The BCL-2 family protein Bid is critical for pro-inflammatory signaling in astrocytes.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of motoneurons in the spinal cord, brainstem and motor cortex. Mutations in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene represent a frequent genetic determinant and recapitulate a disease phenotype similar to ALS when expressed in mice. Previous studies using SOD1(G93A) transgenic mice have suggested a paracrine mechanism of neuronal loss, in which cytokines and other toxic factors released from astroglia or microglia trigger motoneuron degeneration. Several pro-inflammatory cytokines activate death receptors and may downstream from this activate the Bcl-2 family protein, Bid. We here sought to investigate the role of Bid in astrocyte activation and non-cell autonomous motoneuron degeneration. We found that spinal cord Bid protein levels increased significantly during disease progression in SOD1(G93A) mice. Subsequent experiments in vitro indicated that Bid was expressed at relatively low levels in motoneurons, but was enriched in astrocytes and microglia. Bid was strongly induced in astrocytes in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines or exposure to lipopolysaccharide. Experiments in bid-deficient astrocytes or astrocytes treated with a small molecule Bid inhibitor demonstrated that Bid was required for the efficient activation of transcription factor nuclear factor-κB in response to these pro-inflammatory stimuli. Finally, we found that conditioned medium from wild-type astrocytes, but not from bid-deficient astrocytes, was toxic when applied to primary motoneuron cultures. Collectively, our data demonstrate a new role for the Bcl-2 family protein Bid as a mediator of astrocyte activation during neuroinflammation, and suggest that Bid activation may contribute to non-cell autonomous motoneuron degeneration in ALS.

Vascular regression precedes motor neuron loss in the FUS (1-359) ALS mouse model.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) presents a poorly understood pathogenesis. Evidence from patients and mutant SOD1 mouse models suggests vascular damage may precede or aggravate motor dysfunction in ALS. We have previously shown angiogenin (ANG) treatment enhances motor neuron survival, delays motor dysfunction and prevents vascular regression in the SOD1G93A ALS model. However, the existence of vascular defects at different stages of disease progression remains to be established in other ALS models. Here, we assessed vascular integrity in vivo throughout different disease stages, and investigated whether ANG treatment reverses vascular regression and prolongs motor neuron survival in the FUS (1-359) mouse model of ALS. Lumbar spinal cord tissue was collected from FUS (1-359) and non-transgenic control mice at postnatal day (P)50, P90 and P120. We found a significant decrease in vascular network density in lumbar spinal cords from FUS (1-359) mice by day 90, at which point motor neuron numbers were unaffected. ANG treatment did not affect survival or counter vascular regression. Endogenous Ang1 and Vegf expression were unchanged at P50 and P90; however, we found a significant decrease in miRNA 126 at P50, indicating vascular integrity in FUS mice may be compromised via an alternative pathway. Our study demonstrates that vascular regression occurs before motor neuron degeneration in FUS (1-359) mice, and highlights that heterogeneity in responses to novel ALS therapeutics can already be detected in preclinical mouse models of ALS.This article has an associated First Person interview with the joint first authors of the paper.

Riluzole does not improve lifespan or motor function in three ALS mouse models.

BACKGROUND: Riluzole is the most widespread therapeutic for treatment of the progressive degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Riluzole gained FDA approval in 1995 before the development of ALS mouse models. We assessed riluzole in three transgenic ALS mouse models: the SOD1G93A model, the TDP-43A315T model, and the recently developed FUS (1-359) model. METHODS: Age, sex and litter-matched mice were treated with riluzole (22 mg/kg) in drinking water or vehicle (DMSO) from symptom onset. Lifespan was assessed and motor function tests were carried out twice weekly to determine whether riluzole slowed disease progression. RESULTS: Riluzole treatment had no significant benefit on lifespan in any of the ALS mouse models tested. Riluzole had no significant impact on decline in motor performance in the FUS (1-359) and SOD1G93A transgenic mice as assessed by Rotarod and stride length analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Riluzole is widely prescribed for ALS patients despite questions surrounding its efficacy. Our data suggest that if riluzole was identified as a therapeutic candidate today it would not progress past pre-clinical assessment. This raises questions about the standards used in pre-clinical assessment of therapeutic candidates for the treatment of ALS.

Pleiotropic activity of systemically delivered angiogenin in the SOD1G93A mouse model.

