Michael V. Bennett - US grants

One sensory system that has not received much study is electroreception, the capability of some animals, particularly sharks and some electric fish, to detect extremely tiny electrical signals in the watery environment. This sense can be important in finding food, in species-specific communication, and in navigation. The receptor cells have extraordinary sensitivity to minuscule electrical signals, by mechanisms that have not yet been clarified. This project uses electrophysiological and optical recording techniques to examine how the ionic current channels across the cell membrane are activated in electroreceptor cells, and mathematical modeling techniques to make testable predictions about these biophysical properties. Results will have impact on how cells of a related type work in the lateral line organs of fish, and in the vertebrate inner ear. Understanding the high sensitivity of these cells will be useful in understanding other sensory systems in general, and perhaps relevant to claims about effects of weak electrical fields on biological tissue in general.

Transient, but severe global ischemia, observed in patients during cardiac arrest and cardiac surgery or induced experimentally in animals, induces selective and delayed neurodegeneration. Pyramidal cells in CA1 are the most sensitive; CA3 and granule cells of the dentate gyrus (DG) are resistant to ischemic damage, and GABAergic interneurons in CA1 also survive. The molecular mechanisms underlying this pattern of neuronal death are not well understood. The proposed research aims to study the role of gap junctions during the several days of "maturation" of neuronal injury after global ischemia. Recent findings from this laboratory indicate that global ischemia triggers a selective upregulation of Cx36 (and Cx32) protein expression in GABAergic interneurons of the vulnerable CA1 at times prior to the onset of neuronal death, consistent with a role in the survival of these neurons. Moreover, CA1 neurons in Cx32 (Y/-) mice exhibit enhanced vulnerability to global ischemia-induced neuronal death. These data suggest that increased inhibition of pyramidal cells through synchronization of inhibitory interneurons may be neuroprotective. Gap junctions between astrocytes are also thought to have a role in postischemic neuronal death. Dying cells can kill resistant neighboring glial cells via glial "fratricide" (bystander death) and thereby propagate injury to neighboring regions. On the other hand, gap junctional coupling of astrocytes mediates metabolic cooperation among them and attenuates neuronal death in models of oxidative stress. The underlying hypothesis of this proposal is that gap junctions play important roles in determining neuronal death and survival following global ischemia. The research plan for the next five years focuses on changes in the abundance, distribution and molecular and biophysical properties of brain gap junctions following neurological insult. Specific Aims are 1. Characterize ischemia-induced alterations in connexin expression and gap junction properties in the vulnerable CA1 and resistant CA3 and dentate gyrus of rats and mice. Experiments will examine global ischemia-induced changes in coupling of inhibitory interneurons and expression of connexin proteins by immunocytochemistry and Western blotting and of connexin mRNAs by in situ hybridization and. Experiments will determine the effects of acute knockdown of specific connexins by antisense oligonucleotides on neuronal vulnerability and will examine neuronal vulnerability in Cx32(Y/-) mice, Cx36(-/-) mice and mice deficient in astrocyte Cx43. 2. Examine effects of oxygen/glucose deprivation on hippocampal slice cultures by immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization and electrophysiological methods. To examine ischemia-induced changes in gap junction properties in acute slices and organotypic hippocampal slice cultures by electrophysiological methods and image analysis. The proposed research is expected to impact on the development of new treatment strategies for intervention in global ischemia, a debilitating and often fatal trauma associated with cardiac arrest in humans. Moreover, this study has important implications for research on other neurodegenerative disorders including focal ischemia, epilepsy, AIDS encephalopathy, and Alzheimer's disease.

