RESUMO
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a highly heritable mental disorder with thousands of associated genetic variants located mostly in the noncoding space of the genome. Translating these associations into insights regarding the underlying pathomechanisms has been challenging because the causal variants, their mechanisms of action, and their target genes remain largely unknown. We implemented a massively parallel variant annotation pipeline (MVAP) to perform SCZ variant-to-function mapping at scale in disease-relevant neural cell types. This approach identified 620 functional variants (1.7%) that operate in a highly developmental context and neuronal-activity-dependent manner. Multimodal integration of epigenomic and CRISPRi screening data enabled us to link these functional variants to target genes, biological processes, and ultimately alterations of neuronal physiology. These results provide a multistage prioritization strategy to map functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-to-gene-to-endophenotype relations and offer biological insights into the context-dependent molecular processes modulated by SCZ-associated genetic variation.
Assuntos
Esquizofrenia , Humanos , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Estudo de Associação Genômica Ampla , Neurônios/metabolismo , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Esquizofrenia/genética , Animais , Camundongos , Sequenciamento de Nucleotídeos em Larga EscalaRESUMO
Innate-like B-1a cells provide a first line of defense against pathogens, yet little is known about their transcriptional control. Here we identified an essential role for the transcription factor Bhlhe41, with a lesser contribution by Bhlhe40, in controlling B-1a cell differentiation. Bhlhe41-/-Bhlhe40-/- B-1a cells were present at much lower abundance than were their wild-type counterparts. Mutant B-1a cells exhibited an abnormal cell-surface phenotype and altered B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire exemplified by loss of the phosphatidylcholine-specific VH12Vκ4 BCR. Expression of a pre-rearranged VH12Vκ4 BCR failed to 'rescue' the mutant phenotype and revealed enhanced proliferation accompanied by increased cell death. Bhlhe41 directly repressed the expression of cell-cycle regulators and inhibitors of BCR signaling while enabling pro-survival cytokine signaling. Thus, Bhlhe41 controls the development, BCR repertoire and self-renewal of B-1a cells.
Assuntos
Subpopulações de Linfócitos B/citologia , Subpopulações de Linfócitos B/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição Hélice-Alça-Hélice Básicos/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular , Autorrenovação Celular , Receptores de Antígenos de Linfócitos B/metabolismo , Animais , Subpopulações de Linfócitos B/imunologia , Fatores de Transcrição Hélice-Alça-Hélice Básicos/genética , Sítios de Ligação , Biomarcadores , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Autorrenovação Celular/genética , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Genes de Imunoglobulinas , Ativação Linfocitária/genética , Ativação Linfocitária/imunologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Motivos de Nucleotídeos , Especificidade de Órgãos/genética , Especificidade de Órgãos/imunologia , Fenótipo , Matrizes de Pontuação de Posição Específica , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas , Ligação Proteica , Proteínas Repressoras/metabolismo , Transdução de SinaisRESUMO
Circadian clocks control most physiological processes of many species. We specifically wanted to investigate the influence of environmental and endogenous rhythms and their interplay on electrophysiological dynamics of neuronal populations. Therefore, we measured local field potential (LFP) time series in wild-type and Cryptochrome 1 and 2 deficient (Cry1/2-/-) mice in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the nucleus accumbens under regular light conditions and constant darkness. Using refined descriptive and statistical analyses, we systematically profiled LFP time series activity. We show that both environmental and endogenous rhythms strongly influence the rhythmicity of LFP signals and their frequency components, but also shape neuronal patterns on much smaller time scales, as neuronal activity in Cry1/2-/- mice is significantly less regular but at each time more synchronous within and between brain areas than in wild-type mice. These results show that functional circadian rhythms are integral for both circadian and non-circadian coordination of neuronal ensemble dynamics.
