FUS Transgenic Rats Develop the Phenotypes of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Huang, Cao; Zhou, Hongxia; Tong, Jianbin; Chen, Han; Liu, Yongjian; Wang, Dian; Wei, Xiaotao; Xia, Xu‐Gang

doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1002011

Cited by 179 publications

(170 citation statements)

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“…The overexpression of FUS by only B1.5-2-fold more than the endogenous level is enough to reduce the BTBD10 level. As the overexpression of each protein is thought to mimic its gainof-toxic-function state, 30,31 these results suggest that the gain-of-function of FUS may contribute to the downregulation of BTBD10 in the SALS patients. However, additional studies to confirm this observation are needed before a conclusion can be drawn.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Reduced expression of BTBD10, an Akt activator, leads to motor neuron death

et al. 2012

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BTBD10, an Akt interactor, activates Akt by decreasing the protein phosphatase 2A-mediated dephosphorylation and inactivation of Akt. Overexpression of BTBD10 suppresses motor neuron death that is induced by a familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-linked superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutant, G93A-SOD1 in vitro. In this study, we further investigated the BTBD10-mediated suppression of motor neuron death. We found that the small interfering RNA-mediated inhibition of BTBD10 expression led to the death of cultured motor neurons. In Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), disruption of the btbd-10 gene caused not only loss of neurons, including both motor and touch-receptor neurons, but also a locomotion defect. In addition, we found that the expression of BTBD10 was generally decreased in the motor neurons from patients of sporadic ALS and transgenic mice overexpressing G93A-SOD1 (G93A-SOD1-transgenic mice). Collectively, these results suggest that the reduced expression of BTBD10 leads to motor neuron death both in vitro and in vivo. A gain-of-toxic-function of an intracellular molecule or a loss of normal function of an essential intracellular molecule, including an intracellular prosurvival signal, contributes to cell death. The Akt family of proteins (Akt1, 2 and 3 in mammalian cells) provides a major intracellular prosurvival signal by phosphorylating many target proteins. 1 The major upstream activator of Akt is the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-mediated signal that activates Akt by phosphorylation. Akt's activity is also regulated by protein phosphatase-mediated dephosphorylation. 2 In our previous study, we showed that BTBD10 activates Akt by inhibiting protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)-mediated Akt dephosphorylation. 3 Recent advances in genetics and neuroscience have suggested that both gains of toxic and/or losses of normal function of intracellular molecules contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a representative motor neuron-specific neurodegenerative disease. 4 Approximately 10% of ALS cases are genetically inherited. 4,5 Dominant mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene (the first identified familial ALS (FALS)-linked gene) account for approximately 20% of FALS cases. The gain-of-toxic-function of SOD1, caused by a FALS-linked mutation, is thought to be closely linked to the ALS pathogenesis. The second identified FALS-linked gene, a FALS-linked mutation of which results in an autosomal-recessive phenotype, encodes a protein named alsin. 6,7 Loss of alsin function, caused by a FALSlinked mutation, leads to the abnormal endolysosomal trafficking and contributes to motor neuron death. 8 We have independently shown that wild-type alsin suppresses mutant SOD1-induced neuronal cell death by activating a prosurvival pathway involving Rac1, PI3K and Akt3, and that FALS-linked mutations in the gene abolish the alsin function. 9,10 To further characterize the Akt-mediated prosurvival pathways that are linked to the ALS pathogenesi...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Reduced expression of BTBD10, an Akt activator, leads to motor neuron death

et al. 2012

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“…In vitro and in vivo models of ALS provide compelling evidence that accumulation of either TDP43 or FUS causes neurodegeneration and motor neuron disease (6,(35)(36)(37). In healthy cells, TDP43 (16) and FUS (18) are tightly regulated by a negative feedback loop involving NMD, preventing otherwise toxic protein deficiency or accumulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amelioration of toxicity in neuronal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by hUPF1

Barmada

Arjun

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

110

163

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Over 30% of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) exhibit cognitive deficits indicative of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), suggesting a common pathogenesis for both diseases. Consistent with this hypothesis, neuronal and glial inclusions rich in TDP43, an essential RNA-binding protein, are found in the majority of those with ALS and FTD, and mutations in TDP43 and a related RNAbinding protein, FUS, cause familial ALS and FTD. TDP43 and FUS affect the splicing of thousands of transcripts, in some cases triggering nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a highly conserved RNA degradation pathway. Here, we take advantage of a faithful primary neuronal model of ALS and FTD to investigate and characterize the role of human up-frameshift protein 1 (hUPF1), an RNA helicase and master regulator of NMD, in these disorders. We show that hUPF1 significantly protects mammalian neurons from both TDP43-and FUS-related toxicity. Expression of hUPF2, another essential component of NMD, also improves survival, whereas inhibiting NMD prevents rescue by hUPF1, suggesting that hUPF1 acts through NMD to enhance survival. These studies emphasize the importance of RNA metabolism in ALS and FTD, and identify a uniquely effective therapeutic strategy for these disorders.A myotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and lethal motor neuron disease that most often arises sporadically, but can be inherited in 10-15% of patients (1). Many of the genes implicated in familial ALS (fALS) encode RNA-binding proteins, including fused in sarcoma (FUS), transactive response element DNA/RNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP43), and heteronuclear ribonuclear proteins (hnRNPs) (2), emphasizing RNA-based toxicity as a fundamental mechanism contributing to motor neuron degeneration in ALS.More than 40 different mutations in the TDP43 gene (TARDBP) have now been associated with fALS (3). Disease-associated mutations in TARDBP affect the turnover (4), amount (5), and subcellular localization of TDP43 (6, 7), in many cases resulting in cytoplasmic TDP43 inclusions. Affected neurons in sporadic ALS (sALS) exhibit identical inclusions containing wild-type (WT) TDP43 (8), and WT TDP43 accumulation causes neurodegeneration in cellular and animal models (6, 9, 10), providing a pathogenic link between fALS and sALS. FUS mutations have also been linked to fALS (11,12). Unlike TDP43, FUS-related pathology is limited to fALS due to FUS mutations (13). FUS and TDP43 bind largely nonoverlapping RNA targets (14), leading to the unexpected conclusion that, despite their homology and involvement in fALS, TDP43 and FUS have distinct roles in RNA metabolism.TDP43 regulates its own expression through a negative feedback loop (15), but the mechanism by which it does so remains unclear. Conflicting data suggest that TDP43 autoregulation involves nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) (16) or exosome-mediated degradation (15). Excess TDP43 enhances splicing in the TARDBP 3′UTR, potentially targeting the transcript for NMD, whereas deficiencies in human up-frameshift prote...

