Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Student: Martin Svoreň Supervisor: PharmDr. Martina Čečková, Ph.D. Specialized supervisor: PD Dr. Bernd Evert Title of diploma thesis: Analysis of genomic regions bound and regulated by Ataxin-3 Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), also known as Machado-Joseph disease, is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disease. In SCA3, the disease protein ataxin-3 (ATXN3) contains an abnormally long polyglutamine (polyQ) tract encoded by CAG repeat expansion. ATXN3 binds DNA and interacts with transcriptional regulators pointing toward a direct role of ATXN3 in transcription. It is conceivable that mutant ATXN3 triggers multiple, interconnected pathogenic cascades leading to neurotoxicity, however, the principal molecular pathomechanism remains elusive. Here, PCR analyses of 16 ATXN3-bound genomic regions recently identified by next generation sequencing of immunoprecipitated ATXN3-bound chromatin fragments confirmed enriched binding of ATXN3 to 5 genomic regions next to genes encoding CCAAT/enhancer binding protein delta (CEBPD), period circadian clock-2 (PER2), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), serine protease inhibitor family F2 (SERPINF2) and thrombospondin-1 (THBS1). To investigate putative...

Supplementary Information Video attached / <p> Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), also known as Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is one of nine poly glutamine neurodegenerative diseases caused by an expansion of CAG DNA triplets in the genes resulting in an expanded poly glutamine tract in the expressed proteins. These proteins are unrelated in function yet all manifest as specific neurological diseases. The Truant lab and others have previously shown that six of the nine polyglutamine proteins display nucleocytoplasmic shuttling capabilities and that this shuttling is affected by polyglutamine expansion. It is believed that deciphering the mechanism of nucleocytoplasmic transport may be important in understanding the normal function of these proteins, which in turn may lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of disease. Studies that looked at the subcellular localization of the MJD/SCA3 protein, ataxin-3, have shown that the normal protein is variably distributed between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, whereas mutant ataxin-3 is localized primarily in the nucleus. Using fluorescent protein technology and fluorescence microscopy, this thesis project attempts to analyze the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling capabilities of ataxin-3 and to evaluate the potential mechanisms that govern its translocation into and out of the nucleus. </p> <p> It was revealed that ataxin-3 is able to shuttle into and out of the nucleus and that the shuttling dynamics are dependent on the length of the poly glutamine tract. As well, two putative, CRMl dependent nuclear export signals and a putative, importin-a/~1 dependent, classical, nuclear localization signal were tested and shown to be nonfunctional as transport signals. It was then discovered that ataxin-3 is marginally leptomycin B (an inhibitor ofCRMl dependent nuclear export) sensitive in NIH3T3 and MCF7 cells, more sensitive to the drug in STHdhQ71Q7 cells and even more so in HEK 293 cells. This suggests that an exogenous factor mediates the nuclear import of ataxin-3 through the CRMl pathway. Subsequently, four known binding partners, hHDACl, hHDAC2, hHDAC6 and hHRAD23b, were tested for their potential ability to shuttle ataxin-3. It was concluded that although hHDAC6 had the greatest effect on ataxin-3 subcellular localization, we believe that it does not mediate its nuclear import or export. Future studies would involve an investigation as to how and why different polyglutamine lengths affect the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of ataxin-3 and to identify the factor(s) that cause ataxin-3 to be more sensitive to LMB treatments in HEK 293 cells. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Les expansions du codon CAG (polyQ) sont impliquées dans neuf maladies neurodégénératives. Notre groupe a démontré que, lors de la traduction de la protéine ataxine-3 (Atx3) mutée qui est impliquée dans l’ataxie spinocérébelleuse de type 3 (SCA3), un changement du cadre de lecture vers un cadre décalé -1 (GCA) se produit. La traduction dans ce nouveau cadre de lecture entraine la production de polyalanine et ceci amplifierait la toxicité des polyQ. Le changement de cadre de lecture (ccl) ribosomique peut se produire des virus aux mammifères mais peu de choses sont connues sur son impact chez l’humain. Afin d’étudier ce phénomène dans la protéine Atx3 avec expansion de polyQ, nous avons établi un modèle de Drosophile transgénique et testé si c’était l’ARNm ou la protéine mutée qui était toxique. Nous