RESUMO
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a psychiatric disorder with a strong genetic determinant. A major hypothesis to explain disease aetiology comprises synaptic dysfunction associated with excitatory-inhibitory imbalance of synaptic transmission, ultimately contributing to impaired network oscillation and cognitive deficits associated with the disease. Here, we studied the morphological and functional properties of a highly defined co-culture of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from patients with idiopathic SCZ. Our results indicate upregulation of synaptic genes and increased excitatory synapse formation on GABAergic neurons in co-cultures. In parallel, we observed decreased lengths of axon initial segments, concordant with data from postmortem brains from patients with SCZ. In line with increased synapse density, patch-clamp analyses revealed markedly increased spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSC) recorded from GABAergic SCZ neurons. Finally, MEA recordings from neuronal networks indicate increased strength of network activity, potentially in response to altered synaptic transmission and E-I balance in the co-cultures. In conclusion, our results suggest selective deregulation of neuronal activity in SCZ samples, providing evidence for altered synapse formation and synaptic transmission as a potential base for aberrant network synchronization.
Assuntos
Técnicas de Cocultura , Células-Tronco Pluripotentes Induzidas , Neurônios , Esquizofrenia , Esquizofrenia/fisiopatologia , Esquizofrenia/patologia , Humanos , Neurônios/fisiologia , Potenciais Pós-Sinápticos Excitadores/fisiologia , Rede Nervosa/fisiopatologia , Sinapses/fisiologia , Sinapses/patologia , Masculino , Feminino , Células Cultivadas , Neurônios GABAérgicos/fisiologia , Neurônios GABAérgicos/metabolismo , Transmissão Sináptica/fisiologia , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , AdultoRESUMO
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are relevant targets for health and disease as they regulate various aspects of metabolism, proliferation, differentiation, and immune pathways. They are implicated in several disease areas, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental disorders. It is worth noting that about a third of all marketed drugs target GPCRs, making them prime pharmacological targets for drug discovery. Numerous functional assays have been developed to assess GPCR activity and GPCR signaling in living cells. Here, we review the current literature of genetically encoded cell-based assays to measure GPCR activation and downstream signaling at different hierarchical levels of signaling, from the receptor to transcription, via transducers, effectors, and second messengers. Singleplex assay formats provide one data point per experimental condition. Typical examples are bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) assays and protease cleavage assays (e.g., Tango or split TEV). By contrast, multiplex assay formats allow for the parallel measurement of multiple receptors and pathways and typically use molecular barcodes as transcriptional reporters in barcoded assays. This enables the efficient identification of desired on-target and on-pathway effects as well as detrimental off-target and off-pathway effects. Multiplex assays are anticipated to accelerate drug discovery for GPCRs as they provide a comprehensive and broad identification of compound effects.
Assuntos
Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Humanos , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Desenvolvimento de Medicamentos/métodos , Descoberta de Drogas/métodos , Animais , Técnicas de Transferência de Energia por Ressonância de Bioluminescência/métodos , Bioensaio/métodosRESUMO
NG2-glia comprise a heterogeneous population of cycling cells that give rise to mature, myelinating oligodendrocytes. The mechanisms that regulate the process of differentiation from NG2-glia into oligodendrocytes are still not fully understood but over the last years the G Protein-coupled Receptor 17 (GPR17) has been on the spotlight as a possible key regulator. Interestingly, GPR17-expressing NG2-glia show under physiological conditions a slower and lower level of differentiation compared to NG2-glia without GPR17. In contrast, after a CNS insult these react with proliferation and differentiation in a high rate, pointing towards a role in repair processes. However, the role of GPR17+ NG2-glia under healthy conditions in adulthood has not been addressed yet. Therefore, we aimed here to characterize the GPR17-expressing NG2-glia. Using transgenic mouse models, we showed restricted GPR17 expression in only some NG2-glia. Furthermore, we found that these cells constitute a distinct subset within the NG2-glia population, which shows a different gene expression profile and behavior when compared to the total NG2-glia population. Genetic depletion of GPR17+ cells showed that these are not contributing to the dynamic and continuous generation of new oligodendrocytes in the adult brain. Taken together, GPR17+ NG2-glia seem to play a distinct role under physiological conditions that goes beyond their classic differentiation control, that needs to be further elucidated. These results open new avenues for using the GPR17 receptor as a target to change oligodendrogenesis under physiological and pathological conditions, highlighting the importance of further characterization of this protein for future pharmacological studies.
