treatment is protective in this model of MJD and removal of human ataxin-3 through macro-autophagy plays an important role in this beneficial effect.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We have established the first transgenic zebrafish model of the neurodegenerative disease MJD, and identified relevant disease phenotypes, including impaired movement from an early age, which can be used in rapid drug testing studies. We have found that treating the MJD zebrafish with the calpain inhibitor compound calpeptin produces complete removal of human ataxin-3 protein, due to induction of the autophagy quality control pathway. This improves the movement of the MJD zebrafish. Artificially blocking the autophagy pathway prevents the removal of human ataxin-3 and improved movement produced by calpeptin treatment. These findings indicate that induction of autophagy, and removal of ataxin-3 protein, plays an important role in the protective effects of calpain inhibition for the treatment of MJD.


Assuntos
Ataxina-3/metabolismo , Autofagia/fisiologia , Calpaína/metabolismo , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Glicoproteínas/farmacologia , Doença de Machado-Joseph/metabolismo , Proteínas Repressoras/metabolismo , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Ataxina-3/genética , Autofagia/efeitos dos fármacos , Calpaína/antagonistas & inibidores , Calpaína/genética , Feminino , Glicoproteínas/uso terapêutico , Humanos , Doença de Machado-Joseph/genética , Doença de Machado-Joseph/prevenção & controle , Masculino , Proteínas Repressoras/genética , Peixe-Zebra
15.
Hum Mol Genet ; 26(14): 2616-2626, 2017 07 15.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28444311

RESUMO

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease characterised by the death of upper and lower motor neurons. Approximately 10% of cases have a known family history of ALS and disease-linked mutations in multiple genes have been identified. ALS-linked mutations in CCNF were recently reported, however the pathogenic mechanisms associated with these mutations are yet to be established. To investigate possible disease mechanisms, we developed in vitro and in vivo models based on an ALS-linked missense mutation in CCNF. Proteomic analysis of the in vitro models identified the disruption of several cellular pathways in the mutant model, including caspase-3 mediated cell death. Transient overexpression of human CCNF in zebrafish embryos supported this finding, with fish expressing the mutant protein found to have increased levels of cleaved (activated) caspase-3 and increased cell death in the spinal cord. The mutant CCNF fish also developed a motor neuron axonopathy consisting of shortened primary motor axons and increased frequency of aberrant axonal branching. Importantly, we demonstrated a significant correlation between the severity of the CCNF-induced axonopathy and a reduced motor response to a light stimulus (photomotor response). This is the first report of an ALS-linked CCNF mutation in vivo and taken together with the in vitro model identifies the disruption of cell death pathways as a significant consequence of this mutation. Additionally, this study presents a valuable new tool for use in ongoing studies investigating the pathobiology of ALS-linked CCNF mutations.


Assuntos
Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/genética , Ciclinas/genética , Demência Frontotemporal/genética , Medula Espinal/patologia , Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/metabolismo , Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/patologia , Animais , Animais Geneticamente Modificados , Axônios/patologia , Caspase 3/metabolismo , Morte Celular/genética , Ciclinas/biossíntese , Ciclinas/metabolismo , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Demência Frontotemporal/metabolismo , Demência Frontotemporal/patologia , Humanos , Neurônios Motores/metabolismo , Neurônios Motores/patologia , Mutação de Sentido Incorreto , Medula Espinal/metabolismo , Superóxido Dismutase/genética , Superóxido Dismutase/metabolismo , Peixe-Zebra
SELEÇÃO DE REFERÊNCIAS
DETALHE DA PESQUISA