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Browsing by Subject "WRC"

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  • Dissecting the role of the ABI3 S209F variant in human microglia – A functional and metabolic assessment 
    Pasculli, Maria Samuela (2024)
    The S209F variant of the Abelson Interactor family member 3 (ABI3) gene has emerged as a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD). The ABI3 protein is functionally related to the WAVE Regulatory Complex (WRC) participating in the control of cytoskeletal processes favoring either filopodia for chemotaxis or pseudopodia for phagocytosis. The S209F coding variant is thought to impair phosphorylation of the ABI3 protein leading to dysfunctional association with WRC. In the brain, the ABI3 gene is mainly expressed by microglia, macrophages representing the resident immune cells of the brain. Despite some research about the variant based on rodent models and reporting sometimes contrasting results, the role of the ABI3 S209F variant in AD remains poorly understood. Here, human-induced pluripotent stem cells (h-iPSCs) reprogrammed from fibroblasts of controls and variant carriers are sequenced to ensure retention of the original phenotype upon reprogramming. H-iPSCs are differentiated into microglia (iPSC-derived microglia, iMGL) following an established protocol. Morphological changes and microglia-specific gene expression partially show that iMGL between days 31 and 38 of differentiation in vitro can be considered mature. To assess the functional properties of microglia, cytokines/chemokines production, cathepsin gene expression, lysosomal activity, and Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) protein levels are measured. It is found that S209F microglia downregulate CCL5/RANTES and upregulate cathepsins B and L (CTSB and CTSL) upon LPS+IFNg stimulation which may lead to motility, migratory and endo-lysosomal dysfunctions. Lysosomal activity is found to positively correlate with CD163, but not with either CTSB or CTSL expression. ApoE protein levels show an upregulation trend in S209F microglia which may indicate modifications in lipid metabolism. Metabolic assessment based on mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis does not show any difference between S209F and control microglia, but ABI3 knock-out (KO) shows glycolysis dysfunctions. Overall, this study offers some hints into the mechanisms that make the ABI3 S209F variant a risk factor for AD pointing at the need to investigate microglia motility and migration focusing on pathologically relevant protein aggregates and their clearance and with particular attention to phagocytosis and endo-lysosomal pathway.
  • Effect of miRNA-mediated knockdown of Myo16 gene on pre- and postsynaptic inhibitory synapses in hippocampal neurons 
    Anastasiadou, Maria (2019)
    Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract Genetic variations within the MYO16 gene indicate a common predisposition to severe psychiatric, neurocognitive and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), as well as bipolar disorders (BD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Myosin XVI’s ability to regulate actin and its involvement in cytoskeleton remodeling highlights the protein’s significance in neuronal circuitry development and signaling. Mutations in actin regulator protein-encoding genes like MYO16 have been found to shift cytoskeletal dynamics, as well as cause irregular dendritic spine and excitation/inhibition (E/I) synapse phenotypes. Interestingly, altered actin dynamics and E/I synapse dysregulation are two commonly detected molecular deficits associated with neuropathologies, namely autism spectrum disorders (ASD), SSD, and intellectual disability (ID). Therefore, synaptic E/I profiles are good candidates for investigating the neuropathologies they accompany, and also for revealing potential functional abnormalities. Hence, we determined that quantifying the levels of inhibitory synaptic proteins VGAT and gephyrin is the most suitable approach to investigate inhibitory synapse profiles and their relation to pathologies. Specifically, we investigated how microRNA (miRNA)-mediated myosin XVI protein knockdown (KD) affects pre- and postsynaptic inhibitory synapse density in rat primary hippocampal neurons. We achieved this by analyzing the density of VGAT and gephyrin puncta, signifying pre- and postsynaptic inhibitory synapses, respectively, and also by measuring their diameter to determine differences in inhibitory synapse size. Moreover, we quantified and assessed inhibitory synapse density and size differences between groups by comparing Myo16 KD-plasmid expressing hippocampal neurons to scrambled control cells. Common for both Myo16 KD plasmids was the active suppression of myosin XVI by 33%. However, Myo16 KD plasmids did not affect inhibitory synapse density and size to the same degree. Specifically, there was a significant reduction of inhibitory synapse density in the Myo16 KD3-plasmid expressing neurons, yet, no changes were observed in Myo16 KD5-plasmid expressing neurons. Finally, pre- and postsynaptic inhibitory synapse size differences were not significant between groups for either Myo16 KD plasmid when compared to scrambled control. Aberrant actin cytoskeleton remodeling, as well as altered E/I synapse ratios may lead to hyper/hypo-transmissive neuronal states or cause E/I imbalance, suggesting a complex relationship between actin regulator genes and inhibitory synapses. Our understanding behind their interplay is fairly limited, thus, gaining insight into the mechanisms associated with altered E/I balance remains the primary aim.

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