ePoster

NLRP1 inflammasome activation in schizophrenia

Ena Spanic Popovacki, Dora Vogrinc, Heidi Fuller, Lea Langer Horvat, Davor Mayer, Janja Kopic, Klara Pintaric, Mirjana Babic Leko, Mihaela Pravica, Zeljka Krsnik, Darko Marcinko, Marina Sagud, Patrick Hof, Mihovil Mladinov, Goran Simic
FENS Forum 2024(2024)
Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Conference

FENS Forum 2024

Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Resources

Authors & Affiliations

Ena Spanic Popovacki, Dora Vogrinc, Heidi Fuller, Lea Langer Horvat, Davor Mayer, Janja Kopic, Klara Pintaric, Mirjana Babic Leko, Mihaela Pravica, Zeljka Krsnik, Darko Marcinko, Marina Sagud, Patrick Hof, Mihovil Mladinov, Goran Simic

Abstract

Aims: In the context of the maternal immune activation and neuroinflammation hypotheses of schizophrenia (SZ), we studied NLRP1 mRNA and protein expression in the postmortem brain tissue from a total of 10 SZ and 10 controls. Methods: RNA underwent reverse transcription and was hybridized onto the Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 array, using the same protocol as the GeneChip Human Exon 1.0ST Arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA), which examines over a million exons, spanning 17,868 NCBI RefSeq transcripts. Brain tissue samples were embedded in paraffin, cut into 12 μm-thin sections, and subjected to immunohistochemical staining using NLRP1 monoclonal antibody (Abcam, Cambridge, UK, AB_776633). Results: In the medial orbitofrontal cortex (MOFC, Brodmann’s area 11/12) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA 46) from both hemispheres of 6 SZ subjects, the NLRP1 mRNA expression was significantly higher than in 6 controls (p < 0.05). Given the highest expression difference in the right hemisphere’s MOFC, we assessed NLRP1-immunoreactive pyramidal neurons in layers III, V, and VI in the MOFC of the right hemisphere of 7 SZ and 5 control brains. Compared to controls, we observed a significantly higher number of NLRP1-positive pyramidal neurons in the SZ brains (p < 0.01), suggesting NLRP1 inflammasome activation in subjects with SZ. Conclusions: The dysfunction of layer III pyramidal neurons aligns with working memory deficits, while impairments of pyramidal neurons in layers V and VI likely disrupt predictive processing in subjects with SZ. Therefore, we propose NLRP1 inflammasome as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in SZ.

Unique ID: fens-24/nlrp1-inflammasome-activation-schizophrenia-fbb46d31