Cited by 80Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ResearchNeuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsAlzheimer's disease research and treatments

Cortical neurotoxic astrocytes with early ALS pathology and miR-146a deficit replicate gliosis markers of symptomatic SOD1G93A mouse model

Gomes, Cátia, Cunha, Carolina, Nascimento, Filipe, Ribeiro, Joaquim A., Vaz, Ana Rita, Brites, Dora·2019·Molecular Neurobiology

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron (MN) loss. Recent evidences highlight astrocytes as important players in MN death, but the mechanism-based neurotoxicity is still unknown. It is also unclear whether activation of astrocytes in ALS occurs differently in the cerebral cortex and spinal cord. We investigated glial and neuronal alterations in the cortex of SOD1G93A (mSOD1) mice in pre-symptomatic and symptomatic stages. We also characterized astrocytes isolated from the cortex of 7-day-old mSOD1 mice for their aberrancy and MN-induced degenerative effects. In the early stage, we identified a reduction of cell proliferation, NF-kB expression, and of vimentin and micro(miR)-146a expression, suggesting a restrained cortical inflammatory status. However, increased NF-kB expression, cell proliferation, and gene expression of HMGB1, connexin 43 and S100B were distinctive of the symptomatic stage, together with MN loss, downregulated unfold protein response, and decreased expression of synaptic proteins, together with that of miR-125b, miR-21, miR-146a, GFAP, and glutamate transporters. Astrocytes cultured for 13 days in vitro showed comparable NF-kB expression and cell proliferation increase, as well as similar microRNA and gene/protein expression profiles (decreased miR-21, miR-146a, GLT-1 and GFAP, and upregulated HMGB1, S100B and connexin-43), thus sustaining astrocytes as the major contributors of cortical homeostasis deregulation in the symptomatic stage. These reactive astrocytes reduced neurite length and synaptophysin expression in NSC-34/hSOD1WT MN-like cells, and induced mitochondria dysfunction, PSD-95 downregulation, metalloproteinase-9 activation, and late apoptosis in NSC-34/hSOD1G93A cells. Data indicate that astrocytes in mSOD1 mice model acquire early phenotypic aberrancies and highlight downregulated miR-146a as a biomarker and drug target in ALS.

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  • Cortical astrocytes isolated from SOD1G93A mouse model in the early stages of the disease exhibit neuroprotective features, with reduced cell proliferation, low expression of NF-κB and miR-146a, and weakened pro-inflammatory pathways, indicating impaired immune function in ALS patients.

    “Gomes et al. (96) found that cortical astrocytes isolated from SOD1G93A mouse model in the early stages of the disease exhibited neuroprotective features, with reduced cell proliferation, low expression of NF-κB and micro(miR)-146a, and weakened pro-inflammatory pathways, indicating impaired immune function in ALS patients.”

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Authors
Gomes, C., Cunha, C., Nascimento, F., Ribeiro, J. A., Vaz, A. R., & Brites, D.
Affiliations
University of Lisbon (PT)
Corresponding author
Brites, Dora
Venue
Molecular Neurobiology
Published
2018-07-11
Volume
56
Issue
3
Pages
2137-2158
ISSN
  • 0893-7648 (ISSN-L)
  • 1559-1182
OpenAlex
W2842183226
Cited by
79
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 7
FWCI
4.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Molecular Neurobiology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
Keywords
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, astrocytes, miR-146a, SOD1 G93A mice, motor neuron degeneration, gliosis, NF-kB, HMGB1, S100B, connexin 43, unfolded protein response, microRNA biomarkers, mitochondrial dysfunction, MMP-9, synaptic loss, presymptomatic stage
MeSH terms
Neuronal Outgrowth, Superoxide Dismutase-1, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Animals, Astrocytes, Cerebral Cortex, Disease Models, Animal, Gliosis, Mice, Transgenic, Motor Neurons, Biomarkers, Matrix Metalloproteinase 9, MicroRNAs, Mice

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