Autophagic degradation of Mutant Huntingtin by Enhancement of the
Complex of VCP/p97-LC3-mHTT
Xiaojing Li
Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, the Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Corresponding Author:1321149866@qq.com
Author ProfileAbstract
Background and Purpose Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal
dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by cytotoxicity of mutant
huntingtin protein (mHTT). Decrease of mHTT will be a potential strategy
for therapeutic purpose of HD. VCP has been reported and functioned in
HD. Finding of novel small molecules specifically regulates the activity
of VCP, which may be benefited to HD patients. Experimental Approach
In-house screening drug library against VCP enzymatic activity was
performed and a leading candidate was studied for its mechanism of the
degradation of mHTT and its effect on HD animal models. Key Results We
identified gossypol, a clinical approved drug in China, as a novel
modulator of VCP. Gossypol acetate acted through a gain-of-function way
to induce the formation of VCP-LC3-mHTT ternary complex, triggering
autophagic degradation of mHTT. Gossypol interfered with VCP’s enzymatic
activity through its direct binding to interface between VCP’s N and D1
domains. Gossypol acetate not only lowered mHTT levels and rescued
HD-relevant phenotypes in patient induced pluripotent stem cell
(iPS)-derived neurons and HD knockin mouse striatal cell, but also
improved motor function deficits in both Drosophila and mouse HD models.
Conclusions and Implications Taken together, these findings revealed a
new strategy for treating HD by gossypol that targets mHTT through VCP
and LC3 to the autophagic pathway and raised the possibility that an
existing drug can be repurposed as a new treatment of HD.