{"id":{"repo_id":"soton","oai_identifier":"oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:160233"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/soton/oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:160233","repository":{"repo_id":"soton","name":"University of Southampton","base_url":"https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2"},"display":{"title":"The sHsp expression signature in the brain and modulation in models of chronic neurodegeneration","abstract":"Intrinsic protein folding pathways are modulated by molecular chaperones, such as the diverse<br/>group of heat shock proteins (Hsps). Among these is the small heat shock protein (sHsp)<br/>family which in the mammalian genome consists of 10 low molecular weight (15-30kDa)<br/>members. The sHsps have classical chaperone functions but additionally contribute to<br/>pathways that protect against cellular stresses, maintain the cytoskeleton, prevent protein<br/>aggregation and regulate apoptosis. They contain a characteristic C-terminal ?-crystallin<br/>domain, which is exclusive to the sHsp family. In addition to their constitutive expression<br/>under physiological (non-disease) conditions, they are also induced under conditions of<br/>stress/heat shock which is thought to play a role in response to protein misfolding that<br/>underpins disease. There are a wide range of diseases in which the sHsps function or are<br/>dysfunctional by mutations, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cataract, and desmin related<br/>myopathy.<br/><br/>Each of the 10 sHsps is believed to have a unique expression profile. Seven of the sHsps are<br/>expressed in heart and muscle, but little is known about their precise expression and/or<br/>physiological role in the CNS. In the present study the expression of the mammalian sHsps in<br/>various mouse tissues including the brain was investigated. This provided evidence for the<br/>constitutive expression of 4 sHsps in the brain. In situ hybridization using naïve adult mice<br/>revealed a distinct white matter (oligodendrocyte) specific expression pattern for HspB5 (?Bcrystallin).<br/>HspB1 (Hsp25) and HspB8 (Hsp22) demonstrated overlapping expression in the<br/>lateral and dorsal ventricles of the brain, as well as expression in a distinct set of motor<br/>neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Further, cellular immunostaining and subfractionation<br/>of brain tissue supports a distinct cellular and subcellular protein expression of<br/>HspB1, HspB5, HspB6 (Hsp20) and HspB8 in the brain. Both HspB5 and HspB6 were<br/>enriched in the myelin fraction. In view of the potential for induction of these sHsps by stress<br/>and modulation in chronic brain diseases we systematically investigated the sHsp signature in<br/>two distinct models of intracellular (R6/2) and extracellular (ME7) proteinopathies. These<br/>models recapitulate key features of Huntington’s and prion disease, respectively.<br/><br/>Analysis of the sHsps in the R6/2 Huntington’s disease (HD) mouse model showed a specific<br/>down-regulation of HspB5 in the white matter at all time points analyzed. All other sHsps<br/>investigated did not change in this model of HD. Analysis of the sHsps in ME7 prion disease<br/>showed up-regulation of HspB1, HspB5 and HspB8 in the hippocampus. For HspB1, this was<br/>selective to an anatomically defined sub-population of astrocytes distributed in the stratum<br/>radiatum. In contrast, all GFAP positive astrocytes throughout the hippocampus exhibited<br/>induced expression of HspB5 and HspB8. Based on QT-PCR data, the changes in expression<br/>of the sHsps in either model was not under transcriptional control, suggesting translation/posttranslational<br/>regulation. The differing results in the two models suggest that the presence of<br/>intracellular (R6/2) or extracellular (ME7) aggregates may dictate the sHsp response<br/>associated with non-neuronal cells. In view of the emerging significance of non-neuronal cells<br/>in chronic diseases the data supports adaptive and differential responses that might contribute<br/>to and/or provide a route to therapy of distinct aspects of neurodegeneration.","abstract_html":"Intrinsic protein folding pathways are modulated by molecular chaperones, such as the diverse&lt;br/&gt;group of heat shock proteins (Hsps). Among these is the small heat shock protein (sHsp)&lt;br/&gt;family which in the mammalian genome consists of 10 low molecular weight (15-30kDa)&lt;br/&gt;members. The sHsps have classical chaperone functions but additionally contribute to&lt;br/&gt;pathways that protect against cellular stresses, maintain the cytoskeleton, prevent protein&lt;br/&gt;aggregation and regulate apoptosis. They contain a characteristic C-terminal ?