Andrew A. Pieper

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, nitric oxide and cell death

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is a nuclear enzyme that is activated by DNA strand breaks to participate in DNA repair. Excessive activation of PARP, however, can deplete tissue stores of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), the PARP substrate which, with the resultant depletion of ATP, leads to cell death. In many cases of CNS damage, for example vascular stroke, nitric oxide release is a key stimulus to DNA damage and PARP activation. In conditions as diverse as focal cerebral ischaemia, myocardial infarction and toxin-induced diabetes, PARP inhibitors and PARP gene deletion afford dramatic protection from tissue damage. Accordingly, PARP inhibitors could provide novel therapeutic approaches in a wide range of clinical disorders.

Discovery of a Proneurogenic, Neuroprotective Chemical

An in vivo screen was performed in search of chemicals capable of enhancing neuron formation in the hippocampus of adult mice. Eight of 1000 small molecules tested enhanced neuron formation in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus. Among these was an aminopropyl carbazole, designated P7C3, endowed with favorable pharmacological properties. In vivo studies gave evidence that P7C3 exerts its proneurogenic activity by protecting newborn neurons from apoptosis. Mice missing the gene encoding neuronal PAS domain protein 3 (NPAS3) are devoid of hippocampal neurogenesis and display malformation and electrophysiological dysfunction of the dentate gyrus. Prolonged administration of P7C3 to npas3(-/-) mice corrected these deficits by normalizing levels of apoptosis of newborn hippocampal neurons. Prolonged administration of P7C3 to aged rats also enhanced neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus, impeded neuron death, and preserved cognitive capacity as a function of terminal aging. PAPERCLIP:

Post-treatment with an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase attenuates cerebral damage in focal ischemia.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is thought to play a physio-logical role in maintaining genomic integrity and in the repair of DNA strand breaks. However, the activation of PARP by free radical-damaged DNA plays a pivotal role in mediating ischemia-reperfusion injury. The excessive activation of PARP causes a rapid depletion of intracellular energy leading to cell death. The present study examined the effect of post-ischemic pharmacological inhibition of PARP in a rat focal cerebral ischemia model. In Long-Evans rats, focal cerebral ischemia was produced by cauterization of the right distal middle cerebral artery (MCA) with bilateral temporary common carotid artery (CCA) occlusion for 90 min. A PARP inhibitor, 3, 4-dihydro-5-[4-(1-piperidinyl)butoxy]-1(2H)-isoquinolinone (DPQ; IC50=1 microM/l) was injected i.p. 30 min after the onset of MCA occlusion (control: 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg; n=7 each). Twenty-four hours later, the total infarct volume was measured. Regional blood flow in the right parietal cortex decreased to approximately 20% of the baseline following MCA occlusion in all groups. PARP inhibition lead to a significant decrease in damaged volume in all treated groups with the largest reduction in the 40 mg/kg group (111.5+/-24. 8 mm3, mean+/-SD, p<0.01), compared to the control group (193.5+/-28. 6 mm3). We also found there was a significant increase of poly(ADP-ribose) immunoreactivity in the ischemic region, as compared to the contralateral side, with DPQ treatment diminishing poly(ADP-ribose) production. These findings indicate that DPQ exerts its neuroprotective effects in vivo by PARP inhibition and that PARP inhibitors may be effective for treating ischemic stroke, even when the treatment is initiated after the onset of ischemia.

Development of Proneurogenic, Neuroprotective Small Molecules

Degeneration of the hippocampus is associated with Alzheimers disease and occurs very early in the progression of the disease. Current options for treating the cognitive symptoms associated with Alzheimers are inadequate, giving urgency to the search for novel therapeutic strategies. Pharmacologic agents that safely enhance hippocampal neurogenesis may provide new therapeutic approaches. We discovered the first synthetic molecule, named P7C3, which protects newborn neurons from apoptotic cell death, and thus promotes neurogenesis in mice and rats in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus, the site of normal neurogenesis in adult mammals. We describe the results of a medicinal chemistry campaign to optimize the potency, toxicity profile, and stability of P7C3. Systematic variation of nearly every position of the lead compound revealed elements conducive toward increases in activity and regions subject to modification. We have discovered compounds that are orally available, nontoxic, stable in mice, rats, and cell culture, and capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier. The most potent compounds are active at nanomolar concentrations. Finally, we have identified derivatives that may facilitate mode-of-action studies through affinity chromatography or photo-cross-linking.

