Small-molecule dissolution of stress granules by redox modulation benefits ALS models

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Hiroyuki Uechi - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Tohoku University (Author)
  • Sindhuja Sridharan - , European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg, Queen Mary University of London (Author)
  • Jik Nijssen - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Jessica Bilstein - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Juan M. Iglesias-Artola - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Satoshi Kishigami - , University of Oxford (Author)
  • Virginia Casablancas-Antras - , University of Oxford (Author)
  • Ina Poser - , Dewpoint Therapeutics GmbH (Author)
  • Eduardo J. Martinez - , Dewpoint Therapeutics, Inc. (Author)
  • Edgar Boczek - , Dewpoint Therapeutics GmbH (Author)
  • Michael Wagner - , Dewpoint Therapeutics GmbH (Author)
  • Nadine Tomschke - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • António M. de Jesus Domingues - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dewpoint Therapeutics GmbH (Author)
  • Arun Pal - , Department of Neurology (Author)
  • Thom Doeleman - , Department of Neurology (Author)
  • Sukhleen Kour - , University of Pittsburgh (Author)
  • Eric Nathaniel Anderson - , University of Pittsburgh (Author)
  • Frank Stein - , European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg (Author)
  • Hyun O. Lee - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Toronto (Author)
  • Xiaojie Zhang - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, ShanghaiTech University (Author)
  • Anatol W. Fritsch - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Marcus Jahnel - , Clusters of Excellence PoL: Physics of Life, Dynamics of Biomolecules (Research Group), Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Julius Fürsch - , University of Konstanz (Author)
  • Anastasia C. Murthy - , Brown University (Author)
  • Simon Alberti - , Chair of Cellular Biochemistry (Author)
  • Marc Bickle - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Author)
  • Nicolas L. Fawzi - , Brown University (Author)
  • André Nadler - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Della C. David - , German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Babraham Institute (Author)
  • Udai B. Pandey - , University of Pittsburgh (Author)
  • Andreas Hermann - , TUD Dresden University of Technology, University of Rostock, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) (Author)
  • Florian Stengel - , University of Konstanz (Author)
  • Benjamin G. Davis - , University of Oxford, Rosalind Franklin Institute (Author)
  • Andrew J. Baldwin - , University of Oxford, Rosalind Franklin Institute (Author)
  • Mikhail M. Savitski - , European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Heidelberg (Author)
  • Anthony A. Hyman - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Richard J. Wheeler - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford (Author)

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, are often associated with mutations in stress granule proteins. Aberrant stress granule condensate formation is associated with disease, making it a potential target for pharmacological intervention. Here, we identified lipoamide, a small molecule that specifically prevents cytoplasmic condensation of stress granule proteins. Thermal proteome profiling showed that lipoamide stabilizes intrinsically disordered domain-containing proteins, including SRSF1 and SFPQ, which are stress granule proteins necessary for lipoamide activity. SFPQ has redox-state-specific condensate dissolving behavior, which is modulated by the redox-active lipoamide dithiolane ring. In animals, lipoamide ameliorates aging-associated aggregation of a stress granule reporter protein, improves neuronal morphology and recovers motor defects caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated FUS and TDP-43 mutants. Thus, lipoamide is a well-tolerated small-molecule modulator of stress granule condensation, and dissection of its molecular mechanism identified a cellular pathway for redox regulation of stress granule formation. (Figure presented.)

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1577–1588
Number of pages12
JournalNature chemical biology
Volume21
Issue number10
Early online date14 May 2025
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 40369342
ORCID /0000-0003-4017-6505/work/186620952

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas