INaP selective inhibition reverts precocious inter- and motorneurons hyperexcitability in the Sod1-G93R zebrafish ALS model

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 24515
• Main Authors: Benedetti, Lorena, Ghilardi, Anna, Rottoli, Elsa, De Maglie, Marcella, Prosperi, Laura, Perego, Carla, Baruscotti, Mirko, Bucchi, Annalisa, Del Giacco, Luca, Francolini, Maura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 15.04.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/1; 13/109; 13/44; 14/19; 14/28; 14/33; 14/63; 631/378/1689/1285; 631/378/87; 9/74; Action Potentials - drug effects; Action Potentials - genetics; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - diagnosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - genetics; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Disease Models, Animal; Drug screening; Excitability; Gene Expression; Humanities and Social Sciences; Locomotion; Motor Activity - drug effects; Motor neurons; Motor Neurons - drug effects; Motor Neurons - physiology; Motor task performance; multidisciplinary; Muscles - pathology; Mutation; Neuromuscular Junction - metabolism; Phenotype; Phenylglyoxal - analogs & derivatives; Phenylglyoxal - pharmacology; Riluzole - pharmacology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sodium; Spinal Cord - pathology; Superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - genetics; Zebrafish
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep24515

The pathogenic role of SOD1 mutations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was investigated using a zebrafish disease model stably expressing the ALS-linked G93R mutation. In addition to the main pathological features of ALS shown by adult fish, we found remarkably precocious alterations in the development of motor nerve circuitry and embryo behavior, and suggest that these alterations are prompted by interneuron and motor neuron hyperexcitability triggered by anomalies in the persistent pacemaker sodium current I NaP . The riluzole-induced modulation of I NaP reduced spinal neuron excitability, reverted the behavioral phenotypes and improved the deficits in motor nerve circuitry development, thus shedding new light on the use of riluzole in the management of ALS. Our findings provide a valid phenotype-based tool for unbiased in vivo drug screening that can be used to develop new therapies.