Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 105, Issue 34, Pages 12599-12604Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805422105
Keywords
cytoplasmic dynein; excitotoxicity; noncell autonomous; sensory neurons
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R37 NS 27036]
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
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Dominant mutations in cytoplasmic dynein (Loa or Cra) have been reported to provoke selective, age-dependent killing of motor neurons, while paradoxically slowing degeneration and death of motor neurons in one mouse model of an inherited form of ALS. Examination of Loa animals reveals no degeneration of large caliber alpha-motor neurons beyond an age-dependent loss (initiating only after 18 months) that was comparable in Loa and wild-type littermates. Absence of Loa-mediated alpha-motor neuron loss contrasted with dramatic, sustained, mutant dynein-mediated postnatal loss of lumbar proprioceptive sensory axons, accompanied by decreased excitatory glutamatergic inputs to motor neurons. In mouse models of inherited ALS caused by mutations in superoxide dismutase (SOD1), mutant dynein modestly prolonged survival in the one mouse model with the most extensive motor neuron loss (SODG93A) while showing marginal (SODG85R) or no (SODG37R) benefit in models with higher numbers of surviving motor neurons at end stage. These findings support a noncell autonomous, excitotoxic contribution from proprioceptive sensory neurons that modestly accelerates disease onset in inherited ALS.
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