Examinando por Autor "Rojas, Fabiola"

Mostrando 1 - 7 de 7
  • Miniatura
    Ítem
    Astrocytes expressing mutant SOD1 and TDP43 trigger motoneuron death that is mediated via sodium channels and nitroxidative stress
    (Frontiers Research Foundation, 2014-02) Rojas, Fabiola; Cortes, Nicole; Abarzua, Sebastian; Dyrda, Agnieszka; van Zundert, Brigitte
    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal paralytic disorder caused by dysfunction and degeneration of motor neurons. Multiple disease-causing mutations, including in the genes for SOD1 and TDP-43, have been identified in ALS. Astrocytes expressing mutant SOD1 are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of ALS: we have shown that media conditioned by astrocytes carrying mutant SOD1G93A contains toxic factor(s) that kill motoneurons by activating voltage-sensitive sodium (Nav ) channels. In contrast, a recent study suggests that astrocytes expressing mutated TDP43 contribute to ALS pathology, but do so via cell-autonomous processes and lack non-cell-autonomous toxicity. Here we investigate whether astrocytes that express diverse ALS-causing mutations release toxic factor(s) that induce motoneuron death, and if so, whether they do so via a common pathogenic pathway. We exposed primary cultures of wild-type spinal cord cells to conditioned medium derived from astrocytes (ACM) that express SOD1 (ACM-SOD1G93A and ACM-SOD1G86R) or TDP43 (ACM-TDP43A315T) mutants; we show that such exposure rapidly (within 30–60 min) increases dichlorofluorescein (DCF) fluorescence (indicative of nitroxidative stress) and leads to extensive motoneuron-specific death within a few days. Co-application of the diverse ACMs with anti-oxidants Trolox or esculetin (but not with resveratrol) strongly improves motoneuron survival. We also find that co-incubation of the cultures in the ACMs with Nav channel blockers (including mexiletine, spermidine, or riluzole) prevents both intracellular nitroxidative stress and motoneuron death. Together, our data document that two completely unrelated ALS models lead to the death of motoneuron via non-cell-autonomous processes, and show that astrocytes expressing mutations in SOD1 and TDP43 trigger such cell death through a common pathogenic pathway that involves nitroxidative stress, induced at least in part by Nav channel activity.
  • Miniatura
    Ítem
    Estudio descriptivo exploratorio de las percepciones sobre los talleres psicosociales y sexo mas seguro para hombres gay con relación a su estructura procesos y resultados.
    (Universidad Andrés Bello, 2004) Bahamondes, Milenne; Rojas, Fabiola; Fernández Cellier, Andrés; Herrera Ponce, Paulina; Facultad de Educación y Ciencias Sociales; Escuela de Psicología
    La presente investigación estuvo orientada en conocer y describir las percepciones que los participantes de los Talleres Psicosociales y Sexo más Seguro para Hombres Gay, impartidos en la Corporación Chilena de Prevención del SIDA, tienen con respecto al cumplimiento de los objetivos que allí se plantean. Para el abordaje de esta interrogante se utilizó la metodología cualitativa, empleando como instrumento de recolección de información la entrevista semi-estructurada, dichas entrevistas fueron realizadas a un grupo de 7 hombres homosexuales antes y después de su participación en el ciclo de talleres en cuestión. Para el análisis de la información obtenida a partir de las entrevistas se realizó el método de análisis estructural del lenguaje. De este modo, se crearon las categorías de información, establecidas de manera previa y emergente en algunos casos. Además se codificó la información obtenida a partir de las entrevistas en un cuadro resumen de las entrevistas pre y post de los talleres. A partir del análisis estructural del lenguaje y sus resultados fue posible apreciar que los Talleres Psicosociales y Sexo más Seguro para Hombres Gay, son una estrategia eficaz de prevención primaria frente a la problemática del VIH/SIDA y sus implicancias, debido a que brindan un espacio grato de reflexión, donde es posible aprender y discutir temas relacionados con la homosexualidad y el VIH/SIDA, y a partir de esta discusión e intercambio de experiencias se puede adquirir conductas preventivas hacia dicha enfermedad. Se hizo necesario, también, hacer una revisión teórica de los temas atingentes a la presente investigación, abordados en los capítulos de VIH/SIDA, Prevención y Salud, Evaluación y Talleres, y Homosexualidad. Desarrollados ampliamente de manera de lograr una comprensión acabada de cada uno de estos temas.
