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Iron Accumulates in Huntington’s Disease Neurons: Protection by Deferoxamine

Journal Article · · PLoS ONE
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [6];  [6];  [7];  [2];
  1. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Veterinary Sciences and Neuroscience Graduate Program; DOE/OSTI
  2. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Veterinary Sciences and Neuroscience Graduate Program
  3. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  4. Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States). Dept. of Zoology and Physiology
  5. Mental Health Research Inst., Parkville, Melbourne, VIC (Australia); Univ. of Leeds, Leeds (United Kingdom). The Gaculty of Biologival Sciences. School of Molecular and Cellular Biology
  6. Mental Health Research Inst., Parkville, Melbourne, VIC (Australia)
  7. MassGeneral Inst. for Neurodegenerative Disease, Charlestown, MA (United States)
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine-encoding CAG expansion in the huntingtin gene. Iron accumulates in the brains of HD patients and mouse disease models. However, the cellular and subcellular sites of iron accumulation, as well as significance to disease progression are not well understood. We used independent approaches to investigate the location of brain iron accumulation. In R6/2 HD mouse brain, synchotron x-ray fluorescence analysis revealed iron accumulation as discrete puncta in the perinuclear cytoplasm of striatal neurons. Further, perfusion Turnbull’s staining for ferrous iron (II) combined with transmission electron microscope ultra-structural analysis revealed increased staining in membrane bound perinuclear vesicles in R6/2 HD striatal neurons. Analysis of iron homeostatic proteins in R6/2 HD mice revealed decreased levels of the iron response proteins (IRPs 1 and 2) and accordingly decreased expression of iron uptake transferrin receptor (TfR) and increased levels of neuronal iron export protein ferroportin (FPN). Finally, we show that intra-ventricular delivery of the iron chelator deferoxamine results in an improvement of the motor phenotype in R6/2 HD mice. Our data supports accumulation of redox-active ferrous iron in the endocytic / lysosomal compartment in mouse HD neurons. Expression changes of IRPs, TfR and FPN are consistent with a compensatory response to an increased intra-neuronal labile iron pool leading to increased susceptibility to iron-associated oxidative stress. These findings, together with protection by deferoxamine, support a potentiating role of neuronal iron accumulation in HD.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1627644
Journal Information:
PLoS ONE, Journal Name: PLoS ONE Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 8; ISSN 1932-6203
Publisher:
Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (25)

Expression of RNAs Coding for Metal Transporters in Blood of Patients with Huntington’s Disease journal October 2015
Neonatal iron supplementation potentiates oxidative stress, energetic dysfunction and neurodegeneration in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease journal April 2015
Mechanism of anti-dementia effects of mangiferin in a senescence accelerated mouse (SAMP8) model journal September 2019
Iron overload causes endolysosomal deficits modulated by NAADP-regulated 2-pore channels and RAB7A journal July 2016
Hepcidin, an emerging and important player in brain iron homeostasis journal February 2018
Disease‐modifying effects of ganglioside GM1 in Huntington's disease models journal October 2017
Oxidative Stress and Huntington’s Disease: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly journal October 2016
The Dual Role of Hepcidin in Brain Iron Load and Inflammation journal October 2018
Impaired Redox Signaling in Huntington’s Disease: Therapeutic Implications journal March 2019
The iron regulatory capability of the major protein participants in prevalent neurodegenerative disorders journal April 2014
Role of iron in neurodegenerative diseases journal January 2016
Ferroptosis and Its Role in Diverse Brain Diseases journal November 2018
Ferroptosis: past, present and future journal February 2020
Biological metals and metal-targeting compounds in major neurodegenerative diseases journal January 2014
Trafficking of a multifunctional protein by endosomal microautophagy: linking two independent unconventional secretory pathways journal January 2019
Iron dysregulation in Huntington's disease journal May 2014
Iron neurochemistry in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease: targets for therapeutics journal February 2016
Phospholipid oxidation products in ferroptotic myocardial cell death journal July 2019
Inhibition of neuronal ferroptosis protects hemorrhagic brain journal April 2017
Heme oxygenase-1-mediated neuroprotection in subarachnoid hemorrhage via intracerebroventricular deferoxamine journal September 2016
Mutant huntingtin induces iron overload via up-regulating IRP1 in Huntington’s disease journal July 2018
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Suggests Altered Brain Iron in Premanifest Huntington Disease journal December 2015
Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping Suggests Altered Brain Iron in Premanifest Huntington Disease text January 2016
Iron overload causes endolysosomal deficits modulated by NAADP-regulated 2-pore channels and RAB7A text January 2016
Iron overload causes endolysosomal deficits modulated by NAADP-regulated 2-pore channels and RAB7A text January 2016

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