Overexpression of hepatocyte growth factor in SBMA model mice has an additive effect on combination therapy with castration.

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an inherited motor neuron disease caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ)-encoding tract within the androgen receptor (AR) gene. The pathologic features of SBMA are motor neuron loss in the spinal cord and brainstem and diffuse nuclear accumulation and nuclear inclusions of mutant AR in residual motor neurons and certain visceral organs. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a polypeptide growth factor which has neuroprotective properties. To investigate whether HGF overexpression can affect disease progression in a mouse model of SBMA, we crossed SBMA transgenic model mice expressing an AR gene with an expanded CAG repeat with mice overexpressing HGF. Here, we report that high expression of HGF induces Akt phosphorylation and modestly ameliorated motor symptoms in an SBMA transgenic mouse model treated with or without castration. These findings suggest that HGF overexpression can provide a potential therapeutic avenue as a combination therapy with disease-modifying therapies in SBMA.

Genistein, a natural product derived from soybeans, ameliorates polyglutamine-mediated motor neuron disease.

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an inherited motor neuron disease caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract within the androgen receptor (AR) gene. The pathologic features of SBMA are motor neuron loss in the spinal cord and brainstem, and diffuse nuclear accumulation and nuclear inclusions of mutant AR in residual motor neurons and certain visceral organs. AR-associated coregulator 70 (ARA70) was the first coregulator of AR to be identified, and it has been shown to interact with AR and increase its protein stability. Here, we report that genistein, an isoflavone found in soy, disrupts the interaction between AR and ARA70 and promotes the degradation of mutant AR in neuronal cells and transgenic mouse models of SBMA. We also demonstrate that dietary genistein ameliorates behavioral abnormalities, improves spinal cord and muscle pathology, and decreases the amounts of monomeric AR and high-molecular-weight mutant AR protein aggregates in SBMA transgenic mice. Thus, genistein treatment may be a potential therapeutic approach for alleviating the symptoms of SBMA by disrupting the interactions between AR and ARA70.

Screening of Serum Exosomal miRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Gastric Cancer Using Small RNA Sequencing.

Background/Aim: Exosomal miRNAs are promising tumor biomarkers. This research explored the diagnostic value of serum exosomal miRNAs by analyzing the exosomal miRNAs derived from the serum of gastric cancer patients. Methods: Deep sequencing of exosomal miRNAs was performed using an Illumina HiSeq2500 sequencer on serum samples from three healthy subjects in the normal control group (group N) and six gastric cancer patients in the gastric cancer treatment group (group T). Bioinformatics analysis was performed on exosomal miRNA profiles to screen differentially expressed miRNA. In addition, target gene prediction, GO, and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed. Finally, the serum exocrine bodies of 24 patients with gastric cancer and 24 normal controls were verified by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to confirm the findings. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the subjects was plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The exosomes were successfully extracted from the serum of gastric cancer patients, which showed a form of goblet vesicles or irregular circles, with an average particle size of approximately 102.3 nm. The exosomal marker proteins, CD9, CD63, TSG101, and calnexin, were positively expressed. Small RNA sequencing detected 15 different types of RNA components in the serum exosomes, and the most abundant one was miRNA. In the screened cohort, the downregulation of seven existing miRNAs and the upregulation of one existing miRNA were observed. Four of them were selected for confirmation, revealing that the expression of miR-10401-3p, miR-1255b-5p, and miR-6736-5p declined significantly in group T (P < 0.05). In addition, the ROC curve showed that the AUC values for these three miRNAs were 0.8333, 0.8316, and 0.8142, respectively; all of them are statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The above three miRNAs found in the serum exosomes from gastric cancer patients might serve as diagnostic biomarkers for gastric cancer.

Gene expressions specifically detected in motor neurons (dynactin 1, early growth response 3, acetyl-CoA transporter, death receptor 5, and cyclin C) differentially correlate to pathologic markers in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

In a differential gene expression profile, we showed previously that dynactin 1 (DCTN1), early growth response 3 (EGR3), acetyl-CoA transporter (ACATN), death receptor 5 (DR5), and cyclin C (CCNC) were prominently up- or downregulated in motor neurons of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the present study, we examined the correlation between the expression levels of these genes and the levels of pathologic markers for motor neuron degeneration (i.e. cytoplasmic accumulation of phosphorylated neurofilament H [pNF-H] and ubiquitylated protein) and the numbers of residual motor neurons in 20 autopsies of patients with sporadic ALS. DCTN1 and EGR3 were widely downregulated, and the changes in gene expression were correlated to the number of residual motor neurons. In particular, DCTN1 was markedly downregulated in most residual motor neurons before the accumulation of pNF-H, even in cases with well-preserved motor neuron populations. ACATN, DR5, and CCNC were upregulated in subpopulations of residual motor neurons, and their expression levels were well correlated with the levels of pNF-H accumulation and the number of residual motor neurons. The expressions of DCTN1, EGR3, ACATN, and DR5 were all markedly altered before ubiquitylated protein accumulation. DCTN1 downregulation appears to be an early event before the appearance of neurodegeneration markers, whereas upregulations of DR5 and CCNC are relatively later phenomena associated with pathologic markers and leading to neuronal death. The sequence of motor neuron-specific gene expression changes in sporadic ALS can be beneficial information in developing appropriate therapeutic strategies for neurodegeneration.

