Top-down control of conditioned overconsumption is mediated by insular cortex Nos1 neurons
Stern, SA;Azevedo, EP;Pomeranz, LE;Doerig, KR;Ivan, VJ;Friedman, JM;
PMID: 33761312 | DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.03.001
Associative learning allows animals to adapt their behavior in response to environmental cues. For example, sensory cues associated with food availability can trigger overconsumption even in sated animals. However, the neural mechanisms mediating cue-driven non-homeostatic feeding are poorly understood. To study this, we recently developed a behavioral task in which contextual cues increase feeding even in sated mice. Here, we show that an insular cortex to central amygdala circuit is necessary for conditioned overconsumption, but not for homeostatic feeding. This projection is marked by a population of glutamatergic nitric oxide synthase-1 (Nos1)-expressing neurons, which are specifically active during feeding bouts. Finally, we show that activation of insular cortex Nos1 neurons suppresses satiety signals in the central amygdala. The data, thus, indicate that the insular cortex provides top-down control of homeostatic circuits to promote overconsumption in response to learned cues.
Single-cell RNA-seq analysis reveals compartment-specific heterogeneity and plasticity of microglia
Zheng, J;Ru, W;Adolacion, J;Spurgat, M;Liu, X;Yuan, S;Liang, R;Dong, J;Potter, A;Potter, S;Chen, K;Chen, R;Varadarajan, N;Tang, S;
| DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102186
Microglia are ubiquitous central nervous system (CNS)-resident macrophages that maintain homeostasis of neural tissues and protect them from pathogen attacks. Yet, their differentiation in different compartments remains elusive. We performed single-cell RNA-seq to compare microglial subtypes in the cortex and the spinal cord. A multi-way comparative analysis was carried out on samples from C57/BL and HIV gp120 transgenic mice at two, four, and eight months of age. The results revealed overlapping but distinct microglial populations in the cortex and the spinal cord. The differential heterogeneity of microglia in these CNS regions was further suggested by their disparity of plasticity in response to life span progression and HIV-1 pathogenic protein gp120. Our findings indicate that microglia in different CNS compartments are adapted to their local environments to fulfill region-specific biological functions.
Brown, C;Zhang, J;Pantin-Jackwood, M;Dimitrov, K;Ferreira, HL;Suarez, D;
PMID: 34794360 | DOI: 10.1177/03009858211045945
Selected lymphoid and reproductive tissues were examined from groups of 3-week-old chickens and 62-week-old hens that were inoculated choanally and conjunctivally with 106 EID50 of a virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) isolate from the California 2018-2020 outbreak, and euthanized at 1, 2, and 3 days postinfection. In the 3-week-old chickens, immunohistochemistry for NDV and for T and B cell lymphocytes, as well as in situ hybridization for IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α revealed extensive expression of IL-1β and IL-6 in lymphoid tissues, often coinciding with NDV antigen. IFN-γ was only expressed infrequently in the same lymphoid tissues, and TNF-α was rarely expressed. T-cell populations initially expanded but by day 3 their numbers were below control levels. B cells underwent a similar expansion but remained elevated in some tissues, notably spleen, cecal tonsils, and cloacal bursa. Cytokine expression in the 62-week-old hens was overall lower than in the 3-week-old birds, and there was more prolonged infiltration of both T and B cells in the older birds. The strong pro-inflammatory cytokine response in young chickens is proposed as the reason for more severe disease.
