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      Protein aggregation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

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          Abstract

          Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the aggregation of ubiquitinated proteins in affected motor neurons. Recent studies have identified several new molecular constituents of ALS-linked cellular aggregates, including FUS, TDP-43, OPTN, UBQLN2 and the translational product of intronic repeats in the gene C9ORF72. Mutations in the genes encoding these proteins are found in a subgroup of ALS patients and segregate with disease in familial cases, indicating a causal relationship with disease pathogenesis. Furthermore, these proteins are often detected in aggregates of non-mutation carriers and those observed in other neurodegenerative disorders, supporting a widespread role in neuronal degeneration. The molecular characteristics and distribution of different types of protein aggregates in ALS can be linked to specific genetic alterations and shows a remarkable overlap hinting at a convergence of underlying cellular processes and pathological effects. Thus far, self-aggregating properties of prion-like domains, altered RNA granule formation and dysfunction of the protein quality control system have been suggested to contribute to protein aggregation in ALS. The precise pathological effects of protein aggregation remain largely unknown, but experimental evidence hints at both gain- and loss-of-function mechanisms. Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the molecular make-up, formation, and mechanism-of-action of protein aggregates in ALS. Further insight into protein aggregation will not only deepen our understanding of ALS pathogenesis but also may provide novel avenues for therapeutic intervention.

          Electronic supplementary material

          The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00401-013-1125-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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          Most cited references147

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          TDP-43 is intrinsically aggregation-prone, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-linked mutations accelerate aggregation and increase toxicity.

          Non-amyloid, ubiquitinated cytoplasmic inclusions containing TDP-43 and its C-terminal fragments are pathological hallmarks of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal motor neuron disorder, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration with ubiquitin-positive inclusions (FTLD-U). Importantly, TDP-43 mutations are linked to sporadic and non-SOD1 familial ALS. However, TDP-43 is not the only protein in disease-associated inclusions, and whether TDP-43 misfolds or is merely sequestered by other aggregated components is unclear. Here, we report that, in the absence of other components, TDP-43 spontaneously forms aggregates bearing remarkable ultrastructural similarities to TDP-43 deposits in degenerating neurons of ALS and FTLD-U patients [corrected] . The C-terminal domain of TDP-43 is critical for spontaneous aggregation. Several ALS-linked TDP-43 mutations within this domain (Q331K, M337V, Q343R, N345K, R361S, and N390D) increase the number of TDP-43 aggregates and promote toxicity in vivo. Importantly, mutations that promote toxicity in vivo accelerate aggregation of pure TDP-43 in vitro. Thus, TDP-43 is intrinsically aggregation-prone, and its propensity for toxic misfolding trajectories is accentuated by specific ALS-linked mutations.
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            RNA granules: post-transcriptional and epigenetic modulators of gene expression.

            The composition of cytoplasmic messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs) is determined by their nuclear and cytoplasmic histories and reflects past functions and future fates. The protein components of selected mRNP complexes promote their assembly into microscopically visible cytoplasmic RNA granules, including stress granules, processing bodies and germ cell (or polar) granules. We propose that RNA granules can be both a cause and a consequence of altered mRNA translation, decay or editing. In this capacity, RNA granules serve as key modulators of post-transcriptional and epigenetic gene expression.
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              TDP-43 mutant transgenic mice develop features of ALS and frontotemporal lobar degeneration.

              Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are neurodegenerative diseases that show considerable clinical and pathologic overlap, with no effective treatments available. Mutations in the RNA binding protein TDP-43 were recently identified in patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and TDP-43 aggregates are found in both ALS and FTLD-U (FTLD with ubiquitin aggregates), suggesting a common underlying mechanism. We report that mice expressing a mutant form of human TDP-43 develop a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease reminiscent of both ALS and FTLD-U. Despite universal transgene expression throughout the nervous system, pathologic aggregates of ubiquitinated proteins accumulate only in specific neuronal populations, including layer 5 pyramidal neurons in frontal cortex, as well as spinal motor neurons, recapitulating the phenomenon of selective vulnerability seen in patients with FTLD-U and ALS. Surprisingly, cytoplasmic TDP-43 aggregates are not present, and hence are not required for TDP-43-induced neurodegeneration. These results indicate that the cellular and molecular substrates for selective vulnerability in FTLD-U and ALS are shared between mice and humans, and suggest that altered DNA/RNA-binding protein function, rather than toxic aggregation, is central to TDP-43-related neurodegeneration.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                +31-88-7568831 , +31-88-7569032 , r.j.pasterkamp@umcutrecht.nl
                Journal
                Acta Neuropathol
                Acta Neuropathol
                Acta Neuropathologica
                Springer-Verlag (Berlin/Heidelberg )
                0001-6322
                1432-0533
                15 May 2013
                15 May 2013
                June 2013
                : 125
                : 6
                : 777-794
                Affiliations
                [ ]Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
                [ ]Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
                Article
                1125
                10.1007/s00401-013-1125-6
                3661910
                23673820
                ca40e0ba-b7ed-4cde-bf50-df0a01a86456
                © The Author(s) 2013

                Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.

                History
                : 30 March 2013
                : 4 May 2013
                Categories
                Review
                Custom metadata
                © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

                Neurology
                amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (als),aggregation,protein degradation,motor neuron,rna granule

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