-crystallin&lt;br/&gt;domain, which is exclusive to the sHsp family. In addition to their constitutive expression&lt;br/&gt;under physiological (non-disease) conditions, they are also induced under conditions of&lt;br/&gt;stress/heat shock which is thought to play a role in response to protein misfolding that&lt;br/&gt;underpins disease. There are a wide range of diseases in which the sHsps function or are&lt;br/&gt;dysfunctional by mutations, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cataract, and desmin related&lt;br/&gt;myopathy.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Each of the 10 sHsps is believed to have a unique expression profile. Seven of the sHsps are&lt;br/&gt;expressed in heart and muscle, but little is known about their precise expression and/or&lt;br/&gt;physiological role in the CNS. In the present study the expression of the mammalian sHsps in&lt;br/&gt;various mouse tissues including the brain was investigated. This provided evidence for the&lt;br/&gt;constitutive expression of 4 sHsps in the brain. In situ hybridization using naïve adult mice&lt;br/&gt;revealed a distinct white matter (oligodendrocyte) specific expression pattern for HspB5 (?Bcrystallin).&lt;br/&gt;HspB1 (Hsp25) and HspB8 (Hsp22) demonstrated overlapping expression in the&lt;br/&gt;lateral and dorsal ventricles of the brain, as well as expression in a distinct set of motor&lt;br/&gt;neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Further, cellular immunostaining and subfractionation&lt;br/&gt;of brain tissue supports a distinct cellular and subcellular protein expression of&lt;br/&gt;HspB1, HspB5, HspB6 (Hsp20) and HspB8 in the brain. Both HspB5 and HspB6 were&lt;br/&gt;enriched in the myelin fraction. In view of the potential for induction of these sHsps by stress&lt;br/&gt;and modulation in chronic brain diseases we systematically investigated the sHsp signature in&lt;br/&gt;two distinct models of intracellular (R6/2) and extracellular (ME7) proteinopathies. These&lt;br/&gt;models recapitulate key features of Huntington’s and prion disease, respectively.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Analysis of the sHsps in the R6/2 Huntington’s disease (HD) mouse model showed a specific&lt;br/&gt;down-regulation of HspB5 in the white matter at all time points analyzed. All other sHsps&lt;br/&gt;investigated did not change in this model of HD. Analysis of the sHsps in ME7 prion disease&lt;br/&gt;showed up-regulation of HspB1, HspB5 and HspB8 in the hippocampus. For HspB1, this was&lt;br/&gt;selective to an anatomically defined sub-population of astrocytes distributed in the stratum&lt;br/&gt;radiatum. In contrast, all GFAP positive astrocytes throughout the hippocampus exhibited&lt;br/&gt;induced expression of HspB5 and HspB8. Based on QT-PCR data, the changes in expression&lt;br/&gt;of the sHsps in either model was not under transcriptional control, suggesting translation/posttranslational&lt;br/&gt;regulation. The differing results in the two models suggest that the presence of&lt;br/&gt;intracellular (R6/2) or extracellular (ME7) aggregates may dictate the sHsp response&lt;br/&gt;associated with non-neuronal cells. In view of the emerging significance of non-neuronal cells&lt;br/&gt;in chronic diseases the data supports adaptive and differential responses that might contribute&lt;br/&gt;to and/or provide a route to therapy of distinct aspects of neurodegeneration.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Quraishe, Shmma"],"institution":"University of Southampton","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["O'Connor, Vincent","Wyttenbach, Andreas"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-04","date_published":"2010-04","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:36:14Z","subjects":[],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":null,"outbound_label":null,"outbound_source":null},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["O'Connor, Vincent","Wyttenbach, Andreas"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Quraishe, Shmma"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2010-04-02"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2010-04"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Biological Sciences (pre 2011 reorg)"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Southampton"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/160233/"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Ph.D."