LRRK2 Kinase Activity Induces Mitochondrial Fission in Microglia via Drp1 and Modulates Neuroinflammation

호동환,제아름,손일홍,이해진,권희석,김형건,설원기 한국뇌신경과학회 2018 Experimental Neurobiology Vol.27 No.3

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) mutations are the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease (PD). LRRK2 contains a functional kinase domain and G2019S, the most prevalent LRRK2 pathogenic mutation, increases its kinase activity. LRRK2 regulates mitochondria morphology and autophagy in neurons. LPS treatment increases LRRK2 protein level and mitochondrial fission in microglia, and down-regulation of LRRK2 expression or inhibition of its kinase activity attenuates microglia activation. Here, we evaluated the direct role of LRRK2 G2019S in mitochondrial dynamics in microglia. Initial observation of microglia in G2019S transgenic mice revealed a decrease in mitochondrial area and shortage of microglial processes compared with their littermates. Next, we elucidated the molecular mechanisms of these phenotypes. Treatment of BV2 cells and primary microglia with LPS enhanced mitochondrial fission and increased Drp1, a mitochondrial fission marker, as previously reported. Importantly, both phenotypes were rescued by treatment with GSK2578215A, a LRRK2 kinase inhibitor. Finally, the protein levels of CD68, an active microglia marker, Drp1 and TNF-α were significantly higher in brain lysates of G2019S transgenic mice compared with the levels in their littermates. Taken together, our data suggest that LRRK2 could promote microglial mitochondrial alteration via Drp1 in a kinase-dependent manner, resulting in stimulation of pro-inflammatory responses. This mechanism in microglia might be a potential target to develop PD therapy since neuroinflammation by active microglia is a major symptom of PD.

세포바깥소포체와 신경계질환

호동환,서혜명,손일홍,설원기 대한신경과학회 2015 대한신경과학회지 Vol.33 No.2

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membranous vesicles that are secreted by various types of cells into biofluid or culture medium. EVs contain deoxyribonucleic acids, messenger ribonucleic acids (RNAs), microRNAs, lipids, and proteins derived from its cells of origin and can transfer those molecules to other targeted cells. Therefore, EVs can play important roles in intercellular communication. The findings of recent studies suggest that EVs can be used to spread protein aggregates in various neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, it has been recognized that EVs can be used as a material for detecting biomarkers for such diseases or as a therapeutic tool.

파킨슨병의 원인유전자와 연관된 자가포식현상

호동환,서혜명,손일홍,설원기 대한신경과학회 2014 대한신경과학회지 Vol.32 No.3

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative motor disorder, affecting approximately 1 % ofthe population aged ≥60 years. Recent investigations have shown that in addition to motor symptoms such asbradykinesia, resting tremor, and gait instability, PD also causes non-motor symptoms such as insomnia, constipation,depression, and dementia. Most PD cases occurred sporadically, but 5-10% is inherited as familial PD, and severalPD-causative genes have been identified and intensively studied. Autophagy is a self-degrading mechanism of balancingthe energy source in response to nutrient shortage and various stresses, and is a tightly regulated and complicatedprocess that generates double-membrane organelles. Autophagy failure has recently been observed in both animal PDmodels and human PD patients. The intention of this review is to introduce recent findings regarding the relationshipbetween causative genetic mutations in PD and autophagy, from a clinical perspective.

G2019s LRRK2 promotes mitochondrial fission and increases TNFα-mediated neuroinflammation responses

