1
|
Jiang Z, Gu XJ, Su WM, Duan QQ, Yin KF, Ren YL, Wang Y, Cao B, Chen YP. Discovery and Exploration of Lipid-Modifying Drug Targets for ALS by Mendelian Randomization. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:6572-6583. [PMID: 38324182 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-04007-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Observational studies have faced challenges in identifying replicable causes for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To address this, we employed an unbiased and data-driven approach to discover and explore potential causal exposures using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses. In the phenotype discovery stage, we assessed 3948 environmental exposures from the UK Biobank and utilized ALS summary statistics (Europeans, 20,806 cases, 59,804 controls) as the outcome within a phenome-wide MR pipeline. Through a range of sensitivity analyses, two medication traits were identified to be protective for ALS. In the target exploration stage, we further conducted drug target MR analyses using the latest and trans-ethnic summary data on lipid-related traits and ALS (Europeans, 27,205 cases, 110,881 controls; East Asians, 1234 cases, 2850 controls). Our aim was to explore potential causal drug targets through six lipid-modifying effects. These comprehensive analyses revealed significant findings. Specifically, "cholesterol-lowering medication" and "atorvastatin" survived predefined criteria in the phenotype discovery stage and exhibited a protective effect on ALS. Further in the target exploration stage, we demonstrated that the therapeutic effect of APOB through LDL-lowering was associated with reduced ALS liability in Europeans (OR = 0.835, P = 5.61E - 5). Additionally, the therapeutic effect of APOA1 and LDLR through TC-lowering was associated with reduced ALS liability in East Asians (APOA1, OR = 0.859, P = 5.38E - 4; LDLR, OR = 0.910, P = 2.73E - 5). Overall, we propose potential protective effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs or statins on ALS risk from thousands of exposures. Our research also suggests APOB, APOA1, and LDLR as novel therapeutic targets for ALS and supports their potential protective mechanisms may be mediated by LDL-lowering or TC-lowering effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Jiang
- Department of Neurology, Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiao-Jing Gu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei-Ming Su
- Department of Neurology, Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Qing-Qing Duan
- Department of Neurology, Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Kang-Fu Yin
- Department of Neurology, Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yan-Lin Ren
- Department of Pathophysiology, West China College of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, West China College of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Bei Cao
- Department of Neurology, Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yong-Ping Chen
- Department of Neurology, Centre for Rare Diseases, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mishra PS, Phaneuf D, Boutej H, Picher-Martel V, Dupre N, Kriz J, Julien JP. Inhibition of NF-κB with an Analog of Withaferin-A Restores TDP-43 Homeostasis and Proteome Profiles in a Model of Sporadic ALS. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1017. [PMID: 38790979 PMCID: PMC11118033 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12051017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The current knowledge on pathogenic mechanisms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has widely been derived from studies with cell and animal models bearing ALS-linked genetic mutations. However, it remains unclear to what extent these disease models are of relevance to sporadic ALS. Few years ago, we reported that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from sporadic ALS patients contains toxic factors for disease transmission in mice via chronic intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion. Thus a 14-day i.c.v. infusion of pooled CSF samples from ALS cases in mice provoked motor impairment as well as ALS-like pathological features. This offers a unique paradigm to test therapeutics in the context of sporadic ALS disease. Here, we tested a new Withaferin-A analog (IMS-088) inhibitor of NF-κB that was found recently to mitigate disease phenotypes in mouse models of familial disease expressing TDP-43 mutant. Our results show that oral intake of IMS-088 ameliorated motor performance of mice infused with ALS-CSF and it alleviated pathological changes including TDP-43 proteinopathy, neurofilament disorganization, and neuroinflammation. Moreover, CSF infusion experiments were carried out with transgenic mice having neuronal expression of tagged ribosomal protein (hNfL-RFP mice), which allowed immunoprecipitation of neuronal ribosomes for analysis by mass spectrometry of the translational peptide signatures. The results indicate that treatment with IMS-088 prevented many proteomic alterations associated with exposure to ALS-CSF involving pathways related to cytoskeletal changes, inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, mitochondria, UPS, and autophagy dysfunction. The effective disease-modifying effects of this drug in a mouse model based on i.c.v. infusion of ALS-CSF suggest that the NF-κB signaling pathway represents a compelling therapeutic target for sporadic ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Shree Mishra
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, 2601 Chemin de la Canardière, Quebec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada; (P.S.M.); (D.P.); (H.B.); (J.K.)
| | - Daniel Phaneuf
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, 2601 Chemin de la Canardière, Quebec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada; (P.S.M.); (D.P.); (H.B.); (J.K.)
| | - Hejer Boutej
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, 2601 Chemin de la Canardière, Quebec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada; (P.S.M.); (D.P.); (H.B.); (J.K.)
| | - Vincent Picher-Martel
- Division of Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (V.P.-M.); (N.D.)
| | - Nicolas Dupre
- Division of Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (V.P.-M.); (N.D.)
| | - Jasna Kriz
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, 2601 Chemin de la Canardière, Quebec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada; (P.S.M.); (D.P.); (H.B.); (J.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Jean-Pierre Julien
- CERVO Brain Research Centre, 2601 Chemin de la Canardière, Quebec, QC G1J 2G3, Canada; (P.S.M.); (D.P.); (H.B.); (J.K.)
