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Salem S, Kilgore MD, Anwer M, Maxan A, Child D, Bird TD, Keene CD, Cicchetti F, Latimer C. Evidence of mutant huntingtin and tau-related pathology within neuronal grafts in Huntington's disease cases. Neurobiol Dis 2024; 198:106542. [PMID: 38810948 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2024.106542] [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: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
A number of post-mortem studies conducted in transplanted Huntington's disease (HD) patients from various trials have reported the presence of pathological and misfolded proteins, in particular mutant huntingtin (mHtt) and phosphorylated tau neuropil threads, in the healthy grafted tissue. Here, we extended these observations with histological analysis of post-mortem tissue from three additional HD patients who had received similar striatal allografts from the fetal tissue transplantation trial conducted in Los Angeles in 1998. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using anti-mHtt antibodies, EM48 and MW7, as well as anti-hyperphosphorylated tau antibodies, AT8 and CP13. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the colocalization of EM48+ mHtt aggregates with the neuronal marker MAP2 and/or the extracellular matrix protein phosphacan in both the host and grafts. We confirmed the presence of mHtt aggregates within grafts of all three cases as well as tau neuropil threads in the grafts of two of the three transplanted HD patients. Phosphorylated tau was also variably expressed in the host cerebral cortex of all three subjects. While mHtt inclusions were present within neurons (immunofluorescence co-localization of MAP2 and EM48) as well as within the extracellular matrix of the host (immunofluorescence co-localization of phosphacan and EM48), their localization was limited to the extracellular matrix in the grafted tissue. This study corroborates previous findings that both mHtt and tau pathology can be found in the host and grafts of HD patients years post-grafting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shireen Salem
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, T2-07, 2705, Boulevard Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Departement de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Mitchell D Kilgore
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Neuropathology Division, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mehwish Anwer
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, T2-07, 2705, Boulevard Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Departement de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Alexander Maxan
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, T2-07, 2705, Boulevard Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Departement de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Dan Child
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Neuropathology Division, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Thomas D Bird
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - C Dirk Keene
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Neuropathology Division, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Francesca Cicchetti
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, T2-07, 2705, Boulevard Laurier, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Departement de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Departement de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
| | - Caitlin Latimer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Neuropathology Division, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Langerscheidt F, Wied T, Al Kabbani MA, van Eimeren T, Wunderlich G, Zempel H. Genetic forms of tauopathies: inherited causes and implications of Alzheimer's disease-like TAU pathology in primary and secondary tauopathies. J Neurol 2024; 271:2992-3018. [PMID: 38554150 PMCID: PMC11136742 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-024-12314-3] [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: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Tauopathies are a heterogeneous group of neurologic diseases characterized by pathological axodendritic distribution, ectopic expression, and/or phosphorylation and aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein TAU, encoded by the gene MAPT. Neuronal dysfunction, dementia, and neurodegeneration are common features of these often detrimental diseases. A neurodegenerative disease is considered a primary tauopathy when MAPT mutations/haplotypes are its primary cause and/or TAU is the main pathological feature. In case TAU pathology is observed but superimposed by another pathological hallmark, the condition is classified as a secondary tauopathy. In some tauopathies (e.g. MAPT-associated frontotemporal dementia (FTD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD)) TAU is recognized as a significant pathogenic driver of the disease. In many secondary tauopathies, including Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD), TAU is suggested to contribute to the development of dementia, but in others (e.g. Niemann-Pick disease (NPC)) TAU may only be a bystander. The genetic and pathological mechanisms underlying TAU pathology are often not fully understood. In this review, the genetic predispositions and variants associated with both primary and secondary tauopathies are examined in detail, assessing evidence for the role of TAU in these conditions. We highlight less common genetic forms of tauopathies to increase awareness for these disorders and the involvement of TAU in their pathology. This approach not only contributes to a deeper understanding of these conditions but may also lay the groundwork for potential TAU-based therapeutic interventions for various tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Langerscheidt
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Tamara Wied
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Natural Sciences, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Von-Liebig-Str. 20, 53359, Rheinbach, Germany
| | - Mohamed Aghyad Al Kabbani
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Thilo van Eimeren
- Multimodal Neuroimaging Group, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gilbert Wunderlich
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Rare Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hans Zempel
- Institute of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931, Cologne, Germany.
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Abyadeh M, Gupta V, Paulo JA, Mahmoudabad AG, Shadfar S, Mirshahvaladi S, Gupta V, Nguyen CTO, Finkelstein DI, You Y, Haynes PA, Salekdeh GH, Graham SL, Mirzaei M. Amyloid-beta and tau protein beyond Alzheimer's disease. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1262-1276. [PMID: 37905874 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.386406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT The aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide and tau protein dysregulation are implicated to play key roles in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and are considered the main pathological hallmarks of this devastating disease. Physiologically, these two proteins are produced and expressed within the normal human body. However, under pathological conditions, abnormal expression, post-translational modifications, conformational changes, and truncation can make these proteins prone to aggregation, triggering specific disease-related cascades. Recent studies have indicated associations between aberrant behavior of amyloid-beta and tau proteins and various neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as retinal neurodegenerative diseases like Glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Additionally, these proteins have been linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and diabetes, which are all leading causes of morbidity and mortality. In this comprehensive review, we provide an overview of the connections between amyloid-beta and tau proteins and a spectrum of disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vivek Gupta
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Joao A Paulo
- Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Sina Shadfar
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Shahab Mirshahvaladi
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Veer Gupta
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Christine T O Nguyen
- Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - David I Finkelstein
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Yuyi You
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul A Haynes
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Ghasem H Salekdeh
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, NSW, Australia
| | - Stuart L Graham
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Mehdi Mirzaei
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie Medical School, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, North Ryde, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Martinez-Horta S, Perez-Perez J, Perez-Gonzalez R, Sampedro F, Horta-Barba A, Campolongo A, Rivas-Asensio E, Puig-Davi A, Pagonabarraga J, Kulisevsky J. Cognitive phenotype and neurodegeneration associated with Tau in Huntington's disease. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2024; 11:1160-1171. [PMID: 38544341 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.52031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/15/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The clinical phenotype of Huntington's disease (HD) can be very heterogeneous between patients, even when they share equivalent CAG repeat length, age, or disease burden. This heterogeneity is especially evident in terms of the cognitive profile and related brain changes. To shed light on the mechanisms participating in this heterogeneity, the present study delves into the association between Tau pathology and more severe cognitive phenotypes and brain damage in HD. METHODS We used a comprehensive neuropsychological examination to characterize the cognitive phenotype of a sample of 30 participants with early-to-middle HD for which we also obtained 3 T structural magnetic resonance image (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We quantified CSF levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), total Tau (tTau), and phosphorylated Tau-231 (pTau-231). Thanks to the cognitive characterization carried out, we subsequently explored the relationship between different levels of biomarkers, the cognitive phenotype, and brain integrity. RESULTS The results confirmed that more severe forms of cognitive deterioration in HD extend beyond executive dysfunction and affect processes with clear posterior-cortical dependence. This phenotype was in turn associated with higher CSF levels of tTau and pTau-231 and to a more pronounced pattern of posterior-cortical atrophy in specific brain regions closely linked to the cognitive processes affected by Tau. INTERPRETATION Our findings reinforce the association between Tau pathology, cognition, and neurodegeneration in HD, emphasizing the need to explore the role of Tau in the cognitive heterogeneity of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saul Martinez-Horta
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN)
| | - Jesús Perez-Perez
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN)
| | - Rocío Perez-Gonzalez
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL) and Instituto de Neurociencias UMH-CSIC, Alicante, Spain
| | - Frederic Sampedro
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Neuroradiology unit, Radiology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrea Horta-Barba
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN)
| | - Antonia Campolongo
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elisa Rivas-Asensio
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Arnau Puig-Davi
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN)
| | - Javier Pagonabarraga
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN)
| | - Jaime Kulisevsky
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN)
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5
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Jellinger KA. Mild cognitive impairment in Huntington's disease: challenges and outlooks. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2024; 131:289-304. [PMID: 38265518 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-024-02744-8] [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: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Although Huntington's disease (HD) has classically been viewed as an autosomal-dominant inherited neurodegenerative motor disorder, cognitive and/or behavioral changes are predominant and often an early manifestation of disease. About 40% of individuals in the presymptomatic period of HD meet the criteria for mild cognitive impairment, later progressing to dementia. The heterogenous spectrum of cognitive decline is characterized by deficits across multiple domains, particularly executive dysfunctions, but the underlying pathogenic mechanisms are still poorly understood. Investigating the pathophysiology of cognitive changes may give insight into important and early neurodegenerative events. Multimodal imaging revealed circuit-wide gray and white matter degenerative processes in several key brain regions, affecting prefronto-striatal/cortico-basal ganglia circuits and many other functional brain networks. Studies in transgenic animal models indicated early synaptic dysfunction, deficient neurotrophic transport and other molecular changes contributing to neuronal death. Synaptopathy within the cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus may be particularly important in mediating cognitive and neuropsychiatric manifestations of HD, although many other neuronal systems are involved. The interaction of mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) with tau and its implication for cognitive impairment in HD is a matter of discussion. Further neuroimaging and neuropathological studies are warranted to better elucidate early pathophysiological mechanisms and to develop validated biomarkers to detect patients' cognitive status during the early stages of the condition significantly to implement effective preventing or management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt A Jellinger
- Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, Alberichgasse 5/13, 1150, Vienna, Austria.
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6
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Amartumur S, Nguyen H, Huynh T, Kim TS, Woo RS, Oh E, Kim KK, Lee LP, Heo C. Neuropathogenesis-on-chips for neurodegenerative diseases. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2219. [PMID: 38472255 PMCID: PMC10933492 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46554-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Developing diagnostics and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) is challenging due to multifactorial pathogenesis that progresses gradually. Advanced in vitro systems that recapitulate patient-like pathophysiology are emerging as alternatives to conventional animal-based models. In this review, we explore the interconnected pathogenic features of different types of ND, discuss the general strategy to modelling NDs using a microfluidic chip, and introduce the organoid-on-a-chip as the next advanced relevant model. Lastly, we overview how these models are being applied in academic and industrial drug development. The integration of microfluidic chips, stem cells, and biotechnological devices promises to provide valuable insights for biomedical research and developing diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for NDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarnai Amartumur
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Quantum Biophysics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Huong Nguyen
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Quantum Biophysics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Thuy Huynh
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Quantum Biophysics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Testaverde S Kim
- Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics (CINAP), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Ran-Sook Woo
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon, 34824, Korea
| | - Eungseok Oh
- Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, 35015, Korea
| | - Kyeong Kyu Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Graduate School of Basic Medical Science (GSBMS), Institute for Anti-microbial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Korea
| | - Luke P Lee
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Quantum Biophysics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea.
- Harvard Medical School, Division of Engineering in Medicine and Renal Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.
| | - Chaejeong Heo
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Quantum Biophysics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Korea.
- Center for Integrated Nanostructure Physics (CINAP), Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Suwon, 16419, Korea.
