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Van den Broecke A, Decruyenaere A, Schuermans N, Verdin H, Ghijsels J, Sieben A, Dermaut B, Hemelsoet D. Pooled analysis of patients with inherited prion disease caused by two- to twelve-octapeptide repeat insertions in the prion protein gene (PRNP). J Neurol 2024; 271:263-273. [PMID: 37689591 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11968-9] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Inherited prion diseases caused by two- to twelve-octapeptide repeat insertions (OPRIs) in the prion protein gene (PRNP) show significant clinical heterogeneity. This study describes a family with two new cases with a 4-OPRI mutation and two asymptomatic mutation carriers. The pooled analysis summarizes all cases reported in the literature to date and describes the relation between survival, age of onset, number of OPRI and codon 129 polymorphism. MEDLINE and Google Scholar were queried from database inception up to December 31, 2022. Age of onset was compared per number of OPRI and per codon 129 polymorphism using the Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, respectively. Disease duration was modeled non-parametrically by a Kaplan-Meier model and semi-parametrically by a Cox model. This study comprised 164 patients. Lower number of OPRI and presence of valine (cis-V) versus methionine (cis-M) on codon 129 were associated with an older age of onset (P < 0.001 and P = 0.025, respectively) and shorter disease duration (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Within patients with 5- or more OPRI codon cis-V remained significantly associated with a shorter disease duration. Codon 129 homozygosity versus heterozygosity was not significantly associated with age of onset or disease duration (P = 0.076 and P = 0.409, respectively). This study summarized the largest cohort of patients with two- to twelve-OPRI to date. Lower number of OPRI and codon 129 cis-V is associated with an older age of onset and shorter disease duration, while homozygosity or heterozygosity on codon 129 was not.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nika Schuermans
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hannah Verdin
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jody Ghijsels
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anne Sieben
- Born-Bunge Institute, Laboratory for Neuropathology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bart Dermaut
- Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Rábano A, Guerrero Márquez C, Juste RA, Geijo MV, Calero M. Medial Temporal Lobe Involvement in Human Prion Diseases: Implications for the Study of Focal Non Prion Neurodegenerative Pathology. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11030413. [PMID: 33802224 PMCID: PMC7998497 DOI: 10.3390/biom11030413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Human prion and non-prion neurodegenerative diseases share pathogenic mechanisms and neuropathological features. The lesion profile of a particular entity results from specific involvement of vulnerable neuron populations and connectivity circuits by a pathogenic protein isoform with strain-like properties. The lesion profile of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) was studied in postmortem tissue of 143 patients with human prion disease (HPD) including sporadic, genetic, and acquired forms. Most cases (90%) were classified according to PrPres type and/or PRNP codon 129 status, in addition to a full neuropathological profile. Mixed histotypes represented 29.4% of total sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) cases. An intensity score of involvement including spongiosis and astrogliosis was determined for the amygdala, presubiculum, subiculum, entorhinal cortex, CA1 to CA4 sectors of the hippocampal cortex, and dentate gyrus. Connectivity hubs within the MTL presented the highest scores. Diverse lesion profiles were obtained for different types and subtypes of HPD. Impact of mixed PrPres types on the MTL lesion profile was higher for sCJDMV2K cases than in other histotypes. Differences between MTL profiles was globally consistent with current evidence on specific strains in HPD. These results may be relevant for the analysis of possible strain effects in focal non-prion neurodegenerative conditions limited to the MTL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Rábano
- Neuropathology Department, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit, CIEN Foundation, Institute of Health Carlos III, Queen Sofía Foundation Alzheimer Research Center, 28031 Madrid, Spain
- CIEN Foundation and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28031 Madrid, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Carmen Guerrero Márquez
- Neurological Tissue Bank—HUFA Biobank, Hospital Universitario Fundación Alcorcón, 28922 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Ramón A. Juste
- Department of Animal Health, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Bizkaia P812, 48160 Derio, Spain; (R.A.J.); (M.V.G.)
| | - María V. Geijo
- Department of Animal Health, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Bizkaia P812, 48160 Derio, Spain; (R.A.J.); (M.V.G.)
