Quantitative Immunofluorescence Mapping of HSP70’s Neuroprotective Effects in FUS-ALS Mouse Models

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, often linked to mutations in the FUS gene, leading to toxic protein aggregates. This study investigates the role of HSP70, a molecular chaperone, in mitigating neurodegeneration in FUS-ALS mouse models. Using quantitativ...

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Main Authors: Gennadii A. Piavchenko, Ksenia S. Pokidova, Egor A. Kuzmin, Artem A. Venediktov, Ilya Y. Izmailov, Igor V. Meglinski, Sergey L. Kuznetsov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11614
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Summary:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, often linked to mutations in the FUS gene, leading to toxic protein aggregates. This study investigates the role of HSP70, a molecular chaperone, in mitigating neurodegeneration in FUS-ALS mouse models. Using quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy, we mapped cellular changes in the primary motor cortex of double transgenic FUS/HSP70 mice and compared them to single FUS-transgenic controls. Our results reveal that double transgenic mice exhibit significantly reduced neuronal damage and increased levels of mature neuronal (NeuN) and microglial (Iba1) markers, indicating a protective effect of HSP70. Intracellular HSP70 expression proved more effective than extracellular release, suggesting that targeted HSP70 delivery to neurons may offer a promising therapeutic avenue for ALS. This study underscores the potential of quantitative immunofluorescence for mapping neuroprotective pathways and highlights HSP70’s impact on mitigating FUS-related pathology in ALS.
ISSN:2076-3417