Concise Communication

Abstract

The generation of potent opioid analgesics that lack the side effects of traditional opioids may be possible by targeting truncated splice variants of the μ-opioid receptor. μ-Opioids act through GPCRs that are generated from the Oprm1 gene, which undergoes extensive alternative splicing. The most abundant set of Oprm1 variants encode classical full-length 7 transmembrane domain (7TM) μ-opioid receptors that mediate the actions of the traditional μ-opioid drugs morphine and methadone. In contrast, 3-iodobenzoyl-6β-naltrexamide (IBNtxA) is a potent analgesic against thermal, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain that acts independently of 7TM μ-opioid receptors but has no activity in mice lacking a set of 6TM truncated μ-opioid receptor splice variants. Unlike traditional opioids, IBNtxA does not depress respiration or result in physical dependence or reward behavior, suggesting it acts through an alternative μ-opioid receptor target. Here we demonstrated that a truncated 6TM splice variant, mMOR-1G, can rescue IBNtxA analgesia in a μ-opioid receptor–deficient mouse that lacks all Oprm1 splice variants, ablating μ-opioid activity in these animals. Intrathecal administration of lentivirus containing the 6TM variant mMOR-1G restored IBNtxA, but not morphine, analgesia in Oprm1-deficient animals. Together, these results confirm that a truncated 6TM GPCR is both necessary and sufficient for IBNtxA analgesia.

Authors

Zhigang Lu, Jin Xu, Grace C. Rossi, Susruta Majumdar, Gavril W. Pasternak, Ying-Xian Pan

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Abstract

Transfusion of donor-derived platelets is commonly used for thrombocytopenia, which results from a variety of clinical conditions and relies on a constant donor supply due to the limited shelf life of these cells. Embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells represent a potential source of megakaryocytes and platelets for transfusion therapies; however, the majority of current ES/iPS cell differentiation protocols are limited by low yields of hematopoietic progeny. In both mice and humans, mutations in the gene-encoding transcription factor GATA1 cause an accumulation of proliferating, developmentally arrested megakaryocytes, suggesting that GATA1 suppression in ES and iPS cell–derived hematopoietic progenitors may enhance megakaryocyte production. Here, we engineered ES cells from WT mice to express a doxycycline-regulated (dox-regulated) shRNA that targets Gata1 transcripts for degradation. Differentiation of these cells in the presence of dox and thrombopoietin (TPO) resulted in an exponential (at least 1013-fold) expansion of immature hematopoietic progenitors. Dox withdrawal in combination with multilineage cytokines restored GATA1 expression, resulting in differentiation into erythroblasts and megakaryocytes. Following transfusion into recipient animals, these dox-deprived mature megakaryocytes generated functional platelets. Our findings provide a readily reproducible strategy to exponentially expand ES cell–derived megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors that have the capacity to differentiate into functional platelet-producing megakaryocytes.

Authors

Ji-Yoon Noh, Shilpa Gandre-Babbe, Yuhuan Wang, Vincent Hayes, Yu Yao, Paul Gadue, Spencer K. Sullivan, Stella T. Chou, Kellie R. Machlus, Joseph E. Italiano Jr., Michael Kyba, David Finkelstein, Jacob C. Ulirsch, Vijay G. Sankaran, Deborah L. French, Mortimer Poncz, Mitchell J. Weiss

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Abstract

A transition from fetal hemoglobin (HbF) to adult hemoglobin (HbA) normally occurs within a few months after birth. Increased production of HbF after this period of infancy ameliorates clinical symptoms of the major disorders of adult β-hemoglobin: β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The transcription factor BCL11A silences HbF and has been an attractive therapeutic target for increasing HbF levels; however, it is not clear to what extent BCL11A inhibits HbF production or mediates other developmental functions in humans. Here, we identified and characterized 3 patients with rare microdeletions of 2p15-p16.1 who presented with an autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay. Moreover, these patients all exhibited substantial persistence of HbF but otherwise retained apparently normal hematologic and immunologic function. Of the genes within 2p15-p16.1, only BCL11A was commonly deleted in all of the patients. Evaluation of gene expression data sets from developing and adult human brains revealed that BCL11A expression patterns are similar to other genes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Additionally, common SNPs within the second intron of BCL11A are strongly associated with schizophrenia. Together, the study of these rare patients and orthogonal genetic data demonstrates that BCL11A plays a central role in silencing HbF in humans and implicates BCL11A as an important factor for neurodevelopment.

