scholarly journals Autophagy enhances memory erasure through synaptic destabilization

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Shehata ◽  
Kareem Abdou ◽  
Kiriko Choko ◽  
Mina Matsuo ◽  
Hirofumi Nishizono ◽  
...  

AbstractThere is substantial interest in memory reconsolidation as a target for the treatment of anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, its applicability is restricted by reconsolidation-resistant conditions that constrain the initial memory destabilization. In this study, we investigated whether the induction of synaptic protein degradation through autophagy modulation, a major protein degradation pathway, can enhance memory destabilization upon retrieval and whether it can be utilized to overcome these conditions. Here, using male mice in an auditory fear reconsolidation model, we showed that autophagy contributes to memory destabilization and its induction can be utilized to enhance erasure of a reconsolidation-resistant auditory fear memory that depended on α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) endocytosis. Using male mice in a contextual fear reconsolidation model, autophagy induction in the amygdala or in the hippocampus enhanced fear or contextual memory destabilization, respectively. The latter correlated with AMPAR degradation in the spines of the contextual memory-ensemble cells. Using male rats in an in vivo long-term potentiation reconsolidation model, autophagy induction enhanced synaptic destabilization in an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-dependent manner. These data indicate that induction of synaptic protein degradation can enhance both synaptic and memory destabilization upon reactivation and that autophagy inducers have the potential to be used as a therapeutic tool in the treatment of anxiety disorders.Significance StatementIt has been reported that inhibiting synaptic protein degradation prevents memory destabilization. However, whether the reverse relation is true and whether it can be utilized to enhance memory destabilization is still unknown. Here we addressed this question on the behavioral, molecular and synaptic levels, and showed that induction of autophagy, a major protein degradation pathway, can enhance memory and synaptic destabilization upon reactivation. We also show that autophagy induction can be utilized to overcome a reconsolidation-resistant memory, suggesting autophagy inducers as a potential therapeutic tool in the treatment of anxiety disorders.

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Alvarez-Castelao ◽  
Susanne tom Dieck ◽  
Claudia M Fusco ◽  
Paul Donlin-Asp ◽  
Julio D Perez ◽  
...  

We examined the feedback between the major protein degradation pathway, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), and protein synthesis in rat and mouse neurons. When protein degradation was inhibited, we observed a coordinate dramatic reduction in nascent protein synthesis in neuronal cell bodies and dendrites. The mechanism for translation inhibition involved the phosphorylation of eIF2α, surprisingly mediated by eIF2α kinase 1, or heme-regulated kinase inhibitor (HRI). Under basal conditions, neuronal expression of HRI is barely detectable. Following proteasome inhibition, HRI protein levels increase owing to stabilization of HRI and enhanced translation, likely via the increased availability of tRNAs for its rare codons. Once expressed, HRI is constitutively active in neurons because endogenous heme levels are so low; HRI activity results in eIF2α phosphorylation and the resulting inhibition of translation. These data demonstrate a novel role for neuronal HRI that senses and responds to compromised function of the proteasome to restore proteostasis.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Alvarez-Castelao ◽  
Susanne tom Dieck ◽  
Claudia M. Fusco ◽  
Paul G. Donlin-Asp ◽  
Julio D. Perez ◽  
...  

