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Neurotoxic microglia promote TDP-43 proteinopathy in progranulin deficiency.

Nature | 2020

Aberrant aggregation of the RNA-binding protein TDP-43 in neurons is a hallmark of frontotemporal lobar degeneration caused by haploinsufficiency in the gene encoding progranulin1,2. However, the mechanism leading to TDP-43 proteinopathy remains unclear. Here we use single-nucleus RNA sequencing to show that progranulin deficiency promotes microglial transition from a homeostatic to a disease-specific state that causes endolysosomal dysfunction and neurodegeneration in mice. These defects persist even when Grn-/- microglia are cultured ex vivo. In addition, single-nucleus RNA sequencing reveals selective loss of excitatory neurons at disease end-stage, which is characterized by prominent nuclear and cytoplasmic TDP-43 granules and nuclear pore defects. Remarkably, conditioned media from Grn-/- microglia are sufficient to promote TDP-43 granule formation, nuclear pore defects and cell death in excitatory neurons via the complement activation pathway. Consistent with these results, deletion of the genes encoding C1qa and C3 mitigates microglial toxicity and rescues TDP-43 proteinopathy and neurodegeneration. These results uncover previously unappreciated contributions of chronic microglial toxicity to TDP-43 proteinopathy during neurodegeneration.

Pubmed ID: 32866962 RIS Download

Associated grants

  • Agency: NINDS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 NS107480
  • Agency: NINDS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R35 NS097305
  • Agency: NIA NIH HHS, United States
    Id: P30 AG062422
  • Agency: NIA NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 AG068290
  • Agency: NCI NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 CA231300
  • Agency: NIMH NIH HHS, United States
    Id: K99 MH121534
  • Agency: NIGMS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R00 GM126136
  • Agency: NCRR NIH HHS, United States
    Id: S10 RR026758
  • Agency: BLRD VA, United States
    Id: I01 BX002978
  • Agency: NIGMS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: K99 GM126136
  • Agency: NIMH NIH HHS, United States
    Id: U01 MH114825
  • Agency: NIMH NIH HHS, United States
    Id: U01 MH105989
  • Agency: NIA NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 AG057462
  • Agency: NIGMS NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 GM124334
  • Agency: NIAAA NIH HHS, United States
    Id: R01 AA027074

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