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Martinelli I, Zucchi E, Simonini C, Gianferrari G, Zamboni G, Pinti M, Mandrioli J. The landscape of cognitive impairment in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neural Regen Res 2023; 18:1427-1433. [PMID: 36571338 PMCID: PMC10075107 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.361535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 gene account for only a minority of total amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases, the discovery of this gene has been crucial for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research. Since the identification of superoxide dismutase 1 in 1993, the field of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetics has considerably widened, improving our understanding of the diverse pathogenic basis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In this review, we focus on cognitive impairment in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. Literature has mostly reported that cognition remains intact in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients, but recent reports highlight frontal lobe function frailty in patients carrying different superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mutations. We thoroughly reviewed all the various mutations reported in the literature to contribute to a comprehensive database of superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genotype-phenotype correlation. Such a resource could ultimately improve our mechanistic understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, enabling a more robust assessment of how the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis phenotype responds to different variants across genes, which is important for the therapeutic strategy targeting genetic mutations. Cognition in superoxide dismutase 1-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis deserves further longitudinal research since this peculiar frailty in patients with similar mutations can be conditioned by external factors, including environment and other unidentified agents including modifier genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Martinelli
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia; Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Zucchi
- Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena; Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Cecilia Simonini
- Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Giulia Gianferrari
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Giovanna Zamboni
- Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena; Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Marcello Pinti
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Jessica Mandrioli
- Department of Neurosciences, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena; Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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Chen LX, Xu HF, Lin HX, Yang XX, Li HF, Wu ZY. Pathogenicity classification of SOD1 variants of uncertain significance by in vitro aggregation propensity. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 123:182-190. [PMID: 36376198 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Deposition of insoluble SOD1 aggregates in motor neurons is the hallmark of SOD1-associated ALS. Mutant SOD1 protein promotes structural instability that leads to misfolded SOD1 protein aggregates, which can be recapitulated in vitro. Therefore, aggregation propensity in cell lines can be a reliable indicator for the pathogenicity classification of SOD1 variants. Herein, we performed in vitro experiment to classify the pathogenicity of 34 SOD1 variants of uncertain significance (VUS) from 215 variants reported previously. The clinical features of 234 ALS patients with 31 SOD1 likely pathogenic (LP) variants were summarized. 31 VUS variants formed aggregates spontaneously, indicating LP variants. Missense variants were mainly located in the C-terminal of SOD1. Among patients with 31 SOD1 LP variants, 75% of patients had lower limb onset. The onset of familial ALS patients (45.7±14.0 years) is earlier than sporadic ALS patients (50.6±13.1 years). Our results expand the spectrum of SOD1 mutations and highlight the natural history of SOD1-positive ALS patients for further clinical trials in SOD1-related ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Xi Chen
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Department of Medical Genetics, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hai-Feng Xu
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hui-Xia Lin
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xin-Xia Yang
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong-Fu Li
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Department of Medical Genetics, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Zhi-Ying Wu
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital, and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Department of Medical Genetics, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
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Anjum A, Cheah YJ, Yazid MD, Daud MF, Idris J, Ng MH, Naicker AS, Ismail OH, Athi Kumar RK, Tan GC, Wong YP, Mahadi MK, Lokanathan Y. Protocol paper: kainic acid excitotoxicity-induced spinal cord injury paraplegia in Sprague-Dawley rats. Biol Res 2022; 55:38. [PMID: 36494836 PMCID: PMC9733144 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-022-00407-0] [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: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Excitotoxicity-induced in vivo injury models are vital to reflect the pathophysiological features of acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in humans. The duration and concentration of chemical treatment controls the extent of neuronal cell damage. The extent of injury is explained in relation to locomotor and behavioural activity. Several SCI in vivo methods have been reported and studied extensively, particularly contusion, compression, and transection models. These models depict similar pathophysiology to that in humans but are extremely expensive (contusion) and require expertise (compression). Chemical excitotoxicity-induced SCI models are simple and easy while producing similar clinical manifestations. The kainic acid (KA) excitotoxicity model is a convenient, low-cost, and highly reproducible animal model of SCI in the laboratory. The basic impactor approximately cost between 10,000 and 20,000 USD, while the kainic acid only cost between 300 and 500 USD, which is quite cheap as compared to traditional SCI method. METHODS In this study, 0.05 mM KA was administered at dose of 10 µL/100 g body weight, at a rate of 10 µL/min, to induce spinal injury by intra-spinal injection between the T12 and T13 thoracic vertebrae. In this protocol, detailed description of a dorsal laminectomy was explained to expose the spinal cord, following intra-spinal kainic acid administration at desired location. The dose, rate and technique to administer kainic acid were explained extensively to reflect a successful paraplegia and spinal cord injury in rats. The postoperative care and complication post injury of paraplegic laboratory animals were also explained, and necessary requirements to overcome these complications were also described to help researcher. RESULTS This injury model produced impaired hind limb locomotor function with mild seizure. Hence this protocol will help researchers to induce spinal cord injury in laboratories at extremely low cost and also will help to determine the necessary supplies, methods for producing SCI in rats and treatments designed to mitigate post-injury impairment. CONCLUSIONS Kainic acid intra-spinal injection at the concentration of 0.05 mM, and rate 10 µL/min, is an effective method create spinal injury in rats, however more potent concentrations of kainic acid need to be studied in order to create severe spinal injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anam Anjum
