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57 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 57
Mapping autophagosome contents identifies interleukin-7 receptor-alpha as a key cargo modulating CD4+ T cell proliferation.

Abstract (Expand)

CD4+ T cells are pivotal cells playing roles in the orchestration of humoral and cytotoxic immune responses. It is known that CD4+ T cell proliferation relies on autophagy, but identification of the … autophagosomal cargo involved is missing. Here we create a transgenic mouse model, to enable direct mapping of the proteinaceous content of autophagosomes in primary cells by LC3 proximity labelling. Interleukin-7 receptor-alpha, a cytokine receptor mostly found in naive and memory T cells, is reproducibly detected in autophagosomes of activated CD4+ T cells. Consistently, CD4+ T cells lacking autophagy show increased interleukin-7 receptor-alpha surface expression, while no defect in internalisation is observed. Mechanistically, excessive surface interleukin-7 receptor-alpha sequestrates the common gamma chain, impairing the interleukin-2 receptor assembly and downstream signalling crucial for T cell proliferation. This study shows that key autophagy substrates can be reliably identified in this mouse model and help mechanistically unravel autophagy's contribution to healthy physiology and disease.

Authors: D. Zhou, M. Borsa, D. J. Puleston, S. Zellner, J. Capera, S. Sanderson, M. Schifferer, S. S. Hester, X. Ge, R. Fischer, L. Jostins, C. Behrends, G. Alsaleh, A. K. Simon

Date Published: 2nd Sep 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Ubiquitin profiling of lysophagy identifies actin stabilizer CNN2 as a target of VCP/p97 and uncovers a link to HSPB1.

Abstract (Expand)

Lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) is an underlying feature of diverse conditions including neurodegeneration. Cells respond by extensive ubiquitylation of membrane-associated proteins for … clearance of the organelle through lysophagy that is facilitated by the ubiquitin-directed AAA-ATPase VCP/p97. Here, we assessed the ubiquitylated proteome upon acute LMP and uncovered a large diversity of targets and lysophagy regulators. They include calponin-2 (CNN2) that, along with the Arp2/3 complex, translocates to damaged lysosomes and regulates actin filaments to drive phagophore formation. Importantly, CNN2 needs to be ubiquitylated during the process and removed by VCP/p97 for efficient lysophagy. Moreover, we identified the small heat shock protein HSPB1 that assists VCP/p97 in the extraction of CNN2 and show that other membrane regulators including SNAREs, PICALM, AGFG1, and ARL8B are ubiquitylated during lysophagy. Our data reveal a framework of how ubiquitylation and two effectors, VCP/p97 and HSPB1, cooperate to protect cells from the deleterious effects of LMP.

Authors: B. Kravic, T. Bionda, A. Siebert, P. Gahlot, S. Levantovsky, C. Behrends, H. Meyer

Date Published: 21st Jul 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Multi-omics profiling identifies a deregulated FUS-MAP1B axis in ALS/FTD-associated UBQLN2 mutants.

Abstract (Expand)

Ubiquilin-2 (UBQLN2) is a ubiquitin-binding protein that shuttles ubiquitinated proteins to proteasomal and autophagic degradation. UBQLN2 mutations are genetically linked to the neurodegenerative … disorders amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). However, it remains elusive how UBQLN2 mutations cause ALS/FTD. Here, we systematically examined proteomic and transcriptomic changes in patient-derived lymphoblasts and CRISPR/Cas9-engineered HeLa cells carrying ALS/FTD UBQLN2 mutations. This analysis revealed a strong up-regulation of the microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B) which was also observed in UBQLN2 knockout cells and primary rodent neurons depleted of UBQLN2, suggesting that a UBQLN2 loss-of-function mechanism is responsible for the elevated MAP1B levels. Consistent with MAP1B's role in microtubule binding, we detected an increase in total and acetylated tubulin. Furthermore, we uncovered that UBQLN2 mutations result in decreased phosphorylation of MAP1B and of the ALS/FTD-linked fused in sarcoma (FUS) protein at S439 which is critical for regulating FUS-RNA binding and MAP1B protein abundance. Together, our findings point to a deregulated UBQLN2-FUS-MAP1B axis that may link protein homeostasis, RNA metabolism, and cytoskeleton dynamics, three molecular pathomechanisms of ALS/FTD.

Authors: L. Strohm, Z. Hu, Y. Suk, A. Ruhmkorf, E. Sternburg, V. Gattringer, H. Riemenschneider, R. Berutti, E. Graf, J. H. Weishaupt, M. S. Brill, A. B. Harbauer, D. Dormann, J. Dengjel, D. Edbauer, C. Behrends

Date Published: 1st Jul 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Spatial centrosome proteome of human neural cells uncovers disease-relevant heterogeneity.

Abstract (Expand)

The centrosome provides an intracellular anchor for the cytoskeleton, regulating cell division, cell migration, and cilia formation. We used spatial proteomics to elucidate protein interaction networks … at the centrosome of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) and neurons. Centrosome-associated proteins were largely cell type-specific, with protein hubs involved in RNA dynamics. Analysis of neurodevelopmental disease cohorts identified a significant overrepresentation of NSC centrosome proteins with variants in patients with periventricular heterotopia (PH). Expressing the PH-associated mutant pre-mRNA-processing factor 6 (PRPF6) reproduced the periventricular misplacement in the developing mouse brain, highlighting missplicing of transcripts of a microtubule-associated kinase with centrosomal location as essential for the phenotype. Collectively, cell type-specific centrosome interactomes explain how genetic variants in ubiquitous proteins may convey brain-specific phenotypes.

