Progranulin Deficiency Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration with TDP-43 Inclusions

Loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in GRN gene, which encodes progranulin (PGRN), cause frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 inclusions (FTLD-TDP). FTLD-TDP is one of the most common forms of early onset dementia, but its pathogenesis is not fully understood. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, we have investigated whether mitochondrial alterations could also contribute to the pathogenesis of PGRN deficiency-associated FTLD-TDP. Our results showed that PGRN deficiency induced mitochondrial depolarization, increased ROS production and lowered ATP levels in GRN KD SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. Interestingly, lymphoblasts from FTLD-TDP patients carrying a LOF mutation in the GRN gene (c.709-1G > A) also demonstrated mitochondrial depolarization and lower ATP levels. Such mitochondrial damage increased mitochondrial fission to remove dysfunctional mitochondria by mitophagy. Interestingly, PGRN-deficient cells showed elevated mitochondrial mass together with autophagy dysfunction, implying that PGRN deficiency induced the accumulation of damaged mitochondria by blocking its degradation in the lysosomes. Importantly, the treatment with two brain-penetrant CK-1δ inhibitors (IGS-2.7 and IGS-3.27), known for preventing the phosphorylation and cytosolic accumulation of TDP-43, rescued mitochondrial function in PGRN-deficient cells. Taken together, these results suggest that mitochondrial function is impaired in FTLD-TDP associated with LOF GRN mutations and that the TDP-43 pathology linked to PGRN deficiency might be a key mechanism contributing to such mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, our results point to the use of drugs targeting TDP-43 pathology as a promising therapeutic strategy for restoring mitochondrial function in FTLD-TDP and other TDP-43-related diseases.