Journal: Neural Regeneration Research
Article Title: Reduced mesencephalic astrocyte–derived neurotrophic factor expression by mutant androgen receptor contributes to neurodegeneration in a model of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy pathology
doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-23-01666
Figure Lengend Snippet: Mutant AR with polyQ expansion reduces MANF expression in N2a cells. (A) A schematic of AR0Q and AR48Q plasmids. AR containing 0Q and 48Q were linked with an N-terminal EGFP tag. Created with Microsoft PowerPoint (2312 Build 16.0.17126.20132). (B) Western blotting analysis showed that the AR0Q and AR48Q plasmids expressed the corresponding proteins in the transfected N2a cells. EGFP and AR antibodies were used to detect both AR0Q and AR48Q. 1C2 antibody preferentially reacts with AR48Q. β-tubulin was used as a loading control. (C) Subcellular fractionation was performed using N2a cells transfected with AR0Q and treated with different concentrations (0, 100 nM, 10 nM, or 1 nM) of R1881. Western blotting analysis showed that without R1881, AR0Q was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm, whereas with R1881, AR0Q was predominantly localized in the nucleus. AR antibody was used to detect AR0Q. Lamin B1 was used as a marker for the nucleus (N), and GAPDH was used as a marker for the cytoplasm (C). (D) Subcellular fractionation was performed using N2a cells transfected with AR0Q or AR48Q and treated with or without R1881. Western blotting analysis showed that in the presence of R1881, both AR0Q and AR48Q translocated into the nucleus. AR antibody was used to detect both AR0Q and AR48Q. Lamin B1 was used as a marker for the nucleus (N), and GAPDH was used as a marker for the cytoplasm (C). (E) Fluorescent microscopy images showing the localization of AR0Q and AR48Q in N2a cells treated with or without R1881. Without R1881, AR0Q and AR48Q were present in the cytoplasm and nucleus, whereas with R1881, AR0Q and AR48Q were predominantly localized in the nucleus. DAPI was used to stain nuclei. Scale bars: 20 μm. (F) Western blotting analysis of MANF expression in N2a cells transfected with AR0Q or AR48Q and treated with R1881. AR antibody was used to detect both AR0Q and AR48Q, and MANF antibody was used to detect MANF. β-Actin was used as a loading control. (G) Quantitative analysis of MANF expression ( n = 7, one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post hoc test). MANF expression was significantly lower in AR48Q-expressing cells compared with AR0Q-expressing cells. (H) Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure Manf mRNA levels in N2a cells transfected with AR0Q or AR48Q and treated with R1881 ( n = 4, one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post hoc test). The Manf mRNA level was significantly lower in AR48Q-expressing cells than in AR0Q-expressing cells. (I) MTT assay was performed using N2a cells transfected with AR0Q or AR48Q and treated with R1881 ( n = 4, one-way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post hoc test). The viability of AR48Q-expressing cells was significantly lower than that in AR0Q-expressing cells. * P < 0.05, *** P < 0.001, **** P < 0.0001. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. AR: Androgen receptor; DAPI: 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; EGFP: enhanced green fluorescent protein; MANF: mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor; MTT: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide; polyQ: polyglutamine.
Article Snippet: The sources of antibodies used in this study were as follows: AR (1:5000, Proteintech, Wuhan, Hubei, China, Cat# 22089-1, RRID: AB_11182176), neuronal nuclei (NeuN; 1:1000, rabbit monoclonal antibody, Abcam, Cambridge, UK, Cat# ab177487, RRID: AB_2532109; mouse monoclonal antibody, 1:1000, Cat# ab104224, RRID: AB_10711040), postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95; 1:1000, Abcam, Cat# ab238135, RRID: AB_2895158), microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2; 1:1000, Abcam, ab11267, RRID: AB_297885), MANF (used for immunofluorescence staining: 1:500, LSBio, Lynnwood, WA, USA, Cat# B2688, rabbit polyclonal antibody, RRID: AB_2059304; used for western blotting: rabbit polyclonal antibody, 1:1000, custom-made, Cat# EM572, RRID: AB_3082984), lamin B1 (1:1000, Abcam, Cat# ab65986, RRID: AB_1140888), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH; 1:1000, Proteintech, Cat# 60004-1, RRID: AB_2107436), β-actin (1:5000, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Dallas, TX, USA, Cat# sc-47778, RRID: AB_626632), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP; 1:100,000, Sigma, Cat# G3893, RRID: AB_477010), vinculin (1:10,000, Sigma, MAB3574, RRID: AB_2304338), β-tubulin (1:1000, Proteintech, Cat# 10094-1, RRID: AB_2210695), green fluorescent protein (GFP; 1:1000, Gene Tex, Irvine, CA, USA, Cat# GTX113617, RRID: AB_1950371), polyglutamine (1C2; 1:1000, Millipore, Burlington, MA, USA, Cat# MAB1574, RRID: AB_94263), HA tag (1:1000, Cell Signaling Technology, Danvers, MA, USA, Cat# 2367, RRID: AB_10691311), and FLAG tag (1:1000, Sigma, Cat# F1804, RRID: AB_262044).
Techniques: Mutagenesis, Expressing, Western Blot, Transfection, Control, Fractionation, Marker, Microscopy, Staining, Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction, MTT Assay, Derivative Assay