Published papers

The high-affinity choline transporter CHT1 mediates choline uptake, the rate-limiting and regulatory step in acetylcholine synthesis at cholinergic presynaptic terminals. CHT1-medated choline uptake is specifically inhibited by hemicholinium-3, which is a type of choline analog that acts as a competitive inhibitor. Although the substrate choline and the inhibitor hemicholinium-3 are well-established ligands of CHT1, few potent ligands other than choline analogs have been reported. Here we show that tetrahydropyrimidine anthelmintics, known as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists, act as competitive inhibitors of CHT1. A ligand-dependent trafficking assay in cell lines expressing human CHT1 was designed to search for CHT1 ligands from a collection of biologically active compounds. We found that morantel as well as other tetrahydropyrimidines, pyrantel and oxantel, potently inhibits the high-affinity choline uptake activity of CHT1 in a competitive manner similar to the inhibitor hemicholinium-3. They also inhibit the high-affinity choline transporter from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Finally, tetrahydropyrimidines potently inhibit the high-affinity choline uptake in rat brain synaptosomes at a low micromolar level, resulting in the inhibition of acetylcholine synthesis. The rank order of potency in synaptosomes is as follows: morantel > pyarantel > oxantel (Ki = 1.3, 5.7, and 8.3 μM, respectively). Our results reveal that tetrahydropyrimidine anthelmintics are novel CHT1 ligands that inhibit the high-affinity choline uptake for acetylcholine synthesis in cholinergic neurons.

Acetylcholine (ACh) is the classical neurotransmitter in the cholinergic nervous system. However, ACh is now known to regulate various immune cell functions. In fact, T cells, B cells, and macrophages all express components of the cholinergic system, including ACh, muscarinic, and nicotinic ACh receptors (mAChRs and nAChRs), choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholinesterase, and choline transporters. In this review, we will discuss the actions of ACh in the immune system. We will first briefly describe the mechanisms by which ACh is stored in and released from immune cells. We will then address Ca2+ signaling pathways activated via mAChRs and nAChRs on T cells and B cells, highlighting the importance of ACh for the function of T cells, B cells, and macrophages, as well as its impact on innate and acquired (cellular and humoral) immunity. Lastly, we will discuss the effects of two peptide ligands, secreted lymphocyte antigen-6/urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor-related peptide-1 (SLURP-1) and hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide (HCNP), on cholinergic activity in T cells. Overall, we stress the fact that ACh does not function only as a neurotransmitter; it impacts immunity by exerting diverse effects on immune cells via mAChRs and nAChRs.

Immune cells such as T cells, B cells, macrophages and dendritic cells have the ability to synthesize acetylcholine (ACh) by choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). Activation of T cells via the T-cell receptor (TCR)-mediated pathways, and macrophages and DCs by LPS enhances ChAT expression and increase ACh synthesis. Expression of various subtypes of muscarinic and nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) in immune cells suggests a role for ACh from the immune cells in regulation of immune function. In fact, α7 nAChR activation down-regulates the synthesis and release of TNF-α in LPS-stimulated macrophages. 　We investigated the effect of α7 nAChR agonist GTS-21 on naïve CD4+ T cell differentiation. Spleen cells from ovalbumin (OVA)-TCR transgenic DO11.10 mice were cultured in the presence or absence of GTS-21and activated with either OVA or OVA-323-339-peptide (OVA-p) for 5 days. Cultured cells were stained with specific fluorescent antibodies against respective markers, and the differentiation into Treg and effector T cells (Th1, Th2 and Th17) was estimated by cytofluorometry. GTS-21 suppressed T cell differentiation into both Treg and T effector cells when activated with OVA, but enhanced the differentiation into Treg and T effector cells when activated with OVA-p. The results suggest that GTS-21 down-regulates antigen presentation by inhibiting either uptake of OVA or processing in the antigen-presenting cells (APCs). However, once T cell differentiation is activated by OVA-p bound to the surface MHC class II molecules, GTS-21 facilitates the differentiation by stimulating α7 nAChRs in the T cells. Secondly, we investigated the effect of GTS-21 on OVA-FITC uptake by APCs, and found no effect on FITC-uptake, suggesting a role for α7 nAChRs in regulation of OVA processing. Thirdly, to confirm the direct effects of GTS-21 on CD4+ T cells, spleen cells from α7 nAChR-deficient (α7-KO) or the wild type (WT) mice were activated independently of APCs by anti-CD3/CD28 mAbs in the presence of GTS-21. GTS-21 facilitated the differentiation into Tregs only in the WT but not in the α7-KO, confirming the role for α7 nAChRs in T cell differentiation. In conclusion, α7 nAChRs play a role in T cell differentiation by acting on APCs and T cells.

VAChT-Cre is a Cre-driver mouse line that can direct DNA recombination in postnatal FR-type (fast-twitch fatigue resistant) or S-type (slow-twitch fatigue resistant) motor neurons (hereinafter referred to as ¨slow motor neurons¨) innervating type-I or -IIa muscle fibers (Fig. 1; Misawa et al., genesis, 54, 568-572, 2016). In order to express cytotoxic substances selectively in slow motor neurons, VAChT-Cre mice were crossbred with NSE-DTA mice in which diphtheria toxin A (DTA) was expressed after Cre-mediated loxP-site excision. The resultant VAChT-Cre;NSE- DTA mice were born normally and grow healthy, but started voluntary shaking around 20 weeks of age. Reduced body weight and hunched back posture in the spine (kyphosis) were observed around this age. Muscular atrophy was evident in ¨red muscle¨ including the soleus muscle, however ¨white muscle¨ such as the extensor digitorum longus muscle was normal. The tremor was kinetic in nature and became progressively worsen with ageing. The tremor was most conspicuous in head and neck.Tremor frequencies and amplitudes were analyzed using an accelerometer (glued to hanging box) followed by fast Fourier transformation (FFT). The power spectrum analysis revealed that the tremor amplitude peaked at 18- to 22-Hz, which was different from tremor frequency induced by a typical tremor-inducing drug harmaline (peaked at 11- to 15-Hz), implying different causes for the tremor oscillation. The observed tremor phenotype in VAChT-Cre;NSE-DTA mice is reminiscent of essential tremor (ET) in humans: the most frequent movement disorders affecting elderly people with unknown cause. Possible mechanisms and sites of tremor origin in VAChT-Cre;NSE-DTA mice and it's relation to ET will be discussed.

The anti-mesothelioma mAb SKM9-2 recognizes the sialylated protein HEG homolog 1 (HEG1). HEG1 is a 400 kDa mucin-like membrane protein found on mesothelioma. SKM9-2 can detect mesothelioma more specifically and sensitively than other antibodies against current mesothelioma markers; therefore, SKM9-2 would be likely useful for the precise detection and diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma. In the present study, we investigated the epitope of SKM9-2. We analyzed the binding of SKM9-2 to truncated HEG1 and candidate epitope-fused glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor proteins. The epitope of SKM9-2 was identified as an O-glycosylated region, 893-SKSPSLVSLPT-903, in HEG1. An alanine scanning assay of the epitope showed that SKM9-2 bound to a simple epitope in HEG1, and the SKxPSxVS sequence within the epitope was essential for SKM9-2 recognition. Mass spectrometry analysis and lectin binding analysis of soluble epitope peptides indicated that the SKM9-2 epitope, in which Ser897 was not glycosylated, contained two disialylated core 1 O-linked glycan-modified serine residues, Ser893 and Ser900. Neuraminidase treatment analysis also confirmed that the epitope in mesothelioma cells contained a similar glycan modification. The specific detection of mesothelioma with SKM9-2 can thus be performed by the recognition of sialylated glycan modification in the specific region of HEG1.

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is abundantly expressed in the central nervous system and is involved in the water balance in the cellular environment. Previous studies have reported that AQP4 expression is upregulated in rat models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal disease that affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. In this study, we report that astrocytic AQP4 overexpression is evident during the course of disease in the spinal cord of an ALS mouse model, as well as in tissue from patients with ALS. AQP4 overexpression appears to be specifically associated with ALS because it was not induced by other experimental manipulations that produced acute or chronic gliosis. In order to examine the contribution of AQP4 to ALS disease development, we crossed AQP4 knockout mice with a mouse model of ALS. Significant improvement in blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability was observed in the AQP4-deficient ALS mouse model. However, the time to disease onset and total lifespan were reduced in the AQP4-deficient ALS mouse model. The contradictory results suggest that changes in AQP4 may be context-dependent and further studies are required to understand the precise contribution of brain water balance in ALS.

