Optimization of AAV vectors for transactivator-regulated enhanced gene expression within targeted neuronal populations.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are potential tools for cell-type-selective gene delivery to the central nervous system. Although cell-type-specific enhancers and promoters have been identified for AAV systems, there is limited information regarding the effects of AAV genomic components on the selectivity and efficiency of gene expression. Here, we offer an alternative strategy to provide specific and efficient gene delivery to a targeted neuronal population by optimizing recombinant AAV genomic components, named TAREGET (TransActivator-Regulated Enhanced Gene Expression within Targeted neuronal populations). We established this strategy in oxytocinergic neurons and showed that the TAREGET enabled sufficient gene expression to label long-projecting axons in wild-type mice. Its application to other cell types, including serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons, was also demonstrated. These results demonstrate that optimization of AAV expression cassettes can improve the specificity and efficiency of cell-type-specific gene expression and that TAREGET can renew previously established cell-type-specific promoters with improved performance.

Phenotypes for general behavior, activity, and body temperature in 3q29 deletion model mice.

Whole genome analysis has identified rare copy number variations (CNV) that are strongly involved in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, and 3q29 deletion has been found to have the largest effect size. The 3q29 deletion mice model (3q29-del mice) has been established as a good pathological model for schizophrenia based on phenotypic analysis; however, circadian rhythm and sleep, which are also closely related to neuropsychiatric disorders, have not been investigated. In this study, our aims were to reevaluate the pathogenesis of 3q29-del by recreating model mice and analyzing their behavior and to identify novel new insights into the temporal activity and temperature fluctuations of the mouse model using a recently developed small implantable accelerometer chip, Nano-tag. We generated 3q29-del mice using genome editing technology and reevaluated common behavioral phenotypes. We next implanted Nano-tag in the abdominal cavity of mice for continuous measurements of long-time activity and body temperature. Our model mice exhibited weight loss similar to that of other mice reported previously. A general behavioral battery test in the model mice revealed phenotypes similar to those observed in mouse models of schizophrenia, including increased rearing frequency. Intraperitoneal implantation of Nano-tag, a miniature acceleration sensor, resulted in hypersensitive and rapid increases in the activity and body temperature of 3q29-del mice upon switching to lights-off condition. Similar to the 3q29-del mice reported previously, these mice are a promising model animals for schizophrenia. Successive quantitative analysis may provide results that could help in treating sleep disorders closely associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Clozapine Induces Neuronal Activation in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in a Projection Target-Biased Manner.

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is associated with various behavioral controls via diverse projections to cortical and subcortical areas of the brain. Dysfunctions and modulations of this circuitry are related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and its pharmacotherapy, respectively. Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic drug used for treatment-resistant schizophrenia and is known to modulate neuronal activity in the mPFC. However, it remains unclear which prefrontal cortical projections are activated by clozapine among the various projection targets. To identify the anatomical characteristics of neurons activated by clozapine at the mesoscale level, we investigated the brain-wide projection patterns of neurons with clozapine-induced c-Fos expression in the mPFC. Using a whole-brain imaging and virus-mediated genetic tagging of activated neurons, we found that clozapine-responsive neurons in the mPFC had a wide range of projections to the mesolimbic, amygdala and thalamic areas, especially the mediodorsal thalamus. These results may provide key insights into the neuronal basis of the therapeutic action of clozapine.

(R)-ketamine restores anterior insular cortex activity and cognitive deficits in social isolation-reared mice.

Chronic social isolation increases the risk of mental health problems, including cognitive impairments and depression. While subanesthetic ketamine is considered effective for cognitive impairments in patients with depression, the neural mechanisms underlying its effects are not well understood. Here we identified unique activation of the anterior insular cortex (aIC) as a characteristic feature in brain-wide regions of mice reared in social isolation and treated with (R)-ketamine, a ketamine enantiomer. Using fiber photometry recording on freely moving mice, we found that social isolation attenuates aIC neuronal activation upon social contact and that (R)-ketamine, but not (S)-ketamine, is able to counteracts this reduction. (R)-ketamine facilitated social cognition in social isolation-reared mice during the social memory test. aIC inactivation offset the effect of (R)-ketamine on social memory. Our results suggest that (R)-ketamine has promising potential as an effective intervention for social cognitive deficits by restoring aIC function.

