Loss of TMEM106B potentiates lysosomal and FTLD-like pathology in progranulin deficient mice [neuropathology panel]

Polygenic risk factors influence onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, but are difficult to be functionally explored in isolation. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TMEM106B increase the risk for frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) of GRN mutation carriers. Currently, it is not clear if progranulin (PGRN) and TMEM106B are synergistically linked and if a gain or a loss-of-function of TMEM106B is responsible for the increased disease risk of patients with PGRN haploinsufficiency. We therefore compared behavioral abnormalities, gene expression patterns, lysosomal activity and TDP-43 pathology in single and double knockout animals. Grn–/–/Tmem106b–/– mice showed a strongly reduced life span and massive motor deficits. Gene expression analysis revealed an upregulation of molecular signatures characteristic for disease associated microglia and autophagy. Dysregulation of maturation of lysosomal proteins as well as a pronounced accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and wide spread p62 deposition suggest that proteostasis is impaired. Moreover, while single Grn–/– knockouts only occasionally showed TDP-43 pathology, the double knockout mice exhibit robust deposition of phosphorylated TDP-43. Thus, a loss-of-function of TMEM106B may enhance the risk for GRN-associated FTD by reduced protein turnover in the lysosomal/autophagic system. In this study we analyzed gene expression in total RNA isolated from whole brain of adult mice. We compared the expression profile of Tmem106b knockout mice , Grn knockout mice, and Grn/Tmem106b double knockout mice (for each genotype n=3, 4.5 months) to wild type mice (n=5, 4.5 months).