PUBLICATION

Als2 mRNA splicing variants detected in KO mice rescue severe motor dysfunction phenotype in Als2 knock down zebrafish

Authors
Gros-Louis, F., Kriz, J., Kabashi, E., McDearmid, J., Millecamps, S., Urushitani, M., Lin, L., Dion, P., Zhu, Q., Drapeau, P., Julien, J.P., and Rouleau, G.A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-080622-17
Date
2008
Source
Human molecular genetics   17(17): 2691-2702 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Drapeau, Pierre
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/genetics*
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/physiopathology*
  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/genetics*
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Motor Neurons/physiology*
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics*
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism*
  • Protein Isoforms/genetics
  • Protein Isoforms/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
PubMed
18558633 Full text @ Hum. Mol. Genet.
Abstract
Recessive ALS2 mutations are linked to three related but slightly different neurodegenerative disorders: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary spastic paraplegia and primary lateral sclerosis. To investigate the function of the ALS2 encoded protein, we generated Als2 knock-out mice and zAls2 knock-down zebrafish. The Als2(-/-) mice lacking exon 2 and part of exon 3 developed mild signs of neurodegeneration compatible with axonal transport deficiency. In contrast, zAls2 knock-down zebrafish had severe developmental abnormalities, swimming deficits and motor neuron perturbation. We identified, by RT-PCR, Northern and Western blotting novel Als2 transcripts in mouse central nervous system. These Als2 transcripts were present in Als2 null mice as well as in wild type littermates and some rescued the zebrafish phenotype. Thus, we speculate that the newly identified Als2 mRNA species prevent the Als2-KO mice from developing severe neurodegenerative disease and might also regulate the severity of the motor neurons phenotype observed in ALS2 patients.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping