Neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction are common features of chronic neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system. Both conditions can lead to increased oxidative stress by ...excessive release of harmful reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS), which further promote neuronal damage and subsequent inflammation resulting in a feed-forward loop of neurodegeneration. The cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a master regulator of the immune system, plays an important role in the propagation of inflammation due to the activation and recruitment of immune cells via its receptor TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1). Moreover, TNFR1 can directly induce oxidative stress by the activation of ROS and RNS producing enzymes. Both TNF-induced oxidative stress and inflammation interact and cooperate to promote neurodegeneration. However, TNF plays a dual role in neurodegenerative disease, since stimulation via its second receptor, TNFR2, is neuroprotective and promotes tissue regeneration. Here we review the interrelation of oxidative stress and inflammation in the two major chronic neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and discuss the dual role of TNF in promoting neurodegeneration and tissue regeneration via its two receptors.
We describe a “gel‐assisted” proteomic sample preparation method for MS analysis. Solubilized protein extracts or intact cells are copolymerized with acrylamide, facilitating denaturation, reduction, ...quantitative cysteine alkylation, and matrix formation. Gel‐aided sample preparation has been optimized to be highly flexible, scalable, and to allow reproducible sample generation from 50 cells to milligrams of protein extracts. This methodology is fast, sensitive, easy‐to‐use on a wide range of sample types, and accessible to nonspecialists.
The ion mobility enhanced MaxQuant software is introduced, offering an end to end computational workflow for LC-IMS-MS/MS shotgun proteomics data. Highly parallelizable 4D feature detection and ...de-isotoping algorithms are featured and non-linear multi-dimensional mass recalibration is performed. A new matching between runs (MBR) algorithm that utilizes aligned peptide collisional cross sections (CCS). MS1 level label-free quantification is also implemented providing good results. MaxQuant for LC-IMS-MS/MS is part of the basic MaxQuant release and can be downloaded from http://maxquant.org.
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Highlights
•Highly parallelizable 4D feature detection in ion mobility enhanced shotgun proteomics.•Multidimensional non-linear mass, retention time and ion mobility recalibration.•Collision cross section aware matching between runs.•Label-free quantification of ion mobility MS data.
Ion mobility can add a dimension to LC-MS based shotgun proteomics which has the potential to boost proteome coverage, quantification accuracy and dynamic range. Required for this is suitable software that extracts the information contained in the four-dimensional (4D) data space spanned by m/z, retention time, ion mobility and signal intensity. Here we describe the ion mobility enhanced MaxQuant software, which utilizes the added data dimension. It offers an end to end computational workflow for the identification and quantification of peptides and proteins in LC-IMS-MS/MS shotgun proteomics data. We apply it to trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS) coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) analyzer. A highly parallelizable 4D feature detection algorithm extracts peaks which are assembled to isotope patterns. Masses are recalibrated with a non-linear m/z, retention time, ion mobility and signal intensity dependent model, based on peptides from the sample. A new matching between runs (MBR) algorithm that utilizes collisional cross section (CCS) values of MS1 features in the matching process significantly gains specificity from the extra dimension. Prerequisite for using CCS values in MBR is a relative alignment of the ion mobility values between the runs. The missing value problem in protein quantification over many samples is greatly reduced by CCS aware MBR.MS1 level label-free quantification is also implemented which proves to be highly precise and accurate on a benchmark dataset with known ground truth. MaxQuant for LC-IMS-MS/MS is part of the basic MaxQuant release and can be downloaded from http://maxquant.org.
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a central regulator of immunity. Due to its dominant pro-inflammatory effects, drugs that neutralize TNF were developed and are clinically used to treat inflammatory ...and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. However, despite their clinical success the use of anti-TNF drugs is limited, in part due to unwanted, severe side effects and in some diseases its use even is contraindicative. With gaining knowledge about the signaling mechanisms of TNF and the differential role of the two TNF receptors (TNFR), alternative therapeutic concepts based on receptor selective intervention have led to the development of novel protein therapeutics targeting TNFR1 with antagonists and TNFR2 with agonists. These antibodies and bio-engineered ligands are currently in preclinical and early clinical stages of development. Preclinical data obtained in different disease models show that selective targeting of TNFRs has therapeutic potential and may be superior to global TNF blockade in several disease indications.
The Krebs cycle-derived metabolite itaconate is highly upregulated in inflammatory macrophages and exerts immunomodulatory effects through cysteine modifications on target proteins. The NLRP3 ...inflammasome, which cleaves IL-1β, IL-18, and gasdermin D, must be tightly regulated to avoid excessive inflammation. Here we provide evidence that itaconate modifies NLRP3 and inhibits inflammasome activation. Itaconate and its derivative, 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI), inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation, but not AIM2 or NLRC4. Conversely, NLRP3 activation was increased in itaconate-depleted Irg1−/− macrophages. 4-OI inhibited the interaction between NLRP3 and NEK7, a key step in the activation process, and “dicarboxypropylated” C548 on NLRP3. Furthermore, 4-OI inhibited NLRP3-dependent IL-1β release from PBMCs isolated from cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) patients, and reduced inflammation in an in vivo model of urate-induced peritonitis. Our results identify itaconate as an endogenous metabolic regulator of the NLRP3 inflammasome and describe a process that may be exploited therapeutically to alleviate inflammation in NLRP3-driven disorders.
