1
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Lang R, Hodgson RE, Shelkovnikova TA. TDP-43 in nuclear condensates: where, how, and why. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:1809-1825. [PMID: 38958608 DOI: 10.1042/bst20231447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
TDP-43 is an abundant and ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein that becomes dysfunctional in a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. TDP-43's ability to phase separate and form/enter biomolecular condensates of varying size and composition is critical for its functionality. Despite the high density of phase-separated assemblies in the nucleus and the nuclear abundance of TDP-43, our understanding of the condensate-TDP-43 relationship in this cellular compartment is only emerging. Recent studies have also suggested that misregulation of nuclear TDP-43 condensation is an early event in the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This review aims to draw attention to the nuclear facet of functional and aberrant TDP-43 condensation. We will summarise the current knowledge on how TDP-43 containing nuclear condensates form and function and how their homeostasis is affected in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruaridh Lang
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, U.K
| | - Rachel E Hodgson
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, U.K
| | - Tatyana A Shelkovnikova
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, U.K
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2
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Stocks J, Gilbert N. Nuclear RNA: a transcription-dependent regulator of chromatin structure. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:1605-1615. [PMID: 39082979 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Although the majority of RNAs are retained in the nucleus, their significance is often overlooked. However, it is now becoming clear that nuclear RNA forms a dynamic structure through interacting with various proteins that can influence the three-dimensional structure of chromatin. We review the emerging evidence for a nuclear RNA mesh or gel, highlighting the interplay between DNA, RNA and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), and assessing the critical role of protein and RNA in governing chromatin architecture. We also discuss a proposed role for the formation and regulation of the nuclear gel in transcriptional control. We suggest that it may concentrate the transcriptional machinery either by direct binding or inducing RBPs to form microphase condensates, nanometre sized membraneless structures with distinct properties to the surrounding medium and an enrichment of particular macromolecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Stocks
- Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, U.K
| | - Nick Gilbert
- Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, U.K
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3
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Mejzini R, Caruthers MH, Schafer B, Kostov O, Sudheendran K, Ciba M, Danielsen M, Wilton S, Akkari PA, Flynn LL. Allele-Selective Thiomorpholino Antisense Oligonucleotides as a Therapeutic Approach for Fused-in-Sarcoma Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:8495. [PMID: 39126066 PMCID: PMC11312655 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25158495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic variations in the fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene are associated with rare and aggressive forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As FUS-ALS is a dominant disease, a targeted, allele-selective approach to FUS knockdown is most suitable. Antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) are a promising therapeutic platform for treating such diseases. In this study, we have explored the potential for allele-selective knockdown of FUS. Gapmer-type AOs targeted to two common neutral polymorphisms in FUS were designed and evaluated in human fibroblasts. AOs had either methoxyethyl (MOE) or thiomorpholino (TMO) modifications. We found that the TMO modification improved allele selectivity and efficacy for the lead sequences when compared to the MOE counterparts. After TMO-modified gapmer knockdown of the target allele, up to 93% of FUS transcripts detected were from the non-target allele. Compared to MOE-modified AOs, the TMO-modified AOs also demonstrated reduced formation of structured nuclear inclusions and SFPQ aggregation that can be triggered by phosphorothioate-containing AOs. How overall length and gap length of the TMO-modified AOs affected allele selectivity, efficiency and off-target gene knockdown was also evaluated. We have shown that allele-selective knockdown of FUS may be a viable therapeutic strategy for treating FUS-ALS and demonstrated the benefits of the TMO modification for allele-selective applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Mejzini
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia; (S.W.); (P.A.A.); (L.L.F.)
- The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Marvin H. Caruthers
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; (M.H.C.); (B.S.); (O.K.); (K.S.); (M.C.); (M.D.)
| | - Balazs Schafer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; (M.H.C.); (B.S.); (O.K.); (K.S.); (M.C.); (M.D.)
| | - Ondrej Kostov
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; (M.H.C.); (B.S.); (O.K.); (K.S.); (M.C.); (M.D.)
| | - Kavitha Sudheendran
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; (M.H.C.); (B.S.); (O.K.); (K.S.); (M.C.); (M.D.)
| | - Marija Ciba
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; (M.H.C.); (B.S.); (O.K.); (K.S.); (M.C.); (M.D.)
| | - Mathias Danielsen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; (M.H.C.); (B.S.); (O.K.); (K.S.); (M.C.); (M.D.)
| | - Steve Wilton
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia; (S.W.); (P.A.A.); (L.L.F.)
- The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Patrick Anthony Akkari
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia; (S.W.); (P.A.A.); (L.L.F.)
- The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Black Swan Pharmaceuticals, Wake Forest, NC 27587, USA
- Department of Neurology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Loren L. Flynn
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia; (S.W.); (P.A.A.); (L.L.F.)
- The Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Black Swan Pharmaceuticals, Wake Forest, NC 27587, USA
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4
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Huang WP, Ellis BCS, Hodgson RE, Sanchez Avila A, Kumar V, Rayment J, Moll T, Shelkovnikova TA. Stress-induced TDP-43 nuclear condensation causes splicing loss of function and STMN2 depletion. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114421. [PMID: 38941189 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
TDP-43 protein is dysregulated in several neurodegenerative diseases, which often have a multifactorial nature and may have extrinsic stressors as a "second hit." TDP-43 undergoes reversible nuclear condensation in stressed cells including neurons. Here, we demonstrate that stress-inducible nuclear TDP-43 condensates are RNA-depleted, non-liquid assemblies distinct from the known nuclear bodies. Their formation requires TDP-43 oligomerization and ATP and is inhibited by RNA. Using a confocal nanoscanning assay, we find that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-linked mutations alter stress-induced TDP-43 condensation by changing its affinity to liquid-like ribonucleoprotein assemblies. Stress-induced nuclear condensation transiently inactivates TDP-43, leading to loss of interaction with its protein binding partners and loss of function in splicing. Splicing changes are especially prominent and persisting for STMN2 RNA, and STMN2 protein becomes rapidly depleted early during stress. Our results point to early pathological changes to TDP-43 in the nucleus and support therapeutic modulation of stress response in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Ping Huang
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Brittany C S Ellis
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Rachel E Hodgson
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Anna Sanchez Avila
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Vedanth Kumar
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jessica Rayment
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Tobias Moll
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Tatyana A Shelkovnikova
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
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Wang Y, Wang Y, Yin H, Xiao Z, Ren Z, Ma X, Zhang J, Fu X, Zhang F, Zeng L. BI1 Activates Autophagy and Mediates TDP43 to Regulate ALS Pathogenesis. Mol Neurobiol 2024:10.1007/s12035-024-04313-2. [PMID: 38954254 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-04313-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most prevalent motor neuron disease in adults. Currently, there are no known drugs or clinical approaches that have demonstrated efficacy in treating ALS. Mitochondrial function and autophagy have been identified as crucial mechanisms in the development of ALS. While Bax inhibitor 1 (BI1) has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, its exact mechanism remains unknown. This study investigates the therapeutic impact of BI1 overexpression on ALS both in vivo and in vitro, revealing its ability to mitigate SOD1G93A-induced apoptosis, nuclear damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and axonal degeneration of motor neurons. At the same time, BI1 prolongs onset time and lifespan of ALS mice, improves motor function, and alleviates neuronal damage, muscle damage, neuromuscular junction damage among other aspects. The findings indicate that BI1 can inhibit pathological TDP43 morphology and initially stimulate autophagy through interaction with TDP43. This study establishes a solid theoretical foundation for understanding the regulation of autophagy by BI1 and TDP43 while shedding light on the pathogenesis of ALS through their interaction - offering new concepts and targets for clinical implementation and drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Yuxiang Wang
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Hanlan Yin
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Zixuan Xiao
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Zhichao Ren
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Xueting Ma
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Jingtian Zhang
- College of Chinese Medicinal Materials, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, Jilin, 130118, China
| | - Xueqi Fu
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
| | - Fuqiang Zhang
- Scientific Research Centre of China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130033, China.
| | - Linlin Zeng
- Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
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6
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Garg V, Geurten BRH. Diving deep: zebrafish models in motor neuron degeneration research. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1424025. [PMID: 38966756 PMCID: PMC11222423 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1424025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In the dynamic landscape of biomedical science, the pursuit of effective treatments for motor neuron disorders like hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) remains a key priority. Central to this endeavor is the development of robust animal models, with the zebrafish emerging as a prime candidate. Exhibiting embryonic transparency, a swift life cycle, and significant genetic and neuroanatomical congruencies with humans, zebrafish offer substantial potential for research. Despite the difference in locomotion-zebrafish undulate while humans use limbs, the zebrafish presents relevant phenotypic parallels to human motor control disorders, providing valuable insights into neurodegenerative diseases. This review explores the zebrafish's inherent traits and how they facilitate profound insights into the complex behavioral and cellular phenotypes associated with these disorders. Furthermore, we examine recent advancements in high-throughput drug screening using the zebrafish model, a promising avenue for identifying therapeutically potent compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vranda Garg
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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7
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Jiang S, Xu R. The Current Potential Pathogenesis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Mol Neurobiol 2024:10.1007/s12035-024-04269-3. [PMID: 38829511 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-04269-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease mainly characterized by the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins in the affected motor neurons. At present, the accurate pathogenesis of ALS remains unclear and there are still no effective treatment measures for ALS. The potential pathogenesis of ALS mainly includes the misfolding of some pathogenic proteins, the genetic variation, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy disorders, neuroinflammation, the misregulation of RNA, the altered axonal transport, and gut microbial dysbiosis. Exploring the pathogenesis of ALS is a critical step in searching for the effective therapeutic approaches. The current studies suggested that the genetic variation, gut microbial dysbiosis, the activation of glial cells, and the transportation disorder of extracellular vesicles may play some important roles in the pathogenesis of ALS. This review conducts a systematic review of these current potential promising topics closely related to the pathogenesis of ALS; it aims to provide some new evidences and clues for searching the novel treatment measures of ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shishi Jiang
- Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Clinical College of Nanchang Medical College, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, National Regional Center for Neurological Diseases, Xiangya Hospital of Center South University, Jiangxi Hospital. No. 152 of Aiguo Road, Donghu District, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, China
- Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Renshi Xu
- Department of Neurology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Clinical College of Nanchang Medical College, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, National Regional Center for Neurological Diseases, Xiangya Hospital of Center South University, Jiangxi Hospital. No. 152 of Aiguo Road, Donghu District, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, China.
