Human iPSC-derived astrocytes transplanted into the mouse brain undergo morphological changes in response to amyloid-beta plaques

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence for a direct contribution of astrocytes to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes causing Alzheimer’s disease comes from molecular and functional studies in rodent models. However, these models may not fully recapitulate human disease as human and rodent astrocytes differ considerably in morphology, functionality, and gene expression. RESULTS: To address these challenges, we established an approach to study human astrocytes within the mouse brain by transplanting human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived astrocyte progenitors into neonatal brains. Xenografted hiPSC-derived astrocyte progenitors differentiated into astrocytes that integrated functionally within the mouse host brain and matured in a cell-autonomous way retaining human-specific morphologies, unique features, and physiological properties. In Alzheimer´s chimeric brains, transplanted hiPSC-derived astrocytes responded to the presence of amyloid plaques undergoing morphological changes that seemed independent of the APOE allelic background. CONCLUSIONS: In sum, we describe here a promising approach that consist of transplanting patient-derived and genetically modified astrocytes into the mouse brain to study human astrocyte pathophysiology in the context of Alzheimer´s disease

Tetraspanin 6: a pivotal protein of the multiple vesicular body determining exosome release and lysosomal degradation of amyloid precursor protein fragments

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms behind Aβ-peptide accumulation in non-familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remain elusive. Proteins of the tetraspanin family modulate Aβ production by interacting to γ-secretase. METHODS: We searched for tetraspanins with altered expression in AD brains. The function of the selected tetraspanin was studied in vitro and the physiological relevance of our findings was confirmed in vivo. RESULTS: Tetraspanin-6 (TSPAN6) is increased in AD brains and overexpression in cells exerts paradoxical effects on Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) metabolism, increasing APP-C-terminal fragments (APP-CTF) and Aβ levels at the same time. TSPAN6 affects autophagosome-lysosomal fusion slowing down the degradation of APP-CTF. TSPAN6 recruits also the cytosolic, exosome-forming adaptor syntenin which increases secretion of exosomes that contain APP-CTF. CONCLUSIONS: TSPAN6 is a key player in the bifurcation between lysosomal-dependent degradation and exosome mediated secretion of APP-CTF. This corroborates the central role of the autophagosomal/lysosomal pathway in APP metabolism and shows that TSPAN6 is a crucial player in APP-CTF turnover

Effects of dipole position, orientation and noise on the accuracy of EEG source localization

BACKGROUND: The electroencephalogram (EEG) reflects the electrical activity in the brain on the surface of scalp. A major challenge in this field is the localization of sources in the brain responsible for eliciting the EEG signal measured at the scalp. In order to estimate the location of these sources, one must correctly model the sources, i.e., dipoles, as well as the volume conductor in which the resulting currents flow. In this study, we investigate the effects of dipole depth and orientation on source localization with varying sets of simulated random noise in 4 realistic head models. METHODS: Dipole simulations were performed using realistic head models and using the boundary element method (BEM). In all, 92 dipole locations placed in temporal and parietal regions of the head with varying depth and orientation were investigated along with 6 different levels of simulated random noise. Localization errors due to dipole depth, orientation and noise were investigated. RESULTS: The results indicate that there are no significant differences in localization error due tangential and radial dipoles. With high levels of simulated Gaussian noise, localization errors are depth-dependant. For low levels of added noise, errors are similar for both deep and superficial sources. CONCLUSION: It was found that if the signal-to-noise ratio is above a certain threshold, localization errors in realistic head models are, on average the same for deep and superficial sources. As the noise increases, localization errors increase, particularly for deep sources

Airborne Drones for Water Quality Mapping in Inland, Transitional and Coastal Waters—MapEO Water Data Processing and Validation

