Project description:Comparative analysis of cerebellar gene expression changes occurring in Sca1154Q/2Q and Sca7266Q/5Q knock-in mice; Polyglutamine diseases are inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by expansion of CAG repeats encoding a glutamine tract in the disease-causing proteins. There are nine disorders each having distinct features but also clinical and pathological similarities. In particular, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and type 7 (SCA1 and SCA7) patients manifest cerebellar ataxia with degeneration of Purkinje cells. To determine whether the disorders share molecular pathogenic events, we studied two mouse models of SCA1 and SCA7 that express the glutamine-expanded protein from the respective endogenous loci. We found common transcriptional changes, with down-regulation of Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (Igfbp5) representing one of the most robust changes. Igfbp5 down-regulation occurred in granule neurons through a non-cell autonomous mechanism and was concomitant with activation of of the Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway and the type I IGF receptor on Purkinje cells. These data define one common pathogenic response in SCA1 and SCA7 and reveal the importance of intercellular mechanisms in their pathogenesis. Given that SCA1 and SCA7 share a cerebellar degenerative phenotype, we proposed that some shared molecular changes might occur in both diseases, and that common molecular alterations could pinpoint pathways that could be targeted to modulate or monitor the pathogenesis of more than one disease. We focused on transcriptional changes because both ATXN1 and ATXN7 play roles in transcriptional regulation and transcriptional defects can be detected in early-symptomatic stages of both SCA1 and SCA7 mouse models. To test our hypothesis, we examined cerebellar gene expression patterns in SCA1 and SCA7 knock-in (KI) models--Sca1154Q/2Q and Sca7266Q/5Q mice. Experiment Overall Design: Total cerebellar RNA samples were collected from Sca1154Q/2Q knock-in and wild type mice at the early symptomatic disease stage (4 weeks, n=3 knock-in and 3 wild type; 9-12 weeks, n=3 knock-in and 3 wild type). In parallel experiments, total cerebellar RNA samples were collected from Sca7266Q/5Q knock-in and wild type mice also at the early symptomatic disease stage (5 weeks, n=5 knock-in and 5 wild type).

Project description:Comparative analysis of cerebellar gene expression changes occurring in Sca1154Q/2Q and Sca7266Q/5Q knock-in mice Polyglutamine diseases are inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by expansion of CAG repeats encoding a glutamine tract in the disease-causing proteins. There are nine disorders each having distinct features but also clinical and pathological similarities. In particular, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and type 7 (SCA1 and SCA7) patients manifest cerebellar ataxia with degeneration of Purkinje cells. To determine whether the disorders share molecular pathogenic events, we studied two mouse models of SCA1 and SCA7 that express the glutamine-expanded protein from the respective endogenous loci. We found common transcriptional changes, with down-regulation of Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (Igfbp5) representing one of the most robust changes. Igfbp5 down-regulation occurred in granule neurons through a non-cell autonomous mechanism and was concomitant with activation of of the Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway and the type I IGF receptor on Purkinje cells. These data define one common pathogenic response in SCA1 and SCA7 and reveal the importance of intercellular mechanisms in their pathogenesis. Given that SCA1 and SCA7 share a cerebellar degenerative phenotype, we proposed that some shared molecular changes might occur in both diseases, and that common molecular alterations could pinpoint pathways that could be targeted to modulate or monitor the pathogenesis of more than one disease. We focused on transcriptional changes because both ATXN1 and ATXN7 play roles in transcriptional regulation and transcriptional defects can be detected in early-symptomatic stages of both SCA1 and SCA7 mouse models. To test our hypothesis, we examined cerebellar gene expression patterns in SCA1 and SCA7 knock-in (KI) models--Sca1154Q/2Q and Sca7266Q/5Q mice. Keywords: comparative disesae state analysis between Sca1154Q/2Q and Sca7266Q/5Q knock-in cerebellum

