T cells with increased responsiveness cause obesity in mice without diet intervention.

Obesity is a complex multicausal disease that can cause morbidity and mortality, and there is need for improved knowledge on the underlying mechanisms. Using a mouse model of increased T cell responsiveness, we show that development of obesity can be driven by immune cells. This was confirmed with bone marrow transplantation and adoptive T cell transfer to several recipient mouse models. Single-cell RNA sequencing and CyTOF analysis showed that the mice display altered composition of circulating T cells and increased T cell activation in visceral adipose tissue, suggesting activated T cells as critical players in the increased fat mass. In this study, we provide evidence that obesity can be driven by immune cell activity and in particular by T cells, which could have broad implications for prevention and treatment of this condition.

CD38 deficient mice are not protected from atherosclerosis.

CD38 is a multifunctional enzyme implicated in chemotaxis of myeloid cells and lymphocyte activation, but also expressed by resident cells such as endothelial and smooth muscle cells. CD38 is important for host defense against microbes. However, CD38's role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis is controversial with seemingly conflicting results reported so far. To clarify the discrepancy of current literature on the effect of CD38 ablation on atherosclerosis development, we implanted a shear stress modifier around the right carotid artery in CD38-/- and WT mice. Hypercholesterolemia was induced by human gain-of-function PCSK9 (D374Y), introduced using AAV vector (serotype 9), combined with an atherogenic diet for a total of 9 weeks. Atherosclerosis was assessed at the aortic root, aortic arch and the right carotid artery. The findings can be summarized as follows: i) CD38-/- and WT mice had a similar atherosclerotic burden in all three locations, ii) No significant differences in monocyte infiltration or macrophage content could be seen in the plaques, and iii) The amount of collagen deposition in the plaques were also similar between CD38-/- and WT mice. In conclusion, our data suggest that CD38-/- mice are neither protected against nor prone to atherosclerosis compared to WT mice.

"iPSC-derived liver organoids and inherited bleeding disorders: Potential and future perspectives".

The bleeding phenotype of hereditary coagulation disorders is caused by the low or undetectable activity of the proteins involved in hemostasis, due to a broad spectrum of genetic alterations. Most of the affected coagulation factors are produced in the liver. Therefore, two-dimensional (2D) cultures of primary human hepatocytes and recombinant overexpression of the factors in non-human cell lines have been primarily used to mimic disease pathogenesis and as a model for innovative therapeutic strategies. However, neither human nor animal cells fully represent the hepatocellular biology and do not harbor the exact genetic background of the patient. As a result, the inability of the current in vitro models in recapitulating the in vivo situation has limited the studies of these inherited coagulation disorders. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) technology offers a possible solution to overcome these limitations by reprogramming patient somatic cells into an embryonic-like pluripotent state, thus giving the possibility of generating an unlimited number of liver cells needed for modeling or therapeutic purposes. By combining this potential and the recent advances in the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology, it allows for the generation of autologous and gene corrected liver cells in the form of three-dimensional (3D) liver organoids. The organoids recapitulate cellular composition and organization of the liver, providing a more physiological model to study the biology of coagulation proteins and modeling hereditary coagulation disorders. This advanced methodology can pave the way for the development of cell-based therapeutic approaches to treat inherited coagulation disorders. In this review we will explore the use of liver organoids as a state-of-the-art methodology for modeling coagulation factors disorders and the possibilities of using organoid technology to treat the disease.

Instability in NAD+ metabolism leads to impaired cardiac mitochondrial function and communication.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes initiate (mt)DNA repair mechanisms and use nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) as energy source. Prolonged PARP activity can drain cellular NAD+ reserves, leading to de-regulation of important molecular processes. Here, we provide evidence of a pathophysiological mechanism that connects mtDNA damage to cardiac dysfunction via reduced NAD+ levels and loss of mitochondrial function and communication. Using a transgenic model, we demonstrate that high levels of mice cardiomyocyte mtDNA damage cause a reduction in NAD+ levels due to extreme DNA repair activity, causing impaired activation of NAD+-dependent SIRT3. In addition, we show that myocardial mtDNA damage in combination with high dosages of nicotinamideriboside (NR) causes an inhibition of sirtuin activity due to accumulation of nicotinamide (NAM), in addition to irregular cardiac mitochondrial morphology. Consequently, high doses of NR should be used with caution, especially when cardiomyopathic symptoms are caused by mitochondrial dysfunction and instability of mtDNA.