AbstractAll cells, including neurons, have regulatory feedback mechanisms that couple protein synthesis and degradation to maintain and optimize protein concentrations in the face of intra- and extracellular perturbations. We examined the feedback between the major protein degradation pathway, the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), and protein synthesis in neurons. When protein degradation by the UPS was inhibited we observed a coordinate dramatic reduction in nascent protein synthesis in both neuronal cell bodies and dendrites. The mechanism for translation inhibition involved the phosphorylation of eIF2a, surprisingly mediated by eIF2a kinase 1, or heme-regulated kinase inhibitor (HRI), known for its sensitivity to heme levels in erythrocyte precursors (Han et al., 2001). Under basal conditions, neuronal expression of HRI is barely detectable. Following proteasome inhibition, HRI protein levels increase owing to stabilization of the short-lived HRI protein and enhanced translation via the increased availability of tRNAs for rare codons. Once expressed, HRI is constitutively active in neurons because endogenous heme levels are so low; HRI activity results in eIF2a phosphorylation and the resulting inhibition of translation. These data demonstrate a novel role for HRI in neurons, acting as an “immediate early protein” that senses and responds to compromised function of the proteasome to restore proteostasis.One sentence summaryProteasome inhibition leads to a compensatory reduction in neuronal protein synthesis via the stabilization and enhanced translation of short-lived HRI kinase, which is constitutively active upon expression owing to low neuronal heme levels.


Physiology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Klimaschewski

Various studies identified the ubiquitin-proteasome system as the prime suspect in causing neurodegenerative diseases. The present review summarizes our current knowledge about the expression, regulation, and functions of this major protein degradation pathway in the brain, with particular reference to the pathogenesis of associated neurological diseases.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii63-ii63
Author(s):  
Lakshmi Bollu ◽  
Derek Wainwright ◽  
Lijie Zhai ◽  
Erik Ladomersky ◽  
Kristen Lauing ◽  
...  

Abstract INTRODUCTION Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO; IDO1) is a rate-limiting enzyme that metabolizes the essential amino acid tryptophan into kynurenine. Recent work by our group has revealed that IDO promotes tumor development and suppresses immune cell functions independent of its enzyme activity. Moreover, pharmacologic IDO enzyme inhibitors that currently serve as the only class of drugs available for targeting immunosuppressive IDO activity, fail to improve the survival of patients with GBM. Here, we developed IDO-Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (IDO-PROTACs). PROTACs bind to a specific protein and recruit an E3 ubiquitin ligase that enhance proteasome-mediated degradation of the target protein. METHODS A library of ≥100 IDO-PROTACs were developed by joining BMS986205 (IDO binder) with a linker group to various E3-ligase ligands. Western blot analysis of PROTAC-induced IDO degradation was tested in vitro among multiple human and mouse GBM cell lines including U87, GBM6, GBM43 and GL261 along a time course ranging between 1–96 hours of treatment and at varying concentrations. The mechanism of IDO protein degradation was investigated using pharmacologic ligands that inhibit or compete with the proteasome-mediated protein degradation pathway. RESULTS Primary screening identified several IDO-PROTACs with IDO protein degradation potential. Secondary screening showed that our lead compound has a DC50 value of ~0.5µM with an ability to degrade IDO in all GBM cells analyzed, and an initial activity within 12 hours of treatment that extended for up to 96 hours. Mutating the CRBN-binding ligand, pretreatment with the ubiquitin proteasome system inhibitors MG132 or MLN4924 or using unmodified parental compound all inhibited IDO protein degradation. CONCLUSIONS This study developed an initial IDO-PROTAC technology that upon further optimization, can neutralize both IDO enzyme and non-enzyme immunosuppressive effects. When combined with other forms of immunotherapy, IDO-PROTACs have the potential to substantially enhance immunotherapeutic efficacy in patients with GBM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart A Collins ◽  
Ipe Ninan

Abstract The onset of several neuropsychiatric disorders including anxiety disorders coincides with adolescence. Consistently, threat extinction, which plays a key role in the regulation of anxiety-related behaviors, is diminished during adolescence. Furthermore, this attenuated threat extinction during adolescence is associated with an altered synaptic plasticity in the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL-mPFC), a brain region critical for threat extinction. However, the mechanism underlying the altered plasticity in the IL-mPFC during adolescence is unclear. Given the purported role of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide expressing interneurons (VIPINs) in disinhibition and hence their potential to affect cortical plasticity, we examined whether VIPINs exhibit an adolescence-specific plasticity in the IL-mPFC. We observed an increase in GABAergic transmission and a decrease in excitability in VIPINs during adolescence. Male mice show a significantly higher VIPIN-pyramidal neuron GABAergic transmission compared with female mice. The observed increase in GABAergic transmission and a decrease in membrane excitability in VIPINs during adolescence could play a role in the altered plasticity in the adolescent IL-mPFC. Furthermore, the suppression of VIPIN-mediated GABAergic transmission in females might be relevant to sex differences in anxiety disorders.


