Primary Neuronal-glial Cultures Research Articles

Distinct Neurotoxic Effects of Extracellular Tau Species in Primary Neuronal-Glial Cultures.

Recent data from various experimental models support the link between extracellular tau and neurodegeneration; however, the exact mechanisms by which extracellular tau or its modified forms or aggregates cause neuronal death remain unclear. We have previously shown that exogenously applied monomers and oligomers of the longest tau isoform (2N4R) at micromolar concentrations induced microglial phagocytosis of stressed-but-viable neurons in vitro. In this study, we investigated whether extracellular phosphorylated tau2N4R (p-tau2N4R), isoform 1N4R (tau1N4R) and K18 peptide can induce neuronal death or loss in primary neuronal-glial cell cultures. We found that p-tau2N4R at 30nM concentration induced loss of viable neurons; however, 700nM p-tau2N4R caused necrosis of both neurons and microglia, and this neuronal death was partially glial cell-dependent. We also found that extracellular tau1N4R oligomers, but not monomers, at 3μM concentration caused neuronal death in mixed cell cultures: self-assembly tau1N4R dimers-tetramers induced neuronal necrosis and apoptosis, whereas Aβ-promoted tau1N4R oligomers caused glial cell-dependent loss of neurons without signs of increased cell death. Monomeric and pre-aggregated tau peptide containing 4R repeats (K18) had no effect in mixed cultures, suggesting that tau neurotoxicity might be dependent on N-terminal part of the protein. Taken together, our results show that extracellular p-tau2N4R is the most toxic form among investigated tau species inducing loss of neurons at low nanomolar concentrations and that neurotoxicity of tau1N4R is dependent on its aggregation state.

Proteolysis of α-synuclein fibrils in the lysosomal pathway limits induction of inclusion pathology.

Progression of α-synuclein inclusion pathology may occur through cycles of release and uptake of α-synuclein aggregates, which induce additional intracellular α-synuclein inclusion pathology. This process may explain (i) the presence of α-synuclein inclusion pathology in grafted cells in human brains, and (ii) the slowly progressive nature of most human α-synucleinopathies. It also provides a rationale for therapeutic targeting of extracellular aggregates to limit pathology spread. We investigated the cellular mechanisms underlying intraneuronal α-synuclein aggregation following exposure to exogenous preformed α-synuclein amyloid fibrils. Exogenous α-synuclein fibrils efficiently attached to cell membranes and were subsequently internalized and degraded within the endosomal/lysosomal system. However, internalized α-synuclein amyloid fibrils can apparently overwhelm the endosomal/lysosomal machinery leading to the induction of intraneuronal α-synuclein inclusions comprised of endogenous α-synuclein. Furthermore, the efficiency of inclusion formation was relatively low in these studies compared to studies using primary neuronal-glial cultures over-expressing α-synuclein. Our study indicates that under physiologic conditions, endosomal/lysosomal function acts as an endogenous barrier to the induction of α-synuclein inclusion pathology, but when compromised, it may lower the threshold for pathology induction/transmission. Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.13787.

Antibodies bound to Aβ oligomers potentiate the neurotoxicity of Aβ by activating microglia

Beta amyloid (Aβ) oligomers are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. However, clinical trials using Aβ immunization were unsuccessful due to strong brain inflammation, the mechanisms of which are poorly understood. In this study we tested whether monoclonal antibodies to oligomeric Aβ would prevent the neurotoxicity of Aβ oligomers in primary neuronal-glial cultures. However, surprisingly,the antibodies dramatically increased the neurotoxicity of Aβ. Antibodies bound to monomeric Aβ fragments were non-toxic to cultured neurons, while antibodies to other oligomeric proteins: hamster polyomavirus major capsid protein, human metapneumovirus nucleocapsid protein, and measles virus nucleocapsid protein, strongly potentiated the neurotoxicity of their antigens. The neurotoxicity of antibody-antibody oligomeric antigen complexes was abolished by removal of the Fc region from the antibodies or by removal of microglia from cultures, and was accompanied by inflammatory activation and proliferation of the microglia in culture. In conclusion, we find that immune complexes formed by Aβ oligomers or other oligomeric/multimeric antigens and their specific antibodies can cause death and loss of neurons in primary neuronal-glial cultures via Fc-dependent microglial activation. The results suggest that therapies resulting in antibodies to oligomeric Aβ or oligomeric brain virus proteins should be used with caution or with suppression of microglial activation.