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8
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Shelkovnikova TA, Hautbergue GM. RNP granules in ALS and neurodegeneration: From multifunctional membraneless organelles to therapeutic opportunities. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 176:455-479. [PMID: 38802180 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2024.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related neurodegenerative diseases are characterised by dysfunction of a host of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and a severely disrupted RNA metabolism. Recently, RBP-harbouring phase-separated complexes, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules, have come into the limelight as "crucibles" of neuronal pathology in ALS. RNP granules are indispensable for the multitude of regulatory processes underlying cellular RNA metabolism and serve as critical organisers of cellular biochemistry. Neurons, highly specialised cells, heavily rely on RNP granules for efficient trafficking, signalling and stress responses. Multiple RNP granule components, primarily RBPs such as TDP-43 and FUS, are affected by ALS mutations. However, even in the absence of mutations, RBP proteinopathies represent pathophysiological hallmarks of ALS. Given the high local concentrations of RBPs and RNAs, their weakened or enhanced interactions within RNP granules disrupt their homeostasis. Thus, the physiological process of phase separation and RNP granule formation, vital for maintaining the high-functioning state of neuronal cells, becomes their Achilles heel. Here, we will review the recent literature on the causes and consequences of abnormal RNP granule functioning in ALS and related disorders. In particular, we will summarise the evidence for the network-level dysfunction of RNP granules in these conditions and discuss considerations for therapeutic interventions to target RBPs, RNP granules and their network as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana A Shelkovnikova
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
| | - Guillaume M Hautbergue
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, United Kingdom; Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI), University of Sheffield, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
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9
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Ke YD, van Hummel A, Au C, Chan G, Lee WS, van der Hoven J, Przybyla M, Deng Y, Sabale M, Morey N, Bertz J, Feiten A, Ippati S, Stevens CH, Yang S, Gladbach A, Haass NK, Kril JJ, Blair IP, Delerue F, Ittner LM. Targeting 14-3-3θ-mediated TDP-43 pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia mice. Neuron 2024; 112:1249-1264.e8. [PMID: 38366598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are characterized by cytoplasmic deposition of the nuclear TAR-binding protein 43 (TDP-43). Although cytoplasmic re-localization of TDP-43 is a key event in the pathogenesis of ALS/FTD, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we identified a non-canonical interaction between 14-3-3θ and TDP-43, which regulates nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling. Neuronal 14-3-3θ levels were increased in sporadic ALS and FTD with TDP-43 pathology. Pathogenic TDP-43 showed increased interaction with 14-3-3θ, resulting in cytoplasmic accumulation, insolubility, phosphorylation, and fragmentation of TDP-43, resembling pathological changes in disease. Harnessing this increased affinity of 14-3-3θ for pathogenic TDP-43, we devised a gene therapy vector targeting TDP-43 pathology, which mitigated functional deficits and neurodegeneration in different ALS/FTD mouse models expressing mutant or non-mutant TDP-43, including when already symptomatic at the time of treatment. Our study identified 14-3-3θ as a mediator of cytoplasmic TDP-43 localization with implications for ALS/FTD pathogenesis and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazi D Ke
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Annika van Hummel
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Carol Au
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Gabriella Chan
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Wei Siang Lee
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Julia van der Hoven
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Magdalena Przybyla
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Yuanyuan Deng
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Miheer Sabale
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Nicolle Morey
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Josefine Bertz
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Astrid Feiten
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Stefania Ippati
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Claire H Stevens
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Shu Yang
- Centre for MND Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Amadeus Gladbach
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Nikolas K Haass
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jillian J Kril
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Ian P Blair
- Centre for MND Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Fabien Delerue
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Lars M Ittner
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
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10
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Chen X, Luo J, Zheng W, Huang Q, Du C, Yuan H, Xiao F. Hyperhidrosis as the initial symptom in FUS mutation-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a case report and comprehensive literature review. Neurol Sci 2024; 45:1523-1527. [PMID: 37904013 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-023-07141-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is now recognized to involve autonomic dysfunction. The burden of autonomic dysfunction is an important factor in the quality of life and prognosis of ALS patients. This article presents the clinical characteristics of a young female ALS patient with a fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene mutation and notable hyperhidrosis. METHOD Detailed clinical characteristics of the patients were collected, and comprehensive examinations such as electrophysiological assessment, neuro-ultrasound, genetic testing, and relevant blood tests were conducted. RESULT A 24-year-old female experienced progressive weakness in both lower limbs for over 5 months, along with excessive sweating on both palms and feet. A positive skin iodine-starch test was observed. Electromyography revealed extensive neurogenic damage and prolonged sympathetic skin response (SSR) latency in both lower limbs. Full exon gene sequencing showed a heterozygous mutation c.1574C>T (p.Pro525Leu) in the FUS gene. CONCLUSION The pathogenesis of ALS remains unclear at present. This case underscores the presence of autonomic nervous symptoms in ALS associated with FUS mutation and highlights the importance of early diagnosis and timely treatment intervention to enhance patient prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Chen
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Jing Luo
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China.
| | - Wei Zheng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Qinlian Huang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Chao Du
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Huan Yuan
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Fei Xiao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No.1 Youyi Road, Yuanjiagang, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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11
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Chang HY, Wang IF. Restoring functional TDP-43 oligomers in ALS and laminopathic cellular models through baicalein-induced reconfiguration of TDP-43 aggregates. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4620. [PMID: 38409193 PMCID: PMC10897466 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55229-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
A group of misfolded prone-to-aggregate domains in disease-causing proteins has recently been shown to adopt unique conformations that play a role in fundamental biological processes. These processes include the formation of membrane-less sub-organelles, alternative splicing, and gene activation and silencing. The cellular responses are regulated by the conformational switching of prone-to-aggregate domains, independently of changes in RNA or protein expression levels. Given this, targeting the misfolded states of disease-causing proteins to redirect them towards their physiological conformations is emerging as an effective therapeutic strategy for diseases caused by protein misfolding. In our study, we successfully identified baicalein as a potent structure-correcting agent. Our findings demonstrate that baicalein can reconfigure existing TDP-43 aggregates into an oligomeric state both in vitro and in disease cells. This transformation effectively restores the bioactivity of misfolded TDP-43 proteins in cellular models of ALS and premature aging in progeria. Impressively, in progeria cells where defective lamin A interferes with TDP-43-mediated exon skipping, the formation of pathological TDP-43 aggregates is promoted. Baicalein, however, restores the functionality of TDP-43 and mitigates nuclear shape defects in these laminopathic cells. This establishes a connection between lamin A and TDP-43 in the context of aging. Our findings suggest that targeting physiological TDP-43 oligomers could offer a promising therapeutic avenue for treating aging-associated disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiang-Yu Chang
- Garage Brain Science, B201, Central Taiwan Innovation Campus, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Nantou City, 540219, Taiwan
- Yee Fan Med Inc, Temple City, CA, 91780, USA
- SABNP Lab, Univ Evry, INSERM U1204, Université Paris-Saclay, 91025, Evry, France
| | - I-Fan Wang
- Garage Brain Science, B201, Central Taiwan Innovation Campus, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Nantou City, 540219, Taiwan.
- Yee Fan Med Inc, Temple City, CA, 91780, USA.
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12
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Holtman IR, Glass CK, Nott A. Interpretation of Neurodegenerative GWAS Risk Alleles in Microglia and their Interplay with Other Cell Types. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 37:531-544. [PMID: 39207711 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-55529-9_29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Microglia have been implicated in numerous neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disorders; however, the causal contribution of this immune cell type is frequently debated. Genetic studies offer a unique vantage point in that they infer causality over a secondary consequence. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of loci in the genome that are associated with susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders. GWAS studies implicate microglia in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and to a lesser degree suggest a role for microglia in vascular dementia (VaD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. The contribution and function of GWAS risk loci on disease progression is an ongoing field of study, in which large genomic datasets, and an extensive framework of computational tools, have proven to be crucial. Several GWAS risk loci are shared between disorders, pointing towards common pleiotropic mechanisms. In this chapter, we introduce key concepts in GWAS and post-GWAS interpretation of neurodegenerative disorders, with a focus on GWAS risk genes implicated in microglia, their interplay with other cell types and shared convergence of GWAS risk loci on microglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge R Holtman
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section Molecular Neurobiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Christopher K Glass
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | - Alexi Nott
- Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
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13
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Ho WY, Chak LL, Hor JH, Liu F, Diaz-Garcia S, Chang JC, Sanford E, Rodriguez MJ, Alagappan D, Lim SM, Cho YL, Shimizu Y, Sun AX, Tyan SH, Koo E, Kim SH, Ravits J, Ng SY, Okamura K, Ling SC. FUS-dependent microRNA deregulations identify TRIB2 as a druggable target for ALS motor neurons. iScience 2023; 26:108152. [PMID: 37920668 PMCID: PMC10618709 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) modulate mRNA expression, and their deregulation contributes to various diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). As fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a causal gene for ALS and regulates biogenesis of miRNAs, we systematically analyzed the miRNA repertoires in spinal cords and hippocampi from ALS-FUS mice to understand how FUS-dependent miRNA deregulation contributes to ALS. miRNA profiling identified differentially expressed miRNAs between different central nervous system (CNS) regions as well as disease states. Among the up-regulated miRNAs, miR-1197 targets the pro-survival pseudokinase Trib2. A reduced TRIB2 expression was observed in iPSC-derived motor neurons from ALS patients. Pharmacological stabilization of TRIB2 protein with a clinically approved cancer drug rescues the survival of iPSC-derived human motor neurons, including those from a sporadic ALS patient. Collectively, our data indicate that miRNA profiling can be used to probe the molecular mechanisms underlying selective vulnerability, and TRIB2 is a potential therapeutic target for ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan Yun Ho
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
- Programs in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
| | - Li-Ling Chak
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
- Temasek Lifesciences Laboratory, Singapore 117604, Singapore
| | - Jin-Hui Hor
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, A∗STAR Research Entities, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Fujia Liu
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Sandra Diaz-Garcia
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jer-Cherng Chang
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Emma Sanford
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Maria J. Rodriguez
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Durgadevi Alagappan
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Su Min Lim
- Department of Neurology, Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Yik-Lam Cho
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Yuji Shimizu
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
| | - Alfred Xuyang Sun
- Programs in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
| | - Sheue-Houy Tyan
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Edward Koo
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
| | - Seung Hyun Kim
- Department of Neurology, Biomedical Research Institute, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - John Ravits
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Shi-Yan Ng
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, A∗STAR Research Entities, 61 Biopolis Drive, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Katsutomo Okamura
- Temasek Lifesciences Laboratory, Singapore 117604, Singapore
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
| | - Shuo-Chien Ling
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
- Programs in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
- Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore
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Lombardi M, Corrado L, Piola B, Comi C, Cantello R, D’Alfonso S, Mazzini L, De Marchi F. Variability in Clinical Phenotype in TARDBP Mutations: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Case Description and Literature Review. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2039. [PMID: 38002982 PMCID: PMC10671725 DOI: 10.3390/genes14112039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the 43 kDa transactive-response (TAR)-DNA-binding protein (TARDBP) are associated with 2-5% of familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) cases. TAR DNA-Binding Protein 43 (TDP-43) is an RNA/DNA-binding protein involved in several cellular mechanisms (e.g., transcription, pre-mRNA processing, and splicing). Many ALS-linked TARDBP mutations have been described in the literature, but few phenotypic data on monogenic TARDBP-mutated ALS are available. In this paper, (1) we describe the clinical features of ALS patients carrying mutations in the TARDBP gene evaluated at the Tertiary ALS Center at Maggiore della Carità University Hospital, Novara, Italy, from 2010 to 2020 and (2) present the results of our review of the literature on this topic, analyzing data obtained for 267 patients and highlighting their main clinical and demographic features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Lombardi
- ALS Center, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (M.L.); (R.C.); (L.M.)
