1
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Kojak N, Kuno J, Fittipaldi KE, Khan A, Wenger D, Glasser M, Donnianni RA, Tang Y, Zhang J, Huling K, Ally R, Mujica AO, Turner T, Magardino G, Huang PY, Kerk SY, Droguett G, Prissette M, Rojas J, Gomez T, Gagliardi A, Hunt C, Rabinowitz JS, Gong G, Poueymirou W, Chiao E, Zambrowicz B, Siao CJ, Kajimura D. Somatic and intergenerational G4C2 hexanucleotide repeat instability in a human C9orf72 knock-in mouse model. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:5732-5755. [PMID: 38597682 PMCID: PMC11162798 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Expansion of a G4C2 repeat in the C9orf72 gene is associated with familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). To investigate the underlying mechanisms of repeat instability, which occurs both somatically and intergenerationally, we created a novel mouse model of familial ALS/FTD that harbors 96 copies of G4C2 repeats at a humanized C9orf72 locus. In mouse embryonic stem cells, we observed two modes of repeat expansion. First, we noted minor increases in repeat length per expansion event, which was dependent on a mismatch repair pathway protein Msh2. Second, we found major increases in repeat length per event when a DNA double- or single-strand break (DSB/SSB) was artificially introduced proximal to the repeats, and which was dependent on the homology-directed repair (HDR) pathway. In mice, the first mode primarily drove somatic repeat expansion. Major changes in repeat length, including expansion, were observed when SSB was introduced in one-cell embryos, or intergenerationally without DSB/SSB introduction if G4C2 repeats exceeded 400 copies, although spontaneous HDR-mediated expansion has yet to be identified. These findings provide a novel strategy to model repeat expansion in a non-human genome and offer insights into the mechanism behind C9orf72 G4C2 repeat instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nada Kojak
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Junko Kuno
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | | | | | - David Wenger
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | | | | | - Yajun Tang
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Jade Zhang
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Katie Huling
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Roxanne Ally
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | | | | | | | - Pei Yi Huang
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Sze Yen Kerk
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | | | | | - Jose Rojas
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Guochun Gong
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | | | - Eric Chiao
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
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2
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Nguyen L. Updates on Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutics for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Cells 2024; 13:888. [PMID: 38891021 PMCID: PMC11172142 DOI: 10.3390/cells13110888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a motor neuron disease. In ALS, upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord progressively degenerate during the course of the disease, leading to the loss of the voluntary movement of the arms and legs. Since its first description in 1869 by a French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, the scientific discoveries on ALS have increased our understanding of ALS genetics, pathology and mechanisms and provided novel therapeutic strategies. The goal of this review article is to provide a comprehensive summary of the recent findings on ALS mechanisms and related therapeutic strategies to the scientific audience. Several highlighted ALS research topics discussed in this article include the 2023 FDA approved drug for SOD1 ALS, the updated C9orf72 GGGGCC repeat-expansion-related mechanisms and therapeutic targets, TDP-43-mediated cryptic splicing and disease markers and diagnostic and therapeutic options offered by these recent discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lien Nguyen
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA;
- Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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3
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De Cock L, Bercier V, Van Den Bosch L. New developments in pre-clinical models of ALS to guide translation. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2024; 176:477-524. [PMID: 38802181 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2024.04.008] [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: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which selective death of motor neurons leads to muscle weakness and paralysis. Most research has focused on understanding and treating monogenic familial forms, most frequently caused by mutations in SOD1, FUS, TARDBP and C9orf72, although ALS is mostly sporadic and without a clear genetic cause. Rodent models have been developed to study monogenic ALS, but despite numerous pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, few disease-modifying therapies are available. ALS is a heterogeneous disease with complex underlying mechanisms where several genes and molecular pathways appear to play a role. One reason for the high failure rate of clinical translation from the current models could be oversimplification in pre-clinical studies. Here, we review advances in pre-clinical models to better capture the heterogeneous nature of ALS and discuss the value of novel model systems to guide translation and aid in the development of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenja De Cock
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valérie Bercier
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
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4
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Ke YD, van Hummel A, Au C, Chan G, Lee WS, van der Hoven J, Przybyla M, Deng Y, Sabale M, Morey N, Bertz J, Feiten A, Ippati S, Stevens CH, Yang S, Gladbach A, Haass NK, Kril JJ, Blair IP, Delerue F, Ittner LM. Targeting 14-3-3θ-mediated TDP-43 pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia mice. Neuron 2024; 112:1249-1264.e8. [PMID: 38366598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are characterized by cytoplasmic deposition of the nuclear TAR-binding protein 43 (TDP-43). Although cytoplasmic re-localization of TDP-43 is a key event in the pathogenesis of ALS/FTD, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we identified a non-canonical interaction between 14-3-3θ and TDP-43, which regulates nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling. Neuronal 14-3-3θ levels were increased in sporadic ALS and FTD with TDP-43 pathology. Pathogenic TDP-43 showed increased interaction with 14-3-3θ, resulting in cytoplasmic accumulation, insolubility, phosphorylation, and fragmentation of TDP-43, resembling pathological changes in disease. Harnessing this increased affinity of 14-3-3θ for pathogenic TDP-43, we devised a gene therapy vector targeting TDP-43 pathology, which mitigated functional deficits and neurodegeneration in different ALS/FTD mouse models expressing mutant or non-mutant TDP-43, including when already symptomatic at the time of treatment. Our study identified 14-3-3θ as a mediator of cytoplasmic TDP-43 localization with implications for ALS/FTD pathogenesis and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazi D Ke
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Annika van Hummel
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Carol Au
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Gabriella Chan
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Wei Siang Lee
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Julia van der Hoven
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Magdalena Przybyla
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Yuanyuan Deng
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Miheer Sabale
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Nicolle Morey
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Josefine Bertz
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Astrid Feiten
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Stefania Ippati
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Claire H Stevens
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Shu Yang
- Centre for MND Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Amadeus Gladbach
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Nikolas K Haass
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jillian J Kril
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Ian P Blair
- Centre for MND Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Fabien Delerue
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Lars M Ittner
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
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5
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Milioto C, Carcolé M, Giblin A, Coneys R, Attrebi O, Ahmed M, Harris SS, Lee BI, Yang M, Ellingford RA, Nirujogi RS, Biggs D, Salomonsson S, Zanovello M, de Oliveira P, Katona E, Glaria I, Mikheenko A, Geary B, Udine E, Vaizoglu D, Anoar S, Jotangiya K, Crowley G, Smeeth DM, Adams ML, Niccoli T, Rademakers R, van Blitterswijk M, Devoy A, Hong S, Partridge L, Coyne AN, Fratta P, Alessi DR, Davies B, Busche MA, Greensmith L, Fisher EMC, Isaacs AM. PolyGR and polyPR knock-in mice reveal a conserved neuroprotective extracellular matrix signature in C9orf72 ALS/FTD neurons. Nat Neurosci 2024; 27:643-655. [PMID: 38424324 PMCID: PMC11001582 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01589-4] [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: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Dipeptide repeat proteins are a major pathogenic feature of C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (C9ALS)/frontotemporal dementia (FTD) pathology, but their physiological impact has yet to be fully determined. Here we generated C9orf72 dipeptide repeat knock-in mouse models characterized by expression of 400 codon-optimized polyGR or polyPR repeats, and heterozygous C9orf72 reduction. (GR)400 and (PR)400 knock-in mice recapitulate key features of C9ALS/FTD, including cortical neuronal hyperexcitability, age-dependent spinal motor neuron loss and progressive motor dysfunction. Quantitative proteomics revealed an increase in extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in (GR)400 and (PR)400 spinal cord, with the collagen COL6A1 the most increased protein. TGF-β1 was one of the top predicted regulators of this ECM signature and polyGR expression in human induced pluripotent stem cell neurons was sufficient to induce TGF-β1 followed by COL6A1. Knockdown of TGF-β1 or COL6A1 orthologues in polyGR model Drosophila exacerbated neurodegeneration, while expression of TGF-β1 or COL6A1 in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons of patients with C9ALS/FTD protected against glutamate-induced cell death. Altogether, our findings reveal a neuroprotective and conserved ECM signature in C9ALS/FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmelo Milioto
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Mireia Carcolé
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Ashling Giblin
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachel Coneys
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Olivia Attrebi
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Mhoriam Ahmed
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Samuel S Harris
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Byung Il Lee
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mengke Yang
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Raja S Nirujogi
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Daniel Biggs
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sally Salomonsson
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Matteo Zanovello
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Paula de Oliveira
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Eszter Katona
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Idoia Glaria
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Research Support Service, Institute of Agrobiotechnology, CSIC-Government of Navarra, Mutilva, Spain
| | - Alla Mikheenko
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Bethany Geary
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Evan Udine
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Deniz Vaizoglu
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Sharifah Anoar
- UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Khrisha Jotangiya
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Gerard Crowley
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Demelza M Smeeth
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Mirjam L Adams
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Teresa Niccoli
- UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rosa Rademakers
- VIB Center for Molecular Neurology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Anny Devoy
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Soyon Hong
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Linda Partridge
- UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alyssa N Coyne
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Pietro Fratta
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Dario R Alessi
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Ben Davies
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Marc Aurel Busche
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Linda Greensmith
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Elizabeth M C Fisher
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
