Retrovirus reactivation in CHMP2BIntron5 models of frontotemporal dementia

Role of Retroelements in Frontotemporal Dementia Development

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) develops in proteinopathies involving TDP-43 (transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa), tau, and FUS (fused in sarcoma) proteins, which possess antiviral properties and exert inhibitory effects on human transposable elements. Viruses and aging have been suggested to trigger FTD by activating specific retroelements. FTD is associated with multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), most located in intergenic and regulatory regions where many transposable element genes are found. Therefore, genetic predisposition to FTD may influence the interaction between retroelements and the TDP-43, tau, and FUS proteins, causing pathological conformation changes and aggregate formation. Subsequently, these aggregates lose their ability to inhibit retroelements, leading to the activation of transposable elements. This creates a harmful negative feedback loop in which TDP-43, tau, and FUS protein expressions are further enhanced by retroelement transcripts and proteins, resulting in protein aggregate accumulation and pathological disease progression. Hence, epigenetic inhibition of pathologically activated retroelements using micro-ribonucleic acids (microRNAs) derived from transposable elements has been proposed as a potential treatment for FTD. Finally, a review of the current scientific literature identified 13 appropriate microRNAs (miR-1246, -181c, -330, -345-5p, -361, -548a-3p, -548b-5p, -548c-5p, -571, -588, -659-3p, -708-3p, -887).

Pharmacotherapies for the Treatment of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Narrative Review

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting from the deposition of misfolded and neurotoxic forms of tau protein in specific areas of the midbrain, basal ganglia, and cortex. It is one of the most representative forms of tauopathy. PSP presents in several different phenotypic variations and is often accompanied by the development of concurrent neurodegenerative disorders. PSP is universally fatal, and effective disease-modifying therapies for PSP have not yet been identified. Several tau-targeting treatment modalities, including vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and microtubule-stabilizing agents, have been investigated and have had no efficacy. The need to treat PSP and other tauopathies is critical, and many clinical trials investigating tau-targeted treatments are underway. In this review, the PubMed database was queried to collect information about preclinical and clinical research on PSP treatment. Additionally, the US National Library of Medicine's ClinicalTrials.gov website was queried to identify past and ongoing clinical trials relevant to PSP treatment. This narrative review summarizes our findings regarding these reports, which include potential disease-modifying drug trials, modifiable risk factor management, and symptom treatments.

Radiogenomics of C9orf72 Expansion Carriers Reveals Global Transposable Element Derepression and Enables Prediction of Thalamic Atrophy and Clinical Impairment

Hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) within C9orf72 is the most common genetic cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Thalamic atrophy occurs in both sporadic and familial FTD but is thought to distinctly affect HRE carriers. Separately, emerging evidence suggests widespread derepression of transposable elements (TEs) in the brain in several neurodegenerative diseases, including C9orf72 HRE-mediated FTD (C9-FTD). Whether TE activation can be measured in peripheral blood and how the reduction in peripheral C9orf72 expression observed in HRE carriers relates to atrophy and clinical impairment remain unknown. We used FreeSurfer software to assess the effects of C9orf72 HRE and clinical diagnosis (n = 78 individuals, male and female) on atrophy of thalamic nuclei. We also generated a novel, human, whole-blood RNA-sequencing dataset to determine the relationships among peripheral C9orf72 expression, TE activation, thalamic atrophy, and clinical severity (n = 114 individuals, male and female). We confirmed global thalamic atrophy and reduced C9orf72 expression in HRE carriers. Moreover, we identified disproportionate atrophy of the right mediodorsal lateral nucleus in HRE carriers and showed that C9orf72 expression associated with clinical severity, independent of thalamic atrophy. Strikingly, we found global peripheral activation of TEs, including the human endogenous LINE-1 element L1HS L1HS levels were associated with atrophy of multiple pulvinar nuclei, a thalamic region implicated in C9-FTD. Integration of peripheral transcriptomic and neuroimaging data from human HRE carriers revealed atrophy of specific thalamic nuclei, demonstrated that C9orf72 levels relate to clinical severity, and identified marked derepression of TEs, including L1HS, which predicted atrophy of FTD-relevant thalamic nuclei.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pathogenic repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most frequent genetic cause of FTD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; C9-FTD/ALS). The clinical, neuroimaging, and pathologic features of C9-FTD/ALS are well characterized, whereas the intersections of transcriptomic dysregulation and brain structure remain largely unexplored. Herein, we used a novel radiogenomic approach to examine the relationship between peripheral blood transcriptomics and thalamic atrophy, a neuroimaging feature disproportionately impacted in C9-FTD/ALS. We confirmed reduction of C9orf72 in blood and found broad dysregulation of transposable elements-genetic elements typically repressed in the human genome-in symptomatic C9orf72 expansion carriers, which associated with atrophy of thalamic nuclei relevant to FTD. C9orf72 expression was also associated with clinical severity, suggesting that peripheral C9orf72 levels capture disease-relevant information.

Radiogenomics of C9orf72 Expansion Carriers Reveals Global Transposable Element Derepression and Enables Prediction of Thalamic Atrophy and Clinical Impairment

Hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) within C9orf72 is the most common genetic cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Thalamic atrophy occurs in both sporadic and familial FTD but is thought to distinctly affect HRE carriers. Separately, emerging evidence suggests widespread derepression of transposable elements (TEs) in the brain in several neurodegenerative diseases, including C9orf72 HRE-mediated FTD (C9-FTD). Whether TE activation can be measured in peripheral blood and how the reduction in peripheral C9orf72 expression observed in HRE carriers relates to atrophy and clinical impairment remain unknown. We used FreeSurfer software to assess the effects of C9orf72 HRE and clinical diagnosis (n = 78 individuals, male and female) on atrophy of thalamic nuclei. We also generated a novel, human, whole-blood RNA-sequencing dataset to determine the relationships among peripheral C9orf72 expression, TE activation, thalamic atrophy, and clinical severity (n = 114 individuals, male and female). We confirmed global thalamic atrophy and reduced C9orf72 expression in HRE carriers. Moreover, we identified disproportionate atrophy of the right mediodorsal lateral nucleus in HRE carriers and showed that C9orf72 expression associated with clinical severity, independent of thalamic atrophy. Strikingly, we found global peripheral activation of TEs, including the human endogenous LINE-1 element L1HS L1HS levels were associated with atrophy of multiple pulvinar nuclei, a thalamic region implicated in C9-FTD. Integration of peripheral transcriptomic and neuroimaging data from human HRE carriers revealed atrophy of specific thalamic nuclei, demonstrated that C9orf72 levels relate to clinical severity, and identified marked derepression of TEs, including L1HS, which predicted atrophy of FTD-relevant thalamic nuclei.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pathogenic repeat expansion in C9orf72 is the most frequent genetic cause of FTD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; C9-FTD/ALS). The clinical, neuroimaging, and pathologic features of C9-FTD/ALS are well characterized, whereas the intersections of transcriptomic dysregulation and brain structure remain largely unexplored. Herein, we used a novel radiogenomic approach to examine the relationship between peripheral blood transcriptomics and thalamic atrophy, a neuroimaging feature disproportionately impacted in C9-FTD/ALS. We confirmed reduction of C9orf72 in blood and found broad dysregulation of transposable elements-genetic elements typically repressed in the human genome-in symptomatic C9orf72 expansion carriers, which associated with atrophy of thalamic nuclei relevant to FTD. C9orf72 expression was also associated with clinical severity, suggesting that peripheral C9orf72 levels capture disease-relevant information.

Ongoing endeavors to detect mobilization of transposable elements

Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences capable of mobilization from one location to another in the genome. Since the discovery of ‘Dissociation (Dc) locus’ by Barbara McClintock in maize (1), mounting evidence in the era of genomics indicates that a significant fraction of most eukaryotic genomes is composed of TE sequences, involving in various aspects of biological processes such as development, physiology, diseases and evolution. Although technical advances in genomics have discovered numerous functional impacts of TE across species, our understanding of TEs is still ongoing process due to challenges resulted from complexity and abundance of TEs in the genome. In this mini-review, we briefly summarize biology of TEs and their impacts on the host genome, emphasizing importance of understanding TE landscape in the genome. Then, we introduce recent endeavors especially in vivo retrotransposition assays and long read sequencing technology for identifying de novo insertions/TE polymorphism, which will broaden our knowledge of extraordinary relationship between genomic cohabitants and their host.

Ongoing endeavors to detect mobilization of transposable elements

Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences capable of mobilization from one location to another in the genome. Since the discovery of 'Dissociation (Dc) locus' by Barbara McClintock in maize (1), mounting evidence in the era of genomics indicates that a significant fraction of most eukaryotic genomes is composed of TE sequences, involving in various aspects of biological processes such as development, physiology, diseases and evolution. Although technical advances in genomics have discovered numerous functional impacts of TE across species, our understanding of TEs is still ongoing process due to challenges resulted from complexity and abundance of TEs in the genome. In this mini-review, we briefly summarize biology of TEs and their impacts on the host genome, emphasizing importance of understanding TE landscape in the genome. Then, we introduce recent endeavors especially in vivo retrotransposition assays and long read sequencing technology for identifying de novo insertions/TE polymorphism, which will broaden our knowledge of extraordinary relationship between genomic cohabitants and their host. [BMB Reports 2022; 55(7): 305-315].

Activation of Endogenous Retrovirus, Brain Infections and Environmental Insults in Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's Disease

Chronic neurodegenerative diseases are complex, and their pathogenesis is uncertain. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative brain alteration that is responsible for most dementia cases in the elderly. AD etiology is still uncertain; however, chronic neuroinflammation is a constant component of brain pathology. Infections have been associated with several neurological diseases and viruses of the Herpes family appear to be a probable cause of AD neurodegenerative alterations. Several different factors may contribute to the AD clinical progression. Exogeneous viruses or other microbes and environmental pollutants may directly induce neurodegeneration by activating brain inflammation. In this paper, we suggest that exogeneous brain insults may also activate retrotransposons and silent human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs). The initial inflammation of small brain areas induced by virus infections or other brain insults may activate HERV dis-regulation that contributes to neurodegenerative mechanisms. Chronic HERV activation in turn may cause progressive neurodegeneration that thereafter merges in cognitive impairment and dementia in genetically susceptible people. Specific treatment for exogenous end endogenous pathogens and decreasing pollutant exposure may show beneficial effect in early intervention protocol to prevent the progression of cognitive deterioration in the elderly.

Lessons learned from CHMP2B, implications for frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) are two neurodegenerative diseases with clinical, genetic and pathological overlap. As such, they are commonly regarded as a single spectrum disorder, with pure FTD and pure ALS representing distinct ends of a continuum. Dysfunctional endo-lysosomal and autophagic trafficking, leading to impaired proteostasis is common across the FTD-ALS spectrum. These pathways are, in part, mediated by CHMP2B, a protein that coordinates membrane scission events as a core component of the ESCRT machinery. Here we review how ALS and FTD disease causing mutations in CHMP2B have greatly contributed to our understanding of how endosomal-lysosomal and autophagic dysfunction contribute to neurodegeneration, and how in vitro and in vivo models have helped elucidate novel candidates for potential therapeutic intervention with implications across the FTD-ALS spectrum.