Allele-specific knockdown of ALS-associated mutant TDP-43 in neural stem cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells

PLoS One. 2014 Mar 20;9(3):e91269. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091269. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

TDP-43 is found in cytoplasmic inclusions in 95% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 60% of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Approximately 4% of familial ALS is caused by mutations in TDP-43. The majority of these mutations are found in the glycine-rich domain, including the variant M337V, which is one of the most common mutations in TDP-43. In order to investigate the use of allele-specific RNA interference (RNAi) as a potential therapeutic tool, we designed and screened a set of siRNAs that specifically target TDP-43(M337V) mutation. Two siRNA specifically silenced the M337V mutation in HEK293T cells transfected with GFP-TDP-43(wt) or GFP-TDP-43(M337V) or TDP-43 C-terminal fragments counterparts. C-terminal TDP-43 transfected cells show an increase of cytosolic inclusions, which are decreased after allele-specific siRNA in M337V cells. We then investigated the effects of one of these allele-specific siRNAs in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from an ALS patient carrying the M337V mutation. These lines showed a two-fold increase in cytosolic TDP-43 compared to the control. Following transfection with the allele-specific siRNA, cytosolic TDP-43 was reduced by 30% compared to cells transfected with a scrambled siRNA. We conclude that RNA interference can be used to selectively target the TDP-43(M337V) allele in mammalian and patient cells, thus demonstrating the potential for using RNA interference as a therapeutic tool for ALS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles*
  • Amino Acid Substitution / genetics
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / genetics*
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Inclusion Bodies / metabolism
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / pathology*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation / genetics*
  • Neural Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • RNA, Small Interfering / metabolism

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Small Interfering