Multifaceted superoxide dismutase 1 expression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients:a rare occurrence?

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS)is a neuromuscular condition resulting from the progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the cortex,brainstem,and spinal cord.While the typical clinical phenotype of ALS involves both upper and lower motor neurons,human and animal studies over the years have highlighted the potential spread to other motor and non-motor regions,expanding the phenotype of ALS.Although superoxide dismutase 1(SOD1)mutations represent a minority of ALS cases,the SOD1 gene remains a milestone in ALS research as it represents the first genetic target for personalized therapies.Despite numerous single case reports or case series exhibiting extramotor symptoms in patients with ALS mutations in SOD1(SOD1-ALS),no studies have comprehensively explored the full spectrum of extramotor neurological manifestations in this subpopulation.In this narrative review,we analyze and discuss the available literature on extrapyramidal and non-motor features during SOD1-ALS.The multifaceted expression of SOD1 could deepen our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms,pointing towards a multidisciplinary approach for affected patients in light of new therapeutic strategies for SOD1-ALS.

The landscape of cognitive impairment in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Although mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 gene account for only a minority of total amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases,the discovery of this gene has been crucial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research.Since the identification of superoxide dismutase 1 in 1993,the field of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetics has considerably widened,improving our understanding of the diverse pathogenic basis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.In this review,we focus on cognitive impairment in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.Literature has mostly reported that cognition remains intact in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients,but recent reports highlight frontal lobe function frailty in patients carrying different superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mutations.We thoroughly reviewed all the various mutations reported in the literature to contribute to a comprehensive database of superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genotype-phenotype correlation.Such a resource could ultimately improve our mechanistic understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,enabling a more robust assessment of how the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis phenotype responds to different variants across genes,which is important for the therapeutic strategy targeting genetic mutations.Cognition in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis deserves further longitudinal research since this peculiar frailty in patients with similar mutations can be conditioned by external factors,including environment and other unidentified agents including modifier genes.

Screening proteins that interact with mutant superoxide dismutase 1 from familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using a yeast two-hybrid system

The present study screened a human fetal brain cDNA library to find the proteins that interact with mutant superoxide dismutase 1 （SOD1） using a yeast two-hybrid system. Using BLAST software, 15 real proteins which interacted with mutant SOD1 were obtained, including 8 known proteins （protein tyrosine-phosphatase non-receptor type 2, TBCl D4, protein kinase family, splicing factor, arginine/serine-rich 2, SRC protein tyrosine kinase Fyn, β-sarcoglycan; glycine receptor a2, microtubule associated protein/microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 1, ferritin H chain）, and 7 unknown proteins. Results demonstrated interaction of mutant SOD1 with microtubule associated protein/microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 1 and β-sarcoglycan.

