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Dobson-Stone C, Guennewig B, Mundell H, Kwok JB. Detecting and Validating MAPT Mutations in Neurodegeneration Patients and Analysis of Exon Splicing Consequences. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:411-433. [PMID: 38512679 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_22] [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] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Mutation of MAPT has been observed in patients with parkinsonism, progressive supranuclear palsy, and corticobasal degeneration and is a significant cause of frontotemporal dementia. In this chapter, we discuss considerations for next-generation sequencing analysis to identify MAPT mutations in patient genomic DNA and describe the validation of these mutations by Sanger sequencing. One of the most common effects of MAPT mutations is differential splicing of exon 10, which leads to an imbalance in the proportion of 3-repeat and 4-repeat tau isoforms. We describe how to investigate the effect of novel DNA variants on the splicing efficiency of this exon in vitro using the exon-trapping technique, also known as the splicing reporter minigene assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol Dobson-Stone
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.
| | - Boris Guennewig
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Hamish Mundell
- New South Wales Brain Tissue Resource Centre, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - John B Kwok
- Brain and Mind Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
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2
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Öijerstedt L, Chiang HH, Björkström J, Forsell C, Lilius L, Lindström AK, Thonberg H, Graff C. Confirmation of high frequency of C9orf72 mutations in patients with frontotemporal dementia from Sweden. Neurobiol Aging 2019; 84:241.e21-241.e25. [PMID: 30992141 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common early-onset dementia. Up to half of the cases are familial, and several mutations have been identified as pathogenic. Repeat expansion mutations in C9orf72 are the most common genetic cause of FTD and are particularly frequent in Sweden and Finland. We aimed to determine the mutation frequency in patients with FTD ascertained at a memory clinic in Sweden and assess the inheritance pattern in the families. We screened 132 patients with FTD for mutations in C9orf72, GRN, and MAPT, and the frequency was 34.1%. Two novel variations, not previously published, were found; a pathogenic GRN mutation and a MAPT variation in intron 9 that we report as VUS. The likelihood of finding a mutation was highest in patients with a clear family history of dementia or motor neuron disease (76%), but mutations were also found in apparent sporadic cases. This confirms that FTD cohorts from Sweden have a relatively higher risk of an underlying mutation in all risk categories compared with other reported cohorts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linn Öijerstedt
- Division for Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Karolinska University Hospital, Theme Aging, Unit for Hereditary Dementias QA12, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Huei-Hsin Chiang
- Division for Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jenny Björkström
- Karolinska University Hospital, Theme Aging, Unit for Hereditary Dementias QA12, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Forsell
- Division for Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lena Lilius
- Division for Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna-Karin Lindström
- Division for Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Håkan Thonberg
- Division for Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Karolinska University Hospital, Theme Aging, Unit for Hereditary Dementias QA12, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Caroline Graff
- Division for Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Karolinska University Hospital, Theme Aging, Unit for Hereditary Dementias QA12, Stockholm, Sweden.
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3
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Cysteine-rich granulin-3 rapidly promotes amyloid-β fibrils in both redox states. Biochem J 2019; 476:859-873. [PMID: 30782973 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20180916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Granulins (GRNs 1-7) are cysteine-rich proteolytic products of progranulin (PGRN) that have recently been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Their precise mechanism in these pathologies remains uncertain, but both inflammatory and lysosomal roles have been observed for GRNs. Among the seven GRNs, GRN-3 is well characterized and is implicated within the context of FTD. However, the relationship between GRN-3 and amyloid-β (Aβ), a protein relevant in AD pathology, has not yet been explored. To gain insight into this mechanism, we investigated the effect of both oxidized and reduced GRN-3 on Aβ aggregation and found that both GRN-3 (oxidized) and rGRN-3 (reduced) bind to monomeric and oligomeric Aβ42 to promote rapid fibril formation with subtle rate differences. As low molecular weight oligomers of Aβ are well-established neurotoxins, rapid promotion of fibrils by GRN-3 mitigates Aβ42-induced cellular apoptosis. These data provide valuable insights in understanding GRN-3's ability to modulate Aβ-induced toxicity under redox control and presents a new perspective toward AD pathology. These results also prompt further investigation into the role(s) of other GRNs in AD pathogenesis.
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Han Y, Si M, Zhao Y, Liu Y, Cheng K, Zhang Y, Jia J, Li J, Nie L. Progranulin Protects Against Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head by Activating ERK1/2 Pathway. Inflammation 2018; 40:946-955. [PMID: 28247166 DOI: 10.1007/s10753-017-0539-z] [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: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate progranulin (PGRN) expression and its effect in cartilage degradation and in the pathogenesis of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Cartilage specimens were obtained from ONFH and FNF patients and PGRN expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis, and RT-PCR. Peripheral blood PGRN level was detected by ELISA. Additionally, primary chondrocytes were cultured and treated with PGRN. Next, the expression of aggrecan and collagen II and the activation of ERK1/2 were detected. We observed that the expression of PGRN was significantly upregulated in ONFH patients' articular cartilage, and recombinant PGRN could promote expression of aggrecan and collagen II and the activation of ERK1/2. Collectively, PGRN can improve chondrocyte anabolism and perform a therapeutic role in the pathogenesis of ONFH. This study helps to elucidate the pathogenesis of ONFH and presents PGRN as a potential target for the treatment of ONFH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingguang Han
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Si
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunpeng Zhao
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Kaiyuan Cheng
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuedong Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Taian Central Hospital, Taian, Shandong, 271000, China
| | - Jialin Jia
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingkun Li
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, No. 16766, Jingshi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250014, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lin Nie
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shandong University Qilu Hospital, No. 107, Wen Hua Xi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, People's Republic of China.
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5
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Fujita K, Chen X, Homma H, Tagawa K, Amano M, Saito A, Imoto S, Akatsu H, Hashizume Y, Kaibuchi K, Miyano S, Okazawa H. Targeting Tyro3 ameliorates a model of PGRN-mutant FTLD-TDP via tau-mediated synaptic pathology. Nat Commun 2018; 9:433. [PMID: 29382817 PMCID: PMC5789822 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02821-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the progranulin (PGRN) gene cause a tau pathology-negative and TDP43 pathology-positive form of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-TDP). We generated a knock-in mouse harboring the R504X mutation (PGRN-KI). Phosphoproteomic analysis of this model revealed activation of signaling pathways connecting PKC and MAPK to tau prior to TDP43 aggregation and cognitive impairments, and identified PKCα as the kinase responsible for the early-stage tau phosphorylation at Ser203. Disinhibition of Gas6 binding to Tyro3 due to PGRN reduction results in activation of PKCα via PLCγ, inducing tau phosphorylation at Ser203, mislocalization of tau to dendritic spines, and spine loss. Administration of a PKC inhibitor, B-Raf inhibitor, or knockdown of molecules in the Gas6-Tyro3-tau axis rescues spine loss and cognitive impairment of PGRN-KI mice. Collectively, these results suggest that targeting of early-stage and aggregation-independent tau signaling represents a promising therapeutic strategy for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyota Fujita
- Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Xigui Chen
- Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Hidenori Homma
- Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Tagawa
- Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Mutsuki Amano
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65, Tsurumai, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Ayumu Saito
- Human Genome Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
| | - Seiya Imoto
- Health Intelligence Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
| | - Hiroyasu Akatsu
- Department of Medicine for Aging in Place and Community-Based Medical Education, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Aichi, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Yoshio Hashizume
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, 1-1 Yazakokarimata, Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1195, Japan
| | - Kozo Kaibuchi
- Department of Cell Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65, Tsurumai, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan
| | - Satoru Miyano
- Human Genome Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8639, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Okazawa
- Department of Neuropathology, Medical Research Institute and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan.
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6
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Genetic Complexity of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. NEURODEGENER DIS 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-72938-1_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
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7
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Lall D, Baloh RH. Microglia and C9orf72 in neuroinflammation and ALS and frontotemporal dementia. J Clin Invest 2017; 127:3250-3258. [PMID: 28737506 DOI: 10.1172/jci90607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disorder that is characterized by loss of motor neurons and shows clinical, pathological, and genetic overlap with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Activated microglia are a universal feature of ALS/FTD pathology; however, their role in disease pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. The recent discovery that ORF 72 on chromosome 9 (C9orf72), the gene most commonly mutated in ALS/FTD, has an important role in myeloid cells opened the possibility that altered microglial function plays an active role in disease. This Review highlights the contribution of microglia to ALS/FTD pathogenesis, discusses the connection between autoimmunity and ALS/FTD, and explores the possibility that C9orf72 and other ALS/FTD genes may have a "dual effect" on both neuronal and myeloid cell function that could explain a shared propensity for altered systemic immunity and neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepti Lall
- Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and
| | - Robert H Baloh
- Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and.,Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
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8
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Eschmann NA, Georgieva ER, Ganguly P, Borbat PP, Rappaport MD, Akdogan Y, Freed JH, Shea JE, Han S. Signature of an aggregation-prone conformation of tau. Sci Rep 2017; 7:44739. [PMID: 28303942 PMCID: PMC5356194 DOI: 10.1038/srep44739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The self-assembly of the microtubule associated tau protein into fibrillar cell inclusions is linked to a number of devastating neurodegenerative disorders collectively known as tauopathies. The mechanism by which tau self-assembles into pathological entities is a matter of much debate, largely due to the lack of direct experimental insights into the earliest stages of aggregation. We present pulsed double electron-electron resonance measurements of two key fibril-forming regions of tau, PHF6 and PHF6*, in transient as aggregation happens. By monitoring the end-to-end distance distribution of these segments as a function of aggregation time, we show that the PHF6(*) regions dramatically extend to distances commensurate with extended β-strand structures within the earliest stages of aggregation, well before fibril formation. Combined with simulations, our experiments show that the extended β-strand conformational state of PHF6(*) is readily populated under aggregating conditions, constituting a defining signature of aggregation-prone tau, and as such, a possible target for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil A Eschmann
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Elka R Georgieva
- National Biomedical Center for Advanced ESR Technology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Pritam Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Peter P Borbat
- National Biomedical Center for Advanced ESR Technology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Maxime D Rappaport
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Yasar Akdogan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Jack H Freed
- National Biomedical Center for Advanced ESR Technology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853, USA
| | - Joan-Emma Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Songi Han
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
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9
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Abstract
Sanger sequencing is a classic technique in molecular genetics to detect single nucleotide DNA variants in genomic DNA. Here we describe the detection of MAPT mutations by polymerase chain reaction amplification of patient genomic DNA followed by bidirectional Sanger sequencing. Exon trapping is a technique whereby genomic DNA covering the exon of interest and flanking intronic sequence is cloned into the intron of an expression vector and transfected into human cell lines. RNA is extracted and splicing products are examined by reverse-transcriptase PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis. We outline the application of this technique to assess the effect of novel DNA variants on the splicing efficiency of MAPT exon 10, a common mechanism of disease for pathogenic MAPT mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol Dobson-Stone
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St., Randwick, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - John B J Kwok
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St., Randwick, Sydney, NSW, 2031, Australia.
