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Di Francesco V, Chua AJ, Huang D, D'Souza A, Yang A, Bleier BS, Amiji MM. RNA therapies for CNS diseases. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 208:115283. [PMID: 38494152 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Neurological disorders are a diverse group of conditions that pose an increasing health burden worldwide. There is a general lack of effective therapies due to multiple reasons, of which a key obstacle is the presence of the blood-brain barrier, which limits drug delivery to the central nervous system, and generally restricts the pool of candidate drugs to small, lipophilic molecules. However, in many cases, these are unable to target key pathways in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. As a group, RNA therapies have shown tremendous promise in treating various conditions because they offer unique opportunities for specific targeting by leveraging Watson-Crick base pairing systems, opening up possibilities to modulate pathological mechanisms that previously could not be addressed by small molecules or antibody-protein interactions. This potential paradigm shift in disease management has been enabled by recent advances in synthesizing, purifying, and delivering RNA. This review explores the use of RNA-based therapies specifically for central nervous system disorders, where we highlight the inherent limitations of RNA therapy and present strategies to augment the effectiveness of RNA therapeutics, including physical, chemical, and biological methods. We then describe translational challenges to the widespread use of RNA therapies and close with a consideration of future prospects in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Di Francesco
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Andy J Chua
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Sengkang General Hospital, 110 Sengkang E Way, 544886, Singapore
| | - Di Huang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Anisha D'Souza
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Alicia Yang
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Benjamin S Bleier
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Mansoor M Amiji
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway Building, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Creus-Muncunill J, Haure-Mirande JV, Mattei D, Bons J, Ramirez AV, Hamilton BW, Corwin C, Chowdhury S, Schilling B, Ellerby LM, Ehrlich ME. TYROBP/DAP12 knockout in Huntington's disease Q175 mice cell-autonomously decreases microglial expression of disease-associated genes and non-cell-autonomously mitigates astrogliosis and motor deterioration. J Neuroinflammation 2024; 21:66. [PMID: 38459557 PMCID: PMC10924371 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-024-03052-4] [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: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of the CAG trinucleotide repeat in the Huntingtin gene (HTT). Immune activation is abundant in the striatum of HD patients. Detection of active microglia at presymptomatic stages suggests that microgliosis is a key early driver of neuronal dysfunction and degeneration. Recent studies showed that deletion of Tyrobp, a microglial protein, ameliorates neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease amyloidopathy and tauopathy mouse models while decreasing components of the complement subnetwork. OBJECTIVE While TYROBP/DAP12-mediated microglial activation is detrimental for some diseases such as peripheral nerve injury, it is beneficial for other diseases. We sought to determine whether the TYROBP network is implicated in HD and whether Tyrobp deletion impacts HD striatal function and transcriptomics. METHODS To test the hypothesis that Tyrobp deficiency would be beneficial in an HD model, we placed the Q175 HD mouse model on a Tyrobp-null background. We characterized these mice with a combination of behavioral testing, immunohistochemistry, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling. Further, we evaluated the gene signature in isolated Q175 striatal microglia, with and without Tyrobp. RESULTS Comprehensive analysis of publicly available human HD transcriptomic data revealed that the TYROBP network is overactivated in the HD putamen. The Q175 mice showed morphologic microglial activation, reduced levels of post-synaptic density-95 protein and motor deficits at 6 and 9 months of age, all of which were ameliorated on the Tyrobp-null background. Gene expression analysis revealed that lack of Tyrobp in the Q175 model does not prevent the decrease in the expression of striatal neuronal genes but reduces pro-inflammatory pathways that are specifically active in HD human brain, including genes identified as detrimental in neurodegenerative diseases, e.g. C1q and members of the Ccr5 signaling pathway. Integration of transcriptomic and proteomic data revealed that astrogliosis and complement system pathway were reduced after Tyrobp deletion, which was further validated by immunofluorescence analysis. CONCLUSIONS Our data provide molecular and functional support demonstrating that Tyrobp deletion prevents many of the abnormalities in the HD Q175 mouse model, suggesting that the Tyrobp pathway is a potential therapeutic candidate for Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Daniele Mattei
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Joanna Bons
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, USA
| | - Angie V Ramirez
