Neurovascular dysfunction in GRN-associated frontotemporal dementia identified by single-nucleus RNA sequencing of human cerebral cortex

E Gerrits, LAA Giannini, N Brouwer, S Melhem… - Nature …, 2022 - nature.com
E Gerrits, LAA Giannini, N Brouwer, S Melhem, D Seilhean, I Le Ber…
Nature neuroscience, 2022nature.com
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most prevalent form of early-onset dementia,
affecting predominantly frontal and temporal cerebral lobes. Heterozygous mutations in the
progranulin gene (GRN) cause autosomal-dominant FTD (FTD-GRN), associated with TDP-
43 inclusions, neuronal loss, axonal degeneration and gliosis, but FTD-GRN pathogenesis
is largely unresolved. Here we report single-nucleus RNA sequencing of microglia,
astrocytes and the neurovasculature from frontal, temporal and occipital cortical tissue from …
Abstract
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most prevalent form of early-onset dementia, affecting predominantly frontal and temporal cerebral lobes. Heterozygous mutations in the progranulin gene (GRN) cause autosomal-dominant FTD (FTD-GRN), associated with TDP-43 inclusions, neuronal loss, axonal degeneration and gliosis, but FTD-GRN pathogenesis is largely unresolved. Here we report single-nucleus RNA sequencing of microglia, astrocytes and the neurovasculature from frontal, temporal and occipital cortical tissue from control and FTD-GRN brains. We show that fibroblast and mesenchymal cell numbers were enriched in FTD-GRN, and we identified disease-associated subtypes of astrocytes and endothelial cells. Expression of gene modules associated with blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction was significantly enriched in FTD-GRN endothelial cells. The vasculature supportive function and capillary coverage by pericytes was reduced in FTD-GRN tissue, with increased and hypertrophic vascularization and an enrichment of perivascular T cells. Our results indicate a perturbed BBB and suggest that the neurovascular unit is severely affected in FTD-GRN.
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