Setting the stage for a role of the postsynaptic proteome in inherited neurometabolic disorders

Altres ajuts: Financial support was from Spanish grants ref. BFU2012-34398, BFU2015-69717-P (partially funded by FEDER funds of the EU), Ramón y Cajal Fellowship, ref. RYC-2011-08391 and from the European FP People: Marie Curie Action: Career Integration Grant, ref. 304111. Support was also obtained from the CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya.Neurotransmitter diseases are a well-defined group of metabolic conditions caused, in most instances, by genes specifically expressed in the presynaptic button. Better understanding of presynaptic molecular physiology, both in normal and pathological conditions, should help develop therapeutical strategies. The clinical relevance of the presynapse in inherited metabolic disorders is in glaring contrast with that of the postsynaptic component, which so far does not seem to play a relevant role in these disorders. This is somewhat surprising, as postsynaptic proteins are known to be involved in many nervous system diseases, particularly in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. The goal of this article is to explore if defects in the sophisticated postsynaptic machinery could also have a role in neurometabolic disorders

AMPA receptor auxiliary subunits emerged during early vertebrate evolution by neo/subfunctionalization of unrelated proteins

Altres ajuts: Career Integration Grant (ref. 304111), Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (RYC-2011-08391p), IEDI-2017-00822In mammalian synapses, the function of ionotropic glutamate receptors is critically modulated by auxiliary subunits. Most of these specifically regulate the synaptic localization and electrophysiological properties of AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs). Here, we comprehensively investigated the animal evolution of the protein families that contain AMPAR auxiliary subunits (ARASs). We observed that, on average, vertebrates have four times more ARASs than other animal species. We also demonstrated that ARASs belong to four unrelated protein families: CACNG-GSG1, cornichon, shisa and Dispanin C. Our study demonstrates that, despite the ancient origin of these four protein families, the majority of ARASs emerged during vertebrate evolution by independent but convergent processes of neo/subfunctionalization that resulted in the multiple ARASs found in present vertebrate genomes. Importantly, although AMPARs appeared and diversified in the ancestor of bilateral animals, the ARAS expansion did not occur until much later, in early vertebrate evolution. We propose that the surge in ARASs and consequent increase in AMPAR functionalities, contributed to the increased complexity of vertebrate brains and cognitive functions

Zinc Transporter-1 Concentrates at the Postsynaptic Density of Hippocampal Synapses

BACKGROUND: Zinc concentrates at excitatory synapses, both at the postsynaptic density and in a subset of glutamatergic boutons. Zinc can modulate synaptic plasticity, memory formation and nociception by regulating transmitter receptors and signal transduction pathways. Also, intracellular zinc accumulation is a hallmark of degenerating neurons in several neurological disorders. To date, no single zinc extrusion mechanism has been directly localized to synapses. Based on the presence of a canonical PDZ I motif in the Zinc Transporter-1 protein (ZnT1), we hypothesized that ZnT1 may be targeted to synaptic compartments for local control of cytosolic zinc. Using our previously developed protocol for the co-localization of reactive zinc and synaptic proteins, we further asked if ZnT1 expression correlates with presynaptic zinc content in individual synapses. FINDINGS: Here we demonstrate that ZnT1 is a plasma membrane protein that is enriched in dendritic spines and in biochemically isolated synaptic membranes. Hippocampal CA1 synapses labelled by postembedding immunogold showed over a 5-fold increase in ZnT1 concentration at synaptic junctions compared with extrasynaptic membranes. Subsynaptic analysis revealed a peak ZnT1 density on the postsynaptic side of the synapse, < 10 nm away from the postsynaptic membrane. ZnT1 was found in the vast majority of excitatory synapses regardless of the presence of vesicular zinc in presynaptic boutons. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has identified ZnT1 as a novel postsynaptic density protein, and it may help elucidate the role of zinc homeostasis in synaptic function and disease

Glutamate receptor mutations in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders

Alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission have long been associated with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders (PNDD), but only recent advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing have allowed interrogation of the prevalence of mutations in glutamate receptors (GluR) among afflicted individuals. In this review we discuss recent work describing GluR mutations in the context of PNDDs. Although there are no strict relationships between receptor subunit or type and disease, some interesting preliminary conclusions have arisen. Mutations in genes coding for ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits, which are central to synaptic transmission and plasticity, are mostly associated with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. In contrast, mutations of metabotropic GluRs, having a role on modulating neural transmission, are preferentially associated with psychiatric disorders. Also, the prevalence of mutations among GluRs is highly heterogeneous, suggesting a critical role of certain subunits in PNDD pathophysiology. The emerging bias between GluR subtypes and specific PNDDs may have clinical implications