| | - Adrian M Isaacs
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
- UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
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6
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Gao C, Shi Q, Pan X, Chen J, Zhang Y, Lang J, Wen S, Liu X, Cheng TL, Lei K. Neuromuscular organoids model spinal neuromuscular pathologies in C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113892. [PMID: 38431841 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Hexanucleotide repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene are the most common cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia. Due to the lack of trunk neuromuscular organoids (NMOs) from ALS patients' induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), an organoid system was missing to model the trunk spinal neuromuscular neurodegeneration. With the C9orf72 ALS patient-derived iPSCs and isogenic controls, we used an NMO system containing trunk spinal cord neural and peripheral muscular tissues to show that the ALS NMOs could model peripheral defects in ALS, including contraction weakness, neural denervation, and loss of Schwann cells. The neurons and astrocytes in ALS NMOs manifested the RNA foci and dipeptide repeat proteins. Acute treatment with the unfolded protein response inhibitor GSK2606414 increased the glutamatergic muscular contraction 2-fold and reduced the dipeptide repeat protein aggregation and autophagy. This study provides an organoid system for spinal neuromuscular pathologies in ALS and its application for drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Gao
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Novel Targets and Drug Study for Neural Repair of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Brain and Cognitive Science, School of Medicine, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qinghua Shi
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xue Pan
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiajia Chen
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuhong Zhang
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiali Lang
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shan Wen
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaodong Liu
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Research Center for Industries of the Future, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Tian-Lin Cheng
- Institute for Translational Brain Research, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institute of Pediatrics, National Children's Medical Center, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kai Lei
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Key Laboratory of Growth Regulation and Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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7
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Funes S, Jung J, Gadd DH, Mosqueda M, Zhong J, Shankaracharya, Unger M, Stallworth K, Cameron D, Rotunno MS, Dawes P, Fowler-Magaw M, Keagle PJ, McDonough JA, Boopathy S, Sena-Esteves M, Nickerson JA, Lutz C, Skarnes WC, Lim ET, Schafer DP, Massi F, Landers JE, Bosco DA. Expression of ALS-PFN1 impairs vesicular degradation in iPSC-derived microglia. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2497. [PMID: 38509062 PMCID: PMC10954694 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46695-w] [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: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Microglia play a pivotal role in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis, but the mechanisms underlying microglia dysfunction and toxicity remain to be elucidated. To investigate the effect of neurodegenerative disease-linked genes on the intrinsic properties of microglia, we studied microglia-like cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), termed iMGs, harboring mutations in profilin-1 (PFN1) that are causative for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS-PFN1 iMGs exhibited evidence of lipid dysmetabolism, autophagy dysregulation and deficient phagocytosis, a canonical microglia function. Mutant PFN1 also displayed enhanced binding affinity for PI3P, a critical signaling molecule involved in autophagic and endocytic processing. Our cumulative data implicate a gain-of-toxic function for mutant PFN1 within the autophagic and endo-lysosomal pathways, as administration of rapamycin rescued phagocytic dysfunction in ALS-PFN1 iMGs. These outcomes demonstrate the utility of iMGs for neurodegenerative disease research and implicate microglial vesicular degradation pathways in the pathogenesis of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salome Funes
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Translational Science Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Jonathan Jung
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Del Hayden Gadd
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Michelle Mosqueda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Jianjun Zhong
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Shankaracharya
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Matthew Unger
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Karly Stallworth
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Debra Cameron
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Melissa S Rotunno
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Pepper Dawes
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Megan Fowler-Magaw
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Pamela J Keagle
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | | | - Sivakumar Boopathy
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Miguel Sena-Esteves
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Jeffrey A Nickerson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Cathleen Lutz
- The Jackson Laboratory Center for Precision Genetics, Rare Disease Translational Center, Bar Harbor, ME, 04609, USA
| | - William C Skarnes
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06032, USA
| | - Elaine T Lim
- Neuroscience Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Genomics and Computational Biology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Dorothy P Schafer
- Neuroscience Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Francesca Massi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - John E Landers
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Daryl A Bosco
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
- Translational Science Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology Program, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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8
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Cabrera GT, Meijboom KE, Abdallah A, Tran H, Foster Z, Weiss A, Wightman N, Stock R, Gendron T, Gruntman A, Giampetruzzi A, Petrucelli L, Brown RH, Mueller C. Artificial microRNA suppresses C9ORF72 variants and decreases toxic dipeptide repeat proteins in vivo. Gene Ther 2024; 31:105-118. [PMID: 37752346 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-023-00418-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons, causing progressive muscle weakness and respiratory failure. The presence of an expanded hexanucleotide repeat in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72) is the most frequent mutation causing familial ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). To determine if suppressing expression of C9ORF72 gene products can reduce toxicity, we designed a set of artificial microRNAs (amiRNA) targeting the human C9ORF72 gene. Here we report that an AAV9-mediated amiRNA significantly suppresses expression of the C9ORF72 mRNA, protein, and toxic dipeptide repeat proteins generated by the expanded repeat in the brain and spinal cord of C9ORF72 transgenic mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Toro Cabrera
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
- Department of Pediatrics and Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Katharina E Meijboom
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
- Department of Pediatrics and Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Abbas Abdallah
- Department of Pediatrics and Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Helene Tran
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Zachariah Foster
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Alexandra Weiss
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Nicholas Wightman
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Rachel Stock
- Department of Pediatrics and Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Tania Gendron
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Rd., Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Alisha Gruntman
- Department of Pediatrics and Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Anthony Giampetruzzi
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA
| | - Leonard Petrucelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Rd., Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA
| | - Robert H Brown
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA.
| | - Christian Mueller
- Department of Pediatrics and Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01655, USA.
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9
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Geng Y, Cai Q. Role of C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions in ALS/FTD pathogenesis. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1322720. [PMID: 38318532 PMCID: PMC10838790 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1322720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are progressive neurological disorders that share neurodegenerative pathways and features. The most prevalent genetic causes of ALS/FTD is the GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansions in the first intron region of the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) gene. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the accumulating evidences elucidating the pathogenic mechanism associated with hexanucleotide repeat expansions in ALS/FTD. These mechanisms encompass the structural polymorphism of DNA and transcribed RNA, the formation of RNA foci via phase separation, and the cytoplasmic accumulation and toxicities of dipeptide-repeat proteins. Additionally, the formation of G-quadruplex structures significantly impairs the expression and normal function of the C9orf72 protein. We also discuss the sequestration of specific RNA binding proteins by GGGGCC RNA, which further contributes to the toxicity of C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansions. The deeper understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of hexanucleotide repeat expansions in ALS/FTD provides multiple potential drug targets for these devastating diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Geng
- Clinical Research Institute of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Fujian Key Laboratory of Brain Tumors Diagnosis and Precision Treatment, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Brain Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Qixu Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Vaccines for Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
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10
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Chen D, Philippidou P, Brenha BDF, Schaffer AE, Miranda HC. Scalable, optically-responsive human neuromuscular junction model reveals convergent mechanisms of synaptic dysfunction in familial ALS. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.11.575304. [PMID: 38260655 PMCID: PMC10802619 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.11.575304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) are specialized synapses that mediate communication between motor neurons and skeletal muscles and are essential for movement. The degeneration of this system can lead to symptoms observed in neuromuscular and motor neuron diseases. Studying these synapses and their degeneration has proven challenging. Prior NMJ studies heavily relied upon the use of mouse, chick, or isolated primary human cells, which have demonstrated limited fidelity for disease modeling. To enable the study of NMJ dysfunction and model genetic diseases, we, and others, have developed methods to generate human NMJs from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. However, published studies have highlighted technical limitations associated with these complex in vitro NMJ models. In this study, we developed a robust PSC-derived motor neuron and skeletal muscle co-culture method, and demonstrated its sensitivity in modeling motor neuron disease. Our method spontaneously and reproducibly forms human NMJs. We developed multiwell-multielectrode array (MEA) parameters to quantify the activity of PSC-derived skeletal muscles, as well as measured the electrophysiological activity of functional human PSC-derived NMJs. We further leveraged our method to morphologically and functionally assess NMJs from the familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) PSCs, C9orf72 hexanucleotide (G4C2)n repeat expansion (HRE), SOD1 A5V , and TDP43 G298S to define the reproducibility and sensitivity of our system. We observed a significant decrease in the numbers and activity of PSC-derived NMJs developed from the different ALS lines compared to their respective controls. Furthermore, we evaluated a therapeutic candidate undergoing clinical trials and observed a variant-dependent rescue of functionality of NMJs. Our newly developed method provides a platform for the systematic investigation of genetic causes of NMJ neurodegeneration and highlights the need for therapeutic avenues to consider patient genotype.