Serafini, RA;Frere, JJ;Zimering, J;Giosan, IM;Pryce, KD;Golynker, I;Panis, M;Ruiz, A;tenOever, BR;Zachariou, V;
PMID: 37159520 | DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.ade4984
Although largely confined to the airways, SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with sensory abnormalities that manifest in both acute and chronic phenotypes. To gain insight on the molecular basis of these sensory abnormalities, we used the golden hamster model to characterize and compare the effects of infection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV) on the sensory nervous system. We detected SARS-CoV-2 transcripts but no infectious material in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) within the first 24 hours of intranasal virus infection. SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters exhibited mechanical hypersensitivity that was milder but prolonged compared with that observed in IAV-infected hamsters. RNA sequencing analysis of thoracic DRGs 1 to 4 days after infection suggested perturbations in predominantly neuronal signaling in SARS-CoV-2-infected animals as opposed to type I interferon signaling in IAV-infected animals. Later, 31 days after infection, a neuropathic transcriptome emerged in thoracic DRGs from SARS-CoV-2-infected animals, which coincided with SARS-CoV-2-specific mechanical hypersensitivity. These data revealed potential targets for pain management, including the RNA binding protein ILF3, which was validated in murine pain models. This work elucidates transcriptomic signatures in the DRGs triggered by SARS-CoV-2 that may underlie both short- and long-term sensory abnormalities.
The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society
Marella, M;Yao, X;Carreira, V;Bustamante, MF;Clark, HB;Jackson, CC;Zudaire, E;Schecter, JM;Glover, TD;Shenton, J;Cornax, I;
PMID: 35193424 | DOI: 10.1369/00221554221079579
B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a target for the treatment of multiple myeloma with cytolytic therapies, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cells or T-cell redirecting antibodies. To better understand the potential for "on-target/off-tumor" toxicity caused by BCMA-targeting cytolytic therapies in the brain, we investigated normal brain BCMA expression. An immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay using the E6D7B commercial monoclonal antibody was applied to 107 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded brain samples (cerebrum, basal ganglia, cerebellum, brainstem; 63 unique donors). Although immunoreactivity was observed in a small number of neurons in brain regions including the striatum, thalamus, midbrain, and medulla, this immunoreactivity was considered nonspecific and not reflective of BCMA expression because it was distinct from the membranous and Golgi-like pattern seen in positive control samples, was not replicated when a different IHC antibody (D6 clone) was used, and was not corroborated by in situ hybridization data. Analysis of RNA-sequencing data from 478 donors in the GTEx and Allen BrainSpan databases demonstrated low levels of BCMA RNA expression in the striatum of young donors with levels becoming negligible beyond 30 years of age. We concluded that BCMA protein is not present in normal adult human brain, and therefore on-target toxicity in the brain is unlikely.
CDK7 and MITF repress a transcription program involved in survival and drug tolerance in melanoma
Berico, P;Cigrang, M;Davidson, G;Braun, C;Sandoz, J;Legras, S;Vokshi, BH;Slovic, N;Peyresaubes, F;Gene Robles, CM;Egly, JM;Compe, E;Davidson, I;Coin, F;
PMID: 34296805 | DOI: 10.15252/embr.202051683
Melanoma cell phenotype switching between differentiated melanocytic and undifferentiated mesenchymal-like states drives metastasis and drug resistance. CDK7 is the serine/threonine kinase of the basal transcription factor TFIIH. We show that dedifferentiation of melanocytic-type melanoma cells into mesenchymal-like cells and acquisition of tolerance to targeted therapies is achieved through chronic inhibition of CDK7. In addition to emergence of a mesenchymal-type signature, we identify a GATA6-dependent gene expression program comprising genes such as AMIGO2 or ABCG2 involved in melanoma survival or targeted drug tolerance, respectively. Mechanistically, we show that CDK7 drives expression of the melanocyte lineage transcription factor MITF that in turn binds to an intronic region of GATA6 to repress its expression in melanocytic-type cells. We show that GATA6 expression is activated in MITF-low melanoma cells of patient-derived xenografts. Taken together, our data show how the poorly characterized repressive function of MITF in melanoma participates in a molecular cascade regulating activation of a transcriptional program involved in survival and drug resistance in melanoma.