dnc-1/dynactin 1 knockdown disrupts transport of autophagosomes and induces motor neuron degeneration.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons. We previously showed that the expression of dynactin 1, an axon motor protein regulating retrograde transport, is markedly reduced in spinal motor neurons of sporadic ALS patients, although the mechanisms by which decreased dynactin 1 levels cause neurodegeneration have yet to be elucidated. The accumulation of autophagosomes in degenerated motor neurons is another key pathological feature of sporadic ALS. Since autophagosomes are cargo of dynein/dynactin complexes and play a crucial role in the turnover of several organelles and proteins, we hypothesized that the quantitative loss of dynactin 1 disrupts the transport of autophagosomes and induces the degeneration of motor neuron. In the present study, we generated a Caenorhabditis elegans model in which the expression of DNC-1, the homolog of dynactin 1, is specifically knocked down in motor neurons. This model exhibited severe motor defects together with axonal and neuronal degeneration. We also observed impaired movement and increased number of autophagosomes in the degenerated neurons. Furthermore, the combination of rapamycin, an activator of autophagy, and trichostatin which facilitates axonal transport dramatically ameliorated the motor phenotype and axonal degeneration of this model. Thus, our results suggest that decreased expression of dynactin 1 induces motor neuron degeneration and that the transport of autophagosomes is a novel and substantial therapeutic target for motor neuron degeneration.

Viral delivery of miR-196a ameliorates the SBMA phenotype via the silencing of CELF2.

Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) tract of the androgen receptor (AR-polyQ). Characteristics of SBMA include proximal muscular atrophy, weakness, contraction fasciculation and bulbar involvement. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a diverse class of highly conserved small RNA molecules that function as crucial regulators of gene expression in animals and plants. Recent functional studies have shown the potent activity of specific miRNAs as disease modifiers both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, potential therapeutic approaches that target the miRNA processing pathway have recently attracted attention. Here we describe a novel therapeutic approach using the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector­mediated delivery of a specific miRNA for SBMA. We found that miR-196a enhanced the decay of the AR mRNA by silencing CUGBP, Elav-like family member 2 (CELF2). CELF2 directly acted on AR mRNA and enhanced the stability of AR mRNA. Furthermore, we found that the early intervention of miR-196a delivered by an AAV vector ameliorated the SBMA phenotypes in a mouse model. Our results establish the proof of principle that disease-specific miRNA delivery could be useful in neurodegenerative diseases.

Gene expression profile of spinal motor neurons in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The causative pathomechanism of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is not clearly understood. Using microarray technology combined with laser-captured microdissection, gene expression profiles of degenerating spinal motor neurons isolated from autopsied patients with sporadic ALS were examined. Gene expression was quantitatively assessed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. Spinal motor neurons showed a distinct gene expression profile from the whole spinal ventral horn. Three percent of genes examined were downregulated, and 1% were upregulated in motor neurons. Downregulated genes included those associated with cytoskeleton/axonal transport, transcription, and cell surface antigens/receptors, such as dynactin, microtubule-associated proteins, and early growth response 3 (EGR3). In contrast, cell death-associated genes were mostly upregulated. Promoters for cell death pathway, death receptor 5, cyclins A1 and C, and caspases-1, -3, and -9, were upregulated, whereas cell death inhibitors, acetyl-CoA transporter, and NF-kappaB were also upregulated. Moreover, neuroprotective neurotrophic factors such as ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor were upregulated. Inflammation-related genes, such as those belonging to the cytokine family, were not, however, significantly upregulated in either motor neurons or ventral horns. The motor neuron-specific gene expression profile in sporadic ALS can provide direct information on the genes leading to neurodegeneration and neuronal death and are helpful for developing new therapeutic strategies.

Nucleolar localization of the UL3 protein of herpes simplex virus type 2.

A rabbit polyclonal antiserum was raised against a recombinant 6 x His-UL3 fusion protein expressed in Escherichia coli and used to examine the intracellular localization of the UL3 protein of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). The antiserum reacted specifically with 31 and 34 kDa proteins in HSV-2 186-infected Vero cells and with 31 and 35 kDa proteins in UL3-expressing COS-7 cells. The UL3 protein localized both in the cytoplasm and in five to ten bright fluorescent granules in the nucleus close to the nuclear membrane at 4 h post-infection (p.i.). These structures became bigger at 5 h p.i. and showed doughnut-like forms at 6 h p.i. In transfected Vero cells, the UL3 protein localized exclusively in the nucleoplasm and specifically in the nucleolus. Five deletion mutants of the UL3 protein were constructed for transfection assays and the results showed that the region containing amino acids 100-164 was important for nucleolar localization. Moreover, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-targetting experiments showed that the region containing amino acids 100-164 was able to transport non-nucleolar GFP to the nucleolus as a fusion protein.