| | - Lucia Corrado
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.C.); (B.P.); (S.D.)
| | - Beatrice Piola
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.C.); (B.P.); (S.D.)
| | - Cristoforo Comi
- Neurology Unit, S. Andrea Hospital, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy;
| | - Roberto Cantello
- ALS Center, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (M.L.); (R.C.); (L.M.)
| | - Sandra D’Alfonso
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.C.); (B.P.); (S.D.)
| | - Letizia Mazzini
- ALS Center, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (M.L.); (R.C.); (L.M.)
| | - Fabiola De Marchi
- ALS Center, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (M.L.); (R.C.); (L.M.)
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15
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Colombo E, Gentile F, Maranzano A, Doretti A, Verde F, Olivero M, Gagliardi D, Faré M, Meneri M, Poletti B, Maderna L, Corti S, Corbo M, Morelli C, Silani V, Ticozzi N. The impact of upper motor neuron involvement on clinical features, disease progression and prognosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1249429. [PMID: 37822527 PMCID: PMC10562695 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1249429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
ObjectivesIn amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) both upper (UMNs) and lower motor neurons (LMNs) are involved in the process of neurodegeneration, accounting for the great disease heterogeneity. We evaluated the associations of the burden of UMN impairment, assessed through the Penn Upper Motor Neuron Score (PUMNS), with demographic and clinical features of ALS patients to define the independent role of UMN involvement in generating disease heterogeneity, predicting disease progression and prognosis.MethodsWe collected the following clinical parameters on a cohort of 875 ALS patients: age and site of onset, survival, MRC scale, lower motor neuron score (LMNS), PUMNS, ALSFRS-R, change in ALSFRS-R over time (DFS), MITOS and King’s staging systems (KSS). Transcranial magnetic stimulation was performed on a subgroup of patients and central motor conduction time (CMCT) and cortical silent period (CSP) were calculated.ResultsWe observed that patients with an earlier age at onset and bulbar onset had higher PUMNS values. Higher values were also associated to lower ALSFRS-R and to higher DFS scores, as well as to higher MITOS and KSS, indicating that a greater UMN burden correlates with disease severity. Conversely, we did not appreciate any association between UMN involvement and survival or markers of LMN impairment. Moreover, PUMNS values showed a positive association with CMCT and a negative one with CSP values.InterpretationOur results suggest that the burden of UMN pathology, assessed through PUMNS, has an important independent role in defining clinical characteristics, functional disability, disease progression and prognosis in ALS patients. We also support the role of TMS in defining severity of UMN involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Colombo
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Gentile
- Neurology Residency Program, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessio Maranzano
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Doretti
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Verde
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- “Dino Ferrari” Center, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Olivero
- Neurology Residency Program, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Delia Gagliardi
- “Dino Ferrari” Center, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Faré
- Department of Neurology, San Gerardo Hospital ASST, Monza, Italy
- School of Medicine and Surgery, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Megi Meneri
- “Dino Ferrari” Center, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara Poletti
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Maderna
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Corti
- “Dino Ferrari” Center, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Corbo
- Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences, Casa di Cura Igea (CCI), Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Morelli
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Silani
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- “Dino Ferrari” Center, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Ticozzi
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- “Dino Ferrari” Center, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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16
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Zhu L, Li S, Li XJ, Yin P. Pathological insights from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis animal models: comparisons, limitations, and challenges. Transl Neurodegener 2023; 12:46. [PMID: 37730668 PMCID: PMC10510301 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-023-00377-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to dissect amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a multigenic, multifactorial, and progressive neurodegenerative disease with heterogeneous clinical presentations, researchers have generated numerous animal models to mimic the genetic defects. Concurrent and comparative analysis of these various models allows identification of the causes and mechanisms of ALS in order to finally obtain effective therapeutics. However, most genetically modified rodent models lack overt pathological features, imposing challenges and limitations in utilizing them to rigorously test the potential mechanisms. Recent studies using large animals, including pigs and non-human primates, have uncovered important events that resemble neurodegeneration in patients' brains but could not be produced in small animals. Here we describe common features as well as discrepancies among these models, highlighting new insights from these models. Furthermore, we will discuss how to make rodent models more capable of recapitulating important pathological features based on the important pathogenic insights from large animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longhong Zhu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Shihua Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Xiao-Jiang Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
| | - Peng Yin
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
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17
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Nag S, Schneider JA. Limbic-predominant age-related TDP43 encephalopathy (LATE) neuropathological change in neurodegenerative diseases. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:525-541. [PMID: 37563264 PMCID: PMC10964248 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-023-00846-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP43) is a focus of research in late-onset dementias. TDP43 pathology in the brain was initially identified in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and later in Alzheimer disease (AD), other neurodegenerative diseases and ageing. Limbic-predominant age-related TDP43 encephalopathy (LATE), recognized as a clinical entity in 2019, is characterized by amnestic dementia resembling AD dementia and occurring most commonly in adults over 80 years of age. Neuropathological findings in LATE, referred to as LATE neuropathological change (LATE-NC), consist of neuronal and glial cytoplasmic TDP43 localized predominantly in limbic areas with or without coexisting hippocampal sclerosis and/or AD neuropathological change and without frontotemporal lobar degeneration or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathology. LATE-NC is frequently associated with one or more coexisting pathologies, mainly AD neuropathological change. The focus of this Review is the pathology, genetic risk factors and nature of the cognitive impairments and dementia in pure LATE-NC and in LATE-NC associated with coexisting pathologies. As the clinical and cognitive profile of LATE is currently not easily distinguishable from AD dementia, it is important to develop biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of this condition in the clinic. The pathogenesis of LATE-NC should be a focus of future research to form the basis for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukriti Nag
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Julie A Schneider
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Pathology (Neuropathology), Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
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18
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Akçimen F, Lopez ER, Landers JE, Nath A, Chiò A, Chia R, Traynor BJ. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: translating genetic discoveries into therapies. Nat Rev Genet 2023; 24:642-658. [PMID: 37024676 PMCID: PMC10611979 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00592-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in sequencing technologies and collaborative efforts have led to substantial progress in identifying the genetic causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This momentum has, in turn, fostered the development of putative molecular therapies. In this Review, we outline the current genetic knowledge, emphasizing recent discoveries and emerging concepts such as the implication of distinct types of mutation, variability in mutated genes in diverse genetic ancestries and gene-environment interactions. We also propose a high-level model to synthesize the interdependent effects of genetics, environmental and lifestyle factors, and ageing into a unified theory of ALS. Furthermore, we summarize the current status of therapies developed on the basis of genetic knowledge established for ALS over the past 30 years, and we discuss how developing treatments for ALS will advance our understanding of targeting other neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulya Akçimen
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Elia R Lopez
- Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - John E Landers
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Avindra Nath
- Section of Infections of the Nervous System, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adriano Chiò
- Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, C.N.R, Rome, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Citta' della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy
| | - Ruth Chia
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Bryan J Traynor
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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19
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De Marchi F, Tondo G, Corrado L, Menegon F, Aprile D, Anselmi M, D’Alfonso S, Comi C, Mazzini L. Neuroinflammatory Pathways in the ALS-FTD Continuum: A Focus on Genetic Variants. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1658. [PMID: 37628709 PMCID: PMC10454262 DOI: 10.3390/genes14081658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal dementia (FDT) are progressive neurodegenerative disorders that, in several cases, overlap in clinical presentation, and genetic and pathological disease mechanisms. About 10-15% of ALS cases and up to 40% of FTD are familial, usually with dominant traits. ALS and FTD, in several cases, share common gene mutations, such as in C9ORF72, TARDBP, SQSTM-1, FUS, VCP, CHCHD10, and TBK-1. Also, several mechanisms are involved in ALS and FTD pathogenesis, such as protein misfolding, oxidative stress, and impaired axonal transport. In addition, neuroinflammation and neuroinflammatory cells, such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia, and lymphocytes and, overall, the cellular microenvironment, have been proposed as pivotal players in the pathogenesis the ALS-FTD spectrum disorders. This review overviews the current evidence regarding neuroinflammatory markers in the ALS/FTD continuum, focusing on the neuroinflammatory pathways involved in the genetic cases, moving from post-mortem reports to in vivo biofluid and neuroimaging data. We further discuss the potential link between genetic and autoimmune disorders and potential therapeutic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola De Marchi
- ALS Center, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy;
| | - Giacomo Tondo
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, S. Andrea Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy; (G.T.); (D.A.); (C.C.)
| | - Lucia Corrado
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.C.); (S.D.)
| | - Federico Menegon
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (F.M.); (M.A.)
| | - Davide Aprile
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, S. Andrea Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy; (G.T.); (D.A.); (C.C.)
| | - Matteo Anselmi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (F.M.); (M.A.)
| | - Sandra D’Alfonso
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, 28100 Novara, Italy; (L.C.); (S.D.)
| | - Cristoforo Comi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, S. Andrea Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 13100 Vercelli, Italy; (G.T.); (D.A.); (C.C.)