Loss-of-function mutations in the angiogenin (ANG) gene have been identified in familial and sporadic ALS patients. Previous work from our group identified human ANG (huANG) to protect motoneurons in vitro, and provided proof-of-concept that daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) huANG injections post-symptom onset increased lifespan and delayed disease progression in SOD1G93A mice. huANG's mechanism of action remains less well understood. Here, we implemented a preclinical in vivo design to validate our previous results, provide pharmacokinetic and protein distribution data after systemic administration, and explore potential pleiotropic activities of huANG in vivo. SOD1G93A mice (n = 45) and non-transgenic controls (n = 31) were sex- age- and litter-matched according to the 2010 European ALS/MND group guidelines, and treated with huANG (1 µg, i.p., 3 times/week) or vehicle from 90 days on. huANG treatment increased survival and delayed motor dysfunction as assessed by rotarod in SOD1G93A mice. Increased huANG serum levels were detectable 2 and 24 h after i.p. injection equally in transgenic and non-transgenic mice. Exogenous huANG localized to spinal cord astrocytes, supporting a glia-mediated, paracrine mechanism of action; uptake into endothelial cells was also observed. 1 µg huANG or vehicle were administered from 90 to 115 days of age for histological analysis. Vehicle-treated SOD1G93A mice showed decreased motoneuron numbers and vascular length per ventral horn area, while huANG treatment resulted in improved vascular network maintenance and motoneuron survival. Our data suggest huANG represents a new class of pleiotropic ALS therapeutic that acts on the spinal cord vasculature and glia to delay motoneuron degeneration and disease progression.

A high-fat jelly diet restores bioenergetic balance and extends lifespan in the presence of motor dysfunction and lumbar spinal cord motor neuron loss in TDP-43A315T mutant C57BL6/J mice.

Transgenic transactivation response DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) mice expressing the A315T mutation under control of the murine prion promoter progressively develop motor function deficits and are considered a new model for the study of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); however, premature sudden death resulting from intestinal obstruction halts disease phenotype progression in 100% of C57BL6/J congenic TDP-43(A315T) mice. Similar to our recent results in SOD1(G93A) mice, TDP-43(A315T) mice fed a standard pellet diet showed increased 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation at postnatal day (P)80, indicating elevated energetic stress during disease progression. We therefore investigated the effects of a high-fat jelly diet on bioenergetic status and lifespan in TDP-43(A315T) mice. In contrast to standard pellet-fed mice, mice fed high-fat jelly showed no difference in AMPK activation up to P120 and decreased phosphorylation of acetly-CoA carboxylase (ACC) at early-stage time points. Exposure to a high-fat jelly diet prevented sudden death and extended survival, allowing development of a motor neuron disease phenotype with significantly decreased body weight from P80 onward that was characterised by deficits in Rotarod abilities and stride length measurements. Development of this phenotype was associated with a significant motor neuron loss as assessed by Nissl staining in the lumbar spinal cord. Our work suggests that a high-fat jelly diet improves the pre-clinical utility of the TDP-43(A315T) model by extending lifespan and allowing the motor neuron disease phenotype to progress, and indicates the potential benefit of this diet in TDP-43-associated ALS.

"Preconditioning" with latrepirdine, an adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase activator, delays amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression in SOD1(G93A) mice.

Adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master regulator of energy balance. As energy imbalance is documented as a key pathologic feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we investigated AMPK as a pharmacologic target in SOD1(G93A) mice. We noted a strong activation of AMPK in lumbar spinal cords of SOD1(G93A) mice. Pharmacologic activation of AMPK has shown protective effects in neuronal "preconditioning" models. We tested the hypothesis that "preconditioning" with a small molecule activator of AMPK, latrepirdine, exerts beneficial effects on disease progression. SOD1(G93A) mice (n = 24 animals per group; sex and litter matched) were treated with latrepirdine (1 µg/kg, intraperitoneal) or vehicle from postnatal day 70 to 120. Treatment with latrepirdine increased AMPK activity in primary mouse motor neuron cultures and in SOD1(G93A) lumbar spinal cords. Mice "preconditioned" with latrepirdine showed a delayed symptom onset and a significant increase in life span (p < 0.01). Our study suggests that "preconditioning" with latrepirdine may represent a possible therapeutic strategy for individuals harboring ALS-associated gene mutations who are at risk for developing ALS.