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•Itaconate and its derivative 4-OI (which generates itaconate) block NLRP3 activation•Itaconate-depleted Irg1−/− BMDMs exhibit increased NLRP3 inflammasome activation•4-OI “dicarboxypropylates” C548 on NLRP3 and blocks the NLRP3-NEK7 interaction•4-OI reduces peritonitis in vivo and blocks IL-1β release from CAPS patient PBMCs
Hooftman et al. reveal a role for the Krebs cycle-derived metabolite itaconate in regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome. Itaconate specifically blocks NLRP3 inflammasome activation by reducing the NLRP3-NEK7 interaction, likely due to modification of C548 on NLRP3. Furthermore, itaconate inhibits IL-1β release from cells isolated from patients with the NLRP3-mediated disease CAPS.
The colonic epithelium facilitates host-microorganism interactions to control mucosal immunity, coordinate nutrient recycling and form a mucus barrier. Breakdown of the epithelial barrier underpins ...inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the specific contributions of each epithelial-cell subtype to this process are unknown. Here we profile single colonic epithelial cells from patients with IBD and unaffected controls. We identify previously unknown cellular subtypes, including gradients of progenitor cells, colonocytes and goblet cells within intestinal crypts. At the top of the crypts, we find a previously unknown absorptive cell, expressing the proton channel OTOP2 and the satiety peptide uroguanylin, that senses pH and is dysregulated in inflammation and cancer. In IBD, we observe a positional remodelling of goblet cells that coincides with downregulation of WFDC2-an antiprotease molecule that we find to be expressed by goblet cells and that inhibits bacterial growth. In vivo, WFDC2 preserves the integrity of tight junctions between epithelial cells and prevents invasion by commensal bacteria and mucosal inflammation. We delineate markers and transcriptional states, identify a colonic epithelial cell and uncover fundamental determinants of barrier breakdown in IBD.
Chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) is caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. It affects ~8% of the general population and negatively impacts a person's level of functioning ...and quality of life. Its resistance to available pain therapies makes CNP a major unmet medical need. Immune cells have been shown to play a role for development, maintenance and recovery of CNP and therefore are attractive targets for novel pain therapies. In particular, in neuropathic mice and humans, microglia are activated in the dorsal horn and peripheral immune cells infiltrate the nervous system to promote chronic neuroinflammation and contribute to the initiation and progression of CNP. Importantly, immunity not only controls pain development and maintenance, but is also essential for pain resolution. In particular, regulatory T cells, a subpopulation of T lymphocytes with immune regulatory function, and macrophages were shown to be important contributors to pain recovery. In this review we summarize the interactions of the peripheral immune system with the nervous system and outline their contribution to the development and recovery of pain.
Diabetes is a global health problem caused primarily by the inability of pancreatic β-cells to secrete adequate levels of insulin. The molecular mechanisms underlying the progressive failure of ...β-cells to respond to glucose in type-2 diabetes remain unresolved. Using a combination of transcriptomics and proteomics, we find significant dysregulation of major metabolic pathways in islets of diabetic βV59M mice, a non-obese, eulipidaemic diabetes model. Multiple genes/proteins involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis are upregulated, whereas those involved in oxidative phosphorylation are downregulated. In isolated islets, glucose-induced increases in NADH and ATP are impaired and both oxidative and glycolytic glucose metabolism are reduced. INS-1 β-cells cultured chronically at high glucose show similar changes in protein expression and reduced glucose-stimulated oxygen consumption: targeted metabolomics reveals impaired metabolism. These data indicate hyperglycaemia induces metabolic changes in β-cells that markedly reduce mitochondrial metabolism and ATP synthesis. We propose this underlies the progressive failure of β-cells in diabetes.
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and its receptors TNFR1 and TNFR2 have pleiotropic effects in neurodegenerative disorders. For example, while TNFR1 mediates neurodegenerative effects in multiple ...sclerosis, TNFR2 is protective and contributes to remyelination. The exact mode of TNFR2 action, however, is poorly understood. Here, we show that TNFR2‐mediated activation of the PI3K‐PKB/Akt pathway in primary astrocytes increased the expression of neuroprotective genes, including that encoding the neurotrophic cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). To investigate whether intercellular signaling between TNFR2‐stimulated astrocytes and oligodendrocytes plays a role in oligodendrocyte maturation, we established an astrocyte–oligodendrocyte coculture model, composed of primary astrocytes from huTNFR2‐transgenic (tgE1335) mice and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) from wild‐type mice, capable of differentiating into mature myelinating oligodendrocytes. In this model, selective stimulation of human TNFR2 on astrocytes, promoted differentiation of cocultured OPCs to myelin basic protein‐positive mature oligodendrocytes. Addition of LIF neutralizing antibodies inhibited oligodendrocyte differentiation, indicating a crucial role of TNFR2‐induced astrocyte derived LIF for oligodendrocyte maturation. GLIA 2014;62:272–283
How cells coordinate the response to fluctuating carbon and nitrogen availability required to maintain effective homeostasis is a key issue. Amino acid limitation that inactivates mTORC1 promotes ...de-phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of Transcription Factor EB (TFEB), a key transcriptional regulator of lysosome biogenesis and autophagy that is deregulated in cancer and neurodegeneration. Beyond its cytoplasmic sequestration, how TFEB phosphorylation regulates its nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling, and whether TFEB can coordinate amino acid supply with glucose availability is poorly understood. Here we show that TFEB phosphorylation on S142 primes for GSK3β phosphorylation on S138, and that phosphorylation of both sites but not either alone activates a previously unrecognized nuclear export signal (NES). Importantly, GSK3β is inactivated by AKT in response to mTORC2 signaling triggered by glucose limitation. Remarkably therefore, the TFEB NES integrates carbon (glucose) and nitrogen (amino acid) availability by controlling TFEB flux through a nuclear import-export cycle.