1
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Fisher RMA, Torrente MP. Histone post-translational modification and heterochromatin alterations in neurodegeneration: revealing novel disease pathways and potential therapeutics. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1456052. [PMID: 39346681 PMCID: PMC11427407 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1456052] [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: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are complex and fatal neurodegenerative diseases. While current treatments for these diseases do alleviate some symptoms, there is an imperative need for novel treatments able to stop their progression. For all of these ailments, most cases occur sporadically and have no known genetic cause. Only a small percentage of patients bear known mutations which occur in a multitude of genes. Hence, it is clear that genetic factors alone do not explain disease occurrence. Chromatin, a DNA-histone complex whose basic unit is the nucleosome, is divided into euchromatin, an open form accessible to the transcriptional machinery, and heterochromatin, which is closed and transcriptionally inactive. Protruding out of the nucleosome, histone tails undergo post-translational modifications (PTMs) including methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation which occur at specific residues and are connected to different chromatin structural states and regulate access to transcriptional machinery. Epigenetic mechanisms, including histone PTMs and changes in chromatin structure, could help explain neurodegenerative disease processes and illuminate novel treatment targets. Recent research has revealed that changes in histone PTMs and heterochromatin loss or gain are connected to neurodegeneration. Here, we review evidence for epigenetic changes occurring in AD, PD, and FTD/ALS. We focus specifically on alterations in the histone PTMs landscape, changes in the expression of histone modifying enzymes and chromatin remodelers as well as the consequences of these changes in heterochromatin structure. We also highlight the potential for epigenetic therapies in neurodegenerative disease treatment. Given their reversibility and pharmacological accessibility, epigenetic mechanisms provide a promising avenue for novel treatments. Altogether, these findings underscore the need for thorough characterization of epigenetic mechanisms and chromatin structure in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raven M A Fisher
- PhD. Program in Biochemistry, City University of New York - The Graduate Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Mariana P Torrente
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY, United States
- PhD. Programs in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Biology, City University of New York - The Graduate Center, New York, NY, United States
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2
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Emmanouilidis L, Bartalucci E, Kan Y, Ijavi M, Pérez ME, Afanasyev P, Boehringer D, Zehnder J, Parekh SH, Bonn M, Michaels TCT, Wiegand T, Allain FHT. A solid beta-sheet structure is formed at the surface of FUS droplets during aging. Nat Chem Biol 2024; 20:1044-1052. [PMID: 38467846 PMCID: PMC11288893 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-024-01573-w] [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: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Phase transitions are important to understand cell dynamics, and the maturation of liquid droplets is relevant to neurodegenerative disorders. We combined NMR and Raman spectroscopies with microscopy to follow, over a period of days to months, droplet maturation of the protein fused in sarcoma (FUS). Our study reveals that the surface of the droplets plays a critical role in this process, while RNA binding prevents it. The maturation kinetics are faster in an agarose-stabilized biphasic sample compared with a monophasic condensed sample, owing to the larger surface-to-volume ratio. In addition, Raman spectroscopy reports structural differences upon maturation between the inside and the surface of droplets, which is comprised of β-sheet content, as revealed by solid-state NMR. In agreement with these observations, a solid crust-like shell is observed at the surface using microaspiration. Ultimately, matured droplets were converted into fibrils involving the prion-like domain as well as the first RGG motif.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonidas Emmanouilidis
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Bringing Materials to Life Initiative, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Ettore Bartalucci
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Mülheim/Ruhr, Germany
- Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Yelena Kan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Mahdiye Ijavi
- Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Escura Pérez
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Johannes Zehnder
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sapun H Parekh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Mischa Bonn
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas C T Michaels
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Bringing Materials to Life Initiative, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Wiegand
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Mülheim/Ruhr, Germany.
- Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Frédéric H-T Allain
- Department of Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Bringing Materials to Life Initiative, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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3
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Chi B, Öztürk MM, Paraggio CL, Leonard CE, Sanita ME, Dastpak M, O’Connell JD, Coady JA, Zhang J, Gygi SP, Lopez-Gonzalez R, Yin S, Reed R. Causal ALS genes impact the MHC class II antigen presentation pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305756120. [PMID: 37722062 PMCID: PMC10523463 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305756120] [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: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in RNA/DNA-binding proteins cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the underlying disease mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report that a set of ALS-associated proteins, namely FUS, EWSR1, TAF15, and MATR3, impact the expression of genes encoding the major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II) antigen presentation pathway. Both subunits of the MHC II heterodimer, HLA-DR, are down-regulated in ALS gene knockouts/knockdown in HeLa and human microglial cells, due to loss of the MHC II transcription factor CIITA. Importantly, hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells bearing the FUSR495X mutation and HPCs derived from C9ORF72 ALS patient induced pluripotent stem cells also exhibit disrupted MHC II expression. Given that HPCs give rise to numerous immune cells, our data raise the possibility that loss of the MHC II pathway results in global failure of the immune system to protect motor neurons from damage that leads to ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binkai Chi
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Muhammet M. Öztürk
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Christina L. Paraggio
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Claudia E. Leonard
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Maria E. Sanita
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Mahtab Dastpak
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Jeremy D. O’Connell
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Jordan A. Coady
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Jiuchun Zhang
- Harvard Medical School Cell Biology Initiative for Genome Editing and Neurodegeneration, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Steven P. Gygi
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
| | - Rodrigo Lopez-Gonzalez
- Department of Neurosciences Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH44196
| | - Shanye Yin
- Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY10461
| | - Robin Reed
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02115
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4
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Tzeplaeff L, Seguin J, Le Gras S, Megat S, Cosquer B, Plassard D, Dieterlé S, Paiva I, Picchiarelli G, Decraene C, Alcala-Vida R, Cassel JC, Merienne K, Dupuis L, Boutillier AL. Mutant FUS induces chromatin reorganization in the hippocampus and alters memory processes. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 227:102483. [PMID: 37327984 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102483] [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: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Cytoplasmic mislocalization of the nuclear Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) protein is associated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Cytoplasmic FUS accumulation is recapitulated in the frontal cortex and spinal cord of heterozygous Fus∆NLS/+ mice. Yet, the mechanisms linking FUS mislocalization to hippocampal function and memory formation are still not characterized. Herein, we show that in these mice, the hippocampus paradoxically displays nuclear FUS accumulation. Multi-omic analyses showed that FUS binds to a set of genes characterized by the presence of an ETS/ELK-binding motifs, and involved in RNA metabolism, transcription, ribosome/mitochondria and chromatin organization. Importantly, hippocampal nuclei showed a decompaction of the neuronal chromatin at highly expressed genes and an inappropriate transcriptomic response was observed after spatial training of Fus∆NLS/+ mice. Furthermore, these mice lacked precision in a hippocampal-dependent spatial memory task and displayed decreased dendritic spine density. These studies shows that mutated FUS affects epigenetic regulation of the chromatin landscape in hippocampal neurons, which could participate in FTD/ALS pathogenic events. These data call for further investigation in the neurological phenotype of FUS-related diseases and open therapeutic strategies towards epigenetic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tzeplaeff
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France; Université de Strasbourg, INSERM, UMR-S1118, Strasbourg, France
| | - Jonathan Seguin
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Stéphanie Le Gras
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U1258, GenomEast Platform, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | - Salim Megat
- Université de Strasbourg, INSERM, UMR-S1118, Strasbourg, France
| | - Brigitte Cosquer
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Damien Plassard
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U1258, GenomEast Platform, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France
| | | | - Isabel Paiva
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | | | - Charles Decraene
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Rafael Alcala-Vida
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Cassel
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Karine Merienne
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France; CNRS, UMR 7364, Strasbourg 67000, France
| | - Luc Dupuis
- Université de Strasbourg, INSERM, UMR-S1118, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Anne-Laurence Boutillier
- Université de Strasbourg, Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives et Adaptatives (LNCA), Strasbourg, France.