Changes in hemeoxygenase-1 and superoxide dismutase in the peri-hematomal brain tissues of rats following intracerebral hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: The mechanism of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced hemorrhagic brain injury is very complicated, involving the position-occupying effect of cephalophyma, ischemic factors, the toxic effect of hematoma components, the destruction of blood-brain barrier, etc. The expression and effect of hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the cerebrovascular disease has been paid close attention. OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of HO-1 and change of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats following ICH. DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal experiment. SETTING: Department of Neurology, Yijishan Hospital Affiliated to Wannan Medical College. MATERIALS: Forty healthy male SD rats, of clean grade, weighing from 250 to 300 g, were provided by Qinglongshan Animal Farm of Nanjing. The involved 40 rats were randomized into sham-operation group (n =5) and ICH group (n =35), and ICH group was divided into 7 subgroups with 5 rats in each: ICH 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 100 and 168 hours groups. Rabbit anti-rat HO-1 immunohistochemial kit ( Boster Co., Ltd., Wuhan) and SOD kit (Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute, Nanjing)were used in this experiment. METHODS: This experiment was carried out in the Department of Neurology, Yijishan Hospital Affiliated to Wannan Medical College Between April and July 2005. In the ICH group: Autologous blood of rats was injected into the head of caudate nucleus to create ICH animal models. In the sham-operation group, the same amount of normal saline was injected into the head of caudate nucleus of rats. The brains of rats in each group were harvested at different time points. The hematoma-side brain tissue was cut open in the coronal plane taking hematomal region as center, and the posterior part was fixed with 100 g/L neutral formaldehyde. 100 mg brain tissue was taken from anterior part. The number of positive cells in HO-1 and SOD activity in peri-hematomal brain tissue at different time after ICH were detected by immunohistochemical method and xanthine oxidation method respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① The expression of HO-1 in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups following ICH.② The expression of SOD activity in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups following ICH. RESULTS: ①The number of HO-1 positive cells in the peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups following ICH 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120 and 168 hours was (11.03±2.01),(16.47±2.98),(25.50±5.65),(51.57±7.05),(47.33±4.73),(26.57±5.12),(7.63±2.17) cells/high-fold visual field , respectively; The number of HO-1 positive cells in the ICH 12-120 hours groups was significantly higher than that of sham-operation group [(6.07±1.85)cells/high-fold visual field, P < 0.01]; The HO-1 positive cells were the most in the ICH 48 hours group and were still expressed a little in the ICH 168 hours group. ② The SOD in the brain tissue of rats at ICH 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120 and 168 hours was (404.46±8.14),(396.84±10.97),(387.74±5.32),(356.21±9.27),(307.95±10.15),(357.48±11.28) and (402.98±7.23) kNU/g, respectively; The SOD activity of ICH 12 to 120 hours groups was significantly lower than that of sham-operation group [(415.47±11.44) kNU/g,P < 0.01], and that of ICH 72 hours group was the lowest. There was no significant difference of SOD activity between ICH 168 hours group and sham-operation group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Following ICH, the expression of HO-1 in peri-hematomal brain tissue of rats in two groups is obviously increased, but the antioxidant ability of brain tissue is decreased. The changes of both maybe play an important role in the formation of ICH-induced hemorrhagic brain injury.

NRF2 signaling cascade in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:bridging the gap between promise and reality

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a very disabling disease due to the degeneration of motor neurons.Symptoms include muscle weakness and atrophy,spasticity,and progressive paralysis.Currently,there is no treatment to reverse damage to motor neurons and cure amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.The only two treatments actually approved,riluzole and edaravone,have shown mitigated beneficial effects.The difficulty to find a cure lies in the complexity and multifaceted pattern of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis.Among mechanisms,abnormal RNA metabolism,nucleocytoplasmic transport defects,accumulation of unfolded protein,and mitochondrial dysfunction would in fine induce oxidative damage and vice versa.A potent therapeutic strategy will be to find molecules that break this vicious circle.Sharpening the nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 signaling may fulfill this objective since nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 has a multitarget profile controlling antioxidant defense,mitochondrial functioning,and inflammation.We here discuss the interest of developing nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2-based therapy in regard to the pathophysiological mechanisms and we provide a general overview of the attempted clinical assays in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

S-adenosyl-L-methionine modifies antioxidant-enzymes,glutathione-biosynthesis and methionine adenosyltransferases-1/2 in hepatitis C virus-expressing cells

AIM: To elucidate the mechanism(s) by which S-adenosyl-L-methionine(SAM) decreases hepatitis C virus(HCV) expression.METHODS: We examined the effects of SAM on viral expression using an HCV subgenomic replicon cell culture system. Huh7 HCV-replicon cells were treated with 1 mmol/L SAM for different times(24-72 h), then total RNA and proteins were isolated. c DNA was synthesized and real time-PCR was achieved to quantify HCV-RNA, superoxide dismutase 1 and 2(SOD-1, SOD-2) catalase, thioredoxin 1, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A and 2A(MAT1A, MAT2A) expression, and GAPDH and RPS18 as endogenous genes. Expression of cellular and viral protein was evaluated by western-blot analysis using antibodies vs HCV-NS5 A, SOD-1, SOD-2, catalase, thioredoxin-1, MAT1 A, MAT2 A, GAPDH and actin. Total glutathione levels were measured at different times by Ellman's recycling method(0-24 h). Reactive oxidative species(ROS) levels were quantified by the dichlorofluorescein assay(0-48 h); Pyrrolidin dithiocarbamate(PDTC) was tested as an antioxidant control and H2O2 as a positive oxidant agent.RESULTS: SAM exposition decreased HCV-RNA levels 50%-70% compared to non-treated controls(24-72 h). SAM induced a synergic antiviral effect with standard IFN treatment but it was independent of IFN signaling. In addition, 1 mmol/L SAM exposition did not modify viral RNA stability, but it needs cellular translation machinery in order to decrease HCV expression. Total glutathione levels increased upon SAM treatment in HCV-replicon cells. Transcriptional antioxidant enzyme expression(SOD-1, SOD-2 and thioredoxin-1) was increased at different times but interestingly, there was no significant change in ROS levels upon SAM treatment, contrary to what was detected with PDTC treatment, where an average 40% reduction was observed in exposed cells. There was a turnover from MAT1A/MAT2 A, since MAT1 A expression was increased(2.5 fold-times at 48 h) and MAT2 A was diminished(from 24 h) upon SAM treatment at both the transcriptional and translational level. CONCLUSION: A likely mechanism(s) by which SAM diminish HCV expression could involve modulating antioxidant enzymes, restoring biosynthesis of glutathione and switching MAT1/MAT2 turnover in HCV expressing cells.

