1
|
Martin EJ, Santacruz C, Mitevska A, Jones IE, Krishnan G, Gao FB, Finan JD, Kiskinis E. Traumatic injury causes selective degeneration and TDP-43 mislocalization in human iPSC-derived C9orf72-associated ALS/FTD motor neurons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.21.586073. [PMID: 38585915 PMCID: PMC10996466 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.21.586073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
A hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in C9orf72 is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, patients with the HRE exhibit a wide disparity in clinical presentation and age of symptom onset suggesting an interplay between genetic background and environmental stressors. Neurotrauma as a result of traumatic brain or spinal cord injury has been shown to increase the risk of ALS/FTD in epidemiological studies. Here, we combine patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with a custom-built device to deliver biofidelic stretch trauma to C9orf72 patient and isogenic control motor neurons (MNs) in vitro. We find that mutant but not control MNs exhibit selective degeneration after a single incident of severe trauma, which can be partially rescued by pretreatment with a C9orf72 antisense oligonucleotide. A single incident of mild trauma does not cause degeneration but leads to cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43 in C9orf72 MNs. This mislocalization, which only occurs briefly in isogenic controls, is eventually restored in C9orf72 MNs after 6 days. Lastly, repeated mild trauma ablates the ability of patient MNs to recover. These findings highlight alterations in TDP-43 dynamics in C9orf72 ALS/FTD patient MNs following traumatic injury and demonstrate that neurotrauma compounds neuropathology in C9orf72 ALS/FTD. More broadly, our work establishes an in vitro platform that can be used to interrogate the mechanistic interactions between ALS/FTD and neurotrauma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric J. Martin
- The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Citlally Santacruz
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Angela Mitevska
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ian E. Jones
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gopinath Krishnan
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Fen-Biao Gao
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - John D. Finan
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Evangelos Kiskinis
- The Ken & Ruth Davee Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
- Simpson Querrey Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
White LM, Boardman J, Lilleker J, Chaouch A, Kargwell H, Ealing J, Hamdalla H. Phenotypical differences of C9ORF72 gene-positive and negative amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a comparative case series. J Med Genet 2023; 60:1016-1020. [PMID: 37173134 DOI: 10.1136/jmg-2022-109016] [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: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hexanucleotide repeat expansions of C9ORF72 account for a significant proportion of autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-frontotemporal dementia spectrum. In the absence of a family history, clinical identification of such patients remains difficult. We aimed to identify differences in demographics and clinical presentation between patients with C9ORF72 gene-positive ALS (C9pALS) versus C9ORF72 gene-negative ALS (C9nALS), to aid identification of these patients in the clinic and examine differences in outcomes including survival. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the clinical presentations of 32 patients with C9pALS and compared their characteristics with a cohort of 46 patients with C9nALS from the same tertiary neurosciences centre. RESULTS Patients with C9pALS more commonly presented with mixed upper and lower motor signs (C9pALS 87.5%, C9nALS 65.2%; p=0.0352), but less frequently presented with purely upper motor neuron signs (C9pALS 3.1%, C9nALS 21.7%; p=0.0226). The C9pALS cohort had a higher frequency of cognitive impairment (C9pALS 31.3%, C9nALS 10.9%; p=0.0394) and bulbar disease (C9pALS 56.3%, C9nALS 28.3%; p=0.0186). There were no differences between cohorts in age at diagnosis, gender, limb weakness, respiratory symptoms, presentation with predominantly lower motor neuron signs or overall survival. DISCUSSION Analysis of this ALS clinic cohort at a UK tertiary neurosciences centre adds to the small but growing understanding of the unique clinical features of patients with C9pALS. In the age of precision medicine with expanding opportunities to manage genetic diseases with disease-modifying therapies, clinical identification of such patients is increasingly important as focused therapeutic strategies become available.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Michelle White
- Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
| | | | - James Lilleker
- Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
- Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, The University of Manchester School of Biological Sciences, Manchester, UK
| | - Amina Chaouch
- Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
| | - Haga Kargwell
- Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
| | - John Ealing
- Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
| | - Hisham Hamdalla
- Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences, Salford Royal Hospital, Salford, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kortazar-Zubizarreta I, Manero-Azua A, Afonso-Agüera J, Perez de Nanclares G. C9ORF72 Gene GGGGCC Hexanucleotide Expansion: A High Clinical Variability from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis to Frontotemporal Dementia. J Pers Med 2023; 13:1396. [PMID: 37763163 PMCID: PMC10532825 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13091396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The expanded GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat (HRE) in the non-coding region of the C9ORF72 gene (C9ORF72-HRE) is the most common genetic cause of familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), FTD, and concurrent ALS and FTD (ALS-FTD), in addition to contributing to the sporadic forms of these diseases. Both syndromes overlap not only genetically, but also sharing similar clinical and neuropathological findings, being considered as a spectrum. In this paper we describe the clinical-genetic findings in a Basque family with different manifestations within the spectrum, our difficulties in reaching the diagnosis, and a narrative review, carried out as a consequence, of the main features associated with C9ORF72-HRE. Family members underwent a detailed clinical assessment, neurological examination, and genetic analysis by repeat-primed PCR. We studied 10 relatives of a symptomatic carrier of the C9ORF72-HRE expansion. Two of them presented the expansion in the pathological range, one of them was symptomatic whereas the other one remained asymptomatic at 72 years. Given the great intrafamilial clinical variability of C9ORF72-HRE, the characterization of patients and family members with particular clinical and genetic subgroups within ALS and FTD becomes a bottleneck for medication development, in particular for genetically focused medicines for ALS and FTD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Izaro Kortazar-Zubizarreta
- Department of Neurology, Bioaraba Health Research Institute, Araba University Hospital-Txagorritxu, 01009 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Africa Manero-Azua
- Molecular (Epi) Genetics Laboratory, Bioaraba Health Research Institute, Araba University Hospital, 01009 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; (A.M.-A.); (G.P.d.N.)
| | - Juan Afonso-Agüera
- Department of Neurology, Central University Hospital of Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Spain;
| | - Guiomar Perez de Nanclares
- Molecular (Epi) Genetics Laboratory, Bioaraba Health Research Institute, Araba University Hospital, 01009 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; (A.M.-A.); (G.P.d.N.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
An Atypical Presentation of Upper Motor Neuron Predominant Juvenile Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Associated with TARDBP Gene: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13081483. [PMID: 36011394 PMCID: PMC9407925 DOI: 10.3390/genes13081483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that can rarely affect young individuals. Juvenile ALS (JALS) is defined for individuals with an onset of the disease before the age of 25. The contribution of genetics to ALS pathology is a field of growing interest. One of the differences between adult-onset ALS and JALS is their genetic background, with a higher contribution of genetic causes in JALS. We report a patient with JALS and a pathogenic variant in the TARDBP gene (c.1035C > G; p.Asn345Lys), previously reported only in adult-onset ALS, and with an atypical phenotype of marked upper motor neuron predominance. In addition, the proband presented an additional variant in the NEK1 gene, c.2961C > G (p.Phe987Leu), which is classified as a variant of unknown significance. Segregation studies showed a paternal origin of the TARDBP variant, while the variant in NEK1 was inherited from the mother. We hypothesize that the NEK1 variant acts as a disease modifier and suggests the possibility of a functional interaction between both genes in our case. This hypothesis could explain the peculiarities of the phenotype, penetrance, and the age of onset. This report highlights the heterogeneity of the phenotypic presentation of ALS associated with diverse pathogenic genetic variants.
