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Gomes, B. N.

Publications and source records attributed to Gomes, B. N..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

RGS10 Attenuates Systemic Immune Dysregulation Induced by Chronic Inflammatory Stress

Regulator of G-protein signaling 10 (RGS10), a key homeostatic regulator of immune cells, has been implicated in multiple diseases associated with aging and chronic inflammation including Parkinsons Disease (PD). Interestingly, subjects with idiopathic PD display reduced levels of RGS10 in subsets of peripheral immune cells. Additionally, individuals with PD have been shown to have increased activated peripheral immune cells in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) compared to age-matched healthy controls. However, it is unknown whether CSF-resident peripheral immune cells in individuals with PD also exhibit decreased levels of RGS10. Therefore, we performed an analysis of RGS10 levels in the proteomic database of the CSF from the Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinsons Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) study. We found that RGS10 levels are decreased in the CSF of individuals with PD compared to healthy controls and prodromal individuals. Moreover, we find that RGS10 levels decrease with age but not PD progression and that males have less RGS10 than females in PD. Importantly, studies have established an association between chronic systemic inflammation (CSI) and neurodegenerative diseases, such as PD, and known sources of CSI have been identified as risk factors for developing PD; however, the role of peripheral immune cell dysregulation in this process has been underexplored. As RGS10 levels are decreased in the CSF and circulating peripheral immune cells of individuals with PD, we hypothesized that RGS10 regulates peripheral immune cell responses to CSI prior to the onset of neurodegeneration. To test this, we induced CSI for 6 weeks in C57BL6/J mice and RGS10 KO mice to assess circulating and CNS-associated peripheral immune cell responses. We found that RGS10 deficiency synergizes with CSI to induce a bias for inflammatory and cytotoxic cell populations, a reduction in antigen presentation in peripheral blood immune cells, as well as in and around the brain that is most notable in males. These results highlight RGS10 as an important regulator of the systemic immune response to CSI and implicate RGS10 as a potential contributor to the development of immune dysregulation in PD.

immunology↗

Peripheral Blood Immune Cells from Individuals with Parkinson's Disease or Inflammatory Bowel Disease Share Deficits in Iron Storage and Transport that are Modulated by Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Parkinsons Disease (PD) is a multisystem disorder in which dysregulated neuroimmune crosstalk and inflammatory relay via the gut-blood-brain axis have been implicated in PD pathogenesis. Although alterations in circulating inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been associated with PD, no biomarkers have been identified that predict clinical progression or disease outcome. Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, which involves perturbation of the underlying immune system, is an early and often-overlooked symptom that affects up to 80% of individuals living with PD. Interestingly, 50-70% of individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a GI condition that has been epidemiologically linked to PD, display chronic illness-induced anemia -- which drives toxic accumulation of iron in the gut. Ferroptotic (or iron loaded) cells have small and dysmorphic mitochondria--suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction is a consequence of iron accumulation. In pro-inflammatory environments, iron accumulates in immune cells, suggesting a possible connection and/or synergy between iron dysregulation and immune cell dysfunction. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) recapitulate certain PD-associated neuropathological and inflammatory signatures and can act as communicating messengers in the gut-brain axis. Additionally, this communication can be modulated by several environmental factors; specifically, our data further support existing literature demonstrating a role for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in modulating immune transcriptional states in inflamed individuals. A mechanism linking chronic gut inflammation to iron dysregulation and mitochondrial function within peripheral immune cells has yet to be identified in conferring risk for PD. To that end, we isolated PBMCs and simultaneously evaluated their directed transcriptome and bioenergetic status, to investigate if iron dysregulation and mitochondrial sensitization are linked in individuals living with PD or IBD because of chronic underlying remittent immune activation. We have identified shared features of peripheral inflammation and immunometabolism in individuals living with IBD or PD that may contribute to the epidemiological association reported between IBD and risk for PD.

neuroscience↗