Absence of SOD1 leads to oxidative stress in peripheral nerve and causes a progressive distal motor axonopathy.

Oxidative stress is commonly implicated in the pathogenesis of motor neuron disease. However, the cause and effect relationship between oxidative stress and motor neuron degeneration is poorly defined. We recently identified denervation at the neuromuscular junction in mice lacking the antioxidant enzyme, Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) (Fischer et al., 2011). These mice show a phenotype of progressive muscle atrophy and weakness in the setting of chronic oxidative stress. Here, we investigated further the extent of motor neuron pathology in this model, and the relationship between motor pathology and oxidative stress. We report preferential denervation of fast-twitch muscles beginning between 1 and 4 months of age, with relative sparing of slow-twitch muscle. Motor axon terminals in affected muscles show widespread sprouting and formation of large axonal swellings. We confirmed, as was previously reported, that spinal motor neurons and motor and sensory nerve roots in these mice are preserved, even out to 18 months of age. We also found preservation of distal sensory fibers in the epidermis, illustrating the specificity of pathology in this model for distal motor axons. Using HPLC measurement of the glutathione redox potential, we quantified oxidative stress in peripheral nerve and muscle at the onset of denervation. SOD1 knockout tibial nerve, but not gastrocnemius muscle, showed significant oxidation of the glutathione pool, suggesting that axonal degeneration is a consequence of impaired redox homeostasis in peripheral nerve. We conclude that the SOD1 knockout mouse is a model of oxidative stress-mediated motor axonopathy. Pathology in this model primarily affects motor axon terminals at the neuromuscular junction, demonstrating the vulnerability of this synapse to oxidative injury.

In vivo pathogenic role of mutant SOD1 localized in the mitochondrial intermembrane space.

Mutations in Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) are associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mutant SOD1 causes a complex array of pathological events, through toxic gain of function mechanisms, leading to selective motor neuron degeneration. Mitochondrial dysfunction is among the well established toxic effects of mutant SOD1, but its mechanisms are just starting to be elucidated. A portion of mutant SOD1 is localized in mitochondria, where it accumulates mostly on the outer membrane and inside the intermembrane space (IMS). Evidence in cultured cells suggests that mutant SOD1 in the IMS causes mitochondrial dysfunction and compromises cell viability. Therefore, to test its pathogenic role in vivo we generated transgenic mice expressing G93A mutant or wild-type (WT) human SOD1 targeted selectively to the mitochondrial IMS (mito-SOD1). We show that mito-SOD1 is correctly localized in the IMS, where it oligomerizes and acquires enzymatic activity. Mito-G93ASOD1 mice, but not mito-WTSOD1 mice, develop a progressive disease characterized by body weight loss, muscle weakness, brain atrophy, and motor impairment, which is more severe in females. These symptoms are associated with reduced spinal motor neuron counts and impaired mitochondrial bioenergetics, characterized by decreased cytochrome oxidase activity and defective calcium handling. However, there is no evidence of muscle denervation, a cardinal pathological feature of ALS. Together, our findings indicate that mutant SOD1 in the mitochondrial IMS causes mitochondrial dysfunction and neurodegeneration, but per se it is not sufficient to cause a full-fledged ALS phenotype, which requires the participation of mutant SOD1 localized in other cellular compartments.

SOD1 targeted to the mitochondrial intermembrane space prevents motor neuropathy in the Sod1 knockout mouse.

Motor axon degeneration is a critical but poorly understood event leading to weakness and muscle atrophy in motor neuron diseases. Here, we investigated oxidative stress-mediated axonal degeneration in mice lacking the antioxidant enzyme, Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1). We demonstrate a progressive motor axonopathy in these mice and show that Sod1(-/-) primary motor neurons extend short axons in vitro with reduced mitochondrial density. Sod1(-/-) neurons also show oxidation of mitochondrial--but not cytosolic--thioredoxin, suggesting that loss of SOD1 causes preferential oxidative stress in mitochondria, a primary source of superoxide in cells. SOD1 is widely regarded as the cytosolic isoform of superoxide dismutase, but is also found in the mitochondrial intermembrane space. The functional significance of SOD1 in the intermembrane space is unknown. We used a transgenic approach to express SOD1 exclusively in the intermembrane space and found that mitochondrial SOD1 is sufficient to prevent biochemical and morphological defects in the Sod1(-/-) model, and to rescue the motor phenotype of these mice when followed to 12 months of age. These results suggest that SOD1 in the mitochondrial intermembrane space is fundamental for motor axon maintenance, and implicate oxidative damage initiated at mitochondrial sites in the pathogenesis of motor axon degeneration.

