STUB1/CHIP is a central component of cellular protein homeostasis and interacts with key proteins involved in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. Missense and truncating mutations in STUB1 lead to SCAR16. For ideal in vitro disease modelling with isogenic controls, we generated a CHIP knockout cell line from a healthy control with no CHIP functionality, but remaining genomic integrity and verified pluripotency.

The P2X7 channel is involved in the pathogenesis of various CNS diseases. An increasing number of studies suggest its presence in neurons where its putative functions remain controversial for more than a decade. To resolve this issue and to provide a model for analysis of P2X7 functions, we generated P2X7 BAC transgenic mice that allow visualization of functional EGFP-tagged P2X7 receptors in vivo. Extensive characterization of these mice revealed dominant P2X7-EGFP protein expression in microglia, Bergmann glia, and oligodendrocytes, but not in neurons. These findings were further validated by microglia- and oligodendrocyte-specific P2X7 deletion and a novel P2X7-specific nanobody. In addition to the first quantitative analysis of P2X7 protein expression in the CNS, we show potential consequences of its overexpression in ischemic retina and post-traumatic cerebral cortex grey matter. This novel mouse model overcomes previous limitations in P2X7 research and will help to determine its physiological roles and contribution to diseases.

BCAS3 microtubule-associated cell migration factor (BCAS3) is a large, highly conserved cytoskeletal protein previously proposed to be critical in angiogenesis and implicated in human embryogenesis and tumorigenesis. Here, we established BCAS3 loss-of-function variants as causative for a neurodevelopmental disorder. We report 15 individuals from eight unrelated families with germline bi-allelic loss-of-function variants in BCAS3. All probands share a global developmental delay accompanied by pyramidal tract involvement, microcephaly, short stature, strabismus, dysmorphic facial features, and seizures. The human phenotype is less severe compared with the Bcas3 knockout mouse model and cannot be explained by angiogenic defects alone. Consistent with being loss-of-function alleles, we observed absence of BCAS3 in probands' primary fibroblasts. By comparing the transcriptomic and proteomic data based on probands' fibroblasts with those of the knockout mouse model, we identified similar dysregulated pathways resulting from over-representation analysis, while the dysregulation of some proposed key interactors could not be confirmed. Together with the results from a tissue-specific Drosophila loss-of-function model, we demonstrate a vital role for BCAS3 in neural tissue development.

The endogenous neutral amino acid L-proline exhibits a variety of physiological and behavioral actions in the nervous system, highlighting the importance of accurately regulating its extracellular abundance. The L-proline transporter PROT (Slc6A7) is believed to control the spatial and temporal distribution of L-proline at glutamatergic synapses by rapid uptake of this amino acid into presynaptic terminals. Despite the importance of members of the Slc6 transporter family regulating neurotransmitter signaling and homeostasis in brain, evidence that PROT dysfunction supports risk for mental illness is lacking. Here we report the disruption of the PROT gene by homologous recombination. Mice defective in PROT displayed altered expression of glutamate transmission-related synaptic proteins in cortex and thalamus. PROT deficiency perturbed mouse behavior, such as reduced locomotor activity, decreased approach motivation and impaired memory extinction. Thus, our study demonstrates that PROT regulates behaviors that are needed to respond to environmental changes in vivo and suggests that PROT dysfunctions might contribute to mental disorders showing altered response choice following task contingency changes.

STUB1/CHIP is a central component of cellular protein homeostasis and interacts with key proteins involved in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we reprogrammed human skin fibroblasts from a 12-year-old male patient with recessive spinocerebellar ataxia type 16 (OMIM #615768), carrying compound heterozygous mutations (c.355C>T, c.880A>T) in STUB1. Genomic integrity of the iPSC line HIHCNi001-A without transgene integration and genomic aberration but with maintained disease-relevant mutations was proven by SNP array analysis and Sanger sequencing while pluripotency was verified by the expression of important pluripotency markers and the capacity to differentiate into cells of all three germ layers.

