Project description:Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is a childhood-onset cerebellar ataxia caused by mutations in SACS, which encodes the protein sacsin. Cellular ARSACS phenotypes include mitochondrial dysfunction, intermediate filament disorganization, and the progressive death of cerebellar Purkinje neurons. It is unclear how the loss of sacsin function causes these deficits, or why they manifest as cerebellar ataxia. To investigate this, we performed multi-omic profiling of sacsin knockout cells and compared them to wild-type controls
Project description:Australian working Kelpie dogs are known to be affected with an autosomal recessive form of inherited cerebellar ataxia (cerebellar abiotrophy, CA) that is characterised by a degeneration of Purkinje and granule cells in the cerebellar cortex. The clinical signs of CA include cerebellar ataxia, head tremor, motor in-coordination, wide based stance and high stepping gait, with varied clinical onset age. The clinical and pathological features are similar to cerebellar ataxias in humans. The genome-wide association study on a group of working Kelpies affected with the later onset form of CA identified a region on chromosome 9 to be strongly associated with the disease phenotype. Homozygosity analysis and whole genome sequencing identified a missense single nucleotide polymorphism, that segregated with the CA phenotype.
Project description:Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is a childhood-onset cerebellar ataxia caused by mutations in SACS, which encodes the protein sacsin. Cellular ARSACS phenotypes include mitochondrial dysfunction, intermediate filament disorganization, and the progressive death of cerebellar Purkinje neurons. It is unclear how the loss of sacsin function causes these deficits, or why they manifest as cerebellar ataxia. Here, we performed multi-omic profiling in sacsin knockout (KO) cells, and identified alterations in microtubule dynamics, protein trafficking, and mislocalization of synaptic and focal adhesion proteins, including multiple integrins. Focal adhesion structure, signaling, and function were affected in KO cells, which could be rescued by reducing levels of PTEN, an overabundant negative regulator of focal adhesion signaling. Purkinje neurons in ARSACS mice possessed mislocalization of ITGA1, and disorganization of synaptic structures in the deep cerebellar nucleus (DCN). Interactome analysis revealed that sacsin regulates protein-protein interactions between structural and synaptic adhesion proteins. Our findings suggest that disrupted trafficking of synaptic adhesion proteins is a causal molecular deficit underlying ARSACS.
Project description:Metabolome studies to aid in the diagnosis and molecular elucidation of a child presenting chronic progressive cerebellar ataxia and an undiagnosed condition.
Project description:BOD1 plays an important role in modulating of the cerebellar IV/V lobePCs→FNCaMKIIα+ circuit and provide therapeutic targets for the treatment of ataxia behaviors.