Poly(ADP‐Ribose) Synthetase Activation: An Early Indicator of Neurotoxic DNA Damage

Abstract: DNA damage activates a nuclear enzyme poly(ADP‐ribose) synthetase (PARS) that facilitates DNA repair by adding multiple ADP‐ribose groups to nuclear proteins such as histones and PARS itself. N‐Methyl‐d‐aspartate neurotoxicity may involve DNA damage excessively activating PARS to deplete its substrate NAD, as PARS inhibitors prevent this toxicity. We now show that PARS is rapidly and markedly activated in PC12 cells following treatment with neurotoxic agents, including the amyloid β‐protein, hydrogen peroxide, N‐methyl‐4‐phenyl‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydropyridine (MPTP), and its active metabolite N‐methyl‐4‐phenylpyridine (MPP+). With MPP+, PARS activity is increased fivefold in 1 h and 20‐fold by 3 h. By contrast, direct measurement of DNA damage by the terminal‐deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP‐biotin nick end‐labeling assay shows no significant increase by 3 h and less than fourfold by 24 h. These findings indicate that PARS activity can provide a simple, sensitive, and early index of DNA damage following neurotoxic insults.

Unesterified Cholesterol Accumulation in Late Endosomes/Lysosomes Causes Neurodegeneration and Is Prevented by Driving Cholesterol Export from This Compartment

While unesterified cholesterol (C) is essential for remodeling neuronal plasma membranes, its role in certain neurodegenerative disorders remains poorly defined. Uptake of sterol from pericellular fluid requires processing that involves two lysosomal proteins, lysosomal acid lipase, which hydrolyzes C esters, and NPC1 (Niemann-Pick type C1). In systemic tissues, inactivation of either protein led to sterol accumulation and cell death, but in the brain, inactivation of only NPC1 caused C sequestration and neurodegeneration. When injected into the CNS of the npc1−/− mouse, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), a compound known to prevent this C accumulation, diffused throughout the brain and was excreted with a t½ of 6.5 h. This agent caused suppression of C synthesis, elevation of C esters, suppression of sterol regulatory-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) target genes, and activation of liver X receptor-controlled genes. These findings indicated that HP-β-CD promoted movement of the sequestered C from lysosomes to the metabolically active pool of C in the cytosolic compartment of cells in the CNS. The ED50 for this agent in the brain was ∼0.5 mg/kg, and the therapeutic effect lasted >7 d. Continuous infusion of HP-β-CD into the ventricular system of npc1−/− animals between 3 and 7 weeks of age normalized the biochemical abnormalities and completely prevented the expected neurodegeneration. These studies support the concept that neurons continuously acquire C from interstitial fluid to permit plasma membrane turnover and remodeling. Inactivation of NPC1 leads to lysosomal C sequestration and neurodegeneration, but this is prevented by the continuous, direct administration of HP-β-CD into the CNS.

A suppressor screen in Mecp2 mutant mice implicates cholesterol metabolism in Rett syndrome

Mutations in MECP2, encoding methyl CpG-binding protein 2, cause Rett syndrome, the most severe autism spectrum disorder. Re-expressing Mecp2 in symptomatic Mecp2-null mice markedly improves function and longevity, providing hope that therapeutic intervention is possible in humans. To identify pathways in disease pathology for therapeutic intervention, we carried out a dominant N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis suppressor screen in Mecp2-null mice and isolated five suppressors that ameliorate the symptoms of Mecp2 loss. We show that a stop codon mutation in Sqle, encoding squalene epoxidase, a rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis, underlies suppression in one line. Subsequently, we also show that lipid metabolism is perturbed in the brains and livers of Mecp2-null male mice. Consistently, statin drugs improve systemic perturbations of lipid metabolism, alleviate motor symptoms and confer increased longevity in Mecp2 mutant mice. Our genetic screen therefore points to cholesterol homeostasis as a potential target for the treatment of patients with Rett syndrome.

