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91 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 91

Abstract (Expand)

Oligodendrocytes extend numerous cellular processes that wrap multiple times around axons to generate lipid-rich myelin sheaths. Myelin biogenesis requires an enormously productive biosynthetic machinery for generating and delivering these large amounts of newly synthesized lipids. Yet, a complete understanding of this process remains elusive. Utilizing volume electron microscopy, we demonstrate that the oligodendroglial endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is enriched in developing myelin, extending into and making contact with the innermost myelin layer where growth occurs. We explore the possibility of transfer of lipids from the ER to myelin, and find that the glycolipid transfer protein (GLTP), implicated in nonvesicular lipid transport, is highly enriched in the growing myelin sheath. Mice with a specific knockout of Gltp in oligodendrocytes exhibit ER pathology, hypomyelination and a decrease in myelin glycolipid content. In summary, our results demonstrate a role for nonvesicular lipid transport in CNS myelin growth, revealing a cellular pathway in developmental myelination.

Authors: Jianping Wu, Georg Kislinger, Jerome Duschek, Ayşe Damla Durmaz, Benedikt Wefers, Ruoqing Feng, Karsten Nalbach, Wolfgang Wurst, Christian Behrends, Martina Schifferer, Mikael Simons

Date Published: 11th Nov 2024

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Loss-of-function mutations in CLN3 cause juvenile Batten disease, featuring neurodegeneration and early-stage neuroinflammation. How loss of CLN3 function leads to early neuroinflammation is not yet understood. Here, we have comprehensively studied microglia from Cln3<sup>∆ex7/8</sup> mice, a genetically accurate disease model. Loss of CLN3 function in microglia leads to lysosomal storage material accumulation and abnormal morphology of subcellular organelles. Moreover, pathological proteomic signatures are indicative of defects in lysosomal function and abnormal lipid metabolism. Consistent with these findings, CLN3-deficient microglia are unable to efficiently turnover myelin and metabolize the associated lipids, showing defects in lipid droplet formation and cholesterol accumulation. Accordingly, we also observe impaired myelin integrity in aged Cln3<sup>∆ex7/8</sup> mouse brain. Autophagy inducers and cholesterol-lowering drugs correct the observed microglial phenotypes. Taken together, these data implicate a cell-autonomous defect in CLN3-deficient microglia that impacts their ability to support neuronal cell health, suggesting microglial targeted therapies should be considered for CLN3 disease.

Authors: Seda Yasa, Elisabeth S Butz, Alessio Colombo, Uma Chandrachud, Luca Montore, Sarah Tschirner, Matthias Prestel, Steven D Sheridan, Stephan A Müller, Janos Groh, Stefan F Lichtenthaler, Sabina Tahirovic, Susan L Cotman

Date Published: 22nd Oct 2024

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 19 (USP19) is a unique deubiquitinase, characterized by multiple variants generated by alternative splicing. Several variants bear a C-terminal transmembrane domain that anchors them to the endoplasmic reticulum. Other than regulating protein stability by preventing proteasome degradation, USP19 has been reported to rescue substrates from endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation in a catalytic-independent manner, promote autophagy, and address proteins to lysosomal degradation via endosomal microautophagy. USP19 has recently emerged as the protein responsible for the unconventional secretion of misfolded proteins including Parkinson's disease-associated protein α-synuclein. Despite mounting evidence that USP19 plays crucial roles in several biological processes, the underlying mechanisms are unclear due to lack of information on the physiological substrates of USP19. Herein, we used high-resolution quantitative proteomics to analyze changes in the secretome and cell proteome induced by the loss of USP19 to identify proteins whose secretion or turnover is regulated by USP19. We found that ablation of USP19 induced significant proteomic alterations both in and out of the cell. Loss of USP19 impaired the release of several lysosomal proteins, including legumain (LGMN) and several cathepsins. In order to understand the underlaying mechanism, we dissected the USP19-regulated secretion of LGMN in several cell types. We found that LGMN was not a deubiquitinase substrate of USP19 and that its USP19-dependent release did not require their direct interaction. LGMN secretion occurred by a mechanism that involved the Golgi apparatus, autophagosome formation, and lysosome function. This mechanism resembled the recently described "lysosomal exocytosis," by which lysosomal hydrolases are secreted, when ubiquitination of p62 is increased in cells lacking deubiquitinases such as USP15 and USP17. In conclusion, our proteomic characterization of USP19 has identified a collection of proteins in the secretome and within the cell that are regulated by USP19, which link USP19 to the secretion of lysosomal proteins, including LGMN.

Authors: Simone Bonelli, Margot Lo Pinto, Yihong Ye, Stephan A Müller, Stefan F Lichtenthaler, Simone Dario Scilabra

Date Published: 9th Oct 2024

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory neurological disease of the central nervous system with a subclinical phase preceding frank neuroinflammation. CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells are abundant within MS lesions, but their potential role in disease pathology remains unclear. Using high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell T cell receptor analysis, we compared CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell clones from the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of monozygotic twin pairs in which the cotwin had either no or subclinical neuroinflammation (SCNI). We identified peripheral MS-associated immunological and metabolic alterations indicative of an enhanced migratory, proinflammatory, and activated CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell phenotype, which was also evident in cotwins with SCNI and in an independent validation cohort of people with MS. Together, our in-depth single-cell analysis indicates a disease-driving proinflammatory role of infiltrating CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells and identifies potential immunological and metabolic therapeutic targets in both prodromal and definitive stages of the disease.

