| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Behzadi, Arvin, et al.
(författare)
-
Myofiber type shift in extraocular muscles in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. - : Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). - 0146-0404 .- 1552-5783. ; 64:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To investigate changes in myofiber composition in the global layer (GL) and orbital layer (OL) of extraocular muscles (EOMs) from terminal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) donors.Methods: Medial recti muscles collected postmortem from spinal-onset ALS, bulbar-onset ALS, and healthy control donors were processed for immunofluorescence with antibodies against myosin heavy chain (MyHC) IIa, MyHCI, MyHCeom, laminin, neurofilaments, synaptophysin, acetylcholine receptor γ-subunit, and α-bungarotoxin.Results: The proportion of myofibers containing MyHCIIa was significantly smaller and MyHCeom was significantly larger in the GL of spinal-onset ALS and bulbar-onset ALS donors compared to control donors. Changes in the GL were more prominent in the bulbar-onset ALS donors, with a significantly larger proportion of myofibers containing MyHCeom being present compared to spinal-onset ALS donors. There were no significant differences in the myofiber composition in the OL. In the spinal-onset ALS donors, the proportions of myofibers containing MyHCIIa in the GL and MyHCeom in the OL were significantly correlated with the disease duration. Neurofilament and synaptophysin were present at motor endplates of myofibers containing MyHCeom in ALS donors.Conclusions: The EOMs of terminal ALS donors displayed changes in the fast-type myofiber composition in the GL, with a more pronounced alteration in bulbar-onset ALS donors. Our results align with the worse prognosis and subclinical changes in eye movement function previously observed in bulbar-onset ALS patients and suggest that the myofibers in the OL might be more resistant to the pathological process in ALS.
|
|
| 3. |
- Byström, Roberth, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
-
Identification of property outliers among ALS-associated SOD1 mutations : Common effect on surface hydrogen bonds
-
Annan publikation (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- In good accord with the protein-aggregation hypothesis for neurodegenerative diseaseALS-associated SOD1 mutations are found to reduce structural stability or netrepulsive charge. Moreover there are weak indications that the ALS diseaseprogression is correlated with the degree of mutational impact on the SOD1 structure.A bottleneck for obtaining more conclusive information about these structure-diseaserelationships, however, is the large intrinsic variability in patient survival times andinsufficient disease statistics for the majority of ALS-provoking mutations. As analternative test of the structure-disease relationship we focus here on the SOD1 amutation that appears to be outliers in the data set. The results identify several ALSprovokingmutations whose only effect on apo SOD1 is the elimination orintroduction of a single charge, i.e., D76V/Y, D101N and N139D/K. Thethermodynamic stability and folding behaviour of these mutants are indistinguishablefrom the wildtype control, showing that structurally benign replacements of individualsurface charges are sufficient to trigger ALS. Moreover, D101N is a clear outlier inthe plot of stability loss vs. patient survival time by having too rapid diseaseprogression. Common to the identified mutations is that they truncate conserved saltlinksand/or H-bond networks in the functional loops IV or VII. The results show thatthe local impact of ALS-associated mutations on the SOD1 molecule can sometimesoverrun their global effects on stability and net repulsive charge, and point at theanalysis of property outliers as an efficient strategy for mapping out new ALSprovokingfeatures.
|
|
| 4. |
- Ezer, Shlomit, et al.
(författare)
-
Infantile SOD1 deficiency syndrome caused by a homozygous SOD1 variant with absence of enzyme activity
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Brain. - : Oxford University Press. - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 145:3, s. 872-878
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pathogenic variants in SOD1, encoding superoxide dismutase 1, are responsible for about 20% of all familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases, through a gain-of-function mechanism. Recently, two reports showed that a specific homozygous SOD1 loss-of-function variant is associated with an infantile progressive motor-neurological syndrome. Exome sequencing followed by molecular studies, including cDNA analysis, SOD1 protein levels and enzymatic activity, and plasma neurofilament light chain levels, were undertaken in an infant with severe global developmental delay, axial hypotonia and limb spasticity. We identified a homozygous 3-bp in-frame deletion in SOD1. cDNA analysis predicted the loss of a single valine residue from a tandem pair (p.Val119/Val120) in the wild-type protein, yet expression levels and splicing were preserved. Analysis of SOD1 activity and protein levels in erythrocyte lysates showed essentially no enzymatic activity and undetectable SOD1 protein in the child, whereas the parents had ∼50% protein expression and activity relative to controls. Neurofilament light chain levels in plasma were elevated, implying ongoing axonal injury and neurodegeneration. Thus, we provide confirmatory evidence of a second biallelic variant in an infant with a severe neurological syndrome and suggest that the in-frame deletion causes instability and subsequent degeneration of SOD1. We highlight the importance of the valine residues at positions V119-120, and suggest possible implications for future therapeutics research.
