Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes a progressive decline of mental and cognitive processes such as memory, judgment and reasoning. We proposed earlier that a sustained loss of function of Wnt/β- catenin signaling components underlies the onset and progression of the disease. Here, we discuss recent data on the involvement of Wnt/b-catenin signaling on amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, Aβ peptide neurotoxicity, τ phosphorylation, and modulation of Apolipoprotein E function in the brain. We conclude that several components of the cascade are actively engaged in the events leading to AD neuropathology and propose that compounds that mimic activation of this signaling cascade, such as lithium, should be considered for therapeutic intervention in Alzheimer's patients. In summary, data accumulated during the past decade confirm some important predictions of our hypothesis where components of this signaling cascade are actively engaged in the events leading to AD neuropathology and that compounds that mimic activation of this signaling cascade, such as lithium, should be considered for therapeutic intervention in Alzheimer's patients.

Key Points• Wnt/b-catenin signaling increases ETO and Runx1 transcription in human hematopoietic progenitors.• Wnt/b-catenin signaling enhances spatial proximity of ETO and RUNX1 genes and induces the generation of a recurrent translocation event.Chromosomal translocations are frequently associated with a wide variety of cancers, particularly hematologic malignancies. A recurrent chromosomal abnormality in acute myeloid leukemia is the reciprocal translocation t(8;21) that fuses RUNX1 and ETO genes. We report here that Wnt/b-catenin signaling increases the expression of ETO and RUNX1 genes in human hematopoietic progenitors. We found that b-catenin is rapidly recruited into RNA polymerase II transcription factories (RNAPII-Ser5) and that ETO and RUNX1 genes are brought into close spatial proximity upon Wnt3a induction. Notably, long-term treatment of cells with Wnt3a induces the generation a frequent RUNX1-ETO translocation event. Thus, Wnt/b-catenin signaling induces transcription and translocation of RUNX1 and ETO fusion gene partners, opening a novel window to understand the onset/ development of leukemia. (Blood. 2015;126(15):1785-1789) IntroductionOne of the most common chromosomal abnormalities in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the reciprocal translocation t(8;21)(q22;q22), which involves the RUNX1 (AML1) and the ETO (RUNX1T1) genes and produces a Runx1-ETO fusion transcript that inhibits Runx1-dependent transcriptional regulation. 1,2 Although RUNX1-ETO translocations could act as initiating events in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), after which leukemia clonally evolves through the acquisition of secondary mutations, 3,4 the molecular mechanism and cellular signals that drive the generation of the t(8;21) translocation remain to be elucidated.Although much has been learned in recent years about the onset or development of AML from studies examining Runx1 expression or function, [5][6][7][8] we are still far from a complete understanding of the cellular mechanisms controlling the transcription of its translocation partner, ETO.9-11 Considering that Wnt/b-catenin plays essential roles during the proliferation or differentiation of HSCs and that reactivation of b-catenin signaling is important for selfrenewal of leukemia stem cells, 12-14 we studied whether Wnt/ b-catenin signaling was involved in ETO expression and RUNX1-ETO fusion. Methods Human CD341 cells and cell lines Results and discussionAccording to the current assembly of the human genome (GRCh38), the ETO gene consists of 17 exons distributed over 148 kb ( Figure 1A The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. Therefore, and solely to indicate this fact, this article is hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 USC section 1734. For personal use only. on May 11, 2018. by guest www.bloodjournal.org From and its expression generates multiple messenger RNA (mRNA) isoforms by alternative splicing or the use of different promoters. [9][10][11] We searched for core TCF/LEF-binding elements (TBE: CTTTG)...