| | - Miguel Calero
- CIEN Foundation and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Institute of Health Carlos III, 28031 Madrid, Spain;
- Chronic Disease Program, Institute of Health Carlos III, 28222 Madrid, Spain
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Sengoku R. Aging and Alzheimer's disease pathology. Neuropathology 2019; 40:22-29. [PMID: 31863504 DOI: 10.1111/neup.12626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The number of people with dementia worldwide is predicted to increase to 131.5 million by 2050. When studying dementia, understanding the basis of the neuropathological background is very important. Taking Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathology as an example, we know that the accumulation of abnormal structures such as senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles is a hallmark. Macroscopic atrophy affects the entorhinal area and hippocampus, amygdala, and associative regions of the neocortex. Braak advocates the spread of tau deposits from the entorhinal to associative regions of the neocortex as the disease progresses. If the AD has only tau pathology, the degree and distribution of tau deposition may be associated with clinical symptoms. However, AD is also accompanied by amyloid-β deposition and even atrophy. Although it is possible to make a neuropathological diagnosis of AD from the spread of amyloid and tau depositions, neuropathological abnormal protein accumulation cannot explain all clinical symptoms of AD. There is an ambiguity between clinical symptoms and neuropathological findings. It is important to understand neuropathological findings while understanding that this ambiguity exists. So, for the reader's help, first we briefly explain the changes in the brain with age, and then describe AD as a typical disease of dementia; finally we will describe the diseases that mimic AD for neurologists who are not experts in neuropathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renpei Sengoku
- Departments of Neurology and Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan
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Schmitz M, Dittmar K, Llorens F, Gelpi E, Ferrer I, Schulz-Schaeffer WJ, Zerr I. Hereditary Human Prion Diseases: an Update. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:4138-4149. [PMID: 27324792 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-9918-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Prion diseases in humans are neurodegenerative diseases which are caused by an accumulation of abnormal, misfolded cellular prion protein known as scrapie prion protein (PrPSc). Genetic, acquired, or spontaneous (sporadic) forms are known. Pathogenic mutations in the human prion protein gene (PRNP) have been identified in 10-15 % of CJD patients. These mutations may be single point mutations, STOP codon mutations, or insertions or deletions of octa-peptide repeats. Some non-coding mutations and new mutations in the PrP gene have been identified without clear evidence for their pathogenic significance. In the present review, we provide an updated overview of PRNP mutations, which have been documented in the literature until now, describe the change in the DNA, the family history, the pathogenicity, and the number of described cases, which has not been published in this complexity before. We also provide a description of each genetic prion disease type, present characteristic histopathological features, and the PrPSc isoform expression pattern of various familial/genetic prion diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Schmitz
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany. .,Department of Neuropathology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Kathrin Dittmar
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Franc Llorens
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ellen Gelpi
- Neurological Tissue Bank, Biobanc-Hospital Clinic-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isidre Ferrer
- Institute of Neuropathology, Bellvitge University Hospital, CIBERNED, Hospitalet de Llobregat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Walter J Schulz-Schaeffer
- Department of Neuropathology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Inga Zerr
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Göttingen and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
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Furgerson M, Clark JK, Crystal JD, Wagner JJ, Fechheimer M, Furukawa R. Hirano body expression impairs spatial working memory in a novel mouse model. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2014; 2:131. [PMID: 25178488 PMCID: PMC4160558 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-014-0131-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hirano bodies are actin-rich intracellular inclusions found in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration-tau. While Hirano body ultrastructure and protein composition have been well studied, little is known about the physiological function of Hirano bodies in an animal model system. Results Utilizing a Cre/Lox system, we have generated a new mouse model which develops an age-dependent increase in the number of model Hirano bodies present in both the CA1 region of the hippocampus and frontal cortex. These mice develop normally and experience no overt neuron loss. Mice presenting model Hirano bodies have no abnormal anxiety or locomotor activity as measured by the open field test. However, mice with model Hirano bodies develop age-dependent impairments in spatial working memory performance assessed using a delayed win-shift task in an 8-arm radial maze. Synaptic transmission, short-term plasticity, and long-term plasticity was measured in the CA1 region from slices obtained from both the ventral and dorsal hippocampus in