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Wang H, Zeng R. Aberrant protein aggregation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neurol 2024:10.1007/s00415-024-12485-z. [PMID: 38869826 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-024-12485-z] [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: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease. As its pathological mechanisms are not well understood, there are no efficient therapeutics for it at present. While it is highly heterogenous both etiologically and clinically, it has a common salient hallmark, i.e., aberrant protein aggregation (APA). The upstream pathogenesis and the downstream effects of APA in ALS are sophisticated and the investigation of this pathology would be of consequence for understanding ALS. In this paper, the pathomechanism of APA in ALS and the candidate treatment strategies for it are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaixiu Wang
- Department Neurology, Shanxi Provincial Peoples Hospital: Fifth Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030012, China.
- Beijing Ai-Si-Kang Medical Technology Co. Ltd., No. 18 11th St Economical & Technological Development Zone, Beijing, 100176, China.
| | - Rong Zeng
- Department Neurology, Shanxi Provincial Peoples Hospital: Fifth Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030012, China
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2
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Koopman M, Güngördü L, Janssen L, Seinstra RI, Richmond JE, Okerlund N, Wardenaar R, Islam P, Hogewerf W, Brown AEX, Jorgensen EM, Nollen EAA. Rebalancing the motor circuit restores movement in a Caenorhabditis elegans model for TDP-43 toxicity. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114204. [PMID: 38748878 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114204] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can be caused by abnormal accumulation of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) in the cytoplasm of neurons. Here, we use a C. elegans model for TDP-43-induced toxicity to identify the biological mechanisms that lead to disease-related phenotypes. By applying deep behavioral phenotyping and subsequent dissection of the neuromuscular circuit, we show that TDP-43 worms have profound defects in GABA neurons. Moreover, acetylcholine neurons appear functionally silenced. Enhancing functional output of repressed acetylcholine neurons at the level of, among others, G-protein-coupled receptors restores neurotransmission, but inefficiently rescues locomotion. Rebalancing the excitatory-to-inhibitory ratio in the neuromuscular system by simultaneous stimulation of the affected GABA- and acetylcholine neurons, however, not only synergizes the effects of boosting individual neurotransmitter systems, but instantaneously improves movement. Our results suggest that interventions accounting for the altered connectome may be more efficient in restoring motor function than those solely focusing on diseased neuron populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy Koopman
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Lale Güngördü
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Leen Janssen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Renée I Seinstra
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Janet E Richmond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Nathan Okerlund
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and School of Biological Science, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - René Wardenaar
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Priota Islam
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK; Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Wytse Hogewerf
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Andre E X Brown
- MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, UK; Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Erik M Jorgensen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and School of Biological Science, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Ellen A A Nollen
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
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3
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Kampmann M. Molecular and cellular mechanisms of selective vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:351-371. [PMID: 38575768 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00806-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The selective vulnerability of specific neuronal subtypes is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. In this Review, I summarize our current understanding of the brain regions and cell types that are selectively vulnerable in different neurodegenerative diseases and describe the proposed underlying cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. I highlight how recent methodological innovations - including single-cell transcriptomics, CRISPR-based screens and human cell-based models of disease - are enabling new breakthroughs in our understanding of selective vulnerability. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that determine selective vulnerability and resilience would shed light on the key processes that drive neurodegeneration and point to potential therapeutic strategies to protect vulnerable cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kampmann
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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4
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Silva-Hucha S, Fernández de Sevilla ME, Humphreys KM, Benson FE, Franco JM, Pozo D, Pastor AM, Morcuende S. VEGF expression disparities in brainstem motor neurons of the SOD1 G93A ALS model: Correlations with neuronal vulnerability. Neurotherapeutics 2024; 21:e00340. [PMID: 38472048 PMCID: PMC11070718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurot.2024.e00340] [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: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neuromuscular disease characterized by severe muscle weakness mainly due to degeneration and death of motor neurons. A peculiarity of the neurodegenerative processes is the variable susceptibility among distinct neuronal populations, exemplified by the contrasting resilience of motor neurons innervating the ocular motor system and the more vulnerable facial and hypoglossal motor neurons. The crucial role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a neuroprotective factor in the nervous system is well-established since a deficit of VEGF has been related to motoneuronal degeneration. In this study, we investigated the survival of ocular, facial, and hypoglossal motor neurons utilizing the murine SOD1G93A ALS model at various stages of the disease. Our primary objective was to determine whether the survival of the different brainstem motor neurons was linked to disparate VEGF expression levels in resilient and susceptible motor neurons throughout neurodegeneration. Our findings revealed a selective loss of motor neurons exclusively within the vulnerable nuclei. Furthermore, a significantly higher level of VEGF was detected in the more resistant motor neurons, the extraocular ones. We also examined whether TDP-43 dynamics in the brainstem motor neuron of SOD mice was altered. Our data suggests that the increased VEGF levels observed in extraocular motor neurons may potentially underlie their resistance during the neurodegenerative processes in ALS in a TDP-43-independent manner. Our work might help to better understand the underlying mechanisms of selective vulnerability of motor neurons in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Silva-Hucha
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain; Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Medawar Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Kirsty M Humphreys
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Fiona E Benson
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
| | - Jaime M Franco
- Andalusian Center of Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine-CABIMER, Junta de Andalucía-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - David Pozo
- Andalusian Center of Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine-CABIMER, Junta de Andalucía-Universidad Pablo de Olavide-Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, 41092, Seville, Spain; Department of Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Immunology, Universidad de Sevilla Medical School, 41009 Seville, Spain
| | - Angel M Pastor
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain.
| | - Sara Morcuende
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain.
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Ovsepian SV, O'Leary VB, Martinez S. Selective vulnerability of motor neuron types and functional groups to degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: review of the neurobiological mechanisms and functional correlates. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:1-14. [PMID: 37999738 PMCID: PMC10827929 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02728-6] [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: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative condition characterised by a progressive loss of motor neurons controlling voluntary muscle activity. The disease manifests through a variety of motor dysfunctions related to the extent of damage and loss of neurons at different anatomical locations. Despite extensive research, it remains unclear why some motor neurons are especially susceptible to the disease, while others are affected less or even spared. In this article, we review the neurobiological mechanisms, neurochemical profiles, and morpho-functional characteristics of various motor neuron groups and types of motor units implicated in their differential exposure to degeneration. We discuss specific cell-autonomous (intrinsic) and extrinsic factors influencing the vulnerability gradient of motor units and motor neuron types to ALS, with their impact on disease manifestation, course, and prognosis, as revealed in preclinical and clinical studies. We consider the outstanding challenges and emerging opportunities for interpreting the phenotypic and mechanistic variability of the disease to identify targets for clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saak V Ovsepian
- Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich London, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK.
| | - Valerie B O'Leary
- Department of Medical Genetics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, 10000, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Salvador Martinez
- Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC, Avda. Ramon y Cajal, 03550, San Juan de Alicante, Spain.
- Center of Biomedical Network Research on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.
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6
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Álvarez I, Tirado-Herranz A, Alvarez-Palomo B, Osete JR, Edel MJ. Proteomic Analysis of Human iPSC-Derived Neural Stem Cells and Motor Neurons Identifies Proteasome Structural Alterations. Cells 2023; 12:2800. [PMID: 38132120 PMCID: PMC10742145 DOI: 10.3390/cells12242800] [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: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Proteins targeted by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) are identified for degradation by the proteasome, which has been implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules present peptides broken down by the proteasome and are involved in neuronal plasticity, regulating the synapse number and axon regeneration in the central or peripheral nervous system during development and in brain diseases. The mechanisms governing these effects are mostly unknown, but evidence from different compartments of the cerebral cortex indicates the presence of immune-like MHC receptors in the central nervous system. METHODS We used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) differentiated into neural stem cells and then into motor neurons as a developmental model to better understand the structure of the proteasome in developing motor neurons. We performed a proteomic analysis of starting human skin fibroblasts, their matching iPSCs, differentiated neural stem cells and motor neurons that highlighted significant differences in the constitutive proteasome and immunoproteasome subunits during development toward motor neurons from iPSCs. RESULTS The proteomic analysis showed that the catalytic proteasome subunits expressed in fibroblasts differed from those in the neural stem cells and motor neurons. Western blot analysis confirmed the proteomic data, particularly the decreased expression of the β5i (PSMB8) subunit immunoproteasome in MNs compared to HFFs and increased β5 (PSMB5) in MNs compared to HFFs. CONCLUSION The constitutive proteasome subunits are upregulated in iPSCs and NSCs from HFFs. Immunoproteasome subunit β5i expression is higher in MNs than NSCs; however, overall, there is more of a constitutive proteasome structure in MNs when comparing HFFs to MNs. The proteasome composition may have implications for motor neuron development and neurodevelopmental diseases that warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iñaki Álvarez
- Departament de Biologia Cellular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Fisiologia i Immunologia, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; (I.Á.); (A.T.-H.)
| | - Adrián Tirado-Herranz
- Departament de Biologia Cellular, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Fisiologia i Immunologia, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; (I.Á.); (A.T.-H.)
