ABSTRACT
Amyloid-ß (Aß) oligomers largely initiate the cascade underlying the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Galectin-3 (Gal-3), which is a member of the galectin protein family, promotes inflammatory responses and enhances the homotypic aggregation of cancer cells. Here, we examined the role and action mechanism of Gal-3 in Aß oligomerization and Aß toxicities. Wild-type (WT) and Gal-3-knockout (KO) mice, APP/PS1;WT mice, APP/PS1;Gal-3+/- mice and brain tissues from normal subjects and AD patients were used. We found that Aß oligomerization is reduced in Gal-3 KO mice injected with Aß, whereas overexpression of Gal-3 enhances Aß oligomerization in the hippocampi of Aß-injected mice. Gal-3 expression shows an age-dependent increase that parallels endogenous Aß oligomerization in APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, Aß oligomerization, Iba1 expression, GFAP expression and amyloid plaque accumulation are reduced in APP/PS1;Gal-3+/- mice compared with APP/PS1;WT mice. APP/PS1;Gal-3+/- mice also show better acquisition and retention performance compared to APP/PS1;WT mice. In studying the mechanism underlying Gal-3-promoted Aß oligomerization, we found that Gal-3 primarily co-localizes with Iba1, and that microglia-secreted Gal-3 directly interacts with Aß. Gal-3 also interacts with triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-2, which then mediates the ability of Gal-3 to activate microglia for further Gal-3 expression. Immunohistochemical analyses show that the distribution of Gal-3 overlaps with that of endogenous Aß in APP/PS1 mice and partially overlaps with that of amyloid plaque. Moreover, the expression of the Aß-degrading enzyme, neprilysin, is increased in Gal-3 KO mice and this is associated with enhanced integrin-mediated signaling. Consistently, Gal-3 expression is also increased in the frontal lobe of AD patients, in parallel with Aß oligomerization. Because Gal-3 expression is dramatically increased as early as 3 months of age in APP/PS1 mice and anti-Aß oligomerization is believed to protect against Aß toxicity, Gal-3 could be considered a novel therapeutic target in efforts to combat AD.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Amyloidogenic Proteins/metabolism , Galectin 3/physiology , Age Factors , Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Amyloid beta-Peptides , Animals , Blood Proteins/metabolism , Calcium-Binding Proteins , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Galectin 3/genetics , Galectin 3/metabolism , Galectins/metabolism , Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein/metabolism , Hippocampus/metabolism , Integrins/metabolism , Male , Memory , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Mice, Transgenic , Microfilament Proteins , Neprilysin/metabolism , Peptide Fragments , Plaque, Amyloid , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Signal TransductionABSTRACT
Amyloid-ß (Aß) produces neurotoxicity in the brain and causes neuronal death, but the endogenous defense mechanism that is activated on Aß insult is less well known. Here we found that acute Aß increases the expression of PIAS1 and Mcl-1 via activation of MAPK/ERK, and Aß induction of PIAS1 enhances HDAC1 SUMOylation in rat hippocampus. Knockdown of PIAS1 decreases endogenous HDAC1 SUMOylation and blocks Aß induction of Mcl-1. Sumoylated HDAC1 reduces it association with CREB, increases CREB binding to the Mcl-1 promoter and mediates Aß induction of Mcl-1 expression. Transduction of SUMO-modified lenti-HDAC1 vector to the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice rescues spatial learning and memory deficit and long-term potentiation impairment in APP/PS1 mice. It also reduces the amount of amyloid plaque and the number of apoptotic cells in CA1 area of APP/PS1 mice. Meanwhile, HDAC1 SUMOylation decreases HDAC1 binding to the neprilysin promoter. These results together reveal an important role of HDAC1 SUMOylation as a naturally occurring defense mechanism protecting against Aß toxicity and provide an alternative therapeutic strategy against AD.
Subject(s)
Amyloid beta-Peptides/toxicity , Epigenesis, Genetic , Histone Deacetylase 1/metabolism , Neuroprotection/drug effects , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Animals , Apoptosis/drug effects , Butadienes/pharmacology , Disease Models, Animal , Gene Expression/drug effects , HEK293 Cells , Hippocampus/metabolism , Histone Deacetylase 1/genetics , Humans , Male , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Nitriles/pharmacology , Protein Binding , Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT/genetics , Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT/metabolism , RNA Interference , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , SumoylationABSTRACT
This study was undertaken to address the effects of fetal mesencephalic tissue transplantation on the serotonin system in a rat model of Parkinson's disease (PD) while also investigating the usefulness of 4-[18F]-ADAM (a serotonin transporter imaging agent) coupled with micro-PET for imaging serotonin transporters (SERTs). A PD model was induced by unilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the right medial forebrain bundle of the nigrostriatal pathway, while cell transplantation was performed via intrastriatal injection of mesencephalic brain tissue dissected from embryonic (E14) rats. The 4-[18F]-ADAM/micro-PET scanning was performed following both 6-OHDA lesioning and transplantation. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) studies were also performed following the final PET scan, and the results were compared to show a 17-43% decrease in the specific uptake ratio (SUR) and a 23-52% decrease in serotonin transporter immunoreactivity (SERT-ir) within various brain regions on the lesioned side. The number of methamphetamine-induced rotations also decreased significantly at the 4th week postgraft. In addition, striatal SUR and the SERT-ir levels were restored to 77% and 83% 5 weeks postgraft. These results suggest that Parkinson's disease also affects the serotonergic system, while both the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems can be partially restored in a rat model of PD after E14 mesencephalic tissue transplantation. In addition, we have also determined that 4-[18F]-ADAM/micro-PET can be used to detect serotonergic neuron loss, monitor the progress of Parkinson's disease, and oversee the effectiveness of therapy.
