技术资料

MicroRNA-10b (miR-10b) is a unique oncogenic miRNA that is highly expressed in all GBM subtypes,while absent in normal neuroglial cells of the brain. miR-10b inhibition strongly impairs proliferation and survival of cultured glioma cells,including glioma-initiating stem-like cells (GSC). Although several miR-10b targets have been identified previously,the common mechanism conferring the miR-10b-sustained viability of GSC is unknown. Here,we demonstrate that in heterogeneous GSC,miR-10b regulates cell cycle and alternative splicing,often through the non-canonical targeting via 5'UTRs of its target genes,including MBNL1-3,SART3,and RSRC1. We have further assessed the inhibition of miR-10b in intracranial human GSC-derived xenograft and murine GL261 allograft models in athymic and immunocompetent mice. Three delivery routes for the miR-10b antisense oligonucleotide inhibitors (ASO),direct intratumoral injections,continuous osmotic delivery,and systemic intravenous injections,have been explored. In all cases,the treatment with miR-10b ASO led to targets' derepression,and attenuated growth and progression of established intracranial GBM. No significant systemic toxicity was observed upon ASO administration by local or systemic routes. Our results indicate that miR-10b is a promising candidate for the development of targeted therapies against all GBM subtypes. View Publication

Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can differentiate into a wide range - and possibly all cell types in vitro,and thus provide an ideal platform to study systematically the action of transcription factors (TFs) in cell differentiation. Previously,we have generated and analyzed 137 TF-inducible mouse ESC lines. As an extension of this NIA Mouse ESC Bank we generated and characterized 48 additional mouse ESC lines,in which single TFs in each line could be induced in a doxycycline-controllable manner. Together,with the previous ESC lines,the bank now comprises 185 TF-manipulable ESC lines (>10% of all mouse TFs). Global gene expression (transcriptome) profiling revealed that the induction of individual TFs in mouse ESCs for 48 hours shifts their transcriptomes toward specific differentiation fates (e.g.,neural lineages by Myt1 Isl1,and St18; mesodermal lineages by Pitx1,Pitx2,Barhl2,and Lmx1a; white blood cells by Myb,Etv2,and Tbx6,and ovary by Pitx1,Pitx2,and Dmrtc2). These data also provide and lists of inferred target genes of each TF and possible functions of these TFs. The results demonstrate the utility of mouse ESC lines and their transcriptome data for understanding the mechanism of cell differentiation and the function of TFs. View Publication

A recent study has suggested that fibroblasts can be converted into mouse-induced neural stem cells (miNSCs) through the expression of defined factors. However,successful generation of human iNSCs (hiNSCs) has proven challenging to achieve. Here,using microRNA (miRNA) expression profile analyses,we showed that let-7 microRNA has critical roles for the formation of PAX6/NESTIN-positive colonies from human adult fibroblasts and the proliferation and self-renewal of hiNSCs. HMGA2,a let-7-targeting gene,enables induction of hiNSCs that displayed morphological/molecular features and in vitro/in vivo differentiation potential similar to H9-derived NSCs. Interestingly,HMGA2 facilitated the efficient conversion of senescent somatic cells or blood CD34+ cells into hiNSCs through an interaction with SOX2,whereas other combinations or SOX2 alone showed a limited conversion ability. Taken together,these findings suggest that HMGA2/let-7 facilitates direct reprogramming toward hiNSCs in minimal conditions and maintains hiNSC self-renewal,providing a strategy for the clinical treatment of neurological diseases. View Publication

