[HTML][HTML] Atg4b-dependent autophagic flux alleviates Huntington's disease progression

CC Proenca, N Stoehr, M Bernhard, S Seger… - PloS one, 2013 - journals.plos.org
CC Proenca, N Stoehr, M Bernhard, S Seger, C Genoud, A Roscic, P Paganetti, S Liu…
PloS one, 2013journals.plos.org
The accumulation of aggregated mutant huntingtin (mHtt) inclusion bodies is involved in
Huntigton's disease (HD) progression. Medium sized-spiny neurons (MSNs) in the corpus
striatum are highly vulnerable to mHtt aggregate accumulation and degeneration, but the
mechanisms and pathways involved remain elusive. Here we have developed a new model
to study MSNs degeneration in the context of HD. We produced organotypic cortico-striatal
slice cultures (CStS) from HD transgenic mice mimicking specific features of HD …
The accumulation of aggregated mutant huntingtin (mHtt) inclusion bodies is involved in Huntigton’s disease (HD) progression. Medium sized-spiny neurons (MSNs) in the corpus striatum are highly vulnerable to mHtt aggregate accumulation and degeneration, but the mechanisms and pathways involved remain elusive. Here we have developed a new model to study MSNs degeneration in the context of HD. We produced organotypic cortico-striatal slice cultures (CStS) from HD transgenic mice mimicking specific features of HD progression. We then show that induction of autophagy using catalytic inhibitors of mTOR prevents MSNs degeneration in HD CStS. Furthermore, disrupting autophagic flux by overexpressing Atg4b in neurons and slice cultures, accelerated mHtt aggregation and neuronal death, suggesting that Atg4b-dependent autophagic flux influences HD progression. Under these circumstances induction of autophagy using catalytic inhibitors of mTOR was inefficient and did not affect mHtt aggregate accumulation and toxicity, indicating that mTOR inhibition alleviates HD progression by inducing Atg4b-dependent autophagic flux. These results establish modulators of Atg4b-dependent autophagic flux as new potential targets in the treatment of HD.
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