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Marriott H, Spargo TP, Al Khleifat A, Andersen PM, Başak NA, Cooper‐Knock J, Corcia P, Couratier P, de Carvalho M, Drory V, Gotkine M, Landers JE, McLaughlin R, Pardina JSM, Morrison KE, Pinto S, Shaw CE, Shaw PJ, Silani V, Ticozzi N, van Damme P, van den Berg LH, Vourc'h P, Weber M, Veldink JH, Dobson RJ, Schwab P, Al‐Chalabi A, Iacoangeli A. Mutations in the tail and rod domains of the neurofilament heavy-chain gene increase the risk of ALS. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2024; 11:1775-1786. [PMID: 38775181 PMCID: PMC11251467 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.52083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Neurofilament heavy-chain gene (NEFH) variants are associated with multiple neurodegenerative diseases, however, their relationship with ALS has not been robustly explored. Still, NEFH is commonly included in genetic screening panels worldwide. We therefore aimed to determine if NEFH variants modify ALS risk. METHODS Genetic data of 11,130 people with ALS and 7,416 controls from the literature and Project MinE were analysed. We performed meta-analyses of published case-control studies reporting NEFH variants, and variant analysis of NEFH in Project MinE whole-genome sequencing data. RESULTS Fixed-effects meta-analysis found that rare (MAF <1%) missense variants in the tail domain of NEFH increase ALS risk (OR 4.55, 95% CI 2.13-9.71, p < 0.0001). In Project MinE, ultrarare NEFH variants increased ALS risk (OR 1.37 95% CI 1.14-1.63, p = 0.0007), with rod domain variants (mostly intronic) appearing to drive the association (OR 1.45 95% CI 1.18-1.77, pMadsen-Browning = 0.0007, pSKAT-O = 0.003). While in the tail domain, ultrarare (MAF <0.1%) pathogenic missense variants were also associated with higher risk of ALS (OR 1.94, 95% CI 0.86-4.37, pMadsen-Browning = 0.039), supporting the meta-analysis results. Finally, several tail in-frame deletions were also found to affect disease risk, however, both protective and pathogenic deletions were found in this domain, highlighting an intricate architecture that requires further investigation. INTERPRETATION We showed that NEFH tail missense and in-frame deletion variants, and intronic rod variants are risk factors for ALS. However, they are not variants of large effect, and their functional impact needs to be clarified in further studies. Therefore, their inclusion in routine genetic screening panels should be reconsidered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Marriott
- Department of Basic and Clinical NeuroscienceMaurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
- Department of Biostatistics and Health InformaticsInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
| | - Thomas P. Spargo
- Department of Basic and Clinical NeuroscienceMaurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
- Department of Biostatistics and Health InformaticsInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
| | - Ahmad Al Khleifat
- Department of Basic and Clinical NeuroscienceMaurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
| | - Peter M Andersen
- Department of Clinical ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeåSE‐901 85Sweden
| | - Nazli A. Başak
- Translational Medicine Research Center, NDAL, School of MedicineKoc UniversityIstanbul34450Turkey
| | - Johnathan Cooper‐Knock
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)University of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2HQUK
| | - Philippe Corcia
- UMR 1253, Université de Tours, InsermTours37044France
- Centre de référence sur la SLA, CHU de ToursTours37044France
| | - Philippe Couratier
- Centre de référence sur la SLA, CHRU de LimogesLimogesFrance
- UMR 1094, Université de Limoges, InsermLimoges87025France
| | - Mamede de Carvalho
- Instituto de Fisiologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de MedicinaUniversidade de LisboaLisbon1649‐028Portugal
| | - Vivian Drory
- Department of NeurologyTel‐Aviv Sourasky Medical CentreTel‐Aviv64239Israel
- Sackler Faculty of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel‐Aviv6997801Israel
| | - Marc Gotkine
- Faculty of MedicineHebrew University of JerusalemJerusalem91904Israel
- Agnes Ginges Center for Human Neurogenetics, Department of NeurologyHadassah Medical CenterJerusalem91120Israel
| | - John E. Landers
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Massachusetts Medical SchoolWorcesterMassachusetts01655USA
| | - Russell McLaughlin
- Complex Trait Genomics LaboratorySmurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College DublinDublinD02 PN40Ireland
| | | | - Karen E. Morrison
- School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastBT9 7BLUK
| | - Susana Pinto