호동환,이혜진,손일홍,설원기 한국통합생물학회 2019 Animal cells and systems Vol.23 No.2

Leucine rich-repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). LRRK2 has kinase and GTPase activities, and mediates several cell functions, including vesicle trafficking, apoptosis, autophagy, mitochondrial dynamics, and neuroinflammation. G2019S (GS) is the most prevalent mutation of LRRK2. The mutation increases kinase activity, suggesting that this activity is crucial for PD pathogenesis. The activation and inhibition of LRRK2 kinase increases and reduces the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, respectively suggesting that the role of LRRK2 in neuroinflammation is critical for the pathology of PD. Previously, we demonstrated that microglial activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increases mitochondrial fission via the activation of LRRK2 kinase, while LRRK2 kinase inhibition diminishes the fission morphology and release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) in BV2 or rat primary microglia and the brains of GS transgenic mice. In this study, the ectopic expression of GS LRRK2 in BV2 cells significantly elevated the expression of Drp1 along the fragmented mitochondria and decreased mitochondria size compared with controls. GS LRRK2-transfected BV2 cells displayed significantly increased TNFα release and neuronal death. Inhibition of LRRK2 kinase alleviated these features. TNFα levels in brains of GS mice were significantly increased compared to those in their littermates. These data further support our previous findings concerning LPS-induced neuroinflammation and mitochondrial fission in microglia via LRRK2 kinase activation.

Misfolded Proteins in Neurodegenerative Dementias: Molecular Mechanisms

양현덕,호동환,이명재,김상윤 대한치매학회 2012 Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders Vol.11 No.2

During recent years, there has been remarkable progress with respect to the identification of molecular mechanisms and underlying pathology of neurodegenerative dementias. The latest evidence indicates that a common cause and pathological mechanism of diverse neurodegenerative dementias can be found in the increased production, misfolding, aggregation, and accumulation of specific proteins such as β-amyloid, tau protein, α-synuclein, prion protein, polyglutamine, transactive response DNA-binding protein (TARDBP or TDP-43), or fused in sarcoma (FUS). The conformational variants of these proteins range from small oligomers to the characteristic pathologic inclusions. However, it is noteworthy that a certain pathology can be a hallmark of a certain dementia, but there is a substantial overlap between different pathologies and different types of dementias. In this review, molecular mechanisms and pathologies of different neurodegenerative dementias will be summarized from the perspective of proteins rather than from the viewpoint of individual dementias. We will also review recent evidence surrounding these protein misfolding disorders, the role of toxic oligomers, cell-to-cell transmission, and the links between the misfolded proteins, along with the general therapeutic strategies for the protein misfolding disorders.

Unstable Repeat Expansion in Neurodegenerative Dementias: Mechanisms of Disease

양현덕,호동환,설원기 대한치매학회 2012 Dementia and Neurocognitive Disorders Vol.11 No.1

The majority of neurodegenerative dementias are thought to result primarily from the misfolding, aggregation and accumulation of proteins which interfere with protein homeostasis in the brain. Some of them are caused by the expansion of unstable nucleotide repeats, which include Huntington’s disease as a prototype. Other neurodevelopmental or neurodegenerative disorders, such as fragile X syndrome, some spinocerebellar ataxias and myotonic dystrophies exhibit cognitive or behavioral deficits as parts of their clinical manifestations. Unstable repeat expansions include trinucleotide, tetranucleotide, and pentanucleotide. Recently hexanucleotide repeat expansion in frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was identified. The pathogenic mechanisms for these repeat disorders include either loss of protein function or gain of function at the protein or RNA levels. The aim of this article is to review proposed mechanisms by which unstable repeat expansions give rise to degeneration of brain with the hope of understanding the diseases and providing insights into the areas of therapeutic intervention. We will review these potential mechanisms in the context of fragile X syndrome, Huntington’s disease, spinocerebellar ataxias, myotonic dystrophy, and frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We will also discuss the potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

LRRK2 phosphorylates Snapin and inhibits interaction of Snapin with SNAP-25

윤혜진,박주현,호동환,김혜정,김시현,오학진,서혜명,장성호,설원기,가인화,손일홍 생화학분자생물학회 2013 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.45 No.8