  • No hay miniatura disponible
    Ítem
    Excessive release of inorganic polyphosphate by ALS/FTD astrocytes causes non-cell-autonomous toxicity to motoneurons
    (Cell Press, 2022-05-18) Arredondo, Cristian; Cefaliello, Carolina; Dyrda, Agnieszka; Jury, Nur; Martinez, Pablo; Díaz, Iván; Amaro, Armando; Tran, Helene; Morales, Danna; Pertusa, Maria; Stoica, Lorelei; Fritz, Elsa; Corvalán, Daniela; Abarzúa, Sebastián; Méndez-Ruette, Maxs; Fernández, Paola; Rojas, Fabiola; Kumar, Meenakshi Sundaram; Aguilar, Rodrigo; Almeida, Sandra; Weiss, Alexandra; Bustos, Fernando J.; González-Nilo, Fernando; Otero, Carolina; Tevy, Maria Florencia; Bosco, Daryl A.; Sáez, Juan C.; Kähne, Thilo; Gao, Fen-Biao; Berry, James D.; Nicholson, Katharine; Sena-Esteves, Miguel; Madrid, Rodolfo; Varela, Diego; Montecino, Martin; Brown, Robert H.; van Zundert, Brigitte
    Non-cell-autonomous mechanisms contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), in which astrocytes release unidentified factors that are toxic to motoneurons (MNs). We report here that mouse and patient iPSC-derived astrocytes with diverse ALS/FTD-linked mutations (SOD1, TARDBP, and C9ORF72) display elevated levels of intracellular inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a ubiquitous, negatively charged biopolymer. PolyP levels are also increased in astrocyte-conditioned media (ACM) from ALS/FTD astrocytes. ACM-mediated MN death is prevented by degrading or neutralizing polyP in ALS/FTD astrocytes or ACM. Studies further reveal that postmortem familial and sporadic ALS spinal cord sections display enriched polyP staining signals and that ALS cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exhibits increased polyP concentrations. Our in vitro results establish excessive astrocyte-derived polyP as a critical factor in non-cell-autonomous MN degeneration and a potential therapeutic target for ALS/FTD. The CSF data indicate that polyP might serve as a new biomarker for ALS/FTD. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
  • No hay miniatura disponible
    Ítem
    Mature iPSC-derived astrocytes of an ALS/FTD patient carrying the TDP43 A90V mutation display a mild reactive state and release polyP toxic to motoneurons
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Rojas, Fabiola; Aguilar, Rodrigo; Almeida, Sandra; Fritz, Elsa; Corvalán, Daniela; Ampuero, Estibaliz; Abarzúa, Sebastián; Garcés, Polett; Amaro, Armando; Diaz, Iván; Arredondo, Cristian; Cortes, Nicole
    Astrocytes play a critical role in the maintenance of a healthy central nervous system and astrocyte dysfunction has been implicated in various neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). There is compelling evidence that mouse and human ALS and ALS/FTD astrocytes can reduce the number of healthy wild-type motoneurons (MNs) in co-cultures or after treatment with astrocyte conditioned media (ACM), independently of their genotype. A growing number of studies have shown that soluble toxic factor(s) in the ACM cause non-cell autonomous MN death, including our recent identification of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) that is excessively released from mouse primary astrocytes (SOD1, TARDBP, and C9ORF72) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived astrocytes (TARDBP) to kill MNs. However, others have reported that astrocytes carrying mutant TDP43 do not produce detectable MN toxicity. This controversy is likely to arise from the findings that human iPSC-derived astrocytes exhibit a rather immature and/or reactive phenotype in a number of studies. Here, we have succeeded in generating a highly homogenous population of functional quiescent mature astrocytes from control subject iPSCs. Using identical conditions, we also generated mature astrocytes from an ALS/FTD patient carrying the TDP43A90V mutation. These mutant TDP43 patient-derived astrocytes exhibit key pathological hallmarks, including enhanced cytoplasmic TDP-43 and polyP levels. Additionally, mutant TDP43 astrocytes displayed a mild reactive signature and an aberrant function as they were unable to promote synaptogenesis of hippocampal neurons. The polyP-dependent neurotoxic nature of the TDP43A90V mutation was further confirmed as neutralization of polyP in ACM derived from mutant TDP43 astrocytes prevented MN death. Our results establish that human astrocytes carrying the TDP43A90V mutation exhibit a cell-autonomous pathological signature, hence providing an experimental model to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of the neurotoxic phenotype. Copyright © 2023 Rojas, Aguilar, Almeida, Fritz, Corvalán, Ampuero, Abarzúa, Garcés, Amaro, Diaz, Arredondo, Cortes, Sanchez, Mercado, Varela-Nallar, Gao, Montecino and van Zundert.
  • Miniatura
    Ítem
    Reactive oxygen species trigger motoneuron death in non-cell-autonomous models of als through activation of c-Abl signaling
    (Frontiers Research Foundation, 2015-06) Rojas, Fabiola; Gonzalez, David; Cortes, Nicole; Ampuero, Estibaliz; Hernández, Diego E; Fritz, Elsa; Abarzua, Sebastián; Martinez, Alexis; Elorza, Alvaro A.; Alvarez, Alejandra; Court, Felipe; Van Zundert, Brigitte
    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in which pathogenesis and death of motor neurons are triggered by non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. We showed earlier that exposing primary rat spinal cord cultures to conditioned media derived from primary mouse astrocyte conditioned media (ACM) that express human SOD1G93A(ACM-hSOD1G93A) quickly enhances Nav channel- mediated excitability and calcium influx, generates intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and leads to death of motoneurons within days. Here we examined the role of mitochondrial structure and physiology and of the activation of c-Abl, a tyrosine kinase that induces apoptosis. We show that ACM-hSOD1G93A, but not ACM-hSOD1WT, increases c-Abl activity in motoneurons, interneurons and glial cells, starting at 60 min; the c-Abl inhibitor STI571 (imatinib) prevents this ACM-hSOD1G93A-mediated motoneuron death. Interestingly, similar results were obtained with ACM derived from astrocytes expressing SOD1G86Ror TDP43A315T. We further find that co-application of ACM-SOD1G93Awith blockers of Nav channels (spermidine, mexiletine, or riluzole) or anti-oxidants (Trolox, esculetin, or tiron) effectively prevent c-Abl activation and motoneuron death. In addition, ACM-SOD1G93Ainduces alterations in the morphology of neuronal mitochondria that are related with their membrane depolarization. Finally, we find that blocking the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore with cyclosporine A, or inhibiting mitochondrial calcium uptake with Ru360, reduces ROS production and c-Abl activation. Together, our data point to a sequence of events in which a toxic factor(s) released by ALS-expressing astrocytes rapidly induces hyper-excitability, which in turn increases calcium influx and affects mitochondrial structure and physiology. ROS production, mediated at least in part through mitochondrial alterations, trigger c-Abl signaling and lead to motoneuron death. © 2015 Rojas,Gonzalez,Cortes
  • Miniatura
    Ítem
    Widespread loss of the silencing epigenetic mark H3K9me3 in astrocytes and neurons along with hippocampal-dependent cognitive impairment in C9orf72 BAC transgenic mice