DNA glycosylase Neil3 regulates vascular smooth muscle cell biology during atherosclerosis development.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Atherogenesis involves a complex interaction between immune cells and lipids, processes greatly influenced by the vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype. The DNA glycosylase NEIL3 has previously been shown to have a role in atherogenesis, though whether this is due to its ability to repair DNA damage or to other non-canonical functions is not yet clear. Hereby, we investigate the role of NEIL3 in atherogenesis, specifically in VSMC phenotypic modulation, which is critical in plaque formation and stability. METHODS: Chow diet-fed atherosclerosis-prone Apoe-/- mice deficient in Neil3, and NEIL3-abrogated human primary aortic VSMCs were characterized by qPCR, and immunohistochemical and enzymatic-based assays; moreover, single-cell RNA sequencing, mRNA sequencing, and proteomics were used to map the molecular effects of Neil3/NEIL3 deficiency in the aortic VSMC phenotype. Furthermore, BrdU-based proliferation assays and Western blot were performed to elucidate the involvement of the Akt signaling pathway in the transdifferentiation of aortic VSMCs lacking Neil3/NEIL3. RESULTS: We show that Neil3 deficiency increases atherosclerotic plaque development without affecting systemic lipids. This observation was associated with a shift in VSMC phenotype towards a proliferating, lipid-accumulating and secretory macrophage-like cell phenotype, without changes in DNA damage. VSMC transdifferentiation in Neil3-deficient mice encompassed increased activity of the Akt signaling pathway, supported by cell experiments showing Akt-dependent proliferation in NEIL3-abrogated human primary aortic VSMCs. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that Neil3 deficiency promotes atherosclerosis development through non-canonical mechanisms affecting VSMC phenotype involving activation of the Akt signaling pathway.

GABA, but Not Bestrophin-1, Is Localized in Astroglial Processes in the Mouse Hippocampus and the Cerebellum.

GABA is proposed to act as a gliotransmitter in the brain. Differences in GABA release from astroglia are thought to underlie differences in tonic inhibition between the cerebellum and the CA1 hippocampus. Here we used quantitative immunogold cytochemistry to localize and compare the levels of GABA in astroglia in these brain regions. We found that the density of GABA immunogold particles was similar in delicate processes of Bergman glia in the cerebellum and astrocytes in the CA1 hippocampus. The astrocytic GABA release is proposed to be mediated by, among others, the Ca2+ activated Cl- channel bestrophin-1. The bestrophin-1 antibodies did not show any significant bestrophin-1 signal in the brain of wt mice, nor in bestrophin-1 knockout mice. The bestrophin-1 signal was low both on Western blots and immunofluorescence laser scanning microscopic images. These results suggest that GABA is localized in astroglia, but in similar concentrations in the cerebellum and CA1 hippocampus, and thus cannot account for differences in tonic inhibition between these brain regions. Furthermore, our data seem to suggest that the GABA release from astroglia previously observed in the hippocampus and cerebellum occurs via mechanisms other than bestrophin-1.

PINK1 Content in Mitochondria is Regulated by ER-Associated Degradation.

Maintaining a pool of functional mitochondria requires degradation of damaged ones within the cell. PINK1 is critical in this quality-control process: loss of mitochondrial membrane potential causes PINK1 to accumulate on the mitochondrial surface, triggering mitophagy. However, little is known about how PINK1 is regulated. Recently, we showed that PINK1 content is kept low in healthy mitochondria by continuous ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of its mature form via a mechanism inconsistent with the proposed N-end rule process. Using both human female and monkey cell lines, we now demonstrate that once generated within the mitochondria, 52 kDa PINK1 adopts a mitochondrial topology most consistent with it being at the mitochondrial-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) interface. From this particular submitochondrial location, PINK1 interacts with components of the ER-associated degradation pathway, such as the E3 ligases gp78 and HRD1, which cooperate to catalyze PINK1 ubiquitination. The valosin-containing protein and its cofactor, UFD1, then target ubiquitinated PINK1 for proteasomal degradation. Our data show that PINK1 in healthy mitochondria is negatively regulated via an interplay between mitochondria and ER, and shed light on how this mitochondrial protein gains access to the proteasome.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Regulation of mitochondrial content of PINK1, a contributor to mitophagy, is an important area of research. Recently, we found that PINK1 content is kept low in healthy mitochondria by continuous ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. We now extend and refine this novel finding by showing that PINK1 localizes at the mitochondrial-endoplasmic reticulum (ER) interface, from where it interacts with the ER-associated degradation machinery, which catalyzes its ubiquitination and transfer to the proteasome. Thus, these data show that PINK1 in healthy mitochondria is negatively regulated via a mitochondria and ER interplay, and how this mitochondrial protein gains access to the proteasome.