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5
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Yoneda R, Ueda N, Kurokawa R. m 6A Modified Short RNA Fragments Inhibit Cytoplasmic TLS/FUS Aggregation Induced by Hyperosmotic Stress. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011014. [PMID: 34681673 PMCID: PMC8539258 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Translocated in LipoSarcoma/Fused in Sarcoma (TLS/FUS) is a nuclear RNA binding protein whose mutations cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. TLS/FUS undergoes LLPS and forms membraneless particles with other proteins and nucleic acids. Interaction with RNA alters conformation of TLS/FUS, which affects binding with proteins, but the effect of m6A RNA modification on the TLS/FUS–RNA interaction remains elusive. Here, we investigated the binding specificity of TLS/FUS to m6A RNA fragments by RNA pull down assay, and elucidated that both wild type and ALS-related TLS/FUS mutants strongly bound to m6A modified RNAs. TLS/FUS formed cytoplasmic foci by treating hyperosmotic stress, but the cells transfected with m6A-modified RNAs had a smaller number of foci. Moreover, m6A-modified RNA transfection resulted in the cells obtaining higher resistance to the stress. In summary, we propose TLS/FUS as a novel candidate of m6A recognition protein, and m6A-modified RNA fragments diffuse cytoplasmic TLS/FUS foci and thereby enhance cell viability.
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6
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ALS-linked FUS mutants affect the localization of U7 snRNP and replication-dependent histone gene expression in human cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11868. [PMID: 34088960 PMCID: PMC8178370 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91453-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes encoding replication-dependent histones lack introns, and the mRNAs produced are a unique class of RNA polymerase II transcripts in eukaryotic cells that do not end in a polyadenylated tail. Mature mRNAs are thus formed by a single endonucleolytic cleavage that releases the pre-mRNA from the DNA and is the only processing event necessary. U7 snRNP is one of the key factors that determines the cleavage site within the 3ʹUTR of replication-dependent histone pre-mRNAs. We have previously showed that the FUS protein interacts with U7 snRNA/snRNP and regulates the expression of histone genes by stimulating transcription and 3ʹ end maturation. Mutations in the FUS gene first identified in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) lead to the accumulation of the FUS protein in cytoplasmic inclusions. Here, we report that mutations in FUS lead to disruption of the transcriptional activity of FUS and mislocalization of U7 snRNA/snRNP in cytoplasmic aggregates in cellular models and primary neurons. As a consequence, decreased transcriptional efficiency and aberrant 3ʹ end processing of histone pre-mRNAs were observed. This study highlights for the first time the deregulation of replication-dependent histone gene expression and its involvement in ALS.
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7
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Ainslie A, Huiting W, Barazzuol L, Bergink S. Genome instability and loss of protein homeostasis: converging paths to neurodegeneration? Open Biol 2021; 11:200296. [PMID: 33878947 PMCID: PMC8059563 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome instability and loss of protein homeostasis are hallmark events of age-related diseases that include neurodegeneration. Several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are characterized by protein aggregation, while an impaired DNA damage response (DDR) as in many genetic DNA repair disorders leads to pronounced neuropathological features. It remains unclear to what degree these cellular events interconnect with each other in the development of neurological diseases. This review highlights how the loss of protein homeostasis and genome instability influence one other. We will discuss studies that illustrate this connection. DNA damage contributes to many neurodegenerative diseases, as shown by an increased level of DNA damage in patients, possibly due to the effects of protein aggregates on chromatin, the sequestration of DNA repair proteins and novel putative DNA repair functions. Conversely, genome stability is also important for protein homeostasis. For example, gene copy number variations and the loss of key DDR components can lead to marked proteotoxic stress. An improved understanding of how protein homeostasis and genome stability are mechanistically connected is needed and promises to lead to the development of novel therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ainslie
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter Huiting
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lara Barazzuol
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Steven Bergink
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands
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8
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Buratti E. Trends in Understanding the Pathological Roles of TDP-43 and FUS Proteins. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1281:243-267. [PMID: 33433879 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-51140-1_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Following the discovery of TDP-43 and FUS involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD), the major challenge in the field has been to understand their physiological functions, both in normal and disease conditions. The hope is that this knowledge will improve our understanding of disease and lead to the development of effective therapeutic options. Initially, the focus has been directed at characterizing the role of these proteins in the control of RNA metabolism, because the main function of TDP-43 and FUS is to bind coding and noncoding RNAs to regulate their life cycle within cells. As a result, we now have an in-depth picture of the alterations that occur in RNA metabolism following their aggregation in various ALS/FTLD models and, to a somewhat lesser extent, in patients' brains. In parallel, progress has been made with regard to understanding how aggregation of these proteins occurs in neurons, how it can spread in different brain regions, and how these changes affect various metabolic cellular pathways to result in neuronal death. The aim of this chapter will be to provide a general overview of the trending topics in TDP-43 and FUS investigations and to highlight what might represent the most promising avenues of research in the years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Buratti
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.
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9
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Melnik A, Cappelletti V, Vaggi F, Piazza I, Tognetti M, Schwarz C, Cereghetti G, Ahmed MA, Soste M, Matlack K, de Souza N, Csikasz-Nagy A, Picotti P. Comparative analysis of the intracellular responses to disease-related aggregation-prone proteins. J Proteomics 2020; 225:103862. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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10
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Baron DM, Matheny T, Lin YC, Leszyk JD, Kenna K, Gall KV, Santos DP, Tischbein M, Funes S, Hayward LJ, Kiskinis E, Landers JE, Parker R, Shaffer SA, Bosco DA. Quantitative proteomics identifies proteins that resist translational repression and become dysregulated in ALS-FUS. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 28:2143-2160. [PMID: 30806671 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant translational repression is a feature of multiple neurodegenerative diseases. The association between disease-linked proteins and stress granules further implicates impaired stress responses in neurodegeneration. However, our knowledge of the proteins that evade translational repression is incomplete. It is also unclear whether disease-linked proteins influence the proteome under conditions of translational repression. To address these questions, a quantitative proteomics approach was used to identify proteins that evade stress-induced translational repression in arsenite-treated cells expressing either wild-type or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-linked mutant FUS. This study revealed hundreds of proteins that are actively synthesized during stress-induced translational repression, irrespective of FUS genotype. In addition to proteins involved in RNA- and protein-processing, proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS were also actively synthesized during stress. Protein synthesis under stress was largely unperturbed by mutant FUS, although several proteins were found to be differentially expressed between mutant and control cells. One protein in particular, COPBI, was downregulated in mutant FUS-expressing cells under stress. COPBI is the beta subunit of the coat protein I (COPI), which is involved in Golgi to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrograde transport. Further investigation revealed reduced levels of other COPI subunit proteins and defects in COPBI-relatedprocesses in cells expressing mutant FUS. Even in the absence of stress, COPBI localization was altered in primary and human stem cell-derived neurons expressing ALS-linked FUS variants. Our results suggest that Golgi to ER retrograde transport may be important under conditions of stress and is perturbed upon the expression of disease-linked proteins such as FUS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desiree M Baron
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Tyler Matheny
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Yen-Chen Lin
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - John D Leszyk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Worcester, MA, USA.,Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
| | - Kevin Kenna
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Katherine V Gall
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - David P Santos
- The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maeve Tischbein
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Salome Funes
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Lawrence J Hayward
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Evangelos Kiskinis
- The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.,Department of Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John E Landers
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Roy Parker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Scott A Shaffer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Worcester, MA, USA.,Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
| | - Daryl A Bosco
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Worcester, MA, USA
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11
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Mesdom P, Colle R, Lebigot E, Trabado S, Deflesselle E, Fève B, Becquemont L, Corruble E, Verstuyft C. Human Dermal Fibroblast: A Promising Cellular Model to Study Biological Mechanisms of Major Depression and Antidepressant Drug Response. Curr Neuropharmacol 2020; 18:301-318. [PMID: 31631822 PMCID: PMC7327943 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x17666191021141057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) can be used as a cellular model relatively easily and without genetic engineering. Therefore, HDF represent an interesting tool to study several human diseases including psychiatric disorders. Despite major depressive disorder (MDD) being the second cause of disability in the world, the efficacy of antidepressant drug (AD) treatment is not sufficient and the underlying mechanisms of MDD and the mechanisms of action of AD are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE The aim of this review is to highlight the potential of HDF in the study of cellular mechanisms involved in MDD pathophysiology and in the action of AD response. METHODS The first part is a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines on the use of HDF in MDD research. The second part reports the mechanisms and molecules both present in HDF and relevant regarding MDD pathophysiology and AD mechanisms of action. RESULTS HDFs from MDD patients have been investigated in a relatively small number of works and most of them focused on the adrenergic pathway and metabolism-related gene expression as compared to HDF from healthy controls. The second part listed an important number of papers demonstrating the presence of many molecular processes in HDF, involved in MDD and AD mechanisms of action. CONCLUSION The imbalance in the number of papers between the two parts highlights the great and still underused potential of HDF, which stands out as a very promising tool in our understanding of MDD and AD mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Céline Verstuyft
- Address correspondence to this author at the Laboratoire de Pharmacologie, Salle 416, Bâtiment Université, Hôpital du Kremlin Bicêtre, 78 rue du Général Leclerc, 94275 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France; Tel: +33145213588; E-mail:
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12
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Hawrot J, Imhof S, Wainger BJ. Modeling cell-autonomous motor neuron phenotypes in ALS using iPSCs. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 134:104680. [PMID: 31759135 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an aggressive and uniformly fatal degenerative disease of the motor nervous system. In order to understand underlying disease mechanisms, researchers leverage a host of in vivo and in vitro models, including yeast, worms, flies, zebrafish, mice, and more recently, human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from ALS patients. While mouse models have been the main workhorse of preclinical ALS research, the development of iPSCs provides a new opportunity to explore molecular phenotypes of ALS within human cells. Importantly, this technology enables modeling of both familial and sporadic ALS in the relevant human genetic backgrounds, as well as a personalized or targeted approach to therapy development. Harnessing these powerful tools requires addressing numerous challenges, including different variance components associated with iPSCs and motor neurons as well as concomitant limits of reductionist approaches. In order to overcome these obstacles, optimization of protocols and assays, confirmation of phenotype robustness at scale, and validation of findings in human tissue and genetics will cement the role for iPSC models as a valuable complement to animal models in ALS and more broadly among neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Hawrot
- Departments of Neurology and Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Sophie Imhof
- Departments of Neurology and Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Brian J Wainger
- Departments of Neurology and Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard University and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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13
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Halpern M, Brennand KJ, Gregory J. Examining the relationship between astrocyte dysfunction and neurodegeneration in ALS using hiPSCs. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 132:104562. [PMID: 31381978 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex and fatal neurodegenerative disease for which the causes of disease onset and progression remain unclear. Recent advances in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based models permit the study of the genetic factors associated with ALS in patient-derived neural cell types, including motor neurons and glia. While astrocyte dysfunction has traditionally been thought to exacerbate disease progression, astrocytic dysfunction may play a more direct role in disease initiation and progression. Such non-cell autonomous mechanisms expand the potential targets of therapeutic intervention, but only a handful of ALS risk-associated genes have been examined for their impact on astrocyte dysfunction and neurodegeneration. This review summarizes what is currently known about astrocyte function in ALS and suggests ways in which hiPSC-based models can be used to more effectively study the role of astrocytes in neurodegenerative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Halpern
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States of America
| | - Kristen J Brennand
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States of America; Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States of America; Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, United States of America.
| | - James Gregory
- Center for Genomics of Neurodegenerative Disease, New York Genome Center, New York, NY 10013, United States of America.
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14
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Martinez-Macias MI, Moore DA, Green RL, Gomez-Herreros F, Naumann M, Hermann A, Van Damme P, Hafezparast M, Caldecott KW. FUS (fused in sarcoma) is a component of the cellular response to topoisomerase I-induced DNA breakage and transcriptional stress. Life Sci Alliance 2019; 2:2/2/e201800222. [PMID: 30808650 PMCID: PMC6391683 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201800222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This work shows that the ALS-associated protein FUS is a component of the cellular response to transcriptional stress induced by topoisomerase I–induced DNA breakage, thereby accumulating at sites of nucleolar rRNA synthesis. FUS (fused in sarcoma) plays a key role in several steps of RNA metabolism, and dominant mutations in this protein are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we show that FUS is a component of the cellular response to topoisomerase I (TOP1)–induced DNA breakage; relocalising to the nucleolus in response to RNA polymerase II (Pol II) stalling at sites of TOP1-induced DNA breaks. This relocalisation is rapid and dynamic, reversing following the removal of TOP1-induced breaks and coinciding with the recovery of global transcription. Importantly, FUS relocalisation following TOP1-induced DNA breakage is associated with increased FUS binding at sites of RNA polymerase I transcription in ribosomal DNA and reduced FUS binding at sites of RNA Pol II transcription, suggesting that FUS relocates from sites of stalled RNA Pol II either to regulate pre-mRNA processing during transcriptional stress or to modulate ribosomal RNA biogenesis. Importantly, FUS-mutant patient fibroblasts are hypersensitive to TOP1-induced DNA breakage, highlighting the possible relevance of these findings to neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Duncan Aq Moore
- Genome Damage and Stability Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, England
| | - Ryan L Green
- Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, England
| | - Fernando Gomez-Herreros
- Genome Damage and Stability Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, England.,Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Virgen del Rocio-Centro Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas-Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Marcel Naumann
- Department of Neurology, Technische Universität Dresden, and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Dresden, Germany.,Translational Neurodegeneration Section "Albrecht-Kossel", Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Andreas Hermann
- Department of Neurology, Technische Universität Dresden, and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Dresden, Germany.,Center for Transdisciplinary Neurosciences Rostock, University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.,Translational Neurodegeneration Section "Albrecht-Kossel", Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | | | - Majid Hafezparast
- Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, England
| | - Keith W Caldecott
- Genome Damage and Stability Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, England
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15
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Thompson VF, Victor RA, Morera AA, Moinpour M, Liu MN, Kisiel CC, Pickrel K, Springhower CE, Schwartz JC. Transcription-Dependent Formation of Nuclear Granules Containing FUS and RNA Pol II. Biochemistry 2018; 57:7021-7032. [PMID: 30488693 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b01097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Purified recombinant FUsed in Sarcoma (FUS) assembles into an oligomeric state in an RNA-dependent manner to form large condensates. FUS condensates bind and concentrate the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II). We asked whether a granule in cells contained FUS and RNA Pol II as suggested by the binding of FUS condensates to the polymerase. We developed cross-linking protocols to recover protein particles containing FUS from cells and separated them by size exclusion chromatography. We found a significant fraction of RNA Pol II in large granules containing FUS with diameters of >50 nm or twice that of the RNA Pol II holoenzyme. Inhibition of transcription prevented the polymerase from associating with the granules. Altogether, we found physical evidence of granules containing FUS and RNA Pol II in cells that possess properties comparable to those of in vitro FUS condensates.
