Liedtke, W. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2019

Repurposing cell growth-regulating compounds identifies kenpaullone which ameliorates pathologic pain via normalization of inhibitory neurotransmission

Inhibitory GABA-ergic neurotransmission is fundamental for the adult vertebrate central nervous system and requires low chloride ion concentration in neurons. This basic ionic-homeostatic mechanism relies on expression and function of KCC2, a neuroprotective ionic transporter that extrudes neuronal chloride. Importantly, no other transporter can rescue KCC2 deficit, and attenuated expression of KCC2 is strongly associated with circuit malfunction in chronic pain, epilepsy, neuro-degeneration, neuro-trauma, and other neuro-psychiatric illnesses. To isolate Kcc2 gene expression-enhancing compounds, we screened 1057 cell growth-regulating compounds in cultured primary cortical neurons. We identified kenpaullone (KP), which enhanced Kcc2/KCC2 expression and function in cultured rodent and human neurons by inhibiting GSK3{beta}. KP effectively reduced pathologic pain in preclinical mouse models of nerve constriction injury and bone cancer. In nerve-injury pain, KP restored Kcc2 expression and GABA-evoked chloride reversal potential in the spinal cord dorsal horn. Delta-catenin, a phosphorylation-target of GSK3{beta} in neurons, activated the Kcc2 promoter via Kaiso transcription factor. Validating this new pathway in-vivo, transient spinal over-expression of delta-catenin mimicked KP analgesia. With relevance for pathologic pain, our discoveries of a newly repurposed compound and a novel genetically-encoded mechanism that each enhance Kcc2 gene expression enable us to re-normalize disrupted inhibitory neurotransmission through genetic re-programming.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

TRPV4 inhibition prevents increased water diffusion and blood-retina barrier breakdown in the retina of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice.

A better understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in retinal hydro-ionic homeostasis imbalance during diabetic macular edema (DME) is needed to gain insights into retinal physio(patho)logy that will help elaborating innovative therapies with lower health care costs. Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily vanilloid member 4 (TRPV4) plays an intricate role in homeostatic processes that needs to be deciphered in normal and diabetic retina. Based on previous findings showing that TRPV4 antagonists resolve blood-retina barrier (BRB) breakdown in diabetic rats, we evaluated whether TRPV4 channel inhibition prevents and reverts retinal edema in streptozotocin(STZ)-induced diabetic mice. We assessed retinal edema using common metrics, including retinal morphology/thickness (histology) and BRB integrity (albumin-associated tracer), and also by quantifying water mobility through apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measures. ADC was measured by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), acquired ex vivo at 4 weeks after STZ injection in diabetes and control groups. DWI images were also used to assess retinal thickness. TRPV4 was genetically ablated or pharmacologically inhibited as follows: left eyes were used as vehicle control and right eyes were intravitreally injected with TRPV4-selective antagonist GSK2193874, 24 h before the end of the 4 weeks of diabetes. Histological data show that retinal thickness was similar in nondiabetic and diabetic wt groups but increased in diabetic Trpv4-/- mice. In contrast, DWI shows retinal thinning in diabetic wt mice that was absent in diabetic Trpv4-/- mice. Disorganized outer nuclear layer was observed in diabetic wt but not in diabetic Trpv4-/- retinas. We further demonstrate increased water diffusion and BRB hyperpermeability in diabetic wt mice, effects that were absent in diabetic Trpv4-/- mice. Retinas of diabetic mice treated with PBS showed increased water diffusion that was not inhibited by GSK2193874. ADC maps in nondiabetic Trpv4-/- mouse retinas showed restricted diffusion. Our data provide evidence that water diffusion is increased in diabetic mouse retinas and that TRPV4 function contributes to retinal hydro-ionic homeostasis and structure under control conditions, and to the development of BRB breakdown and increased water diffusion in the retina under diabetes conditions. A single intravitreous injection of TRPV4 antagonist is however not sufficient to revert these alterations in diabetic mouse retinas.

physiology↗