Assuntos
Células Precursoras de Oligodendrócitos , Camundongos , Animais , Células Precursoras de Oligodendrócitos/metabolismo , Neuroglia/metabolismo , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Oligodendroglia/metabolismo , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/genética , Receptores Acoplados a Proteínas G/metabolismo , Camundongos Transgênicos , Proteínas do Tecido Nervoso/metabolismoRESUMO
Tissues in multicellular organisms are populated by resident macrophages, which perform both generic and tissue-specific functions. The latter are induced by signals from the microenvironment and rely on unique tissue-specific molecular programs requiring the combinatorial action of tissue-specific and broadly expressed transcriptional regulators. Here, we identify the transcription factors Bhlhe40 and Bhlhe41 as novel regulators of alveolar macrophages (AMs)-a population that provides the first line of immune defense and executes homeostatic functions in lung alveoli. In the absence of these factors, AMs exhibited decreased proliferation that resulted in a severe disadvantage of knockout AMs in a competitive setting. Gene expression analyses revealed a broad cell-intrinsic footprint of Bhlhe40/Bhlhe41 deficiency manifested by a downregulation of AM signature genes and induction of signature genes of other macrophage lineages. Genome-wide characterization of Bhlhe40 DNA binding suggested that these transcription factors directly repress the expression of lineage-inappropriate genes in AMs. Taken together, these results identify Bhlhe40 and Bhlhe41 as key regulators of AM self-renewal and guardians of their identity.
Assuntos
Fatores de Transcrição Hélice-Alça-Hélice Básicos/genética , Perfilação da Expressão Gênica/métodos , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/genética , Macrófagos Alveolares/citologia , Acetilação , Animais , Fatores de Transcrição Hélice-Alça-Hélice Básicos/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular , Proliferação de Células , Autorrenovação Celular , Sobrevivência Celular , Regulação para Baixo , Técnicas de Silenciamento de Genes , Histonas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/metabolismo , Macrófagos Alveolares/metabolismo , Camundongos , Especificidade de Órgãos , Fenótipo , Análise de Sequência de RNARESUMO
Over the last few years, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have received increasing attention as potential non-invasive diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for various diseases. The interest in EVs is related to their structure and content, as well as to their changing cargo in response to different stimuli. One of the potential areas of use of EVs as biomarkers is the central nervous system (CNS), in particular the brain, because EVs can cross the blood-brain barrier, exist also in peripheral tissues and have a diverse cargo. Thus, they may represent "liquid biopsies" of the CNS that can reflect brain pathophysiology without the need for invasive surgical procedures. Overall, few studies to date have examined EVs in neuropsychiatric disorders, and the present evidence appears to lack reproducibility. This situation might be due to a variety of technical obstacles related to working with EVs, such as the use of different isolation strategies, which results in non-uniform vesicular and molecular outputs. Multi-omics approaches and improvements in the standardization of isolation procedures will allow highly pure EV fractions to be obtained in which the molecular cargo, particularly microRNAs and proteins, can be identified and accurately quantified. Eventually, these advances will enable researchers to decipher disease-relevant molecular signatures of the brain-derived EVs involved in synaptic plasticity, neuronal development, neuro-immune communication, and other related pathways. This narrative review summarizes the findings of studies on EVs in major psychiatric disorders, particularly in the field of biomarkers, and discusses the respective therapeutic potential of EVs.
