RESUMO
Trafficking deficiency caused by missense mutations is a well known phenomenon that occurs for mutant, misfolded proteins. Typically, the misfolded protein is retained by the protein quality-control system and degraded by the endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation pathway and thus does not reach its destination, although residual function of the protein may be preserved. Chemical and pharmacological chaperones can improve the targeting of trafficking-deficient proteins and thus may be promising candidates for therapeutic applications. Here, we report the application of a cellular bioassay based on the bioluminescent calcium reporter aequorin to quantify surface expression of mutant CNGA3 channels associated with the autosomal recessively inherited retinal disease achromatopsia. A screening of 77 compounds enabled the identification of effective chemical and pharmacological chaperones that result in a 1.5- to 4.8-fold increase of surface expression of mutant CNGA3. Using selected compounds, we confirmed that the rescue of the defective trafficking is not limited to a single mutation in CNGA3. Active compounds and our structure-activity correlated data for the dihydropyridine compound class may provide valuable information for developing a treatment of the trafficking defect in achromatopsia. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study describes a novel luminescence-based assay to detect the surface expression of mutant trafficking-deficient CNGA3 channels based on the calcium-sensitive photoprotein aequorin. Using this assay for a compound screening, this study identifies novel chemical and pharmacological chaperones that restore the surface localization of mutant trafficking-deficient CNGA3 channels. The results from this work may serve as starting point for the development of potent compounds that rescue trafficking deficiencies in the autosomal recessively inherited retinal disease achromatopsia.
Assuntos
Canais de Cátion Regulados por Nucleotídeos Cíclicos/efeitos dos fármacos , Mutação de Sentido Incorreto , Equorina/genética , Cálcio/metabolismo , Sobrevivência Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Defeitos da Visão Cromática/genética , Canais de Cátion Regulados por Nucleotídeos Cíclicos/genética , Canais de Cátion Regulados por Nucleotídeos Cíclicos/metabolismo , Di-Hidropiridinas/farmacologia , Genes Recessivos , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Transporte ProteicoRESUMO
The cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel - composed of CNGA3 and CNGB3 subunits - mediates the influx of cations in cone photoreceptors after light stimulation and thus is a key element in cone phototransduction. Mutations in CNGA3 and CNGB3 are associated with achromatopsia, a rare autosomal recessive retinal disorder. Here, we demonstrate that the presence of an early nonsense mutation in CNGA3 induces the usage of a downstream alternative translation initiation site giving rise to a short CNGA3 isoform. The expression of this short isoform was verified by Western blot analysis and DAB staining of HEK293â¯cells and cone photoreceptor-like 661W cells expressing CNGA3-GST fusion constructs. Functionality of the short isoform was confirmed by a cellular calcium influx assay. Furthermore, patients carrying an early nonsense mutation were analyzed for residual cone photoreceptor function in order to identify a potential role of the short isoform to modify the clinical outcome in achromatopsia patients. Yet the results suggest that the short isoform is not able to compensate for the loss of the long isoform leaving the biological role of this variant unclear.
Assuntos
Códon sem Sentido/genética , Defeitos da Visão Cromática/genética , Canais de Cátion Regulados por Nucleotídeos Cíclicos/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/fisiologia , Iniciação Traducional da Cadeia Peptídica/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , Animais , Western Blotting , Linhagem Celular , Defeitos da Visão Cromática/metabolismo , Eletroforese em Gel de Poliacrilamida , Células HEK293/metabolismo , Humanos , Imuno-Histoquímica , Camundongos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Células Fotorreceptoras Retinianas Cones/metabolismo , TransfecçãoRESUMO
An intronic (G4C2)n expansion in C9orf72 causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia primarily through gain-of-function mechanisms: the accumulation of sense and antisense repeat RNA foci and dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins (poly-GA/GP/GR/PA/PR) translated from repeat RNA. To therapeutically block this pathway, we screen a library of 1,430 approved drugs and known bioactive compounds in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons (iPSC-Neurons) for inhibitors of DPR expression. The clinically used guanosine/cytidine analogs decitabine, entecavir, and nelarabine reduce poly-GA/GP expression, with decitabine being the most potent. Hit compounds nearly abolish sense and antisense RNA foci and reduce expression of the repeat-containing nascent C9orf72 RNA transcript and its mature mRNA with minimal effects on global gene expression, suggesting that they specifically act on repeat transcription. Importantly, decitabine treatment reduces (G4C2)n foci and DPRs in C9orf72 BAC transgenic mice. Our findings suggest that nucleoside analogs are a promising compound class for therapeutic development in C9orf72 repeat-expansion-associated disorders.
