| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Ceder, Mikaela M., et al.
(författare)
-
Glucose Availability Alters Gene and Protein Expression of Several Newly Classified and Putative Solute Carriers in Mice Cortex Cell Culture and D. melanogaster
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-634X. ; 8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many newly identified solute carriers (SLCs) and putative transporters have the possibility to be intricately involved in glucose metabolism. Here we show that many transporters of this type display a high degree of regulation at both mRNA and protein level following no or low glucose availability in mouse cortex cultures. We show that this is also the case in Drosophila melanogaster subjected to starvation or diets with different sugar content. Interestingly, re-introduction of glucose to media, or refeeding flies, normalized the gene expression of a number of the targets, indicating a fast and highly dynamic control. Our findings demonstrate high conservation of these transporters and how dependent both cell cultures and organisms are on gene and protein regulation during metabolic fluctuations. Several transporter genes were regulated simultaneously maybe to initiate alternative metabolic pathways as a response to low glucose levels, both in the cell cultures and in D. melanogaster. Our results display that newly identified SLCs of Major Facilitator Superfamily type, as well as the putative transporters included in our study, are regulated by glucose availability and could be involved in several cellular aspects dependent of glucose and/or its metabolites. Recently, a correlation between dysregulation of glucose in the central nervous system and numerous diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus as well as neurological disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases indicate a complex regulation and fine tuning of glucose levels in the brain. The fact that almost one third of transporters and transporter-related proteins remain orphans with unknown or contradictive substrate profile, location and function, pinpoint the need for further research about them to fully understand their mechanistic role and their impact on cellular metabolism.
|
|
| 3. |
- Filipsson, Helena L., et al.
(författare)
-
Geochemical composition of Baltic benthic foraminifera collected and cultured over a large salinity gradient.
- 2017
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Some of the most significant challenges in paleoclimate research arise from the need to both understand and reduce the uncertainty associated with proxies for climate reconstructions. These challenges were further highlighted in connection with the IODP Exp.347 Baltic Sea Paleoenvironment. We have investigated temperature and salinity proxies through a combination of field-and culture-based benthic foraminiferal samplesfrom the Baltic(sal. 14)-Kattegat(sal. 32), together with genetic characterization. Two long-term experiments at twotemperatures and three salinities were performed. We present foraminiferal assemblage,trace element (Mg/Ca, Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca),and stable O and C isotope results from these locations, including LA-ICP-MS data from cultured specimens. Furthermore, specimens of Elphidium and Ammonia were genetically characterized; the results indicate that the same genetic type of Elphidiumis found in both salinity regimes, but that the Ammoniagenetic types differ depending on the prevailing salinity regime.
|
|
| 4. |
- Groeneveld, Jeroen, et al.
(författare)
-
Assessing proxy signatures of temperature, salinity, and hypoxia in the Baltic Sea through foraminifera-based geochemistry and faunal assemblages
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Micropalaeontology. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0262-821X .- 2041-4978. ; 37:2, s. 403-429
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Current climate and environmental changes strongly affect shallow marine and coastal areas like the Baltic Sea. This has created a need for a context to understand the severity and potential outcomes of such changes. The context can be derived from paleoenvironmental records during periods when comparable events happened in the past. In this study, we explore how varying bottom water conditions across a large hydrographic gradient in the Baltic Sea affect benthic foraminiferal faunal assemblages and the geochemical composition of their calcite tests. We have conducted both morphological and molecular analyses of the faunas and we evaluate how the chemical signatures of the bottom waters are recorded in the tests of several species of benthic foraminifera. We focus on two locations, one in the Kattegat (western Baltic Sea) and one in Hanö Bay (southern Baltic Sea). We show that seawater Mn-•Ca, Mg-•Ca, and Ba-•Ca (Mn-•Casw, Mg-•Casw, and Ba-•Casw) variations are mainly controlled by dissolved oxygen concentration and salinity. Their respective imprints on the foraminiferal calcite demonstrate the potential of Mn-•Ca as a proxy for hypoxic conditions, and Ba-•Ca as a proxy for salinity in enclosed basins such as the Baltic Sea. The traditional use of Mg-•Ca as a proxy to reconstruct past seawater temperatures is not recommended in the region, as it may be overprinted by the large variations in salinity (specifically on Bulimina marginata), Mg-•Casw, and possibly also the carbonate system. Salinity is the main factor controlling the faunal assemblages: a much more diverse fauna occurs in the higher-salinity (- 32) Kattegat than in the low-salinity (- 15) Hanö Bay. Molecular identification shows that only Elphidium clavatum occurs at both locations, but other genetic types of both genera Elphidium and Ammonia are restricted to either low- or high-salinity locations. The combination of foraminiferal geochemistry and environmental parameters demonstrates that in a highly variable setting like the Baltic Sea, it is possible to separate different environmental impacts on the foraminiferal assemblages and therefore use Mn-•Ca, Mg-•Ca, and Ba-•Ca to reconstruct how specific conditions may have varied in the past.
