Current treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and neural injuries face major challenges, primarily due to the diminished regenerative capacity of neurons in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) as they mature. Here, we investigated the role of Ezh2, a histone methyltransferase, in regulating mammalian axon regeneration. We found that Ezh2 declined in the mouse nervous system during maturation but was upregulated in adult dorsal root ganglion neurons following peripheral nerve injury to facilitate spontaneous axon regeneration. In addition, overexpression of Ezh2 in retinal ganglion cells in the CNS promoted optic nerve regeneration via both histone methylation-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Further investigation revealed that Ezh2 fostered axon regeneration by orchestrating the transcriptional silencing of genes governing synaptic function and those inhibiting axon regeneration, while concurrently activating various factors that support axon regeneration. Notably, we demonstrated that GABA transporter 2 encoded by Slc6a13 acted downstream of Ezh2 to control axon regeneration. Overall, our study underscores the potential of modulating chromatin accessibility as a promising strategy for promoting CNS axon regeneration.
Xue-Wei Wang, Shu-Guang Yang, Ming-Wen Hu, Rui-Ying Wang, Chi Zhang, Anish R. Kosanam, Arinze J. Ochuba, Jing-Jing Jiang, Ximei Luo, Yun Guan, Jiang Qian, Chang-Mei Liu, Feng-Quan Zhou
Blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption is a serious pathological consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), for which there are limited therapeutic strategies. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP2), a molecule with dual functions of inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and displaying cytokine-like activity through receptor binding, has been reported to inhibit VEGF-induced vascular hyperpermeability. Here, we investigate the ability of TIMP2 to ameliorate BBB disruption in TBI and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Both TIMP2 and AlaTIMP2, a TIMP2 mutant without MMP-inhibiting activity, attenuated neurological deficits and BBB leakage in TBI mice, as well as inhibited junctional protein degradation and translocation to reduce paracellular permeability in HBMECs exposed to hypoxic plus inflammatory insult. Mechanistic studies revealed that TIMP2 interacted with integrin α3β1 on endothelial cells (ECs), inhibiting Src activation-dependent VE-Cadherin phosphorylation, VE-Cadherin/catenin complex destabilization and subsequent VE-Cadherin internalization. Notably, localization of VE-Cadherin on the membrane was critical for TIMP2-mediated EC barrier integrity. Furthermore, TIMP2-mediated increased membrane localization of VE-Cadherin enhanced the level of active Rac1, thereby inhibiting stress fiber formation. Together, our studies have identified an MMP-independent mechanism by which TIMP2 regulates EC barrier integrity after TBI. TIMP2 may be a therapeutic agent for TBI and other neurological disorders involving BBB breakdown.
Jingshu Tang, Yuying Kang, Yujun Zhou, Nianying Shang, Xinnan Li, Hongyue Wang, Jiaqi Lan, Shuai Wang, Lei Wu, Ying Peng
Vascular aging impacts multiple organ systems, including the brain, where it can lead to vascular dementia. However, a concrete understanding of how aging specifically affects the brain vasculature, along with molecular read-outs, remain vastly incomplete. Here we demonstrate that aging is associated with a marked decline in Notch3 signaling in both murine and human brain vessels. To clarify the consequences of Notch3 loss in the brain vasculature, we used single-cell transcriptomics and uncovered that Notch3 inactivation alters regulation of calcium, contractile function, and promotes a notable increase in extracellular matrix. These alterations adversely impact vascular reactivity, manifesting as dilation, tortuosity, microaneurysms, and decreased cerebral blood flow, as observed by MRI. Combined, these vascular impairments hinder glymphatic flow and result in buildup of glycosaminoglycans within the brain parenchyma. Remarkably, this phenomenon mirrors a key pathological feature found in brains of CADASIL patients – a hereditary vascular dementia associated with NOTCH3 missense mutations. Additionally, single-cell RNA sequencing of the neuronal compartment in aging Notch3 null mice has unveiled patterns reminiscent of those observed in neurodegenerative diseases. These findings offer direct evidence that age-related NOTCH3 deficiencies trigger a progressive decline in vascular function, subsequently affecting glymphatic flow and culminating in neurodegeneration.
