α2δ1-mediated maladaptive sensory plasticity disrupts adipose tissue homeostasis following spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) increases the risk of cardiometabolic disorders, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Not only does SCI lead to pathological expansion of adipose tissue, but it also leads to ectopic lipid accumulation in organs integral to glucose and insulin metabolism. The pathophysiological changes that underlie adipose tissue dysfunction after SCI are unknown. Here, we find that SCI exacerbates lipolysis in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT). Whereas expression of the α2δ1 subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels increases in calcitonin gene-related peptide-positive dorsal root ganglia neurons that project to eWAT, conditional deletion of the gene encoding α2δ1 in these neurons normalizes eWAT lipolysis after SCI. Furthermore, α2δ1 pharmacological blockade through systemic administration of gabapentin also normalizes eWAT lipolysis after SCI, preventing ectopic lipid accumulation in the liver. Thus, our study provides insight into molecular causes of maladaptive sensory processing in eWAT, facilitating the development of strategies to reduce metabolic and cardiovascular complications after SCI.

A phenotypic screening platform for identifying chemical modulators of astrocyte reactivity.

Disease, injury and aging induce pathological reactive astrocyte states that contribute to neurodegeneration. Modulating reactive astrocytes therefore represent an attractive therapeutic strategy. Here we describe the development of an astrocyte phenotypic screening platform for identifying chemical modulators of astrocyte reactivity. Leveraging this platform for chemical screening, we identify histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) inhibitors as effective suppressors of pathological astrocyte reactivity. We demonstrate that HDAC3 inhibition reduces molecular and functional characteristics of reactive astrocytes in vitro. Transcriptional and chromatin mapping studies show that HDAC3 inhibition disarms pathological astrocyte gene expression and function while promoting the expression of genes associated with beneficial astrocytes. Administration of RGFP966, a small molecule HDAC3 inhibitor, blocks reactive astrocyte formation and promotes neuroprotection in vivo in mice. Collectively, these results establish a platform for discovering modulators of reactive astrocyte states, inform the mechanisms that control astrocyte reactivity and demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of modulating astrocyte reactivity for neurodegenerative diseases.

SIRT1 downregulation in pneumonia is associated with an immature neutrophil response and increased disease severity.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia remains a common complication in trauma patients. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is an anti-inflammatory NAD + -dependent deacetylase that has been shown to reduce the severity of ARDS in polymicrobial sepsis. The impact of SIRT1 in acute pneumonia, however, remains unknown. We hypothesized that SIRT1 deletion in pneumonia would worsen the inflammatory response and clinical severity, and that increased SIRT1 expression would be protective. METHODS: Ten- to 14-week-old male and female SIRT1 knockout (S1KO) mice, SIRT1 overexpressor (S1OE) mice, and their wildtype (WT) littermates underwent intra-tracheal inoculation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Rectal temperature was recorded, SIRT1 lung protein was quantified by western blotting, Sirt1 mRNA was measured by qPCR, and lung leukocyte subpopulations were analyzed by flow cytometry. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using Prism software. RESULTS: Pneumonia created a functional SIRT1 knockdown in the lungs of WT mice by 4 hours, resulting in comparable SIRT1 levels and temperatures to the S1KO mice by 12 hours. Pneumonia also partially reduced SIRT1expression in S1OE mice, but S1OE mice still had improved thermoregulation 12 hours after pneumonia. In all groups, Sirt1 mRNA expression was not affected by infection. Sirtuin 1 deletion was associated with decreased neutrophil infiltration in the lung, as well as a shift toward a more immature neutrophil phenotype. SIRT1 deletion was also associated with decreased myeloperoxidase-positive neutrophils in the lungs following pneumonia, indicating decreased neutrophil activity. S1OE mice had no change in lung leukocyte subpopulations when compared to WT. CONCLUSION: Pneumonia creates a functional SIRT1 knockdown in mice. SIRT1 deletion altered the early inflammatory cell response to pneumonia, resulting in a neutrophil response that would be less favorable for bacterial clearance. Despite overexpression of SIRT1, S1OE mice also developed low SIRT1 levels and exhibited only minimal improvement. This suggests increasing SIRT1 transcription is not sufficient to overcome pneumonia-induced downregulation and has implications for future treatment options. Targeting SIRT1 through increasing protein stability may promote a more efficient inflammatory cell response to pneumonia, thereby preventing subsequent lung injury.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals immunosuppressive myeloid cell diversity during malignant progression in a murine model of glioma.

Recent studies have shown the importance of the dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME) in high-grade gliomas (HGGs). In particular, myeloid cells are known to mediate immunosuppression in glioma; however, it is still unclear if myeloid cells play a role in low-grade glioma (LGG) malignant progression. Here, we investigate the cellular heterogeneity of the TME using single-cell RNA sequencing in a murine glioma model that recapitulates the malignant progression of LGG to HGG. LGGs show increased infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells in the TME, whereas HGGs abrogate this infiltration. Our study identifies distinct macrophage clusters in the TME that show an immune-activated phenotype in LGG but then evolve to an immunosuppressive state in HGG. We identify CD74 and macrophage migration inhibition factor (MIF) as potential targets for these distinct macrophage populations. Targeting these intra-tumoral macrophages in the LGG stage may attenuate their immunosuppressive properties and impair malignant progression.

