scholarly journals Fused in Sarcoma: Properties, Self-Assembly and Correlation with Neurodegenerative Diseases

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Chen ◽  
Xiufang Ding ◽  
Nimrah Akram ◽  
Song Xue ◽  
Shi-Zhong Luo
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Mutual Transformation ◽  
Polyglutamine Diseases ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Self Assembling ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Fused in sarcoma (FUS) is a DNA/RNA binding protein that is involved in RNA metabolism and DNA repair. Numerous reports have demonstrated by pathological and genetic analysis that FUS is associated with a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and polyglutamine diseases. Traditionally, the fibrillar aggregation of FUS was considered to be the cause of those diseases, especially via its prion-like domains (PrLDs), which are rich in glutamine and asparagine residues. Lately, a nonfibrillar self-assembling phenomenon, liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), was observed in FUS, and studies of its functions, mechanism, and mutual transformation with pathogenic amyloid have been emerging. This review summarizes recent studies on FUS self-assembling, including both aggregation and LLPS as well as their relationship with the pathology of ALS, FTLD, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals TDP-43 oligomers detected as initial intermediate species during aggregate formation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. French ◽  
Ashley N. Reeb ◽  
Himani Aligireddy ◽  
Niraja Kedia ◽  
Dhruva D. Dhavale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Initial Time ◽  
Intermediate Step ◽  
Liquid Droplets ◽  
Clinical Genetic ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Cytoplasmic Aggregate ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

ABSTRACTAggregates of the RNA binding protein TDP-43 are a hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which are neurodegenerative disorders with overlapping clinical, genetic and pathological features. Mutations in the TDP-43 gene are causative of ALS, supporting its central role in pathogenesis. The process of TDP-43 aggregation remains poorly understood and whether this includes formation of intermediate complexes is unknown. We characterized aggregates derived from purified TDP-43 as a function of time and analyzed them under semi-denaturing conditions. Our assays identified oligomeric complexes at the initial time points prior to the formation of large aggregates, suggesting that ordered oligomerization is an intermediate step of TDP-43 aggregation. In addition, we analyzed liquid-liquid phase separation of TDP-43 and detected similar oligomeric assembly upon the maturation of liquid droplets into solid-like fibrils. These results strongly suggest that the oligomers form during the early steps of TDP-43 misfolding. Importantly, ALS-linked mutations A315T and M337V significantly accelerate aggregation, rapidly decreasing the monomeric population and shortening the oligomeric phase. We also show that the aggregates generated from purified protein seed intracellular aggregation, which is detected by established markers of TDP-43 pathology. Remarkably, cytoplasmic aggregate propagation is detected earlier with A315T and M337V and is 50% more widespread than with wild-type aggregates. Our findings provide evidence for a controlled process of TDP-43 self-assembly into intermediate structures that provide a scaffold for aggregation. This process is altered by ALS-linked mutations, underscoring the role of perturbations in TDP-43 homeostasis in protein aggregation and ALS-FTD pathogenesis.

scholarly journals The phase separation-dependent FUS interactome reveals nuclear and cytoplasmic function of liquid-liquid phase separation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Reber ◽  
Helen Lindsay ◽  
Anny Devoy ◽  
Daniel Jutzi ◽  
Jonas Mechtersheimer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Damage Repair ◽  
Interaction Partners ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

AbstractLiquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and RNAs has emerged as the driving force underlying the formation of membrane-less organelles. Such biomolecular condensates have various biological functions and have been linked to disease. One of the best studied proteins undergoing LLPS is Fused in Sarcoma (FUS), a predominantly nuclear RNA-binding protein. Mutations in FUS have been causally linked to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), an adult-onset motor neuron disease, and LLPS followed by aggregation of cytoplasmic FUS has been proposed to be a crucial disease mechanism. In spite of this, it is currently unclear how LLPS impacts the behaviour of FUS in cells, e.g. its interactome. In order to study the consequences of LLPS on FUS and its interaction partners, we developed a method that allows for the purification of phase separated FUS-containing droplets from cell lysates. We observe substantial alterations in the interactome of FUS, depending on its biophysical state. While non-phase separated FUS interacts mainly with its well-known interaction partners involved in pre-mRNA processing, phase-separated FUS predominantly binds to proteins involved in chromatin remodelling and DNA damage repair. Interestingly, factors with function in mitochondria are strongly enriched with phase-separated FUS, providing a potential explanation for early changes in mitochondrial gene expression observed in mouse models of ALS-FUS. In summary, we present a methodology that allows to investigate the interactome of phase-separating proteins and provide evidence that LLPS strongly shapes the FUS interactome with important implications for function and disease.

