Academic Appointments


All Publications


  • Limited proteolysis–mass spectrometry reveals aging-associated changes in cerebrospinal fluid protein abundances and structures Nature Aging Shuken, S. R., Rutledge, J., Iram, T., Moran Losada, P., Wilson, E. N., Andreasson, K. I., Leib, R. D., Wyss-Coray, T. 2022
  • Single Cell ADNP Predictive of Human Muscle Disorders: Mouse Knockdown Results in Muscle Wasting. Cells Kapitansky, O., Karmon, G., Sragovich, S., Hadar, A., Shahoha, M., Jaljuli, I., Bikovski, L., Giladi, E., Palovics, R., Iram, T., Gozes, I. 2020; 9 (10)

    Abstract

    Activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) mutations are linked with cognitive dysfunctions characterizing the autistic-like ADNP syndrome patients, who also suffer from delayed motor maturation. We thus hypothesized that ADNP is deregulated in versatile myopathies and that local ADNP muscle deficiency results in myopathy, treatable by the ADNP fragment NAP. Here, single-cell transcriptomics identified ADNP as a major constituent of the developing human muscle. ADNP transcript concentrations further predicted multiple human muscle diseases, with concentrations negatively correlated with the ADNP target interacting protein, microtubule end protein 1 (EB1). Reverting back to modeling at the single-cell level of the male mouse transcriptome, Adnp mRNA concentrations age-dependently correlated with motor disease as well as with sexual maturation gene transcripts, while Adnp expressing limb muscle cells significantly decreased with aging. Mouse Adnp heterozygous deficiency exhibited muscle microtubule reduction and myosin light chain (Myl2) deregulation coupled with motor dysfunction. CRISPR knockdown of adult gastrocnemius muscle Adnp in a Cas9 mouse resulted in treadmill (male) and gait (female) dysfunctions that were specifically ameliorated by treatment with the ADNP snippet, microtubule interacting, Myl2-regulating, NAP (CP201). Taken together, our studies provide new hope for personalized diagnosis/therapeutics in versatile myopathies.

    View details for DOI 10.3390/cells9102320

    View details for PubMedID 33086621

  • Physiological blood-brain transport is impaired with age by a shift in transcytosis. Nature Yang, A. C., Stevens, M. Y., Chen, M. B., Lee, D. P., Stahli, D., Gate, D., Contrepois, K., Chen, W., Iram, T., Zhang, L., Vest, R. T., Chaney, A., Lehallier, B., Olsson, N., du Bois, H., Hsieh, R., Cropper, H. C., Berdnik, D., Li, L., Wang, E. Y., Traber, G. M., Bertozzi, C. R., Luo, J., Snyder, M. P., Elias, J. E., Quake, S. R., James, M. L., Wyss-Coray, T. 2020

    Abstract

    The vascular interfaceof the brain, known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), is understood to maintain brain function in part via its low transcellular permeability1-3. Yet, recent studies have demonstrated that brain ageing is sensitive to circulatory proteins4,5. Thus, it is unclear whether permeability to individually injected exogenous tracers-as isstandard in BBB studies-fully represents blood-to-brain transport. Here we label hundreds of proteins constituting the mouse blood plasma proteome, and upon their systemic administration, study the BBB with its physiological ligand. We find that plasma proteins readily permeate the healthy brain parenchyma, with transport maintained by BBB-specific transcriptional programmes. Unlike IgG antibody, plasma protein uptake diminishes in the aged brain, driven by an age-related shift in transport from ligand-specific receptor-mediated to non-specific caveolar transcytosis. This age-related shift occurs alongside a specific loss of pericyte coverage. Pharmacological inhibition of the age-upregulated phosphatase ALPL, a predicted negative regulator of transport, enhances brain uptake of therapeutically relevant transferrin, transferrin receptor antibody and plasma. These findings reveal the extent of physiological protein transcytosis to the healthy brain, a mechanism of widespread BBB dysfunction with age and a strategy for enhanced drug delivery.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-020-2453-z

    View details for PubMedID 32612231

  • Lipid-droplet-accumulating microglia represent a dysfunctional and proinflammatory state in the aging brain. Nature neuroscience Marschallinger, J., Iram, T., Zardeneta, M., Lee, S. E., Lehallier, B., Haney, M. S., Pluvinage, J. V., Mathur, V., Hahn, O., Morgens, D. W., Kim, J., Tevini, J., Felder, T. K., Wolinski, H., Bertozzi, C. R., Bassik, M. C., Aigner, L., Wyss-Coray, T. 2020