Milagros C. Romay, Russell H. Knutsen, Feiyang Ma, Ana Mompeón, Gloria E. Hernandez, Jocelynda Salvador, Snezana Mirkov, Ayush Batra, David P. Sullivan, Daniele Procissi, Samuel Buchanan, Elise Kronquist, Elisa A. Ferrante, William A. Muller, Jordain Walshon, Alicia Steffens, Kathleen McCortney, Craig Horbinski, Elisabeth Tournier‑Lasserve, Adam M. Sonabend, Farzaneh A. Sorond, MichaelM. Wang, Manfred Boehm, Beth A. Kozel, M. Luisa Iruela-Arispe
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β plaques, aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau), and microglia activation. Galectin-3 (Gal3) is a β-galactoside-binding protein that has been implicated in amyloid pathology. Its role in tauopathy remains enigmatic. Here, we showed that Gal3 was upregulated in the microglia of humans and mice with tauopathy. pTau triggered the release of Gal3 from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia (iMGL) in both its free and extracellular vesicular (EV)-associated forms. Both forms of Gal3 increased the accumulation of pathogenic tau in recipient cells. Binding of Gal3 to pTau greatly enhanced tau fibrillation. Besides Gal3, pTau was sorted into EVs for transmission. Moreover, pTau markedly enhanced the numbers of EVs released by iMGL in a Gal3-dependent manner, suggesting a role of Gal3 in EVs biogenesis. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis of the hippocampus of a mouse model of tauopathy (THY-Tau22) revealed a group of pathogenic tau-evoked, Gal3-associated microglia (GAM) with altered cellular machineries implicated in neurodegeneration, including enhanced immune and inflammatory responses. Genetic removal of Gal3 in THY-Tau22 mice suppressed microglia activation, reduced the level of pTau and synaptic loss in neurons, and rescued the memory impairment. Collectively, Gal3 is a potential therapeutic target for tauopathy.
Jian Jing Siew, Hui-Mei Chen, Feng-Lan Chiu, Chia-Wei Lee, Yao-Ming Chang, Hung-Lin Chen, Thi Ngoc Anh Nguyen, Hung-Ting Liao, Mengyu Liu, Hsiao-Tien Hagar, Yung-Chen Sun, Hsing-Lin Lai, Min-Hao Kuo, David Blum, Luc Buée, Lee-Way Jin, Shih-Yu Chen, Tai-Ming Ko, Jie-rong Huang, Hung-Chih Kuo, Fu-Tong Liu, Yijuang Chern
Skull development coincides with the onset of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation, brain-CSF perfusion, and meningeal lymphangiogenesis, processes essential for brain waste clearance. How these processes are affected by craniofacial disorders such as craniosynostosis are poorly understood. We report that raised intracranial pressure and diminished CSF flow in craniosynostosis mouse models associates with pathological changes to meningeal lymphatic vessels that affect their sprouting, expansion, and long-term maintenance. We also show that craniosynostosis affects CSF circulatory pathways and perfusion into the brain. Further, craniosynostosis exacerbates amyloid pathology and plaque buildup in Twist1+/-:5xFAD transgenic Alzheimer’s disease models. Treating craniosynostosis mice with Yoda1, a small molecule agonist for Piezo1, reduces intracranial pressure and improves CSF flow, in addition to restoring meningeal lymphangiogenesis, drainage to the deep cervical lymph nodes, and brain-CSF perfusion. Leveraging these findings, we show Yoda1 treatments in aged mice with reduced CSF flow and turnover improve lymphatic networks, drainage, and brain-CSF perfusion. Our results suggest CSF provides mechanical force to facilitate meningeal lymphatic growth and maintenance. Additionally, applying Yoda1 agonist in conditions with raised intracranial pressure and/or diminished CSF flow, as seen in craniosynostosis or with ageing, is a possible therapeutic option to help restore meningeal lymphatic networks and brain-CSF perfusion.
