Masanori Hiji

Immunopositivity for ESCRT-III subunit CHMP2B in granulovacuolar degeneration of neurons in the Alzheimer's disease hippocampus

Endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III subunit charged multivesicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B) is involved in the degradation of proteins in the endocytic and autophagic pathways. Mutations in the CHMP2B gene are reportedly associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) characterised by accumulation of ubiquitinated protein aggregates in affected neurons, suggesting a relationship between protein accumulation and efficient autophagic degradation. This study investigated CHMP2B immunoreactivity in the hippocampus of patients with Alzheimers disease (AD), revealing intense labeling of intraneuronal dot-like structures by antibody to CHMP2B. Since the morphological characteristics of these granular structures were compatible with those of granulovacuolar degeneration (GVD), a hallmark of AD pathology, immunohistochemical study using anti-CHMP2B antibody was performed using AD and control brain sections to investigate whether this antibody can be used as a GVD label. The number and percentage of hippocampal neurons with CHMP2B-positive granules were higher in AD cases and CHMP2B-positive granules corresponded to GVD. Anti-CHMP2B antibody detected a single 28-kDa band on Western blotting using control and AD specimens. This antibody clearly and intensely detected GVD over the hippocampus and entorhinal and transentorhinal cortices. These findings suggest that researchers will be able to use CHMP2B as a molecular label for studying GVD.

Hypoxia-induced upregulation of endothelial small G protein RhoA and Rho-kinase/ROCK2 inhibits eNOS expression.

The small G protein RhoA and its downstream effector Rho-kinase/ROCK2 play an important role in regulation of various vasculature cellular functions. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) is an important mediator of vascular homeostasis and cerebral blood flow. Using the human endothelial cell line HUVEC, the present study investigated the role of RhoA and Rho-kinase in endothelial eNOS protein expression under hypoxic conditions as an in vitro model of ischemia. RhoA protein levels in HUVEC were low under normoxic conditions, but were significantly increased after 5h of hypoxia. Endothelial Rho-kinase expression was not detected until after 3h of hypoxia; such expression remained significantly increased after 5h. On the other hand, endothelial eNOS expression was similar after 3h of hypoxia, but was significantly decreased after 5h. The hypoxia-induced decrease in eNOS expression was significantly enhanced by expression of the constitutively active form of RhoA and significantly inhibited by suppression of RhoA expression by small interfering RNA. The hypoxia-induced decrease in eNOS expression was significantly inhibited when endogenous Rho-kinase activation was inhibited by Rho-binding domain expression. Furthermore, the hypoxia-induced decrease in eNOS expression was significantly enhanced by expression of the constitutively active form of Rho-kinase. Since expression and activation of RhoA and Rho-kinase inhibit eNOS expression in endothelial cells, attempts to down-regulate RhoA and Rho-kinase by multiple drugs, such as statins or Rho-kinase inhibitors, might provide endothelial and cardiovascular benefits through upregulation of eNOS.

White matter lesions in the brain with frontotemporal lobar degeneration with motor neuron disease: TDP-43-immunopositive inclusions co-localize with p62, but not ubiquitin

Recently, TDP-43 was established as a major component of the ubiquitinated inclusions found in both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with motor neuron disease (FTLD-MND). However, differences in the underlying pathogenesis between ALS and FTLD-MND remain yet to be elucidated. Originally, TDP-43-immunopositive inclusions were found in neuronal cells and reported to be ubiquitinated. This study shows that TDP-43-positive inclusions were distributed throughout the subcortical white matter except for the occipital lobe in the FTLD-MND brain, but not in the ALS brain. TDP-43-positive inclusions were also prominent features of pathologically proven FTLD-MND cases (p-FTLD-MND) without history of apparent clinical cognitive decline. A substantial fraction of these inclusions was also p62-immunoreactive, and another noteworthy feature was that those inclusions did not stain positively for ubiquitin. Significant correlations between immunoreactivity for TDP-43 and p62 were observed, particularly in p-FTLD-MND (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.976). Furthermore, TDP-43 extracted from white matter appeared to be uncleaved. These results indicate that pathological changes might take place within the white matter also in the brain with FTLD-MND, but in a different manner than within the gray matter.