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7
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Pérez‐Oliveira S, Castilla‐Silgado J, Painous C, Aldecoa I, Menéndez‐González M, Blázquez‐Estrada M, Corte D, Tomás‐Zapico C, Compta Y, Muñoz E, Lladó A, Balasa M, Aragonès G, García‐González P, Rosende‐Roca M, Boada M, Ruíz A, Pastor P, De la Casa‐Fages B, Rabano A, Sánchez‐Valle R, Molina‐Porcel L, Álvarez V. Huntingtin CAG repeats in neuropathologically confirmed tauopathies: Novel insights. Brain Pathol 2024; 34:e13250. [PMID: 38418081 PMCID: PMC11189778 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested a relationship between the number of CAG triplet repeats in the HTT gene and neurodegenerative diseases not related to Huntington's disease (HD). This study seeks to investigate whether the number of CAG repeats of HTT is associated with the risk of developing certain tauopathies and its influence as a modulator of the clinical and neuropathological phenotype. Additionally, it aims to evaluate the potential of polyglutamine staining as a neuropathological screening. We genotyped the HTT gene CAG repeat number and APOE-ℰ isoforms in a cohort of patients with neuropathological diagnoses of tauopathies (n=588), including 34 corticobasal degeneration (CBD), 98 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and 456 Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, we genotyped a control group of 1070 patients, of whom 44 were neuropathologic controls. We identified significant differences in the number of patients with pathological HTT expansions in the CBD group (2.7%) and PSP group (3.2%) compared to control subjects (0.2%). A significant increase in the size of the HTT CAG repeats was found in the AD compared to the control group, influenced by the presence of the Apoliprotein E (APOE)-ℰ4 isoform. Post-mortem assessments uncovered tauopathy pathology with positive polyglutamine aggregates, with a slight predominance in the neostriatum for PSP and CBD cases and somewhat greater limbic involvement in the AD case. Our results indicated a link between HTT CAG repeat expansion with other non-HD pathology, suggesting they could share common neurodegenerative pathways. These findings support that genetic or histological screening for HTT repeat expansions should be considered in tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Pérez‐Oliveira
- Laboratory of GeneticsHospital Universitario Central de AsturiasOviedoSpain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA)OviedoSpain
| | - Juan Castilla‐Silgado
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA)OviedoSpain
- Department of Functional Biology (Physiology)University of OviedoOviedoSpain
| | - Cèlia Painous
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, Department of NeurologyHospital Clinic of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- UB Neuro Institut de Neurociències, Maeztu CenterUniversity of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona‐Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB‐IDIBAPS)BarcelonaSpain
| | - Iban Aldecoa
- Neurological Tissue Bank of the Biobank‐Hospital Clinic‐FRCB‐IDIBAPSBarcelonaSpain
- Pathology Department, Biomedical Diagnostic CenterHospital Clínic de Barcelona, University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Manuel Menéndez‐González
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA)OviedoSpain
- Department of NeurologyHospital Universitario Central de AsturiasOviedoSpain
- Department of MedicineUniversity of OviedoOviedoSpain
| | - Marta Blázquez‐Estrada
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA)OviedoSpain
- Department of NeurologyHospital Universitario Central de AsturiasOviedoSpain
- Department of MedicineUniversity of OviedoOviedoSpain
| | - Daniela Corte
- Biobank of Principado de Asturias, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA)OviedoSpain
| | - Cristina Tomás‐Zapico
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA)OviedoSpain
- Department of Functional Biology (Physiology)University of OviedoOviedoSpain
| | - Yaroslau Compta
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, Department of NeurologyHospital Clinic of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- UB Neuro Institut de Neurociències, Maeztu CenterUniversity of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona‐Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB‐IDIBAPS)BarcelonaSpain
| | - Esteban Muñoz
- Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, Department of NeurologyHospital Clinic of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- UB Neuro Institut de Neurociències, Maeztu CenterUniversity of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona‐Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (FRCB‐IDIBAPS)BarcelonaSpain
| | - Albert Lladó
- Alzheimer's Disease and other Cognitive Disorders UnitNeurology Service, Hospital Clínic, FRCB‐IDIBAPS, University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Mircea Balasa
- Alzheimer's Disease and other Cognitive Disorders UnitNeurology Service, Hospital Clínic, FRCB‐IDIBAPS, University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Gemma Aragonès
- Neurological Tissue Bank of the Biobank‐Hospital Clinic‐FRCB‐IDIBAPSBarcelonaSpain
| | - Pablo García‐González
- Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona – Universitat Internacional de CatalunyaBarcelonaSpain
- Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadridSpain
| | - Maitée Rosende‐Roca
- Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona – Universitat Internacional de CatalunyaBarcelonaSpain
- Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadridSpain
| | - Mercè Boada
- Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona – Universitat Internacional de CatalunyaBarcelonaSpain
- Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadridSpain
| | - Agustín Ruíz
- Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona – Universitat Internacional de CatalunyaBarcelonaSpain
- Networking Research Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED)Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIMadridSpain
| | - Pau Pastor
- Unit of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol and The Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) BadalonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Beatriz De la Casa‐Fages
- Movement Disorders Unit, Department of NeurologyHospital General Universitario Gregorio MarañónMadridSpain
- Instituto Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio MarañónMadridSpain
| | - Alberto Rabano
- Neuropathology Department and Brain Tissue BankCIEN Foundation, Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer CenterMadridSpain
| | - Raquel Sánchez‐Valle
- Alzheimer's Disease and other Cognitive Disorders UnitNeurology Service, Hospital Clínic, FRCB‐IDIBAPS, University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Laura Molina‐Porcel
- UB Neuro Institut de Neurociències, Maeztu CenterUniversity of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Alzheimer's Disease and other Cognitive Disorders UnitNeurology Service, Hospital Clínic, FRCB‐IDIBAPS, University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Victoria Álvarez
- Laboratory of GeneticsHospital Universitario Central de AsturiasOviedoSpain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA)OviedoSpain
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Bondulich MK, Phillips J, Cañibano-Pico M, Nita IM, Byrne LM, Wild EJ, Bates GP. Translatable plasma and CSF biomarkers for use in mouse models of Huntington's disease. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae030. [PMID: 38370446 PMCID: PMC10873584 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder for which a wide range of disease-modifying therapies are in development and the availability of biomarkers to monitor treatment response is essential for the success of clinical trials. Baseline levels of neurofilament light chain in CSF and plasma have been shown to be effective in predicting clinical disease status, subsequent clinical progression and brain atrophy. The identification of further sensitive prognostic fluid biomarkers is an active research area, and total-Tau and YKL-40 levels have been shown to be increased in CSF from Huntington's disease mutation carriers. The use of readouts with clinical utility in the preclinical assessment of potential therapeutics should aid in the translation of new treatments. Here, we set out to determine how the concentrations of these three proteins change in plasma and CSF with disease progression in representative, well-established mouse models of Huntington's disease. Plasma and CSF were collected throughout disease progression from R6/2 transgenic mice with CAG repeats of 200 or 90 codons (R6/2:Q200 and R6/2:Q90), zQ175 knock-in mice and YAC128 transgenic mice, along with their respective wild-type littermates. Neurofilament light chain and total-Tau concentrations were quantified in CSF and plasma using ultrasensitive single-molecule array (Quanterix) assays, and a novel Quanterix assay was developed for breast regression protein 39 (mouse homologue of YKL-40) and used to quantify breast regression protein 39 levels in plasma. CSF levels of neurofilament light chain and plasma levels of neurofilament light chain and breast regression protein 39 increased in wild-type biofluids with age, whereas total-Tau remained constant. Neurofilament light chain and breast regression protein 39 were elevated in the plasma and CSF from Huntington's disease mouse models, as compared with wild-type littermates, at presymptomatic stages, whereas total-Tau was only increased at the latest disease stages analysed. Levels of biomarkers that had been measured in the same CSF or plasma samples taken at the latest stages of disease were correlated. The demonstration that breast regression protein 39 constitutes a robust plasma biomarker in Huntington's disease mouse models supports the further investigation of YKL-40 as a CSF biomarker for Huntington's disease mutation carriers. Neurofilament light chain and Tau are considered markers of neuronal damage, and breast regression protein 39 is a marker of inflammation; the similarities and differences in the levels of these proteins between mouse models may provide future insights into their underlying pathology. These data will facilitate the use of fluid biomarkers in the preclinical assessment of therapeutic agents for Huntington's disease, providing readouts with direct relevance to clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie K Bondulich
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Jemima Phillips
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - María Cañibano-Pico
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Iulia M Nita
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Lauren M Byrne
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Edward J Wild
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Gillian P Bates
- Huntington’s Disease Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London WC1N 3BG, UK
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9
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Pena E, San Martin-Salamanca R, El Alam S, Flores K, Arriaza K. Tau Protein Alterations Induced by Hypobaric Hypoxia Exposure. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:889. [PMID: 38255962 PMCID: PMC10815386 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25020889] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases whose central feature is dysfunction of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT). Although the exact etiology of tauopathies is still unknown, it has been hypothesized that their onset may occur up to twenty years before the clear emergence of symptoms, which has led to questions about whether the prognosis of these diseases can be improved by, for instance, targeting the factors that influence tauopathy development. One such factor is hypoxia, which is strongly linked to Alzheimer's disease because of its association with obstructive sleep apnea and has been reported to affect molecular pathways related to the dysfunction and aggregation of tau proteins and other biomarkers of neurological damage. In particular, hypobaric hypoxia exposure increases the activation of several kinases related to the hyperphosphorylation of tau in neuronal cells, such as ERK, GSK3β, and CDK5. In addition, hypoxia also increases the levels of inflammatory molecules (IL-β1, IL-6, and TNF-α), which are also associated with neurodegeneration. This review discusses the many remaining questions regarding the influence of hypoxia on tauopathies and the contribution of high-altitude exposure to the development of these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Samia El Alam
- High Altitude Medicine Research Center (CEIMA), Arturo Prat University, Iquique 1110939, Chile; (E.P.); (R.S.M.-S.); (K.F.); (K.A.)
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10
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Sengupta U, Kayed R. Tau Oligomers as Pathogenic Seeds: Preparation, Characterization, and Propagation In Vitro and In Vivo. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2754:147-183. [PMID: 38512666 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3629-9_9] [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] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Tau oligomers have been shown to be the main toxic tau species in several neurodegenerative disorders. To study tau oligomers, we have developed reagents and established methods for the reliable preparation, isolation, and detection of tau oligomers as well as their seeding and propagation both in vitro and in vivo. Detailed below are methods for isolation of tau oligomers from brain tissues and detection of tau oligomers using tau oligomer-specific antibodies by biochemical, immunohistochemical, and biophysical methods. Further, methods for evaluating the biological activity of the tau oligomers including their effects on synaptic function, seeding, and propagation in cell models and in vivo are also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urmi Sengupta
- George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
- Departments of Neurology, and Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
- Departments of Neurology, and Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
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11
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Makeeva VS, Dyrkheeva NS, Lavrik OI, Zakian SM, Malakhova AA. Mutant-Huntingtin Molecular Pathways Elucidate New Targets for Drug Repurposing. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16798. [PMID: 38069121 PMCID: PMC10706709 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases known today is quite extensive. The complexities of their research and treatment lie not only in their diversity. Even many years of struggle and narrowly focused research on common pathologies such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other brain diseases have not brought cures for these illnesses. What can be said about orphan diseases? In particular, Huntington's disease (HD), despite affecting a smaller part of the human population, still attracts many researchers. This disorder is known to result from a mutation in the HTT gene, but having this information still does not simplify the task of drug development and studying the mechanisms of disease progression. Nonetheless, the data accumulated over the years and their analysis provide a good basis for further research. Here, we review studies devoted to understanding the mechanisms of HD. We analyze genes and molecular pathways involved in HD pathogenesis to describe the action of repurposed drugs and try to find new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladlena S. Makeeva
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 10 Akad. Lavrentiev Ave., 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.S.M.); (S.M.Z.); (A.A.M.)
| | - Nadezhda S. Dyrkheeva
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Akad. Lavrentiev Ave., 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
| | - Olga I. Lavrik
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 8 Akad. Lavrentiev Ave., 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia;
| | - Suren M. Zakian
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 10 Akad. Lavrentiev Ave., 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.S.M.); (S.M.Z.); (A.A.M.)
| | - Anastasia A. Malakhova
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 10 Akad. Lavrentiev Ave., 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.S.M.); (S.M.Z.); (A.A.M.)