| | - Belén Alvarez-Palomo
- Banc de Sang i Teixits, Edifici Dr. Frederic Duran i Jordà, Passeig Taulat, 116, 08005 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Jordi Requena Osete
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, 0450 Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, 4956 Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael J. Edel
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
- Discipline of Medical Sciences and Genetics, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth 6009, Australia
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Xie M, Pallegar PN, Parusel S, Nguyen AT, Wu LJ. Regulation of cortical hyperexcitability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: focusing on glial mechanisms. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:75. [PMID: 37858176 PMCID: PMC10585818 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00665-w] [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] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of both upper and lower motor neurons, resulting in muscle weakness, atrophy, paralysis, and eventually death. Motor cortical hyperexcitability is a common phenomenon observed at the presymptomatic stage of ALS. Both cell-autonomous (the intrinsic properties of motor neurons) and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms (cells other than motor neurons) are believed to contribute to cortical hyperexcitability. Decoding the pathological relevance of these dynamic changes in motor neurons and glial cells has remained a major challenge. This review summarizes the evidence of cortical hyperexcitability from both clinical and preclinical research, as well as the underlying mechanisms. We discuss the potential role of glial cells, particularly microglia, in regulating abnormal neuronal activity during the disease progression. Identifying early changes such as neuronal hyperexcitability in the motor system may provide new insights for earlier diagnosis of ALS and reveal novel targets to halt the disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manling Xie
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Praveen N Pallegar
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Sebastian Parusel
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Aivi T Nguyen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Long-Jun Wu
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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Prior-González M, Lazo-Gómez R, Tapia R. Sodium butyrate does not protect spinal motor neurons from AMPA-induced excitotoxic degeneration in vivo. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:dmm049851. [PMID: 37756598 PMCID: PMC10581382 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor neuron (MN) loss is the primary pathological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) is one of several factors involved in nerve-muscle communication during MN loss, hindering muscle reinnervation, as shown in humans and in animal models of ALS, and may explain the differential progression observed in patients with ALS - rapid versus slow progression. In this work, we inhibited HDAC4 activity through the administration of a pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor, sodium butyrate, in an in vivo model of chronic spinal MN death induced by AMPA-mediated excitotoxicity. We infused AMPA into the spinal cord at low and high doses, which mimic the rapid and slow progression observed in humans, respectively. We found that muscle HDAC4 expression was increased by high-dose infusion of AMPA. Treatment of animals with sodium butyrate further decreased expression of muscle HDAC4, although non-significantly, and did not prevent the paralysis or the MN loss induced by AMPA infusion. These results inform on the role of muscle HDAC4 in MN degeneration in vivo and provide insights for the search for more suitable therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Prior-González
- División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Rafael Lazo-Gómez
- División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Ricardo Tapia
- División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
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Onda-Ohto A, Hasegawa-Ogawa M, Matsuno H, Shiraishi T, Bono K, Hiraki H, Kanegae Y, Iguchi Y, Okano HJ. Specific vulnerability of iPSC-derived motor neurons with TDP-43 gene mutation to oxidative stress. Mol Brain 2023; 16:62. [PMID: 37496071 PMCID: PMC10369818 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-023-01050-w] [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: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease that affects motor neurons and has a poor prognosis. We focused on TAR DNA-binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43), which is a common component of neuronal inclusions in many ALS patients. To analyze the contribution of TDP-43 mutations to ALS in human cells, we first introduced TDP-43 mutations into healthy human iPSCs using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, induced the differentiation of these cells into motor and sensory neurons, and analyzed factors that are assumed to be altered in or associated with ALS (cell morphology, TDP-43 localization and aggregate formation, cell death, TDP-43 splicing function, etc.). We aimed to clarify the pathological alterations caused solely by TDP-43 mutation, i.e., the changes in human iPSC-derived neurons with TDP-43 mutation compared with those with the same genetic background except TDP-43 mutation. Oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide administration caused the death of TDP-43 mutant-expressing motor neurons but not in sensory neurons, indicating the specific vulnerability of human iPSC-derived motor neurons with TDP-43 mutation to oxidative stress. In our model, we observed aggregate formation in a small fraction of TDP-43 mutant-expressing motor neurons, suggesting that aggregate formation seems to be related to ALS pathology but not the direct cause of cell death. This study provides basic knowledge for elucidating the pathogenesis of ALS and developing treatments for the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asako Onda-Ohto
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
- Department of Neurology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Minami Hasegawa-Ogawa
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Matsuno
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
- Department of Neurology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Tomotaka Shiraishi
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
- Department of Neurology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Keiko Bono
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
- Department of Neurology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Hiromi Hiraki
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
- Department of Neurology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Yumi Kanegae
- Core Research Facilities, Research Center for Medical Sciences, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Iguchi
- Department of Neurology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan
| | - Hirotaka James Okano
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, 105-8461, Japan.
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Gomes Moreira D, Jan A. A beginner's guide into curated analyses of open access datasets for biomarker discovery in neurodegeneration. Sci Data 2023; 10:432. [PMID: 37414779 PMCID: PMC10325954 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02338-1] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The discovery of surrogate biomarkers reflecting neuronal dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) remains an active area of research. To boost these efforts, we demonstrate the utility of publicly available datasets for probing the pathogenic relevance of candidate markers in NDDs. As a starting point, we introduce the readers to several open access resources, which contain gene expression profiles and proteomics datasets from patient studies in common NDDs, including proteomics analyses of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Then, we illustrate the method for curated gene expression analyses across select brain regions from four cohorts of Parkinson disease patients (and from one study in common NDDs), probing glutathione biogenesis, calcium signaling and autophagy. These data are complemented by findings of select markers in CSF-based studies in NDDs. Additionally, we enclose several annotated microarray studies, and summarize reports on CSF proteomics across the NDDs, which the readers can utilize for translational purposes. We anticipate that this "beginner's guide" will benefit the research community in NDDs, and would serve as a useful educational tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Gomes Moreira
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 165, DK-8200, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Asad Jan
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
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11
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Farrawell NE, Bax M, McAlary L, McKenna J, Maksour S, Do-Ha D, Rayner SL, Blair IP, Chung RS, Yerbury JJ, Ooi L, Saunders DN. ALS-linked CCNF variant disrupts motor neuron ubiquitin homeostasis. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:2386-2398. [PMID: 37220877 PMCID: PMC10652331 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad063] [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] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are fatal neurodegenerative disorders that share pathological features, including the aberrant accumulation of ubiquitinated protein inclusions within motor neurons. Previously, we have shown that the sequestration of ubiquitin (Ub) into inclusions disrupts Ub homeostasis in cells expressing ALS-associated variants superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), fused in sarcoma (FUS) and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43). Here, we investigated whether an ALS/FTD-linked pathogenic variant in the CCNF gene, encoding the E3 Ub ligase Cyclin F (CCNF), also perturbs Ub homeostasis. The presence of a pathogenic CCNF variant was shown to cause ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) dysfunction in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons harboring the CCNF S621G mutation. The expression of the CCNFS621G variant was associated with an increased abundance of ubiquitinated proteins and significant changes in the ubiquitination of key UPS components. To further investigate the mechanisms responsible for this UPS dysfunction, we overexpressed CCNF in NSC-34 cells and found that the overexpression of both wild-type (WT) and the pathogenic variant of CCNF (CCNFS621G) altered free Ub levels. Furthermore, double mutants designed to decrease the ability of CCNF to form an active E3 Ub ligase complex significantly improved UPS function in cells expressing both CCNFWT and the CCNFS621G variant and were associated with increased levels of free monomeric Ub. Collectively, these results suggest that alterations to the ligase activity of the CCNF complex and the subsequent disruption to Ub homeostasis play an important role in the pathogenesis of CCNF-associated ALS/FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie E Farrawell
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Monique Bax
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Luke McAlary
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Jessie McKenna
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Simon Maksour
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Dzung Do-Ha
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Stephanie L Rayner
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ian P Blair
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Roger S Chung
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Justin J Yerbury
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Lezanne Ooi
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
| | - Darren N Saunders
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia
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12
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Mead RJ, Shan N, Reiser HJ, Marshall F, Shaw PJ. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a neurodegenerative disorder poised for successful therapeutic translation. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:185-212. [PMID: 36543887 PMCID: PMC9768794 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-022-00612-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 97.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease caused by degeneration of motor neurons. As with all major neurodegenerative disorders, development of disease-modifying therapies has proven challenging for multiple reasons. Nevertheless, ALS is one of the few neurodegenerative diseases for which disease-modifying therapies are approved. Significant discoveries and advances have been made in ALS preclinical models, genetics, pathology, biomarkers, imaging and clinical readouts over the last 10-15 years. At the same time, novel therapeutic paradigms are being applied in areas of high unmet medical need, including neurodegenerative disorders. These developments have evolved our knowledge base, allowing identification of targeted candidate therapies for ALS with diverse mechanisms of action. In this Review, we discuss how this advanced knowledge, aligned with new approaches, can enable effective translation of therapeutic agents from preclinical studies through to clinical benefit for patients with ALS. We anticipate that this approach in ALS will also positively impact the field of drug discovery for neurodegenerative disorders more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Mead
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Keapstone Therapeutics, The Innovation Centre, Broomhall, Sheffield, UK
| | - Ning Shan
- Aclipse Therapeutics, Radnor, PA, US
| | | | - Fiona Marshall
- MSD UK Discovery Centre, Merck, Sharp and Dohme (UK) Limited, London, UK
| | - Pamela J Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
- Keapstone Therapeutics, The Innovation Centre, Broomhall, Sheffield, UK.
