Multiomic ALS signatures highlight subclusters and sex differences suggesting the MAPK pathway as therapeutic target
Lucas Caldi Gomes, Sonja Hänzelmann, Fabian Hausmann, Robin Khatri, Sergio Oller Moreno, Mojan Parvaz, Laura Tzeplaeff, Laura Pasetto, Marie Gébelin, M. Ebbing, Constantin Holzapfel, Stefano Fabrizio Columbro, Serena Scozzari, Johanna Knöferle, Isabell Cordts, Antonia F. Demleitner, Marcus Deschauer, Claudia Dufke, Marc Sturm, Qihui Zhou, Pavol Zelina, Emma Sudrià-Lopez, Tobias B. Haack, Sebastian Streb, Magdalena Kuźma‐Kozakiewicz, Dieter Edbauer, R. Jeroen Pasterkamp, Endre Laczkó, Hubert Rehrauer, Ralph Schlapbach, Christine Carapito, Valentina Bonetto, Stefan Bonn, Paul Lingor
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a debilitating motor neuron disease and lacks effective disease-modifying treatments. This study utilizes a comprehensive multiomic approach to investigate the early and sex-specific molecular mechanisms underlying ALS. By analyzing the prefrontal cortex of 51 patients with sporadic ALS and 50 control subjects, alongside four transgenic mouse models (C9orf72-, SOD1-, TDP-43-, and FUS-ALS), we have uncovered significant molecular alterations associated with the disease. Here, we show that males exhibit more pronounced changes in molecular pathways compared to females. Our integrated analysis of transcriptomes, (phospho)proteomes, and miRNAomes also identified distinct ALS subclusters in humans, characterized by variations in immune response, extracellular matrix composition, mitochondrial function, and RNA processing. The molecular signatures of human subclusters were reflected in specific mouse models. Our study highlighted the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway as an early disease mechanism. We further demonstrate that trametinib, a MAPK inhibitor, has potential therapeutic benefits in vitro and in vivo, particularly in females, suggesting a direction for developing targeted ALS treatments.