β‐Catenin expression in human neural cell lines following exposure to cytokines and growth factors

β‐Catenin acts as a key mediator of the Wnt/Wingless signaling pathway involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and survival. Recent studies have shown that an unstable interaction between β‐catenin and the mutant presenilin‐1 induces neuronal apoptosis, and that β‐catenin levels are decreased in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Since activated microglia and astrocytes play a role in the process of neuronal degeneration in AD, the cytokine/growth factor‐regulated expression of β‐catenin in human neural cell lines, including NTera2 teratocarcinoma‐derived differentiated neurons (NTera2‐N), IMR‐32 neuroblastoma, SKN‐SH neuroblastoma and U‐373MG astrocytoma, was studied quantitatively following exposure to epidermal growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, interferon (IFN)‐γ, transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1, dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) (dbcAMP) or phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA). β‐Catenin mRNA expressed constitutively in all of these cell lines was unaffected by treatment with any factors examined. In contrast, β‐catenin protein levels were reduced markedly in NTera2‐N cells by exposure to dbcAMP, EGF or bFGF, and in U‐373MG cells by treatment with dbcAMP or PMA, but were unaffected in any cell lines by BDNF, TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IFN‐γ or TGF‐β1. These results indicate that β‐catenin is expressed constitutively in human neural cells and downregulated at a protein level by a set of growth factors in a cell type‐specific manner.     

Alpha-synuclein expression is up-regulated in NTera2 cells during neuronal differentiation but unaffected by exposure to cytokines and neurotrophic factors

Increasing evidence has indicated that proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-1beta, produced by activated microglia and astrocytes, play a key role in progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). Since alpha-synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies in PD brains, we studied the constitutive and cytokine/neurotrophic factor-regulated expression of alpha-synuclein in cultured human neurons by Northern blot and Western blot analyses. The constitutive expression of alpha-synuclein mRNA was identified in a variety of human neural and non-neural cell lines. The levels of alpha-synuclein expression were elevated markedly in NTera2 teratocarcinoma cells following retinoic acid-induced neuronal differentiation, accompanied with an increased expression of synphilin-1, while they were unaltered in NTera2-derived differentiated neurons by exposure to TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, BDNF or GDNF. These results indicate that alpha-synuclein expression in human neurons is up-regulated during differentiation, but is unaffected by a panel of cytokines and neurotrophic factors which are supposed to be involved in the nigral neuronal death and survival.     

Nurr1对小胶质细胞联合神经干细胞共培养促进神经干细胞向多巴胺神经元分化作用研究

目的探讨联合过表达核受体相关因子1(Nurr1)基因的小胶质细胞(MG)和神经干细胞(NSC)共培养对神经干细胞向多巴胺神经元分化的影响。方法原代培养SD大鼠神经干细胞和小胶质细胞,并过表达Nurr1基因。CCK-8法检测Nurr1过表达对神经干细胞以及小胶质细胞活率的影响。Transwell系统共培养神经干细胞和小胶质细胞,实验分为NSC组、NSC+MG组和N(NSC+MG)组。ELISA检测共培养后第3天、第6天和第9天各组脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)、血小板源性神经营养因子(PDNF)和胶质细胞源性神经营养因子(GDNF)表达变化;RT-PCR和Western Blot检测各组第9天酪氨酸羟化酶(TH)、多巴胺转运蛋白(DAT)DAT和Nurr1的表达变化;细胞免疫荧光鉴定神经干细胞的分化,并对TH和DAT阳性细胞计数,计算各组神经干细胞向多巴胺神经元的分化效率。结果原代培养小胶质细胞以及神经干细胞并成功过表达Nurr1基因。CCK-8法检测结果表明,Nurr1过表达对神经干细胞以及小胶质细胞活率无明显影响。ELISA检测结果表明,N(NSC+MG)组在不同时间点神经营养因子(BDNF、PDNF和GDNF)表达量明显高于其他各组(P0.05)。RT-PCR和Westen Blot检测结果表明,N(NSC+MG)组TH、DAT和Nurr1的表达水平明显高于其他各组(P0.05)。细胞免疫荧光鉴定结果表明,N(NSC+MG)组TH阳性细胞率明显高于其他各组(P0.05)。结论Nurr1基因可促进神经干细胞和小胶质细胞共培养系统神经营养因子的分泌。过表达Nurr1基因的神经干细胞和小胶质细胞共培养可促进神经干细胞向多巴胺神经元的分化。     

Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (PGP9.5) expression in human neural cell lines following induction of neuronal differentiation and exposure to cytokines, neurotrophic factors or heat stress

Dysfunction of the ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway contributes to progressive accumulation of ubiquitinated protein inclusions in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), alternatively designated protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5), is a neural deubiquitinating enzyme which is identified as a principal constituent of Lewy bodies. To clarify the regulatory mechanism of UCH-L1 expression in human neural cells, we studied the constitutive, cytokine/neurotrophic factor-regulated, and heat stress-induced expression of UCH-L1 in cultured human neural cell lines by Western blot analysis. The constitutive expression of UCH-L1 was identified in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells, IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells, U-373MG astrocytoma cells, and NTera2 teratocarcinoma-derived differentiated neurones (NTera2-N). The levels of UCH-L1 expression were unaltered in these cell lines following treatment with TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, BDNF, GDNF, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, and remained unchanged by exposure to heat stress. In contrast, its levels were elevated substantially in NTera2 teratocarcinoma cells following retinoic acid-induced neuronal differentiation, accompanied with an increased expression of alpha-synuclein and synaptophysin. These results indicate that UCH-L1 is expressed constitutively in human neual cell lines, where it is upregulated following induction of neuronal differentiation, but unaffected by exposure to heat stress, cytokines, or growth/differentiation factors which are supposed to be invloved in the nigral neuronal death and survival in PD.     

Constitutive and cytokine-regulated expression of presenilin-1 and presenilin-2 genes in human neural cell lines

To investigate the role of pleiotropic neuronal and glial cytokines in the regulation of presenilin (PS) gene expression in human neural cells, both presenilin-1 (PS1) and presenilin-2 (PS2) mRNA levels were analysed by Northern blotting in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma, IMR-32 neuroblastoma, NTera2 teratocarcinoma-derived differentiated neurones (NTera2-N) and U-373MG astrocytoma cells following exposure to proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, or IL-1beta), anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10 or TGF-beta1), dibutyryl cyclic AMP or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The constitutive expression of PS1 (3.0 kb) and PS2 (2.3 kb) mRNA was identified in all these cell lines, in which PS1 mRNA levels were unaltered following treatment with any cytokines and factors examined. By contrast, PS2 mRNA expression was upregulated substantially in SK-N-SH cells by exposure to TNF-alpha and in U-373MG cells by treatment with IFN-gamma, whereas it was downregulated in both NTera2-N and U-373 MG cells following exposure to IL-1beta or PMA. The levels of PS2 mRNA remained unchanged in IMR-32 cells after these treatments. These results indicate that PS1 and PS2 genes are expressed constitutively in a panel of human neural cell lines where PS2 mRNA expression is affected by a distinct set of cytokines via cell type-specific mechanisms that do not alter PS1 mRNA levels, suggesting the existence of separated regulatory systems controlling the expression of PS1 and PS2 genes in human neural cells.     

In vitro differentiation of neural stem cells derived from human olfactory bulb into dopaminergic‐like neurons

This study describes a new accessible source of neuronal stem cells that can be used in Parkinson's disease cell transplant. The human olfactory bulb contains neural stem cells (NSCs) that are responsible for neurogenesis in the brain and the replacement of damaged cellular components throughout life. NSCs are capable of differentiating into neuronal and glial cells. We isolated NSCs from the olfactory bulb of brain‐death donors and differentiated them into dopaminergic neurons. The olfactory bulb tissues obtained were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium/nutrient mixture F12, B27 supplemented with basic fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor and leukemia inhibitory factor. The NSCs and proliferation markers were assessed. The multipotentiality of olfactory bulb NSCs was demonstrated by their capacity to differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. To generate dopaminergic neurons, olfactory bulb NSCs were differentiated in neurobasal medium, supplemented with B27, and treated with sonic hedgehog, fibroblast growth factor 8 and glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor from the 7th to the 21st day, followed by detection of dopaminergic neuronal markers including tyrosine hydroxylase and aromatic l ‐amino acid decarboxylase. The cells were expanded, established in continuous cell lines and differentiated into the two classical neuronal phenotypes. The percentage of co‐positive cells (microtubule‐associated protein 2 and tyrosine hydroxylase; aromatic l‐amino acid decarboxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase) in the treated cells was significantly higher than in the untreated cells. These results illustrate the existence of multipotent NSCs in the adult human olfactory bulb that are capable of differentiating toward putative dopaminergic neurons in the presence of trophic factors. Taken together, our data encourage further investigations of the possible use of olfactory bulb NSCs as a promising cell‐based therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.     