- Instituto de Fisiologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de MedicinaUniversidade de LisboaLisbon1649‐028Portugal
| | - Christopher E. Shaw
- Department of Basic and Clinical NeuroscienceMaurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
| | - Pamela J. Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)University of SheffieldSheffieldS10 2HQUK
| | - Vincenzo Silani
- Department of Neurology‐Stroke Unit and Laboratory of NeuroscienceIstituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCSMilan20149Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, “Dino Ferrari” CenterUniversità degli Studi di MilanoMilan20122Italy
| | - Nicola Ticozzi
- Department of Neurology‐Stroke Unit and Laboratory of NeuroscienceIstituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCSMilan20149Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, “Dino Ferrari” CenterUniversità degli Studi di MilanoMilan20122Italy
| | - Philip van Damme
- Experimental Neurology and Leuven Brain Institute (LBI)Leuven3000Belgium
- VIB, Center for Brain and Disease ResearchLeuven3000Belgium
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospitals LeuvenLeuven3000Belgium
| | - Leonard H. van den Berg
- Department of Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain CenterUniversity Medical CenterUtrecht3584 CXNetherlands
| | - Patrick Vourc'h
- UMR 1253, Université de Tours, InsermTours37044France
- Service de Biochimie et Biologie molécularie, CHU de ToursTours37044France
| | - Markus Weber
- Neuromuscular Diseases Unit/ALS ClinicKantonsspital St. GallenSt. Gallen9007Switzerland
| | - Jan H. Veldink
- Department of Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain CenterUniversity Medical CenterUtrecht3584 CXNetherlands
| | - Richard J. Dobson
- Department of Biostatistics and Health InformaticsInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College LondonLondonUK
- Institute of Health Informatics, University College LondonLondonNW1 2DAUK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Patrick Schwab
- GlaxoSmithKline, Artificial Intelligence and Machine LearningLondonUK
| | - Ammar Al‐Chalabi
- Department of Basic and Clinical NeuroscienceMaurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
- King's College HospitalLondonSE5 9RSUK
| | - Alfredo Iacoangeli
- Department of Basic and Clinical NeuroscienceMaurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
- Department of Biostatistics and Health InformaticsInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonSE5 8AFUK
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College LondonLondonUK
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van Asperen JV, Kotaich F, Caillol D, Bomont P. Neurofilaments: Novel findings and future challenges. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2024; 87:102326. [PMID: 38401181 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2024.102326] [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: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Neurofilaments (NFs) are abundant cytoskeletal proteins that emerge as a critical hub for cell signalling within neurons. As we start to uncover essential roles of NFs in regulating microtubule and organelle dynamics, nerve conduction and neurotransmission, novel discoveries are expected to arise in genetics, with NFs identified as causal genes for various neurodegenerative diseases. This review will discuss how the latest advances in fundamental and translational research illuminate our understanding of NF biology, particularly their assembly, organisation, transport and degradation. We will emphasise the notion that filaments are not one entity and that future challenges will be to apprehend their diverse composition and structural heterogeneity and to scrutinize how this regulates signalling, sustains neuronal physiology and drives pathophysiology in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessy V van Asperen
- ERC Team, NeuroMyoGene Insitute, INMG-PGNM, Inserm U1315, CNRS UMR5261, University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Farah Kotaich
- ERC Team, NeuroMyoGene Insitute, INMG-PGNM, Inserm U1315, CNRS UMR5261, University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Damien Caillol
- ERC Team, NeuroMyoGene Insitute, INMG-PGNM, Inserm U1315, CNRS UMR5261, University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Pascale Bomont
- ERC Team, NeuroMyoGene Insitute, INMG-PGNM, Inserm U1315, CNRS UMR5261, University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