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Synaptic abnormalities have been described in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The cell-adhesion molecule Neuroligin-3 (Nlgn3) has an essential role in the function and maturation of synapses and NLGN3 ASD-associated mutations disrupt hippocampal and cortical function. Here we show that Wnt/β-catenin signaling increases Nlgn3 mRNA and protein levels in HT22 mouse hippocampal cells and primary cultures of rat hippocampal neurons. We characterized the activity of mouse and rat Nlgn3 promoter constructs containing conserved putative T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancing factor (TCF/LEF)-binding elements (TBE) and found that their activity is significantly augmented in Wnt/β-catenin cell reporter assays. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays and site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed that endogenous β-catenin binds to novel TBE consensus sequences in the Nlgn3 promoter. Moreover, activation of the signaling cascade increased Nlgn3 clustering and co- localization with the scaffold PSD-95 protein in dendritic processes of primary neurons. Our results directly link Wnt/β-catenin signaling to the transcription of the Nlgn3 gene and support a functional role for the signaling pathway in the dysregulation of excitatory/inhibitory neuronal activity, as is observed in animal models of ASD.

Wnt/β-catenin signaling modulates brain development and function and its deregulation underlies pathological changes occurring in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. Since one of the main effects of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is the modulation of target genes, in the present work we examined global transcriptional changes induced by short-term Wnt3a treatment (4 h) in primary cultures of rat hippocampal neurons. RNAseq experiments allowed the identification of 170 differentially expressed genes, including known Wnt/β-catenin target genes such as Notum, Axin2, and Lef1, as well as novel potential candidates Fam84a, Stk32a, and Itga9. Main biological processes enriched with differentially expressed genes included neural precursor (GO:0061364, p-adjusted = 2.5 × 10−7), forebrain development (GO:0030900, p-adjusted = 7.3 × 10−7), and stem cell differentiation (GO:0048863 p-adjusted = 7.3 × 10−7). Likewise, following activation of the signaling cascade, the expression of a significant number of genes with transcription factor activity (GO:0043565, p-adjusted = 4.1 × 10−6) was induced. We also studied molecular networks enriched upon Wnt3a activation and detected three highly significant expression modules involved in glycerolipid metabolic process (GO:0046486, p-adjusted = 4.5 × 10−19), learning or memory (GO:0007611, p-adjusted = 4.0 × 10−5), and neurotransmitter secretion (GO:0007269, p-adjusted = 5.3 × 10−12). Our results indicate that Wnt/β-catenin mediated transcription controls multiple biological processes related to neuronal structure and activity that are affected in synaptic dysfunction disorders.

Two distantly located promoter regions regulate the dynamic expression of RUNX genes during development: distal P1 and proximal P2 promoters. We have recently described that β-catenin increases total Runx1 mRNA levels in human CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitors and enhances spatial proximity with its translocation partner ETO. Here, we report that induction of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HL60 and Jurkat leukemia-derived cell lines and CD34(+) progenitors selectively activate the production of the longer distal P1-Runx1 mRNA isoform. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments revealed that the differential increase in P1-Runx1 expression is accomplished through a minimal β-catenin responsive region that includes a highly conserved TCF/LEF-binding element, located -20/-16 bp upstream of the canonical distal P1-Runx1 transcription start site. We conclude that the distal P1-Runx1 promoter is a direct transcriptional target of Wnt/β-catenin signaling that may be important in normal hematopoiesis or its transition into malignant stem cells during the onset or progression of leukemia.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic has left researchers scrambling to identify the humoral immune correlates of protection from COVID-19. To date, the antibody mediated correlates of virus neutralization have been extensively studied. However, the extent that non-neutralizing functions contribute to anti-viral responses are ill defined. In this study, we profiled the anti-spike antibody subtype/subclass responses, along with neutralization and antibody-dependent natural killer cell functions in 83 blood samples collected between 4 and 201 days post-symptoms onset from a cohort of COVID-19 outpatients. We observed heterogeneous humoral responses against the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein. Overall, anti-spike profiles were characterized by a rapid rise of IgA and sustained IgG titers. In addition, strong antibody-mediated natural killer effector responses correlated with milder disease and being female. While higher neutralization profiles were observed in males along with increased severity. These results give an insight into the underlying function of antibodies beyond neutralization and suggest that antibody-mediated natural killer cell activity is a key function of the humoral response against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.