scholarly journals Juvenile Huntington’s Disease Skin Fibroblasts Respond with Elevated Parkin Level and Increased Proteasome Activity as a Potential Mechanism to Counterbalance the Pathological Consequences of Mutant Huntingtin Protein

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azzam Aladdin ◽  
Róbert Király ◽  
Pal Boto ◽  
Zsolt Regdon ◽  
Krisztina Tar
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Proteasome Activity ◽  
Mitochondrial Fusion ◽  
Skin Fibroblasts ◽  
Cellular Damage ◽  
Huntingtin Protein ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression ◽  
Polyq Expansion

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder, caused by an abnormal polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in the huntingtin protein (Htt). Mitochondrial dysfunction and impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) are hallmarks of HD neurons. The extraneural manifestations of HD are still unclear. We investigated the crosstalk between mitochondria and proteolytic function in skin fibroblasts from juvenile HD patients. We found reduced mitosis, increased cell size, elevated ROS and increased mitochondrial membrane potential in juvenile HD fibroblasts, while cellular viability was maintained. Mitochondrial OXPHOS analysis did not reveal significant differences compared to control. However, the level of mitochondrial fusion and fission proteins was significantly lower and branching in the mitochondria network was reduced. We hypothesized that juvenile HD fibroblasts counterbalance cellular damage and mitochondrial network deficit with altered proteasome activity to promote cell survival. Our data reveal that juvenile HD fibroblasts exhibit higher proteasome activity, which was associated with elevated gene and protein expression of parkin. Moreover, we demonstrate elevated proteasomal degradation of the mitochondrial fusion protein Mfn1 in diseased cells compared to control cells. Our data suggest that juvenile HD fibroblasts respond to mutant polyQ expansion of Htt with enhanced proteasome activity and faster turnover of specific UPS substrates to protect cells.

scholarly journals The longevity-associated variant of BPIFB4 improves a CXCR4-mediated striatum–microglia crosstalk preventing disease progression in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Di Pardo ◽  
Elena Ciaglia ◽  
Monica Cattaneo ◽  
Anna Maciag ◽  
Francesco Montella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Motor Dysfunction ◽  
Cag Repeats ◽  
Huntingtin Protein ◽  
Human Microglia

Abstract The longevity-associated variant (LAV) of the bactericidal/permeability-increasing fold-containing family B member 4 (BPIFB4) has been found significantly enriched in long-living individuals. Neuroinflammation is a key player in Huntington’s disease (HD), a neurodegenerative disorder caused by neural death due to expanded CAG repeats encoding a long polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein (Htt). Herein, we showed that striatal-derived cell lines with expanded Htt (STHdh Q111/111) expressed and secreted lower levels of BPIFB4, when compared with Htt expressing cells (STHdh Q7/7), which correlated with a defective stress response to proteasome inhibition. Overexpression of LAV-BPIFB4 in STHdh Q111/111 cells was able to rescue both the BPIFB4 secretory profile and the proliferative/survival response. According to a well-established immunomodulatory role of LAV-BPIFB4, conditioned media from LAV-BPIFB4-overexpressing STHdh Q111/111 cells were able to educate Immortalized Human Microglia—SV40 microglial cells. While STHdh Q111/111 dying cells were ineffective to induce a CD163 + IL-10high pro-resolving microglia compared to normal STHdh Q7/7, LAV-BPIFB4 transduction promptly restored the central immune control through a mechanism involving the stromal cell-derived factor-1. In line with the in vitro results, adeno-associated viral-mediated administration of LAV-BPIFB4 exerted a CXCR4-dependent neuroprotective action in vivo in the R6/2 HD mouse model by preventing important hallmarks of the disease including motor dysfunction, body weight loss, and mutant huntingtin protein aggregation. In this view, LAV-BPIFB4, due to its pleiotropic ability in both immune compartment and cellular homeostasis, may represent a candidate for developing new treatment for HD.

scholarly journals Cdk5 phosphorylation of huntingtin reduces its cleavage by caspases

2005 ◽  
Vol 169 (4) ◽  
pp. 647-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shouqing Luo ◽  
Coralie Vacher ◽  
Janet E. Davies ◽  
David C. Rubinsztein
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Cellular Membrane ◽  
Aggregate Formation ◽  
Polyq Tract ◽  
Polyq Expansion ◽  
In Cells

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in the huntingtin (htt) protein. Mutant htt toxicity is exposed after htt cleavage by caspases and other proteases release NH2-terminal fragments containing the polyQ expansion. Here, we show htt interacts and colocalizes with cdk5 in cellular membrane fractions. Cdk5 phosphorylates htt at Ser434, and this phosphorylation reduces caspase-mediated htt cleavage at residue 513. Reduced mutant htt cleavage resulting from cdk5 phosphorylation attenuated aggregate formation and toxicity in cells expressing the NH2-terminal 588 amino acids (htt588) of mutant htt. Cdk5 activity is reduced in the brains of HD transgenic mice compared with controls. This result can be accounted for by the polyQ-expanded htt fragments reducing the interaction between cdk5 and its activator p35. These data predict that the ability of cdk5 phosphorylation to protect against htt cleavage, aggregation, and toxicity is compromised in cells expressing toxic fragments of htt.