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13
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Venugopal S, Ghulam-Jhelani Z, Ahn IS, Yang X, Wiedau M, Simmons D, Chandler SH. Early deficits in GABA inhibition parallels an increase in L-type Ca 2+ currents in the jaw motor neurons of SOD1 G93A mouse model for ALS. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 177:105992. [PMID: 36623607 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.105992] [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: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) involves protracted pre-symptomatic periods of abnormal motor neuron (MN) excitability occurring in parallel with central and peripheral synaptic perturbations. Focusing on inhibitory control of MNs, we first compared longitudinal changes in pre-synaptic terminal proteins for GABA and glycine neurotransmitters around the soma of retrogradely identified trigeminal jaw closer (JC) MNs and ChAT-labeled midbrain extraocular (EO) MNs in the SOD1G93A mouse model for ALS. Fluorescence immunocytochemistry and confocal imaging were used to quantify GAD67 and GlyT2 synaptic bouton density (SBD) around MN soma at pre-symptomatic ages ∼P12 (postnatal), ∼P50 (adult) and near disease end-stage (∼P135) in SOD1G93A mice and age-matched wild-type (WT) controls. We noted reduced GAD67 innervation in the SOD1G93A trigeminal jaw closer MNs around P12, relative to age-matched WT and no significant difference around P50 and P135. In contrast, both GAD67 and GlyT2 innervation were elevated in the SOD1G93A EO MNs at the pre-symptomatic time points. Considering trigeminal MNs are vulnerable in ALS while EO MNs are spared, we suggest that upregulation of inhibition in the latter might be compensatory. Notable contrast also existed in the innate co-expression patterns of GAD67 and GlyT2 with higher mutual information (co-dependency) in EO MNs compared to JC in both SOD1G93A and WT mice, especially at adult stages (P50 and P135). Around P12 when GAD67 terminals expression was low in the mutant, we further tested for persistent GABA inhibition in those MNs using in vitro patch-clamp electrophysiology. Our results show that SOD1G93A JC MNs have reduced persistent GABA inhibition, relative to WT. Pharmacological blocking of an underlying tonically active GABA conductance using the GABA-α5 subunit inverse agonist, L-655-708, disinhibited WT JC MNs and lowered their recruitment threshold, suggesting its role in the control of intrinsic MN excitability. Quantitative RT-PCR in laser dissected JC MNs further supported a reduction in GABA-α5 subunit mRNA expression in the mutant. In light of our previous report that JC MNs forming putative fast motor units have lower input threshold in the SOD1G93A mice, we suggest that our present result on reduced GABA-α5 tonic inhibition provides for a mechanism contributing to such imbalance. In parallel with reduced GABA inhibition, we noted an increase in voltage-gated L-type Ca2+ currents in the mutant JC MNs around P12. Together these results support that, early modifications in intrinsic properties of vulnerable MNs could be an adaptive response to counter synaptic deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharmila Venugopal
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Zohal Ghulam-Jhelani
- Undergraduate Interdepartmental Program for Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - In Sook Ahn
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xia Yang
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Martina Wiedau
- Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Dwayne Simmons
- Department of Biology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Scott H Chandler
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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14
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Ng W, Ng SY. Remodeling of astrocyte secretome in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: uncovering novel targets to combat astrocyte-mediated toxicity. Transl Neurodegener 2022; 11:54. [PMID: 36567359 PMCID: PMC9791755 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-022-00332-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult-onset paralytic disease characterized by progressive degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons in the motor cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. Motor neuron degeneration is typically caused by a combination of intrinsic neuronal (cell autonomous) defects as well as extrinsic (non-cell autonomous) factors such as astrocyte-mediated toxicity. Astrocytes are highly plastic cells that react to their microenvironment to mediate relevant responses. In neurodegeneration, astrocytes often turn reactive and in turn secrete a slew of factors to exert pro-inflammatory and neurotoxic effects. Various efforts have been carried out to characterize the diseased astrocyte secretome over the years, revealing that pro-inflammatory chemokines, cytokines and microRNAs are the main players in mediating neuronal death. As metabolomic technologies mature, these studies begin to shed light on neurotoxic metabolites such as secreted lipids. In this focused review, we will discuss changes in the astrocyte secretome during ALS. In particular, we will discuss the components of the reactive astrocyte secretome that contribute to neuronal death in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winanto Ng
- grid.418812.60000 0004 0620 9243Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673 Singapore
| | - Shi-Yan Ng
- grid.418812.60000 0004 0620 9243Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR Research Entities, Singapore, 138673 Singapore
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15
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Maugeri G, D'Amico AG, D'Agata V. Emerging Roles of the Neurotrophic Peptides IGF-1 and PACAP in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2022; 23:571-573. [PMID: 35929635 DOI: 10.2174/1389203723666220805123251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Grazia Maugeri
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Histology and Movement Sciences, University of Catania, 95100 Catania, Italy
| | | | - Velia D'Agata
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Histology and Movement Sciences, University of Catania, 95100 Catania, Italy
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16
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Butchbach MER, Scott RC. Biological networks and complexity in early-onset motor neuron diseases. Front Neurol 2022; 13:1035406. [PMID: 36341099 PMCID: PMC9634177 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.1035406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are neuromuscular disorders where the spinal motor neurons-either the cell bodies themselves or their axons-are the primary cells affected. To date, there are 120 different genes that are lost or mutated in pediatric-onset MNDs. Most of these childhood-onset disorders, aside from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), lack viable therapeutic options. Previous research on MNDs has focused on understanding the pathobiology of a single, specific gene mutation and targeting therapies to that pathobiology. This reductionist approach has yielded therapeutic options for a specific disorder, in this case SMA. Unfortunately, therapies specific for SMA have not been effective against other pediatric-onset MNDs. Pursuing the same approach for the other defined MNDs would require development of at least 120 independent treatments raising feasibility issues. We propose an alternative to this this type of reductionist approach by conceptualizing MNDs in a complex adaptive systems framework that will allow identification of common molecular and cellular pathways which form biological networks that are adversely affected in early-onset MNDs and thus MNDs with similar phenotypes despite diverse genotypes. This systems biology approach highlights the complexity and self-organization of the motor system as well as the ways in which it can be affected by these genetic disorders. Using this integrated approach to understand early-onset MNDs, we would be better poised to expand the therapeutic repertoire for multiple MNDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E. R. Butchbach
- Division of Neurology, Nemours Children's Hospital Delaware, Wilmington, DE, United States,Department of Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States,*Correspondence: Matthew E. R. Butchbach
| | - Rod C. Scott
- Division of Neurology, Nemours Children's Hospital Delaware, Wilmington, DE, United States,Department of Pediatrics, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States,Neurosciences Unit, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom,Rod C. Scott
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Chisholm CG, Lum JS, Farrawell NE, Yerbury JJ. Ubiquitin homeostasis disruption, a common cause of proteostasis collapse in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? Neural Regen Res 2022; 17:2218-2220. [PMID: 35259837 PMCID: PMC9083156 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.335786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christen G. Chisholm
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Science Medicine and Health Faculty, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Jeremy S. Lum
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Science Medicine and Health Faculty, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Natalie E. Farrawell
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Science Medicine and Health Faculty, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Justin J. Yerbury
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, Science Medicine and Health Faculty, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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18
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Woschitz V, Mei I, Hedlund E, Murray LM. Mouse models of SMA show divergent patterns of neuronal vulnerability and resilience. Skelet Muscle 2022; 12:22. [PMID: 36089582 PMCID: PMC9465884 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-022-00305-9] [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: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a form of motor neuron disease affecting primarily children characterised by the loss of lower motor neurons (MNs). Breakdown of the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) is an early pathological event in SMA. However, not all motor neurons are equally vulnerable, with some populations being lost early in the disease while others remain intact at the disease end-stage. A thorough understanding of the basis of this selective vulnerability will give critical insight into the factors which prohibit pathology in certain motor neuron populations and consequently help identify novel neuroprotective strategies. Methods To retrieve a comprehensive understanding of motor neuron susceptibility in SMA, we mapped NMJ pathology in 20 muscles from the Smn2B/- SMA mouse model and cross-compared these data with published data from three other commonly used mouse models. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms regulating selective resilience and vulnerability, we analysed published RNA sequencing data acquired from differentially vulnerable motor neurons from two different SMA mouse models. Results In the Smn2B/- mouse model of SMA, we identified substantial NMJ loss in the muscles from the core, neck, proximal hind limbs and proximal forelimbs, with a marked reduction in denervation in the distal limbs and head. Motor neuron cell body loss was greater at T5 and T11 compared with L5. We subsequently show that although widespread denervation is observed in each SMA mouse model (with the notable exception of the Taiwanese model), all models have a distinct pattern of selective vulnerability. A comparison of previously published data sets reveals novel transcripts upregulated with a disease in selectively resistant motor neurons, including genes involved in axonal transport, RNA processing and mitochondrial bioenergetics. Conclusions Our work demonstrates that the Smn2B/- mouse model shows a pattern of selective vulnerability which bears resemblance to the regional pathology observed in SMA patients. We found drastic differences in patterns of selective vulnerability across the four SMA mouse models, which is critical to consider during experimental design. We also identified transcript groups that potentially contribute to the protection of certain motor neurons in SMA mouse models. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13395-022-00305-9.
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Lum JS, Yerbury JJ. Misfolding at the synapse: A role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis? Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:997661. [PMID: 36157072 PMCID: PMC9500160 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.997661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing wave of evidence has placed the concept of protein homeostasis at the center of the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This is due primarily to the presence of pathological transactive response DNA-binding protein (TDP-43), fused in sarcoma (FUS) or superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) inclusions within motor neurons of ALS postmortem tissue. However, the earliest pathological alterations associated with ALS occur to the structure and function of the synapse, prior to motor neuron loss. Recent evidence demonstrates the pathological accumulation of ALS-associated proteins (TDP-43, FUS, C9orf72-associated di-peptide repeats and SOD1) within the axo-synaptic compartment of motor neurons. In this review, we discuss this recent evidence and how axo-synaptic proteome dyshomeostasis may contribute to synaptic dysfunction in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy S. Lum
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Justin J. Yerbury
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- *Correspondence: Justin J. Yerbury, ; orcid.org/0000-0003-2528-7039
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20
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The Cell Autonomous and Non-Cell Autonomous Aspects of Neuronal Vulnerability and Resilience in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11081191. [PMID: 36009818 PMCID: PMC9405388 DOI: 10.3390/biology11081191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease characterized by a progressive paralysis due to the loss of particular neurons in our nervous system called motor neurons, that exert voluntary control of all our skeletal muscles. It is not entirely understood why motor neurons are particularly vulnerable in ALS, neither is it completely clear why certain groups of motor neurons, including those that regulate eye movement, are rather resilient to this disease. However, both vulnerability and resilience to ALS likely reflect cell intrinsic properties of different motor neuron subpopulations as well as non-cell autonomous events regulated by surrounding cell types. In this review we dissect the particular properties of different motor neuron types and their responses to disease that may underlie their respective vulnerabilities and resilience. Disease progression in ALS involves multiple cell types that are closely connected to motor neurons and we here also discuss their contributions to the differential vulnerability of motor neurons. Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is defined by the loss of upper motor neurons (MNs) that project from the cerebral cortex to the brain stem and spinal cord and of lower MNs in the brain stem and spinal cord which innervate skeletal muscles, leading to spasticity, muscle atrophy, and paralysis. ALS involves several disease stages, and multiple cell types show dysfunction and play important roles during distinct phases of disease initiation and progression, subsequently leading to selective MN loss. Why MNs are particularly vulnerable in this lethal disease is still not entirely clear. Neither is it fully understood why certain MNs are more resilient to degeneration in ALS than others. Brain stem MNs of cranial nerves III, IV, and VI, which innervate our eye muscles, are highly resistant and persist until the end-stage of the disease, enabling paralyzed patients to communicate through ocular tracking devices. MNs of the Onuf’s nucleus in the sacral spinal cord, that innervate sphincter muscles and control urogenital functions, are also spared throughout the disease. There is also a differential vulnerability among MNs that are intermingled throughout the spinal cord, that directly relate to their physiological properties. Here, fast-twitch fatigable (FF) MNs, which innervate type IIb muscle fibers, are affected early, before onset of clinical symptoms, while slow-twitch (S) MNs, that innervate type I muscle fibers, remain longer throughout the disease progression. The resilience of particular MN subpopulations has been attributed to intrinsic determinants and multiple studies have demonstrated their unique gene regulation and protein content in health and in response to disease. Identified factors within resilient MNs have been utilized to protect more vulnerable cells. Selective vulnerability may also, in part, be driven by non-cell autonomous processes and the unique surroundings and constantly changing environment close to particular MN groups. In this article, we review in detail the cell intrinsic properties of resilient and vulnerable MN groups, as well as multiple additional cell types involved in disease initiation and progression and explain how these may contribute to the selective MN resilience and vulnerability in ALS.
