Biology subjects

Johnson, C. S. C.

Publications and source records attributed to Johnson, C. S. C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Genetic risk in endolysosomal network genes correlates with endolysosomal dysfunction across neural cell types in Alzheimer's disease

Late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) has a complex genomic architecture. LOAD risk variants suggest multiple pathways, including the endolysosomal network (ELN), contribute to the pathobiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). Whether genetic risk in specific pathways correlates with corresponding biological dysfunction remains largely unknown. We developed an endolysosomal pathway-specific polygenic risk score (ePRS) using 14 well-established AD risk alleles implicating ELN genes. We investigated the association between ePRS and AD neuropathology, then examined cell-specific endolysosomal morphology and transcriptomic profiles in post-mortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex samples from donors stratified by ePRS burden. We found that the ePRS was significantly associated with AD diagnosis and neuropathological measures, comparable to a pathway-agnostic PRS despite representing far fewer loci. High ePRS correlated with increased neuronal endosome volume, number and perinuclear aggregation independent of AD pathology. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing revealed cell type-specific transcriptomic changes associated with ePRS status, influencing glutamatergic signaling, protein homeostasis, responses to DNA damage and immune function. Neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia each showed varied gene expression patterns associated with ePRS burden. Together, these results provide evidence that AD genetic risk variants harboring ELN genes correlate with endolysosomal dysfunction in human brain tissue. These findings suggest that pathway-specific genetic risk contributes to corresponding cellular pathology in AD and nominates candidate mechanisms by which ELN AD variants contribute to pathogenesis.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Mediterranean Diet Protects Against a Neuroinflammatory Transcriptome in Temporal Cortex: Associations with Brain Volumetrics, Peripheral Inflammation, Social Isolation, and Anxiety in Nonhuman Primates

INTRODUCTIONMediterranean diets may be neuroprotective and prevent cognitive decline relative to Western diets, however the underlying biology is poorly understood. METHODSWe assessed the effects of Western vs. Mediterranean-like diets on RNAseq generated transcriptional profiles in temporal cortex and their relationships with changes in MRI neuroimaging phenotypes, circulating monocyte gene expression, and observations of social isolation and anxiety in 38 socially-housed, middle-aged female cynomolgus macaques. RESULTSDiet resulted in differential expression of seven transcripts (FDR<0.05). Cyclin dependent kinase 14 (CDK14), a proinflammatory regulator, was lower in the Mediterranean group. The remaining six transcripts [i.e., "lunatic fringe" (LFNG), mannose receptor C type 2 (MRC2), solute carrier family 3 member 2 (SLCA32), butyrophilin subfamily 2 member A1 (BTN2A1), katanin regulatory subunit B1 (KATNB1), and transmembrane protein 268 (TMEM268)] were higher in cortex of the Mediterranean group and generally associated with anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective pathways. KATNB1 encodes a subcomponent of katanin, important in maintaining microtubule homeostasis. BTN2A1 is involved in immunomodulation of {gamma}{delta} T-cells which have anti-neuroinflammatory and neuroprotective effects. CDK14, LFNG, MRC2, and SLCA32 are associated with inflammatory pathways. The latter four differentially expressed cortex transcripts were associated with monocyte transcript levels, changes in AD-relevant brain volumes determined by MRI over the course of the study, and social isolation and anxiety. CDK14 was positively correlated with monocyte inflammatory transcripts, changes in total brain, gray matter, cortical gray matter volumes, and time alone and anxious behavior, and negatively correlated with changes in total white matter and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes. In contrast, LFNG, MRC2, and SLCA32 were negatively correlated with monocyte inflammatory transcripts and changes in total gray matter volume, and positively correlated with CSF volume changes, and SLCA32 was negatively correlated with time alone. DISCUSSIONCollectively, our results suggest that relative to Western diets, Mediterranean diets confer protection against peripheral and central inflammation which is reflected in preserved brain structure and behavior.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Divergent effects of Western and Mediterranean diets on behavior and monocyte polarization.

Dietary changes associated with industrialization substantially increase the prevalence of chronic diseases, such as obesity, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, which are major contributors to the public health burden. The high prevalence of these chronic diseases is often attributed to an "evolutionary mismatch," between human physiology and modern nutritional environments. In support of this idea, Western diets enriched with foods that were scarce throughout human evolutionary history (e.g., simple sugars and saturated fats) promote inflammation and disease relative to diets more akin to hunter-gatherer diets, such as a Mediterranean diet; however, the mechanisms linking dietary mismatch to inflammation and chronic disease are poorly understood. We used a macaque model and whole diet manipulations to evaluate one possible mechanism - inflammatory polarization of monocytes - that potentially leads to this evolutionary mismatch. After consuming a Western- or Mediterranean-like diet for 15 months, monocytes from Western diet consumers exhibited a more proinflammatory phenotype, with 40% of their genes differentially expressed (FDR<0.05). Compared to the Mediterranean diet, the Western diet shifted the co-expression of 445 gene pairs, including small RNAs and transcription factors associated with metabolism and adiposity in humans, and dramatically altered animal behavior. For example, Western-fed individuals were more anxious and less socially integrated compared to the Mediterranean-fed subjects. These behavioral changes were also associated with some of the effects of diet on gene expression, suggesting an interaction between diet, central nervous system activity, and monocyte gene expression. The results of this study provide new insights into evolutionary mismatch at the molecular level and uncover new pathways through which Western diets generate inflammation and disease.

genomics↗