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Kotaich F, Caillol D, Bomont P. Neurofilaments in health and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1275155. [PMID: 38164457 PMCID: PMC10758125 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1275155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurofilaments (NFs) are the most abundant component of mature neurons, that interconnect with actin and microtubules to form the cytoskeleton. Specifically expressed in the nervous system, NFs present the particularity within the Intermediate Filament family of being formed by four subunits, the neurofilament light (NF-L), medium (NF-M), heavy (NF-H) proteins and α-internexin or peripherin. Here, we review the current knowledge on NF proteins and neurofilaments, from their domain structures and their model of assembly to the dynamics of their transport and degradation along the axon. The formation of the filament and its behaviour are regulated by various determinants, including post-transcriptional (miRNA and RBP proteins) and post-translational (phosphorylation and ubiquitination) modifiers. Altogether, the complex set of modifications enable the neuron to establish a stable but elastic NF array constituting the structural scaffold of the axon, while permitting the local expression of NF proteins and providing the dynamics necessary to fulfil local demands and respond to stimuli and injury. Thus, in addition to their roles in mechano-resistance, radial axonal outgrowth and nerve conduction, NFs control microtubule dynamics, organelle distribution and neurotransmission at the synapse. We discuss how the studies of neurodegenerative diseases with NF aggregation shed light on the biology of NFs. In particular, the NEFL and NEFH genes are mutated in Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, the most common inherited neurological disorder of the peripheral nervous system. The clinical features of the CMT forms (axonal CMT2E, CMT2CC; demyelinating CMT1F; intermediate I-CMT) with symptoms affecting the central nervous system (CNS) will allow us to further investigate the physiological roles of NFs in the brain. Thus, NF-CMT mouse models exhibit various degrees of sensory-motor deficits associated with CNS symptoms. Cellular systems brought findings regarding the dominant effect of NF-L mutants on NF aggregation and transport, although these have been recently challenged. Neurofilament detection without NF-L in recessive CMT is puzzling, calling for a re-examination of the current model in which NF-L is indispensable for NF assembly. Overall, we discuss how the fundamental and translational fields are feeding each-other to increase but also challenge our knowledge of NF biology, and to develop therapeutic avenues for CMT and neurodegenerative diseases with NF aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pascale Bomont
- ERC team, NeuroMyoGene Institute-Pathophysiology and Genetics of Neuron and Muscle, Inserm U1315, CNRS UMR5261, University of Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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Petzold A. The 2022 Lady Estelle Wolfson lectureship on neurofilaments. J Neurochem 2022; 163:179-219. [PMID: 35950263 PMCID: PMC9826399 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Neurofilament proteins (Nf) have been validated and established as a reliable body fluid biomarker for neurodegenerative pathology. This review covers seven Nf isoforms, Nf light (NfL), two splicing variants of Nf medium (NfM), two splicing variants of Nf heavy (NfH),α -internexin (INA) and peripherin (PRPH). The genetic and epigenetic aspects of Nf are discussed as relevant for neurodegenerative diseases and oncology. The comprehensive list of mutations for all Nf isoforms covers Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, Spinal muscular atrophy, Parkinson Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. Next, emphasis is given to the expanding field of post-translational modifications (PTM) of the Nf amino acid residues. Protein structural aspects are reviewed alongside PTMs causing neurodegenerative pathology and human autoimmunity. Molecular visualisations of NF PTMs, assembly and stoichiometry make use of Alphafold2 modelling. The implications for Nf function on the cellular level and axonal transport are discussed. Neurofilament aggregate formation and proteolytic breakdown are reviewed as relevant for biomarker tests and disease. Likewise, Nf stoichiometry is reviewed with regard to in vitro experiments and as a compensatory mechanism in neurodegeneration. The review of Nf across a spectrum of 87 diseases from all parts of medicine is followed by a critical appraisal of 33 meta-analyses on Nf body fluid levels. The review concludes with considerations for clinical trial design and an outlook for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Petzold
- Department of NeurodegenerationQueen Square Insitute of Neurology, UCLLondonUK
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