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21
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Cooper F, Tsakiridis A. Towards clinical applications of in vitro-derived axial progenitors. Dev Biol 2022; 489:110-117. [PMID: 35718236 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.06.006] [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: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The production of the tissues that make up the mammalian embryonic trunk takes place in a head-tail direction, via the differentiation of posteriorly-located axial progenitor populations. These include bipotent neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs), which generate both spinal cord neurectoderm and presomitic mesoderm, the precursor of the musculoskeleton. Over the past few years, a number of studies have described the derivation of NMP-like cells from mouse and human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). In turn, these have greatly facilitated the establishment of PSC differentiation protocols aiming to give rise efficiently to posterior mesodermal and neural cell types, which have been particularly challenging to produce using previous approaches. Moreover, the advent of 3-dimensional-based culture systems incorporating distinct axial progenitor-derived cell lineages has opened new avenues toward the functional dissection of early patterning events and cell vs non-cell autonomous effects. Here, we provide a brief overview of the applications of these cell types in disease modelling and cell therapy and speculate on their potential uses in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fay Cooper
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Bioscience, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom; Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom
| | - Anestis Tsakiridis
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Bioscience, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom; Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom.
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22
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Stathmins and Motor Neuron Diseases: Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Targets. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030711. [PMID: 35327513 PMCID: PMC8945549 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are a group of fatal, neurodegenerative disorders with different etiology, clinical course and presentation, caused by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons (MNs). MNs are highly specialized cells equipped with long, axonal processes; axonal defects are some of the main players underlying the pathogenesis of these disorders. Microtubules are key components of the neuronal cytoskeleton characterized by dynamic instability, switching between rapid polymerization and shrinkage. Proteins of the stathmin family affect microtubule dynamics regulating the assembly and the dismantling of tubulin. Stathmin-2 (STMN2) is one of the most abundantly expressed genes in MNs. Following axonal injury, STMN2 expression is upregulated, and the protein is transported toward the growth cones of regenerating axons. STMN2 has a critical role in axonal maintenance, and its dysregulation plays an important role in neurodegenerative processes. Stathmin-1 (STMN1) is a ubiquitous protein that is highly expressed during the development of the nervous system, and its phosphorylation controls microtubule dynamics. In the present review, we summarize what is currently known about the involvement of stathmin alterations in MNDs and the potential therapeutic effect of their modulation, with a specific focus on the most common forms of MND, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
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23
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Handley EE, Reale LA, Chuckowree JA, Dyer MS, Barnett GL, Clark CM, Bennett W, Dickson TC, Blizzard CA. Estrogen Enhances Dendrite Spine Function and Recovers Deficits in Neuroplasticity in the prpTDP-43A315T Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:2962-2976. [PMID: 35249200 PMCID: PMC9016039 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-02742-5] [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: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) attacks the corticomotor system, with motor cortex function affected early in disease. Younger females have a lower relative risk of succumbing to ALS than males and older females, implicating a role for female sex hormones in disease progression. However, the mechanisms driving this dimorphic incidence are still largely unknown. We endeavoured to determine if estrogen mitigates disease progression and pathogenesis, focussing upon the dendritic spine as a site of action. Using two-photon live imaging we identify, in the prpTDP-43A315T mouse model of ALS, that dendritic spines in the male motor cortex have a reduced capacity for remodelling than their wild-type controls. In contrast, females show higher capacity for remodelling, with peak plasticity corresponding to highest estrogen levels during the estrous cycle. Estrogen manipulation through ovariectomies and estrogen replacement with 17β estradiol in vivo was found to significantly alter spine density and mitigate disease severity. Collectively, these findings reveal that synpatic plasticity is reduced in ALS, which can be amelioriated with estrogen, in conjuction with improved disease outcomes.
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Lotti F, Przedborski S. Motoneuron Diseases. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 28:323-352. [PMID: 36066831 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-07167-6_13] [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: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Motoneuron diseases (MNDs) represent a heterogeneous group of progressive paralytic disorders, mainly characterized by the loss of upper (corticospinal) motoneurons, lower (spinal) motoneurons or, often both. MNDs can occur from birth to adulthood and have a highly variable clinical presentation, even within gene-positive forms, suggesting the existence of environmental and genetic modifiers. A combination of cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous mechanisms contributes to motoneuron degeneration in MNDs, suggesting multifactorial pathogenic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Lotti
- Departments of Neurology, Pathology & Cell Biology, and Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Serge Przedborski
- Departments of Neurology, Pathology & Cell Biology, and Neuroscience, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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25
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Zuccaro E, Piol D, Basso M, Pennuto M. Motor Neuron Diseases and Neuroprotective Peptides: A Closer Look to Neurons. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:723871. [PMID: 34603008 PMCID: PMC8484953 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.723871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor neurons (MNs) are specialized neurons responsible for muscle contraction that specifically degenerate in motor neuron diseases (MNDs), such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Distinct classes of MNs degenerate at different rates in disease, with a particular class named fast-fatigable MNs (FF-MNs) degenerating first. The etiology behind the selective vulnerability of FF-MNs is still largely under investigation. Among the different strategies to target MNs, the administration of protective neuropeptides is one of the potential therapeutic interventions. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a neuropeptide with beneficial effects in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and more recently SBMA. Another neuropeptide that has a neurotrophic effect on MNs is insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), also known as somatomedin C. These two peptides are implicated in the activation of neuroprotective pathways exploitable in the amelioration of pathological outcomes related to MNDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Zuccaro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy.,Padova Neuroscience Center, Padua, Italy
| | - Diana Piol
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Manuela Basso
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Maria Pennuto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy.,Padova Neuroscience Center, Padua, Italy
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Abstract
Eye movements are indispensable for visual image stabilization during self-generated and passive head and body motion and for visual orientation. Eye muscles and neuronal control elements are evolutionarily conserved, with novel behavioral repertoires emerging during the evolution of frontal eyes and foveae. The precise execution of eye movements with different dynamics is ensured by morphologically diverse yet complementary sets of extraocular muscle fibers and associated motoneurons. Singly and multiply innervated muscle fibers are controlled by motoneuronal subpopulations with largely selective premotor inputs from task-specific ocular motor control centers. The morphological duality of the neuromuscular interface is matched by complementary biochemical and molecular features that collectively assign different physiological properties to the motor entities. In contrast, the functionality represents a continuum where most motor elements contribute to any type of eye movement, although within preferential dynamic ranges, suggesting that signal transmission and muscle contractions occur within bands of frequency-selective pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja K E Horn
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology I, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany;
| | - Hans Straka
- Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, 82152 Planegg, Germany
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Mayadali ÜS, Fleuriet J, Mustari M, Straka H, Horn AKE. Transmitter and ion channel profiles of neurons in the primate abducens and trochlear nuclei. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2125-2151. [PMID: 34181058 PMCID: PMC8354957 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02315-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Extraocular motoneurons initiate dynamically different eye movements, including saccades, smooth pursuit and vestibulo-ocular reflexes. These motoneurons subdivide into two main types based on the structure of the neuro-muscular interface: motoneurons of singly-innervated (SIF), and motoneurons of multiply-innervated muscle fibers (MIF). SIF motoneurons are thought to provoke strong and brief/fast muscle contractions, whereas MIF motoneurons initiate prolonged, slow contractions. While relevant for adequate functionality, transmitter and ion channel profiles associated with the morpho-physiological differences between these motoneuron types, have not been elucidated so far. This prompted us to investigate the expression of voltage-gated potassium, sodium and calcium ion channels (Kv1.1, Kv3.1b, Nav1.6, Cav3.1-3.3, KCC2), the transmitter profiles of their presynaptic terminals (vGlut1 and 2, GlyT2 and GAD) and transmitter receptors (GluR2/3, NMDAR1, GlyR1α) using immunohistochemical analyses of abducens and trochlear motoneurons and of abducens internuclear neurons (INTs) in macaque monkeys. The main findings were: (1) MIF and SIF motoneurons express unique voltage-gated ion channel profiles, respectively, likely accounting for differences in intrinsic membrane properties. (2) Presynaptic glutamatergic synapses utilize vGlut2, but not vGlut1. (3) Trochlear motoneurons receive GABAergic inputs, abducens neurons receive both GABAergic and glycinergic inputs. (4) Synaptic densities differ between MIF and SIF motoneurons, with MIF motoneurons receiving fewer terminals. (5) Glutamatergic receptor subtypes differ between MIF and SIF motoneurons. While NMDAR1 is intensely expressed in INTs, MIF motoneurons lack this receptor subtype entirely. The obtained cell-type-specific transmitter and conductance profiles illuminate the structural substrates responsible for differential contributions of neurons in the abducens and trochlear nuclei to eye movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ümit Suat Mayadali
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Dept. I, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jérome Fleuriet
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA
- Intensive Care Unit, Raymond Poincaré Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Garches, France
| | - Michael Mustari
- Washington National Primate Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Washington Seattle, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Hans Straka
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Anja Kerstin Ellen Horn
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Dept. I, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany.
