Ubiquitin ligase Nedd4 regulates the abundance and toxicity of mutant huntingtin.

Abstract

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of CAG repeats in the gene encoding huntingtin. Since accumulation of mutant huntingtin (mHtt) leads to dysfunction of numerous cellular pathways and toxicity, reducing levels of the mutant protein represents a key therapeutic objective in HD. We found that ubiquitination of mHtt by E3 ubiquitin ligase Nedd4 promotes clearance of the mutant protein. Knockdown of Nedd4 increased toxicity of mHtt in mouse primary neurons and in a fly model of HD, suggesting the protective role of Nedd4. Importantly, levels of Nedd4 were decreased in mHtt-expressing neurons through impaired mTORC1 activity, suggesting a feedback loop of mHtt accumulation and Nedd4 reduction that leads to accumulation and, ultimately, toxicity of mHtt. These findings suggest that restoring Nedd4 activity may offer a novel therapeutic opportunity for HD.