Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are proteins originally identified on the basis of their ability to deacetylate histones resulting in transcriptionally repression. HDACs also deacetylate a large number of other proteins in the nucleus, cytoplasm and mitochondria thereby regulating diverse cellular events. Compelling evidence indicates that HDACs regulate the survival and death of neurons. Indeed, several laboratories have demonstrated that chemical inhibitors of HDACs are strongly protective in many different experimental invertebrate and rodent models of neurodegenerative disease. The focus of this application is on HDAC3, an HDAC that we discovered has strong neurotoxic activity and representing a likely target of HDAC inhibitors in their neuroprotective effect. We found that neurons are selectively sensitive to HDAC3 toxicity and that HDAC3-induced neuronal death requires its phosphorylation by GSK3?, a kinase implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders. The current application follows up on these findings to examine in more detail the mechanism by which HDAC3 promotes neurodegeneration. In addition to using paradigms of neuronal death unrelated to disease states, we will study the role of HDAC3 in Huntington disease (HD) pathogenesis. We have observed that HDAC3 interacts with huntingtin protein (Htt), mutation of which causes HD. We hypothesize that the HDAC3 plays a pivotal role in the neurotoxic effect of mutant-Htt and that mutant-Htt stimulates the release of HDAC3 thereby de-repressing its neurotoxic activity. Based on recently acquired data, we propose that HDAC3 neurotoxicity requires the participation of HDAC1, another Class I HDAC with which HDAC3 interacts. The specific goals of our application are: (1) To study the contribution of HDAC3 to Htt-mediated neuronal survival and to mutant-huntingtin-induced neuronal death, (2) To investigate the contribution of HDAC1 in HDAC3 and mutant-Htt toxicity, (3) To identify downstream targets of HDAC3- mediated neurotoxicity, and (4) To study the effect of HDAC3 deficiency on neuropathology in the R6/2 and BACHD mouse models of HD by breeding these mice to forebrain-specific HDAC3 conditional knockout mice that we have just generated. The studies we propose will shed new insight into the fundamental mechanisms regulating neuronal survival and death, as well as how these mechanisms relate to HD.

Public Health Relevance

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a family of proteins that play important roles in the regulation of neuronal survival and death. We propose to study the role of one member of this family of proteins, HDAC3, in the regulation of neuronal death. Much of our focus will be placed on neuronal death related to Huntington's disease (HD). We believe our studies will shed new insight into the fundamental mechanisms regulating neuronal survival and death, as well as how these mechanisms relate to neurodegenerative brain disorders such as HD.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01NS040408-10A1
Application #
8535477
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-MDCN-E (03))
Program Officer
Sutherland, Margaret L
Project Start
2000-08-01
Project End
2018-02-28
Budget Start
2013-03-01
Budget End
2014-02-28
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$334,688
Indirect Cost
$115,938
Name
University of Texas-Dallas
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
800188161
City
Richardson
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
75080
Thomas, Elizabeth A; D'Mello, Santosh R (2018) Complex neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects of histone deacetylases. J Neurochem 145:96-110
Qu, Zhe; D'Mello, Santosh R (2018) Proteomic analysis identifies NPTX1 and HIP1R as potential targets of histone deacetylase-3-mediated neurodegeneration. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 243:627-638
Louis Sam Titus, Anto Sam Crosslee; Yusuff, Tanzeen; Cassar, Marlène et al. (2017) Reduced Expression of Foxp1 as a Contributing Factor in Huntington's Disease. J Neurosci 37:6575-6587
Smith, Chad; D'Mello, Santosh R (2016) Cell and Context-Dependent Effects of the Heat Shock Protein DNAJB6 on Neuronal Survival. Mol Neurobiol 53:5628-39
Rawat, Varun; Goux, Warren; Piechaczyk, Marc et al. (2016) c-Fos Protects Neurons Through a Noncanonical Mechanism Involving HDAC3 Interaction: Identification of a 21-Amino Acid Fragment with Neuroprotective Activity. Mol Neurobiol 53:1165-80
Pfister, Jason A; D'Mello, Santosh R (2016) Regulation of Neuronal Survival by Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) Is Dependent on Its Expression Level, Subcellular Localization, and Oligomerization Status. J Biol Chem 291:20787-97
Pfister, Jason A; D'Mello, Santosh R (2015) Insights into the regulation of neuronal viability by nucleophosmin/B23. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 240:774-86
Sharma, Dharmendra; Kim, Min Soo; D'Mello, Santosh R (2015) Transcriptome profiling of expression changes during neuronal death by RNA-Seq. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 240:242-51
Garcia-Oscos, Francisco; Peña, David; Housini, Mohammad et al. (2015) Vagal nerve stimulation blocks interleukin 6-dependent synaptic hyperexcitability induced by lipopolysaccharide-induced acute stress in the rodent prefrontal cortex. Brain Behav Immun 43:149-58
Mallick, Sathi; D'Mello, Santosh R (2014) JAZ (Znf346), a SIRT1-interacting protein, protects neurons by stimulating p21 (WAF/CIP1) protein expression. J Biol Chem 289:35409-20

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