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.

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RNA-seq analysis of the cerebellum of SCA7 mice treated with AAV expressing shRNA targeting Atxn7

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