The low success rate of animal cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is believed to be associated with epigenetic errors including abnormal DNA hypermethylation. Recently,we elucidated by using round spermatids that,after nuclear transfer,treatment of zygotes with trichostatin A (TSA),an inhibitor of histone deacetylase,can remarkably reduce abnormal DNA hypermethylation depending on the origins of transferred nuclei and their genomic regions [S. Kishigami,N. Van Thuan,T. Hikichi,H. Ohta,S. Wakayama. E. Mizutani,T. Wakayama,Epigenetic abnormalities of the mouse paternal zygotic genome associated with microinsemination of round spermatids,Dev. Biol. (2005) in press]. Here,we found that 5-50 nM TSA-treatment for 10 h following oocyte activation resulted in more efficient in vitro development of somatic cloned embryos to the blastocyst stage from 2- to 5-fold depending on the donor cells including tail tip cells,spleen cells,neural stem cells,and cumulus cells. This TSA-treatment also led to more than 5-fold increase in success rate of mouse cloning from cumulus cells without obvious abnormality but failed to improve ES cloning success. Further,we succeeded in establishment of nuclear transfer-embryonic stem (NT-ES) cells from TSA-treated cloned blastocyst at a rate three times higher than those from untreated cloned blastocysts. Thus,our data indicate that TSA-treatment after SCNT in mice can dramatically improve the practical application of current cloning techniques. View Publication

Numerous proteins undergo modification by palmitic acid (S-acylation) for their biological functions including signal transduction,vesicular transport and maintenance of cellular architecture. Although palmitoylation is an essential modification,these proteins must also undergo depalmitoylation for their degradation by lysosomal proteases. Palmitoyl-protein thioesterase-1 (PPT1),a lysosomal enzyme,cleaves thioester linkages in S-acylated proteins and removes palmitate residues facilitating the degradation of these proteins. Thus,inactivating mutations in the PPT1 gene cause infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (INCL),a devastating neurodegenerative storage disorder of childhood. Although rapidly progressing brain atrophy is the most dramatic pathological manifestation of INCL,the molecular mechanism(s) remains unclear. Using PPT1-knockout (PPT1-KO) mice that mimic human INCL,we report here that the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the brain cells of these mice is structurally abnormal. Further,we demonstrate that the level of growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43),a palmitoylated neuronal protein,is elevated in the brains of PPT1-KO mice. Moreover,forced expression of GAP-43 in PPT1-deficient cells results in the abnormal accumulation of this protein in the ER. Consistent with these results,we found evidence for the activation of unfolded protein response (UPR) marked by elevated levels of phosphorylated translation initiation factor,eIF2alpha,increased expression of chaperone proteins such as glucose-regulated protein-78 and activation of caspase-12,a cysteine proteinase in the ER,mediating caspase-3 activation and apoptosis. Our results,for the first time,link PPT1 deficiency with the activation of UPR,apoptosis and neurodegeneration in INCL and identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention in this uniformly fatal disease. View Publication

Angiotensin II (Ang II) type 2 (AT2) receptors are abundantly expressed not only in the fetal brain where they probably contribute to brain development,but also in pathological conditions to protect the brain against stroke; however,the detailed mechanisms are unclear. Here,we demonstrated that AT2 receptor signaling induced neural differentiation via an increase in MMS2,one of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme variants. The AT2 receptor,MMS2,Src homology 2 domain-containing protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1 (SHP-1),and newly cloned AT2 receptor-interacting protein (ATIP) were highly expressed in fetal rat neurons and declined after birth. Ang II induced MMS2 expression in a dose-dependent manner,reaching a peak after 4 h of stimulation,and this effect was enhanced with AT1 receptor blocker,valsartan,but inhibited by AT2 receptor blocker PD123319. Moreover,we observed that an AT2 receptor agonist,CGP42112A,alone enhanced MMS2 expression. Neurons treated with small interfering RNA of MMS2 failed to exhibit neurite outgrowth and synapse formation. Moreover,the increase in AT2 receptor-induced MMS2 mRNA expression was enhanced by overexpression of ATIP but inhibited by small interfering RNA of SHP-1 and overexpression of catalytically dominant-negative SHP-1 or a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor,sodium orthovanadate. After AT2 receptor stimulation,ATIP and SHP-1 were translocated into the nucleus after formation of their complex. Furthermore,increased MMS2 expression mediates the inhibitor of DNA binding 1 proteolysis and promotes DNA repair. These results provide a new insight into the contribution of AT2 receptor stimulation to neural differentiation via transactivation of MMS2 expression involving the association of ATIP and SHP-1. View Publication

