UMMS Affiliation
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Publication Date
2020-10-26
Document Type
Poster
Disciplines
Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins | Biochemistry | Enzymes and Coenzymes | Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience | Nervous System Diseases
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a deadly neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of motor neurons, paralysis and eventual death. The mechanism of ALS is still incompletely understood, and the disease is to date without an effective remedy. Protein arginine deiminase 2 (PAD2) converts peptidyl-Arginine into peptidyl-Citrulline, a post-translational modification referred to as citrullination. Aberrant expression of PAD2 and protein citrullination are increased in several neurodegenerative conditions. Whether this increase is involved in ALS is unknown. In this study, we investigated PAD2 and protein citrullination in two genetic mouse models of ALS expressing human mutant SOD1G93A and PFN1C71G, respectively, and in post-mortem human ALS spinal cord. We show that the expression of PAD2 mRNA and protein expressions are increased progressively along with the ALS progression. Additionally, protein citrullination is increase following the same trend. These changes occur in areas with the most severe motor neuron degeneration including the spinal cord, and brainstem. We show that the increase in PAD2 and citrullinated proteins occur specifically in astrocytes coinciding with the development of reactive astrogliosis. Finally, we show that citrullinated proteins form non-astrocyte aggregate patterns; and are dominantly expressed in insoluble protein fractions. These results demonstrate that PAD2 dysregulation and increased protein citrullination are key characteristics of reactive astrogliosis, and possibly drive some type of protein aggregation in the pathogenesis of ALS. Because protein citrullination alters protein functions, our results suggest that PAD2 and protein citrullination play a role in astrogliosis and astrocytic toxicity in ALS and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Keywords
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS, Protein arginine deiminase 2, PAD2, protein citrullination, astrogliosis, astrocytic toxicity
Rights and Permissions
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). This is an open access document distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
DOI of Published Version
10.13028/msqa-5268
Journal/Book/Conference Title
25th Annual University of Massachusetts Medical School Research Retreat 2020
Repository Citation
Yusuf I, Qiao T, Tilvawala R, Thompson PR, Xu Z. (2020). PAD2 Dysregulation and Abnormal Protein Citrullination in ALS Disease Models. University of Massachusetts Medical School Publications. https://doi.org/10.13028/msqa-5268. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/publications/43
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins Commons, Biochemistry Commons, Enzymes and Coenzymes Commons, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Commons, Nervous System Diseases Commons
Comments
Poster presented virtually at the 25th Annual University of Massachusetts Medical School Research Retreat 2020 on October 26, 2020.