Moeka Tanabe

Demyelinating diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS) are chronic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (Ido2) is a recently identified as catalytic enzyme involved in the rate-limiting step of the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway that influences susceptibility to inflammatory diseases. However, the pathological role of Ido2 in demyelination remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether Ido2 deficiency influences the pathogenesis of proteolipid protein transgenic (Plp tg) mice, an animal model of chronic demyelination. Ido2 deficiency exacerbates impairments of motor function in the locomotor activity test, wire hanging test, and rotarod test. Ido2 deficiency caused severe demyelination associated with CD68-positive microglial activation in Plp tg mice. In the cerebellum of Plp tg mice, Ido2 deficiency significantly increased the expression of Tnfα. Ido2 deficiency reduced tryptophan metabolite kynurenine (KYN) levels and subsequent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activity, which play an important role in anti-inflammatory response. These results suggest that Ido2 has an important role in preventing demyelination through AhR. Taken together, Ido2 could be a potential therapeutic target for demyelinating diseases.

Negative experiences during adolescence, such as social isolation (SI), bullying, and abuse, increase the risk of psychiatric diseases in adulthood. However, the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases induced by these factors remain poorly understood. In adolescents, stress affects the intestinal homeostasis in the gut-brain axis. This study determined whether adolescent SI induces behavioral abnormalities by disrupting colonic function. Adolescent mice exposed to SI exhibit spatial cognitive deficits and microglial activation in the hippocampus (HIP). SI decreased the differentiation of mucin-producing goblet cells, which was accompanied by alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota, particularly the depletion of mucin-feeding bacteria. Treatment with rebamipide, which promotes goblet cell differentiation in the colon, attenuated SI-induced spatial cognitive deficits and microglial activation in the HIP and decreased cystine, a downstream metabolite of homocysteine. Treatment with cystine ameliorated SI-induced spatial cognitive deficits and increased microglial C-C motif chemokine ligand 7 (CCL7) levels in the HIP. Inhibition of CCL7 receptors by antagonists of CC motif chemokine receptors 2 (CCR2) and 3 (CCR3) in the HIP prevented spatial cognitive deficits induced by SI. Infusion of CCL7 into the HIP following microglial ablation with clodronate liposome induced spatial cognitive deficits. These findings suggest that adolescent SI decreases serum cystine levels by damaging the colonic goblet cells, resulting in spatial cognitive deficits by triggering microglial activation in the HIP. Our results indicate that increased CCL7 expression in hippocampal microglia may contribute to spatial cognitive deficits by activating CCR2 and CCR3.

Stressful life events contribute to the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD). We recently demonstrated abnormalities in ubiquitination in the pathophysiology of MDD. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the involvement of the ubiquitination system-mediated glutamatergic dysfunction in social impairment induced by chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Adult C57BL/6J mice were exposed to aggressor ICR male mice for 10 consecutive days. Social impairment was induced by CSDS in the social interaction test 1 days after the last stress exposure. In terms of brain microdialysis, CSDS reduced depolarization-evoked glutamate release in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which was reversed by a glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) inhibitor. Interestingly, the expression of ubiquitinated, but not total GLT-1, was decreased in the PFC of mice exposed to CSDS. The expression of neural precursor cells expressing developmentally downregulated gene 4-like (Nedd4L: E3 ligase for GLT-1), and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2D2 (Ube2d2: E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme for Nedd4L) was also reduced in CSDS mice. Furthermore, the downregulation of the Nedd4L-GLT-1 ubiquitination pathway decreased SIT ratio, but up-regulation increased it even in non-CSDS mice. Taken together, the decrease in GLT-1 ubiquitination may reduce the release of extracellular glutamate induced by high-potassium stimulation, which may lead to social impairment, while we could not find differences in GLT-1 ubiquitination between susceptible and resistant CSDS mice. In conclusion, GLT-1 ubiquitination could play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of MDD and is an attractive target for the development of novel antidepressants.

Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter that regulates attention through dopamine D1 and D2-receptors in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We previously developed an object-based attention test (OBAT) to evaluate attention in mice. Disruption of the dopaminergic neuronal system in the PFC induced attentional impairment in the OBAT. However, previous studies have not systematically examined which specific brain regions are associated with the blockade of PFC dopamine D1 and D2-receptors in the OBAT. In this study, we investigated the association of dopamine D1 and D2-receptors in the PFC with attention and neuronal activity in diverse brain regions. We found that both dopamine D1 and D2-receptor antagonists induced attentional impairment in the OBAT by bilateral microinjection into the PFC of mice, suggesting that both dopamine D1 and D2-receptors were associated with attention in the OBAT. Our analysis of the neuronal activity as indicated by c-Fos expression in 11 different brain regions showed that based on the antagonist types, there was selective activation of several brain regions. Overall, this study suggests that both dopamine D1 and D2-receptors play a role in attention through different neuronal circuits in the PFC of mice.