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28
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Two distinct skeletal muscle microRNA signatures revealing the complex mechanism of sporadic ALS. Acta Neurol Belg 2021; 122:1499-1509. [PMID: 34241798 DOI: 10.1007/s13760-021-01743-w] [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: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Skeletal muscle pathology is thought to have an important role in the onset and/or progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness. Since miRNAs are recognized as important regulatory factors of essential biological processes, we aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in the skeletal muscle of sporadic ALS patients through the combination of molecular-omic technologies and bioinformatic tools. We analyzed the miRnome profiles of skeletal muscle biopsies acquired from ten sALS patients and five controls with Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 4.0 Array. To find out differentially expressed miRNAs in patients, data were analyzed by The Institute for Genomic Research-Multi Experiment Viewer (MeV) and miRNAs whose expression difference were statistically significant were identified as candidates. The potential target genes of these miRNAs were predicted by miRWalk 2.0 and were functionally enriched by gene ontology (GO) analysis. The expression level of priority candidates was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. We identified ten differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with a fold change threshold ≥ 2.0, FDR = 0. We identified ten differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with a fold change threshold ≥ 2.0, FDR = 0. Nine out of the ten miRNAs were found to be related to top three enriched ALS-related terms. Based on the qRT-PCR validation of candidate miRNAs, patients were separated into two groups: those with upregulated miR-4429 and miR-1825 expression and those with downregulated miR-638 expression. The different muscle-specific miRNA profiles in sALS patients may indicate the involvement of etiologic heterogeneity, which may allow the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
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Roy R, Mahadevappa M, Nazarpour K. An Electro-Oculogram Based Vision System for Grasp Assistive Devices-A Proof of Concept Study. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21134515. [PMID: 34282770 PMCID: PMC8271916 DOI: 10.3390/s21134515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Humans typically fixate on objects before moving their arm to grasp the object. Patients with ALS disorder can also select the object with their intact eye movement, but are unable to move their limb due to the loss of voluntary muscle control. Though several research works have already achieved success in generating the correct grasp type from their brain measurement, we are still searching for fine controll over an object with a grasp assistive device (orthosis/exoskeleton/robotic arm). Object orientation and object width are two important parameters for controlling the wrist angle and the grasp aperture of the assistive device to replicate a human-like stable grasp. Vision systems are already evolved to measure the geometrical attributes of the object to control the grasp with a prosthetic hand. However, most of the existing vision systems are integrated with electromyography and require some amount of voluntary muscle movement to control the vision system. Due to that reason, those systems are not beneficial for the users with brain-controlled assistive devices. Here, we implemented a vision system which can be controlled through the human gaze. We measured the vertical and horizontal electrooculogram signals and controlled the pan and tilt of a cap-mounted webcam to keep the object of interest in focus and at the centre of the picture. A simple ‘signature’ extraction procedure was also utilized to reduce the algorithmic complexity and system storage capacity. The developed device has been tested with ten healthy participants. We approximated the object orientation and the size of the object and determined an appropriate wrist orientation angle and the grasp aperture size within 22 ms. The combined accuracy exceeded 75%. The integration of the proposed system with the brain-controlled grasp assistive device and increasing the number of grasps can offer more natural manoeuvring in grasp for ALS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinku Roy
- Advanced Technology and Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302, India
- Correspondence:
| | - Manjunatha Mahadevappa
- Indian Institute of Technology, School of Medical Science and Technology, Kharagpur 721302, India;
| | - Kianoush Nazarpour
- Edinburgh Neuroprosthetics Laboratory, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK;
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Wind M, Gogolou A, Manipur I, Granata I, Butler L, Andrews PW, Barbaric I, Ning K, Guarracino MR, Placzek M, Tsakiridis A. Defining the signalling determinants of a posterior ventral spinal cord identity in human neuromesodermal progenitor derivatives. Development 2021; 148:dev194415. [PMID: 33658223 PMCID: PMC8015249 DOI: 10.1242/dev.194415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The anteroposterior axial identity of motor neurons (MNs) determines their functionality and vulnerability to neurodegeneration. Thus, it is a crucial parameter in the design of strategies aiming to produce MNs from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for regenerative medicine/disease modelling applications. However, the in vitro generation of posterior MNs corresponding to the thoracic/lumbosacral spinal cord has been challenging. Although the induction of cells resembling neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs), the bona fide precursors of the spinal cord, offers a promising solution, the progressive specification of posterior MNs from these cells is not well defined. Here, we determine the signals guiding the transition of human NMP-like cells toward thoracic ventral spinal cord neurectoderm. We show that combined WNT-FGF activities drive a posterior dorsal pre-/early neural state, whereas suppression of TGFβ-BMP signalling pathways promotes a ventral identity and neural commitment. Based on these results, we define an optimised protocol for the generation of thoracic MNs that can efficiently integrate within the neural tube of chick embryos. We expect that our findings will facilitate the comparison of hPSC-derived spinal cord cells of distinct axial identities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Wind
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Antigoni Gogolou
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ichcha Manipur
- Computational and Data Science Laboratory, High Performance Computing and Networking Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Napoli 80131, Italy
| | - Ilaria Granata
- Computational and Data Science Laboratory, High Performance Computing and Networking Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Napoli 80131, Italy
| | - Larissa Butler
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Peter W Andrews
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ivana Barbaric
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ke Ning
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2HQ, UK
| | | | - Marysia Placzek
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Anestis Tsakiridis
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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31
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Neuroprotective Effect of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor on Motoneurons of the Oculomotor System. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22020814. [PMID: 33467517 PMCID: PMC7830098 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was initially characterized as a potent angiogenic factor based on its activity on the vascular system. However, it is now well established that VEGF also plays a crucial role as a neuroprotective factor in the nervous system. A deficit of VEGF has been related to motoneuronal degeneration, such as that occurring in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Strikingly, motoneurons of the oculomotor system show lesser vulnerability to neurodegeneration in ALS compared to other motoneurons. These motoneurons presented higher amounts of VEGF and its receptor Flk-1 than other brainstem pools. That higher VEGF level could be due to an enhanced retrograde input from their target muscles, but it can also be produced by the motoneurons themselves and act in an autocrine way. By contrast, VEGF’s paracrine supply from the vicinity cells, such as glial cells, seems to represent a minor source of VEGF for brainstem motoneurons. In addition, ocular motoneurons experiment an increase in VEGF and Flk-1 level in response to axotomy, not observed in facial or hypoglossal motoneurons. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the differences in VEGF availability that could contribute to the higher resistance of extraocular motoneurons to injury and neurodegenerative diseases.
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32
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Granzotto A, Canzoniero LMT, Sensi SL. A Neurotoxic Ménage-à-trois: Glutamate, Calcium, and Zinc in the Excitotoxic Cascade. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:600089. [PMID: 33324162 PMCID: PMC7725690 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.600089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Fifty years ago, the seminal work by John Olney provided the first evidence of the neurotoxic properties of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. A process hereafter termed excitotoxicity. Since then, glutamate-driven neuronal death has been linked to several acute and chronic neurological conditions, like stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Mechanisms linked to the overactivation of glutamatergic receptors involve an aberrant cation influx, which produces the failure of the ionic neuronal milieu. In this context, zinc, the second most abundant metal ion in the brain, is a key but still somehow underappreciated player of the excitotoxic cascade. Zinc is an essential element for neuronal functioning, but when dysregulated acts as a potent neurotoxin. In this review, we discuss the ionic changes and downstream effects involved in the glutamate-driven neuronal loss, with a focus on the role exerted by zinc. Finally, we summarize our work on the fascinating distinct properties of NADPH-diaphorase neurons. This neuronal subpopulation is spared from excitotoxic insults and represents a powerful tool to understand mechanisms of resilience against excitotoxic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Granzotto
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States.,Center for Advanced Sciences and Technology (CAST), University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences (DNISC), Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Stefano L Sensi
- Center for Advanced Sciences and Technology (CAST), University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences (DNISC), Laboratory of Molecular Neurology, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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33
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Ubiquitin Homeostasis Is Disrupted in TDP-43 and FUS Cell Models of ALS. iScience 2020; 23:101700. [PMID: 33196025 PMCID: PMC7644588 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A major feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology is the accumulation of ubiquitin (Ub) into intracellular inclusions. This sequestration of Ub may reduce the availability of free Ub, disrupting Ub homeostasis and ultimately compromising cellular function and survival. We previously reported significant disturbance of Ub homeostasis in neuronal-like cells expressing mutant SOD1. Here, we show that Ub homeostasis is also perturbed in neuronal-like cells expressing either TDP-43 or FUS. The expression of mutant TDP-43 and mutant FUS led to UPS dysfunction, which was associated with a redistribution of Ub and depletion of the free Ub pool. Redistribution of Ub is also a feature of sporadic ALS, with an increase in Ub signal associated with inclusions and no compensatory increase in Ub expression. Together, these findings suggest that alterations to Ub homeostasis caused by the misfolding and aggregation of ALS-associated proteins play an important role in the pathogenesis of ALS.
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34
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Schellino R, Boido M, Vercelli A. The Dual Nature of Onuf's Nucleus: Neuroanatomical Features and Peculiarities, in Health and Disease. Front Neuroanat 2020; 14:572013. [PMID: 33013330 PMCID: PMC7500142 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2020.572013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Onuf's nucleus is a small group of neurons located in the ventral horns of the sacral spinal cord. The motor neurons (MNs) of Onuf's nucleus innervate striated voluntary muscles of the pelvic floor and are histologically and biochemically comparable to the other somatic spinal MNs. However, curiously, these neurons also show some autonomic-like features as, for instance, they receive a strong peptidergic innervation. The review provides an overview of the histological, biochemical, metabolic, and gene expression peculiarities of Onuf's nucleus. Moreover, it describes the aging-related pathologies as well as several traumatic and neurodegenerative disorders in which its neurons are involved: indeed, Onuf's nucleus is affected in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Shy-Drager Syndrome (SDS), whereas it is spared in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). We summarize here the milestone studies that have contributed to clarifying the nature of Onuf's neurons and in understanding what makes them either vulnerable or resistant to damage. Altogether, these works can offer the possibility to develop new therapeutic strategies for counteracting neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Schellino
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marina Boido
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,National Institute of Neuroscience, Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandro Vercelli
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,National Institute of Neuroscience, Turin, Italy
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35
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Nolan M, Scott C, Gamarallage MP, Lunn D, Carpenter K, McDonough E, Meyer D, Kaanumalle S, Santamaria-Pang A, Turner MR, Talbot K, Ansorge O. Quantitative patterns of motor cortex proteinopathy across ALS genotypes. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2020; 8:98. [PMID: 32616036 PMCID: PMC7331195 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-020-00961-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Degeneration of the primary motor cortex is a defining feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which is associated with the accumulation of microscopic protein aggregates in neurons and glia. However, little is known about the quantitative burden and pattern of motor cortex proteinopathies across ALS genotypes. We combined quantitative digital image analysis with multi-level generalized linear modelling in an independent cohort of 82 ALS cases to explore the relationship between genotype, total proteinopathy load and cellular vulnerability to aggregate formation. Primary motor cortex phosphorylated (p)TDP-43 burden and microglial activation were more severe in sporadic ALS-TDP disease than C9-ALS. Oligodendroglial pTDP-43 pathology was a defining feature of ALS-TDP in sporadic ALS, C9-ALS and ALS with OPTN, HNRNPA1 or TARDBP mutations. ALS-FUS and ALS-SOD1 showed less cortical proteinopathy in relation to spinal cord pathology than ALS-TDP, where pathology was more evenly spread across the motor cortex-spinal cord axis. Neuronal pTDP-43 aggregates were rare in GAD67+ and Parvalbumin+ inhibitory interneurons, consistent with predominant accumulation in excitatory neurons. Finally, we show that cortical microglia, but not astrocytes, contain pTDP-43. Our findings suggest divergent quantitative, genotype-specific vulnerability of the ALS primary motor cortex to proteinopathies, which may have implications for our understanding of disease pathogenesis and the development of genotype-specific therapies.
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36
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Villalón E, Kline RA, Smith CE, Lorson ZC, Osman EY, O'Day S, Murray LM, Lorson CL. AAV9-Stathmin1 gene delivery improves disease phenotype in an intermediate mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 28:3742-3754. [PMID: 31363739 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a devastating infantile genetic disorder caused by the loss of survival motor neuron (SMN) protein that leads to premature death due to loss of motor neurons and muscle atrophy. The approval of an antisense oligonucleotide therapy for SMA was an important milestone in SMA research; however, effective next-generation therapeutics will likely require combinatorial SMN-dependent therapeutics and SMN-independent disease modifiers. A recent cross-disease transcriptomic analysis identified Stathmin-1 (STMN1), a tubulin-depolymerizing protein, as a potential disease modifier across different motor neuron diseases, including SMA. Here, we investigated whether viral-based delivery of STMN1 decreased disease severity in a well-characterized SMA mouse model. Intracerebroventricular delivery of scAAV9-STMN1 in SMA mice at P2 significantly increased survival and weight gain compared to untreated SMA mice without elevating Smn levels. scAAV9-STMN1 improved important hallmarks of disease, including motor function, NMJ pathology and motor neuron cell preservation. Furthermore, scAAV9-STMN1 treatment restored microtubule networks and tubulin expression without affecting tubulin stability. Our results show that scAAV9-STMN1 treatment improves SMA pathology possibly by increasing microtubule turnover leading to restored levels of stable microtubules. Overall, these data demonstrate that STMN1 can significantly reduce the SMA phenotype independent of restoring SMN protein and highlight the importance of developing SMN-independent therapeutics for the treatment of SMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Villalón
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - R A Kline
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - C E Smith
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Z C Lorson
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - E Y Osman
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - S O'Day
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - L M Murray
- Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - C L Lorson
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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Yerbury JJ, Farrawell NE, McAlary L. Proteome Homeostasis Dysfunction: A Unifying Principle in ALS Pathogenesis. Trends Neurosci 2020; 43:274-284. [PMID: 32353332 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2020.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease but currently has no effective treatment. Growing evidence suggests that proteome homeostasis underlies ALS pathogenesis. Protein production, trafficking, and degradation all shape the proteome. We present a hypothesis that proposes all genetic lesions associated with ALS (including in mRNA-binding proteins) cause widespread imbalance to an already metastable proteome. The impact of such dysfunction is felt across the entire proteome and is not restricted to a small subset of proteins. Proteome imbalance may cause functional defects, such as excitability alterations, and eventually cell death. While this idea is a unifying principle for all of ALS, we propose that stratification will appear that might dictate the efficacy of therapeutics based on the proteostasis network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Yerbury
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Natalie E Farrawell
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Luke McAlary
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
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Nizzardo M, Taiana M, Rizzo F, Aguila Benitez J, Nijssen J, Allodi I, Melzi V, Bresolin N, Comi GP, Hedlund E, Corti S. Synaptotagmin 13 is neuroprotective across motor neuron diseases. Acta Neuropathol 2020; 139:837-853. [PMID: 32065260 PMCID: PMC7181443 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-020-02133-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), spinal and lower brainstem motor neurons degenerate, but some motor neuron subtypes are spared, including oculomotor neurons (OMNs). The mechanisms responsible for this selective degeneration are largely unknown, but the molecular signatures of resistant and vulnerable motor neurons are distinct and offer clues to neuronal resilience and susceptibility. Here, we demonstrate that healthy OMNs preferentially express Synaptotagmin 13 (SYT13) compared to spinal motor neurons. In end-stage ALS patients, SYT13 is enriched in both OMNs and the remaining relatively resilient spinal motor neurons compared to controls. Overexpression of SYT13 in ALS and SMA patient motor neurons in vitro improves their survival and increases axon lengths. Gene therapy with Syt13 prolongs the lifespan of ALS mice by 14% and SMA mice by 50% by preserving motor neurons and delaying muscle denervation. SYT13 decreases endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis of motor neurons, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, SYT13 is a resilience factor that can protect motor neurons and a candidate therapeutic target across motor neuron diseases.
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Liu W, Venugopal S, Majid S, Ahn IS, Diamante G, Hong J, Yang X, Chandler SH. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis of the brainstem of mutant SOD1 mice reveals perturbed cell types and pathways of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurobiol Dis 2020; 141:104877. [PMID: 32360664 PMCID: PMC7519882 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons throughout the brain and spinal cord progressively degenerate resulting in muscle atrophy, paralysis and death. Recent studies using animal models of ALS implicate multiple cell-types (e.g., astrocytes and microglia) in ALS pathogenesis in the spinal motor systems. To ascertain cellular vulnerability and cell-type specific mechanisms of ALS in the brainstem that orchestrates oral-motor functions, we conducted parallel single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis using the high-throughput Drop-seq method. We isolated 1894 and 3199 cells from the brainstem of wildtype and mutant SOD1 symptomatic mice respectively, at postnatal day 100. We recovered major known cell types and neuronal subpopulations, such as interneurons and motor neurons, and trigeminal ganglion (TG) peripheral sensory neurons, as well as, previously uncharacterized interneuron subtypes. We found that the majority of the cell types displayed transcriptomic alterations in ALS mice. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of individual cell populations revealed cell-type specific alterations in numerous pathways, including previously known ALS pathways such as inflammation (in microglia), stress response (ependymal and an uncharacterized cell population), neurogenesis (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, neurons), synapse organization and transmission (microglia, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, and neuronal subtypes), and mitochondrial function (uncharacterized cell populations). Other cell-type specific processes altered in SOD1 mutant brainstem include those from motor neurons (axon regeneration, voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels underlying excitability, potassium ion transport), trigeminal sensory neurons (detection of temperature stimulus involved in sensory perception), and cellular response to toxic substances (uncharacterized cell populations). DEGs consistently altered across cell types (e.g., Malat1), as well as cell-type specific DEGs, were identified. Importantly, DEGs from various cell types overlapped with known ALS genes from the literature and with top hits from an existing human ALS genome-wide association study (GWAS), implicating the potential cell types in which the ALS genes function with ALS pathogenesis. Our molecular investigation at single cell resolution provides comprehensive insights into the cell types, genes and pathways altered in the brainstem in a widely used ALS mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Liu
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Sharmila Venugopal
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Sana Majid
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA
| | - In Sook Ahn
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Graciel Diamante
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Jason Hong
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Xia Yang
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, USA; Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
| | - Scott H Chandler
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, 2024 Terasaki Bld, 610 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
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40
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A Study of Gene Expression Changes in Human Spinal and Oculomotor Neurons; Identifying Potential Links to Sporadic ALS. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11040448. [PMID: 32325953 PMCID: PMC7230244 DOI: 10.3390/genes11040448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes compromised function of motor neurons and neuronal death. However, oculomotor neurons are largely spared from disease symptoms. The underlying causes for sporadic ALS as well as for the resistance of oculomotor neurons to disease symptoms remain poorly understood. In this bioinformatic-analysis, we compared the gene expression profiles of spinal and oculomotor tissue samples from control individuals and sporadic ALS patients. We show that the genes GAD2 and GABRE (involved in GABA signaling), and CALB1 (involved in intracellular Ca2+ ion buffering) are downregulated in the spinal tissues of ALS patients, but their endogenous levels are higher in oculomotor tissues relative to the spinal tissues. Our results suggest that the downregulation of these genes and processes in spinal tissues are related to sporadic ALS disease progression and their upregulation in oculomotor neurons confer upon them resistance to ALS symptoms. These results build upon prevailing models of excitotoxicity that are relevant to sporadic ALS disease progression and point out unique opportunities for better understanding the progression of neurodegenerative properties associated with sporadic ALS.
