An Alzheimer's disease risk variant in TTC3 modifies the actin cytoskeleton organization and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in iPSC-derived forebrain neurons

Summary

A missense variant in the tetratricopeptide repeat domain 3 (TTC3) gene (rs377155188, p.S1038C, NM_003316.4:c 0.3113C>G) was found to segregate with disease in a multigenerational family with late-onset Alzheimer's disease. This variant was introduced into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from a cognitively intact individual using CRISPR genome editing, and the resulting isogenic pair of iPSC lines was differentiated into cortical neurons. Transcriptome analysis showed an enrichment for genes involved in axon guidance, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and GABAergic synapse. Functional analysis showed that the TTC3 p.S1038C iPSC-derived neuronal progenitor cells had altered 3-dimensional morphology and increased migration, while the corresponding neurons had longer neurites, increased branch points, and altered expression levels of synaptic proteins. Pharmacological treatment with small molecules that target the actin cytoskeleton could revert many of these cellular phenotypes, suggesting a central role for actin in mediating the cellular phenotypes associated with the TTC3 p.S1038C variant. Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Authors Cukier HN, Duarte CL, Laverde-Paz MJ, Simon SA, Van Booven DJ, Miyares AT, Whitehead PL, Hamilton-Nelson KL, Adams LD, Carney RM, Cuccaro ML, Vance JM, Pericak-Vance MA, Griswold AJ, Dykxhoorn DM
Journal Neurobiology of aging
Publication Date 2023 Nov;131:182-195
PubMed 37677864
PubMed Central PMC10538380
DOI 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.07.007

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