Insectes plaga i plantes, en lluita per la supervivència

A la natura hi podem observar innumerables exemples d'evolució adaptable. Un d'aquests mecanismes es pot percebre en la co-evolució d'insectes herbívors i les plantes de què s'alimenten: mentre les preses desenvolupen defenses biològiques, els depredadors reaccionen per fer-se insensibles a l'atac. Investigadors de la UAB han estudiat a fons aquest procés en un insecte lepidòpter nocturn del gènere Helicoverpa, H. zea.En la naturaleza se pueden observar innumerables ejemplos de evolución adaptativa. Uno de estos mecanismos se puede percibir en la co-evolución de insectos herbívoros y las plantas de las que se alimentan: mientras las presas desarrollan defensas biológicas para evitar la agresión de los depredadores, éstos reaccionan para hacerse insensibles al ataque. Investigadores de la UAB han estudiado a fondo este proceso en un lepidóptero nocturno del género Helicoverpa, H. Zea.In nature we can see many examples of adaptable evolution. On of these mechanisms may be seen in the co-evolution of herbivorous insects and the plants they feed on: while prey develop biological defences, the predators react to make themselves insensitive to attack. Researchers at the UAB have studied this process in depth in the case of a nocturnal lepidopteron insect of the genre Helicoverpa, H. zea

SynGAP splice variants display heterogeneous spatio-temporal expression and subcellular distribution in the developing mammalian brain

Altres ajuts: Financial support for this work was provided by: Career Integration Grant (ref. 304111), Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (RYC-2011-08391p) IEDI-2017-00822; ; BES-2013-063720 (MINECO) to GG; MH096847 (NIH), MH108408 (NIH) and NS064079 (NIH) to GR and RO1 MH112151 (NIH) to RLH. All experiments were conducted in compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines.The SynGAP protein is a major regulator of synapse biology and neural circuit function. Genetic variants linked to epilepsy and intellectual disability disrupt synaptic function and neural excitability. SynGAP has been involved in multiple signaling pathways and can regulate small GTPases with very different roles. Yet, the molecular bases behind this pleiotropy are poorly understood. We hypothesize that different SynGAP isoforms will mediate different sets of functions and that deciphering their spatio-temporal expression and subcellular localization will accelerate understanding their multiple functions. Using isoform-specific antibodies recognizing SynGAP in mouse and human samples we found distinctive developmental expression patterns for all SynGAP isoforms in five mouse brain areas. Particularly noticeable was the delayed expression of SynGAP-α1 isoforms, which directly bind to postsynaptic density-95, in cortex and hippocampus during the first 2 weeks of postnatal development. Suggesting that during this period other isoforms would have a more prominent role. Furthermore, we observed subcellular localization differences between isoforms, particularly throughout postnatal development. Consistent with previous reports, SynGAP was enriched in the postsynaptic density in the mature forebrain. However, SynGAP was predominantly found in non-synaptic locations in a period of early postnatal development highly sensitive to SynGAP levels. While, α1 isoforms were always found enriched in the postsynaptic density, α2 isoforms changed from a non-synaptic to a mostly postsynaptic density localization with age and β isoforms were always found enriched in non-synaptic locations. The differential expression and subcellular distribution of SynGAP isoforms may contribute to isoform-specific regulation of small GTPases, explaining SynGAP pleiotropy. Syngap1 gene encodes for different synaptic Ras/Rap GTPase-activating (SynGAP) isoforms which are key for brain function. SynGAP C-termini splice variants show different spatio-temporal expression and subcellular localization in the developing mouse brain. This study reveals a non-synaptic and heterogenous role of SynGAP spliced variants. Depicted abundance differences only allow relative comparison within a given tissue (top panel), postnatal age (PND, middle panel), or subcellular distribution (bottom panel). Ctx, cortex; Hip, hippocampus; Str, striatum; OB, Olfactory Bulb; Crb, cerebellum and tSynGAP, total SynGAP

Glutamate receptor mutations in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders

Altres ajuts: Programa "Ramón y Cajal" i Programa "Miquel Servet"Alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission have long been associated with psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders (PNDD), but only recent advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing have allowed interrogation of the prevalence of mutations in glutamate receptors (GluR) among afflicted individuals. In this review we discuss recent work describing GluR mutations in the context of PNDDs. Although there are no strict relationships between receptor subunit or type and disease, some interesting preliminary conclusions have arisen. Mutations in genes coding for ionotropic glutamate receptor subunits, which are central to synaptic transmission and plasticity, are mostly associated with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders. In contrast, mutations of metabotropic GluRs, having a role on modulating neural transmission, are preferentially associated with psychiatric disorders. Also, the prevalence of mutations among GluRs is highly heterogeneous, suggesting a critical role of certain subunits in PNDD pathophysiology. The emerging bias between GluR subtypes and specific PNDDs may have clinical implications

Metazoan evolution of glutamate receptors reveals unreported phylogenetic groups and divergent lineage-specific events

Glutamate receptors are divided in two unrelated families: ionotropic (iGluR), driving synaptic transmission, and metabotropic (mGluR), which modulate synaptic strength. The present classification of GluRs is based on vertebrate proteins and has remained unchanged for over two decades. Here we report an exhaustive phylogenetic study of GluRs in metazoans. Importantly, we demonstrate that GluRs have followed different evolutionary histories in separated animal lineages. Our analysis reveals that the present organization of iGluRs into six classes does not capture the full complexity of their evolution. Instead, we propose an organization into four subfamilies and ten classes, four of which have never been previously described. Furthermore, we report a sister class to mGluR classes I-III, class IV. We show that many unreported proteins are expressed in the nervous system, and that new Epsilon receptors form functional ligand-gated ion channels. We propose an updated classification of glutamate receptors that includes our findings

Endogenous Syngap1 Alpha Splice Forms Promote Cognitive Function and Seizure Protection

Altres ajuts: NIH grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH096847, MH108408, MH115005, MH113949, MH105400); National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NS064079); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD089491); National Institute for Drug Abuse (DA034116, DA036376); Autism Speaks Weatherstone Pre-Doctoral fellowship (10646); Training fellowship from the Leon and Friends Charitable Foundation.Loss-of-function variants in SYNGAP1 cause a developmental encephalopathy defined by cognitive impairment, autistic features, and epilepsy. SYNGAP1 splicing leads to expression of distinct functional protein isoforms. Splicing imparts multiple cellular functions of SynGAP proteins through coding of distinct C-terminal motifs. However, it remains unknown how these different splice sequences function in vivo to regulate neuronal function and behavior. Reduced expression of SynGAP-α1/2 C-terminal splice variants in mice caused severe phenotypes, including reduced survival, impaired learning, and reduced seizure latency. In contrast, upregulation of α1/2 expression improved learning and increased seizure latency. Mice expressing α1-specific mutations, which disrupted SynGAP cellular functions without altering protein expression, promoted seizure, disrupted synapse plasticity, and impaired learning. These findings demonstrate that endogenous SynGAP isoforms with α1/2 spliced sequences promote cognitive function and impart seizure protection. Regulation of SynGAP-α expression or function may be a viable therapeutic strategy to broadly improve cognitive function and mitigate seizure

Sublayer- and cell-type-specific neurodegenerative transcriptional trajectories in hippocampal sclerosis

Altres ajuts: Fundación Tatiana Pérez de Guzman el Bueno; SynCogDis Network (SAF2014-52624-REDT, SAF2017-90664-REDT); Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP RGP0022/2013); Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).Hippocampal sclerosis, the major neuropathological hallmark of temporal lobe epilepsy, is characterized by different patterns of neuronal loss. The mechanisms of cell-type-specific vulnerability and their progression and histopathological classification remain controversial. Using single-cell electrophysiology in vivo and immediate-early gene expression, we reveal that superficial CA1 pyramidal neurons are overactive in epileptic rodents. Bulk tissue and single-nucleus expression profiling disclose sublayer-specific transcriptomic signatures and robust microglial pro-inflammatory responses. Transcripts regulating neuronal processes such as voltage channels, synaptic signaling, and cell adhesion are deregulated differently by epilepsy across sublayers, whereas neurodegenerative signatures primarily involve superficial cells. Pseudotime analysis of gene expression in single nuclei and in situ validation reveal separated trajectories from health to epilepsy across cell types and identify a subset of superficial cells undergoing a later stage in neurodegeneration. Our findings indicate that sublayer- and cell-type-specific changes associated with selective CA1 neuronal damage contribute to progression of hippocampal sclerosis