2023
Reduction of Nemo-like kinase increases lysosome biogenesis and ameliorates TDP-43-related neurodegeneration
Tejwani L, Jung Y, Kokubu H, Sowmithra S, Ni L, Lee C, Sanders B, Lee P, Xiang Y, Luttik K, Soriano A, Yoon J, Park J, Ro H, Ju H, Liao C, Tieze S, Rigo F, Jafar-Nejad P, Lim J. Reduction of Nemo-like kinase increases lysosome biogenesis and ameliorates TDP-43-related neurodegeneration. Journal Of Clinical Investigation 2023, 133: e138207. PMID: 37384409, PMCID: PMC10425213, DOI: 10.1172/jci138207.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAmyotrophic lateral sclerosisTDP-43-related neurodegenerationNeurodegenerative disordersTransactive response DNA-binding protein 43Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosisDNA-binding protein 43Subset of patientsTDP-43 speciesTDP-43 inclusionsDistinct mouse modelsTDP-43 proteinopathyFamilial amyotrophic lateral sclerosisNemo-like kinaseMultiple neurodegenerative disordersAutophagy/lysosome pathwayTDP-43-positive aggregatesALS patientsALS casesSporadic ALSPharmacological reductionProtein 43Lateral sclerosisMouse modelParkinson's diseaseTDP-43
2022
A Novel Missense Mutation in ERCC8 Co-Segregates with Cerebellar Ataxia in a Consanguineous Pakistani Family
Gauhar Z, Tejwani L, Abdullah U, Saeed S, Shafique S, Badshah M, Choi J, Dong W, Nelson-Williams C, Lifton RP, Lim J, Raja GK. A Novel Missense Mutation in ERCC8 Co-Segregates with Cerebellar Ataxia in a Consanguineous Pakistani Family. Cells 2022, 11: 3090. PMID: 36231052, PMCID: PMC9564319, DOI: 10.3390/cells11193090.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutosomal recessive cerebellar ataxiaCerebellar ataxiaProgressive gait ataxiaMagnetic resonance imagingT mutationHeterogeneous rare disordersNovel homozygous missense mutationWhole-exome sequencingMissense mutationsGait ataxiaMovement disordersDifferential diagnosisRare disorderCerebellar atrophyHomozygous missense mutationConsanguineous Pakistani familyNovel missense mutationResonance imagingBody imbalanceExome sequencingYoung adultsHomozygous mutationPakistani familyAtaxiaType A
2021
Microglia regulate brain Progranulin levels through the endocytosis-lysosomal pathway
Dong T, Tejwani L, Jung Y, Kokubu H, Luttik K, Driessen TM, Lim J. Microglia regulate brain Progranulin levels through the endocytosis-lysosomal pathway. JCI Insight 2021, 6: e136147. PMID: 34618685, PMCID: PMC8663778, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.136147.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPGRN levelsNovel potential therapeutic targetFrontotemporal lobar degenerationPotential therapeutic targetNeuronal ceroid lipofuscinosisPGRN deficiencyPGRN expressionLysosomal pathwayProgranulin levelsPathological changesHaploinsufficient miceTherapeutic targetMicrogliaNeuropathological phenotypeAlzheimer's diseaseProgranulinCeroid lipofuscinosisGlycoprotein progranulinNeurodegenerative diseasesDiseaseMiceGenetic alterationsNemo-like kinaseGenetic interaction studiesGenetic variants
2020
Genetic Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Pakistani Population
Khalid M, Raza H, Driessen T, Lee P, Tejwani L, Sami A, Nawaz M, Baig S, Lim J, Raja G. Genetic Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Pakistani Population. Genes 2020, 11: 1206. PMID: 33076578, PMCID: PMC7602870, DOI: 10.3390/genes11101206.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPathogenic mechanisms underlying spinocerebellar ataxia type 1
Tejwani L, Lim J. Pathogenic mechanisms underlying spinocerebellar ataxia type 1. Cellular And Molecular Life Sciences 2020, 77: 4015-4029. PMID: 32306062, PMCID: PMC7541529, DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03520-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGait impairmentSpinocerebellar ataxiaHeterogenous clinical manifestationsProgressive gait impairmentAdditional clinical featuresIon channel dysfunctionKey cellular changesCommon gait impairmentNervous system biologyHereditary cerebellar ataxiaClinical featuresClinical manifestationsCerebellar featuresCerebellar atrophyAutosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxiaChannel dysfunctionPathogenic mechanismsDisease pathogenesisMolecular pathogenesisCerebellar ataxiaType 1Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1Central mechanismsAtaxia type 1Dominant spinocerebellar ataxiasNemo-like kinase reduces mutant huntingtin levels and mitigates Huntington’s disease