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11
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McCallister TX, Lim CKW, Terpstra WM, Alejandra Zeballos C M, Zhang S, Powell JE, Gaj T. A high-fidelity CRISPR-Cas13 system improves abnormalities associated with C9ORF72-linked ALS/FTD. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.12.571328. [PMID: 38168370 PMCID: PMC10760048 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.12.571328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
An abnormal expansion of a GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat in the C9ORF72 gene is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), two debilitating neurodegenerative disorders driven in part by gain-of-function mechanisms involving transcribed forms of the repeat expansion. By utilizing a Cas13 variant with reduced collateral effects, we developed a high-fidelity RNA-targeting CRISPR-based system for C9ORF72-linked ALS/FTD. When delivered to the brain of a transgenic rodent model, this Cas13-based platform effectively curbed the expression of the GGGGCC repeat-containing RNA without affecting normal C9ORF72 levels, which in turn decreased the formation of RNA foci and reversed transcriptional deficits. This high-fidelity Cas13 variant possessed improved transcriptome-wide specificity compared to its native form and mediated efficient targeting in motor neuron-like cells derived from a patient with ALS. Our results lay the foundation for the implementation of RNA-targeting CRISPR technologies for C9ORF72-linked ALS/FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan X. McCallister
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Colin K. W. Lim
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - William M. Terpstra
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - M. Alejandra Zeballos C
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Sijia Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Jackson E. Powell
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Thomas Gaj
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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12
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Kahriman A, Bouley J, Tuncali I, Dogan EO, Pereira M, Luu T, Bosco DA, Jaber S, Peters OM, Brown RH, Henninger N. Repeated mild traumatic brain injury triggers pathology in asymptomatic C9ORF72 transgenic mice. Brain 2023; 146:5139-5152. [PMID: 37527465 PMCID: PMC11046056 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad264] [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: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are fatal neurodegenerative diseases that represent ends of the spectrum of a single disease. The most common genetic cause of FTD and ALS is a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene. Although epidemiological data suggest that traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a risk factor for FTD and ALS, its role in exacerbating disease onset and course remains unclear. To explore the interplay between traumatic brain injury and genetic risk in the induction of FTD/ALS pathology we combined a mild repetitive traumatic brain injury paradigm with an established bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic C9orf72 (C9BAC) mouse model without an overt motor phenotype or neurodegeneration. We assessed 8-10 week-old littermate C9BACtg/tg (n = 21), C9BACtg/- (n = 20) and non-transgenic (n = 21) mice of both sexes for the presence of behavioural deficits and cerebral histopathology at 12 months after repetitive TBI. Repetitive TBI did not affect body weight gain, general neurological deficit severity, nor survival over the 12-month observation period and there was no difference in rotarod performance, object recognition, social interaction and acoustic characteristics of ultrasonic vocalizations of C9BAC mice subjected to repetitive TBI versus sham injury. However, we found that repetitive TBI increased the time to the return of the righting reflex, reduced grip force, altered sociability behaviours and attenuated ultrasonic call emissions during social interactions in C9BAC mice. Strikingly, we found that repetitive TBI caused widespread microglial activation and reduced neuronal density that was associated with loss of histological markers of axonal and synaptic integrity as well as profound neuronal transactive response DNA binding protein 43 kDa mislocalization in the cerebral cortex of C9BAC mice at 12 months; this was not observed in non-transgenic repetitive TBI and C9BAC sham mice. Our data indicate that repetitive TBI can be an environmental risk factor that is sufficient to trigger FTD/ALS-associated neuropathology and behavioural deficits, but not paralysis, in mice carrying a C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aydan Kahriman
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - James Bouley
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Idil Tuncali
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Elif O Dogan
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Mariana Pereira
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Thuyvan Luu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Daryl A Bosco
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Samer Jaber
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Owen M Peters
- School of Biosciences, UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Robert H Brown
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Nils Henninger
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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13
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You J, Youssef MMM, Santos JR, Lee J, Park J. Microglia and Astrocytes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Disease-Associated States, Pathological Roles, and Therapeutic Potential. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1307. [PMID: 37887017 PMCID: PMC10603852 DOI: 10.3390/biology12101307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Microglial and astrocytic reactivity is a prominent feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Microglia and astrocytes have been increasingly appreciated to play pivotal roles in disease pathogenesis. These cells can adopt distinct states characterized by a specific molecular profile or function depending on the different contexts of development, health, aging, and disease. Accumulating evidence from ALS rodent and cell models has demonstrated neuroprotective and neurotoxic functions from microglia and astrocytes. In this review, we focused on the recent advancements of knowledge in microglial and astrocytic states and nomenclature, the landmark discoveries demonstrating a clear contribution of microglia and astrocytes to ALS pathogenesis, and novel therapeutic candidates leveraging these cells that are currently undergoing clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin You
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; (J.Y.); (M.M.M.Y.); (J.R.S.); (J.L.)
| | - Mohieldin M. M. Youssef
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; (J.Y.); (M.M.M.Y.); (J.R.S.); (J.L.)
| | - Jhune Rizsan Santos
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; (J.Y.); (M.M.M.Y.); (J.R.S.); (J.L.)
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Jooyun Lee
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; (J.Y.); (M.M.M.Y.); (J.R.S.); (J.L.)
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Jeehye Park
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; (J.Y.); (M.M.M.Y.); (J.R.S.); (J.L.)
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
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14
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Zhu L, Li S, Li XJ, Yin P. Pathological insights from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis animal models: comparisons, limitations, and challenges. Transl Neurodegener 2023; 12:46. [PMID: 37730668 PMCID: PMC10510301 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-023-00377-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to dissect amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a multigenic, multifactorial, and progressive neurodegenerative disease with heterogeneous clinical presentations, researchers have generated numerous animal models to mimic the genetic defects. Concurrent and comparative analysis of these various models allows identification of the causes and mechanisms of ALS in order to finally obtain effective therapeutics. However, most genetically modified rodent models lack overt pathological features, imposing challenges and limitations in utilizing them to rigorously test the potential mechanisms. Recent studies using large animals, including pigs and non-human primates, have uncovered important events that resemble neurodegeneration in patients' brains but could not be produced in small animals. Here we describe common features as well as discrepancies among these models, highlighting new insights from these models. Furthermore, we will discuss how to make rodent models more capable of recapitulating important pathological features based on the important pathogenic insights from large animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longhong Zhu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Shihua Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Xiao-Jiang Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
| | - Peng Yin
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Non-Human Primate Research, Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
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15
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Beckers J, Tharkeshwar AK, Fumagalli L, Contardo M, Van Schoor E, Fazal R, Thal DR, Chandran S, Mancuso R, Van Den Bosch L, Van Damme P. A toxic gain-of-function mechanism in C9orf72 ALS impairs the autophagy-lysosome pathway in neurons. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:151. [PMID: 37723585 PMCID: PMC10506245 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01648-0] [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: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Motor neurons (MNs), which are primarily affected in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are a specialized type of neurons that are long and non-dividing. Given their unique structure, these cells heavily rely on transport of organelles along their axons and the process of autophagy to maintain their cellular homeostasis. It has been shown that disruption of the autophagy pathway is sufficient to cause progressive neurodegeneration and defects in autophagy have been associated with various subtypes of ALS, including those caused by hexanucleotide repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene. A more comprehensive understanding of the dysfunctional cellular mechanisms will help rationalize the design of potent and selective therapies for C9orf72-ALS. METHODS In this study, we used induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MNs from C9orf72-ALS patients and isogenic control lines to identify the underlying mechanisms causing dysregulations of the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Additionally, to ascertain the potential impact of C9orf72 loss-of-function on autophagic defects, we characterized the observed phenotypes in a C9orf72 knockout iPSC line (C9-KO). RESULTS Despite the evident presence of dysfunctions in several aspects of the autophagy-lysosome pathway, such as disrupted lysosomal homeostasis, abnormal lysosome morphology, inhibition of autophagic flux, and accumulation of p62 in C9orf72-ALS MNs, we were surprised to find that C9orf72 loss-of-function had minimal influence on these phenotypes. Instead, we primarily observed impairment in endosome maturation as a result of C9orf72 loss-of-function. Additionally, our study shed light on the pathological mechanisms underlying C9orf72-ALS, as we detected an increased TBK1 phosphorylation at S172 in MNs derived from C9orf72 ALS patients. CONCLUSIONS Our data provides further insight into the involvement of defects in the autophagy-lysosome pathway in C9orf72-ALS and strongly indicate that those defects are mainly due to the toxic gain-of-function mechanisms underlying C9orf72-ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Beckers
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Arun Kumar Tharkeshwar
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Laura Fumagalli
- Center for Molecular Neurology, Microglia and Inflammation in Neurological Disorders (MIND) Lab, VIB, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Matilde Contardo
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Evelien Van Schoor
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Raheem Fazal
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dietmar Rudolf Thal
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Siddharthan Chandran
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Renzo Mancuso
- Center for Molecular Neurology, Microglia and Inflammation in Neurological Disorders (MIND) Lab, VIB, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Philip Van Damme
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Louvain - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Center for Brain and Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Leuven, Louvain, Belgium.
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16
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Morón-Oset J, Fischer LK, Carcolé M, Giblin A, Zhang P, Isaacs AM, Grönke S, Partridge L. Toxicity of C9orf72-associated dipeptide repeat peptides is modified by commonly used protein tags. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202201739. [PMID: 37308278 PMCID: PMC10262077 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Hexanucleotide repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene are the most prevalent genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Transcripts of the expansions are translated into toxic dipeptide repeat (DPR) proteins. Most preclinical studies in cell and animal models have used protein-tagged polyDPR constructs to investigate DPR toxicity but the effects of tags on DPR toxicity have not been systematically explored. Here, we used Drosophila to assess the influence of protein tags on DPR toxicity. Tagging of 36 but not 100 arginine-rich DPRs with mCherry increased toxicity, whereas adding mCherry or GFP to GA100 completely abolished toxicity. FLAG tagging also reduced GA100 toxicity but less than the longer fluorescent tags. Expression of untagged but not GFP- or mCherry-tagged GA100 caused DNA damage and increased p62 levels. Fluorescent tags also affected GA100 stability and degradation. In summary, protein tags affect DPR toxicity in a tag- and DPR-dependent manner, and GA toxicity might be underestimated in studies using tagged GA proteins. Thus, including untagged DPRs as controls is important when assessing DPR toxicity in preclinical models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mireia Carcolé
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Ashling Giblin
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
| | - Pingze Zhang
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
| | - Adrian M Isaacs
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | | | - Linda Partridge
- Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London, London, UK
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17
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Liu X, Zhao X, He J, Wang S, Shen X, Liu Q, Wang S. Advances in the Structure of GGGGCC Repeat RNA Sequence and Its Interaction with Small Molecules and Protein Partners. Molecules 2023; 28:5801. [PMID: 37570771 PMCID: PMC10420822 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28155801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The aberrant expansion of GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeats within the first intron of the C9orf72 gene represent the predominant genetic etiology underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontal temporal dementia (FTD). The transcribed r(GGGGCC)n RNA repeats form RNA foci, which recruit RNA binding proteins and impede their normal cellular functions, ultimately resulting in fatal neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, the non-canonical translation of the r(GGGGCC)n sequence can generate dipeptide repeats, which have been postulated as pathological causes. Comprehensive structural analyses of r(GGGGCC)n have unveiled its polymorphic nature, exhibiting the propensity to adopt dimeric, hairpin, or G-quadruplex conformations, all of which possess the capacity to interact with RNA binding proteins. Small molecules capable of binding to r(GGGGCC)n have been discovered and proposed as potential lead compounds for the treatment of ALS and FTD. Some of these molecules function in preventing RNA-protein interactions or impeding the phase transition of r(GGGGCC)n. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the recent advancements in the structural characterization of r(GGGGCC)n, its propensity to form RNA foci, and its interactions with small molecules and proteins. Specifically, we emphasize the structural diversity of r(GGGGCC)n and its influence on partner binding. Given the crucial role of r(GGGGCC)n in the pathogenesis of ALS and FTD, the primary objective of this review is to facilitate the development of therapeutic interventions targeting r(GGGGCC)n RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaole Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (X.L.); (X.Z.); (J.H.); (S.W.); (X.S.); (Q.L.)
| | - Xinyue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (X.L.); (X.Z.); (J.H.); (S.W.); (X.S.); (Q.L.)
| | - Jinhan He
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (X.L.); (X.Z.); (J.H.); (S.W.); (X.S.); (Q.L.)
| | - Sishi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (X.L.); (X.Z.); (J.H.); (S.W.); (X.S.); (Q.L.)
| | - Xinfei Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (X.L.); (X.Z.); (J.H.); (S.W.); (X.S.); (Q.L.)
| | - Qingfeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (X.L.); (X.Z.); (J.H.); (S.W.); (X.S.); (Q.L.)
| | - Shenlin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; (X.L.); (X.Z.); (J.H.); (S.W.); (X.S.); (Q.L.)