Reproduction ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Izvolskaia ◽  
Vasilina Ignatiuk ◽  
Ayshat Ismailova ◽  
Viktoria Sharova ◽  
Liudmila Zakharova

Sexual performance in adult male rats is highly sensitive to prenatal stress which can affect the functionality of the reproductive system and various brain structures involved in modulating sexual behavior. The immunomodulatory effect of mouse IgG on reproductive maturity in male offspring after LPS exposure in vivo and in vitro was studied. Prenatal IgG injection (20 µg / mouse) had a positive impact on the puberty of male mice whose mothers were exposed to LPS (100 µg / kg) on the 12th day of pregnancy. The number of Sertoli cells were increased, whereas the body weight and the number of symplastic spermatids were decreased in offspring as compared to LPS-treated animals. Besides, IgG had a positive effect on altered hormone levels: reduced estradiol level on the 5th and 14th postnatal days and increased testosterone level on the 30th postnatal day in blood that led to an increased number of mounting attempts in sexually mature males. The cAMP-dependent pathway may be involved in the regulation of the LPS-induced inflammation. IgG reduced the increased level of cAMP in mouse peritoneal macrophages activated by LPS in vitro. IgG is able to modulate inflammation processes, but its exposure time is important.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Hoon Kim ◽  
Kyung-Tae Park ◽  
Sang-Hun Lee

ABSTRACTPrevious studies have shown that G9a, a lysine methyltransferase, inhibits autophagy by repressing the transcription of autophagy genes. Here, we demonstrate a novel mechanism whereby G9a/GLP inhibit autophagy through post-translational modification of ATG12, a protein critical for the initiation of autophagosome formation. Under non-stress conditions, G9a/GLP directly methylate ATG12. The methylated ATG12 undergoes ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, thereby inhibiting autophagy induction. By contrast, under stress conditions that elevate intracellular Ca2+ levels, the activated calpain system cleaves the G9a/GLP proteins, leading to G9a/GLP protein degradation. The reduced G9a/GLP levels allow ATG12 to accumulate and form the ATG12-ATG5 conjugate, thus expediting autophagy initiation. Collectively, our findings reveal a distinct signaling pathway that links cellular stress responses involving Ca2+/calpain to G9a/GLP-mediated autophagy regulation. Moreover, our model proposes that the methylation status of ATG12 is a molecular rheostat that controls autophagy induction.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shivani N. Mann ◽  
Niran Hadad ◽  
Molly Nelson-Holte ◽  
Alicia R. Rothman ◽  
Roshini Sathiaseelan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMetabolic dysfunction underlies several chronic diseases, many of which are exacerbated by obesity. Dietary interventions can reverse metabolic declines and slow aging, although compliance issues remain paramount. 17α-estradiol treatment improves metabolic parameters and slows aging in male mice. The mechanisms by which 17α-estradiol elicits these benefits remain unresolved. Herein, we show that 17α-estradiol elicits similar genomic binding and transcriptional activation through estrogen receptor α (ERα) to that of 17β-estradiol. In addition, we show that the ablation of ERα completely attenuates the beneficial metabolic effects of 17α-E2 in male mice. Our findings suggest that 17α-E2 acts primarily through the liver and hypothalamus to improve metabolic parameters in male mice. Lastly, we also determined that 17α-E2 improves metabolic parameters in male rats, thereby proving that the beneficial effects of 17α-E2 are not limited to mice. Collectively, these studies suggest ERα may be a drug target for mitigating chronic diseases in male mammals.


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