Authors: Adam C O'Neill, Fatma Uzbas, Giulia Antognolli, Florencia Merino, Kalina Draganova, Alex Jäck, Sirui Zhang, Giorgia Pedini, Julia P Schessner, Kimberly Cramer, Aloys Schepers, Fabian Metzger, Miriam Esgleas, Pawel Smialowski, Renzo Guerrini, Sven Falk, Regina Feederle, Saskia Freytag, Zefeng Wang, Melanie Bahlo, Ralf Jungmann, Claudia Bagni, Georg H H Borner, Stephen P Robertson, Stefanie M Hauck, Magdalena Götz

Date Published: 17th Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Signatures of glial activity can be detected in the CSF proteome.

Abstract (Expand)

Single-cell transcriptomics has revealed specific glial activation states associated with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. While these … findings may eventually lead to new therapeutic opportunities, little is known about how these glial responses are reflected by biomarker changes in bodily fluids. Such knowledge, however, appears crucial for patient stratification, as well as monitoring disease progression and treatment responses in clinical trials. Here, we took advantage of well-described mouse models of beta-amyloidosis and alpha-synucleinopathy to explore cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome changes related to their respective proteopathic lesions. Nontargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that the majority of proteins that undergo age-related changes in CSF of either mouse model were linked to microglia and astrocytes. Specifically, we identified a panel of more than 20 glial-derived proteins that were increased in CSF of aged beta-amyloid precursor protein- and alpha-synuclein-transgenic mice and largely overlap with previously described disease-associated glial genes identified by single-cell transcriptomics. Our results also show that enhanced shedding is responsible for the increase of several of the identified glial CSF proteins as exemplified for TREM2. Notably, the vast majority of these proteins can also be quantified in human CSF and reveal changes in Alzheimer's disease cohorts. The finding that cellular transcriptome changes translate into corresponding changes of CSF proteins is of clinical relevance, supporting efforts to identify fluid biomarkers that reflect the various functional states of glial responses in cerebral proteopathies, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Authors: T. Eninger, S. A. Muller, M. Bacioglu, M. Schweighauser, M. Lambert, L. F. Maia, J. J. Neher, S. M. Hornfeck, U. Obermuller, G. Kleinberger, C. Haass, P. J. Kahle, M. Staufenbiel, L. Ping, D. M. Duong, A. I. Levey, N. T. Seyfried, S. F. Lichtenthaler, M. Jucker, S. A. Kaeser

Date Published: 14th Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Brain injury environment critically influences the connectivity of transplanted neurons.

Abstract (Expand)

Cell transplantation is a promising approach for the reconstruction of neuronal circuits after brain damage. Transplanted neurons integrate with remarkable specificity into circuitries of the mouse … cerebral cortex affected by neuronal ablation. However, it remains unclear how neurons perform in a local environment undergoing reactive gliosis, inflammation, macrophage infiltration, and scar formation, as in traumatic brain injury (TBI). To elucidate this, we transplanted cells from the embryonic mouse cerebral cortex into TBI-injured, inflamed-only, or intact cortex of adult mice. Brain-wide quantitative monosynaptic rabies virus (RABV) tracing unraveled graft inputs from correct regions across the brain in all conditions, with pronounced quantitative differences: scarce in intact and inflamed brain versus exuberant after TBI. In the latter, the initial overshoot is followed by pruning, with only a few input neurons persisting at 3 months. Proteomic profiling identifies candidate molecules for regulation of the synaptic yield, a pivotal parameter to tailor for functional restoration of neuronal circuits.

Authors: Sofia Grade, Judith Thomas, Yvette Zarb, Manja Thorwirth, Karl-Klaus Conzelmann, Stefanie M Hauck, Magdalena Götz

Date Published: 10th Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal

Excessive local host-graft connectivity in aging and amyloid-loaded brain.

Abstract (Expand)

Transplantation is a clinically relevant approach for brain repair, but much remains to be understood about influences of the disease environment on transplant connectivity. To explore the effect of … amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and aging, we examined graft connectivity using monosynaptic rabies virus tracing in APP/PS1 mice and in 16- to 18-month-old wild-type (WT) mice. Transplanted neurons differentiated within 4 weeks and integrated well into the host visual cortex, receiving input from the appropriate brain regions for this area. Unexpectedly, we found a prominent several-fold increase in local inputs, in both amyloid-loaded and aged environments. State-of-the-art deep proteome analysis using mass spectrometry highlights complement system activation as a common denominator of environments promoting excessive local input connectivity. These data therefore reveal the key role of the host pathology in shaping the input connectome, calling for caution in extrapolating results from one pathological condition to another.

Authors: Judith Thomas, Maria Fernanda Martinez-Reza, Manja Thorwirth, Yvette Zarb, Karl-Klaus Conzelmann, Stefanie M Hauck, Sofia Grade, Magdalena Götz

Date Published: 10th Jun 2022

Publication Type: Journal

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