Title

Pur-alpha regulates cytoplasmic stress granule dynamics and ameliorates FUS toxicity

Authors

J Gavin Daigle, Department of Genetics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Karthik Krishnamurthy, Frances and Joseph Weinberg Unit for ALS Research, Department of Neuroscience, Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Nandini Ramesh, Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Ian Casci, Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
John Monaghan, Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Kevin McAvoy, Frances and Joseph Weinberg Unit for ALS Research, Department of Neuroscience, Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Earl W. Godfrey, Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA.
Dianne C. Daniel, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA.
Edward M. Johnson, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA.
Zachary Monahan, Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Frank Shewmaker, Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Piera Pasinelli, Frances and Joseph Weinberg Unit for ALS Research, Department of Neuroscience, Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Udai Bhan Pandey, Division of Child Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. udai@pitt.edu.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2016

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is characterized by progressive loss of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Mutations in several genes, including FUS, TDP43, Matrin 3, hnRNPA2 and other RNA-binding proteins, have been linked to ALS pathology. Recently, Pur-alpha, a DNA/RNA-binding protein was found to bind to C9orf72 repeat expansions and could possibly play a role in the pathogenesis of ALS. When overexpressed, Pur-alpha mitigates toxicities associated with Fragile X tumor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) and C9orf72 repeat expansion diseases in Drosophila and mammalian cell culture models. However, the function of Pur-alpha in regulating ALS pathogenesis has not been fully understood. We identified Pur-alpha as a novel component of cytoplasmic stress granules (SGs) in ALS patient cells carrying disease-causing mutations in FUS. When cells were challenged with stress, we observed that Pur-alpha co-localized with mutant FUS in ALS patient cells and became trapped in constitutive SGs. We also found that FUS physically interacted with Pur-alpha in mammalian neuronal cells. Interestingly, shRNA-mediated knock down of endogenous Pur-alpha significantly reduced formation of cytoplasmic stress granules in mammalian cells suggesting that Pur-alpha is essential for the formation of SGs. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Pur-alpha blocked cytoplasmic mislocalization of mutant FUS and strongly suppressed toxicity associated with mutant FUS expression in primary motor neurons. Our data emphasizes the importance of stress granules in ALS pathogenesis and identifies Pur-alpha as a novel regulator of SG dynamics.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Acta neuropathologica

First Page

605

Last Page

20

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