Huntington Disease as a Neurodevelopmental Disorder and Early Signs of the Disease in Stem Cells.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wiatr K
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5842500 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Huntington Disease as a Neurodevelopmental Disorder and Early Signs of the Disease in Stem Cells.
Wiatr Kalina K Szlachcic Wojciech J WJ Trzeciak Marta M Figlerowicz Marek M Figiel Maciej M
Molecular neurobiology 20170511 4
Huntington disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited disorder caused by a CAG expansion mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, which results in the HTT protein that contains an expanded polyglutamine tract. The adult form of HD exhibits a late onset of the fully symptomatic phase. However, there is also a long presymptomatic phase, which has been increasingly investigated and recognized as important for the disease development. Moreover, the juvenile form of HD, evoked by a higher number of CAG rep ...[more]
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Project description:Neural stem (NS) cells are a limitless resource, and thus superior to primary neurons for drug discovery provided they exhibit appropriate disease phenotypes. Here we established NS cells for cellular studies of Huntington's disease (HD). HD is a heritable neurodegenerative disease caused by a mutation resulting in an increased number of glutamines (Q) within a polyglutamine tract in Huntingtin (Htt). NS cells were isolated from embryonic wild-type (Htt(7Q/7Q)) and "knock-in" HD (Htt(140Q/140Q)) mice expressing full-length endogenous normal or mutant Htt. NS cells were also developed from mouse embryonic stem cells that were devoid of Htt (Htt(-/-)), or knock-in cells containing human exon1 with an N-terminal FLAG epitope tag and with 7Q or 140Q inserted into one of the mouse alleles (Htt(F7Q/7Q) and Htt(F140Q/7Q)). Compared to Htt(7Q/7Q) NS cells, HD Htt(140Q/140Q) NS cells showed significantly reduced levels of cholesterol, increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and impaired motility. The heterozygous Htt(F140Q/7Q) NS cells had increased ROS and decreased motility compared to Htt(F7Q/7Q). These phenotypes of HD NS cells replicate those seen in HD patients or in primary cell or in vivo models of HD. Huntingtin "knock-out" NS cells (Htt(-/-)) also had impaired motility, but in contrast to HD cells had increased cholesterol. In addition, Htt(140Q/140Q) NS cells had higher phospho-AKT/AKT ratios than Htt(7Q/7Q) NS cells in resting conditions and after BDNF stimulation, suggesting mutant htt affects AKT dependent growth factor signaling. Upon differentiation, the Htt(7Q/7Q) and Htt(140Q/140Q) generated numerous Beta(III)-Tubulin- and GABA-positive neurons; however, after 15 days the cellular architecture of the differentiated Htt(140Q/140Q) cultures changed compared to Htt(7Q/7Q) cultures and included a marked increase of GFAP-positive cells. Our findings suggest that NS cells expressing endogenous mutant Htt will be useful for study of mechanisms of HD and drug discovery.
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Project description:Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor disturbance, cognitive loss, and psychiatric manifestations. The disease is associated with a CAG trinucleotide-repeat expansion in the Huntington gene (IT15) on chromosome 4p16.3. One family with a history of HD was referred to us initially for predictive testing using linkage analysis. However, the chromosome 4p region was completely excluded by polymorphic markers, and later no CAG-repeat expansion in the HD gene was detected. To map the disease trait segregating in this family, whole-genome screening with highly polymorphic dinucleotide-, trinucleotide-, and tetranucleotide-repeat DNA markers was performed. A positive LOD score of 3.01 was obtained for the marker D20S482 on chromosome 20p, by two-point LOD-score analysis with the MLINK program. Haplotype analysis indicated that the gene responsible for the disease is likely located in a 2.7-cM region between the markers D20S193 and D20S895. Candidate genes from the mapping region were screened for mutations.
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Project description:Huntington disease (HD) has traditionally been considered a movement disorder, but cognitive and psychiatric symptoms also prominently factor into its clinical presentation. Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disturbances in HD, with its prevalence highest in manifest disease during stage 2, but it is also present during the illness prodrome (the period before manifestation of motor symptoms). Identification and treatment of depression in individuals with the HD mutation is an essential part of clinical management in this population, especially owing to the high risk of suicide. This article summarizes what is currently known about the presentation and treatment of depression in the early stages of HD and provides advice to clinicians treating this population.
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Project description:Brain energy deficit has been a suggested cause of Huntington disease (HD), but ATP depletion has not reliably been shown in preclinical models, possibly because of the immediate post-mortem changes in cellular energy metabolism. To examine a potential role of a low energy state in HD, we measured, for the first time in a neurodegenerative model, brain levels of high energy phosphates using microwave fixation, which instantaneously inactivates brain enzymatic activities and preserves in vivo levels of analytes. We studied HD transgenic R6/2 mice at ages 4, 8, and 12 weeks. We found significantly increased creatine and phosphocreatine, present as early as 4 weeks for phosphocreatine, preceding motor system deficits and decreased ATP levels in striatum, hippocampus, and frontal cortex of R6/2 mice. ATP and phosphocreatine concentrations were inversely correlated with the number of CAG repeats. Conversely, in mice injected with 3-nitroproprionic acid, an acute model of brain energy deficit, both ATP and phosphocreatine were significantly reduced. Increased creatine and phosphocreatine in R6/2 mice was associated with decreased guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase and creatine kinase, both at the protein and RNA levels, and increased phosphorylated AMP-dependent protein kinase (pAMPK) over AMPK ratio. In addition, in 4-month-old knock-in Hdh(Q111/+) mice, the earliest metabolic alterations consisted of increased phosphocreatine in the frontal cortex and increased the pAMPK/AMPK ratio. Altogether, this study provides the first direct evidence of chronic alteration in homeostasis of high energy phosphates in HD models in the earliest stages of the disease, indicating possible reduced utilization of the brain phosphocreatine pool.