TBN improves motor function and prolongs survival in SOD1G93A and TDP-43M337V mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

OBJECTIVE Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS)is a fatal neurodegenerative dis⁃ease characterized by progressive loss of upper and lower motor neurons that results in skeletal muscle atrophy,weakness and paralysis.Oxida⁃tive stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of ALS,including familial forms of the disease arising from mutation of the gene coding for superoxide dismutase 1(SOD1).Moreover,although the pathogenesis of ALS is unclear,the abnormal accumulation of TAR DNA-binding pro⁃tein of 43 ku(TDP-43)is a pathological feature that exists in almost all patients.Thus far,there is no drug that can cure ALS/FTLD.Tetramethyl⁃pyrazine nitrone(TBN)is a derivative of tetra⁃methylapyrazine,derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Ligusticum chuanxiong,which has been widely proven to have therapeutic effects on models of various neurodegenerative diseases.TBN is currently under clinical investi⁃gation for several indications including a phaseⅡtrial of ALS.Here,we explored the therapeutic effect of TBN in the SOD1G93A and TDP-43M337V ALS mouse model.METHODS In the SOD1G93A transgenic mouse model,TBN was administered to mice by intraperitoneal or intragastric injection after the onset of motor deficits.At the same time,we unilaterally and bilaterally injected the TDP-43M337V virus into the striatum of the WT mouse,and gave the TBN treatment after the mice developed a phenotype.After administering these two models for a period of time,we con⁃ducted behavioral tests,including rotarod test,balance beam test,climbing pole test,etc,to evaluate the efficacy of TBN on SOD1G93A and TDP-43M337V models.Furthermore,we explored the possible mechanism of action of TBN in the treatment of ALS through Western blotting and immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence staining analysis.RESULTS In the SOD1G93A transgenic mouse model,TBN slowed the pro⁃gression of motor neuron disease as evidenced by improved motor performance,reduced spinal motor neuron loss and the associated glial response,and decreased skeletal muscle fiber denervation and fibrosis.TBN treatment activated mitochondrial antioxidant activity through the PGC-1α/Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and decreased the expression of human SOD1.What′s more,in the TDP-43M337V mice model,the results showed that in mice with unilateral injection of TDP-43M337V,TBN improved motor deficits and cognitive im⁃pairment in the early stages of disease progres⁃sion.In mice with bilateral injection of TDP-43M337V into the striatum,TBN not only improved motor function but also prolonged survival rate.Moreover,we show that its therapeutic effect may be through activation of the Akt/mTOR/GSK-3βand AMPK/PGC-1α/Nrf2 signaling pathways.In summary,TBN is a promising agent for the treat⁃ment of ALS/FTLD.CONCLUSION TBN has shown good efficacy in both SOD1 and TDP-43 ALS-related models,and it may act by activating the AMPK/PGC-1α/Nrf2 signaling pathway,which shows some light for the development of ALS therapeutic drugs.

A candidate protective factor in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G

Heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G is down-regulated in the spinal cord of the Tg(SOD1*G93A)1Gur(TG)amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mouse model.However,most studies have only examined heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G expression in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model and heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G effects in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis such as in apoptosis are unknown.In this study,we studied the potential mechanism of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G in neuronal death in the spinal cord of TG and wild-type mice and examined the mechanism by which heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G induces apoptosis.Heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G in spinal cord was analyzed using immunohistochemistry and western blotting,and cell proliferation and proteins(TAR DNA binding protein 43,superoxide dismutase 1,and Bax)were detected by the Cell Counting Kit-8 and western blot analysis in heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G siRNA-transfected PC12 cells.We analyzed heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G distribution in spinal cord in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model at various time points and the expressions of apoptosis and proliferation-related proteins.Heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G was mainly localized in neurons.Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice were examined at three stages:preonset(60-70 days),onset(90-100 days)and progression(120-130 days).The number of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G-positive cells was significantly higher in the anterior horn of the lumbar spinal cord segment of TG mice at the preonset stage than that of control group but lower than that of the control group at the onset stage.The number of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G-positive cells in both central canal and surrounding gray matter of the whole spinal cord of TG mice at the onset stage was significantly lower than that in the control group,whereas that of the lumbar spinal cord segment of TG mice was significantly higher than that in the control group at preonset stage and significantly lower than that in the control group at the progression stage.The numbers of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G-positive cells in the posterior horn of cervical and thoracic segments of TG mice at preonset and progression stages were significantly lower than those in the control group.The expression of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G in the cervical spinal cord segment of TG mice was significantly higher than that in the control group at the preonset stage but significantly lower at the progression stage.The expression of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G in the thoracic spinal cord segment of TG mice was significantly increased at the preonset stage,significantly decreased at the onset stage,and significantly increased at the progression stage compared with the control group.heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G expression in the lumbar spinal cord segment of TG mice was significantly lower than that of the control group at the progression stage.After heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G gene silencing,PC12 cell survival was lower than that of control cells.Both TAR DNA binding protein 43 and Bax expressions were significantly increased in heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G-silenced cells compared with control cells.Our study suggests that abnormal distribution and expression of heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein G might play a protective effect in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis development via preventing neuronal death by reducing abnormal TAR DNA binding protein 43 generation in the spinal cord.

Investigational treatments for neurodegenerative diseases caused by inheritance of gene mutations:lessons from recent clinical trials

We reviewed recent major clinical trials with investigational drugs for the treatment of subjects with neurodegenerative diseases caused by inheritance of gene mutations or associated with genetic risk factors.Specifically,we discussed randomized clinical trials in subjects with Alzheimer's disease,Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis bearing pathogenic gene mutations,and glucocerebrosidase-associated Parkinson's disease.Learning potential lessons to improve future therapeutic approaches is the aim of this review.Two long-term,controlled trials on three anti-β-amyloid monoclonal antibodies(solanezumab,gantenerumab and crenezumab)in subjects carrying Alzheimer's disease-linked mutated genes encoding for amyloid precursor protein or presenilin 1 or presenilin 2 failed to show cognitive or functional benefits.A major trial on tominersen,an antisense oligonucleotide designed to reduce the production of the huntingtin protein in subjects with Huntington's disease,was prematurely interrupted because the drug failed to show higher efficacy than placebo and,at highest doses,led to worsened outcomes.A 28-week trial of tofersen,an antisense oligonucleotide for superoxide dismutase 1 in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with superoxide dismutase 1 gene mutations failed to show significant beneficial effects but the 1-year open label extension of this study indicated better clinical and functional outcomes in the group with early tofersen therapy.A trial of venglustat,a potent and brain-penetrant glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor,in Parkinson's disease subjects with heterozygous glucocerebrosidase gene mutations revealed worsened clinical and cognitive performance of patients on the enzyme inhibitor compared to placebo.We concluded that clinical trials in neurodegenerative diseases with a genetic basis should test monoclonal antibodies,antisense oligonucleotides or gene editing directed against the mutated enzyme or the mutated substrate without dramatically affecting physiological wild-type variants.

A tale of motor neurons and CD4＋ T cells： moving forward by looking back

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis （ALS） is a fatal progressive disorder characterized by the selective degeneration of motor neurons （MN）. The impact of peripheral immune status on disease progression and MN survival is becoming increasingly recognized in the ALS research field. In this review, we briefly discuss findings from mouse models of peripheral nerve injury and immunodeficiency to understand how the immune system regulates MN survival. We extend these observations to similar studies in the widely used superoxide dismutase 1 （SOD1） mouse model of ALS. Last, we present future hypotheses to identify potential causative factors that lead to immune dysregulation in ALS. The lessons from preceding work in this area offer new exciting directions to bridge the gap in our current understanding of immune mediated neuroprotection in ALS.

