Loss of the imprinted, non-coding Snord116 gene cluster in the interval deleted in the Prader Willi syndrome results in murine neuronal and endocrine pancreatic developmental phenotypes.

Global neurodevelopmental delay is a prominent characteristic of individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The neuromolecular bases for these delays are unknown. We identified neuroanatomical changes in the brains of mice deficient for a gene in the minimal critical deletion region for PWS (Snord116p-/m+). In Snord116p-/m+ mice, reduced primary forebrain neuron cell body size is apparent in embryonic day 15.5 fetuses, and persists until postnatal day 30 in cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Snord116 is a snoRNA gene cluster of unknown function that can localize to the nucleolus. In cerebellar Purkinje neurons from postnatal day 30 Snord116p-/m+ mice the reduction in neuronal cell body size was associated with decreased neuronal nucleolar size. We also identified developmental changes in the endocrine pancreas of Snord116p-/m+ animals that persist into adulthood. Mice lacking Snord116 have smaller pancreatic islets; within the islet the percentage of δ-cells is increased, while the percentage of α-cells is reduced. The α-cell markers, Sst and Hhex, are upregulated in Snord116p-/m+ isolated islets while Ins1, Ins2, Pdx1, Nkx6-1, and Pax6 are downregulated. There is a 3-fold increase in the percentage of polyhormonal cells in the neonatal pancreata of Snord116p-/m+ mice, due primarily to an increase in cells co-positive with somatostatin. Snord116 may play a role in islet cell lineage specification. The Snord116 gene cluster is important for developmental processes in the brain as well as the endocrine pancreas.

Comparative analysis of A-to-I editing in human and non-human primate brains reveals conserved patterns and context-dependent regulation of RNA editing.

A-to-I RNA editing is an important process for generating molecular diversity in the brain through modification of transcripts encoding several proteins important for neuronal signaling. We investigated the relationships between the extent of editing at multiple substrate transcripts (5HT2C, MGLUR4, CADPS, GLUR2, GLUR4, and GABRA3) in brain tissue obtained from adult humans and rhesus macaques. Several patterns emerged from these studies revealing conservation of editing across primate species. Additionally, variability in the human population allows us to make novel inferences about the co-regulation of editing at different editing sites and even across different brain regions.

Weight Perturbation Alters Leptin Signal Transduction in a Region-Specific Manner throughout the Brain.

Diet-induced obesity (DIO) resulting from consumption of a high fat diet (HFD) attenuates normal neuronal responses to leptin and may contribute to the metabolic defense of an acquired higher body weight in humans; the molecular bases for the persistence of this defense are unknown. We measured the responses of 23 brain regions to exogenous leptin in 4 different groups of weight- and/or diet-perturbed mice. Responses to leptin were assessed by quantifying pSTAT3 levels in brain nuclei 30 minutes following 3 mg/kg intraperitoneal leptin. HFD attenuated leptin sensing throughout the brain, but weight loss did not restore central leptin signaling to control levels in several brain regions important in energy homeostasis, including the arcuate and dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei. Effects of diet on leptin signaling varied by brain region, with results dependent on the method of weight loss (restriction of calories of HFD, ad lib intake of standard mouse chow). High fat diet attenuates leptin signaling throughout the brain, but some brain regions maintain their ability to sense leptin. Weight loss restores leptin sensing to some degree in most (but not all) brain regions, while other brain regions display hypersensitivity to leptin following weight loss. Normal leptin sensing was restored in several brain regions, with the pattern of restoration dependent on the method of weight loss.

Deficiency in prohormone convertase PC1 impairs prohormone processing in Prader-Willi syndrome.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is caused by a loss of paternally expressed genes in an imprinted region of chromosome 15q. Among the canonical PWS phenotypes are hyperphagic obesity, central hypogonadism, and low growth hormone (GH). Rare microdeletions in PWS patients define a 91-kb minimum critical deletion region encompassing 3 genes, including the noncoding RNA gene SNORD116. Here, we found that protein and transcript levels of nescient helix loop helix 2 (NHLH2) and the prohormone convertase PC1 (encoded by PCSK1) were reduced in PWS patient induced pluripotent stem cell-derived (iPSC-derived) neurons. Moreover, Nhlh2 and Pcsk1 expression were reduced in hypothalami of fasted Snord116 paternal knockout (Snord116p-/m+) mice. Hypothalamic Agrp and Npy remained elevated following refeeding in association with relative hyperphagia in Snord116p-/m+ mice. Nhlh2-deficient mice display growth deficiencies as adolescents and hypogonadism, hyperphagia, and obesity as adults. Nhlh2 has also been shown to promote Pcsk1 expression. Humans and mice deficient in PC1 display hyperphagic obesity, hypogonadism, decreased GH, and hypoinsulinemic diabetes due to impaired prohormone processing. Here, we found that Snord116p-/m+ mice displayed in vivo functional defects in prohormone processing of proinsulin, pro-GH-releasing hormone, and proghrelin in association with reductions in islet, hypothalamic, and stomach PC1 content. Our findings suggest that the major neuroendocrine features of PWS are due to PC1 deficiency.

