Publications by authors named "Luis C Fernandez-Beltran"

TDP-43 pathology is found in several neurodegenerative disorders, collectively referred to as "TDP-43 proteinopathies". Aggregates of TDP-43 are present in the brains and spinal cords of >97% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and in brains of ∼50% of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients. While mutations in the TDP-43 gene (TARDBP) are usually associated with ALS, many clinical reports have linked these mutations to cognitive impairments and/or FTD, but also to other neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinsonism (PD) or progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by significant metabolic disruptions, including weight loss and hypermetabolism in both patients and animal models. Leptin, an adipose-derived hormone, displays altered levels in ALS. Genetically reducing leptin levels (Lepob/+) to maintain body weight improved motor performance and extended survival in female SOD1G93A mice, although the exact molecular mechanisms behind these effects remain elusive.

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Variants in the ubiquitously expressed DNA/RNA-binding protein FUS cause aggressive juvenile forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Most FUS mutation studies have focused on motor neuron degeneration; little is known about wider systemic or developmental effects. We studied pleiotropic phenotypes in a physiological knock-in mouse model carrying the pathogenic FUSDelta14 mutation in homozygosity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Fragile X syndrome (FXS) results from the loss of the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), leading to significant intellectual disability and autism due to its impact on multiple genes.
  • A potential treatment approach involves inhibiting the NCS-1/Ric8a complex, with the compound phenothiazine FD44 showing promise in restoring normal synapse numbers and improving learning behaviors in FXS mouse models.
  • The study also highlights altered dopamine metabolism in FXS that can be corrected with FD44, indicating it as a crucial biochemical marker for the disorder.
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Article Synopsis
  • * The variability in disease presentation, particularly in mixed forms of ALS and FTD, complicates the understanding of lipid metabolic alterations and their causal role in the disorders.
  • * Recent advancements in lipidomics and other –omics technologies are helping to identify potential biomarkers and clarify the pathological mechanisms underlying these neurodegenerative conditions.
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Objective: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are two distinct degenerative disorders with overlapping genetics, clinical manifestations, and pathology, including the presence of TDP-43 aggregates in nearly 50% of patients with FTD and 98% of all patients with ALS. Here, we evaluate whether different genetically predicted body lipid metabolic traits are causally associated with the risk of FTD with TDP-43 aggregates, compare it to their causal role in the risk of ALS, and identify genetic variants shared between these two TDP43 related disorders in relation to lipid metabolic traits.

Methods: We conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses (2SMR) to evaluate the causal association of 9 body complexion and 9 circulating lipids traits with the risk of FTD with TDP-43 aggregates and the risk of ALS.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multifactorial and complex fatal degenerative disorder. A number of pathological mechanisms that lead to motor neuron death have been identified, although there are many unknowns in the disease aetiology of ALS. Alterations in lipid metabolism are well documented in the progression of ALS, both at the systemic level and in the spinal cord of mouse models and ALS patients.

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