Probing the lithium-response pathway in hiPSCs implicates the phosphoregulatory set-point for a cytoskeletal modulator in bipolar pathogenesis.

The molecular pathogenesis of bipolar disorder (BPD) is poorly understood. Using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to unravel such mechanisms in polygenic diseases is generally challenging. However, hiPSCs from BPD patients responsive to lithium offered unique opportunities to discern lithium's target and hence gain molecular insight into BPD. By profiling the proteomics of BDP-hiPSC-derived neurons, we found that lithium alters the phosphorylation state of collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP2). Active nonphosphorylated CRMP2, which binds cytoskeleton, is present throughout the neuron; inactive phosphorylated CRMP2, which dissociates from cytoskeleton, exits dendritic spines. CRMP2 elimination yields aberrant dendritogenesis with diminished spine density and lost lithium responsiveness (LiR). The "set-point" for the ratio of pCRMP2:CRMP2 is elevated uniquely in hiPSC-derived neurons from LiR BPD patients, but not with other psychiatric (including lithium-nonresponsive BPD) and neurological disorders. Lithium (and other pathway modulators) lowers pCRMP2, increasing spine area and density. Human BPD brains show similarly elevated ratios and diminished spine densities; lithium therapy normalizes the ratios and spines. Consistent with such "spine-opathies," human LiR BPD neurons with abnormal ratios evince abnormally steep slopes for calcium flux; lithium normalizes both. Behaviorally, transgenic mice that reproduce lithium's postulated site-of-action in dephosphorylating CRMP2 emulate LiR in BPD. These data suggest that the "lithium response pathway" in BPD governs CRMP2's phosphorylation, which regulates cytoskeletal organization, particularly in spines, modulating neural networks. Aberrations in the posttranslational regulation of this developmentally critical molecule may underlie LiR BPD pathogenesis. Instructively, examining the proteomic profile in hiPSCs of a functional agent-even one whose mechanism-of-action is unknown-might reveal otherwise inscrutable intracellular pathogenic pathways.

Quantitative Analysis of Human Pluripotency and Neural Specification by In-Depth (Phospho)Proteomic Profiling.

Controlled differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can be utilized for precise analysis of cell type identities during early development. We established a highly efficient neural induction strategy and an improved analytical platform, and determined proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiles of hESCs and their specified multipotent neural stem cell derivatives (hNSCs). This quantitative dataset (nearly 13,000 proteins and 60,000 phosphorylation sites) provides unique molecular insights into pluripotency and neural lineage entry. Systems-level comparative analysis of proteins (e.g., transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, kinase families), phosphorylation sites, and numerous biological pathways allowed the identification of distinct signatures in pluripotent and multipotent cells. Furthermore, as predicted by the dataset, we functionally validated an autocrine/paracrine mechanism by demonstrating that the secreted protein midkine is a regulator of neural specification. This resource is freely available to the scientific community, including a searchable website, PluriProt.

High-fat diet and leptin treatment alter skeletal muscle insulin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity and glucose transport.

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate if leptin treatment enhances insulin-stimulated glucose transport in normal (experimental group [EXP]-1) and insulin-resistant skeletal muscle (EXP-2) by altering components of the insulin-signaling cascade and/or glucose transport pathway. In EXP-1, Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to control-chow fed (CON-CF) or leptin treated-chow fed (LEP-CF) groups. Animals were implanted with miniosmotic pumps, which delivered 0.5 mg leptin/kg/d to the LEP-CF animals and vehicle to CON-CF animals for 14 days. For EXP-2, Sprague-Dawley rats consumed normal (CON) or high-fat diets for 3 months. After the dietary lead in, the high-fat diet group was further subdivided into high-fat (HF) and high-fat, leptin-treated (HF-LEP) animals. HF-LEP animals were injected with leptin (0.5 mg leptin/kg/d) for 12 days, while the CON and HF animals were injected with vehicle. After the treatment periods, all animals were prepared for and subjected to hind limb perfusion. In EXP-1, leptin treatment increased insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose transporter (GLUT4) translocation, which appeared to be due to increased phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) activation and Akt phosphorylation. In EXP-2, the high-fat diet reduced insulin-stimulated glucose transport, in part, by impairing insulin-stimulated PI3-K activation and glucose transporter translocation. Leptin treatment reversed high-fat-diet-induced insulin resistance in skeletal muscle by restoring insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1-associated PI3-K activity, total GLUT4 protein concentration, and glucose transporter translocation. Collectively, these findings suggest that leptin treatment will enhance components of both the insulin-signaling cascade and glucose transport effector system in normal and insulin-resistant skeletal muscle.

Resistance training enhances components of the insulin signaling cascade in normal and high-fat-fed rodent skeletal muscle.

Our laboratory recently reported that chronic resistance training (RT) improved insulin-stimulated glucose transport in normal rodent skeletal muscle, owing, in part, to increased GLUT-4 protein concentration (Yaspelkis BB III, Singh MK, Trevino B, Krisan AD, and Collins DE. Acta Physiol Scand 175: 315-323, 2002). However, it remained to be determined whether these improvements resulted from alterations in the insulin signaling cascade as well. In addition, the possibility existed that RT might improve skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to four groups: control diet (Con)-sedentary (Sed); Con-RT; high-fat diet (HF)-Sed; and HF-RT. Animals consumed their respective diets for 9 wk; then RT animals performed 12 wk of training (3 sets, 10 repetitions at 75% one-repetition maximum, 3x/wk). Animals remained on their dietary treatments over the 12-wk period. After the training period, animals were subjected to hindlimb perfusions. Insulin-stimulated insulin receptor substrate-1-associated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase activity was enhanced in the red gastrocnemius and quadriceps of Con-RT and HF-RT animals. Atypical PKC-zeta/lambda and Akt activities were reduced in HF-Sed and normalized in HF-RT animals. Resistance training increased GLUT-4 protein concentration in red gastrocnemius and quadriceps of Con-RT and HF-RT animals. No differences were observed in total protein concentrations of insulin receptor substrate-1, Akt, atypical PKC-zeta/lambda, or phosphorylation of Akt. Collectively, these findings suggest that resistance training increases insulin-stimulated carbohydrate metabolism in normal skeletal muscle and reverses high-fat diet-induced skeletal muscle insulin resistance by altering components of both the insulin signaling cascade and glucose transporter effector system.