- School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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10
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Bagyinszky E, Park SA, Kim HJ, Choi SH, An SSA, Kim SY. PSEN1 L226F mutation in a patient with early-onset Alzheimer's disease in Korea. Clin Interv Aging 2016; 11:1433-1440. [PMID: 27785004 PMCID: PMC5066688 DOI: 10.2147/cia.s111821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we report a first 226leucine (Leu) mutation to phenylalanine (Phe) in (PSEN1, CTC>TTC, L226F) in Asia from a Korean early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) patient. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single strand conformation polymorphism, sequencing, and in silico predictions were performed. Previously, L226F was reported in EOAD patients by Zekanowski et al and Gómez-Tortosa et al. Disease phenotypes appeared in their thirties, and family history was positive in both cases. In our patient, age of onset was similar (37 years of age), but the mutation seemed to be de novo, since no affected family member was found. This leucine to phenylalanine substitution may cause additional stresses inside the transmembrane region due to large aromatic side chain and increased hydrophobic interactions with hydrocarbon chains in the membrane and its binding partners. Clinical phenotype of the mutation was aggressive progression into neurodegeneration, resulting in rapid cognitive decline. One of the patients was initially diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, but the diagnosis was revised to AD upon postmortem studies in which Aβ plaques were seen. A second mutation, L226R, was found for the L226 residue. Similar to L226F, the patient with L226R also developed the first symptoms in his 30s, but EOAD was diagnosed in his 40s. These findings suggested that L226 might be an important residue in PSEN1, since mutations could result in neurodegenerative disease phenotypes at relatively young ages. There are mutations, such as L226F, which may not present clear clinical symptoms for the definitive diagnosis between frontotemporal dementia and AD. In addition, the similarities in the phenotypes could also be possible between AD and frontotemporal dementia, suggesting difficulties in differential diagnosis of various neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bagyinszky
- Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam-si
| | - Sun Ah Park
- Department of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon
| | - Hyung Jun Kim
- Department of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon
| | - Seong Hye Choi
- Department of Neurology, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon
| | - Seong Soo A An
- Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, Seongnam-si
| | - Sang Yun Kim
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Neurocognitive Behavior Center, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Republic of Korea
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11
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Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a not-uncommon explanation for progressive cognitive deficit in patients who often have a genetic susceptibility for such a neurodegenerative process. However, FTD does not seem to identify one particular pathogenetic mechanism but rather a spectrum of pathologies with particular predilection for the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. There have been various subcategorizations of this form of dementia that have a tendency to be of earlier onset than typical Alzheimer disease and heralded by behavioral or communication manifestations. There is a behavioral variant and a language variant, referred to as primary progressive aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Kelley
- Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, 8065, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
| | - Ramy El-Khoury
- Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, 8065, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
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12
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Robinson AC, Thompson JC, Weedon L, Rollinson S, Pickering-Brown S, Snowden JS, Davidson YS, Mann DMA. No interaction between tau and TDP-43 pathologies in either frontotemporal lobar degeneration or motor neurone disease. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2015; 40:844-54. [PMID: 24861427 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is classified mainly into FTLD-tau and FTLD-TDP according to the protein present within inclusion bodies. While such a classification implies only a single type of protein should be present, recent studies have demonstrated dual tau and TDP-43 proteinopathy can occur, particularly in inherited FTLD. METHODS We therefore investigated 33 patients with FTLD-tau (including 9 with MAPT mutation) for TDP-43 pathological changes, and 45 patients with FTLD-TDP (including 12 with hexanucleotide expansion in C9ORF72 and 12 with GRN mutation), and 23 patients with motor neurone disease (3 with hexanucleotide expansion in C9ORF72), for tauopathy. RESULTS TDP-43 pathological changes, of the kind seen in many elderly individuals with Alzheimer's disease, were seen in only two FTLD-tau cases--a 70-year-old male with exon 10 + 13 mutation in MAPT, and a 73-year-old female with corticobasal degeneration. Such changes were considered to be secondary and probably reflective of advanced age. Conversely, there was generally only scant tau pathology, usually only within hippocampus and/or entorhinal cortex, in most patients with FTLD-TDP or MND. The extent of tau pathology in FTLD-TDP and MND, as with amyloid β protein, may relate to increased age and possession of Apolipoprotein ε4 allele. CONCLUSION We find no predilection or predisposition towards an accompanying TDP-43 pathology in patients with FTLD-tau, irrespective of presence or absence of MAPT mutation, or that genetic changes associated with FTLD-TDP predispose towards excessive tauopathy. Where the two processes coexist, this is limited and probably causatively independent of each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Robinson
- Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford
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13
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Rossi G, Tagliavini F. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration: old knowledge and new insight into the pathogenetic mechanisms of tau mutations. Front Aging Neurosci 2015; 7:192. [PMID: 26528178 PMCID: PMC4604311 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a group of heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases which includes tauopathies. In the central nervous system (CNS) tau is the major microtubule-associated protein (MAP) of neurons, promoting assembly and stabilization of microtubules (MTs) required for morphogenesis and axonal transport. Primary tauopathies are characterized by deposition of abnormal fibrils of tau in neuronal and glial cells, leading to neuronal death, brain atrophy and eventually dementia. In genetic tauopathies mutations of tau gene impair the ability of tau to bind to MTs, alter the normal ratio among tau isoforms and favor fibril formation. Recently, additional functions have been ascribed to tau and different pathogenetic mechanisms are then emerging. In fact, a role of tau in DNA protection and genome stability has been reported and chromosome aberrations have been found associated with tau mutations. Furthermore, newly structurally and functionally characterized mutations have suggested novel pathological features, such as a tendency to form oligomeric rather than fibrillar aggregates. Tau mutations affecting axonal transport and plasma membrane interaction have also been described. In this article, we will review the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying tau mutations, focusing in particular on the less common aspects, so far poorly investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomina Rossi
- Division of Neurology V and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta Milano, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Tagliavini
- Division of Neurology V and Neuropathology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta Milano, Italy
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14
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Cook C, Kang SS, Carlomagno Y, Lin WL, Yue M, Kurti A, Shinohara M, Jansen-West K, Perkerson E, Castanedes-Casey M, Rousseau L, Phillips V, Bu G, Dickson DW, Petrucelli L, Fryer JD. Tau deposition drives neuropathological, inflammatory and behavioral abnormalities independently of neuronal loss in a novel mouse model. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 24:6198-212. [PMID: 26276810 PMCID: PMC4599677 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant tau protein accumulation drives neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation in several neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, efforts to elucidate pathogenic mechanisms and assess the efficacy of therapeutic targets are limited by constraints of existing models of tauopathy. In order to generate a more versatile mouse model of tauopathy, somatic brain transgenesis was utilized to deliver adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV1) encoding human mutant P301L-tau compared with GFP control. At 6 months of age, we observed widespread human tau expression with concomitant accumulation of hyperphosphorylated and abnormally folded proteinase K resistant tau. However, no overt neuronal loss was observed, though significant abnormalities were noted in the postsynaptic scaffolding protein PSD95. Neurofibrillary pathology was also detected with Gallyas silver stain and Thioflavin-S, and electron microscopy revealed the deposition of closely packed filaments. In addition to classic markers of tauopathy, significant neuroinflammation and extensive gliosis were detected in AAV1-TauP301L mice. This model also recapitulates the behavioral phenotype characteristic of mouse models of tauopathy, including abnormalities in exploration, anxiety, and learning and memory. These findings indicate that biochemical and neuropathological hallmarks of tauopathies are accurately conserved and are independent of cell death in this novel AAV-based model of tauopathy, which offers exceptional versatility and speed in comparison with existing transgenic models. Therefore, we anticipate this approach will facilitate the identification and validation of genetic modifiers of disease, as well as accelerate preclinical assessment of potential therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey Cook
- Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Jacksonville, FL 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Silvia S Kang
- Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Jacksonville, FL 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Yari Carlomagno
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Wen-Lang Lin
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Mei Yue
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Aishe Kurti
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Mitsuru Shinohara
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Karen Jansen-West
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Emilie Perkerson
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Monica Castanedes-Casey
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Linda Rousseau
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Virginia Phillips
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Guojun Bu
- Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Jacksonville, FL 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Dennis W Dickson
- Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Jacksonville, FL 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Leonard Petrucelli
- Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Jacksonville, FL 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - John D Fryer
- Neurobiology of Disease Graduate Program, Mayo Graduate School, Jacksonville, FL 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
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Petersen MS, Guella I, Bech S, Gustavsson E, Farrer MJ. Parkinson's disease, genetic variability and the Faroe Islands. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2014; 21:75-8. [PMID: 25466404 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2014.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2014] [Revised: 10/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Faroe Islands is a geographically isolated population in the North Atlantic with a high prevalence of Parkinson disease (PD). The disease etiology is still unknown, although dietary pollutants are considered a risk factor. The genetic risk underlying disease susceptibility has yet to be elucidated. METHODS Sequence analysis was performed in genes previously linked with PD in 91 patients and 96 healthy control subjects. RESULTS Fourteen missense mutations, of which one was novel, were identified in six genes. One patient (1%) did carry the known pathogenic mutation LRRK2 p.G2019S mutation, 19 patients (22%) did carry mutations of unknown significance while 70 patients (78.0%) did not have any identifiable genetic risk. A total of 14 controls (14.6%) carried mutations of unknown significance. CONCLUSION This study suggests that rare variants in genes previously linked to PD are not major contributors to PD in the Faroe Islands. Further exome sequencing and comparative analyses within and among well-described pedigrees with multi-incident PD are now warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Skaalum Petersen
- Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, The Faroese Hospital System, Sigmundargøta 5, Postbox 14, FO-110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.