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16
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Gasperini L, Rossi A, Cornella N, Peroni D, Zuccotti P, Potrich V, Quattrone A, Macchi P. The hnRNP RALY regulates PRMT1 expression and interacts with the ALS-linked protein FUS: implication for reciprocal cellular localization. Mol Biol Cell 2018; 29:3067-3081. [PMID: 30354839 PMCID: PMC6340211 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e18-02-0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The RBP associated with lethal yellow mutation (RALY) is a member of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein family whose transcriptome and interactome have been recently characterized. RALY binds poly-U rich elements within several RNAs and regulates the expression as well as the stability of specific transcripts. Here we show that RALY binds PRMT1 mRNA and regulates its expression. PRMT1 catalyzes the arginine methylation of Fused in Sarcoma (FUS), an RNA-binding protein that interacts with RALY. We demonstrate that RALY down-regulation decreases protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1 levels, thus reducing FUS methylation. It is known that mutations in the FUS nuclear localization signal (NLS) retain the protein to the cytosol, promote aggregate formation, and are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Confirming that inhibiting FUS methylation increases its nuclear import, we report that RALY knockout enhances FUS NLS mutants’ nuclear translocation, hence decreasing aggregate formation. Furthermore, we characterize the RNA-dependent interaction of RALY with FUS in motor neurons. We show that mutations in FUS NLS as well as in RALY NLS reciprocally alter their localization and interaction with target mRNAs. These data indicate that RALY’s activity is impaired in FUS pathology models, raising the possibility that RALY might modulate disease onset and/or progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Gasperini
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Annalisa Rossi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Nicola Cornella
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Daniele Peroni
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, CIBIO-Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Paola Zuccotti
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, CIBIO-Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Valentina Potrich
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, CIBIO-Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Alessandro Quattrone
- Laboratory of Translational Genomics, CIBIO-Centre for Integrative Biology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Paolo Macchi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, University of Trento, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
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17
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Rhoads SN, Monahan ZT, Yee DS, Leung AY, Newcombe CG, O'Meally RN, Cole RN, Shewmaker FP. The prionlike domain of FUS is multiphosphorylated following DNA damage without altering nuclear localization. Mol Biol Cell 2018; 29:1786-1797. [PMID: 29897835 PMCID: PMC6085830 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e17-12-0735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
FUS (fused in sarcoma) is an abundant, predominantly nuclear protein involved in RNA processing. Under various conditions, FUS functionally associates with RNA and other macromolecules to form distinct, reversible phase-separated liquid structures. Persistence of the phase-separated state and increased cytoplasmic localization are both hypothesized to predispose FUS to irreversible aggregation, which is a pathological hallmark of subtypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. We previously showed that phosphorylation of FUS’s prionlike domain suppressed phase separation and toxic aggregation, proportionally to the number of added phosphates. However, phosphorylation of FUS’s prionlike domain was previously reported to promote its cytoplasmic localization, potentially favoring pathological behavior. Here we used mass spectrometry and human cell models to further identify phosphorylation sites within FUS’s prionlike domain, specifically following DNA-damaging stress. In total, 28 putative sites have been identified, about half of which are DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) consensus sites. Custom antibodies were developed to confirm the phosphorylation of two of these sites (Ser-26 and Ser-30). Both sites were usually phosphorylated in a subpopulation of cellular FUS following a variety of DNA-damaging stresses but not necessarily equally or simultaneously. Importantly, we found DNA-PK–dependent multiphosphorylation of FUS’s prionlike domain does not cause cytoplasmic localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon N Rhoads
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Zachary T Monahan
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Debra S Yee
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Andrew Y Leung
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Cameron G Newcombe
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
| | - Robert N O'Meally
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Mass Spectrometry and Proteomic Facility, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Robert N Cole
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins Mass Spectrometry and Proteomic Facility, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205
| | - Frank P Shewmaker
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814
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18
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Zhou Y, Dong F, Mao Y. Control of CNS functions by RNA-binding proteins in neurological diseases. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 4:301-313. [PMID: 30410853 DOI: 10.1007/s40495-018-0140-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review This review summarizes recent studies on the molecular mechanisms of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) that control neurological functions and pathogenesis in various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, including autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, and spinocerebellar ataxia. Recent Findings RBPs are critical players in gene expression that regulate every step of posttranscriptional modifications. Recent genome-wide approaches revealed that many proteins associate with RNA, but do not contain any known RNA binding motifs. Additionally, many causal and risk genes of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases are RBPs. Development of high-throughput sequencing methods has mapped out the fingerprints of RBPs on transcripts and provides unprecedented potential to discover new mechanisms of neurological diseases. Insights into how RBPs modulate neural development are important for designing effective therapies for numerous neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Summary RBPs have diverse mechanisms for modulating RNA processing and, thereby, controlling neurogenesis. Understanding the role of disease-associated RBPs in neurogenesis is vital for developing novel treatments for neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijing Zhou
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Fengping Dong
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Yingwei Mao
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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19
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Rhoads SN, Monahan ZT, Yee DS, Shewmaker FP. The Role of Post-Translational Modifications on Prion-Like Aggregation and Liquid-Phase Separation of FUS. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19030886. [PMID: 29547565 PMCID: PMC5877747 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19030886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Subcellular mislocalization and aggregation of the human FUS protein occurs in neurons of patients with subtypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. FUS is one of several RNA-binding proteins that can functionally self-associate into distinct liquid-phase droplet structures. It is postulated that aberrant interactions within the dense phase-separated state can potentiate FUS's transition into solid prion-like aggregates that cause disease. FUS is post-translationally modified at numerous positions, which affect both its localization and aggregation propensity. These modifications may influence FUS-linked pathology and serve as therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon N Rhoads
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Zachary T Monahan
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Debra S Yee
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
| | - Frank P Shewmaker
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Therapeutics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
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20
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Codron P, Cassereau J, Vourc’h P, Veyrat-Durebex C, Blasco H, Kane S, Procaccio V, Letournel F, Verny C, Lenaers G, Reynier P, Chevrollier A. Primary fibroblasts derived from sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients do not show ALS cytological lesions. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2018; 19:446-456. [DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2018.1431787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Codron
- Department of Neurology, ALS Center, University Hospital of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropathology, University Hospital of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Julien Cassereau
- Department of Neurology, ALS Center, University Hospital of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Patrick Vourc’h
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Hospital of Tours, Tours Cedex 1, France, and
- School of Medicine, INSERM U930, François-Rabelais University, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Charlotte Veyrat-Durebex
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Hélène Blasco
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University Hospital of Tours, Tours Cedex 1, France, and
- School of Medicine, INSERM U930, François-Rabelais University, Tours Cedex 1, France
| | - Selma Kane
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Vincent Procaccio
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Franck Letournel
- Department of Neurobiology and Neuropathology, University Hospital of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Christophe Verny
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Guy Lenaers
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Pascal Reynier
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
| | - Arnaud Chevrollier
- MitoLab Unit, MITOVASC Institute, CNRS 6015, INSERM U1083, University of Angers, Angers Cedex 9, France,
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21
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Efimova AD, Ovchinnikov RK, Roman AY, Maltsev AV, Grigoriev VV, Kovrazhkina EA, Skvortsova VI. The FUS protein: Physiological functions and a role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Mol Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026893317020091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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22
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Ederle H, Dormann D. TDP-43 and FUS en route from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. FEBS Lett 2017; 591:1489-1507. [PMID: 28380257 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Misfolded or mislocalized RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and, consequently, altered mRNA processing, can cause neuronal dysfunction, eventually leading to neurodegeneration. Two prominent examples are the RBPs TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma (FUS), which form pathological messenger ribonucleoprotein aggregates in patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), two devastating neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review the multiple functions of TDP-43 and FUS in mRNA processing, both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm. We discuss how TDP-43 and FUS may exit the nucleus and how defects in both nuclear and cytosolic mRNA processing events, and possibly nuclear export defects, may contribute to neurodegeneration and ALS/FTD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Ederle
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Dorothee Dormann
- BioMedical Center (BMC), Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences (GSN), Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Germany
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23
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Feuillette S, Delarue M, Riou G, Gaffuri AL, Wu J, Lenkei Z, Boyer O, Frébourg T, Campion D, Lecourtois M. Neuron-to-Neuron Transfer of FUS in Drosophila Primary Neuronal Culture Is Enhanced by ALS-Associated Mutations. J Mol Neurosci 2017; 62:114-122. [PMID: 28429234 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-017-0908-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The DNA- and RNA-binding protein fused in sarcoma (FUS) has been pathologically and genetically linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Cytoplasmic FUS-positive inclusions were identified in the brain and spinal cord of a subset of patients suffering with ALS/FTLD. An increasing number of reports suggest that FUS protein can behave in a prion-like manner. However, no neuropathological studies or experimental data were available regarding cell-to-cell spread of these pathological protein assemblies. In the present report, we investigated the ability of wild-type and mutant forms of FUS to transfer between neuronal cells. We combined the use of Drosophila models for FUS proteinopathies with that of the primary neuronal cultures to address neuron-to-neuron transfer of FUS proteins. Using conditional co-culture models and an optimized flow cytometry-based methodology, we demonstrated that ALS-mutant forms of FUS proteins can transfer between well-differentiated mature Drosophila neurons. These new observations support that a propagating mechanism could be applicable to FUS, leading to the sequential dissemination of pathological proteins over years.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Morgane Delarue
- Inserm, U1245, IRIB, Rouen, France.,Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Rouen, France
| | - Gaëtan Riou
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Rouen, France.,Inserm, U1234, IRIB, Rouen, France
| | - Anne-Lise Gaffuri
- Brain Plasticity Unit, ESPCI-Paris Tech, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR4289, Paris, France
| | - Jane Wu
- Department of Neurology, Center for Genetic Medicine, Lurie Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 303 E Superior, Chicago, USA
| | - Zsolt Lenkei
- Brain Plasticity Unit, ESPCI-Paris Tech, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR4289, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Boyer
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Rouen, France.,Inserm, U1234, IRIB, Rouen, France.,Department of Immunology, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Thierry Frébourg
- Inserm, U1245, IRIB, Rouen, France.,Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Rouen, France.,Department of Genetics, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France
| | - Dominique Campion
- Inserm, U1245, IRIB, Rouen, France.,Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Rouen, France.,Centre Hospitalier du Rouvray, Sotteville-Lès-Rouen, France
| | - Magalie Lecourtois
- Inserm, U1245, IRIB, Rouen, France. .,Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Rouen, France.