Blockade of vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 2 (VIPR2) signaling suppresses cyclin D1-dependent cell-cycle progression in MCF-7 cells.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor 2 (VIPR2) is a G protein-coupled receptor that binds to Gαs, Gαi, and Gαq proteins to regulate various downstream signaling molecules, such as protein kinase A (PKA), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and phospholipase C. In this study, we examined the role of VIPR2 in cell cycle progression. KS-133, a newly developed VIPR2-selective antagonist peptide, attenuated VIP-induced cell proliferation in MCF-7 cells. The percentage of cells in the S-M phase was decreased in MCF-7 cells treated with KS-133. KS-133 in the presence of VIP decreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), AKT, and glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK3ß), resulting in a decrease in cyclin D1 levels. In MCF-7 cells stably-expressing VIPR2, KS-133 decreased PI3K activity and cAMP levels. Treatment with the ERK-specific kinase (MEK) inhibitor U0126 and the class I PI3K inhibitor ZSTK474 decreased the percentage of cells in the S phase. KS-133 reduced the percentage of cells in the S phase more than treatment with U0126 or ZSTK474 alone and did not affect the effect of the mixture of these inhibitors. Our findings suggest that VIPR2 signaling regulates cyclin D1 levels through the cAMP/PKA/ERK and PI3K/AKT/GSK3ß pathways, and mediates the G1/S transition to control cell proliferation.

Long-lasting anti-despair and anti-anhedonia effects of (S)-norketamine in social isolation-reared mice.

Alternatives to ketamine without psychotomimetic properties for the treatment of depression have attracted much attention. Here, we examined the anti-despair and anti-anhedonia effects of the ketamine metabolites (S)-norketamine ((S)-NK), (R)-NK, (2S,6S)-hydroxynorketamine, and (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine in a mouse model of depression induced by social isolation. All ketamine metabolites examined had acute (30 min after administration) anti-despair-like effects in the forced swim test, but only (S)-NK showed a long-lasting (1 week) effect. Additionally, only (S)-NK improved reduced motivation both 30 min and 24 h after injection in the female encounter test. These results suggest that (S)-NK has potent and long-lasting antidepressant-like effects.

Dorsal raphe serotonergic neurons preferentially reactivate dorsal dentate gyrus cell ensembles associated with positive experience.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is among the most common mental illnesses. Serotonergic (5-HT) neurons are central to the pathophysiology and treatment of MDD. Repeatedly recalling positive episodes is effective for MDD. Stimulating 5-HT neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) or neuronal ensembles in the dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG) associated with positive memories reverses the stress-induced behavioral abnormalities. Despite this phenotypic similarity, their causal relationship is unclear. This study revealed that the DRN 5-HT neurons activate dDG neurons; surprisingly, this activation was specifically observed in positive memory ensembles rather than neutral or negative ensembles. Furthermore, we revealed that dopaminergic signaling induced by activation of DRN 5-HT neurons projecting to the ventral tegmental area mediates an increase in active coping behavior and positive dDG ensemble reactivation. Our study identifies a role of DRN 5-HT neurons as specific reactivators of positive memories and provides insights into how serotonin elicits antidepressive effects.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 2 signaling promotes breast cancer cell proliferation by enhancing the ERK pathway.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptor 2 (VIPR2) is a class B G protein-coupled receptor with the neuropeptide VIP as a ligand. Increased VIPR2 mRNA expression and/or VIPR2 gene copy number has been documented in several cancers including breast carcinoma. However, the pathophysiological role of increased VIPR2 in the proliferation of breast cancer cells remains largely unknown. In this study, we found that VIPR2 overexpression in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, human breast cancer cell lines, promoted cell proliferation. Increased VIPR2 also exacerbated intraperitoneal proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells in a tumor nude mouse model in vivo. Treatment with KS-133, a VIPR2-selective antagonist peptide, significantly inhibited VIP-induced cell proliferation in VIPR2-overexpressing MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Overexpressed VIPR2 caused increases in the levels of cAMP and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), which involves a VIPR2 signaling pathway through Gs protein. Additionally, phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (Ser157) and cAMP response element binding protein (Ser133) in VIPR2-overexpressing MCF-7 cells was greater than that in control cells, suggesting the increased PKA activity. Moreover, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase, U0126, attenuated tumor proliferation in exogenous VIPR2-expressing MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells at the same level as observed in EGFP-expressing cells treated with U0126. Together, these findings suggest that VIPR2 controls breast tumor growth by regulating the cAMP/PKA/ERK signaling pathway, and the excessive expression of VIPR2 may lead to an exacerbation of breast carcinoma.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide-VIPR2 signaling regulates tumor cell migration.

Phosphoinositide metabolism is critically involved in human cancer cell migration and metastatic growth. The formation of lamellipodia at the leading edge of migrating cells is regulated by metabolism of the inositol phospholipid PI(4,5)P2 into PI(3,4,5)P3. The synthesized PI(3,4,5)P3 promotes the translocation of WASP family verprolin homologous protein 2 (WAVE2) to the plasma membrane and regulates guanine nucleotide exchange factor Rac-mediated actin filament remodeling. Here, we investigated if VIPR2, a receptor for vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), has a potential role in regulating cell migration via this pathway. We found that silencing of VIPR2 in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells inhibited VIP-induced cell migration. In contrast, stable expression of exogenous VIPR2 promoted VIP-induced tumor cell migration, an effect that was inhibited by the addition of a PI3-kinase (PI3K)γ inhibitor or a VIPR2-selective antagonist. VIPR2 stably-expressing cells exhibited increased PI3K activity. Membrane localization of PI(3,4,5)P3 was significantly attenuated by VIPR2-silencing. VIPR2-silencing in MDA-MB-231 cells suppressed lamellipodium extension; in VIPR2-overexpressing cells, VIPR2 accumulated in the cell membrane on lamellipodia and co-localized with WAVE2. Conversely, VIPR2-silencing reduced WAVE2 level on the cell membrane and inhibited the interaction between WAVE2, actin-related protein 3, and actin. These findings suggest that VIP-VIPR2 signaling controls cancer migration by regulating WAVE2-mediated actin nucleation and elongation for lamellipodium formation through the synthesis of PI(3,4,5)P3.

Toward recovery in schizophrenia: Current concepts, findings, and future research directions.

Schizophrenia was initially defined as "dementia praecox" by E. Kraepelin, which implies progressive deterioration. However, recent studies have revealed that early effective intervention may lead to social and functional recovery in schizophrenia. In this review, we provide an overview of current concepts in schizophrenia and pathophysiological hypotheses. In addition, we present recent findings from clinical and basic research on schizophrenia. Recent neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies have consistently revealed specific biological differences in the structure and function of the brain in those with schizophrenia. From a basic research perspective, to determine the essential pathophysiology underlying schizophrenia, it is crucial that findings from all lines of inquiry-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural cells from patients, murine models expressing genetic mutations identified in patients, and patient clinical data-be integrated to contextualize the analysis results. However, the findings remain insufficient to serve as a diagnostic tool or a biomarker for predicting schizophrenia-related outcomes. Collaborations to conduct clinical research based on the patients' and their families' values are just beginning, and further development is expected.

Molecular brain (micro report) oxytocin ameliorates impaired social behavior in a mouse model of 3q29 deletion syndrome.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by specific social symptoms, restricted interests, stereotyped repetitive behaviors, and delayed language development. The 3q29 microdeletion (3q29del), a recurrent copy number variant, confers a high risk for ASD and schizophrenia, and serves as an important pathological model for investigating the molecular pathogenesis of a large number of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions. Recently, mouse models carrying a deletion of the chromosomal region corresponding to the human 3q29 region (Df/+ mice) were generated and demonstrated neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions associated behavioral abnormalities, pointing to the relevance of Df/+ mice as a model for these conditions with high construct and face validity. Currently, the molecular pathogenesis of these behavioral phenotypes in Df/+ mice remains unclear. The oxytocin (OXT) system plays a central role in social behavior across species and has a potential role in ASD. In this study, to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind impaired social behavior in Df/+ mice, we investigated the possible involvement of OXT signaling in impaired social behavior in Df/+ mice. We demonstrated that OXT administration restored the impaired social behavior in Df/+ mice. We also demonstrated that the number of OXT-positive cells in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was significantly lower in Df/+ mice than in wild-type (WT) littermates. Consistent with this, the level of OXT peptide in the cerebral cortex of Df/+ mice was lower than in WT littermates. Our study may provide important insights into the molecular pathophysiological basis of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, including ASD.