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/160233/1/S._QURAISHE_Ph.D._2010.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Intrinsic protein folding pathways are modulated by molecular chaperones, such as the diverse<br/>group of heat shock proteins (Hsps). Among these is the small heat shock protein (sHsp)<br/>family which in the mammalian genome consists of 10 low molecular weight (15-30kDa)<br/>members. The sHsps have classical chaperone functions but additionally contribute to<br/>pathways that protect against cellular stresses, maintain the cytoskeleton, prevent protein<br/>aggregation and regulate apoptosis. They contain a characteristic C-terminal ?-crystallin<br/>domain, which is exclusive to the sHsp family. In addition to their constitutive expression<br/>under physiological (non-disease) conditions, they are also induced under conditions of<br/>stress/heat shock which is thought to play a role in response to protein misfolding that<br/>underpins disease. There are a wide range of diseases in which the sHsps function or are<br/>dysfunctional by mutations, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cataract, and desmin related<br/>myopathy.<br/><br/>Each of the 10 sHsps is believed to have a unique expression profile. Seven of the sHsps are<br/>expressed in heart and muscle, but little is known about their precise expression and/or<br/>physiological role in the CNS. In the present study the expression of the mammalian sHsps in<br/>various mouse tissues including the brain was investigated. This provided evidence for the<br/>constitutive expression of 4 sHsps in the brain. In situ hybridization using naïve adult mice<br/>revealed a distinct white matter (oligodendrocyte) specific expression pattern for HspB5 (?Bcrystallin).<br/>HspB1 (Hsp25) and HspB8 (Hsp22) demonstrated overlapping expression in the<br/>lateral and dorsal ventricles of the brain, as well as expression in a distinct set of motor<br/>neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Further, cellular immunostaining and subfractionation<br/>of brain tissue supports a distinct cellular and subcellular protein expression of<br/>HspB1, HspB5, HspB6 (Hsp20) and HspB8 in the brain. Both HspB5 and HspB6 were<br/>enriched in the myelin fraction. In view of the potential for induction of these sHsps by stress<br/>and modulation in chronic brain diseases we systematically investigated the sHsp signature in<br/>two distinct models of intracellular (R6/2) and extracellular (ME7) proteinopathies. These<br/>models recapitulate key features of Huntington’s and prion disease, respectively.<br/><br/>Analysis of the sHsps in the R6/2 Huntington’s disease (HD) mouse model showed a specific<br/>down-regulation of HspB5 in the white matter at all time points analyzed. All other sHsps<br/>investigated did not change in this model of HD. Analysis of the sHsps in ME7 prion disease<br/>showed up-regulation of HspB1, HspB5 and HspB8 in the hippocampus. For HspB1, this was<br/>selective to an anatomically defined sub-population of astrocytes distributed in the stratum<br/>radiatum. In contrast, all GFAP positive astrocytes throughout the hippocampus exhibited<br/>induced expression of HspB5 and HspB8. Based on QT-PCR data, the changes in expression<br/>of the sHsps in either model was not under transcriptional control, suggesting translation/posttranslational<br/>regulation. The differing results in the two models suggest that the presence of<br/>intracellular (R6/2) or extracellular (ME7) aggregates may dictate the sHsp response<br/>associated with non-neuronal cells. In view of the emerging significance of non-neuronal cells<br/>in chronic diseases the data supports adaptive and differential responses that might contribute<br/>to and/or provide a route to therapy of distinct aspects of neurodegeneration."