Anne S. Soehn

Huntingtin-associated protein-1 is a modifier of the age-at-onset of Huntington's disease

A polyglutamine repeat expansion of more than 36 units in a protein called huntingtin (htt) is the only known cause of Huntingtons disease (HD). The expanded repeat length is inversely correlated with the age-at-onset (AAO), however, the onset age among HD patients with CAG repeats below 60 units varies considerably. In addition to environmental factors, genetic factors different from the expanded CAG repeat length can modify the AAO of HD. We hypothezised that htt interacting proteins might contribute to this variation in the AAO and investigated human htt-associated protein-1 (HAP1) using genetic and functional assays. We identified six polymorphisms in the HAP1 gene including one that substitutes methionine (M441) for threonine (T441) at amino acid 441. Analyzing 980 European HD patients, we found that patients homozygous for the M441 genotype show an 8-year delay in the AAO. Functional assays demonstrated that human M441-HAP1 interacts with mutant htt more tightly than does human T441-HAP1, reduces soluble htt degraded products and protects against htt-mediated toxicity. We thus provide genetic and functional evidence that the M441-HAP1 polymorphism modifies the AAO of HD.

The proteasomal subunit S6 ATPase is a novel synphilin-1 interacting protein—implications for Parkinson’s disease

Synphilin‐1 is linked to Parkinsons disease (PD), based on its role as an alpha‐synuclein (PARK1)‐interacting protein and substrate of the ubiquitin E3 ligase Parkin (PARK2) and because of its presence in Lewy bodies (LB) in brains of PD patients. We found that overexpression of synphilin‐1 in cells leads to the formation of ubiquitinated cytoplasmic inclusions supporting a derangement of the ubiquitin‐proteasome system in PD. We report here a novel specific interaction of synphilin‐1 with the regulatory proteasomal protein S6 ATPase (tbp7). Functional characterization of this interaction on a cellular level revealed colocalization of S6 and synphilin‐1 in aggresome‐like intracytoplasmic inclusions. Overexpression of synphilin‐1 and S6 in cells caused reduced proteasomal activity associated with a significant increase in inclusion formation compared to cells expressing syn‐philin‐1 alone. Steady‐state levels of synphilin‐1 in cells were not altered after cotransfection of S6 and colocal‐ization of synphilin‐1‐positive inclusions with lysosomal markers suggests the presence of an alternative lysosomal degradation pathway. Subsequent immunohistochemical studies in brains of PD patients identified S6 ATPase as a component of LB. This is the first study investigating the physiological role of synphilin‐1 in the ubiquitin protea‐some system. Our data suggest a direct interaction of synphilin‐1 with the regulatory complex of the protea‐some modulating proteasomal function.—Marx F. P., Soehn, A. S., Berg, D., Melle, C., Schiesling, C., Lang, M., Kautzmann, S., Strauss, K. M., Franck, T., Engelender, S., Pahnke, J., Dawson, S., von Eggeling F., Schulz, J. B., Riess, O., Krüger R. The proteasomal subunit S6 ATPase is a novel synphilin‐1 interacting protein—implications for Parkinsons disease. FASEB J. 21, 1759–1767 (2007)

Genetic analysis of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in German Parkinson’s disease patients

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the presence of intracytoplasmic inclusions (Lewy bodies). Iron, which is elevated in the substantia nigra (SN) of PD patients, seems to be of pivotal importance, because of its capacity to enhance the amplification of reactive-oxygen species. Therefore, it is tempting that the iron-releasing key enzyme in heme catabolism, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), may represent a candidate for a genetic susceptibility to PD. In the current study, we examined a (GT)n fragment length polymorphism in the promoter region, as well as three coding SNPs in the HO-1 gene in order to assess if certain genotypes are associated with PD. Furthermore, peripheral blood expression levels of HO-1 in PD patients and healthy probands were compared. However, our analyses did not reveal a significant association of these genetic markers in the HO-1 gene with an increased susceptibility to PD.