Promoting directional axon growth from neural progenitors grafted into the injured spinal cord

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition characterized by disruption of axonal connections, failure of axonal regeneration, and loss of motor and sensory function. The therapeutic promise of neural stem cells has been focused on cell replacement, but many obstacles remain in obtaining neuronal integration following transplantation into the injured CNS. This study investigated the neurotransmitter identity and axonal growth potential of neural progenitors following grafting into adult rats with a dorsal column lesion. We found that using a combination of neuronal and glial restricted progenitors (NRP and GRP) produced graft‐derived glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons within the injury site, with minimal axonal extension. Administration of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with the graft promoted modest axonal growth from grafted cells. In contrast, injecting a lentiviral vector expressing BDNF rostral into the injured area generated a neurotrophin gradient and promoted directional growth of axons for up to 9 mm. Animals injected with BDNF lentivirus (at 2.5 and 5.0 mm) showed significantly more axons and significantly longer axons than control animals injected with GFP lentivirus. However, only the 5.0‐mm‐BDNF group showed a preference for extension in the rostral direction. We concluded that NRP/GRP grafts can be used to produce excitatory and inhibitory neurons, and neurotrophin gradients can guide axonal growth from graft‐derived neurons toward putative targets. Together they can serve as a building block for neuronal cell replacement of local circuits and formation of neuronal relays. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The neurotrophin family of NGF-related neurotrophic factors

The recent molecular cloning of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) has established the existence of an NGF-related family of neurotrophic factors - the neurotrophins. Purification and recombinant production of BDNF and NT-3 has allowed the initiation or extension of in vitro studies of the neuronal specificity of each of these factors. We have found that NT-3, like NGF and BDNF, promotes survival and neurite outgrowth from certain populations of sensory neurons. There appear to be both distinct and overlapping specificities of the 3 neurotrophins towards peripheral neurons - sympathetic neurons and subpopulations of neural crest and neural placode-derived sensory neurons. Using cultures of central nervous system neurons, we have recently established that BDNF: (i) promotes the survival and phenotypic differentiation of rat septal cholinergic neurons, a property consistent with the discovery of high levels of BDNF mRNA expression within the hippocampus; (ii) promotes the survival of rat nigral dopaminergic neurons and furthermore protects these neurons from two dopaminergic neurotoxins, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and MPTP. Thus the neurotrophic effects of these factors towards peripheral neurons and neuronal populations known to degenerate in two of the major human neurodegenerative diseases - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease - provokes the question of whether neurotrophic factors may have therapeutic potential in halting the progression and ameliorating the symptoms of devastating neurological disorders of the CNS or PNS, or improving regeneration of neurons of CNS or PNS after traumatic injury.     

Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor enhances in vitro differentiation of mid‐/hindbrain neural progenitor cells to dopaminergic‐like neurons

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects the motor system through the degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. The use of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)‐derived human neural progenitor (hNP) cells provides a potential cell source for cell therapies and drug screens for future treatments. Glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a known dopaminergic neuroprotectant agent; however, its potential role in neural differentiation remains largely unknown. Addition of 25 ng/ml GDNF to hNP cell differentiation media, over a 21‐day period, induced a significantly (P < 0.05) greater portion of hNP cells to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons than non‐GDNF cultures, 50% compared with 2.9% of cells expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), respectively. The hNP cells exposed to GDNF selectively expressed dopamine receptors 1, 4, and 5 and were evoked to release dopamine with KCl. This is the first report of GDNF and leukemia inhibitory factor enriching hESC‐derived hNP cells toward dopaminergic‐like neurons. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Nurr1的分子结构、分布和生理功能研究进展

Nurr1属于孤金儿核受体的超家族，人类Nurr1基因位于2号染色体，在中枢多巴胺能系统中高度表达，与中脑多巴胺能神经元的发育、存活密切相关，本文对Nurr1的分子结构、分布及生理功能作一综述。