Characterization of voltage-sensitive dye for in vivo imaging of neuronal network by two photon microscopy

Poste

Different outcomes of unliganded and liganded estrogen receptor-alpha on neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells.

International audienceA precise description of the mechanisms by which estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) exerts its influences on cellular growth and differentiation is still pending. Here, we report that the differentiation of PC12 cells is profoundly affected by ERalpha. Importantly, depending upon its binding to 17beta-estradiol (17betaE2), ERalpha is found to exert different effects on pathways involved in nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling. Indeed, upon its stable expression in PC12 cells, unliganded ERalpha is able to partially inhibit the neurite outgrowth induced by NGF. This process involves a repression of MAPK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathways, which leads to a negative regulation of markers of neuronal differentiation such as VGF and NFLc. This repressive action of unliganded ERalpha is mediated by its D domain and does not involve its transactivation and DNA-binding domains, thereby suggesting that direct transcriptional activity of ERalpha is not required. In contrast with this repressive action occurring in the absence of 17betaE2, the expression of ERalpha in PC12 cells allows 17betaE2 to potentiate the NGF-induced neurite outgrowth. Importantly, 17betaE2 has no impact on NGF-induced activity of MAPK and Akt signaling pathways. The mechanisms engaged by liganded ERalpha are thus unlikely to rely on an antagonism of the inhibition mediated by the unliganded ERalpha. Furthermore, 17betaE2 enhances NGF-induced response of VGF and NFLc neuronal markers in PC12 clones expressing ERalpha. This stimulatory effect of 17betaE2 requires the transactivation functions of ERalpha and its D domain, suggesting that an estrogen-responsive element-independent transcriptional mechanism is potentially relevant for the neuritogenic properties of 17betaE2 in ERalpha-expressing PC12 cells

Impact of the estrogen receptor-alpha expression on PC12 cell differentiation and apoptosis.

PosterNumerous studies, both in vivo and in vitro, have reported neuroprotective and neuronal differentiating actions of estrogens. Most of these estrogenic effects are mediated through specific receptors termed estrogen receptors. The aim of this study was to assess the importance of the estrogen receptor-alpha (ERα) and its different domains in these neuronal processes. We report that unliganded and liganded ERα have profound and distinct effects on neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells by affecting several pathways involved in the nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling. Stably expressed in PC12 cells, the unliganded ER partially inhibits neurite outgrowth induced by NGF. This takes place through a repression of MAPK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways leading to a negative regulation in the expression of neuronal markers. The repressive action of the unliganded ERα is mediated by its D domain but does not involve transactivation and DNA binding domains of ERα, suggesting that a direct transcriptional activity of ERα is not required. Beside the repressive action, ERα expression in PC12 cells allows an estrogenic potentiation of NGF-induced neurite outgrowth to occur. Such effect can not be ascribed to a release of the inhibition induced by the unliganded ERα since 17βE2 has no effect on NGF-induced activity of the MAPK and Akt signaling pathways. On the other hand, 17βE2 is able to enhance NGF-induced response of VGF and NFLc neuronal markers in ERα PC12 clones. This potentiation is mediated by the transactivation functions of the receptor and its D domain indicating that an ERE-independent transcriptional mechanism is potentially relevant for the neuritogenic properties of 17βE2 in ERα expressing PC12 cells. Our work demonstrates also that following serum starvation, an estrogen-independent protection against apoptosis occurs in stably transfected PC12 cells expressing ERα. The N-terminal domain which contains transactivation function 1 and the DNA binding domain of ERα are not essential for the antiapoptotic effects of the receptor. In contrast, the D domain and the C-terminal domain are required, which suggests that the protective action of ERα in PC12 cells relies on non-genomic mechanisms. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that ERα expression has a profound impact on the PC12 cell fate and underlines the key role of its D domain in differentiation and apoptosis

Apigenin, a Partial Antagonist of the Estrogen Receptor (ER), Inhibits ER-Positive Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation through Akt/FOXM1 Signaling

