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Investigating RNA dysregulation in Neurological Disease through study of Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 1b

Award Number: R01NS131620
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/15/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2028

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Investigating RNA dysregulation in Neurological Disease through study of Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 1b - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 1b (PCH1b) is an autosomal recessive neurological disorder characterized by hypoplasia/atrophy of the cerebellum and pons that is often fatal within the first year of life. The cerebellum and pons integrate information from sensory systems, the spinal cord, and other parts of the brain to regulate motor movements, breathing, and learning motor behavior. Individuals with PCH1b show muscle atrophy/weakness, microcephaly, and developmental delay. Most individuals with PCH1b do not live past childhood and current treatment is purely palliative. Mutations that cause PCH1b occur in the EXOSC3 gene, which encodes a structural cap subunit of an evolutionarily conserved and ubiquitously expressed RNA processing complex, the RNA exosome. The RNA exosome is a ribonuclease composed of both structural and catalytic subunits that play a critical role in the post-transcriptional regulation of RNA. This complex is required for 3’ to 5’ processing and degradation of a vast number of RNAs in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. Post-transcriptional processing of RNA is a critical regulatory step in gene expression, as underscored by the number of neurological diseases caused by defects in RNA processing factors. The tissue-specific phenotypes caused by the RNA exosome complex are challenging to understand based on current models of RNA exosome function with only limited analysis of the complex in any multicellular model in vivo. Thus, we aim to investigate the in vivo functional consequences of distinct disease-causing amino acid substitutions in EXOSC3 that are linked to a range of mild to severe phenotypes in PCH1b. We have generated an allelic series of EXOSC3 disease-linked missense mutations in the Drosophila orthologue Rrp40 via CRISPR/Cas9 editing technology. Our previous work in flies revealed an enhanced requirement for Rrp40 in neurons. Furthermore, our RNA-seq analysis of brain-enriched transcriptomes of Rrp40 mutants revealed increases in steady-state levels of functionally important neuronal transcripts, suggesting that disease-causing amino acid changes in the Drosophila RNA exosome subunit Rrp40 contribute to neuronal dysfunction. Our goal now is to characterize how disease-causing amino acid substitutions in Rrp40 alter the molecular and cellular landscape of the developing nervous system in Drosophila in vivo. We will test the hypothesis that the RNA exosome regulates RNAs that are critical for proper neurodevelopment and function, a distinct subset of which are regulated by the RNA exosome cap subunit Rrp40 (EXOSC3) through three complementary aims: 1) Assess the functional consequences of amino acid substitutions in the Drosophila RNA exosome subunit Rrp40 corresponding to those that cause PCH1b; 2) Interrogate how Rrp40 mutations affect expression and localization of key neuronal transcripts within the fly brain; and 3) Exploit a genetic screen to determine whether aberrant accumulation of specific RNA exosome targets disrupt fly development and/or homeostasis. Successful completion on these aims will provide a synergistic understanding of RNA exosome biology and invaluable insights into PCH1b disease etiology.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $413,500 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	4	4/17/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$413,500
														Subtotal = $413,500

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $445,190 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90033	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	3	9/18/2025	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$73,040
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90033	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	3/31/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$372,150
														Subtotal = $445,190

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $496,953 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	003	2	4/11/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$28,926
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	1/9/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$23,170
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	2	3/22/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$371,891
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	002	2	3/27/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$72,966
														Subtotal = $496,953

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $428,407 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	4/7/2023	NEW	$428,407
														Subtotal = $428,407

Grand Total All Awards = $1,784,050

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Investigating RNA dysregulation in Neurological Disease through study of Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 1b

Award Number: R01NS131620

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/15/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2028

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