Spatial patterns of phosphorylation-dependent TDP-43-immunoreactive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 proteinopathy (FTLD-TDP)

Richard Armstrong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The transactive response (TAR) DNA-binding protein of 43kDa (TDP-43) is an RNA binding protein encoded by the TARDPB gene. Abnormal aggregations of TDP-43 in neurons in the form of neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCI) are the pathological hallmark of frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 proteinopathy (FTLD-TDP). To investigate the role of TDP-43 in FTLD-TDP, the spatial patterns of the NCI were studied in frontal and temporal cortex of FTLD-TDP cases using a phosphorylation dependent anti-TDP-43 antibody (pTDP-43). In many regions, the NCI formed clusters and the clusters were distributed regularly parallel to the tissue boundary. In about 35% of cortical regions, cluster size of the NCI was within the size range of the modular columns of the cortex. The spatial patterns of the pTDP-immunoreactive inclusions were similar to those revealed by a phosphorylation-independent anti-TDP-43 antibody and also similar to inclusions characterized by other molecular pathologies such as tau, ?-synuclein and ‘fused in sarcoma’ (FUS). In conclusion, the data suggest degeneration of cortical and hippocampal anatomical pathways associated with accumulation of cellular pTDP-43 is characteristic of FTLD-TDP. In addition, the data are consistent with the hypothesis of cell to cell transfer of pTDP-43 within the brain.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)142-149
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Molecular BIochemistry
Volume2
Issue number3
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 17 Jan 2013

Bibliographical note

© The Author(s) 2013. Published by Lorem Ipsum Press. Creative Commons Attribution License

Keywords

  • frontotemporal lobar degeneration
  • TDP-43 proteinopathy
  • neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions
  • spatial pattern
  • FTLD-TDP
  • transactive response TAR DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa
  • NCI

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