Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons

Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy 21, is characterized by intellectual disability and accelerated aging, with chronic oxidative stress contributing to neurological deficits. REST (Repressor Element-1 Silencing Transcription factor) is a crucial regulator of neuronal gene expression implicated in...

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Main Authors: Lam, Xin-Jieh, Maniam, Sandra, Ling, King-Hwa, Cheah, Pike-See
Format: Article
Language:English
English
Published: Elsevier Science 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/1/115894.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/2/115894-published.pdf
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author Lam, Xin-Jieh
Maniam, Sandra
Ling, King-Hwa
Cheah, Pike-See
author_facet Lam, Xin-Jieh
Maniam, Sandra
Ling, King-Hwa
Cheah, Pike-See
author_sort Lam, Xin-Jieh
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy 21, is characterized by intellectual disability and accelerated aging, with chronic oxidative stress contributing to neurological deficits. REST (Repressor Element-1 Silencing Transcription factor) is a crucial regulator of neuronal gene expression implicated in DS neuropathology. This study investigates the neuroprotective potential of lithium, a mood stabilizer with known cognitive-enhancing effects, in restoring levels of REST. Using three pairs of human disomic and trisomic DS induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) isogenic lines, we differentiated neurons and treated them with lithium. Nuclear REST expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were quantified. Results showed the significantly lower nuclear REST expression in DS neurons was restored after 24 hours of 10 mM lithium carbonate treatment. Notably, lithium treatment selectively reduced ROS levels in DS neurons to near-baseline levels. When challenged with hydrogen peroxide, DS neurons exhibited increased vulnerability to oxidative stress. The lithium treatment also significantly reduced ROS levels in the stressed control neurons. These findings reveal a positive association between lithium treatment, REST restoration, and oxidative stress reduction, suggesting that repurposing lithium could contribute to developing therapeutic strategies for DS neuropathologies. This study provides novel insights into DS molecular mechanisms and highlights the potential of lithium as a targeted intervention for improving neuronal functionin DS.
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spelling upm-1158942025-03-19T07:49:21Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/ Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons Lam, Xin-Jieh Maniam, Sandra Ling, King-Hwa Cheah, Pike-See Down syndrome (DS), caused by trisomy 21, is characterized by intellectual disability and accelerated aging, with chronic oxidative stress contributing to neurological deficits. REST (Repressor Element-1 Silencing Transcription factor) is a crucial regulator of neuronal gene expression implicated in DS neuropathology. This study investigates the neuroprotective potential of lithium, a mood stabilizer with known cognitive-enhancing effects, in restoring levels of REST. Using three pairs of human disomic and trisomic DS induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) isogenic lines, we differentiated neurons and treated them with lithium. Nuclear REST expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were quantified. Results showed the significantly lower nuclear REST expression in DS neurons was restored after 24 hours of 10 mM lithium carbonate treatment. Notably, lithium treatment selectively reduced ROS levels in DS neurons to near-baseline levels. When challenged with hydrogen peroxide, DS neurons exhibited increased vulnerability to oxidative stress. The lithium treatment also significantly reduced ROS levels in the stressed control neurons. These findings reveal a positive association between lithium treatment, REST restoration, and oxidative stress reduction, suggesting that repurposing lithium could contribute to developing therapeutic strategies for DS neuropathologies. This study provides novel insights into DS molecular mechanisms and highlights the potential of lithium as a targeted intervention for improving neuronal functionin DS. Elsevier Science 2025 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_nc_nd_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/1/115894.pdf text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/2/115894-published.pdf Lam, Xin-Jieh and Maniam, Sandra and Ling, King-Hwa and Cheah, Pike-See (2025) Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons. Neuroscience, 567. pp. 86-95. ISSN 0306-4522; eISSN: 1873-7544 https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0306-4522(24)00774-7 Neuroscience 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.12.061
spellingShingle Neuroscience
Lam, Xin-Jieh
Maniam, Sandra
Ling, King-Hwa
Cheah, Pike-See
Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons
title Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons
title_full Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons
title_fullStr Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons
title_full_unstemmed Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons
title_short Lithium restores nuclear REST and Mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome iPSC-Derived neurons
title_sort lithium restores nuclear rest and mitigates oxidative stress in down syndrome ipsc-derived neurons
topic Neuroscience
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/1/115894.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/115894/2/115894-published.pdf