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Jung T, Shin B, Tamo G, Kim H, Vijayvargia R, Leitner A, Marcaida MJ, Astorga-Wells J, Jung R, Aebersold R, Peraro MD, Hebert H, Seong IS, Song JJ. The Polyglutamine Expansion at the N-Terminal of Huntingtin Protein Modulates the Dynamic Configuration and Phosphorylation of the C-Terminal HEAT Domain. Structure 2020; 28:1035-1050.e8. [PMID: 32668197 PMCID: PMC11059206 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2020.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The polyQ expansion in huntingtin protein (HTT) is the prime cause of Huntington's disease (HD). The recent cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of HTT-HAP40 complex provided the structural information on its HEAT-repeat domains. Here, we present analyses of the impact of polyQ length on the structure and function of HTT via an integrative structural and biochemical approach. The cryo-EM analysis of normal (Q23) and disease (Q78) type HTTs shows that the structures of apo HTTs significantly differ from the structure of HTT in a HAP40 complex and that the polyQ expansion induces global structural changes in the relative movements among the HTT domains. In addition, we show that the polyQ expansion alters the phosphorylation pattern across HTT and that Ser2116 phosphorylation in turn affects the global structure and function of HTT. These results provide a molecular basis for the effect of the polyQ segment on HTT structure and activity, which may be important for HTT pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taeyang Jung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), KI for the BioCentury, Daejeon 34141, Korea; School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden; Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Baehyun Shin
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Giorgio Tamo
- Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hyeongju Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), KI for the BioCentury, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Ravi Vijayvargia
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Alexander Leitner
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Maria J Marcaida
- Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Juan Astorga-Wells
- Department of Medical Biochemistry & Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Solna, Sweden; HDxperts AB, 183 48 Täby, Sweden
| | - Roy Jung
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Ruedi Aebersold
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland; Faculty of Science, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Matteo Dal Peraro
- Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Hans Hebert
- School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden; Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden.
| | - Ihn Sik Seong
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
| | - Ji-Joon Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), KI for the BioCentury, Daejeon 34141, Korea.
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Early postnatal behavioral, cellular, and molecular changes in models of Huntington disease are reversible by HDAC inhibition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E8765-E8774. [PMID: 30150378 PMCID: PMC6140493 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1807962115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In Huntington disease (HD) gene carriers the disease-causing mutant Huntingtin (mHTT) is already present during early developmental stages, but, surprisingly, HD patients develop clinical symptoms only many years later. While a developmental role of Huntingtin has been described, so far new therapeutic approaches targeting those early neurodevelopmental processes are lacking. Here, we show that behavioral, cellular, and molecular changes associated with mHTT in the postnatal period of genetic animal models of HD can be reverted using low-dose treatment with a histone deacetylation inhibitor. Our findings support a neurodevelopmental basis for HD and provide proof of concept that pre-HD symptoms, including aberrant neuronal differentiation, are reversible by early therapeutic intervention in vivo. Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by expanded CAG repeats in the huntingtin gene (HTT). Although mutant HTT is expressed during embryonic development and throughout life, clinical HD usually manifests later in adulthood. A number of studies document neurodevelopmental changes associated with mutant HTT, but whether these are reversible under therapy remains unclear. Here, we identify very early behavioral, molecular, and cellular changes in preweaning transgenic HD rats and mice. Reduced ultrasonic vocalization, loss of prepulse inhibition, and increased risk taking are accompanied by disturbances of dopaminergic regulation in vivo, reduced neuronal differentiation capacity in subventricular zone stem/progenitor cells, and impaired neuronal and oligodendrocyte differentiation of mouse embryo-derived neural stem cells in vitro. Interventional treatment of this early phenotype with the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) LBH589 led to significant improvement in behavioral changes and markers of dopaminergic neurotransmission and complete reversal of aberrant neuronal differentiation in vitro and in vivo. Our data support the notion that neurodevelopmental changes contribute to the prodromal phase of HD and that early, presymptomatic intervention using HDACi may represent a promising novel treatment approach for HD.
