Project: Intraneuronal transport-related pathways across neurodegenerative diseases

Acronym	TransPathND (Reference Number: PATHWAYS-200-204)
Project Topic	The overall goal of this proposal is to identify pathways/protein networks underlying the spreading of distinct aggregates of Aβ1-42, Tau, α-synuclein or HTTExon 1 involved in Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and Huntington disease, respectively. The spread of the lesions is a common feature of all these diseases, but strikingly starts and progresses in different brain sub-regions for each pathology. According to recent observations distinct aggregate conformers could be responsible for different clinical subtypes. Here, we aim at revealing the specific mechanisms by which distinct fibrillary protein polymorphs of Aβ1-42, Tau, α-synuclein and HTTExon 1, are taken up and transported by neurons. We will use different types of mouse neurons maintained in primary culture to establish a structure-function relationship for distinct pathogenic protein assemblies and their conformers by analyzing their binding, uptake and cellular trafficking after extracellular application. By doing so we will address: 1. How distinct pathogenic fibrillary protein polymorphs bind to neuronal cells and to which membrane components. 2. How exogenous pathogenic fibrillary proteins are taken up and transported and what are the quantitative characteristics of this by identifying their “receptors” or membrane protein partners and mode of endocytosis. 3. How pathogenic fibrillary proteins traffic within cells by identifying their cargoes within the cells and quantifying intracellular transport. 4. The relationship between the traffic of pathogenic fibrillary proteins and neuronal activity. 5. Their export/release in the extracellular medium after anterograde or retrograde transport to identify common and divergent protein networks and characteristics that account for distinct diseases. 6. How genetic risk factors affect the interactomes and transport mechanisms of distinct pathogenic fibrillary proteins polymorphs. 7. The identification of common pathways involved as novel therapeutic targets. More specifically, we will • quantify the binding of these distinct pathogenic fibrillary proteins polymorphs to the neuronal plasma membrane • identify their “receptors” or membrane protein partners • assess endocytosis • identify their cargoes within the cells • quantify intracellular transport and their export/release in the extracellular medium after anterograde or retrograde transport to identify common and divergent protein networks and characteristics that account for distinct diseases. The different partners of this project have been selected for their expertise to cover these specific tasks. • The LAC/ENS Paris-Saclay team will apply its recent intraneuronal transport assay, relying on fluorescent nanodiamond tracking. • Neuro-PSI and CNCR teams have expertise in interaction proteomics to reveal proteins with functional similarities and specificities in the different trafficking steps. • The consortium will also take advantage of novel mouse transgenic LOAD models, PD models and Halo-tagged-knockin models recently obtained and validated by the FP7-HEALTH AgedBrainSYSBIO consortium (coordinated by LAC/ENS Paris-Saclay) to identify common underlying mechanisms linked to intraneuronal transport. • These readouts will be used to build quantitative models of aggregates trafficking and identify common pathways, using the expertise of the BI partner and of the MSSM as external partner.
Network	JPco-fuND
Call	A CALL FOR MULTINATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR PATHWAY ANALYSIS ACROSS NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique	Coordinator	France
2	Centre National Recherche Scientifique	Partner	France
3	Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam	Partner	Netherlands
4	Babraham Institute	Partner	United Kingdom