Absence of neurofilaments reduces the selective vulnerability of motor neurons and slows disease caused by a familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-linked superoxide dismutase 1 mutant

作者：Toni L. Williamson, Lucie I. Bruijn, Qinzhang Zhu, Karen Anderson, Scott Anderson, Jean‐Pierre Julien, Don W. Cleveland · 发表于：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 年份：1998 · DOI：10.1073/pnas.95.16.9631 · 被引用次数：237 · 研究领域：Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research、Neurogenetic and Muscular Disorders Research、Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments

Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), the only proven cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), provoke disease through an unidentified toxic property. Neurofilament aggregates are pathologic hallmarks of both sporadic and SOD1-mediated familial ALS. By deleting NF-L, the major neurofilament subunit required for filament assembly, onset and progression of disease caused by familial ALS-linked SOD1 mutant G85R are significantly slowed, while selectivity of mutant-mediated toxicity for motor neurons is reduced. In NF-L-deleted animals, levels of the two remaining neurofilament subunits, NF-M and NF-H, are markedly reduced in axons but are elevated in motor neuron cell bodies. Thus, while neither perikaryal nor axonal neurofilaments are essential for SOD1-mediated disease, the absence of assembled neurofilaments both diminishes selective vulnerability and slows SOD1(G85R) mutant-mediated toxicity to motor neurons.