| | - Ilaria Guella
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Sara Bech
- Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health, The Faroese Hospital System, Sigmundargøta 5, Postbox 14, FO-110 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands.
| | - Emil Gustavsson
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Matthew J Farrer
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Morris GP, Clark IA, Vissel B. Inconsistencies and controversies surrounding the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2014; 2:135. [PMID: 25231068 PMCID: PMC4207354 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-014-0135-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 08/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The amyloid hypothesis has driven drug development strategies for Alzheimer's disease for over 20 years. We review why accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) oligomers is generally considered causal for synaptic loss and neurodegeneration in AD. We elaborate on and update arguments for and against the amyloid hypothesis with new data and interpretations, and consider why the amyloid hypothesis may be failing therapeutically. We note several unresolved issues in the field including the presence of Aβ deposition in cognitively normal individuals, the weak correlation between plaque load and cognition, questions regarding the biochemical nature, presence and role of Aβ oligomeric assemblies in vivo, the bias of pre-clinical AD models toward the amyloid hypothesis and the poorly explained pathological heterogeneity and comorbidities associated with AD. We also illustrate how extensive data cited in support of the amyloid hypothesis, including genetic links to disease, can be interpreted independently of a role for Aβ in AD. We conclude it is essential to expand our view of pathogenesis beyond Aβ and tau pathology and suggest several future directions for AD research, which we argue will be critical to understanding AD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary P Morris
- />Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Neuroscience Department, Neurodegenerative Disorders Laboratory, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010 Australia
- />Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian A Clark
- />Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Bryce Vissel
- />Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Neuroscience Department, Neurodegenerative Disorders Laboratory, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010 Australia
- />Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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17
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Davidson YS, Barker H, Robinson AC, Thompson JC, Harris J, Troakes C, Smith B, Al-Saraj S, Shaw C, Rollinson S, Masuda-Suzukake M, Hasegawa M, Pickering-Brown S, Snowden JS, Mann DM. Brain distribution of dipeptide repeat proteins in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and motor neurone disease associated with expansions in C9ORF72. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2014; 2:70. [PMID: 24950788 PMCID: PMC4229740 DOI: 10.1186/2051-5960-2-70] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A hexanucleotide (GGGGCC) expansion in C9ORF72 gene is the most common genetic change seen in familial Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) and familial Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Pathologically, expansion bearers show characteristic p62 positive, TDP-43 negative inclusion bodies within cerebellar and hippocampal neurons which also contain dipeptide repeat proteins (DPR) formed from sense and antisense RAN (repeat associated non ATG-initiated) translation of the expanded repeat region itself. 'Inappropriate' formation, and aggregation, of DPR might therefore confer neurotoxicity and influence clinical phenotype. Consequently, we compared the topographic brain distribution of DPR in 8 patients with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), 6 with FTD + MND and 7 with MND alone (all 21 patients bearing expansions in C9ORF72) using a polyclonal antibody to poly-GA, and related this to the extent of TDP-43 pathology in key regions of cerebral cortex and hippocampus. There were no significant differences in either the pattern or severity of brain distribution of DPR between FTD, FTD + MND and MND groups, nor was there any relationship between the distribution of DPR and TDP-43 pathologies in expansion bearers. Likewise, there were no significant differences in the extent of TDP-43 pathology between FTLD patients bearing an expansion in C9ORF72 and non-bearers of the expansion. There were no association between the extent of DPR pathology and TMEM106B or APOE genotypes. However, there was a negative correlation between the extent of DPR pathology and age at onset. Present findings therefore suggest that although the presence and topographic distribution of DPR may be of diagnostic relevance in patients bearing expansion in C9ORF72 this has no bearing on the determination of clinical phenotype. Because TDP-43 pathologies are similar in bearers and non-bearers of the expansion, the expansion may act as a major genetic risk factor for FTLD and MND by rendering the brain highly vulnerable to those very same factors which generate FTLD and MND in sporadic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne S Davidson
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, M6 8HD UK
| | - Holly Barker
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, M6 8HD UK
| | - Andrew C Robinson
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, M6 8HD UK
| | - Jennifer C Thompson
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, M6 8HD UK
| | - Jenny Harris
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, M6 8HD UK
| | - Claire Troakes
- />Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Bradley Smith
- />Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Safa Al-Saraj
- />Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Chris Shaw
- />Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Sara Rollinson
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, A V Hill Building, Manchester, M13 9PT UK
| | - Masami Masuda-Suzukake
- />Department of Neuropathology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8506 Japan
| | - Masato Hasegawa
- />Department of Neuropathology and Cell Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8506 Japan
| | - Stuart Pickering-Brown
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, A V Hill Building, Manchester, M13 9PT UK
| | - Julie S Snowden
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, M6 8HD UK
| | - David M Mann
- />Clinical and Cognitive Sciences Research Group, Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, M6 8HD UK
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19
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Dobson-Stone C, Luty AA, Thompson EM, Blumbergs P, Brooks WS, Short CL, Field CD, Panegyres PK, Hecker J, Solski JA, Blair IP, Fullerton JM, Halliday GM, Schofield PR, Kwok JBJ. Frontotemporal dementia-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis syndrome locus on chromosome 16p12.1-q12.2: genetic, clinical and neuropathological analysis. Acta Neuropathol 2013; 125:523-33. [PMID: 23338750 PMCID: PMC3611035 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-013-1078-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2012] [Revised: 01/07/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Numerous families exhibiting both frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been described, and although many of these have been shown to harbour a repeat expansion in C9ORF72, several C9ORF72-negative FTD-ALS families remain. We performed neuropathological and genetic analysis of a large European Australian kindred (Aus-12) with autosomal dominant inheritance of dementia and/or ALS. Affected Aus-12 members developed either ALS or dementia; some of those with dementia also had ALS and/or extrapyramidal features. Neuropathology was most consistent with frontotemporal lobar degeneration with type B TDP pathology, but with additional phosphorylated tau pathology consistent with corticobasal degeneration. Aus-12 DNA samples were negative for mutations in all known dementia and ALS genes, including C9ORF72 and FUS. Genome-wide linkage analysis provided highly suggestive evidence (maximum multipoint LOD score of 2.9) of a locus on chromosome 16p12.1-16q12.2. Affected individuals shared a chromosome 16 haplotype flanked by D16S3103 and D16S489, spanning 37.9 Mb, with a smaller suggestive disease haplotype spanning 24.4 Mb defined by recombination in an elderly unaffected individual. Importantly, this smaller region does not overlap with FUS. Whole-exome sequencing identified four variants present in the maximal critical region that segregate with disease. Linkage analysis incorporating these variants generated a maximum multipoint LOD score of 3.0. These results support the identification of a locus on chromosome 16p12.1-16q12.2 responsible for an unusual cluster of neurodegenerative phenotypes. This region overlaps with a separate locus on 16q12.1-q12.2 reported in an independent ALS family, indicating that this region may harbour a second major locus for FTD-ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol Dobson-Stone
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031 Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Agnes A. Luty
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031 Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Elizabeth M. Thompson
- SA Clinical Genetics Service, SA Pathology, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Peter Blumbergs
- Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, Australia
| | - William S. Brooks
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031 Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Cathy L. Short
- Department of Neurology, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Colin D. Field
- Division of Rehabilitation and Aged Care, Memory Clinic, Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, Adelaide, Australia
- Present Address: Adelaide Dementia Driving Clinic, North Adelaide, Australia
| | | | - Jane Hecker
- Department of General Medicine, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Jennifer A. Solski
- Northcott Neuroscience Laboratory, ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian P. Blair
- Northcott Neuroscience Laboratory, ANZAC Research Institute, Concord Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Janice M. Fullerton
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031 Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Glenda M. Halliday
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031 Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Peter R. Schofield
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031 Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - John B. J. Kwok
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Barker St, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2031 Australia
- University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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20
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King A, Al-Sarraj S, Troakes C, Smith BN, Maekawa S, Iovino M, Spillantini MG, Shaw CE. Mixed tau, TDP-43 and p62 pathology in FTLD associated with a C9ORF72 repeat expansion and p.Ala239Thr MAPT (tau) variant. Acta Neuropathol 2013; 125:303-10. [PMID: 23053136 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-012-1050-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2012] [Revised: 09/20/2012] [Accepted: 09/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A massive intronic GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72 has recently been identified as the most common cause of familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). We have previously demonstrated that C9ORF72 mutant cases have a specific pathological profile with abundant p62-positive, TDP-43-negative cytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions within cerebellar granular cells of the cerebellum and pyramidal cells of the hippocampus in addition to classical TDP-43 pathology. Here, we report mixed tau and TDP-43 pathology in a woman with behavioural variant FTLD who had the C9ORF72 mutation, and the p.Ala239Thr variant in MAPT (microtubule associated protein tau) gene not previously associated with tau pathology. Two of her brothers, who carried the C9ORF72 mutation, but not the MAPT variant, developed classical ALS without symptomatic cognitive changes. The dominant neuropathology in this woman with FTLD was a tauopathy with Pick's disease-like features. TDP-43 labelling was mainly confined to Pick bodies, but p62-positive, TDP-43-negative inclusions, characteristic of C9ORF72 mutations, were present in the cerebellum and hippocampus. Mixed pathology to this degree is unusual. One might speculate that the presence of the C9ORF72 mutation might influence tau deposition in what was previously thought to be a "benign" variant in MAPT in addition to the aggregation of TDP-43 and other as yet unidentified proteins decorated with ubiquitin and p62.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew King
- Department of Clinical Neuropathology, Academic Neuroscience Building, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK,
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21
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Petoukhov E, Fernando S, Mills F, Shivji F, Hunter D, Krieger C, Silverman MA, Bamji SX. Activity-dependent secretion of progranulin from synapses. J Cell Sci 2013; 126:5412-21. [DOI: 10.1242/jcs.132076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The secreted growth factor progranulin (PGRN) has been shown to be important for regulating neuronal survival and outgrowth, as well as synapse formation and function. Mutations in the PGRN gene that result in PGRN haploinsufficiency have been identified as a major cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Here we demonstrate that PGRN is colocalized with dense-core vesicle markers and is co-transported with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) within axons and dendrites of cultured hippocampal neurons in both anterograde and retrograde directions. We also show that PGRN is secreted in an activity-dependent manner from synaptic and extrasynaptic sites, and that the temporal profiles of secretion are distinct in axons and dendrites. Neuronal activity is also shown to increase the recruitment of PGRN to synapses and to enhance the density of PGRN clusters along axons. Finally, treatment of neurons with recombinant PGRN is shown to increase synapse density, while decreasing the size of the presynaptic compartment and specifically the number of synaptic vesicles per synapse. Together, this indicates that activity-dependent secretion of PGRN can regulate synapse number and structure.