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12
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Lepinay E, Cicchetti F. Tau: a biomarker of Huntington's disease. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:4070-4083. [PMID: 37749233 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02230-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Developing effective treatments for patients with Huntington's disease (HD)-a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by severe cognitive, motor and psychiatric impairments-is proving extremely challenging. While the monogenic nature of this condition enables to identify individuals at risk, robust biomarkers would still be extremely valuable to help diagnose disease onset and progression, and especially to confirm treatment efficacy. If measurements of cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament levels, for example, have demonstrated use in recent clinical trials, other proteins may prove equal, if not greater, relevance as biomarkers. In fact, proteins such as tau could specifically be used to detect/predict cognitive affectations. We have herein reviewed the literature pertaining to the association between tau levels and cognitive states, zooming in on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and traumatic brain injury in which imaging, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood samples have been interrogated or used to unveil a strong association between tau and cognition. Collectively, these areas of research have accrued compelling evidence to suggest tau-related measurements as both diagnostic and prognostic tools for clinical practice. The abundance of information retrieved in this niche of study has laid the groundwork for further understanding whether tau-related biomarkers may be applied to HD and guide future investigations to better understand and treat this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Lepinay
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada
- Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Francesca Cicchetti
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.
- Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
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13
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Hwang YS, Oh E, Kim M, Lee CY, Kim HS, Chung SJ, Sung YH, Yoon WT, Cho JH, Lee JH, Kim HJ, Chang HJ, Jeon B, Woo KA, Ko SB, Kwon KY, Moon J, Shin C, Kim YE, Lee JY. Plasma neurofilament light-chain and phosphorylated tau as biomarkers of disease severity in Huntington's disease: Korean cohort data. J Neurol Sci 2023; 452:120744. [PMID: 37541133 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2023.120744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate neurofilament light chain (NfL), phosphorylated tau (p-Tau) and total tau (t-Tau) as plasma markers for clinical severity in Korean Huntington's disease (HD) cohort. METHODS Genetically-confirmed 67 HD patients participated from 13 referral hospitals in South Korea. The subjects were evaluated with the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS), total motor score (TMS) and total functional capacity (TFC), Mini-Mental Status Examination (K-MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), and Beck's depression inventory (K-BDI). We measured plasma NfL, p-Tau and t-Tau concentrations using single-molecule array (SIMOA) assays. Stages of HD were classified based on UHDRS-TFC score and plasma markers were analyzed for correlation with clinical severity scales. RESULTS Plasma NfL was elevated in both 6 premanifest and 61 full manifest HD patients compared to the reference value, which increased further from premanifest to manifest HD groups. The NfL level was not significantly correlated with UHDRS TMS or TFC scores in manifest HD patients. Plasma p-Tau was also elevated in HD patients (p = 0.038). The level was the highest in stage III-V HD (n = 30) group (post-hoc p < 0.05). The p-Tau was correlated with UHDRS TFC scores (adjusted p = 0.002). Plasma t-Tau neither differed among the groups nor associated with any clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS This study supports plasma NfL being a biomarker for initial HD manifestation in Korean cohort, and a novel suggestion of plasma p-Tau as a potential biomarker reflecting the clinical severity in full-manifest HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Su Hwang
- Department of Neurology, Jeonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital & Research Institute of Clinical Medicine of Jeonbuk National University - Biomedical Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Eungseok Oh
- Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University College of Medicine and Hospital, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Manho Kim
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital & Dementia and Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chan Young Lee
- Department of Neurology, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Sook Kim
- Department of Neurology, Bundang Medical Center, CHA university School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Ju Chung
- Department of Neurology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Hee Sung
- Department of Neurology, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Tae Yoon
- Department of Neurology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Hwan Cho
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Hyeok Lee
- Department of Neurology, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan, Republic of Korea
| | - Han-Joon Kim
- Department of Neurology, Movement Disorders Center, Seoul National University Hospital & Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Jin Chang
- Department of Neurology, Movement Disorders Center, Seoul National University Hospital & Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Beomseok Jeon
- Department of Neurology, Movement Disorders Center, Seoul National University Hospital & Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Ah Woo
- Department of Neurology, Movement Disorders Center, Seoul National University Hospital & Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Beom Ko
- Department of Neurology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyum-Yil Kwon
- Department of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jangsup Moon
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital & Dementia and Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Genomic Medicine, College of medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chaewon Shin
- Department of Neurology, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong, Republic of Korea; Chungnam National University College of Medicine, Daejon, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Eun Kim
- Department of Neurology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Jee-Young Lee
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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14
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Yu H, Xiong M, Zhang Z. The role of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta in neurodegenerative diseases. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1209703. [PMID: 37781096 PMCID: PMC10540228 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1209703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) pose an increasingly prevalent threat to the well-being and survival of elderly individuals worldwide. NDDs include Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and so on. They are characterized by progressive loss or dysfunction of neurons in the central or peripheral nervous system and share several cellular and molecular mechanisms, including protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, gene mutations, and chronic neuroinflammation. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β) is a serine/threonine kinase that is believed to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of NDDs. Here we summarize the structure and physiological functions of GSK3β and explore its involvement in NDDs. We also discussed its potential as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglu Yu
- Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Min Xiong
- Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhentao Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- TaiKang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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15
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Petrozziello T, Huntress SS, Castillo-Torres AL, Quinn JP, Connors TR, Auger CA, Mills AN, Kim SE, Liu S, Mahmood F, Boudi A, Wu M, Sapp E, Kivisäkk P, Sunderesh SR, Pouladi MA, Arnold SE, Hyman BT, Rosas HD, DiFiglia M, Pinto RM, Kegel-Gleason K, Sadri-Vakili G. Age-dependent increase in tau phosphorylation at serine 396 in Huntington's disease pre-frontal cortex. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.06.03.23290851. [PMID: 37333415 PMCID: PMC10274990 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.03.23290851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Background To date, it is still controversial whether tau phosphorylation plays a role in Huntington's disease (HD), as previous studies demonstrated either no alterations or increases in phosphorylated tau (pTau) in HD post-mortem brain and mouse models. Objectives The goal of this study was to determine whether total tau and pTau levels are altered in HD. Methods Immunohistochemistry, cellular fractionations, and western blots were used to measure tau and pTau levels in a large cohort of HD and control post-mortem prefrontal cortex (PFC). Furthermore, western blots were performed to assess tau, and pTau levels in HD and control isogenic embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived cortical neurons and neuronal stem cells (NSCs). Similarly, western blots were used to assess tau and pTau in Htt Q111 and transgenic R6/2 mice. Lastly, total tau levels were assessed in HD and healthy control plasma using Quanterix Simoa assay. Results Our results revealed that, while there was no difference in tau or pTau levels in HD PFC compared to controls, tau phosphorylated at S396 levels were increased in PFC samples from HD patients 60 years or older at time of death. Additionally, tau and pTau levels were not changed in HD ESC-derived cortical neurons and NSCs. Similarly, tau or pTau levels were not altered in Htt Q111 and transgenic R6/2 mice compared to wild-type littermates. Lastly, tau levels were not changed in plasma from a small cohort of HD patients compared to controls. Conclusion Together these findings demonstrate that pTau-S396 levels increase significantly with age in HD PFC.
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Mees I, Nisbet R, Hannan A, Renoir T. Implications of Tau Dysregulation in Huntington's Disease and Potential for New Therapeutics. J Huntingtons Dis 2023; 12:1-13. [PMID: 37092231 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-230569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder. The disease, characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric impairments, is caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene. Despite the discovery of the mutation in 1993, no disease-modifying treatments are yet available. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in HD is therefore crucial for the development of novel treatments. Emerging research has found that HD might be classified as a secondary tauopathy, with the presence of tau insoluble aggregates in late HD. Increased total tau protein levels have been observed in both HD patients and animal models of HD. Tau hyperphosphorylation, the main feature of tau pathology, has also been investigated and our own published results suggest that the protein phosphorylation machinery is dysregulated in the early stages of HD in R6/1 transgenic mice, primarily in the cortex and striatum. Protein phosphorylation, catalysed by kinases, regulates numerous cellular mechanisms and has been shown to be dysregulated in other neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. While it is still unclear how the mutation in the huntingtin gene leads to tau dysregulation in HD, several hypotheses have been explored. Evidence suggests that the mutant huntingtin does not directly interact with tau, but instead interacts with tau kinases, phosphatases, and proteins involved in tau alternative splicing, which could result in tau dysregulation as observed in HD. Altogether, there is increasing evidence that tau is undergoing pathological changes in HD and may be a good therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaline Mees
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Rebecca Nisbet
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Anthony Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Thibault Renoir
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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17
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Salem S, Cicchetti F. Untangling the Role of Tau in Huntington's Disease Pathology. J Huntingtons Dis 2023; 12:15-29. [PMID: 36806513 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-220557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence for the presence of pathological forms of tau in tissues of both Huntington's disease (HD) patients and animal models of this condition. While cumulative studies of the past decade have led to the proposition that this disorder could also be considered a tauopathy, the implications of tau in cellular toxicity and consequent behavioral impairments are largely unknown. In fact, recent animal work has challenged the contributory role of tau in HD pathogenesis/pathophysiology. This review presents the supporting and opposing arguments for the involvement of tau in HD, highlighting the discrepancies that have emerged. Reflecting on what is known in other tauopathies, the putative mechanisms through which tau could initiate and/or contribute to pathology are discussed, shedding light on the future research directions that could be considered to confirm, or rule out, the clinical relevance of tau in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shireen Salem
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Francesca Cicchetti
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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18
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Owen NE, Barker RA, Voysey ZJ. Sleep Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease: Impacts of Current Medications and Prospects for Treatment. J Huntingtons Dis 2023; 12:149-161. [PMID: 37248911 PMCID: PMC10473096 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-230567] [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] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Sleep dysfunction is highly prevalent in Huntington's disease (HD). Increasing evidence suggests that such dysfunction not only impairs quality of life and exacerbates symptoms but may even accelerate the underlying disease process. Despite this, current HD treatment approaches neither consider the impact of commonly used medications on sleep, nor directly tackle sleep dysfunction. In this review, we discuss approaches to these two areas, evaluating not only literature from clinical studies in HD, but also that from parallel neurodegenerative conditions and preclinical models of HD. We conclude by summarizing a hierarchical framework of current medications with regard to their impact on sleep, and by outlining key emerging sleep therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia E. Owen
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Roger A. Barker
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Zanna J. Voysey
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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19
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Petrozziello T, Huntress SS, Castillo-Torres AL, Quinn JP, Connors TR, Auger CA, Mills AN, Kim SE, Liu S, Mahmood F, Boudi A, Wu M, Sapp E, Kivisäkk P, Sunderesh SR, Pouladi MA, Arnold SE, Hyman BT, Rosas HD, DiFiglia M, Mouro Pinto R, Kegel-Gleason K, Sadri-Vakili G. Age-Dependent Increase in Tau Phosphorylation at Serine 396 in Huntington's Disease Prefrontal Cortex. J Huntingtons Dis 2023; 12:267-281. [PMID: 37694372 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-230588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date, it is still controversial whether tau phosphorylation plays a role in Huntington's disease (HD), as previous studies demonstrated either no alterations or increases in phosphorylated tau (pTau) in HD postmortem brain and mouse models. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine whether total tau and pTau levels are altered in HD. METHODS Immunohistochemistry, cellular fractionations, and western blots were used to measure total tau and pTau levels in a large cohort of HD and control postmortem prefrontal cortex (PFC). Furthermore, western blots were performed to assess tau, and pTau levels in HD and control isogenic embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived cortical neurons and neuronal stem cells (NSCs). Similarly, western blots were used to assess tau and pTau levels in HttQ111 and transgenic R6/2 mice. Lastly, total tau levels were assessed in HD and healthy control plasma using Quanterix Simoa assay. RESULTS Our results revealed that, while there was no difference in total tau or pTau levels in HD PFC compared to controls, the levels of tau phosphorylated at S396 were increased in PFC samples from HD patients 60 years or older at time of death. Additionally, tau and pTau levels were not changed in HD ESC-derived cortical neurons and NSCs. Similarly, total tau or pTau levels were not altered in HttQ111 and transgenic R6/2 mice compared to wild-type littermates. Lastly, tau levels were not changed in plasma from a small cohort of HD patients compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS Together these findings demonstrate that pTau-S396 levels increase significantly with age in HD PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Petrozziello
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sommer S Huntress
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - James P Quinn
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Corinne A Auger
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexandra N Mills
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Spencer E Kim