Using airborne drones to monitor water quality in inland, transitional or coastal surface waters is an emerging research field. Airborne drones can fly under clouds at preferred times, capturing data at cm resolution, filling a significant gap between existing in situ, airborne and satellite remote sensing capabilities. Suitable drones and lightweight cameras are readily available on the market, whereas deriving water quality products from the captured image is not straightforward; vignetting effects, georeferencing, the dynamic nature and high light absorption efficiency of water, sun glint and sky glint effects require careful data processing. This paper presents the data processing workflow behind MapEO water, an end-to-end cloud-based solution that deals with the complexities of observing water surfaces and retrieves water-leaving reflectance and water quality products like turbidity and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration. MapEO water supports common camera types and performs a geometric and radiometric correction and subsequent conversion to reflectance and water quality products. This study shows validation results of water-leaving reflectance, turbidity and Chl-a maps derived using DJI Phantom 4 pro and MicaSense cameras for several lakes across Europe. Coefficients of determination values of 0.71 and 0.93 are obtained for turbidity and Chl-a, respectively. We conclude that airborne drone data has major potential to be embedded in operational monitoring programmes and can form useful links between satellite and in situ observations

Stress-induced decreases in local cerebral glucose utilization in specific regions of the mouse brain

BACKGROUND: Restraint stress in rodents has been reported to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and to increase c-fos expression in regions that express components of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system. We have previously reported that acute central administration of CRF increased a measure of relative local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU), a measure of neuronal activity in specific brain regions, and activated the HPA axis in mice. It was hypothesized that the involvement of the CRF system in the stress response would lead to similar changes in relative LCGU after restraint stress. In the present studies the effect of restraint stress on relative LCGU and on the HPA axis in C57BL/6N mice were examined. FINDINGS: Restraint stress activated the HPA axis in a restraint-duration dependent manner, but in contrast to the reported effects of CRF, significantly decreased relative LCGU in frontal cortical, thalamic, hippocampal and temporal dissected regions. These findings support evidence that stressors enforcing limited physical activity reduce relative LCGU, in contrast to high activity stressors such as swim stress. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the present studies do not support the hypothesis that stress-induced changes in relative LCGU are largely mediated by the CRF system. Further studies will help to delineate the role of the CRF system in the early phases of the relative LCGU response to stress and investigate the role of other neurotransmitter systems in this response

Adenosine induces growth-cone turning of sensory neurons

The formation of appropriate connections between neurons and their specific targets is an essential step during development and repair of the nervous system. Growth cones are located at the leading edges of the growing neurites and respond to environmental cues in order to be guided to their final targets. Directional information can be coded by concentration gradients of substrate-bound or diffusible-guidance molecules. Here we show that concentration gradients of adenosine stimulate growth cones of sensory neurons (dorsal root ganglia) from chicken embryos to turn towards the adenosine source. This response is mediated by adenosine receptors. The subsequent signal transduction process involves cAMP. It may be speculated that the in vivo function of this response is concerned with the formation or the repair and regeneration of the peripheral nervous system

Contralateral breast cancer risk in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer

We aimed to assess contralateral breast cancer (CBC) risk in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) compared with invasive breast cancer (BC). Women diagnosed with DCIS (N = 28,003) or stage I–III BC (N = 275,836) between 1989 and 2017 were identified from the nationwide Netherlands Cancer Registry. Cumulative incidences were estimated, accounting for competing risks, and hazard ratios (HRs) for metachronous invasive CBC. To evaluate effects of adjuvant systemic therapy and screening, separate analyses were performed for stage I BC without adjuvant systemic therapy and by mode of first BC detection. Multivariable models including clinico-pathological and treatment data were created to assess CBC risk prediction performance in DCIS patients. The 10- year cumulative incidence of invasive CBC was 4.8% for DCIS patients (CBC = 1334). Invasive CBC risk was higher in DCIS patients compared with invasive BC overall (HR = 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04–1.17), and lower compared with stage I BC without adjuvant systemic therapy (HR = 0.87; 95% CI = 0.82–0.92). In patients diagnosed ≥2011, the HR for invasive CBC was 1.38 (95% CI = 1.35–1.68) after screen-detected DCIS compared with screen-detected invasive BC, and was 2.14 (95% CI = 1.46–3.13) when not screen-detected. The C-index was 0.52 (95% CI = 0.50–0.54) for invasive CBC prediction in DCIS patients. In conclusion, CBC risks are low overall. DCIS patients had a slightly higher risk of invasive CBC compared with invasive BC, likely explained by the risk-reducing effect of (neo)adjuvant systemic therapy among BC patients. For support of clinical decision making more information is needed to differentiate CBC risks among DCIS patient