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22
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Cruchaga C, Haller G, Chakraverty S, Mayo K, Vallania FLM, Mitra RD, Faber K, Williamson J, Bird T, Diaz-Arrastia R, Foroud TM, Boeve BF, Graff-Radford NR, St Jean P, Lawson M, Ehm MG, Mayeux R, Goate AM. Rare variants in APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2 increase risk for AD in late-onset Alzheimer's disease families. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31039. [PMID: 22312439 PMCID: PMC3270040 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2011] [Accepted: 12/30/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic mutations in APP, PSEN1, PSEN2, MAPT and GRN have previously been linked to familial early onset forms of dementia. Mutation screening in these genes has been performed in either very small series or in single families with late onset AD (LOAD). Similarly, studies in single families have reported mutations in MAPT and GRN associated with clinical AD but no systematic screen of a large dataset has been performed to determine how frequently this occurs. We report sequence data for 439 probands from late-onset AD families with a history of four or more affected individuals. Sixty sequenced individuals (13.7%) carried a novel or pathogenic mutation. Eight pathogenic variants, (one each in APP and MAPT, two in PSEN1 and four in GRN) three of which are novel, were found in 14 samples. Thirteen additional variants, present in 23 families, did not segregate with disease, but the frequency of these variants is higher in AD cases than controls, indicating that these variants may also modify risk for disease. The frequency of rare variants in these genes in this series is significantly higher than in the 1,000 genome project (p = 5.09 × 10⁻⁵; OR = 2.21; 95%CI = 1.49-3.28) or an unselected population of 12,481 samples (p = 6.82 × 10⁻⁵; OR = 2.19; 95%CI = 1.347-3.26). Rare coding variants in APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2, increase risk for or cause late onset AD. The presence of variants in these genes in LOAD and early-onset AD demonstrates that factors other than the mutation can impact the age at onset and penetrance of at least some variants associated with AD. MAPT and GRN mutations can be found in clinical series of AD most likely due to misdiagnosis. This study clearly demonstrates that rare variants in these genes could explain an important proportion of genetic heritability of AD, which is not detected by GWAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Cruchaga
- Department of Psychiatry and Hope Center Program on Protein Aggregation and Neurodegeneration, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
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Wexler EM, Rosen E, Lu D, Osborn GE, Martin E, Raybould H, Geschwind DH. Genome-wide analysis of a Wnt1-regulated transcriptional network implicates neurodegenerative pathways. Sci Signal 2012; 4:ra65. [PMID: 21971039 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2002282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Wnt proteins are critical to mammalian brain development and function. The canonical Wnt signaling pathway involves the stabilization and nuclear translocation of β-catenin; however, Wnt also signals through alternative, noncanonical pathways. To gain a systems-level, genome-wide view of Wnt signaling, we analyzed Wnt1-stimulated changes in gene expression by transcriptional microarray analysis in cultured human neural progenitor (hNP) cells at multiple time points over a 72-hour time course. We observed a widespread oscillatory-like pattern of changes in gene expression, involving components of both the canonical and the noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways. A higher-order, systems-level analysis that combined independent component analysis, waveform analysis, and mutual information-based network construction revealed effects on pathways related to cell death and neurodegenerative disease. Wnt effectors were tightly clustered with presenilin1 (PSEN1) and granulin (GRN), which cause dominantly inherited forms of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), respectively. We further explored a potential link between Wnt1 and GRN and found that Wnt1 decreased GRN expression by hNPs. Conversely, GRN knockdown increased WNT1 expression, demonstrating that Wnt and GRN reciprocally regulate each other. Finally, we provided in vivo validation of the in vitro findings by analyzing gene expression data from individuals with FTD. These unbiased and genome-wide analyses provide evidence for a connection between Wnt signaling and the transcriptional regulation of neurodegenerative disease genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Wexler
- Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA.
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Progranulin deficiency decreases gross neural connectivity but enhances transmission at individual synapses. J Neurosci 2011; 31:11126-32. [PMID: 21813674 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.6244-10.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has been linked to mutations in the progranulin gene (GRN) that lead to progranulin (PGRN) haploinsufficiency. Thus far, our understanding of the effects of PGRN depletion in the brain has been derived from investigation of gross pathology, and more detailed analyses of cellular function have been lacking. We report that knocking down PGRN levels in rat primary hippocampal cultures reduces neural connectivity by decreasing neuronal arborization and length as well as synapse density. Despite this, the number of synaptic vesicles per synapse and the frequency of mEPSCs are increased in PGRN knockdown cells, suggesting an increase in the probability of release at remaining synapses. Interestingly, we demonstrate that the number of vesicles per synapse is also increased in postmortem brain sections from FTD patients with PGRN haploinsufficiency, relative to controls. Our observations show that PGRN knockdown severely alters neuronal connectivity in vitro and that the synaptic vesicle phenotype observed in culture is consistent with that observed in the hippocampus of FTD patients.
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25
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Chen-Plotkin AS, Martinez-Lage M, Sleiman PMA, Hu W, Greene R, Wood EM, Bing S, Grossman M, Schellenberg GD, Hatanpaa KJ, Weiner MF, White CL, Brooks WS, Halliday GM, Kril JJ, Gearing M, Beach TG, Graff-Radford NR, Dickson DW, Rademakers R, Boeve BF, Pickering-Brown SM, Snowden J, van Swieten JC, Heutink P, Seelaar H, Murrell JR, Ghetti B, Spina S, Grafman J, Kaye JA, Woltjer RL, Mesulam M, Bigio E, Lladó A, Miller BL, Alzualde A, Moreno F, Rohrer JD, Mackenzie IRA, Feldman HH, Hamilton RL, Cruts M, Engelborghs S, De Deyn PP, Van Broeckhoven C, Bird TD, Cairns NJ, Goate A, Frosch MP, Riederer PF, Bogdanovic N, Lee VMY, Trojanowski JQ, Van Deerlin VM. Genetic and clinical features of progranulin-associated frontotemporal lobar degeneration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 68:488-97. [PMID: 21482928 DOI: 10.1001/archneurol.2011.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess the relative frequency of unique mutations and their associated characteristics in 97 individuals with mutations in progranulin (GRN), an important cause of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). PARTICIPANTS AND DESIGN A 46-site International Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration Collaboration was formed to collect cases of FTLD with TAR DNA-binding protein of 43-kDa (TDP-43)-positive inclusions (FTLD-TDP). We identified 97 individuals with FTLD-TDP with pathogenic GRN mutations (GRN+ FTLD-TDP), assessed their genetic and clinical characteristics, and compared them with 453 patients with FTLD-TDP in which GRN mutations were excluded (GRN- FTLD-TDP). No patients were known to be related. Neuropathologic characteristics were confirmed as FTLD-TDP in 79 of the 97 GRN+ FTLD-TDP cases and all of the GRN- FTLD-TDP cases. RESULTS Age at onset of FTLD was younger in patients with GRN+ FTLD-TDP vs GRN- FTLD-TDP (median, 58.0 vs 61.0 years; P < .001), as was age at death (median, 65.5 vs 69.0 years; P < .001). Concomitant motor neuron disease was much less common in GRN+ FTLD-TDP vs GRN- FTLD-TDP (5.4% vs 26.3%; P < .001). Fifty different GRN mutations were observed, including 2 novel mutations: c.139delG (p.D47TfsX7) and c.378C>A (p.C126X). The 2 most common GRN mutations were c.1477C>T (p.R493X, found in 18 patients, representing 18.6% of GRN cases) and c.26C>A (p.A9D, found in 6 patients, representing 6.2% of cases). Patients with the c.1477C>T mutation shared a haplotype on chromosome 17; clinically, they resembled patients with other GRN mutations. Patients with the c.26C>A mutation appeared to have a younger age at onset of FTLD and at death and more parkinsonian features than those with other GRN mutations. CONCLUSION GRN+ FTLD-TDP differs in key features from GRN- FTLD-TDP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice S Chen-Plotkin
- Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19104, USA.