- Beijing NMR Center, Peking University, Beijing 100087, China
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18
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Maksimovic K, Youssef M, You J, Sung HK, Park J. Evidence of Metabolic Dysfunction in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Patients and Animal Models. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13050863. [PMID: 37238732 DOI: 10.3390/biom13050863] [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: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventual death. Research from the past few decades has appreciated that ALS is not only a disease of the motor neurons but also a disease that involves systemic metabolic dysfunction. This review will examine the foundational research of understanding metabolic dysfunction in ALS and provide an overview of past and current studies in ALS patients and animal models, spanning from full systems to various metabolic organs. While ALS-affected muscle tissue exhibits elevated energy demand and a fuel preference switch from glycolysis to fatty acid oxidation, adipose tissue in ALS undergoes increased lipolysis. Dysfunctions in the liver and pancreas contribute to impaired glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion. The central nervous system (CNS) displays abnormal glucose regulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased oxidative stress. Importantly, the hypothalamus, a brain region that controls whole-body metabolism, undergoes atrophy associated with pathological aggregates of TDP-43. This review will also cover past and present treatment options that target metabolic dysfunction in ALS and provide insights into the future of metabolism research in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Maksimovic
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Mohieldin Youssef
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Justin You
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Hoon-Ki Sung
- Translational Medicine Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Jeehye Park
- Genetics and Genome Biology Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
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19
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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: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 91.0] [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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20
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McGoldrick P, Lau A, You Z, Durcan TM, Robertson J. Loss of C9orf72 perturbs the Ran-GTPase gradient and nucleocytoplasmic transport, generating compositionally diverse Importin β-1 granules. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112134. [PMID: 36821445 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A hexanucleotide (GGGGCC)n repeat expansion in C9orf72 causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), eliciting toxic effects through generation of RNA foci, dipeptide repeat proteins, and/or loss of C9orf72 protein. Defects in nucleocytoplasmic transport (NCT) have been implicated as a pathogenic mechanism underlying repeat expansion toxicity. Here, we show that loss of C9orf72 disrupts the Ran-GTPase gradient and NCT in vitro and in vivo. NCT disruption in vivo is enhanced by the presence of compositionally different types of cytoplasmic Importin β-1 granule that exhibit neuronal subtype-specific properties. We show that the abundance of Importin β-1 granules is increased in the context of C9orf72 deficiency, disrupting interactions with nuclear pore complex proteins. These granules appear to associate with the nuclear envelope and are co-immunoreactive for G3BP1 and K63-ubiquitin. These findings link loss of C9orf72 protein to gain-of-function mechanisms and defects in NCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip McGoldrick
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, 60 Leonard Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada.
| | - Agnes Lau
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, 60 Leonard Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - Zhipeng You
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Thomas M Durcan
- The Neuro's Early Drug Discovery Unit (EDDU), McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Janice Robertson
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, 60 Leonard Avenue, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada.
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21
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Lopez-Herdoiza MB, Bauché S, Wilmet B, Le Duigou C, Roussel D, Frah M, Béal J, Devely G, Boluda S, Frick P, Bouteiller D, Dussaud S, Guillabert P, Dalle C, Dumont M, Camuzat A, Saracino D, Barbier M, Bruneteau G, Ravassard P, Neumann M, Nicole S, Le Ber I, Brice A, Latouche M. C9ORF72 knockdown triggers FTD-like symptoms and cell pathology in mice. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1155929. [PMID: 37138765 PMCID: PMC10149765 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1155929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The GGGGCC intronic repeat expansion within C9ORF72 is the most common genetic cause of ALS and FTD. This mutation results in toxic gain of function through accumulation of expanded RNA foci and aggregation of abnormally translated dipeptide repeat proteins, as well as loss of function due to impaired transcription of C9ORF72. A number of in vivo and in vitro models of gain and loss of function effects have suggested that both mechanisms synergize to cause the disease. However, the contribution of the loss of function mechanism remains poorly understood. We have generated C9ORF72 knockdown mice to mimic C9-FTD/ALS patients haploinsufficiency and investigate the role of this loss of function in the pathogenesis. We found that decreasing C9ORF72 leads to anomalies of the autophagy/lysosomal pathway, cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43 and decreased synaptic density in the cortex. Knockdown mice also developed FTD-like behavioral deficits and mild motor phenotypes at a later stage. These findings show that C9ORF72 partial loss of function contributes to the damaging events leading to C9-FTD/ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie Bauché
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Baptiste Wilmet
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Caroline Le Duigou
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Delphine Roussel
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Magali Frah
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Jonas Béal
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Gabin Devely
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Susana Boluda
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Petra Frick
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Sébastien Dussaud
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Guillabert
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Carine Dalle
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Magali Dumont
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Agnes Camuzat
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Dario Saracino
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Barbier
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Gaelle Bruneteau
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | - Manuela Neumann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Neuropathology, Tübingen University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sophie Nicole
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Le Ber
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Alexis Brice
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Morwena Latouche
- Institut du Cerveau–Paris Brain Institute–ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Paris, France
- EPHE, Neurogenetics Team, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Morwena Latouche,
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22
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Maharjan N, Saxena S. Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Neurogenetics 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-07793-7_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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23
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Comprehensive evaluation of human-derived anti-poly-GA antibodies in cellular and animal models of C9orf72 disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2123487119. [PMID: 36454749 PMCID: PMC9894253 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2123487119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Hexanucleotide G4C2 repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene are the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) generated by translation of repeat-containing RNAs show toxic effects in vivo as well as in vitro and are key targets for therapeutic intervention. We generated human antibodies that bind DPRs with high affinity and specificity. Anti-GA antibodies engaged extra- and intra-cellular poly-GA and reduced aggregate formation in a poly-GA overexpressing human cell line. However, antibody treatment in human neuronal cultures synthesizing exogenous poly-GA resulted in the formation of large extracellular immune complexes and did not affect accumulation of intracellular poly-GA aggregates. Treatment with antibodies was also shown to directly alter the morphological and biochemical properties of poly-GA and to shift poly-GA/antibody complexes to more rapidly sedimenting ones. These alterations were not observed with poly-GP and have important implications for accurate measurement of poly-GA levels including the need to evaluate all centrifugation fractions and disrupt the interaction between treatment antibodies and poly-GA by denaturation. Targeting poly-GA and poly-GP in two mouse models expressing G4C2 repeats by systemic antibody delivery for up to 16 mo was well-tolerated and led to measurable brain penetration of antibodies. Long-term treatment with anti-GA antibodies produced improvement in an open-field movement test in aged C9orf72450 mice. However, chronic administration of anti-GA antibodies in AAV-(G4C2)149 mice was associated with increased levels of poly-GA detected by immunoassay and did not significantly reduce poly-GA aggregates or alleviate disease progression in this model.
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24
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Meijboom KE, Abdallah A, Fordham NP, Nagase H, Rodriguez T, Kraus C, Gendron TF, Krishnan G, Esanov R, Andrade NS, Rybin MJ, Ramic M, Stephens ZD, Edraki A, Blackwood MT, Kahriman A, Henninger N, Kocher JPA, Benatar M, Brodsky MH, Petrucelli L, Gao FB, Sontheimer EJ, Brown RH, Zeier Z, Mueller C. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated excision of ALS/FTD-causing hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72 rescues major disease mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6286. [PMID: 36271076 PMCID: PMC9587249 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33332-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A GGGGCC24+ hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in the C9ORF72 gene is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), fatal neurodegenerative diseases with no cure or approved treatments that substantially slow disease progression or extend survival. Mechanistic underpinnings of neuronal death include C9ORF72 haploinsufficiency, sequestration of RNA-binding proteins in the nucleus, and production of dipeptide repeat proteins. Here, we used an adeno-associated viral vector system to deliver CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing machineries to effectuate the removal of the HRE from the C9ORF72 genomic locus. We demonstrate successful excision of the HRE in primary cortical neurons and brains of three mouse models containing the expansion (500-600 repeats) as well as in patient-derived iPSC motor neurons and brain organoids (450 repeats). This resulted in a reduction of RNA foci, poly-dipeptides and haploinsufficiency, major hallmarks of C9-ALS/FTD, making this a promising therapeutic approach to these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina E. Meijboom
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA ,grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Abbas Abdallah
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Nicholas P. Fordham
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Hiroko Nagase
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Tomás Rodriguez
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364RNA Therapeutics Institute and Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Carolyn Kraus
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364RNA Therapeutics Institute and Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Tania F. Gendron
- grid.417467.70000 0004 0443 9942Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Gopinath Krishnan
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Rustam Esanov
- grid.26790.3a0000 0004 1936 8606Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 USA
| | - Nadja S. Andrade
- grid.26790.3a0000 0004 1936 8606Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 USA
| | - Matthew J. Rybin
- grid.26790.3a0000 0004 1936 8606Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 USA
| | - Melina Ramic
- grid.26790.3a0000 0004 1936 8606Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 USA
| | - Zachary D. Stephens
- grid.66875.3a0000 0004 0459 167XDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Alireza Edraki
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364RNA Therapeutics Institute and Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Meghan T. Blackwood
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Aydan Kahriman
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Nils Henninger
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Jean-Pierre A. Kocher
- grid.66875.3a0000 0004 0459 167XDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
| | - Michael Benatar
- grid.26790.3a0000 0004 1936 8606Department of Neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136 USA
| | - Michael H. Brodsky
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Leonard Petrucelli
- grid.417467.70000 0004 0443 9942Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224 USA
| | - Fen-Biao Gao
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Erik J. Sontheimer
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364RNA Therapeutics Institute and Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Robert H. Brown
- grid.168645.80000 0001 0742 0364Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605 USA
| | - Zane Zeier
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Center for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
| | - Christian Mueller
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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25
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Boros BD, Schoch KM, Kreple CJ, Miller TM. Antisense Oligonucleotides for the Study and Treatment of ALS. Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:1145-1158. [PMID: 35653060 PMCID: PMC9587169 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-022-01247-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron loss. ALS is now associated with mutations in numerous genes, many of which cause disease in part through toxic gain-of-function mechanisms. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are small sequences of DNA that can reduce expression of a target gene at the post-transcriptional level, making them attractive for neutralizing mutant or toxic gene products. Advancements in the medicinal chemistries of ASOs have improved their pharmacodynamic profile to allow safe and effective delivery to the central nervous system. ASO therapies for ALS have rapidly developed over the last two decades, and ASOs that target SOD1, C9orf72, FUS, and ATXN2 are now in clinical trials for familial or sporadic forms of ALS. This review discusses the current state of ASO therapies for ALS, outlining their successes from preclinical development to early clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Boros
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8111, 115 Biotechnology Bldg, 660 S. Euclid Ave, MO, 63110, St. Louis, USA
| | - Kathleen M Schoch
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8111, 115 Biotechnology Bldg, 660 S. Euclid Ave, MO, 63110, St. Louis, USA
| | - Collin J Kreple
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8111, 115 Biotechnology Bldg, 660 S. Euclid Ave, MO, 63110, St. Louis, USA
| | - Timothy M Miller
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8111, 115 Biotechnology Bldg, 660 S. Euclid Ave, MO, 63110, St. Louis, USA.