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Gap junctions are formed of two hemichannels (or connexons), one from each of the apposed cells. Hemi- channels are formed in the ER or a post ER compartment and inserted into the surface with little localization. They diffuse over the surface to dock with a partner in an apposed membrane and then open. Non-junctional surface hemichannels are for the most part closed, which is reasonable in view of their large conductance and relatively non-specific permeability. However some hemichannels open in physiological or pathological conditions. Cx43, a prevalent connexin in many tissues, has been little characterized in respect to hemi- channel opening. This application proposes to ameliorate that deficiency. Techniques include time lapse recording of dye uptake, recording of single channel activity, isolation of surface Cx43 by biotinylation/ NeutrAvidin pull down, Western blot analysis and site directed mutagenesis. Aim 1 is to analyze gating of Cx43 hemichannels as a function of voltage and reduced divalent ion concentration. Aim 2 is to identify sites of modification of Cx43 by oxidizing and reducing agents and by metabolic inhibition (Ml), treatments that affect voltage dependence and open probability. Ml and NO donors induce S-nitrosylation of Cx43, an effect blocked by reducing agents such as DTT. Truncation that removes all cytoplasmic cysteines greatly atten- uates the effect of metabolic inhibition. Now we will remove the cysteines individually and in combination. We will assay phosphorylation of surface hemichannels (isolated by biotinylation) to determine relation to effects of metabolic inhibition. Phosphorylation at several sites modulates gating but does not affect responses to Ml. Aim 3 is to localize the relative position of the gate closed by acidification with the H3O+ binding site. Preliminary data indicate that the site on the cytoplasmic side of the gate, i.e. weak, membrane permeant acids rapidly and reversibly block the hemichannels, and strong, relatively membrane impermeant acids do not block hemichannels until they open. Aim 4 is to extend these data to astrocytes, both in culture and in brain slices. Our preliminary data indicate high degree of similarity in culture. These studies should clarify controls of Cx43 hemichannel opening in physiological and pathological conditions. Cx43 is the primary connexin expressed by astrocytes; responses to metabolic challenge will relate to the clinical conditions of focal and global ischemia in the CNS, where the role of astrocytes remains largely unexplored. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): White matter (WM) injury, which is characterized by axonal degeneration and loss of the myelin sheath (demyelination), is important for the long-term functional deficits after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The central nervous system exhibits limited capacity for WM repair, such as axonal regeneration and remyelination. During post-TBI WM repair, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) are known to actively proliferate. However, many newly generated OPCs fail to differentiate into mature, myelin- This application will examine the effect of intranasal delivery of protease inactive plasminogen activator mutant (tPAm) to enhance differentiation and maturation of oligodendyocytes to promote white matter integrity following TBI. producing oligodendrocytes (OLs), resulting in inadequate remyelination. Failed remyelination not only diminishes signal transduction, but also leads to axon degeneration and worsens clinical outcome. Thus, interventions that promote OPC differentiation and maturation are promising strategies to enhance WM repair and improve functional recovery. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is an FDA-approved treatment for ischemic stroke and catalyzes thrombolysis through serine protease action. Recent studies have discovered direct neurorestorative effects of tPA independent of protease activities. However, the clinical use of tPA as a therapeutic agent in TBI raises several concerns, as it can also cause blood-brain barrier damage and brain edema. In this proposal, we will explore protease-inactive mutant tPA (tPAm), with substitution of a single amino acid (S478A) to eliminate protease action, as a novel restorative therapy to promote remyelination and WM repair after TBI. We discovered that nanomolar concentrations of tPAm promote the differentiation of cultured primary OPCs into mature OLs. In addition, tPA knockout exacerbates behavioral deficits and WM injury lasting at least 35 days after TBI whereas post-injury intranasal administration of tPAm improves long-term neurological function and WM integrity after TBI in mice. Pilot data further suggest that tPAm enhances WM repair after TBI by promoting OPC differentiation and axon remyelination and that the effect may be mediated by the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ? (PPAR?) nuclear receptor. Here we will focus on the novel remyelinating actions of tPAm and test the following hypothesis: Treatment with protease inactive tPAm facilitates WM repair and long-term neurological recovery after TBI, at least in part, by inducing OPC differentiation and axonal myelination through PPAR? activation. Three Specific Aims will be tested. Aim 1: Determine whether post-TBI treatment with tPAm enhances WM integrity and promotes long-term recovery. Aim 2: Test the hypothesis that tPAm induces OPC differentiation/maturation and promotes axonal myelination through PPAR? activation. Aim 3: Test the hypothesis that tPAm-induced OPC differentiation and axonal myelination are essential for the protection of WM integrity and long-term recovery after TBI. These studies are the first to investigate the potential for tPAm to foster remyelination in TBI an will identify the underlying mechanism of action, thereby setting the stage for the potential use o tPAm in the clinic.