International audienceApproximately 80% of breast cancer (BC) cases express the estrogen receptor (ER), and 30-40% of these cases acquire resistance to endocrine therapies over time. Hyperactivation of Akt is one of the mechanisms by which endocrine resistance is acquired. Apigenin (Api), a flavone found in several plant foods, has shown beneficial effects in cancer and chronic diseases. Here, we studied the therapeutic potential of Api in the treatment of ER-positive, endocrine therapy-resistant BC. To achieve this objective, we stably overexpressed the constitutively active form of the Akt protein in MCF-7 cells (named the MCF-7/Akt clone). The proliferation of MCF-7/Akt cells is partially independent of estradiol (E2) and exhibits an incomplete response to the anti-estrogen agent 4-hydroxytamoxifen, demonstrating the resistance of these cells to hormone therapy. Api exerts an antiproliferative effect on the MCF-7/Akt clone. Api inhibits the proliferative effect of E2 by inducing G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Importantly, Api inhibits the Akt/FOXM1 signaling pathway by decreasing the expression of FOXM1, a key transcription factor involved in the cell cycle. Api also alters the expression of genes regulated by FOXM1, including cell cycle-related genes, particularly in the MCF-7/Akt clone. Together, our results strengthen the therapeutic potential of Api for the treatment of endocrine-resistant BC

Androgens Upregulate cyp19a1b (Aromatase B) Gene Expression in the Brain of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Through Estrogen Receptors.

International audienceThe brain of teleosts is known for its strong aromatase expression, exhibiting unique features compared with other vertebrates. Among these features is the high sensitivity of aromatase B (the product of cyp19a1b) to estrogens. This effect involves the binding of estrogen receptors on an estrogen-responsive element (ERE) of the cyp19a1b promoter. Given the presence of potential androgen-responsive elements (AREs) on this promoter, in vivo and in vitro effects of androgens were studied. Using immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR on zebrafish embryos, we found that cyp19a1b is upregulated by testosterone, an aromatizable androgen, and by 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a nonaromatizable androgen, suggesting a potential androgenic regulation of cyp19a1b through androgen receptors (ARs). To assess a putative direct regulation of the cyp19a1b gene by ARs, we transfected U251MG cells with zebrafish AR together with a luciferase reporter gene driven by 3000 bp of the proximal cyp19a1b promoter containing the ERE and potential AREs. Interestingly, although zebrafish AR activated luciferase reporter genes controlled by AREs, they failed to induce the cyp19a1b-luciferase construct. These data suggest that the androgenic regulation of cyp19a1b does not involve AR. We further showed that regulation of the cyp19a1b gene by testosterone is, in fact, due to aromatization, whereas the effect of DHT involves conversion into 5alpha-androstane-3beta,17beta-diol (betadiol), a metabolite of DHT with known estrogenic activity. The blockage of the androgen regulation of cyp19a1b expression using antiestrogens further confirmed the involvement of estrogen receptors in mediating these effects

Glyceollins trigger anti-proliferative effects through estradiol-dependent and independent pathways in breast cancer cells

