Probes for CCL2

The neuromuscular junction is a synapse critical for muscle strength and coordinated motor function. Unlike CNS injuries, motor neurons mount robust regenerative responses after peripheral nerve injuries. Conversely, motor neurons selectively degenerate in diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To assess how these insults affect motor neurons in vivo, we performed ribosomal profiling of mouse motor neurons. Motor neuron-specific transcripts were isolated from spinal cords following sciatic nerve crush, a model of acute injury and regeneration, and in the SOD1G93A ALS model. Of the 267 transcripts upregulated after nerve crush, 38% were also upregulated in SOD1G93A motor neurons. However, most upregulated genes in injured and ALS motor neurons were context specific. Some of the most significantly upregulated transcripts in both paradigms were chemokines such as Ccl2 and Ccl7, suggesting an important role for neuroimmune modulation. Collectively these data will aid in defining pro-regenerative and pro-degenerative mechanisms in motor neurons.

Immune surveillance of the brain plays an important role in health and disease. Peripheral leukocytes patrol blood-brain barrier interfaces, and after injury, monocytes cross the cerebrovasculature and follow a pattern of pro- and anti-inflammatory activity leading to tissue repair. We have shown that chronic social defeat (CSD) causes scattered vasculature disruptions. Here, we assessed CCR2+ monocyte trafficking to the vascular injury sites in Ccr2wt/rfp reporter mice both during CSD and one week following CSD cessation. We found that CSD for 14 days induced microhemorrhages where plasma fibrinogen leaked into perivascular spaces, but it did not affect the distribution or density of CCR2rfp+ monocytes in the brain. However, after recovery from CSD, many vascularly adhered CCR2+ cells were detected, and gene expression of the CCR2 chemokine receptor ligands CCL7 and CCL12, but not CCL2, was elevated in endothelial cells. Adhered CCR2+ cells were mostly the non-classical, anti-inflammatory Ly6Clo type, and they phagocytosed fibrinogen in perivascular spaces. In CCR2-deficient Ccr2rfp/rfp mice, fibrinogen levels remained elevated in recovery. Fibrinogen infused intracerebroventricularly induced CCR2+ cells to adhere to the vasculature and phagocytose perivascular fibrinogen in Ccr2wt/rfp but not Ccr2rfp/rfp mice. Depletion of monocytes with clodronate liposomes during CSD recovery prevented fibrinogen clearance and blocked behavioral recovery. We hypothesize that peripheral CCR2+ monocytes are not elevated in the brain on day 14 at the end of CSD and do not contribute to its behavioral effects at that time, but in recovery following cessation of stress, they enter the brain and exert restorative functions mediating vascular repair and normalization of behavior.

Purpose: The synovial joint exhibits extraordinary biotribological properties allowing the articular cartilage layers to slide past each other at very low friction even under local pressures of up to 18 MPa (~180 atm). Articular cartilage is exquisitely mechanical sensitive. Compressive mechanical load contributes to articular cartilage homeostasis; however, overuse or destabilizing the joint increases surface shear stress, which promotes cartilage degradation. Our previous Results show that shear stress, induced by joint destabilization, regulates a number of inflammatory genes 6h post surgery, including Mmp3, Il1b, Arg1, Ccl2, and Il6. Immobilizing the joint by prolonged anesthesia or sciatic neurectomy abrogates the regulation of inflammatory genes and prevents development of OA. In this study, we use RNA Scope to identify which cells of the cartilage are activated by surface shear after joint destabilisation, and test whether this is modifiable by injection of a biocompatible phospholipid-based lubricant. Methods: Destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) or sham surgery was performed on the right knee of 10-week-old male C57BL/6 mice. 30 ml of lubricant (PMPC: poly(methacryloylphosphsphorylcholine)-functionalized lipid vesicles) or vehicle control (PBS) solution was injected in the joint two days before and at the time of surgery. Cartilage from naïve (no surgery) and DMM-operated knees of four mice per data point was collected by microdissection for bulk mRNA extraction. Expression levels of selected genes including shear-responsive genes Il1b and Mmp3 were tested by RT-PCR using TaqMan Low Density Arrays (TLDA) microfluidic cards. In addition, whole joints were collected and processed following the standard protocol for RNAscope (Advanced Cell Diagnostics). Coronal sections in the middle of the joints were sliced by a cryostat. Consecutive sections were used for Safranin O staining and RNAscope to identify anatomical tissues and detect the expression of genes of interest. Gene expression signals were collated from 11 stacks by confocal microscopy (Zeiss Confocal 880) focusing on the medial tibia cartilage, and were quantified by counting individual mRNA dots in the sham, DMM, vehicle and lubricant groups. Results: We observed the upregulation of injury-responsive genes Il1b, Mmp3, Ccl2, Adamts 4, Nos2, and Timp1 in the articular cartilage of DMM operated joints compared to Naïve (non-operated) animals. The injection of the lubricant in the joint significantly suppressed the expression of shear-responsive genes Il1b and Mmp3 after DMM, but did not influence the increase of other injury-induced inflammatory genes, such as Timp1, Adamts 4, Ccl2, Nos2. For RNAscope, focusing on Mmp3 expression, the number of Mmp3 positive cells increased two-fold in the DMM-vehicle group compared with the sham-vehicle group. Most of Mmp3 signal was expressed in the superficial region of the cartilage. DMM-PMPC groups showed a reduced number of Mmp3 positive cells compared with DMM-vehicle, with levels similar to sham-vehicle and sham-PMPC groups. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that shear stress-induced inflammatory genes are regulated in the superficial layer of cartilage after joint destabilisation and can be suppressed by joint injection of a biocompatible engineered lubricant. As these lubricants have long retention times in the joint (data not presented), we believe that they may provide a potential novel therapeutic strategy for preventing the development of post-trauma OA. These studies are underway