Authors: Vladyslav Kavaka, Luisa Mutschler, Clara de la Rosa Del Val, Klara Eglseer, Ana M Gómez Martínez, Andrea Flierl-Hecht, Birgit Ertl-Wagner, Daniel Keeser, Martin Mortazavi, Klaus Seelos, Hanna Zimmermann, Jürgen Haas, Brigitte Wildemann, Tania Kümpfel, Klaus Dornmair, Thomas Korn, Reinhard Hohlfeld, Martin Kerschensteiner, Lisa Ann Gerdes, Eduardo Beltrán

Date Published: 27th Sep 2024

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Ectodomain shedding, which is the proteolytic release of transmembrane proteins from the cell surface, is crucial for cell-to-cell communication and other biological processes. The metalloproteinase ADAM17 mediates ectodomain shedding of over 50 transmembrane proteins ranging from cytokines and growth factors, such as TNF and EGFR ligands, to signalling receptors and adhesion molecules. Yet, the ADAM17 sheddome is only partly defined and biological functions of the protease have not been fully characterized. Some ADAM17 substrates (e.g., HB-EGF) are known to bind to heparan sulphate proteoglycans (HSPG), and we hypothesised that such substrates would be under-represented in traditional secretome analyses, due to their binding to cell surface or pericellular HSPGs. Thus, to identify novel HSPG-binding ADAM17 substrates, we developed a proteomic workflow that involves addition of heparin to solubilize HSPG-binding proteins from the cell layer, thereby allowing their mass spectrometry detection by heparin-treated secretome (HEP-SEC) analysis. Applying this methodology to murine embryonic fibroblasts stimulated with an ADAM17 activator enabled us to identify 47 transmembrane proteins that were shed in response to ADAM17 activation. This included known HSPG-binding ADAM17 substrates (i.e., HB-EGF, CX3CL1) and 14 novel HSPG-binding putative ADAM17 substrates. Two of these, MHC-I and IL1RL1, were validated as ADAM17 substrates by immunoblotting.

Authors: Matteo Calligaris, Donatella Pia Spanò, Maria Chiara Puccio, Stephan A Müller, Simone Bonelli, Margot Lo Pinto, Giovanni Zito, Carl P Blobel, Stefan F Lichtenthaler, Linda Troeberg, Simone Dario Scilabra

Date Published: 24th Sep 2024

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Genetic variants in HTRA1 are associated with stroke risk. However, the mechanisms mediating this remain largely unknown, as does the full spectrum of phenotypes associated with genetic variation in HTRA1. Here we show that rare HTRA1 variants are linked to ischemic stroke in the UK Biobank and BioBank Japan. Integrating data from biochemical experiments, we next show that variants causing loss of protease function associated with ischemic stroke, coronary artery disease and skeletal traits in the UK Biobank and MyCode cohorts. Moreover, a common variant modulating circulating HTRA1 mRNA and protein levels enhances the risk of ischemic stroke and coronary artery disease while lowering the risk of migraine and macular dystrophy in genome-wide association study, UK Biobank, MyCode and BioBank Japan data. We found no interaction between proxied HTRA1 activity and levels. Our findings demonstrate the role of HTRA1 for cardiovascular diseases and identify two mechanisms as potential targets for therapeutic interventions.

Authors: R. Malik, N. Beaufort, J. Li, K. Tanaka, M. K. Georgakis, Y. He, M. Koido, C. Terao, B. Japan, C. D. Anderson, Y. Kamatani, R. Zand, M. Dichgans

Date Published: 28th Aug 2024

Publication Type: Journal

Abstract (Expand)

Over 600 E3 ligases in humans execute ubiquitination of specific target proteins in a spatiotemporal manner to elicit desired signaling effects. Here, we developed a ubiquitin-specific proximity-based labeling method to selectively biotinylate substrates of a given ubiquitin ligase. By fusing the biotin ligase BirA and an Avi-tag variant to the candidate E3 ligase and ubiquitin, respectively, we were able to specifically enrich bona fide substrates of a ligase using a one-step streptavidin pulldown under denaturing conditions. We applied our method, which we named Ub-POD, to the really interesting new gene (RING) E3 ligase RAD18 and identified proliferating cell nuclear antigen and several other critical players in the DNA damage repair pathway. Furthermore, we successfully applied Ub-POD to the RING ubiquitin ligase tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 and a U-box-type E3 ubiquitin ligase carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein. We anticipate that our method could be widely adapted to all classes of ubiquitin ligases to identify substrates.

Authors: Urbi Mukhopadhyay, Sophie Levantovsky, Teresa Maria Carusone, Sarah Gharbi, Frank Stein, Christian Behrends, Sagar Bhogaraju

Date Published: 9th Aug 2024

Publication Type: Journal

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