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Luty AA, Kwok JBJ, Dobson-Stone C, Loy CT, Coupland KG, Karlström H, Sobow T, Tchorzewska J, Maruszak A, Barcikowska M, Panegyres PK, Zekanowski C, Brooks WS, Williams KL, Blair IP, Mather KA, Sachdev PS, Halliday GM, Schofield PR. Sigma nonopioid intracellular receptor 1 mutations cause frontotemporal lobar degeneration-motor neuron disease. Ann Neurol 2010; 68:639-49. [PMID: 21031579 DOI: 10.1002/ana.22274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is the most common cause of early-onset dementia. Pathological ubiquitinated inclusion bodies observed in FTLD and motor neuron disease (MND) comprise trans-activating response element (TAR) DNA binding protein (TDP-43) and/or fused in sarcoma (FUS) protein. Our objective was to identify the causative gene in an FTLD-MND pedigree with no mutations in known dementia genes. METHODS A mutation screen of candidate genes, luciferase assays, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to identify the biological role of the putative mutation. Neuropathological characterization of affected individuals and western blot studies of cell lines were performed to identify the pathological mechanism of the mutation. RESULTS We identified a nonpolymorphic mutation (c.672*51G>T) in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of the Sigma nonopioid intracellular receptor 1 (SIGMAR1) gene in affected individuals from the FTLD-MND pedigree. The c.672*51G>T mutation increased gene expression by 1.4-fold, corresponding with a significant 1.5-fold to 2-fold change in the SIGMAR1 transcript or Sigma-1 protein in lymphocyte or brain tissue. Brains of SIGMAR1 mutation carriers displayed a unique pathology with cytoplasmic inclusions immunopositive for either TDP-43 or FUS but not Sigma-1. Overexpression of SIGMAR1 shunted TDP-43 and FUS from the nucleus to the cytoplasm by 2.3-fold and 5.2-fold, respectively. Treatment of cells with Sigma-1 ligands significantly altered translocation of TDP-43 by up to 2-fold. INTERPRETATION SIGMAR1 is a causative gene for familial FTLD-MND with a unique neuropathology that differs from other FTLD and MND cases. Our findings also suggest Sigma-1 drugs as potential treatments for the TDP-43/FUS proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes A Luty
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Progranulin promotes neurite outgrowth and neuronal differentiation by regulating GSK-3β. Protein Cell 2010; 1:552-62. [PMID: 21204008 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-010-0067-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2010] [Accepted: 06/04/2010] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Progranulin (PGRN) has recently emerged as a key player in a subset of frontotemporal dementias (FTD). Numerous mutations in the progranulin gene have been identified in patients with familial or sporadic frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). In order to understand the molecular mechanisms by which PGRN deficiency leads to FTLD, we examined activity of PGRN in mouse cortical and hippocampal neurons and in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Treatment of mouse neurons with PGRN protein resulted in an increase in neurite outgrowth, supporting the role of PGRN as a neurotrophic factor. PGRN treatment stimulated phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β) in cultured neurons. Knockdown of PGRN in SH-SY5Y cells impaired retinoic acid induced differentiation and reduced the level of phosphorylated GSK-3β. PGRN knockdown cells were also more sensitized to staurosporine-induced apoptosis. These results reveal an important role of PGRN in neurite outgrowth and involvement of GSK-3β in mediating PGRN activity. Identification of GSK-3β activation as a downstream event for PGRN signaling provides a mechanistic explanation for PGRN activity in the nervous system. Our work also suggest that loss of axonal growth stimulation during neural injury repair or deficits in axonal repair may contribute to neuronal damage or axonal loss in FTLD associated with PGRN mutations. Finally, our study suggests that modulating GSK-3β or similar signaling events may provide therapeutic benefits for FTLD cases associated with PGRN mutations.
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28
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Ryan NS, Rossor MN. Correlating familial Alzheimer's disease gene mutations with clinical phenotype. Biomark Med 2010; 4:99-112. [PMID: 20387306 DOI: 10.2217/bmm.09.92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes devastating cognitive impairment and an intense research effort is currently devoted to developing improved treatments for it. A minority of cases occur at a particularly young age and are caused by autosomal dominantly inherited genetic mutations. Although rare, familial AD provides unique opportunities to gain insights into the cascade of pathological events and how they relate to clinical manifestations. The phenotype of familial AD is highly variable and, although it shares many clinical features with sporadic AD, it also possesses important differences. Exploring the genetic and pathological basis of this phenotypic heterogeneity can illuminate aspects of the underlying disease mechanism, and is likely to inform our understanding and treatment of AD in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie S Ryan
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University College London, Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
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29
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Yu CE, Bird TD, Bekris LM, Montine TJ, Leverenz JB, Steinbart E, Galloway NM, Feldman H, Woltjer R, Miller CA, Wood EM, Grossman M, McCluskey L, Clark CM, Neumann M, Danek A, Galasko DR, Arnold SE, Chen-Plotkin A, Karydas A, Miller BL, Trojanowski JQ, Lee VMY, Schellenberg GD, Van Deerlin VM. The spectrum of mutations in progranulin: a collaborative study screening 545 cases of neurodegeneration. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 67:161-70. [PMID: 20142524 DOI: 10.1001/archneurol.2009.328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mutation in the progranulin gene (GRN) can cause frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, it is unclear whether some rare FTD-related GRN variants are pathogenic and whether neurodegenerative disorders other than FTD can also be caused by GRN mutations. OBJECTIVES To delineate the range of clinical presentations associated with GRN mutations and to define pathogenic candidacy of rare GRN variants. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Clinical and neuropathology dementia research studies at 8 academic centers. PARTICIPANTS Four hundred thirty-four patients with FTD, including primary progressive aphasia, semantic dementia, FTD/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), FTD/motor neuron disease, corticobasal syndrome/corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick disease, dementia lacking distinctive histopathology, and pathologically confirmed cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions (FTLD-U); and 111 non-FTD cases (controls) in which TDP-43 deposits were a prominent neuropathological feature, including subjects with ALS, Guam ALS and/or parkinsonism dementia complex, Guam dementia, Alzheimer disease, multiple system atrophy, and argyrophilic grain disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Variants detected on sequencing of all 13 GRN exons and at least 80 base pairs of flanking introns, and their pathogenic candidacy determined by in silico and ex vivo splicing assays. RESULTS We identified 58 genetic variants that included 26 previously unknown changes. Twenty-four variants appeared to be pathogenic, including 8 novel mutations. The frequency of GRN mutations was 6.9% (30 of 434) of all FTD-spectrum cases, 21.4% (9 of 42) of cases with a pathological diagnosis of FTLD-U, 16.0% (28 of 175) of FTD-spectrum cases with a family history of a similar neurodegenerative disease, and 56.2% (9 of 16) of cases of FTLD-U with a family history. CONCLUSIONS Pathogenic mutations were found only in FTD-spectrum cases and not in other related neurodegenerative diseases. Haploinsufficiency of GRN is the predominant mechanism leading to FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-En Yu
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 S. Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.
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Bruni AC, Bernardi L, Colao R, Rubino E, Smirne N, Frangipane F, Terni B, Curcio SAM, Mirabelli M, Clodomiro A, Di Lorenzo R, Maletta R, Anfossi M, Gallo M, Geracitano S, Tomaino C, Muraca MG, Leotta A, Lio SG, Pinessi L, Rainero I, Sorbi S, Nee L, Milan G, Pappatà S, Postiglione A, Abbamondi N, Forloni G, St George Hyslop P, Rogaeva E, Bugiani O, Giaccone G, Foncin JF, Spillantini MG, Puccio G. Worldwide distribution of PSEN1 Met146Leu mutation: a large variability for a founder mutation. Neurology 2010; 74:798-806. [PMID: 20164095 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0b013e3181d52785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Large kindreds segregating familial Alzheimer disease (FAD) offer the opportunity of studying clinical variability as observed for presenilin 1 (PSEN1) mutations. Two early-onset FAD (EOFAD) Calabrian families with PSEN1 Met146Leu (ATG/CTG) mutation constitute a unique population descending from a remote common ancestor. Recently, several other EOFAD families with the same mutation have been described worldwide. METHODS We searched for a common founder of the PSEN1 Met146Leu mutation in families with different geographic origins by genealogic and molecular analyses. We also investigated the phenotypic variability at onset in a group of 50 patients (mean age at onset 40.0 +/- 4.8 years) by clinical, neuropsychological, and molecular methodologies. RESULTS EOFAD Met146Leu families from around the world resulted to be related and constitute a single kindred originating from Southern Italy before the 17th century. Phenotypic variability at onset is broad: 4 different clinical presentations may be recognized, 2 classic for AD (memory deficits and spatial and temporal disorientation), whereas the others are expressions of frontal impairment. The apathetic and dysexecutive subgroups could be related to orbital-medial prefrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS Genealogic and molecular findings provided evidence that the PSEN1 Met146Leu families from around the world analyzed in this study are related and represent a single kindred originating from Southern Italy. The marked phenotypic variability might reflect early involvement by the pathologic process of different cortical areas. Although the clinical phenotype is quite variable, the neuropathologic and biochemical characteristics of the lesions account for neurodegenerative processes unmistakably of Alzheimer nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- A C Bruni
- Centro Regionale di Neurogenetica, Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale Catanzaro, Viale A. Perugini, 88046 Lamezia Terme (CZ), Italy.
