Accumulation of multiple neurodegenerative disease-related proteins in familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration associated with granulin mutation

Sci Rep. 2017 May 4;7(1):1513. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01587-6.

Abstract

In 2006, mutations in the granulin gene were identified in patients with familial Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration. Granulin transcript haploinsufficiency has been proposed as a disease mechanism that leads to the loss of functional progranulin protein. Granulin mutations were initially found in tau-negative patients, though recent findings indicate that these mutations are associated with other neurodegenerative disorders with tau pathology, including Alzheimer's disease and corticobasal degeneration. Moreover, a reduction in progranulin in tau transgenic mice is associated with increasing tau accumulation. To investigate the influence of a decline in progranulin protein on other forms of neurodegenerative-related protein accumulation, human granulin mutation cases were investigated by histochemical and biochemical analyses. Results showed a neuronal and glial tau accumulation in granulin mutation cases. Tau staining revealed neuronal pretangle forms and glial tau in both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, phosphorylated α-synuclein-positive structures were also found in oligodendrocytes and the neuropil. Immunoblot analysis of fresh frozen brain tissues revealed that tau was present in the sarkosyl-insoluble fraction, and composed of three- and four-repeat tau isoforms, resembling Alzheimer's disease. Our data suggest that progranulin reduction might be the cause of multiple proteinopathies due to the accelerating accumulation of abnormal proteins including TDP-43 proteinopathy, tauopathy and α-synucleinopathy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Female
  • Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration / genetics*
  • Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration / pathology
  • Granulins / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation / genetics*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Temporal Lobe / pathology
  • alpha-Synuclein / metabolism
  • tau Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Granulins
  • TARDBP protein, human
  • alpha-Synuclein
  • tau Proteins