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Zhang H, Chen C, Zhang EE, Huang X. TDP-43 deficiency in suprachiasmatic nucleus perturbs rhythmicity of neuroactivity in prefrontal cortex. iScience 2024; 27:109522. [PMID: 38585660 PMCID: PMC10995886 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals within the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia disease spectrum (ALS/FTD) often experience disruptive mental behaviors and sleep-wake disturbances. The hallmark of ALS/FTD is the pathological involvement of TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43). Understanding the role of TDP-43 in the circadian clock holds promise for addressing these behavioral abnormalities. In this study, we unveil TDP-43 as a pivotal regulator of the circadian clock. TDP-43 knockdown induces intracellular arrhythmicity, disrupts transcriptional activation regulation, and diminishes clock genes expression. Moreover, our experiments in adult mouse reveal that TDP-43 knockdown, specifically within the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), induces locomotor arrhythmia, arrhythmic c-Fos expression, and depression-like behavior. This observation offers valuable insights into the substantial impact of TDP-43 on the behavioral aberrations associated with ALS/FTD. In summary, our study illuminates the significance of TDP-43 in circadian regulation, shedding light on the circadian regulatory mechanisms that may elucidate the pathological underpinnings of ALS/FTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Zhang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chen Chen
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China
| | | | - Xiaotian Huang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China
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2
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Ke YD, van Hummel A, Au C, Chan G, Lee WS, van der Hoven J, Przybyla M, Deng Y, Sabale M, Morey N, Bertz J, Feiten A, Ippati S, Stevens CH, Yang S, Gladbach A, Haass NK, Kril JJ, Blair IP, Delerue F, Ittner LM. Targeting 14-3-3θ-mediated TDP-43 pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia mice. Neuron 2024; 112:1249-1264.e8. [PMID: 38366598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.022] [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: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are characterized by cytoplasmic deposition of the nuclear TAR-binding protein 43 (TDP-43). Although cytoplasmic re-localization of TDP-43 is a key event in the pathogenesis of ALS/FTD, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we identified a non-canonical interaction between 14-3-3θ and TDP-43, which regulates nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling. Neuronal 14-3-3θ levels were increased in sporadic ALS and FTD with TDP-43 pathology. Pathogenic TDP-43 showed increased interaction with 14-3-3θ, resulting in cytoplasmic accumulation, insolubility, phosphorylation, and fragmentation of TDP-43, resembling pathological changes in disease. Harnessing this increased affinity of 14-3-3θ for pathogenic TDP-43, we devised a gene therapy vector targeting TDP-43 pathology, which mitigated functional deficits and neurodegeneration in different ALS/FTD mouse models expressing mutant or non-mutant TDP-43, including when already symptomatic at the time of treatment. Our study identified 14-3-3θ as a mediator of cytoplasmic TDP-43 localization with implications for ALS/FTD pathogenesis and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazi D Ke
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Annika van Hummel
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Carol Au
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Gabriella Chan
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Wei Siang Lee
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Julia van der Hoven
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Magdalena Przybyla
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Yuanyuan Deng
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Miheer Sabale
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Nicolle Morey
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Josefine Bertz
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Astrid Feiten
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Stefania Ippati
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Claire H Stevens
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong and Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Shu Yang
- Centre for MND Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Amadeus Gladbach
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Nikolas K Haass
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jillian J Kril
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia
| | - Ian P Blair
- Centre for MND Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Fabien Delerue
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Lars M Ittner
- Dementia Research Centre and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
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3
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San Gil R, Pascovici D, Venturato J, Brown-Wright H, Mehta P, Madrid San Martin L, Wu J, Luan W, Chui YK, Bademosi AT, Swaminathan S, Naidoo S, Berning BA, Wright AL, Keating SS, Curtis MA, Faull RLM, Lee JD, Ngo ST, Lee A, Morsch M, Chung RS, Scotter E, Lisowski L, Mirzaei M, Walker AK. A transient protein folding response targets aggregation in the early phase of TDP-43-mediated neurodegeneration. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1508. [PMID: 38374041 PMCID: PMC10876645 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45646-9] [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: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms that drive TDP-43 pathology is integral to combating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Here we generated a longitudinal quantitative proteomic map of the cortex from the cytoplasmic TDP-43 rNLS8 mouse model of ALS and FTLD, and developed a complementary open-access webtool, TDP-map ( https://shiny.rcc.uq.edu.au/TDP-map/ ). We identified distinct protein subsets enriched for diverse biological pathways with temporal alterations in protein abundance, including increases in protein folding factors prior to disease onset. This included increased levels of DnaJ homolog subfamily B member 5, DNAJB5, which also co-localized with TDP-43 pathology in diseased human motor cortex. DNAJB5 over-expression decreased TDP-43 aggregation in cell and cortical neuron cultures, and knockout of Dnajb5 exacerbated motor impairments caused by AAV-mediated cytoplasmic TDP-43 expression in mice. Together, these findings reveal molecular mechanisms at distinct stages of ALS and FTLD progression and suggest that protein folding factors could be protective in neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca San Gil