HIV immune complexes prevent excitotoxicity by interaction with NMDA receptors

PurposeHuman immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is a neurodegenerative disease for which there is no available neuroprotective therapy. Viral proteins, such as Tat, have been implicated as agents of neurotoxicity via multiple mechanisms, including effects by directly binding to the NMDA receptor. We evaluated the ability of the immune response against Tat to modulate neurotoxicity at glutamate receptors. MethodsNeurotoxicity was measured in primary neuronal-glial cultures and in hippocampal slice cultures. We used immunoprecipitation experiments to demonstrate interaction between Tat, NMDA receptor, and anti-Tat antibody. Using known structures of Tat and NMDA receptors, we developed a model of their interactions. ResultsAntibodies to Tat attenuated Tat-mediated neurotoxicity. Interestingly, Tat immune complexes also blocked neurotoxicity caused by NMDA receptor agonists but not kainate/AMPA receptor agonists. Neither Tat nor antibody alone blocked the excitotoxic effect, nor did an unrelated antigen–antibody complex. The protective effect of the Tat immune complexes was also lost when Tat was modified by nitrosylation or by using a deletion mutant of Tat. ConclusionsThe ability of viral immune complexes to interact with NMDA receptors and prevent excitotoxicity represents a novel host defense mechanism. Host immune responses may influence host susceptibility to various effects of viral proteins, modulating HIV complications, such as onset of HAND. These observations provide rationale for development of vaccine therapies targeting Tat for prevention of HAND.

Role for Metallothioneins-I/II in Isoflurane Preconditioning of Primary Murine Neuronal Cultures

Pretreatment with inhaled anesthetics, including isoflurane, can induce long-lasting cellular protection against ischemia-derived toxicity in multiple tissues, including brain tissue. Metal-regulatory genes, metallothioneins-I/II (MT-I/II), have been shown to protect against oxidative damage in multiple tissues. Furthermore, MT have been found to be differentially regulated in response to isoflurane and ischemic preconditioning. In this study, we assess the role of MT-I/II in mediating isoflurane preconditioning in primary neuronal-glial cultures. Primary mouse neuronal-glial cultures were preconditioned with isoflurane (3 h, 1.5%) 24-96 h before 3-h oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD, ischemic model). After OGD, isoflurane protection and responsiveness of MT-I/II knockdown and knockout cultures to preconditioning were assessed by lactate dehydrogenase release. Immunoassays for microtubule associated protein 2 and glial fibrillary acidic protein determined neuronal-glial sensitivity to preconditioning. MT-I/II messenger RNA was assessed by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Cultures transfected with exogenous MT-I/II were analyzed for protection against OGD toxicity. Isoflurane preconditioning reduced OGD-mediated toxicity by 11.6 +/- 7.9% at 24 h, with protection increasing to 37.5 +/- 2.5% at 72 h after preconditioning. Immunolabeling showed that neurons were more sensitive to OGD and more responsive to isoflurane preconditioning compared to glia. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed MT-I/II messenger RNA were upregulated (approximately 2.5-fold) by isoflurane treatments. Also MT-I/II protein transfection significantly decreased OGD-mediated toxicity. Finally, knockdown and knockout of MT-I/II diminished and abolished isoflurane-mediated protection, respectively. MT-I/II play an important role in isoflurane-mediated delayed preconditioning against OGD toxicity of neuronal and glial cells in vitro.

Squamosamide derivative FLZ protects dopaminergic neurons against inflammation-mediated neurodegeneration through the inhibition of NADPH oxidase activity

BackgroundInflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) through over-activation of microglia, which consequently causes the excessive production of proinflammatory and neurotoxic factors, and impacts surrounding neurons and eventually induces neurodegeneration. Hence, prevention of microglial over-activation has been shown to be a prime target for the development of therapeutic agents for inflammation-mediated neurodegenerative diseases.MethodsFor in vitro studies, mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures and reconstituted cultures were used to investigate the molecular mechanism by which FLZ, a squamosamide derivative, mediates anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in both lipopolysaccharide-(LPS)- and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium-(MPP+)-mediated models of PD. For in vivo studies, a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine-(MPTP-) induced PD mouse model was used.ResultsFLZ showed potent efficacy in protecting dopaminergic (DA) neurons against LPS-induced neurotoxicity, as shown in rat and mouse primary mesencephalic neuronal-glial cultures by DA uptake and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunohistochemical results. The neuroprotective effect of FLZ was attributed to a reduction in LPS-induced microglial production of proinflammatory factors such as superoxide, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Mechanistic studies revealed that the anti-inflammatory properties of FLZ were mediated through inhibition of NADPH oxidase (PHOX), the key microglial superoxide-producing enzyme. A critical role for PHOX in FLZ-elicited neuroprotection was further supported by the findings that 1) FLZ's protective effect was reduced in cultures from PHOX-/- mice, and 2) FLZ inhibited LPS-induced translocation of the cytosolic subunit of p47PHOX to the membrane and thus inhibited the activation of PHOX. The neuroprotective effect of FLZ demonstrated in primary neuronal-glial cultures was further substantiated by an in vivo study, which showed that FLZ significantly protected against MPTP-induced DA neuronal loss, microglial activation and behavioral changes.ConclusionTaken together, our results clearly demonstrate that FLZ is effective in protecting against LPS- and MPTP-induced neurotoxicity, and the mechanism of this protection appears to be due, at least in part, to inhibition of PHOX activity and to prevention of microglial activation.