scholarly journals Mislocalization of Nucleocytoplasmic Transport Proteins in Human Huntington’s Disease PSC-Derived Striatal Neurons

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Lange ◽  
Alison Wood-Kaczmar ◽  
Aneesa Ali ◽  
Sahar Farag ◽  
Rhia Ghosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Cag Repeat ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Neuronal Cultures ◽  
Striatal Neurons ◽  
Lamin B1 ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene (HTT). Disease progression is characterized by the loss of vulnerable neuronal populations within the striatum. A consistent phenotype across HD models is disruption of nucleocytoplasmic transport and nuclear pore complex (NPC) function. Here we demonstrate that high content imaging is a suitable method for detecting mislocalization of lamin-B1, RAN and RANGAP1 in striatal neuronal cultures thus allowing a robust, unbiased, highly powered approach to assay nuclear pore deficits. Furthermore, nuclear pore deficits extended to the selectively vulnerable DARPP32 + subpopulation neurons, but not to astrocytes. Striatal neuron cultures are further affected by changes in gene and protein expression of RAN, RANGAP1 and lamin-B1. Lowering total HTT using HTT-targeted anti-sense oligonucleotides partially restored gene expression, as well as subtly reducing mislocalization of proteins involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport. This suggests that mislocalization of RAN, RANGAP1 and lamin-B1 cannot be normalized by simply reducing expression of CAG-expanded HTT in the absence of healthy HTT protein.

Pharmaceutical, cellular and genetic therapies for Huntington's disease

2005 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia J. Handley ◽  
Jenny J. Naji ◽  
Stephen B. Dunnett ◽  
Anne E. Rosser
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Huntingtin Protein ◽  
Polyglutamine Expansion ◽  
Recent Advances

HD (Huntington's disease) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the gene encoding the huntingtin protein. Presently, there is no known cure for HD and existing symptomatic treatments are limited. However, recent advances have identified multiple pathological mechanisms involved in HD, some of which have now become the focus of therapeutic intervention. In this review, we consider progress made towards developing safe and effective pharmaceutical-, cell- and genetic-based therapies, and discuss the extent to which some of these therapies have been successfully translated into clinical trials. These new prospects offer hope for delaying and possibly halting this debilitating disease.

scholarly journals The Novel Alpha-2 Adrenoceptor Inhibitor Beditin Reduces Cytotoxicity and Huntingtin Aggregates in Cell Models of Huntington’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 257
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Singer ◽  
Lilit Hunanyan ◽  
Magda M. Melkonyan ◽  
Jonasz J. Weber ◽  
Lusine Danielyan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Cell Model ◽  
Resonance Energy Transfer ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase ◽  
Tunel Staining ◽  
Cell Models

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a monogenetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin (mHTT). There is currently no cure, and therefore disease-slowing remedies are sought to alleviate symptoms of the multifaceted disorder. Encouraging findings in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease on alpha-2 adrenoceptor (α2-AR) inhibition have shown neuroprotective and aggregation-reducing effects in cell and animal models. Here, we analyzed the effect of beditin, a novel α2- adrenoceptor (AR) antagonist, on cell viability and mHTT protein levels in cell models of HD using Western blot, time-resolved Foerster resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) cytotoxicity assays. Beditin decreases cytotoxicity, as measured by TUNEL staining and LDH release, in a neuronal progenitor cell model (STHdh cells) of HD and decreases the aggregation propensity of HTT exon 1 fragments in an overexpression model using human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293T cells. α2-AR is a promising therapeutic target for further characterization in HD models. Our data allow us to suggest beditin as a valuable candidate for the pharmaceutical manipulation of α2-AR, as it is capable of modulating neuronal cell survival and the level of mHTT.

scholarly journals RNA Sequencing of Human Peripheral Blood Cells Indicates Upregulation of Immune-Related Genes in Huntington's Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel A. Andrade-Navarro ◽  
Katja Mühlenberg ◽  
Eike J. Spruth ◽  
Nancy Mah ◽  
Adrián González-López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Trinucleotide Repeat ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Gene Expression Signature ◽  
Interferon Response ◽  
Peripheral Blood Cells

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a trinucleotide repeat expansion in the Huntingtin gene. As disease-modifying therapies for HD are being developed, peripheral blood cells may be used to indicate disease progression and to monitor treatment response. In order to investigate whether gene expression changes can be found in the blood of individuals with HD that distinguish them from healthy controls, we performed transcriptome analysis by next-generation sequencing (RNA-seq). We detected a gene expression signature consistent with dysregulation of immune-related functions and inflammatory response in peripheral blood from HD cases vs. controls, including induction of the interferon response genes, IFITM3, IFI6 and IRF7. Our results suggest that it is possible to detect gene expression changes in blood samples from individuals with HD, which may reflect the immune pathology associated with the disease.

