1
|
Tesla R, Guhl C, Werthmann GC, Dixon D, Cenik B, Addepalli Y, Liang J, Fass DM, Rosenthal Z, Haggarty SJ, Williams NS, Posner BA, Ready JM, Herz J. Benzoxazole-derivatives enhance progranulin expression and reverse the aberrant lysosomal proteome caused by GRN haploinsufficiency. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6125. [PMID: 39033178 PMCID: PMC11271458 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50076-8] [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: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in the GRN gene are a major cause of hereditary frontotemporal dementia. The mechanisms linking frontotemporal dementia pathogenesis to progranulin deficiency are not well understood, and there is currently no treatment. Our strategy to prevent the onset and progression of frontotemporal dementia in patients with GRN mutations is to utilize small molecule positive regulators of GRN expression to boost progranulin levels from the remaining functional GRN allele, thus restoring progranulin levels back to normal within the brain. This work describes a series of blood-brain-barrier-penetrant small molecules which significantly increase progranulin protein levels in human cellular models, correct progranulin protein deficiency in Grn+/- mouse brains, and reverse lysosomal proteome aberrations, a phenotypic hallmark of frontotemporal dementia, more efficiently than the previously described small molecule suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid. These molecules will allow further elucidation of the cellular functions of progranulin and its role in frontotemporal dementia and will also serve as lead structures for further drug development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Tesla
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration Research, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Charlotte Guhl
- Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Gordon C Werthmann
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration Research, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Danielle Dixon
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration Research, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Basar Cenik
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration Research, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yesu Addepalli
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jue Liang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Daniel M Fass
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Medicine, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zachary Rosenthal
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephen J Haggarty
- Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory, Center for Genomic Medicine, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Noelle S Williams
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Bruce A Posner
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Joseph M Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Joachim Herz
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration Research, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
- Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang AL, Mambou EA, Kao AW. The progranulin cleavage product granulin 3 exerts a dominant negative effect on animal fitness. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:245-253. [PMID: 37903062 PMCID: PMC10800025 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Progranulin is an evolutionarily conserved protein that has been implicated in human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Human progranulin is comprised of multiple cysteine-rich, biologically active granulin peptides. Granulin peptides accumulate with age and stress, however their functional contributions relative to full-length progranulin remain unclear. To address this, we generated C. elegans strains that produced quantifiable levels of both full-length progranulin/PGRN-1 protein and cleaved granulin peptide. Using these strains, we demonstrated that even in the presence of intact PGRN-1, granulin peptides suppressed the activity of the lysosomal aspartyl protease activity, ASP-3/CTSD. Granulin peptides were also dominant over PGRN-1 in compromising animal fitness as measured by progress through development and stress response. Finally, the degradation of human TDP-43 was impaired when the granulin to PGRN-1 ratio was increased, representing a disease-relevant downstream impact of impaired lysosomal function. In summary, these studies suggest that not only absolute progranulin levels, but also the balance between full-length progranulin and its cleavage products, is important in regulating lysosomal biology. Given its relevance in human disease, this suggests that the processing of progranulin into granulins should be considered as part of disease pathobiology and may represent a site of therapeutic intervention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Austin L Wang
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Edwina A Mambou
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Aimee W Kao
- Memory and Aging Center, Weill Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Bakar Aging Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Aggarwal G, Banerjee S, Jones SA, Benchaar Y, Bélanger J, Sévigny M, Smith DM, Niehoff ML, Pavlack M, de Vera IMS, Petkau TL, Leavitt BR, Ling K, Jafar-Nejad P, Rigo F, Morley JE, Farr SA, Dutchak PA, Sephton CF, Nguyen AD. Antisense oligonucleotides targeting the miR-29b binding site in the GRN mRNA increase progranulin translation. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105475. [PMID: 37981208 PMCID: PMC10755782 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105475] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterozygous GRN (progranulin) mutations cause frontotemporal dementia (FTD) due to haploinsufficiency, and increasing progranulin levels is a major therapeutic goal. Several microRNAs, including miR-29b, negatively regulate progranulin protein levels. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are emerging as a promising therapeutic modality for neurological diseases, but strategies for increasing target protein levels are limited. Here, we tested the efficacy of ASOs as enhancers of progranulin expression by sterically blocking the miR-29b binding site in the 3' UTR of the human GRN mRNA. We found 16 ASOs that increase progranulin protein in a dose-dependent manner in neuroglioma cells. A subset of these ASOs also increased progranulin protein in iPSC-derived neurons and in a humanized GRN mouse model. In FRET-based assays, the ASOs effectively competed for miR-29b from binding to the GRN 3' UTR RNA. The ASOs increased levels of newly synthesized progranulin protein by increasing its translation, as revealed by polysome profiling. Together, our results demonstrate that ASOs can be used to effectively increase target protein levels by partially blocking miR binding sites. This ASO strategy may be therapeutically feasible for progranulin-deficient FTD as well as other conditions of haploinsufficiency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Geetika Aggarwal
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Subhashis Banerjee
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Spencer A Jones
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yousri Benchaar
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jasmine Bélanger
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Myriam Sévigny
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Denise M Smith
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael L Niehoff
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Monica Pavlack
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ian Mitchelle S de Vera
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Terri L Petkau
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, B.C. Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Blair R Leavitt
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, B.C. Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Center for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Karen Ling
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, California, USA
| | | | - Frank Rigo
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, California, USA
| | - John E Morley
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Susan A Farr
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Paul A Dutchak
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Chantelle F Sephton
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, CERVO Brain Research Centre, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Andrew D Nguyen
- Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Saint Louis University, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
| |
Collapse
|