- Interdisciplinary Research Center of Autoimmune Diseases (IRCAD), University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Letizia Mazzini
- ALS Center, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy;
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20
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Alhindi A, Shand M, Smith HL, Leite AS, Huang YT, van der Hoorn D, Ridgway Z, Faller KME, Jones RA, Gillingwater TH, Chaytow H. Neuromuscular junction denervation and terminal Schwann cell loss in the hTDP-43 overexpression mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2023; 49:e12925. [PMID: 37465879 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with complex aetiology. Despite evidence of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) denervation and 'dying-back' pathology in models of SOD1-dependent ALS, evidence in other genetic forms of ALS is limited by a lack of suitable animal models. TDP-43, a key mediator protein in ALS, is overexpressed in neurons in Thy1-hTDP-43WT mice. We therefore aimed to comprehensively analyse NMJ pathology in this model of ALS. METHODS Expression of TDP-43 was assessed via western blotting. Immunohistochemistry techniques, alongside NMJ-morph quantification, were used to analyse motor neuron number, NMJ denervation status and terminal Schwann cell morphology. RESULTS We present a time course of progressive, region-specific motor neuron pathology in Thy1-hTDP-43WT mice. Thy1-driven hTDP-43 expression increased steadily, correlating with developing hindlimb motor weakness and associated motor neuron loss in the spinal cord with a median survival of 21 days. Pronounced NMJ denervation was observed in hindlimb muscles, mild denervation in cranial muscles but no evidence of denervation in either forelimb or trunk muscles. NMJ pathology was restricted to motor nerve terminals, with denervation following the same time course as motor neuron loss. Terminal Schwann cells were lost from NMJs in hindlimb muscles, directly correlating with denervation status. CONCLUSIONS Thy1-hTDP-43WT mice represent a severe model of ALS, with NMJ pathology/denervation of distal muscles and motor neuron loss, as observed in ALS patients. This model therefore provides an ideal platform to investigate mechanisms of dying-back pathology, as well as NMJ-targeting disease-modifying therapies in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abrar Alhindi
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Megan Shand
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Hannah L Smith
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ana S Leite
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
- School of Medicine, UNESP-São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Yu-Ting Huang
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dinja van der Hoorn
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Zara Ridgway
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kiterie M E Faller
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ross A Jones
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Thomas H Gillingwater
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Helena Chaytow
- Edinburgh Medical School: Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
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21
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Bagyinszky E, Hulme J, An SSA. Studies of Genetic and Proteomic Risk Factors of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Inspire Biomarker Development and Gene Therapy. Cells 2023; 12:1948. [PMID: 37566027 PMCID: PMC10417729 DOI: 10.3390/cells12151948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease affecting the upper and lower motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, motor impairments, disabilities and death. Approximately 5-10% of ALS cases are associated with positive family history (familial ALS or fALS), whilst the remainder are sporadic (sporadic ALS, sALS). At least 50 genes have been identified as causative or risk factors for ALS. Established pathogenic variants include superoxide dismutase type 1 (SOD1), chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (c9orf72), TAR DNA Binding Protein (TARDBP), and Fused In Sarcoma (FUS); additional ALS-related genes including Charged Multivesicular Body Protein 2B (CHMP2B), Senataxin (SETX), Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1), TANK Binding Kinase 1 (TBK1) and NIMA Related Kinase 1 (NEK1), have been identified. Mutations in these genes could impair different mechanisms, including vesicle transport, autophagy, and cytoskeletal or mitochondrial functions. So far, there is no effective therapy against ALS. Thus, early diagnosis and disease risk predictions remain one of the best options against ALS symptomologies. Proteomic biomarkers, microRNAs, and extracellular vehicles (EVs) serve as promising tools for disease diagnosis or progression assessment. These markers are relatively easy to obtain from blood or cerebrospinal fluids and can be used to identify potential genetic causative and risk factors even in the preclinical stage before symptoms appear. In addition, antisense oligonucleotides and RNA gene therapies have successfully been employed against other diseases, such as childhood-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which could also give hope to ALS patients. Therefore, an effective gene and biomarker panel should be generated for potentially "at risk" individuals to provide timely interventions and better treatment outcomes for ALS patients as soon as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bagyinszky
- Graduate School of Environment Department of Industrial and Environmental Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea;
| | - John Hulme
- Graduate School of Environment Department of Industrial and Environmental Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea;
| | - Seong Soo A. An
- Department of Bionano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of Korea
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22
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Shi Y, Zhao Y, Lu L, Gao Q, Yu D, Sun M. CRISPR/Cas9: implication for modeling and therapy of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1223777. [PMID: 37483353 PMCID: PMC10359984 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1223777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a deadly neurological disease with a complicated and variable pathophysiology yet to be fully understood. There is currently no effective treatment available to either slow or terminate it. However, recent advances in ALS genomics have linked genes to phenotypes, encouraging the creation of novel therapeutic approaches and giving researchers more tools to create efficient animal models. Genetically engineered rodent models replicating ALS disease pathology have a high predictive value for translational research. This review addresses the history of the evolution of gene editing tools, the most recent ALS disease models, and the application of CRISPR/Cas9 against ALS disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajun Shi
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defect Prevention and Genetic Medicine of Shandong Health Commission, Key Laboratory of Birth Regulation and Control Technology of National Health Commission of China, Center for Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Institute for Fetology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- Institute for Fetology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Likui Lu
- Institute for Fetology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qinqin Gao
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defect Prevention and Genetic Medicine of Shandong Health Commission, Key Laboratory of Birth Regulation and Control Technology of National Health Commission of China, Center for Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Institute for Fetology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dongyi Yu
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defect Prevention and Genetic Medicine of Shandong Health Commission, Key Laboratory of Birth Regulation and Control Technology of National Health Commission of China, Center for Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Miao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defect Prevention and Genetic Medicine of Shandong Health Commission, Key Laboratory of Birth Regulation and Control Technology of National Health Commission of China, Center for Medical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Institute for Fetology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
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23
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Ciurea AV, Mohan AG, Covache-Busuioc RA, Costin HP, Glavan LA, Corlatescu AD, Saceleanu VM. Unraveling Molecular and Genetic Insights into Neurodegenerative Diseases: Advances in Understanding Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's Diseases and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10809. [PMID: 37445986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241310809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are, according to recent studies, one of the main causes of disability and death worldwide. Interest in molecular genetics has started to experience exponential growth thanks to numerous advancements in technology, shifts in the understanding of the disease as a phenomenon, and the change in the perspective regarding gene editing and the advantages of this action. The aim of this paper is to analyze the newest approaches in genetics and molecular sciences regarding four of the most important neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We intend through this review to focus on the newest treatment, diagnosis, and predictions regarding this large group of diseases, in order to obtain a more accurate analysis and to identify the emerging signs that could lead to a better outcome in order to increase both the quality and the life span of the patient. Moreover, this review could provide evidence of future possible novel therapies that target the specific genes and that could be useful to be taken into consideration when the classical approaches fail to shed light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru Vlad Ciurea
- Department of Neurosurgery, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
- Neurosurgery Department, Sanador Clinical Hospital, 010991 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Aurel George Mohan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bihor County Emergency Clinical Hospital, 410167 Oradea, Romania
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Oradea University, 410610 Oradea, Romania
| | | | - Horia-Petre Costin
- Department of Neurosurgery, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Luca-Andrei Glavan
- Department of Neurosurgery, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Antonio-Daniel Corlatescu
- Department of Neurosurgery, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Vicentiu Mircea Saceleanu
- Neurosurgery Department, Sibiu County Emergency Hospital, 550245 Sibiu, Romania
- Neurosurgery Department, "Lucian Blaga" University of Medicine, 550024 Sibiu, Romania
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24
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Rajaratnam S, Soman AP, Phalguna KS, Pradhan SS, Manjunath M, Rao RK, Dandamudi RB, Bhagavatham SKS, Pulukool SK, Rathnakumar S, Kocherlakota S, Pargaonkar A, Veeranna RP, Arumugam N, Almansour AI, Choudhary B, Sivaramakrishnan V. Integrated Omic Analysis Delineates Pathways Modulating Toxic TDP-43 Protein Aggregates in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Cells 2023; 12:cells12091228. [PMID: 37174628 PMCID: PMC10177613 DOI: 10.3390/cells12091228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multi-systemic, incurable, amyloid disease affecting the motor neurons, resulting in the death of patients. The disease is either sporadic or familial with SOD1, C9orf72, FUS, and TDP-43 constituting the majority of familial ALS. Multi-omics studies on patients and model systems like mice and yeast have helped in understanding the association of various signaling and metabolic pathways with the disease. The yeast model system has played a pivotal role in elucidating the gene amyloid interactions. We carried out an integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of the TDP-43 expressing yeast model to elucidate deregulated pathways associated with the disease. The analysis shows the deregulation of the TCA cycle, single carbon metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism. Transcriptomic analysis of GEO datasets of TDP-43 expressing motor neurons from mice models of ALS and ALS patients shows considerable overlap with experimental results. Furthermore, a yeast model was used to validate the obtained results using metabolite addition and gene knock-out experiments. Taken together, our result shows a potential role for the TCA cycle, cellular redox pathway, NAD metabolism, and fatty acid metabolism in disease. Supplementation of reduced glutathione, nicotinate, and the keto diet might help to manage the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saiswaroop Rajaratnam
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Akhil P Soman
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Central Water and Power Research Station, Khadakwasla, Pune 411024, Maharashtra, India
| | - Kanikaram Sai Phalguna
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Sai Sanwid Pradhan
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Meghana Manjunath
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Bengaluru 560100, Karnataka, India
| | - Raksha Kanthavara Rao
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Bengaluru 560100, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Sai Krishna Srimadh Bhagavatham
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Sujith Kumar Pulukool
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Sriram Rathnakumar
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Sai Kocherlakota
- Laboratory of Cell Metabolism, Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ashish Pargaonkar
- Application Division, Agilent Technologies Ltd., Bengaluru 560066, Karnataka, India
| | - Ravindra P Veeranna
- Department of Biochemistry, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru 570020, Karnataka, India
| | - Natarajan Arumugam
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman I Almansour
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bibha Choudhary
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Bengaluru 560100, Karnataka, India
| | - Venketesh Sivaramakrishnan
- Disease Biology Lab, Department of Biosciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur 515134, Andhra Pradesh, India
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25
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De Vocht J, Van Weehaeghe D, Ombelet F, Masrori P, Lamaire N, Devrome M, Van Esch H, Moisse M, Koole M, Dupont P, Van Laere K, Van Damme P. Differences in Cerebral Glucose Metabolism in ALS Patients with and without C9orf72 and SOD1 Mutations. Cells 2023; 12:cells12060933. [PMID: 36980274 PMCID: PMC10047407 DOI: 10.3390/cells12060933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by progressive loss of upper and lower motor neurons. In 10% of patients, the disorder runs in the family. Our aim was to study the impact of ALS-causing gene mutations on cerebral glucose metabolism. Between October 2010 and October 2022, 538 patients underwent genetic testing for mutations with strong evidence of causality for ALS and 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-PET (FDG PET), at University Hospitals Leuven. We identified 48 C9orf72-ALS and 22 SOD1-ALS patients. After propensity score matching, two cohorts of 48 and 21 matched sporadic ALS patients, as well as 20 healthy controls were included. FDG PET images were assessed using a voxel-based and volume-of-interest approach. We observed widespread frontotemporal involvement in all ALS groups, in comparison to healthy controls. The degree of relative glucose metabolism in SOD1-ALS in motor and extra-motor regions did not differ significantly from matched sporadic ALS patients. In C9orf72-ALS, we found more pronounced hypometabolism in the peri-rolandic region and thalamus, and hypermetabolism in the medulla extending to the pons, in comparison to matched sporadic ALS patients. Our study revealed C9orf72-dependent differences in glucose metabolism in the peri-rolandic region, thalamus, and brainstem (i.e., medulla, extending to the pons) in relation to matched sporadic ALS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joke De Vocht
- Division of Psychiatry, Division of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-16-34-13-73
| | | | - Fouke Ombelet
- Division of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pegah Masrori
- Division of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nikita Lamaire
- Division of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Martijn Devrome
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hilde Van Esch
- Center for Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Moisse
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michel Koole
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Patrick Dupont
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Koen Van Laere
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Philip Van Damme
- Division of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, VIB-KULeuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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26
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FUS Alters circRNA Metabolism in Human Motor Neurons Carrying the ALS-Linked P525L Mutation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043181. [PMID: 36834591 PMCID: PMC9968238 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Deregulation of RNA metabolism has emerged as one of the key events leading to the degeneration of motor neurons (MNs) in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) disease. Indeed, mutations on RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) or on proteins involved in aspects of RNA metabolism account for the majority of familiar forms of ALS. In particular, the impact of the ALS-linked mutations of the RBP FUS on many aspects of RNA-related processes has been vastly investigated. FUS plays a pivotal role in splicing regulation and its mutations severely alter the exon composition of transcripts coding for proteins involved in neurogenesis, axon guidance, and synaptic activity. In this study, by using in vitro-derived human MNs, we investigate the effect of the P525L FUS mutation on non-canonical splicing events that leads to the formation of circular RNAs (circRNAs). We observed altered levels of circRNAs in FUSP525L MNs and a preferential binding of the mutant protein to introns flanking downregulated circRNAs and containing inverted Alu repeats. For a subset of circRNAs, FUSP525L also impacts their nuclear/cytoplasmic partitioning, confirming its involvement in different processes of RNA metabolism. Finally, we assess the potential of cytoplasmic circRNAs to act as miRNA sponges, with possible implications in ALS pathogenesis.
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27
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McCann EP, Grima N, Fifita JA, Chan Moi Fat S, Lehnert K, Henden L, Blair IP, Williams KL. Characterising the Genetic Landscape of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Catalogue and Assessment of Over 1,000 Published Genetic Variants. J Neuromuscul Dis 2023; 10:1127-1141. [PMID: 37638449 PMCID: PMC10657717 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-230148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Pathogenic genetic variants remain the only validated cause of disease, the majority of which were discovered in familial ALS patients. While causal gene variants are a lesser contributor to sporadic ALS, an increasing number of risk alleles (low penetrance genetic variants associated with a small increase in disease risk) and variants of uncertain significance have been reported. OBJECTIVE To examine the pathogenic potential of genetic variation in ALS, we sought to characterise variant- and gene-level attributes of previously reported ALS-implicated variants. METHODS A list of 1,087 genetic variants reported in ALS to March 2021 was compiled through comprehensive literature review. Individual variants were annotated using in silico tools and databases across variant features including pathogenicity scores, localisation to protein domains, evolutionary conservation, and minor allele frequencies. Gene level attributes of genic tolerance, gene expression in ALS-relevant tissues and gene ontology terms were assessed for 33 ALS genes. Statistical analysis was performed for each characteristic, and we compared the most penetrant variants found in familial cases with risk alleles exclusive to sporadic cases, to explore genetic variant features that associate with disease penetrance. RESULTS We provide spreadsheet (hg19 and GRCh38) and variant call format (GRCh38) resources for all 1,087 reported ALS-implicated variants, including detailed summaries for each attribute. We demonstrate that the characteristics of variants found exclusively in sporadic ALS cases are less severe than those observed in familial ALS. CONCLUSIONS We provide a comprehensive, literature-derived catalogue of genetic variation in ALS thus far and reveal crucial attributes that contribute to ALS pathogenicity. Our variant- and gene-level observations highlight the complexity of genetic variation in ALS, and we discuss important implications and considerations for novel variant interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily P. McCann
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Natalie Grima
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jennifer A. Fifita
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sandrine Chan Moi Fat
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Klaus Lehnert
- School of Biological Sciences, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lyndal Henden
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ian P. Blair
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kelly L. Williams
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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28
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Colasuonno F, Price R, Moreno S. Upper and Lower Motor Neurons and the Skeletal Muscle: Implication for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2023; 236:111-129. [PMID: 37955773 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-38215-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
The relationships between motor neurons and the skeletal muscle during development and in pathologic contexts are addressed in this Chapter.We discuss the developmental interplay of muscle and nervous tissue, through neurotrophins and the activation of differentiation and survival pathways. After a brief overview on muscular regulatory factors, we focus on the contribution of muscle to early and late neurodevelopment. Such a role seems especially intriguing in relation to the epigenetic shaping of developing motor neuron fate choices. In this context, emphasis is attributed to factors regulating energy metabolism, which may concomitantly act in muscle and neural cells, being involved in common pathways.We then review the main features of motor neuron diseases, addressing the cellular processes underlying clinical symptoms. The involvement of different muscle-associated neurotrophic factors for survival of lateral motor column neurons, innervating MyoD-dependent limb muscles, and of medial motor column neurons, innervating Myf5-dependent back musculature is discussed. Among the pathogenic mechanisms, we focus on oxidative stress, that represents a common and early trait in several neurodegenerative disorders. The role of organelles primarily involved in reactive oxygen species scavenging and, more generally, in energy metabolism-namely mitochondria and peroxisomes-is discussed in the frame of motor neuron degeneration.We finally address muscular involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a multifactorial degenerative disorder, hallmarked by severe weight loss, caused by imbalanced lipid metabolism. Even though multiple mechanisms have been recognized to play a role in the disease, current literature generally assumes that the primum movens is neuronal degeneration and that muscle atrophy is only a consequence of such pathogenic event. However, several lines of evidence point to the muscle as primarily involved in the disease, mainly through its role in energy homeostasis. Data from different ALS mouse models strongly argue for an early mitochondrial dysfunction in muscle tissue, possibly leading to motor neuron disturbances. Detailed understanding of skeletal muscle contribution to ALS pathogenesis will likely lead to the identification of novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorella Colasuonno
- Department of Experimental Medicine , University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
- Department of Science, LIME, University Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - Rachel Price
- Department of Science, LIME, University Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopmental Biology, Neurogenetics and Molecular Neurobiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Moreno
- Department of Science, LIME, University Roma Tre, Rome, Italy.