Adipose Tissue Myeloid-Lineage Neuroimmune Cells Express Genes Important for Neural Plasticity and Regulate Adipose Innervation.

Peripheral nerves allow a bidirectional communication between brain and adipose tissues, and many studies have clearly demonstrated that a loss of the adipose nerve supply results in tissue dysfunction and metabolic dysregulation. Neuroimmune cells closely associate with nerves in many tissues, including subcutaneous white adipose tissue (scWAT). However, in scWAT, their functions beyond degrading norepinephrine in an obese state remain largely unexplored. We previously reported that a myeloid-lineage knockout (KO) of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) resulted in decreased innervation of scWAT, accompanied by an inability to brown scWAT after cold stimulation, and increased adiposity after a high-fat diet. These data underscored that adipose tissue neuroimmune cells support the peripheral nerve supply to adipose and impact the tissue's metabolic functions. We also reported that a subset of myeloid-lineage monocyte/macrophages (Ly6c+CCR2+Cx3cr1+) is recruited to scWAT in response to cold, a process known to increase neurite density in adipose and promote metabolically healthy processes. These cold-induced neuroimmune cells (CINCs) also expressed BDNF. Here we performed RNAseq on CINCs from cold-exposed and room temperature-housed mice, which revealed a striking and coordinated differential expression of numerous genes involved in neuronal function, including neurotrophin signaling and axonal guidance, further supporting that CINCs fulfill a nerve-supporting role in adipose. The increased expression of leukocyte transendothelial migration genes in cold-stimulated CINCs also confirms prior evidence that they are recruited to scWAT and are not tissue resident. We now provide whole-depot imaging of scWAT from LysM-BDNF KO mice, revealing a striking reduction of innervation across the depot fitting with their reduced energy expenditure phenotype. By contrast, Cx3cr1-BDNF KO mice (a macrophage subset of LysM+ cells) exhibited increased thermogenesis and energy expenditure, with compensatory increased food intake and no change in adiposity or body weight. While these KO mice also exhibit a significantly reduced innervation of scWAT, especially around the subiliac lymph node, they displayed an increase in small fiber sympathetic neurite branching, which may underlie their increased thermogenesis. We propose a homeostatic role of scWAT myeloid-lineage neuroimmune cells together in nerve maintenance and neuro-adipose regulation of energy expenditure.

Characterization of Zymosan-Modulated Neutrophils With Neuroregenerative Properties.

Recent studies using advanced techniques such as single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq), high parameter flow cytometry, and proteomics reveal that neutrophils are more heterogeneous than previously appreciated. Unique subsets have been identified in the context of bacterial and parasitic infections, cancer, and tissue injury and repair. The characteristics of infiltrating neutrophils differ depending on the nature of the inflammation-inciting stimulus, the stage of the inflammatory response, as well as the tissue microenvironment in which they accumulate. We previously described a new subpopulation of immature Ly6Glow neutrophils that accumulate in the peritoneal cavity 3 days following intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of the fungal cell wall extract, zymosan. These neutrophils express markers of alternative activation and possess neuroprotective/regenerative properties. In addition to inducing neurite outgrowth of explanted neurons, they enhance neuronal survival and axon regeneration in vivo following traumatic injury to the optic nerve or spinal cord. In contrast, the majority of neutrophils that accumulate in the peritoneal fluid 4 hours following i.p. zymosan injection (4h NΦ) have features of conventional, mature Ly6Ghi neutrophils and lack neuroprotective or neuroregenerative properties. In the current study, we expand upon on our previously published observations by performing a granular, in-depth analysis of these i.p. zymosan-modulated neutrophil populations using scRNAseq and high parameter flow cytometry. We also analyze cell lysates of each neutrophil population by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Circulating blood neutrophils, harvested from naive mice, are analyzed in parallel as a control. When samples were pooled from all three groups, scRNAseq revealed 11 distinct neutrophil clusters. Pathway analyses demonstrated that 3d NΦ upregulate genes involved in tissue development and wound healing, while 4h NΦ upregulate genes involved in cytokine production and perpetuation of the immune response. Proteomics analysis revealed that 3d NΦ and 4h NΦ also express distinct protein signatures. Adding to our earlier findings, 3d NΦ expressed a number of neuroprotective/neuroregenerative candidate proteins that may contribute to their biological functions. Collectively, the data generated by the current study add to the growing literature on neutrophil heterogeneity and functional sub-specialization and might provide new insights in elucidating the mechanisms of action of pro-regenerative, neuroprotective neutrophil subsets.