Functional brain network centrality is related to APOE genotype in cognitively normal elderly

INTRODUCTION: Amyloid plaque deposition in the brain is an early pathological change in Alzheimer's disease (AD), causing disrupted synaptic connections. Brain network disruptions in AD have been demonstrated with eigenvector centrality (EC), a measure that identifies central regions within networks. Carrying an apolipoprotein (APOE)-ε4 allele is a genetic risk for AD, associated with increased amyloid deposition. We studied whether APOE-ε4 carriership is associated with EC disruptions in cognitively normal individuals. METHODS: A total of 261 healthy middle-aged to older adults (mean age 56.6 years) were divided into high-risk (APOE-ε4 carriers) and low-risk (noncarriers) groups. EC was computed from resting-state functional MRI data. Clusters of between-group differences were assessed with a permutation-based method. Correlations between cluster mean EC with brain volume, CSF biomarkers, and psychological test scores were assessed. RESULTS: Decreased EC in the visual cortex was associated with APOE-ε4 carriership, a genetic risk factor for AD. EC differences were correlated with age, CSF amyloid levels, and scores on the trail-making and 15-object recognition tests. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the APOE-ε4 genotype affects brain connectivity in regions previously found to be abnormal in AD as a sign of very early disease-related pathology. These differences were too subtle in healthy elderly to use EC for single-subject prediction of APOE genotype

The gene for trypsin inhibitor CMe is regulated in trans by the lys 3a locus in the endosperm of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

A cDNA encoding trypsin inhibitor CMe from barley endosperm has been cloned and characterized. The longest open reading frame of the cloned cDNA codes for a typical signal peptide of 24 residues followed by a sequence which is identical to the known amino acid sequence of the inhibitor, except for an Ile/Leu substitution at position 59. Southern blot analysis of wheat-barley addition lines has shown that chromosome 3H of barley carries the gene for CMe. This protein is present at less than 2%–3% of the wild-type amount in the mature endosperm of the mutant Risø 1508 with respect to Bomi barley, from which it has been derived, and the corresponding steady state levels of the CMe mRNA are about I%. One or two copies of the CMe gene (synonym Itc1) per haploid genome have been estimated both in the wild type and in the mutant, and DNA restriction patterns are identical in both stocks, so neither a change in copy number nor a major rearrangement of the structural gene account for the markedly decreased expression. The mutation at the lys 3a locus in Risø 1508 has been previously mapped in chromosome 7 (synonym 5H). A single dose of the wild-type allele at this locus (Lys 3a) restores the expression of gene CMe (allele CMe-1) in chromosome 3H to normal levels

Regulation of Kainate Receptor Subunit mRNA by Stress and Corticosteroids in the Rat Hippocampus

Kainate receptors are a class of ionotropic glutamate receptors that have a role in the modulation of glutamate release and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal formation. Previous studies have implicated corticosteroids in the regulation of these receptors and recent clinical work has shown that polymorphisms in kainate receptor subunit genes are associated with susceptibility to major depression and response to anti-depressant treatment. In the present study we sought to examine the effects of chronic stress and corticosteroid treatments upon the expression of the mRNA of kainate receptor subunits GluR5-7 and KA1-2. Our results show that, after 7 days, adrenalectomy results in increased expression of hippocampal KA1, GluR6 and GluR7 mRNAs, an effect which is reversed by treatment with corticosterone in the case of KA1 and GluR7 and by aldosterone treatment in the case of GluR6. 21 days of chronic restraint stress (CRS) elevated the expression of the KA1 subunit, but had no effect on the expression of the other subunits. Similarly, 21 days of treatment with a moderate dose of corticosterone also increased KA1 mRNA in the dentate gyrus, whereas a high corticosterone dose has no effect. Our results suggest an interaction between hippocampal kainate receptor composition and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and show a selective chronic stress induced modulation of the KA1 subunit in the dentate gyrus and CA3 that has implications for stress-induced adaptive structural plasticity