scholarly journals Aquaporin-4 Expression during Toxic and Autoimmune Demyelination

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2187
Author(s):  
Sven Olaf Rohr ◽  
Theresa Greiner ◽  
Sarah Joost ◽  
Sandra Amor ◽  
Paul van der Valk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Cells ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Staining Intensity ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Aquaporin 4 ◽  
Aqp4 Expression ◽  
Humoral Immune ◽  
Autoimmune Demyelination ◽  
Peripheral Immune Cells ◽  
The Brain

The water channel protein aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is required for a normal rate of water exchange across the blood–brain interface. Following the discovery that AQP4 is a possible autoantigen in neuromyelitis optica, the function of AQP4 in health and disease has become a research focus. While several studies have addressed the expression and function of AQP4 during inflammatory demyelination, relatively little is known about its expression during non-autoimmune-mediated myelin damage. In this study, we used the toxin-induced demyelination model cuprizone as well as a combination of metabolic and autoimmune myelin injury (i.e., Cup/EAE) to investigate AQP4 pathology. We show that during toxin-induced demyelination, diffuse AQP4 expression increases, while polarized AQP4 expression at the astrocyte endfeet decreases. The diffuse increased expression of AQP4 was verified in chronic-active multiple sclerosis lesions. Around inflammatory brain lesions, AQP4 expression dramatically decreased, especially at sites where peripheral immune cells penetrate the brain parenchyma. Humoral immune responses appear not to be involved in this process since no anti-AQP4 antibodies were detected in the serum of the experimental mice. We provide strong evidence that the diffuse increase in anti-AQP4 staining intensity is due to a metabolic injury to the brain, whereas the focal, perivascular loss of anti-AQP4 immunoreactivity is mediated by peripheral immune cells.

scholarly journals Microglia-specific overexpression of α-synuclein leads to severe dopaminergic neurodegeneration by phagocytic exhaustion and oxidative toxicity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Bido ◽  
Sharon Muggeo ◽  
Luca Massimino ◽  
Matteo Jacopo Marzi ◽  
Serena Gea Giannelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Cells ◽  
Neuronal Degeneration ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Microglial Cells ◽  
Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration ◽  
Progressive Degeneration ◽  
Toxic Environment ◽  
Inflammatory State ◽  
Peripheral Immune Cells ◽  
The Brain

AbstractRecent findings in human samples and animal models support the involvement of inflammation in the development of Parkinson’s disease. Nevertheless, it is currently unknown whether microglial activation constitutes a primary event in neurodegeneration. We generated a new mouse model by lentiviral-mediated selective α-synuclein (αSYN) accumulation in microglial cells. Surprisingly, these mice developed progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons without endogenous αSYN aggregation. Transcriptomics and functional assessment revealed that αSYN-accumulating microglial cells developed a strong reactive state with phagocytic exhaustion and excessive production of oxidative and proinflammatory molecules. This inflammatory state created a molecular feed-forward vicious cycle between microglia and IFNγ-secreting immune cells infiltrating the brain parenchyma. Pharmacological inhibition of oxidative and nitrosative molecule production was sufficient to attenuate neurodegeneration. These results suggest that αSYN accumulation in microglia induces selective DA neuronal degeneration by promoting phagocytic exhaustion, an excessively toxic environment and the selective recruitment of peripheral immune cells.

The role of aquaporin-4 in cerebral water transport and edema

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orin Bloch ◽  
Geoffrey T. Manley
Keyword(s):  
Water Transport ◽  
Cerebral Edema ◽  
Vasogenic Edema ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Aquaporin 4 ◽  
Molecular Water ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Cellular Water ◽  
The Brain

✓Despite decades of research into the pathogenesis of cerebral edema, nonsurgical therapy for brain swelling has advanced very little after more than half a century. Recent advancements in our understanding of molecular water transport have generated interest in new targets for edema therapy. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is the primary cellular water channel in the brain, localized to astrocytic foot processes along the blood–brain barrier and brain–cerebrospinal fluid interface. Multiple studies of transgenic mice with a complete deficiency or altered expression of AQP4 suggest a prominent role for AQP4 in cerebral water transport. In models of cellular (cytotoxic) edema, AQP4 deletion or alteration has been shown to be protective, reducing edema burden and improving overall survival. In contrast, AQP4 deletion in extra-cellular (vasogenic) edema results in decreased edema clearance and greater progression of disease. The data strongly support the conclusion that AQP4 plays a pivotal role in cerebral water transport and is an essential mediator in the formation and resorption of edema fluid from the brain parenchyma. These findings also suggest that drug therapy targeting AQP4 function and expression may dramatically alter our ability to treat cerebral edema.

