Single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomic profiling of human temporal cortex and white matter reveals novel associations with AD pathology

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with complex pathological manifestations and is the leading cause of cognitive decline and dementia in elderly individuals. A major goal in AD research is to identify new therapeutic pathways by studying the molecular and cellular changes in the disease, either downstream or upstream of the pathological hallmarks. In this study, we present a comprehensive investigation of cellular heterogeneity from the temporal cortex region of 40 individuals, comprising healthy donors and individuals with differing tau and amyloid burden. Using single-nucleus transcriptome analysis of 430,271 nuclei from both gray and white matter of these individuals, we identified cell type-specific subclusters in both neuronal and glial cell types with varying degrees of association with AD pathology. In particular, these associations are present in layer specific glutamatergic (excitatory) neuronal types, along with GABAergic (inhibitory) neurons and glial subtypes. These associations were observed in early as well as late pathological progression. We extended this analysis by performing multiplexed in situ hybridization using the CARTANA platform, capturing 155 genes in 13 individuals with varying levels of tau pathology. By modeling the spatial distribution of these genes and their associations with the pathology, we not only replicated key findings from our snRNA data analysis, but also identified a set of cell type-specific genes that show selective enrichment or depletion near pathological inclusions. Together, our findings allow us to prioritize specific cell types and pathways for targeted interventions at various stages of pathological progression in AD.

Disease-specific selective vulnerability and neuroimmune pathways in dementia revealed by single cell genomics

The development of successful therapeutics for dementias requires an understanding of their shared and distinct molecular features in the human brain. We performed single-nuclear RNAseq and ATACseq in Alzheimer disease (AD), Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), analyzing 40 participants, yielding over 1.4M cells from three brain regions ranging in vulnerability and pathological burden. We identify 35 shared disease-associated cell types and 14 that are disease-specific, replicating those previously identified in AD. Disease - specific cell states represent molecular features of disease-specific glial-immune mechanisms and neuronal vulnerability in each disorder, layer 4/5 intra-telencephalic neurons in AD, layer 2/3 intra-telencephalic neurons in FTD, and layer 5/6 near-projection neurons in PSP. We infer intrinsic disease-associated gene regulatory networks, which we empirically validate by chromatin footprinting. We find that causal genetic risk acts in specific neuronal and glial cells that differ across disorders, primarily non-neuronal cells in AD and specific neuronal subtypes in FTD and PSP. These data illustrate the heterogeneous spectrum of glial and neuronal composition and gene expression alterations in different dementias and identify new therapeutic targets by revealing shared and disease-specific cell states.

A structured evaluation of cryopreservation in generating single-cell transcriptomes from cerebrospinal fluid

Single-cell transcriptomics allows characterization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells at an unprecedented level. Here, we report a robust cryopreservation protocol adapted for the characterization of fragile CSF cells by single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in moderate- to large-scale studies. Fresh CSF was collected from twenty-one participants at two independent sites. Each CSF sample was split into two fractions: one was processed fresh, while the second was cryopreserved for months and profiled after thawing. B and T cell receptor sequencing was also performed. Our comparison of fresh and cryopreserved data from the same individuals demonstrates highly efficient recovery of all known CSF cell types. We find no significant difference in cell type proportions and cellular transcriptomes between fresh and cryopreserved cells. Results were comparable at both sites and with different single-cell sequencing chemistries. Cryopreservation did not affect recovery of T and B cell clonotype diversity. Our CSF cell cryopreservation protocol provides an important alternative to fresh processing of fragile CSF cells.

TARDBP mutations in a cohort of Italian patients with Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonisms

Background

Aggregates of TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) represent the pathological hallmark of most amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and of nearly 50% of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cases but were also observed to occur as secondary neuropathology in the nervous tissue of patients with different neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonism. Mutations of TARDBP gene, mainly in exon 6 hotspot, have been reported to be causative of some forms of ALS and FTD, with clinical signs of parkinsonism observed in few mutation carriers.