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Plasma phosphorylated-TDP-43 protein levels correlate with brain pathology in frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Acta Neuropathol 2009; 118:647-58. [PMID: 19823856 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-009-0594-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2009] [Revised: 09/22/2009] [Accepted: 09/22/2009] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, we have correlated plasma TDP-43 levels, as measured by ELISA, with the presence of TDP-43 pathological changes in the brains of 28 patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) (14 with FTLD-TDP and 14 with FTLD-tau) and 24 patients with pathologically confirmed AD (8 with, and 16 without, TDP-43 pathological changes). Western blotting revealed full-length TDP-43, including a phosphorylated form, and a phosphorylated C-terminal fragment, in all samples examined. Both ELISA and immunohistochemistry were performed using phospho-dependent and phospho-independent TDP-43 antibodies for detection of phosphorylated and total TDP-43, respectively. Over all 52 cases, plasma levels of TDP-43, and scores of brain TDP-43 pathology, determined using TDP-43 phospho-dependent antibody correlated with the equivalent measure determined using the TDP phospho-independent antibody. In FTLD, but not AD, TDP-43 plasma levels correlated significantly with the pathology score when using the TDP-43 phospho-dependent antibody, but a similar correlation was not seen in either FTLD or AD using the TDP-43 phospho-independent antibody. With the TDP-43 phospho-independent antibody, there were no significant differences in median plasma TDP-43 levels between FTLD, or AD, patients with or without TDP-43 pathology. Using TDP-43 phospho-dependent antibody, median plasma TDP-43 levels were greater in patients with, than in those without, TDP-43 pathology for FTLD patients, though not significantly so, but not for AD patients. Present assays for TDP-43 do not differentiate between FTLD, or AD, patients with or without TDP-43 pathological changes in their brains. However, the levels of phosphorylated TDP-43 in plasma do correlate with the extent of TDP-43 brain pathology in FTLD, and therefore might be a useful surrogate marker for tracking changes in TDP-43 brain pathology during the course of this disease.
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Abstract
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a highly familial condition and is increasingly being recognized as an important form of dementia. The literature published on this disease is often difficult to collate due to the wide range in nomenclature used. Thankfully, consensus recommendations have now been published to address this issue and hopefully the community will adopt these as intended. Much progress has been made in our understanding of the clinical, pathological and genetic understanding of FTLD in recent years. Progranulin and TDP-43 have recently been identified as new important proteins involved in the pathophysiology of FTLD and this latter protein may have potential as a biomarker of this disease. However, much remains before we have a full picture of the genes that cause FTLD and the biological pathways in which they function. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current concepts and recent advances in our knowledge of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Pickering-Brown
- Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Faculty of Human and Medical Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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33
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Gallo M, Tomaino C, Puccio G, Frangipane F, Curcio SAM, Bernardi L, Geracitano S, Anfossi M, Mirabelli M, Colao R, Vasso F, Smirne N, Maletta RG, Bruni AC. Novel MAPT Val75Ala mutation and PSEN2 Arg62Hys in two siblings with frontotemporal dementia. Neurol Sci 2009; 31:65-70. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-009-0132-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2009] [Accepted: 08/21/2009] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Davidson Y, Amin H, Kelley T, Shi J, Tian J, Kumaran R, Lashley T, Lees AJ, DuPlessis D, Neary D, Snowden J, Akiyama H, Arai T, Hasegawa M, Bandopadhyay R, Sikkink S, Pickering-Brown S, Mann DMA. TDP-43 in ubiquitinated inclusions in the inferior olives in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and in other neurodegenerative diseases: a degenerative process distinct from normal ageing. Acta Neuropathol 2009; 118:359-69. [PMID: 19330339 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-009-0526-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2008] [Revised: 03/18/2009] [Accepted: 03/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ubiquitin immunoreactive (UBQ-ir) inclusions were present to variable extents in the inferior olivary nucleus (ION) in 37/48 (77%) patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), in 10/11 (91%) patients with motor neurone disease (MND), in 5/5 (100%) patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 5/7 (71%) patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, 13/19 (68%) patients with Parkinson's disease, 11/11(100%) patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, 2/6 (33%) patients with Multisystem Atrophy, 1/3 (33%) patients with Huntington's disease and in 14/14 (100%) normal elderly control subjects. In FTLD, UBQ-ir inclusions were present in 26/32 (81%) patients with FTLD-U, in 10/15 (67%) patients with tauopathy, and in the single patient with Dementia Lacking Distinctive Histology. In 13 FTLD-U patients, and in a single AD and in 2 MND patients, the UBQ-ir inclusions had a rounded, spicular or skein-type appearance, and these were also TDP-43 immunoreactive (TDP-43-ir). In all other affected patients in all diagnostic groups, and in control subjects, the UBQ-ir neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) were of a conglomerated type, resembling a cluster of large granules or globules, but were never TDP-43-ir. In 3 of the 13 FTLD-U patients with spicular NCI, conglomerated NCI were also present but in separate cells. Double-labelling immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy, for UBQ and TDP-43 confirmed that only the spicular UBQ-ir inclusions in patients with FTLD-U, AD and MND contained TDP-43, though in these patients there were occasional TDP-43 immunoreactive inclusions that were not UBQ-ir. Nuclear TDP-43 immunoreactivity was absent in ION in FTLD-U, AD or MND when TDP-43 cytoplasmic inclusions were present, but remained in neurones with UBQ-ir, TDP-43 negative inclusions. The target protein within the UBQ-ir, TDP-43-negative inclusions remains unknown, but present studies indicate that this is not tau, neurofilament or internexin proteins. These TDP-43 negative, UBQ-ir inclusions appear to be more related to ageing than neurodegeneration, and are without apparent diagnostic significance. The pathophysiological mechanism leading to their formation, and any consequences their presence may have on nerve cell function, remain unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Davidson
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Group, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, Greater Manchester Neurosciences Centre, School of Translational Medicine, Hope Hospital, University of Manchester, Salford, M6 8HD, UK
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Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinical syndrome with a heterogeneous molecular basis. Familial FTD has been linked to mutations in several genes, including those encoding the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), progranulin (GRN), valosin-containing protein (VCP) and charged multivescicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B). The associated neuropathology is characterised by selective degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes (frontotemporal lobar degeneration, FTLD), usually with the presence of abnormal intracellular protein accumulations. The current classification of FTLD neuropathology is based on the identity of the predominant protein abnormality, in the belief that this most closely reflects the underlying pathogenic process. Major subgroups include those characterised by the pathological tau, TDP-43, intermediate filaments and a group with cellular inclusions composed of an unidentified ubiquitinated protein. This review will focus on the current understanding of the molecular basis of each of the major FTLD subtypes. It is anticipated that this knowledge will provide the basis of future advances in the diagnosis and treatment of FTD.
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36
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Frequency of progranulin mutations in a German cohort of 79 frontotemporal dementia patients. J Neurol 2009; 256:2043-51. [PMID: 19618231 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-009-5248-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2009] [Revised: 06/16/2009] [Accepted: 07/03/2009] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mutations of the progranulin gene lead to progranulin haploinsufficiency and to frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTD) with TDP-43 positive inclusions. It is assumed that unknown genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors are responsible for the observed marked degree of phenotypic variability among mutation carriers. This is the first published series of German FTD cases screened for progranulin mutations. Mean age at onset was 62 years, 19 patients (24%) had a positive family history of dementia, and 11 patients (14%) had a positive family history for probable FTD. Data on FTD subtypes are presented. Two mutations were identified (3%), one of which has been described previously. Clinically, both patients showed the frontal-behavioural variant type of FTD. Remarkably, a sibling of one case presented with progressive nonfluent aphasia, clinically distinct from the brother. We also performed quantitative PCR analyses to detect potential whole progranulin gene and exon deletions. Here, results were negative.
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Abstract
The amyloid hypothesis has been the basis for most work on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Recent clinical trials based on this hypothesis have been inconclusive. In this article I review the current status of the hypothesis and suggest that a major scientific need is to understand the normal function of amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) and think how this may relate to the cell death in the disease process.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hardy
- Reta Lilla Weston Institute and Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK.