Project description:Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 (SCA7) belonging to ADCAs is pathomechanistically related to a group of polyglutamine expansion disorders. SCA7 affects primarily brainstem, retina and cerebellum. The distinctive feature of SCA7 among ADCAs is a progressive visual impairment due to a cone-rod photoreceptor dystrophy. Ultrastructural analysis of SCA7 mouse models revealed that photoreceptors progressively lose their outer segments, a structure essential for phototransduction, which requires daily renewal. The lack of outer segment renewal correlates with decreased expression of photoreceptor-specific genes, suggesting that progressive breakdown of photoreceptor cell identity accounts for SCA7 retinopathy. SCA7 is due to a polyglutamine expansion in ATXN7, a component of the multiprotein SPT-ADA-GCN5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex, a highly conserved coactivator of transcription. SAGA harbors two chromatin remodeling activities: acetylation and deubiquitynation of histones crucial for transcription initiation and elongation. The role of SAGA in SCA7 pathogenesis and the tissue specific genetic breakdown remains to be elucidated. We addressed this issue using our new SCA7 knock-in mouse model (SCA7140Q/140Q), which recapitulates cardinal features of SCA7. Using ChIP-seq approach, we confirmed the general decrease of H3K9ac in most gene promoters in SCA7 retina, which alone cannot explain the specific gene deregulation. Interestingly, we discovered that photoreceptor identity genes, which are strongly downregulated in SCA7, harbor an unusual broad profile of H3K9ac that encompasses the entire gene. We further show that H3K9ac broad profiles at photoreceptor gene loci coincide with the presence of a broad H3K27ac, a signature of superenhancers. Furthermore, using vicinity criteria we identified enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), annotated to the photoreceptor identity genes possessing an atypical H3K9ac/H3K27ac enhancer signature. Finally, we found a synchronized expression of eRNAs and photoreceptor identity genes during retinal development, suggesting a regulatory role of these eRNAs. The decreased eRNA levels on hypoacetylated loci in the retina correlate with the downregulation of photoreceptor identity genes in symptomatic but not in pre-symptomatic SCA7 mice. Our results support the view that epigenetic and enhancer alterations compromise the maintenance of neuronal identity in SCA7.

Project description:Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 (SCA7) belonging to ADCAs is pathomechanistically related to a group of polyglutamine expansion disorders. SCA7 affects primarily brainstem, retina and cerebellum. The distinctive feature of SCA7 among ADCAs is a progressive visual impairment due to a cone-rod photoreceptor dystrophy. Ultrastructural analysis of SCA7 mouse models revealed that photoreceptors progressively lose their outer segments, a structure essential for phototransduction, which requires daily renewal. The lack of outer segment renewal correlates with decreased expression of photoreceptor-specific genes, suggesting that progressive breakdown of photoreceptor cell identity accounts for SCA7 retinopathy. SCA7 is due to a polyglutamine expansion in ATXN7, a component of the multiprotein SPT-ADA-GCN5 Acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex, a highly conserved coactivator of transcription. SAGA harbors two chromatin remodeling activities: acetylation and deubiquitynation of histones crucial for transcription initiation and elongation. The role of SAGA in SCA7 pathogenesis and the tissue specific genetic breakdown remains to be elucidated. We addressed this issue using our new SCA7 knock-in mouse model (SCA7140Q/140Q), which recapitulates cardinal features of SCA7. Using ChIP-seq approach, we confirmed the general decrease of H3K9ac in most gene promoters in SCA7 retina, which alone cannot explain the specific gene deregulation. Interestingly, we discovered that photoreceptor identity genes, which are strongly downregulated in SCA7, harbor an unusual broad profile of H3K9ac that encompasses the entire gene. We further show that H3K9ac broad profiles at photoreceptor gene loci coincide with the presence of a broad H3K27ac, a signature of superenhancers. Furthermore, using vicinity criteria we identified enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), annotated to the photoreceptor identity genes possessing an atypical H3K9ac/H3K27ac enhancer signature. Finally, we found a synchronized expression of eRNAs and photoreceptor identity genes during retinal development, suggesting a regulatory role of these eRNAs. The decreased eRNA levels on hypoacetylated loci in the retina correlate with the downregulation of photoreceptor identity genes in symptomatic but not in pre-symptomatic SCA7 mice.