Genetic analysis of coding SNPs in blood-brain barrier transporter MDR1 in European Parkinson’s disease patients

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons and the presence of intracytoplasmic inclusions (Lewy bodies). Iron, which is elevated in the substantia nigra of PD patients, seems to be of pivotal importance, because of its capacity to enhance the amplification of reactive oxygen species. As iron enters and exits the brain via transport proteins in the blood-brain barrier (BBB), these proteins may represent candidates for a genetic susceptibility to PD. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is one important efflux pump in the BBB. There is evidence that the function of P-gp is impaired in PD patients. In the current study we examined ten coding single nucleotide polymorphisms in the multidrug resistance gene 1 (MDR1) encoding P-gp to assess whether certain genotypes are associated with PD. However, genotyping of 300 PD patients and 302 healthy controls did not reveal a significant association between coding MDR1 gene polymorphisms and PD.

Genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease: extending the pathway

The functional characterization of identified disease genes in monogenic forms of Parkinsons disease (PD) allows first insights into molecular pathways leading to neurodegeneration and dysfunction of the nigrostriatal system. There is increasing evidence that disturbance of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway is one important feature of this process underscoring the relevance of protein misfolding and accumulation in the neurodegenerative process of PD. Other genes are involved in mitochondrial homeostasis and still others link newly identified signalling pathways to the established paradigm of oxidative stress in PD. Additional factors are posttranslational modifications of key proteins such as phosphorylation. Also, molecular data support the role of altered iron metabolism in PD. Here we describe known genes and novel genetic susceptibility factors and define their role in neurodegeneration.

Hypomorphic mutations in POLR3A are a frequent cause of sporadic and recessive spastic ataxia

Despite extensive efforts, half of patients with rare movement disorders such as hereditary spastic paraplegias and cerebellar ataxias remain genetically unexplained, implicating novel genes and unrecognized mutations in known genes. Non-coding DNA variants are suspected to account for a substantial part of undiscovered causes of rare diseases. Here we identified mutations located deep in introns of POLR3A to be a frequent cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia and cerebellar ataxia. First, whole-exome sequencing findings in a recessive spastic ataxia family turned our attention to intronic variants in POLR3A, a gene previously associated with hypomyelinating leukodystrophy type 7. Next, we screened a cohort of hereditary spastic paraplegia and cerebellar ataxia cases (n = 618) for mutations in POLR3A and identified compound heterozygous POLR3A mutations in ∼3.1% of index cases. Interestingly, >80% of POLR3A mutation carriers presented the same deep-intronic mutation (c.1909+22G>A), which activates a cryptic splice site in a tissue and stage of development-specific manner and leads to a novel distinct and uniform phenotype. The phenotype is characterized by adolescent-onset progressive spastic ataxia with frequent occurrence of tremor, involvement of the central sensory tracts and dental problems (hypodontia, early onset of severe and aggressive periodontal disease). Instead of the typical hypomyelination magnetic resonance imaging pattern associated with classical POLR3A mutations, cases carrying c.1909+22G>A demonstrated hyperintensities along the superior cerebellar peduncles. These hyperintensities may represent the structural correlate to the cerebellar symptoms observed in these patients. The associated c.1909+22G>A variant was significantly enriched in 1139 cases with spastic ataxia-related phenotypes as compared to unrelated neurological and non-neurological phenotypes and healthy controls (P = 1.3 × 10-4). In this study we demonstrate that (i) autosomal-recessive mutations in POLR3A are a frequent cause of hereditary spastic ataxias, accounting for about 3% of hitherto genetically unclassified autosomal recessive and sporadic cases; and (ii) hypomyelination is frequently absent in POLR3A-related syndromes, especially when intronic mutations are present, and thus can no longer be considered as the unifying feature of POLR3A disease. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that substantial progress in revealing the causes of Mendelian diseases can be made by exploring the non-coding sequences of the human genome.

Uniparental disomy of chromosome 16 unmasks recessive mutations of FA2H/SPG35 in 4 families

Objective: Identifying an intriguing mechanism for unmasking recessive hereditary spastic paraplegias. Method: Herein, we describe 4 novel homozygous FA2H mutations in 4 nonconsanguineous families detected by whole-exome sequencing or a targeted gene panel analysis providing high coverage of all known hereditary spastic paraplegia genes. Results: Segregation analysis revealed in all cases only one parent as a heterozygous mutation carrier whereas the other parent did not carry FA2H mutations. A macro deletion within FA2H, which could have caused a hemizygous genotype, was excluded by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification in all cases. Finally, a microsatellite array revealed uniparental disomy (UPD) in all 4 families leading to homozygous FA2H mutations. UPD was confirmed by microarray analyses and methylation profiling. Conclusion: UPD has rarely been described as causative mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. Of note, we identified this mode of inheritance in 4 families with the rare diagnosis of spastic paraplegia type 35 (SPG35). Since UPD seems to be a relevant factor in SPG35 and probably additional autosomal recessive diseases, we recommend segregation analysis especially in nonconsanguineous homozygous index cases to unravel UPD as mutational mechanism. This finding may bear major repercussion for genetic counseling, given the markedly reduced risk of recurrence for affected families.

