Slowing of axonal transport is a very early event in the toxicity of ALS–linked SOD1 mutants to motor neurons

10.1038/4553 ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni L. Williamson ◽  
Don W. Cleveland
Keyword(s):  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Early Event

scholarly journals C9orf72-derived arginine-containing dipeptide repeats associate with axonal transport machinery and impede microtubule-based motility

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (15) ◽  
pp. eabg3013
Author(s):  
Laura Fumagalli ◽  
Florence L. Young ◽  
Steven Boeynaems ◽  
Mathias De Decker ◽  
Arpan R. Mehta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Repeat Expansion ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat Expansion ◽  
Axonal Trafficking ◽  
Inhibitory Interactions

A hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene is the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). How this mutation leads to these neurodegenerative diseases remains unclear. Here, we show using patient stem cell–derived motor neurons that the repeat expansion impairs microtubule-based transport, a process critical for neuronal survival. Cargo transport defects are recapitulated by treating neurons from healthy individuals with proline-arginine and glycine-arginine dipeptide repeats (DPRs) produced from the repeat expansion. Both arginine-rich DPRs similarly inhibit axonal trafficking in adult Drosophila neurons in vivo. Physical interaction studies demonstrate that arginine-rich DPRs associate with motor complexes and the unstructured tubulin tails of microtubules. Single-molecule imaging reveals that microtubule-bound arginine-rich DPRs directly impede translocation of purified dynein and kinesin-1 motor complexes. Collectively, our study implicates inhibitory interactions of arginine-rich DPRs with axonal transport machinery in C9orf72-associated ALS/FTD and thereby points to potential therapeutic strategies.

scholarly journals Ultramicroscopy Reveals Axonal Transport Impairments in Cortical Motor Neurons at Prion Disease

2009 ◽  
Vol 96 (8) ◽  
pp. 3390-3398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Ermolayev ◽  
Mike Friedrich ◽  
Revaz Nozadze ◽  
Toni Cathomen ◽  
Michael A. Klein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Prion Disease ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Cortical Motor

scholarly journals C9orf72-derived arginine-containing dipeptide repeats associate with axonal transport machinery and impede microtubule-based motility

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Fumagalli ◽  
Florence L. Young ◽  
Steven Boeynaems ◽  
Mathias De Decker ◽  
Arpan R. Mehta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Inhibitory Interaction ◽  
Hexanucleotide Repeat ◽  
Repeat Expansions

ABSTRACTHexanucleotide repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene are the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). How this mutation leads to these neurodegenerative diseases remains unclear. Here, we use human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons to show that C9orf72 repeat expansions impair microtubule-based transport of mitochondria, a process critical for maintenance of neuronal function. Cargo transport defects are recapitulated by treating healthy neurons with the arginine-rich dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) that are produced by the hexanucleotide repeat expansions. Single-molecule imaging shows that these DPRs perturb motility of purified kinesin-1 and cytoplasmic dynein-1 motors along microtubules in vitro. Additional in vitro and in vivo data indicate that the DPRs impair transport by interacting with both microtubules and the motor complexes. We also show that kinesin-1 is enriched in DPR inclusions in patient brains and that increasing the level of this motor strongly suppresses the toxic effects of arginine-rich DPR expression in a Drosophila model. Collectively, our study implicates an inhibitory interaction of arginine-rich DPRs with the axonal transport machinery in C9orf72-associated ALS/FTD and thereby points to novel potential therapeutic strategies.

scholarly journals Contemporary Circulating Enterovirus D68 Strains Infect and Undergo Retrograde Axonal Transport in Spinal Motor Neurons Independent of Sialic Acid

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison M. Hixon ◽  
Penny Clarke ◽  
Kenneth L. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Sialic Acid ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
The United States ◽  
Retrograde Axonal Transport ◽  
Spinal Motor Neurons ◽  
Acute Flaccid Myelitis ◽  
Spinal Motor ◽  
Enterovirus D68

ABSTRACTEnterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is an emerging virus that has been identified as a cause of recent outbreaks of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), a poliomyelitis-like spinal cord syndrome that can result in permanent paralysis and disability. In experimental mouse models, EV-D68 spreads to, infects, and kills spinal motor neurons following infection by various routes of inoculation. The topography of virus-induced motor neuron loss correlates with the pattern of paralysis. The mechanism(s) by which EV-D68 spreads to target motor neurons remains unclear. We sought to determine the capacity of EV-D68 to spread by the neuronal route and to determine the role of known EV-D68 receptors, sialic acid and intracellular adhesion molecule 5 (ICAM-5), in neuronal infection. To do this, we utilized a microfluidic chamber culture system in which human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) motor neuron cell bodies and axons can be compartmentalized for independent experimental manipulation. We found that EV-D68 can infect motor neurons via their distal axons and spread by retrograde axonal transport to the neuronal cell bodies. Virus was not released from the axons via anterograde axonal transport after infection of the cell bodies. Prototypic strains of EV-D68 depended on sialic acid for axonal infection and transport, while contemporary circulating strains isolated during the 2014 EV-D68 outbreak did not. The pattern of infection did not correspond with the ICAM-5 distribution and expression in either human tissue, the mouse model, or the iPSC motor neurons.IMPORTANCEEnterovirus D68 (EV-D68) infections are on the rise worldwide. Since 2014, the United States has experienced biennial spikes in EV-D68-associated acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) that have left hundreds of children paralyzed. Much remains to be learned about the pathogenesis of EV-D68 in the central nervous system (CNS). Herein we investigated the mechanisms of EV-D68 CNS invasion through neuronal pathways. A better understanding of EV-D68 infection in experimental models may allow for better prevention and treatment strategies of EV-D68 CNS disease.

scholarly journals Smcr8 deficiency disrupts axonal transport-dependent lysosomal function and promotes axonal swellings and gain of toxicity in C9ALS/FTD mouse models

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (23) ◽  
pp. 3940-3953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Liang ◽  
Qiang Shao ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Mei Yang ◽  
Qing Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Mouse Models ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Lysosomal Function ◽  
Repeat Expansions ◽  
Axonal Swellings

Abstract G4C2 repeat expansions in an intron of C9ORF72 cause the most common familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (collectively, C9ALS/FTD). Mechanisms and mediators of C9ALS/FTD pathogenesis remain poorly understood. C9orf72 and Smcr8 form a protein complex. Here, we show that expression of Smcr8, like C9orf72, is reduced in C9ALS/FTD mouse models and patient tissues. Since Smcr8 is highly conserved between human and mouse, we evaluated the effects of Smcr8 downregulation in mice. Smcr8 knockout (KO) mice exhibited motor behavior deficits, which resemble those of C9ALS/FTD mouse models, and displayed axonal swellings in their spinal cords and neuromuscular junctions. These deficits are caused by impaired autophagy-lysosomal functions due to disrupted axonal transport in mutant motor neurons. Consistent with its interaction with C9orf72 and their downregulation in patient tissues, Smcr8 deficiency exacerbated autophagy-lysosomal impairment in C9orf72 KO mice. The disease relevance of Smcr8 downregulation was reflected by exacerbated axonal swellings and gain of toxicity pathology arising from Smcr8 haploinsufficiency in a mouse model of C9ALS/FTD. Thus, our in vivo studies suggested that Smcr8 deficiency impairs axonal transport dependent autophagy-lysosomal function and exacerbates axonal degeneration and gain of toxicity in C9ALS/FTD mouse models.

Differential Screening of Mutated SOD1 Transgenic Mice Reveals Early Up-Regulation of a Fast Axonal Transport Component in Spinal Cord Motor Neurons

2000 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 274-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Dupuis ◽  
Marc de Tapia ◽  
Frédérique René ◽  
Bernadette Lutz-Bucher ◽  
Jon W. Gordon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Axonal Transport ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Differential Screening ◽  
Fast Axonal Transport ◽  
Transport Component
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