Methods

Direct DNA sequencing of TARDBP exon 6 was performed in a large Italian cohort of 735 patients affected by PD (354 familial and 381 sporadic) and 142 affected by atypical parkinsonism, including 39 corticobasal syndrome (CBS) and 103 progressive sopranuclear palsy (PSP). Sequencing data from 1710 healthy, ethnically matched controls were already available.

Results

Four TARDBP missense variants (p.N267S, p. G294A, p.G295S, p.S393L) were identified in four patients with typical PD and in two individuals with atypical parkinsonism (1 CBS and 1 PSP). None of the detected mutations were found in healthy controls and only the variant p.N267S was previously described in association to idiopathic familial and sporadic PD and to CBS.

Conclusion

In this study we provide further insight into the clinical phenotypic heterogeneity associated with TARDBP mutations, which expands beyond the classical ALS and FTD diseases to include also PD and atypical parkinsonism, although with a low mutational frequency, varying considerably in different Caucasian populations. In addition, our study extends the spectrum of TARDBP pathogenetic mutations found in familial and sporadic PD.

Epigenomic priming of immune genes implicates oligodendroglia in multiple sclerosis susceptibility

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by a targeted attack on oligodendroglia (OLG) and myelin by immune cells, which are thought to be the main drivers of MS susceptibility. We found that immune genes exhibit a primed chromatin state in single mouse and human OLG in a non-disease context, compatible with transitions to immune-competent states in MS. We identified BACH1 and STAT1 as transcription factors involved in immune gene regulation in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). A subset of immune genes presents bivalency of H3K4me3/H3K27me3 in OPCs, with Polycomb inhibition leading to their increased activation upon interferon gamma (IFN-γ) treatment. Some MS susceptibility single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) overlap with these regulatory regions in mouse and human OLG. Treatment of mouse OPCs with IFN-γ leads to chromatin architecture remodeling at these loci and altered expression of interacting genes. Thus, the susceptibility for MS may involve OLG, which therefore constitutes novel targets for immunological-based therapies for MS.

Enrichment of Glial Cells From Human Post-mortem Tissue for Transcriptome and Proteome Analysis Using Immunopanning

Glia cells have a crucial role in the central nervous system and are involved in the majority of neurological diseases. While glia isolation techniques are well established for rodent brain, only recent advances in isolating glial cells from human brain enabled analyses of human-specific glial-cell profiles. Immunopanning that is the prospective purification of cells using cell type-specific antibodies, has been successfully established for isolating glial cells from human fetal brain or from tissue obtained during brain surgeries. Here, we describe an immunopanning protocol to acutely isolate glial cells from post-mortem human brain tissue for e.g. transcriptome and proteome analyses. We enriched for microglia, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes from cortical gray matter tissue from three donors. For each enrichment, we assessed the presence of known glia-specific markers at the RNA and protein levels. In this study we show that immunopanning can be employed for acute isolation of glial cells from human post-mortem brain, which allows characterization of glial phenotypes depending on age, disease and brain regions.

CellMixS: quantifying and visualizing batch effects in single-cell RNA-seq data

A key challenge in single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis is batch effects that can obscure the biological signal of interest. Although there are various tools and methods to correct for batch effects, their performance can vary. Therefore, it is important to understand how batch effects manifest to adjust for them. Here, we systematically explore batch effects across various scRNA-seq datasets according to magnitude, cell type specificity, and complexity. We developed a cell-specific mixing score (cms) that quantifies mixing of cells from multiple batches. By considering distance distributions, the score is able to detect local batch bias as well as differentiate between unbalanced batches and systematic differences between cells of the same cell type. We compare metrics in scRNA-seq data using real and synthetic datasets and whereas these metrics target the same question and are used interchangeably, we find differences in scalability, sensitivity, and ability to handle differentially abundant cell types. We find that cell-specific metrics outperform cell type-specific and global metrics and recommend them for both method benchmarks and batch exploration.

muscat detects subpopulation-specific state transitions from multi-sample multi-condition single-cell transcriptomics data

