Dataset Information

KPNB1 modulates the Machado-Joseph disease protein ataxin-3 through activation of the mitochondrial protease CLPP.

ABSTRACT: Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) is characterized by a pathological expansion of the polyglutamine (polyQ) tract within the ataxin-3 protein. Despite its primarily cytoplasmic localization, polyQ-expanded ataxin-3 accumulates in the nucleus and forms intranuclear aggregates in the affected neurons. Due to these histopathological hallmarks, the nucleocytoplasmic transport machinery has garnered attention as an important disease relevant mechanism. Here, we report on MJD cell model-based analysis of the nuclear transport receptor karyopherin subunit beta-1 (KPNB1) and its implications in the molecular pathogenesis of MJD. Although directly interacting with both wild-type and polyQ-expanded ataxin-3, modulating KPNB1 did not alter the intracellular localization of ataxin-3. Instead, overexpression of KPNB1 reduced ataxin-3 protein levels and the aggregate load, thereby improving cell viability. On the other hand, its knockdown and inhibition resulted in the accumulation of soluble and insoluble ataxin-3. Interestingly, the reduction of ataxin-3 was apparently based on protein fragmentation independent of the classical MJD-associated proteolytic pathways. Label-free quantitative proteomics and knockdown experiments identified mitochondrial protease CLPP as a potential mediator of the ataxin-3-degrading effect induced by KPNB1. We confirmed reduction of KPNB1 protein levels in MJD by analyzing two MJD transgenic mouse models and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from MJD patients. Our results reveal a yet undescribed regulatory function of KPNB1 in controlling the turnover of ataxin-3, thereby highlighting a new potential target of therapeutic value for MJD.

SUBMITTER: Abeditashi M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9259533 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is an autosomal dominantly-inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by the over-repetition of a CAG codon in the MJD1 gene. This expansion translates into a polyglutamine tract that confers a toxic gain-of-function to the mutant protein--ataxin-3, leading to neurodegeneration in specific brain regions, with particular severity in the cerebellum. No treatment able to modify the disease progression is available. However, gene silencing by RNA interference has shown promising results. Therefore, in this study we investigated whether lentiviral-mediated allele-specific silencing of the mutant ataxin-3 gene, after disease onset, would rescue the motor behavior deficits and neuropathological features in a severely impaired transgenic mouse model of MJD. For this purpose, we injected lentiviral vectors encoding allele-specific silencing-sequences (shAtx3) into the cerebellum of diseased transgenic mice expressing the targeted C-variant of mutant ataxin-3 present in 70% of MJD patients. This variation permits to discriminate between the wild-type and mutant forms, maintaining the normal function of the wild-type allele and silencing only the mutant form. Quantitative analysis of rotarod performance, footprint and activity patterns revealed significant and robust alleviation of gait, balance (average 3-fold increase of rotarod test time), locomotor and exploratory activity impairments in shAtx3-injected mice, as compared to control ones injected with shGFP. An important improvement of neuropathology was also observed, regarding the number of intranuclear inclusions, calbindin and DARPP-32 immunoreactivity, fluorojade B and Golgi staining and molecular and granular layers thickness. These data demonstrate for the first time the efficacy of gene silencing in blocking the MJD-associated motor-behavior and neuropathological abnormalities after the onset of the disease, supporting the use of this strategy for therapy of MJD.

Project description:The peptidase ClpP is conserved from bacteria to human. In the mitochondrial matrix, it multimerizes and forms a macromolecular proteasome-like cylinder. Because of its known relevance for the mitochondrial unfolded protein response during cell stress, we characterized two ClpP knock-out mouse founder lines and documented similar phenotypes. Ubiquitously, ClpP absence led to accumulation of its interactor protein ClpX without transcript upregulation. Interestingly, most wild-type tissues with substantial ClpP amounts had no detectable ClpX. This inverse correlation suggests that ClpX levels and degradation are regulated by ClpP. The expectation of similar protein levels, in view of a reported association of heptameric ClpP rings with hexameric ClpX rings, was confirmed only in testis of wild-type animals. Germline tissue was exceptional also in its vulnerability to ClpP deletion, with both founder lines showing complete infertility for males and females. Otherwise, ubiquitous mitochondrial dysfunction was apparent from severe growth retardation and reduced spontaneous motor activity of the animals, and from a pronounced decrease in pre-/postnatal survival. Spermatogenesis was found aborted at the spermatid stage, acrosomes and axonemes were not formed. Overall, tissue-specific roles of ClpP were evident by this massive effect for germ cells, mild bioenergetic deficits in muscle and liver tissues, and excellent compensation in brain. ClpX was previously reported to chaperone unfolded proteins and also DNA condensation in mitochondria, so it is likely that this pathway is particularly susceptible in germ cells. In conclusion, our study indicates that the role of ClpP in quality control is indispensable during development for cells with rapid changes of mitochondrial numbers, and is relevant during aging for growth and survival of the organism. Factorial design comparing ClpP knock-out mice with wild type littermates in five different tissues (brain, testis, liver, skeletal and heart muscle)

Dataset Information

KPNB1 modulates the Machado-Joseph disease protein ataxin-3 through activation of the mitochondrial protease CLPP.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets