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Fragile X-associated tremor and ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late-onset, progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, ataxia and neuropsychological problems. This disease is quite common in the general population with approximately 20 million carriers worldwide. The risk of developing FXTAS increases dramatically with age, with about 45% of male carriers over the age of 50 being affected. FXTAS is caused by a CGG-repeat expansion (CGGexp) in the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. CGGexp RNA is translated into the FMRpolyG protein by a mechanism called RAN translation. Although both gene and pathogenic trigger are known, no therapeutic interventions are available at this moment. Here, we present, for the first time, primary hippocampal neurons derived from the ubiquitous inducible mouse model which is used as a screening tool for targeted interventions. A promising candidate is the repeat binding, RAN translation blocking, small molecule 1a. Small molecule 1a shields the disease-causing CGGexp from being translated into the toxic FMRpolyG protein. Primary hippocampal neurons formed FMRpolyG-positive inclusions, and upon treatment with 1a, the numbers of FMRpolyG-positive inclusions are reduced. We also describe for the first time the formation of FMRpolyG-positive inclusions in the liver of this mouse model. Treatment with 1a reduced the insoluble FMRpolyG protein fraction in the liver but not the number of inclusions. Moreover, 1a treatment had a reducing effect on the number of Rad23b-positive inclusions and insoluble Rad23b protein levels. These data suggest that targeted small molecule therapy is effective in an FXTAS mouse model and has the potential to treat CGGexp-mediated diseases, including FXTAS.

CGG repeat expansions within the premutation range (55–200) of the FMR1 gene can lead to Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome and Fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders. These CGG repeats are translated into a toxic polyglycine-containing protein, FMRpolyG. Pathology of Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome and Fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders comprises FMRpolyG- and p62-positive intranuclear inclusions. Diagnosing a FMR1-premutation carrier remains challenging, as the clinical features overlap with other neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we describe two male cases with Fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders-related symptoms and mild movement disturbances and novel pathological features that can attribute to the variable phenotype. Macroscopically, both donors did not show characteristic white matter lesions on MRI; however, vascular infarcts in cortical- and sub-cortical regions were identified. Immunohistochemistry analyses revealed a high number of FMRpolyG intranuclear inclusions throughout the brain, which were also positive for p62. Importantly, we identified a novel pathological vascular phenotype with inclusions present in pericytes and endothelial cells. Although these results need to be confirmed in more cases, we propose that these vascular lesions in the brain could contribute to the complex symptomology of FMR1-premutation carriers. Overall, our report suggests that Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome and Fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders may present diverse clinical involvements resembling other types of dementia, and in the absence of genetic testing, FMRpolyG can be used post-mortem to identify premutation carriers.

The fragile X premutation is a CGG trinucleotide repeat expansion between 55 and 200 repeats in the 5′-untranslated region of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. Human carriers of the premutation allele are at risk of developing the late-onset neurodegenerative disorder, fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Characteristic neuropathology associated with FXTAS includes intranuclear inclusions in neurons and astroglia. Previous studies recapitulated these histopathological features in neurons in a knock-in mouse model, but without significant astroglial pathology. To determine the role of astroglia in FXTAS, we generated a transgenic mouse line (Gfa2-CGG99-eGFP) that selectively expresses a 99-CGG repeat expansion linked to an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) reporter in astroglia throughout the brain, including cerebellar Bergmann glia. Behaviorally these mice displayed impaired motor performance on the ladder-rung test, but paradoxically better performance on the rotarod. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that CGG99-eGFP co-localized with GFAP and S-100ß, but not with NeuN, Iba1, or MBP, indicating that CGG99-eGFP expression is specific to astroglia. Ubiquitin-positive intranuclear inclusions were found in eGFP-expressing glia throughout the brain. In addition, intracytoplasmic ubiquitin-positive inclusions were found outside the nucleus in distal astrocyte processes. Intriguingly, intranuclear inclusions, in the absence of eGFP mRNA and eGFP fluorescence, were present in neurons of the hypothalamus and neocortex. Furthermore, intranuclear inclusions in both neurons and astrocytes displayed immunofluorescent labeling for the polyglycine peptide FMRpolyG, implicating FMRpolyG in the pathology found in Gfa2-CGG99 mice. Considered together, these results show that Gfa2-CGG99 expression in mice is sufficient to induce key features of FXTAS pathology, including formation of intranuclear inclusions, translation of FMRpolyG, and deficits in motor function. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40478-019-0677-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.