Jiang M, Zhang X, Liu H, LeBron J, Alexandris A, Peng Q, Gu H, Yang F, Li Y, Wang R, Hou Z, Arbez N, Ren Q, Dong JL, Whela E, Wang R, Ratovitski T, Troncoso JC, Mori S, Ross CA, Lim J, Duan W. Nemo-like kinase reduces mutant huntingtin levels and mitigates Huntington’s disease. Human Molecular Genetics 2020, 29: 1340-1352. PMID: 32242231, PMCID: PMC7254850, DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa061.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBrain atrophyHD miceNemo-like kinaseMHTT levelsHD mouse modelsNew molecular targetsHD human brainHuntingtin proteinEffect of NLKMouse striatal cellsFurther mechanistic studiesActivity-dependent mannerHTT protein levelsMouse modelAdult brainStriatal cellsProtective roleMutant Htt aggregationAmino acids 120Huntington's diseaseMutant huntingtin levelsMolecular targetsHuntingtin levelsProtein levelsBrain
2018
Molecular pathway analysis towards understanding tissue vulnerability in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1
Driessen TM, Lee PJ, Lim J. Molecular pathway analysis towards understanding tissue vulnerability in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1. ELife 2018, 7: e39981. PMID: 30507379, PMCID: PMC6292693, DOI: 10.7554/elife.39981.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSpinocerebellar ataxia type 1Ataxia type 1Biological pathwaysGene expression changesMolecular pathway analysisSCA1 mouse modelExpression changesPathway analysisMouse modelDisease initiationInferior oliveMolecular alterationsPathwayAffected tissuesSpecific differencesVulnerable tissuesTissue vulnerabilityType 1Different mechanismsGenesTissueOliveFirst timeAssociation of CACNA1C with bipolar disorder among the Pakistani population
Khalid M, Driessen TM, Lee JS, Tejwani L, Rasool A, Saqlain M, Shiaq PA, Hanif M, Nawaz A, DeWan AT, Raja GK, Lim J. Association of CACNA1C with bipolar disorder among the Pakistani population. Gene 2018, 664: 119-126. PMID: 29684488, PMCID: PMC5970093, DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2018.04.061.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBipolar disorderPakistani populationSingle nucleotide polymorphismsRisk allelesRisk score assessmentMore risk allelesScore assessmentControl individualsSignificant associationCACNA1CAssociationGenotyping resultsDisordersRs1006737Present studyNucleotide polymorphismsEthnic groupsPopulationAssociation of CACNA1CProtein-protein interaction networkRs9804190ANK3
2015
Nemo-like kinase is a novel regulator of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy
Todd TW, Kokubu H, Miranda HC, Cortes CJ, La Spada AR, Lim J. Nemo-like kinase is a novel regulator of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy. ELife 2015, 4: e08493. PMID: 26308581, PMCID: PMC4577982, DOI: 10.7554/elife.08493.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNemo-like kinaseMuscular atrophyExact pathogenic mechanismProgressive neuromuscular diseaseAndrogen receptor proteinSBMA phenotypePathogenic mechanismsDisease pathogenesisNeuromuscular diseaseGene transcriptionTherapy developmentAtrophySBMAAR fragmentReceptor proteinPolyglutamine expansionMolecular mechanismsNovel regulatorNovel avenuesToxicityPathogenesisDiseaseMice
2013
Polyglutamine Disease Toxicity Is Regulated by Nemo-like Kinase in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1
Ju H, Kokubu H, Todd TW, Kahle JJ, Kim S, Richman R, Chirala K, Orr HT, Zoghbi HY, Lim J. Polyglutamine Disease Toxicity Is Regulated by Nemo-like Kinase in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1. Journal Of Neuroscience 2013, 33: 9328-9336. PMID: 23719801, PMCID: PMC3710458, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3465-12.2013.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAnimalsAnimals, Genetically ModifiedAtaxin-1AtaxinsBehavior, AnimalBlotting, WesternBrainCerebellumChromatography, GelDrosophila melanogasterFemaleGene ExpressionHEK293 CellsHeredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous SystemHumansImmunoprecipitationMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, TransgenicMitogen-Activated Protein KinasesNerve Tissue ProteinsNuclear ProteinsPeptidesPhosphorylationProtein Serine-Threonine KinasesSpinocerebellar Ataxias