中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2016, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (3): 402-403.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.179045

• 观点:退行性病与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

雌激素/亨廷顿蛋白:参与神经保护的一种新途径?

  

  • 收稿日期:2015-12-22 出版日期:2016-03-15 发布日期:2016-03-15
  • 基金资助:

    该研究由意大利教育部和研究大学(PRIN20109MXHMR_001)以及意大利癌症研究协会(AIRC,IG#15221)资助

Estrogen/Huntingtin: a novel pathway involved in neuroprotection

Maria Teresa Nuzzo, Maria Marino   

  1. Department of Science - Division of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, University Roma Tre, Viale Guglielmo Marconi, Rome, Italy
  • Received:2015-12-22 Online:2016-03-15 Published:2016-03-15
  • Contact: Maria Marino, Ph.D.,maria.marino@uniroma3.it.
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca of Italy (PRIN 20109MXHMR_001). Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC, IG#15221).

摘要:

神经退行性疾病的发病机理涉及线粒体功能障碍/氧化应激、细胞程序性死亡、异常蛋白聚集、运输以及降解。虽然神经退行性疾病临床治疗近几年已经发展出了一些可喜的成果,但目前可用的治疗方法对限制或阻止神经退行性疾病的能力仍然有限。而已获得结果的一个具有挑战性的方法是更加贴近患者的治疗过程,性类固醇激素雌激素,女性多见,或许是这些研究很好的候选药物。事实上,关于男性和女性大脑对漏洞行为和神经障碍的不同多样响应已经由大脑区域结构、细胞和分子差异等越来越多的证据得到证实。在症状和患病率方面,两性之间在几个神经退行性疾病发展和严重程度上出现了明显差异。以亨廷顿氏病为例,虽然关于亨廷顿氏病潜在的性别差异定义还不清楚,但很少有报告表示亨廷顿氏病的发病年龄较高,以及与男性相比女性的病程发展较为温和。另外,亨廷顿氏病动物模型表明在亨廷顿表型中存在性别差异。因此,这些证据指向17β雌二醇(最有效的雌激素; E2)对治疗神经退行性疾病的发生和发展十分有效。这些研究结果允许我们定义一个新的神经保护轴,通过两个不同且平行的机制,由17β雌二醇诱导的亨廷顿和脑红蛋白的表达水平:即凋亡级联的阻滞和对抗氧化应激损伤的神经元存活。该神经保护作用第一步依赖于雌激素受体α的调解和亨廷顿的上调。其中亨廷顿的表达是实现其他步骤的关键,其中包括通过雌激素受体β实现脑红蛋白的表达增加。一个17β雌二醇/亨廷顿/脑红蛋白轴的存在支持了我们研究工作的假设,即亨廷顿氏病的神经保护可以通过恢复脑红蛋白水平与模仿17β雌二醇药物引起的信号通路可以减轻症状或减缓亨廷顿氏病进展。

Abstract:

The pathogenesis of these diseases involves mitochondrial dysfunction/oxidative stress, programmed cell death, abnormal protein aggregation, trafficking, and/or degradation. In most cases, the end stage neuropathology is characterized by a highly specific distribution of abnormal protein aggregates in disease specific patterns in the affected neuronal populations. Although clinical treatments for neurodegenerative disorders have progressed over the years with some promising results, the availability of treatments that can limit or halt neurodegenerative disorders continues to remain limited. A challenging approach to obtain results more close to the patient's treatment could be to dissect the role and the action mechanisms of endogenous substances well known for their neuroprotective effects. Sex steroid hormone estrogens, prevalent in women, seem to be good candidates for these studies. Indeed, a growing number of evidence concerning structural, cellular, and molecular differences in diverse male and female brain regions could explain male and female diverse response to environmental challenges and different vulnerabilities to behavioral and neurological disorders. Striking differences in symptomatology, prevalence, progression, and severity between sexes occur in several neurodegenerative diseases. Although potential sex differences concerning HD are poorly defined, few reports suggest that the age of onset of HD is higher and the course of disease is more moderate in women compared with men. In addition, animal models of HD indicate sex-related differences in the HD phenotype (www.epicentro.iss.it). As a whole, these evidences point to a substantial beneficial influence of 17β-estradiol (the most efficient within estrogens; E2) against the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. As a whole, these results allow us to define a novel neuroprotective axis, consisting of E2 induction of Htt and Ngb expression levels by two different and parallel mechanisms with a convergent outcome: the arrest of apoptotic cascade and the neuron survival against oxidative stress injury. The first step depends on the mediation of ERα and culminates in Htt up-regulation. Htt expression results crucial for the realization of the other step, consisting in the increase of Ngb expression through ERβ. The existence of an E2/Htt/Ngb axis supports our working hypothesis that neuroprotection in HD could be renewed by restoring neuroglobin levels with drugs that mimickingE2-induced signal pathways can alleviate symptoms or slow the progression of HD.