N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is one of the most abundant molecules in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). The current paradigm suggests that NAA is synthesized in neurons by the enzyme N-acetyltransferase 8-like (NAT8L) and hydrolyzed into aspartate and acetate by the enzyme aspartoacylase (ASPA) in oligodendrocytes. Although the function of NAA is not well understood, several hypotheses have been proposed since its discovery several decades ago. Among the most cited theory is the concept of acetate delivery to oligodendrocytes via NAA for the synthesis of fatty acids for myelin lipids and myelination. Another concept suggests that NAA functions as a molecular water pump to remove molecular water from oxidative phosphorylation. In contrast, disruption of NAA metabolism has been associated with oxidative stress contributing to neurodegeneration, as seen in Canavan disease, a monogenic disorder associated with loss-of-function mutations in ASPA.
Accumulation of NAA in the CNS and peripheral organs is pathognomonic for Canavan disease (CD) and is used clinically to diagnose this rare disease. Symptoms typically occur within months after birth and primarily manifest in the CNS with spongy degeneration of the white matter. Initially, affected patients present with poor feeding, lack of head control, hydrocephalus; later, they miss developmental milestones and develop seizures.
Only supportive treatment is available possibly helping patients to survive past the first couple of years. Gene therapy has been considered early on for the treatment of CD. The first trial in humans demonstrated safety but did not result in symptomatic improvement. In addition to gene therapy for the treatment of CD, NAA has gained increasing interest in neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, but also in adipose tissue.
Here, we are investigating the function of NAA in the context of ASPA deficiency, aka Canavan disease. We found that impaired NAA metabolism caused by ASPA mutations is characterized by a neurometabolic profile that suggests cellular shift from glucose towards fatty acid metabolism for energy production.
Although, we found a similar metabolic signature in asymptomatic mice within days after birth, longitudinal comparison suggest that disease progression leads to fatty acid depletion, which is not present in asymptomatic mice, potentially challenging the concept that NAA-derived acetate is essential for lipid synthesis in the myelinating brain.
Using rAAV to determine the reversibility of this metabolic phenotype, we found that early treatment prevents loss of myelin, normalizes the neurometabolic phenotype and keeps Canavan mice asymptomatic; in contrast, later treatment only allows for partial normalization of the neurometabolome, despite adequate ASPA gene delivery by rAAV, independent of ubiquitous or astrocyte-restricted hASPA expression. Furthermore, we found that non-enzymatically active hASPA might play a ubiquitous role in glucose uptake regulation in vivo. Importantly, we identified brain regions with metabolic changes that also correspond to the areas with significant histopathologic alterations.
Finally, we confirmed the glycolytic changes in a Canavan disease patient cell line using Seahorse metabolic analyzer, demonstrating the decreased rate of glycolysis for energy production. Overall, our findings reveal a novel metabolic phenomenon in Canavan disease and NAA metabolism that allows to assign a novel function of N-acetylaspartate.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:umassmed.edu/oai:escholarship.umassmed.edu:gsbs_diss-2119 |
| Date | 08 October 2020 |
| Creators | Gessler, Dominic J. |
| Publisher | eScholarship@UMMS |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts Medical School |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | GSBS Dissertations and Theses |
| Rights | Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved., select |
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