Oxidative DNA damage (ODD) arises rapidly after cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury and leads to apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites and strand breaks. If DNA repair is insufficient, ODD arrests gene transcription, suppresses neuronal activity, and culminates in cell death. Base excision repair (BER) evolved as the predominant endogenous mechanism for repairing ODD in the brain. Our previous studies have unequivocally established that BER has remarkable potential to promote cell survival and long-term functional recovery after stroke injury. Both short-patch (SP) and long-patch (LP) BER pathways are necessary to repair ODD. The SP- BER pathway repairs base damage and intact AP sites with unmodified deoxyribose phosphate (dRP) residues. However, oxidized AP sites (with oxidized dRP residues), the most prominent lethal oxidative lesion in the ischemic brain, cannot be repaired satisfactorily with SP-BER. The newly characterized LP-BER pathway is responsible for the complete repair of oxidized AP sites. Structure-specific flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is an essential BER enzyme that controls LP-BER by acting as bi-endonuclease/exonuclease and recruiting partner BER enzymes to the lesion site. However, the role of FEN1-dependent LP-BER in CNS injury is completely unknown. Therefore, we are the first group to examine FEN1 in the context of stroke. Our pilot studies show that: 1) FEN1-dependent LP-BER function critically determines stroke outcomes; overexpression of FEN1 robustly protects against ischemic injury and improves neuronal function, whereas conditional deletion of FEN1 exacerbates injury, resulting in a dramatic increase in neuron and oligodendrocyte death in stroke brains. 2) Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 5 is a novel endogenous inhibitor of FEN1 in neurons and OLs. Following ischemia, activated CDK5 phosphorylates FEN1 at Ser187, thereby disabling FEN1- dependent LP-BER. 3) Administration of TAT peptides to block the CDK5/FEN1 interaction restores LP-BER function and reduces ischemic injury. Given these observations, we propose three specific aims to test the overall hypothesis that activation of FEN1-dependent LP-BER improves long-term stroke outcomes by promoting neuron and oligodendrocyte survival and white matter recovery following ischemia/reperfusion. AIM 1: Test the hypothesis that FEN1-dependent LP-BER promotes functional recovery following ischemic brain injury. Transient focal ischemia (tFCI, 30/60min MCAO) will be induced in mice of both genders with tamoxifen-inducible conditional knockout or overexpression of FEN1. AIM 2: Test the hypothesis that ischemia- induced activation of CDK5 disables LP-BER by phosphorylating FEN1 at Ser187. AIM 3: Test the hypothesis that administration of a cell-permeable peptide blocking FEN1 phosphorylation (by CDK5) enhances LP-BER activity and improves stroke outcomes in male or female, young and aged mice.

Emerging evidence implicates a pivotal role of cerebral inflammation in the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Following TBI, microglia/macrophages may assume distinct pro-inflammatory or inflammation- resolving phenotypes, which potentiate brain injury or facilitate brain repair, respectively. The intracellular molecular switches that determine microglial/macrophage functional phenotypes after TBI are poorly understood. Identifying such molecular mechanisms may reveal novel targets to tune microglia/macrophages toward the reparative inflammation-resolving phenotype and improve long-term TBI outcomes. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) catalyze the removal of acetyl groups from histone and non-histone proteins, thereby regulating not only gene transcription but also the activity of various proteins through post-translational modifications. Previous studies by us and others demonstrate that pan-inhibitors of Class I HDACs (HDAC1, 2, 3, 8) mitigate brain inflammation and improve neurological functions after TBI. However, it is imperative to elucidate the role of different HDAC subtypes, in order to focus on specific therapeutic targets without disrupting the beneficial functions of some HDACs in post-injury brain repair. To date, the HDAC subtype responsible for protection against TBI is unknown. It is also not known if the cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying HDAC inhibitor-afforded protection involve the alteration of microglial/macrophage phenotype. Our pilot studies show for the first time that: 1) Microglia/macrophage-specific knockout (mKO) of HDAC3, but not HDAC1 or HDAC2, improves neurobehavioral outcomes after TBI. 2) HDAC3 mKO improves gray and white matter integrity, and mitigates neuroinflammation after TBI. 4) HDAC3 inhibition ameliorates pro- inflammatory microglia-mediated neurotoxicity after neuronal stretch injury (NSI), an in vitro TBI model. 5) HDAC3 inhibition reduces the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), a key molecule that mediates pro-inflammatory responses in microglia/macrophages. 6) Subcutaneous delivery of RGFP966, a brain-penetrant, potent, and specific HDAC3 inhibitor, ameliorates inflammation and sensorimotor deficits after TBI. Given these observations, we propose three specific aims to test the novel hypothesis that genetic or pharmacological ablation of HDAC3 provides neuroprotection and improves brain repair and long-term outcomes after TBI by promoting inflammation-resolving microglial/macrophage responses. Aim 1: Test if HDAC3 mKO improves gray and white matter integrity and long-term neurological functions after TBI. Controlled cortical impact (CCI) will be induced in mice of both sexes with tamoxifen-inducible HDAC3 knockout in microglia/macrophages. Aim 2: Test if genetic knockout of the HDAC3-STAT1 signaling pathway shifts microglia/macrophages toward the beneficial and inflammation-resolving phenotype after TBI. Aim 3: Test the therapeutic potential of the specific HDAC3 inhibitor RGFP966 in resolution of inflammation and improvement of long-term TBI outcomes in young adult and aged mice of both genders.