Among the eight progressive neurodegenerative diseases caused by polyglutamine expansions, spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is the only one to display degeneration in both brain and retina. We show here that mice overexpressing full-length mutant ataxin-7[Q90] either in Purkinje cells or in rod photoreceptors have deficiencies in motor coordination and vision, respectively. In both models, although with different time courses, an N-terminal fragment of mutant ataxin-7 accumulates into ubiquitinated nuclear inclusions that recruit a distinct set of chaperone/proteasome subunits. A severe degeneration is caused by overexpression of ataxin-7[Q90] in rods, whereas a similar overexpression of normal ataxin-7[Q10] has no obvious effect. The degenerative process is not limited to photoreceptors, showing secondary alterations of post-synaptic neurons. These findings suggest that proteolytic cleavage of mutant ataxin-7 and trans-neuronal responses are implicated in the pathogenesis of SCA7.
CITATION STYLE
Yvert, G., Lindenberg, K. S., Picaud, S., Landwehrmeyer, G. B., Sahel, J. A., & Mandel, J. L. (2000). Expanded polyglutamines induce neurodegeneration and trans-neuronal alterations in cerebellum and retina of SCA7 transgenic mice. Human Molecular Genetics, 9(17), 2491–2506. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/9.17.2491
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