Structural insights into the multi-determinant aggregation of TDP-43 in motor neuron-like cells.

TDP-43 is aggregated in patients with ALS and FLTD through mechanisms still incompletely understood. Since aggregation in the cytosol is most probably responsible for the delocalization and loss of proper RNA-binding function of TDP-43 in the nucleus, interception of the formation of aggregates may represent a useful therapeutic option. In this study, we investigated the relative importance of the N-terminal and C-terminal moieties of TDP-43 in the aggregation process and the weight of each of the six cysteine residues in determining unfolding and aggregation of the different domains. We report that cytoplasmic inclusions formed by WT and mutant TDP-43 in motor neuron-like NSC34 cells are redox-sensitive only in part, and contain at least two components, i.e. oligomers and large aggregates, that are made of different molecular species. The two N-terminal cysteine residues contribute to the seeding for the first step in oligomerization, which is then accomplished by mechanisms depending on the four cysteines in the RNA-recognition motifs. Cysteine-independent large aggregates contain unfolded isoforms of the protein, held together by unspecific hydrophobic interactions. Interestingly, truncated isoforms are entrapped exclusively in oligomers. Ab initio modeling of TDP-43 structure, molecular dynamics and molecular docking analysis indicate a differential accessibility of cysteine residues that contributes to aggregation propensity. We propose a model of TDP-43 aggregation involving cysteine-dependent and cysteine-independent stages that may constitute a starting point to devise strategies counteracting the formation of inclusions in TDP-43 proteinopathies.

Tissue-specific deregulation of selected HDACs characterizes ALS progression in mouse models: pharmacological characterization of SIRT1 and SIRT2 pathways.

Acetylation homeostasis is thought to play a role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and treatment with inhibitors of histone deacetylases has been considered a potential and attractive therapeutic approach, despite the lack of a thorough study of this class of proteins. In this study, we have considerably extended previous knowledge on the expression of 13 histone deacetylases in tissues (spinal cord and muscle) from mice carrying two different ALS-linked SOD1 mutations (G93A-SOD1 and G86R-SOD1). We have then focused on class III histone deacetylases SIRT1 and SIRT2 that are considered relevant in neurodegenerative diseases. SIRT1 decreases in the spinal cord, but increases in muscle during the progression of the disease, and a similar expression pattern is observed in the corresponding cell models (neuroblastoma and myoblasts). SIRT2 mRNA expression increases in the spinal cord in both G93A-SOD1 and G86R-SOD1 mice but protein expression is substantially unchanged in all the models examined. At variance with other sirtuin modulators (sirtinol, AGK2 and SRT1720), the well-known SIRT1 inhibitor Ex527 has positive effects on survival of neuronal cells expressing mutant SOD1, but this effect is neither mediated by SIRT1 inhibition nor by SIRT2 inhibition. These data call for caution in proposing sirtuin modulation as a target for treatment.