Matt J. Matrongolo, Phillip S. Ang, Junbing Wu, Aditya Jain, Joshua K. Thackray, Akash G. Reddy, Chi Chang Sung, Gaetan Barbet, Young-Kwon Hong, Max A. Tischfield
Garth T. Whiteside, Donald J. Kyle, Ram P. Kapil, Alessandra Cipriano, Ellie He, Mingyan Zhou, Manjunath S. Shet, Michele Hummel, Terri Knappenberger, Kazuya Fukumura, Yoshiyuki Matsuo, Masahiro Uehira, Shuichi Hiroyama, Nozomi Takai, Sandra K. Willsie, Stephen C. Harris
BACKGROUND. In the Lewy body diseases (LBDs) Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), by the time parkinsonism or cognitive dysfunction manifests clinically substantial neurodegeneration has already occurred. Biomarkers are needed to identify central LBDs in a preclinical phase, when neurorescue strategies might forestall symptomatic disease. This phase may involve catecholamine deficiency in the autonomic nervous system. We analyzed data from the prospective, observational, long-term PDRisk study to assess the predictive value of low vs. normal cardiac 18F-dopamine positron emission tomography (PET), an index of myocardial content of the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine, in at-risk individuals. METHODS. Participants self-reported risk factor information (genetics, olfactory dysfunction, dream enactment behavior, orthostatic intolerance or hypotension) at a protocol-specific website. Thirty-four with ≥ 3 confirmed risk factors underwent serial cardiac 18F-dopamine PET at 1.5-yearly intervals for up to 7.5 years or until PD was diagnosed. RESULTS. Nine participants had low initial myocardial 18F-dopamine-derived radioactivity (<6,000 nCi-kg/cc-Ci) and 25 normal radioactivity. At 7 years of follow-up, 8 of 9 with low initial radioactivity and 1 of 11 with normal radioactivity were diagnosed with a central LBD (LBD+) (P = 0.0009 by Fisher's exact test). Conversely, all of 9 LBD+ participants had low 18F-dopamine-derived radioactivity before or at the time of diagnosis of a central LBD, whereas among 25 participants without a central LBD only 1 (4%) had persistently low radioactivity (P < 0.0001 by Fisher’s exact test). CONCLUSIONS. Cardiac 18F-dopamine PET highly efficiently distinguishes at-risk individuals who are diagnosed subsequently with a central LBD from those who are not.
David S. Goldstein, Courtney Holmes, Patti Sullivan, Grisel Lopez, Janna Gelsomino, Sarah Moore, Risa Isonaka, Tianxia Wu, Yehonatan Sharabi
A20 is a ubiquitin-modifying protein that negatively regulates NF-κB signaling. Mutations in A20/TNFAIP3 are associated with a variety of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). We found that deletion of A20 in central nervous system (CNS) endothelial cells (ECs) enhances experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of MS. A20∆CNS-EC mice showed increased numbers of CNS-infiltrating immune cells during neuroinflammation and in the steady state. While the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was not impaired, we observed a strong activation of CNS-ECs in these mice, with dramatically increased levels of the adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. We discovered ICOSL as adhesion molecule expressed by A20-deficient CNS-ECs. Silencing of ICOSL in CNS microvascular ECs partly reversed the phenotype of A20∆CNS-EC mice without reaching statistical significance and delayed the onset of EAE symptoms in wildtype mice. In addition, blocking of ICOSL on primary mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (pMBMECs) impaired the adhesion of T cells in vitro. Taken together, we here propose that CNS EC-ICOSL contributes to the firm adhesion of T cells to the BBB, promoting their entry into the CNS and eventually driving neuroinflammation.
Lisa Johann, Sasha Soldati, Kristin Müller, Josephine Lampe, Federico Marini, Matthias Klein, Eva Schramm, Nathalie Ries, Carsten Schelmbauer, Ilaria Palagi, Khalad Karram, Julian C. Assmann, Mahtab A. Khan, Jan Wenzel, Mirko H.H. Schmidt, Jakob Körbelin, Dirk Schlüter, Geert van Loo, Tobias Bopp, Britta Engelhardt, Markus Schwaninger, Ari Waisman
A paucity of chemotherapeutic options for metastatic brain cancer limits patient survival and portends poor clinical outcomes. Using a central nervous system (CNS) small-molecule inhibitor library of 320 agents known to be blood-brain barrier permeable and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, breast cancer brain metastases vulnerabilities were interrogated to identify an effective agent. Metixene, an antiparkinsonian drug, was identified as a top therapeutic agent that was capable of decreasing cellular viability and inducing cell death across different metastatic breast cancer subtypes. This agent significantly reduced mammary tumor size in orthotopic xenograft assays and improved survival in an intracardiac model of multiorgan site metastases. Metixene further extended survival in mice bearing intracranial xenografts and in an intracarotid model of multiple brain metastases. Functional analysis revealed that metixene induced incomplete autophagy through N-Myc Downstream Regulated 1 (NDRG1) phosphorylation thereby leading to caspase-mediated apoptosis in both primary and brain metastatic cells, regardless of cancer subtype or origin. CRISPR Cas9 knockout of NDRG1 led to autophagy completion and reversal of the metixene apoptotic effect. Metixene is a promising therapeutic agent against metastatic brain cancer, with minimal reported side effects in humans, which merits consideration for clinical translation.
Jawad Fares, Edgar Petrosyan, Deepak Kanojia, Crismita Dmello, Alex Cordero, Joseph T. Duffy, Ragini Yeeravalli, Mayurbhai H. Sahani, Peng Zhang, Aida Rashidi, Victor A. Arrieta, Ilya Ulasov, Atique U. Ahmed, Jason Miska, Irina V. Balyasnikova, C. David James, Adam M. Sonabend, Amy B. Heimberger, Maciej S. Lesniak
Tumor burden, considered a common chronic stressor, can cause widespread anxiety. Evidence suggests that cancer-induced anxiety can promote tumor progression, but the underlying neural mechanism remains unclear. Here, we used neuroscience and cancer tools to investigate how the brain contributes to tumor progression via nerve-tumor crosstalk in mice model of breast cancer. We showed that the tumor-bearing mice exhibited significant anxiety-like behaviors and that corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the central medial amygdala (CeM) were activated. Moreover, newly formed sympathetic nerves were detected in tumors, which established a polysynaptically connected with the brain. Pharmacogenetic or optogenetic inhibition of CeMCRH neurons and CeMCRH→LPGi circuit significantly alleviated anxiety-like behaviors and slowed tumor growth. Conversely, artificial activation of CeMCRH neurons and CeMCRH→LPGi circuit increased anxiety and tumor growth. Importantly, alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, was found to be a promising intervention for slowing tumor progression. Furthermore, we showed that manipulation of CeMCRH→LPGi circuit directly regulates the activity of the intratumoral sympathetic nerves and peripheral nerve-derived norepinephrine, then affecting tumor progression by modulating the antitumor immunity. Together, these findings reveal a brain–tumor neural circuit contributing to breast cancer progression and provide new therapeutic insights for breast cancer.
Si-Yi Xiong, Hui-Zhong Wen, Li-Meng Dai, Yun-Xiao Lou, Zhao-Qun Wang, Yi-Lun Yi, Xiao-Jing Yan, Ya-Ran Wu, Wei Sun, Peng-Hui Chen, Si-Zhe Yang, Xiao-Wei Qi, Yi Zhang, Guang-Yan Wu