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has become an empowering technology to profile the transcriptomes of individual cells on a large scale. Early analyses of differential expression have aimed at identifying differences between subpopulations to identify subpopulation markers. More generally, such methods compare expression levels across sets of cells, thus leading to cross-condition analyses. Given the emergence of replicated multi-condition scRNA-seq datasets, an area of increasing focus is making sample-level inferences, termed here as differential state analysis; however, it is not clear which statistical framework best handles this situation. Here, we surveyed methods to perform cross-condition differential state analyses, including cell-level mixed models and methods based on aggregated pseudobulk data. To evaluate method performance, we developed a flexible simulation that mimics multi-sample scRNA-seq data. We analyzed scRNA-seq data from mouse cortex cells to uncover subpopulation-specific responses to lipopolysaccharide treatment, and provide robust tools for multi-condition analysis within the muscat R package.

Elevated Global DNA Methylation Is Not Exclusive to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Is Also Observed in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Types 1 and 2

Adult-onset neurological disorders are caused and influenced by a multitude of different factors, including epigenetic modifications. Here, using an ELISA kit selected upon careful testing, we investigated global 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) levels in sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS and fALS), spinocerebellar ataxia types 1 and 2 (SCA1 and SCA2), Huntington's disease, Friedreich's ataxia, and myotonic dystrophy type 1. We report a significant elevation in global 5-mC levels of about 2-7% on average for sALS (p < 0.01 [F(1, 243) = 9.159, p = 0.0027]) and various forms of fALS along with SCA1 (p < 0.01 [F(1, 83) = 11.285], p = 0.0012) and SCA2 (p < 0.001 [F(1, 122) = 29.996, p = 0.0001]) when compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. C9orf72 expansion carrier ALS patients exhibit the highest global 5-mC levels along with C9orf72 promoter hypermethylation. We failed to measure global 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) levels in blood, probably due to the very low levels of 5-hmC and the limitations of the commercially available ELISA kits. Our results point towards a role for epigenetics modification in ALS, SCA1, and SCA2, and help conclude a dispute on the global 5-mC levels in sALS blood.

The role of de novo mutations in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The genetic basis combined with the sporadic occurrence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suggests a role of de novo mutations in disease pathogenesis. Previous studies provided some evidence for this hypothesis; however, results were conflicting: no genes with recurrent occurring de novo mutations were identified and different pathways were postulated. In this study, we analyzed whole-exome data from 82 new patient-parents trios and combined it with the datasets of all previously published ALS trios (173 trios in total). The per patient de novo rate was not higher than expected based on the general population (P = 0.40). We showed that these mutations are not part of the previously postulated pathways, and gene-gene interaction analysis found no enrichment of interacting genes in this group (P = 0.57). Also, we were able to show that the de novo mutations in ALS patients are located in genes already prone for de novo mutations (P < 1 × 10^-15 ). Although the individual effect of rare de novo mutations in specific genes could not be assessed, our results indicate that, in contrast to previous hypothesis, de novo mutations in general do not impose a major burden on ALS risk.

NEK1 variants confer susceptibility to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

To identify genetic factors contributing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted whole-exome analyses of 1,022 index familial ALS (FALS) cases and 7,315 controls. In a new screening strategy, we performed gene-burden analyses trained with established ALS genes and identified a significant association between loss-of-function (LOF) NEK1 variants and FALS risk. Independently, autozygosity mapping for an isolated community in the Netherlands identified a NEK1 p.Arg261His variant as a candidate risk factor. Replication analyses of sporadic ALS (SALS) cases and independent control cohorts confirmed significant disease association for both p.Arg261His (10,589 samples analyzed) and NEK1 LOF variants (3,362 samples analyzed). In total, we observed NEK1 risk variants in nearly 3% of ALS cases. NEK1 has been linked to several cellular functions, including cilia formation, DNA-damage response, microtubule stability, neuronal morphology and axonal polarity. Our results provide new and important insights into ALS etiopathogenesis and genetic etiology.

The validation of the Italian Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS)

This study presents the Italian validation of the recently developed Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS), a short screen for cognitive/behavioural alterations in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We evaluated the psychometric properties of the ECAS Italian version in terms of reliability and convergent validity for both cognitive and behavioural features. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship with affective and clinical variables, in addition to ECAS usability and patients' insight into cognitive/behaviour changes. Finally, correlations between genetic and cognitive/behavioural data were analysed. We recruited 107 patients with ALS. Normative data were collected on 248 healthy subjects. Participants were administered the ECAS and two standard cognitive screening tools (FAB, MoCA), two psychological questionnaires (BDI, STAI/Y) and an ad hoc usability questionnaire. The FBI was also carried out with caregivers. Results showed that the ECAS Italian version discriminated well between patients and controls. The most prevalent deficit occurred in executive functions and fluency. Correlations were observed between the ECAS and standard cognitive screening tools and between the ECAS carer interview and the FBI, supporting its full convergent validity. In conclusion, the ECAS Italian version provides clinicians with a rapid, feasible and sensitive tool, useful to identify different profiles of cognitive-behavioural impairment in ALS.

Exome-wide rare variant analysis identifies TUBA4A mutations associated with familial ALS

Exome sequencing is an effective strategy for identifying human disease genes. However, this methodology is difficult in late-onset diseases where limited availability of DNA from informative family members prohibits comprehensive segregation analysis. To overcome this limitation, we performed an exome-wide rare variant burden analysis of 363 index cases with familial ALS (FALS). The results revealed an excess of patient variants within TUBA4A, the gene encoding the Tubulin, Alpha 4A protein. Analysis of a further 272 FALS cases and 5,510 internal controls confirmed the overrepresentation as statistically significant and replicable. Functional analyses revealed that TUBA4A mutants destabilize the microtubule network, diminishing its repolymerization capability. These results further emphasize the role of cytoskeletal defects in ALS and demonstrate the power of gene-based rare variant analyses in situations where causal genes cannot be identified through traditional segregation analysis.

A blinded international study on the reliability of genetic testing for GGGGCC-repeat expansions in C9orf72 reveals marked differences in results among 14 laboratories

Background

The GGGGCC-repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most frequent mutation found in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Most of the studies on C9orf72 have relied on repeat-primed PCR (RP-PCR) methods for detection of the expansions. To investigate the inherent limitations of this technique, we compared methods and results of 14 laboratories.

Methods

The 14 laboratories genotyped DNA from 78 individuals (diagnosed with ALS or FTD) in a blinded fashion. Eleven laboratories used a combination of amplicon-length analysis and RP-PCR, whereas three laboratories used RP-PCR alone; Southern blotting techniques were used as a reference.

Results

Using PCR-based techniques, 5 of the 14 laboratories got results in full accordance with the Southern blotting results. Only 50 of the 78 DNA samples got the same genotype result in all 14 laboratories. There was a high degree of false positive and false negative results, and at least one sample could not be genotyped at all in 9 of the 14 laboratories. The mean sensitivity of a combination of amplicon-length analysis and RP-PCR was 95.0% (73.9–100%), and the mean specificity was 98.0% (87.5–100%). Overall, a sensitivity and specificity of more than 95% was observed in only seven laboratories.

Conclusions

Because of the wide range seen in genotyping results, we recommend using a combination of amplicon-length analysis and RP-PCR as a minimum in a research setting. We propose that Southern blotting techniques should be the gold standard, and be made obligatory in a clinical diagnostic setting.