the same mice whose spatial working memory was assessed. Baseline synaptic responses, paired pulse stimulation and long-term potentiation measurements in the ventral hippocampus were indistinguishable from control mice. In contrast, in the dorsal hippocampus, synaptic transmission at higher stimulus intensities were suppressed in 3 month old mice with Hirano bodies as compared with control mice. In addition, long-term potentiation was enhanced in the dorsal hippocampus of 8 month old mice with Hirano bodies, concurrent with observed impairment of spatial working memory. Finally, an inflammatory response was observed at 8 months of age in mice with Hirano bodies as assessed by the presence of reactive astrocytes. Conclusion This study shows that the presence of model Hirano bodies initiates an inflammatory response, alters hippocampal synaptic responses, and impairs spatial working memory in an age-dependent manner. This suggests that Hirano bodies may promote disease progression. This new model mouse provides a tool to investigate how Hirano bodies interact with other pathologies associated with Alzheimer's disease. Hirano bodies likely play a complex and region specific role in the brain during neurodegenerative disease progression. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40478-014-0131-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Spears W, Furgerson M, Sweetnam JM, Evans P, Gearing M, Fechheimer M, Furukawa R. Hirano bodies differentially modulate cell death induced by tau and the amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain. BMC Neurosci 2014; 15:74. [PMID: 24929931 PMCID: PMC4084581 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-15-74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hirano bodies are actin-rich paracrystalline inclusions found in brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and in normal aged individuals. Although studies of post-mortem brain tissue provide clues of etiology, the physiological function of Hirano bodies remains unknown. A cell culture model was utilized to study the interactions of mutant tau proteins, model Hirano bodies, and GSK3β in human astrocytoma cells. RESULTS Most tau variants showed co-localization with model Hirano bodies. Cosedimentation assays revealed this interaction may be direct, as recombinant purified forms of tau are all capable of binding F-actin. Model Hirano bodies had no effect or enhanced cell death induced by tau in the absence of amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain (AICD). In the presence of AICD and tau, synergistic cell death was observed in most cases, and model Hirano bodies decreased this synergistic cell death, except for forms of tau that caused significant cell death in the presence of Hirano bodies only. A role for the kinase GSK3β is suggested by the finding that a dominant negative form of GSK3β reduces this synergistic cell death. A subset of Hirano bodies in brain tissue of both Alzheimer's disease and normal aged individuals was found to contain tau, with some Hirano bodies in Alzheimer's disease brains containing hyperphosphorylated tau. CONCLUSION The results demonstrate a complex interaction between tau and AICD involving activation of GSK3β in promoting cell death, and the ability of Hirano bodies to modulate this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Spears
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Matthew Furgerson
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | | | - Parker Evans
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Marla Gearing
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Marcus Fechheimer
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ruth Furukawa
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Furgerson M, Fechheimer M, Furukawa R. Model Hirano bodies protect against tau-independent and tau-dependent cell death initiated by the amyloid precursor protein intracellular domain. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44996. [PMID: 23028730 PMCID: PMC3445605 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Accepted: 08/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The main pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which are primarily composed of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau, respectively. These proteins and their role in the mechanism of neurodegeneration have been extensively studied. Hirano bodies are a frequently occurring pathology in Alzheimer's disease as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. However, the physiological role of Hirano bodies in neurodegenerative diseases has yet to be determined. We have established cell culture models to study the role of Hirano bodies in amyloid precursor protein and tau-induced cell death mechanisms. Exogenous expression of APP and either of its c-terminal fragments c31 or Amyloid Precursor Protein Intracellular Domain c58 (AICDc58) enhance cell death. The presence of tau is not required for this enhanced cell death. However, the addition of a hyperphosphorylated tau mimic 352PHPtau significantly increases cell death in the presence of both APP and c31 or AICDc58 alone. The mechanism of cell death induced by APP and its c-terminal fragments and tau was investigated. Fe65, Tip60, p53, and caspases play a role in tau-independent and tau-dependent cell death. In addition, apoptosis was determined to contribute to cell death. The presence of model Hirano bodies protected against cell death, indicating Hirano bodies may play a protective role in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Furgerson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Marcus Fechheimer
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Ruth Furukawa
- Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
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