P7C3 Neuroprotective Chemicals Function by Activating the Rate-Limiting Enzyme in NAD Salvage

The P7C3 class of aminopropyl carbazole chemicals fosters the survival of neurons in a variety of rodent models of neurodegeneration or nerve cell injury. To uncover its mechanism of action, an active derivative of P7C3 was modified to contain both a benzophenone for photocrosslinking and an alkyne for CLICK chemistry. This derivative was found to bind nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting enzyme involved in the conversion of nicotinamide into nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). Administration of active P7C3 chemicals to cells treated with doxorubicin, which induces NAD depletion, led to a rebound in intracellular levels of NAD and concomitant protection from doxorubicin-mediated toxicity. Active P7C3 variants likewise enhanced the activity of the purified NAMPT enzyme, providing further evidence that they act by increasing NAD levels through its NAMPT-mediated salvage.

Neuroprotective efficacy of aminopropyl carbazoles in a mouse model of Parkinson disease

We previously reported the discovery of P7C3, an aminopropyl carbazole having proneurogenic and neuroprotective properties in newborn neural precursor cells of the dentate gyrus. Here, we provide evidence that P7C3 also protects mature neurons in brain regions outside of the hippocampus. P7C3 blocks 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-mediated cell death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of adult mice, a model of Parkinson disease (PD). Dose–response studies show that the P7C3 analog P7C3A20 blocks cell death with even greater potency and efficacy, which parallels the relative potency and efficacy of these agents in blocking apoptosis of newborn neural precursor cells of the dentate gyrus. P7C3 and P7C3A20 display similar relative effects in blocking 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-mediated death of dopaminergic neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans, as well as in preserving C. elegans mobility following MPP+ exposure. Dimebon, an antihistaminergic drug that is weakly proneurogenic and neuroprotective in the dentate gyrus, confers no protection in either the mouse or the worm models of PD. We further demonstrate that the hippocampal proneurogenic efficacy of eight additional analogs of P7C3 correlates with their protective efficacy in MPTP-mediated neurotoxicity. In vivo screening of P7C3 analogs for proneurogenic efficacy in the hippocampus may thus provide a reliable means of predicting neuroprotective efficacy. We propose that the chemical scaffold represented by P7C3 and P7C3A20 provides a basis for optimizing and advancing pharmacologic agents for the treatment of patients with PD.

Neuroprotective efficacy of aminopropyl carbazoles in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

We previously reported the discovery of P7C3, an aminopropyl carbazole having proneurogenic and neuroprotective properties in newborn neural precursor cells of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. We have further found that chemicals having efficacy in this in vivo screening assay also protect dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra following exposure to the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, a mouse model of Parkinson disease. Here, we provide evidence that an active analog of P7C3, known as P7C3A20, protects ventral horn spinal cord motor neurons from cell death in the G93A-SOD1 mutant mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). P7C3A20 is efficacious in this model when administered at disease onset, and protection from cell death correlates with preservation of motor function in assays of walking gait and in the accelerating rotarod test. The prototypical member of this series, P7C3, delays disease progression in G93A-SOD1 mice when administration is initiated substantially earlier than the expected time of symptom onset. Dimebon, an antihistaminergic drug with significantly weaker proneurogenic and neuroprotective efficacy than P7C3, confers no protection in this ALS model. We propose that the chemical scaffold represented by P7C3 and P7C3A20 may provide a basis for the discovery and optimization of pharmacologic agents for the treatment of ALS.