Small integral membrane protein of the lysosome/late endosome (SIMPLE) is a 161-amino acid cellular protein that contains a characteristic C-terminal domain known as the SIMPLE-like domain (SLD), which is well conserved among species. Several studies have demonstrated that SIMPLE localizes to the trans-Golgi network (TGN), early endosomes, lysosomes, multivesicular bodies, aggresomes and the plasma membrane. However, the amino acid regions responsible for its subcellular localization have not yet been identified. The SLD resembles the FYVE domain, which binds phosphatidylinositol (3)-phosphate (PI3P) and determines the subcellular localization of FYVE domain-containing proteins. In the present study, we have found that SIMPLE binds specifically to PI4P through its SLD. SIMPLE colocalized with PI4P and Rab11, a marker for recycling endosomes (REs, organelles enriched in PI4P) in both the IMS32 mouse Schwann cell line and Hela cells. Sucrose density-gradient centrifugation revealed that SIMPLE co-fractionated with syntaxin-6 (a TGN marker) and Rab11. We have also found that SIMPLE knockdown impeded recycling of transferrin and of transferrin receptor. Our overall results indicate that SIMPLE may regulate protein trafficking physiologically by localizing to the TGN and/or REs by binding PI4P.

Dominant mutations in the gene encoding copper and zinc-binding superoxide dismutase (SOD1) cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Abnormal accumulation of misfolded SOD1 proteins in spinal motoneurons is a major pathological hallmark in SOD1-related ALS. Dissociation of copper and/or zinc ions from SOD1 has been shown to trigger the protein aggregation/oligomerization in vitro, but the pathological contribution of such metal dissociation to the SOD1 misfolding still remains obscure. Here, we tested the relevance of the metal-deficient SOD1 in the misfolding in vivo by developing a novel antibody (anti-apoSOD), which exclusively recognized mutant SOD1 deficient in metal ions at its copper-binding site. Notably, anti-apoSOD-reactive species were detected specifically in the spinal cords of the ALS model mice only at their early pre-symptomatic stages but not at the end stage of the disease. The cerebrospinal fluid as well as the spinal cord homogenate of one SOD1-ALS patient also contained the anti-apoSOD-reactive species. Our results thus suggest that metal-deficiency in mutant SOD1 at its copper-binding site is one of the earliest pathological features in SOD1-ALS.

There is compelling evidence that glial-immune interactions contribute to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. The adaptive immune response has been implicated in disease processes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but it remains unknown if innate immune signaling also contributes to ALS progression. Here we report that deficiency of the innate immune adaptor TIR domain-containing adaptor inducing interferon-β (TRIF), which is essential for certain Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling cascades, significantly shortens survival time and accelerates disease progression of ALS mice. While myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is also a crucial adaptor for most TLR signaling pathways, MyD88 deficiency had only a marginal impact on disease course. Moreover, TRIF deficiency reduced the number of natural killer (NK), NK-T-lymphocytes, and CD8-T cells infiltrating into the spinal cord of ALS mice, but experimental modulation of these populations did not substantially influence survival time. Instead, we found that aberrantly activated astrocytes expressing Mac2, p62, and apoptotic markers were accumulated in the lesions of TRIF-deficient ALS mice, and that the number of aberrantly activated astrocytes was negatively correlated with survival time. These findings suggest that TRIF pathway plays an important role in protecting a microenvironment surrounding motor neurons by eliminating aberrantly activated astrocytes.

Myelination is one of the most remarkable biological events in the neuron-glia interactions for the development of the mammalian nervous system. To elucidate molecular mechanisms of cell-to-cell interactions in myelin synthesis in vitro, establishment of the myelinating system in cocultures of continuous neuronal and glial cell lines are desirable. In the present study, we performed co-culture experiments using rat neural stem cell-derived neurons or mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived motoneurons with immortalized rat IFRS1 Schwann cells to establish myelinating cultures between these cell lines. Differentiated neurons derived from an adult rat neural stem cell line 1464R or motoneurons derived from a mouse ES cell line NCH4.3, were mixed with IFRS1 Schwann cells, plated, and maintained in serum-free F12 medium with B27 supplement, ascorbic acid, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. Myelin formation was demonstrated by electron microscopy at 4 weeks in cocultures of 1464R-derived neurons or NCH4.3-derived motoneurons with IFRS1 Schwann cells. These in vitro coculture systems utilizing the rodent stable stem and Schwann cell lines can be useful in studies of peripheral nerve development and regeneration.

