Project description:Complement C3aR is primarily expressed in microglial cells in the brain. Our study found elevated expression of C3aR in microglia in Alzheimer's disease. To understand the underlying molecular mechanism, we sorted microglia based on their C3aR expression from 9-month-old wild-type and APP-KI mice. Through RNA-seq analysis, we identified metabolic perturbations in C3aR-positive microglia from 9-month-old APP-KI mice. Furthermore, we performed RNA-seq on sorted microglial cells from wild-type, C3aR knockout, APP-KI, and APP-KI;C3aR knockout mice. This analysis revealed a dampening of metabolic dysfunction in the absence of C3aR.
Project description:Brain myeloid cells accumulate neutral lipids in multiple human neurodegenerative disorders and relevant mouse models. These neutral lipids are often assumed to be contained in lipid droplets (LDs), and ‘LD-high microglia’ have generally been characterized as maladaptive. While a number of studies have been performed in cell culture and Drosophila models to characterize glial LD dynamics, it is still unclear what roles microglial LD biogenesis play in mammalian tauopathy. To address this question, we induced the deletion of diacylglycerol acyltransferases 1 and 2 (DGATs), enzymes critical for LD formation via triglyceride (TAG) synthesis, from microglia in the PS19 mouse model of tauopathy. We observed that microglial DGAT double KO exacerbated neurodegeneration, induced behavioral deficits, and increased the abundance of brain cholesteryl esters in male PS19 mice. Myeloid cell lipid accumulations appeared to largely localize to endosomes/lysosomes not LDs in PS19 mice at baseline and this phenotype was exacerbated upon DGAT KO. Our results suggest that microglial DGAT-dependent TAG/LD biogenesis is adaptive in advanced tauopathy. Furthermore, the bulk of the lipid accumulation in brain myeloid cells may not correspond to true LDs in this tauopathy model, which has important implications for the development of lipid-modulating therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
Project description:Coffin–Lowry Syndrome (CLS) is a syndromic form of mental retardation caused by loss of function mutations in the X-linked RPS6KA3 gene, which encodes Rsk2, a serine/threonine kinase involved in spatial memory. We analyzed hippocampal gene expression profiles in Rsk2-KO mice to identify changes in molecular pathways. Total RNA was extracted from hippocampi from 6 KO and 6 WT (littermates) 2-month-old male mice. For each genotype, equivalent amounts of RNA from 2 mice were pooled and processed for hybridization to the genome wide oligonucleotide microarray (Murine 430A 2.0 Affymetrix, 22.000 probe sets). Thus, 3 independent pooled samples were hybridized for each genotype. We compared hippocampal gene expression profiles from rsk2-KO and normal littermate mice to identify changes in molecular pathways
Project description:Expression of PS19 Tau Transgenic mice from hippocampus at different ages 3, 6, 9, and 12 months We used Affy arrays to understand the global expression profile of PS19 Tau transgenic mice
Project description:To gain a more comprehensive and unbiased assessment of how ZBP1 signaling affects microglial, astrocytic, and neuronal biology in tauopathy, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) on pooled hippocampi from 9-month-old PS19 and PZKO (PS19, ZBP1 KO) mice.
Project description:Coffin–Lowry Syndrome (CLS) is a syndromic form of mental retardation caused by loss of function mutations in the X-linked RPS6KA3 gene, which encodes Rsk2, a serine/threonine kinase involved in spatial memory. We analyzed hippocampal gene expression profiles in Rsk2-KO mice to identify changes in molecular pathways. Total RNA was extracted from hippocampi from 6 KO and 6 WT (littermates) 2-month-old male mice. For each genotype, equivalent amounts of RNA from 2 mice were pooled and processed for hybridization to the genome wide oligonucleotide microarray (Murine 430A 2.0 Affymetrix, 22.000 probe sets). Thus, 3 independent pooled samples were hybridized for each genotype.
Project description:Activation of microglia induces neuroinflammation in acute and chronic phase is closely related to the white matter injury (WMI) pathophysiologyafter subrachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The complement C3a receptor (C3aR) has a dual role in regulating inflammation and plays a role in neurodevelopment, neuroplasticity and neurodegeneration, but it’s effect on WMI during SAH re'mairemains unknown. In this study, 175 male C57BL/6J mice received SAH by endovascular perforation. oxy-Hb was used to simulate SAH in vitro. Multiple technical approaches, including immunohistochemistry, transcriptome sequencing, neurological function assessment, and various molecular biotechnologies, were used to assess the activation of the C3-C3aR pathway after SAH and its effects on microglial polarizations and WMI after SAH. The results showed that abnormal microglial activation after SAH was accompanied by upregulation of complement C3 and C3aR. C3aR inhibition reduced abnormal microglial activation, attenuated neuroinflammation, ameliorated WMI and cognitive deficits after SAH. RNA-Seq revealed that C3aR inhibition downregulated several immune and inflammatory pathways and ameliorated cellular injury by downregulating Pidd1 expression. The adverse effects of C3-C3aR in SAH may be related to Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-dependent cellular injury and formation of inflammasome. PERK agonists exacerbate cellular injury and neuroinflammation attenuated by C3aR inhibition. Intranasal C3a treatment during the subacute phase of SAH helps to reduce astrocyte reactivity and ameliorate cognitive deficits after SAH. In conclusion, these findings suggest that C3aR plays a critical role in the regulation of neuroinflammation and WMI after SAH, providing new therapeutic targets to ameliorate WMI and cognitive deficits after SAH.