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Project description:Purpose: MBD5-Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorder (MAND) is an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) disorder characterized by intellectual disability, motor delay, severe speech impairment and autism-like behavioral problems. The role of MBD5 in neurodevelopmental function remains largely undefined. In this study, we explored the neurodevelopmental phenotype of 2q23.1 deletion syndrome through creating neuronal progenitor stem cells (NPC) derived from 2q23.1 patients and conducting RNA-seq to identify the contributory altered gene and to expand our knowledge about gene network differences and possible interactions between the related disease pathways and ASD. Methods: Primary skin fibroblasts from three MAND patients and four control cases were converted into induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines by transient transfections of episomal plasmids. Directed differentiation of these iPSC to NPC was accomplished with monolayer culture protocol for two weeks. Results: The RNA-seq analysis identified 498 genome-wide significant (q < 0.05) differentially expressed gene in the patients derived NPC lines as a consequence of reduced MBD5 dosage. 25 ASD associated genes were included in the differentially expressed gene list. On the top of the list, FOXG1 expression is significantly (P < 0.0001) increased in the patient derived NPC samples. The differentially expressed gene list was highly overlapped with the SFARI autism gene set, identifying biological processes that are implicating neurological phenotype and ASD such as central nervous system development, neuron differentiation, and regulation of neurogenesis. The findings of the transcriptome deviation in early neuronal stage of MAND can provide potential connection to the overlapping neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric phenotypes associated with growing risk factors, such as other chromatin modifiers and epigenetic factors that link to ASD. Such in vitro models can nurture hypotheses toward therapeutic interventions.
2020-11-30 | GSE141835 | GEO
Project description:Age at onset of Huntington disease, an inherited neurodegenerative disorder, is influenced by the size of the disease-causing CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in HTT and by genetic modifier loci on chromosomes 8 and 15. Stratifying by modifier genotype, we have examined putamen volume, total motor score (TMS), and symbol digit modalities test (SDMT) scores, both at study entry and longitudinally, in normal controls and CAG-expansion carriers who were enrolled prior to the emergence of manifest HD in the PREDICT-HD study. The modifiers, which included onset-hastening and onset-delaying alleles on chromosome 15 and an onset-hastening allele on chromosome 8, revealed no major effect in controls but distinct patterns of modification in prediagnosis HD subjects. Putamen volume at study entry showed evidence of reciprocal modification by the chromosome 15 alleles, but the rate of loss of putamen volume was modified only by the deleterious chromosome 15 allele. By contrast, both alleles modified the rate of change of the SDMT score, but neither had an effect on the TMS. The influence of the chromosome 8 modifier was evident only in the rate of TMS increase. The data indicate that (1) modification of pathogenesis can occur early in the prediagnosis phase, (2) the modifier loci act in genetic interaction with the HD mutation rather than through independent additive effects, and (3) HD subclinical phenotypes are differentially influenced by each modifier, implying distinct effects in different cells or tissues. Together, these findings indicate the potential benefit of using genetic modifier strategies for dissecting the prediagnosis pathogenic process in HD.
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Project description:Importance:Brain hypometabolism is associated with the clinical consequences of the degenerative process, but little is known about regional hypermetabolism, sometimes observed in the brain of patients with clinically manifest Huntington disease (HD). Studying the role of regional hypermetabolism is needed to better understand its interaction with the motor symptoms of the disease. Objective:To investigate the association between brain hypometabolism and hypermetabolism with motor scores of patients with early HD. Design, Setting, and Participants:This study started in 2001, and analysis was completed in 2016. Sixty symptomatic patients with HD and 15 healthy age-matched control individuals underwent positron emission tomography to measure cerebral metabolism in this cross-sectional study. They also underwent the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale motor test, and 2 subscores were extracted: (1) a hyperkinetic score, combining dystonia and chorea, and (2) a hypokinetic score, combining bradykinesia and rigidity. Main Outcomes and Measures:Statistical parametric mapping software (SPM5) was used to identify all hypo- and hypermetabolic regions in patients with HD relative to control individuals. Correlation analyses (P?<?.001, uncorrected) between motor subscores and brain metabolic values were performed for regions with significant hypometabolism and hypermetabolism. Results:Among 60 patients with HD, 22 were women (36.7%), and the mean (SD) age was 44.6 (7.6) years. Of the 15 control individuals, 7 were women (46.7%), and the mean (SD) age was 42.2 (7.3) years. In statistical parametric mapping, striatal hypometabolism was significantly correlated with the severity of all motor scores. Hypermetabolism was negatively correlated only with hypokinetic scores in the cuneus (z score?=?3.95, P?<?.001), the lingual gyrus (z score?=?4.31, P?<?.001), and the crus I/II of the cerebellum (z score?=?3.77, P?<?.001), a region connected to associative cortical areas. More severe motor scores were associated with higher metabolic values in the inferior parietal lobule, anterior cingulate, inferior temporal lobule, the dentate nucleus, and the cerebellar lobules IV/V, VI, and VIII bilaterally corresponding to the motor regions of the cerebellum (z score?=?3.96 and 3.42 in right and left sides, respectively; P?<?.001). Conclusions and Relevance:Striatal hypometabolism is associated with clinical disease severity. Conversely, hypermetabolism is likely compensatory in regions where it is associated with decreasing motor scores. Hypermetabolism might be detrimental in other structures in which it is associated with more severe motor symptoms. In the cerebellum, both compensatory and detrimental contributions seem to occur. This study helps to better understand the motor clinical relevance of hypermetabolic brain regions in HD.
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