Coinfection of porcine deltacoronavirus and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus altered viral tropism in gastrointestinal tract in a piglet model
Jiao, Z;Liang, J;Yang, Y;Li, Y;Yan, Z;Hu, G;Gu, C;Hu, X;Cheng, G;Peng, G;Zhang, W;
PMID: 33756424 | DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2021.03.006
Coinfection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is one of common findings in diarrheal piglets that cause massive economic losses to the pig industry globally. However, the mechanism of the co-infection is unclear. In this study, neonatal non-colostrum-fed piglets were exposed orally with a single infection of PDCoV or PEDV, or coinfection of PDCoV and PEDV. Clinically all viral infected piglets developed watery diarrhea and dehydration in 24 h post-exposure (hpe) and were succumbed to viral diarrhea disease and euthanized at 72 hpe. Histopathologically, acute gastroenteritis is evident in all viral infected piglet. Immunohistochemistry, RNAscope and RT-qPCR demonstrated that PEDV tropism changes from epithelial cells of small intestine to gastric epithelial cells and macrophages in Peyer's patches in the ileum. These findings suggest that coinfection of PDCoV and PEDV can alter PEDV tropism that may affect the outcome of viral disease in piglets. This animal model can be used for the pathogenesis and vaccination of viral coinfection in piglet in the future.
Murine astrovirus tropism for goblet cells and enterocytes facilitates an IFN-λ response in vivo and in enteroid cultures
Ingle, H;Hassan, E;Gawron, J;Mihi, B;Li, Y;Kennedy, EA;Kalugotla, G;Makimaa, H;Lee, S;Desai, P;McDonald, KG;Diamond, MS;Newberry, RD;Good, M;Baldridge, MT;
PMID: 33674763 | DOI: 10.1038/s41385-021-00387-6
Although they globally cause viral gastroenteritis in children, astroviruses are understudied due to the lack of well-defined animal models. While murine astroviruses (muAstVs) chronically infect immunodeficient mice, a culture system and understanding of their pathogenesis is lacking. Here, we describe a platform to cultivate muAstV using air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures derived from mouse enteroids, which support apical infection and release. Chronic muAstV infection occurs predominantly in the small intestine and correlates with higher interferon-lambda (IFN-λ) expression. MuAstV stimulates IFN-λ production in ALI, recapitulating our in vivo findings. We demonstrate that goblet cells and enterocytes are targets for chronic muAstV infection in vivo, and that infection is enhanced by parasite co-infection or type 2 cytokine signaling. Depletion of goblet cells from ALI limits muAstV infection in vitro. During chronic infection, muAstV stimulates IFN-λ production in infected cells and induces ISGs throughout the intestinal epithelium in an IFN-λ-receptor-dependent manner. Collectively, our study provides insights into the cellular tropism and innate immune responses to muAstV and establishes an enteroid-based culture system to propagate muAstV in vitro.
RNAScope in situ Hybridization as a Novel Technique for the Assessment of c-KIT mRNA Expression in Canine Mast Cell Tumor
Frontiers in veterinary science
De Biase, D;Prisco, F;Piegari, G;Ilsami, A;d'Aquino, I;Baldassarre, V;Zito Marino, F;Franco, R;Papparella, S;Paciello, O;
PMID: 33665215 | DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.591961
RNA is considered as an indicator of the dynamic genetic expression changes in a cell. RNAScope is a commercially available in situ hybridization assay for the detection of RNA in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. In this work, we describe the use of RNAScope as a sensitive and specific method for the evaluation of c-KIT messenger RNA (mRNA) in canine mast cell tumor. We investigated the expression of c-KIT mRNA with RNAscope in 60 canine mast cell tumors (MCTs), comparing it with the histological grade and KIT immunohistochemical expression patterns. Our results showed an overall good expression of c-KIT mRNA in neoplastic cells if compared with control probes. We also observed a statistically significant correlation between histological grade and c-KIT mRNA expression. No correlations were found between KIT protein immunohistochemical distribution pattern and c-KIT mRNA expression or histological grade. Our results provide a reference basis to better understand c-KIT mRNA expression in canine MCTs and strongly encourage further studies that may provide useful information about its potential and significant role as a prognostic and predictive biological marker for canine MCTs clinical outcome.
