RESUMO
Unbiased in vivo genome-wide genetic screening is a powerful approach to elucidate new molecular mechanisms, but such screening has not been possible to perform in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Here, we report the results of the first genome-wide genetic screens in the CNS using both short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and CRISPR libraries. Our screens identify many classes of CNS neuronal essential genes and demonstrate that CNS neurons are particularly sensitive not only to perturbations to synaptic processes but also autophagy, proteostasis, mRNA processing, and mitochondrial function. These results reveal a molecular logic for the common implication of these pathways across multiple neurodegenerative diseases. To further identify disease-relevant genetic modifiers, we applied our screening approach to two mouse models of Huntington's disease (HD). Top mutant huntingtin toxicity modifier genes included several Nme genes and several genes involved in methylation-dependent chromatin silencing and dopamine signaling, results that reveal new HD therapeutic target pathways.
Assuntos
Sobrevivência Celular/genética , Proteína Huntingtina/genética , Doença de Huntington/genética , Neostriado/metabolismo , Neurônios/metabolismo , Animais , Comportamento Animal , Sistemas CRISPR-Cas , Técnicas de Silenciamento de Genes , Biblioteca Gênica , Genes Essenciais/genética , Camundongos , Camundongos Transgênicos , Nucleosídeo NM23 Difosfato Quinases/genética , Nucleosídeo Difosfato Quinase D/genética , Agregados Proteicos , Interferência de RNA , RNA Guia de Cinetoplastídeos , RNA Interferente Pequeno , Receptores de Dopamina D2/genética , Análise de Sequência de RNARESUMO
Alteration of corticostriatal glutamatergic function is an early pathophysiological change associated with Huntington's disease (HD). The factors that regulate the maintenance of corticostriatal glutamatergic synapses post-developmentally are not well understood. Recently, the striatum-enriched transcription factor Foxp2 was implicated in the development of these synapses. Here, we show that, in mice, overexpression of Foxp2 in the adult striatum of two models of HD leads to rescue of HD-associated behaviors, while knockdown of Foxp2 in wild-type mice leads to development of HD-associated behaviors. We note that Foxp2 encodes the longest polyglutamine repeat protein in the human reference genome, and we show that it can be sequestered into aggregates with polyglutamine-expanded mutant Huntingtin protein (mHTT). Foxp2 overexpression in HD model mice leads to altered expression of several genes associated with synaptic function, genes that present additional targets for normalization of corticostriatal dysfunction in HD.