A genome-wide association meta-analysis identifies a novel locus at 17q11.2 associated with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Identification of mutations at familial loci for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has provided novel insights into the aetiology of this rapidly progressing fatal neurodegenerative disease. However, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the more common (∼90%) sporadic form have been less successful with the exception of the replicated locus at 9p21.2. To identify new loci associated with disease susceptibility, we have established the largest association study in ALS to date and undertaken a GWAS meta-analytical study combining 3959 newly genotyped Italian individuals (1982 cases and 1977 controls) collected by SLAGEN (Italian Consortium for the Genetics of ALS) together with samples from Netherlands, USA, UK, Sweden, Belgium, France, Ireland and Italy collected by ALSGEN (the International Consortium on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Genetics). We analysed a total of 13 225 individuals, 6100 cases and 7125 controls for almost 7 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We identified a novel locus with genome-wide significance at 17q11.2 (rs34517613 with P = 1.11 × 10(-8); OR 0.82) that was validated when combined with genotype data from a replication cohort (P = 8.62 × 10(-9); OR 0.833) of 4656 individuals. Furthermore, we confirmed the previously reported association at 9p21.2 (rs3849943 with P = 7.69 × 10(-9); OR 1.16). Finally, we estimated the contribution of common variation to heritability of sporadic ALS as ∼12% using a linear mixed model accounting for all SNPs. Our results provide an insight into the genetic structure of sporadic ALS, confirming that common variation contributes to risk and that sufficiently powered studies can identify novel susceptibility loci.

C9orf72 repeat expansions are restricted to the ALS-FTD spectrum

Expansion of a GGGGCC repeat (RE) in the C9orf72 gene has been recently reported as the main genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Given the growing evidence of genetic and clinicopathologic overlap among ALS, FTD, and other neurodegenerative diseases, we investigated the occurrence of RE in a subset of 9 patients with ALS-plus syndromes, including Parkinson's disease (PD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and multiple system atrophy. We identified RE in 2 ALS-plus individuals (22.2%) displaying PSP and CBS features. On the basis of this finding, we extended our analysis to a cohort composed of 190 PD, 103 CBS, 107 PSP, and 177 Alzheimer's disease cases. We did not identify any RE in these patients, indicating that C9orf72 is in all probability not involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders. However, the high frequency of C9orf72 RE in patients with ALS-plus syndromes suggests that, similar to ALS-FTD patients, individuals with combined motor neuron and extrapyramidal features should be screened for RE, independent of their family history.

Analysis of hnRNPA1, A2/B1, and A3 genes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Mutations in the prion-like domain (PrLD) of hnRNPA1 and A2/B1 genes were recently identified in 2 families with inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget disease of bone, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and in ALS patients. These mutations were shown to increase the propensity of hnRNPA1 and A2/B1 proteins, which are TDP-43-binding partners, to self-aggregate. hnRNPA3 protein contains a similar PrLD and was recently described in the p62-positive/TDP-43-negative inclusions in affected tissues of C9orf72-mutated ALS/FTD patients. We screened hnRNPA1, A2/B1, and A3 genes in a cohort of 113 familial ALS (FALS) individuals without mutations in other known ALS-causative genes. We extended our analysis to 108 FALS with mutations in other ALS-associated genes and to 622 sporadic cases by screening specifically the PrLDs of hnRNPA1, A2/B1, and A3. We failed to find variants in each cohort. Our results suggest that mutations in hnRNPA1, A2/B1, and A3 genes are a rare finding in ALS.

C9ORF72 repeat expansion in a large Italian ALS cohort: evidence of a founder effect

A hexanucleotide repeat expansion (RE) in C9ORF72 gene was recently reported as the main cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and cases with frontotemporal dementia. We screened C9ORF72 in a large cohort of 259 familial ALS, 1275 sporadic ALS, and 862 control individuals of Italian descent. We found RE in 23.9% familial ALS, 5.1% sporadic ALS, and 0.2% controls. Two cases carried the RE together with mutations in other ALS-associated genes. The phenotype of RE carriers was characterized by bulbar-onset, shorter survival, and association with cognitive and behavioral impairment. Extrapyramidal and cerebellar signs were also observed in few patients. Genotype data revealed that 95% of RE carriers shared a restricted 10-single nucleotide polymorphism haplotype within the previously reported 20-single nucleotide polymorphism risk haplotype, detectable in only 27% of nonexpanded ALS cases and in 28% of controls, suggesting a common founder with cohorts of North European ancestry. Although C9ORF72 RE segregates with disease, the identification of RE both in controls and in patients carrying additional pathogenic mutations suggests that penetrance and phenotypic expression of C9ORF72 RE may depend on additional genetic risk factors.