New roles of glycosaminoglycans in α-synuclein aggregation in a cellular model of Parkinson disease.

The causes of Parkinson disease (PD) remain mysterious, although some evidence supports mitochondrial dysfunctions and α-synuclein accumulation in Lewy bodies as major events. The abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein has been associated with a deficiency in the ubiquitin-proteasome system and the autophagy-lysosomal pathway. Cathepsin D (cathD), the major lysosomal protease responsible of α-synuclein degradation was described to be up-regulated in PD model. As glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) regulate cathD activity, and have been recently suggested to participate in PD physiopathology, we investigated their role in α-synuclein accumulation by their intracellular regulation of cathD activity. In a classical neuroblastoma cell model of PD induced by MPP+, the genetic expression of GAGs-biosynthetic enzymes was modified, leading to an increase of GAGs amounts whereas intracellular level of α-synuclein increased. The absence of sulfated GAGs increased intracellular cathD activity and limited α-synuclein accumulation. GAGs effects on cathD further suggested that specific sequences or sulfation patterns could be responsible for this regulation. The present study identifies, for the first time, GAGs as new regulators of the lysosome degradation pathway, regulating cathD activity and affecting two main biological processes, α-synuclein aggregation and apoptosis. Finally, this opens new insights into intracellular GAGs functions and new fields of investigation for glycobiological approaches in PD and neurobiology.

Osteogenic Potential of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Contributes to Primary Myelofibrosis.

Primary myelofibrosis is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that is a precursor to myeloid leukemia. Dysmegakaryopoiesis and extramedullary hematopoiesis characterize primary myelofibrosis, which is also associated with bone marrow stromal alterations marked by fibrosis, neoangiogenesis, and osteomyelosclerosis. In particular, contributions to primary myelofibrosis from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been suggested by mouse studies, but evidence in humans remains lacking. In this study, we show that bone marrow MSCs from primary myelofibrosis patients exhibit unique molecular and functional abnormalities distinct from other myeloproliferative neoplasms and these abnormalities are maintained stably ex vivo in the absence of leukemic cells. Primary myelofibrosis-MSC overexpressed heparin-binding cytokines, including proinflammatory TGFß1 and osteogenic BMP-2, as well as glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Transcriptome and functional analyses revealed alterations in MSC differentiation characterized by an increased osteogenic potential and a TGFß1 signaling signature. Accordingly, phospho-Smad2 levels were intrinsically increased in primary myelofibrosis-MSC along with enhanced expression of the master bone regulator RUNX2, while inhibition of the endogenous TGFß1 receptor TGFßR1 impaired osteogenic differentiation in these MSCs. Taken together, our results define the source of a critical osteogenic function in primary myelofibrosis that supports its pathophysiology, suggesting that combined targeting of both the hematopoietic and stromal cell compartments in primary myelofibrosis patients may heighten therapeutic efficacy.

Pleiotrophin commits human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells towards hypertrophy during chondrogenesis.

Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a growth factor present in the extracellular matrix of the growth plate during bone development and in the callus during bone healing. Bone healing is a complicated process that recapitulates endochondral bone development and involves many cell types. Among those cells, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are able to differentiate toward chondrogenic and osteoblastic lineages. We aimed to determine PTN effects on differentiation properties of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSC) under chondrogenic induction using histological analysis and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. PTN dramatically potentiated chondrogenic differentiation as indicated by a strong increase of collagen 2 protein, and cartilage-related gene expression. Moreover, PTN increased transcription of hypertrophic chondrocyte markers such as MMP13, collagen 10 and alkaline phosphatase and enhanced calcification and the content of collagen 10 protein. These effects are dependent on PTN receptors signaling and PI3 K pathway activation. These data suggest a new role of PTN in bone regeneration as an inducer of hypertrophy during chondrogenic differentiation of hBMSC.

Glycosaminoglycan modifications in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: specific remodeling of chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate.

Widespread skeletal muscle degeneration and impaired regeneration lead to progressive muscle weakness and premature death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Dystrophic muscles are progressively replaced by nonfunctional tissue because of exhaustion of muscle precursor cells and excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are components of the ECM and are increasingly implicated in the regulation of biologic processes, but their possible role in the progression of DMD pathology is not understood. In the present study, we performed immunohistochemical and biochemical analyses of endogenous GAGs in skeletal muscle biopsies of 10 DMD patients and 11 healthy individuals (controls). Immunostaining targeted to specific GAG species showed greater deposition of chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan (DS) sulfate in DMD patient biopsies versus control biopsies. The selective accumulation of CS/DS in DMD biopsies was confirmed by biochemical quantification assay. In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis demonstrated a modification of the sulfation pattern of CS/DS disaccharide units in DMD muscles. In conclusion, our data open up a new path of investigation and suggest that GAGs could represent a new and original therapeutic target for improving the success of gene or cell therapy for the treatment of muscular dystrophies.