SUMMARY
We recently described aberrant cytoplasmic SFPQ intron-retaining transcripts (IRTs) and concurrent SFPQ protein mislocalization as a new hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However the generalizability and potential roles of cytoplasmic IRTs in health and disease remain unclear. Here, using time-resolved deep-sequencing of nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of hiPSCs undergoing motor neurogenesis, we reveal that ALS-causing VCP gene mutations lead to compartment-specific aberrant accumulation of IRTs. Specifically, we identify >100 IRTs with increased cytoplasmic (but not nuclear) abundance in ALS samples. Furthermore, these aberrant cytoplasmic IRTs possess sequence-specific attributes and differential predicted binding affinity to RNA binding proteins (RBPs). Remarkably, TDP-43, SFPQ and FUS – RBPs known for nuclear-to-cytoplasmic mislocalization in ALS – avidly and specifically bind to this aberrant cytoplasmic pool of IRTs, as opposed to any individual IRT. Our data are therefore consistent with a novel role for cytoplasmic IRTs in regulating compartment-specific protein abundance. This study provides new molecular insight into potential pathomechanisms underlying ALS and highlights aberrant cytoplasmic IRTs as potential therapeutic targets.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Refined abstract and update legend of the Supplementary Tables.