Assuntos
Vesículas Extracelulares , Transtornos Mentais , Humanos , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Vesículas Extracelulares/metabolismo , Encéfalo , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Transtornos Mentais/diagnóstico , Transtornos Mentais/terapia , Transtornos Mentais/metabolismoRESUMO
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a widespread addiction disorder with severe consequences for health. AUD patients often suffer from sleep disturbances and irregular daily patterns. Conversely, disruptions of circadian rhythms are considered a risk factor for AUD and alcohol relapses. In this study, we investigated the extent to which circadian genetic and environmental disruptions and their interaction alter alcohol drinking behaviour in mice. As a model of genetic circadian disruption, we used Cryptochrome1/2-deficient (Cry1/2-/- ) mice with strongly suppressed circadian rhythms and found that they exhibit significantly reduced preference for alcohol but increased incentive motivation to obtain it. Similarly, we found that low circadian SCN amplitude correlates with reduced alcohol preference in WT mice. Moreover, we show that the low alcohol preference of Cry1/2-/- mice concurs with high corticosterone and low levels of the orexin precursor prepro-orexin and that WT and Cry1/2-/- mice respond differently to alcohol withdrawal. As a model of environmentally induced disruption of circadian rhythms, we exposed mice to a "shift work" light/dark regimen, which also leads to a reduction in their alcohol preference. Interestingly, this effect is even more pronounced when genetic and environmental circadian perturbations interact in Cry1/2-/- mice under "shift work" conditions. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that in mice, disturbances in circadian rhythms have pronounced effects on alcohol consumption as well as on physiological factors and other behaviours associated with AUD and that the interaction between circadian genetic and environmental disturbances further alters alcohol consumption behaviour.
Assuntos
Alcoolismo/genética , Ritmo Circadiano/genética , Criptocromos/genética , Meio Ambiente , Animais , Corticosterona/biossíntese , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Orexinas/efeitos dos fármacos , Fatores de Risco , Transtornos do Sono do Ritmo Circadiano/fisiopatologiaRESUMO
Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) play key roles in various aspects of cell biology, including cell-to-cell communication, proliferation and differentiation, survival, and tissue homeostasis, and have been implicated in various diseases including cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders. Ligand-activated RTKs recruit adapter proteins through a phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr) motif that is present on the RTK and a p-Tyr-binding domain, like the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain found in adapter proteins. Notably, numerous combinations of RTK/adapter combinations exist, making it challenging to compare receptor activities in standardised assays. In cell-based assays, a regulated adapter recruitment can be investigated using genetically encoded protein-protein interaction detection methods, such as the split TEV biosensor assay. Here, we applied the split TEV technique to robustly monitor the dynamic recruitment of both naturally occurring full-length adapters and artificial adapters, which are formed of clustered SH2 domains. The applicability of this approach was tested for RTKs from various subfamilies including the epidermal growth factor (ERBB) family, the insulin receptor (INSR) family, and the hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR) family. Best signal-to-noise ratios of ligand-activated RTK receptor activation was obtained when clustered SH2 domains derived from GRB2 were used as adapters. The sensitivity and robustness of the RTK recruitment assays were validated in dose-dependent inhibition assays using the ERBB family-selective antagonists lapatinib and WZ4002. The RTK split TEV recruitment assays also qualify for high-throughput screening approaches, suggesting that the artificial adapter may be used as universal adapter in cell-based profiling assays within pharmacological intervention studies.
Assuntos
Bioensaio/métodos , Proteína Adaptadora GRB2/metabolismo , Receptores Proteína Tirosina Quinases/metabolismo , Domínios de Homologia de src , Células A549 , Acrilamidas/metabolismo , Acrilamidas/farmacologia , Animais , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Receptores ErbB/antagonistas & inibidores , Receptores ErbB/genética , Receptores ErbB/metabolismo , Proteína Adaptadora GRB2/genética , Humanos , Lapatinib/metabolismo , Lapatinib/farmacologia , Células PC12 , Ligação Proteica/efeitos dos fármacos , Pirimidinas/metabolismo , Pirimidinas/farmacologia , Ratos , Receptores Proteína Tirosina Quinases/antagonistas & inibidores , Receptores Proteína Tirosina Quinases/genética , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
The article Monitoring activities of receptor tyrosine kinases using a universal adapter in genetically encoded split TEV assays, written by Jan P. Wintgens, Sven P. Wichert, Luksa Popovic, Moritz J. Rossner and Michael C. Wehr, was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 8 January 2019 without open access.
