Genetic, transcriptomic, histological, and biochemical analysis of progressive supranuclear palsy implicates glial activation and novel risk genes.
Kurt FarrellJack HumphreyTimothy S ChangYi ZhaoYuk Yee LeungPavel P KuksaVishakha PatilWan-Ping LeeAmanda B KuzmaOtto ValladaresLaura B CantwellHui WangAshvin RaviClaudia De SanctisNatalia HanThomas D ChristieRobina AfzalShrishtee KandoiKristen WhitneyMargaret M KrassnerHadley ResslerSoongHo KimDiana DangoorMegan A IidaAlicia CasellaRuth H WalkerMelissa J NirenbergAlan E RentonBergan BabrowiczGiovanni CoppolaTowfique RajGünter U HöglingerUlrich MüllerLawrence I GolbeHuw R MorrisJohn HardyTamas ReveszThomas Treharne WarnerZane T JaunmuktaneKin Y MokRosa RademakersGourisankar GhoshOwen A RossLi-San WangAlison Mary GoateGerard SchellenbergDaniel H Geschwindnull nullJohn F CraryAdam C NajPublished in: Nature communications (2024)
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare Parkinsonian disorder, is characterized by problems with movement, balance, and cognition. PSP differs from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other diseases, displaying abnormal microtubule-associated protein tau by both neuronal and glial cell pathologies. Genetic contributors may mediate these differences; however, the genetics of PSP remain underexplored. Here we conduct the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) of PSP which includes 2779 cases (2595 neuropathologically-confirmed) and 5584 controls and identify six independent PSP susceptibility loci with genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10 -8 ) associations, including five known (MAPT, MOBP, STX6, RUNX2, SLCO1A2) and one novel locus (C4A). Integration with cell type-specific epigenomic annotations reveal an oligodendrocytic signature that might distinguish PSP from AD and Parkinson's disease in subsequent studies. Candidate PSP risk gene prioritization using expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) identifies oligodendrocyte-specific effects on gene expression in half of the genome-wide significant loci, and an association with C4A expression in brain tissue, which may be driven by increased C4A copy number. Finally, histological studies demonstrate tau aggregates in oligodendrocytes that colocalize with C4 (complement) deposition. Integrating GWAS with functional studies, epigenomic and eQTL analyses, we identify potential causal roles for variation in MOBP, STX6, RUNX2, SLCO1A2, and C4A in PSP pathogenesis.
Keyphrases
- genome wide
- copy number
- dna methylation
- genome wide association study
- mitochondrial dna
- gene expression
- poor prognosis
- multiple sclerosis
- single cell
- case control
- white matter
- mental health
- stem cells
- high resolution
- rna seq
- cognitive decline
- risk assessment
- mesenchymal stem cells
- cerebral ischemia
- functional connectivity
- mild cognitive impairment
- mass spectrometry