scholarly journals Aquaporin-4 Mediates Permanent Brain Alterations in a Mouse Model of Hypoxia-Aged Hydrocephalus

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (18) ◽  
pp. 9745
Author(s):  
José Luis Trillo-Contreras ◽  
Juan José Toledo-Aral ◽  
Javier Villadiego ◽  
Miriam Echevarría
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Aquaporin 4 ◽  
Ependymal Cells ◽  
Cerebral Tissue ◽  
Principal Characteristics ◽  
Aqp4 Expression ◽  
Aged Mice ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Ventricular Distensibility

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is the principal water channel in the brain being expressed in astrocytes and ependymal cells. AQP4 plays an important role in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homeostasis, and alterations in its expression have been associated with hydrocephalus. AQP4 contributes to the development of hydrocephalus by hypoxia in aged mice, reproducing such principal characteristics of the disease. Here, we explore whether these alterations associated with the hydrocephalic state are permanent or can be reverted by reexposure to normoxia. Alterations such as ventriculomegaly, elevated intracranial pressure, and cognitive deficits were reversed, whereas deficits in CSF outflow and ventricular distensibility were not recovered, remaining impaired even one month after reestablishment of normoxia. Interestingly, in AQP4−/− mice, the impairment in CSF drainage and ventricular distensibility was completely reverted by re-normoxia, indicating that AQP4 has a structural role in the chronification of those alterations. Finally, we show that aged mice subjected to two hypoxic episodes experience permanent ventriculomegaly. These data reveal that repetitive hypoxic events in aged cerebral tissue promote the permanent alterations involved in hydrocephalic pathophysiology, which are dependent on AQP4 expression.

scholarly journals Microglial Function and Regulation during Development, Homeostasis and Alzheimer’s Disease

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 957
Author(s):  
Brad T. Casali ◽  
Erin G. Reed-Geaghan
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
And Function ◽  
Inflammatory Milieu ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Homeostatic State

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain, deriving from yolk sac progenitors that populate the brain parenchyma during development. During development and homeostasis, microglia play critical roles in synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity, in addition to their primary role as immune sentinels. In aging and neurodegenerative diseases generally, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) specifically, microglial function is altered in ways that significantly diverge from their homeostatic state, inducing a more detrimental inflammatory environment. In this review, we discuss the receptors, signaling, regulation and gene expression patterns of microglia that mediate their phenotype and function contributing to the inflammatory milieu of the AD brain, as well as strategies that target microglia to ameliorate the onset, progression and symptoms of AD.

Exploration of beneficial and deleterious effects of inflammation in stroke: dynamics of inflammation cells

2009 ◽  
Vol 367 (1908) ◽  
pp. 4699-4716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taïssia Lelekov-Boissard ◽  
Guillemette Chapuisat ◽  
Jean-Pierre Boissel ◽  
Emmanuel Grenier ◽  
Marie-Aimée Dronne
Keyword(s):  
Immune Cells ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Inflammatory Process ◽  
Living Cells ◽  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Brain Cell ◽  
Cytokines And Chemokines ◽  
The Brain

The inflammatory process during stroke consists of activation of resident brain microglia and recruitment of leucocytes, namely neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages. During inflammation, microglial cells, neutrophils and macrophages secrete inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and phagocytize dead cells. The recruitment of blood cells (neutrophils and macrophages) is mediated by the leucocyte–endothelium interactions and more specifically by cell adhesion molecules. A mathematical model is proposed to represent the dynamics of various brain cells and of immune cells (neutrophils and macrophages). This model is based on a set of six ordinary differential equations and explores the beneficial and deleterious effects of inflammation, respectively phagocytosis by immune cells and the release of pro-inflammatory mediators and nitric oxide (NO). The results of our simulations are qualitatively consistent with those observed in experiments in vivo and would suggest that the increase of phagocytosis could contribute to the increase of the percentage of living cells. The inhibition of the production of cytokines and NO and the blocking of neutrophil and macrophage infiltration into the brain parenchyma led also to the improvement of brain cell survival. This approach may help to explore the respective contributions of the beneficial and deleterious roles of the inflammatory process in stroke, and to study various therapeutic strategies in order to reduce stroke damage.