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["text"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The sHsp expression signature in the brain and modulation in models of chronic neurodegeneration"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["O'Connor, Vincent","Wyttenbach, Andreas"],"dc:creator":["Quraishe, Shmma"],"dc:date":["2010-04-02"],"dc:date.issued":["2010-04"],"dc:description.abstract":["Intrinsic protein folding pathways are modulated by molecular chaperones, such as the diverse<br/>group of heat shock proteins (Hsps). Among these is the small heat shock protein (sHsp)<br/>family which in the mammalian genome consists of 10 low molecular weight (15-30kDa)<br/>members. The sHsps have classical chaperone functions but additionally contribute to<br/>pathways that protect against cellular stresses, maintain the cytoskeleton, prevent protein<br/>aggregation and regulate apoptosis. They contain a characteristic C-terminal ?-crystallin<br/>domain, which is exclusive to the sHsp family. In addition to their constitutive expression<br/>under physiological (non-disease) conditions, they are also induced under conditions of<br/>stress/heat shock which is thought to play a role in response to protein misfolding that<br/>underpins disease. There are a wide range of diseases in which the sHsps function or are<br/>dysfunctional by mutations, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cataract, and desmin related<br/>myopathy.<br/><br/>Each of the 10 sHsps is believed to have a unique expression profile. Seven of the sHsps are<br/>expressed in heart and muscle, but little is known about their precise expression and/or<br/>physiological role in the CNS. In the present study the expression of the mammalian sHsps in<br/>various mouse tissues including the brain was investigated. This provided evidence for the<br/>constitutive expression of 4 sHsps in the brain. In situ hybridization using naïve adult mice<br/>revealed a distinct white matter (oligodendrocyte) specific expression pattern for HspB5 (?Bcrystallin).<br/>HspB1 (Hsp25) and HspB8 (Hsp22) demonstrated overlapping expression in the<br/>lateral and dorsal ventricles of the brain, as well as expression in a distinct set of motor<br/>neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Further, cellular immunostaining and subfractionation<br/>of brain tissue supports a distinct cellular and subcellular protein expression of<br/>HspB1, HspB5, HspB6 (Hsp20) and HspB8 in the brain. Both HspB5 and HspB6 were<br/>enriched in the myelin fraction. In view of the potential for induction of these sHsps by stress<br/>and modulation in chronic brain diseases we systematically investigated the sHsp signature in<br/>two distinct models of intracellular (R6/2) and extracellular (ME7) proteinopathies. These<br/>models recapitulate key features of Huntington’s and prion disease, respectively.<br/><br/>Analysis of the sHsps in the R6/2 Huntington’s disease (HD) mouse model showed a specific<br/>down-regulation of HspB5 in the white matter at all time points analyzed. All other sHsps<br/>investigated did not change in this model of HD. Analysis of the sHsps in ME7 prion disease<br/>showed up-regulation of HspB1, HspB5 and HspB8 in the hippocampus. For HspB1, this was<br/>selective to an anatomically defined sub-population of astrocytes distributed in the stratum<br/>radiatum. In contrast, all GFAP positive astrocytes throughout the hippocampus exhibited<br/>induced expression of HspB5 and HspB8. Based on QT-PCR data, the changes in expression<br/>of the sHsps in either model was not under transcriptional control, suggesting translation/posttranslational<br/>regulation. The differing results in the two models suggest that the presence of<br/>intracellular (R6/2) or extracellular (ME7) aggregates may dictate the sHsp response<br/>associated with non-neuronal cells. In view of the emerging significance of non-neuronal cells<br/>in chronic diseases the data supports adaptive and differential responses that might contribute<br/>to and/or provide a route to therapy of distinct aspects of neurodegeneration."],"dc:format":["text"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/160233/1/S._QURAISHE_Ph.D._2010.pdf"],"dc:publisher.department":["Biological Sciences (pre 2011 reorg)"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Southampton"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/160233/"],"dc:title":["The sHsp expression signature in the brain and modulation in models of chronic neurodegeneration"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["doctoral"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["Ph.D."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:36:14Z"}