scholarly journals How Do Post-Translational Modifications Influence the Pathomechanistic Landscape of Huntington’s Disease? A Comprehensive Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beata Lontay ◽  
Andrea Kiss ◽  
László Virág ◽  
Krisztina Tar
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
Cell Functions ◽  
Cellular Events ◽  
Mutant Huntingtin Protein

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of motor control and cognitive ability, which eventually leads to death. The mutant huntingtin protein (HTT) exhibits an expansion of a polyglutamine repeat. The mechanism of pathogenesis is still not fully characterized; however, evidence suggests that post-translational modifications (PTMs) of HTT and upstream and downstream proteins of neuronal signaling pathways are involved. The determination and characterization of PTMs are essential to understand the mechanisms at work in HD, to define possible therapeutic targets better, and to challenge the scientific community to develop new approaches and methods. The discovery and characterization of a panoply of PTMs in HTT aggregation and cellular events in HD will bring us closer to understanding how the expression of mutant polyglutamine-containing HTT affects cellular homeostasis that leads to the perturbation of cell functions, neurotoxicity, and finally, cell death. Hence, here we review the current knowledge on recently identified PTMs of HD-related proteins and their pathophysiological relevance in the formation of abnormal protein aggregates, proteolytic dysfunction, and alterations of mitochondrial and metabolic pathways, neuroinflammatory regulation, excitotoxicity, and abnormal regulation of gene expression.

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 White matter changes in Huntington’s disease and the demyelination hypothesis: a critical review

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
chiara casella ◽  
Claudia Metzler-Baddeley ◽  
Derek Jones ◽  
Ilona Lipp
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Disease Pathogenesis ◽  
Tissue Modeling ◽  
Cortical Grey Matter ◽  
Neuroimaging Techniques

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disorder, characterised by atrophy of the neostriatum, and cortical grey matter abnormalities. White matter (WM) alterations have recently been identified as a relevant pathophysiological feature of HD, but the etiology of WM degeneration, and its role in disease pathogenesis and progression remain unclear. An increasing body of research suggests that WM changes in HD are due to alterations in myelin-associated biological processes at the cellular and molecular level. This review first discusses evidence from neurochemical studies lending support to the ‘De-myelination hypothesis’ of HD, and pointing towards a role for aberrant myelination and changes in oligodendrocytes in HD WM. Next, evidence from neuroimaging studies is reviewed, the limitations of the described methodologies are discussed and suggested interpretations of findings from published studies are challenged. Although our understanding of HD-associated pathological changes in the brain will increasingly rely on neuroimaging techniques, the shortcomings of these methodologies must not be forgotten. Advances in MRI techniques and tissue modeling will enable a better characterization of the biological properties of WM microstructure, and will allow more specific monitoring of longitudinal changes noninvasively. This, in turn, will provide insight into disease pathogenesis and progression and facilitate the identification of disease-related biomarkers and the specification of outcome measures in clinical trials.

The Role of Hypothalamic and Neuroendocrine Changes in the Pathogenesis of Huntington’s Disease - Current Understanding and Implications for Future Treatments

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
åsa Petersén ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Premature Death ◽  
Cell Loss ◽  
Cag Repeat ◽  
Motor Symptoms

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that leads to premature death. There is no satisfactory treatment or cure. The disease is caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene. The clinical features are characterised by progressive motor symptoms, including chorea, which currently defines the clinical diagnosis of the disease. The motor aspect of HD is thought to be due to dysfunction and cell loss in the striatum of the basal ganglia. Cognitive impairment and psychiatric disturbances occur early and are major components of the disease. Recent studies have shown that other non-motor symptoms and signs, such as disruption of the circadian rhythm, sleep disturbances, autonomic dysfunction and metabolic changes, are also common and occur early. Several of these non-motor features are likely results of dysfunction of the hypothalamus and neuroendocrine circuits, which are known to be central in the regulation of emotion, sleep and metabolism. Increasing numbers of reports are now redefining HD as a disease with pathology spreading beyond the basal ganglia. This article provides an overview of current knowledge based on recent clinical studies demonstrating that hypothalamic and neuroendocrine changes are important features of HD.

scholarly journals Clinical and Research Advances in Huntington's Disease

2003 ◽  
Vol 30 (S1) ◽  
pp. S45-S52 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. SuttonBrown ◽  
O. Suchowersky
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Autosomal Dominant ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Symptom Control ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Genetic Abnormality ◽  
Neuroprotective Strategies ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by abnormalities of movement and dementia. No curative treatment is available and HD results in gradually increasing disability. Characterization of the genetic abnormality has dramatically increased our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disease process, and has resulted in the development of a number of genetic models. These research tools are forming the basis of advanced work into the diagnosis, pathophysiology, and potential treatment of the disease. Clinically, the availability of genetic testing has eased confirmation of diagnosis in symptomatic individuals. Presymptomatic testing allows at-risk individuals to make informed choices but requires supportive care from physicians. Current clinical treatment is focused on symptom control. Advances in research have resulted in the development of potential neuroprotective strategies which are undergoing clinical testing.

scholarly journals Genetic deletion of S6k1 does not rescue the phenotypic deficits observed in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine E. Irvine ◽  
Loukia Katsouri ◽  
Florian Plattner ◽  
Hind Al-Qassab ◽  
Rand Al-Nackkash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Model ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin ◽  
Protein Aggregate ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Signalling Molecule ◽  
Mutant Huntingtin Protein

Abstract Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal inherited autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion in the number of CAG trinucleotide repeats in the huntingtin gene. The disease is characterized by motor, behavioural and cognitive symptoms for which at present there are no disease altering treatments. It has been shown that manipulating the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway using rapamycin or its analogue CCI-779 can improve the cellular and behavioural phenotypes of HD models. Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) is a major downstream signalling molecule of mTOR, and its activity is reduced by rapamycin suggesting that deregulation of S6K1 activity may be beneficial in HD. Furthermore, S6k1 knockout mice have increased lifespan and improvement in age-related phenotypes. To evalute the potential benefit of S6k1 loss on HD-related phenotypes, we crossed the R6/2 HD model with the long-lived S6k1 knockout mouse line. We found that S6k1 knockout does not ameliorate behavioural or physiological phenotypes in the R6/2 mouse model. Additionally, no improvements were seen in brain mass reduction or mutant huntingtin protein aggregate levels. Therefore, these results suggest that while a reduction in S6K1 signalling has beneficial effects on ageing it is unlikely to be a therapeutic strategy for HD patients.

scholarly journals Cell Reprogramming to Model Huntington’s Disease: A Comprehensive Review

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1565
Author(s):  
Ruth Monk ◽  
Bronwen Connor
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Cag Repeat ◽  
Cell Reprogramming ◽  
Medium Spiny Neurons ◽  
High Throughput Drug Screening ◽  
Mutant Huntingtin Protein ◽  
Neurological Conditions

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive decline of motor, cognitive, and psychiatric functions. HD results from an autosomal dominant mutation that causes a trinucleotide CAG repeat expansion and the production of mutant Huntingtin protein (mHTT). This results in the initial selective and progressive loss of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the striatum before progressing to involve the whole brain. There are currently no effective treatments to prevent or delay the progression of HD as knowledge into the mechanisms driving the selective degeneration of MSNs has been hindered by a lack of access to live neurons from individuals with HD. The invention of cell reprogramming provides a revolutionary technique for the study, and potential treatment, of neurological conditions. Cell reprogramming technologies allow for the generation of live disease-affected neurons from patients with neurological conditions, becoming a primary technique for modelling these conditions in vitro. The ability to generate HD-affected neurons has widespread applications for investigating the pathogenesis of HD, the identification of new therapeutic targets, and for high-throughput drug screening. Cell reprogramming also offers a potential autologous source of cells for HD cell replacement therapy. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of cell reprogramming to model HD and a discussion on recent advancements in cell reprogramming technologies that will benefit the HD field.

scholarly journals Identification of Full-Length Wild-Type and Mutant Huntingtin Interacting Proteins by Crosslinking Immunoprecipitation in Mice Brain Cortex

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Karen A. Sap ◽  
Arzu Tugce Guler ◽  
Aleksandra Bury ◽  
Dick Dekkers ◽  
Jeroen A.A. Demmers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Brain Cortex ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Interacting Proteins ◽  
Mutant Huntingtin ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Mutant Huntingtin Protein ◽  
Mice Brain

Background: Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG expansion in the huntingtin gene, resulting in a polyglutamine expansion in the ubiquitously expressed mutant huntingtin protein. Objective: Here we set out to identify proteins interacting with the full-length wild-type and mutant huntingtin protein in the mice cortex brain region to understand affected biological processes in Huntington’s disease pathology. Methods: Full-length huntingtin with 20 and 140 polyQ repeats were formaldehyde-crosslinked and isolated via their N-terminal Flag-tag from 2-month-old mice brain cortex. Interacting proteins were identified and quantified by label-free liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results: We identified 30 interactors specific for wild-type huntingtin, 14 interactors specific for mutant huntingtin and 14 shared interactors that interacted with both wild-type and mutant huntingtin, including known interactors such as F8a1/Hap40. Syt1, Ykt6, and Snap47, involved in vesicle transport and exocytosis, were among the proteins that interacted specifically with wild-type huntingtin. Various other proteins involved in energy metabolism and mitochondria were also found to associate predominantly with wild-type huntingtin, whereas mutant huntingtin interacted with proteins involved in translation including Mapk3, Eif3h and Eef1a2. Conclusion: Here we identified both shared and specific interactors of wild-type and mutant huntingtin, which are involved in different biological processes including exocytosis, vesicle transport, translation and metabolism. These findings contribute to the understanding of the roles that wild-type and mutant huntingtin play in a variety of cellular processes both in healthy conditions and Huntington’s disease pathology.

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.

Longitudinal atrophy characterization of cortical and subcortical gray matter in Huntington’s disease patients

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (8) ◽  
pp. 1827-1843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Ramirez‐Garcia ◽  
Víctor Galvez ◽  
Rosalinda Diaz ◽  
Leo Bayliss ◽  
Juan Fernandez‐Ruiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Gray Matter

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.

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