Transcriptional activation of TFEB/ZKSCAN3 target genes underlies enhanced autophagy in spinobulbar muscular atrophy.

Spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is an inherited neuromuscular disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat encoding a polyglutamine tract in exon 1 of the androgen receptor (AR) gene. SBMA demonstrates androgen-dependent toxicity due to unfolding and aggregation of the mutant protein. There are currently no disease-modifying therapies, but of increasing interest for therapeutic targeting is autophagy, a highly conserved cellular process mediating protein quality control. We have previously shown that genetic manipulations inhibiting autophagy diminish skeletal muscle atrophy and extend the lifespan of AR113Q knock-in mice. In contrast, manipulations inducing autophagy worsen muscle atrophy, suggesting that chronic, aberrant upregulation of autophagy contributes to pathogenesis. Since the degree to which autophagy is altered in SBMA and the mechanisms responsible for such alterations are incompletely defined, we sought to delineate autophagic status in SBMA using both cellular and mouse models. Here, we confirm that autophagy is induced in cellular and knock-in mouse models of SBMA and show that the transcription factors transcription factor EB (TFEB) and ZKSCAN3 operate in opposing roles to underlie these changes. We demonstrate upregulation of TFEB target genes in skeletal muscle from AR113Q male mice and SBMA patients. Furthermore, we observe a greater response in AR113Q mice to physiological stimulation of autophagy by both nutrient starvation and exercise. Taken together, our results indicate that transcriptional signaling contributes to autophagic dysregulation and provides a mechanistic framework for the pathologic increase of autophagic responsiveness in SBMA.

Disrupting SUMOylation enhances transcriptional function and ameliorates polyglutamine androgen receptor-mediated disease.

Expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) tract within the androgen receptor (AR) causes neuromuscular degeneration in individuals with spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). PolyQ AR has diminished transcriptional function and exhibits ligand-dependent proteotoxicity, features that have both been implicated in SBMA; however, the extent to which altered AR transcriptional function contributes to pathogenesis remains controversial. Here, we sought to dissociate effects of diminished AR function from polyQ-mediated proteotoxicity by enhancing the transcriptional activity of polyQ AR. To accomplish this, we bypassed the inhibitory effect of AR SUMOylation (where SUMO indicates small ubiquitin-like modifier) by mutating conserved lysines in the polyQ AR that are sites of SUMOylation. We determined that replacement of these residues by arginine enhances polyQ AR activity as a hormone-dependent transcriptional regulator. In a murine model, disruption of polyQ AR SUMOylation rescued exercise endurance and type I muscle fiber atrophy; it also prolonged survival. These changes occurred without overt alterations in polyQ AR expression or aggregation, revealing the favorable trophic support exerted by the ligand-activated receptor. Our findings demonstrate beneficial effects of enhancing the transcriptional function of the ligand-activated polyQ AR and indicate that the SUMOylation pathway may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention in SBMA.