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li Z, Tian M, Jia H, Li X, Liu Q, Zhou X, Li R, Dong H, Liu Y. Genetic variation in targets of lipid-lowering drugs and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk: a Mendelian randomization study. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2024; 25:197-206. [PMID: 37688479 DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2023.2255622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of lipid-lowering drugs is still highly controversial in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We performed a drug-target Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the effect of targeted lipid-lowering drugs on the risk of ALS. METHODS First, we evaluated the causal relationship between HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A) reductase (HMGCR) inhibitors-taking trait and ALS using a bidirectional two-sample MR study. Second, we investigated the causal relationship between lipid-lowering drugs and ALS through a drug-target MR approach. The summary data for HMGCR inhibitors-taking traits were extracted from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of medication use and associated disease in the UK Biobank. The summary data for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B (apoB) were extracted from a meta-analysis of GWAS in individuals of European ancestry in the UKB. The GWAS summary data of ALS were obtained from the Project MinE. RESULTS Our bidirectional two-sample MR showed that genetically determined increased HMGCR inhibitors-taking trait was an independent risk factor for ALS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.090, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.035-1.150, p = 0.001). The results of drug-target MR showed that the increased expression of the HMGCR gene in blood with the higher risk of ALS (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.01-1.46; p = 0.042) through SMR method and the apoB level mediated by the APOB gene increased the risk of ALS (OR = 1.15; 95% CI =1.05-1.25; p = 0.001) through inverse-variance weighted MR method. CONCLUSION This present study provides genetic support for a positive causal effect of HMGCR inhibitors-taking trait and ALS. The reason for this may be due to the underlying disease condition behind the medication, rather than the medication itself. Our findings also suggested that HMGCR and apoB inhibitors may have potential protective effects on ALS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhiguang Li
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
- Department of Neurology, Xingtai Third Hospital, Xingtai, P.R. China
| | - Mei Tian
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| | - Hongning Jia
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| | - Xiaomeng Zhou
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| | - Hui Dong
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| | - Yaling Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, P.R. China, and
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Merrill NJ, Davidson WS, He Y, Díaz Ludovico I, Sarkar S, Berger MR, McDermott JE, Van Eldik LJ, Wilcock DM, Monroe ME, Kyle JE, Bruce KD, Heinecke JW, Vaisar T, Raber J, Quinn JF, Melchior JT. Human cerebrospinal fluid contains diverse lipoprotein subspecies enriched in proteins implicated in central nervous system health. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi5571. [PMID: 37647397 PMCID: PMC10468133 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi5571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Lipoproteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the central nervous system (CNS) resemble plasma high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), which are a compositionally and structurally diverse spectrum of nanoparticles with pleiotropic functionality. Whether CSF lipoproteins (CSF-Lps) exhibit similar heterogeneity is poorly understood because they are present at 100-fold lower concentrations than plasma HDL. To investigate the diversity of CSF-Lps, we developed a sensitive fluorescent technology to characterize lipoprotein subspecies in small volumes of human CSF. We identified 10 distinctly sized populations of CSF-Lps, most of which were larger than plasma HDL. Mass spectrometric analysis identified 303 proteins across the populations, over half of which have not been reported in plasma HDL. Computational analysis revealed that CSF-Lps are enriched in proteins important for wound healing, inflammation, immune response, and both neuron generation and development. Network analysis indicated that different subpopulations of CSF-Lps contain unique combinations of these proteins. Our study demonstrates that CSF-Lp subspecies likely exist that contain compositional signatures related to CNS health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel J. Merrill
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - W. Sean Davidson
- Center for Lipid and Arteriosclerosis Science, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
| | - Yi He
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Ivo Díaz Ludovico
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Snigdha Sarkar
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Madelyn R. Berger
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Jason E. McDermott
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Linda J. Van Eldik
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40504, USA
| | - Donna M. Wilcock
- Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40504, USA
| | - Matthew E. Monroe
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Jennifer E. Kyle
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Kimberley D. Bruce
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Jay W. Heinecke
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Tomas Vaisar
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Jacob Raber
- Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience and Radiation Medicine, ONPRC, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Joseph F. Quinn
- Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
- Department of Neurology and Parkinson’s Disease Research Education and Clinical Care Center (PADRECC), VA Portland Healthcare System, Portland OR 97239, USA
| | - John T. Melchior
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
- Center for Lipid and Arteriosclerosis Science, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45237, USA
- Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
The Role of Biomaterials in Treating Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ARCHIVES OF NEUROSCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.5812/ans-131625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|