Oxidative stress induced by loss of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) or superoxide-generating herbicides causes axonal degeneration in mouse DRG cultures.

Axonal degeneration is a common pathologic feature in peripheral neuropathy, neurodegenerative disease, and normal aging. Oxidative stress may be an important mechanism of axonal degeneration, but is underrepresented among current experimental models. To test the effects of loss of the antioxidant enzyme Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) on axon survival, we cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from SOD1 knockout mice. Beginning as early as 48-72 h, we observed striking degeneration of Sod1-/- axons that was prevented by introduction of human SOD1 and was attenuated by antioxidant treatment. To test susceptibility to increased superoxide production, we exposed wild-type DRGs to the redox-cycling herbicides paraquat and diquat (DQ). Dose-dependent axon degeneration was observed, and toxicity of DQ was exacerbated by SOD1 deficiency. MTT staining suggested that DRG axons are more susceptible to injury than their parent cell bodies in both paradigms. Taken together, these data demonstrate susceptibility of DRG axons to oxidative stress-mediated injury due to loss of SOD1 or excess superoxide production. These in vitro models provide a novel means of investigating oxidative stress-mediated injury to axons, to improve our understanding of axonal redox control and dysfunction in peripheral neuropathy.

Axonal degeneration in motor neuron disease.

Growing evidence from animal models and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suggests that distal axonal degeneration begins very early in this disease, long before symptom onset and motor neuron death. The cause of axonal degeneration is unknown, and may involve local axonal damage, withdrawal of trophic support from a diseased cell body, or both. It is increasingly clear that axons are not passive extensions of their parent cell bodies, and may die by mechanisms independent of cell death. This is supported by studies in which protection of motor neurons in models of ALS did not significantly improve symptoms or prolong lifespan, likely due to a failure to protect axons. Here, we will review the evidence for early axonal degeneration in ALS, and discuss possible mechanisms by which it might occur, with a focus on oxidative stress. We contend that axonal degeneration may be a primary feature in the pathogenesis of motor neuron disease, and that preventing axonal degeneration represents an important therapeutic target that deserves increased attention.

The WldS gene modestly prolongs survival in the SOD1G93A fALS mouse.

The "slow Wallerian degeneration" (Wld(S)) gene is neuroprotective in numerous models of axonal degeneration. Axonal degeneration is an early feature of disease progression in the SOD1G93A mouse, a widely used model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). We crossed the Wld(S) mouse with the SOD1G93A mouse to investigate whether the Wld(S) gene could prolong survival and modify neuropathology in these mice. SOD/Wld(S) mice showed levels of motor axon loss similar to that seen in SOD1G93A mice. The presence of the Wld(S) gene, however, modestly prolonged survival and delayed denervation at the neuromuscular junction. Prolonged survival was more prominent in female mice and did not depend on whether animals were heterozygous or homozygous for the Wld(S) gene. We also report that SOD1G93A mice show significant degeneration of sensory axons during the course of disease, supporting previous data from humans demonstrating that ALS is not purely a motor disorder.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a distal axonopathy: evidence in mice and man.

The SOD1 mutant mouse is the most widely used model of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To determine where and when the pathological changes of motor neuron disease begins, we performed a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of disease progression in SOD1(G93A) mice. Quantitative pathological analysis was performed in the same mice at multiple ages at neuromuscular junctions (NMJ), ventral roots, and spinal cord. In addition, a patient with sporadic ALS who died unexpectedly was examined at autopsy. Mice became clinically weak at 80 days and died at 131 +/- 5 days. At 47 days, 40% of end-plates were denervated whereas there was no evidence of ventral root or cell body loss. At 80 days, 60% of ventral root axons were lost but there was no loss of motor neurons. Motor neuron loss was well underway by 100 days. Microglial and astrocytic activation around motor neurons was not identified until after the onset of distal axon degeneration. Autopsy of the ALS patient demonstrated denervation and reinnervation changes in muscle but normal appearing motor neurons. We conclude that in this widely studied animal model of human ALS, and in this single human case, motor neuron pathology begins at the distal axon and proceeds in a "dying back" pattern.