FUSDelta14 mutation impairs normal brain development and causes systemic metabolic alterations

Abstract

FUS (Fused in sarcoma) is a ubiquitously expressed DNA/RNA binding protein. Mutations in FUS cause aggressive juvenile forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as in the case with the FUSDelta14 mutation. While most studies have focused on the role of FUS in motor neuron degeneration, little is known about the effect of FUS mutations in the whole body, and the impact of FUS mutations in the correct development of the nervous system. We studied pleiotropic phenotypes in a physiological knock-in mouse model carrying the FUSDelta14 mutation in homozygosity. RNA sequencing was conducting in six different tissues (frontal cortex, spinal cord, tibialis anterior muscle, white and brown adipose tissue and liver) to identify the genes and pathways altered by the FUSDelta14 mutant protein in the systemic transcriptome. Additionally, brain structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histological characterisation was conducted in young mice to study the role of FUS mutation in the brain development. FUS mutant protein was upregulated and mislocalised in the cytoplasm in most cells of the tissues analysed. We identified few genes commonly altered in all tissues by this mutation, although most genes and pathways affected were generally tissue-specific. Phenotypic assessment of mice revealed systemic metabolic alterations related to the pathway changes identified. MRI brain scans revealed that homozygous FUSDelta14 brains were smaller and displayed significant morphological alterations including a thinner cortex, reduced neuronal number and increased gliosis, which correlated with early cognitive impairment and fatal seizures. We demonstrated that the disease aetiology of FUS mutations can include neurodevelopmental and systemic alterations, which should be taken into consideration in the clinic.