| 11. |
- Cicognola, Claudia, et al.
(författare)
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Tauopathy-Associated Tau Fragment Ending at Amino Acid 224 Is Generated by Calpain-2 Cleavage.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. - 1875-8908. ; 74:4, s. 1143-1156
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tau aggregation in neurons and glial cells characterizes tauopathies as Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD). Tau proteolysis has been proposed as a trigger for tau aggregation and tau fragments have been observed in brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Our group identified a major tau cleavage at amino acid (aa) 224 in CSF; N-terminal tau fragments ending at aa 224 (N-224) were significantly increased in AD and lacked correlation to total tau (t-tau) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in PSP and CBD.Previous studies have shown cleavage from calpain proteases at sites adjacent to aa 224. Our aim was to investigate if calpain-1 or -2 could be responsible for cleavage at aa 224.Proteolytic activity of calpain-1, calpain-2, and brain protein extract was assessed on a custom tau peptide (aa 220-228), engineered with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology. Findings were confirmed with in-gel trypsination and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of brain-derived bands with proteolytic activity on the FRET substrate. Finally, knock-down of the calpain-2 catalytic subunit gene (CAPN2) was performed in a neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y).Calpain-2 and brain protein extract, but not calpain-1, showed proteolytic activity on the FRET substrate. MS analysis of active gel bands revealed presence of calpain-2 subunits, but not calpain-1. Calpain-2 depletion and chemical inhibition suppressed proteolysis of the FRET substrate. CAPN2 knock-down caused a 76.4% reduction of N-224 tau in the cell-conditioned media.Further investigation of the calpain-2 pathway in the pathogenesis of tauopathies is encouraged.
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| 12. |
- Domert, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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Aggregated Alpha-Synuclein Transfer Efficiently between Cultured Human Neuron-Like Cells and Localize to Lysosomes
- 2016
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Ingår i: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 11:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Parkinson's disease and other alpha-synucleinopathies are progressive neurodegenerative diseases characterized by aggregates of misfolded alpha-synuclein spreading throughout the brain. Recent evidence suggests that the pathological progression is likely due to neuron-to-neuron transfer of these aggregates between neuroanatomically connected areas of the brain. As the impact of this pathological spreading mechanism is currently debated, we aimed to investigate the transfer and subcellular location of alpha-synuclein species in a novel 3D co-culture human cell model based on highly differentiated SH-SY5Y cells. Fluorescently-labeled monomeric, oligomeric and fibrillar species of alpha-synuclein were introduced into a donor cell population and co-cultured with an EGFP-expressing acceptor-cell population of differentiated neuron-like cells. Subsequent transfer and colocalization of the different species were determined with confocal microscopy. We could confirm cell-to-cell transfer of all three alpha-synuclein species investigated. Interestingly the level of transferred oligomers and fibrils and oligomers were significantly higher than monomers, which could affect the probability of seeding and pathology in the recipient cells. Most alpha-synuclein colocalized with the lysosomal/endosomal system, both pre- and postsynaptically, suggesting its importance in the processing and spreading of alpha-synuclein.
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| 13. |
- Domert, Jakob, et al.
(författare)
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Spreading of Amyloid-β Peptides via Neuritic Cell-to-cell Transfer Is Dependent on Insufficient Cellular Clearance
- 2014
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Ingår i: Neurobiology of Disease. - : Elsevier. - 0969-9961 .- 1095-953X. ; 65, s. 82-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The spreading of pathology through neuronal pathways is likely to be the cause of the progressive cognitive loss observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. We have recently shown the propagation of AD pathology via cell-to-cell transfer of oligomeric amyloid beta (Aβ) residues 1-42 (oAβ1-42) using our donor-acceptor 3-D co-culture model. We now show that different Aβ-isoforms (fluorescently labeled 1-42, 3(pE)-40, 1-40 and 11-42 oligomers) can transfer from one cell to another. Thus, transfer is not restricted to a specific Aβ-isoform. Although different Aβ isoforms can transfer, differences in the capacity to clear and/or degrade these aggregated isoforms result in vast differences in the net amounts ending up in the receiving cells and the net remaining Aβ can cause seeding and pathology in the receiving cells. This insufficient clearance and/or degradation by cells creates sizable intracellular accumulations of the aggregation-prone Aβ1-42 isoform, which further promotes cell-to-cell transfer; thus, oAβ1-42 is a potentially toxic isoform. Furthermore, cell-to-cell transfer is shown to be an early event that is seemingly independent of later appearances of cellular toxicity. This phenomenon could explain how seeds for the AD pathology could pass on to new brain areas and gradually induce AD pathology, even before the first cell starts to deteriorate, and how cell-to-cell transfer can act together with the factors that influence cellular clearance and/or degradation in the development of AD.