    Abstract

    Microglia become progressively activated and seemingly dysfunctional with age, and genetic studies have linked these cells to the pathogenesis of a growing number of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we report a striking buildup of lipid droplets in microglia with aging in mouse and human brains. These cells, which we call 'lipid-droplet-accumulating microglia' (LDAM), are defective in phagocytosis, produce high levels of reactive oxygen species and secrete proinflammatory cytokines. RNA-sequencing analysis of LDAM revealed a transcriptional profile driven by innate inflammation that is distinct from previously reported microglial states. An unbiased CRISPR-Cas9 screen identified genetic modifiers of lipid droplet formation; surprisingly, variants of several of these genes, including progranulin (GRN), are causes of autosomal-dominant forms of human neurodegenerative diseases. We therefore propose that LDAM contribute to age-related and genetic forms of neurodegeneration.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41593-019-0566-1

    View details for PubMedID 31959936

  • A single-cell transcriptomic atlas characterizes ageing tissues in the mouse. Nature 2020

    Abstract

    Ageing is characterized by a progressive loss of physiological integrity, leading to impaired function and increased vulnerability to death1. Despite rapid advances over recent years, many of the molecular and cellular processes that underlie the progressive loss of healthy physiology are poorly understood2. To gain a better insight into these processes, here we generate a single-cell transcriptomic atlas across the lifespan of Mus musculus that includes data from 23 tissues and organs. We found cell-specific changes occurring across multiple cell types and organs, as well as age-related changes in the cellular composition of different organs. Using single-cell transcriptomic data, we assessed cell-type-specific manifestations of different hallmarks of ageing-such as senescence3, genomic instability4 and changes in the immune system2. This transcriptomic atlas-which we denote Tabula Muris Senis, or 'Mouse Ageing Cell Atlas'-provides molecular information about how the most important hallmarks of ageing are reflected in a broad range of tissues and cell types.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-020-2496-1

    View details for PubMedID 32669714

  • Ageing hallmarks exhibit organ-specific temporal signatures. Nature Schaum, N. n., Lehallier, B. n., Hahn, O. n., Pálovics, R. n., Hosseinzadeh, S. n., Lee, S. E., Sit, R. n., Lee, D. P., Losada, P. M., Zardeneta, M. E., Fehlmann, T. n., Webber, J. T., McGeever, A. n., Calcuttawala, K. n., Zhang, H. n., Berdnik, D. n., Mathur, V. n., Tan, W. n., Zee, A. n., Tan, M. n., Pisco, A. O., Karkanias, J. n., Neff, N. F., Keller, A. n., Darmanis, S. n., Quake, S. R., Wyss-Coray, T. n. 2020

    Abstract

    Ageing is the single greatest cause of disease and death worldwide, and understanding the associated processes could vastly improve quality of life. Although major categories of ageing damage have been identified-such as altered intercellular communication, loss of proteostasis and eroded mitochondrial function1-these deleterious processes interact with extraordinary complexity within and between organs, and a comprehensive, whole-organism analysis of ageing dynamics has been lacking. Here we performed bulk RNA sequencing of 17 organs and plasma proteomics at 10 ages across the lifespan of Mus musculus, and integrated these findings with data from the accompanying Tabula Muris Senis2-or 'Mouse Ageing Cell Atlas'-which follows on from the original Tabula Muris3. We reveal linear and nonlinear shifts in gene expression during ageing, with the associated genes clustered in consistent trajectory groups with coherent biological functions-including extracellular matrix regulation, unfolded protein binding, mitochondrial function, and inflammatory and immune response. Notably, these gene sets show similar expression across tissues, differing only in the amplitude and the age of onset of expression. Widespread activation of immune cells is especially pronounced, and is first detectable in white adipose depots during middle age. Single-cell RNA sequencing confirms the accumulation of T cells and B cells in adipose tissue-including plasma cells that express immunoglobulin J-which also accrue concurrently across diverse organs. Finally, we show how gene expression shifts in distinct tissues are highly correlated with corresponding protein levels in plasma, thus potentially contributing to the ageing of the systemic circulation. Together, these data demonstrate a similar yet asynchronous inter- and intra-organ progression of ageing, providing a foundation from which to track systemic sources of declining health at old age.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-020-2499-y

    View details for PubMedID 32669715

  • An 80,000-Piece Puzzle of Alzheimer's Disease. Immunity Iram, T., Keller, A., Wyss-Coray, T. 2019; 50 (6): 1349–51

    Abstract

    To gain unfettered insight into one of the scourges of our aging societies, Mathys and colleagues in Nature (Mathys etal., 2019) illuminate the brain transcriptome of Alzheimer's disease at single-cell resolution. Their findings implicate oligodendrocytes, a cell type largely neglected in Alzheimer's disease research, and sex in the disease in intriguing ways.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.05.016

    View details for PubMedID 31216459

  • CD22 blockade restores homeostatic microglial phagocytosis in ageing brains. Nature Pluvinage, J. V., Haney, M. S., Smith, B. A., Sun, J., Iram, T., Bonanno, L., Li, L., Lee, D. P., Morgens, D. W., Yang, A. C., Shuken, S. R., Gate, D., Scott, M., Khatri, P., Luo, J., Bertozzi, C. R., Bassik, M. C., Wyss-Coray, T. 2019