Doublecortin (DCX) has recently been promulgated as a selective marker of cells committed to the neuronal lineage in both the developing and the adult brain. To explore the potential of DCX-positive (DCX+) cells more stringently,these cells were isolated by flow cytometry from the brains of transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein under the control of the DCX promoter in embryonic,early postnatal,and adult animals. It was found that virtually all of the cells (99.9%) expressing high levels of DCX (DCX(high)) in the embryonic brain coexpressed the neuronal marker betaIII-tubulin and that this population contained no stem-like cells as demonstrated by lack of neurosphere formation in vitro. However,the DCX+ population from the early postnatal brain and the adult subventricular zone and hippocampus,which expressed low levels of DCX (DCX(low)),was enriched for neurosphere-forming cells,with only a small subpopulation of these cells coexpressing the neuronal markers betaIII-tubulin or microtubule-associated protein 2. Similarly,the DCX(low) population from embryonic day 14 (E14) brain contained neurosphere-forming cells. Only the postnatal cerebellum and adult olfactory bulb contained some DCX(high) cells,which were shown to be similar to the E14 DCX(high) cells in that they had no stem cell activity. Electrophysiological studies confirmed the heterogeneous nature of DCX+ cells,with some cells displaying characteristics of immature or mature neurons,whereas others showed no neuronal characteristics whatsoever. These results indicate that DCX(high) cells,regardless of location,are restricted to the neuronal lineage or are bone fide neurons,whereas some DCX(low) cells retain their multipotentiality. View Publication

The essential functions of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) in development and gene silencing are thought to involve long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs),but few specific lncRNAs that guide PRC1 activity are known. We screened for lncRNAs which co-precipitate with PRC1 from chromatin and found candidates that impact Polycomb Group protein (PcG)-regulated gene expression in vivo. A novel lncRNA from this screen,CAT7,regulates expression and PcG binding at the MNX1 locus during early neuronal differentiation. CAT7 contains a unique tandem repeat domain which shares high sequence similarity to a non-syntenic zebrafish analog,cat7l. Defects caused by interference of cat7l RNA during zebrafish embryogenesis were rescued by human CAT7 RNA,enhanced by interference of a PRC1 component,and suppressed by interference of a known PRC1 target gene,demonstrating cat7l genetically interacts with a PRC1. We propose a model whereby PRC1 acts in concert with specific lncRNAs,and that CAT7/cat7l represent convergent lncRNAs that independently evolved to tune PRC1 repression at individual loci. View Publication

The electrophoretic pattern of the large microtubule-associated protein,MAP2,changes during rat brain development. Immunoblots of NaDodSO4 extracts obtained from the cerebral cortex,cerebellum,and thalamus at 10-15 days after birth reveal only a single electrophoretic species when probed with any of three MAP2 monoclonal antibodies. By contrast,adult MAP2 contains two immunoreactive species,MAP2a and MAP2b. The single band of MAP2 from immature brain electrophoretically comigrates with adult MAP2b. Between postnatal days 17 and 18,immature MAP2 simultaneously resolves into two species in both the cerebellum and cerebral cortex. Immunoblots of NaDodSO4 extracts from spinal cord demonstrate the adult complement of MAP2 by day 10,indicating that MAP2 does not change coordinately throughout the entire central nervous system. In vitro cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of immature MAP2 causes a band split reminiscent of that seen during brain development in vivo. The possibility that the developmentally regulated changes observed in MAP2 during brain maturation are due to timed phosphorylation events is discussed. View Publication

In Huntington's disease (HD),whether transneuronal spreading of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) occurs and its contribution to non-cell autonomous damage in brain networks is largely unknown. We found mHTT spreading in three different neural network models: human neurons integrated in the neural network of organotypic brain slices of HD mouse model,an ex vivo corticostriatal slice model and the corticostriatal pathway in vivo. Transneuronal propagation of mHTT was blocked by two different botulinum neurotoxins,each known for specifically inactivating a single critical component of the synaptic vesicle fusion machinery. Moreover,healthy human neurons in HD mouse model brain slices displayed non-cell autonomous changes in morphological integrity that were more pronounced when these neurons bore mHTT aggregates. Altogether,our findings suggest that transneuronal propagation of mHTT might be an important and underestimated contributor to the pathophysiology of HD. View Publication