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sophia Liu
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Farah Mahmood
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adel Boudi
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Muzhou Wu
- Center for Genomic Medicine, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellen Sapp
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pia Kivisäkk
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Mahmoud A Pouladi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Steven E Arnold
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bradley T Hyman
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - H Diana Rosas
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marian DiFiglia
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ricardo Mouro Pinto
- Department of Neurology, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Genomic Medicine, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Ghazaleh Sadri-Vakili
- Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General, MassGeneral Brigham, Boston, MA, USA
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20
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Montalbano M, Majmundar L, Sengupta U, Fung L, Kayed R. Pathological tau signatures and nuclear alterations in neurons, astrocytes and microglia in Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Brain Pathol 2023; 33:e13112. [PMID: 36054524 PMCID: PMC9836371 DOI: 10.1111/bpa.13112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of pathological tau aggregates is a prominent feature in tauopathies that leads during the course of the diseases to neuronal dysfunction before and cell death after. Microglia and astrocytes have been described as playing important roles in synaptic spreading of toxic tau in several neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Here, we have investigated the immunological and biochemical properties of aggregated tau species in different brain cell types in tau-induced neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Additionally, we examined nuclear size, nuclear density, and chromatin compaction in neuronal and glial cells from diseased brain tissues. Microscopic-histological examination was performed using in-house mouse monoclonal antibodies for toxic tau conformers (TTC-M1 and TTC-M2) and tau oligomers (TOMA1-4). By immunohistochemistry and co-immunofluorescence assays using TOMA/TTC-Ms and cell-type specific markers for neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, we observed that TOMA/TTC-Ms were immunoreactive to diverse tau species in different cell types. Analysis of colocalization coefficients indicated an increased pathological tau deposition mainly in the neurons. Western blot analysis of brain homogenates using TOMA/TTC-Ms revealed distinct patterns of tau aggregation in each disease, suggesting that TOMA/TTC-Ms can distinguish between different tau aggregates present in different tauopathies. Additionally, using DAPI staining, we observed that neuronal and astrocytic nuclei had significantly greater nuclear area and increased chromatin compaction in AD cortices compared to non-demented controls. In contrast, reduction in nuclear density/area and more relaxed chromatin was noticed in DLB neurons, astrocytes and microglia and PSP astrocytes and microglia. Cell-type specific tropism of toxic tau species in tauopathies will provide a greater understanding of the involvement of different brain cell types in tau pathology. In this study, we observed that each disease presented cell-type specific nuclear phenotype and tau deposition pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Montalbano
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative DisordersUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
| | - Lajja Majmundar
- School of MedicineUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
| | - Urmi Sengupta
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative DisordersUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
| | - Leiana Fung
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative DisordersUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative DisordersUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
- Department of NeurologyUniversity of Texas Medical Branch, UTMBGalvestonTexasUSA
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21
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Mushroom Natural Products in Neurodegenerative Disease Drug Discovery. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233938. [PMID: 36497196 PMCID: PMC9740391 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The variety of drugs available to treat neurodegenerative diseases is limited. Most of these drug's efficacy is restricted by individual genetics and disease stages and usually do not prevent neurodegeneration acting long after irreversible damage has already occurred. Thus, drugs targeting the molecular mechanisms underlying subsequent neurodegeneration have the potential to negate symptom manifestation and subsequent neurodegeneration. Neuroinflammation is a common feature of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and multiple sclerosis, and is associated with the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which in turn leads to neurodegeneration. Inflammasome activation and oligomerisation is suggested to be a major driver of disease progression occurring in microglia. With several natural products and natural product derivatives currently in clinical trials, mushrooms have been highlighted as a rich and largely untapped source of biologically active compounds in both in vitro and in vivo neurodegenerative disease models, partially supported by successful clinical trial evaluations. Additionally, novel high-throughput methods for the screening of natural product compound libraries are being developed to help accelerate the neurodegenerative disease drug discovery process, targeting neuroinflammation. However, the breadth of research relating to mushroom natural product high-throughput screening is limited, providing an exciting opportunity for further detailed investigations.
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22
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Papoutsi M, Flower M, Hensman Moss DJ, Holmans P, Estevez-Fraga C, Johnson EB, Scahill RI, Rees G, Langbehn D, Tabrizi SJ. Intellectual enrichment and genetic modifiers of cognition and brain volume in Huntington's disease. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac279. [PMID: 36519153 PMCID: PMC9732861 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
An important step towards the development of treatments for cognitive impairment in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases is to identify genetic and environmental modifiers of cognitive function and understand the mechanism by which they exert an effect. In Huntington's disease, the most common autosomal dominant dementia, a small number of studies have identified intellectual enrichment, i.e. a cognitively stimulating lifestyle and genetic polymorphisms as potential modifiers of cognitive function. The aim of our study was to further investigate the relationship and interaction between genetic factors and intellectual enrichment on cognitive function and brain atrophy in Huntington's disease. For this purpose, we analysed data from Track-HD, a multi-centre longitudinal study in Huntington's disease gene carriers and focused on the role of intellectual enrichment (estimated at baseline) and the genes FAN1, MSH3, BDNF, COMT and MAPT in predicting cognitive decline and brain atrophy. We found that carrying the 3a allele in the MSH3 gene had a positive effect on global cognitive function and brain atrophy in multiple cortical regions, such that 3a allele carriers had a slower rate of cognitive decline and atrophy compared with non-carriers, in agreement with its role in somatic instability. No other genetic predictor had a significant effect on cognitive function and the effect of MSH3 was independent of intellectual enrichment. Intellectual enrichment also had a positive effect on cognitive function; participants with higher intellectual enrichment, i.e. those who were better educated, had higher verbal intelligence and performed an occupation that was intellectually engaging, had better cognitive function overall, in agreement with previous studies in Huntington's disease and other dementias. We also found that intellectual enrichment interacted with the BDNF gene, such that the positive effect of intellectual enrichment was greater in Met66 allele carriers than non-carriers. A similar relationship was also identified for changes in whole brain and caudate volume; the positive effect of intellectual enrichment was greater for Met66 allele carriers, rather than for non-carriers. In summary, our study provides additional evidence for the beneficial role of intellectual enrichment and carrying the 3a allele in MSH3 in cognitive function in Huntington's disease and their effect on brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Papoutsi
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Ixico plc, London, UK
| | - Michael Flower
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Davina J Hensman Moss
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Holmans
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Carlos Estevez-Fraga
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Eileanoir B Johnson
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Rachael I Scahill
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Geraint Rees
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Douglas Langbehn
- Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Sarah J Tabrizi
- UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at University College London, London, UK
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23
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Rawat P, Sehar U, Bisht J, Selman A, Culberson J, Reddy PH. Phosphorylated Tau in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Tauopathies. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:12841. [PMID: 36361631 PMCID: PMC9654278 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232112841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in elderly people. Amyloid beta (Aβ) deposits and neurofibrillary tangles are the major pathological features in an Alzheimer's brain. These proteins are highly expressed in nerve cells and found in most tissues. Tau primarily provides stabilization to microtubules in the part of axons and dendrites. However, tau in a pathological state becomes hyperphosphorylated, causing tau dysfunction and leading to synaptic impairment and degeneration of neurons. This article presents a summary of the role of tau, phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in AD, and other tauopathies. Tauopathies, including Pick's disease, frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal degeneration, Alzheimer's disease, argyrophilic grain disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Huntington's disease, are the result of misprocessing and accumulation of tau within the neuronal and glial cells. This article also focuses on current research on the post-translational modifications and genetics of tau, tau pathology, the role of tau in tauopathies and the development of new drugs targeting p-tau, and the therapeutics for treating and possibly preventing tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Rawat
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Ujala Sehar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Jasbir Bisht
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Ashley Selman
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - John Culberson
- Department of Family Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - P. Hemachandra Reddy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Nutritional Sciences Department, College Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
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24
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Irfan Z, Khanam S, Karmakar V, Firdous SM, El Khier BSIA, Khan I, Rehman MU, Khan A. Pathogenesis of Huntington's Disease: An Emphasis on Molecular Pathways and Prevention by Natural Remedies. Brain Sci 2022; 12:1389. [PMID: 36291322 PMCID: PMC9599635 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12101389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease is an inherited autosomal dominant trait neuro-degenerative disorder caused by changes (mutations) of a gene called huntingtin (htt) that is located on the short arm (p) of chromosome 4, CAG expansion mutation. It is characterized by unusual movements, cognitive and psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE This review was undertaken to apprehend biological pathways of Huntington's disease (HD) pathogenesis and its management by nature-derived products. Natural products can be lucrative for the management of HD as it shows protection against HD in pre-clinical trials. Advanced research is still required to assess the therapeutic effectiveness of the known organic products and their isolated compounds in HD experimental models. SUMMARY Degeneration of neurons in Huntington's disease is distinguished by progressive loss of motor coordination and muscle function. This is due to the expansion of CAG trinucleotide in the first exon of the htt gene responsible for neuronal death and neuronal network degeneration in the brain. It is believed that the factors such as molecular genetics, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroglia dysfunction, protein aggregation, and altered UPS leads to HD. The defensive effect of the natural product provides therapeutic efficacy against HD. Recent reports on natural drugs have enlightened the protective role against HD via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, and neurofunctional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zainab Irfan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Brainware University, Kolkata 700125, West Bengal, India
| | - Sofia Khanam
- Department of Pharmacology, Calcutta Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology & AHS, Howrah 711316, West Bengal, India
| | - Varnita Karmakar
- Department of Pharmacology, Eminent College of Pharmaceutical Technology, Barasat 700126, West Bengal, India
| | - Sayeed Mohammed Firdous
- Department of Pharmacology, Calcutta Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology & AHS, Howrah 711316, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Ilyas Khan
- Department of Mathematics, College of Science Al-Zulfi, Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah 11952, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muneeb U. Rehman
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Andleeb Khan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
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25
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Drouin-Ouellet J, Legault EM, Nilsson F, Pircs K, Bouquety J, Petit F, Shrigley S, Birtele M, Pereira M, Storm P, Sharma Y, Bruzelius A, Vuono R, Kele M, Stoker TB, Ottosson DR, Falk A, Jakobsson J, Barker RA, Parmar M. Age-related pathological impairments in directly reprogrammed dopaminergic neurons derived from patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:2203-2219. [PMID: 36150382 PMCID: PMC9561608 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We have developed an efficient approach to generate functional induced dopaminergic (DA) neurons from adult human dermal fibroblasts. When performing DA neuronal conversion of patient fibroblasts with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), we could specifically detect disease-relevant pathology in these cells. We show that the patient-derived neurons maintain age-related properties of the donor and exhibit lower basal chaperone-mediated autophagy compared with healthy donors. Furthermore, stress-induced autophagy resulted in an age-dependent accumulation of macroautophagic structures. Finally, we show that these impairments in patient-derived DA neurons leads to an accumulation of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, the classical hallmark of PD pathology. This pathological phenotype is absent in neurons generated from induced pluripotent stem cells from the same patients. Taken together, our results show that direct neural reprogramming can be used for obtaining patient-derived DA neurons, which uniquely function as a cellular model to study age-related pathology relevant to idiopathic PD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emilie M Legault
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Fredrik Nilsson
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Karolina Pircs
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Julie Bouquety
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Florence Petit
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Shelby Shrigley
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Marcella Birtele
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Maria Pereira
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Petter Storm
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Yogita Sharma
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreas Bruzelius
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Romina Vuono
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute & John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Forvie Site, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK; Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, Chatham Maritime, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Malin Kele
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thomas B Stoker
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute & John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Forvie Site, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Daniella Rylander Ottosson
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Anna Falk
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Jakobsson
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Roger A Barker
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute & John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Forvie Site, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Malin Parmar
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Division of Neurobiology and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, BMC A11 and B10, S-221 84 Lund, Sweden.
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26
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White A, McGlone A, Gomez-Pastor R. Protein Kinase CK2 and Its Potential Role as a Therapeutic Target in Huntington's Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:1979. [PMID: 36009526 PMCID: PMC9406209 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10081979] [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: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's Disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the HTT gene, for which no disease modifying therapies are currently available. Much of the recent research has focused on developing therapies to directly lower HTT expression, and while promising, these therapies have presented several challenges regarding administration and efficacy. Another promising therapeutic approach is the modulation of HTT post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are dysregulated in disease and have shown to play a key role in HTT toxicity. Among all PTMs, modulation of HTT phosphorylation has been proposed as an attractive therapeutic option due to the possibility of orally administering specific kinase effectors. One of the kinases described to participate in HTT phosphorylation is Protein Kinase CK2. CK2 has recently emerged as a target for the treatment of several neurological and psychiatric disorders, although its role in HD remains controversial. While pharmacological studies in vitro inhibiting CK2 resulted in reduced HTT phosphorylation and increased toxicity, genetic approaches in mouse models of HD have provided beneficial effects. In this review we discuss potential therapeutic approaches related to the manipulation of HTT-PTMs with special emphasis on the role of CK2 as a therapeutic target in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rocio Gomez-Pastor
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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27
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Garcia‐Moreno H, Prudencio M, Thomas‐Black G, Solanky N, Jansen‐West KR, Hanna AL‐Shaikh R, Heslegrave A, Zetterberg H, Santana MM, Pereira de Almeida L, Vasconcelos‐Ferreira A, Januário C, Infante J, Faber J, Klockgether T, Reetz K, Raposo M, Ferreira AF, Lima M, Schöls L, Synofzik M, Hübener‐Schmid J, Puschmann A, Gorcenco S, Wszolek ZK, Petrucelli L, Giunti P. Tau and neurofilament light-chain as fluid biomarkers in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. Eur J Neurol 2022; 29:2439-2452. [PMID: 35478426 PMCID: PMC9543545 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Clinical trials in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) will require biomarkers for use as outcome measures. METHODS To evaluate total tau (t-tau), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) and neurofilament light-chain (NfL) as fluid biomarkers in SCA3, ATXN3 mutation carriers (n = 143) and controls (n = 172) were clinically assessed, and the plasma concentrations of the four proteins were analysed on the Simoa HD-1 platform. Eleven ATXN3 mutation carrier cerebrospinal fluid samples were analysed for t-tau and phosphorylated tau (p-tau181 ). A transgenic SCA3 mouse model (MJDTg) was used to measure cerebellar t-tau levels. RESULTS Plasma t-tau levels were higher in mutation carriers below the age of 50 compared to controls, and the Inventory of Non-Ataxia Signs was associated with t-tau in ataxic patients (p = 0.004). Pre-ataxic carriers showed higher cerebrospinal fluid t-tau and p-tau181 concentrations compared to ataxic patients (p = 0.025 and p = 0.014, respectively). Cerebellar t-tau was elevated in MJDTg mice compared to wild-type (p = 0.033) only in the early stages of the disease. GFAP and UCHL1 did not show higher levels in mutation carriers compared to controls. Plasma NfL concentrations were higher in mutation carriers compared to controls, and differences were greater for younger carriers. The Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia was the strongest predictor of NfL in ataxic patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Our results suggest that tau might be a marker of early disease stages in SCA3. NfL can discriminate mutation carriers from controls and is associated with different clinical variables. Longitudinal studies are required to confirm their potential role as biomarkers in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hector Garcia‐Moreno
- Ataxia CentreDepartment of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK,Department of NeurogeneticsNational Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Mercedes Prudencio
- Department of NeuroscienceMayo ClinicJacksonvilleFloridaUSA,Neuroscience Graduate ProgramMayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical SciencesJacksonvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Gilbert Thomas‐Black
- Ataxia CentreDepartment of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK,Department of NeurogeneticsNational Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Nita Solanky
- Ataxia CentreDepartment of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK,Department of NeurogeneticsNational Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | | | | | - Amanda Heslegrave
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK,UK Dementia Research Institute at UCLLondonUK
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK,UK Dementia Research Institute at UCLLondonUK,Department of Psychiatry and NeurochemistryInstitute of Neuroscience and Physiologythe Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of GothenburgMölndalSweden,Clinical Neurochemistry LaboratorySahlgrenska University HospitalMölndalSweden
| | - Magda M. Santana
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell BiologyUniversity of CoimbraCoimbraPortugal
| | | | | | | | - Jon Infante
- Neurology ServiceUniversity Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla‐IDIVALUniversity of CantabriaCentro de Investigación en Red de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED)SantanderSpain
| | - Jennifer Faber
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital BonnBonnGermany,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)BonnGermany
| | - Thomas Klockgether
- Department of NeurologyUniversity Hospital BonnBonnGermany,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)BonnGermany
| | - Kathrin Reetz
- Department of NeurologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany,JARA‐BRAIN Institute Molecular Neuroscience and NeuroimagingForschungszentrum JülichRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Mafalda Raposo
- Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaUniversidade dos AçoresPonta DelgadaPortugal,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Ana F. Ferreira
- Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaUniversidade dos AçoresPonta DelgadaPortugal,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Manuela Lima
- Faculdade de Ciências e TecnologiaUniversidade dos AçoresPonta DelgadaPortugal,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Ludger Schöls
- Department for Neurodegenerative DiseasesHertie‐Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center for NeurologyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
| | - Matthis Synofzik
- Department for Neurodegenerative DiseasesHertie‐Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center for NeurologyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany,German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)TübingenGermany
| | | | - Andreas Puschmann
- Lund University, Skåne University HospitalClinical Sciences, NeurologyLundSweden
| | - Sorina Gorcenco
- Lund University, Skåne University HospitalClinical Sciences, NeurologyLundSweden
| | | | - Leonard Petrucelli
- Department of NeuroscienceMayo ClinicJacksonvilleFloridaUSA,Neuroscience Graduate ProgramMayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical SciencesJacksonvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Paola Giunti
- Ataxia CentreDepartment of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK,Department of NeurogeneticsNational Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryUniversity College London Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
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28
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Petry S, Nateghi B, Keraudren R, Sergeant N, Planel E, Hébert SS, St-Amour I. Differential Regulation of Tau Exon 2 and 10 Isoforms in Huntington's Disease Brain. Neuroscience 2022; 518:54-63. [PMID: 35868517 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of CAG repeats in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Accumulating evidence suggests that the microtubule-associated tau protein participates in the pathogenesis of HD. Recently, we have identified changes in tau alternative splicing of exons 2, 3 and 10 in the putamen of HD patients (St-Amour et al, 2018). In this study, we sought to determine whether tau mis-splicing events were equally observed in other brain regions that are less prone to neurodegeneration. Using Western blot and PCR, we characterized the relationship between MAPT splicing of exons 2, 3 and 10, tauopathy and Htt pathologies, as well as neurodegeneration markers in matching putamen and cortical samples from HD (N = 48) and healthy control (N = 25) subjects. We first show that levels of 4R-tau (exon 10 inclusion) isoforms are higher in both the putamen and the cortex of individuals with HD, consistent with earlier findings. On the other hand, higher 0N-tau (exclusion of exons 2 and 3) and lower 1N-tau (exclusion of exon 3) isoforms were seen exclusively in the putamen of HD individuals. Interestingly, investigated splicing factors were deregulated in both regions whereas exon 2 differences coincided with increased tau hyperphosphorylation, aggregation and markers of neurodegeneration. Overall, these results imply a differential regulation of tau exon 2 and exon 10 alternative splicing in HD putamen that could provide a useful biomarker or therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Petry
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, Canada
| | - Behnaz Nateghi
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, Canada
| | - Rémi Keraudren
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, Canada
| | - Nicolas Sergeant
- Inserm, CHU Lille, University of Lille, Lille, France; Alzheimer and Tauopathies, LabEx DISTALZ, Lille France
| | - Emmanuel Planel
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, Canada; Faculté de médecine, Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Sébastien S Hébert
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, Canada; Faculté de médecine, Département de psychiatrie et de neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
| | - Isabelle St-Amour
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, CHUL, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, Canada; CERVO Brain Research Centre, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et des Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Québec, Canada; Faculté de pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
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29
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Martí-Martínez S, Valor LM. A Glimpse of Molecular Biomarkers in Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23105411. [PMID: 35628221 PMCID: PMC9142992 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG repeats in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Although the main symptomatology is explained by alterations at the level of the central nervous system, predominantly affecting the basal ganglia, a peripheral component of the disease is being increasingly acknowledged. Therefore, the manifestation of the disease is complex and variable among CAG expansion carriers, introducing uncertainty in the appearance of specific signs, age of onset and severity of disease. The monogenic nature of the disorder allows a precise diagnosis, but the use of biomarkers with prognostic value is still needed to achieve clinical management of the patients in an individual manner. In addition, we need tools to evaluate the patient's response to potential therapeutic approaches. In this review, we provide a succinct summary of the most interesting molecular biomarkers that have been assessed in patients, mostly obtained from body fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid, peripheral blood and saliva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Martí-Martínez
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain;
| | - Luis M. Valor
- Laboratorio de Apoyo a la Investigación, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), 03010 Alicante, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-965-913-988
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30
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Alpaugh M, Masnata M, de Rus Jacquet A, Lepinay E, Denis HL, Saint-Pierre M, Davies P, Planel E, Cicchetti F. Passive immunization against phosphorylated tau improves features of Huntington's disease pathology. Mol Ther 2022; 30:1500-1522. [PMID: 35051614 PMCID: PMC9077324 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is classically described as a neurodegenerative disorder of monogenic aetiology. The disease is characterized by an abnormal polyglutamine expansion in the huntingtin gene, which drives the toxicity of the mutated form of the protein. However, accumulation of the microtubule-associated protein tau, which is involved in a number of neurological disorders, has also been observed in patients with Huntington's disease. In order to unravel the contribution of tau hyperphosphorylation to hallmark features of Huntington's disease, we administered weekly intraperitoneal injections of the anti-tau pS202 CP13 monoclonal antibody to zQ175 mice and characterized the resulting behavioral and biochemical changes. After 12 weeks of treatment, motor impairments, cognitive performance and general health were improved in zQ175 mice along with a significant reduction in hippocampal pS202 tau levels. Despite the lack of effect of CP13 on neuronal markers associated with Huntington's disease pathology, tau-targeting enzymes and gliosis, CP13 was shown to directly impact mutant huntingtin aggregation such that brain levels of amyloid fibrils and huntingtin oligomers were decreased, while larger huntingtin protein aggregates were increased. Investigation of CP13 treatment of Huntington's disease patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) revealed a reduction in pS202 levels in differentiated cortical neurons and a rescue of neurite length. Collectively, these findings suggest that attenuating tau pathology could mitigate behavioral and molecular hallmarks associated with Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Alpaugh
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada
| | - Maria Masnata
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada
| | - Aurelie de Rus Jacquet
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada
| | - Eva Lepinay
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada
| | - Hélèna L Denis
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada
| | - Martine Saint-Pierre
- Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada
| | - Peter Davies
- Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Emmanuel Planel
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada
| | - Francesca Cicchetti
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1K 0A6, Canada.
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31
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Liang SY, Wang ZT, Tan L, Yu JT. Tau Toxicity in Neurodegeneration. Mol Neurobiol 2022; 59:3617-3634. [PMID: 35359226 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-022-02809-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein widely distributed in the central nervous system (CNS). The main function of tau is to promote the assembly of microtubules and stabilize their structure. After a long period of research on neurodegenerative diseases, the function and dysfunction of the microtubule-associated protein tau in neurodegenerative diseases and tau neurotoxicity have attracted increasing attention. Tauopathies are a series of progressive neurodegenerative diseases caused by pathological changes in tau, such as abnormal phosphorylation. The pathological features of tauopathies are the deposition of abnormally phosphorylated tau proteins and the aggregation of tau proteins in neurons. This article first describes the normal physiological function and dysfunction of tau proteins and then discusses the enzymes and proteins involved in tau phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, the role of tau in cell dysfunction, and the relationships between tau and several neurodegenerative diseases. The study of tau neurotoxicity provides new directions for the treatment of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yu Liang
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, No.5 Donghai Middle Road, Qingdao, China
| | - Zuo-Teng Wang
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, College of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Lan Tan
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, No.5 Donghai Middle Road, Qingdao, China. .,Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, College of Medicine and Pharmaceutics, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.
| | - Jin-Tai Yu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, 12th Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai, 200040, China.
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32
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Ramírez-Jarquín UN, Sharma M, Shahani N, Li Y, Boregowda S, Subramaniam S. Rhes protein transits from neuron to neuron and facilitates mutant huntingtin spreading in the brain. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm3877. [PMID: 35319973 PMCID: PMC8942366 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm3877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Rhes (RASD2) is a thyroid hormone-induced gene that regulates striatal motor activity and promotes neurodegeneration in Huntington disease (HD) and tauopathy. Rhes moves and transports the HD protein, polyglutamine-expanded huntingtin (mHTT), via tunneling nanotube (TNT)-like membranous protrusions between cultured neurons. However, similar intercellular Rhes transportation in the intact brain was unknown. Here, we report that Rhes induces TNT-like protrusions in the striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) and transported between dopamine-1 receptor (D1R)-MSNs and D2R-MSNs of intact striatum and organotypic brain slices. Notably, mHTT is robustly transported within the striatum and from the striatum to the cortical areas in the brain, and Rhes deletion diminishes such transport. Moreover, Rhes moves to the cortical regions following restricted expression in the MSNs of the striatum. Thus, Rhes is a first striatum-enriched protein demonstrated to move and transport mHTT between neurons and brain regions, providing new insights into interneuronal protein transport in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manish Sharma
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Neelam Shahani
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yuqing Li
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Siddaraju Boregowda
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Srinivasa Subramaniam
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, 130 Scripps Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
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33
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da Silva IDS, Apolinário TA, de Andrade Agostinho L, Paiva CLA. Investigation of the Influence of TBP CAG/CAA Repeats in Conjunction with HTT CAG Repeats on Huntington's Disease Age at Onset in a Brazilian Sample. J Mol Neurosci 2022; 72:1116-1124. [PMID: 35275350 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-021-01938-z] [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: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative progressive and fatal disease characterized by motor disorder, cognitive impairment, and behavioral problems, caused by expanded repeats of CAG trinucleotides in the HTT gene. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of TBP gene CAG/CAA repeats in conjunction with HTT gene CAG repeats, on the age at HD onset in Brazilian individuals. Individuals diagnosed as molecularly negative for HD presented 29-39 TBP CAG/CAA. Their most frequent allele had 36 repeats. In individuals diagnosed as molecularly positive for HD, a range of 25-40 TBP CAG/ CAA was found. The most frequent TBP allele had 38 repeats. We also conducted TBP direct Sanger sequencing of some samples which demonstrated other four TBP structures different from the basic TBP structure and others reported in the literature. The HTT expanded CAG and TBP CAG/CAA repeat sizes jointly explained 66% of the age at onset (AO) in our HD patients. The strongest variable in the model associated with AO was the number of expanded HTT CAG repeats. The difference between the association of HD AO with HTT expanded CAG together with TBP CAG/CAA and the association of HD AO with HTT expanded CAG was 0.001 (∆R2). Therefore, we found a weak association (0.1%) of TBP CAG/CAA repeats on HD AO, if any.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iane Dos Santos da Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Molecular e Celular (PPGBMC), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Luciana de Andrade Agostinho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurologia, (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
- Centro Universitário UNIFAMINAS, Muriae, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Carmen Lucia Antão Paiva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Molecular e Celular (PPGBMC), Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurologia, (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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34
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Kovacs GG, Ghetti B, Goedert M. Classification of Diseases with Accumulation of Tau Protein. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2022; 48:e12792. [PMID: 35064600 PMCID: PMC9352145 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabor G Kovacs
- Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Laboratory Medicine Program & Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bernardino Ghetti
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana, USA
| | - Michel Goedert
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, UK
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35
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Mees I, Li S, Beauchamp LC, Barnham KJ, Dutschmann M, Hannan AJ, Renoir T. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function studies refute the hypothesis that tau protein is causally involved in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:1997-2009. [PMID: 34999772 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Tau is a microtubule-associated protein, whose abnormal phosphorylation and deposition in the brain characterizes a range of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. Recent clinical (post-mortem) and pre-clinical evidence suggests that Huntington's disease (HD), an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, could be considered as a tauopathy. Studies have found the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau, altered tau isoform ratio and aggregated tau in HD brains. However, little is known about the implication of tau in the development of HD pathophysiology, which includes motor, cognitive and affective symptoms. To shine a light on the involvement of tau in HD, our present study aimed at (i) knocking out tau expression and (ii) expressing a transgene encoding mutant human tau in the R6/1 mouse model of HD. We hypothesized that expression of the mutant human tau transgene in HD mice would worsen the HD phenotype, while knocking out endogenous mouse tau in HD mice would improve some behavioural deficits display by HD mice. Our data suggests that neither the expression of a tau transgene nor the ablation of tau expression impacted the progression of the HD motor, cognitive and affective phenotypes. Supporting these behavioural findings, we also found that modulating tau expression had no effect on brain weights in HD mice. We also report that expression of the tau transgene increased the weight of WT and HD male mice, whereas tau ablation increased the weight of HD females only. Together, our results indicate that tau might not be as important in regulating the progression of HD symptomatology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaline Mees
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Shanshan Li
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Leah C Beauchamp
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia.,Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kevin J Barnham
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia.,Melbourne Dementia Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mathias Dutschmann
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Thibault Renoir
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
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36
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Strauß T, Marvian-Tayaranian A, Sadikoglou E, Dhingra A, Wegner F, Trümbach D, Wurst W, Heutink P, Schwarz SC, Höglinger GU. iPS Cell-Based Model for MAPT Haplotype as a Risk Factor for Human Tauopathies Identifies No Major Differences in TAU Expression. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:726866. [PMID: 34532319 PMCID: PMC8438159 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.726866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The H1 haplotype of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene is a common genetic risk factor for some neurodegenerative diseases such as progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, and Parkinson's disease. The molecular mechanism causing the increased risk for the named diseases, however, remains unclear. In this paper, we present a valuable tool of eight small molecule neural precursor cell lines (smNPC) homozygous for the MAPT haplotypes (four H1/H1 and four H2/H2 cell lines), which can be used to identify MAPT-dependent phenotypes. The employed differentiation protocol is fast due to overexpression of NEUROGENIN-2 and therefore suitable for high-throughput approaches. A basic characterization of all human cell lines was performed, and their TAU and α-SYNUCLEIN profiles were compared during a differentiation time of 30 days. We could identify higher levels of conformationally altered TAU in cell lines carrying the H2 haplotype. Additionally, we found increased expression levels of α-SYNUCLEIN in H1/H1 cells. With this resource, we aim to fill a gap in neurodegenerative disease modeling with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) for sporadic tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabea Strauß
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Amir Marvian-Tayaranian
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Eldem Sadikoglou
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ashutosh Dhingra
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Florian Wegner
- Department of Neurology, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hanover, Germany
| | - Dietrich Trümbach
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Wurst
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Peter Heutink
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany
- Department for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sigrid C. Schwarz
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Geriatric Clinic Haag, Haag in Oberbayern, Germany
| | - Günter U. Höglinger
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Hanover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Hanover, Germany
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37
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Bettencourt C, Miki Y, Piras IS, de Silva R, Foti SC, Talboom JS, Revesz T, Lashley T, Balazs R, Viré E, Warner TT, Huentelman MJ, Holton JL. MOBP and HIP1 in multiple system atrophy: New α-synuclein partners in glial cytoplasmic inclusions implicated in the disease pathogenesis. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2021; 47:640-652. [PMID: 33368549 PMCID: PMC8219819 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Similar to Parkinson's disease (PD), MSA is an α-synucleinopathy, and its pathological hallmark consists of glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) containing α-synuclein (SNCA) in oligodendrocytes. We previously identified consistent changes in myelin-associated oligodendrocyte basic protein (MOBP) and huntingtin interacting protein 1 (HIP1) DNA methylation status in MSA. We hypothesized that if differential DNA methylation at these loci is mechanistically relevant for MSA, it should have downstream consequences on gene regulation. METHODS We investigated the relationship between MOBP and HIP1 DNA methylation and mRNA levels in cerebellar white matter from MSA and healthy controls. Additionally, we analysed protein expression using western blotting, immunohistochemistry and proximity ligation assays. RESULTS We found decreased MOBP mRNA levels significantly correlated with increased DNA methylation in MSA. For HIP1, we found a distinct relationship between DNA methylation and gene expression levels in MSA compared to healthy controls, suggesting this locus may be subjected to epigenetic remodelling in MSA. Although soluble protein levels for MOBP and HIP1 in cerebellar white matter were not significantly different between MSA cases and controls, we found striking differences between MSA and other neurodegenerative diseases, including PD and Huntington's disease. We also found that MOBP and HIP1 are mislocalized into the GCIs in MSA, where they appear to interact with SNCA. CONCLUSIONS This study supports a role for DNA methylation in downregulation of MOBP mRNA in MSA. Most importantly, the identification of MOBP and HIP1 as new constituents of GCIs emphasizes the relevance of these two loci to the pathogenesis of MSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conceição Bettencourt
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
| | - Yasuo Miki
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of NeuropathologyInstitute of Brain ScienceHirosaki University Graduate School of MedicineHirosakiJapan
| | - Ignazio S. Piras
- Neurogenomics DivisionTranslational Genomics Research InstitutePhoenixAZUSA
| | - Rohan de Silva
- Department of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Reta Lila Weston InstituteUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
| | - Sandrine C. Foti
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
| | - Joshua S. Talboom
- Neurogenomics DivisionTranslational Genomics Research InstitutePhoenixAZUSA
| | - Tamas Revesz
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Reta Lila Weston InstituteUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
| | - Tammaryn Lashley
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
| | - Robert Balazs
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
| | | | - Thomas T. Warner
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Reta Lila Weston InstituteUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
| | - Matt J. Huentelman
- Neurogenomics DivisionTranslational Genomics Research InstitutePhoenixAZUSA
| | - Janice L. Holton
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological DisordersUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
- Department of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesUCL Queen Square Institute of NeurologyLondonUK
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Schulze Westhoff M, Osmanovic A, Meissner C, Heck J, Mahmoudi N, Hendrich C, Berding G, Seifert J, Bleich S, Frieling H, Krüger T, Groh A. An unusual presentation of Huntington's disease. Clin Case Rep 2021; 9:e04547. [PMID: 34295499 PMCID: PMC8283861 DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.4547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
We describe the case of a 59-year-old woman who exhibited psychotic symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, and restlessness. While the clinical picture and 18F-FDG PET/CT suggested the presence of a tauopathy, especially frontotemporal dementia or progressive supranuclear palsy, genetic testing eventually revealed Huntington's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Schulze Westhoff
- Department of PsychiatrySocial Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Alma Osmanovic
- Department of NeurologyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Catharina Meissner
- Department of PsychiatrySocial Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Johannes Heck
- Institute for Clinical PharmacologyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Nima Mahmoudi
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional NeuroradiologyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Corinna Hendrich
- Institute for Human GeneticsHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Georg Berding
- Department of Nuclear MedicineHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Johanna Seifert
- Department of PsychiatrySocial Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Stefan Bleich
- Department of PsychiatrySocial Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Helge Frieling
- Department of PsychiatrySocial Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Tillmann Krüger
- Department of PsychiatrySocial Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - Adrian Groh
- Department of PsychiatrySocial Psychiatry and PsychotherapyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
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When Good Kinases Go Rogue: GSK3, p38 MAPK and CDKs as Therapeutic Targets for Alzheimer's and Huntington's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22115911. [PMID: 34072862 PMCID: PMC8199025 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22115911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a mostly sporadic brain disorder characterized by cognitive decline resulting from selective neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex whereas Huntington's disease (HD) is a monogenic inherited disorder characterized by motor abnormalities and psychiatric disturbances resulting from selective neurodegeneration in the striatum. Although there have been numerous clinical trials for these diseases, they have been unsuccessful. Research conducted over the past three decades by a large number of laboratories has demonstrated that abnormal actions of common kinases play a key role in the pathogenesis of both AD and HD as well as several other neurodegenerative diseases. Prominent among these kinases are glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and some of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). After a brief summary of the molecular and cell biology of AD and HD this review covers what is known about the role of these three groups of kinases in the brain and in the pathogenesis of the two neurodegenerative disorders. The potential of targeting GSK3, p38 MAPK and CDKS as effective therapeutics is also discussed as is a brief discussion on the utilization of recently developed drugs that simultaneously target two or all three of these groups of kinases. Multi-kinase inhibitors either by themselves or in combination with strategies currently being used such as immunotherapy or secretase inhibitors for AD and knockdown for HD could represent a more effective therapeutic approach for these fatal neurodegenerative diseases.
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Konstantoulea K, Louros N, Rousseau F, Schymkowitz J. Heterotypic interactions in amyloid function and disease. FEBS J 2021; 289:2025-2046. [PMID: 33460517 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid aggregation results from the self-assembly of identical aggregation-prone sequences into cross-beta-sheet structures. The process is best known for its association with a wide range of human pathologies but also as a functional mechanism in all kingdoms of life. Less well elucidated is the role of heterotypic interactions between amyloids and other proteins and macromolecules and how this contributes to disease. We here review current data with a focus on neurodegenerative amyloid-associated diseases. Evidence indicates that heterotypic interactions occur in a wide range of amyloid processes and that these interactions modify fundamental aspects of amyloid aggregation including seeding, aggregation rates and toxicity. More work is required to understand the mechanistic origin of these interactions, but current understanding suggests that both supersaturation and sequence-specific binding can contribute to heterotypic amyloid interactions. Further unravelling these mechanisms may help to answer outstanding questions in the field including the selective vulnerability of cells types and tissues and the stereotypical spreading patterns of amyloids in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Konstantoulea
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.,Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nikolaos Louros
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.,Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Frederic Rousseau
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.,Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joost Schymkowitz
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.,Switch Laboratory, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Current and future applications of induced pluripotent stem cell-based models to study pathological proteins in neurodegenerative disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:2685-2706. [PMID: 33495544 PMCID: PMC8505258 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00999-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders emerge from the failure of intricate cellular mechanisms, which ultimately lead to the loss of vulnerable neuronal populations. Research conducted across several laboratories has now provided compelling evidence that pathogenic proteins can also contribute to non-cell autonomous toxicity in several neurodegenerative contexts, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases as well as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Given the nearly ubiquitous nature of abnormal protein accumulation in such disorders, elucidating the mechanisms and routes underlying these processes is essential to the development of effective treatments. To this end, physiologically relevant human in vitro models are critical to understand the processes surrounding uptake, release and nucleation under physiological or pathological conditions. This review explores the use of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to study prion-like protein propagation in neurodegenerative diseases, discusses advantages and limitations of this model, and presents emerging technologies that, combined with the use of iPSC-based models, will provide powerful model systems to propel fundamental research forward.
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Apolinário TA, Rodrigues DC, Lemos MB, Antão Paiva CL, Agostinho LA. Distribution of the HTT Gene A1 and A2 Haplotypes Worldwide: A Systematic Review. Clin Med Res 2020; 18:145-152. [PMID: 32878904 PMCID: PMC7735449 DOI: 10.3121/cmr.2020.1523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD)(MIM:143100) is an severe autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by the dynamic expansion of CAG trinucleotides (> 35) in the HTT gene [Genomic Coordinates- (GRCh38):4:3,074,680-3,243,959]. OBJECTIVES The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the reported associations between the frequencies of the A1 and A2 haplotypes in HD-affected and non-affected populations from different countries on different continents, in order to demonstrate the overall profile of these haplotypes worldwide, pointing towards the most frequent haplotypes that could be useful for HTT mutant-specific allele silencing in different populations. METHODS Publications in MEDLINE (PubMed) and Embase from the last 10 years (PROSPERO CRD42018115282) were assessed. RESULTS A total of 20 articles from 113 were selected for evaluation in their entirety, and eight were eligible for this study. CONCLUSION Regardless of the size of the CAG tract, the articles included in this review demonstrate that populations with high HD prevalence present higher frequencies of the A1 or A2 haplotypes than populations exhibiting low HD prevalence, even when similar average CAG numbers are noted. Based on the presented articles, we suggest that the haplotypic profile is more closely related to the ancestral origin than to the size of the CAG tract. The identification of populations presenting a higher frequency of high-risk genotypes can contribute to more accurate genetic counseling, in addition to providing knowledge on HD epidemiology. According to the continued progress in the development of specific genetic silencing therapies by different research groups and pharmaceutical companies, such as haplotype targeting strategies for allele-specific HTT suppression, we conclude that the definition of haplotypes in phase with CAG expansions will contribute to the design of gene-silencing drugs specific for different populations worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thays Andrade Apolinário
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Dionatan Costa Rodrigues
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Mayra Braga Lemos
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Instituto Bimédico, UNIRIO, RJ, Brazil
| | - Carmen Lúcia Antão Paiva
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Instituto Bimédico, UNIRIO, RJ, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, UNIRIO, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luciana Andrade Agostinho
- Graduate Program in Neurology, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- University Center UNIFAMINAS - UNIFAMINAS, Muriaé, MG, Brazil
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Sawant N, Reddy PH. Role of Phosphorylated Tau and Glucose Synthase Kinase 3 Beta in Huntington's Disease Progression. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 72:S177-S191. [PMID: 31744007 DOI: 10.3233/jad-190851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of our article is to critically assess the role of phosphorylated tau in Huntington's disease (HD) progression and pathogenesis. HD is a fatal and pure genetic disease, characterized by chorea, seizures, involuntary movements, dystonia, cognitive decline, intellectual impairment, and emotional disturbances. HD is caused by expanded polyglutamine (polyQ or CAG) repeats within the exon 1 of the HD gene. HD has an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance with genetic anticipation. Although the HD gene was discovered 26 years ago, there is no complete understanding of how mutant huntingtin (mHTT) selectively targets medium spiny projection neurons in the basal ganglia of the brain in patients with HD. Several years of intense research revealed that multiple cellular changes are involved in disease process, including transcriptional dysregulation, mitochondrial abnormalities and impaired bioenergetics, defective axonal transport, calcium dyshomeostasis, synaptic damage and caspase, and NMDAR activations. Recent research also revealed that phosphorylated tau and defective GSK-3β signaling are strongly linked to progression of the disease. This article summarizes the recent developments of cellular and pathological changes in disease progression of HD. This article also highlights recent developments in phosphorylated tau and defective GSK-3β signaling and the involvement of calcineurin in HD progression and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Sawant
- Internal Medicine Department, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - P Hemachandra Reddy
- Internal Medicine Department, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Garrison Institute on Aging, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Cell Biology & Biochemistry Department, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Pharmacology & Neuroscience Department, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Neurology Department, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Departments, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA.,Garrison Institute on Aging, South West Campus, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
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Abstract
Tau, a microtubule-associated protein, plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of neurons. However, whether tau protein is expressed in smooth muscle cells is unknown. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that tau protein is expressed in the primary cultures of smooth muscle cells. Here, we report that tau protein is expressed and constitutively phosphorylated at threonine 181 in various smooth muscle cell types, including human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, bronchial airway smooth muscle cells, and cerebral artery smooth muscle cells. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that phosphorylated tau at threonine 181 is more organized in the cell than is total tau protein. A protein phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A, induced the formation of higher molecular weight species of phosphorylated tau, as visualized by Western blotting, indicating the occurrence of tau aggregation. Immunofluorescence analysis also showed that calyculin A caused the aggregation of phosphorylated tau and disrupted the cytoskeletal organization. These results demonstrate the existence of tau protein in smooth muscle cells, and that smooth muscle tau is susceptible to protein phosphorylation and aggregation. Lung smooth muscle tau may therefore play an important role in pulmonary pathophysiology.