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24
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Two familial ALS proteins function in prevention/repair of transcription-associated DNA damage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E7701-E7709. [PMID: 27849576 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1611673113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neuron dysfunction disease that leads to paralysis and death. There is currently no established molecular pathogenesis pathway. Multiple proteins involved in RNA processing are linked to ALS, including FUS and TDP43, and we propose a disease mechanism in which loss of function of at least one of these proteins leads to an accumulation of transcription-associated DNA damage contributing to motor neuron cell death and progressive neurological symptoms. In support of this hypothesis, we find that FUS or TDP43 depletion leads to increased sensitivity to a transcription-arresting agent due to increased DNA damage. Thus, these proteins normally contribute to the prevention or repair of transcription-associated DNA damage. In addition, both FUS and TDP43 colocalize with active RNA polymerase II at sites of DNA damage along with the DNA damage repair protein, BRCA1, and FUS and TDP43 participate in the prevention or repair of R loop-associated DNA damage, a manifestation of aberrant transcription and/or RNA processing. Gaining a better understanding of the role(s) that FUS and TDP43 play in transcription-associated DNA damage could shed light on the mechanisms underlying ALS pathogenesis.
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25
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Onofre I, Mendonça N, Lopes S, Nobre R, de Melo JB, Carreira IM, Januário C, Gonçalves AF, de Almeida LP. Fibroblasts of Machado Joseph Disease patients reveal autophagy impairment. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28220. [PMID: 27328712 PMCID: PMC4916410 DOI: 10.1038/srep28220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Machado Joseph Disease (MJD) is the most frequent autosomal dominantly inherited cerebellar ataxia caused by the over-repetition of a CAG trinucleotide in the ATXN3 gene. This expansion translates into a polyglutamine tract within the ataxin-3 protein that confers a toxic gain-of-function to the mutant protein ataxin-3, contributing to protein misfolding and intracellular accumulation of aggregates and neuronal degeneration. Autophagy impairment has been shown to be one of the mechanisms that contribute for the MJD phenotype. Here we investigated whether this phenotype was present in patient-derived fibroblasts, a common somatic cell type used in the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells and subsequent differentiation into neurons, for in vitro disease modeling. We generated and studied adult dermal fibroblasts from 5 MJD patients and 4 healthy individuals and we found that early passage MJD fibroblasts exhibited autophagy impairment with an underlying mechanism of decreased autophagosome production. The overexpression of beclin-1 on MJD fibroblasts reverted partially autophagy impairment by increasing the autophagic flux but failed to increase the levels of autophagosome production. Overall, our results provide a well-characterized MJD fibroblast resource for neurodegenerative disease research and contribute for the understanding of mutant ataxin-3 biology and its molecular consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Onofre
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Nuno Mendonça
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.,Neurology Department, Coimbra University Hospital Center, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Sara Lopes
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.,IIIUC- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rui Nobre
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.,IIIUC- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana Barbosa de Melo
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal.,Cytogenetics and Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Isabel Marques Carreira
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal.,Cytogenetics and Genomics Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Cristina Januário
- Neurology Department, Coimbra University Hospital Center, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - António Freire Gonçalves
- Neurology Department, Coimbra University Hospital Center, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Luis Pereira de Almeida
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal.,Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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26
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Ratti A, Buratti E. Physiological functions and pathobiology of TDP-43 and FUS/TLS proteins. J Neurochem 2016; 138 Suppl 1:95-111. [PMID: 27015757 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.13625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Revised: 03/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The multiple roles played by RNA binding proteins in neurodegeneration have become apparent following the discovery of TAR DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma/translocated in liposarcoma (FUS/TLS) involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar dementia. In these two diseases, the majority of patients display the presence of aggregated forms of one of these proteins in their brains. The study of their functional properties currently represents a very promising target for developing the effective therapeutic options that are still lacking. This aim, however, must be preceded by an accurate evaluation of TDP-43 and FUS/TLS biological functions, both in physiological and disease conditions. Recent findings have uncovered several aspects of RNA metabolism that can be affected by misregulation of these two proteins. Progress has also been made in starting to understand how the aggregation of these proteins occurs and spreads from cell to cell. The aim of this review will be to provide a general overview of TDP-43 and FUS/TLS proteins and to highlight their physiological functions. At present, the emerging picture is that TDP-43 and FUS/TLS control several aspects of an mRNA's life, but they can also participate in DNA repair processes and in non-coding RNA metabolism. Although their regulatory activities are similar, they regulate mainly distinct RNA targets and show different pathogenetic mechanisms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal lobar dementia diseases. The identification of key events in these processes represents today the best chance of finding targetable options for therapeutic approaches that might actually make a difference at the clinical level. The two major RNA Binding Proteins involved in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosisi and Frontotemporal Dementia are TDP-43 and FUST/TLS. Both proteins are involved in regulating all aspects of RNA and RNA life cycle within neurons, from transcription, processing, and transport/stability to the formation of cytoplasmic and nuclear stress granules. For this reason, the aberrant aggregation of these factors during disease can impair multiple RNA metabolic pathways and eventually lead to neuronal death/inactivation. The purpose of this review is to provide an up-to-date perspective on what we know about this issue at the molecular level. This article is part of the Frontotemporal Dementia special issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Ratti
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, 'Dino Ferrari' Center - Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuele Buratti
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
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27
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Liu Y, Han N, Li Q, Li Z. Regulatory mechanisms underlying sepsis progression in patients with tumor necrosis factor-α genetic variations. Exp Ther Med 2016; 12:323-328. [PMID: 27347057 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2016.3308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms underlying sepsis progression in patients with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α genetic variations. The GSE5760 expression profile data, which was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, contained 30 wild-type (WT) and 28 mutation (MUT) samples. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two types of samples were identified using the Student's t-test, and the corresponding microRNAs (miRNAs) were screened using WebGestalt software. An integrated miRNA-DEG network was constructed using the Cytoscape software, based on the interactions between the DEGs, as identified using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins database, and the correlation between miRNAs and their target genes. Furthermore, Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analyses were conducted for the DEGs using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery and the KEGG Orthology Based Annotation System, respectively. A total of 390 DEGS between the WT and MUT samples, along with 11 -associated miRNAs, were identified. The integrated miRNA-DEG network consisted of 38 DEGs and 11 miRNAs. Within this network, COPS2 was found to be associated with transcriptional functions, while FUS was found to be involved in mRNA metabolic processes. Other DEGs, including FBXW7 and CUL3, were enriched in the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway. In addition, miR-15 was predicted to target COPS2 and CUL3. The results of the present study suggested that COPS2, FUS, FBXW7 and CUL3 may be associated with sepsis in patients with TNF-α genetic variations. In the progression of sepsis, FBXW7 and CUL3 may participate in the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway, whereas COPS2 may regulate the phosphorylation and ubiquitination of the FUS protein. Furthermore, COPS2 and CUL3 may be novel targets of miR-15.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangzhou Liu
- Emergency Trauma Department, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai 200120, P.R. China
| | - Ning Han
- Emergency Trauma Department, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai 200120, P.R. China
| | - Qinchuan Li
- Emergency Trauma Department, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai 200120, P.R. China
| | - Zengchun Li
- Emergency Trauma Department, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai 200120, P.R. China
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28
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Shang Y, Huang EJ. Mechanisms of FUS mutations in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain Res 2016; 1647:65-78. [PMID: 27033831 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2016] [Revised: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in the genetics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have provided key mechanistic insights to the pathogenesis of this devastating neurodegenerative disease. Among many etiologies for ALS, the identification of mutations and proteinopathies in two RNA binding proteins, TDP-43 (TARDBP or TAR DNA binding protein 43) and its closely related RNA/DNA binding protein FUS (fused in sarcoma), raises the intriguing possibility that perturbations to the RNA homeostasis and metabolism in neurons may contribute to the pathogenesis of these diseases. Although the similarities between TDP-43 and FUS suggest that mutations and proteinopathy involving these two proteins may converge on the same mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration, there is increasing evidence that FUS mutations target distinct mechanisms to cause early disease onset and aggressive progression of disease. This review focuses on the recent advances on the molecular, cellular and genetic approaches to uncover the mechanisms of wild type and mutant FUS proteins during development and in neurodegeneration. These findings provide important insights to understand how FUS mutations may perturb the maintenance of dendrites through fundamental processes in RNA splicing, RNA transport and DNA damage response/repair. These results contribute to the understanding of phenotypic manifestations in neurodegeneration related to FUS mutations, and to identify important directions for future investigations. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI:RNA Metabolism in Disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulei Shang
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Eric J Huang
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; Pathology Service 113B, VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, United States.