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopmental Biology, Neurogenetics and Molecular Neurobiology, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
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Kumar R, Malik Z, Singh M, Rachana R, Mani S, Ponnusamy K, Haider S. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Risk Genes and Suppressor. Curr Gene Ther 2023; 23:148-162. [PMID: 36366843 DOI: 10.2174/1566523223666221108113330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to death by progressive paralysis and respiratory failure within 2-4 years of onset. About 90-95% of ALS cases are sporadic (sALS), and 5-10% are inherited through family (fALS). Though the mechanisms of the disease are still poorly understood, so far, approximately 40 genes have been reported as ALS causative genes. The mutations in some crucial genes, like SOD1, C9ORF72, FUS, and TDP-43, are majorly associated with ALS, resulting in ROS-associated oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, protein aggregation, altered RNA processing, axonal and vesicular trafficking dysregulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Recent studies show that dysfunctional cellular pathways get restored as a result of the repair of a single pathway in ALS. In this review article, our aim is to identify putative targets for therapeutic development and the importance of a single suppressor to reduce multiple symptoms by focusing on important mutations and the phenotypic suppressors of dysfunctional cellular pathways in crucial genes as reported by other studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rupesh Kumar
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Zubbair Malik
- School of Computational and Integrative Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067, India
| | - Manisha Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - R Rachana
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shalini Mani
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | | - Shazia Haider
- Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Sec-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
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30
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Jeon YM, Kwon Y, Lee S, Kim HJ. Potential roles of the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1047897. [PMID: 36875699 PMCID: PMC9974850 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1047897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a major organelle involved in protein quality control and cellular homeostasis. ER stress results from structural and functional dysfunction of the organelle, along with the accumulation of misfolded proteins and changes in calcium homeostasis, it leads to ER stress response pathway such as unfolded protein response (UPR). Neurons are particularly sensitive to the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Thus, the ER stress is involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, prion disease and motor neuron disease (MND). Recently, the complex involvement of ER stress pathways has been demonstrated in experimental models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/MND using pharmacological and genetic manipulation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), an adaptive response to ER stress. Here, we aim to provide recent evidence demonstrating that the ER stress pathway is an essential pathological mechanism of ALS. In addition, we also provide therapeutic strategies that can help treat diseases by targeting the ER stress pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Mi Jeon
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Younghwi Kwon
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Shinrye Lee
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung-Jun Kim
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, Republic of Korea.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea
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31
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Singh J, Patten SA. Modeling neuromuscular diseases in zebrafish. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1054573. [PMID: 36583079 PMCID: PMC9794147 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1054573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular diseases are a diverse group of conditions that affect the motor system and present some overlapping as well as distinct clinical manifestations. Although individually rare, the combined prevalence of NMDs is similar to Parkinson's. Over the past decade, new genetic mutations have been discovered through whole exome/genome sequencing, but the pathogenesis of most NMDs remains largely unexplored. Little information on the molecular mechanism governing the progression and development of NMDs accounts for the continual failure of therapies in clinical trials. Different aspects of the diseases are typically investigated using different models from cells to animals. Zebrafish emerges as an excellent model for studying genetics and pathogenesis and for developing therapeutic interventions for most NMDs. In this review, we describe the generation of different zebrafish genetic models mimicking NMDs and how they are used for drug discovery and therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaskaran Singh
- INRS – Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada
| | - Shunmoogum A. Patten
- INRS – Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, QC, Canada,Departement de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada,Centre d'Excellence en Recherche sur les Maladies Orphelines – Fondation Courtois (CERMO-FC), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montréal, QC, Canada,*Correspondence: Shunmoogum A. Patten,
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Chia K, Klingseisen A, Sieger D, Priller J. Zebrafish as a model organism for neurodegenerative disease. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:940484. [PMID: 36311026 PMCID: PMC9606821 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.940484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish is increasingly recognized as a model organism for translational research into human neuropathology. The zebrafish brain exhibits fundamental resemblance with human neuroanatomical and neurochemical pathways, and hallmarks of human brain pathology such as protein aggregation, neuronal degeneration and activation of glial cells, for example, can be modeled and recapitulated in the fish central nervous system. Genetic manipulation, imaging, and drug screening are areas where zebrafish excel with the ease of introducing mutations and transgenes, the expression of fluorescent markers that can be detected in vivo in the transparent larval stages overtime, and simple treatment of large numbers of fish larvae at once followed by automated screening and imaging. In this review, we summarize how zebrafish have successfully been employed to model human neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington’s disease. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of choosing zebrafish as a model for these neurodegenerative conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelda Chia
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute at University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Klingseisen
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute at University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Dirk Sieger
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Dirk Sieger,
| | - Josef Priller
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute at University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Neuropsychiatry and Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, DZNE, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Josef Priller,
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33
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Gelon PA, Dutchak PA, Sephton CF. Synaptic dysfunction in ALS and FTD: anatomical and molecular changes provide insights into mechanisms of disease. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1000183. [PMID: 36263379 PMCID: PMC9575515 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1000183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic loss is a pathological feature of all neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). ALS is a disease of the cortical and spinal motor neurons resulting in fatal paralysis due to denervation of muscles. FTD is a form of dementia that primarily affects brain regions controlling cognition, language and behavior. Once classified as two distinct diseases, ALS and FTD are now considered as part of a common disease spectrum based on overlapping clinical, pathological and genetic evidence. At the cellular level, aggregation of common proteins and overlapping gene susceptibilities are shared in both ALS and FTD. Despite the convergence of these two fields of research, the underlying disease mechanisms remain elusive. However, recent discovers from ALS and FTD patient studies and models of ALS/FTD strongly suggests that synaptic dysfunction is an early event in the disease process and a unifying hallmark of these diseases. This review provides a summary of the reported anatomical and cellular changes that occur in cortical and spinal motor neurons in ALS and FTD tissues and models of disease. We also highlight studies that identify changes in the proteome and transcriptome of ALS and FTD models and provide a conceptual overview of the processes that contribute to synaptic dysfunction in these diseases. Due to space limitations and the vast number of publications in the ALS and FTD fields, many articles have not been discussed in this review. As such, this review focuses on the three most common shared mutations in ALS and FTD, the hexanucleuotide repeat expansion within intron 1 of chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72), transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TARDBP or TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma (FUS), with the intention of highlighting common pathways that promote synaptic dysfunction in the ALS-FTD disease spectrum.
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Grassano M, Brodini G, De Marco G, Casale F, Fuda G, Salamone P, Brunetti M, Sbaiz L, Gallone S, Cugnasco P, Bombaci A, Vasta R, Manera U, Canosa A, Moglia C, Calvo A, Traynor BJ, Chio A. Phenotype Analysis of Fused in Sarcoma Mutations in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurol Genet 2022; 8:e200011. [PMID: 36105853 PMCID: PMC9469212 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000200011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives Pathogenic variations in fused in sarcoma (FUS) are among the most common genetic causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) worldwide. They are supposedly characterized by a homogeneous pure motor phenotype with early-onset and short disease duration. However, a few FUS-mutated cases with a very late disease onset and slow progression have been reported. To analyze genotype-phenotype correlations and identify the prognostic factors in FUS-ALS cases. Methods We identified and cross-sectionally analyzed 22 FUS-ALS patient histories from a single-center cohort of 2,615 genetically tested patients and reviewed 289 previously published FUS-ALS cases. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier survival curves, followed by the log-rank test and multivariate Cox analysis. Results Survival of FUS-ALS is age-dependent: In our cohort, early-onset cases had a rapid disease progression and short survival (p = 0.000003) while the outcome of FUS-mutated patients with mid-to-late onset did not differ from non–FUS-ALS patients (p = 0.437). Meta-analysis of literature data confirmed this trend (p = 0.00003). This survival pattern is not observed in other ALS-related genes in our series. We clustered FUS-ALS patients in 3 phenotypes: (1) axial ALS, with upper cervical and dropped-head onset in mid-to-late adulthood; (2) benign ALS, usually with a late-onset and slow disease progression; and (3) juvenile ALS, often with bulbar onset and preceded by learning disability or mild mental retardation. Those phenotypes arise from different mutations. Discussion We observed specific genotype-phenotype correlations of FUS-ALS and identified age at onset as the most critical prognostic factor. Our results demonstrated that FUS mutations underlie a specific subtype of ALS and enable a careful stratification of newly diagnosed FUS-ALS cases for clinical course and potential therapeutic windows. This will be crucial in the light of incoming gene-specific therapy.