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38
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Finch N, Baker M, Crook R, Swanson K, Kuntz K, Surtees R, Bisceglio G, Rovelet-Lecrux A, Boeve B, Petersen RC, Dickson DW, Younkin SG, Deramecourt V, Crook J, Graff-Radford NR, Rademakers R. Plasma progranulin levels predict progranulin mutation status in frontotemporal dementia patients and asymptomatic family members. Brain 2009; 132:583-91. [PMID: 19158106 PMCID: PMC2664450 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awn352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the progranulin gene (GRN) are an important cause of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) with ubiquitin and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP43)-positive pathology. The clinical presentation associated with GRN mutations is heterogeneous and may include clinical probable Alzheimer's disease. All GRN mutations identified thus far cause disease through a uniform disease mechanism, i.e. the loss of functional GRN or haploinsufficiency. To determine if expression of GRN in plasma could predict GRN mutation status and could be used as a biological marker, we optimized a GRN ELISA and studied plasma samples of a consecutive clinical FTLD series of 219 patients, 70 control individuals, 72 early-onset probable Alzheimer's disease patients and nine symptomatic and 18 asymptomatic relatives of GRN mutation families. All FTLD patients with GRN loss-of-function mutations showed significantly reduced levels of GRN in plasma to about one third of the levels observed in non-GRN carriers and control individuals (P < 0.001). No overlap in distributions of GRN levels was observed between the eight GRN loss-of-function mutation carriers (range: 53-94 ng/ml) and 191 non-GRN mutation carriers (range: 115-386 ng/ml). Similar low levels of GRN were identified in asymptomatic GRN mutation carriers. Importantly, ELISA analyses also identified one probable Alzheimer's disease patient (1.4%) carrying a loss-of-function mutation in GRN. Biochemical analyses further showed that the GRN ELISA only detects full-length GRN, no intermediate granulin fragments. This study demonstrates that using a GRN ELISA in plasma, pathogenic GRN mutations can be accurately detected in symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. The approximately 75% reduction in full-length GRN, suggests an unbalanced GRN metabolism in loss-of-function mutation carriers whereby more GRN is processed into granulins. We propose that plasma GRN levels could be used as a reliable and inexpensive tool to identify all GRN mutation carriers in early-onset dementia populations and asymptomatic at-risk individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- NiCole Finch
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
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Gijselinck I, Van Broeckhoven C, Cruts M. Granulin mutations associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration and related disorders: an update. Hum Mutat 2009; 29:1373-86. [PMID: 18543312 DOI: 10.1002/humu.20785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in the gene encoding granulin (HUGO gene symbol GRN, also referred to as progranulin, PGRN), located at chromosome 17q21, were recently linked to tau-negative ubiquitin-positive frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLDU). Since then, 63 heterozygous mutations were identified in 163 families worldwide, all leading to loss of functional GRN, implicating a haploinsufficiency mechanism. Together, these mutations explained 5 to 10% of FTLD. The high mutation frequency, however, might still be an underestimation because not all patient samples were examined for all types of loss-of-function mutations and because several variants, including missense mutations, have a yet uncertain pathogenic significance. Although the complete phenotypic spectrum associated with GRN mutations is not yet fully characterized, it was shown that it is highly heterogeneous, suggesting the influence of modifying factors. A role of GRN in neuronal survival was suggested but the exact mechanism by which neurodegeneration and deposition of pathologic brain inclusions occur still has to be clarified.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Gijselinck
- Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group, Department of Molecular Genetics, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Antwerpen, Belgium
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Honson NS, Kuret J. Tau aggregation and toxicity in tauopathic neurodegenerative diseases. J Alzheimers Dis 2008; 14:417-22. [PMID: 18688092 DOI: 10.3233/jad-2008-14409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Since its discovery as a structural component of neurofibrillary lesions of Alzheimer's disease more than twenty years ago, tau protein has been implicated in the cascade of events associated with neurodegeneration. Specifically, the "tau hypothesis" posits that misfunction of tau, which occurs in response to unknown stimuli, results in its intracellular assembly into filaments that eventually prove toxic to the cells that produce them. The tau hypothesis is supported by numerous neuropathological and genetic observations of authentic human disease cases. However, experiments designed to study aggregate toxicity in biological models suggest that some aggregate species may be inert or could potentially serve a neuroprotective function. Distinguishing these possibilities experimentally has been complicated by currently available biological models, which do not fully recapitulate aggregation conditions seen in disease. Additional model systems which better approximate physiological conditions may help elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in aggregation associated toxicity. Here we examine the accumulated evidence linking aggregation and neurodegeneration, and experimental approaches to the problem of tau aggregation-mediated toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolette S Honson
- Center for Molecular Neurobiology, and Department of Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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41
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van Swieten JC, Heutink P. Mutations in progranulin (GRN) within the spectrum of clinical and pathological phenotypes of frontotemporal dementia. Lancet Neurol 2008; 7:965-74. [PMID: 18771956 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(08)70194-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is predominantly a presenile disorder that is characterised by behavioural changes and cognitive impairment, particularly in language and executive functions, and is associated with neurodegeneration in the frontal or temporal cortices, or both. Research into FTD has made many advances over the past 20 years that have important implications for clinical practice. Different clinical variants (ie, behavioural, aphasic, and motor neuron disease variants) are now recognised as part of the clinical spectrum of FTD. Neuropathologically, the disease can be divided into two main pathological subtypes: frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) with neuronal and glial tau inclusions (FTLD-tau); and FTLD with neuronal inclusions that are positive for ubiquitin (FTLD-U). 20-30% of cases of FTD follow an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance, and half of which are caused by defects in MAPT, CHMP2B, and VCP. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Mutations in the gene that encodes progranulin (GRN) on chromosome 17q21-22 have been identified in patients with hereditary FTD who have tau-negative, ubiquitin-positive inclusions. The recognition of the clinical phenotype associated with more than 50 different mutations in GRN has expanded the clinical knowledge of FTD to include presentations that resemble Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body disease, and corticobasal syndrome, with a variable age at onset (35-89 years) within families. Another recent breakthrough is the identification of the TAR DNA-binding protein (TARDBP; also known as TDP-43) as the main constituent of FTLD-U with mutations in GRN and with mutations in VCP, as well as in FTLD with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. WHERE NEXT?: To develop therapeutic strategies to prevent FTD or delay its progression we must understand whether the loss of progranulin leads to the accumulation of TARDBP. In this Rapid Review, we focus on the clinical and pathological phenotypes associated with mutations in GRN, and distinguish those from other forms of hereditary FTD. In addition, we discuss the potential association of mutations in GRN on the pathophysiology of FTD with the accumulation of TARDBP.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C van Swieten
- Department of Neurology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
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Cortini F, Fenoglio C, Guidi I, Venturelli E, Pomati S, Marcone A, Scalabrini D, Villa C, Clerici F, Dalla Valle E, Mariani C, Cappa S, Bresolin N, Scarpini E, Galimberti D. Novel exon 1 progranulin gene variant in Alzheimer's disease. Eur J Neurol 2008; 15:1111-7. [PMID: 18752597 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2008.02266.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Progranulin (PGRN) expression is increased in activated microglia in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, suggesting a potential role in this pathology. METHODS A mutation scanning of exons and flanking regions of PGRN was carried out in 120 patients with sporadic frontotemporal lobar degeneration and 145 with sporadic AD. RESULTS Amongst variants not yet deposited, a novel allelic variant was identified in Exon 1 (g100169G > A). It leads to an amino acidic change (p.Gly35Arg) and was observed in a patient with late onset AD. In silico analysis predicted that this mutation is possibly damaging. A second variant (g.100165C > T), resulting in a silent mutation (pAsp33Asp), was found in a patient with semantic dementia and in another with early onset AD. Both variants were absent in 226 controls. In addition, two rare non-pathogenic variants lying very close to PGRN splice-site regions (IVS2 + 7-->G > A and IVS7 + 7-->G > A) were observed. Transcriptional analysis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients demonstrated they do not affect exon splicing. CONCLUSIONS A novel putative PGRN mutation leading to an amino acidic substitution was identified in a patient with clinical AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Cortini
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Dino Ferrari Center, University of Milan, IRCCS Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
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Foulds P, McAuley E, Gibbons L, Davidson Y, Pickering-Brown SM, Neary D, Snowden JS, Allsop D, Mann DMA. TDP-43 protein in plasma may index TDP-43 brain pathology in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Acta Neuropathol 2008; 116:141-6. [PMID: 18506455 PMCID: PMC2464623 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-008-0389-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2008] [Revised: 05/08/2008] [Accepted: 05/08/2008] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Autopsy studies have shown that about 55% of patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and 25% of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) harbour TDP-43 immunoreactive pathological changes in their brains. Using ELISA, we investigated whether we could detect the presence, or increased amounts, of TDP-43 in plasma of patients with FTLD and AD compared to normal control subjects. We detected elevated levels of TDP-43 protein in plasma of 46% patients with FTLD with clinical frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and 22% patients with AD, compared to 8% of control subjects. The proportions of patients with FTD and AD showing raised plasma TDP-43 levels correspond closely to those proportions known from autopsy studies to contain TDP-43 pathological changes in their brains. Raised TDP-43 plasma levels may thereby index TDP-43 pathology within the brain. Plasma TDP-43 levels may be a biomarker that can provide a laboratory test capable of identifying the presence of TDP-43 brain pathology in neurodegenerative disease during life. It may help to distinguish those cases of FTLD with ubiquitin/TDP-43 pathology in their brains from those with tauopathy. As a predictive test, plasma TDP-43 level may have great practical value in directing therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing or removing tau or TDP-43 pathological changes from the brain in FTLD and AD.
