? ? Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurological disorder characterized by profound personality changes, altered social behavior, and deterioration of executive functions. The second most common pathological entity of FTD is defined by the presence of cytoplasmic ubiquitin-immunoreactive inclusions, and is thus known as FTD-ubiquitinated (FTD-U). These inclusions, found primarily in the hippocampal dentate granule cells, may provide a window into the pathological mechanisms of FTD-U neurodegeneration but have, to date, been poorly characterized. Most significantly, the primary protein components of the inclusion bodies are unknown. Therefore, we propose to identify differentially expressed proteins in FTD-U inclusions that contribute to the underlying pathophysiologic pathways of the disease. First, a rigorous characterization of the cellular localization and ultrastructure of ubiquitin-positive inclusions will be conducted in Aim 1 using immunohistochemical and electron microscopy approaches.
In Aim 2, the inclusions will be isolated using laser capture microdissection and proteomically profiled to identify proteins that mediate fundamentally important events in FTD-U pathogenesis. Finally, Aim 3 will focus on mechanistic contribution of these proteins to neurodegeneration seen in FTD-U. Specifically, the involvement of each identified inclusionspecific protein in cell death, protein aggregation, and the ubiquitin-proteasome system will be assessed. As the third most common cause of dementia, FTD accounts for up to 20% of all cases of dementia irrespective of age. Because of its predominantly presenile onset and invariable mortality, FTD carries extensive medical and socioeconomic costs. The characterization of the defining lesions of FTD-U, a common subtype of FTD, will shed light on the pathogenesis of this disease and provide novel therapeutic options aimed at slowing the progression and decreasing the mortality of this debilitating disease. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Individual Predoctoral NRSA for M.D./Ph.D. Fellowships (ADAMHA) (F30)
Project #
5F30NS057902-02
Application #
7416783
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZNS1-SRB-M (39))
Program Officer
Refolo, Lorenzo
Project Start
2007-07-01
Project End
2010-06-30
Budget Start
2008-07-01
Budget End
2009-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$27,312
Indirect Cost
Name
Emory University
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
066469933
City
Atlanta
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30322
Bai, Bing; Hales, Chadwick M; Chen, Ping-Chung et al. (2013) U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex and RNA splicing alterations in Alzheimer's disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110:16562-7
Seyfried, Nicholas T; Gozal, Yair M; Donovan, Laura E et al. (2012) Quantitative analysis of the detergent-insoluble brain proteome in frontotemporal lobar degeneration using SILAC internal standards. J Proteome Res 11:2721-38
Gozal, Yair M; Dammer, Eric B; Duong, Duc M et al. (2011) Proteomic analysis of hippocampal dentate granule cells in frontotemporal lobar degeneration: application of laser capture technology. Front Neurol 2:24
Gozal, Yair M; Seyfried, Nicholas T; Gearing, Marla et al. (2011) Aberrant septin 11 is associated with sporadic frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Mol Neurodegener 6:82
Seyfried, Nicholas T; Gozal, Yair M; Dammer, Eric B et al. (2010) Multiplex SILAC analysis of a cellular TDP-43 proteinopathy model reveals protein inclusions associated with SUMOylation and diverse polyubiquitin chains. Mol Cell Proteomics 9:705-18
Gozal, Yair M; Duong, Duc M; Gearing, Marla et al. (2009) Proteomics analysis reveals novel components in the detergent-insoluble subproteome in Alzheimer's disease. J Proteome Res 8:5069-79