Hayashi, K;Lesnak, J;Plumb, A;Rasmussen, L;Sluka, K;
| DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.02.105
We developed an animal model of activity-induced muscle pain that combines muscle fatigue with a non-painful, low-dose muscle insult. We previously showed that pharmacological blockade of acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) in muscle prevents the activity-induced muscle pain, however, genetic deletion of ASIC3 in primary afferents innervating muscle has no effect on pain. We hypothesized that genetic deletion of ASIC3 on macrophages would prevent activity-induced muscle pain. ASIC3fl/fl mice were crossed with Cx3cr1-Cre mice to generate macrophage/monocyte-specific deletion of ASIC3. To confirm the genetic deletion of ASIC3, expression of ASIC3 was assessed from the peritoneal macrophages using quantitative PCR. Muscle pain was induced by 2, 20μl pH 5.0 injections, 5 days apart, in the gastrocnemius muscle combined with fatiguing muscle contractions in male and female mice. To assess hyperalgesia, muscle withdrawal thresholds (MWT) of the gastrocnemius muscle were measured before and after induction of the model. There was a decrease in ASIC3 mRNA expression in peritoneal macrophages from Cx3cr1CreASIC3fl/fl mice. The decrease in MWT was prevented in Cx3cr1CreASIC3fl/fl mice in both male and female mice, when compared to genetic controls (Cx3cr1CreASIC3+/+)(p
Bao, C;Chen, O;Sheng, H;Zhang, J;Luo, Y;Hayes, BW;Liang, H;Liedtke, W;Ji, RR;Abraham, SN;
PMID: 36930731 | DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adc9417
IgE-mediated anaphylaxis is an acute life-threatening systemic reaction to allergens, including certain foods and venoms. Anaphylaxis is triggered when blood-borne allergens activate IgE-bound perivascular mast cells (MCs) throughout the body, causing an extensive systemic release of MC mediators. Through precipitating vasodilatation and vascular leakage, these mediators are believed to trigger a sharp drop in blood pressure in humans and in core body temperature in animals. We report that the IgE/MC-mediated drop in body temperature in mice associated with anaphylaxis also requires the body's thermoregulatory neural circuit. This circuit is activated when granule-borne chymase from MCs is deposited on proximal TRPV1+ sensory neurons and stimulates them via protease-activated receptor-1. This triggers the activation of the body's thermoregulatory neural network, which rapidly attenuates brown adipose tissue thermogenesis to cause hypothermia. Mice deficient in either chymase or TRPV1 exhibited limited IgE-mediated anaphylaxis, and, in wild-type mice, anaphylaxis could be recapitulated simply by systemically activating TRPV1+ sensory neurons. Thus, in addition to their well-known effects on the vasculature, MC products, especially chymase, promote IgE-mediated anaphylaxis by activating the thermoregulatory neural circuit.
Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology
Ganier, C;Rognoni, E;Goss, G;Lynch, M;Watt, FM;
PMID: 35667795 | DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041238
Fibroblasts are the main cell type in the dermis. They are responsible for the synthesis and deposition of structural proteins such as collagen and elastin, which are integrated into the extracellular matrix (ECM). Mouse and human studies using flow cytometry, cell culture, skin reconstitution, and lineage tracing experiments have shown the existence of different subpopulations of fibroblasts, including papillary fibroblasts, reticular fibroblasts, and fibroblasts comprising the dermal papilla at the base of the hair follicle. In recent years, the technological advances in single-cell sequencing have allowed researchers to study the repertoire of cells present in full-thickness skin including the dermis. Multiple groups have confirmed that distinct fibroblast populations can be identified in mouse and human dermis on the basis of differences in the transcriptional profile. Here, we discuss the current state of knowledge regarding dermal fibroblast heterogeneity in healthy mouse and human skin, highlighting the similarities and differences between mouse and human fibroblast subpopulations. We also discuss how fibroblast heterogeneity may provide insights into physiological wound healing and its dysfunction in pathological states such as hypertrophic and keloid scars.