scholarly journals Aquaporin 4 over-expression in metastases to the brain in breast cancer.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahan Mamoor
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Brain Metastases ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Breast Tumors ◽  
Aquaporin 4 ◽  
Primary Breast Tumor ◽  
Over Expression ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Public Datasets ◽  
The Brain

Brain metastases affect 10-15% of women with breast cancer (1). Metastasis is the most significant contributor to death in patients with cancer (2). We assessed what genes make brain metastases most different from the breast tumors from which they arose using public datasets (3, 4). The aquaporin 4 (AQP4) water channel (5) was one of the most differentially expressed genes in brain metastases when comparing the transcriptomes of matched tumor and metastasis samples from the brain and breast from 16 patients (2). Analysis of a separate dataset showed demonstrated the same result (4). In both cases, aquaporin 4 was expressed at significantly higher levels in metastases to the brain than in the primary breast tumor. This is the first report of aquaporin 4 differential over-expression in the brain metastases of patients with breast cancer.

scholarly journals Intranasal Salvinorin A Improves Long-term Neurological Function via Immunomodulation in a Mouse Ischemic Stroke Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilidaer Misilimu ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Di Chen ◽  
Pengju Wei ◽  
Yichen Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Intranasal Administration ◽  
Neurological Function ◽  
Salvinorin A ◽  
Stroke Model ◽  
Peripheral Immune Cells ◽  
The Brain

AbstractSalvinorin A (SA), a highly selective kappa opioid receptor agonist, has been shown to reduce brain infarct volume and improve neurological function after ischemic stroke. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully understood yet. Therefore, we explored whether SA provides neuroprotective effects by regulating the immune response after ischemic stroke both in the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral circulation. In this study, adult male mice were subjected to transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (tMCAO) and then were treated intranasally with SA (50 μg/kg) or with the vehicle dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Multiple behavioral tests were used to evaluate neurofunction. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the infiltration of peripheral immune cells into the brain. The tracer cadaverine and endogenous immunoglobulin G (IgG) extravasation were used to detect blood brain barrier leakage. We observed that SA intranasal administration after ischemic stroke decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory factors in the brain. SA promoted the polarization of microglia/macrophages into a transitional phenotype and decreased the pro-inflammatory phenotype in the brain after tMCAO. Interestingly, SA treatment scarcely altered the number of peripheral immune cells but decreased the macrophage and neutrophil infiltration into the brain at 24 h after tMCAO. Furthermore, SA treatment also preserved BBB integrity, reduced long-term brain atrophy and white matter injury, as well as improved the long-term neurofunctional outcome in mice. In this study, intranasal administration of SA improved long-term neurological function via immuno-modulation and by preserving blood–brain barrier integrity in a mouse ischemic stroke model, suggesting that SA could potentially serve as an alternative treatment strategy for ischemic stroke. Graphic Abstract

scholarly journals Immune cells and CNS physiology: Microglia and beyond

2018 ◽  
Vol 216 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey T. Norris ◽  
Jonathan Kipnis
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
The Body ◽  
Immune Repertoire ◽  
Perivascular Macrophages ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Cns Immunity ◽  
The Brain

Recent advances have directed our knowledge of the immune system from a narrative of “self” versus “nonself” to one in which immune function is critical for homeostasis of organs throughout the body. This is also the case with respect to the central nervous system (CNS). CNS immunity exists in a segregated state, with a marked partition occurring between the brain parenchyma and meningeal spaces. While the brain parenchyma is patrolled by perivascular macrophages and microglia, the meningeal spaces are supplied with a diverse immune repertoire. In this review, we posit that such partition allows for neuro–immune crosstalk to be properly tuned. Convention may imply that meningeal immunity is an ominous threat to brain function; however, recent studies have shown that its presence may instead be a steady hand directing the CNS to optimal performance.

scholarly journals Invasion of Peripheral Immune Cells into Brain Parenchyma after Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Can Zhang ◽  
Nicole R. Brandon ◽  
Kerryann Koper ◽  
Pei Tang ◽  
Yan Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Arrest ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Brain Parenchyma ◽  
Peripheral Immune Cells
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