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Forebrain-Specific Transgene Rescue of 11?-HSD1 Associates with Impaired Spatial Memory and Reduced Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor mRNA Levels in Aged 11?-HSD1 Deficient Mice.

ABSTRACT: Mice lacking the intracellular glucocorticoid-regenerating enzyme 11?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11?-HSD1) are protected from age-related spatial memory deficits. 11?-HSD1 is expressed predominantly in the brain, liver and adipose tissue. Reduced glucocorticoid levels in the brain in the absence of 11?-HSD1 may underlie the improved memory in aged 11?-HSD1 deficient mice. However, the improved glucose tolerance, insulin sensitisation and cardioprotective lipid profile associated with reduced peripheral glucocorticoid regeneration may potentially contribute to the cognitive phenotype of aged 11?-HSD1 deficient mice. In the present study, transgenic mice with forebrain-specific overexpression of 11?-HSD1 (Tg) were intercrossed with global 11?-HSD1 knockout mice (HSD1KO) to examine the influence of forebrain and peripheral 11?-HSD1 activity on spatial memory in aged mice. Transgene-mediated delivery of 11?-HSD1 to the hippocampus and cortex of aged HSD1KO mice reversed the improved spatial memory retention in the Y-maze but not spatial learning in the watermaze. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA levels in the hippocampus of aged HSD1KO mice were increased compared to aged wild-type mice. Rescue of forebrain 11?-HSD1 reduced BDNF mRNA in aged HSD1KO mice to levels comparable to aged wild-type mice. These findings indicate that 11?-HSD1 regenerated glucocorticoids in the forebrain and decreased levels of BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus play a role in spatial memory deficits in aged wild-type mice, although 11?-HSD1 activity in peripheral tissues may also contribute to spatial learning impairments in aged mice.

SUBMITTER: Caughey S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5244685 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Forebrain-Specific Transgene Rescue of 11β-HSD1 Associates with Impaired Spatial Memory and Reduced Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor mRNA Levels in Aged 11β-HSD1 Deficient Mice.

Caughey S S Harris A P AP Seckl J R JR Holmes M C MC Yau J L W JL

Journal of neuroendocrinology 20170101 1

Mice lacking the intracellular glucocorticoid-regenerating enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) are protected from age-related spatial memory deficits. 11β-HSD1 is expressed predominantly in the brain, liver and adipose tissue. Reduced glucocorticoid levels in the brain in the absence of 11β-HSD1 may underlie the improved memory in aged 11β-HSD1 deficient mice. However, the improved glucose tolerance, insulin sensitisation and cardioprotective lipid profile associated with r ...[more]

PMID: 27859809

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Project description:BackgroundIntracellular metabolism of glucocorticoid hormones plays an important role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and regulates, among many physiological processes, collagen metabolism in skin. At the peripheral level the concentration of active glucocorticoids is mainly regulated by the 11?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11?-HSD1) enzyme, involved in the conversion of cortisone into the biologically active hormone cortisol. Cortisol interacts with the glucocorticoid receptor and regulates the expression of different classes of genes within the nucleus. Due to its implication in glucocorticoid metabolism, the inhibition of 11?-HSD1 activity has become a dominant strategy for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Moreover, inhibitors of this target enzyme can be used for development of formulations to counteract skin ageing. Here we present the construction of two yeast cell based assays that can be used for the screening of novel 11?-HSD1 inhibitors.ResultsThe yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used as a host organism for the expression of human 11?-HSD1 as well as a genetically encoded assay system that allows intracellular screening of molecules with 11?-HSD1 inhibitory activity. As proof of concept the correlation between 11?-HSD1 inhibition and fluorescent output signals was successfully tested with increasing concentrations of carbenoxolone and tanshinone IIA, two known 11?-HSD1 inhibitors. The first assay detects a decrease in fluorescence upon 11?-HSD1 inhibition, whereas the second assay relies on stabilization of yEGFP upon inhibition of 11?-HSD1, resulting in a positive read-out and thus minimizing the rate of false positives sometimes associated with read-outs based on loss of signals. Specific inhibition of the ABC transporter Pdr5p improves the sensitivity of the assay strains to cortisone concentrations by up to 60 times.ConclusionsOur yeast assay strains provide a cost-efficient and easy to handle alternative to other currently available assays for the screening of 11?-HSD1 inhibitors. These assays are designed for an initial fast screening of large numbers of compounds and enable the selection of cell permeable molecules with target inhibitory activity, before proceeding to more advanced selection processes. Moreover, they can be employed in yeast synthetic biology platforms to reconstitute heterologous biosynthetic pathways of drug-relevant scaffolds for simultaneous synthesis and screening of 11?-HSD1 inhibitors at intracellular level.

Project description:11beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) acts as a reductase in vivo, regenerating active glucocorticoids within cells from circulating inert 11-keto forms, thus amplifying local glucocorticoid action. 11beta-HSD1 is predominantly expressed in liver and also adipose tissue and brain. Mice deficient in 11beta-HSD1 (11beta-HSD1(-/-)) exhibit adrenal hyperplasia, raised basal corticosterone levels, and increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to stress. Whereas reduced peripheral glucocorticoid regeneration may explain adrenal hypertrophy and exaggerated stress responses, elevated basal glucocorticoid levels support a role for 11beta-HSD1 within the brain in amplifying glucocorticoid feedback. To test this hypothesis, apolipoprotein E-HSD1 mice overexpressing 11beta-HSD1 in liver were intercrossed with 11beta-HSD1(-/-) mice to determine whether complementation of hepatic 11beta-HSD1 can restore adrenal and HPA defects. Transgene-mediated delivery of 11beta-HSD1 activity to the liver rescued adrenal hyperplasia and reversed exaggerated HPA stress responses in 11beta-HSD1(-/-) mice. Unexpectedly, elevated nadir plasma corticosterone levels were also restored to control levels. Consistent with this, CYP11B1 mRNA expression in the adrenal cortex of 11beta-HSD1(-/-) mice was increased by 50% but returned to control levels in 11beta-HSD1(-/-) mice bearing the apolipoprotein E-HSD1 transgene. 11beta-HSD1(-/-) mice have lower plasma glucose levels, but the fall in plasma corticosterone with sucrose supplementation was similar in 11beta-HSD1(-/-) and control mice, suggesting glucose deficiency is not the main mechanism whereby basal corticosterone levels are elevated in the null mice. Thus, regeneration of glucocorticoids by 11beta-HSD1 in the liver normalizes all aspects of HPA axis dysregulation in 11beta-HSD1(-/-) mice, without restoration of enzyme activity in key feedback areas of the forebrain. Therefore, hepatic glucocorticoid metabolism influences basal as well as stress-associated functions of the HPA axis.

Dataset Information

Forebrain-Specific Transgene Rescue of 11?-HSD1 Associates with Impaired Spatial Memory and Reduced Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor mRNA Levels in Aged 11?-HSD1 Deficient Mice.

Publications

Forebrain-Specific Transgene Rescue of 11β-HSD1 Associates with Impaired Spatial Memory and Reduced Hippocampal Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor mRNA Levels in Aged 11β-HSD1 Deficient Mice.

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