Reovirus-mediated induction of ADAR1 (p150) minimally alters RNA editing patterns in discrete brain regions.

Transcripts encoding ADAR1, a double-stranded, RNA-specific adenosine deaminase involved in the adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing of mammalian RNAs, can be alternatively spliced to produce an interferon-inducible protein isoform (p150) that is up-regulated in both cell culture and in vivo model systems in response to pathogen or interferon stimulation. In contrast to other tissues, p150 is expressed at extremely low levels in the brain and it is unclear what role, if any, this isoform may play in the innate immune response of the central nervous system (CNS) or whether the extent of editing for RNA substrates critical for CNS function is affected by its induction. To investigate the expression of ADAR1 isoforms in response to viral infection and subsequent alterations in A-to-I editing profiles for endogenous ADAR targets, we used a neurotropic strain of reovirus to infect neonatal mice and quantify A-to-I editing in discrete brain regions using a multiplexed, high-throughput sequencing strategy. While intracranial injection of reovirus resulted in a widespread increase in the expression of ADAR1 (p150) in multiple brain regions and peripheral organs, significant changes in site-specific A-to-I conversion were quite limited, suggesting that steady-state levels of p150 expression are not a primary determinant for modulating the extent of editing for numerous ADAR targets in vivo.

Hyperleucinemia causes hippocampal retromer deficiency linking diabetes to Alzheimer's disease.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). A variety of metabolic changes related to T2D (e.g. hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and elevated branched-chain amino acids) have been proposed as mechanistic links, but the basis for this association remains unknown. Retromer-dependent trafficking is implicated in the pathogenesis of AD, and two key retromer proteins, VPS35 and VPS26, are deficient in the hippocampal formation of AD patients. We characterized VPS35 levels in five different mouse models of T2D/obesity to identify specific metabolic factors that could affect retromer levels in the brain. Mouse models in which hyperleucinemia was present displayed hippocampus-selective retromer deficiency. Wild-type lean mice fed a high leucine diet also developed hippocampal-selective retromer deficiency, and neuronal-like cells grown in high ambient leucine had reduced retromer complex proteins. Our results suggest that hyperleucinemia may account, in part, for the association of insulin resistance/T2D with AD.

Effects of a novel MC4R agonist on maintenance of reduced body weight in diet-induced obese mice.

OBJECTIVE: The physiology of the weight-reduced (WR) state suggests that pharmacologic agents affecting energy homeostasis may have greater efficacy in WR individuals. Our aim was to establish a protocol that allows for evaluation of efficacy of weight maintenance agents and to assess the effectiveness of AZD2820, a novel melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) agonist in such a paradigm. METHODS: MC4R agonist was administered in stratified doses to mice who were either fed high-fat diet ad libitum (AL) throughout the study; or stabilized at a 20% reduced body weight (BW), administered the drug for 4 weeks, and thereafter released from caloric restriction while continuing to receive the drug (WR). RESULTS: After release of WR mice to AL feeding, the high-dose group (53.4 nmol/day) regained 12.4% less BW than their vehicle-treated controls since the beginning of drug treatment. In WR mice, 10.8 nmol/day of the agonist was sufficient to maintain these animals at 95.1% of initial BW versus 53.4 nmol/day required to maintain the BW of AL animals (94.5%). CONCLUSIONS: In the WR state, the MC4R agonist was comparably efficacious to a five-fold higher dose in the AL state. This protocol provides a model for evaluating the mechanisms and quantitative efficacy of weight-maintenance strategies and agents.

Impact of RNA editing on functions of the serotonin 2C receptor in vivo.

Transcripts encoding 5-HT(2C) receptors are modified posttranscriptionally by RNA editing, generating up to 24 protein isoforms. In recombinant cells, the fully edited isoform, 5-HT(2C-VGV), exhibits blunted G-protein coupling and reduced constitutive activity. The present studies examine the signal transduction properties of 5-HT(2C-VGV) receptors in brain to determine the in vivo consequences of altered editing. Using mice solely expressing the 5-HT(2C-VGV) receptor (VGV/Y), we demonstrate reduced G-protein coupling efficiency and high-affinity agonist binding of brain 5-HT(2C-VGV) receptors. However, enhanced behavioral sensitivity to a 5-HT(2C) receptor agonist was also seen in mice expressing 5-HT(2C-VGV) receptors, an unexpected finding given the blunted G-protein coupling. In addition, mice expressing 5-HT(2C-VGV) receptors had greater sensitivity to a 5-HT(2C) inverse agonist/antagonist enhancement of dopamine turnover relative to wild-type mice. These behavioral and biochemical results are most likely explained by increases in 5-HT(2C) receptor binding sites in the brains of mice solely expressing 5-HT(2C-VGV) receptors. We conclude that 5-HT(2C-VGV) receptor signaling in brain is blunted, but this deficiency is masked by a marked increase in 5-HT(2C) receptor binding site density in mice solely expressing the VGV isoform. These findings suggest that RNA editing may regulate the density of 5-HT(2C) receptor binding sites in brain. We further caution that the pattern of 5-HT(2C) receptor RNA isoforms may not reflect the pattern of protein isoforms, and hence the inferred overall function of the receptor.

