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Li W, Li JY. Overlaps and divergences between tauopathies and synucleinopathies: a duet of neurodegeneration. Transl Neurodegener 2024; 13:16. [PMID: 38528629 DOI: 10.1186/s40035-024-00407-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Proteinopathy, defined as the abnormal accumulation of proteins that eventually leads to cell death, is one of the most significant pathological features of neurodegenerative diseases. Tauopathies, represented by Alzheimer's disease (AD), and synucleinopathies, represented by Parkinson's disease (PD), show similarities in multiple aspects. AD manifests extrapyramidal symptoms while dementia is also a major sign of advanced PD. We and other researchers have sequentially shown the cross-seeding phenomenon of α-synuclein (α-syn) and tau, reinforcing pathologies between synucleinopathies and tauopathies. The highly overlapping clinical and pathological features imply shared pathogenic mechanisms between the two groups of disease. The diagnostic and therapeutic strategies seemingly appropriate for one distinct neurodegenerative disease may also apply to a broader spectrum. Therefore, a clear understanding of the overlaps and divergences between tauopathy and synucleinopathy is critical for unraveling the nature of the complicated associations among neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we discuss the shared and diverse characteristics of tauopathies and synucleinopathies from aspects of genetic causes, clinical manifestations, pathological progression and potential common therapeutic approaches targeting the pathology, in the aim to provide a timely update for setting the scheme of disease classification and provide novel insights into the therapeutic development for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Li
- Health Sciences Institute, Key Laboratory of Major Chronic Diseases of Nervous System of Liaoning Province, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110122, China
| | - Jia-Yi Li
- Health Sciences Institute, Key Laboratory of Major Chronic Diseases of Nervous System of Liaoning Province, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110122, China.
- Neural Plasticity and Repair Unit, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, BMC A10, 22184, Lund, Sweden.
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Reynolds RH, Wagen AZ, Lona-Durazo F, Scholz SW, Shoai M, Hardy J, Gagliano Taliun SA, Ryten M. Local genetic correlations exist among neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2023; 9:70. [PMID: 37117178 PMCID: PMC10147945 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-023-00504-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic correlation ([Formula: see text]) between traits can offer valuable insight into underlying shared biological mechanisms. Neurodegenerative diseases overlap neuropathologically and often manifest comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, global [Formula: see text] analyses show minimal [Formula: see text] among neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases. Importantly, local [Formula: see text] s can exist in the absence of global relationships. To investigate this possibility, we applied LAVA, a tool for local [Formula: see text] analysis, to genome-wide association studies of 3 neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease) and 3 neuropsychiatric disorders (bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia). We identified several local [Formula: see text] s missed in global analyses, including between (i) all 3 neurodegenerative diseases and schizophrenia and (ii) Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. For those local [Formula: see text] s identified in genomic regions containing disease-implicated genes, such as SNCA, CLU and APOE, incorporation of expression quantitative trait loci identified genes that may drive genetic overlaps between diseases. Collectively, we demonstrate that complex genetic relationships exist among neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases, highlighting putative pleiotropic genomic regions and genes. These findings imply sharing of pathogenic processes and the potential existence of common therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina H Reynolds
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
| | - Aaron Z Wagen
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- Neurodegeneration Biology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Frida Lona-Durazo
- Montréal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Sonja W Scholz
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Maryam Shoai
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - John Hardy
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah A Gagliano Taliun
- Montréal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Medicine & Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Mina Ryten
- Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London, UK.
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Wightman DP, Savage JE, Tissink E, Romero C, Jansen IE, Posthuma D. The genetic overlap between Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lewy body dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 127:99-112. [PMID: 37045620 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of disorders characterized by neuronal cell death causing a variety of physical and mental problems. While these disorders can be characterized by their phenotypic presentation within the nervous system, their aetiologies differ to varying degrees. The majority of previous genetic evidence for overlap between neurodegenerative diseases has been pairwise. In this study, we aimed to identify overlap between the 4 investigated neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lewy body dementia, and Parkinson's disease) at the variant, gene, genomic locus, gene-set, cell, or tissue level, with specific interest in overlap between 3 or more diseases. Using local genetic correlation, we found 2 loci (TMEM175 and HLA) that were shared across 3 disorders. We also highlighted genes, genomic loci, gene sets, cell types, and tissue types which may be important to 2 or more disorders by analyzing the association of variants with a common factor estimated from the 4 disorders. Our study successfully highlighted genetic loci and tissues associated with 2 or more neurodegenerative diseases.
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