Novel Somatostatin Receptor-4 Agonist SM-I-26 Mitigates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Gene Expression in Microglia.

Somatostatin receptor subtype 4 (SSTR4) is expressed in BV2 microglia, suggesting that SSTR4 agonists may impact microglia function. This study assessed the high-affinity SSTR4 agonist SM-I-26 (SMI) (0 nM, 10 nM, 1000 nM) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation (0, 10 or 100 ng/ml) over 6 or 24 h in BV2 microglia. Cell viability, nitrite output and mRNA expression changes of genes associated with our target (Sstr4), inflammation (Tnf-α, Il-6, Il-1ß, inos), anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant actions (Il-10, Catalase), and mediators of Aß binding/phagocytosis (Msr1, Cd33, Trem1, Trem2) were measured. At 6 h SMI showed no effect across all conditions. At 24 h SMI (10 and 1000 nM) upregulated Sstr4 expression under inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. At 24 h SMI downregulated expression of the inflammatory cytokines Tnf-α (1000 nM within all LPS concentrations) and Il-6 (10 nM within 0 and 10 ng/ml LPS). At 24 h 10 nM SMI upregulated Il-10, while 1000 nM upregulated Catalase under inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. At 24 h Msr1 and Cd33 were upregulated by 1000 nM SMI under non-inflammatory conditions, while Trem1 was downregulated by 10 and 1000 nM SMI under mildly inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. These results show that SMI had concentration and time-dependent effects on mRNA expression of genes associated with different states of microglial activation. The SMI reduced Tnf-α and Il-6 inflammatory gene expression, and increased Il-10 anti-inflammatory gene expression, identifies anti-inflammatory actions of SSTR4 agonists extend to microglia.

Somatostatin Receptor Subtype-4 Regulates mRNA Expression of Amyloid-Beta Degrading Enzymes and Microglia Mediators of Phagocytosis in Brains of 3xTg-AD Mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting in memory and cognitive impairment. The use of somatostatin receptor subtype-4 (SSTR4) agonists have been proposed for AD treatment. This study investigated the effects of selective SSTR4 agonist NNC 26-9100 on mRNA expression of key genes associated with AD pathology (microglia mediators of Aß phagocytosis, amyloid-beta (Aß)-degrading enzymes, anti-oxidant enzymes and pro-inflammatory cytokines) in 3xTg-AD mice. Mice were administered NNC 26-9100 (0.2 µg, i.c.v.) or vehicle control, with cortical and subcortical brain tissue collected at 6 h and 24 h post-treatment. At 6 h, NNC 26-9100 treatment decreased cortical expression of cluster of differentiation-33 (Cd33) by 25%, while increasing cortical and subcortical macrophage scavenger receptor-1 (Msr1) by 1.8 and 2.0-fold, respectively. The Cd33 downregulation and Msr1 upregulation support a state of microglia associated Aß phagocytosis. At 24 h, NNC 26-9100 treatment increased the cortical expression of Sstr4 (4.9-fold), Aß-degrading enzymes neprilysin (9.3-fold) and insulin degrading enzyme (14.8-fold), and the antioxidant catalase (3.6-fold). Similar effects at 24 h were found in subcortical tissue with NNC 26-9100 treatment, but did not reach statistical significance. No changes in pro-inflammatory cytokine expression were found. These data demonstrated NNC 26-9100 facilitates transcriptional changes in brain tissue identified with Aß phagocytosis and clearance, further supporting SSTR4 as a treatment target for AD.

A novel induced pluripotent stem cell model of schwann cell differentiation reveals NF2 -related gene regulatory networks of the extracellular matrix.

Schwann cells are vital to development and maintenance of the peripheral nervous system and their dysfunction has been implicated in a range of neurological and neoplastic disorders, including NF2 -related schwannomatosis. We have developed a novel human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) model for the study of Schwann cell differentiation in health and disease. We performed transcriptomic, immunofluorescence, and morphological analysis of hiPSC derived Schwann cell precursors (SPCs) and terminally differentiated Schwann-like cells (SLCs) representing distinct stages of development. To further validate our findings, we performed integrated, cross-species analyses across multiple external datasets at bulk and single cell resolution. Our hiPSC model of Schwann cell development shared overlapping gene expression signatures with human amniotic mesenchymal stem cell (hAMSCs) derived SLCs and in vivo mouse models, but also revealed unique features that may reflect species-specific aspects of Schwann cell biology. Moreover, we have identified gene co-expression modules that are dynamically regulated during hiPSC to SLC differentiation associated with ear and neural development, cell fate determination, the NF2 gene, and extracellular matrix (ECM) organization. By cross-referencing results between multiple datasets and analyses, we have identified potential new genes that are related to NF2 for further study including: ANXA1, CDH6, COL1A1, COL8A1, MFAP5, IGFBP5, FGF1, AHNAK, CDKN2B, LOX, CAV1 , and CAV2 . Our hiPSC model further provides a tractable platform for studying Schwann cell development in the context of human disease.