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41
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Mole AJ, Bell S, Thomson AK, Dissanayake KN, Ribchester RR, Murray LM. Synaptic withdrawal following nerve injury is influenced by postnatal maturity, muscle-specific properties, and the presence of underlying pathology in mice. J Anat 2020; 237:263-274. [PMID: 32311115 PMCID: PMC7369188 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Axonal and synaptic degeneration occur following nerve injury and during disease. Traumatic nerve injury results in rapid fragmentation of the distal axon and loss of synaptic terminals, in a process known as Wallerian degeneration (WD). Identifying and understanding factors that influence the rate of WD is of significant biological and clinical importance, as it will facilitate understanding of the mechanisms of neurodegeneration and identification of novel therapeutic targets. Here, we investigate levels of synaptic loss following nerve injury under a range of conditions, including during postnatal development, in a range of anatomically distinct muscles and in a mouse model of motor neuron disease. By utilising an ex vivo model of nerve injury, we show that synaptic withdrawal is slower during early postnatal development. Significantly more neuromuscular junctions remained fully innervated in the cranial nerve/muscle preparations analysed at P15 than at P25. Furthermore, we demonstrate variability in the level of synaptic withdrawal in response to injury in different muscles, with retraction being slower in abdominal preparations than in cranial muscles across all time points analysed. Importantly, differences between the cranial and thoracoabdominal musculature seen here are not consistent with differences in muscle vulnerability that have been previously reported in mouse models of the childhood motor neuron disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), caused by depletion of survival motor neuron protein (Smn). To further investigate the relationship between synaptic degeneration in SMA and WD, we induced WD in preparations from the Smn2B/− mouse model of SMA. In a disease‐resistant muscle (rostral band of levator auris longus), where there is minimal denervation, there was no change in the level of synaptic loss, which suggests that the process of synaptic withdrawal following injury is Smn‐independent. However, in a muscle with ongoing degeneration (transvs. abdominis), the level of synaptic loss significantly increased, with the percentage of denervated endplates increasing by 33% following injury, compared to disease alone. We therefore conclude that the presence of a die‐back can accelerate synaptic loss after injury in Smn2B/− mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alannah J Mole
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sarah Bell
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alison K Thomson
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kosala N Dissanayake
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Richard R Ribchester
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lyndsay M Murray
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, Edinburgh, UK
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42
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Silva-Hucha S, Carrero-Rojas G, Fernández de Sevilla ME, Benítez-Temiño B, Davis-López de Carrizosa MA, Pastor AM, Morcuende S. Sources and lesion-induced changes of VEGF expression in brainstem motoneurons. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1033-1053. [PMID: 32189115 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02057-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Motoneurons of the oculomotor system show lesser vulnerability to neurodegeneration compared to other cranial motoneurons, as seen in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is involved in motoneuronal protection. As previously shown, motoneurons innervating extraocular muscles present a higher amount of VEGF and its receptor Flk-1 compared to facial or hypoglossal motoneurons. Therefore, we aimed to study the possible sources of VEGF to brainstem motoneurons, such as glial cells and target muscles. We also studied the regulation of VEGF in response to axotomy in ocular, facial, and hypoglossal motor nuclei. Basal VEGF expression in astrocytes and microglial cells of the cranial motor nuclei was low. Although the presence of VEGF in the different target muscles for brainstem motoneurons was similar, the presynaptic element of the ocular neuromuscular junction showed higher amounts of Flk-1, which could result in greater efficiency in the capture of the factor by oculomotor neurons. Seven days after axotomy, a clear glial reaction was observed in all the brainstem nuclei, but the levels of the neurotrophic factor remained low in glial cells. Only the injured motoneurons of the oculomotor system showed an increase in VEGF and Flk-1, but such an increase was not detected in axotomized facial or hypoglossal motoneurons. Taken together, our findings suggest that the ocular motoneurons themselves upregulate VEGF expression in response to lesion. In conclusion, the low VEGF expression observed in glial cells suggests that these cells are not the main source of VEGF for brainstem motoneurons. Therefore, the higher VEGF expression observed in motoneurons innervating extraocular muscles is likely due either to the fact that this factor is more avidly taken up from the target muscles, in basal conditions, or is produced by these motoneurons themselves, and acts in an autocrine manner after axotomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Silva-Hucha
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Génova Carrero-Rojas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Beatriz Benítez-Temiño
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Angel M Pastor
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Sara Morcuende
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain.
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43
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Fogarty MJ, Brown AD, Sieck GC. MOTOR NEURON LOSS IN AGING AND AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS: DIFFERENT FUSE LENGTHS, SAME EXPLOSION. PHYSIOLOGICAL MINI-REVIEWS 2020; 13:1-11. [PMID: 37577056 PMCID: PMC10416778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Advanced age and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are both associated with a loss of motor neurons resulting in muscle fiber atrophy and muscle weakness. Aging associated muscle fiber atrophy and weakening is termed sarcopenia, but the association with motor neuron loss is not as clearly established as in ALS, probably related to the prolonged time course of aging-related changes. Although aging and ALS effects on limb muscle strength and neuromotor performance are serious, such effects on the diaphragm muscle can be life threatening. Converging evidence indicates that larger phrenic motor neurons, innervating more fatigable type IIx and/or IIb diaphragm muscle fibers (fast fatigue intermediate, FInt and fast fatigable, FF motor units) are more susceptible to degeneration with both aging and ALS compared to smaller phrenic motor neurons innervating type I and IIa diaphragm muscle fibers (slow and fast fatigue resistant motor units, respectively). The etiology of ALS and age-related loss of motor neurons appears to involve mitochondrial function and neuroinflammation, both chronic and acute exacerbation. How mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation and motor neuron size intersect is the focus of continuing investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Fogarty
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Alyssa D. Brown
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Gary C. Sieck
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
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44
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Circuit-Specific Early Impairment of Proprioceptive Sensory Neurons in the SOD1 G93A Mouse Model for ALS. J Neurosci 2019; 39:8798-8815. [PMID: 31530644 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1214-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons degenerate, resulting in muscle atrophy, paralysis, and fatality. Studies using mouse models of ALS indicate a protracted period of disease development with progressive motor neuron pathology, evident as early as embryonic and postnatal stages. Key missing information includes concomitant alterations in the sensorimotor circuit essential for normal development and function of the neuromuscular system. Leveraging unique brainstem circuitry, we show in vitro evidence for reflex circuit-specific postnatal abnormalities in the jaw proprioceptive sensory neurons in the well-studied SOD1G93A mouse. These include impaired and arrhythmic action potential burst discharge associated with a deficit in Nav1.6 Na+ channels. However, the mechanoreceptive and nociceptive trigeminal ganglion neurons and the visual sensory retinal ganglion neurons were resistant to excitability changes in age-matched SOD1G93A mice. Computational modeling of the observed disruption in sensory patterns predicted asynchronous self-sustained motor neuron discharge suggestive of imminent reflexive defects, such as muscle fasciculations in ALS. These results demonstrate a novel reflex circuit-specific proprioceptive sensory abnormality in ALS.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neurodegenerative diseases have prolonged periods of disease development and progression. Identifying early markers of vulnerability can therefore help devise better diagnostic and treatment strategies. In this study, we examined postnatal abnormalities in the electrical excitability of muscle spindle afferent proprioceptive neurons in the well-studied SOD1G93A mouse model for neurodegenerative motor neuron disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Our findings suggest that these proprioceptive sensory neurons are exclusively afflicted early in the disease process relative to sensory neurons of other modalities. Moreover, they presented Nav1.6 Na+ channel deficiency, which contributed to arrhythmic burst discharge. Such sensory arrhythmia could initiate reflexive defects, such as muscle fasciculations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as suggested by our computational model.
