Characterization of Human Stem Cells and Therapeutic Strategies Involving IGF-1 and Shrna in Huntington's Disease
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Imagem Carla Maria Nunes Lopes Characterization of human stem cells and therapeutic strategies involving IGF-1 and shRNA in Huntington's disease Tese de Doutoramento em Biologia Experimental e Biomedicina, Ramo de Neurociências e Doença, orientada por Doutora Ana Cristina Rego e apresentada ao Instituto de Investigação Interdisciplinar da Universidade de Coimbra (IIIUC) 2015 Characterization of human stem cells and therapeutic strategies involving IGF-1 and shRNA in Huntington's disease Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto de Investigação Interdisciplinar da Universidade de Coimbra para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Biologia Experimental e Biomedicina na especialidade de Neurociências e Doença Orientada por: Professora Doutora Ana Cristina Carvalho Rego – Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra e Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal Co-orientada por: Professor Doutor Luis Pereira de Almeida –Faculdade de Farmácia e Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal The research described in the present thesis was performed at the Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. Carla Lopes received a PhD fellowship from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal (fellowship: SFRH / BD / 51192 / 2010, financed by national founds of MEC CRM:0044390 ). The research work was funded by European community fund FEDER through “Programa Operacional Temático Factores de Competitividade – COMPETE” and “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia” (FCT), Portugal. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Table of Contents SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................ V RESUMO ............................................................................................................................................ VIII CHAPTER I - GENERAL INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1. HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE .......................................................................................................... 2 1.1.1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND........................................................................................................... 2 1.1.2. EPIDEMIOLOGY ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.1.3. GENETICS ................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1.4. NEUROPATHOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 7 1.1.5. SYMPTOMS ........................................................................................................................... 12 1.1.6. CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL METABOLIC CHANGES IN HD .................................................................... 14 1.1.6.1. Diabetes mellitus in HD ............................................................................................. 18 1.2. NORMAL FUNCTION OF HUNTINGTIN ...................................................................................... 2 1.2.1. DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.2.2. STRUCTURE ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.2.3. INTERACTORS ........................................................................................................................... 4 1.2.4. FUNCTIONS ............................................................................................................................. 5 1.2.5. MITOSIS ............................................................................................................................... 24 1.2.5.1. Cell cycle ................................................................................................................... 24 1.2.5.2. The mitotic spindle .................................................................................................... 25 1.2.5.3. In development and cell fate specification ................................................................. 28 1.3. HUNTINGTIN AND HD............................................................................................................. 30 1.3.1. LOSS OF WILD-TYPE HUNTINGTIN................................................................................................. 30 1.3.2. MISFOLDING AND AGGREGATION OF MUTANT HUNTINGTIN ............................................................... 31 1.3.3. INTRACELLULAR MECHANISMS OF TOXICITY .................................................................................... 33 1.3.3.1. Protein misfolded and inhibition of protein degradation ............................................ 34 1.3.3.2. Caspase activation .................................................................................................... 35 1.3.3.3. Transcription deregulation ........................................................................................ 36 1.3.3.4. Disruption of axonal transport ................................................................................... 38 1.3.3.5. Synaptic dysfunction.................................................................................................. 38 1.3.3.6. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress .......................................................... 40 1.4. MODELING HD ....................................................................................................................... 42 1.4.1. ANIMAL MODELS .................................................................................................................... 43 i 1.4.1.1. N-terminal fragment mouse models .......................................................................... 43 1.4.1.2. Full-length mouse model ........................................................................................... 45 1.4.2. CELLULAR MODELS .................................................................................................................. 46 1.4.2.1. Characteristics of embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells ................................ 46 1.4.3. MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND METABOLISM IN STEM CELLS ........................................................... 50 1.4.3.1. Altered metabolic profile and mitochondrial function following reprogramming to pluripotency ................................................................................................................................ 50 1.4.4. METABOLIC PROFILE OF PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS ........................................................................... 55 1.4.5. STEM CELL DIFFERENTIATION – ROLE OF MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND ROS ....................................... 56 1.4.6. MITOCHONDRIAL MODIFICATIONS AND STEM CELL BIOLOGY – CURRENT KNOWLEDGE IN NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS .......................................................................................................................................... 59 1.5. THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IN HD ........................................................................................... 63 1.5.1. GENETIC STRATEGIES ............................................................................................................... 63 1.5.1.1. Gene addition............................................................................................................ 63 1.5.1.2. Silencing.................................................................................................................... 63 1.5.2. REPAIR ................................................................................................................................. 70 1.5.2.1. Homologous recombination....................................................................................... 70 1.5.2.2. Zinc finger nucleases ................................................................................................. 70 1.5.2.3. TAL effectors ............................................................................................................. 72 1.5.2.4. Crispr/CAS ................................................................................................................. 73 1.5.3. IGF-1 AS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC DRUG ................................................................................... 75 1.6. HYPOTHESIS AND SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE PRESENT WORK ..................................................... 79 CHAPTER II - IGF-1 INTRANASAL ADMINISTRATION RESCUES HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE PHENOTYPES IN YAC128 MICE ....................................................................................................................................... 81 2.1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 82 2.2. MATERIALS AND METHODS .................................................................................................... 85 2.2.1. MATERIALS ........................................................................................................................... 85 2.2.2. EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS .........................................................................................................