C9orf72-derived poly-GA DPRs undergo endocytic uptake in iNPC-derived astrocytes and spread to motor neurons

Dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) are aggregation-prone polypeptides encoded by the pathogenic G4C2 repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene, the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). In this study, we focus on the role of poly-GA DPRs in disease spread. We demonstrate that recombinant poly-GA oligomers can directly convert into solid-like aggregates and form characteristic {beta}-sheet fibrils in vitro. To dissect the process of cell-to-cell DPR transmission, we closely follow the fate of poly-GA DPRs in either their oligomeric or fibrillized form after administration in the cell culture medium. We observe that poly-GA DPRs are taken up via dynamin-dependent and -independent endocytosis, eventually converging at the lysosomal compartment and leading to axonal swellings in neurons. We then use a co-culture system to demonstrate astrocyte-to-motor neuron DPR propagation, showing that astrocytes may internalise and release aberrant peptides in disease pathogenesis. Overall, our results shed light on the mechanisms of poly-GA cellular uptake and cell-to-cell propagation, suggesting lysosomal impairment as a possible feature underlying the cellular pathogenicity of these DPR species.