A mutation in the small heat-shock protein HSPB1 leading to distal hereditary motor neuronopathy disrupts neurofilament assembly and the axonal transport of specific cellular cargoes

Distal hereditary motor neuronopathies (dHMNs) are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders in which motor neurons selectively undergo age-dependant degeneration. Mutations in the small heat-shock protein HSPB1 (HSP27) are responsible for one form of dHMN. In this study, we have analysed the effect of expressing a form of mutant HSPB1 in primary neuronal cells in culture. Mutant (P182L) but not wild-type HSPB1 led to the formation of insoluble intracellular aggregates and to the sequestration in the cytoplasm of selective cellular components, including neurofilament middle chain subunit (NF-M) and p150 dynactin. These findings suggest a possible pathogenic mechanism for HSPB1 whereby the mutation may lead to preferential motor neuron loss by disrupting selective components essential for axonal structure and transport.