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45
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Cho KI, Yoon D, Yu M, Peachey NS, Ferreira PA. Microglial activation in an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like model caused by Ranbp2 loss and nucleocytoplasmic transport impairment in retinal ganglion neurons. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:3407-3432. [PMID: 30944974 PMCID: PMC6698218 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03078-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Nucleocytoplasmic transport is dysregulated in sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and retinal ganglion neurons (RGNs) are purportedly involved in ALS. The Ran-binding protein 2 (Ranbp2) controls rate-limiting steps of nucleocytoplasmic transport. Mice with Ranbp2 loss in Thy1+-motoneurons develop cardinal ALS-like motor traits, but the impairments in RGNs and the degree of dysfunctional consonance between RGNs and motoneurons caused by Ranbp2 loss are unknown. This will help to understand the role of nucleocytoplasmic transport in the differential vulnerability of neuronal cell types to ALS and to uncover non-motor endophenotypes with pathognomonic signs of ALS. Here, we ascertain Ranbp2's function and endophenotypes in RGNs of an ALS-like mouse model lacking Ranbp2 in motoneurons and RGNs. Thy1+-RGNs lacking Ranbp2 shared with motoneurons the dysregulation of nucleocytoplasmic transport. RGN abnormalities were comprised morphologically by soma hypertrophy and optic nerve axonopathy and physiologically by a delay of the visual pathway's evoked potentials. Whole-transcriptome analysis showed restricted transcriptional changes in optic nerves that were distinct from those found in sciatic nerves. Specifically, the level and nucleocytoplasmic partition of the anti-apoptotic and novel substrate of Ranbp2, Pttg1/securin, were dysregulated. Further, acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, which modulates de novo synthesis of fatty acids and T-cell immunity, showed the highest up-regulation (35-fold). This effect was reflected by the activation of ramified CD11b+ and CD45+-microglia, increase of F4\80+-microglia and a shift from pseudopodial/lamellipodial to amoeboidal F4\80+-microglia intermingled between RGNs of naive mice. Further, there was the intracellular sequestration in RGNs of metalloproteinase-28, which regulates macrophage recruitment and polarization in inflammation. Hence, Ranbp2 genetic insults in RGNs and motoneurons trigger distinct paracrine signaling likely by the dysregulation of nucleocytoplasmic transport of neuronal-type selective substrates. Immune-modulators underpinning RGN-to-microglial signaling are regulated by Ranbp2, and this neuronal-glial system manifests endophenotypes that are likely useful in the prognosis and diagnosis of motoneuron diseases, such as ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung-In Cho
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, DUEC 3802, 2351 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Dosuk Yoon
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, DUEC 3802, 2351 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Minzhong Yu
- Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Neal S Peachey
- Department of Ophthalmic Research, Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
- Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA
| | - Paulo A Ferreira
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, DUEC 3802, 2351 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
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46
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Akaishi T, Takahashi T, Abe M, Aoki M, Ishii T. Consideration of gravity as a possible etiological factor in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Med Hypotheses 2019; 132:109369. [PMID: 31442918 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease with an unknown mechanism of onset that predominantly impairs the upper and lower motor neurons. Components of the sensory and autonomic nervous system were once thought to be spared in the disease, but more recently they have been identified to be impaired at various levels. However, some of the motor neurons such as oculomotor, abducens, or pudendal nerves are spared even in the later stages of ALS. The mechanism of such complex and heterogeneous neuronal loss in typical ALS is still unknown. In this study, the characteristics of the nervous system involved in the pathogenesis of ALS were comprehensively reviewed. As a result, the direction of the axon in the anatomical position, rather than the functional type or length of the axon, was suggested to contribute the most to the onset of ALS. This finding suggested that downward directed axons, represented by motor neurons, require extra energy to move waste or unnecessary substances from the synapse side to the neural cell body with retrograde fast axonal transport. Based on this theory, the extra energy that is required in vertically directed axons due to the effect of gravity was mathematically estimated. As a result, several percent more adenosine triphosphate molecules were suggested to be consumed in vertical axonal transport by gravity, compared to those consumed in transverse axonal transport. Because most of the motor neurons project downward in the anatomical position, unretrieved waste will gradually sediment in axon terminals by gravity, which could eventually result in motor neuron-dominant neuronal loss. Although the theory that gravity is one of the mechanisms responsible for ALS is still hypothetical, it is theoretically reasonable and compatible with the clinical manifestations of the disease. Further basic research studies with cultured neurons or animal models are necessary to confirm the association between gravity and the onset of ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Akaishi
- Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan; Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
| | - Toshiyuki Takahashi
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Yonezawa National Hospital, Yonezawa, Japan
| | - Michiaki Abe
- Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
| | - Masashi Aoki
- Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Tadashi Ishii
- Department of Education and Support for Regional Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan
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47
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Ragagnin AMG, Shadfar S, Vidal M, Jamali MS, Atkin JD. Motor Neuron Susceptibility in ALS/FTD. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:532. [PMID: 31316328 PMCID: PMC6610326 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the death of both upper and lower motor neurons (MNs) in the brain, brainstem and spinal cord. The neurodegenerative mechanisms leading to MN loss in ALS are not fully understood. Importantly, the reasons why MNs are specifically targeted in this disorder are unclear, when the proteins associated genetically or pathologically with ALS are expressed ubiquitously. Furthermore, MNs themselves are not affected equally; specific MNs subpopulations are more susceptible than others in both animal models and human patients. Corticospinal MNs and lower somatic MNs, which innervate voluntary muscles, degenerate more readily than specific subgroups of lower MNs, which remain resistant to degeneration, reflecting the clinical manifestations of ALS. In this review, we discuss the possible factors intrinsic to MNs that render them uniquely susceptible to neurodegeneration in ALS. We also speculate why some MN subpopulations are more vulnerable than others, focusing on both their molecular and physiological properties. Finally, we review the anatomical network and neuronal microenvironment as determinants of MN subtype vulnerability and hence the progression of ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey M G Ragagnin
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sina Shadfar
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Marta Vidal
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Md Shafi Jamali
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Julie D Atkin
- Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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48
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Lenglet T, Mirault J, Veyrat-Masson M, Funkiewiez A, Amador MDM, Bruneteau G, Le Forestier N, Pradat PF, Salachas F, Vacher Y, Lacomblez L, Lorenceau J. Cursive Eye-Writing With Smooth-Pursuit Eye-Movement Is Possible in Subjects With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:538. [PMID: 31191230 PMCID: PMC6548885 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder causing a progressive motor weakness of all voluntary muscles, whose progression challenges communication modalities such as handwriting or speech. The current study investigated whether ALS subjects can use Eye-On-Line (EOL), a novel eye-operated communication device allowing, after training, to voluntarily control smooth-pursuit eye-movements (SPEM) so as to eye-write in cursive. To that aim, ALS participants (n = 12) with preserved eye-movements but impaired handwriting were trained during six on-site visits. The primary outcome of the study was the recognition of eye-written digits (0-9) from ALS and healthy control subjects by naïve "readers." Changes in oculomotor performance and the safety of EOL were also evaluated. At the end of the program, 69.4% of the eye-written digits from 11 ALS subjects were recognized by naïve readers, similar to the 67.3% found for eye-written digits from controls participants, with however, large inter-individual differences in both groups of "writers." Training with EOL was associated with a transient fatigue leading one ALS subject to drop out the study at the fifth visit. Otherwise, itching eyes was the most common adverse event (3 subjects). This study shows that, despite the impact of ALS on the motor system, most ALS participants could improve their mastering of eye-movements, so as to produce recognizable eye-written digits, although the eye-traces sometimes needed smoothing to ease digit legibility from both ALS subjects and control participants. The capability to endogenously and voluntarily generate eye-traces using EOL brings a novel way to communicate for disabled individuals, allowing creative personal and emotional expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothée Lenglet
- Département de Neurologie, Centre de Référence SLA-IdF, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France.,Département de Neurophysiologie, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Jonathan Mirault
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs (UMR 8248), Département d'Études Cognitives de l'École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Marie Veyrat-Masson
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs (UMR 8248), Département d'Études Cognitives de l'École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Funkiewiez
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (ICM), UMRS 975, ICM-INSERM 1127, FrontLab, Paris, France.,Département de Neurologie, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer, Centre de Référence National 'Démences Rares', Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Maria Del Mar Amador
- Département de Neurologie, Centre de Référence SLA-IdF, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Gaelle Bruneteau
- Département de Neurologie, Centre de Référence SLA-IdF, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France.,Centre de Recherche en Myologie, UMRS974, Equipe 10 NMCONNECT, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Nadine Le Forestier
- Département de Neurologie, Centre de Référence SLA-IdF, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France.,Département de Recherche en Éthique, EA 1610: Etude des Sciences et Techniques, Université Paris Sud/Paris Saclay, Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Francois Pradat
- Département de Neurologie, Centre de Référence SLA-IdF, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INSERM, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Biomédicale, Paris, France.,Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute Ulster University, C-TRIC, Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Londonderry, United Kingdom
| | - Francois Salachas
- Département de Neurologie, Centre de Référence SLA-IdF, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Yannick Vacher
- Délégation à la Recherche Clinique et à l'Innovation (DRCI), Hôpital Saint-Louis, APHP, Paris, France
| | - Lucette Lacomblez
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM UMRS 1127 and CIC-1422, ICM, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, Département de Neurologie, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Jean Lorenceau
- Laboratoire des Systèmes Perceptifs (UMR 8248), Département d'Études Cognitives de l'École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Institut de la Vision, Inserm UMR S 968-CNRS UMR 7210, Paris, France
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Bax M, McKenna J, Do-Ha D, Stevens CH, Higginbottom S, Balez R, Cabral-da-Silva MEC, Farrawell NE, Engel M, Poronnik P, Yerbury JJ, Saunders DN, Ooi L. The Ubiquitin Proteasome System Is a Key Regulator of Pluripotent Stem Cell Survival and Motor Neuron Differentiation. Cells 2019; 8:cells8060581. [PMID: 31200561 PMCID: PMC6627164 DOI: 10.3390/cells8060581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) plays an important role in regulating numerous cellular processes, and a dysfunctional UPS is thought to contribute to motor neuron disease. Consequently, we sought to map the changing ubiquitome in human iPSCs during their pluripotent stage and following differentiation to motor neurons. Ubiquitinomics analysis identified that spliceosomal and ribosomal proteins were more ubiquitylated in pluripotent stem cells, whilst proteins involved in fatty acid metabolism and the cytoskeleton were specifically ubiquitylated in the motor neurons. The UPS regulator, ubiquitin-like modifier activating enzyme 1 (UBA1), was increased 36-fold in the ubiquitome of motor neurons compared to pluripotent stem cells. Thus, we further investigated the functional consequences of inhibiting the UPS and UBA1 on motor neurons. The proteasome inhibitor MG132, or the UBA1-specific inhibitor PYR41, significantly decreased the viability of motor neurons. Consistent with a role of the UPS in maintaining the cytoskeleton and regulating motor neuron differentiation, UBA1 inhibition also reduced neurite length. Pluripotent stem cells were extremely sensitive to MG132, showing toxicity at nanomolar concentrations. The motor neurons were more resilient to MG132 than pluripotent stem cells but demonstrated higher sensitivity than fibroblasts. Together, this data highlights the important regulatory role of the UPS in pluripotent stem cell survival and motor neuron differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique Bax
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Jessie McKenna
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Dzung Do-Ha
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Claire H Stevens
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Sarah Higginbottom
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Rachelle Balez
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Mauricio E Castro Cabral-da-Silva
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Natalie E Farrawell
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Martin Engel
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Philip Poronnik
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
| | - Justin J Yerbury
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
| | - Darren N Saunders
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Lezanne Ooi
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
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50
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Yerbury JJ, Ooi L, Blair IP, Ciryam P, Dobson CM, Vendruscolo M. The metastability of the proteome of spinal motor neurons underlies their selective vulnerability in ALS. Neurosci Lett 2019; 704:89-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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