Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026
Visualizing Synaptic Degeneration in Adult Drosophila in Association with Neurodegeneration
Published on: May 13, 2020
TDP-43 expression in mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal muscular atrophy
Bradley J Turner1, Dirk Bäumer, Nicholas J Parkinson
1University of Oxford, MRC Functional Genetics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QX, UK. bradley.turner@florey.edu.au
Background:
Redistribution of nuclear TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) to the cytoplasm and ubiquitinated inclusions of spinal motor neurons and glial cells is characteristic of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology. Recent evidence suggests that TDP-43 pathology is common to sporadic ALS and familial ALS without SOD1 mutation, but not SOD1-related fALS cases. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether TDP-43 abnormalities occur in non-ALS forms of motor neuron disease. Here, we characterise TDP-43 localisation, expression levels and post-translational modifications in mouse models of ALS and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
Results:
TDP-43 mislocalisation to ubiquitinated inclusions or cytoplasm was notably lacking in anterior horn cells from transgenic mutant SOD1G93A mice. In addition, abnormally phosphorylated or truncated TDP-43 species were not detected in fractionated ALS mouse spinal cord or brain. Despite partial colocalisation of TDP-43 with SMN, depletion of SMN- and coilin-positive Cajal bodies in motor neurons of affected SMA mice did not alter nuclear TDP-43 distribution, expression or biochemistry in spinal cords.
Conclusion:
These results emphasise that TDP-43 pathology characteristic of human sporadic ALS is not a core component of the neurodegenerative mechanisms caused by SOD1 mutation or SMN deficiency in mouse models of ALS and SMA, respectively.
