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Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Making (anti-) sense out of huntingtin levels in Huntington disease

Authors: Melvin M Evers, Menno H Schut, Barry A Pepers, Melek Atalar, Martine J van Belzen, Richard LM Faull, Raymund AC Roos, Willeke MC van Roon-Mom

Published in: Molecular Neurodegeneration | Issue 1/2015

Abstract

Background

Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by motor, psychiatric and cognitive symptoms. HD is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the first exon of the HTT gene, resulting in an expanded polyglutamine tract at the N-terminus of the huntingtin protein. Typical disease onset is around mid-life (adult-onset HD) whereas onset below 21 years is classified as juvenile HD. While much research has been done on the underlying HD disease mechanisms, little is known about regulation and expression levels of huntingtin RNA and protein.

Results

In this study we used 15 human post-mortem HD brain samples to investigate the expression of wild-type and mutant huntingtin mRNA and protein. In adult-onset HD brain samples, there was a small but significantly lower expression of mutant huntingtin mRNA compared to wild-type huntingtin mRNA, while wild-type and mutant huntingtin protein expression levels did not differ significantly. Juvenile HD subjects did show a lower expression of mutant huntingtin protein compared to wild-type huntingtin protein. Our results in HD brain and fibroblasts suggest that protein aggregation does not affect levels of huntingtin RNA and protein. Additionally, we did not find any evidence for a reduced expression of huntingtin antisense in fibroblasts derived from a homozygous HD patient.

Conclusions

We found small differences in allelic huntingtin mRNA levels in adult-onset HD brain, with significantly lower mutant huntingtin mRNA levels. Wild-type and mutant huntingtin protein were not significantly different in adult-onset HD brain samples. Conversely, in juvenile HD brain samples mutant huntingtin protein levels were lower compared with wild-type huntingtin, showing subtle differences between juvenile HD and adult-onset HD. Since most HD model systems harbor juvenile repeat expansions, our results suggest caution with the interpretation of huntingtin mRNA and protein studies using HD cell and animal models with such long repeats. Furthermore, our huntingtin antisense results in homozygous HD cells do not support reduced huntingtin antisense expression due to an expanded CAG repeat.

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Title: Making (anti-) sense out of huntingtin levels in Huntington disease
Authors: Melvin M Evers
Menno H Schut
Barry A Pepers
Melek Atalar
Martine J van Belzen
Richard LM Faull
Raymund AC Roos
Willeke MC van Roon-Mom
Publication date: 01-12-2015
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Molecular Neurodegeneration / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1750-1326
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-015-0018-7

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Making (anti-) sense out of huntingtin levels in Huntington disease

Abstract

Background

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Results

Conclusions

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