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Mätlik, Kärt, et al.
(författare)
-
Elevated endogenous GDNF induces altered dopamine signalling in mice and correlates with clinical severity in schizophrenia.
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Nature. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Presynaptic increase in striatal dopamine is the primary dopaminergic abnormality in schizophrenia, but the underlying mechanisms are not understood. Here, we hypothesized that increased expression of endogenous GDNF could induce dopaminergic abnormalities that resemble those seen in schizophrenia. To test the impact of GDNF elevation, without inducing adverse effects caused by ectopic overexpression, we developed a novel in vivo approach to conditionally increase endogenous GDNF expression. We found that a 2-3-fold increase in endogenous GDNF in the brain was sufficient to induce molecular, cellular, and functional changes in dopamine signalling in the striatum and prefrontal cortex, including increased striatal presynaptic dopamine levels and reduction of dopamine in prefrontal cortex. Mechanistically, we identified adenosine A2a receptor (A2AR), a G-protein coupled receptor that modulates dopaminergic signalling, as a possible mediator of GDNF-driven dopaminergic abnormalities. We further showed that pharmacological inhibition of A2AR with istradefylline partially normalised striatal GDNF and striatal and cortical dopamine levels in mice. Lastly, we found that GDNF levels are increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of first episode psychosis patients, and in post-mortem striatum of schizophrenia patients. Our results reveal a possible contributor for increased striatal dopamine signalling in a subgroup of schizophrenia patients and suggest that GDNF-A2AR crosstalk may regulate dopamine function in a therapeutically targetable manner.
|
|
| 7. |
- Nordenankar, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Increased hippocampal excitability and impaired spatial memory function in mice lacking VGLUT2 selectively in neurons defined by tyrosine hydroxylase promoter activity
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Brain Structure and Function. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1863-2653 .- 1863-2661. ; 220:4, s. 2171-2190
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Three populations of neurons expressing the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) were recently described in the A10 area of the mouse midbrain, of which two populations were shown to express the gene encoding, the rate-limiting enzyme for catecholamine synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH).One of these populations ("TH-Vglut2 Class1") also expressed the dopamine transporter (DAT) gene while one did not ("TH-Vglut2 Class2"), and the remaining population did not express TH at all ("Vglut2-only"). TH is known to be expressed by a promoter which shows two phases of activation, a transient one early during embryonal development, and a later one which gives rise to stable endogenous expression of the TH gene. The transient phase is, however, not specific to catecholaminergic neurons, a feature taken to advantage here as it enabled Vglut2 gene targeting within all three A10 populations expressing this gene, thus creating a new conditional knockout. These knockout mice showed impairment in spatial memory function. Electrophysiological analyses revealed a profound alteration of oscillatory activity in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. In addition to identifying a novel role for Vglut2 in hippocampus function, this study points to the need for improved genetic tools for targeting of the diversity of subpopulations of the A10 area.
|
|
| 8. |
- Perland, Emelie, et al.
(författare)
-
Structural prediction of two novel human atypical SLC transporters, MFSD4A and MFSD9, and their neuroanatomical distribution in mice
- 2017
-
Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:10
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Out of the 430 known solute carriers (SLC) in humans, 30% are still orphan transporters regarding structure, distribution or function. Approximately one third of all SLCs belong to the evolutionary conserved and functionally diverse Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS). Here, we studied the orphan proteins, MFSD4A and MFSD9, which are atypical SLCs of MFS type. Hidden Markov Models were used to identify orthologues in several vertebrates, and human MFSD4A and MFSD9 share high sequence identity with their identified orthologues. MFSD4A and MFSD9 also shared more than 20% sequence identity with other phylogenetically related SLC and MFSD proteins, allowing new family clustering. Homology models displayed 12 transmembrane segments for both proteins, which were predicted to fold into a transporter-shaped structure. Furthermore, we analysed the location of MFSD4A and MFSD9 in adult mouse brain using immunohistochemistry, showing abundant neuronal protein staining. As MFSD4A and MFSD9 are plausible transporters expressed in food regulatory brain areas, we monitored transcriptional changes in several mouse brain areas after 24 hours food-deprivation and eight weeks of high-fat diet, showing that both genes were affected by altered food intake in vivo. In conclusion, we propose MFSD4A and MFSD9 to be novel transporters, belonging to disparate SLC families. Both proteins were located to neurons in mouse brain, and their mRNA expression levels were affected by the diet.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Rajagopalan, Aparna, et al.
(författare)
-
Reduced Gene Expression Levels of Munc13-1 and Additional Components of the Presynaptic Exocytosis Machinery Upon Conditional Targeting of Vglut2 in the Adolescent Mouse
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Synapse. - : Wiley. - 0887-4476 .- 1098-2396. ; 68:12, s. 624-633
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Presynaptic proteins orchestrate an intricate interplay of dynamic interactions in order to regulate quantal exocytosis of transmitter-filled vesicles, and their dysregulation might cause neurological and neuropsychiatric dysfunction. Mice carrying a spatiotemporal restriction in the expression of the Vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2; aka Slc17a6) in the cortex, amygdala and hippocampal subiculum from the third postnatal week show a strong anxiolytic phenotype and certain behavioral correlates of schizophrenia. To further understand the molecular consequences of this targeted deletion of Vglut2, we performed an unbiased microarray analysis comparing gene expression levels in the subiculum of these conditional Vglut2 knockout mice (Vglut2(f/f;CamKII) cKO) to those in control littermates. Expression of Unc13C (Munc13-3), a member of the Unc/Munc family, previously shown to be important for glutamatergic transmission, was identified to be significantly down-regulated. Subsequent analysis by quantitative RT-PCR revealed a 50% down-regulation of Munc 13-1, the gene encoding the Unc/Munc subtype described as an essential component in the majority of glutamtergic synapses in the hippocampus. Genes encoding additional components of the presynaptic machinery were also found regulated, including Rab3A, RIM1, as well as Syntaxin1 and Synaptobrevin. Altered expression levels of these genes were further found in the amygdala and in the retrosplenial group of the cortex, additional regions in which Vglut2 was conditionally targeted. These findings suggest that expression levels of Vglut2 might be important for the maintenance of gene expression in the presynaptic machinery in the adult mouse brain. Synapse 68:624-633, 2014.
|
|
| 11. |
- Rieke, Johanna Magdalena, et al.
(författare)
-
SLC20A1Is Involved in Urinary Tract and Urorectal Development
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-634X. ; 8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous studies in developingXenopusand zebrafish reported that the phosphate transporterslc20a1ais expressed in pronephric kidneys. The recent identification ofSLC20A1as a monoallelic candidate gene for cloacal exstrophy further suggests its involvement in the urinary tract and urorectal development. However, little is known of the functional role ofSLC20A1in urinary tract development. Here, we investigated this using morpholino oligonucleotide knockdown of the zebrafish orthologslc20a1a. This caused kidney cysts and malformations of the cloaca. Moreover, in morphants we demonstrated dysfunctional voiding and hindgut opening defects mimicking imperforate anus in human cloacal exstrophy. Furthermore, we performed immunohistochemistry of an unaffected 6-week-old human embryo and detectedSLC20A1in the urinary tract and the abdominal midline, structures implicated in the pathogenesis of cloacal exstrophy. Additionally, we resequencedSLC20A1in 690 individuals with bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex (BEEC) including 84 individuals with cloacal exstrophy. We identified two additional monoallelicde novovariants. One was identified in a case-parent trio with classic bladder exstrophy, and one additional novelde novovariant was detected in an affected mother who transmitted this variant to her affected son. To study the potential cellular impact ofSLC20A1variants, we expressed them in HEK293 cells. Here, phosphate transport was not compromised, suggesting that it is not a disease mechanism. However, there was a tendency for lower levels of cleaved caspase-3, perhaps implicating apoptosis pathways in the disease. Our results suggestSLC20A1is involved in urinary tract and urorectal development and implicateSLC20A1as a disease-gene for BEEC.