|
|
| 5. |
- Fahmy, Nagia, et al.
(författare)
-
A novel homozygous p.Ser69Pro SOD1 mutation causes severe young-onset ALS with decreased enzyme activity
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of Neurology. - : Springer. - 0340-5354 .- 1432-1459. ; 270, s. 1770-1773
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The dose–effect of various SOD1 mutations on SOD1 enzymatic activity offers valuable insights into ALS pathogenesis with possible therapeutic implications. Homozygous SOD1 mutations, yet scarce, are of special interest. We report a novel homozygous SOD1 mutation with decreased enzymatic activity and severe early onset ALS phenotype.Methods: Whole exome sequencing and targeted screening of commonly implicated genes were conducted. Repeat-primed PCR and fragment length analysis were used for C9orf72. Bi-directional Sanger sequencing was used for SOD1 and other genes. SOD1 activity was measured by direct spectrophotometry. Serum neurofilament light chain level was measured by the ELLA immunoassay system.Results: The homozygous patient for a novel SOD1 variant p.Ser69Pro showed poor SOD1 enzymatic activity (16% of controls) and an early onset ALS phenotype predominantly affecting lower motor neurons with rapid involvement of the trunk, upper limbs and bulbar muscles. The asymptomatic heterozygous relatives had at least 68% of normal enzyme activity. Level of serum neurofilament light chain was much higher (148 pg/ml) in the patient than the relatives who had normal levels (6–10 pg/ml).Conclusion: This novel mutation adds knowledge to the ALS genotype–phenotype spectrum and supports the strong dose–effect of SOD1 mutations associated with severely decreased enzymatic activity.
|
|
| 6. |
- Forsberg, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Misfolded SOD1 inclusions in patients with mutations in C9orf72 and other ALS/FTD-associated genes
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 0022-3050 .- 1468-330X. ; 90:8, s. 861-869
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: A hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) are inclusions containing SOD1 in motor neurons. Here, we searched for SOD1-positive inclusions in 29 patients carrying ALS-linked mutations in six other genes.Methods: A panel of antibodies that specifically recognise misfolded SOD1 species were used for immunohistochemical investigations of autopsy tissue.Results: The 18 patients with hexanucleotide-repeat-expansions in C9orf72 had inclusions of misfolded wild type (WT) SOD1(WT) in spinal motor neurons. Similar inclusions were occasionally observed in medulla oblongata and in the motor cortex and frontal lobe. Patients with mutations in FUS, KIF5A, NEK1, ALSIN or VAPB, carried similar SOD1(WT) inclusions. Minute amounts of misSOD1(WT) inclusions were detected in 2 of 20 patients deceased from non-neurological causes and in 4 of 10 patients with other neurodegenerative diseases. Comparison was made with 17 patients with 9 different SOD1 mutations. Morphologically, the inclusions in patients with mutations in C9orf72HRE, FUS, KIF5A, NEK1, VAPB and ALSIN resembled inclusions in patients carrying the wildtype-like SOD1(D90A) mutation, whereas patients carrying unstable SOD1 mutations (A4V, V5M, D76Y, D83G, D101G, G114A, G127X, L144F) had larger skein-like SOD1-positive inclusions.Conclusions and relevance Abundant inclusions containing misfolded SOD1(WT) are found in spinal and cortical motor neurons in patients carrying mutations in six ALS-causing genes other than SOD1. This suggests that misfolding of SOD1(WT) can be part of a common downstream event that may be pathogenic. The new anti-SOD1 therapeutics in development may have applications for a broader range of patients.
|
|
| 7. |
- Lindberg, Mikael J, et al.
