Transcription factor EB-mediated mesenchymal stem cell therapy induces autophagy and alleviates spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 defects in neuronal cells model

Xiaobo Han, Jean de Dieu Habimana, Amy L. Li, Rongqi Huang, Omar Mukama, Weiyue Deng, Ling Wang, Yuying Zhang, Wei Wang, Sihao Deng, Kexin Peng, Bin Ni, Shusheng Zhang, Jufang Huang, Xiao-xin Yan and Zhiyuan Li.

Cell Death & Disease

2022, 13, 7, 622

Zhiyuan Li

9.690

 Defects in ataxin-3 proteins and CAG repeat expansions in its coding gene ATXN3 cause Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (SCA3) or Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) polyglutamine neurodegenerative disease. The mutant proteins aggregate as inclusion bodies in cells and compete with wild-type ataxin-3, which leads to neuronal dysfunction or death and impairs Beclin1-mediated autophagy. It has been reported that Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can reliably treat several neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we used a Transcription Factor EB (TFEB) nuclear translocation-mediated MSCs co-culture approach to reconstitute autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis, and reduce SCA3-like behaviors in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived neuron cells models. Our iPSCs model showed enhanced expression of autophagy proteins, attenuated the expression and toxic effects of mutant ataxin-3 on neurons, and alleviated the effects of ataxin-3 on autophagy. Therefore, MSCs are associated with autophagy-inducing therapy and compared to animal models, our MSCs co-culture could be used as a novel and potential therapeutic approach to study SCA3 disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.