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Tiloca C, Goldwurm S, Calcagno N, Verde F, Peverelli S, Calini D, Zecchinelli AL, Sangalli D, Ratti A, Pezzoli G, Silani V, Ticozzi N. TARDBP mutations in a cohort of Italian patients with Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonisms. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1020948. [PMID: 36247987 PMCID: PMC9557978 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1020948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundAggregates of TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) represent the pathological hallmark of most amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and of nearly 50% of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cases but were also observed to occur as secondary neuropathology in the nervous tissue of patients with different neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonism. Mutations of TARDBP gene, mainly in exon 6 hotspot, have been reported to be causative of some forms of ALS and FTD, with clinical signs of parkinsonism observed in few mutation carriers.MethodsDirect DNA sequencing of TARDBP exon 6 was performed in a large Italian cohort of 735 patients affected by PD (354 familial and 381 sporadic) and 142 affected by atypical parkinsonism, including 39 corticobasal syndrome (CBS) and 103 progressive sopranuclear palsy (PSP). Sequencing data from 1710 healthy, ethnically matched controls were already available.ResultsFour TARDBP missense variants (p.N267S, p. G294A, p.G295S, p.S393L) were identified in four patients with typical PD and in two individuals with atypical parkinsonism (1 CBS and 1 PSP). None of the detected mutations were found in healthy controls and only the variant p.N267S was previously described in association to idiopathic familial and sporadic PD and to CBS.ConclusionIn this study we provide further insight into the clinical phenotypic heterogeneity associated with TARDBP mutations, which expands beyond the classical ALS and FTD diseases to include also PD and atypical parkinsonism, although with a low mutational frequency, varying considerably in different Caucasian populations. In addition, our study extends the spectrum of TARDBP pathogenetic mutations found in familial and sporadic PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Tiloca
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Goldwurm
- Parkinson Institute of Milan, ASST Gaetano Pini/CTO, Milan, Italy
| | - Narghes Calcagno
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Residency Program, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Verde
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, “Dino Ferrari” Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Peverelli
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Calini
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Davide Sangalli
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Neurology – Stroke Unit, A. Manzoni Hospital – ASST Lecco, Lecco, Italy
| | - Antonia Ratti
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianni Pezzoli
- Parkinson Institute of Milan, ASST Gaetano Pini/CTO, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Silani
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, “Dino Ferrari” Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Ticozzi
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, “Dino Ferrari” Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Nicola Ticozzi,
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Li T, Guo S, Lu M, Lu F, Lu T, Zheng C. Exploring the pharmacological action mechanism of Ligusticum Chuanxiong-Piper Longum couplet medicines on the treatment of migraine based on network pharmacology. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:923188. [PMID: 36238548 PMCID: PMC9551284 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.923188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To study the mechanisms of the Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort.–Piper longum L. herbal pair (LPHP) in the treatment of migraine using network pharmacology.Methods: The active constituents of LPHP and their targets were searched for and screened using the Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database. Genes related to migraine were searched on GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man and other databases. Cytoscape was used to construct and combine active component–target and disease–target networks. The core target was screened by network topology analysis, and the Metascape database was used for gene ontology analysis of key targets and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis to explore the molecular mechanisms in the treatment of migraine.Results: A total of 28 active constituents of LPHP were obtained through database screening and literature review, and 60 cross-linking targets were obtained. The target sites were analysed using a protein–protein interaction network to obtain six target proteins with a greater degree of relevance. These were identified as the main targets for the treatment of hypertension, and these key targets were found to be associated with 20 signalling pathways, including neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, the calcium signalling pathway, the cGMP–PKG signalling pathway, pathways in cancer and the cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) signalling pathway.Conclusion: This study reveals the molecular mechanism of LPHP in the treatment of migraine from the perspective of network pharmacology and provides a basis for further research and molecular mechanism research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ti Li
- Department of Encephalopathy, Harbin Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Harbin, China
| | - Shupeng Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, Harbin Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Harbin, China
| | - Meixi Lu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Lu
- National Medical Master Lu Fang Inheritance Studio, Harbin Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Harbin, China
| | - Tianjiao Lu
- National Medical Master Lu Fang Inheritance Studio, Harbin Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Harbin, China
- *Correspondence: Tianjiao Lu, ; Chunze Zheng,
| | - Chunze Zheng
- Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Harbin Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Harbin, China
- *Correspondence: Tianjiao Lu, ; Chunze Zheng,
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Motataianu A, Serban G, Barcutean L, Balasa R. Oxidative Stress in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Synergy of Genetic and Environmental Factors. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169339. [PMID: 36012603 PMCID: PMC9409178 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a grievous neurodegenerative disease whose survival is limited to only a few years. In spite of intensive research to discover the underlying mechanisms, the results are fairly inconclusive. Multiple hypotheses have been regarded, including genetic, molecular, and cellular processes. Notably, oxidative stress has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in ALS pathogenesis. In addition to already recognized and exhaustively studied genetic mutations involved in oxidative stress production, exposure to various environmental factors (e.g., electromagnetic fields, solvents, pesticides, heavy metals) has been suggested to enhance oxidative damage. This review aims to describe the main processes influenced by the most frequent genetic mutations and environmental factors concurring in oxidative stress occurrence in ALS and the potential therapeutic molecules capable of diminishing the ALS related pro-oxidative status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca Motataianu
- Department of Neurology, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, 540136 Targu Mures, Romania
- 1st Neurology Clinic, Emergency Clinical County Hospital Targu Mures, 540136 Targu Mures, Romania
| | - Georgiana Serban
- Doctoral School, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +40-0724-051-516
| | - Laura Barcutean
- Department of Neurology, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, 540136 Targu Mures, Romania
- 1st Neurology Clinic, Emergency Clinical County Hospital Targu Mures, 540136 Targu Mures, Romania
| | - Rodica Balasa
- Department of Neurology, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, 540136 Targu Mures, Romania
- 1st Neurology Clinic, Emergency Clinical County Hospital Targu Mures, 540136 Targu Mures, Romania
- Doctoral School, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, 540142 Targu Mures, Romania
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Altered TDP-43 Structure and Function: Key Insights into Aberrant RNA, Mitochondrial, and Cellular and Systemic Metabolism in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12080709. [PMID: 36005581 PMCID: PMC9415507 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12080709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disorder with no cure available and limited treatment options. ALS is a highly heterogeneous disease, whereby patients present with vastly different phenotypes. Despite this heterogeneity, over 97% of patients will exhibit pathological TAR-DNA binding protein-43 (TDP-43) cytoplasmic inclusions. TDP-43 is a ubiquitously expressed RNA binding protein with the capacity to bind over 6000 RNA and DNA targets—particularly those involved in RNA, mitochondrial, and lipid metabolism. Here, we review the unique structure and function of TDP-43 and its role in affecting the aforementioned metabolic processes in ALS. Considering evidence published specifically in TDP-43-relevant in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models we posit that TDP-43 acts in a positive feedback loop with mRNA transcription/translation, stress granules, cytoplasmic aggregates, and mitochondrial proteins causing a relentless cycle of disease-like pathology eventuating in neuronal toxicity. Given its undeniable presence in ALS pathology, TDP-43 presents as a promising target for mechanistic disease modelling and future therapeutic investigations.
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Gene Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11132066. [PMID: 35805149 PMCID: PMC9265980 DOI: 10.3390/cells11132066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the discovery of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) gene mutation, in 1993, as the first genetic abnormality in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), over 50 genes have been identified as either cause or modifier in ALS and ALS/frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum disease. Mutations in C9orf72, SOD1, TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TARDBP), and fused in sarcoma (FUS) genes are the four most common ones. During the last three decades, tremendous effort has been made worldwide to reveal biological pathways underlying the pathogenesis of these gene mutations in ALS/FTD. Accordingly, targeting etiologic genes (i.e., gene therapies) to suppress their toxic effects have been investigated widely. It includes four major strategies: (i) removal or inhibition of abnormal transcribed RNA using microRNA or antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), (ii) degradation of abnormal mRNA using RNA interference (RNAi), (iii) decrease or inhibition of mutant proteins (e.g., using antibodies against misfolded proteins), and (iv) DNA genome editing with methods such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas). The promising results of these studies have led to the application of some of these strategies into ALS clinical trials, especially for C9orf72 and SOD1. In this paper, we will overview advances in gene therapy in ALS/FTD, focusing on C9orf72, SOD1, TARDBP, and FUS genes.
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40
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Griffey CJ, Yamamoto A. Macroautophagy in CNS health and disease. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:411-427. [PMID: 35505254 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00588-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Macroautophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that delivers diverse cellular contents to lysosomes for degradation. As our understanding of this pathway grows, so does our appreciation for its importance in disorders of the CNS. Once implicated primarily in neurodegenerative events owing to acute injury and ageing, macroautophagy is now also linked to disorders of neurodevelopment, indicating that it is essential for both the formation and maintenance of a healthy CNS. In parallel to understanding the significance of macroautophagy across contexts, we have gained a greater mechanistic insight into its physiological regulation and the breadth of cargoes it can degrade. Macroautophagy is a broadly used homeostatic process, giving rise to questions surrounding how defects in this single pathway could cause diseases with distinct clinical and pathological signatures. To address this complexity, we herein review macroautophagy in the mammalian CNS by examining three key features of the process and its relationship to disease: how it functions at a basal level in the discrete cell types of the brain and spinal cord; which cargoes are being degraded in physiological and pathological settings; and how the different stages of the macroautophagy pathway intersect with diseases of neurodevelopment and adult-onset neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Griffey
- Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behaviour, Medical Scientist Training Program, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ai Yamamoto
- Departments of Neurology, and Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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41
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Fiondella L, Cavallieri F, Canali E, Cabboi MP, Marti A, Sireci F, Fiocchi A, Montanari G, Montepietra S, Valzania F. Co-Occurrence of Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in an FUS-Mutated Patient: A Case Report. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050531. [PMID: 35624917 PMCID: PMC9139033 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A concomitant presentation of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is quite rare. However, a review of the literature showed an increased co-occurrence of both diseases, including in genetically determined cases. We report the case of a 49-year-old woman with a history of RRMS who developed a progressive subacute loss of strength in her left arm. The patient’s father died from ALS, and her paternal uncle had Parkinson’s disease. Brain and cervical MRIs were performed, and new demyelinating lesions were excluded. Electromyography (EMG) of the upper limbs showed fibrillations and fasciculations in distal muscles of both arms. In the following months, the patient presented a progressive loss of strength in the proximal and distal muscles of the right arm and hyperreflexia in the lower limbs. EMG and central motor conduction were consistent with ALS. A genetic test was carried out, revealing a mutation in the FUS gene (exon 15; c. 1562 G>A). To our knowledge, the co-occurrence of MS and ALS in patients with FUS mutation is extremely rare. We hypothesize a common pathway for both diseases based on the possibility of a shared oligodendroglial dysfunction due to FUS mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Fiondella
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0522295569
| | - Francesco Cavallieri
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Elena Canali
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
| | - Maria Paola Cabboi
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
| | - Alessandro Marti
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
| | - Francesca Sireci
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
| | - Alena Fiocchi
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy;
| | - Gloria Montanari
- Pneumology Unit, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy;
| | - Sara Montepietra
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
| | - Franco Valzania
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (F.C.); (E.C.); (M.P.C.); (A.M.); (F.S.); (S.M.); (F.V.)
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Disease Modeling of Rare Neurological Disorders in Zebrafish. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073946. [PMID: 35409306 PMCID: PMC9000079 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Rare diseases are those which affect a small number of people compared to the general population. However, many patients with a rare disease remain undiagnosed, and a large majority of rare diseases still have no form of viable treatment. Approximately 40% of rare diseases include neurologic and neurodevelopmental disorders. In order to understand the characteristics of rare neurological disorders and identify causative genes, various model organisms have been utilized extensively. In this review, the characteristics of model organisms, such as roundworms, fruit flies, and zebrafish, are examined, with an emphasis on zebrafish disease modeling in rare neurological disorders.