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yt Jun Cheah
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Muhammad Da’in Yazid
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Muhammad Fauzi Daud
- grid.440439.e0000 0004 0444 6368Institute of Medical Science Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, 43000 Kajang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Jalilah Idris
- grid.440439.e0000 0004 0444 6368Institute of Medical Science Technology, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, 43000 Kajang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Min Hwei Ng
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Amaramalar Selvi Naicker
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ohnmar Htwe Ismail
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ramesh Kumar Athi Kumar
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Geok Chin Tan
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yin Ping Wong
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Kaisan Mahadi
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Drug and Herbal Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yogeswaran Lokanathan
- grid.412113.40000 0004 1937 1557Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Ruffo P, Perrone B, Conforti FL. SOD-1 Variants in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Systematic Re-Evaluation According to ACMG-AMP Guidelines. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13030537. [PMID: 35328090 PMCID: PMC8955492 DOI: 10.3390/genes13030537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common type of motor neuron disease whose causes are unclear. The first ALS gene associated with the autosomal dominant form of the disease was SOD1. This gene has a high rate of rare variants, and an appropriate classification is essential for a correct ALS diagnosis. In this study, we re-evaluated the classification of all previously reported SOD1 variants (n = 202) from ALSoD, project MinE, and in-house databases by applying the ACMG-AMP criteria to ALS. New bioinformatics analysis, frequency rating, and a thorough search for functional studies were performed. We also proposed adjusting criteria strength describing how to apply them to SOD1 variants. Most of the previously reported variants have been reclassified as likely pathogenic and pathogenic based on the modified weight of the PS3 criterion, highlighting how in vivo or in vitro functional studies are determining their interpretation and classification. Furthermore, this study reveals the concordance and discordance of annotations between open databases, indicating the need for expert review to adapt the study of variants to a specific disease. Indeed, in complex diseases, such as ALS, the oligogenic inheritance, the presence of genes that act as risk factors and the reduced penetration must be considered. Overall, the diagnosis of ALS remains clinical, and improving variant classification could support genetic data as diagnostic criteria.
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Chen LX, Xu HF, Wang PS, Yang XX, Wu ZY, Li HF. SOD1 Mutation Spectrum and Natural History of ALS Patients in a 15-Year Cohort in Southeastern China. Front Genet 2021; 12:746060. [PMID: 34721532 PMCID: PMC8551486 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.746060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 gene (SOD1) are the most frequent high penetrant genetic cause for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the Chinese population. A detailed natural history of SOD1-mutated ALS patients will provide key information for ongoing genetic clinical trials. Methods: We screened for SOD1 mutations using whole exome sequencing (WES) in Chinese ALS cases from 2017 to 2021. Functional studies were then performed to confirm the pathogenicity of novel variants. In addition, we enrolled previously reported SOD1 mutations in our centers from 2007 to 2017. The SOD1 mutation spectrum, age at onset (AAO), diagnostic delay, and survival duration were analyzed. Results: We found two novel SOD1 variants (p.G17H and p.E134*) that exerted both gain-of-function and loss-of-function effects in vitro. Combined with our previous SOD1-mutated patients, 32 probands with 21 SOD1 mutations were included with the four most frequently occurring mutations of p.V48A, p.H47R, p.C112Y, and p.G148D. SOD1 mutations account for 58.9% of familial ALS (FALS) cases. The mean (SD) AAO was 46 ± 11.4 years with a significant difference between patients carrying mutations in exon 1 [n = 5, 34.6 (12.4) years] and exon 2 [n = 8, 51.4 (8.2) years] (p = 0.038). The mean of the diagnostic delay of FALS patients is significantly earlier than the sporadic ALS (SALS) patients [9.5 (4.8) vs. 20.3 (9.3) years, p = 0.0026]. In addition, male patients survived longer than female patients (40 vs. 16 months, p = 0.05). Conclusion: Our results expanded the spectrum of SOD1 mutations, highlighted the mutation distribution, and summarized the natural history of SOD1-mutated patients in southeastern China. Male patients were found to have better survival, and FALS patients received an earlier diagnosis. Our findings assist in providing a detailed clinical picture, which is important for ongoing genetic clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Xi Chen
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hai-Feng Xu
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Pei-Shan Wang
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xin-Xia Yang
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Ying Wu
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong-Fu Li
- Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology in Second Affiliated Hospital and Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
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Genetic analysis in Chinese patients with familial or young-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurol Sci 2021; 43:2579-2587. [PMID: 34564799 DOI: 10.1007/s10072-021-05634-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to investigate the genetic characteristics in patients with familial or young-onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a Chinese center. METHODS Patients with familial or young-onset (age of onset < 45 years old) ALS were reviewed. The clinical data was collected. Whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify the disease-associated variants. Single-nucleotide variants and small insertions/deletions were further predicted with silico tools and compared to the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Database, Exome Aggregation Consortium, and the 1000 Genomes Project. The evolutionary conservations were estimated, and the structures of proteins were constructed by Swiss-Model server. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the misfolded SOD1 protein. RESULTS Three familial ALS and 5 young-onset ALS were enrolled. Genetic analysis identified related variants of SOD1 (4/6, 66.7%), FUS (1/6, 16.7%), and NEK1 (1/6, 16.7%) in 6 patients. Three of them were familial probands (3/3, 100%), and the others were sporadic young-onset patients (3/5, 60%). NEK1 c.290G > A mutation (NM_012224.2 exon4) in a patient with familial ALS and SOD1 c.362A > G mutation (NM_000454 exon5) in a young-onset ALS patient were novel. The novel mutations were predicted to be deleterious, affected evolutionarily highly conserved amino acid residue and the formation of hydrogen bonds between the mutated site and its surrounding amino acid residues. Misfolded SOD1 protein was identified in patient with SOD1 c.362A > G mutation. CONCLUSIONS Two novel mutations were detected in our patients. Patients with familial or young-onset ALS often carried related gene mutations, and genetic sequencing should be thus routinely performed.
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