Authors

Anindita Basak, Miroslava Hancarova, Jacob C. Ulirsch, Tugce B. Balci, Marie Trkova, Michal Pelisek, Marketa Vlckova, Katerina Muzikova, Jaroslav Cermak, Jan Trka, David A. Dyment, Stuart H. Orkin, Mark J. Daly, Zdenek Sedlacek, Vijay G. Sankaran

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Abstract

The cGMP-dependent protein kinase-1α (PKG1α) transduces NO and natriuretic peptide signaling; therefore, PKG1α activation can benefit the failing heart. Disease modifiers such as oxidative stress may depress the efficacy of PKG1α pathway activation and underlie variable clinical results. PKG1α can also be directly oxidized, forming a disulfide bond between homodimer subunits at cysteine 42 to enhance oxidant-stimulated vasorelaxation; however, the impact of PKG1α oxidation on myocardial regulation is unknown. Here, we demonstrated that PKG1α is oxidized in both patients with heart disease and in rodent disease models. Moreover, this oxidation contributed to adverse heart remodeling following sustained pressure overload or Gq agonist stimulation. Compared with control hearts and myocytes, those expressing a redox-dead protein (PKG1αC42S) better adapted to cardiac stresses at functional, histological, and molecular levels. Redox-dependent changes in PKG1α altered intracellular translocation, with the activated, oxidized form solely located in the cytosol, whereas reduced PKG1αC42S translocated to and remained at the outer plasma membrane. This altered PKG1α localization enhanced suppression of transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6), thereby potentiating antihypertrophic signaling. Together, these results demonstrate that myocardial PKG1α oxidation prevents a beneficial response to pathological stress, may explain variable responses to PKG1α pathway stimulation in heart disease, and indicate that maintaining PKG1α in its reduced form may optimize its intrinsic cardioprotective properties.

Authors

Taishi Nakamura, Mark J. Ranek, Dong I. Lee, Virginia Shalkey Hahn, Choel Kim, Philip Eaton, David A. Kass

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Abstract

Epidemiological studies show that patients with type-2-diabetes (T2DM) and individuals with a diabetes-independent elevation in blood glucose have an increased risk for developing dementia, specifically dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These observations suggest that abnormal glucose metabolism likely plays a role in some aspects of AD pathogenesis, leading us to investigate the link between aberrant glucose metabolism, T2DM, and AD in murine models. Here, we combined two techniques — glucose clamps and in vivo microdialysis — as a means to dynamically modulate blood glucose levels in awake, freely moving mice while measuring real-time changes in amyloid-β (Aβ), glucose, and lactate within the hippocampal interstitial fluid (ISF). In a murine model of AD, induction of acute hyperglycemia in young animals increased ISF Aβ production and ISF lactate, which serves as a marker of neuronal activity. These effects were exacerbated in aged AD mice with marked Aβ plaque pathology. Inward rectifying, ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels mediated the response to elevated glucose levels, as pharmacological manipulation of KATP channels in the hippocampus altered both ISF Aβ levels and neuronal activity. Taken together, these results suggest that KATP channel activation mediates the response of hippocampal neurons to hyperglycemia by coupling metabolism with neuronal activity and ISF Aβ levels.