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Scarian E, Fiamingo G, Diamanti L, Palmieri I, Gagliardi S, Pansarasa O. The Role of VCP Mutations in the Spectrum of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Frontotemporal Dementia. Front Neurol 2022; 13:841394. [PMID: 35273561 PMCID: PMC8902152 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.841394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) are two neurological diseases which, respectively, and primarily affect motor neurons and frontotemporal lobes. Although they can lead to different signs and symptoms, it is now evident that these two pathologies form a continuum and that hallmarks of both diseases can be present within the same person in the so-called ALS-FTD spectrum. Many studies have focused on the genetic overlap of these pathologies and it is now clear that different genes, such as C9orf72, TARDBP, SQSTM1, FUS, and p97/VCP can be mutated in both the diseases. VCP was one of the first genes associated with both FTD and ALS representing an early example of gene overlapping. VCP belongs to the type II AAA (ATPases Associated with diverse cellular activities) family and is involved in ubiquitinated proteins degradation, autophagy, lysosomal clearance and mitochondrial quality control. Since its numerous roles, mutations in this gene lead to different pathological features, first and foremost TDP-43 mislocalization. This review aims to outline recent findings on VCP roles and on how its mutations are linked to the neuropathology of ALS and FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveljn Scarian
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Fiamingo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Diamanti
- Neuroncology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Ilaria Palmieri
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Neurogenetics Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stella Gagliardi
- Molecular Biology and Transcriptomics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Orietta Pansarasa
- Cellular Models and Neuroepigenetics Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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Cha SJ, Lee S, Choi HJ, Han YJ, Jeon YM, Jo M, Lee S, Nahm M, Lim SM, Kim SH, Kim HJ, Kim K. Therapeutic modulation of GSTO activity rescues FUS-associated neurotoxicity via deglutathionylation in ALS disease models. Dev Cell 2022; 57:783-798.e8. [PMID: 35320731 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a DNA/RNA-binding protein that is involved in DNA repair and RNA processing. FUS is associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying FUS-mediated neurodegeneration are largely unknown. Here, using a Drosophila model, we showed that the overexpression of glutathione transferase omega 2 (GstO2) reduces cytoplasmic FUS aggregates and prevents neurodegenerative phenotypes, including neurotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction. We found a FUS glutathionylation site at the 447th cysteine residue in the RanBP2-type ZnF domain. The glutathionylation of FUS induces FUS aggregation by promoting phase separation. GstO2 reduced cytoplasmic FUS aggregation by deglutathionylation in Drosophila brains. Moreover, we demonstrated that the overexpression of human GSTO1, the homolog of Drosophila GstO2, attenuates FUS-induced neurotoxicity and cytoplasmic FUS accumulation in mouse neuronal cells. Thus, the modulation of FUS glutathionylation might be a promising therapeutic strategy for FUS-associated neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun Joo Cha
- Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
| | - Seongsoo Lee
- Gwangju Center, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Hyun-Jun Choi
- Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-bio Science, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Korea
| | - Yeo Jeong Han
- Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea
| | - Yu-Mi Jeon
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu 41068, Korea
| | - Myungjin Jo
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu 41068, Korea
| | - Shinrye Lee
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu 41068, Korea
| | - Minyeop Nahm
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu 41068, Korea
| | - Su Min Lim
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea; Medical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Seung Hyun Kim
- Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea; Medical Research Institute, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Hyung-Jun Kim
- Dementia Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), Daegu 41068, Korea.
| | - Kiyoung Kim
- Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Korea.
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Lu YQ, Chen JM, Lin H, Feng SY, Che CH, Liu CY, Huang HP, Zou ZY. Novel Intronic Mutations of TBK1 Promote Aberrant Splicing Modes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:691534. [PMID: 35283724 PMCID: PMC8908445 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.691534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) has been identified as a causative gene of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the Caucasian population in 2015. Here, we sequenced for TBK1 variants in a cohort of 15 familial ALS (fALS) and 275 sporadic ALS (sALS) of Chinese origin by targeted next-generation sequencing. We identified one likely benign missense variant (p. Ser398Pro), two missense variants of uncertain significance (p. Ile37Leu and p. Tyr677Asn), and two novel heterozygous variants in introns of TBK1, c.1522-3T > G and c.2066 + 4A > G. We performed splicing assays through minigene plasmids and RNA pull-down assay to determine that the two substitutions of nucleotides disrupted the binding of the important splicing regulator hnRNPA1 and promoted aberrant pre-mRNA splicing modes. The c.1522-3T > G variant promoted nearly 50.0% of abnormal transcripts (3 different types of insertions and deletions (indels) in junction of intron 13-exon 14) and the c.2066 + 4A > G variant inhibited about 75.0% inclusion of exon 19, both causing premature stop codon and producing TBK1 protein without CCD2. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the expression of TBK1 with intronic variants was lower since less TBK1 distribution was observed in HEK293T cells. Both patients carrying TBK1 c.1522-3T > G and c.2066 + 4A > G variants developed a rapidly progressive ALS, with a survival of 31 and 10 months, respectively. The frequency of loss of function (LoF) variants in TBK1 was 0.73% in sALS in our cohort. We emphasize that intronic sequencing and pre-mRNA splicing analysis cannot be ignored to demonstrate the complex mutational spectrum and pathogenesis of ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Qian Lu
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Institute of Clinical Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jian-Min Chen
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Han Lin
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shu-Yan Feng
- Department of Neurophysiology, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chun-Hui Che
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Institute of Clinical Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chang-Yun Liu
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Institute of Clinical Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hua-Pin Huang
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Institute of Clinical Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- Hua-Pin Huang,
| | - Zhang-Yu Zou
- Department of Neurology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Institute of Clinical Neurology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Zhang-Yu Zou,
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Carey JL, Guo L. Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of TDP-43 and FUS in Physiology and Pathology of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:826719. [PMID: 35187086 PMCID: PMC8847598 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.826719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Liquid-liquid phase separation of RNA-binding proteins mediates the formation of numerous membraneless organelles with essential cellular function. However, aberrant phase transition of these proteins leads to the formation of insoluble protein aggregates, which are pathological hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases including ALS and FTD. TDP-43 and FUS are two such RNA-binding proteins that mislocalize and aggregate in patients of ALS and FTD. They have similar domain structures that provide multivalent interactions driving their phase separation in vitro and in the cellular environment. In this article, we review the factors that mediate and regulate phase separation of TDP-43 and FUS. We also review evidences that connect the phase separation property of TDP-43 and FUS to their functional roles in cells. Aberrant phase transition of TDP-43 and FUS leads to protein aggregation and disrupts their regular cell function. Therefore, restoration of functional protein phase of TDP-43 and FUS could be beneficial for neuronal cells. We discuss possible mechanisms for TDP-43 and FUS aberrant phase transition and aggregation while reviewing the methods that are currently being explored as potential therapeutic strategies to mitigate aberrant phase transition and aggregation of TDP-43 and FUS.
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Differential roles for DNAJ isoforms in HTT-polyQ and FUS aggregation modulation revealed by chaperone screens. Nat Commun 2022; 13:516. [PMID: 35082301 PMCID: PMC8792056 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-27982-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein aggregation is a hallmark of neurodegeneration. Here, we find that Huntington's disease-related HTT-polyQ aggregation induces a cellular proteotoxic stress response, while ALS-related mutant FUS (mutFUS) aggregation leads to deteriorated proteostasis. Further exploring chaperone function as potential modifiers of pathological aggregation in these contexts, we reveal divergent effects of naturally-occurring chaperone isoforms on different aggregate types. We identify a complex of the full-length (FL) DNAJB14 and DNAJB12, that substantially protects from mutFUS aggregation, in an HSP70-dependent manner. Their naturally-occurring short isoforms, however, do not form a complex, and lose their ability to preclude mutFUS aggregation. In contrast, DNAJB12-short alleviates, while DNAJB12-FL aggravates, HTT-polyQ aggregation. DNAJB14-FL expression increases the mobility of mutFUS aggregates, and restores the deteriorated proteostasis in mutFUS aggregate-containing cells and primary neurons. Our results highlight a maladaptive cellular response to pathological aggregation, and reveal a layer of chaperone network complexity conferred by DNAJ isoforms, in regulation of different aggregate types.
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48
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Narayanaswami P, Živković S. Molecular and Genetic Therapies. Neuromuscul Disord 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-71317-7.00011-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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49
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Jiang L, Zhang T, Lu K, Qi S. The progress in C9orf72 research: ALS/FTD pathogenesis, functions and structure. Small GTPases 2022; 13:56-76. [PMID: 33663328 PMCID: PMC9707547 DOI: 10.1080/21541248.2021.1892443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The hexanucleotide repeat (GGGGCC) expansion in C9orf72 is accounted for a large proportion of the genetic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The hypotheses of how the massive G4C2 repeats in C9orf72 destroy the neurons and lead to ALS/FTD are raised and improving. As a multirole player, C9orf72 exerts critical roles in many cellular processes, including autophagy, membrane trafficking, immune response, and so on. Notably, the partners of C9orf72, through which C9orf72 participates in the cell activities, have been identified. Notably, the structures of the C9orf72-SMCR8-WDR41 complex shed light on its activity as GTPase activating proteins (GAP). In this manuscript, we reviewed the latest research progress in the C9orf72-mediated ALS/FTD, the physiological functions of C9orf72, and the putative function models of C9orf72/C9orf72-containing complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Jiang
- Department of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Tizhong Zhang
- Department of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Kefeng Lu
- Department of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Shiqian Qi
- Department of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China,CONTACT Shiqian Qi Department of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
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50
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Genetic architecture of motor neuron diseases. J Neurol Sci 2021; 434:120099. [PMID: 34965490 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2021.120099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are rare and frequently fatal neurological disorders in which motor neurons within the brainstem and spinal cord regions slowly die. MNDs are primarily caused by genetic mutations, and > 100 different mutant genes in humans have been discovered thus far. Given the fact that many more MND-related genes have yet to be discovered, the growing body of genetic evidence has offered new insights into the diverse cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the aetiology and pathogenesis of MNDs. This search may aid in the selection of potential candidate genes for future investigation and, eventually, may open the door to novel interventions to slow down disease progression. In this review paper, we have summarized detailed existing research findings of different MNDs, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), spinal bulbar muscle atrophy (SBMA) and hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) in relation to their complex genetic architecture.
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