Claustrum mediates bidirectional and reversible control of stress-induced anxiety responses.

The processing of stress responses involves brain-wide communication among cortical and subcortical regions; however, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that the claustrum (CLA) is crucial for the control of stress-induced anxiety-related behaviors. A combined approach using brain activation mapping and machine learning showed that the CLA activation serves as a reliable marker of exposure to acute stressors. In TRAP2 mice, which allow activity-dependent genetic labeling, chemogenetic activation of the CLA neuronal ensemble tagged by acute social defeat stress (DS) elicited anxiety-related behaviors, whereas silencing of the CLA ensemble attenuated DS-induced anxiety-related behaviors. Moreover, the CLA received strong input from DS-activated basolateral amygdala neurons, and its circuit-selective optogenetic photostimulation temporarily elicited anxiety-related behaviors. Last, silencing of the CLA ensemble during stress exposure increased resistance to chronic DS. The CLA thus bidirectionally controls stress-induced emotional responses, and its inactivation can serve as a preventative strategy to increase stress resilience.

Autism-associated ANK2 regulates embryonic neurodevelopment.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by altered social communication, restricted interests, and stereotypic behaviors. Although the molecular and cellular pathogeneses of ASD remain elusive, impaired neural stem cell differentiation and neuronal migration during cortical development are suggested to be critically involved in ASD. ANK2, which encodes for a cytoskeletal scaffolding protein involved in recruiting membrane proteins into specialized membrane domains, has been identified as a high-confidence ASD risk gene. However, the role of ANK2 in early neural development remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed the role of ANK2 in the cerebral cortex of developing mouse using in utero electroporation. We provide evidence suggesting that ANK2 regulates neural stem cell differentiation and neuronal migration in the embryonic cerebral cortex, where Ank2 is highly expressed. We also demonstrated that Ank2 knockdown alters the expression of genes involved in neural development. Taken together, these results support the view that ANK2 haploinsufficiency in patients may impair neural development, resulting in an increased risk of ASD. Our study findings provide new insights into the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of ASD, given that among high-confidence ASD genes, ANK2 is rare in that it encodes for a scaffolding protein for the membrane protein complex required for neuronal functions.

Modeling schizophrenia with iPS cell technology and disease mouse models.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, which enables the direct analysis of neuronal cells with the same genetic background as patients, has recently garnered significant attention in schizophrenia research. This technology is important because it enables a comprehensive interpretation using mice and human clinical research and cross-species verification. Here I review recent advances in modeling schizophrenia using iPSC technology, alongside the utility of disease mouse models.

Trends in big data analyses by multicenter collaborative translational research in psychiatry.

The underlying pathologies of psychiatric disorders, which cause substantial personal and social losses, remain unknown, and their elucidation is an urgent issue. To clarify the core pathological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, in addition to laboratory-based research that incorporates the latest findings, it is necessary to conduct large-sample-size research and verify reproducibility. For this purpose, it is critical to conduct multicenter collaborative research across various fields, such as psychiatry, neuroscience, molecular biology, genomics, neuroimaging, cognitive science, neurophysiology, psychology, and pharmacology. Moreover, collaborative research plays an important role in the development of young researchers. In this respect, the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium and Cognitive Genetics Collaborative Research Organization (COCORO) have played important roles. In this review, we first overview the importance of multicenter collaborative research and our target psychiatric disorders. Then, we introduce research findings on the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders from neurocognitive, neurophysiological, neuroimaging, genetic, and basic neuroscience perspectives, focusing mainly on the findings obtained by COCORO. It is our hope that multicenter collaborative research will contribute to the elucidation of the pathological basis of psychiatric disorders.

PACAP-PAC1 Signaling Regulates Serotonin 2A Receptor Internalization.

Mice lacking pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) display psychomotor abnormalities, most of which are ameliorated by atypical antipsychotics with serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptor (5-HT2A) antagonism. Heterozygous Pacap mutant mice show a significantly higher hallucinogenic response than wild-type mice to a 5-HT2A agonist. Endogenous PACAP may, therefore, affect 5-HT2A signaling; however, the underlying neurobiological mechanism for this remains unclear. Here, we examined whether PACAP modulates 5-HT2A signaling by addressing cellular protein localization. PACAP induced an increase in internalization of 5-HT2A but not 5-HT1A, 5-HT2C, dopamine D2 receptors or metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 in HEK293T cells. This PACAP action was inhibited by protein kinase C inhibitors, ß-arrestin2 silencing, the PACAP receptor PAC1 antagonist PACAP6-38, and PAC1 silencing. In addition, the levels of endogenous 5-HT2A were decreased on the cell surface of primary cultured cortical neurons after PACAP stimulation and were increased in frontal cortex cell membranes of Pacap-/- mice. Finally, intracerebroventricular PACAP administration suppressed 5-HT2A agonist-induced head twitch responses in mice. These results suggest that PACAP-PAC1 signaling increases 5-HT2A internalization resulting in attenuation of 5-HT2A-mediated signaling, although further study is necessary to determine the relationship between behavioral abnormalities in Pacap-/- mice and PACAP-induced 5-HT2A internalization.

Postsynaptic structure formation of human iPS cell-derived neurons takes longer than presynaptic formation during neural differentiation in vitro.

The generation of mature synaptic structures using neurons differentiated from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-neurons) is expected to be applied to physiological studies of synapses in human cells and to pathological studies of diseases that cause abnormal synaptic function. Although it has been reported that synapses themselves change from an immature to a mature state as neurons mature, there are few reports that clearly show when and how human stem cell-derived neurons change to mature synaptic structures. This study was designed to elucidate the synapse formation process of hiPSC-neurons. We propagated hiPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (hiPSC-NPCs) that expressed localized markers of the ventral hindbrain as neurospheres by dual SMAD inhibition and then differentiated them into hiPSC-neurons in vitro. After 49 days of in vitro differentiation, hiPSC-neurons significantly expressed pre- and postsynaptic markers at both the transcript and protein levels. However, the expression of postsynaptic markers was lower than in normal human or normal rat brain tissues, and immunostaining analysis showed that it was relatively modest and was lower than that of presynaptic markers and that its localization in synaptic structures was insufficient. Neurophysiological analysis using a microelectrode array also revealed that no synaptic activity was generated on hiPSC-neurons at 49 days of differentiation. Analysis of subtype markers by immunostaining revealed that most hiPSC-neurons expressed vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2). The presence or absence of NGF, which is required for the survival of cholinergic neurons, had no effect on their cell fractionation. These results suggest that during the synaptogenesis of hiPSC-neurons, the formation of presynaptic structures is not the only requirement for the formation of postsynaptic structures and that the mRNA expression of postsynaptic markers does not correlate with the formation of their mature structures. Technically, we also confirmed a certain level of robustness and reproducibility of our neuronal differentiation method in a multicenter setting, which will be helpful for future research. Synapse formation with mature postsynaptic structures will remain an interesting issue for stem cell-derived neurons, and the present method can be used to obtain early and stable quality neuronal cultures from hiPSC-NPCs.

Multiple alterations in glutamatergic transmission and dopamine D2 receptor splicing in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from patients with familial schizophrenia.

An increasing body of evidence suggests that impaired synapse development and function are associated with schizophrenia; however, the underlying molecular pathophysiological mechanism of the disease remains largely unclear. We conducted a family-based study combined with molecular and cellular analysis using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. We generated iPSCs from patients with familial schizophrenia, differentiated these cells into neurons, and investigated the molecular and cellular phenotypes of the patient's neurons. We identified multiple altered synaptic functions, including increased glutamatergic synaptic transmission, higher synaptic density, and altered splicing of dopamine D2 receptor mRNA in iPSC-derived neurons from patients. We also identified patients' specific genetic mutations using whole-exome sequencing. Our findings support the notion that altered synaptic function may underlie the molecular and cellular pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and that multiple genetic factors cooperatively contribute to the development of schizophrenia.