Characterisation of Foxp1 in striatal development and the adult brain

The aim of the research presented in this Thesis was twofold; firstly to further understand the role of Foxp1 in the development of striatal medium spiny neurons (MSN) and secondly its role the adult brain. Understanding the role of Foxp1 in MSN development may allow more accurate in vitro protocols to be generated for use in directing renewable cell sources for use in cell replacement therapies for diseases such as Huntington’s disease (HD). Additionally, its functional role in MSN development may not be exclusive, and thus have a more generalised role transferable to other neuronal processes. Thus what is learnt about its function can possibly be applied to cell transplantation protocols in general, as well as be useful in the drug discovery field. In mice, the transcription factors (TF) Foxp1 and Mef2c were shown to be significantly up-regulated during peak MNS development (embryonic day (E) E12-16) in a genetic screen carried out in the host lab in 2004. Consequently the majority of work in this thesis was focused on the characterisation of the most significantly up-regulated gene, Foxp1. Experiments initially focused on a Foxp1 knock out (KO) line, both in vitro and following transplantation into the quinolinic acid (QA) lesioned adult mouse brain. Additionally, owing to embryonic lethality at E14, a conditional Foxp1 KO (CKO) line was also developed to study the effects of the loss of Foxp1 in the adult brain with a focus on the loss of Foxp1 from the cortex. Owing to lethality at E9 a Mef2c CKO line was also developed and initial in vitro findings from this line are presented in Appendix 8 of this Thesis. Chapter 3 characterised the wild type (WT) expression pattern of FOXP1 from E10 to P7 through the co-localisation of FOXP1 with the established MSN markers CTIP2 and DARPP-32. In vitro characterisation of cultures generated from striate of Foxp1-/- mice showed a decrease in the number of CTIP2 and DARPP-32 positive cells compared to littermate controls but that there were no differences in the proliferation of these cells between groups. Finally, results from immunohistochemistry on selected striatal KO brain sections suggested that Foxp1 may function downstream of Ascl1 and Gsh2 in striatal development. In Chapter 4 E14 or E12 striatal tissue from all three genotypes was grafted into an adult QA-lesion mouse model. Such experiments allowed striatal neurons from Foxp1-/- mice to survive for much longer periods than was possible in vitro and provided them with the opportunity to make some of their normal connections. Results showed that there were fewer DARPP-32 positive cells in grafts from Foxp1-/-compared to controls, as with in Chapter 3. Moreover, FOXP1 was identified as a novel maker of P-zones in grafts derived from whole ganglionic eminence. Chapter 5 addressed the generation of a Foxp1 CKO mouse model under the control of an hGFAP-Cre line (Foxp1 CKO). Histology showed that FOXP1 was lost from all layers of the cortex, but expression was maintained in the striatum. Mice appeared hyperactive in the home cage compared to littermate controls, and as mutations in FOXP1 have been associated with autism spectrum disorders, of which ADHD falls under, led to directed behavioural analysis targeting the symptoms of ADHD. Analysis revealed Foxp1 CKO mice were significantly hyperactive (activity boxe and open-field data) and inattentive (5 choice serial reaction time task) but had no anxiety problems (elevated plus maze and marble burying task). These symptoms were shown to be reduced following the administration of atomoxetine, a drug prescirbed to patients with ADHD. Results collectively suggested that the Foxp1 CKO line is a new mouse model of ADHD

Ill Effects of Smoking: Baseline Knowledge among School Children and Implementation of the “AntE Tobacco” Project

Introduction. Cigarette smoking contributes to the deaths of more than 400,000 Americans annually. Each day >3,000 children and adolescents become regular smokers. This paper details a new antitobacco educational program titled “AntE Tobacco” Method. Children in grades 1–3 were administered a 10-item questionnaire to ascertain their baseline knowledge about the ill effects of smoking, shown an educational cartoon video depicting the ill effects of tobacco, and given a story book based on the video. At the end of video, children were administered a questionnaire to determine short-term recall of the antitobacco educational objectives of the program. Four to 6 weeks later, the children were then administered a follow-up survey to determine long-term retention of the anti tobacco educational program. Result. Eighty two percent of the children answered the outcome questions correctly immediately following the video. At follow-up, 4–6 weeks later, 83% of children answered all questions correctly. Conclusion. The anti tobacco education program used in this study effectively conveyed most of the educational objectives. The results of this study indicate that a multimedia (i.e., video and book) educational program can be used to educate and reinforce anti tobacco messages. This program may be very useful as a part of a comprehensive anti tobacco curriculum in school systems

Functional modulation of IFT kinesins extends the sensory repertoire of ciliated neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans

The diversity of sensory cilia on Caenorhabditis elegans neurons allows the animal to detect a variety of sensory stimuli. Sensory cilia are assembled by intraflagellar transport (IFT) kinesins, which transport ciliary precursors, bound to IFT particles, along the ciliary axoneme for incorporation into ciliary structures. Using fluorescence microscopy of living animals and serial section electron microscopy of high pressure–frozen, freeze-substituted IFT motor mutants, we found that two IFT kinesins, homodimeric OSM-3 kinesin and heterotrimeric kinesin II, function in a partially redundant manner to build full-length amphid channel cilia but are completely redundant for building full-length amphid wing (AWC) cilia. This difference reflects cilia-specific differences in OSM-3 activity, which serves to extend distal singlets in channel cilia but not in AWC cilia, which lack such singlets. Moreover, AWC-specific chemotaxis assays reveal novel sensory functions for kinesin II in these wing cilia. We propose that kinesin II is a “canonical” IFT motor, whereas OSM-3 is an “accessory” IFT motor, and that subtle changes in the deployment or actions of these IFT kinesins can contribute to differences in cilia morphology, cilia function, and sensory perception

Free 25-hydroxyvitamin D is low in obesity, but there are no adverse associations with bone health

Background: The mechanism and clinical significance of low circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] in obese people are unknown. Low total 25(OH)D may be due to low vitamin D–binding proteins (DBPs) or faster metabolic clearance. However, obese people have a higher bone mineral density (BMD), which suggests that low 25(OH)D may not be associated with adverse consequences for bone. Objective: We sought to determine whether 1) vitamin D metabolism and 2) its association with bone health differ by body weight. Design: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of 223 normal-weight, overweight, and obese men and women aged 25–75 y in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, in the fall and spring. A subgroup of 106 subjects was also assessed in the winter. We used novel techniques, including an immunoassay for free 25(OH)D, a stable isotope for the 25(OH)D3 half-life, and high-resolution quantitative tomography, to make a detailed assessment of vitamin D physiology and bone health. Results: Serum total 25(OH)D was lower in obese and overweight subjects than in normal-weight subjects in the fall and spring (geometric means: 45.0 and 40.8 compared with 58.6 nmol/L, respectively; P < 0.001) but not in the winter. Serum 25(OH)D was inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI) in the fall and spring and in the winter. Free 25(OH)D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] were lower in obese subjects. DBP, the DBP genotype, and the 25(OH)D3 half-life did not differ between BMI groups. Bone turnover was lower, and bone density was higher, in obese people. Conclusions: Total and free 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D are lower at higher BMI, which cannot be explained by lower DBP or the shorter half-life of 25(OH)D3. We speculate that low 25(OH)D in obesity is due to a greater pool of distribution. Lower 25(OH)D may not reflect at-risk skeletal health in obese people, and BMI should be considered when interpreting serum 25(OH)D as a marker of vitamin D status

Molecular regulation of striatal development: a review

The central nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is a complex organ that processes and coordinates activities of the body in bilaterian, higher-order animals. The development of the brain mirrors its complex function as it requires intricate genetic signalling at specific times, and deviations from this can lead to brain malformations such as anencephaly. Research into how the CNS is specified and patterned has been studied extensively in chick, fish, frog, and mice, but findings from the latter will be emphasised here as higher-order mammals show most similarity to the human brain. Specifically, we will focus on the embryonic development of an important forebrain structure, the striatum (also known as the dorsal striatum or neostriatum). Over the past decade, research on striatal development in mice has led to an influx of new information about the genes involved, but the precise orchestration between the genes, signalling molecules, and transcription factors remains unanswered. We aim to summarise what is known to date about the tightly controlled network of interacting genes that control striatal development. This paper will discuss early telencephalon patterning and dorsal ventral patterning with specific reference to the genes involved in striatal development

Inhibition of glycolysis modulates prednisolone resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Treatment failure in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is related to cellular resistance to glucocorticoids (eg, prednisolone). Recently, we demonstrated that genes associated with glucose metabolism are differentially expressed between prednisolone-sensitive and prednisolone-resistant precursor B-lineage leukemic patients. Here, we show that prednisolone resistance is associated with increased glucose consumption and that inhibition of glycolysis sensitizes prednisolone-resistant ALL cell lines to glucocorticoids. Treatment of prednisolone-resistant Jurkat and Molt4 cells with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), lonidamine (LND), or3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) increased the in vitro sensitivity to glucocorticoids, while treatment of the prednisolone-sensitive cell lines Tom-1 and RS4; 11 did not influence drug cyto-toxicity. This sensitizing effect of the glycolysis inhibitors in glucocorticoid-resistant ALL cells was not found for other classes of antileukemic drugs (ie, vincris-tine and daunorubicin). Moreover, down-regulation of the expression of GAPDH by RNA interference also sensitized to prednisolone, comparable with treatment with glycolytic inhibitors. Importantly, the ability of 2-DG to reverse glucocorticoid resistance was not limited to cell lines, but was also observed in isolated primary ALL cells from patients. Together, these findings indicate the importance of the glycolytic pathway in glucocorticoid resistance in ALL and suggest that targeting glycolysis is a viable strategy for modulating prednisolone resistance in ALL