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26
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Lambert-Smith IA, Saunders DN, Yerbury JJ. Progress in biophysics and molecular biology proteostasis impairment and ALS. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 174:3-27. [PMID: 35716729 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2022.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease that results from the loss of both upper and lower motor neurons. It is the most common motor neuron disease and currently has no effective treatment. There is mounting evidence to suggest that disturbances in proteostasis play a significant role in ALS pathogenesis. Proteostasis is the maintenance of the proteome at the right level, conformation and location to allow a cell to perform its intended function. In this review, we present a thorough synthesis of the literature that provides evidence that genetic mutations associated with ALS cause imbalance to a proteome that is vulnerable to such pressure due to its metastable nature. We propose that the mechanism underlying motor neuron death caused by defects in mRNA metabolism and protein degradation pathways converges on proteostasis dysfunction. We propose that the proteostasis network may provide an effective target for therapeutic development in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella A Lambert-Smith
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Darren N Saunders
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, 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.
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27
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Liu Y, Andreucci A, Iwamoto N, Yin Y, Yang H, Liu F, Bulychev A, Hu XS, Lin X, Lamore S, Patil S, Mohapatra S, Purcell-Estabrook E, Taborn K, Dale E, Vargeese C. Preclinical evaluation of WVE-004, aninvestigational stereopure oligonucleotide forthe treatment of C9orf72-associated ALS or FTD. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 28:558-570. [PMID: 35592494 PMCID: PMC9092894 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A large hexanucleotide (G4C2) repeat expansion in the first intronic region of C9orf72 is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain how the repeat expansion drives disease, and we hypothesize that a variant-selective approach, in which transcripts affected by the repeat expansion are preferentially decreased, has the potential to address most of them. We report a stereopure antisense oligonucleotide, WVE-004, that executes this variant-selective mechanism of action. WVE-004 dose-dependently and selectively reduces repeat-containing transcripts in patient-derived motor neurons carrying a C9orf72-repeat expansion, as well as in the spinal cord and cortex of C9 BAC transgenic mice. In mice, selective transcript knockdown was accompanied by substantial decreases in dipeptide-repeat proteins, which are pathological biomarkers associated with the repeat expansion, and by preservation of healthy C9orf72 protein expression. These in vivo effects were durable, persisting for at least 6 months. These data support the advancement of WVE-004 as an investigational stereopure antisense oligonucleotide targeting C9orf72 for the treatment of C9orf72-associated ALS or FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjing Liu
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Amy Andreucci
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Naoki Iwamoto
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Yuan Yin
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Hailin Yang
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Fangjun Liu
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Alexey Bulychev
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Xiao Shelley Hu
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Xuena Lin
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Sarah Lamore
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Saurabh Patil
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | | | | | - Kristin Taborn
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Elena Dale
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Chandra Vargeese
- Wave Life Sciences, 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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28
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Burley S, Beccano-Kelly DA, Talbot K, Llana OC, Wade-Martins R. Hyperexcitability in young iPSC-derived C9ORF72 mutant motor neurons is associated with increased intracellular calcium release. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7378. [PMID: 35513421 PMCID: PMC9072315 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09751-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A large hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9ORF72 gene is the most prevalent cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To better understand neuronal dysfunction during ALS progression, we studied motor neuron (MN) cultures derived from iPSC lines generated from C9ORF72 (C9) expansion carriers and unaffected controls. C9 and control MN cultures showed comparable mRNA levels for MN markers SMI-32, HB9 and ISL1 and similar MN yields (> 50% TUJ1/SMI-32 double-positive MNs). Using whole-cell patch clamp we showed that C9-MNs have normal membrane capacitance, resistance and resting potential. However, immature (day 40) C9-MNs exhibited a hyperexcitable phenotype concurrent with increased release of calcium (Ca2+) from internal stores, but with no changes to NaV and KV currents. Interestingly, this was a transient phenotype. By day 47, maturing C9-MNs demonstrated normal electrophysiological activity, displaying only subtle alterations on mitochondrial Ca2+ release. Together, these findings suggest the potential importance of a developmental component to C9ORF72-related ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Burley
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, UK
| | - Dayne A Beccano-Kelly
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cardiff, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Kevin Talbot
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Oscar Cordero Llana
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
- Bristol Medical School, Translational Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Whitson Street, Bristol, BS1 3NY, UK
| | - Richard Wade-Martins
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK.
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29
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Lee PJ, Kennedy Z, Wang Y, Lu Y, Cefaliello C, Uyan Ö, Song C, Godinho BMDC, Xu Z, Rusckowski M, Xue W, Brown RH. Imaging Net Retrograde Axonal Transport In Vivo: A Physiological Biomarker. Ann Neurol 2022; 91:716-729. [PMID: 35178738 PMCID: PMC9313858 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to develop a novel method for monitoring the integrity of motor neurons in vivo by quantifying net retrograde axonal transport. METHODS The method uses single photon emission computed tomography to quantify retrograde transport to spinal cord of tetanus toxin fragment C (125 I-TTC) following intramuscular injection. We characterized the transport profiles in 3 transgenic mouse models carrying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-associated genes, aging mice, and SOD1G93A transgenic mice following CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Lastly, we studied the effect of prior immunization of tetanus toxoid on the transport profile of TTC. RESULTS This technique defines a quantitative profile of net retrograde axonal transport of TTC in living mice. The profile is distinctly abnormal in transgenic SOD1G93A mice as young as 65 days (presymptomatic) and worsens with disease progression. Moreover, this method detects a distinct therapeutic benefit of gene editing in transgenic SOD1G93A mice well before other clinical parameters (eg, grip strength) show improvement. Symptomatic transgenic PFN1C71G/C71G ALS mice display gross reductions in net retrograde axonal transport, which is also disturbed in asymptomatic mice harboring a human C9ORF72 transgene with an expanded GGGGCC repeat motif. In wild-type mice, net retrograde axonal transport declines with aging. Lastly, prior immunization with tetanus toxoid does not preclude use of this assay. INTERPRETATION This assay of net retrograde axonal transport has broad potential clinical applications and should be particularly valuable as a physiological biomarker that permits early detection of benefit from potential therapies for motor neuron diseases. ANN NEUROL 2022;91:716-729.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pin‐Tsun Justin Lee
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Zachary Kennedy
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA,RNA Therapeutics InstituteUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Yuzhen Wang
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | | | - Carolina Cefaliello
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Özgün Uyan
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Chun‐Qing Song
- RNA Therapeutics InstituteUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA,Program in Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology, and Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease ResearchUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Bruno Miguel da Cruz Godinho
- RNA Therapeutics InstituteUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA,Program in Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology, and Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease ResearchUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Zuoshang Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular PharmacologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Mary Rusckowski
- Department of RadiologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Wen Xue
- RNA Therapeutics InstituteUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA,Program in Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology, and Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease ResearchUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
| | - Robert H. Brown
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterMAUSA
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30
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Piao X, Meng D, Zhang X, Song Q, Lv H, Jia Y. Dual-gRNA approach with limited off-target effect corrects C9ORF72 repeat expansion in vivo. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5672. [PMID: 35383205 PMCID: PMC8983752 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07746-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
C9ORF72 GGGGCC repeat expansion is the most common genetic cause for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia, which generates abnormal DNA and RNA structures and produces toxic proteins. Recently, efficacy of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing has been proven in treatment of disease. However, DNA low complexity surrounding C9ORF72 expansion increases the off-target risks. Here we provide a dual-gRNA design outside of the low complexity region which enables us to remove the repeat DNA in a 'cutting-deletion-fusion' manner with a high fusion efficiency (50%). Our dual-gRNA design limits off-target effect and does not significantly affect C9ORF72 expression. In neurons carrying patient C9ORF72 expansion, our approach removes the repeat DNA and corrects the RNA foci in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we conclude that our proof-of-concept design correct C9ORF72 repeat expansion, which may have potential therapeutic value for the patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejiao Piao
- School of Medicine, Medical Science Building, Room D204, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua, Beijing, China
| | - Dawei Meng
- School of Medicine, Medical Science Building, Room D204, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- School of Medicine, Medical Science Building, Room D204, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Song
- School of Medicine, Medical Science Building, Room D204, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua, Beijing, China
| | - Hailong Lv
- School of Medicine, Medical Science Building, Room D204, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua, Beijing, China
| | - Yichang Jia
- School of Medicine, Medical Science Building, Room D204, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua, Beijing, China.
