FE65 Binds Teashirt, Inhibiting Expression of the Primate-Specific Caspase-4

The Alzheimer disease (AD) amyloid protein precursor (APP) can bind the FE65 adaptor protein and this complex can regulate gene expression. We carried out yeast two-hybrid studies with a PTB domain of FE65, focusing on those genes that might be involved in nuclear signaling, and identified and validated Teashirt proteins as FE65 interacting proteins in neurons. Using reporter systems, we observed that FE65 could simultaneously recruit SET, a component of the inhibitor of acetyl transferase, and Teashirt, which in turn recruited histone deacetylases, to produce a powerful gene-silencing complex. We screened stable cell lines with a macroarray focusing on AD-related genes and identified CASP4, encoding caspase-4, as a target of this silencing complex. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed a direct interaction of FE65 and Teashirt3 with the promoter region of CASP4. Expression studies in postmortem samples demonstrated decreasing expression of Teashirt and increasing expression of caspase-4 with progressive cognitive decline. Importantly, there were significant increases in caspase-4 expression associated with even the earliest neuritic plaque changes in AD. We evaluated a case-control cohort and observed evidence for a genetic association between the Teashirt genes TSHZ1 and TSHZ3 and AD, with the TSHZ3 SNP genotype correlating with expression of Teashirt3. The results were consistent with a model in which reduced expression of Teashirt3, mediated by genetic or other causes, increases caspase-4 expression, leading to progression of AD. Thus the cell biological, gene expression and genetic data support a role for Teashirt/caspase-4 in AD biology. As caspase-4 shows evidence of being a primate-specific gene, current models of AD and other neurodegenerative conditions may be incomplete because of the absence of this gene in the murine genome

The relationship between dopamine receptor D1 and cognitive performance.

BackgroundCognitive impairment cuts across traditional diagnostic boundaries and is one of the most typical symptoms in various psychiatric and neurobiological disorders.AimsThe objective of this study was to examine the genetic association between 94 candidate genes, including receptors and enzymes that participate in neurotransmission, with measures of cognition.MethodsThe Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), a global measure of cognition, and genotypes derived from a custom array of 1,536 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 94 genes were available for a large postmortem cohort of Caucasian cases with Alzheimer's disease (AD), schizophrenia and controls (n=727). A cohort of healthy young males (n=1,493) originating from the LOGOS project (Learning On Genetics Of Schizophrenia Spectrum) profiled across multiple cognitive domains was available for targeted SNP genotyping. Gene expression was quantified in the superior temporal gyrus of control samples (n=109). The regulatory effect on transcriptional activity was assessed using the luciferase reporter system.ResultsThe rs5326-A allele at the promoter region of dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) locus was associated with: (i) poorer cognition (higher CDR) in the postmortem cohort (P=9.325×10(-4)); (ii) worse cognitive performance relevant to strategic planning in the LOGOS cohort (P=0.008); (iii) lower DRD1 gene expression in the superior temporal gyrus of controls (P=0.038); and (iv) decreased transcriptional activity in human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells (P=0.026).ConclusionsAn interdisciplinary approach combining genetics with cognitive and molecular neuroscience provided a possible mechanistic link among DRD1 and alterations in cognitive performance

Molecular and biochemical evidence for the presence of Type III adenylyl cyclase in human platelets

The isoform(s) of adenylyl cyclase (AC) present in human platelets has not been identified, and evidence supporting a role for AC in platelet aggregation is equivocal. We recently characterized deaggregation as an active component of the platelet aggregation response that may be an important determinant of the extent and duration of aggregation. Gi-coupled receptors are linked to the inhibition of AC and are targets of antiplatelet drugs. They also affect platelet aggregation by modulating deaggregation, suggesting a role for AC in modulating this response. The purpose of this study was to identify the AC isoform(s) present in human platelets and to identify its physiological modulators. RT-PCR screening of platelet, buffy coat layer cell and bone marrow megakaryocyte cDNA, and Western blot analysis with AC type III (AC-III) antibodies identified AC-III in platelets and in megakaryocytes. Human platelet AC-III was cloned and expressed in HEK293 cells and its characteristics compared to native platelet AC. Both platelet AC and cloned AC-III required Mg2þ for activity, were insensitive to Ca2þ and were Gsand Gi-coupled. Zn2þ and SQ22536 inhibited platelet AC activity. The affinity of SQ22536 was increased with Mg2þ-related stimulation of AC, while that of Zn2þ was unchanged, which is consistent with a non-competitive interaction between the two metal ions on AC. The Zn2þ chelator TPEN reversed the inhibitory effects of Zn2þ. This study identified AC-III as the predominant AC isoform in human platelets, the activity of which may affect the extent and duration of the net aggregation response by modulating deaggregation

Methylomic profiling implicates cortical deregulation of ANK1 in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by progressive neuropathology and cognitive decline. We performed a cross-tissue analysis of methylomic variation in AD using samples from four independent human post-mortem brain cohorts. We identified a differentially methylated region in the ankyrin 1 (ANK1) gene that was associated with neuropathology in the entorhinal cortex, a primary site of AD manifestation. This region was confirmed as being substantially hypermethylated in two other cortical regions (superior temporal gyrus and prefrontal cortex), but not in the cerebellum, a region largely protected from neurodegeneration in AD, or whole blood obtained pre-mortem from the same individuals. Neuropathology-associated ANK1 hypermethylation was subsequently confirmed in cortical samples from three independent brain cohorts. This study represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first epigenome-wide association study of AD employing a sequential replication design across multiple tissues and highlights the power of this approach for identifying methylomic variation associated with complex disease

Astrocyte and Glutamate Markers in the Superficial, Deep, and White Matter Layers of the Anterior Cingulate Gyrus in Schizophrenia

Most studies of the neurobiology of schizophrenia have focused on neurotransmitter systems, their receptors, and downstream effectors. Recent evidence suggests that it is no longer tenable to consider neurons and their functions independently of the glia that interact with them. Although astrocytes have been viewed as harbingers of neuronal injury and CNS stress, their principal functions include maintenance of glutamate homeostasis and recycling, mediation of saltatory conduction, and even direct neurotransmission. Results of studies of astrocytes in schizophrenia have been variable, in part because of the assessment of single and not necessarily universal markers and/or assessment of non-discrete brain regions. We used laser capture microdissection to study three distinct partitions of the anterior cingulate gyrus (layers I–III, IV–VI, and the underlying white matter) in the brains of 18 well-characterized persons with schizophrenia and 21 unaffected comparison controls. We studied the mRNA expression of nine specific markers known to be localized to astrocytes. The expression of astrocyte markers was not altered in the superficial layers or the underlying white matter of the cingulate cortex of persons with schizophrenia. However, the expression of some astrocyte markers (diodinase type II, aquaporin-4, S100β, glutaminase, excitatory amino-acid transporter 2, and thrombospondin), but not of others (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member L1, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and vimentin) was significantly reduced in the deep layers of the anterior cingulate gyrus. These findings suggest that a subset of astrocytes localized to specific cortical layers is adversely affected in schizophrenia and raise the possibility of glutamatergic dyshomeostasis in selected neuronal populations