Complex vascular anomalies arise from perturbed development of blood or lymphatic vessels, often caused by germline or post-zygotic variants. Complex vascular anomalies give rise to complications including pain, coagulopathies, respiratory failure, and abnormal fluid accumulation in different body compartments, which are often intractable and can be life-threatening despite interventions such as sclerotherapy, embolization, or surgery. Recent work has demonstrated the importance of phenotype-genotype correlation to guide biologically based medical treatments.
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Abstract Background Genetic mutations in the beta-glucocerebrosidase (GCase), GBA gene, represent the major genetic risk factor for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The function of the GBA gene is at the crossroads between the endo-lysosomal pathway and the immune response, two important mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of PD. However, modifiers of GBA penetrance have not yet been fully elucidated. Methods we characterized the transcriptomic profiles of circulating monocytes and whole blood in a population of patients with PD and healthy controls (CTRL) with (PD/GBA and CTRL/GBA) and without GBA variants (iPD and CTRL) (monocytes: n = 56 iPD, 66 CTRL, 23 PD/GBA, 13 CTRL/GBA; whole blood: n = 616 iPD, 362 CTRLs, 127 PD/GBA, 165 CTRL/GBA). Differential expression analysis, pathways enrichment analysis, and outliers detections were performed. Ultrastructural characterization of isolated CD14+ monocytes in the four groups was also performed through electron microscopy. Results We observed hundreds of differentially expressed genes and dysregulated pathways when comparing manifesting and non-manifesting GBA mutation carriers. Specifically, when compared to idiopathic PD, GBA-PD showed dysregulation in genes involved in alpha-synuclein degradation, aging and amyloid processing (i.e. SNCA, LMNA). Gene-based outlier analysis confirmed the involvement of lysosomal, membrane trafficking, and mitochondrial processing in manifesting compared to non-manifesting GBA -carriers, as also observed at the ultrastructural levels. Conclusions Overall, our transcriptomic analysis of primary monocytes identified gene targets and biological processes that can help in understanding the pathogenic mechanisms associated with GBA mutations in the context of PD.
Summary Currently, we do not fully understand the underlying mechanisms of how regional adiposity promotes metabolic dysregulation. As adipose tissue expands, there is an increase in chronic systemic low‐grade inflammation due to greater infiltration of immune cells and production of cytokines. This chronic inflammation is thought to play a major role in the development of metabolic complications and disease such as insulin resistance and diabetes. We know that different adipose tissue depots contribute differently to the risk of metabolic disease. People who have an upper body fat distribution around the abdomen are at greater risk of disease than those who tend to store fat in their lower body around the hips and thighs. Thus, it is conceivable that adipose tissue depots contribute differently to the inflammatory milieu as a result of varied infiltration of immune cell types. In this review, we describe the role and function of major resident immune cells in the development of adipose tissue inflammation and discuss their regional differences in the context of metabolic disease risk. We find that although initial studies have found regional differences, a more comprehensive understanding of how immune cells interrupt adipose tissue homeostasis is needed.
Abstract An increasing number of identified Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk loci contain genes highly expressed in innate immune cells, yet their potential role in pathological mechanisms is not obvious. We have generated transcriptomic profiles of CD14 + monocytes from 230 individuals with sporadic PD and age-matched healthy subjects. We identified dysregulation of genes involved in mitochondrial and proteasomal function. We also generated transcriptomic profiles of primary microglia from autopsied brains of 55 PD and control subjects and observed discordant transcriptomic signatures of mitochondrial genes in PD monocytes and microglia. We further identified PD susceptibility genes, whose expression, relative to each risk allele, is altered in monocytes. These findings reveal that transcriptomic mitochondrial alterations are detectable in PD monocytes and are distinct from brain microglia, and facilitates efforts to understand the roles of myeloid cells in PD.
Altered myelin structure and oligodendrocyte function have been shown to correlate with cognitive and motor dysfunction and deficits in social behavior. We and others have previously demonstrated that social isolation in mice induced behavioral, transcriptional, and ultrastructural changes in oligodendrocytes of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). However, whether enhancing myelination and oligodendrocyte differentiation could be beneficial in reversing such changes remains unexplored. To test this hypothesis, we orally administered clemastine, an antimuscarinic compound that has been shown to enhance oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in vitro , for 2 weeks in adult mice following social isolation. Clemastine successfully reversed social avoidance behavior in mice undergoing prolonged social isolation. Impaired myelination was rescued by oral clemastine treatment, and was associated with enhanced oligodendrocyte progenitor differentiation and epigenetic changes. Clemastine induced higher levels of repressive histone methylation (H3K9me3), a marker for heterochromatin, in oligodendrocytes, but not neurons, of the PFC. This was consistent with the capability of clemastine in elevating H3K9 histone methyltransferases activity in cultured primary mouse oligodendrocytes, an effect that could be antagonized by cotreatment with muscarine. Our data suggest that promoting adult myelination is a potential strategy for reversing depressive-like social behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Oligodendrocyte development and myelination are highly dynamic processes influenced by experience and neuronal activity. However, whether enhancing myelination and oligodendrocyte differentiation is beneficial to treat depressive-like behavior has been unexplored. Mice undergoing prolonged social isolation display impaired myelination in the prefrontal cortex. Clemastine, a Food and Drug Administration-approved antimuscarinic compound that has been shown to enhance myelination under demyelinating conditions, successfully reversed social avoidance behavior in adult socially isolated mice. This was associated with enhanced myelination and oligodendrocyte differentiation in the prefrontal cortex through epigenetic regulation. Thus, enhancing myelination may be a potential means of reversing depressive-like social behavior.
Genetic mutations in beta-glucocerebrosidase (GBA) represent the major genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). GBA participates in both the endo-lysosomal pathway and the immune response, two important mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of PD. However, modifiers of GBA penetrance have not yet been fully elucidated.
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