Saitoh Sei

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although activation of the kynurenine (KYN) pathway has been observed in patients with MS, its pathological significance remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of the KYN pathway in MS using an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model, a widely recognized animal model of MS. We found an increase in the expression of kynureninase (KYNU), a key enzyme in the KYN pathway that is specifically localized within monocytes in the spinal cord of EAE mice. This was accompanied by a significant accumulation of quinolinic acid (QUIN) in the spinal cord. Importantly, similar increases in KYNU expression and QUIN levels were observed in the spinal cord of proteolipid protein overexpressing mice (PLP-tg mice), another model of demyelination. Notably, KYNU knockout (KO) reduced EAE severity and monocyte recruitment to the spinal cord of EAE model mice. These findings suggest that the increase in KYNU expression and the subsequent accumulation of QUIN may contribute to the exacerbation of MS. Taken together, our results indicate that KYNU could be a novel therapeutic target for MS.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), as a complication of diabetes, is a substantial healthcare challenge owing to the high risk of morbidity and mortality involved. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of DN, more efficient models are required to develop new therapeutics. Here, we created a DN model in zebrafish by crossing diabetic Tg(acta1:dnIGF1R-EGFP) and proteinuria-tracing Tg(l-fabp::VDBP-GFP) lines, named zMIR/VDBP. Overfed adult zMIR/VDBP fish developed severe hyperglycemia and proteinuria, which were not observed in wild-type zebrafish. Renal histopathology revealed human DN-like characteristics, such as glomerular basement membrane thickening, foot process effacement and glomerular sclerosis. Glomerular dysfunction was restored upon calorie restriction. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated that DN zebrafish kidneys exhibited transcriptional patterns similar to those seen in human DN pathogenesis. Notably, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway was activated, a phenomenon observed in the early phase of human DN. In addition, metformin improved hyperglycemia and proteinuria in DN zebrafish by modulating Akt phosphorylation. Our results indicate that zMIR/VDBP fish are suitable for elucidating the mechanisms underlying human DN and could be a powerful tool for therapeutic discovery.

A long-term high-fat diet (HFD) causes obesity and changes in renal lipid metabolism and lysosomal dysfunction in mice, causing renal damage. Sodium-glucose co-transporter inhibitors, including phlorizin, exert nephroprotective effects in patients with chronic kidney disease, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. A HFD or standard diet was fed to adult C57BL/6J male mice, and phlorizin was administered. Lamellar body components of the proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTECs) were investigated. After phlorizin administration in HFD-fed mice, sphingomyelin and ceramide in urine and tissues were assessed and label-free quantitative proteomics was performed using kidney tissue samples. Mitochondrial elongation by fusion was effective in the PTECs of HFD-fed obese mice under phlorizin administration, and many lamellar bodies were found in the apical portion of the S2 segment of the proximal tubule. Phlorizin functioned as a diuretic, releasing lamellar bodies from the apical membrane of PTECs and clearing the obstruction in nephrons. The main component of the lamellar bodies was sphingomyelin. On the first day of phlorizin administration in HFD-fed obese mice, the diuretic effect was increased, and more sphingomyelin was excreted through urine than in vehicle-treated mice. The expressions of three peroxisomal β-oxidation proteins involved in fatty acid metabolism were downregulated after phlorizin administration in the kidneys of HFD-fed mice. Fatty acid elongation protein levels increased with phlorizin administration, indicating an increase in long-chain fatty acids. Lamellar bodies accumulated in the proximal renal tubule of the S2 segment of the HFD-fed mice, indicating that the urinary excretion of lamellar bodies has nephroprotective effects.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPC) arise from restricted regions of the central nervous system (CNS) and differentiate into myelin-forming cells after migration, but their ultrastructural characteristics have not been fully elucidated. This study examined the three-dimensional ultrastructure of OPCs in comparison with other glial cells in the early postnatal optic nerve by serial block-face scanning electron microscopy. We examined 70 putative OPCs (pOPC) that were distinct from other glial cells according to established morphological criteria. The pOPCs were unipolar in shape with relatively few processes, and their Golgi apparatus were localized in the perinuclear region with a single cisterna. Astrocytes abundant in the optic nerve were distinct from pOPCs and had a greater number of processes and more complicated Golgi apparatus morphology. All pOPCs and astrocytes contained a pair of centrioles (basal bodies). Among them, 45% of pOPCs extended a short cilium, and 20% of pOPCs had centrioles accompanied by vesicles, whereas all astrocytes with basal bodies had cilia with invaginated ciliary pockets. These results suggest that the fine structures of pOPCs during the developing and immature stages may account for their distinct behavior. Additionally, the vesicular transport of the centrioles, along with a short cilium length, suggests active ciliogenesis in pOPCs.

CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) has a key role in higher-order chromatin architecture that is important for establishing and maintaining cell identity by controlling gene expression. In the mature cerebellum, CTCF is highly expressed in Purkinje cells (PCs) as compared with other cerebellar neurons. The cerebellum plays an important role in motor function by regulating PCs, which are the sole output neurons, and defects in PCs cause motor dysfunction. However, the role of CTCF in PCs has not yet been explored. Here we found that the absence of CTCF in mouse PCs led to progressive motor dysfunction and abnormal dendritic morphology in those cells, which included dendritic self-avoidance defects and a proximal shift in the climbing fibre innervation territory on PC dendrites. Furthermore, we found the peculiar lamellar structures known as "giant lamellar bodies" (GLBs), which have been reported in PCs of patients with Werdnig-Hoffman disease, 13q deletion syndrome, and Krabbe disease. GLBs are localized to PC dendrites and are assumed to be associated with neurodegeneration. They have been noted, however, only in case reports following autopsy, and reports of their existence have been very limited. Here we show that GLBs were reproducibly formed in PC dendrites of a mouse model in which CTCF was deleted. GLBs were not noted in PC dendrites at infancy but instead developed over time. In conjunction with GLB development in PC dendrites, the endoplasmic reticulum was almost absent around the nuclei, the mitochondria were markedly swollen and their cristae had decreased drastically, and almost all PCs eventually disappeared as severe motor deficits manifested. Our results revealed the important role of CTCF during normal development and in maintaining PCs and provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of GLB formation during neurodegenerative disease.

Astrocyte abnormalities have received great attention for their association with various diseases in the brain but not so much in the eye. Recent independent genome-wide association studies of glaucoma, optic neuropathy characterized by retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration, and vision loss found that single-nucleotide polymorphisms near the ABCA1 locus were common risk factors. Here, we show that Abca1 loss in retinal astrocytes causes glaucoma-like optic neuropathy in aged mice. ABCA1 was highly expressed in retinal astrocytes in mice. Thus, we generated macroglia-specific Abca1-deficient mice (Glia-KO) and found that aged Glia-KO mice had RGC degeneration and ocular dysfunction without affected intraocular pressure, a conventional risk factor for glaucoma. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that Abca1 deficiency in aged Glia-KO mice caused astrocyte-triggered inflammation and increased the susceptibility of certain RGC clusters to excitotoxicity. Together, astrocytes play a pivotal role in eye diseases, and loss of ABCA1 in astrocytes causes glaucoma-like neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: The interaction among the glomerular components plays an important role in the development of glomerular lesions; thus, investigation of the ultrastructural three-dimensional (3D) configuration of the human glomerular cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) is important for understanding the pathogenesis of glomerulosclerosis, especially glomerulonephritis. METHODS: We applied a new technique of serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), which helps to acquire serial electron microscopic images to reconstruct a 3D ultrastructure, to a human kidney biopsy specimen obtained from a 25-year-old woman with lupus nephritis. RESULTS: SBF-SEM demonstrated that the cytoplasmic processes of the podocyte penetrated into the lamina densa of the glomerular basement membrane, and was in direct contact with the cytoplasm of mesangial cells at the site of mesangial interposition. CONCLUSION: Although this is a single-case observational study, SBF-SEM revealed a unique 3D configuration, suggesting a novel mechanism of direct intercellular cross-communication between podocytes and mesangial cells, aside from the presumed paracrine communication.

Soluble proteins and glycogen particles are well preserved in paraffin-embedded sections prepared by in vivo cryotechnique (IVCT) and cryobiopsy followed by freeze substitution fixation. We performed confocal laser scanning microscopic analyses on the distributions of glycogen with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and serum proteins with immunostaining for mouse liver tissues. Livers of fully fed mice showed a strong fluorescence signal of PAS staining in all hepatocytes and immunofluorescence of immunoglobulin kappa light chain (Igκ) in blood vessels and bile canaliculi. However, some hepatocytes in mechanically damaged livers were PAS-negative and Igκ-immunopositive, showing extraction of glycogen particles and infiltration of serum proteins in hepatocytes. By three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of serial optical sections, interconnecting hepatic sinusoids and bile canaliculi were detected with Igκ immunostaining between trabecular hepatocytes that were PAS stained. In PAS-stained samples under fasting conditions, interstitial structures along sinusoids were clarified in vivo by 3D reconstruction because of the lower PAS staining intensity of hepatocytes. In addition, 100-μm-thick eosin-stained slices provided 3D structural images more than 30 μm in thickness away from tissue surfaces, showing blood vessels with flowing erythrocytes and networks of bile ducts and canaliculi. IVCT and cryobiopsy with histochemical analyses enabled us to visualize native hepatocytic glycogen and 3D structures, such as vascular networks, reflecting their living states by confocal laser scanning microscopy.

Our final goal of morphological and immunohistochemical studies is that all findings examined in animal experiments should reflect the physiologically functional background. Therefore, the preservation of original components in cells and tissues of animals is necessary for describing the functional morphology of living animal organs. It is generally accepted that morphological findings of various organs were easily modified by stopping their blood supply. There had been a need to develop a new preparation technique for freezing the living animal organs in vivo and then obtaining acceptable morphology and also immunolocalization of original components in functioning cells and tissues. We already developed the 'in vivo cryotechnique' (IVCT) not only for their morphology, but also for immunohistochemistry of many soluble components in various living animal organs. All physiological processes of cells and tissues were immediately immobilized by IVCT, and every component in the cells and tissues was maintained in situ at the time of freezing. Thus, the ischaemic or anoxic effects on them could be minimized by IVCT. Our specially designed cryoknife with liquid cryogen has solved the morphological and immunohistochemical problems which are inevitable with the conventional preparation methods at a light or electron microscopic level. The IVCT will be extremely useful for arresting transient physiological processes and for maintaining any intracellular components in situ, such as rapidly changing signal molecules, membrane channels and receptors.