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Cheng F, Zheng W, Liu C, Barbuti PA, Yu-Taeger L, Casadei N, Huebener-Schmid J, Admard J, Boldt K, Junger K, Ueffing M, Houlden H, Sharma M, Kruger R, Grundmann-Hauser K, Ott T, Riess O. Intronic enhancers of the human SNCA gene predominantly regulate its expression in brain in vivo. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabq6324. [PMID: 36417521 PMCID: PMC9683720 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq6324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Evidence from patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and our previously reported α-synuclein (SNCA) transgenic rat model support the idea that increased SNCA protein is a substantial risk factor of PD pathogenesis. However, little is known about the transcription control of the human SNCA gene in the brain in vivo. Here, we identified that the DYT6 gene product THAP1 (THAP domain-containing apoptosis-associated protein 1) and its interaction partner CTCF (CCCTC-binding factor) act as transcription regulators of SNCA. THAP1 controls SNCA intronic enhancers' activities, while CTCF regulates its enhancer-promoter loop formation. The SNCA intronic enhancers present neurodevelopment-dependent activities and form enhancer clusters similar to "super-enhancers" in the brain, in which the PD-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms are enriched. Deletion of the SNCA intronic enhancer clusters prevents the release of paused RNA polymerase II from its promoter and subsequently reduces its expression drastically in the brain, which may provide new therapeutic approaches to prevent its accumulation and thus related neurodegenerative diseases defined as synucleinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fubo Cheng
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Centre for Rare Diseases, University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Wenxu Zheng
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research Centre for Ophthalmology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Chang Liu
- Institute of Biology, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Peter Antony Barbuti
- Translational Neuroscience, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Libo Yu-Taeger
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Nicolas Casadei
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- NGS Competence Center Tuebingen, Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Jeannette Huebener-Schmid
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Centre for Rare Diseases, University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Jakob Admard
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- NGS Competence Center Tuebingen, Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Karsten Boldt
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research Centre for Ophthalmology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Junger
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research Centre for Ophthalmology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Marius Ueffing
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research Centre for Ophthalmology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Manu Sharma
- Centre for Genetic Epidemiology, Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Applied Biometry, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Rejko Kruger
- Translational Neuroscience, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Transversal Translational Medicine, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Strassen, Luxembourg
- Parkinson Research Clinic, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL), Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Kathrin Grundmann-Hauser
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Centre for Rare Diseases, University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Ott
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- IZKF-Core Facility Transgenic Animals, University Clinics Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Olaf Riess
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Centre for Rare Diseases, University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- NGS Competence Center Tuebingen, Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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