Collapse
|
5
|
Genotype-phenotype correlation in Tunisian patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Neurobiol Aging 2022; 120:27-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
6
|
Ratti A, Peverelli S, D'Adda E, Colombrita C, Gennuso M, Prelle A, Silani V. Genetic and epigenetic disease modifiers in an Italian C9orf72 family expressing ALS, FTD or PD clinical phenotypes. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2021; 23:292-298. [PMID: 34382491 DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2021.1962355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Objective: The presence of the hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in C9orf72 gene is associated to the ALS/FTD spectrum, but also to parkinsonisms. We here describe an Italian family with the father diagnosed with Parkinson disease (PD) at the age of 67 and the two daughters developing FTD and ALS at 45 years of age. We searched for C9orf72 HRE with possible genetic and epigenetic modifiers to account for the intrafamilial phenotypic variability. Methods: C9orf72 mutational analysis was performed by fragment length analysis, Repeat-primed PCR and Southern blot. Targeted next generation sequencing was used to analyze 48 genes associated to neurodegenerative diseases. Promoter methylation was analyzed by bisulfite sequencing. Results: Genetic analysis identified C9orf72 HRE in all the affected members with a similar repeat expansion size. Both the father and the FTD daughter also carried the heterozygous p.Ile946Phe variant in ATP13A2 gene, associated to PD. In addition, the father also showed a heterozygous EIF4G1 variant (p.Ala13Pro), that might increase his susceptibility to develop PD. The DNA methylation analysis showed that all the 26 CpG sites within C9orf72 promoter were unmethylated in all family members. Conclusions: Neither C9orf72 HRE size nor promoter methylation act as disease modifiers within this family, at least in blood, not excluding HRE mosaicism and a different methylation pattern in the brain. However, the presence of rare genetic variants in PD genes suggests that they may influence the clinical manifestation in the father. Other genetic and/or epigenetic modifiers must be responsible for disease variability in this C9orf72 family case.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Ratti
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Peverelli
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Claudia Colombrita
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Prelle
- U.O.C. of Neurology - Stroke Unit, ASST Ovest milanese, Legnano, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Silani
- Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, "Dino Ferrari" Center, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Corcia P, Camu W, Brulard C, Marouillat S, Couratier P, Camdessanché JP, Cintas P, Verschueren A, Soriani MH, Desnuelle C, Fleury MC, Guy N, Cassereau J, Viader F, Pittion-Vouyovitch S, Danel V, Kolev I, Le Masson G, Beltran S, Salachas F, Bernard E, Pradat PF, Blasco H, Lanznaster D, Hergesheimer R, Laumonnier F, Andres CR, Meininger V, Vourc'h P. Effect of familial clustering in the genetic screening of 235 French ALS families. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2021; 92:479-484. [PMID: 33408239 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-325064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine whether the familial clustering of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases and the phenotype of the disease may help identify the pathogenic genes involved. METHODS We conducted a targeted next-generation sequencing analysis on 235 French familial ALS (FALS), unrelated probands to identify mutations in 30 genes linked to the disease. The genealogy, that is, number of cases and generations with ALS, gender, age, site of onset and the duration of the disease were analysed. RESULTS Regarding the number of generations, 49 pedigrees had only one affected generation, 152 had two affected generations and 34 had at least three affected generations. Among the 149 pedigrees (63.4%) for which a deleterious variant was found, an abnormal G4C2 expansion in C9orf72 was found in 98 cases as well as SOD1, TARBP or FUS mutations in 30, 9 and 7 cases, respectively. Considering pedigrees from the number of generations, abnormal G4C2 expansion in C9orf72 was more frequent in pedigrees with pairs of affected ALS cases, which represented 65.2% of our cohort. SOD1 mutation involved all types of pedigrees. No TARDBP nor FUS mutation was present in monogenerational pedigrees. TARDBP mutation predominated in bigenerational pedigrees with at least three cases and FUS mutation in multigenerational pedigrees with more than seven cases, on average, and with an age of onset younger than 45 years. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that familial clustering, phenotypes and genotypes are interconnected in FALS, and thus it might be possible to target the genetic screening from the familial architecture and the phenotype of ALS cases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Corcia
- ALS Centre, Department of Neurology, CHU Tours, Tours, Centre, France .,UMR 1253 Imaging and Brain, Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France
| | - William Camu
- Montpellier 2 University, Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
| | - Celine Brulard
- UMR 1253 Imaging and Brain, Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France
| | | | - Philippe Couratier
- ALS Center, Departement of neurology, CHU Limoges, Limoges, Limousin, France.,UMR-S 1094 NET, Limoges, France
| | | | - Pascal Cintas
- Neurology, CHU Toulouse, Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées, France
| | - Annie Verschueren
- Centre de référence des maladies neuromusculaires et de la SLA, Marseille Public University Hospital System, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azu, France
| | | | - Claude Desnuelle
- Centre de reference des maladies neuromusculaires SLA, Neurosciences department, CHU Nice, Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azu, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Veronique Danel
- Medical Pharmacology, Lille University Hospital Center, Lille, Hauts-de-France, France
| | - Ivan Kolev
- Hospital Centre Saint Brieuc, Saint Brieuc, Bretagne, France
| | - Gwendal Le Masson
- Neurology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux Groupe Hospitalier Pellegrin, Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France
| | - Stephane Beltran
- ALS Center, Francois-Rabelais University, Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France
| | - Francois Salachas
- ALS Center, Neurology, Hopital Universitaire Pitie Salpetriere, Paris, Île-de-France, France
| | - Emilien Bernard
- University Hospital Centre Lyon, Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
| | - Pierre-François Pradat
- Fédération de Neurologie, Centre Référent SLA, Hopital Universitaire Pitie Salpetriere, Paris, Île-de-France, France.,CNRS, INSERM, Laboratoire d'Imagerie Biomédicale (LIB), Université Pierre et Marie Curie Faculté de Médecine, Paris, Île-de-France, France
| | - Hélène Blasco
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Université Francois-Rabelais de Tours, Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France.,Neurogenetics and Neurometabolomics, Imagerie et cerveau, Tours, France
| | | | | | | | - Christian R Andres
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Université Francois-Rabelais de Tours, Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France
| | - Vincent Meininger
- Neurogenetics and Neurometabolomics, Imagerie et cerveau, Tours, France
| | - Patrick Vourc'h
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Université Francois-Rabelais de Tours, Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
"Switchboard" malfunction in motor neuron diseases: Selective pathology of thalamic nuclei in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and primary lateral sclerosis. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 27:102300. [PMID: 32554322 PMCID: PMC7303672 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The thalamus is a key cerebral hub relaying a multitude of corticoefferent and corticoafferent connections and mediating distinct extrapyramidal, sensory, cognitive and behavioural functions. While the thalamus consists of dozens of anatomically well-defined nuclei with distinctive physiological roles, existing imaging studies in motor neuron diseases typically evaluate the thalamus as a single structure. Based on the unique cortical signatures observed in ALS and PLS, we hypothesised that similarly focal thalamic involvement may be observed if the nuclei are individually evaluated. A prospective imaging study was undertaken with 100 patients with ALS, 33 patients with PLS and 117 healthy controls to characterise the integrity of thalamic nuclei. ALS patients were further stratified for the presence of GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansions in C9orf72. The thalamus was segmented into individual nuclei to examine their volumetric profile. Additionally, thalamic shape deformations were evaluated by vertex analyses and focal density alterations were examined by region-of-interest morphometry. Our data indicate that C9orf72 negative ALS patients and PLS patients exhibit ventral lateral and ventral anterior involvement, consistent with the ‘motor’ thalamus. Degeneration of the sensory nuclei was also detected in C9orf72 negative ALS and PLS. Both ALS groups and the PLS cohort showed focal changes in the mediodorsal-paratenial-reuniens nuclei, which mediate memory and executive functions. PLS patients exhibited distinctive thalamic changes with marked pulvinar and lateral geniculate atrophy compared to both controls and C9orf72 negative ALS. The considerable ventral lateral and ventral anterior pathology detected in both ALS and PLS support the emerging literature of extrapyramidal dysfunction in MND. The involvement of sensory nuclei is consistent with sporadic reports of sensory impairment in MND. The unique thalamic signature of PLS is in line with the distinctive clinical features of the phenotype. Our data confirm phenotype-specific patterns of thalamus involvement in motor neuron diseases with the preferential involvement of nuclei mediating motor and cognitive functions. Given the selective involvement of thalamic nuclei in ALS and PLS, future biomarker and natural history studies in MND should evaluate individual thalamic regions instead overall thalamic changes.
Collapse
|