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Mitochondrial function and its regulation within the placenta are critical for maintaining a healthy pregnancy. This study investigated the role of G-protein signaling 12 (RGS12) in placental mitochondrial function and pregnancy outcomes. RGS12 was found to be localized within the mitochondria of placental trophoblast cells. RGS12 knockdown in human placental cells resulted in decreased mitochondrial abundance, impaired oxidative phosphorylation, and reduced antioxidant capacity. Mechanistically, RGS12 enhanced the function of ATP5B, a key mitochondrial enzyme, by promoting its tyrosine phosphorylation. In a mouse model, placental RGS12 deficiency led to reduced tolerance to preterm birth (PTB) challenge, decreased fetal weight, and trophoblast cell death. These adverse effects were associated with diminished ATP synthase activity and activation of the p38MAPK signaling pathway, while restoring RGS12 expression improved the phenotype of mitochondrial dysfunction in placental trophoblast cells. Furthermore, reduced RGS12 expression and impaired mitochondrial function were observed in placentas from cases experiencing PTB. Collectively, these findings provide hitherto undocumented evidence of a specific molecular mechanism by which placental mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Our study suggests that RGS12 may represent a novel therapeutic target for improving pregnancy outcomes through its role in regulating placental mitochondrial function.

Background Neuroinflammation occupies a pivotal position in the pathogenesis of most nervous system diseases, including depression. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of neuroinflammation associated with neuronal injury in depression remain largely uncharacterized. Therefore, identifying potential molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets would serve to better understand the progression of this condition. Methods Chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) was used to induce depression-like behaviors in rats. RNA-sequencing was used to detect the differentially expressed microRNAs. Stereotactic injection of AAV virus to overexpress or knockdown the miR-204-5p. The oxidative markers and inflammatory related proteins were verified by immunoblotting or immunofluorescence assay. The oxidative stress enzyme and products were verified using enzyme-linked assay kit. Electron microscopy analysis was used to observe the synapse and ultrastructural pathology. Finally, electrophysiological recording was used to analyze the synaptic transmission. Results Here, we found that the expression of miR-204-5p within the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) region of rats was significantly down-regulated after chronic unpredicted stress (CUS), accompanied with the oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage within DG region of these rats. In contrast, overexpression of miR-204-5p within the DG region of CUS rats alleviated oxidative stress and neuroinflammation by directly targeting the regulator of G protein signaling 12 (RGS12), effects which were accompanied with amelioration of depressive-like behaviors in these CUS rats. In addition, down-regulation of miR-204-5p induced neuronal deterioration in DG regions and depressive-like behaviors in rats. Conclusion Taken together, these results suggest that miR-204-5p plays a key role in regulating oxidative stress damage in CUS-induced pathological processes of depression. Such findings provide evidence of the involvement of miR-204-5p in mechanisms underlying oxidative stress associated with depressive phenotype. Graphical Abstract

Our goal in this study was to determine whether functional variation in the human RGS12 gene influences behavioral responses to psychostimulants such as methylphenidate, thereby informing whether such genetic findings should affect the clinical use of this central nervous system (CNS)-stimulating agent in bipolar disorder (BD) patients with comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The use of psychostimulants for ADHD in BD remains controversial due to concerns about mood destabilization, although recent systematic reviews indicate that methylphenidates and amphetamines can be safe and effective when used with mood stabilizers. RGS12, a striatally enriched regulator of κ-opioid receptor signaling and dopamine transporter (DAT) function, has been implicated in altered dopaminergic responses to psychostimulants. A recently characterized R59Q reduction-of-function mutation within RGS12 has been associated with familial bipolar disorder, further highlighting its potential relevance to mood and psychostimulant responsiveness. Rgs12-deficient mice were evaluated for behavioral responses to methylphenidate (i.e., locomotor hyperactivity) and compared with responses to dopamine transporter-dependent stimulants. Rgs12 deficiency was seen to reduce hyperlocomotion with amphetamine, and with methamphetamine but not with methylphenidate, which was instead observed to elicit normal hyperlocomotor responses across all doses. Methylphenidate responsiveness remains intact despite the loss of RGS12 function, suggesting that RGS12 functional variation in the human condition should not contraindicate methylphenidate use in mood-stabilized BD/ADHD comorbidity.