scholarly journals Huntington's Disease: An Immune Perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annapurna Nayak ◽  
Rafia Ansar ◽  
Sunil K. Verma ◽  
Domenico Marco Bonifati ◽  
Uday Kishore
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Typical Feature ◽  
Trinucleotide Repeats ◽  
Mutant Huntingtin Protein ◽  
Unexplored Area ◽  
Cag Trinucleotide Repeats ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Abnormal Expansion

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by abnormal expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats. Neuroinflammation is a typical feature of most neurodegenerative diseases that leads to an array of pathological changes within the affected areas in the brain. The neurodegeneration in HD is also caused by aberrant immune response in the presence of aggregated mutant huntingtin protein. The effects of immune activation in HD nervous system are a relatively unexplored area of research. This paper summarises immunological features associated with development and progression of HD.

scholarly journals Esculetin Provides Neuroprotection against Mutant Huntingtin-Induced Toxicity in Huntington’s Disease Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1044
Author(s):  
Letizia Pruccoli ◽  
Carlo Breda ◽  
Gabriella Teti ◽  
Mirella Falconi ◽  
Flaviano Giorgini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neuronal Death ◽  
Trinucleotide Repeat ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Drosophila Model ◽  
Exon 1 ◽  
Transgenic Drosophila

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an abnormal CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion within exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. This mutation leads to the production of mutant HTT (mHTT) protein which triggers neuronal death through several mechanisms. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of esculetin (ESC), a bioactive phenolic compound, in an inducible PC12 model and a transgenic Drosophila melanogaster model of HD, both of which express mHTT fragments. ESC partially inhibited the progression of mHTT aggregation and reduced neuronal death through its ability to counteract the oxidative stress and mitochondria impairment elicited by mHTT in the PC12 model. The ability of ESC to counteract neuronal death was also confirmed in the transgenic Drosophila model. Although ESC did not modify the lifespan of the transgenic Drosophila, it still seemed to have a positive impact on the HD phenotype of this model. Based on our findings, ESC may be further studied as a potential neuroprotective agent in a rodent transgenic model of HD.

scholarly journals Insights into kinetics, release, and behavioral effects of brain-targeted hybrid nanoparticles for cholesterol delivery in Huntington’s disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Birolini ◽  
Marta Valenza ◽  
Ilaria Ottonelli ◽  
Alice Passoni ◽  
Monica Favagrossa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Polymeric Nanoparticles ◽  
Cholesterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Hybrid Nanoparticles ◽  
Neural Cells ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Brain Cholesterol ◽  
The Brain

AbstractSupplementing brain cholesterol is emerging as a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease (HD), a genetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized, among other abnormalities, by inefficient brain cholesterol biosynthesis. However, delivering cholesterol to the brain is challenging due to the bloodbrain barrier (BBB), which prevents it from reaching the striatum, especially, with therapeutically relevant doses.Here we describe the distribution, kinetics, release, and safety of novel hybrid polymeric nanoparticles made of PLGA and cholesterol which were modified with an heptapeptide (g7) for BBB transit (hybrid-g7-NPs-chol). We show that these NPs rapidly reach the brain and target neural cells. Moreover, deuterium-labeled cholesterol from hybrid-g7-NPs-chol is released in a controlled manner within the brain and accumulates over time, while being rapidly removed from peripheral tissues and plasma. We confirm that systemic and repeated injections of the new hybrid-g7-NPs-chol enhanced endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, prevented cognitive decline, and ameliorated motor defects in HD animals, without any inflammatory reaction.In summary, this study provides insights about the benefits and safety of cholesterol delivery through advanced brain-permeable nanoparticles for HD treatment.

scholarly journals Non-Cell Autonomous and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Huntington’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12499
Author(s):  
Chaebin Kim ◽  
Ali Yousefian-Jazi ◽  
Seung-Hye Choi ◽  
Inyoung Chang ◽  
Junghee Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Trinucleotide Repeat ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Involuntary Movement ◽  
Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Exon 1 ◽  
Human Chromosome 4 ◽  
The Brain

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeat located in the exon 1 of Huntingtin (HTT) gene in human chromosome 4. The HTT protein is ubiquitously expressed in the brain. Specifically, mutant HTT (mHTT) protein-mediated toxicity leads to a dramatic degeneration of the striatum among many regions of the brain. HD symptoms exhibit a major involuntary movement followed by cognitive and psychiatric dysfunctions. In this review, we address the conventional role of wild type HTT (wtHTT) and how mHTT protein disrupts the function of medium spiny neurons (MSNs). We also discuss how mHTT modulates epigenetic modifications and transcriptional pathways in MSNs. In addition, we define how non-cell autonomous pathways lead to damage and death of MSNs under HD pathological conditions. Lastly, we overview therapeutic approaches for HD. Together, understanding of precise neuropathological mechanisms of HD may improve therapeutic approaches to treat the onset and progression of HD.

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