Project description:Background Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the cerebellum and retina. SCA7 is caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the ATXN7 protein, a subunit of the transcriptional coactivator SAGA that acetylates histone H3 to deposit narrow H3K9ac mark at DNA regulatory elements of active genes. Defective histone acetylation has been presented as a possible cause for gene deregulation in SCA7 mouse models. However, the topography of acetylation defects at the whole genome level and its relationship to changes in gene expression remain to be determined. Methods We performed deep RNA-sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to high-throughput sequencing to examine the genome-wide correlation between gene deregulation and alteration of the active transcription marks, e.g. SAGA-related H3K9ac, CBP-related H3K27ac and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), in a SCA7 mouse retinopathy model. Results Our analyses revealed that active transcription marks are reduced at most gene promoters in SCA7 retina, while a limited number of genes show changes in expression. We found that SCA7 retinopathy is caused by preferential downregulation of hundreds of highly expressed genes that define morphological and physiological identities of mature photoreceptors. We further uncovered that these photoreceptor genes harbor unusually broad H3K9ac profiles spanning the entire gene bodies and have a low RNAPII pausing. This broad H3K9ac signature co-occurs with other features that delineate superenhancers, including broad H3K27ac, binding sites for photoreceptor specific transcription factors and expression of enhancer-related non-coding RNAs (eRNAs). In SCA7 retina, downregulated photoreceptor genes show decreased H3K9 and H3K27 acetylation and eRNA expression as well as increased RNAPII pausing, suggesting that superenhancer-related features are altered. Conclusions Our study thus provides evidence that distinctive epigenetic configurations underlying high expression of cell-type specific genes are preferentially impaired in SCA7, resulting in a defect in the maintenance of identity features of mature photoreceptors. Our results also suggest that continuous SAGA-driven acetylation plays a role in preserving post-mitotic neuronal identity.

Project description:A number of human neurodegenerative diseases result from the expansion of a glutamine repeat within the disease-causing protein. Spinocerebellar ataxia type1 is one such disease, caused by expansion of a polyglutamine tract in the novel protein ataxin-1. To faithfully model SCA1 in the mouse, we generated knock-in mice carrying 154 CAG repeats in the mouse Sca1 locus. These mice reproduced many aspects of the human disease. Despite ubiquitous expression of the mutant protein, they developed slowly progressive selective neurodegeneration , which is most distinct in Purkinje cells and spinal cord. Alterations in gene expression have been proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of polyglutamine disease including SCA1, but the changes of gene expression in an authentic disease model have not been characterized. We believe that knowledge of these genes will give insight into the pathophysiology of SCA1 and may ultimately be relevant to the treatment of SCA1.,We will determine gene expression patterns in the cerebellum and forebrain at three different time points.,We propose that the genes whose expression is affected by mutant ataxin-1 expression are effectors for neuronal dysfunction and neuronal degeneration in the knock-in mice. We also hypothesize the difference in the expression levels of these genes accounts for selective vulnerability of neurons.,We will examine three time points: 4 weeks, 11 weeks, and 20 weeks of age. We have shown that the mice developed motor incoordination as revealed by rotating rod test as early as 5 weeks of age but it was not until 10 weeks that they start showing clear neurological phenotype such as clasping. At each point, we will compare the pattern between the mutant and wild-type littermate. Animals will be prepared and sacrificed by a standard procedure. Cerebellum and spinal cord are the most affected areas whereas forebrain shows less neurodegeneration. Tissue will be rapidly dissected from cerebellum and forebrain, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at ?80 C until analysis. Tissues will be sent to the centers (as opposed to RNA). We will be providing 9 tissue samples from three litters for each time point to mitigate any expression differences resulting from subtle differences of procedure or environment where the mice grow.

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SCA7 mouse cerebellar pathology reveals preferential downregulation of key Purkinje cell-identity genes and shared disease signature with SCA1 and SCA2

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