T and B cells express most cholinergic system components-e.g., acetylcholine (ACh), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase, and both muscarinic and nicotinic ACh receptors (mAChRs and nAChRs, respectively). Using ChATBAC-eGFP transgenic mice, ChAT expression has been confirmed in T and B cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages. Moreover, T cell activation via T-cell receptor/CD3-mediated pathways upregulates ChAT mRNA expression and ACh synthesis, suggesting that this lymphocytic cholinergic system contributes to the regulation of immune function. Immune cells express all five mAChRs (M1-M5). Combined M1/M5 mAChR-deficient (M1/M5-KO) mice produce less antigen-specific antibody than wild-type (WT) mice. Furthermore, spleen cells in M1/M5-KO mice produce less tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and interleukin (IL)-6, suggesting M1/M5 mAChRs are involved in regulating pro-inflammatory cytokine and antibody production. Immune cells also frequently express the α2, α5, α6, α7, α9, and α10 nAChR subunits. α7 nAChR-deficient (α7-KO) mice produce more antigen-specific antibody than WT mice, and spleen cells from α7-KO mice produce more TNF-α and IL-6 than WT cells. This suggests that α7 nAChRs are involved in regulating cytokine production and thus modulate antibody production. Evidence also indicates that nicotine modulates immune responses by altering cytokine production and that α7 nAChR signaling contributes to immunomodulation through modification of T cell differentiation. Together, these findings suggest the involvement of both mAChRs and nAChRs in the regulation of immune function. The observation that vagus nerve stimulation protects mice from lethal endotoxin shock led to the notion of a cholinergic anti-inflammatory reflex pathway, and the spleen is an essential component of this anti-inflammatory reflex. Because the spleen lacks direct vagus innervation, it has been postulated that ACh synthesized by a subset of CD4+ T cells relays vagal nerve signals to α7 nAChRs on splenic macrophages, which downregulates TNF-α synthesis and release, thereby modulating inflammatory responses. However, because the spleen is innervated solely by the noradrenergic splenic nerve, confirmation of an anti-inflammatory reflex pathway involving the spleen requires several more hypotheses to be addressed. We will review and discuss these issues in the context of the cholinergic system in immune cells.

TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is a main constituent of cytoplasmic aggregates in neuronal and glial cells in cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. We have previously demonstrated that adenovirus-transduced artificial TDP-43 cytoplasmic aggregates formation is enhanced by proteasome inhibition in vitro and in vivo. However, the relationship between cytoplasmic aggregate formation and cell death remains unclear. In the present study, rat neural stem cell lines stably transfected with EGFP- or Sirius-expression vectors under the control of tubulin beta III, glial fibrillary acidic protein, or 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase promoter were differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, respectively, in the presence of retinoic acid. The differentiated cells were then transduced with adenoviruses expressing DsRedtagged human wild type and C-terminal fragment TDP-43 under the condition of proteasome inhibition. Time-lapse imaging analyses revealed growing cytoplasmic aggregates in the transduced neuronal and glial cells, followed by collapse of the cell. The aggregates remained insoluble in culture media, consisted of sarkosyl-insoluble granular materials, and contained phosphorylated TDP-43. Moreover, the released aggregates were incorporated into neighboring neuronal cells, suggesting cell-to-cell spreading. The present study provides a novel tool for analyzing the detailed molecular mechanisms of TDP-43 proteinopathy in vitro.

T and B cells, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) all express most of the components necessary for a functional cholinergic system. This includes choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors (mAChRs and nAChRs, respectively) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Immunological activation of T cells up-regulates cholinergic activity, including ChAT and AChE expression. Moreover, toll-like receptor agonists induce ChAT expression in DCs and macrophages, suggesting cholinergic involvement in the regulation of immune function. Immune cells express all five M1–M5 mAChR subtypes and several nAChR subtypes, including α7. Modulation of antigen-specific antibody and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in M1/M5 mAChR gene-knockout (KO) and α7 nAChR-KO mice further support the idea of a non-neuronal cholinergic system contributing to the regulation of immune function. Evidence also suggests that α7 nAChRs are involved in suppressing DC and macrophage activity, leading to suppression of T cell differentiation into effector T cells. These findings suggest the possibility that immune function could be modulated by manipulating immune cell cholinergic activity using specific agonists and antagonists. Therefore, a fuller understanding of the immune cell cholinergic system should be useful for the development of drugs and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases and cancers.