Synphilin-1 transgenic mice exhibit mild motor impairments

Synphilin-1 represents a cytoplasmic protein that interacts with alpha-synuclein and localizes close to synaptic vesicles. The interaction of synphilin-1 with several proteins involved in Parkinsons disease suggests that it might be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Nonetheless, the function of synphilin-1 remains unclear. In the present study, we generated transgenic mice expressing human synphilin-1 under the prion protein promoter. Synphilin-1 was widely expressed in neurons in the brain including the substantia nigra, where massive loss of dopamine neurons was not observed. In the transgenic mouse brain, synphilin-1 protein was polyubiquitinated, and partially insoluble. Although modified-SHIRPA revealed no significant difference in behavior and morphology, the reduced rotarod performance and step length were observed in transgenic mice as compared with non-transgenic littermates. Synphilin-1 might be involved in motor function, and its accumulation in the central nervous system can cause motor impairments.

Embryonic stem cell‐derived neuron models of Parkinson's disease exhibit delayed neuronal death

Establishment of a Parkinsons disease (PD) neuron model was attempted with mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. ES cell lines over‐expressing mouse nuclear receptor‐related 1 (Nurr1), together with human wild‐type and alanine 30 → proline (A30P) and alanine 53 → threonine (A53T) mutant α‐synuclein were established and subjected to differentiation into dopaminergic neurons. The ES cell‐derived dopaminergic neurons expressing wild‐type or mutant α‐synuclein exhibited the fundamental characteristics consistent with dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The ES cell‐derived PD model neurons exhibited increased susceptibility to oxidative stress, proteasome inhibition, and mitochondrial inhibition. Cell viability of PD model neurons and the control neurons was similar until 28 days after differentiation. Nonetheless, after that time, PD model neurons gradually began to undergo neuronal death over the course of 1 month, showing cytoplasmic aggregate formation and an increase of insoluble α‐synuclein protein. Such delayed neuronal death was observed in a mutant α‐synuclein protein level‐dependent manner, which was slightly inhibited by a c‐jun N‐terminal kinase inhibitor and a caspase inhibitor. Such cell death was not observed when the same ES cell lines were differentiated into oligodendrocytes. The ES cell‐derived PD model neurons are considered as prospective candidates for a new prototype modelling PD that would allow better investigation of the underlying neurodegenerative pathophysiology.

Granulovacuolar Degenerations Appear in Relation to Hippocampal Phosphorylated Tau Accumulation in Various Neurodegenerative Disorders

Background Granulovacuolar degeneration (GVD) is one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimers disease (AD), and it is defined as electron-dense granules within double membrane-bound cytoplasmic vacuoles. Several lines of evidence have suggested that GVDs appear within hippocampal pyramidal neurons in AD when phosphorylated tau begins to aggregate into early-stage neurofibrillary tangles. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of GVDs with phosphorylated tau pathology to determine whether GVDs and phosphorylated tau coexist among different non-AD neurodegenerative disorders. Methods An autopsied series of 28 patients with a variety of neurodegenerative disorders and 9 control patients were evaluated. Standard histological stains along with immunohistochemistry using protein markers for GVD and confocal microscopy were utilized. Results The number of neurons with GVDs significantly increased with the level of phosphorylated tau accumulation in the hippocampal regions in non-AD neurodegenerative disorders. At the cellular level, diffuse staining for phosphorylated tau was detected in neurons with GVDs. Conclusions Our data suggest that GVDs appear in relation to hippocampal phosphorylated tau accumulation in various neurodegenerative disorders, while the presence of phosphorylated tau in GVD-harbouring neurons in non-AD neurodegenerative disorders was indistinguishable from age-related accumulation of phosphorylated tau. Although GVDs in non-AD neurodegenerative disorders have not been studied thoroughly, our results suggest that they are not incidental findings, but rather they appear in relation to phosphorylated tau accumulation, further highlighting the role of GVD in the process of phosphorylated tau accumulation.