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Dana Pascovici
- Insight Stats, Croydon Park, NSW, Australia
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Juliana Venturato
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Heledd Brown-Wright
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Prachi Mehta
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lidia Madrid San Martin
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jemma Wu
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Wei Luan
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Yi Kit Chui
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Adekunle T Bademosi
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Shilpa Swaminathan
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Serey Naidoo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Britt A Berning
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Amanda L Wright
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sean S Keating
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Maurice A Curtis
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Richard L M Faull
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - John D Lee
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Shyuan T Ngo
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Albert Lee
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Marco Morsch
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Roger S Chung
- Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Emma Scotter
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Leszek Lisowski
- Vector and Genome Engineering Facility, Children's Medical Research Institute, Westmead, NSW, Australia
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology and Innovative Therapies, Military Institute of Medicine - National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland
- Translational Vectorology Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW, Australia
| | - Mehdi Mirzaei
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam K Walker
- Neurodegeneration Pathobiology Laboratory, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research, Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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4
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Necarsulmer JC, Simon JM, Evangelista BA, Chen Y, Tian X, Nafees S, Marquez AB, Jiang H, Wang P, Ajit D, Nikolova VD, Harper KM, Ezzell JA, Lin FC, Beltran AS, Moy SS, Cohen TJ. RNA-binding deficient TDP-43 drives cognitive decline in a mouse model of TDP-43 proteinopathy. eLife 2023; 12:RP85921. [PMID: 37819053 PMCID: PMC10567115 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85921] [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] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
TDP-43 proteinopathies including frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by aggregation and mislocalization of the nucleic acid-binding protein TDP-43 and subsequent neuronal dysfunction. Here, we developed endogenous models of sporadic TDP-43 proteinopathy based on the principle that disease-associated TDP-43 acetylation at lysine 145 (K145) alters TDP-43 conformation, impairs RNA-binding capacity, and induces downstream mis-regulation of target genes. Expression of acetylation-mimic TDP-43K145Q resulted in stress-induced nuclear TDP-43 foci and loss of TDP-43 function in primary mouse and human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cortical neurons. Mice harboring the TDP-43K145Q mutation recapitulated key hallmarks of FTLD, including progressive TDP-43 phosphorylation and insolubility, TDP-43 mis-localization, transcriptomic and splicing alterations, and cognitive dysfunction. Our study supports a model in which TDP-43 acetylation drives neuronal dysfunction and cognitive decline through aberrant splicing and transcription of critical genes that regulate synaptic plasticity and stress response signaling. The neurodegenerative cascade initiated by TDP-43 acetylation recapitulates many aspects of human FTLD and provides a new paradigm to further interrogate TDP-43 proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie C Necarsulmer
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Jeremy M Simon
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Genetics, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Baggio A Evangelista
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Youjun Chen
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Xu Tian
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Sara Nafees
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Ariana B Marquez
- Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Core, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Huijun Jiang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Deepa Ajit
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Viktoriya D Nikolova
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Kathryn M Harper
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - J Ashley Ezzell
- Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, Histology Research Core Facility, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Feng-Chang Lin
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Adriana S Beltran
- Department of Genetics, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Core, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Sheryl S Moy
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Todd J Cohen
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Neurology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
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5
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Aly A, Laszlo ZI, Rajkumar S, Demir T, Hindley N, Lamont DJ, Lehmann J, Seidel M, Sommer D, Franz-Wachtel M, Barletta F, Heumos S, Czemmel S, Kabashi E, Ludolph A, Boeckers TM, Henstridge CM, Catanese A. Integrative proteomics highlight presynaptic alterations and c-Jun misactivation as convergent pathomechanisms in ALS. Acta Neuropathol 2023; 146:451-475. [PMID: 37488208 PMCID: PMC10412488 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-023-02611-y] [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: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease mainly affecting upper and lower motoneurons. Several functionally heterogeneous genes have been associated with the familial form of this disorder (fALS), depicting an extremely complex pathogenic landscape. This heterogeneity has limited the identification of an effective therapy, and this bleak prognosis will only improve with a greater understanding of convergent disease mechanisms. Recent evidence from human post-mortem material and diverse model systems has highlighted the synapse as a crucial structure actively involved in disease progression, suggesting that synaptic aberrations might represent a shared pathological feature across the ALS spectrum. To test this hypothesis, we performed the first comprehensive analysis of the synaptic proteome from post-mortem spinal cord and human iPSC-derived motoneurons carrying mutations in the major ALS genes. This integrated approach highlighted perturbations in the molecular machinery controlling vesicle release as a shared pathomechanism in ALS. Mechanistically, phosphoproteomic analysis linked the presynaptic vesicular phenotype to an accumulation of cytotoxic protein aggregates and to the pro-apoptotic activation of the transcription factor c-Jun, providing detailed insights into the shared pathobiochemistry in ALS. Notably, sub-chronic treatment of our iPSC-derived motoneurons with the fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid exerted a neuroprotective effect by efficiently rescuing the alterations revealed by our multidisciplinary approach. Together, this study provides strong evidence for the central and convergent role played by the synaptic microenvironment within the ALS spinal cord and highlights a potential therapeutic target that counteracts degeneration in a heterogeneous cohort of human motoneuron cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr Aly
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Zsofia I Laszlo
- Division of Cellular and Systems Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK
| | - Sandeep Rajkumar
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Tugba Demir
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Nicole Hindley
- Division of Cellular and Systems Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK
| | - Douglas J Lamont
- FingerPrints Proteomics Facility, Discovery Centre, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK
| | - Johannes Lehmann
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Mira Seidel
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Daniel Sommer
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Francesca Barletta
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Simon Heumos
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Biomedical Data Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Czemmel
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Edor Kabashi
- Laboratory of Translational Research for Neurological Disorders, Imagine Institute, Université de Paris, INSERM, UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Albert Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, Ulm University School of Medicine, Ulm, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm Site, Germany
| | - Tobias M Boeckers
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm Site, Germany
| | - Christopher M Henstridge
- Division of Cellular and Systems Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK.
| | - Alberto Catanese
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm Site, Germany.
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6
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Aousji O, Feldengut S, Antonucci S, Schön M, Boeckers TM, Matschke J, Mawrin C, Ludolph AC, Del Tredici K, Roselli F, Braak H. Patterns of synaptic loss in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis spinal cord: a clinicopathological study. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:120. [PMID: 37491361 PMCID: PMC10367350 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01616-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is mainly characterized by the degeneration of corticospinal neurons and spinal α-motoneurons; vulnerable cells display prominent pTDP-43 inclusions. Evidence gathered from genetics, murine models, and iPSC-derived neurons point to the early involvement of synapses in the disease course and their crucial role in the pathogenic cascade. However, pathology studies, with specimens from large post-mortem cohorts, mapping the pattern of synaptic disturbances over clinical and neuropathological hallmarks of disease progression, are currently not available. Thus, the appearance and progression of synaptic degeneration in human ALS patients are currently not known, preventing a full validation of the murine and in vitro models. Here, we investigated the loss of synaptophysin-positive terminals in cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal cord samples from a retrospective cohort of n = 33 ALS patients and n = 8 healthy controls, and we correlated the loss of synapses against clinicodemographic features and neuropathological ALS stage. We found that, although dorsal and intermediate spinal cord laminae do not lose synapses, ALS patients displayed a substantial but variable loss of synapses in the ventral horn of lumbar and cervical spinal cord. The amount of synaptic loss was predicted by disease duration, by the clinical site of onset, and by the loss of α-motoneurons, although not by the fraction of pTDP-43-immunopositive α-motoneurons. Taken together, our findings validate the synaptic pathology observed in other models and suggest that pathogenic pathways unfolding in the spinal microenvironment are critical to the progressive disassembly of local synaptic connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oumayma Aousji
- Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research (ZBF), Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Simone Feldengut
- Clinical Neuroanatomy, Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research (ZBF), Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Stefano Antonucci
- Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research (ZBF), Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Michael Schön
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Tobias M Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | - Jakob Matschke
- Institute of Neuropathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christian Mawrin
- Institute of Neuropathology, Otto-Von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Albert C Ludolph
- Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research (ZBF), Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany
| | - Kelly Del Tredici
- Clinical Neuroanatomy, Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research (ZBF), Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Francesco Roselli
- Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research (ZBF), Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Ulm, Germany.
| | - Heiko Braak
- Clinical Neuroanatomy, Department of Neurology, Center for Biomedical Research (ZBF), Ulm University, Helmholtzstraße 8/1, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
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7
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miR-34a regulates silent synapse and synaptic plasticity in mature hippocampus. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 222:102404. [PMID: 36642095 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
AMPAR-lacking silent synapses are prevailed and essential for synaptic refinement and synaptic plasticity in developing brains. In mature brain, they are sparse but could be induced under several pathological conditions. How they are regulated molecularly is far from clear. miR-34a is a highly conserved and brain-enriched microRNA with age-dependent upregulated expression profile. Its neuronal function in mature brain remains to be revealed. Here by analyzing synaptic properties of the heterozygous miR-34a knock out mice (34a_ht), we have discovered that mature but not juvenile 34a_ht mice have more silent synapses in the hippocampus accompanied with enhanced synaptic NMDAR but not AMPAR function and increased spine density. As a result, 34a_ht mice display enhanced long-term potentiation (LTP) in the Schaffer collateral synapses and better spatial learning and memory. We further found that Creb1 is a direct target of miR-34a, whose upregulation and activation may mediate the silent synapse increment in 34a_ht mice. Hence, we reveal a novel physiological role of miR-34a in mature brains and provide a molecular mechanism underlying silent synapse regulation.
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8
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Gelon PA, Dutchak PA, Sephton CF. Synaptic dysfunction in ALS and FTD: anatomical and molecular changes provide insights into mechanisms of disease. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1000183. [PMID: 36263379 PMCID: PMC9575515 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1000183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic loss is a pathological feature of all neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). ALS is a disease of the cortical and spinal motor neurons resulting in fatal paralysis due to denervation of muscles. FTD is a form of dementia that primarily affects brain regions controlling cognition, language and behavior. Once classified as two distinct diseases, ALS and FTD are now considered as part of a common disease spectrum based on overlapping clinical, pathological and genetic evidence. At the cellular level, aggregation of common proteins and overlapping gene susceptibilities are shared in both ALS and FTD. Despite the convergence of these two fields of research, the underlying disease mechanisms remain elusive. However, recent discovers from ALS and FTD patient studies and models of ALS/FTD strongly suggests that synaptic dysfunction is an early event in the disease process and a unifying hallmark of these diseases. This review provides a summary of the reported anatomical and cellular changes that occur in cortical and spinal motor neurons in ALS and FTD tissues and models of disease. We also highlight studies that identify changes in the proteome and transcriptome of ALS and FTD models and provide a conceptual overview of the processes that contribute to synaptic dysfunction in these diseases. Due to space limitations and the vast number of publications in the ALS and FTD fields, many articles have not been discussed in this review. As such, this review focuses on the three most common shared mutations in ALS and FTD, the hexanucleuotide repeat expansion within intron 1 of chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9ORF72), transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TARDBP or TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma (FUS), with the intention of highlighting common pathways that promote synaptic dysfunction in the ALS-FTD disease spectrum.
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Ghaffari LT, Trotti D, Haeusler AR, Jensen BK. Breakdown of the central synapses in C9orf72-linked ALS/FTD. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1005112. [PMID: 36187344 PMCID: PMC9523884 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1005112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that leads to the death of motor and cortical neurons. The clinical manifestations of ALS are heterogenous, and efficacious treatments to significantly slow the progression of the disease are lacking. Cortical hyper-excitability is observed pre-symptomatically across disease-causative genetic variants, as well as in the early stages of sporadic ALS, and typically precedes motor neuron involvement and overt neurodegeneration. The causes of cortical hyper-excitability are not yet fully understood but is mainly agreed to be an early event. The identification of the nucleotide repeat expansion (GGGGCC)n in the C9ORF72 gene has provided evidence that ALS and another neurodegenerative disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), are part of a disease spectrum with common genetic origins. ALS and FTD are diseases in which synaptic dysfunction is reported throughout disease onset and stages of progression. It has become apparent that ALS/FTD-causative genes, such as C9ORF72, may have roles in maintaining the normal physiology of the synapse, as mutations in these genes often manifest in synaptic dysfunction. Here we review the dysfunctions of the central nervous system synapses associated with the nucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72 observed in patients, organismal, and cellular models of ALS and FTD.
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Tran NN, Lee BH. Functional implication of ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating mechanisms in TDP-43 proteinopathies. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:931968. [PMID: 36158183 PMCID: PMC9500471 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.931968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons in spinal cord and motor cortex are progressively lost. About 15% cases of ALS also develop the frontotemporal dementia (FTD), in which the frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) occurs in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Among the pathologic commonalities in ALS and FTD is ubiquitin-positive cytoplasmic aggregation of TDP-43 that may reflect both its loss-of-function and gain-of-toxicity from proteostasis impairment. Deep understanding of how protein quality control mechanisms regulate TDP-43 proteinopathies still remains elusive. Recently, a growing body of evidence indicates that ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating pathways are critically engaged in the fate decision of aberrant or pathological TDP-43 proteins. E3 ubiquitin ligases coupled with deubiquitinating enzymes may influence the TDP-43-associated proteotoxicity through diverse events, such as protein stability, translocation, and stress granule or inclusion formation. In this article, we recapitulate our current understanding of how ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating mechanisms can modulate TDP-43 protein quality and its pathogenic nature, thus shedding light on developing targeted therapies for ALS and FTD by harnessing protein degradation machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Non-Nuoc Tran
- Department of New Biology, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, South Korea
| | - Byung-Hoon Lee
- Department of New Biology, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, South Korea
- Department of New Biology Research Center (NBRC), Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Byung-Hoon Lee,
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Huang J, Li C, Shang H. Astrocytes in Neurodegeneration: Inspiration From Genetics. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:882316. [PMID: 35812232 PMCID: PMC9268899 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.882316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the discovery of numerous molecules and pathologies, the pathophysiology of various neurodegenerative diseases remains unknown. Genetics participates in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration. Neural dysfunction, which is thought to be a cell-autonomous mechanism, is insufficient to explain the development of neurodegenerative disease, implying that other cells surrounding or related to neurons, such as glial cells, are involved in the pathogenesis. As the primary component of glial cells, astrocytes play a variety of roles in the maintenance of physiological functions in neurons and other glial cells. The pathophysiology of neurodegeneration is also influenced by reactive astrogliosis in response to central nervous system (CNS) injuries. Furthermore, those risk-gene variants identified in neurodegenerations are involved in astrocyte activation and senescence. In this review, we summarized the relationships between gene variants and astrocytes in four neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and provided insights into the implications of astrocytes in the neurodegenerations.
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Akiyama T, Koike Y, Petrucelli L, Gitler AD. Cracking the cryptic code in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia: Towards therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Clin Transl Med 2022; 12:e818. [PMID: 35567447 PMCID: PMC9098226 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are two devastating human neurodegenerative diseases. A hallmark pathological feature of both diseases is the depletion of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 from the nucleus in the brain and spinal cord of patients. A major function of TDP-43 is to repress the inclusion of cryptic exons during RNA splicing. When it becomes depleted from the nucleus in disease, this function is lost, and recently, several key cryptic splicing targets of TDP-43 have emerged, including STMN2, UNC13A, and others. UNC13A is a major ALS/FTD risk gene, and the genetic variations that increase the risk for disease seem to do so by making the gene more susceptible to cryptic exon inclusion when TDP-43 function is impaired. Here, we discuss the prospects and challenges of harnessing these cryptic splicing events as novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers. Deciphering this new cryptic code may be a touchstone for ALS and FTD diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Akiyama
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Yuka Koike
- Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | | | - Aaron D Gitler
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California, USA
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