Genetic strategies to study TDP-43 in rodents and to develop preclinical therapeutics for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

The neuropathological hallmark of the majority of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a class of frontotemporal lobar degeneration is ubiquitinated cytoplasmic aggregates composed of transactive response DNA binding protein 43 kDa (TDP‐43). Genetic manipulation of TDP‐43 in animal models has been used to study the protein’s role in pathogenesis. Transgenic rodents for TDP‐43 have recapitulated key aspects of ALS such as paralysis, loss of spinal motor neurons and muscle atrophy. Viral vectors are an alternate approach to express pathological proteins in animals. Use of the recombinant adeno‐associated virus vector serotype 9 has permitted widespread transgene expression throughout the central nervous system after intravenous administration. Expressing TDP‐43 in rats with this method produced a phenotype that was consistent with and similar to TDP‐43 transgenic lines. Increased levels of TDP‐43 in the nucleus are toxic to neurons and sufficient to produce ALS‐like symptoms. Animal models based on TDP‐43 will address the relationships between TDP‐43 expression levels, pathology, neuronal loss, muscle atrophy, motor function and causative mechanisms of disease. New targets that modify TDP‐43 function, or targets from previous ALS models and other models of spinal cord diseases, could be tested for efficacy in the recent rodent models of ALS based on TDP‐43. The vector approach could be an important therapeutic channel because the entire spinal cord can be affected from a one‐time peripheral administration.