Inhibition of Crmp1 Phosphorylation at Ser522 Ameliorates Motor Function and Neuronal Pathology in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Model Mice.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects upper and lower motor neurons; however, its pathomechanism has not been fully elucidated. Using a comprehensive phosphoproteomic approach, we have identified elevated phosphorylation of Collapsin response mediator protein 1 (Crmp1) at serine 522 in the lumbar spinal cord of ALS model mice overexpressing a human superoxide dismutase mutant (SOD1 G93A ). We investigated the effects of Crmp1 phosphorylation and depletion in SOD1 G93A mice using Crmp1 S522A (Ser522→Ala) knock-in ( Crmp1 k i /ki ) mice in which the S522 phosphorylation site was abolished and Crmp1 knock-out ( Crmp1 -/- ) mice, respectively. Crmp1 ki / ki / SOD1 G93A mice showed longer latency to fall in a rotarod test while Crmp1 -/- / SOD1 G93A mice showed shorter latency compared with SOD1 G93A mice. Survival was prolonged in Crmp1 ki / ki / SOD1 G93A mice but not in Crmp1 -/- / SOD1 G93A mice. In agreement with these phenotypic findings, residual motor neurons and innervated neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) were comparatively well-preserved in Crmp1 ki / ki / SOD1 G93A mice without affecting microglial and astroglial pathology. Pathway analysis of proteome alterations showed that the sirtuin signaling pathway had opposite effects in Crmp1 ki / ki / SOD1 G93A and Crmp1 -/- / SOD1 G93A mice. Our study indicates that modifying CRMP1 phosphorylation is a potential therapeutic strategy for ALS.