Publications by authors named "Caterina Bendotti"

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neuromuscular disease with no effective treatments, in part caused by variations in progression and the absence of biomarkers. Mice carrying the SOD1G93A transgene with different genetic backgrounds show variable disease rates, reflecting the diversity of patients. While extensive research has been done on the involvement of the central nervous system, the role of skeletal muscle remains underexplored.

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Article Synopsis
  • Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are important non-coding RNAs involved in various cellular processes, such as inhibiting translation and responding to stress.
  • Researchers identified specific tsRNA profiles in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, FTD, and PD to find disease-specific and shared tsRNAs.
  • They discovered variations in tsRNA expression across different models, with specific patterns linking to synaptic and neuronal functions, highlighting potential disease fingerprints that need to be explored in human conditions.
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of motor neurons, with genetic and environmental factors contributing to its complex pathogenesis. Dysregulated immune responses and altered energetic metabolism are key features, with emerging evidence implicating the gut microbiota (GM) in disease progression. We investigated the interplay among genetic background, GM composition, metabolism, and immune response in two distinct ALS mouse models: 129Sv_G93A and C57Ola_G93A, representing rapid and slow disease progression, respectively.

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Background: Positive effects of RNS60 on respiratory and bulbar function were observed in a phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled trial in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Objective: to investigate the long-term survival of trial participants and its association with respiratory status and biomarkers of neurodegeneration and inflammation.

Study Design And Settings: A randomized, double blind, phase 2 clinical trial was conducted.

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Variability in disease onset and progression is a hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), both in sporadic and genetic forms. Recently, we found that SOD1-G93A transgenic mice expressing the same amount of mutant SOD1 but with different genetic backgrounds, C57BL/6JOlaHsd and 129S2/SvHsd, show slow and rapid muscle wasting and disease progression, respectively. Here, we investigated the different molecular mechanisms underlying muscle atrophy.

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Article Synopsis
  • The SOD1 gene is linked to motor neuron degeneration in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and previous rodent studies have not yet led to effective human therapies or early biomarkers.
  • Researchers have created a transgenic pig model with the hSOD1 gene, which mirrors human ALS progression, to explore early disease mechanisms and potential diagnostic markers.
  • The study found that oligodendrocytes in the spinal cords of these pigs show early activation, followed by astrocyte and microglia activation, with changes in extracellular vesicle (EV) production indicating earlier signs of disease before symptoms arise.
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  • Microglial activation is crucial in diseases that involve neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, with PET scans using TSPO to detect inflammation in the brain, although interpreting these results can be tricky.* -
  • The study finds that while TSPO expression increases in activated microglia in mouse models, it doesn't change in human diseases, indicating a difference in how TSPO is regulated across species.* -
  • Genetic differences in TSPO expression linked to the transcription factor AP1 are noted, suggesting that human TSPO-PET signals are more about the presence of inflammatory cells rather than their activation state.*
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is the most common adult motor neuron disease, with a poor prognosis, a highly unmet therapeutic need, and a burden on health care costs. Hitherto, strategies aimed at protecting motor neurons have missed or modestly delayed ALS due to a failure in countering the irreversible muscular atrophy. We recently provided direct evidence underlying the pivotal role of macrophages in preserving skeletal muscle mass.

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Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a heterogeneous disease in terms of onset and progression rate. This may account for therapeutic clinical trial failure. Transgenic SOD1G93A mice on C57 or 129Sv background have a slow and fast disease progression rate, mimicking the variability observed in patients.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of motor neurons and neuromuscular impairment leading to complete paralysis, respiratory failure and premature death. The pathogenesis of the disease is multifactorial and noncell-autonomous involving the central and peripheral compartments of the neuromuscular axis and the skeletal muscle. Advanced clinical trials on specific ALS-related pathways have failed to significantly slow the disease.

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Background And Purpose: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with limited treatment options. RNS60 is an immunomodulatory and neuroprotective investigational product that has shown efficacy in animal models of ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. Its administration has been safe and well tolerated in ALS subjects in previous early phase trials.