Assuntos
Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica , Demência Frontotemporal , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas , Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/tratamento farmacológico , Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/genética , Esclerose Lateral Amiotrófica/metabolismo , Animais , Proteína C9orf72/genética , Proteína C9orf72/metabolismo , Expansão das Repetições de DNA , Decitabina/metabolismo , Dipeptídeos/metabolismo , Demência Frontotemporal/genética , Humanos , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/metabolismo , Camundongos , Neurônios/metabolismo , Nucleosídeos/metabolismo , RNA Antissenso/metabolismoRESUMO
Manual culture and differentiation protocols for human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are difficult to standardize, show high variability and are prone to spontaneous differentiation into unwanted cell types. The methods are labor-intensive and are not easily amenable to large-scale experiments. To overcome these limitations, we developed an automated cell culture system coupled to a high-throughput imaging system and implemented protocols for maintaining multiple hiPSC lines in parallel and neuronal differentiation. We describe the automation of a short-term differentiation protocol using Neurogenin-2 (NGN2) over-expression to produce hiPSC-derived cortical neurons within 6â8 days, and the implementation of a long-term differentiation protocol to generate hiPSC-derived midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons within 65 days. Also, we applied the NGN2 approach to a small molecule-derived neural precursor cells (smNPC) transduced with GFP lentivirus and established a live-cell automated neurite outgrowth assay. We present an automated system with protocols suitable for routine hiPSC culture and differentiation into cortical and dopaminergic neurons. Our platform is suitable for long term hands-free culture and high-content/high-throughput hiPSC-based compound, RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 screenings to identify novel disease mechanisms and drug targets.
Assuntos
Técnicas de Cultura de Células/métodos , Córtex Cerebral/citologia , Neurônios Dopaminérgicos/citologia , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas/citologia , Automação , Dióxido de Carbono , Contagem de Células , Diferenciação Celular , Sobrevivência Celular , Células Cultivadas , Humanos , Processamento de Imagem Assistida por Computador , Mesencéfalo/citologia , Células-Tronco Neurais/citologia , Crescimento Neuronal , Interface Usuário-ComputadorRESUMO
PURPOSE: To determine transfection efficiency of FuGENE HD© lipofection and AMAXA© nucleofection on rat Schwann cells (SC). METHODS: The ischiadic and median nerves of 6-8 week old Lewis rats were cultured in modified melanocyte-growth medium. SCs were genetically transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) as reporter gene using FuGENE HD© lipofection and AMAXA© nucleofection. Transfection rates were determined by visualization of GFP fluorescence under fluorescence microscopy and cell counting. Transfected cell to non-transfected cell relation was determined. RESULTS: Purity of Schwann cell culture was 88% as determined by immunohistologic staining. Transfection rate of FuGENE HD© lipofection was 2%, transfection rate of AMAXA© nucleofection was 10%. With both methods, Schwann cells showed pronounced aggregation behavior which made them unfeasible for further cultivation. Settling of Schwann cells on laminin and poly-L-ornithine coated plates was compromised by either method. CONCLUSION: Non-viral transfection of rat SC with FuGENE HD© lipofection and AMAXA© nucleofection is basically possible with a higher transfection rate for nucleofection than for lipofection. As cell viability is compromised by either method however, viral transfection is to be considered if higher efficiency is required.
Assuntos
Lipídeos/fisiologia , Técnicas de Transferência Nuclear , Células de Schwann/metabolismo , Transfecção/métodos , Animais , Sobrevivência Celular/genética , Células Cultivadas , Eletroporação/métodos , Citometria de Fluxo , Indóis , Lipídeos/genética , Nervo Mediano/citologia , Fatores de Crescimento Neural/metabolismo , Fosfatidiletanolaminas/metabolismo , Ratos , Ratos Endogâmicos Lew , Receptor de Fator de Crescimento Neural/metabolismo , Subunidade beta da Proteína Ligante de Cálcio S100 , Proteínas S100/metabolismo , Nervo Isquiático/citologiaRESUMO
The efficacy of Schwann-cell cultivation can be enhanced by in vitro predegeneration of the harvested cells compared to immediate culture. The aim of this study was to improve Schwann-cell culture efficacy by comparing three different durations of predegeneration. The sciatic and median nerves of 6-8-week-old Lewis rats were harvested and subjected to either 2-day, 7-day, or 14-day predegeneration in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and 1% Penicillin/Streptomycin. Afterward, tissue was enzymatically dissociated and placed in a modified melanocyte growth medium. The cell count was determined immediately after dissociation while the cell purity was determined one subculture/trypsinization cycle later after cell attachment to the culture plate by means of optical microscopy and immunocytochemistry. Particular attention was then paid to the Schwann-cell-to-fibroblast relation. The cumulative cell count in the culture was 5.8 x 10(5) for 2-day, 1.12 x 10(6) for 7-day, and 1.48 x 10(6) for 14-day predegeneration. The culture purity was approximately equal for 2- and 7-day predegeneration (88% Schwann cells, 12% fibroblasts after 2 days; 85% Schwann cells, 15% fibroblasts after 7 days). After 14 days, however, cell cultures were significantly debased by fibroblast proliferation (57% Schwann cells, 43% fibroblasts). In vitro predegeneration is a particularly suitable procedural method to increase the cultural Schwann-cell yield. The number of cultivated rat Schwann cells is doubled by 7-day in vitro predegeneration in comparison to 2-day predegeneration. After 14-day predegeneration, however, the culture is significantly debased by fibroblasts. Therefore, 7-day in vitro predegeneration is an advisable predegeneration period.