MFN2 Influences Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Pathology

ObjectiveTo better understand the pathology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, we used sequence data from patients seen at the University of Utah to identify novel disease-associated loci. We utilized both in vitro and in vivo studies to determine the biological effect of patient mutations in MFN2. MethodSequence data for a total of 140 patients were run through VAAST and Phevor to determine genes that were more burdened with rare, nonsynonymous variants compared to control longevity cohort. Variants identified in MFN2 were expressed in Mfn2 knockout cells to determine if mutant MFN2 could rescue mitochondrial morphology defects. We identified additional rare, nonsynonymous variants in MFN2 in ALSdb that were expressed in knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Membrane potential was measured to quantify mitochondrial health upon mutant MFN2 expression. mfn2 knockout zebrafish were used to examine movement compared to wildtype and protein aggregation in brain. ResultsMFN2 mutations identified in ALS patients from our University of Utah cohort and ALSdb were defective in rescuing morphological defects in Mfn2 knockout MEFs. Selected mutants showed decreased membrane potential compared to wildtype MFN2 expression. Zebrafish heterozygous and homozygous for loss of mfn2 showed increased TDP-43 levels in their hindbrain and cerebellum. ConclusionIn total, 21 rare, deleterious mutations in MFN2 were tested in Mfn2 knockout MEFs. Mutant MFN2 expression was not able to rescue the knockout phenotype, though at differing degrees of severity. Decreased membrane potential also argues for inhibited mitochondrial function. Increased TDP-43 levels in mutant zebrafish illustrates MFN2s function in ALS pathology. MFN2 variants influence ALS pathology and highlight the importance of mitochondria in neurodegeneration.