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Preventing polyglutamine-induced activation of c-Jun delays neuronal dysfunction in a mouse model of SCA7 retinopathy.

ABSTRACT: We have approached the role of cellular stress in neurodegenerative diseases caused by polyglutamine expansion (polyQ) in the context of Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) that includes retinal degeneration. Using the R7E mouse, in which polyQ-ataxin-7 is specifically over-expressed in rod photoreceptors, we previously showed that rod dysfunction correlated to moderate and prolonged activation of the JNK/c-Jun stress pathway. SCA7 retinopathy was also associated with reduced expression of rod-specific genes, including the transcription factor Nrl, which is essential for rod differentiation and function. Here, we report that R7E retinopathy is improved upon breeding with the JunAA knock-in mice, in which JNK-mediated activation of c-Jun is compromised. Expression of Nrl and its downstream targets, which are involved in phototranduction, are partially restored in the JunAA-R7E mice. We further show that c-Jun can directly repress the transcription of Nrl. Our studies suggest that polyQ-induced cellular stress leads to repression of genes necessary for neuronal fate and function.

SUBMITTER: Merienne K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1858671 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Preventing polyglutamine-induced activation of c-Jun delays neuronal dysfunction in a mouse model of SCA7 retinopathy.

Merienne Karine K Friedman James J Akimoto Masayuki M Abou-Sleymane Gretta G Weber Chantal C Swaroop Anand A Trottier Yvon Y

Neurobiology of disease 20061226 3

We have approached the role of cellular stress in neurodegenerative diseases caused by polyglutamine expansion (polyQ) in the context of Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) that includes retinal degeneration. Using the R7E mouse, in which polyQ-ataxin-7 is specifically over-expressed in rod photoreceptors, we previously showed that rod dysfunction correlated to moderate and prolonged activation of the JNK/c-Jun stress pathway. SCA7 retinopathy was also associated with reduced expression of rod- ...[more]

PMID: 17189700

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Project description:BackgroundSpinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects the cerebellum and retina. SCA7 is caused by a polyglutamine expansion in the ATXN7 protein, a subunit of the transcriptional coactivator SAGA that acetylates histone H3 to deposit narrow H3K9ac mark at DNA regulatory elements of active genes. Defective histone acetylation has been presented as a possible cause for gene deregulation in SCA7 mouse models. However, the topography of acetylation defects at the whole genome level and its relationship to changes in gene expression remain to be determined.MethodsWe performed deep RNA-sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to high-throughput sequencing to examine the genome-wide correlation between gene deregulation and alteration of the active transcription marks, e.g. SAGA-related H3K9ac, CBP-related H3K27ac and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), in a SCA7 mouse retinopathy model.ResultsOur analyses revealed that active transcription marks are reduced at most gene promoters in SCA7 retina, while a limited number of genes show changes in expression. We found that SCA7 retinopathy is caused by preferential downregulation of hundreds of highly expressed genes that define morphological and physiological identities of mature photoreceptors. We further uncovered that these photoreceptor genes harbor unusually broad H3K9ac profiles spanning the entire gene bodies and have a low RNAPII pausing. This broad H3K9ac signature co-occurs with other features that delineate superenhancers, including broad H3K27ac, binding sites for photoreceptor specific transcription factors and expression of enhancer-related non-coding RNAs (eRNAs). In SCA7 retina, downregulated photoreceptor genes show decreased H3K9 and H3K27 acetylation and eRNA expression as well as increased RNAPII pausing, suggesting that superenhancer-related features are altered.ConclusionsOur study thus provides evidence that distinctive epigenetic configurations underlying high expression of cell-type specific genes are preferentially impaired in SCA7, resulting in a defect in the maintenance of identity features of mature photoreceptors. Our results also suggest that continuous SAGA-driven acetylation plays a role in preserving post-mitotic neuronal identity.

Dataset Information

Preventing polyglutamine-induced activation of c-Jun delays neuronal dysfunction in a mouse model of SCA7 retinopathy.

Publications

Preventing polyglutamine-induced activation of c-Jun delays neuronal dysfunction in a mouse model of SCA7 retinopathy.

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