Chronic leptin treatment enhances insulin-stimulated glucose disposal in skeletal muscle of high-fat fed rodents.

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate if chronic leptin administration corrects high fat diet-induced skeletal muscle insulin resistance, in part, by enhancing rates of glucose disposal and if the improvements are accounted for by alterations in components of the insulin-signaling cascade. Sprague-Dawley rats consumed normal (CON) or high fat diets for three months. After the dietary lead in, the high fat diet group was further subdivided into high fat (HF) and high fat, leptin treated (HF-LEP) animals. HF-LEP animals were injected twice daily with leptin (5 mg/100 g body weight) for 10 days, while the CON and HF animals were injected with vehicle. Following the treatment periods, all animals were prepared for and subjected to hind limb perfusion. The high fat diet decreased rates of insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in the red gastrocnemius (RG), but did not affect glycogen synthase activity, rates of glucose oxidation or nonoxidative disposal of glucose. Of interest, IRS-1-associated PI3-K activity and total GLUT4 protein concentration were reduced in the RG of the high fat-fed animals. Leptin treatment increased rates of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glucose oxidation, and normalized rates of glycogen synthesis. Leptin appeared to mediate these effects by normalizing insulin-stimulated PI3-K activation and GLUT4 protein concentration in the RG. Collectively, these data suggest that chronic leptin treatment reverses the effects of a high fat diet thereby allowing the insulin signaling cascade and glucose transport effector system to be fully activated which in turn affects the amount of glucose that is transported across the plasma membrane and made available for glycogen synthesis.

Combined total proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis of human pluripotent stem cells.

Despite advances in understanding pluripotency through traditional cell biology and gene expression profiling, the signaling networks responsible for maintenance of pluripotency and lineage-specific differentiation are poorly defined. To aid in an improved understanding of these networks at the systems level, we present procedures for the combined analysis of the total proteome and total phosphoproteome (termed (phospho)proteome) from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and their differentiated derivatives. Because there has been considerable heterogeneity in the literature on the culture of pluripotent cells, we first briefly describe our feeder-free cell culture protocol. The focus, however, is on procedures necessary to generate large-scale (phospho)proteomic data from the cells. Human cells are described here, but the (phospho)proteomic procedures are broadly applicable. Detailed procedures are given for lysis of the cells, protein sample preparation and digestion, multidimensional liquid chromatography, analysis by tandem mass spectrometry, and database searches for peptide/protein identification (ID). We summarize additional data analysis procedures, the subject of ongoing efforts.

Phosphoproteomic analysis: an emerging role in deciphering cellular signaling in human embryonic stem cells and their differentiated derivatives.

Cellular signaling is largely controlled by protein phosphorylation. This post-translational modification (PTM) has been extensively analyzed when examining one or a few protein phosphorylation events that effect cell signaling. However, protein kinase-driven signaling networks, comprising total (phospho)proteomes, largely control cell fate. Therefore, large-scale analysis of differentially regulated protein phosphorylation is central to elucidating complex cellular events, including maintenance of pluripotency and differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The current technology of choice for total phosphoproteome and combined total proteome plus total phosphoproteome (termed (phospho)proteome) analyses is multidimensional liquid chromatography-(MDLC) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Advances in the use of MDLC for separation of peptides comprising total (phospho)proteomes, phosphopeptide enrichment, separation of enriched fractions, and quantitative peptide identification by MS/MS have been rapid in recent years, as have improvements in the sensitivity, speed, and accuracy of mass spectrometers. Increasingly deep coverage of (phospho)proteomes is allowing an improved understanding of changes in protein phosphorylation networks as cells respond to stimuli and progress from one undifferentiated or differentiated state to another. Although MDLC-MS/MS studies are powerful, understanding the interpretation of the data is important, and targeted experimental pursuit of biological predictions provided by total (phospho)proteome analyses is needed. (Phospho)proteomic analyses of pluripotent stem cells are in their infancy at this time. However, such studies have already begun to contribute to an improved and accelerated understanding of basic pluripotent stem cell signaling and fate control, especially at the systems-biology level.

Nna1 mediates Purkinje cell dendritic development via lysyl oxidase propeptide and NF-κB signaling.

The molecular pathways controlling cerebellar Purkinje cell dendrite formation and maturation are poorly understood. The Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) mutant mouse is characterized by mutations in Nna1, a gene discovered in an axonal regenerative context, but whose actual function in development and disease is unknown. We found abnormal development of Purkinje cell dendrites in postnatal pcd(Sid) mice and linked this deficit to a deletion mutation in exon 7 of Nna1. With single cell gene profiling and virus-based gene transfer, we analyzed a molecular pathway downstream to Nna1 underlying abnormal Purkinje cell dendritogenesis in pcd(Sid) mice. We discovered that mutant Nna1 dramatically increases intranuclear localization of lysyl oxidase propeptide, which interferes with NF-κB RelA signaling and microtubule-associated protein regulation of microtubule stability, leading to underdevelopment of Purkinje cell dendrites. These findings provide insight into Nna1's role in neuronal development and why its absence renders Purkinje cells more vulnerable.