RESUMO
The bHLH transcription factors SHARP1 and SHARP2 are partially redundant modulators of the circadian system. SHARP1/DEC2 has been shown to control sleep length in humans and sleep architecture is also altered in double mutant mice (S1/2(-/-)). Because of the importance of sleep for memory consolidation, we investigated the role of SHARP1 and SHARP2 in cognitive processing. S1/2(-/-) mice show enhanced cortex (Cx)-dependent remote fear memory formation as well as improved reversal learning, but do not display alterations in hippocampus (Hi)-dependent recent fear memory formation. SHARP1 and SHARP2 single null mutants do not display any cognitive phenotype supporting functional redundancy of both factors. Molecular and biochemical analyses revealed elevated insulin-related growth factor 2 (IGF2) signaling and increased phosphorylation of MAPK and S6 in the Cx but not the Hi of S1/2(-/-) mice. No changes were detected in single mutants. Moreover, adeno-associated virus type 2-mediated IGF2 overexpression in the anterior cingulate cortex enhanced remote fear memory formation and the analysis of forebrain-specific double null mutants of the Insulin and IGF1 receptors revealed their essential function for memory formation. Impaired fear memory formation in aged S1/2(-/-) mice indicates that elevated IGF2 signaling in the long term, however, has a negative impact on cognitive processing. In summary, we conclude that the bHLH transcription factors SHARP1 and SHARP2 are involved in cognitive processing by controlling Igf2 expression and associated signaling cascades. Our analyses provide evidence that the control of sleep and memory consolidation may share common molecular mechanisms.
Assuntos
Fatores de Transcrição Hélice-Alça-Hélice Básicos/metabolismo , Córtex Cerebral/metabolismo , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/metabolismo , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like II/metabolismo , Memória de Longo Prazo , Transdução de Sinais , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Animais , Fatores de Transcrição Hélice-Alça-Hélice Básicos/genética , Western Blotting , Expressão Gênica , Proteínas de Homeodomínio/genética , Proteína 5 de Ligação a Fator de Crescimento Semelhante à Insulina/genética , Proteína 5 de Ligação a Fator de Crescimento Semelhante à Insulina/metabolismo , Fator de Crescimento Insulin-Like II/genética , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Proteínas Quinases Ativadas por Mitógeno/metabolismo , Fosforilação , Interferência de RNA , Receptor IGF Tipo 1/genética , Receptor IGF Tipo 1/metabolismo , Receptor de Insulina/genética , Receptor de Insulina/metabolismo , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Fatores de Tempo , Fatores de Transcrição/genéticaRESUMO
Numerous membrane-bound proteins undergo regulated intramembrane proteolysis. Regulated intramembrane proteolysis is initiated by shedding, and the remaining stubs are further processed by intramembrane-cleaving proteases (I-CLiPs). Neuregulin 1 type III (NRG1 type III) is a major physiological substrate of ß-secretase (ß-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1)). BACE1-mediated cleavage is required to allow signaling of NRG1 type III. Because of the hairpin nature of NRG1 type III, two membrane-bound stubs with a type 1 and a type 2 orientation are generated by proteolytic processing. We demonstrate that these stubs are substrates for three I-CLiPs. The type 1-oriented stub is further cleaved by γ-secretase at an ϵ-like site five amino acids N-terminal to the C-terminal membrane anchor and at a γ-like site in the middle of the transmembrane domain. The ϵ-cleavage site is only one amino acid N-terminal to a Val/Leu substitution associated with schizophrenia. The mutation reduces generation of the NRG1 type III ß-peptide as well as reverses signaling. Moreover, it affects the cleavage precision of γ-secretase at the γ-site similar to certain Alzheimer disease-associated mutations within the amyloid precursor protein. The type 2-oriented membrane-retained stub of NRG1 type III is further processed by signal peptide peptidase-like proteases SPPL2a and SPPL2b. Expression of catalytically inactive aspartate mutations as well as treatment with 2,2'-(2-oxo-1,3-propanediyl)bis[(phenylmethoxy)carbonyl]-l-leucyl-l-leucinamide ketone inhibits formation of N-terminal intracellular domains and the corresponding secreted C-peptide. Thus, NRG1 type III is the first protein substrate that is not only cleaved by multiple sheddases but is also processed by three different I-CLiPs.