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31
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Martinez B, Peplow PV. MicroRNA expression in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and potential therapeutic approaches. Neural Regen Res 2022; 17:728-740. [PMID: 34472458 PMCID: PMC8530133 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.322431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A review of recent animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis showed a large number of miRNAs had altered levels of expression in the brain and spinal cord, motor neurons of spinal cord and brainstem, and hypoglossal, facial, and red motor nuclei and were mostly upregulated. Among the miRNAs found to be upregulated in two of the studies were miR-21, miR-155, miR-125b, miR-146a, miR-124, miR-9, and miR-19b, while those downregulated in two of the studies included miR-146a, miR-29, miR-9, and miR-125b. A change of direction in miRNA expression occurred in some tissues when compared (e.g., miR-29b-3p in cerebellum and spinal cord of wobbler mice at 40 days), or at different disease stages (e.g., miR-200a in spinal cord of SOD1(G93A) mice at 95 days vs. 108 and 112 days). In the animal models, suppression of miR-129-5p resulted in increased lifespan, improved muscle strength, reduced neuromuscular junction degeneration, and tended to improve motor neuron survival in the SOD1(G93A) mouse model. Suppression of miR-155 was also associated with increased lifespan, while lowering of miR-29a tended to improve lifespan in males and increase muscle strength in SOD1(G93A) mice. Overexpression of members of miR-17~92 cluster improved motor neuron survival in SOD1(G93A) mice. Treatment with an artificial miRNA designed to target hSOD1 increased lifespan and improved muscle strength in SOD1(G93A) animals. Further studies with animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are warranted to validate these findings and identify specific miRNAs whose suppression or directed against hSOD1 results in increased lifespan, improved muscle strength, reduced neuromuscular junction degeneration, and improved motor neuron survival in SOD1(G93A) animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget Martinez
- Physical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
- Department of Medicine, St. Georges University School of Medicine, Grenada
| | - Philip V. Peplow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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32
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Todd TW, Petrucelli L. Modelling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in rodents. Nat Rev Neurosci 2022; 23:231-251. [PMID: 35260846 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-022-00564-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The efficient study of human disease requires the proper tools, one of the most crucial of which is an accurate animal model that faithfully recapitulates the human condition. The study of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is no exception. Although the majority of ALS cases are considered sporadic, most animal models of this disease rely on genetic mutations identified in familial cases. Over the past decade, the number of genes associated with ALS has risen dramatically and, with each new genetic variant, there is a drive to develop associated animal models. Rodent models are of particular importance as they allow for the study of ALS in the context of a living mammal with a comparable CNS. Such models not only help to verify the pathogenicity of novel mutations but also provide critical insight into disease mechanisms and are crucial for the testing of new therapeutics. In this Review, we aim to summarize the full spectrum of ALS rodent models developed to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany W Todd
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Leonard Petrucelli
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
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33
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Arredondo C, Cefaliello C, Dyrda A, Jury N, Martinez P, Díaz I, Amaro A, Tran H, Morales D, Pertusa M, Stoica L, Fritz E, Corvalán D, Abarzúa S, Méndez-Ruette M, Fernández P, Rojas F, Kumar MS, Aguilar R, Almeida S, Weiss A, Bustos FJ, González-Nilo F, Otero C, Tevy MF, Bosco DA, Sáez JC, Kähne T, Gao FB, Berry JD, Nicholson K, Sena-Esteves M, Madrid R, Varela D, Montecino M, Brown RH, van Zundert B. Excessive release of inorganic phosphate by ALS/FTD astrocytes causes non-cell-autonomous toxicity to motoneurons. Neuron 2022; 110:1656-1670.e12. [PMID: 35276083 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Non-cell-autonomous mechanisms contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), in which astrocytes release unidentified factors that are toxic to motoneurons (MNs). We report here that mouse and patient iPSC-derived astrocytes with diverse ALS/FTD-linked mutations (SOD1, TARDBP, and C9ORF72) display elevated levels of intracellular inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a ubiquitous, negatively charged biopolymer. PolyP levels are also increased in astrocyte-conditioned media (ACM) from ALS/FTD astrocytes. ACM-mediated MN death is prevented by degrading or neutralizing polyP in ALS/FTD astrocytes or ACM. Studies further reveal that postmortem familial and sporadic ALS spinal cord sections display enriched polyP staining signals and that ALS cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exhibits increased polyP concentrations. Our in vitro results establish excessive astrocyte-derived polyP as a critical factor in non-cell-autonomous MN degeneration and a potential therapeutic target for ALS/FTD. The CSF data indicate that polyP might serve as a new biomarker for ALS/FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Arredondo
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Carolina Cefaliello
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Agnieszka Dyrda
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Nur Jury
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Pablo Martinez
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Iván Díaz
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Armando Amaro
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Helene Tran
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Danna Morales
- Program of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile; Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channels-Associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Maria Pertusa
- Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channels-Associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Santiago 9160000, Chile; Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Pain (MiNuSPain), Santiago 9160000, Chile; Department of Biology, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Lorelei Stoica
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA; Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Elsa Fritz
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Daniela Corvalán
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Sebastián Abarzúa
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile; FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago 8370146, Chile
| | - Maxs Méndez-Ruette
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Paola Fernández
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaíso, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile
| | - Fabiola Rojas
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Meenakshi Sundaram Kumar
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Rodrigo Aguilar
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
| | - Sandra Almeida
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Alexandra Weiss
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Fernando J Bustos
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
| | - Fernando González-Nilo
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaíso, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile; Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology (CBIB), Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile
| | - Carolina Otero
- School of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8320000, Chile
| | - Maria Florencia Tevy
- Cell Biology Laboratory, INTA, University of Chile and GEDIS Biotech, Santiago 7810000, Chile
| | - Daryl A Bosco
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Juan C Sáez
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencias de Valparaíso, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile
| | - Thilo Kähne
- Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine, Medical School, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg 39120, Germany
| | - Fen-Biao Gao
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - James D Berry
- Massachusetts General Hospital Neurological Clinical Research Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Katharine Nicholson
- Massachusetts General Hospital Neurological Clinical Research Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Miguel Sena-Esteves
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA; Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Rodolfo Madrid
- Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channels-Associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Santiago 9160000, Chile; Millennium Nucleus for the Study of Pain (MiNuSPain), Santiago 9160000, Chile; Department of Biology, Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Diego Varela
- Program of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile; Millennium Nucleus of Ion Channels-Associated Diseases (MiNICAD), Santiago 9160000, Chile
| | - Martin Montecino
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation, Santiago 8370146, Chile
| | - Robert H Brown
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Brigitte van Zundert
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine & Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 8370186, Chile; CARE Biomedical Research Center, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile; Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
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34
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Pan Y, Nicolazzo JA. Altered Blood-Brain Barrier and Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier Dynamics in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Impact on Medication Efficacy and Safety. Br J Pharmacol 2022; 179:2577-2588. [PMID: 35048358 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The access of drugs into the central nervous system (CNS) is regulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB). A large body of evidence supports perturbation of these barriers in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Modifications to the BBB and BSCB are also reported in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), albeit these modifications have received less attention relative to those in other neurodegenerative diseases. Such alterations to the BBB and BSCB have the potential to impact on CNS exposure of drugs in ALS, modulating the effectiveness of drugs intended to reach the brain and the toxicity of drugs that are not intended to reach the brain. Given the clinical importance of these phenomena, this review will summarise reported modifications to the BBB and BSCB in ALS, discuss their impact on CNS drug exposure and suggest further research directions so as to optimise medicine use in people with ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijun Pan
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Joseph A Nicolazzo
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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35
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Pasniceanu IS, Atwal MS, Souza CDS, Ferraiuolo L, Livesey MR. Emerging Mechanisms Underpinning Neurophysiological Impairments in C9ORF72 Repeat Expansion-Mediated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Frontotemporal Dementia. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 15:784833. [PMID: 34975412 PMCID: PMC8715728 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.784833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are characterized by degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons and neurons of the prefrontal cortex. The emergence of the C9ORF72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion mutation as the leading genetic cause of ALS and FTD has led to a progressive understanding of the multiple cellular pathways leading to neuronal degeneration. Disturbances in neuronal function represent a major subset of these mechanisms and because such functional perturbations precede degeneration, it is likely that impaired neuronal function in ALS/FTD plays an active role in pathogenesis. This is supported by the fact that ALS/FTD patients consistently present with neurophysiological impairments prior to any apparent degeneration. In this review we summarize how the discovery of the C9ORF72 repeat expansion mutation has contributed to the current understanding of neuronal dysfunction in ALS/FTD. Here, we discuss the impact of the repeat expansion on neuronal function in relation to intrinsic excitability, synaptic, network and ion channel properties, highlighting evidence of conserved and divergent pathophysiological impacts between cortical and motor neurons and the influence of non-neuronal cells. We further highlight the emerging association between these dysfunctional properties with molecular mechanisms of the C9ORF72 mutation that appear to include roles for both, haploinsufficiency of the C9ORF72 protein and aberrantly generated dipeptide repeat protein species. Finally, we suggest that relating key pathological observations in C9ORF72 repeat expansion ALS/FTD patients to the mechanistic impact of the C9ORF72 repeat expansion on neuronal function will lead to an improved understanding of how neurophysiological dysfunction impacts upon pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris-Stefania Pasniceanu
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Manpreet Singh Atwal
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Cleide Dos Santos Souza
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Ferraiuolo
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew R Livesey
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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36
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Pampalakis G, Angelis G, Zingkou E, Vekrellis K, Sotiropoulou G. A chemogenomic approach is required for effective treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e657. [PMID: 35064780 PMCID: PMC8783349 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
ALS is a fatal untreatable disease involving degeneration of motor neurons. Μultiple causative genes encoding proteins with versatile functions have been identified indicating that diverse biological pathways lead to ALS. Chemical entities still represent a promising choice to delay ALS progression, attenuate symptoms and/or increase life expectancy, but also gene-based and stem cell-based therapies are in the process of development, and some are tested in clinical trials. Various compounds proved effective in transgenic models overexpressing distinct ALS causative genes unfortunately though, they showed no efficacy in clinical trials. Notably, while animal models provide a uniform genetic background for preclinical testing, ALS patients are not stratified, and the distinct genetic forms of ALS are treated as one group, which could explain the observed discrepancies between treating genetically homogeneous mice and quite heterogeneous patient cohorts. We suggest that chemical entity-genotype correlation should be exploited to guide patient stratification for pharmacotherapy, that is administered drugs should be selected based on the ALS genetic background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Pampalakis
- Department of Pharmacology - Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Georgios Angelis
- Department of Pharmacology - Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Eleni Zingkou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, Rion-Patras, Greece
| | - Kostas Vekrellis
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Georgia Sotiropoulou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Patras, Rion-Patras, Greece
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37
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Suppression of mutant C9orf72 expression by a potent mixed backbone antisense oligonucleotide. Nat Med 2021; 28:117-124. [PMID: 34949835 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01557-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Expansions of a G4C2 repeat in the C9ORF72 gene are the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), two devastating adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders. Using C9-ALS/FTD patient-derived cells and C9ORF72 BAC transgenic mice, we generated and optimized antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that selectively blunt expression of G4C2 repeat-containing transcripts and effectively suppress tissue levels of poly(GP) dipeptides. ASOs with reduced phosphorothioate content showed improved tolerability without sacrificing efficacy. In a single patient harboring mutant C9ORF72 with the G4C2 repeat expansion, repeated dosing by intrathecal delivery of the optimal ASO was well tolerated, leading to significant reductions in levels of cerebrospinal fluid poly(GP). This report provides insight into the effect of nucleic acid chemistry on toxicity and, to our knowledge, for the first time demonstrates the feasibility of clinical suppression of the C9ORF72 gene. Additional clinical trials will be required to demonstrate safety and efficacy of this therapy in patients with C9ORF72 gene mutations.