Periphilin is strongly expressed in the murine nervous system and is indispensable for murine development.

Periphilin is involved in multiple processes in vivo. To explore its physiological role from an organismic perspective, we generated mice with a gene trap insertion in the periphilin‐1 gene. Based on β‐gal reporter activity, a widespread periphilin expression was evident, especially in the developing somites and limbs, the embryonic nervous system, and the adult brain. In accordance with this broad expression, homozygous deficiency of periphilin was lethal in early embryogenesis. Mice with a heterozygous deficiency did not show any abnormalities of brain morphology and function, neither histologically nor regarding the transcriptome. Interestingly, the reduction of the periphilin‐1 gene dosage was compensated by an increased expression of the remaining wild‐type allele in the brain. These results point to an indispensable function of periphilin during murine development and an important role in the nervous system, reflected by a strong and tightly regulated expression in the murine brain. genesis 47:697–707, 2009.

High Frequency of Pathogenic Rearrangements in SPG11 and Extensive Contribution of Mutational Hotspots and Founder Alleles

Biallelic loss‐of‐function mutations in SPG11 cause a wide spectrum of recessively inherited, neurodegenerative disorders including hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease. By comprehensive screening of three large cohorts of HSP index patients, we identified 83 alleles with “small” mutations and 13 alleles that carry large genomic rearrangements. Including relevant data from previous studies, we estimate that copy number variants (CNVs) account for ∼19% of pathogenic SPG11 alleles. The breakpoints for all novel and some previously reported CNVs were determined by long‐range PCR and sequencing. This revealed several Alu‐associated recombination hotspots. We also found evidence for additional mutational mechanisms, including for a two‐step event in which an Alu retrotransposition preceded the actual rearrangement. Apparently independent samples with identical breakpoints were analyzed by microsatellite PCRs. The resulting haplotypes suggested the existence of two rearrangement founder alleles. Our findings widen the spectra of mutations and mutational mechanisms in SPG11, underscore the pivotal role played by Alus, and are of high diagnostic relevance for a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes including the most frequent form of recessive HSP.

The Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Kalirin-7 Is a Novel Synphilin-1 Interacting Protein and Modifies Synphilin-1 Aggregate Transport and Formation

Synphilin-1 has been identified as an interaction partner of α-synuclein, a key protein in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease (PD). To further explore novel binding partners of synphilin-1, a yeast two hybrid screening was performed and kalirin-7 was identified as a novel interactor. We then investigated the effect of kalirin-7 on synphilin-1 aggregate formation. Coexpression of kalirin-7 and synphilin-1 caused a dramatic relocation of synphilin-1 cytoplasmic small inclusions to a single prominent, perinuclear inclusion. These perinuclear inclusions were characterized as being aggresomes according to their colocalization with microtubule organization center markers, and their formation was microtubule-dependent. Furthermore, kalirin-7 increased the susceptibility of synphilin-1 inclusions to be degraded as demonstrated by live cell imaging and quantification of aggregates. However, the kalirin-7-mediated synphilin-1 aggresome response was not dependent on the GEF activity of kalirin-7 since various dominant negative small GTPases could not inhibit the formation of aggresomes. Interestingly, the aggresome response was blocked by HDAC6 catalytic mutants and the HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA). Moreover, kalirin-7 decreased the level of acetylated α-tubulin in response to TSA, which suggests an effect of kalirin-7 on HDAC6-mediated protein transportation and aggresome formation. In summary, this is the first report demonstrating that kalirin-7 leads to the recruitment of synphilin-1 into aggresomes in a HDAC6-dependent manner and also links kalirin-7 to microtubule dynamics.