|
|
| 12. |
- Schweizer, Nadine, 1985-
(författare)
-
Across Borders : A Histological and Physiological Study of the Subthalamic Nucleus in Reward and Movement
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The basal ganglia are the key circuitry controlling movement and reward behavior. Both locomotion and reward-related behavior are also modified by dopaminergic input from the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). If the basal ganglia are severed by lesion or in disease, such as in Parkinson’s disease, the affected individuals suffer from severe motor impairments and often of affective and reward-related symptoms. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a glutamatergic key area of the basal ganglia and a common target for deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease to alleviate motor symptoms. The STN serves not only motoric, but also limbic and cognitive functions, which is often attributed to a tripartite anatomical subdivision. However, the functional output of both VTA and STN may rely more on intermingled subpopulations than on a strictly anatomical subdivision. In this doctoral thesis, the role of subpopulations within and associated with the basal ganglia is addressed from both a genetic and a behavioral angle. The identification of a genetically defined subpopulation within the STN, co-expressing Paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 (Pitx2) and Vesicular glutamate transport 2 (Vglut2), made it possible to conditionally reduce glutamatergic transmission from this subgroup of neurons and to investigate its influence on locomotion and motivational behavior, giving interesting insights into the mechanisms possibly underlying deep brain stimulation therapy and its side-effects. We address the strong influence of the Pitx2-Vglut2 subpopulation on movement, as well as the more subtle changes in reward-related behavior and the impact of the alterations on the reward-related dopaminergic circuitry. We also further elucidate the genetic composition of the STN by finding new markers for putative STN subpopulations, thereby opening up new possibilities to target those cells genetically and optogenetically. This will help in future to examine both STN development, function in the adult central nervous system and defects caused by specific deletion. Eventually identifying and characterizing subpopulations of the STN can contribute to the optimization of deep brain stimulation and help to reduce its side-effects, or even open up possibilities for genetic or optogenetic therapy approaches.
|
|
| 13. |
|
|
| 14. |
- Schweizer, Nadine, et al.
(författare)
-
Limiting glutamate transmission in a Vglut2-expressing subpopulation of the subthalamic nucleus is sufficient to cause hyperlocomotion
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 111:21, s. 7837-7842
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a key area of the basal ganglia circuitry regulating movement. We identified a subpopulation of neurons within this structure that coexpresses Vglut2 and Pitx2, and by conditional targeting of this subpopulation we reduced Vglut2 expression levels in the STN by 40%, leaving Pitx2 expression intact. This reduction diminished, yet did not eliminate, glutamatergic transmission in the substantia nigra pars reticulata and entopeduncular nucleus, two major targets of the STN. The knockout mice displayed hyperlocomotion and decreased latency in the initiation of movement while preserving normal gait and balance. Spatial cognition, social function, and level of impulsive choice also remained undisturbed. Furthermore, these mice showed reduced dopamine transporter binding and slower dopamine clearance in vivo, suggesting that Vglut2-expressing cells in the STN regulate dopaminergic transmission. Our results demonstrate that altering the contribution of a limited population within the STN is sufficient to achieve results similar to STN lesions and high-frequency stimulation, but with fewer side effects.
|
|
| 15. |
|
|
| 16. |
- Schweizer, Nadine, et al.
(författare)
-
Reduced Vglut2/Slc17a6 Gene Expression Levels throughout the Mouse Subthalamic Nucleus Cause Cell Loss and Structural Disorganization Followed by Increased Motor Activity and Decreased Sugar Consumption
- 2016
-
Ingår i: eNeuro. - 2373-2822. ; 3:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The subthalamic nucleus (STN) plays a central role in motor, cognitive, and affective behavior. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the STN is the most common surgical intervention for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD), and STN has lately gained attention as target for DBS in neuropsychiatric disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and addiction. Animal studies using STN-DBS, lesioning, or inactivation of STN neurons have been used extensively alongside clinical studies to unravel the structural organization, circuitry, and function of the STN. Recent studies in rodent STN models have exposed different roles for STN neurons in reward-related functions. We have previously shown that the majority of STN neurons express the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 gene (Vglut2/Slc17a6) and that reduction of Vglut2 mRNA levels within the STN of mice [conditional knockout (cKO)] causes reduced postsynaptic activity and behavioral hyperlocomotion. The cKO mice showed less interest in fatty rewards, which motivated analysis of reward-response. The current results demonstrate decreased sugar consumption and strong rearing behavior, whereas biochemical analyses show altered dopaminergic and peptidergic activity in the striatum. The behavioral alterations were in fact correlated with opposite effects in the dorsal versus the ventral striatum. Significant cell loss and disorganization of the STN structure was identified, which likely accounts for the observed alterations. Rare genetic variants of the human VGLUT2 gene exist, and this study shows that reduced Vglut2/Slc17a6 gene expression levels exclusively within the STN of mice is sufficient to cause strong modifications in both the STN and the mesostriatal dopamine system.
|
|