Localization of CHMP2B‐immunoreactivity in the brainstem of Lewy body disease

Alpha‐synuclein (αS) is one of the major constituents of Lewy bodies (LBs). Several lines of evidence suggest that the autophagy‐lysosome pathway (ALP) is involved in the removal of αS. We have previously reported that granulovacuolar degeneration (GVD) in neurons involved a subunit of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT). In this study, we examined the association between alpha‐synucleinopathy and autophagy through immunohistochemical analysis of charged multivesicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B), a component of the ESCRT‐pathway. We examined the brainstems of 17 patients with Parkinsons disease (PD), incidental Lewy body disease (ILBD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and Alzheimers disease (AD) immunohistochemically using antibodies against phosphorylated αS (pαS), phosphorylated tau and CHMP2B. LBs and a proportion of glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) were immunopositive for pαS and CHMP2B. Neurons containing CHMP2B‐immunoreactive granules were detected in PD and ILBD, but not in MSA and AD brains. CHMP2B immunoreactivity was increased in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (DMNX) in PD and ILBD brains, relative to that in MSA and AD. These findings indicate that the ESCRT‐pathway is implicated in the formation of αS inclusions, especially in PD and ILBD.

Relationship between neuronal loss and tangle formation in neurons and oligodendroglia in progressive supranuclear palsy.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a progressive degenerative disorder characterized by neuronal loss, gliosis and abnormal fibril formation of abnormally phosphorylated tau protein in neurons and glia cells, but the cause is not clear at present. For the purpose of clarifying the pathological significance of accumulation of tau protein in neurons and oligodendroglia in PSP, we morphologically classified neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and coiled bodies (CB) in oligodendroglia in three PSP brains into four stages, using double staining for immunohistochemistry with AT8 antibody and modified Gallyas‐Braak (GB) staining. AT8‐positive neurons without abnormal fibril structure with GB staining were classified as stage I, AT8‐positive neurons containing a few fibril structures with GB staining were classified stage II, AT8‐positive neurons containing mature fibril structures were classified as stage III, and AT8 negative neurons containing abnormal fibril structures stained only with GB staining were classified as stage IV (ghost tangles). These stages were also assessed for CB. Then we counted the number of cells of each stage in various brain regions to investigate the relationship of NFT and CB with neuronal loss and gliosis. The results showed that there were very few stage IV NFT and CB, which reflect cell death, but that stage III NFT and CB were abundant. Moreover, CB were abundant in regions with severe neuronal loss. These results suggest that appearance of CB is closely associated with degenerative regions.

Characterization and distribution of adaptor protein containing a PH domain, PTB domain and leucine zipper motif (APPL1) in Alzheimer’s disease hippocampus: an immunohistochemical study

Adaptor protein containing a PH domain, PTB domain and leucine zipper motif (APPL1) is emerging as a critical regulator of various cellular processes in non-neuronal cells as well as in neurons where it localizes to dendritic spines and synapses. It regulates the development of these structures in hippocampal neurons. Although memory impairment in Alzheimers disease (AD) has been attributed to disruption of synaptic plasticity, there is scant information on this protein in the human brain. In the present study, we immunohistochemically characterized the localization of APPL1 in AD and control brains. APPL1 accumulated perisomatically as granules around neurons within vulnerable sectors of the hippocampus (CA1 and subiculum) in AD brain, whilst APPL1-positive granules were rarely identified in control brains derived from elderly individuals with no known cognitive impairment. Interestingly, in the AD hippocampus, APPL1 also co-localized with perisomatic granules (non-plaque dystrophic dendrites) expressing glutamate receptor 2 and ubiquitin, suggesting the possible involvement of APPL1 in the synaptic modifications in AD. Thus, the immunohistochemical distribution of APPL1 in AD brain was distinct from that in non-AD control brains, suggesting that signaling via APPL1 might play a critical role in the memory impairment in AD.