The absence of highly specific markers for malignant mesothelioma (MM) has served an obstacle for its diagnosis and development of molecular-targeting therapy against MM. Here, we show that a novel mucin-like membrane protein, sialylated protein HEG homolog 1 (HEG1), is a highly specific marker for MM. A monoclonal antibody against sialylated HEG1, SKM9-2, can detect even sarcomatoid and desmoplastic MM. The specificity and sensitivity of SKM9-2 to MM reached 99% and 92%, respectively; this antibody did not react with normal tissues. This accurate discrimination by SKM9-2 was due to the recognition of a sialylated O-linked glycan with HEG1 peptide. We also found that gene silencing of HEG1 significantly suppressed the survival and proliferation of mesothelioma cells; this result suggests that HEG1 may be a worthwhile target for function-inhibition drugs. Taken together, our results indicate that sialylated HEG1 may be useful as a diagnostic and therapeutic target for MM.

Misfolding of mutant Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is a pathological hallmark in a familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Pathogenic mutations have been proposed to monomerize SOD1 normally adopting a homodimeric configuration and then trigger abnormal oligomerization of SOD1 proteins. Despite this, a misfolded conformation of SOD1 leading to the oligomerization at physiological conditions still remains ambiguous. Here, we show that, around the body temperature (∼37°C), mutant SOD1 maintains a dimeric configuration but lacks most of its secondary structures. Also, such an abnormal SOD1 dimer with significant structural disorder was prone to irreversibly forming the oligomers crosslinked via disulfide bonds. The disulfide-crosslinked oligomers of SOD1 were detected in the spinal cords of the diseased mice expressing mutant SOD1. We hence propose an alternative pathway of mutant SOD1 misfolding that is responsible for oligomerization in the pathologies of the disease.

Background: Dominant mutations in Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene cause a familial form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SOD1-ALS) with accumulation of misfolded SOD1 proteins as intracellular inclusions in spinal motor neurons. Oligomerization of SOD1 via abnormal disulfide crosslinks has been proposed as one of the misfolding pathways occurring in mutant SOD1; however, the pathological relevance of such oligomerization in the SOD1-ALS cases still remains obscure. Methods: We prepared antibodies exclusively recognizing the SOD1 oligomers cross-linked via disulfide bonds in vitro. By using those antibodies, immunohistochemical examination and ELISA were mainly performed on the tissue samples of transgenic mice expressing mutant SOD1 proteins and also of human SOD1-ALS cases. Results: We showed the recognition specificity of our antibodies exclusively toward the disulfide-crosslinked SOD1 oligomers by ELISA using various forms of purified SOD1 proteins in conformationally distinct states in vitro. Furthermore, the epitope of those antibodies was buried and inaccessible in the natively folded structure of SOD1. The antibodies were then found to specifically detect the pathological SOD1 species in the spinal motor neurons of the SOD1-ALS patients as well as the transgenic model mice. Conclusions: Our findings here suggest that the SOD1 oligomerization through the disulfide-crosslinking associates with exposure of the SOD1 structural interior and is a pathological process occurring in the SOD1-ALS cases.

VAChT-Cre.Fast and VAChT-Cre.Slow mice selectively express Cre recombinase in approximately one half of postnatal somatic motor neurons. The mouse lines have been used in various studies with selective genetic modifications in adult motor neurons. In the present study, we crossed VAChT-Cre lines with a reporter line, CAG-Syp/tdTomato, in which synaptophysin-tdTomato fusion proteins are efficiently sorted to axon terminals, making it possible to label both cell bodies and axon terminals of motor neurons. In the mice, Syp/tdTomato fluorescence preferentially co-localized with osteopontin, a recently discovered motor neuron marker for slow-twitch fatigue-resistant (S) and fast-twitch fatigue-resistant (FR) types. The fluorescence did not preferentially co-localize with matrix metalloproteinase-9, a marker for fast-twitch fatigable (FF) motor neurons. In the neuromuscular junctions, Syp/tdTomato fluorescence was detected mainly in motor nerve terminals that innervate type I or IIa muscle fibers. These results suggest that the VAChT-Cre lines are Cre-drivers that have selectivity in S and FR motor neurons. In order to avoid confusion, we have changed the mouse line names from VAChT-Cre.Fast and VAChT-Cre.Slow to VAChT-Cre.Early and VAChT-Cre.Late, respectively. The mouse lines will be useful tools to study slow-type motor neurons, in relation to physiology and pathology.