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is a gene that, upon mutation, causes autosomal-dominant familial Parkinson’s disease (PD). Yeast two-hybrid screening revealed that Snapin, a SNAP-25 (synaptosomal-associated protein-25) interacting protein,interacts with LRRK2. An in vitro kinase assay exhibited that Snapin is phosphorylated by LRRK2. A glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down assay showed that LRRK2 may interact with Snapin via its Ras-of-complex (ROC) and N-terminal domains,with no significant difference on interaction of Snapin with LRRK2 wild type (WT) or its pathogenic mutants. Further analysis by mutation study revealed that Threonine 117 of Snapin is one of the sites phosphorylated by LRRK2. Furthermore, a Snapin T117D phosphomimetic mutant decreased its interaction with SNAP-25 in the GST pull-down assay. SNAP-25 is a component of the SNARE (Soluble NSF Attachment protein REceptor) complex and is critical for the exocytosis of synaptic vesicles. Incubation of rat brain lysate with recombinant Snapin T117D, but not WT, protein caused decreased interaction of synaptotagmin with the SNARE complex based on a co-immunoprecipitation assay. We further found that LRRK2-dependent phosphorylation of Snapin in the hippocampal neurons resulted in a decrease in the number of readily releasable vesicles and the extent of exocytotic release. Combined, these data suggest that LRRK2 may regulate neurotransmitter release via control of Snapin function by inhibitory phosphorylation.

파킨스병 유전인자인 LRRK2와 상호작용하는 methionyl-tRNA synthetase

김혜정(Hyejung Kim),호동환(Dong Hwan Ho),손일홍(Ilhong Son),설원기(Wongi Seol) 한국생명과학회 2018 생명과학회지 Vol.28 No.2

파킨슨병은 두번째로 많이 발병하는 퇴행성 신경질환이며 약 5-10%는 유전된다. Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2(LRRK2)는 그 돌연변이의 일부가 파킨슨병을 일으키는 유전자이다. LRRK2에는 인산화효소와 GTPase 기능이 있는 도메인과 함께 단백질 상호작용에 관여하는 Leucine-rich repeat (LRR), WD40 도메인이 존재하여, LRRK2와 상호작용하는 단백질이 파킨슨병 발병에 중요한 역할을 함을 암시한다. 우리는 이러한 LRRK2와 상호작용하는 단백질을 규명하여 그 단백질의 세포내 기능을 통해 역으로 LRRK2의 기능을 밝히고자 하였다. NIH3T3 세포 용해물을 LRRK2 항체와 IgG로 각각 면역침강하여 LRRK2 항체 침강반응에서만 특이적으로 나타나는 단백질 밴드를 질량 분석한 결과, methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MRS)로 나타났다. LRRK2와 MRS의 상호작용은 면역침강반응과 GST-pull down assay를 통해 확인됐다. 병을 유발하는, LRRK2의 돌연변이인 G2019S가 인산화효소 활성을 증가시키므로 LRRK2가 MRS를 인산화하는 지를 조사한 결과, LRRK2재조합단백질은 MRS 단백질을 인산화 하지 않았다. 또한 이들 두 단백질의 각각의 양 증가가 상대 단백질의 양 증가, 즉 안정성에 영향을 미치는 지를 조사하였으나 안정성의 변화를 관찰하지 못하였다. 결론적으로, MRS는 LRRK2와 상호작용을 하지만 LRRK2 인산화효소의 기질은 아니다. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common movement disorder and the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. Approximately 5~10% of PD patients are familial PD cases. Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) has been known to be a causal gene of PD when it is mutated. LRRK2 contains the functional kinase and GTPase domains as well as leucine-rich repeat (LRR) and WD40 domains that are known to play critical roles for protein-protein interaction, suggesting that LRRK2-interacting proteins are important regulators for PD pathogenesis. In an effort to identify proteins interacting with LRRK2, we carried out co-immunoprecipitation of LRRK2 antibody using extracts of NIH3T3 cells that express LRRK2 at a relatively high level. The mass spectrometry analysis of a precipitated band revealed that the co-precipitated band was methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MRS), an ancient enzyme that transfers methionin to its cognate tRNA. The interaction of MRS with LRRK2 was confirmed again by co-immunoprecipitation of endogenous proteins and GST pull-down assays. However, LRRK2 did not phosphorylate recombinant MRS protein in in vitro kinase assays, and overexpression of LRRK2 or MRS did not affect the stability of its partner protein. Our data indicate that LRRK2 interacts with but does not phosphorylate MRS, and the stability of each partner is not affected by the other.

