A seeding reaction recapitulates intracellular formation of Sarkosyl-insoluble transactivation response element (TAR) DNA-binding protein-43 inclusions

J Biol Chem. 2011 May 27;286(21):18664-72. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.231209. Epub 2011 Mar 24.

Abstract

The transactivation response element (TAR) DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) is a nuclear protein that normally regulates transcription and splicing. Abnormal accumulation of insoluble inclusions containing TDP-43 has been recently reported in the affected tissues of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Here, we show that intracellular aggregation of TDP-43 can be triggered by transduction of fibrillar aggregates prepared from in vitro functional TDP-43. Sarkosyl is found to be incapable of solubilizing those intracellularly seeded aggregates of TDP-43, which is consistent with the observation that TDP-43 inclusions in ALS patients are sarkosyl-insoluble. In addition, intracellular seeding in our cell models reproduces ubiquitination of TDP-43 aggregates, which is another prominent feature of TDP-43 inclusions in ALS patients. Although it has been so far difficult to initiate disease-associated changes of TDP-43 using cultured cell models, we propose that a seeding reaction is a key to construct a model to monitor TDP-43 pathologies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / genetics
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies / chemistry*
  • Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies / genetics
  • Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies / metabolism
  • Models, Biological*
  • Response Elements*
  • Sarcosine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Sarcosine / blood
  • Solubility

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • sarkosyl
  • Sarcosine