ALS-implicated protein TDP-43 sustains levels of STMN2, a mediator of motor neuron growth and repair

JR Klim, LA Williams, F Limone… - Nature …, 2019 - nature.com
JR Klim, LA Williams, F Limone, I Guerra San Juan, BN Davis-Dusenbery, DA Mordes
Nature neuroscience, 2019nature.com
The findings that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients almost universally display
pathological mislocalization of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 and that mutations in its
gene cause familial ALS have nominated altered RNA metabolism as a disease mechanism.
However, the RNAs regulated by TDP-43 in motor neurons and their connection to
neuropathy remain to be identified. Here we report transcripts whose abundances in human
motor neurons are sensitive to TDP-43 depletion. Notably, expression of STMN2, which …
Abstract
The findings that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients almost universally display pathological mislocalization of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 and that mutations in its gene cause familial ALS have nominated altered RNA metabolism as a disease mechanism. However, the RNAs regulated by TDP-43 in motor neurons and their connection to neuropathy remain to be identified. Here we report transcripts whose abundances in human motor neurons are sensitive to TDP-43 depletion. Notably, expression of STMN2, which encodes a microtubule regulator, declined after TDP-43 knockdown and TDP-43 mislocalization as well as in patient-specific motor neurons and postmortem patient spinal cord. STMN2 loss upon reduced TDP-43 function was due to altered splicing, which is functionally important, as we show STMN2 is necessary for normal axonal outgrowth and regeneration. Notably, post-translational stabilization of STMN2 rescued neurite outgrowth and axon regeneration deficits induced by TDP-43 depletion. We propose that restoring STMN2 expression warrants examination as a therapeutic strategy for ALS.
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