Presence of Rare Variants is Associated with Poorer Survival in Chinese Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS)is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder with phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity.Recent studies have suggested an oligogenic basis of ALS,in which the co-occurrence of two or more genetic variants has additive or synergistic deleterious effects.To assess the contribution of possible oligogenic inheritance,we profiled a panel of 43 relevant genes in 57 sporadic ALS(sALS)patients and eight familial ALS(fALS)patients from five pedigrees in east China.We filtered rare variants using the combination of the Exome Aggregation Consortium,the 1000 Genomes and the HuaBiao Project.We analyzed patients with multiple rare variants in 43 known ALS causative genes and the genotype–phenotype cor-relation.Overall,we detected 30 rare variants in 16 different genes and found that 16 of the sALS patients and all the fALS patients examined harbored at least one variant in the investigated genes,among which two sALS and four fALS patients harbored two or more variants.Of note,the sALS patients with one or more variants in ALS genes had worse survival than the patients with no variants.Typically,in one fALS pedigree with three variants,the family member with three variants(Superoxide dismutase 1(SOD1)p.V48A,Optineurin(OPTN)p.A433V and TANK binding kinase 1(TBK1)p.R573H)exhibited much more severe disease phenotype than the member carrying one variant(TBK1 p.R573H).Our findings suggest that rare variants could exert a negative prognostic effect,thereby supporting the oligogenic inheritance of ALS.

Design of functional small interfering RNAs targeting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated mutant alleles

Background RNA interference （RNAi） is a potential cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis （ALS） caused by dominant, gain-of-function superoxide dismutase 1 （SOD1） mutations. The success of such therapy relies on the functional small interfering RNAs （siRNAs） that can effectively deliver RNAi. This study aimed to design the functional siRNAs targeting ALS-associated mutant alleles. Methods A modified dual luciferase system containing human SOD1 mRNA target was established to quantify siRNA efficacy. Coupled with validated siRNAs identified in the literature, we analyzed the rationale of siRNA design and subsequently developed an asymmetry rule-based strategy for designing siRNA. We then further tested the effectiveness of this design strategy in converting a naturally symmetric siRNA into functional siRNAs with favorable asymmetry for gene silencing of SOD1 alleles. Results The efficacies of siRNAs could vary tremendously by one base-pair position change. Functional siRNAs could target the whole span of SOD1 mRNA coding sequence as well as non-coding region. While there is no distinguishable pattern of the distribution of nucleobases in these validated siRNAs, the high percent of GC count at the last two positions of siRNAs （P18 and P19） indicated a strong effect of asymmetry rule. Introducing a mismatch at position 1 of the 5＇ of antisense strand of siRNA successfully converted the inactive siRNA into functional siRNAs that silence SOD1 with desired efficacy. Conclusions Asymmetry rule-based strategy that incorporates a mismatch into siRNA most consistently enhances RNAi efficacy and guarantees producing functional siRNAs that successfully silence ALS-associated SOD1 mutant alleles regardless target positions. This strategy could also be useful to design siRNAs for silencing other disease-associated dominant, gain-of-function mutant genes.

Oenanthe javanica extract increases immunoreactivities of antioxidant enzymes in the rat kidney

Background Oenanthe javanica is an aquatic perennial herb originated from East Asia.Nowadays,the effects of Oenanthe javanica have been proven in various disease models.Studies regarding the antioxidant effect of Oenanthe javanica in the kidney are still unclear.Methods This study was therefore performed to investigate the effect of the Oenanthe javanica extract （OJE） in the rat kidney using immunohistochemistry for antioxidant enzymes,copper,zinc-superoxide dismutase （SOD1）,manganese superoxide dismutase （SOD2）,catalase （CAT） and glutathione peroxidase （GPx）.Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to three groups：（1） normal diet fed-group （normal-group）,（2） diet containing ascorbic acid （AA）-fed group （AA-group） as a positive control,（3） diet containing OJE-fed group （OJE-group）.AA and OJE were supplied during 28 days.Results The side-effects were not observed in all the groups.Immunoreactivities of SOD1,SOD2,CAT and GPx were easily detected in the distal tubules of the kidney,and their immunoreactivities in the AA-and OJE-groups were increased to about 1.4-1.5 times and 2 times,respectively,compared with those in the normal-group.Conclusion OJE significantly increased expressions of SOD1 ＆ 2,CAT and GPx immunoreactivities in the distal tubules of the rat kidney,and this finding suggests that significant enhancements of endogenous enzymatic antioxidants by OJE treatment may be a legitimate strategy for decreasing oxidative stresses in the kidney.