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29
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Masuda A, Takeda JI, Ohno K. FUS-mediated regulation of alternative RNA processing in neurons: insights from global transcriptome analysis. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2016; 7:330-40. [PMID: 26822113 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is an RNA-binding protein that is causally associated with oncogenesis and neurodegeneration. Recently, the role of FUS in neurodegeneration has been extensively studied, because mutations in FUS are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and the FUS protein has been identified as a major component of intracellular inclusions in neurodegenerative disorders including ALS and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. FUS is a key molecule in transcriptional regulation and RNA processing including processes such as pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing and polyadenylation. Interaction of FUS with various components of the transcription machinery, spliceosome, and the 3'-end processing machinery has been identified. Furthermore, recent advances in high-throughput transcriptomic profiling approaches have enabled us to determine the mechanisms of FUS-dependent RNA processing networks at a cellular level. These analyses have revealed that depletion of FUS in neuronal cells affects alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation of thousands of mRNAs. Gene ontology analysis has suggested that FUS-modulated genes are implicated in neuronal functions and development. CLIP-seq of FUS has shown that FUS is frequently clustered around these alternative sites of nascent RNA. ChIP-seq of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) has demonstrated that an interaction between FUS and nascent RNA downregulates local transcriptional activity of RNAP II, which is critically involved in RNA processing. Both alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation are fundamental processes by which cells expand their transcriptomic diversity, and are particularly essential in the nervous system. Dependence of transcriptomic diversity on FUS makes the nervous system vulnerable to neurodegeneration, when FUS is functionally compromised. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:330-340. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1338 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akio Masuda
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Jun-Ichi Takeda
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kinji Ohno
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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30
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Lim SM, Choi WJ, Oh KW, Xue Y, Choi JY, Kim SH, Nahm M, Kim YE, Lee J, Noh MY, Lee S, Hwang S, Ki CS, Fu XD, Kim SH. Directly converted patient-specific induced neurons mirror the neuropathology of FUS with disrupted nuclear localization in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Mol Neurodegener 2016; 11:8. [PMID: 26795035 PMCID: PMC4722778 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-016-0075-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Mutations in the fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene have been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS patients with FUS mutations exhibit neuronal cytoplasmic mislocalization of the mutant FUS protein. ALS patients’ fibroblasts or induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons have been developed as models for understanding ALS-associated FUS (ALS-FUS) pathology; however, pathological neuronal signatures are not sufficiently present in the fibroblasts of patients, whereas the generation of iPSC-derived neurons from ALS patients requires relatively intricate procedures. Results Here, we report the generation of disease-specific induced neurons (iNeurons) from the fibroblasts of patients who carry three different FUS mutations that were recently identified by direct sequencing and multi-gene panel analysis. The mutations are located at the C-terminal nuclear localization signal (NLS) region of the protein (p.G504Wfs*12, p.R495*, p.Q519E): two de novo mutations in sporadic ALS and one in familial ALS case. Aberrant cytoplasmic mislocalization with nuclear clearance was detected in all patient-derived iNeurons, and oxidative stress further induced the accumulation of cytoplasmic FUS in cytoplasmic granules, thereby recapitulating neuronal pathological features identified in mutant FUS (p.G504Wfs*12)-autopsied ALS patient. Importantly, such FUS pathological hallmarks of the patient with the p.Q519E mutation were only detected in patient-derived iNeurons, which contrasts to predominant FUS (p.Q519E) in the nucleus of both the transfected cells and patient-derived fibroblasts. Conclusions Thus, iNeurons may provide a more reliable model for investigating FUS mutations with disrupted NLS for understanding FUS-associated proteinopathies in ALS. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13024-016-0075-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Su Min Lim
- Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea. .,Cell Therapy Center, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Won Jun Choi
- Department of Neurology, Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Ki-Wook Oh
- Cell Therapy Center, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yuanchao Xue
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Ji Young Choi
- Cell Therapy Center, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sung Hoon Kim
- Cell Therapy Center, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Minyeop Nahm
- Cell Therapy Center, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Young-Eun Kim
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, 135-710, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jinhyuk Lee
- Korean Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, 305-806, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Bioinformatics, University of Sciences and Technology, Daejeon, 305-806, Republic of Korea.
| | - Min-Young Noh
- Cell Therapy Center, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Seungbok Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sejin Hwang
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
| | - Chang-Seok Ki
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, 135-710, Republic of Korea.
| | - Xiang-Dong Fu
- Department of Cellular Molecular Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA.
| | - Seung Hyun Kim
- Department of Translational Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea. .,Cell Therapy Center, Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, 133-792, Republic of Korea.
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31
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Treatment with a Global Methyltransferase Inhibitor Induces the Intranuclear Aggregation of ALS-Linked FUS Mutant In Vitro. Neurochem Res 2015; 41:826-35. [PMID: 26603295 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-015-1758-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Revised: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
FUS/TLS (fused in sarcoma/translocated in liposarcoma) encodes a multifunctional DNA/RNA binding protein with non-classical carboxy (C)-terminal nuclear localization signal (NLS). A variety of ALS-linked mutations are clustered in the C-terminal NLS, resulting in the cytoplasmic mislocalization and aggregation. Since the arginine methylations are implicated in the nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of FUS, a methylation inhibitor could be one of therapeutic targets for FUS-linked ALS. We here examined effects of methylation inhibitors on the cytoplasmic mislocalization and aggregates of ALS-linked C-terminal FUS mutant in a cell culture system. Treatment with adenosine dialdehyde (AdOx), a representative global methyltransferase inhibitor, remarkably mitigated the cytoplasmic mislocalization and aggregation of FUS mutant, which is consistent with previous reports. However, AdOx treatment of higher concentration and longer time period evoked the intranuclear aggregation of the ectopic expressed FUS protein. The pull down assay and the morphological analysis indicated the binding between FUS and Transportin could be potentiated by AdOx treatment through modulating methylation status in RGG domains of FUS. These findings indicated the treatment with a methylation inhibitor at the appropriate levels could alleviate the cytoplasmic mislocalization but in excess this could cause the intranuclear aggregation of FUS C-terminal mutant.
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32
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Burke KA, Janke AM, Rhine CL, Fawzi NL. Residue-by-Residue View of In Vitro FUS Granules that Bind the C-Terminal Domain of RNA Polymerase II. Mol Cell 2015; 60:231-41. [PMID: 26455390 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 626] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Phase-separated states of proteins underlie ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules and nuclear RNA-binding protein assemblies that may nucleate protein inclusions associated with neurodegenerative diseases. We report that the N-terminal low-complexity domain of the RNA-binding protein Fused in Sarcoma (FUS LC) is structurally disordered and forms a liquid-like phase-separated state resembling RNP granules. This state directly binds the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II. Phase-separated FUS lacks static structures as probed by fluorescence microscopy, indicating they are distinct from both protein inclusions and hydrogels. We use solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to directly probe the dynamic architecture within FUS liquid phase-separated assemblies. Importantly, we find that FUS LC retains disordered secondary structure even in the liquid phase-separated state. Therefore, we propose that disordered protein granules, even those made of aggregation-prone prion-like domains, are dynamic and disordered molecular assemblies with transiently formed protein-protein contacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen A Burke
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Abigail M Janke
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Christy L Rhine
- Graduate Program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Nicolas L Fawzi
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
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33
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Lin Y, Protter DSW, Rosen MK, Parker R. Formation and Maturation of Phase-Separated Liquid Droplets by RNA-Binding Proteins. Mol Cell 2015; 60:208-19. [PMID: 26412307 PMCID: PMC4609299 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1096] [Impact Index Per Article: 121.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Revised: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic cells possess numerous dynamic membrane-less organelles, RNP granules, enriched in RNA and RNA-binding proteins containing disordered regions. We demonstrate that the disordered regions of key RNP granule components and the full-length granule protein hnRNPA1 can phase separate in vitro, producing dynamic liquid droplets. Phase separation is promoted by low salt concentrations or RNA. Over time, the droplets mature to more stable states, as assessed by slowed fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and resistance to salt. Maturation often coincides with formation of fibrous structures. Different disordered domains can co-assemble into phase-separated droplets. These biophysical properties demonstrate a plausible mechanism by which interactions between disordered regions, coupled with RNA binding, could contribute to RNP granule assembly in vivo through promoting phase separation. Progression from dynamic liquids to stable fibers may be regulated to produce cellular structures with diverse physiochemical properties and functions. Misregulation could contribute to diseases involving aberrant RNA granules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lin
- The HHMI Summer Institute, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - David S W Protter
- The HHMI Summer Institute, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA
| | - Michael K Rosen
- The HHMI Summer Institute, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA.
| | - Roy Parker
- The HHMI Summer Institute, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA.
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34
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Farrawell NE, Lambert-Smith IA, Warraich ST, Blair IP, Saunders DN, Hatters DM, Yerbury JJ. Distinct partitioning of ALS associated TDP-43, FUS and SOD1 mutants into cellular inclusions. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13416. [PMID: 26293199 PMCID: PMC4544019 DOI: 10.1038/srep13416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease associated with protein misfolding and aggregation. Most cases are characterized by TDP-43 positive inclusions, while a minority of familial ALS cases are instead FUS and SOD1 positive respectively. Cells can generate inclusions of variable type including previously characterized aggresomes, IPOD or JUNQ structures depending on the misfolded protein. SOD1 invariably forms JUNQ inclusions but it remains unclear whether other ALS protein aggregates arise as one of these previously described inclusion types or form unique structures. Here we show that FUS variably partitioned to IPOD, JUNQ or alternate structures, contain a mobile fraction, were not microtubule dependent and initially did not contain ubiquitin. TDP-43 inclusions formed in a microtubule independent manner, did not contain a mobile fraction but variably colocalized to JUNQ inclusions and another alternate structure. We conclude that the RNA binding proteins TDP-43 and FUS do not consistently fit the currently characterised inclusion models suggesting that cells have a larger repertoire for generating inclusions than currently thought, and imply that toxicity in ALS does not stem from a particular aggregation process or aggregate structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie E. Farrawell
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Isabella A. Lambert-Smith
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
| | - Sadaf T. Warraich
- Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Ian P. Blair
- Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Darren N. Saunders
- Cancer Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Darlinghurst NSW 2010, Australia
- St Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Medicine
| | | | - Justin J. Yerbury
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia
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35
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Srivastava R, Ahn SH. Modifications of RNA polymerase II CTD: Connections to the histone code and cellular function. Biotechnol Adv 2015; 33:856-72. [PMID: 26241863 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2015] [Revised: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
At the onset of transcription, many protein machineries interpret the cellular signals that regulate gene expression. These complex signals are mostly transmitted to the indispensable primary proteins involved in transcription, RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and histones. RNAPII and histones are so well coordinated in this cellular function that each cellular signal is precisely allocated to specific machinery depending on the stage of transcription. The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of RNAPII in eukaryotes undergoes extensive posttranslational modification, called the 'CTD code', that is indispensable for coupling transcription with many cellular processes, including mRNA processing. The posttranslational modification of histones, known as the 'histone code', is also critical for gene transcription through the reversible and dynamic remodeling of chromatin structure. Notably, the histone code is closely linked with the CTD code, and their combinatorial effects enable the delicate regulation of gene transcription. This review elucidates recent findings regarding the CTD modifications of RNAPII and their coordination with the histone code, providing integrative pathways for the fine-tuned regulation of gene expression and cellular function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh Srivastava
- Division of Molecular and Life Sciences, College of Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Hoon Ahn
- Division of Molecular and Life Sciences, College of Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
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36
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Masuda A, Takeda JI, Okuno T, Okamoto T, Ohkawara B, Ito M, Ishigaki S, Sobue G, Ohno K. Position-specific binding of FUS to nascent RNA regulates mRNA length. Genes Dev 2015; 29:1045-57. [PMID: 25995189 PMCID: PMC4441052 DOI: 10.1101/gad.255737.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
More than half of all human genes produce prematurely terminated polyadenylated short mRNAs. Masuda et al. show that FUS is frequently clustered around an alternative polyadenylation (APA) site of nascent RNA, stalls RNAP II, and prematurely terminates transcription in neuronal cells. Position-specific regulation of mRNA lengths by FUS is operational in two-thirds of transcripts in neuronal cells, with enrichment in genes involved in synaptic activities. More than half of all human genes produce prematurely terminated polyadenylated short mRNAs. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. CLIP-seq (cross-linking immunoprecipitation [CLIP] combined with deep sequencing) of FUS (fused in sarcoma) in neuronal cells showed that FUS is frequently clustered around an alternative polyadenylation (APA) site of nascent RNA. ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation [ChIP] combined with deep sequencing) of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) demonstrated that FUS stalls RNAP II and prematurely terminates transcription. When an APA site is located upstream of an FUS cluster, FUS enhances polyadenylation by recruiting CPSF160 and up-regulates the alternative short transcript. In contrast, when an APA site is located downstream from an FUS cluster, polyadenylation is not activated, and the RNAP II-suppressing effect of FUS leads to down-regulation of the alternative short transcript. CAGE-seq (cap analysis of gene expression [CAGE] combined with deep sequencing) and PolyA-seq (a strand-specific and quantitative method for high-throughput sequencing of 3' ends of polyadenylated transcripts) revealed that position-specific regulation of mRNA lengths by FUS is operational in two-thirds of transcripts in neuronal cells, with enrichment in genes involved in synaptic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akio Masuda
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Jun-ichi Takeda
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Okuno
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Takaaki Okamoto
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Bisei Ohkawara
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Mikako Ito
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Ishigaki
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Gen Sobue
- Department of Neurology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
| | - Kinji Ohno
- Division of Neurogenetics, Center for Neurological Diseases and Cancer, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan;
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Yang L, Zhang J, Kamelgarn M, Niu C, Gal J, Gong W, Zhu H. Subcellular localization and RNAs determine FUS architecture in different cellular compartments. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:5174-83. [PMID: 26123490 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in Fused in sarcoma (FUS) gene cause a subset of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal motor neuron degenerative disease. Wild-type FUS is largely localized in the nucleus, but mutant FUS accumulates in the cytoplasm and forms inclusions. It is unclear whether FUS depletion from the nucleus or FUS inclusions in the cytoplasm triggers motor neuron degeneration. In this study, we revealed that the nuclear and cytoplasmic FUS proteins form distinct local distribution patterns. The nuclear FUS forms oligomers and appears granular under confocal microscope. In contrast, the cytoplasmic FUS forms inclusions with no oligomers detected. These patterns are determined by the subcellular localization of FUS, regardless of wild-type or mutant protein. Moreover, mutant FUS remained or re-directed in the nucleus can oligomerize and behave similarly to the wild-type FUS protein. We further found that nuclear RNAs are critical to its oligomerization. Interestingly, the formation of cytoplasmic FUS inclusions is also dependent on RNA binding. Since the ALS mutations disrupt the nuclear localization sequence, mutant FUS is likely retained in the cytoplasm after translation and interacts with cytoplasmic RNAs. We therefore propose that local RNA molecules interacting with the FUS protein in different subcellular compartments play a fundamental role in determining FUS protein architecture and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuqing Yang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
| | - Jiayu Zhang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
| | - Marisa Kamelgarn
- Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, 741 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Chunyan Niu
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, China and
| | - Jozsef Gal
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
| | - Weimin Gong
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 15 Datun Road, Beijing 100101, China and Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
| | - Haining Zhu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Graduate Center for Toxicology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, 741 South Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536, USA,
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FUS functions in coupling transcription to splicing by mediating an interaction between RNAP II and U1 snRNP. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:8608-13. [PMID: 26124092 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1506282112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Pre-mRNA splicing is coupled to transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAP II). We previously showed that U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) associates with RNAP II, and both RNAP II and U1 snRNP are also the most abundant factors associated with the protein fused-in-sarcoma (FUS), which is mutated to cause the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here, we show that an antisense morpholino that base-pairs to the 5' end of U1 snRNA blocks splicing in the coupled system and completely disrupts the association between U1 snRNP and both FUS and RNAP II, but has no effect on the association between FUS and RNAP II. Conversely, we found that U1 snRNP does not interact with RNAP II in FUS knockdown extracts. Moreover, using these extracts, we found that FUS must be present during the transcription reaction in order for splicing to occur. Together, our data lead to a model that FUS functions in coupling transcription to splicing via mediating an interaction between RNAP II and U1 snRNP.