A Ketogenic Diet Improves Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Bioenergetics via the PGC1α-SIRT3-UCP2 Axis.

A ketogenic diet (KD; high-fat, low-carbohydrate) can benefit refractory epilepsy, but underlying mechanisms are unknown. We used mice inducibly expressing a mutated form of the mitochondrial DNA repair enzyme UNG1 (mutUNG1) to cause progressive mitochondrial dysfunction selectively in forebrain neurons. We examined the levels of mRNAs and proteins crucial for mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics. We show that hippocampal pyramidal neurons in mutUNG1 mice, as well as cultured rat hippocampal neurons and human fibroblasts with H2O2 induced oxidative stress, improve markers of mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics and function when fed on a KD, and when exposed to the ketone body ß-hydroxybutyrate, respectively, by upregulating PGC1α, SIRT3 and UCP2, and (in cultured cells) increasing the oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and the NAD+/NADH ratio. The mitochondrial level of UCP2 was significantly higher in the perikarya and axon terminals of hippocampus CA1 pyramidal neurons in KD treated mutUNG1 mice compared with mutUNG1 mice fed a standard diet. The ß-hydroxybutyrate receptor GPR109a (HCAR2), but not the structurally closely related lactate receptor GPR81 (HCAR1), was upregulated in mutUNG1 mice on a KD, suggesting a selective influence of KD on ketone body receptor mechanisms. We conclude that progressive mitochondrial dysfunction in mutUNG1 expressing mice causes oxidative stress, and that exposure of animals to KD, or of cells to ketone body in vitro, elicits compensatory mechanisms acting to augment mitochondrial mass and bioenergetics via the PGC1α-SIRT3-UCP2 axis (The compensatory processes are overwhelmed in the mutUNG1 mice by all the newly formed mitochondria being dysfunctional).

A ketogenic diet accelerates neurodegeneration in mice with induced mitochondrial DNA toxicity in the forebrain.

Mitochondrial genome maintenance plays a central role in preserving brain health. We previously demonstrated accumulation of mitochondrial DNA damage and severe neurodegeneration in transgenic mice inducibly expressing a mutated mitochondrial DNA repair enzyme (mutUNG1) selectively in forebrain neurons. Here, we examine whether severe neurodegeneration in mutUNG1-expressing mice could be rescued by feeding the mice a ketogenic diet, which is known to have beneficial effects in several neurological disorders. The diet increased the levels of superoxide dismutase 2, and mitochondrial mass, enzymes, and regulators such as SIRT1 and FIS1, and appeared to downregulate N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor subunits NR2A/B and upregulate γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor subunits α1. However, unexpectedly, the ketogenic diet aggravated neurodegeneration and mitochondrial deterioration. Electron microscopy showed structurally impaired mitochondria accumulating in neuronal perikarya. We propose that aggravation is caused by increased mitochondrial biogenesis of generally dysfunctional mitochondria. This study thereby questions the dogma that a ketogenic diet is unambiguously beneficial in mitochondrial disorders.

Impaired dynamics and function of mitochondria caused by mtDNA toxicity leads to heart failure.

Cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in heart failure of diverse etiologies. Generalized mitochondrial disease also leads to cardiomyopathy with various clinical manifestations. Impaired mitochondrial homeostasis may over time, such as in the aging heart, lead to cardiac dysfunction. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), close to the electron transport chain and unprotected by histones, may be a primary pathogenetic site, but this is not known. Here, we test the hypothesis that cumulative damage of cardiomyocyte mtDNA leads to cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Transgenic mice with Tet-on inducible, cardiomyocyte-specific expression of a mutant uracil-DNA glycosylase 1 (mutUNG1) were generated. The mutUNG1 is known to remove thymine in addition to uracil from the mitochondrial genome, generating apyrimidinic sites, which obstruct mtDNA function. Following induction of mutUNG1 in cardiac myocytes by administering doxycycline, the mice developed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, leading to congestive heart failure and premature death after ∼2 mo. The heart showed reduced mtDNA replication, severely diminished mtDNA transcription, and suppressed mitochondrial respiration with increased Pgc-1α, mitochondrial mass, and antioxidative defense enzymes, and finally failing mitochondrial fission/fusion dynamics and deteriorating myocardial contractility as the mechanism of heart failure. The approach provides a model with induced cardiac-restricted mtDNA damage for investigation of mtDNA-based heart disease.

Lactate receptor sites link neurotransmission, neurovascular coupling, and brain energy metabolism.

The G-protein-coupled lactate receptor, GPR81 (HCA1), is known to promote lipid storage in adipocytes by downregulating cAMP levels. Here, we show that GPR81 is also present in the mammalian brain, including regions of the cerebral neocortex and hippocampus, where it can be activated by physiological concentrations of lactate and by the specific GPR81 agonist 3,5-dihydroxybenzoate to reduce cAMP. Cerebral GPR81 is concentrated on the synaptic membranes of excitatory synapses, with a postsynaptic predominance. GPR81 is also enriched at the blood-brain-barrier: the GPR81 densities at endothelial cell membranes are about twice the GPR81 density at membranes of perivascular astrocytic processes, but about one-seventh of that on synaptic membranes. There is only a slight signal in perisynaptic processes of astrocytes. In synaptic spines, as well as in adipocytes, GPR81 immunoreactivity is located on subplasmalemmal vesicular organelles, suggesting trafficking of the protein to and from the plasma membrane. The results indicate roles of lactate in brain signaling, including a neuronal glucose and glycogen saving response to the supply of lactate. We propose that lactate, through activation of GPR81 receptors, can act as a volume transmitter that links neuronal activity, cerebral energy metabolism and energy substrate availability.

Alterations of monocarboxylate transporter densities during hypoxia in brain and breast tumour cells.

BACKGROUND: Tumour cells are characterized by aerobic glycolysis, which provides biomass for tumour proliferation and leads to extracellular acidification through efflux of lactate via monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). Deficient and spasm-prone tumour vasculature causes variable hypoxia, which favours tumour cell survival and metastases. Brain metastases frequently occur in patients with advanced breast cancer.Effective treatment strategies are therefore needed against brain metastasis from breast carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to identify differences in the capacity for lactate exchange, human T-47D breast cancer cells and human glioblastoma T98G cells were grown under 4 % or 20 % oxygen conditions and examined for MCT1, MCT2 and MCT4 expression on plasma membranes by quantitative post embedding immunogold electron microscopy. Whereas previous studies on MCT expression in tumours have recorded mRNA and protein levels in cell extracts, we examined concentrations of the proteins in the microvillous plasma membrane protrusions specialized for transmembrane transport. RESULTS: In normoxia, both tumour cell types highly expressed the low affinity transporter MCT4, which is thought to mainly mediate monocarboxylate efflux, while for high affinity transport the breast tumour cells preferentially expressed MCT1 and the brain tumour cells resembled brain neurons in expressing MCT2, rather than MCT1. The expressions of MCT1 and MCT4 were upregulated in hypoxic conditions in both breast and brain tumour cells. The expression of MCT2 also increased in hypoxic breast cancer cells, but decreased in hypoxic brain tumour cells. Quantitative immunoblots showed similar hypoxia induced changes in the protein levels. CONCLUSION: The differential expression and regulation of MCTs in the surface membranes of hypoxic and normoxic tumour cells of different types provide a foundation for innovation in tumour therapy through the selective targeting of MCTs. Selective inhibition of various MCTs could be an efficient way to quench an important energy source in both original breast tumour and metastatic cancer tissue in the brain.

Mitochondrial DNA toxicity compromises mitochondrial dynamics and induces hippocampal antioxidant defenses.

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that can be actively transported within the cell to satisfy local requirements. They are vital for providing cellular energy, but are also an important endogenous source of reactive oxygen species. The distribution of mitochondria is particularly important for neurons because of the morphological complexity of these cells, and because neural processing is metabolically expensive. Defects in mitochondrial distribution, observed in several neurodegenerative diseases, can result in synaptic dysfunction. We have generated transgenic mice expressing an enzyme in forebrain neurons that causes mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage in the form of abasic-sites, creating mtDNA toxicity. Here, we report that mitochondrial distribution is disturbed in hippocampal neurons of these mice. Moreover, mtDNA copy number and mitochondrial transcription are reduced, and oxidative stress is increased. There is also a loss of receptors at excitatory glutamatergic synapses in the dentate gyrus, and the size of the postsynaptic density in this region is abnormal. We speculate that the loss of synaptic mitochondria caused by accumulation in the neuronal cell body contributes to the observed synaptic abnormalities, as well as the overall loss of mtDNA and diminished mitochondrial transcription. Collectively, these changes lead to mitochondria with reduced function and increased oxidative stress.

Modeling the impact of mitochondrial DNA damage in forebrain neurons and beyond.

We have generated an inducible transgenic mouse model, which expresses a mutated version of UNG1 (mutUNG1) that removes thymine, in addition to uracil from mitochondrial DNA. The abasic-sites (AP-sites) generated by removal of thymine or uracil are a threat to genomic integrity, and are particularly harmful in mitochondria due to inhibition of mitochondrial DNA polymerase. MutUNG1, accompanied by a luciferase reporter-gene, is controlled by the Tet-on system. Transgene expression is spatially regulated by the forebrain specific CaMKIIα-promoter, and temporally by the addition of doxycycline. Mice harboring this transgene develop compromised mitochondrial dynamics, neurodegeneration and impaired behavior.

Mitochondrial DNA toxicity in forebrain neurons causes apoptosis, neurodegeneration, and impaired behavior.

Mitochondrial dysfunction underlying changes in neurodegenerative diseases is often associated with apoptosis and a progressive loss of neurons, and damage to the mitochondrial genome is proposed to be involved in such pathologies. In the present study we designed a mouse model that allows us to specifically induce mitochondrial DNA toxicity in the forebrain neurons of adult mice. This is achieved by CaMKIIalpha-regulated inducible expression of a mutated version of the mitochondrial UNG DNA repair enzyme (mutUNG1). This enzyme is capable of removing thymine from the mitochondrial genome. We demonstrate that a continual generation of apyrimidinic sites causes apoptosis and neuronal death. These defects are associated with behavioral alterations characterized by increased locomotor activity, impaired cognitive abilities, and lack of anxietylike responses. In summary, whereas mitochondrial base substitution and deletions previously have been shown to correlate with premature and natural aging, respectively, we show that a high level of apyrimidinic sites lead to mitochondrial DNA cytotoxicity, which causes apoptosis, followed by neurodegeneration.

Repair deficient mice reveal mABH2 as the primary oxidative demethylase for repairing 1meA and 3meC lesions in DNA.

Two human homologs of the Escherichia coli AlkB protein, denoted hABH2 and hABH3, were recently shown to directly reverse 1-methyladenine (1meA) and 3-methylcytosine (3meC) damages in DNA. We demonstrate that mice lacking functional mABH2 or mABH3 genes, or both, are viable and without overt phenotypes. Neither were histopathological changes observed in the gene-targeted mice. However, in the absence of any exogenous exposure to methylating agents, mice lacking mABH2, but not mABH3 defective mice, accumulate significant levels of 1meA in the genome, suggesting the presence of a biologically relevant endogenous source of methylating agent. Furthermore, embryonal fibroblasts from mABH2-deficient mice are unable to remove methyl methane sulfate (MMS)-induced 1meA from genomic DNA and display increased cytotoxicity after MMS exposure. In agreement with these results, we found that in vitro repair of 1meA and 3meC in double-stranded DNA by nuclear extracts depended primarily, if not solely, on mABH2. Our data suggest that mABH2 and mABH3 have different roles in the defense against alkylating agents.