Sulfated disaccharide protects membrane and DNA damages from arginine-rich dipeptide repeats in ALS.

Hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72 (C9) is the most prevalent mutation among amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. The patients carry over ~30 to hundreds or thousands of repeats translated to dipeptide repeats (DPRs) where poly-glycine-arginine (GR) and poly-proline-arginine (PR) are most toxic. The structure-function relationship is still unknown. Here, we examined the minimal neurotoxic repeat number of poly-GR and found that extension of the repeat number led to a loose helical structure disrupting plasma and nuclear membrane. Poly-GR/PR bound to nucleotides and interfered with transcription. We screened and identified a sulfated disaccharide that bound to poly-GR/PR and rescued poly-GR/PR-induced toxicity in neuroblastoma and C9-ALS-iPSC-derived motor neurons. The compound rescued the shortened life span and defective locomotion in poly-GR/PR expressing Drosophila model and improved motor behavior in poly-GR-injected mouse model. Overall, our results reveal structural and toxicity mechanisms for poly-GR/PR and facilitate therapeutic development for C9-ALS.

A positive feedback loop between Flower and PI(4,5)P2 at periactive zones controls bulk endocytosis in Drosophila.

Synaptic vesicle (SV) endocytosis is coupled to exocytosis to maintain SV pool size and thus neurotransmitter release. Intense stimulation induces activity-dependent bulk endocytosis (ADBE) to recapture large quantities of SV constituents in large endosomes from which SVs reform. How these consecutive processes are spatiotemporally coordinated remains unknown. Here, we show that Flower Ca2+ channel-dependent phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) compartmentalization governs control of these processes in Drosophila. Strong stimuli trigger PI(4,5)P2 microdomain formation at periactive zones. Upon exocytosis, Flower translocates from SVs to periactive zones, where it increases PI(4,5)P2 levels via Ca2+ influxes. Remarkably, PI(4,5)P2 directly enhances Flower channel activity, thereby establishing a positive feedback loop for PI(4,5)P2 microdomain compartmentalization. PI(4,5)P2 microdomains drive ADBE and SV reformation from bulk endosomes. PI(4,5)P2 further retrieves Flower to bulk endosomes, terminating endocytosis. We propose that the interplay between Flower and PI(4,5)P2 is the crucial spatiotemporal cue that couples exocytosis to ADBE and subsequent SV reformation.