Mutant FUS induces chromatin reorganization in the hippocampus and alters memory processes

This project aims to assess the transcriptomic signature of FUS∆NLS/+ (FUS) vs FUS+/+ (WT) mice, by identifying differentially expressed genes in basal conditions and also during learning. Cytoplasmic mislocalization of the nuclear Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) protein is associated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Cytoplasmic FUS accumulation is recapitulated in the frontal cortex and spinal cord of heterozygous Fus∆NLS/+ mice. We show that in these mice, the hippocampus, a critical structure involved in learning and memory, paradoxically displays nuclear FUS accumulation. FUS binds to a set of genes characterized by the presence of an ETS/ELK-binding motifs, and involved in RNA metabolism, transcription, ribosome/mitochondria and chromatin organization. Importantly, hippocampal nuclei showed a decompaction of the neuronal chromatin at highly expressed genes and an inappropriate transcriptomic response was observed after spatial training of Fus∆NLS/+ mice. Furthermore, these mice lacked precision in hippocampal-dependent spatial memory task. These studies shows that mutated FUS affects epigenetic regulation of the chromatin landscape in hippocampal neurons, which could participate in FTD/ALS pathogenic events.