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Mestre TA, Sampaio C. Huntington Disease: Linking Pathogenesis to the Development of Experimental Therapeutics. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2017; 17:18. [PMID: 28265888 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-017-0711-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative condition caused by a CAG trinucleotide expansion in the huntingtin gene. At present, the HD field is experiencing exciting times with the assessment for the first time in human subjects of interventions aimed at core disease mechanisms. Out of a portfolio of interventions that claim a potential disease-modifying effect in HD, the target huntingtin has more robust validation. In this review, we discuss the spectrum of huntingtin-lowering therapies that are currently being considered. We provide a critical appraisal of the validation of huntingtin as a drug target, describing the advantages, challenges, and limitations of the proposed therapeutic interventions. The development of these new therapies relies strongly on the knowledge of HD pathogenesis and the ability to translate this knowledge into validated pharmacodynamic biomarkers. Altogether, the goal is to support a rational drug development that is ethical and cost-effective. Among the pharmacodynamic biomarkers under development, the quantification of mutant huntingtin in the cerebral spinal fluid and PET imaging targeting huntingtin or phosphodiesterase 10A deserve special attention. Huntingtin-lowering therapeutics are eagerly awaited as the first interventions that may be able to change the course of HD in a meaningful way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago A Mestre
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, The University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Cristina Sampaio
- CHDI Management/CHDI Foundation, 155 Village Boulevard, Suite 200, Princeton, USA. .,Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Krizova J, Stufkova H, Rodinova M, Macakova M, Bohuslavova B, Vidinska D, Klima J, Ellederova Z, Pavlok A, Howland DS, Zeman J, Motlik J, Hansikova H. Mitochondrial Metabolism in a Large-Animal Model of Huntington Disease: The Hunt for Biomarkers in the Spermatozoa of Presymptomatic Minipigs. NEURODEGENER DIS 2017. [PMID: 28633139 DOI: 10.1159/000475467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder involving reduced muscle coordination, mental and behavioral changes, and testicular degeneration. In order to further clarify the decreased fertility and penetration ability of the spermatozoa of transgenic HD minipig boars (TgHD), we applied a set of mitochondrial metabolism (MM) parameter measurements to this promising biological material, which can be collected noninvasively in longitudinal studies. OBJECTIVE We aimed to optimize methods for MM measurements in spermatozoa and to establish possible biomarkers of HD in TgHD spermatozoa expressing the N-terminal part of mutated human huntingtin. METHODS Semen samples from 12 TgHD and wild-type animals, aged 12-65 months, were obtained repeatedly during the study. Respiration was measured by polarography, MM was assessed by the detection of oxidation of radiolabeled substrates (mitochondrial energy-generating system; MEGS), and the content of the oxidative phosphorylation system subunits was detected by Western blot. Three possibly interfering factors were statistically analyzed: the effect of HD, generation and aging. RESULTS We found 5 MM parameters which were significantly diminished in TgHD spermatozoa and propose 3 specific MEGS incubations and complex I-dependent respiration as potential biomarkers of HD in TgHD spermatozoa. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest a link between the gain of toxic function of mutated huntingtin in TgHD spermatozoa and the observed MM and/or glycolytic impairment. We determined 4 biomarkers useful for HD phenotyping and experimental therapy monitoring studies in TgHD minipigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Krizova
- Laboratory for Study of Mitochondrial Disorders, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, General University Hospital and First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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Besson MT, Alegría K, Garrido-Gerter P, Barros LF, Liévens JC. Enhanced neuronal glucose transporter expression reveals metabolic choice in a HD Drosophila model. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118765. [PMID: 25761110 PMCID: PMC4356621 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by toxic insertions of polyglutamine residues in the Huntingtin protein and characterized by progressive deterioration of cognitive and motor functions. Altered brain glucose metabolism has long been suggested and a possible link has been proposed in HD. However, the precise function of glucose transporters was not yet determined. Here, we report the effects of the specifically-neuronal human glucose transporter expression in neurons of a Drosophila model carrying the exon 1 of the human huntingtin gene with 93 glutamine repeats (HQ93). We demonstrated that overexpression of the human glucose transporter in neurons ameliorated significantly the status of HD flies by increasing their lifespan, reducing their locomotor deficits and rescuing eye neurodegeneration. Then, we investigated whether increasing the major pathways of glucose catabolism, glycolysis and pentose-phosphate pathway (PPP) impacts HD. To mimic increased glycolytic flux, we overexpressed phosphofructokinase (PFK) which catalyzes an irreversible step in glycolysis. Overexpression of PFK did not affect HQ93 fly survival, but protected from photoreceptor loss. Overexpression of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), the key enzyme of the PPP, extended significantly the lifespan of HD flies and rescued eye neurodegeneration. Since G6PD is able to synthesize NADPH involved in cell survival by maintenance of the redox state, we showed that tolerance to experimental oxidative stress was enhanced in flies co-expressing HQ93 and G6PD. Additionally overexpressions of hGluT3, G6PD or PFK were able to circumvent mitochondrial deficits induced by specific silencing of genes necessary for mitochondrial homeostasis. Our study confirms the involvement of bioenergetic deficits in HD course; they can be rescued by specific expression of a glucose transporter in neurons. Finally, the PPP and, to a lesser extent, the glycolysis seem to mediate the hGluT3 protective effects, whereas, in addition, the PPP provides increased protection to oxidative stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Thérèse Besson
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CRN2M-UMR7286, 13344 Marseille cedex 15, Marseille, France
| | - Karin Alegría
- Centro de Estudios Científicos, Arturo Prat 514, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Pamela Garrido-Gerter
- Centro de Estudios Científicos, Arturo Prat 514, Valdivia, Chile; Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | | | - Jean-Charles Liévens
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, CRN2M-UMR7286, 13344 Marseille cedex 15, Marseille, France
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Warby SC, Doty CN, Graham RK, Shively J, Singaraja RR, Hayden MR. Phosphorylation of huntingtin reduces the accumulation of its nuclear fragments. Mol Cell Neurosci 2009; 40:121-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2008.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2008] [Revised: 09/18/2008] [Accepted: 09/25/2008] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
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