Cell type–specific gene therapy confers protection against motor neuron disease caused by a TFG variant

Inherited forms of motor neuron disease (MND), including hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP), are associated with the death or dysfunction of nerve cells that control skeletal muscle activity. However, in some cases, the impacts of genetic variants underlying MND act in a non-cell autonomous manner, instead affecting the function of other cell types necessary for neuronal maintenance. Pathological mutations in TFG, which have been implicated in HSP, lead to axonopathy within the corticospinal tract, but it remains unclear whether this problem arises due to perturbations within neurons or supporting neuroglia. To address this question, we leveraged a rat model harboring the recessive TFG p.R106C mutation (mRATBN7.2, g.11:43897639C>T, c.316C>T), which recapitulates multiple phenotypes associated with HSP in humans, including progressive motor deficits, leg spasticity, and indications of an inflammatory response within the motor cortex. In particular, we took advantage of cell type-specific gene therapies to demonstrate that the reintroduction of wild-type TFG into synapsin 1-positive neurons provides robust protection against MND, whereas its expression in GFAP-positive glial cells provides no significant improvement in quantitative measures of gait, despite a dramatic reduction in the presence of reactive astrocytes throughout the brain. These data strongly suggest that therapeutic approaches targeting neurons should be pursued in cases of TFG-HSP, with our animal model offering a unique platform for preclinical assessment.