Sonic Hedgehog pathway impairment in Neural Precursor Cells of the Ts65Dn mouse, an animal model of Down syndrome

Mitrugno, Valentina Maria (2012) Sonic Hedgehog pathway impairment in Neural Precursor Cells of the Ts65Dn mouse, an animal model of Down syndrome, [Dissertation thesis], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna. Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze biomediche: progetto n. 4 "Neurofisiologia", 24 Ciclo. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/4601.
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Abstract

Mental retardation in Down syndrome (DS) has been imputed to the decreased brain volume, which is evident starting from the early phases of development. Recent studies in a widely used mouse model of DS, the Ts65Dn mouse, have shown that neurogenesis is severely impaired during the early phases of brain development, suggesting that this defect may be a major determinant of brain hypotrophy and mental retardation in individuals with DS. Recently, it has been found that in the cerebellum of Ts65Dn mice there is a defective responsiveness to Sonic Hedgehog (Shh), a potent mitogen that controls cell division during brain development, suggesting that failure of Shh signaling may underlie the reduced proliferation potency in DS. Based on these premises, we sought to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying derangement of the Shh pathway in neural precursor cells (NPCs) from Ts65Dn mice. We found that the expression levels of the Shh receptor Patched1 (Ptch1) were increased compared to controls both at the RNA and protein level. Partial silencing of Ptch1 expression in trisomic NPCs restored cell proliferation, indicating that proliferation impairment was due to Ptch1 overexpression. We further found that the overexpression of Ptch1 in trisomic NPCs is related to increased levels of AICD, a transcription-promoting fragment of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Increased AICD binding to the Ptch1 promoter favored its acetylated status, thus enhancing Ptch1 expression. Taken together, these data provide novel evidence that Ptch1 over expression underlies derangement of the Shh pathway in trisomic NPCs, with consequent proliferation impairment. The demonstration that Ptch1 over expression in trisomic NPCs is due to an APP fragment provides a link between this trisomic gene and the defective neuronal production that characterizes the DS brain.

Abstract
Tipologia del documento
Tesi di dottorato
Autore
Mitrugno, Valentina Maria
Supervisore
Dottorato di ricerca
Scuola di dottorato
Scienze mediche e chirurgiche cliniche
Ciclo
24
Coordinatore
Settore disciplinare
Settore concorsuale
Parole chiave
Down syndrome, Sonic Hedgehog pathway, Neural Precursor Cells, Subventricular Zone, Hippocampus
URN:NBN
DOI
10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/4601
Data di discussione
30 Aprile 2012
URI

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