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| 14. |
- Kim, Woojin Scott, et al.
(författare)
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Increased ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 expression in Alzheimer's disease hippocampal neurons
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. - 1875-8908. ; 21:1, s. 193-205
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) reduces amyloid-beta burden in transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Associations between ABCA1 polymorphisms and AD risk are also established. Little is known regarding the regulation of ABCA1 expression in the brain and how this may be affected by AD. In the present study we assessed ABCA1 mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus of AD cases compared to controls. ABCA1 was clearly expressed in hippocampal neurons and expression was increased two- to three-fold in AD cases. The increased hippocampal ABCA1 expression was associated with increased APOE and PUMA gene expression, implying an association with neuronal stress. Consistent with this, treatment of SK-N-SH neurons with amyloid-beta peptide resulted in a 48% loss in survival and a significant upregulation of ABCA1, APOE, and PUMA gene expression. Studies in young (2 month) and old (12 month) transgenic mice expressing a familial AD form of human amyloid-beta protein precursor and presenilin-1 revealed a significant age-dependent upregulation of hippocampal Abca1 compared to wild-type control mice. However, hippocampal Apoe and Puma gene expression were not correlated with increased Abca1 expression in mice. Our data indicate that ABCA1 is upregulated in AD hippocampal neurons potentially via an amyloid-beta-mediated pathway.
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| 15. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 16. |
- Kågedal, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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Increased expression of the lysosomal cholesterol transporter NPC1 in Alzheimers disease
- 2010
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Ingår i: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 1388-1981 .- 1879-2618. ; 1801:8, s. 831-838
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Niemann-Pick type Cl (NPC1) protein mediates the trafficking of cholesterol from lysosomes to other organelles. Mutations in the NPC1 gene lead to the retention of cholesterol and other lipids in the lysosomal compartment, and such defects are the basis of NPC disease. Several parallels exist between NPC disease and Alzheimers disease (AD), including altered cholesterol homeostasis, changes in the lysosomal system, neurofibrillary tangles, and increased amyloid-beta generation. How the expression of NPC1 in the human brain is affected in AD has not been investigated so far. In the present study, we measured NPC1 mRNA and protein expression in three distinct regions of the human brain, and we revealed that NPC1 expression is upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of AD patients compared to control individuals. In the cerebellum, a brain region that is relatively spared in AD, no difference in NPC1 expression was detected. Similarly, murine NPC1 mRNA levels were increased in the hippocampus of 12-month-old transgenic mice expressing a familial AD form of human amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) and presenilin-1 (APP/PS1tg) compared to 12-month-old wild type mice, whereas no change in NPC1 was detected in mouse cerebellum. Immunohistochemical analysis of human hippocampus indicated that NPC1 expression was strongest in neurons. However, in vitro studies revealed that NPC1 expression was not induced by transfecting SK-N-SH neurons with human APP or by treating them with oligomeric amyloid-beta peptide. Total cholesterol levels were reduced in hippocampus from AD patients compared to control individuals, and it is therefore possible that the increased expression of NPC1 is linked to perturbed cholesterol homeostasis in AD.
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| 17. |
- Mogren, Å, et al.
(författare)
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Orofacial function in children with Speech Sound Disorders (SSD) persisting after the age of six years
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1754-9515 .- 1754-9507. ; 22:5, s. 526-536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The aim was to investigate, describe and analyse speech characteristics, intelligibility, orofacial function and co-existing neurodevelopmental symptoms in children with SSD of unknown origin, persisting after six years of age. Method: The study included 61 children with SSD (6–17 years) of unknown origin, referred for a speech and oral motor examination. The severity of SSD was estimated using Percentage Consonants Correct (PCC) and Percentage Vowels Correct (PVC) and assessments of resonance based on Swedish Articulation and Nasality Test (SVANTE). Orofacial function was screened using the Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S). Parents completed the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) and a questionnaire including questions about heredity, medical and neurodevelopmental conditions, and speech development. Result: SSD varied according to PCC (8–95%) and PVC (55–100%) measurements. Percentages of co-occurring disorders included: 51% resonance deviations, 90% intelligibility issues, and 87% orofacial difficulties. The most affected orofacial domains were “Chewing and swallowing” (41%), “Masticatory muscles and jaw function” (38%) and “Sensory function” (38%). The majority (64%) had co-existing dysfunctions relating to general motor and neurodevelopmental disorders. Conclusion: Children with persistent SSD are at risk for orofacial dysfunction, general motor difficulties and other neurodevelopmental disorders and therefore should be screened for co-occurring disorders. © 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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| 18. |
- Nath, Sangeeta, et al.
(författare)
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Spreading of Neurodegenerative Pathology via Neuron-to-Neuron Transmission of beta-Amyloid
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Neuroscience. - : SOC NEUROSCIENCE. - 0270-6474 .- 1529-2401. ; 32:26, s. 8767-8777
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alzheimers disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia. During the development of AD, neurofibrillary tangles progress in a fixed pattern, starting in the transentorhinal cortex followed by the hippocampus and cortical areas. In contrast, the deposition of beta-amyloid (A beta) plaques, which are the other histological hallmark of AD, does not follow the same strict spatiotemporal pattern, and it correlates poorly with cognitive decline. Instead, soluble A beta oligomers have received increasing attention as probable inducers of pathogenesis. In this study, we use microinjections into electrophysiologically defined primary hippocampal rat neurons to demonstrate the direct neuron-to-neuron transfer of soluble oligomeric A beta. Additional studies conducted in a human donor-acceptor cell model show that this A beta transfer depends on direct cellular connections. As the transferred oligomers accumulate, acceptor cells gradually show beading of tubulin, a sign of neurite damage, and gradual endosomal leakage, a sign of cytotoxicity. These observations support that intracellular A beta oligomers play a role in neurodegeneration, and they explain the manner in which A beta can drive disease progression, even if the extracellular plaque load is poorly correlated with the degree of cognitive decline. Understanding this phenomenon sheds light on the pathophysiological mechanism of AD progression. Additional elucidation will help uncover the detailed mechanisms responsible for the manner in which AD progresses via anatomical connections and will facilitate the development of new strategies for stopping the progression of this incapacitating disease.
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| 19. |
- Nazir, Faisal Hayat, et al.
(författare)
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Expression and secretion of synaptic proteins during stem cell differentiation to cortical neurons.
- 2018
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Ingår i: Neurochemistry international. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-9754 .- 0197-0186. ; 121, s. 38-49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Synaptic function and neurotransmitter release are regulated by specific proteins. Cortical neuronal differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) provides an experimental model to obtain more information about synaptic development and physiology in vitro. In this study, expression and secretion of the synaptic proteins, neurogranin (NRGN), growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43), synaptosomal-associated protein-25 (SNAP-25) and synaptotagmin-1 (SYT-1) were analyzed during cortical neuronal differentiation. Protein levels were measured in cells, modeling fetal cortical development and in cell-conditioned media which was used as a model of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), respectively. Human iPSC-derived cortical neurons were maintained over a period of at least 150 days, which encompasses the different stages of neuronal development. The differentiation was divided into the following stages: hiPSC, neuro-progenitors, immature and mature cortical neurons. We show that NRGN was first expressed and secreted by neuro-progenitors while the maximum was reached in mature cortical neurons. GAP-43 was expressed and secreted first by neuro-progenitors and its expression increased markedly in immature cortical neurons. SYT-1 was expressed and secreted already by hiPSC but its expression and secretion peaked in mature neurons. SNAP-25 was first detected in neuro-progenitors and the expression and secretion increased gradually during neuronal stages reaching a maximum in mature neurons. The sensitive analytical techniques used to monitor the secretion of these synaptic proteins during cortical development make these data unique, since the secretion of these synaptic proteins has not been investigated before in such experimental models. The secretory profile of synaptic proteins, together with low release of intracellular content, implies that mature neurons actively secrete these synaptic proteins that previously have been associated with neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. These data support further studies of human neuronal and synaptic development in vitro, and would potentially shed light on the mechanisms underlying altered concentrations of the proteins in bio-fluids in neurodegenerative diseases.
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| 20. |
- Reinert, Line S, et al.
(författare)
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Brain immune cells undergo cGAS-STING-dependent apoptosis during herpes simplex virus type 1 infection.
- 2020
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Ingår i: The Journal of clinical investigation. - 1558-8238. ; 131:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Protection of the brain from viral infections involves the type I interferon (IFN-I) system, defects in which renders humans susceptible to herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE). However, excessive cerebral IFN-I levels leads to pathologies, suggesting the need for tight regulation of responses. Based on data from mouse models, human HSE cases, and primary cell culture systems, we here show that microglia and other immune cells undergo apoptosis in the HSV-1-infected brain through a mechanism dependent on the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) - stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway, but independent of IFN-I. HSV-1 infection of microglia induced cGAS-dependent apoptosis at high viral doses, while lower viral doses led to IFN-I responses. Importantly, inhibition of caspase activity prevented microglial cell death and augmented IFN-I responses. Accordingly, HSV-1-infected organotypic brain slices, or mice treated with caspase inhibitor, exhibited lower viral load and improved outcome of infection. Collectively, we identify an activation-induced apoptosis program in brain immune cells which down-modulates local immune responses.
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