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Liu X, Chen J, liu W, Li X, Chen Q, Liu T, Gao S, Deng M. The fused in sarcoma protein forms cytoplasmic aggregates in motor neurons derived from integration-free induced pluripotent stem cells generated from a patient with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis carrying the FUS-P525L mutation. Neurogenetics 2015; 16:223-31. [DOI: 10.1007/s10048-015-0448-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Lenzi J, De Santis R, de Turris V, Morlando M, Laneve P, Calvo A, Caliendo V, Chiò A, Rosa A, Bozzoni I. ALS mutant FUS proteins are recruited into stress granules in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motoneurons. Dis Model Mech 2015; 8:755-66. [PMID: 26035390 PMCID: PMC4486861 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.020099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide an opportunity to study human diseases mainly in those cases for which no suitable model systems are available. Here, we have taken advantage of in vitro iPSCs derived from patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and carrying mutations in the RNA-binding protein FUS to study the cellular behavior of the mutant proteins in the appropriate genetic background. Moreover, the ability to differentiate iPSCs into spinal cord neural cells provides an in vitro model mimicking the physiological conditions. iPSCs were derived from FUSR514S and FUSR521C patient fibroblasts, whereas in the case of the severe FUSP525L mutation, in which fibroblasts were not available, a heterozygous and a homozygous iPSC line were raised by TALEN-directed mutagenesis. We show that aberrant localization and recruitment of FUS into stress granules (SGs) is a prerogative of the FUS mutant proteins and occurs only upon induction of stress in both undifferentiated iPSCs and spinal cord neural cells. Moreover, we show that the incorporation into SGs is proportional to the amount of cytoplasmic FUS, strongly correlating with the cytoplasmic delocalization phenotype of the different mutants. Therefore, the available iPSCs represent a very powerful system for understanding the correlation between FUS mutations, the molecular mechanisms of SG formation and ALS ethiopathogenesis. Summary: Mutated FUS protein is aberrantly delocalized and recruited into stress granules in iPSC-derived motoneurons, which provide a new model system for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Lenzi
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, Rome 00161, Italy Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Riccardo De Santis
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, Rome 00161, Italy Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Valeria de Turris
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Mariangela Morlando
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Pietro Laneve
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, Rome 00161, Italy
| | - Andrea Calvo
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Center, Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Virginia Caliendo
- Dermatologia Chirurgica AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Adriano Chiò
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Center, Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rosa
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Irene Bozzoni
- Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Viale Regina Elena 291, Rome 00161, Italy Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy Institute Pasteur Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, Rome 00185, Italy
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Yu Y, Chi B, Xia W, Gangopadhyay J, Yamazaki T, Winkelbauer-Hurt ME, Yin S, Eliasse Y, Adams E, Shaw CE, Reed R. U1 snRNP is mislocalized in ALS patient fibroblasts bearing NLS mutations in FUS and is required for motor neuron outgrowth in zebrafish. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:3208-18. [PMID: 25735748 PMCID: PMC4381066 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 02/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in FUS cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but the molecular pathways leading to neurodegeneration remain obscure. We previously found that U1 snRNP is the most abundant FUS interactor. Here, we report that components of the U1 snRNP core particle (Sm proteins and U1 snRNA), but not the mature U1 snRNP-specific proteins (U1-70K, U1A and U1C), co-mislocalize with FUS to the cytoplasm in ALS patient fibroblasts harboring mutations in the FUS nuclear localization signal (NLS). Similar results were obtained in HeLa cells expressing the ALS-causing FUS R495X NLS mutation, and mislocalization of Sm proteins is RRM-dependent. Moreover, as observed with FUS, knockdown of any of the U1 snRNP-specific proteins results in a dramatic loss of SMN-containing Gems. Significantly, knockdown of U1 snRNP in zebrafish results in motor axon truncations, a phenotype also observed with FUS, SMN and TDP-43 knockdowns. Our observations linking U1 snRNP to ALS patient cells with FUS mutations, SMN-containing Gems, and motor neurons indicate that U1 snRNP is a component of a molecular pathway associated with motor neuron disease. Linking an essential canonical splicing factor (U1 snRNP) to this pathway provides strong new evidence that splicing defects may be involved in pathogenesis and that this pathway is a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Yu
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Binkai Chi
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wei Xia
- Department of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Baltimore County & Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, Baltimore, MD 21042, USA
| | - Jaya Gangopadhyay
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tomohiro Yamazaki
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | | | - Shanye Yin
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yoan Eliasse
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Edward Adams
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Christopher E Shaw
- King's College London and King's Health Partners, MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Robin Reed
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Gershoni-Emek N, Chein M, Gluska S, Perlson E. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as a spatiotemporal mislocalization disease: location, location, location. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 315:23-71. [PMID: 25708461 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2014.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Spatiotemporal localization of signals is a fundamental feature impacting cell survival and proper function. The cell needs to respond in an accurate manner in both space and time to both intra- and intercellular environment cues. The regulation of this comprehensive process involves the cytoskeleton and the trafficking machinery, as well as local protein synthesis and ligand-receptor mechanisms. Alterations in such mechanisms can lead to cell dysfunction and disease. Motor neurons that can extend over tens of centimeters are a classic example for the importance of such events. Changes in spatiotemporal localization mechanisms are thought to play a role in motor neuron degeneration that occurs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this review we will discuss these mechanisms and argue that possible misregulated factors can lead to motor neuron degeneration in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noga Gershoni-Emek
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michael Chein
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shani Gluska
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Eran Perlson
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Abstract
Members of the FET protein family, consisting of FUS, EWSR1, and TAF15, bind to RNA and contribute to the control of transcription, RNA processing, and the cytoplasmic fates of messenger RNAs in metazoa. FET proteins can also bind DNA, which may be important in transcription and DNA damage responses. FET proteins are of medical interest because chromosomal rearrangements of their genes promote various sarcomas and because point mutations in FUS or TAF15 can cause neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar dementia. Recent results suggest that both the normal and pathological effects of FET proteins are modulated by low-complexity or prion-like domains, which can form higher-order assemblies with novel interaction properties. Herein, we review FET proteins with an emphasis on how the biochemical properties of FET proteins may relate to their biological functions and to pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob C Schwartz
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309; , ,
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Self-assembled FUS binds active chromatin and regulates gene transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:17809-14. [PMID: 25453086 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1414004111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a DNA/RNA binding protein and mutations in FUS cause a subset of familial ALS. Most ALS mutations are clustered in the C-terminal nuclear localization sequence of FUS and consequently lead to the accumulation of protein inclusions in the cytoplasm. It remains debatable whether loss of FUS normal function in the nucleus or gain of toxic function in the cytoplasm plays a more critical role in the ALS etiology. Moreover, the physiological function of FUS in the nucleus remains to be fully understood. In this study, we found that a significant portion of nuclear FUS was bound to active chromatin and that the ALS mutations dramatically decreased FUS chromatin binding ability. Functionally, the chromatin binding is required for FUS transcription activation, but not for alternative splicing regulation. The N-terminal QGSY (glutamine-glycine-serine-tyrosine)-rich region (amino acids 1-164) mediates FUS self-assembly in the nucleus of mammalian cells and the self-assembly is essential for its chromatin binding and transcription activation. In addition, RNA binding is also required for FUS self-assembly and chromatin binding. Together, our results suggest a functional assembly of FUS in the nucleus under physiological conditions, which is different from the cytoplasmic inclusions. The ALS mutations can cause loss of function in the nucleus by disrupting this assembly and chromatin binding.
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