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - B Wade Hamilton
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Chuhyon Corwin
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Sarah Chowdhury
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Michelle E Ehrlich
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
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Matar E, Bhatia K. Dystonia and Parkinson's disease: Do they have a shared biology? INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2023; 169:347-411. [PMID: 37482398 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2023.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Parkinsonism and dystonia co-occur across many movement disorders and are most encountered in the setting of Parkinson's disease. Here we aim to explore the shared neurobiological underpinnings of dystonia and parkinsonism through the clinical lens of the conditions in which these movement disorders can be seen together. Foregrounding the discussion, we briefly review the circuits of the motor system and the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological aspects of motor control and highlight their relevance to the proposed pathophysiology of parkinsonism and dystonia. Insight into shared biology is then sought from dystonia occurring in PD and other forms of parkinsonism including those disorders in which both can be co-expressed simultaneously. We organize these within a biological schema along with important questions to be addressed in this space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elie Matar
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom; Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Kailash Bhatia
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square, London, United Kingdom
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Paldor I, Madrer N, Vaknine Treidel S, Shulman D, Greenberg DS, Soreq H. Cerebrospinal fluid and blood profiles of transfer RNA fragments show age, sex, and Parkinson's disease-related changes. J Neurochem 2023; 164:671-683. [PMID: 36354307 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Transfer RNA fragments (tRFs) have recently been shown to be an important family of small regulatory RNAs with diverse functions. Recent reports have revealed modified tRF blood levels in a number of nervous system conditions including epilepsy, ischemic stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases, but little is known about tRF levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). To address this issue, we studied age, sex, and Parkinson's disease (PD) effects on the distributions of tRFs in the CSF and blood data of healthy controls and PD patients from the NIH and the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) small RNA-seq datasets. We discovered that long tRFs are expressed in higher levels in the CSF than in the blood. Furthermore, the CSF showed a pronounced age-associated decline in the level of tRFs cleaved from the 3'-end and anti-codon loop of the parental tRNA (3'-tRFs, i-tRFs), and more pronounced profile differences than the blood profiles between the sexes. In comparison, we observed moderate age-related elevation of blood 3'-tRF levels. In addition, distinct sets of tRFs in the CSF and in the blood segregated PD patients from controls. Finally, we found enrichment of tRFs predicted to target cholinergic mRNAs (Cholino-tRFs) among mitochondrial-originated tRFs, raising the possibility that the neurodegeneration-related mitochondrial impairment in PD patients may lead to deregulation of their cholinergic tone. Our findings demonstrate that the CSF and blood tRF profiles are distinct and that the CSF tRF profiles are modified in a sex-, age-, and disease-related manner, suggesting that they reflect the inter-individual cerebral differences and calling for incorporating this important subset of small RNA regulators into future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iddo Paldor
- The Neurosurgery Department, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nimrod Madrer
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shani Vaknine Treidel
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Dana Shulman
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - David S Greenberg
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hermona Soreq
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Su JH, Hu YW, Yang Y, Li RY, Teng F, Li LX, Jin LJ. Dystonia and the pedunculopontine nucleus: Current evidences and potential mechanisms. Front Neurol 2022; 13:1065163. [PMID: 36504662 PMCID: PMC9727297 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.1065163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Being a major component of the midbrain locomotion region, the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is known to have various connections with the basal ganglia, the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and motor regions of the brainstem and spinal cord. Functionally, the PPN is associated with muscle tone control and locomotion modulation, including motor initiation, rhythm and speed. In addition to its motor functions, the PPN also contribute to level of arousal, attention, memory and learning. Recent studies have revealed neuropathologic deficits in the PPN in both patients and animal models of dystonia, and deep brain stimulation of the PPN also showed alleviation of axial dystonia in patients of Parkinson's disease. These findings indicate that the PPN might play an important role in the development of dystonia. Moreover, with increasing preclinical evidences showed presence of dystonia-like behaviors, muscle tone changes, impaired cognitive functions and sleep following lesion or neuromodulation of the PPN, it is assumed that the pathological changes of the PPN might contribute to both motor and non-motor manifestations of dystonia. In this review, we aim to summarize the involvement of the PPN in dystonia based on the current preclinical and clinical evidences. Moreover, potential mechanisms for its contributions to the manifestation of dystonia is also discussed base on the dystonia-related basal ganglia-cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit, providing fundamental insight into the targeting of the PPN for the treatment of dystonia in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-hui Su
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China,Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai YangZhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yao-wen Hu
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruo-yu Li
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Teng
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li-xi Li
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling-jing Jin
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China,Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation, Shanghai YangZhi Rehabilitation Hospital (Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center), School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China,*Correspondence: Ling-jing Jin
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Reyes CJ, Asano K, Todd PK, Klein C, Rakovic A. Repeat-Associated Non-AUG Translation of AGAGGG Repeats that Cause X-Linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism. Mov Disord 2022; 37:2284-2289. [PMID: 35971992 DOI: 10.1002/mds.29183] [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: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the intronic insertion of a SINE-VNTR-Alu (SVA) retrotransposon carrying an (AGAGGG)n repeat expansion in the TAF1 gene. The molecular mechanisms by which this mutation causes neurodegeneration remain elusive. OBJECTIVES We investigated whether (AGAGGG)n repeats undergo repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation, a pathogenic mechanism common among repeat expansion diseases. METHODS XDP-specific RAN translation reporter plasmids were generated, transfected in HEK293 cells, and putative dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) were detected by Western blotting. Immunocytochemistry was performed in COS-7 cells to determine the subcellular localization of one DPR. RESULTS We detected putative DPRs from two reading frames, supporting the translation of poly-(Glu-Gly) and poly-(Arg-Glu) species. XDP RAN translation initiates within the (AGAGGG)n sequence and poly-(Glu-Gly) DPRs formed nuclear inclusions in transfected cells. CONCLUSIONS In summary, our work provides the first in-vitro proof of principle that the XDP-linked (AGAGGG)n repeat expansions can undergo RAN translation. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katsura Asano
- Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
- Laboratory of Translational Control Study, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Hiroshima Research Center for Healthy Aging, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Peter K Todd
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Song S, Creus Muncunill J, Galicia Aguirre C, Tshilenge KT, Hamilton BW, Gerencser AA, Benlhabib H, Cirnaru MD, Leid M, Mooney SD, Ellerby LM, Ehrlich ME. Postnatal Conditional Deletion of Bcl11b in Striatal Projection Neurons Mimics the Transcriptional Signature of Huntington's Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:2377. [PMID: 36289639 PMCID: PMC9598565 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10102377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The dysregulation of striatal gene expression and function is linked to multiple diseases, including Huntington's disease (HD), Parkinson's disease, X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP), addiction, autism, and schizophrenia. Striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) make up 90% of the neurons in the striatum and are critical to motor control. The transcription factor, Bcl11b (also known as Ctip2), is required for striatal development, but the function of Bcl11b in adult MSNs in vivo has not been investigated. We conditionally deleted Bcl11b specifically in postnatal MSNs and performed a transcriptomic and behavioral analysis on these mice. Multiple enrichment analyses showed that the D9-Cre-Bcl11btm1.1Leid transcriptional profile was similar to the HD gene expression in mouse and human data sets. A Gene Ontology enrichment analysis linked D9-Cre-Bcl11btm1.1Leid to calcium, synapse organization, specifically including the dopaminergic synapse, protein dephosphorylation, and HDAC-signaling, commonly dysregulated pathways in HD. D9-Cre-Bcl11btm1.1Leid mice had decreased DARPP-32/Ppp1r1b in MSNs and behavioral deficits, demonstrating the dysregulation of a subtype of the dopamine D2 receptor expressing MSNs. Finally, in human HD isogenic MSNs, the mislocalization of BCL11B into nuclear aggregates points to a mechanism for BCL11B loss of function in HD. Our results suggest that BCL11B is important for the function and maintenance of mature MSNs and Bcl11b loss of function drives, in part, the transcriptomic and functional changes in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sicheng Song