(författare)
-
Systematically perturbed folding patterns of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-associated SOD1 mutants
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424. ; 102:28, s. 9754-9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative syndrome associated with 114 mutations in the gene encoding the cytosolic homodimeric enzyme Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD). In this article, we report that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated SOD mutations with distinctly different disease progression can be rationalized in terms of their folding patterns. The mutations are found to perturb the protein in multiple ways; they destabilize the precursor monomers (class 1), weaken the dimer interface (class 2), or both at the same time (class 1 + 2). A shared feature of the mutational perturbations is a shift of the folding equilibrium toward poorly structured SOD monomers. We observed a link, coupled to the altered folding patterns, between protein stability, net charge, and survival time for the patients carrying the mutations.
|
|
| 8. |
- Müller, Kathrin, et al.
(författare)
-
De novo mutations in SOD1 are a cause of ALS
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 0022-3050 .- 1468-330X. ; 93, s. 201-206
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The only identified cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are mutations in a number of genes found in familial cases but also in sporadic cases. De novo mutations occurring in a parental gonadal cell, in the zygote or postzygotic during embryonal development can result in an apparently sporadic/isolated case of ALS later in life. We searched for de novo mutations in SOD1 as a cause of ALS.Methods: We analysed peripheral-blood exome, genome and Sanger sequencing to identify deleterious mutations in SOD1 in 4000 ALS patients from Germany, South Korea and Sweden. Parental kinship was confirmed using highly polymorphic microsatellite markers across the genome. Medical genealogical and clinical data were reviewed and compared with the literature.Results: We identified four sporadic ALS cases with de novo mutations in SOD1. They aggregate in hot-spot codons earlier found mutated in familial cases. Their phenotypes match closely what has earlier been reported in familial cases with pathogenic mutations in SOD1. We also encountered familial cases where de novo mutational events in recent generations may have been involved.Conclusions: De novo mutations are a cause of sporadic ALS and may also be underpinning smaller families with few affected ALS cases. It was not possible to ascertain if the origin of the de novo mutations was parental germline, zygotic or postzygotic during embryonal development. All ALS patients should be offered genetic counselling and genetic screening, the challenges of variant interpretation do not outweigh the potential benefits including earlier confirmed diagnosis and possible bespoken therapy.Data availability statement: Data are available upon reasonable request. All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information.
|
|
| 9. |
- Rosén, Christoffer, et al.
(författare)
-
High levels of neurofilament light and YKL-40 in cerebrospinal fluid are related to poor outcome in ALS
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Journal of the Neurological Sciences. - : Elsevier. - 0022-510X .- 1878-5883. ; 463
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurological disease without effective treatment. No pathognomonic test can diagnose ALS in sporadic cases. Routine investigation in suspected cases includes neurological examination, imaging of the brain and spine and electromyography supported by blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses. The ALS diagnosis is made by clinical judgement and results from examinations. We aimed to study if the CSF biomarkers neurofilament light protein (NFL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), YKL-40, soluble amyloid precursor protein (sAPP) α and β, and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (sTREM2) were associated with ALS diagnosis and could predict disease progression. Eighty-one patients with suspected ALS were included after referral to the neurological clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Fifty-nine patients were diagnosed having ALS, while 22 patients were given alternative diagnoses and labeled ALS mimics. Finally, 25 age-matched neurologically intact individuals were used as controls.ALS patients had significantly higher CSF levels of NFL than controls and mimics. Levels of YKL-40 and GFAP were significantly higher in ALS patients compared with controls. No difference was found between study groups when comparing levels of sAPPα, sAPPβ and sTREM2. Further, elevated levels of NFL and YKL-40 were associated with an increased hazard of death and the annual decline in ALSFRS-R. We also found that patients with elevated levels of both NFL and YKL-40 had a particularly poor prognosis. The results demonstrate the usefulness of CSF biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognostication of ALS.
|
|