avons aussi employé un essai de toeprinting (TP) afin d’identifier l’emplacement précis où les ribosomes changent de cadre de lecture sur l’ARNm. Nos résultats indiquent que la toxicité est due à la présence de polyalanines faisant suite au ccl et que l’ARNm en soi n’est pas la cause directe de la toxicité. De plus, nous avons observé que les ribosomes s’arrêtent au 48ième codon glutamine et que cet arrêt est spécifique aux polyQ. L’arrêt des ribosomes a d’ailleurs aussi été observé dans d’autres maladies avec expansions de polyQ. Puisque ces maladies ont des caractéristiques communes, un blocage de ce ccl pourrait atténuer les symptômes des patients SCA3 et d’autres maladies à expansions de polyQ / Coding CAG repeat disorders have been associated with nine neurodegenerative disorders. Our group has previously shown that during the translation of mutant ataxine-3 (Atx3), the protein involved in Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3 (SCA3), a ribosomal frameshift occurs and leads to the reading of a GCA frame rather than a CAG frame. This new reading frame causes the production of polyalanine in the polyglutamine peptide which increases its toxicity. Ribosomal frameshifts are known to occur in all organisms but little is known about this phenomenon in human. To study ribosomal frameshift along the ATXN3 transcript, we generated a transgenic Drosophila model in which we looked at the toxicity of the mRNA. Also, we developed a toeprinting assay to precisely evaluate where the change of reading frame occurs along the mRNA. Our results suggest that the toxicity observed in our Drosophila model results from the production of polyalanine and not from the presence of the mRNA per se. Moreover, the change in reading frame seems to occur at the 48th CAG codon and this pausing of the ribosome also occurs in other polyQ tracts. Because CAG repeat disorders share many characteristics, an alteration of the frameshift could alleviate symptoms of SCA3 patients as well as of many other diseases with coding CAG repeats.

Les expansions du codon CAG (polyQ) sont impliquées dans neuf maladies neurodégénératives. Notre groupe a démontré que, lors de la traduction de la protéine ataxine-3 (Atx3) mutée qui est impliquée dans l’ataxie spinocérébelleuse de type 3 (SCA3), un changement du cadre de lecture vers un cadre décalé -1 (GCA) se produit. La traduction dans ce nouveau cadre de lecture entraine la production de polyalanine et ceci amplifierait la toxicité des polyQ. Le changement de cadre de lecture (ccl) ribosomique peut se produire des virus aux mammifères mais peu de choses sont connues sur son impact chez l’humain. Afin d’étudier ce phénomène dans la protéine Atx3 avec expansion de polyQ, nous avons établi un modèle de Drosophile transgénique et testé si c’était l’ARNm ou la protéine mutée qui était toxique. Nous avons aussi employé un essai de toeprinting (TP) afin d’identifier l’emplacement précis où les ribosomes changent de cadre de lecture sur l’ARNm. Nos résultats indiquent que la toxicité est due à la présence de polyalanines faisant suite au ccl et que l’ARNm en soi n’est pas la cause directe de la toxicité. De plus, nous avons observé que les ribosomes s’arrêtent au 48ième codon glutamine et que cet arrêt est spécifique aux polyQ. L’arrêt des ribosomes a d’ailleurs aussi été observé dans d’autres maladies avec expansions de polyQ. Puisque ces maladies ont des caractéristiques communes, un blocage de ce ccl pourrait atténuer les symptômes des patients SCA3 et d’autres maladies à expansions de polyQ / Coding CAG repeat disorders have been associated with nine neurodegenerative disorders. Our group has previously shown that during the translation of mutant ataxine-3 (Atx3), the protein involved in Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3 (SCA3), a ribosomal frameshift occurs and leads to the reading of a GCA frame rather than a CAG frame. This new reading frame causes the production of polyalanine in the polyglutamine peptide which increases its toxicity. Ribosomal frameshifts are known to occur in all organisms but little is known about this phenomenon in human. To study ribosomal frameshift along the ATXN3 transcript, we generated a transgenic Drosophila model in which we looked at the toxicity of the mRNA. Also, we developed a toeprinting assay to precisely evaluate where the change of reading frame occurs along the mRNA. Our results suggest that the toxicity observed in our Drosophila model results from the production of polyalanine and not from the presence of the mRNA per se. Moreover, the change in reading frame seems to occur at the 48th CAG codon and this pausing of the ribosome also occurs in other polyQ tracts. Because CAG repeat disorders share many characteristics, an alteration of the frameshift could alleviate symptoms of SCA3 patients as well as of many other diseases with coding CAG repeats.