Disease modeling requires appropriate cellular models that best mimic the underlying pathophysiology. Human origin and an adequate expression of the disease protein are pre-requisites that support information from a model to be meaningful. In this study we investigated expression profiles of (i) PBMCs and (ii) fibroblasts as patient derived cells as well as (iii) lymphoblasts and (iv) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) as immortalized sources, and (v) iPSC-derived cortical neurons to assess their aptitude to model motor neuron diseases (MNDs) including hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). We generated all five different cell types from two healthy donors and performed RNA sequencing to display expression patterns in MND-related genes. For the ten most common HSP genotypes we validated gene expression by qPCR. To verify the results on protein level, proteome analysis of fibroblasts, iPSCs and cortical neurons was performed. Depending on the specific MND gene we found largely different expression patterns. Out of 168 MND-related genes, 50 had their highest expression in iPSC-derived cortical neurons, 41 were most strongly expressed in fibroblasts, 26 in lymphoblasts, 22 in iPSCs, and 14 in PBMCs. Pathophysiologically related MNDs like HSPs associated with axonal transport deficits shared highest expression in cortical neurons. 15 MND-related genes were not detectable in any of the analyzed cell types. This may reflect the critical dependency of motor neurons on support of other cell types like oligodendrocytes which express myelin proteins like L1CAM (SPG1), PLP1 (SPG2) and MAG (SPG75) which are lacking in neurons but cause MNDs if mutated. This study provides comprehensive information on expression of genes associated with a large spectrum of MNDs. Expression profiles can be used to inform on appropriate cell models for genotype specific motor neuron research.

P2X7 receptors play an important role in cytokine release and immune cell regulation. Their upregulation has been described in inflammatory and degenerative processes and P2X7 blockade or deletion has been shown to reduce tissue damage and severity of symptoms in animal models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Several studies have found that P2X7 receptors are present on enteric neurons and glia and it was proposed that they mediate neuronal death during IBD. However, the cell type-specific localization of P2X7 receptors has been a matter of debate, since some antibodies have been found to be unspecific. Here we describe the preparation of whole-mount myenteric plexus from the colon of BAC transgenic P2X7-EGFP reporter mice and subsequent immunofluorescence staining of P2X7 receptors together with cell type-specific marker proteins.

Loss of function mutations of the chorein-encoding gene VPS13A lead to chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc), a neurodegenerative disorder with accelerated suicidal neuronal cell death, which could be reversed by lithium. Chorein upregulates the serum and glucocorticoid inducible kinase SGK1. Targets of SGK1 include the Na+/K+-ATPase, a pump required for cell survival. To explore whether chorein-deficiency affects Na+/K+ pump capacity, cortical neurons were differentiated from iPSCs generated from fibroblasts of ChAc patients and healthy volunteers. Na+/K+ pump capacity was estimated from K+-induced whole cell outward current (pump capacity). As a result, the pump capacity was completely abolished in the presence of Na+/K+ pump-inhibitor ouabain (100 µM), was significantly smaller in ChAc neurons than in control neurons, and was significantly increased in ChAc neurons by lithium treatment (24 hours 2 mM). The effect of lithium was reversed by SGK1-inhibitor GSK650394 (24 h 10 µM). Transmembrane potential (Vm) was significantly less negative in ChAc neurons than in control neurons, and was significantly increased in ChAc neurons by lithium treatment (2 mM, 24 hours). The effect of lithium on Vm was virtually abrogated by ouabain. Na+/K+ α1-subunit transcript levels and protein abundance were significantly lower in ChAc neurons than in control neurons, an effect reversed by lithium treatment (2 mM, 24 hours). In conclusion, consequences of chorein deficiency in ChAc include impaired Na+/K+ pump capacity.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia type 5 is a neurodegenerative disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the CYP7B1 gene encoding the oxysterol 7-α-hydroxylase involved in bile acid synthesis in the liver. Lack of CYP7B1 leads to an accumulation of its oxysterol substrates, in particular 25-hydroxycholesterol and 27-hydroxycholesterol that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and have neurotoxic properties. A potential therapeutic strategy for SPG5 is the replacement of CYP7B1 by administration of mRNA. Here, we studied the intravenous application of formulated mouse and human CYP7B1 mRNA in mice lacking the endogenous Cyp7b1 gene. A single-dose injection of either mouse or human CYP7B1 mRNA led to a pronounced degradation of oxysterols in liver and serum within 2 days of treatment. Pharmacokinetics indicate a single injection of human CYP7B1 mRNA to be effective in reducing oxysterols for at least 5 days. Repetitive applications of mRNA were safe for at least 17 days and resulted in a significant reduction of neurotoxic oxysterols not only in liver and serum but also to some extent in the brain. Our study highlights the potential to use mRNA as a novel therapy to treat patients with SPG5 disease.