Mice with altered serotonin 2C receptor RNA editing display characteristics of Prader-Willi syndrome.

RNA transcripts encoding the 2C-subtype of serotonin (5HT(2C)) receptor undergo up to five adenosine-to-inosine editing events to encode twenty-four protein isoforms. To examine the effects of altered 5HT(2C) editing in vivo, we generated mutant mice solely expressing the fully-edited (VGV) isoform of the receptor. Mutant animals present phenotypic characteristics of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) including a failure to thrive, decreased somatic growth, neonatal muscular hypotonia, and reduced food consumption followed by post-weaning hyperphagia. Though previous studies have identified alterations in both 5HT(2C) receptor expression and 5HT(2C)-mediated behaviors in both PWS patients and mouse models of this disorder, to our knowledge the 5HT(2C) gene is the first locus outside the PWS imprinted region in which mutations can phenocopy numerous aspects of this syndrome. These results not only strengthen the link between the molecular etiology of PWS and altered 5HT(2C) expression, but also demonstrate the importance of normal patterns of 5HT(2C) RNA editing in vivo.

High-throughput multiplexed transcript analysis yields enhanced resolution of 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C receptor mRNA editing profiles.

RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification in which adenosine residues are converted to inosine (adenosine-to-inosine editing). Commonly used methodologies to quantify RNA editing levels involve either direct sequencing or pyrosequencing of individual cDNA clones. The limitations of these methods lead to a small number of clones characterized in comparison to the number of mRNA molecules in the original sample, thereby producing significant sampling errors and potentially erroneous conclusions. We have developed an improved method for quantifying RNA editing patterns that increases sequence analysis to an average of more than 800,000 individual cDNAs per sample, substantially increasing accuracy and sensitivity. Our method is based on the serotonin 2C receptor (5-hydroxytryptamine(2C); 5HT(2C)) transcript, an RNA editing substrate in which up to five adenosines are modified. Using a high-throughput multiplexed transcript analysis, we were able to quantify accurately the expression of twenty 5HT(2C) isoforms, each representing at least 0.25% of the total 5HT(2C) transcripts. Furthermore, this approach allowed the detection of previously unobserved changes in 5HT(2C) editing in RNA samples isolated from different inbred mouse strains and dissected brain regions, as well as editing differences in alternatively spliced 5HT(2C) variants. This approach provides a novel and efficient strategy for large-scale analyses of RNA editing and may prove to be a valuable tool for uncovering new information regarding editing patterns in specific disease states and in response to pharmacological and physiological perturbation, further elucidating the impact of 5HT(2C) RNA editing on central nervous system function.

An innovative real-time PCR method to measure changes in RNA editing of the serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT(2C)R) in brain.

The serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT(2C)R) plays a significant role in psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression) and is a target for pharmacotherapy. The 5-HT(2C)R is widely expressed in brain and spinal cord and is the only G-protein coupled receptor currently known to undergo mRNA editing, a post-transcriptional modification that results in translation of distinct, though closely related, protein isoforms. The 5-HT(2C)R RNA can be edited at five sites to alter up to three amino acids resulting in modulation of receptor:G-protein coupling and constitutive activity. To rapidly quantify changes ex vivo in individual 5-HT(2C)R isoform levels in response to treatment, we adapted quantitative (real-time) reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) utilizing TaqMan probes modified with a minor groove binder (MGB). Probes were developed for four 5-HT(2C)R RNA isoforms and their sensitivity and specificity were validated systematically using standard templates. Relative expression of the four isoforms was measured in cDNAs from whole brain extracted from 129S6 and C57BL/6J mice. Rank order derived from this qRT-PCR analysis matched that derived from DNA sequencing. In mutant mice solely expressing either non-edited or fully edited 5-HT(2C)R transcripts, only expected transcripts were detected. These data suggest this qRT-PCR method is a precise and rapid means to detect closely related mRNA sequences ex vivo without the necessity of characterizing the entire 5-HT(2C)R profile. Implementation of this technique will expand and expedite studies of specific brain 5-HT(2C)R mRNA isoforms in response to pharmacological, behavioral and genetic manipulation, particularly in ex vivo studies which require rapid collection of data on large numbers of samples.

Food fight: the NPY-serotonin link between aggression and feeding behavior.

Aggressive behavior in mammals is linked to feeding. Interactions between neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) and serotonergic neurons provide this link. Studies of aggressive behavior in mice in which the Y(1) subtype of NPY receptor was knocked out further define the synaptic circuits responsible for the interrelation of these instinctive behaviors.