The Response to Oxidative DNA Damage in Neurons: Mechanisms and Disease.

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that the mechanisms that control genome stability are of key importance in the development and function of the nervous system. The major threat for neurons is oxidative DNA damage, which is repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Functional mutations of enzymes that are involved in the processing of single-strand breaks (SSB) that are generated during BER have been causally associated with syndromes that present important neurological alterations and cognitive decline. In this review, the plasticity of BER during neurogenesis and the importance of an efficient BER for correct brain function will be specifically addressed paying particular attention to the brain region and neuron-selectivity in SSB repair-associated neurological syndromes and age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Biochemical characterization of sirtuin 6 in the brain and its involvement in oxidative stress response.

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) is a member of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent deacetylase protein family and has been implicated in the control of glucose and lipid metabolism, cancer, genomic stability and DNA repair. Moreover, SIRT6 regulates the expression of a large number of genes involved in stress response and aging. The role of SIRT6 in brain function and neuronal survival is largely unknown. Here, we biochemically characterized SIRT6 in brain tissues and primary neuronal cultures and found that it is highly expressed in cortical and hippocampal regions and enriched in the synaptosomal membrane fraction. Immunoblotting analysis on cortical and hippocampal neurons showed that SIRT6 is downregulated during maturation in vitro, reaching the lowest expression at 11 days in vitro. In addition, SIRT6 overexpression in terminally differentiated cortical and hippocampal neurons, mediated by a neuron-specific recombinant adeno-associated virus, downregulated cell viability under oxidative stress condition. By contrast, under control condition, SIRT6 overexpression had no detrimental effect. Overall these results suggest that SIRT6 may play a role in synaptic function and neuronal maturation and it may be implicated in the regulation of neuronal survival.

Sublethal doses of ß-amyloid peptide abrogate DNA-dependent protein kinase activity.

Accumulation of DNA damage and deficiency in DNA repair potentially contribute to the progressive neuronal loss in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer disease (AD). In multicellular eukaryotes, double strand breaks (DSBs), the most lethal form of DNA damage, are mainly repaired by the nonhomologous end joining pathway, which relies on DNA-PK complex activity. Both the presence of DSBs and a decreased end joining activity have been reported in AD brains, but the molecular player causing DNA repair dysfunction is still undetermined. ß-Amyloid (Aß), a potential proximate effector of neurotoxicity in AD, might exert cytotoxic effects by reactive oxygen species generation and oxidative stress induction, which may then cause DNA damage. Here, we show that in PC12 cells sublethal concentrations of aggregated Aß(25-35) inhibit DNA-PK kinase activity, compromising DSB repair and sensitizing cells to nonlethal oxidative injury. The inhibition of DNA-PK activity is associated with down-regulation of the catalytic subunit DNA-PK (DNA-PKcs) protein levels, caused by oxidative stress and reversed by antioxidant treatment. Moreover, we show that sublethal doses of Aß(1-42) oligomers enter the nucleus of PC12 cells, accumulate as insoluble oligomeric species, and reduce DNA-PK kinase activity, although in the absence of oxidative stress. Overall, these findings suggest that Aß mediates inhibition of the DNA-PK-dependent nonhomologous end joining pathway contributing to the accumulation of DSBs that, if not efficiently repaired, may lead to the neuronal loss observed in AD.

Downregulation of thymosin beta4 in neural progenitor grafts promotes spinal cord regeneration.

Thymosin beta4 (Tbeta4) is an actin-binding peptide whose expression in developing brain correlates with migration and neurite extension of neurons. Here, we studied the effects of the downregulation of Tbeta4 expression on growth and differentiation of murine neural progenitor cells (NPCs), using an antisense lentiviral vector. In differentiation-promoting medium, we found twice the number of neurons derived from the Tbeta4-antisense-transduced NPCs, which showed enhanced neurite outgrowth accompanied by increased expression of the adhesion complex N-cadherin-beta-catenin and increased ERK activation. Importantly, when the Tbeta4-antisense-transduced NPCs were transplanted in vivo into a mouse model of spinal cord injury, they promoted a significantly greater functional recovery. Locomotory recovery correlated with increased expression of the regeneration-promoting cell adhesion molecule L1 by the grafted Tbeta4-antisense-transduced NPCs. This resulted in an increased number of regenerating axons and in sprouting of serotonergic fibers surrounding and contacting the Tbeta4-antisense-transduced NPCs grafted into the lesion site. In conclusion, our data identify a new role for Tbeta4 in neuronal differentiation of NPCs by regulating fate determination and process outgrowth. Moreover, NPCs with reduced Tbeta4 levels generate an L1-enriched environment in the lesioned spinal cord that favors growth and sprouting of spared host axons and enhances the endogenous tissue-repair processes.

Phosphorylation changes of CaMKII, ERK1/2, PKB/Akt kinases and CREB activation during early long-term potentiation at Schaffer collateral-CA1 mouse hippocampal synapses.

