title: Neurofilament RNA causes neurodegeneration with accumulation of ubiquitinated aggregates in cultured motor neurons.
abstract: The mechanisms whereby mutant gene expression triggers neurodegeneration are poorly understood but have generally been attributed to translated gene products. We now demonstrate direct neuropathic effects of untranslated RNA on cultured motor neurons. We show that expression of untranslated light neurofilament (NF-L) RNA sequence in the 3'UTR of an EGFP transgene (pEGFP/NF-L RNA) or in a separate expression vector (pRc/NF-L RNA) causes dose-dependent, neuron-specific motor neuron degeneration. Neither unfused EGFP protein (pEGFP/wt) nor EGFP-tagged NF-L protein (pEGFP/NF-L protein) has similar neuropathic effects. The findings are the first demonstration of a direct RNA-mediated neurotoxic effect. Moreover, the resulting neuropathological changes show that untranslated RNA can lead to early degeneration of neuritic processes and accumulations of ubiquitinated aggregates in the perikarya and nuclei of degenerating motor neurons. The latter findings are hallmark neuropathological features of neurodegenerative diseases and their occurrence as a result of altered RNA expression raises the prospects of an RNA-mediated component in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative states.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuropathology, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6100, USA.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jinbin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.forename: Zhenying
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: Junhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Judy L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Meinkoth
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Schlaepfer
authors.forename: Rafaela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cañete-Soler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D014452:Ubiquitins; C044882:neurofilament protein L; D012313:RNA