Assuntos
Membrana Celular/enzimologia , Neuregulina-1/metabolismo , Peptídeo Hidrolases/metabolismo , Proteólise , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Substituição de Aminoácidos/genética , Animais , Ácido Aspártico Endopeptidases/genética , Ácido Aspártico Endopeptidases/metabolismo , Peptídeo C/metabolismo , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Mutação/genética , Neurônios/metabolismo , Peptídeos/química , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína , Ratos , Esquizofrenia/genética , Especificidade por SubstratoRESUMO
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is a severe hypomyelinating disease, characterized by ataxia, intellectual disability, epilepsy, and premature death. In the majority of cases, PMD is caused by duplication of PLP1 that is expressed in myelinating oligodendrocytes. Despite detailed knowledge of PLP1, there is presently no curative therapy for PMD. We used a Plp1 transgenic PMD mouse model to test the therapeutic effect of Lonaprisan, an antagonist of the nuclear progesterone receptor, in lowering Plp1 mRNA overexpression. We applied placebo-controlled Lonaprisan therapy to PMD mice for 10 weeks and performed the grid slip analysis to assess the clinical phenotype. Additionally, mRNA expression and protein accumulation as well as histological analysis of the central nervous system were performed. Although Plp1 mRNA levels are increased 1.8-fold in PMD mice compared to wild-type controls, daily Lonaprisan treatment reduced overexpression at the RNA level to about 1.5-fold, which was sufficient to significantly improve the poor motor phenotype. Electron microscopy confirmed a 25% increase in the number of myelinated axons in the corticospinal tract when compared to untreated PMD mice. Microarray analysis revealed the upregulation of proapoptotic genes in PMD mice that could be partially rescued by Lonaprisan treatment, which also reduced microgliosis, astrogliosis, and lymphocyte infiltration.
Assuntos
Estrenos/uso terapêutico , Antagonistas de Hormônios/uso terapêutico , Doença de Pelizaeus-Merzbacher/tratamento farmacológico , Progesterona/antagonistas & inibidores , Animais , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Estrenos/farmacocinética , Estrenos/farmacologia , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Antagonistas de Hormônios/farmacocinética , Antagonistas de Hormônios/farmacologia , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Transgênicos , Proteína Proteolipídica de Mielina/genética , Fenótipo , RNA Mensageiro/genéticaRESUMO
Protein ubiquitination is a core regulatory determinant of neural development. Previous studies have indicated that the Nedd4-family E3 ubiquitin ligases Nedd4-1 and Nedd4-2 may ubiquitinate phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and thereby regulate axonal growth in neurons. Using conditional knockout mice, we show here that Nedd4-1 and Nedd4-2 are indeed required for axonal growth in murine central nervous system neurons. However, in contrast to previously published data, we demonstrate that PTEN is not a substrate of Nedd4-1 and Nedd4-2, and that aberrant PTEN ubiquitination is not involved in the impaired axon growth upon deletion of Nedd4-1 and Nedd4-2. Rather, PTEN limits Nedd4-1 protein levels by modulating the activity of mTORC1, a protein complex that controls protein synthesis and cell growth. Our data demonstrate that Nedd4-family E3 ligases promote axonal growth and branching in the developing mammalian brain, where PTEN is not a relevant substrate. Instead, PTEN controls neurite growth by regulating Nedd4-1 expression.
Assuntos
Complexos Endossomais de Distribuição Requeridos para Transporte/metabolismo , Complexos Multiproteicos/metabolismo , Neuritos/metabolismo , PTEN Fosfo-Hidrolase/metabolismo , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/metabolismo , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/metabolismo , Animais , Axônios/metabolismo , Córtex Cerebral/citologia , Hipocampo/citologia , Alvo Mecanístico do Complexo 1 de Rapamicina , Camundongos Knockout , Modelos Biológicos , Morfogênese , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases Nedd4 , Poliubiquitina/metabolismo , Biossíntese de Proteínas , UbiquitinaçãoRESUMO
Psychosocial stress-particularly in combination with genetic vulnerability-is a critical environmental risk factor for psychiatric diseases in humans. Isolation rearing (IR) and social defeat (SD) paradigms model psychosocial risk factors in rodents, while enriched environment (EE) protects them from behavioural deficits. Studying the influence of various environmental conditions, e.g., on genetic mouse models can help to dissect the complex gene-environment relationships underlying human psychiatric diseases. Such studies may require analysing multiple mouse cohorts; however, the comparability of behavioural experiments is challenging and often compromised by practical limitations such as group sizes and influences of handling. Therefore, protocol standardization as well as appropriate statistical normalization is necessary to compare different experiments. In this study, we analysed two independent cohorts to compare the behavioural profiles of wild-type male mice subjected to IR and SD. In both cases, EE conditions served as a reference. Multivariate statistics was applied to merge the data from individual measures into broader categories (such as curiosity, anxiety and fear memory) by estimating their calibrated joint effect within a category. Plotting and overlaying these calibrated effect sizes in a single graph allowed intuitive comparison of IR and SD behavioural profiles. This approach allows analysing multiple behavioural tests at once, which is more relevant to psychiatric syndromes than focusing on single behavioural measures. Our method revealed that motivation and fear memory are impaired by both conditions, whereas ambulation and pain sensitivity are affected only by IR and curiosity is mainly diminished upon SD. Thus, IR could be a paradigm of choice in studies focusing on positive symptoms, while SD might be more relevant for negative and cognitive symptoms.
Assuntos
Comportamento Animal/fisiologia , Pesquisa Comportamental/métodos , Interpretação Estatística de Dados , Dominação-Subordinação , Isolamento Social , Estresse Psicológico/fisiopatologia , Animais , Calibragem , Meio Ambiente , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BLRESUMO
Schizophrenia is a genetically complex disease considered to have a neurodevelopmental pathogenesis and defined by a broad spectrum of positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive deficits. Recently, large genome-wide association studies have identified common alleles slightly increasing the risk for schizophrenia. Among the few schizophrenia-risk genes that have been consistently replicated is the basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) transcription factor 4 (TCF4). Haploinsufficiency of the TCF4 (formatting follows IUPAC nomenclature: TCF4 protein/protein function, Tcf4 rodent gene cDNA mRNA, TCF4 human gene cDNA mRNA) gene causes the Pitt-Hopkins syndrome-a neurodevelopmental disease characterized by severe mental retardation. Accordingly, Tcf4 null-mutant mice display developmental brain defects. TCF4-associated risk alleles are located in putative coding and non-coding regions of the gene. Hence, subtle changes at the level of gene expression might be relevant for the etiopathology of schizophrenia. Behavioural phenotypes obtained with a mouse model of slightly increased gene dosage and electrophysiological investigations with human risk-allele carriers revealed an overlapping spectrum of schizophrenia-relevant endophenotypes. Most prominently, early information processing and higher cognitive functions appear to be associated with TCF4 risk genotypes. Moreover, a recent human study unravelled gene × environment interactions between TCF4 risk alleles and smoking behaviour that were specifically associated with disrupted early information processing. Taken together, TCF4 is considered as an integrator ('hub') of several bHLH networks controlling critical steps of various developmental, and, possibly, plasticity-related transcriptional programs in the CNS and changes of TCF4 expression also appear to affect brain networks important for information processing. Consequently, these findings support the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia and provide a basis for identifying the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Assuntos