    (BioMed Central Ltd., 2020-02) Jury, Nur; Abarzua, Sebastian; Diaz, Ivan; . Guerra, Miguel V; Ampuero, Estibaliz; Cubillos, Paula; Martinez, Pablo; Herrera-Soto, Andrea; Arredondo, Cristian; Rojas, Fabiola; Manterola, Marcia; Rojas, Adriana; Montecino, Martín; Varela-Nallar, Lorena; Brigitte, van Zundert
    Background: Hexanucleotide repeat expansions of the G4C2 motif in a non-coding region of the C9ORF72 gene are the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Tissues from C9ALS/FTD patients and from mouse models of ALS show RNA foci, dipeptide-repeat proteins, and notably, widespread alterations in the transcriptome. Epigenetic processes regulate gene expression without changing DNA sequences and therefore could account for the altered transcriptome profiles in C9ALS/FTD; here, we explore whether the critical repressive marks H3K9me2 and H3K9me3 are altered in a recently developed C9ALS/FTD BAC mouse model (C9BAC). Results: Chromocenters that constitute pericentric constitutive heterochromatin were visualized as DAPI- or Nucblue-dense foci in nuclei. Cultured C9BAC astrocytes exhibited a reduced staining signal for H3K9me3 (but not for H3K9me2) at chromocenters that was accompanied by a marked decline in the global nuclear level of this mark. Similar depletion of H3K9me3 at chromocenters was detected in astrocytes and neurons of the spinal cord, motor cortex, and hippocampus of C9BAC mice. The alterations of H3K9me3 in the hippocampus of C9BAC mice led us to identify previously undetected neuronal loss in CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus, as well as hippocampal-dependent cognitive deficits. Conclusions: Our data indicate that a loss of the repressive mark H3K9me3 in astrocytes and neurons in the central nervous system of C9BAC mice represents a signature during neurodegeneration and memory deficit of C9ALS/FTD. © 2020 The Author(s).
  • No hay miniatura disponible
    Ítem
    αVβ3 Integrin regulates astrocyte reactivity
    (Journal, 2017-09) Lagos-Cabré, Raúl; Alvarez, Alvaro; Kong, Milene; Burgos-Bravo, Francesca; Cárdenas, Areli; Rojas-Mancilla, Edgardo; Pérez-Nuñez, Ramón; Herrera-Molina, Rodrigo; Rojas, Fabiola; Schneider, Pascal; Herrera-Marschitz, Mario; Quest, Andrew F.G.; van Zundert, Brigitte; Leyton, Lisette
    Background: Neuroinflammation involves cytokine release, astrocyte reactivity and migration. Neuronal Thy-1 promotes DITNC1 astrocyte migration by engaging αVβ3 Integrin and Syndecan-4. Primary astrocytes express low levels of these receptors and are unresponsive to Thy-1; thus, inflammation and astrocyte reactivity might be necessary for Thy-1-induced responses. Methods: Wild-type rat astrocytes (TNF-activated) or from human SOD1G93A transgenic mice (a neurodegenerative disease model) were used to evaluate cell migration, Thy-1 receptor levels, signaling molecules, and reactivity markers. Results: Thy-1 induced astrocyte migration only after TNF priming. Increased expression of αVβ3 Integrin, Syndecan-4, P2X7R, Pannexin-1, Connexin-43, GFAP, and iNOS were observed in TNF-treated astrocytes. Silencing of β3 Integrin prior to TNF treatment prevented Thy-1-induced migration, while β3 Integrin over-expression was sufficient to induce astrocyte reactivity and allow Thy-1-induced migration. Finally, hSOD1G93A astrocytes behave as TNF-treated astrocytes since they were reactive and responsive to Thy-1. Conclusions: Therefore, inflammation induces expression of αVβ3 Integrin and other proteins, astrocyte reactivity, and Thy-1 responsiveness. Importantly, ectopic control of β3 Integrin levels modulates these responses regardless of inflammation. © 2017 The Author(s).