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Jordi Creus Muncunill
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Carlos Galicia Aguirre
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945, USA
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90893, USA
| | | | - B. Wade Hamilton
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | - Houda Benlhabib
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Maria-Daniela Cirnaru
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Mark Leid
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99202, USA
| | - Sean D. Mooney
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Lisa M. Ellerby
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945, USA
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90893, USA
| | - Michelle E. Ehrlich
- Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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D'Ignazio L, Jacomini RS, Qamar B, Benjamin KJM, Arora R, Sawada T, Evans TA, Diffenderfer KE, Pankonin AR, Hendriks WT, Hyde TM, Kleinman JE, Weinberger DR, Bragg DC, Paquola ACM, Erwin JA. Variation in TAF1 expression in female carrier induced pluripotent stem cells and human brain ontogeny has implications for adult neostriatum vulnerability in X-linked Dystonia Parkinsonism. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0129-22.2022. [PMID: 35868859 PMCID: PMC9428949 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0129-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism (XDP) is an inherited, X-linked, adult-onset movement disorder characterized by degeneration in the neostriatum. No therapeutics alter disease progression. The mechanisms underlying regional differences in degeneration and adult onset are unknown. Developing therapeutics requires a deeper understanding of how XDP-relevant features vary in health and disease. XDP is possibly due, in part, to a partial loss of TAF1 function. A disease-specific SINE-VNTR-Alu (SVA) retrotransposon insertion occurs within intron 32 of TAF1, a subunit of TFIID involved in transcription initiation. While all XDP males are usually clinically affected, females are heterozygous carriers generally not manifesting the full syndrome. As a resource for disease modeling, we characterized eight iPSC lines from three XDP female carrier individuals for X chromosome inactivation status and identified clonal lines that express either the wild-type X or XDP haplotype. Furthermore, we characterized XDP-relevant transcript expression in neurotypical humans, and found that SVA-F expression decreases after 30 years of age in the brain and that TAF1 is decreased in most female samples. Uniquely in the caudate nucleus, TAF1 expression is not sexually dimorphic and decreased after adolescence. These findings indicate that regional-, age- and sex-specific mechanisms regulate TAF1, highlighting the importance of disease-relevant models and postmortem tissue. We propose that the decreased TAF1 expression in the adult caudate may synergize with the XDP-specific partial loss of TAF1 function in patients, thereby passing a minimum threshold of TAF1 function, and triggering degeneration in the neostriatum.Significance StatementXDP is an inherited, X-linked, adult-onset movement disorder characterized by degeneration in the neostriatum. No therapeutics alter disease progression. Developing therapeutics requires a deeper understanding of how XDP-relevant features vary in health and disease. XDP is possibly due to a partial loss of TAF1 function. While all XDP males are usually affected, females are heterozygous carriers generally not manifesting the full syndrome. As a resource for disease modeling, we characterized eight stem cell lines from XDP female carrier individuals. Furthermore, we found that, uniquely in the caudate nucleus, TAF1 expression decreases after adolescence in healthy humans. We hypothesize that the decrease of TAF1 after adolescence in human caudate, in general, may underlie the vulnerability of the adult neostriatum in XDP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura D'Ignazio
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ricardo S Jacomini
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Bareera Qamar
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kynon J M Benjamin
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ria Arora
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biology, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Tomoyo Sawada
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Taylor A Evans
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | - Aimee R Pankonin
- Stem Cell Core, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - William T Hendriks
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- The Collaborative Center for X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Thomas M Hyde
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Joel E Kleinman
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Daniel R Weinberger
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - D Cristopher Bragg
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- The Collaborative Center for X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Apua C M Paquola
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jennifer A Erwin
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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