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Chester C, de Carvalho M, Miltenberger G, Pereira S, Dillen L, van der Zee J, van Broeckhoven C, de Mendonça A. Rapidly progressive frontotemporal dementia and bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Portuguese patients with C9orf72 mutation. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2012; 14:70-2. [PMID: 22742426 DOI: 10.3109/17482968.2012.690418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) form a spectrum of clinically, pathologically, and genetically overlapping disorders, as confirmed by the recent report that it can be caused by a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9orf72. One hundred and fourteen Portuguese cases diagnosed as probable or possible familial FTLD, as part of the EOD consortium study, and nine further Portuguese cases with familial ALS were tested for the presence of this mutation. Results showed that six Portuguese patients from unrelated families had the mutation, five (4.4%) patients from the FTLD group and one (11.1%) from the ALS sample. Of these, three patients had FTLD and rapidly progressive bulbar ALS. Electromyography confirmed diffuse loss of motor units with marked bulbar involvement. In conclusion, the cases now reported showed a very rapid progression, suggesting bulbar ALS could be particularly common and aggressive in patients with the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion, in the Portuguese population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Chester
- Faculty of Medicine and Instituto de Medicina Molecular, University of Lisbon, Portugal
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Williams KL, Warraich ST, Yang S, Solski JA, Fernando R, Rouleau GA, Nicholson GA, Blair IP. UBQLN2/ubiquilin 2 mutation and pathology in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurobiol Aging 2012; 33:2527.e3-10. [PMID: 22717235 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2012.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2012] [Revised: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shows clinical and pathological overlap with frontotemporal dementia that includes the presence of hallmark ubiquitinated inclusions in affected neurons. Mutations in UBQLN2, which encodes ubiquilin 2, were recently identified in X-linked juvenile and adult-onset ALS and ALS/dementia. As part of an established exome sequencing program to identify disease genes in familial ALS, we identified a novel missense UBQLN2 mutation (c.1460C>T, p.T487I) in 2 apparently unrelated multigenerational ALS families with no evidence of frontotemporal dementia. This mutation segregated with the disease and was absent in 820 healthy controls and all public single nucleotide polymorphism databases. The UBQLN2 p.T487I mutation substitutes a highly conserved residue and is located immediately upstream of a PXX region where all previous mutations have been identified. Immunostaining of spinal cord from a patient with UBQLN2 p.T487I mutation showed colocalization of ubiquilin 2 with ubiquitin in all neuronal inclusions examined and frequent colocalization with TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma protein (FUS). To examine ubiquilin 2 pathology in broader ALS, we showed that ubiquilin 2 pathology also extends to ALS with a FUS mutation. These data further support the importance of ubiquilin 2 in the pathogenesis of ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly L Williams
- Northcott Neuroscience Laboratory, ANZAC Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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53
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Xu ZS. Does a loss of TDP-43 function cause neurodegeneration? Mol Neurodegener 2012; 7:27. [PMID: 22697423 PMCID: PMC3419078 DOI: 10.1186/1750-1326-7-27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2012] [Accepted: 06/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2006, TAR-DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) was discovered to be in the intracellular aggregates in the degenerating cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), two fatal neurodegenerative diseases [1,2]. ALS causes motor neuron degeneration leading to paralysis [3,4]. FTLD causes neuronal degeneration in the frontal and temporal cortices leading to personality changes and a loss of executive function [5]. The discovery triggered a flurry of research activity that led to the discovery of TDP-43 mutations in ALS patients and the widespread presence of TDP-43 aggregates in numerous neurodegenerative diseases. A key question regarding the role of TDP-43 is whether it causes neurotoxicity by a gain of function or a loss of function. The gain-of-function hypothesis has received much attention primarily based on the striking neurodegenerative phenotypes in numerous TDP-43-overexpression models. In this review, I will draw attention to the loss-of-function hypothesis, which postulates that mutant TDP-43 causes neurodegeneration by a loss of function, and in addition, by exerting a dominant-negative effect on the wild-type TDP-43 allele. Furthermore, I will discuss how a loss of function can cause neurodegeneration in patients where TDP-43 is not mutated, review the literature in model systems to discuss how the current data support the loss-of-function mechanism and highlight some key questions for testing this hypothesis in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuo-Shang Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation St, 817 LRB, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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Dayton RD, Wang DB, Klein RL. The advent of AAV9 expands applications for brain and spinal cord gene delivery. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2012; 12:757-66. [PMID: 22519910 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2012.681463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Straightforward studies compared adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes to determine the most appropriate one for robust expression in the CNS. AAV9 was efficient when directly injected into the brain, but more surprisingly, AAV9 produced global expression in the brain and spinal cord after a peripheral, systemic route of administration to neonatal mice. AREAS COVERED Topics include AAV9 gene delivery from intraparenchymal, intravenous, intrathecal and intrauterine routes of administration, and related preclinical studies and disease models. Systemic AAV9 gene transfer yields remarkably consistent neuronal expression, though only in early development. AAV9 is versatile to study neuropathological proteins: microtubule-associated protein tau and transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43). EXPERT OPINION AAV9 will be more widely used based on current data, although other natural serotypes and recombineered vectors may also support or improve upon wide-scale expression. A peripheral-to-central gene delivery that can affect the entire CNS without having to inject the CNS is promising for basic functional experiments, and potentially for gene therapy. Systemic or intra-cerebrospinal fluid routes of AAV9 administration should be considered for spinal muscular atrophy, lysosomal storage diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, if more neuronal expression can be achieved in adults, or if glial expression can be exploited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Dayton
- Department of Pharmacology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-Shreveport, 1501 Kings Hwy, Shreveport, LA 71130, USA
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Cooper-Knock J, Hewitt C, Highley JR, Brockington A, Milano A, Man S, Martindale J, Hartley J, Walsh T, Gelsthorpe C, Baxter L, Forster G, Fox M, Bury J, Mok K, McDermott CJ, Traynor BJ, Kirby J, Wharton SB, Ince PG, Hardy J, Shaw PJ. Clinico-pathological features in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with expansions in C9ORF72. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 135:751-64. [PMID: 22366792 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 249] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Intronic expansion of the GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat within the C9ORF72 gene causes frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease in both familial and sporadic cases. Initial reports indicate that this variant within the frontotemporal dementia/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spectrum is associated with transactive response DNA binding protein (TDP-43) proteinopathy. The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease phenotype is not yet well characterized. We report the clinical and pathological phenotypes associated with pathogenic C9ORF72 mutations in a cohort of 563 cases from Northern England, including 63 with a family history of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. One hundred and fifty-eight cases from the cohort (21 familial, 137 sporadic) were post-mortem brain and spinal cord donors. We screened DNA for the C9ORF72 mutation, reviewed clinical case histories and undertook pathological evaluation of brain and spinal cord. Control DNA samples (n = 361) from the same population were also screened. The C9ORF72 intronic expansion was present in 62 cases [11% of the cohort; 27/63 (43%) familial, 35/500 (7%) cases with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease]. Disease duration was significantly shorter in cases with C9ORF72-related amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (30.5 months) compared with non-C9ORF72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease (36.3 months, P < 0.05). C9ORF72 cases included both limb and bulbar onset disease and all cases showed combined upper and lower motor neuron degeneration (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Thus, clinically, C9ORF72 cases show the features of a relatively rapidly progressive, but otherwise typical, variant of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis associated with both familial and sporadic presentations. Dementia was present in the patient or a close family member in 22/62 cases with C9ORF72 mutation (35%) based on diagnoses established from retrospective clinical case note review that may underestimate significant cognitive changes in late disease. All the C9ORF72 mutation cases showed classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathology with TDP-43 inclusions in spinal motor neurons. Neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions and glial inclusions positive for p62 immunostaining in non-motor regions were strongly over-represented in the C9ORF72 cases. Extra-motor pathology in the frontal cortex (P < 0.0005) and the hippocampal CA4 subfield neurons (P < 0.0005) discriminated C9ORF72 cases strongly from the rest of the cohort. Inclusions in CA4 neurons were not present in non-C9ORF72 cases, indicating that this pathology predicts mutation status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnathan Cooper-Knock
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, 385A Glossop Road, Sheffield S10 2HQ, UK
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Couthouis J, Hart MP, Erion R, King OD, Diaz Z, Nakaya T, Ibrahim F, Kim HJ, Mojsilovic-Petrovic J, Panossian S, Kim CE, Frackelton EC, Solski JA, Williams KL, Clay-Falcone D, Elman L, McCluskey L, Greene R, Hakonarson H, Kalb RG, Lee VMY, Trojanowski JQ, Nicholson GA, Blair IP, Bonini NM, Van Deerlin VM, Mourelatos Z, Shorter J, Gitler AD. Evaluating the role of the FUS/TLS-related gene EWSR1 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Hum Mol Genet 2012; 21:2899-911. [PMID: 22454397 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/dds116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons. Mutations in related RNA-binding proteins TDP-43, FUS/TLS and TAF15 have been connected to ALS. These three proteins share several features, including the presence of a bioinformatics-predicted prion domain, aggregation-prone nature in vitro and in vivo and toxic effects when expressed in multiple model systems. Given these commonalities, we hypothesized that a related protein, EWSR1 (Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1), might also exhibit similar properties and therefore could contribute to disease. Here, we report an analysis of EWSR1 in multiple functional assays, including mutational screening in ALS patients and controls. We identified three missense variants in EWSR1 in ALS patients, which were absent in a large number of healthy control individuals. We show that disease-specific variants affect EWSR1 localization in motor neurons. We also provide multiple independent lines of in vitro and in vivo evidence that EWSR1 has similar properties as TDP-43, FUS and TAF15, including aggregation-prone behavior in vitro and ability to confer neurodegeneration in Drosophila. Postmortem analysis of sporadic ALS cases also revealed cytoplasmic mislocalization of EWSR1. Together, our studies highlight a potential role for EWSR1 in ALS, provide a collection of functional assays to be used to assess roles of additional RNA-binding proteins in disease and support an emerging concept that a class of aggregation-prone RNA-binding proteins might contribute broadly to ALS and related neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Couthouis
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Solski JA, Yang S, Nicholson GA, Luquin N, Williams KL, Fernando R, Pamphlett R, Blair IP. A novelTARDBPinsertion/deletion mutation in the flail arm variant of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 13:465-70. [DOI: 10.3109/17482968.2012.662690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Pratt AJ, Getzoff ED, Perry JJP. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: update and new developments. Degener Neurol Neuromuscul Dis 2012; 2012:1-14. [PMID: 23019386 PMCID: PMC3457793 DOI: 10.2147/dnnd.s19803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form of motor neuron disease. It is typically characterized by adult-onset degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons, and is usually fatal within a few years of onset. A subset of ALS patients has an inherited form of the disease, and a few of the known mutant genes identified in familial cases have also been found in sporadic forms of ALS. Precisely how the diverse ALS-linked gene products dictate the course of the disease, resulting in compromised voluntary muscular ability, is not entirely known. This review addresses the major advances that are being made in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms giving rise to the disease, which may eventually translate into new treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley J Pratt
- Department of Molecular Biology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA,
| | - Elizabeth D Getzoff
- Department of Molecular Biology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA,
| | - J Jefferson P Perry
- Department of Molecular Biology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA,
- The School of Biotechnology, Amrita University, Kollam, Kerala 690525, India,
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Fecto F, Siddique T. UBQLN2/P62 cellular recycling pathways in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Muscle Nerve 2012; 45:157-62. [DOI: 10.1002/mus.23278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Fecto F, Siddique T. SIGMAR1 mutations, genetic heterogeneity at the chromosome 9p locus, and the expanding etiological diversity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Ann Neurol 2011; 70:867-70. [PMID: 22190360 DOI: 10.1002/ana.22648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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