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Mielke JK, Klingeborn M, Schultz EP, Markham EL, Reese ED, Alam P, Mackenzie IR, Ly CV, Caughey B, Cashman NR, Leavens MJ. Seeding activity of human superoxide dismutase 1 aggregates in familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis postmortem neural tissues by real-time quaking-induced conversion. Acta Neuropathol 2024; 147:100. [PMID: 38884646 PMCID: PMC11182821 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-024-02752-8] [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: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease with average lifespan of 2-5 years after diagnosis. The identification of novel prognostic and pharmacodynamic biomarkers are needed to facilitate therapeutic development. Metalloprotein human superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) is known to accumulate and form aggregates in patient neural tissue with familial ALS linked to mutations in their SOD1 gene. Aggregates of SOD1 have also been detected in other forms of ALS, including the sporadic form and the most common familial form linked to abnormal hexanucleotide repeat expansions in the Chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72) gene. Here, we report the development of a real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) seed amplification assay using a recombinant human SOD1 substrate to measure SOD1 seeding activity in postmortem spinal cord and motor cortex tissue from persons with different ALS etiologies. Our SOD1 RT-QuIC assay detected SOD1 seeds in motor cortex and spinal cord dilutions down to 10-5. Importantly, we detected SOD1 seeding activity in specimens from both sporadic and familial ALS cases, with the latter having mutations in either their SOD1 or C9ORF72 genes. Analyses of RT-QuIC parameters indicated similar lag phases in spinal cords of sporadic and familial ALS patients, but higher ThT fluorescence maxima by SOD1 familial ALS specimens and sporadic ALS thoracic cord specimens. For a subset of sporadic ALS patients, motor cortex and spinal cords were examined, with seeding activity in both anatomical regions. Our results suggest SOD1 seeds are in ALS patient neural tissues not linked to SOD1 mutation, suggesting that SOD1 seeding activity may be a promising biomarker, particularly in sporadic ALS cases for whom genetic testing is uninformative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin K Mielke
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Mikael Klingeborn
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Eric P Schultz
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive ISB #106, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Erin L Markham
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Emily D Reese
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA
| | - Parvez Alam
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 S. 4th St., Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Ian R Mackenzie
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada
| | - Cindy V Ly
- Department of Neurology, Washington University, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Byron Caughey
- Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 903 S. 4th St., Hamilton, MT, 59840, USA
| | - Neil R Cashman
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada
| | - Moses J Leavens
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, McLaughlin Research Institute, 1520 23rd St. South, Great Falls, MT, 59405, USA.
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Ruiz-Soto M, Riancho J, Tapia O, Lafarga M, Berciano MT. Satellite Glial Cells of the Dorsal Root Ganglion: A New "Guest/Physiopathological Target" in ALS. Front Aging Neurosci 2020; 12:595751. [PMID: 33240079 PMCID: PMC7680735 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.595751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) might not only be circumscribed to the motor system but also involves other neuronal systems including sensory abnormalities. In line with this notion, we aimed to assess the pathophysiology of sensory disturbances in the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS, focusing on the satellite glial cells (SGCs) at the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) as a new potential target of the disease. Material and Methods: The presence of sensory disturbances was evaluated using von Frey, hot plate, and hot water tail immersion tests at 75 days old, which represented the motor-pre-symptomatic stage. Cell biology analysis was performed at 75 and 95 days old and included conventional histology, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy of sensory neuron-SGC unit dissociates as a well as western blotting from DRG lysates. Results: At 75 days old, von Frey and hot plate tests demonstrated clear thermoalgesic disturbances in ALS transgenic mice. Histological studies of the SN-SGC units revealed abnormal SOD1 accumulation, which was associated with nitro-oxidative stress and biogenesis of lipid droplets in SGCs. Interestingly, these alterations led to a progressive lysosomal storage disorder and occasionally vacuolar degeneration in SGCs. Conclusions: SGCs emerge as a primary pathophysiological target in the SOD1 transgenic murine model of ALS, clearly reinforcing the pathogenic role of glial cells in motor neuron disease. Presymptomatic alterations of SGCs, might not only be responsible of sensory disturbances in ALS, but due to spinal cord sensory-motor circuits could also contribute to anterior horn motor disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Ruiz-Soto
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.,"Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas" (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Riancho
- "Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas" (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.,"Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla" (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.,Service of Neurology, Hospital Sierrallana, Torrelavega, Spain.,Department of Medicine and Psychiatry, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Olga Tapia
- "Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas" (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.,"Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla" (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.,"Universidad Europea del Atlántico", Santander, Spain
| | - Miguel Lafarga
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.,"Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas" (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.,"Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla" (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain
| | - María T Berciano
- "Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas" (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.,"Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla" (IDIVAL), Santander, Spain.,Department of Molecular Biology, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
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Crown A, McAlary L, Fagerli E, Brown H, Yerbury JJ, Galaleldeen A, Cashman NR, Borchelt DR, Ayers JI. Tryptophan residue 32 in human Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase modulates prion-like propagation and strain selection. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0227655. [PMID: 31999698 PMCID: PMC6991973 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cause the protein to aggregate via a prion-like process in which soluble molecules are recruited to aggregates by conformational templating. These misfolded SOD1 proteins can propagate aggregation-inducing conformations across cellular membranes. Prior studies demonstrated that mutation of a Trp (W) residue at position 32 to Ser (S) suppresses the propagation of misfolded conformations between cells, whereas other studies have shown that mutation of Trp 32 to Phe (F), or Cys 111 to Ser, can act in cis to attenuate aggregation of mutant SOD1. By expressing mutant SOD1 fused with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP), we compared the relative ability of these mutations to modulate the formation of inclusions by ALS-mutant SOD1 (G93A and G85R). Only mutation of Trp 32 to Ser persistently reduced the formation of the amorphous inclusions that form in these cells, consistent with the idea that a Ser at position 32 inhibits templated propagation of aggregation prone conformations. To further test this idea, we produced aggregated fibrils of recombinant SOD1-W32S in vitro and injected them into the spinal cords of newborn mice expressing G85R-SOD1: YFP. The injected mice developed an earlier onset paralysis with a frequency similar to mice injected with WT SOD1 fibrils, generating a strain of misfolded SOD1 that produced highly fibrillar inclusion pathology. These findings suggest that the effect of Trp 32 in modulating the propagation of misfolded SOD1 conformations may be dependent upon the “strain” of the conformer that is propagating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Crown
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, SantaFe HealthCare Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Luke McAlary
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Eric Fagerli
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, SantaFe HealthCare Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Hilda Brown
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, SantaFe HealthCare Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Justin J. Yerbury
- Molecular Horizons and School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, School of Chemistry & Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ahmad Galaleldeen
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Neil R. Cashman
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David R. Borchelt
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, SantaFe HealthCare Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jacob I. Ayers
- Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, SantaFe HealthCare Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Department of Neuroscience, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Gill C, Phelan JP, Hatzipetros T, Kidd JD, Tassinari VR, Levine B, Wang MZ, Moreno A, Thompson K, Maier M, Grimm J, Gill A, Vieira FG. SOD1-positive aggregate accumulation in the CNS predicts slower disease progression and increased longevity in a mutant SOD1 mouse model of ALS. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6724. [PMID: 31040321 PMCID: PMC6491559 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43164-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-natively folded variants of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), however the relative toxicities of these variants are controversial. Here, we aimed to decipher the relationships between the different SOD1 variants (aggregated, soluble misfolded, soluble total) and the clinical presentation of ALS in the SOD1G93A mouse. Using a multi-approach strategy, we found that the CNS regions least affected by disease had the most aggregated SOD1. We also found that the levels of aggregated SOD1 in the spinal cord were inversely correlated with the disease progression. Conversely, in the most affected regions, we observed that there was a high soluble misfolded/soluble total SOD1 ratio. Taken together, these findings suggest that soluble misfolded SOD1 may be the disease driver in ALS, whereas aggregated SOD1 may serve to sequester the toxic species acting in a neuroprotective fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Gill
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - James P Phelan
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Theo Hatzipetros
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joshua D Kidd
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Beth Levine
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Monica Z Wang
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew Moreno
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kenneth Thompson
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Jan Grimm
- Neurimmune AG, Schlieren-Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alan Gill
- ALS Therapy Development Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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Experimental Mutations in Superoxide Dismutase 1 Provide Insight into Potential Mechanisms Involved in Aberrant Aggregation in Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2019; 9:719-728. [PMID: 30622123 PMCID: PMC6404617 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Mutations in more than 80 different positions in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) have been associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). There is substantial evidence that a common consequence of these mutations is to induce the protein to misfold and aggregate. How these mutations perturb native structure to heighten the propensity to misfold and aggregate is unclear. In the present study, we have mutagenized Glu residues at positions 40 and 133 that are involved in stabilizing the β-barrel structure of the native protein and a critical Zn binding domain, respectively, to examine how specific mutations may cause SOD1 misfolding and aggregation. Mutations associated with ALS as well as experimental mutations were introduced into these positions. We used an assay in which mutant SOD1 was fused to yellow fluorescent protein (SOD1:YFP) to visualize the formation of cytosolic inclusions by mutant SOD1. We then used existing structural data on SOD1, to predict how different mutations might alter local 3D conformation. Our findings reveal an association between mutant SOD1 aggregation and amino acid substitutions that are predicted to introduce steric strain, sometimes subtly, in the 3D conformation of the peptide backbone.
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Crosby K, Crown AM, Roberts BL, Brown H, Ayers JI, Borchelt DR. Loss of charge mutations in solvent exposed Lys residues of superoxide dismutase 1 do not induce inclusion formation in cultured cell models. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206751. [PMID: 30399166 PMCID: PMC6219784 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) induce the protein to misfold and aggregate. Missense mutations at more than 80 different amino acid positions have been associated with disease. How these mutations heighten the propensity of SOD1 to misfold and aggregate is unclear. With so many mutations, it is possible that more than one mechanism of aggregation may be involved. Of many possible mechanisms to explain heightened aggregation, one that has been suggested is that mutations that eliminate charged amino acids could diminish repulsive forces that would inhibit aberrant protein:protein interactions. Mutations at twenty-one charged residues in SOD1 have been associated with fALS, but of the 11 Lys residues in the protein, only 1 has been identified as mutated in ALS patients. Here, we examined whether loss of positively charged surface Lys residues in SOD1 would induce misfolding and formation of intracellular inclusions. We mutated four different Lys residues (K30, K36, K75, K91) in SOD1 that are not particularly well conserved, and expressed these variants as fusion proteins with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) to assess inclusion formation. We also assessed whether these mutations induced binding to a conformation-restricted SOD1 antibody, designated C4F6, which recognizes non-natively folded protein. Although we observed some mutations to cause enhanced C4F6 binding, we did not observe that mutations that reduce charge at these positions caused the protein to form intracellular inclusions. Our findings may have implications for the low frequency of mutations at Lys residues SOD1 in ALS patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith Crosby
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Anthony M. Crown
- College of Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Brittany L. Roberts
- College of Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Hilda Brown
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- SantaFe HealthCare Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jacob I. Ayers
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - David R. Borchelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- College of Arts and Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- SantaFe HealthCare Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Helferich AM, McLean PJ, Weishaupt JH, Danzer KM. Commentary: alpha-synuclein interacts with SOD1 and promotes its oligomerization. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 1:28-30. [PMID: 27853754 DOI: 10.29245/2572.942x/2016/7.1065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein and Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) are both aggregation-prone proteins that are associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), respectively. Recently, we showed that alpha-synuclein interacts with SOD1 in various cell types and tissues. Using a cell culture model, we also found that alpha-synuclein nucleates the polymerization of SOD1. Here, we discuss the current literature regarding their interaction and their co-localization in aggregates of human post-mortem tissue. Furthermore we comment on the reported alpha-synuclein-induced SOD1 polymerization in terms of cross-seeding effects in neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika M Helferich
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Jochen H Weishaupt
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Karin M Danzer
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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