    Abstract

    Microglia maintain homeostasis in the central nervous system through phagocytic clearance of protein aggregates and cellular debris. This function deteriorates during ageing and neurodegenerative disease, concomitant with cognitive decline. However, the mechanisms of impaired microglial homeostatic function and the cognitive effects of restoring this function remain unknown. We combined CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens with RNAsequencing analysis to discover age-related genetic modifiers of microglial phagocytosis. These screens identified CD22, a canonical Bcell receptor, as a negative regulator of phagocytosis that is upregulated on aged microglia. CD22 mediates the anti-phagocytic effect of alpha2,6-linked sialic acid, and inhibition of CD22 promotes the clearance of myelin debris, amyloid-beta oligomers and alpha-synuclein fibrils in vivo. Long-term central nervous system delivery of an antibody that blocks CD22 function reprograms microglia towards a homeostatic transcriptional state and improves cognitive function in aged mice. These findings elucidate a mechanism of age-related microglial impairment and a strategy to restore homeostasis in the ageing brain.

    View details for PubMedID 30944478

  • Single-cell analysis of cytoskeleton dynamics: From isoelectric focusing to live cell imaging and RNA-seq. Journal of neuroscience methods Gozes, I. n., Ivashko-Pachima, Y. n., Kapitansky, O. n., Sayas, C. L., Iram, T. n. 2019

    Abstract

    Focusing on microtubule heterogeneity and brain specificity allowed for initial discoveries of multiple tubulin isotypes four decades ago. Methods evolved from using radioactive labelling and single cell cultures to monoclonal antibodies recognizing discrete forms of tubulin in single neurons. With the advantage of molecular cloning and fluorescent protein tagging, essential components for microtubule dynamics/stability and function were identified, including activity-dependent neuroprotective protein, ADNP and its peptide snippet, NAP (drug candidate, davunetide/CP201). ADNP/NAP through the SxIP motif interact with microtubule end binding proteins EB1 and EB3 to increase microtubule dynamics, axonal transport and dendritic spine formation. Recent transcriptomic analysis of the young mouse brain at the single cell level enabled characterization of cell-type specific cytoskeleton related gene signatures (e.g., tubulin transcripts, microtubule-associated protein Tau, Mapt and microtubule end binding protein, EB3, Mapre3) at unprecedented detail. Here, we review these findings with a methodological perspective to highlight how cutting-edge techniques have allowed us to disentangle cytoskeleton dynamics in health and disease.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.05.014

    View details for PubMedID 31150696

  • Single-cell transcriptomics of 20 mouse organs creates a Tabula Muris. Nature 2018; 562 (7727): 367–72

    Abstract

    Here we present a compendium of single-cell transcriptomic data from the model organism Mus musculus that comprises more than 100,000 cells from 20 organs and tissues. These data represent a new resource for cell biology, reveal gene expression in poorly characterized cell populations and enable the direct and controlled comparison of gene expression in cell types that are shared between tissues, such as T lymphocytes and endothelial cells from different anatomical locations. Two distinct technical approaches were used for most organs: one approach, microfluidic droplet-based 3'-end counting, enabled the survey of thousands of cells at relatively low coverage, whereas the other, full-length transcript analysis based on fluorescence-activated cell sorting, enabled the characterization of cell types with high sensitivity and coverage. The cumulative data provide the foundation for an atlas of transcriptomic cell biology.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-018-0590-4

    View details for PubMedID 30283141

  • Plum, an Immunoglobulin Superfamily Protein, Regulates Axon Pruning by Facilitating TGF-ß Signaling. Neuron Yu, X. M., Gutman, I., Mosca, T. J., Iram, T., Ozkan, E., Garcia, K. C., Luo, L., Schuldiner, O. 2013; 78 (3): 456-468

    Abstract

    Axon pruning during development is essential for proper wiring of the mature nervous system, but its regulation remains poorly understood. We have identified an immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) transmembrane protein, Plum, that is cell autonomously required for axon pruning of mushroom body (MB) γ neurons and for ectopic synapse refinement at the developing neuromuscular junction in Drosophila. Plum promotes MB γ neuron axon pruning by regulating the expression of Ecdysone Receptor-B1, a key initiator of axon pruning. Genetic analyses indicate that Plum acts to facilitate signaling of Myoglianin, a glial-derived TGF-β, on MB γ neurons upstream of the type-I TGF-β receptor Baboon. Myoglianin, Baboon, and Ecdysone Receptor-B1 are also required for neuromuscular junction ectopic synapse refinement. Our study highlights both IgSF proteins and TGF-β facilitation as key promoters of developmental axon elimination and demonstrates a mechanistic conservation between MB axon pruning during metamorphosis and the refinement of ectopic larval neuromuscular connections.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.03.004

    View details for PubMedID 23664613