Although diesel airborne particulate matter (PM2.5) has been known to play a role in many human diseases, there is no direct evidence that therapeutic drugs or proteins can diminish PM2.5‐induced diseases. Nevertheless, studies examining the negative control mechanisms of PM2.5‐induced diseases are critical to develop novel therapeutic medications. In this study, the consensus PDZ peptide of ZO‐1 inhibited PM2.5‐induced inflammatory cell infiltration, pro‐inflammatory cytokine gene expression, and TEER in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and AM cells. Our data indicated that the PDZ domain in ZO‐1 is critical for regulation of the PM2.5‐induced inflammatory microenvironment. Therefore, the PDZ peptide may be a potential therapeutic candidate during PM‐induced respiratory diseases.

To study the genetic variation leading to the arrest phenotype of pronuclear (PN) zygotes. We recruited a family characterized by recurrent PN arrest during in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles (ICSI) and performed whole-exome sequencing for 2 individuals. The transcriptome profiles of PN-arrest zygotes were assessed by single-cell RNA sequencing analysis. The variants were then validated by PCR amplification and Sanger sequencing in the affected individuals and other family members. A family characterized by recurrent PN arrest during IVF and ICSI cycles were enrolled after giving written informed consent. Peripheral blood samples were taken for DNA extraction. Three PN-arrest zygotes from patient III-3 were used for single-cell RNA-seq as described. This phenotype was reproduced after multiple cycles of egg retrieval and after trying different fertilization methods and multiple ovulation regimens. The mutant genes of whole exon sequencing were screened and verified. The missense variant c. C1630T (p.R544W) in RGS12 was responsible for a phenotype characterized by paternal transmission. RGS12 controls Ca 2+ oscillation, which is required for oocyte activation after fertilization. Single-cell transcriptome profiling of PN-arrest zygotes revealed defective established translation, RNA processing and cell cycle, which explained the failure of complete oocyte activation. Furthermore, we identified proximal genes involved in Ca 2+ oscillation–cytostatic factor–anaphase-promoting complex (Ca 2+ oscillation–CSF–APC) signaling, including upregulated CaMKII , ORAI1, CDC20, and CDH1 and downregulated EMI1 and BUB3 . The findings indicate abnormal spontaneous Ca 2+ oscillations leading to oocytes with prolonged low CSF level and high APC level, which resulted in defective nuclear envelope breakdown and DNA replication. We have identified an RGS12 variant as the potential cause of female infertility characterized by arrest at the PN stage during multiple IVF and ICSI.

Regulator of G‐protein signaling (RGS) proteins accelerate GTP hydrolysis by heterotrimeric G‐protein α subunits and thus inhibit signaling by many G protein‐coupled receptors. Several RGS proteins have a multidomain architecture that adds further complexity to their roles in cell signaling in addition to their GTPase‐accelerating activity. RGS12 contains a tandem repeat of Ras‐binding domains but, to date, the role of this protein in Ras‐mediated signal transduction has not been reported. Here, we show that RGS12 associates with the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor tyrosine kinase TrkA, activated H‐Ras, B‐Raf, and MEK2 and facilitates their coordinated signaling to prolonged ERK activation. RGS12 is required for NGF‐mediated neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, but not outgrowth stimulated by basic fibroblast growth factor. siRNA‐mediated knockdown of RGS12 expression also inhibits NGF‐induced axonal growth in dissociated cultures of primary dorsal root ganglia neurons. These data suggest that RGS12 may play a critical, and receptor‐selective, role in coordinating Ras‐dependent signals that are required for promoting and/or maintaining neuronal differentiation.

Familial goiter is a genetic disease showing heterogeneous expression. To identify causative genes, we investigated three multigenerational goiter families with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. We performed genome-wide linkage analysis on all the families, combined with whole-exome sequencing in two affected individuals from each family. For linkage analysis, we considered loci with logarithm of odds (LOD) scores >1.5 as candidate regions for identification of rare variants. In one of the families, we found two rare heterozygous missense variants, p.V56M in RGS12 and p.G37D in GRPEL1, which segregate with goiter and are both located within the same haplotype on 4p16. This haplotype was not observed in 150 controls. In the other two families, we identified two additional rare missense variants segregating with goiter, p.A551T in CLIC6 on 21q22.12 and p.V412A in WFS1 on 4p16. In controls, the minor allele frequency (MAF) of p.V412A in WFS1 was 0.017 while p.A551T in CLIC6 was not detected. All identified genes (RGS12, GRPEL1, CLIC6 and WFS1) show expression in the human thyroid gland, suggesting that they may play a role in thyroid gland function. Moreover, these four genes are novel with regard to their involvement in familial goiter, supporting genetic heterogeneity of this disease.