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Godfrey RK, Alsop E, Bjork RT, Chauhan BS, Ruvalcaba HC, Antone J, Gittings LM, Michael AF, Williams C, Hala'ufia G, Blythe AD, Hall M, Sattler R, Van Keuren-Jensen K, Zarnescu DC. Modelling TDP-43 proteinopathy in Drosophila uncovers shared and neuron-specific targets across ALS and FTD relevant circuits. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:168. [PMID: 37864255 PMCID: PMC10588218 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01656-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) comprise a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases linked to TDP-43 proteinopathy, which at the cellular level, is characterized by loss of nuclear TDP-43 and accumulation of cytoplasmic TDP-43 inclusions that ultimately cause RNA processing defects including dysregulation of splicing, mRNA transport and translation. Complementing our previous work in motor neurons, here we report a novel model of TDP-43 proteinopathy based on overexpression of TDP-43 in a subset of Drosophila Kenyon cells of the mushroom body (MB), a circuit with structural characteristics reminiscent of vertebrate cortical networks. This model recapitulates several aspects of dementia-relevant pathological features including age-dependent neuronal loss, nuclear depletion and cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43, and behavioral deficits in working memory and sleep that occur prior to axonal degeneration. RNA immunoprecipitations identify several candidate mRNA targets of TDP-43 in MBs, some of which are unique to the MB circuit and others that are shared with motor neurons. Among the latter is the glypican Dally-like-protein (Dlp), which exhibits significant TDP-43 associated reduction in expression during aging. Using genetic interactions we show that overexpression of Dlp in MBs mitigates TDP-43 dependent working memory deficits, conistent with Dlp acting as a mediator of TDP-43 toxicity. Substantiating our findings in the fly model, we find that the expression of GPC6 mRNA, a human ortholog of dlp, is specifically altered in neurons exhibiting the molecular signature of TDP-43 pathology in FTD patient brains. These findings suggest that circuit-specific Drosophila models provide a platform for uncovering shared or disease-specific molecular mechanisms and vulnerabilities across the spectrum of TDP-43 proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Keating Godfrey
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
- McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 3215 Hull Road, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | - Eric Alsop
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, 445 N 5th St., Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - Reed T Bjork
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Brijesh S Chauhan
- Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive Crescent Building C4605, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA
| | - Hillary C Ruvalcaba
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Jerry Antone
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, 445 N 5th St., Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - Lauren M Gittings
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA
| | - Allison F Michael
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Christi Williams
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Grace Hala'ufia
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Alexander D Blythe
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Megan Hall
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, 445 N 5th St., Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA
| | - Rita Sattler
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ, 85013, USA
| | | | - Daniela C Zarnescu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Life Sciences South, University of Arizona, 1007 E. Lowell St., Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
- Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive Crescent Building C4605, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA.
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Pérez V, Bermedo-Garcia F, Zelada D, Court FA, Pérez MÁ, Fuenzalida M, Ábrigo J, Cabello-Verrugio C, Moya-Alvarado G, Tapia JC, Valenzuela V, Hetz C, Bronfman FC, Henríquez JP. The p75 NTR neurotrophin receptor is required to organize the mature neuromuscular synapse by regulating synaptic vesicle availability. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2019; 7:147. [PMID: 31514753 PMCID: PMC6739937 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-019-0802-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The coordinated movement of organisms relies on efficient nerve-muscle communication at the neuromuscular junction. After peripheral nerve injury or neurodegeneration, motor neurons and Schwann cells increase the expression of the p75NTR pan-neurotrophin receptor. Even though p75NTR targeting has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to delay peripheral neuronal damage progression, the effects of long-term p75NTR inhibition at the mature neuromuscular junction have not been elucidated. We performed quantitative neuroanathomical analyses of the neuromuscular junction in p75NTR null mice by laser confocal and electron microscopy, which were complemented with electromyography, locomotor tests, and pharmacological intervention studies. Mature neuromuscular synapses of p75NTR null mice show impaired postsynaptic organization and ultrastructural complexity, which correlate with altered synaptic function at the levels of nerve activity-induced muscle responses, muscle fiber structure, force production, and locomotor performance. Our results on primary myotubes and denervated muscles indicate that muscle-derived p75NTR does not play a major role on postsynaptic organization. In turn, motor axon terminals of p75NTR null mice display a strong reduction in the number of synaptic vesicles and active zones. According to the observed pre and postsynaptic defects, pharmacological acetylcholinesterase inhibition rescued nerve-dependent muscle response and force production in p75NTR null mice. Our findings revealing that p75NTR is required to organize mature neuromuscular junctions contribute to a comprehensive view of the possible effects caused by therapeutic attempts to target p75NTR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Pérez
- Neuromuscular Studies Laboratory (NeSt Lab), Department of Cell Biology, Center for Advanced Microscopy (CMA BioBio), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Francisca Bermedo-Garcia
- Neuromuscular Studies Laboratory (NeSt Lab), Department of Cell Biology, Center for Advanced Microscopy (CMA BioBio), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Diego Zelada
- Neuromuscular Studies Laboratory (NeSt Lab), Department of Cell Biology, Center for Advanced Microscopy (CMA BioBio), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Felipe A Court
- Center for Integrative Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Mayor; FONDAP Center for Geroscience, Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
| | - Miguel Ángel Pérez
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Center for Neurobiology and Integrative Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, Institute of Physiology, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
- Present Address: Health Sciences School, Universidad de Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar, Chile
| | - Marco Fuenzalida
- Laboratory of Neural Plasticity, Center for Neurobiology and Integrative Physiology, Faculty of Sciences, Institute of Physiology, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Johanna Ábrigo
- Laboratory of Muscle Pathologies, Fragility and Aging, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudio Cabello-Verrugio
- Laboratory of Muscle Pathologies, Fragility and Aging, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Guillermo Moya-Alvarado
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan Carlos Tapia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Vicente Valenzuela
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Geroscience, Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudio Hetz
- Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center for Geroscience, Brain Health and Metabolism, Santiago, Chile
- Program of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | - Francisca C Bronfman
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE), Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB), Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Juan Pablo Henríquez
- Neuromuscular Studies Laboratory (NeSt Lab), Department of Cell Biology, Center for Advanced Microscopy (CMA BioBio), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
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