Authors

Shannon L. Macauley, Molly Stanley, Emily E. Caesar, Steven A. Yamada, Marcus E. Raichle, Ronaldo Perez, Thomas E. Mahan, Courtney L. Sutphen, David M. Holtzman

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Abstract

Cigarette smoke (CS) and viruses promote the inflammation and remodeling associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The MAVS/RIG-I–like helicase (MAVS/RLH) pathway and inflammasome-dependent innate immune pathways are important mediators of these responses. At baseline, the MAVS/RLH pathway is suppressed, and this inhibition must be reversed to engender tissue effects; however, the mechanisms that mediate activation and repression of the pathway have not been defined. In addition, the regulation and contribution of MAVS/RLH signaling in CS-induced inflammation and remodeling responses and in the development of human COPD remain unaddressed. Here, we demonstrate that expression of NLRX1, which inhibits the MAVS/RLH pathway and regulates other innate immune responses, was markedly decreased in 3 independent cohorts of COPD patients. NLRX1 suppression correlated directly with disease severity and inversely with pulmonary function, quality of life, and prognosis. In murine models, CS inhibited NLRX1, and CS-induced inflammation, alveolar destruction, protease induction, structural cell apoptosis, and inflammasome activation were augmented in NLRX1-deficient animals. Conversely, MAVS deficiency abrogated this CS-induced inflammation and remodeling. Restoration of NLRX1 in CS-exposed animals ameliorated alveolar destruction. These data support a model in which CS-dependent NLRX1 inhibition facilitates MAVS/RHL activation and subsequent inflammation, remodeling, protease, cell death, and inflammasome responses.

Authors

Min-Jong Kang, Chang Min Yoon, Bo Hye Kim, Chang-Min Lee, Yang Zhou, Maor Sauler, Rober Homer, Anish Dhamija, Daniel Boffa, Andrew Phillip West, Gerald S. Shadel, Jenny P. Ting, John R. Tedrow, Naftali Kaminski, Woo Jin Kim, Chun Geun Lee, Yeon-Mok Oh, Jack A. Elias

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Abstract

Widespread reversion of genetic disease is rare; however, such events are particularly evident in some skin disorders in which normal clones develop on a background of affected skin. We previously demonstrated that mutations in keratin 10 (KRT10) cause ichthyosis with confetti (IWC), a severe dominant disorder that is characterized by progressive development of hundreds of normal skin spots via revertant mosaicism. Here, we report on a clinical and histological IWC subtype in which affected subjects have red, scaly skin at birth, experience worsening palmoplantar keratoderma in childhood, and develop hundreds of normal skin spots, beginning at around 20 years of age, that increase in size and number over time. We identified a causal de novo mutation in keratin 1 (KRT1). Similar to IWC-causing KRT10 mutations, this mutation in KRT1 resulted in a C-terminal frameshift, replacing 22 C-terminal amino acids with an alternate 30-residue peptide. Mutant KRT1 caused partial collapse of the cytoplasmic intermediate filament network and mislocalized to the nucleus. As with KRT10 mutations causing IWC, reversion of KRT1 mutations occurred via mitotic recombination. Because reversion is not observed with other disease-causing keratin mutations, the results of this study implicate KRT1 and KRT10 C-terminal frameshift mutations in the high frequency of revertant mosaicism in IWC.

Authors

Keith A. Choate, Yin Lu, Jing Zhou, Peter M. Elias, Samir Zaidi, Amy S. Paller, Anita Farhi, Carol Nelson-Williams, Debra Crumrine, Leonard M. Milstone, Richard P. Lifton

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Abstract

Macrocytic anemia with abnormal erythropoiesis is a common feature of megaloblastic anemias, congenital dyserythropoietic anemias, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Here, we characterized a family with multiple female individuals who have macrocytic anemia. The proband was noted to have dyserythropoiesis and iron overload. After an extensive diagnostic evaluation that did not provide insight into the cause of the disease, whole-exome sequencing of multiple family members revealed the presence of a mutation in the X chromosomal gene ALAS2, which encodes 5′-aminolevulinate synthase 2, in the affected females. We determined that this mutation (Y365C) impairs binding of the essential cofactor pyridoxal 5′-phosphate to ALAS2, resulting in destabilization of the enzyme and consequent loss of function. X inactivation was not highly skewed in wbc from the affected individuals. In contrast, and consistent with the severity of the ALAS2 mutation, there was a complete skewing toward expression of the WT allele in mRNA from reticulocytes that could be recapitulated in primary erythroid cultures. Together, the results of the X inactivation and mRNA studies illustrate how this X-linked dominant mutation in ALAS2 can perturb normal erythropoiesis through cell-nonautonomous effects. Moreover, our findings highlight the value of whole-exome sequencing in diagnostically challenging cases for the identification of disease etiology and extension of the known phenotypic spectrum of disease.