International audienceBACKGROUND: Estrogen receptors (ER) α and β are found in both women and men in many tissues, where they have different functions, including having roles in cell proliferation and differentiation of the reproductive tract. In addition to estradiol (E2), a natural hormone, numerous compounds are able to bind ERs and modulate their activities. Among these compounds, phytoestrogens such as isoflavones, which are found in plants, are promising therapeutics for several pathologies. Glyceollins are second metabolites of isoflavones that are mainly produced in soybean in response to an elicitor. They have potentially therapeutic actions in breast cancer by reducing the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms driving these effects remain elusive.METHODS: First, to determine the proliferative or anti-proliferative effects of glyceollins, in vivo and in vitro approaches were used. The length of epithelial duct in mammary gland as well as uterotrophy after treatment by E2 and glyceollins and their effect on proliferation of different breast cell line were assessed. Secondly, the ability of glyceollin to activate ER was assessed by luciferase assay. Finally, to unravel molecular mechanisms involved by glyceollins, transcriptomic analysis was performed on MCF-7 breast cancer cells.RESULTS: In this study, we show that synthetic versions of glyceollin I and II exert anti-proliferative effects in vivo in mouse mammary glands and in vitro in different ER-positive and ER-negative breast cell lines. Using transcriptomic analysis, we produce for the first time an integrated view of gene regulation in response to glyceollins and reveal that these phytochemicals act through at least two major pathways. One pathway involving FOXM1 and ERα is directly linked to proliferation. The other involves the HIF family and reveals that stress is a potential factor in the anti-proliferative effects of glyceollins due to its role in increasing the expression of REDD1, an mTORC1 inhibitor.CONCLUSION: Overall, our study clearly shows that glyceollins exert anti-proliferative effects by reducing the expression of genes encoding cell cycle and mitosis-associated factors and biomarkers overexpressed in cancers and by increasing the expression of growth arrest-related genes. These results reinforce the therapeutic potential of glyceollins for breast cancer

Transcriptional landscape of human keratinocyte models exposed to 60-GHz millimeter-waves

International audienceThe use of millimeter waves (MMW) will exponentially grow in the coming years due to their future utilization in 5G/6G networks. The question of possible biological effects at these frequencies has been raised. In this present study, we aimed to investigate gene expression changes under exposure to MMW using the Bulk RNA Barcoding and sequencing (BRB-seq) technology. To address this issue, three exposure scenarios were performed aiming at: i) comparing the cellular response of two primary culture of keratinocytes (HEK and NHEK) and one keratinocyte derivate cell line (HaCaT) exposed to MMW; ii) exploring the incident power density dose-effect on gene expression in HaCaT cell line; and, iii) studying the exposure duration at the new ICNIRP exposure limit for the general population. With the exception of heat effect induced by high power MMW (over 10 mW/cm2), those exposure scenarios have not enabled us to demonstrate important gene expression changes in the different cell populations studied. Very few differentially genes were observed between MMW exposed samples and heat shock control, and most of them were significantly associated with heat shock response that may reflect small differences in the heat generation. Together these results show that acute exposure to MMW has no effects on the transcriptional landscape of human keratinocyte models under athermal conditions

Calibration of a reverberation chamber for mice exposure experiments in the 60-GHz band

International audienc

Utilisation des organoïdes intestinaux porcins pour l’étude du virus de la gastro-entérite transmissible

International audienceTo date, host-virus interactions have been studied mainly in cell cultures and/or animal models. These approaches come up against two problems: i) methodological, usually related to using immortalized cell lines, which can differ greatly from the target cells of the virus, and ii) ethical, related to experimenting with animals, which can induce varying degrees of symptoms and cause suffering and death. The recent development of organoids has made it possible to develop ex vivo models whose experimental conditions are significantly closer to physiological conditions. Using organoids makes it possible to plan to decrease animal experimentation greatly, in line with the 3Rs principle (Reduction, Refinement, Replacement), and each animal can potentially produce thousands of organoids from different tissues. The Viral Genetics and Biosafety Unit applies the porcine organoid system developed locally as part of the PigOrg project (of INRAE, ANSES and INSERM, funded by the Carnot Agrifood Transition Institute) to models of enteric coronavirosis in piglets, which has a strong impact on the pig industry. Here, we used the porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEv) as a model, for which several strains of varying virulence exist and which can be cultivated on immortalized cells, to establish protocols of infections of different organoids (jejunum, duodenum, and ileum). Infections seem more effective for the jejunum than for the duodenum or ileum, and for viruses isolated on cells than on organ homogenate. This organoid system, which connects in vitro and in vivo conditions, will open novel and original perspectives into understanding the physiopathology of virus infections, especially deciphering hostpathogen interactions, without always needing to rely on extensive animal experiments