Protein phosphorylation is the main signaling system known to trigger synaptic changes underlying long-term potentiation (LTP). The timing of these phosphorylations plays an essential role to maintain the potentiated state of synapses. However, in mice a simultaneous analysis of phosphorylated proteins during early-LTP (E-LTP) has not been thoroughly carried out. Here we described phosphorylation changes of alphaCaMKII, ERK1/2, PKB/Akt and CREB at different times after E-LTP induced at Schaffer collateral/commissural fiber-CA1 synapses by 1 s 100 Hz tetanic stimulation in mouse hippocampal slices. We found that phosphorylation levels of all the molecules examined rapidly increased after tetanisation and remained above the basal level up to 30 min. Notably, we observed a sustained increment in the phosphorylation level of Akt at Ser473, whereas the phosphorylation level of Akt at Thr308 was unchanged. Unexpectedly, we also detected a marked increase of CREB target genes expression levels, c-fos, Egr-1 and exon-III containing BDNF transcripts. Our findings, besides providing a detailed timing of phosphorylation of the major kinases involved in E-LTP in mice, revealed that a modest LTP induction paradigm specifically triggers CREB-mediated gene expression.

DNA Double Strand Breaks: A Common Theme in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Accumulation of DNA damage and impairment of DNA repair systems are involved in the pathogenesis of different neurodegenerative diseases. Whenever DNA damage is too extensive, the DNA damage response pathway provides for triggering cellular senescence and/or apoptosis. However, whether the increased level of DNA damage in neurodegenerative disorders is a cause rather than the consequence of neurodegenerative events remains to be established. Among possible DNA lesions, DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are rare events, nevertheless they are the most lethal form of DNA damage. In neurons, DSBs are particularly deleterious because of their reduced DNA repair capability as compared to proliferating cells. Here, we provide a description of DSB repair systems and describe human studies showing the presence of several types of DNA lesions in three major neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD). Then, we analyze the role of DSB accumulation and deficiency of DSB repair systems in neurodegeneration by examining studies on animal models of neurodegenerative diseases.

Herpes Simplex Virus-Type1 (HSV-1) Impairs DNA Repair in Cortical Neurons.

Several findings suggest that Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) infection plays a role in the neurodegenerative processes that characterize Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully elucidated. Here we show that HSV-1 productive infection in cortical neurons causes the accumulation of DNA lesions that include both single (SSBs) and double strand breaks (DSBs), which are reported to be implicated in the neuronal loss observed in neurodegenerative diseases. We demonstrate that HSV-1 downregulates the expression level of Ku80, one of the main components of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), a major pathway for the repair of DSBs. We also provide data suggesting that HSV-1 drives Ku80 for proteasomal degradation and impairs NHEJ activity, leading to DSB accumulation. Since HSV-1 usually causes life-long recurrent infections, it is possible to speculate that cumulating damages, including those occurring on DNA, may contribute to virus induced neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration, further suggesting HSV-1 as a risk factor for neurodegenerative conditions.

Screening of an endothelial cDNA library identifies the C-terminal region of Nedd5 as a novel autoantigen in systemic lupus erythematosus with psychiatric manifestations.

Anti-endothelial-cell antibodies are associated with psychiatric manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our primary aim in this study was to seek and characterize molecules that behave as endothelial autoantigens in SLE patients with psychiatric manifestations. By screening a cDNA library from human umbilical artery endothelial cells with serum from an SLE patient with psychosis, we identified one positive strongly reactive clone encoding the C-terminal region (C-ter) of Nedd5, an intracytoplasmatic protein of the septin family. To evaluate anti-Nedd5 serum immunoreactivity, we analyzed by ELISA specific IgG responses in 17 patients with SLE and psychiatric manifestations (group A), 34 patients with SLE without psychiatric manifestations (group B), 20 patients with systemic sclerosis, 20 patients with infectious mononucleosis, and 35 healthy subjects. IgG specific to Nedd5 C-ter was present in 14 (27%) of the 51 SLE patients. The mean optical density value for IgG immunoreactivity to Nedd5 C-ter was significantly higher in patients of group A than in those of group B, those with infectious mononucleosis, or healthy subjects (0.17 +/- 0.14 vs, respectively, 0.11 +/- 0.07, P = 0.04; 0.11 +/- 0.06, P = 0.034; and 0.09 +/- 0.045, P = 0.003, on Student's t-test). Moreover, IgG immunoreactivity to Nedd5 C-ter was significantly higher in patients with systemic sclerosis than in patients of group B or healthy subjects (0.18 +/- 0.18 vs, respectively, 0.11 +/- 0.07, P = 0.046; and 0.09 +/- 0.045, P = 0.003). The percentage of patients with anti-Nedd5 C-ter serum IgG was higher in group A than in group B (8 (47%) of 17, vs 6 (17%) of 34, P = 0.045, on Fisher's exact test). In order to clarify a possible mechanism by which Nedd5 might be autoantigenic, we observed that Nedd5 relocated from cytoplasm to the plasma membrane of EAhy926 endothelial cells after apoptotic stimuli. In conclusion, Nedd5 is a novel autoantigen of potential clinical importance that could be successfully used for a more thorough investigation of the pathogenesis of psychiatric manifestations in SLE. Although anti-Nedd5 autoantibodies are not specific to SLE, they are significantly associated with neuropsychiatric SLE and may represent immunological markers of psychiatric manifestations in this pathology.