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López de Munain A, Alzualde A, Gorostidi A, Otaegui D, Ruiz-Martínez J, Indakoetxea B, Ferrer I, Pérez-Tur J, Sáenz A, Bergareche A, Barandiarán M, Poza JJ, Zabalza R, Ruiz I, Urtasun M, Fernández-Manchola I, Olasagasti B, Espinal JB, Olaskoaga J, Ruibal M, Moreno F, Carrera N, Martí Massó JF. Mutations in progranulin gene: clinical, pathological, and ribonucleic acid expression findings. Biol Psychiatry 2008; 63:946-52. [PMID: 17950702 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2007] [Revised: 07/26/2007] [Accepted: 08/29/2007] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is an increasing interest in the clinico-pathological correlation of mutations in progranulin (PGRN) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) complex diseases. We aim to study the PGRN expression variability in patients with different clinical features for a better understanding of its roles in FTLD disease. METHODS We sequenced the PGRN gene in 72 patients suffering from FTLD (25 familial and 47 sporadic cases) and in 24 asymptomatic at-risk relatives. We also analyzed PGRN expression in blood by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction from 37 patients, 8 asymptomatic mutation carriers, and 10 control subjects as well as in brain tissue from 16 patients and 9 control subjects. RESULTS Four novel mutations were associated with familial and sporadic FTLD and familial dementia associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We identified a close association between the IVS6-1G>A mutation in PGRN and corticobasal syndrome. Brain tissue was available for carriers of two of the four mutations (IVS6-1 G>A and P357HfsX3). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed ubiquitin- and TDP-43positive and tau/alpha-synuclein negative immunoreactive neuronal intranuclear inclusions. The relative expression of PGRN in the clinical sample was significantly lower in carriers of the IVS6-1 G>A than in control subjects. CONCLUSIONS Progranulopathies are a major cause of the main phenotypes included in the FTLD complex. According to our results, the level of expression of PGRN in blood could be a useful marker both for diagnostics of part of the spectrum of FTLD conditions and for monitoring future treatments that might boost the level of PGRN in this disorder.
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Boeve BF, Hutton M. Refining frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17: introducing FTDP-17 (MAPT) and FTDP-17 (PGRN). ARCHIVES OF NEUROLOGY 2008; 65:460-4. [PMID: 18413467 PMCID: PMC2746630 DOI: 10.1001/archneur.65.4.460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism (FTDP) is a major neurodegenerative syndrome, particularly for those with symptoms beginning before age 65 years. A spectrum of degenerative disorders can present as sporadic or familial FTDP. Mutations in the gene encoding the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT; OMIM +157140) on chromosome 17 have been found in many kindreds with familial FTDP. Several other kindreds with FTDP had been linked to chromosome 17, but they had ubiquitin-positive inclusions rather than tauopathy pathology and no mutations in MAPT. This conundrum was solved in 2006 with the identification of mutations in the gene encoding progranulin (PGRN; OMIM *138945), which is only 1.7 Mb centromeric to MAPT on chromosome 17. In this review, we compare and contrast the demographic, clinical, radiologic, neuropathologic, genetic, and pathophysiologic features in patients with FTDP linked to mutations in MAPT and PGRN, highlighting the many similarities but also a few important differences. Our findings describe an intriguing oddity of nature in which 2 genes can cause a similar phenotype through apparently different mechanisms yet reside so near to each other on the same chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley F Boeve
- Division of Behavioral Neurology, Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, Minnesota,55905, USa.
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Van Damme P, Van Hoecke A, Lambrechts D, Vanacker P, Bogaert E, van Swieten J, Carmeliet P, Van Den Bosch L, Robberecht W. Progranulin functions as a neurotrophic factor to regulate neurite outgrowth and enhance neuronal survival. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 181:37-41. [PMID: 18378771 PMCID: PMC2287280 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.200712039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 332] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Recently, mutations in the progranulin (PGRN) gene were found to cause familial and apparently sporadic frontotemporal lobe dementia (FTLD). Moreover, missense changes in PGRN were identified in patients with motor neuron degeneration, a condition that is related to FTLD. Most mutations identified in patients with FTLD until now have been null mutations. However, it remains unknown whether PGRN protein levels are reduced in the central nervous system from such patients. The effects of PGRN on neurons also remain to be established. We report that PGRN levels are reduced in the cerebrospinal fluid from FTLD patients carrying a PGRN mutation. We observe that PGRN and GRN E (one of the proteolytic fragments of PGRN) promote neuronal survival and enhance neurite outgrowth in cultured neurons. These results demonstrate that PGRN/GRN is a neurotrophic factor with activities that may be involved in the development of the nervous system and in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Van Damme
- Laboratory of Neurobiology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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Links between frontotemporal lobar degeneration, corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 2008; 21:S31-8. [PMID: 18090421 DOI: 10.1097/wad.0b013e31815bf454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration, corticobasal degeneration (CBD), progressive supranuclear palsy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been considered distinct clinicopathologic entities with few issues in common other than neurodegeneration being central to all. The aim of this paper is to highlight the clinical, topographic, pathologic, proteomic, and genetic similarities among these disorders and the syndromes through which each disorder is exhibited. The critical roles of tau and TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) dysfunction in the disorders and syndromes are emphasized. Although confusion certainly remains, and the ability to predict the underlying proteinopathy in the various neurodegenerative syndromes is far from perfect, there is optimism that insights gained over the next few years will enhance our ability to accurately identify the amyloidopathies, tauopathies, and TDP-43opathies early in the disease course, potentially improving the ability to impact these diseases once targeted therapies have been developed.
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Gijselinck I, van der Zee J, Engelborghs S, Goossens D, Peeters K, Mattheijssens M, Corsmit E, Del-Favero J, De Deyn PP, Van Broeckhoven C, Cruts M. Progranulin locus deletion in frontotemporal dementia. Hum Mutat 2008; 29:53-8. [PMID: 18157829 DOI: 10.1002/humu.20651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Ubiquitin-positive, tau-negative, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is caused by null mutations in progranulin (PGRN; HUGO gene symbol GRN), suggesting a haploinsufficiency mechanism. Since whole gene deletions also lead to the loss of a functional allele, we performed systematic quantitative analyses of PGRN in a series of 103 Belgian FTD patients. We identified in one patient (1%) a genomic deletion that was absent in 267 control individuals. The deleted segment was between 54 and 69 kb in length and comprised PGRN and two centromeric neighboring genes RPIP8 (HUGO gene symbol RUNDC3A) and SLC25A39. The patient presented clinically with typical FTD without additional symptoms, consistent with haploinsufficiency of PGRN being the only gene contributing to the disease phenotype. This study demonstrates that reduced PGRN in absence of mutant protein is sufficient to cause neurodegeneration and that previously reported PGRN mutation frequencies are underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Gijselinck
- Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases Group, Department of Molecular Genetics, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
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Pickering-Brown SM, Rollinson S, Du Plessis D, Morrison KE, Varma A, Richardson AMT, Neary D, Snowden JS, Mann DMA. Frequency and clinical characteristics of progranulin mutation carriers in the Manchester frontotemporal lobar degeneration cohort: comparison with patients with MAPT and no known mutations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 131:721-31. [PMID: 18192287 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awm331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Two hundred and twenty-three consecutive patients fulfilling clinical diagnostic criteria for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and 259 patients with motor neuron disease (MND), for whom genomic DNA was available, were investigated for the presence of mutations in tau (MAPT) and progranulin (PGRN) genes. All FTLD patients had undergone longitudinal neuropsychological and clinical assessment, and in 44 cases, the diagnosis had been pathologically confirmed at post-mortem. Six different PGRN mutations were found in 13 (6%) patients with FTLD. Four apparently unrelated patients shared exon Q415X 10 stop codon mutation. However, genotyping data revealed all four patients shared common alleles of 15 SNPs from rs708386 to rs5848, defining a 45.8-kb haplotype containing the whole PGRN gene, suggesting they are related. Three patients shared exon 11 R493X stop codon mutation. Four patients shared exon 10 V452WfsX38 frameshift mutation. Two of these patients were siblings, though not apparently related to the other patients who in turn appeared unrelated. One patient had exon 1 C31LfsX34 frameshift mutation, one had exon 4 Q130SfsX130 frameshift mutation and one had exon 10 Q468X stop codon mutation. In addition, two non-synonymous changes were detected: G168S change in exon 5 was found in a single patient, with no family history, who showed a mixed FTLD/MND picture and A324T change in exon 9 was found in two cases; one case of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with a sister with FTD+MND and the other in a case of progressive non-fluent aphasia (PNFA) without any apparent family history. MAPT mutations were found in 17 (8%) patients. One patient bore exon 10 + 13 splice mutation, and 16 patients bore exon 10 + 16 splice mutation. When PGRN and MAPT mutation carriers were excluded, there were no significant differences in either the allele or genotype frequencies, or haplotype frequencies, between the FTLD cohort as a whole, or for any clinical diagnostic FTLD subgroup, and 286 controls or between MND cases and controls. However, possession of the A allele of SNP rs9897526, in intron 4 of PGRN, delayed mean age at onset by approximately 4 years. Patients with PGRN and MAPT mutations did not differ significantly from other FTLD cases in terms of gender distribution or total duration of illness. However, a family history of dementia in a first-degree relative was invariably present in MAPT cases, but not always so in PGRN cases. Onset of illness was earlier in MAPT cases compared to PGRN and other FTLD cases. PNFA, combined with limb apraxia was significantly more common in PGRN mutation cases than other FTLD cases. By contrast, the behavioural disorder of FTD combined with semantic impairment was a strong predictor of MAPT mutations. These findings complement recent clinico-pathological findings in suggesting identifiable associations between clinical phenotype and genotype in FTLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart M Pickering-Brown
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Group, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
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