Title
NMJ-Analyser identifies subtle early changes in mouse models of neuromuscular disease
Date Issued
01 December 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Jarvis S.
Lee W.C.
Cunningham T.J.
Schiavo G.
Secrier M.
Fratta P.
Sleigh J.N.
Fisher E.M.C.
Sudre C.H.
University College London
Publisher(s)
Nature Research
Abstract
The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the peripheral synapse formed between a motor neuron axon terminal and a muscle fibre. NMJs are thought to be the primary site of peripheral pathology in many neuromuscular diseases, but innervation/denervation status is often assessed qualitatively with poor systematic criteria across studies, and separately from 3D morphological structure. Here, we describe the development of ‘NMJ-Analyser’, to comprehensively screen the morphology of NMJs and their corresponding innervation status automatically. NMJ-Analyser generates 29 biologically relevant features to quantitatively define healthy and aberrant neuromuscular synapses and applies machine learning to diagnose NMJ degeneration. We validated this framework in longitudinal analyses of wildtype mice, as well as in four different neuromuscular disease models: three for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and one for peripheral neuropathy. We showed that structural changes at the NMJ initially occur in the nerve terminal of mutant TDP43 and FUS ALS models. Using a machine learning algorithm, healthy and aberrant neuromuscular synapses are identified with 95% accuracy, with 88% sensitivity and 97% specificity. Our results validate NMJ-Analyser as a robust platform for systematic and structural screening of NMJs, and pave the way for transferrable, and cross-comparison and high-throughput studies in neuromuscular diseases.
Volume
11
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Neurología clínica Anatomía, Morfología Patología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85107477057
PubMed ID
Source
Scientific Reports
ISSN of the container
20452322
Sponsor(s)
The authors were supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MC_EX_MR/N501931/1) awarded to E.M.C.F., G.S., P.F.); by a UK Medical Research Council Career Development Award (MR/S006990/1) awarded to J.N.S; by a Wellcome Trust Joint Senior Investigators Award (to E.M.C.F.); by a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator award (107116/Z/15/Z to G.S.); by the UK Dementia Research Institute Foundation Award (UKDRI-1005 to G.S); by The Collaborative Center for X-linked Dystonia Parkinsonism (awarded to E.M.C.F. and W.C.L.); by the Motor Neurone Disease Association (S.J.); by a PhD studentship from CONCYTEC-CIENCIACTIVA (038-2016) (to A.M.M); by an Alzheimer’s Society Junior Fellowship (AS-JF-17-011) awarded to C.H.S.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus