Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder resulting from motor neuron death. Approximately 10% of cases are familial (FALS), typically with a dominant inheritance mode. Despite numerous advances in recent years1-9, nearly 50% of FALS cases have unknown genetic etiology. Here we show that mutations within the profilin 1 (PFN1) gene can cause FALS. PFN1 is critical for monomeric (G)-actin conversion to filamentous (F)-actin. Exome sequencing of two large ALS families revealed different mutations within the PFN1 gene. Additional sequence analysis identified 4 mutations in 7 out of 274 FALS cases. Cells expressing PFN1 mutants contain ubiquitinated, insoluble aggregates that in many cases contain the ALS-associated protein TDP-43. PFN1 mutants also display decreased bound actin levels and can inhibit axon outgrowth. Furthermore, primary motor neurons expressing mutant PFN1 display smaller growth cones with a reduced F-/G-actin ratio. These observations further document that cytoskeletal pathway alterations contribute to ALS pathogenesis.

Ethanol exposure diminishes intestinal abundance in both mice and humans and can be recovered in experimental ALD by oral supplementation. promotes intestinal barrier integrity and ameliorates experimental ALD. Our data suggest that patients with ALD might benefit from supplementation.

Objective Several studies have suggested an increased frequency of variants in the gene encoding angiogenin (ANG) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Interestingly, a few ALS patients carrying ANG variants also showed signs of Parkinson disease (PD). Furthermore, relatives of ALS patients have an increased risk to develop PD, and the prevalence of concomitant motor neuron disease in PD is higher than expected based on chance occurrence. We therefore investigated whether ANG variants could predispose to both ALS and PD. Methods We reviewed all previous studies on ANG in ALS and performed sequence experiments on additional samples, which allowed us to analyze data from 6,471 ALS patients and 7,668 controls from 15 centers (13 from Europe and 2 from the USA). We sequenced DNA samples from 3,146 PD patients from 6 centers (5 from Europe and 1 from the USA). Statistical analysis was performed using the variable threshold test, and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure was used to estimate odds ratios. Results Analysis of sequence data from 17,258 individuals demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of ANG variants in both ALS and PD patients compared to control subjects (p = 9.3 × 10−6 for ALS and p = 4.3 × 10−5 for PD). The odds ratio for any ANG variant in patients versus controls was 9.2 for ALS and 6.7 for PD. Interpretation The data from this multicenter study demonstrate that there is a strong association between PD, ALS, and ANG variants. ANG is a genetic link between ALS and PD.

Cellular homeostais, that is normally maintained through autophagy, is disrupted in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Because autophagy and exosome biogenesis share common elements, we hypothesized that increased exosome production in ALD may be linked to disruption of autophagic function. We found impaired autophagy both in ALD and alcoholic hepatitis (AH) mouse models and human livers with ALD as indicated by increased hepatic p62 and LC3‐II levels. Alcohol reduced autophagy flux in vivo in chloroquine‐treated mice as well as in vitro in hepatocytes and macrophages treated with bafilomycin A. Our results revealed that alcohol targets multiple steps in the autophagy pathway. Alcohol‐related decrease in mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Ras homolog enriched in brain (Rheb), that initiate autophagy, correlated with increased Beclin1 and autophagy‐related protein 7 (Atg7), proteins involved in phagophore‐autophagosome formation, in ALD. We found that alcohol disrupted autophagy function at the lysosomal level through decreased lysosomal‐associated membrane protein 1 (LAMP1) and lysosomal‐associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2) in livers with ALD. We identified that micro‐RNA 155 (miR‐155), that is increased by alcohol, targets mTOR, Rheb, LAMP1, and LAMP2 in the authophagy pathway. Consistent with this, miR‐155‐deficient mice were protected from alcohol‐induced disruption of autophagy and showed attenuated exosome production. Mechanistically, down‐regulation of LAMP1 or LAMP2 increased exosome release in hepatocytes and macrophages in the presence and absence of alcohol. These results suggested that the alcohol‐induced increase in exosome production was linked to disruption of autophagy and impaired autophagosome and lysosome function. Conclusion: Alcohol affects multiple genes in the autophagy pathway and impairs autophagic flux at the lysosome level in ALD. Inhibition of LAMP1 and LAMP2 promotes exosome release in ALD. We identified miR‐155 as a mediator of alcohol‐related regulation of autophagy and exosome production in hepatocytes and macrophages.

Edited by Jeffrey PessinFibrosis, driven by inflammation, marks the transition from benign to progressive stages of chronic liver diseases. Although inflammation promotes fibrogenesis, it is not known whether other events, such as hepatocyte death, are required for the development of fibrosis. Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) regulates hepatocyte apoptosis and production of type I IFNs. In the liver, IRF3 is activated via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling or the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) adapter, stimulator of interferon genes (STING). We hypothesized that IRF3-mediated hepatocyte death is an independent determinant of chemically induced liver fibrogenesis. To test this, we performed acute or chronic CCl 4 administration to WT and IRF3-, Toll/ Interleukin-1R (TIR) domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-␤ (TRIF)-, TRIF-related adaptor molecule (TRAM)-, and STING-deficient mice. We report that acute CCl 4 administration to WT mice resulted in early ER stress, activation of IRF3, and type I IFNs, followed by hepatocyte apoptosis and liver injury, accompanied by liver fibrosis upon repeated administration of CCl 4 . Deficiency of IRF3 or STING prevented hepatocyte death and fibrosis both in acute or chronic CCl 4 . In contrast, mice deficient in type I IFN receptors or in TLR4 signaling adaptors, TRAM or TRIF, upstream of IRF3, were not protected from hepatocyte death and/or fibrosis, suggesting that the proapoptotic role of IRF3 is independent of TLR signaling in fibrosis. Hepatocyte death is required for liver fibrosis with causal involvement of STING and IRF3. Thus, our results identify that IRF3, by its association with STING in the presence of ER stress, couples hepatocyte apoptosis with liver fibrosis and indicate that innate immune signaling regulates outcomes of liver fibrosis via modulation of hepatocyte death in the liver.