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38
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Guo S, Nguyen L, Ranum LPW. RAN proteins in neurodegenerative disease: Repeating themes and unifying therapeutic strategies. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 72:160-170. [PMID: 34953315 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Microsatellite-expansion mutations cause >50 neurological diseases but there are no effective treatments. Mechanistic studies have historically focused on protein loss-of-function and protein or RNA gain-of-function effects. It is now clear that many expansion mutations are bidirectionally transcribed producing two toxic expansion RNAs, which can produce up to six mutant proteins by repeat associated non-AUG (RAN) translation. Multiple types of RAN proteins have been shown to be toxic in cell and animal models, to lead to common types of neuropathological changes, and to dysregulate key pathways. How RAN proteins are produced without the canonical AUG or close-cognate AUG-like initiation codons is not yet completely understood but RNA structure, flanking sequences and stress pathways have been shown to be important. Here, we summarize recent progress in understanding the role of RAN proteins, mechanistic insights into their production, and the identification of novel therapeutic strategies that may be applicable across these neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Guo
- Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA
| | - Lien Nguyen
- Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA.
| | - Laura P W Ranum
- Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA; Genetics Institute, University of Florida, USA; McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, USA; Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, USA.
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Querin G, Grazia Biferi M, Pradat PF. Biomarkers for C9orf7-ALS in Symptomatic and Pre-symptomatic Patients: State-of-the-art in the New Era of Clinical Trials. J Neuromuscul Dis 2021; 9:25-37. [PMID: 34864683 PMCID: PMC8842771 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-210754] [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] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The development of new possible treatments for C9orf72-related ALS and the possibility of early identification of subjects genetically at risk of developing the disease is creating a critical need for biomarkers to track neurodegeneration that could be used as outcome measures in clinical trials. Current candidate biomarkers in C9orf72-ALS include neuropsychology tests, imaging, electrophysiology as well as different circulating biomarkers. Neuropsychology tests show early executive and verbal function involvement both in symptomatic and asymptomatic mutation carriers. At brain MRI, C9orf72-ALS patients present diffuse white and grey matter degeneration, which are already identified up to 20 years before symptom onset and that seem to be slowly progressive over time, while regions of altered connectivity at fMRI and of hypometabolism at [18F]FDG PET have been described as well. At the same time, spinal cord MRI has also shown progressive decrease of FA in the cortico-spinal tract over time. On the side of wet biomarkers, neurofilament proteins are increased both in the CSF and serum just before symptom onset and tend to slowly increase over time, while poly(GP) protein can be detected in the CSF and probably used as target engagement marker in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Querin
- Institut de Myologie, I-Motion Adult ClinicalTrials Platform, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,APHP, Centre de référence desmaladies neuromusculaires Nord/Est/Ile de France, HôpitalPitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Maria Grazia Biferi
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm UMRS974, Centre of Research in Myology (CRM), Institut de Myologie, GH PitiéSalpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Francois Pradat
- APHP, Département de Neurologie, Centre Référent SLA, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Laboratoire d'Imagerie Biomédicale, CNRS, INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute Ulster University, C-TRIC, Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry, United Kingdom
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40
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Bonifacino T, Zerbo RA, Balbi M, Torazza C, Frumento G, Fedele E, Bonanno G, Milanese M. Nearly 30 Years of Animal Models to Study Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Historical Overview and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212236. [PMID: 34830115 PMCID: PMC8619465 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, multigenic, multifactorial, and non-cell autonomous neurodegenerative disease characterized by upper and lower motor neuron loss. Several genetic mutations lead to ALS development and many emerging gene mutations have been discovered in recent years. Over the decades since 1990, several animal models have been generated to study ALS pathology including both vertebrates and invertebrates such as yeast, worms, flies, zebrafish, mice, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and non-human primates. Although these models show different peculiarities, they are all useful and complementary to dissect the pathological mechanisms at the basis of motor neuron degeneration and ALS progression, thus contributing to the development of new promising therapeutics. In this review, we describe the up to date and available ALS genetic animal models, classified by the different genetic mutations and divided per species, pointing out their features in modeling, the onset and progression of the pathology, as well as their specific pathological hallmarks. Moreover, we highlight similarities, differences, advantages, and limitations, aimed at helping the researcher to select the most appropriate experimental animal model, when designing a preclinical ALS study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Bonifacino
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Genoa, Italy
| | - Roberta Arianna Zerbo
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Matilde Balbi
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Carola Torazza
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Giulia Frumento
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Ernesto Fedele
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Giambattista Bonanno
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Marco Milanese
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacy, University of Genoa, 16148 Genoa, Italy; (T.B.); (R.A.Z.); (M.B.); (C.T.); (G.F.); (G.B.); (M.M.)
- Inter-University Center for the Promotion of the 3Rs Principles in Teaching & Research (Centro 3R), 56122 Genoa, Italy
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41
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Sharpe JL, Harper NS, Garner DR, West RJH. Modeling C9orf72-Related Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Drosophila. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:770937. [PMID: 34744635 PMCID: PMC8566814 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.770937] [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: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
An intronic hexanucleotide (GGGGCC) expansion in the C9orf72 gene is the most common genetic cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the decade following its discovery, much progress has been made in enhancing our understanding of how it precipitates disease. Both loss of function caused by reduced C9orf72 transcript levels, and gain of function mechanisms, triggered by the production of repetitive sense and antisense RNA and dipeptide repeat proteins, are thought to contribute to the toxicity. Drosophila models, with their unrivaled genetic tractability and short lifespan, have played a key role in developing our understanding of C9orf72-related FTD/ALS. There is no C9orf72 homolog in fly, and although this precludes investigations into loss of function toxicity, it is useful for elucidating mechanisms underpinning gain of function toxicity. To date there are a range of Drosophila C9orf72 models, encompassing different aspects of gain of function toxicity. In addition to pure repeat transgenes, which produce both repeat RNA and dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs), RNA only models and DPR models have been generated to unpick the individual contributions of RNA and each dipeptide repeat protein to C9orf72 toxicity. In this review, we discuss how Drosophila models have shaped our understanding of C9orf72 gain of function toxicity, and address opportunities to utilize these models for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne L Sharpe
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Nikki S Harper
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Duncan R Garner
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan J H West
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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42
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Rossi S, Cozzolino M. Dysfunction of RNA/RNA-Binding Proteins in ALS Astrocytes and Microglia. Cells 2021; 10:cells10113005. [PMID: 34831228 PMCID: PMC8616248 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a neurological disease that primarily affects motor neurons in the cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. The process that leads to motor neuron degeneration is strongly influenced by non-motor neuronal events that occur in a variety of cell types. Among these, neuroinflammatory processes mediated by activated astrocytes and microglia play a relevant role. In recent years, it has become clear that dysregulation of essential steps of RNA metabolism, as a consequence of alterations in RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), is a central event in the degeneration of motor neurons. Yet, a causal link between dysfunctional RNA metabolism and the neuroinflammatory processes mediated by astrocytes and microglia in ALS has been poorly defined. In this review, we will discuss the available evidence showing that RBPs and associated RNA processing are affected in ALS astrocytes and microglia, and the possible mechanisms involved in these events.