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45
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Burchfiel ET, Vihervaara A, Guertin MJ, Gomez-Pastor R, Thiele DJ. Comparative interactomes of HSF1 in stress and disease reveal a role for CTCF in HSF1-mediated gene regulation. J Biol Chem 2020; 296:100097. [PMID: 33208463 PMCID: PMC7948500 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.015452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) orchestrates cellular stress protection by activating or repressing gene transcription in response to protein misfolding, oncogenic cell proliferation, and other environmental stresses. HSF1 is tightly regulated via intramolecular repressive interactions, post-translational modifications, and protein-protein interactions. How these HSF1 regulatory protein interactions are altered in response to acute and chronic stress is largely unknown. To elucidate the profile of HSF1 protein interactions under normal growth and chronic and acutely stressful conditions, quantitative proteomics studies identified interacting proteins in the response to heat shock or in the presence of a poly-glutamine aggregation protein cell-based model of Huntington's disease. These studies identified distinct protein interaction partners of HSF1 as well as changes in the magnitude of shared interactions as a function of each stressful condition. Several novel HSF1-interacting proteins were identified that encompass a wide variety of cellular functions, including roles in DNA repair, mRNA processing, and regulation of RNA polymerase II. One HSF1 partner, CTCF, interacted with HSF1 in a stress-inducible manner and functions in repression of specific HSF1 target genes. Understanding how HSF1 regulates gene repression is a crucial question, given the dysregulation of HSF1 target genes in both cancer and neurodegeneration. These studies expand our understanding of HSF1-mediated gene repression and provide key insights into HSF1 regulation via protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen T Burchfiel
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anniina Vihervaara
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Michael J Guertin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Rocio Gomez-Pastor
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dennis J Thiele
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
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Masnata M, Salem S, de Rus Jacquet A, Anwer M, Cicchetti F. Targeting Tau to Treat Clinical Features of Huntington's Disease. Front Neurol 2020; 11:580732. [PMID: 33329322 PMCID: PMC7710872 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.580732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by severe motor, cognitive and psychiatric impairments. While motor deficits often confirm diagnosis, cognitive dysfunctions usually manifest early in the disease process and are consistently ranked among the leading factors that impact the patients' quality of life. The genetic component of HD, a mutation in the huntingtin (HTT) gene, is traditionally presented as the main contributor to disease pathology. However, accumulating evidence suggests the implication of the microtubule-associated tau protein to the pathogenesis and therefore, proposes an alternative conceptual framework where tau and mutant huntingtin (mHTT) act conjointly to drive neurodegeneration and cognitive dysfunction. This perspective on disease etiology offers new avenues to design therapeutic interventions and could leverage decades of research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies to rapidly advance drug discovery. In this mini review, we examine the breadth of tau-targeting treatments currently tested in the preclinical and clinical settings for AD and other tauopathies, and discuss the potential application of these strategies to HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Masnata
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Shireen Salem
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Aurelie de Rus Jacquet
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Mehwish Anwer
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Francesca Cicchetti
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Psychiatrie & Neurosciences, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
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Martinez-Horta S, Sampedro F, Horta-Barba A, Perez-Perez J, Pagonabarraga J, Gomez-Anson B, Kulisevsky J. Structural brain correlates of dementia in Huntington's disease. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 28:102415. [PMID: 32979842 PMCID: PMC7519361 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Dementia may occur in the early stages of HD and with independence of disease burden. More severe posterior-cortical atrophy is associated with dementia in HD. Neuropsychological alterations of dementia in HD extends beyond executive dysfunction. CAG-independent neuropathological mechanisms may contribute to dementia in HD.
Background Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal genetic neurodegenerative disorder with no effective treatment currently available. Progressive basal ganglia and whole-brain atrophy and concurrent cognitive deterioration are prototypical aspects of HD. However, the specific patterns of brain atrophy underlying cognitive impairment of different severity in HD are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the specific structural brain correlates of major cognitive deficits in HD and to explore its association with neuropsychological indicators. Participants Thirty-five symptomatic early-to-mild HD patients and 15 healthy controls (HC) with available T1-MRI imaging were included in this study. Methods In this cross-sectional study, HD patients were classified as patients with (HD-Dem) and without (HD-ND) major cognitive impairment in the range of dementia. This classification was based on previously validated PD-CRS cutoff scores for HD. Differences in brain atrophy across groups were studied by means of grey-matter volume voxel-based morphometry (GMV-VBM) and cortical thickness (Cth). Voxelwise and vertexwise general linear models were used to assess the group comparisons, controlling for the effects of age, sex, education, CAG repeat length and severity of motor symptoms. Clusters surviving p < 0.05 and family-wise error (FWE) correction were considered statistically significant. In order to characterize the impact on cognitive performance of the observed brain differences across groups, GMV and Cth values in the set of significant regions were computed and correlated with specific neuropsychological tests. Results All groups had similar sociodemographic profiles, and the HD groups did not significantly differ in terms of CAG repeat length. Compared to HC, both HD groups exhibited significant atrophy in multiple subcortical and parietal brain regions. However, compared to HC and HD-ND groups, HD-Dem patients showed a more prominent pattern of reduced GMV and cortical thinning. Importantly, this thinning was restricted to regions of the parietal-temporal and occipital cortices. Furthermore, these brain alterations were further associated with poorer cognitive performance in tasks assessing frontal-executive and attention domains as well as memory, language and constructional abilities. Conclusions Major cognitive impairment in the range of dementia in HD is associated with brain and cognitive alterations exceeding the prototypical frontal-executive deficits commonly recognized in HD. The observed posterior-cortical damage identified by MRI and its association with memory, language, and visuoconstructive dysfunction suggest a strong involvement of extra-striatal atrophy in the onset of severe cognitive dysfunction in HD patients. Critically, major cognitive impairment in this sample was not associated with CAG repeat length, age or education. This finding could support a possible involvement of additional neuropathological mechanisms aggravating cognitive deterioration in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saul Martinez-Horta
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain; Autonomous University of Barcelona, Department of Medicine, Spain; European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN), Spain
| | - Frederic Sampedro
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain
| | - Andrea Horta-Barba
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain; European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN), Spain
| | - Jesús Perez-Perez
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain; Autonomous University of Barcelona, Department of Medicine, Spain; European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN), Spain
| | - Javier Pagonabarraga
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain; Autonomous University of Barcelona, Department of Medicine, Spain; European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN), Spain
| | - Beatriz Gomez-Anson
- Neuroradiology, Radiology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaime Kulisevsky
- Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Institute (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Spain; Autonomous University of Barcelona, Department of Medicine, Spain; European Huntington's Disease Network (EHDN), Spain.
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Tabrizi SJ, Flower MD, Ross CA, Wild EJ. Huntington disease: new insights into molecular pathogenesis and therapeutic opportunities. Nat Rev Neurol 2020; 16:529-546. [PMID: 32796930 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-020-0389-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene (HTT) and involves a complex web of pathogenic mechanisms. Mutant HTT (mHTT) disrupts transcription, interferes with immune and mitochondrial function, and is aberrantly modified post-translationally. Evidence suggests that the mHTT RNA is toxic, and at the DNA level, somatic CAG repeat expansion in vulnerable cells influences the disease course. Genome-wide association studies have identified DNA repair pathways as modifiers of somatic instability and disease course in HD and other repeat expansion diseases. In animal models of HD, nucleocytoplasmic transport is disrupted and its restoration is neuroprotective. Novel cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma biomarkers are among the earliest detectable changes in individuals with premanifest HD and have the sensitivity to detect therapeutic benefit. Therapeutically, the first human trial of an HTT-lowering antisense oligonucleotide successfully, and safely, reduced the CSF concentration of mHTT in individuals with HD. A larger trial, powered to detect clinical efficacy, is underway, along with trials of other HTT-lowering approaches. In this Review, we discuss new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of HD and future therapeutic strategies, including the modulation of DNA repair and targeting the DNA mutation itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Tabrizi
- Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London, London, UK. .,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK. .,UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Michael D Flower
- Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.,UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Christopher A Ross
- Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Edward J Wild
- Huntington's Disease Centre, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
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Taran AS, Shuvalova LD, Lagarkova MA, Alieva IB. Huntington's Disease-An Outlook on the Interplay of the HTT Protein, Microtubules and Actin Cytoskeletal Components. Cells 2020; 9:E1514. [PMID: 32580314 PMCID: PMC7348758 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease is a severe and currently incurable neurodegenerative disease. An autosomal dominant mutation in the Huntingtin gene (HTT) causes an increase in the polyglutamine fragment length at the protein N-terminus. The consequence of the mutation is the death of neurons, mostly striatal neurons, leading to the occurrence of a complex of motor, cognitive and emotional-volitional personality sphere disorders in carriers. Despite intensive studies, the functions of both mutant and wild-type huntingtin remain poorly understood. Surprisingly, there is the selective effect of the mutant form of HTT even on nervous tissue, whereas the protein is expressed ubiquitously. Huntingtin plays a role in cell physiology and affects cell transport, endocytosis, protein degradation and other cellular and molecular processes. Our experimental data mining let us conclude that a significant part of the Huntingtin-involved cellular processes is mediated by microtubules and other cytoskeletal cell structures. The review attempts to look at unresolved issues in the study of the huntingtin and its mutant form, including their functions affecting microtubules and other components of the cell cytoskeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra S. Taran
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–73, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.T.); (L.D.S.)
| | - Lilia D. Shuvalova
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–73, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.T.); (L.D.S.)
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria A. Lagarkova
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina B. Alieva
- Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, 1a Malaya Pirogovskaya St., 119435 Moscow, Russia
- A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1–40, Leninsky Gory, 119992 Moscow, Russia
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Lontay B, Kiss A, Virág L, Tar K. How Do Post-Translational Modifications Influence the Pathomechanistic Landscape of Huntington's Disease? A Comprehensive Review. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21124282. [PMID: 32560122 PMCID: PMC7349273 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of motor control and cognitive ability, which eventually leads to death. The mutant huntingtin protein (HTT) exhibits an expansion of a polyglutamine repeat. The mechanism of pathogenesis is still not fully characterized; however, evidence suggests that post-translational modifications (PTMs) of HTT and upstream and downstream proteins of neuronal signaling pathways are involved. The determination and characterization of PTMs are essential to understand the mechanisms at work in HD, to define possible therapeutic targets better, and to challenge the scientific community to develop new approaches and methods. The discovery and characterization of a panoply of PTMs in HTT aggregation and cellular events in HD will bring us closer to understanding how the expression of mutant polyglutamine-containing HTT affects cellular homeostasis that leads to the perturbation of cell functions, neurotoxicity, and finally, cell death. Hence, here we review the current knowledge on recently identified PTMs of HD-related proteins and their pathophysiological relevance in the formation of abnormal protein aggregates, proteolytic dysfunction, and alterations of mitochondrial and metabolic pathways, neuroinflammatory regulation, excitotoxicity, and abnormal regulation of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Lontay
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
| | - Andrea Kiss
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
| | - László Virág
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
- MTA-DE Cell Biology and Signaling Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Krisztina Tar
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.L.); (A.K.); (L.V.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +36-52-412345
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