Genetic deletion of S6k1 does not rescue the phenotypic deficits observed in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease

Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 6;9(1):16133. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-52391-3.

Abstract

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal inherited autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion in the number of CAG trinucleotide repeats in the huntingtin gene. The disease is characterized by motor, behavioural and cognitive symptoms for which at present there are no disease altering treatments. It has been shown that manipulating the mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway using rapamycin or its analogue CCI-779 can improve the cellular and behavioural phenotypes of HD models. Ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) is a major downstream signalling molecule of mTOR, and its activity is reduced by rapamycin suggesting that deregulation of S6K1 activity may be beneficial in HD. Furthermore, S6k1 knockout mice have increased lifespan and improvement in age-related phenotypes. To evalute the potential benefit of S6k1 loss on HD-related phenotypes, we crossed the R6/2 HD model with the long-lived S6k1 knockout mouse line. We found that S6k1 knockout does not ameliorate behavioural or physiological phenotypes in the R6/2 mouse model. Additionally, no improvements were seen in brain mass reduction or mutant huntingtin protein aggregate levels. Therefore, these results suggest that while a reduction in S6K1 signalling has beneficial effects on ageing it is unlikely to be a therapeutic strategy for HD patients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Gene Deletion*
  • Humans
  • Huntingtin Protein / genetics
  • Huntingtin Protein / metabolism
  • Huntington Disease / genetics*
  • Huntington Disease / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Phenotype
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa / genetics*
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa / metabolism

Substances

  • Huntingtin Protein
  • Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa
  • Rps6ka1 protein, mouse