Fatores de Transcrição de Zíper de Leucina e Hélice-Alça-Hélix Básicos/genética , Esquizofrenia/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Animais , Fatores de Transcrição de Zíper de Leucina e Hélice-Alça-Hélix Básicos/metabolismo , Encéfalo/metabolismo , Encéfalo/fisiopatologia , Cognição , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Humanos , Mutação , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único , Esquizofrenia/metabolismo , Esquizofrenia/fisiopatologia , Fator de Transcrição 4 , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismoRESUMO
We demonstrate superresolution fluorescence microscopy (nanoscopy) of protein distributions in a mammalian brain in vivo. Stimulated emission depletion microscopy reveals the morphology of the filamentous actin in dendritic spines down to 40 µm in the molecular layer of the visual cortex of an anesthetized mouse. Consecutive recordings at 43-70 nm resolution reveal dynamical changes in spine morphology.
Assuntos
Citoesqueleto de Actina/ultraestrutura , Dendritos/ultraestrutura , Microscopia de Fluorescência/métodos , Córtex Visual/ultraestrutura , Citoesqueleto de Actina/metabolismo , Animais , Dendritos/metabolismo , Camundongos , Córtex Visual/metabolismoRESUMO
The ERBBprofiler assay measures compound effects on ERBB family receptors and key downstream signaling pathways that are implicated in cancer or other complex diseases. Here, we present a protocol for identifying properties of ERBB receptor antagonists using the barcoded ERBBprofiler assay. We describe steps for in-solution transfection, cell treatment, combined processing of samples, amplification and indexing of PCRs, sequencing, and data analysis. This approach allows for the simultaneous assessment of drug effects and cell-type-dependent effects. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Popovic et al.1.
Assuntos
Receptores ErbB , Humanos , Receptores ErbB/antagonistas & inibidores , Receptores ErbB/metabolismo , Receptores ErbB/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Inibidores de Proteínas Quinases/farmacologia , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
Selectivity profiling is key for assessing the pharmacological properties of multi-target drugs. We have developed a cell-based and barcoded assay encompassing ten druggable targets, including G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), nuclear receptors, a protease as well as their key downstream pathways and profiled 17 drugs in living cells for efficacy, potency, and side effects. Notably, this multiplex assay, termed safetyProfiler assay, enabled the simultaneous assessment of multiple target and pathway activities, shedding light on the polypharmacological profile of compounds. For example, the neuroleptics clozapine, paliperidone, and risperidone potently inhibited primary targets DRD2 and HTR2A as well as cAMP and calcium pathways. However, while paliperidone and risperidone also potently inhibited the secondary target ADRA1A and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) downstream pathways, clozapine only exhibited mild antagonistic effects on ADRA1A and lacked MAPK inhibition downstream of DRD2 and HTR2A. Furthermore, we present data on the selectivity for bazedoxifene, an estrogen receptor antagonist currently undergoing clinical phase 2 trials for breast cancer, on MAPK signaling. Additionally, precise potency data for LY2452473, an androgen receptor antagonist, that completed a phase 2 clinical trial for prostate cancer, are presented. The non-selective kinase inhibitor staurosporine was observed to potently inactivate the two RTKs EGFR and ERBB4 as well as MAPK signaling, while eliciting stress-related cAMP responses. Our findings underscore the value of comprehensive profiling in elucidating the pharmacological properties of established and novel therapeutics, thereby facilitating the development of novel multi-target drugs with enhanced efficacy and selectivity.