RNA-Binding Proteins and Translation in Neurodegenerative Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent E. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Specific Mrnas ◽  
Ataxia Syndrome ◽  
Research Frontiers

Both RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and translation are increasingly implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases, but their specific roles in promoting disease are not yet fully defined. This chapter critically evaluates the evidence that altered translation of specific mRNAs mediated by RNA-binding proteins plays an important role in driving specific neurodegenerative diseases. First, diseases are discussed where a causal role for RNA-binding proteins in disease appears solid, but whether this involves altered translation is less clear. The main foci here are TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) and fused in sarcoma (FUS) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Subsequently, diseases are presented where altered translation is believed to contribute, but involvement of RNA-binding proteins is less clear. These include Huntington’s and other repeat expansion disorders such as fragile X tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), where repeat-induced non-AUG-initiated (RAN) translation is a focus. The potential contribution of both canonical and non-canonical RBPs to altered translation in Parkinson’s disease is discussed. The chapter closes by proposing key research frontiers for the field to explore and outlining methodological advances that could help to address them.

scholarly journals RNA Binding Proteins and the Pathogenesis of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 469-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey W. Hofmann ◽  
William W. Seeley ◽  
Eric J. Huang
Keyword(s):  
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Low Complexity ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Abnormal Protein ◽  
Early Onset Dementia ◽  
Cellular Pathways ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Frontotemporal dementia is a group of early onset dementia syndromes linked to underlying frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) pathology that can be classified based on the formation of abnormal protein aggregates involving tau and two RNA binding proteins, TDP-43 and FUS. Although elucidation of the mechanisms leading to FTLD pathology is in progress, recent advances in genetics and neuropathology indicate that a majority of FTLD cases with proteinopathy involving RNA binding proteins show highly congruent genotype–phenotype correlations. Specifically, recent studies have uncovered the unique properties of the low-complexity domains in RNA binding proteins that can facilitate liquid–liquid phase separation in the formation of membraneless organelles. Furthermore, there is compelling evidence that mutations in FTLD genes lead to dysfunction in diverse cellular pathways that converge on the endolysosomal pathway, autophagy, and neuroinflammation. Together, these results provide key mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets of FTLD.

scholarly journals TDP-43 dysfunction restricts dendritic complexity by inhibiting CREB activation and altering gene expression

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josiah J. Herzog ◽  
Mugdha Deshpande ◽  
Weijin Xu ◽  
Reazur Rahman ◽  
Hannah Suib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Dendritic Morphology ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Creb Activation ◽  
Dendritic Branching ◽  
Transcriptional Output ◽  
Dendritic Complexity ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

AbstractAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are two related neurodegenerative diseases that present with similar TDP-43 pathology in patient tissue. TDP-43 is an RNA-binding protein and forms aggregates in neurons of ALS and FTD patients as well as in a subset of patients diagnosed with other neurodegenerative diseases. Despite our understanding that TDP-43 is essential for many aspects of RNA metabolism, it remains obscure how TDP-43 dysfunction contributes to neurodegeneration. Interestingly, several neurological disorders display altered dendritic morphology and complexity, which are thought to precede neurodegeneration. In this study, we used TRIBE (targets of RNA-binding proteins identified by editing) as a new approach to identify signaling pathways that regulate dendritic branching downstream of TDP-43. We found that TDP-43 targets are enriched for pathways that signal to the CREB transcription factor. We further found that TDP-43 dysfunction inhibits CREB activation and CREB transcriptional output, and restoring CREB signaling rescued defects in dendritic branching. Our data therefore provide a novel mechanism by which TDP-43 dysfunction interferes with dendritic branching, and define new pathways for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals RNA-binding proteins with prion-like domains in health and disease