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“…Lysates from tissues were processed, and equal proteins were resolved by SDS/PAGE as previously reported (47). Primary antibodies used were glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1; MAB2263; Millipore), GAPDH (G9545; Sigma), FUS (HPA008784; Sigma), FUS (sc-47711; Santa Cruz), GFP (1020; Aves); human FUS antibody was a gift from Hongxia Zhou and Xu-Gang Xia, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia (40) and human FUS peptide antibody B327D (SYGQPQSGSYSQQPS) was generated in rabbits as previously described (47). Immunodetected proteins were quantified by densitometry using the NIH ImageJ software.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other published animal models (38)(39)(40), overexpression of wild-type FUS has been reported as being less toxic than overexpression of mutant FUS. In addition, a recently developed FUS WT transgenic mouse line showed no deficits until crossed to homozygosity, wherein these mice displayed progressive hindlimb paralysis and neuromuscular denervation (41).…”

Section: Differences and Commonalities In Fus Overexpression And Missmentioning

confidence: 96%

Activity-dependent FUS dysregulation disrupts synaptic homeostasis

Sephton

Tang

Kulkarni

et al. 2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

119

118

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The RNA-binding protein fused-in-sarcoma (FUS) has been associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), two neurodegenerative disorders that share similar clinical and pathological features. Both missense mutations and overexpression of wild-type FUS protein can be pathogenic in human patients. To study the molecular and cellular basis by which FUS mutations and overexpression cause disease, we generated novel transgenic mice globally expressing low levels of human wild-type protein (FUS WT ) and a pathological mutation (FUS R521G A myotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and death within 3-5 y of onset. Interestingly, ∼10-15% of ALS patients have clinical features of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), marked by a decline in decision-making, behavioral control, emotion, and language, and as many as half have mild-to-moderate cognitive or behavioral abnormalities (1). FTLD comprises a group of heterogeneous diseases characterized by progressive neurodegeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes and clinically by frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with or without motor neuron disease. There is no cure or effective therapy for those who suffer from ALS or FTLD, and the mechanisms by which these diseases occur are not well understood.The clinical, pathological, and genetic overlap between ALS and FTLD suggests that there are mechanisms shared by these diseases. The RNA-binding proteins fused in sarcoma (FUS) and transactive response DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) are the major protein components of inclusions that are characteristic of ALS and FTLD-U (FTLD with ubiquitinated inclusions) (2). More than 50 genetic FUS mutations have been identified in these related neurodegenerative disorders (3). Similarly, more than 40 dominant mutations in the TDP-43 gene have been linked to ALS cases and, to a lesser extent, to FTLD (4). The identification of mutations in the FUS and TDP-43 genes has provided insights for uncovering the disease mechanisms for ALS and FTLD.FUS is a ubiquitously expressed RNA-binding protein that exists in dynamic ribonucleoprotein complexes involved in pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA stability, and mRNA transport. FUS is a member of the FET family of proteins that bind RNAs (5) and contains an RNA recognition motif, three arginine-glycine-glycine (RGG) boxes, and a zinc finger (ZnF) (6). RGG2-ZnF-RGG3 is the major RNA-binding domain, which has a preference for GUrich sequences (7,8). The N terminus of FUS contains a lowcomplexity sequence domain involved in RNA granule formation (9). Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of FUS occurs by a nonclassical proline-tyrosine nuclear localization signal (PY-NLS) and a nuclear export signal (NES) (10). Methylation of the C-terminal RGG3 domain of FUS is necessary for transportin 1 interaction and nuclear localization (11).The majority of clinical ALS/FTLD-associated FUS mutations occur in its C-terminal PY-NLS seque...

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FUS Transgenic Rats Develop the Phenotypes of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Cited by 179 publications

References 50 publications

Reduced expression of BTBD10, an Akt activator, leads to motor neuron death

Reduced expression of BTBD10, an Akt activator, leads to motor neuron death

Amelioration of toxicity in neuronal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by hUPF1

Activity-dependent FUS dysregulation disrupts synaptic homeostasis

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