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Dysfunction and degeneration of synapses is a common feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). A GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9ORF72 gene is the main genetic cause of ALS/FTD (C9ALS/FTD). The repeat expansion leads to reduced expression of the C9orf72 protein.

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Background: The p97 complex participates in the degradation of muscle proteins during atrophy upon fasting or denervation interacting with different protein adaptors. We investigated whether and how it might also be involved in muscle wasting in cancer, where loss of appetite occurs, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where motoneuron death causes muscle denervation and fatal paralysis.

Methods: As cancer cachexia models, we used mice bearing colon adenocarcinoma C26, human renal carcinoma RXF393, or Lewis lung carcinoma, with breast cancer 4T1-injected mice as controls.

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Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1) is one of the most powerful pro-inflammatory chemokines. However, its signaling is pivotal in driving injured axon and muscle regeneration. We previously reported that MCP1 is more strongly upregulated in the nervous system of slow-progressing than fast-progressing SOD1 mice, the latter showing a poor immune response and eventual massive nerve and muscle degeneration.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that leads to progressive degeneration of motor neurons and severe muscle atrophy without effective treatment. Most research on the disease has been focused on studying motor neurons and supporting cells of the central nervous system. Strikingly, the recent observations have suggested that morpho-functional alterations in skeletal muscle precede motor neuron degeneration, bolstering the interest in studying muscle tissue as a potential target for the delivery of therapies.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease with a resilient neuroinflammatory component caused by activated microglia and infiltrated immune cells. How to successfully balance neuroprotective versus neurotoxic actions through the use of anti-inflammatory agents is still under debate. There has been a boost of awareness regarding the role of extracellular ATP and purinergic receptors in modulating the physiological and pathological mechanisms in the nervous system.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating and rapidly fatal neurodegenerative disease. Despite decades of research and many new insights into disease biology over the 150 years since the disease was first described, causative pathogenic mechanisms in ALS remain poorly understood, especially in sporadic cases. Our understanding of the role of the immune system in ALS pathophysiology, however, is rapidly expanding.

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Article Synopsis
  • Loss-of-function mutations in angiogenin, a ribonuclease, are linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), highlighting its role in a stress response that has been conserved across species.
  • Researchers identified specific tRNA fragments, particularly 5'ValCAC, produced by angiogenin, which are present in elevated amounts during ALS symptom onset and correlate with disease progression.
  • The study indicates that higher levels of 5'ValCAC in serum may serve as a prognostic biomarker for ALS, suggesting an enhanced stress response in motor neurons that could lead to better survival outcomes.
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with no effective treatment. The Hepatocyte Growth Factor/Scatter Factor (HGF/SF), through its receptor MET, is one of the most potent survival-promoting factors for motor neurons (MN) and is known as a modulator of immune cell function. We recently developed a novel recombinant MET agonist optimized for therapy, designated K1K1.

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Background: CXCL13 is a B and T lymphocyte chemokine that mediates neuroinflammation through its receptor CXCR5. This chemokine is highly expressed by motoneurons (MNs) in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) SOD1G93A (mSOD1) mice during the disease, particularly in fast-progressing mice. Accordingly, in this study, we investigated the role of this chemokine in ALS.

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The clinical manifestations of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are variable in terms of age at disease onset, site of onset, progression of symptoms, motor neuron involvement, and the occurrence of cognitive and behavioral changes. Genetic background is a key determinant of the ALS phenotype. The mortality of the disease also varies with the ancestral origin of the affected population and environmental factors are likely to be associated with ALS at least within some cohorts.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease with no recognized clinical prognostic factor. Creatinine kinase (CK) increase in these patients is already described with conflicting results on prognosis and survival. In 126 ALS patients who were fast or slow disease progressors, CK levels were assayed for 16 months every 4 months in an observational case-control cohort study with prospective data collection conducted in Italy.

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