2017 ◽  
Vol 474 (8) ◽  
pp. 1417-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Ford Harrison ◽  
James Shorter
Keyword(s):  
Phase Transitions ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Low Complexity ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Heterogeneous Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Approximately 70 human RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) contain a prion-like domain (PrLD). PrLDs are low-complexity domains that possess a similar amino acid composition to prion domains in yeast, which enable several proteins, including Sup35 and Rnq1, to form infectious conformers, termed prions. In humans, PrLDs contribute to RBP function and enable RBPs to undergo liquid–liquid phase transitions that underlie the biogenesis of various membraneless organelles. However, this activity appears to render RBPs prone to misfolding and aggregation connected to neurodegenerative disease. Indeed, numerous RBPs with PrLDs, including TDP-43 (transactivation response element DNA-binding protein 43), FUS (fused in sarcoma), TAF15 (TATA-binding protein-associated factor 15), EWSR1 (Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1), and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins A1 and A2 (hnRNPA1 and hnRNPA2), have now been connected via pathology and genetics to the etiology of several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, and multisystem proteinopathy. Here, we review the physiological and pathological roles of the most prominent RBPs with PrLDs. We also highlight the potential of protein disaggregases, including Hsp104, as a therapeutic strategy to combat the aberrant phase transitions of RBPs with PrLDs that likely underpin neurodegeneration.

scholarly journals FUS-ALS mutants alter FMRP phase separation equilibrium and impair protein translation

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (30) ◽  
pp. eabf8660
Author(s):  
Nicol Birsa ◽  
Agnieszka M. Ule ◽  
Maria Giovanna Garone ◽  
Brian Tsang ◽  
Francesca Mattedi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Fragile X ◽  
Protein Translation ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Mental Retardation Protein ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

FUsed in Sarcoma (FUS) is a multifunctional RNA binding protein (RBP). FUS mutations lead to its cytoplasmic mislocalization and cause the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we use mouse and human models with endogenous ALS-associated mutations to study the early consequences of increased cytoplasmic FUS. We show that in axons, mutant FUS condensates sequester and promote the phase separation of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), another RBP associated with neurodegeneration. This leads to repression of translation in mouse and human FUS-ALS motor neurons and is corroborated in vitro, where FUS and FMRP copartition and repress translation. Last, we show that translation of FMRP-bound RNAs is reduced in vivo in FUS-ALS motor neurons. Our results unravel new pathomechanisms of FUS-ALS and identify a novel paradigm by which mutations in one RBP favor the formation of condensates sequestering other RBPs, affecting crucial biological functions, such as protein translation.

scholarly journals FUS/TLS undergoes calcium-mediated nuclear egress during excitotoxic stress and is required for Gria2 mRNA processing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maeve Tischbein ◽  
Desiree M. Baron ◽  
Yen-Chen Lin ◽  
Katherine V. Gall ◽  
John E. Landers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Disease ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Nucleocytoplasmic Transport ◽  
Cellular Stress Response ◽  
Calcium Dependent ◽  
Fused In Sarcoma ◽  
Nuclear Egress ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

AbstractExcitotoxic levels of glutamate represent a physiological stress that is strongly linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurological disorders. Emerging evidence indicates a role for neurodegenerative disease linked RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in the cellular stress response. However, the relationships between excitotoxicity, RBP function and pathology have not been explored. Here, we found that excitotoxicity induced the translocation of select ALS-linked RBPs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm within neurons. RBPs affected by excitotoxicity include TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) and, most robustly, fused in sarcoma/translocated in liposarcoma (FUS/TLS). FUS translocation occurs through a calcium-dependent mechanism and coincides with striking alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport. Further, glutamate-induced upregulation of Gria2 in neurons was dependent on FUS expression, consistent with a functional role for FUS under excitotoxic stress. These findings reveal a link between prominent factors in neurodegenerative disease, namely excitotoxicity, disease-associated RBPs and nucleocytoplasmic transport.

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