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43
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Laneve P, Tollis P, Caffarelli E. RNA Deregulation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: The Noncoding Perspective. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:10285. [PMID: 34638636 PMCID: PMC8508793 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA metabolism is central to cellular physiopathology. Almost all the molecular pathways underpinning biological processes are affected by the events governing the RNA life cycle, ranging from transcription to degradation. The deregulation of these processes contributes to the onset and progression of human diseases. In recent decades, considerable efforts have been devoted to the characterization of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and to the study of their role in the homeostasis of the nervous system (NS), where they are highly enriched. Acting as major regulators of gene expression, ncRNAs orchestrate all the steps of the differentiation programs, participate in the mechanisms underlying neural functions, and are crucially implicated in the development of neuronal pathologies, among which are neurodegenerative diseases. This review aims to explore the link between ncRNA dysregulation and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most frequent motoneuron (MN) disorder in adults. Notably, defective RNA metabolism is known to be largely associated with this pathology, which is often regarded as an RNA disease. We also discuss the potential role that these transcripts may play as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Laneve
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Tollis
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Elisa Caffarelli
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Jiménez-Villegas J, Ferraiuolo L, Mead RJ, Shaw PJ, Cuadrado A, Rojo AI. NRF2 as a therapeutic opportunity to impact in the molecular roadmap of ALS. Free Radic Biol Med 2021; 173:125-141. [PMID: 34314817 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2021.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating heterogeneous disease with still no convincing therapy. To identify the most strategically significant hallmarks for therapeutic intervention, we have performed a comprehensive transcriptomics analysis of dysregulated pathways, comparing datasets from ALS patients and healthy donors. We have identified crucial alterations in RNA metabolism, intracellular transport, vascular system, redox homeostasis, proteostasis and inflammatory responses. Interestingly, the transcription factor NRF2 (nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) has significant effects in modulating these pathways. NRF2 has been classically considered as the master regulator of the antioxidant cellular response, although it is currently considered as a key component of the transduction machinery to maintain coordinated control of protein quality, inflammation, and redox homeostasis. Herein, we will summarize the data from NRF2 activators in ALS pre-clinical models as well as those that are being studied in clinical trials. As we will discuss, NRF2 is a promising target to build a coordinated transcriptional response to motor neuron injury, highlighting its therapeutic potential to combat ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Jiménez-Villegas
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College, Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols" (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Paz (IdiPaz), Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - L Ferraiuolo
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - R J Mead
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - P J Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - A Cuadrado
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College, Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols" (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Paz (IdiPaz), Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - A I Rojo
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College, Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas "Alberto Sols" (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Paz (IdiPaz), Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
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De Marchi F, Munitic I, Amedei A, Berry JD, Feldman EL, Aronica E, Nardo G, Van Weehaeghe D, Niccolai E, Prtenjaca N, Sakowski SA, Bendotti C, Mazzini L. Interplay between immunity and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Clinical impact. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:958-978. [PMID: 34153344 PMCID: PMC8428677 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating and rapidly fatal neurodegenerative disease. Despite decades of research and many new insights into disease biology over the 150 years since the disease was first described, causative pathogenic mechanisms in ALS remain poorly understood, especially in sporadic cases. Our understanding of the role of the immune system in ALS pathophysiology, however, is rapidly expanding. The aim of this manuscript is to summarize the recent advances regarding the immune system involvement in ALS, with particular attention to clinical translation. We focus on the potential pathophysiologic mechanism of the immune system in ALS, discussing local and systemic factors (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and microbiota) that influence ALS onset and progression in animal models and people. We also explore the potential of Positron Emission Tomography to detect neuroinflammation in vivo, and discuss ongoing clinical trials of therapies targeting the immune system. With validation in human patients, new evidence in this emerging field will serve to identify novel therapeutic targets and provide realistic hope for personalized treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiola De Marchi
- Department of Neurology and ALS Centre, University of Piemonte Orientale, Maggiore Della Carità Hospital, Corso Mazzini 18, Novara, 28100, Italy
| | - Ivana Munitic
- Laboratory for Molecular Immunology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, R. Matejcic 2, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Amedeo Amedei
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - James D Berry
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Eva L Feldman
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Eleonora Aronica
- Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Department of (Neuro) Pathology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Giovanni Nardo
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milanm, 20156, Italy
| | - Donatienne Van Weehaeghe
- Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Imaging and Pathology, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elena Niccolai
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Nikolina Prtenjaca
- Laboratory for Molecular Immunology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, R. Matejcic 2, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Stacey A Sakowski
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Caterina Bendotti
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, Milanm, 20156, Italy
| | - Letizia Mazzini
- Department of Neurology and ALS Centre, University of Piemonte Orientale, Maggiore Della Carità Hospital, Corso Mazzini 18, Novara, 28100, Italy.
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Wani A, Zhu J, Ulrich JD, Eteleeb A, Sauerbeck AD, Reitz SJ, Arhzaouy K, Ikenaga C, Yuede CM, Pittman SK, Wang F, Li S, Benitez BA, Cruchaga C, Kummer TT, Harari O, Chou TF, Schröder R, Clemen CS, Weihl CC. Neuronal VCP loss of function recapitulates FTLD-TDP pathology. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109399. [PMID: 34289347 PMCID: PMC8383344 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathogenic mechanism by which dominant mutations in VCP cause multisystem proteinopathy (MSP), a rare neurodegenerative disease that presents as fronto-temporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 inclusions (FTLD-TDP), remains unclear. To explore this, we inactivate VCP in murine postnatal forebrain neurons (VCP conditional knockout [cKO]). VCP cKO mice have cortical brain atrophy, neuronal loss, autophago-lysosomal dysfunction, and TDP-43 inclusions resembling FTLD-TDP pathology. Conditional expression of a single disease-associated mutation, VCP-R155C, in a VCP null background similarly recapitulates features of VCP inactivation and FTLD-TDP, suggesting that this MSP mutation is hypomorphic. Comparison of transcriptomic and proteomic datasets from genetically defined patients with FTLD-TDP reveal that progranulin deficiency and VCP insufficiency result in similar profiles. These data identify a loss of VCP-dependent functions as a mediator of FTLD-TDP and reveal an unexpected biochemical similarity with progranulin deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abubakar Wani
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jiang Zhu
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jason D Ulrich
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Abdallah Eteleeb
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Andrew D Sauerbeck
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sydney J Reitz
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Khalid Arhzaouy
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chiseko Ikenaga
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carla M Yuede
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sara K Pittman
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Feng Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Shan Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Bruno A Benitez
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Terrance T Kummer
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Oscar Harari
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tsui-Fen Chou
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Rolf Schröder
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christoph S Clemen
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center, Cologne, Germany; Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Institute of Vegetative Physiology, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Conrad C Weihl
- Department of Neurology, Hope Center for Neurological Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Karpe Y, Chen Z, Li XJ. Stem Cell Models and Gene Targeting for Human Motor Neuron Diseases. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:565. [PMID: 34204831 PMCID: PMC8231537 DOI: 10.3390/ph14060565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor neurons are large projection neurons classified into upper and lower motor neurons responsible for controlling the movement of muscles. Degeneration of motor neurons results in progressive muscle weakness, which underlies several debilitating neurological disorders including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). With the development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, human iPSCs can be derived from patients and further differentiated into motor neurons. Motor neuron disease models can also be generated by genetically modifying human pluripotent stem cells. The efficiency of gene targeting in human cells had been very low, but is greatly improved with recent gene editing technologies such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN), and CRISPR-Cas9. The combination of human stem cell-based models and gene editing tools provides unique paradigms to dissect pathogenic mechanisms and to explore therapeutics for these devastating diseases. Owing to the critical role of several genes in the etiology of motor neuron diseases, targeted gene therapies have been developed, including antisense oligonucleotides, viral-based gene delivery, and in situ gene editing. This review summarizes recent advancements in these areas and discusses future challenges toward the development of transformative medicines for motor neuron diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yashashree Karpe
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL 61107, USA; (Y.K.); (Z.C.)
| | - Zhenyu Chen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL 61107, USA; (Y.K.); (Z.C.)
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Xue-Jun Li
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL 61107, USA; (Y.K.); (Z.C.)
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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Braems E, Tziortzouda P, Van Den Bosch L. Exploring the alternative: Fish, flies and worms as preclinical models for ALS. Neurosci Lett 2021; 759:136041. [PMID: 34118308 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons. In general, patients succumb to respiratory insufficiency due to respiratory muscle weakness. Despite many promising therapeutic strategies primarily identified in rodent models, patient trials remain rather unsuccessful. There is a clear need for alternative approaches, which could provide directions towards the justified use of rodents and which increase the likelihood to identify new promising clinical candidates. In the last decades, the use of fast genetic approaches and the development of high-throughput screening platforms in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, in the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and in zebrafish (Danio rerio) have contributed to new insights into ALS pathomechanisms, disease modifiers and therapeutic targets. In this mini-review, we provide an overview of these alternative small animal studies, modeling the most common ALS genes and discuss the most recent preclinical discoveries. We conclude that small animal models will not replace rodent models, yet they clearly represent an important asset for preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Braems
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology, and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium; VIB, Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Paraskevi Tziortzouda
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology, and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium; VIB, Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ludo Van Den Bosch
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Neurology, and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), Leuven, Belgium; VIB, Center for Brain & Disease Research, Laboratory of Neurobiology, Leuven, Belgium.
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Alhindi A, Boehm I, Chaytow H. Small junction, big problems: Neuromuscular junction pathology in mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). J Anat 2021; 241:1089-1107. [PMID: 34101196 PMCID: PMC9558162 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease with an extremely heterogeneous clinical and genetic phenotype. In our efforts to find therapies for ALS, the scientific community has developed a plethora of mouse models, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. The peripheral nervous system, specifically the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), is known to be affected in ALS patients and shows marked dysfunction across mouse models. Evidence of pathology at the NMJ includes denervated NMJs, changes in endplate size and loss of terminal Schwann cells. This review compares the temporal disease progression with severity of disease at the NMJ in mouse models with the most commonly mutated genes in ALS patients (SOD1, C9ORF72, TARDBP and FUS). Despite variability, early NMJ dysfunction seems to be a common factor in models with SOD1, TARDBP and FUS mutations, while C9ORF72 models do not appear to follow the same pattern of pathology. Further work into determining the timing of NMJ pathology, particularly in newer ALS mouse models, will confirm its pivotal role in ALS pathogenesis and therefore highlight the NMJ as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abrar Alhindi
- Edinburgh Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.,Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ines Boehm
- Edinburgh Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Helena Chaytow
- Edinburgh Medical School, Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Non-neuronal cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - from pathogenesis to biomarkers. Nat Rev Neurol 2021; 17:333-348. [PMID: 33927394 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-021-00487-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The prevailing motor neuron-centric view of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis could be an important factor in the failure to identify disease-modifying therapy for this neurodegenerative disorder. Non-neuronal cells have crucial homeostatic functions within the CNS and evidence of involvement of these cells in the pathophysiology of several neurodegenerative disorders, including ALS, is accumulating. Microglia and astrocytes, in crosstalk with peripheral immune cells, can exert both neuroprotective and adverse effects, resulting in a highly nuanced range of neuronal and non-neuronal cell interactions. This Review provides an overview of the diverse roles of non-neuronal cells in relation to the pathogenesis of ALS and the emerging potential of non-neuronal cell biomarkers to advance therapeutic development.
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