Analysis of α-synuclein levels related to LRRK2 kinase activity: from substantia nigra to urine of patients with Parkinson’s disease

남다름,김아미,한선정,이성익,박성혜,설원기,손일홍,호동환 한국통합생물학회 2021 Animal cells and systems Vol.25 No.1

Research on Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been focused on the development of PD diagnostic tools as much as the development of PD therapeutics. Several genetic culprits of PD, including DJ-1, Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), and α-synuclein (α-syn), have been investigated as markers of PD in human biofluids. Unfortunately, the approaches to develop PD diagnostic tools are impractical, and there is a considerable demand for an appropriate marker of PD. The measurement of α-syn in biofluids has recently been made more accurate by examining monomers and aggregates separately using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Previously, we reported on the development of two types of sandwich ELISA for total α-syn and MJFR-14-6-4-2 antibody-specific α-syn fibrillar oligomers. The pathogenic LRRK2 G2019S mutation is related to increased α-syn secretion in the extracellular space. We tested our established ELISA using differentiated SH-SH5Y cells transfected with LRRK2 G2019S. The secretory levels of fibrillar oligomeric α-syn divided by total α-syn were significantly increased in LRRK2 G2019S-expressing cells. Additionally, substantia nigra lysates or concentrated urine from PD patients and non-PD subjects were analyzed. We observed ambiguous changes in the levels of total or fibrillar oligomeric α-syn and their ratio between PD and non-PD. Despite the insignificant increase in the relative levels of fibrillar oligomeric α-syn to total α-syn in PD, the duration of disease progression after diagnosis significantly corresponded to the relative levels of fibrillar oligomeric α-syn to total α-syn in the urine. These results might provide greater understanding for the next stage of development of α-syn ELISAs.

Increase in anti-apoptotic molecules, nucleolin, and heat shock protein 70, against upregulated LRRK2 kinase activity

장지훈,오학진,남다름,설원기,서미경,박성우,김형건,서혜명,손일홍,호동환 한국통합생물학회 2018 Animal cells and systems Vol.22 No.5

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is involved in Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathology. A previous study showed that rotenone treatment induced apoptosis, mitochondrial damage, and nucleolar disruption via up-regulated LRRK2 kinase activity, and these effects were rescued by an LRRK2 kinase inhibitor. Heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70) is an anti-oxidative stress chaperone, and overexpression of Hsp70 enhanced tolerance to rotenone. Nucleolin (NCL) is a component of the nucleolus; overexpression of NCL reduced cellular vulnerability to rotenone. Thus, we hypothesized that rotenone-induced LRRK2 activity would promote changes in neuronal Hsp70 and NCL expressions. Moreover, LRRK2 G2019S, the most prevalent LRRK2 pathogenic mutant with increased kinase activity, could induce changes in Hsp70 and NCL expression. Rotenone treatment of differentiated SH-SY5Y (dSY5Y) cells increased LRKK2 levels and kinase activity, including phospho-S935-LRRK2, phospho-S1292-LRRK2, and the phospho-moesin/moesin ratio, in a dose-dependent manner. Neuronal toxicity and the elevation of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, NCL, and Hsp70 were increased by rotenone. To validate the induction of NCL and Hsp70 expression in response to rotenone, cycloheximide (CHX), a protein synthesis blocker, was administered with rotenone. Post-rotenone increased NCL and Hsp70 expression was repressed by CHX; whereas, rotenone-induced kinase activity and apoptotic toxicity remained unchanged. Transient expression of G2019S in dSY5Y increased the NCL and Hsp70 levels, while administration of a kinase inhibitor diminished these changes. Similar results were observed in rat primary neurons after rotenone treatment or G2019S transfection. Brains from G2019Stransgenic mice also showed increased NCL and Hsp70 levels. Accordingly, LRRK2 kinase inhibition might prevent oxidative stress-mediated PD progression.