Authors

Vijay G. Sankaran, Jacob C. Ulirsch, Vassili Tchaikovskii, Leif S. Ludwig, Aoi Wakabayashi, Senkottuvelan Kadirvel, R. Coleman Lindsley, Rafael Bejar, Jiahai Shi, Scott B. Lovitch, David F. Bishop, David P. Steensma

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Abstract

Cherubism is a rare autoinflammatory bone disorder that is associated with point mutations in the SH3-domain binding protein 2 (SH3BP2) gene, which encodes the adapter protein 3BP2. Individuals with cherubism present with symmetrical fibro-osseous lesions of the jaw, which are attributed to exacerbated osteoclast activation and defective osteoblast differentiation. Although it is a dominant trait in humans, cherubism appears to be recessively transmitted in mice, suggesting the existence of additional factors in the pathogenesis of cherubism. Here, we report that macrophages from 3BP2-deficient mice exhibited dramatically reduced inflammatory responses to microbial challenge and reduced phagocytosis. 3BP2 was necessary for LPS-induced activation of signaling pathways involved in macrophage function, including SRC, VAV1, p38MAPK, IKKα/β, RAC, and actin polymerization pathways. Conversely, we demonstrated that the presence of a single Sh3bp2 cherubic allele and pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) stimulation had a strong cooperative effect on macrophage activation and inflammatory responses in mice. Together, the results from our study in murine genetic models support the notion that infection may represent a driver event in the etiology of cherubism in humans and suggest limiting inflammation in affected individuals may reduce manifestation of cherubic lesions.

Authors

Virginie Prod’Homme, Laurent Boyer, Nicholas Dubois, Aude Mallavialle, Patrick Munro, Xavier Mouska, Isabelle Coste, Robert Rottapel, Sophie Tartare-Deckert, Marcel Deckert

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Abstract

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is associated with mutations in genes encoding intercalated disc proteins and ultimately results in sudden cardiac death. A subset of patients with AC have the autosomal recessive cardiocutaneous disorder Naxos disease, which is caused by a 2–base pair deletion in the plakoglobin-encoding gene JUP that results in a truncated protein with reduced expression. In mice, cardiomyocyte-specific plakoglobin deficiency recapitulates many aspects of human AC, and overexpression of the truncated Naxos-associated plakoglobin also results in an AC-like phenotype; therefore, it is unclear whether Naxos disease results from loss or gain of function consequent to the plakoglobin mutation. Here, we generated 2 knockin mouse models in which endogenous Jup was engineered to express the Naxos-associated form of plakoglobin. In one model, Naxos plakoglobin bypassed the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway, resulting in normal levels of the truncated plakoglobin. Moreover, restoration of Naxos plakoglobin to WT levels resulted in normal heart function. Together, these data indicate that a gain of function in the truncated form of the protein does not underlie the clinical phenotype of patients with Naxos disease and instead suggest that insufficiency of the truncated Naxos plakoglobin accounts for disease manifestation. Moreover, these results suggest that increasing levels of truncated or WT plakoglobin has potential as a therapeutic approach to Naxos disease.

Authors

Zhiwei Zhang, Matthew J. Stroud, Jianlin Zhang, Xi Fang, Kunfu Ouyang, Kensuke Kimura, Yongxin Mu, Nancy D. Dalton, Yusu Gu, William H. Bradford, Kirk L. Peterson, Hongqiang Cheng, Xinmin Zhou, Ju Chen

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