Nicole Leclerc

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Elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the elaboration of neuronal polarity •Elucidate the molecular mechanisms contributing to neural death in neurondegenerative diseases (ex. Alzheimer's disease) •Role of tau in the neurodegenerative process observed in fronto-temporal dementia •Charact...

Ontogénèse post-natale dun polypeptide des vésicules synaptiques localisé à l'aide d'une anticorps monoclonal dans le cervelet de rat [microforme] /

Thèse (M.Sc.) - Université Laval, 1986. Bibliogr. : f. [93]-107. Microfiche du ms dactylographié.

Ontogénèse post-natale dun polypeptide des vésicules synaptiques localisé à l'aide d'une anticorps monoclonal dans le cervelet de rat' /

Thèse (M.Sc.) - Université Laval, 1986. Bibliogr. : f. [93]-107.

Organization of actin and microtubules during process formation in tau-expressing sf9 cells

Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton, 1994

Insect Sf9 cells usually elaborate a highly characteristic single process when infected with a ba... more Insect Sf9 cells usually elaborate a highly characteristic single process when infected with a baculovirus encoding recombinant human tau. The processes are unbranched, of uniform caliber, and contain bundles of microtubules. Because taxol treatment alone does not induce process outgrowth in these cells, it is believed that tau confers properties on microtubules that permits the conversion of microtubule assembly into the formation of processes. Here we have analyzed the reorganization of both actin filaments and microtubules during process initiation. A zone of organelle exclusion representing the focal reorganization of actin at one pole of the cell anticipated process emergence. A relationship between actin organization and process emergence was also suggested by a shift from single to multiple process formation after treatment with cytochalasin D. The rate of process elongation doubled after cytochalasin treatment of tau-expressing cells. The increase in rate was due to the inhibition of the growth arrest phases which occur in the absence of cytochalasin. In contrast, Sf9 cells treated with cytochalasin after more than 20 h of tau expression were relatively resistant to the drug&#39;s effects. We conclude that actin and microtubules are specifically reorganized during tau-induced process outgrowth and that a dynamic relationship between actin filaments and microtubules effects process formation.

Localization of tau in rough endoplasmic reticulum and the mechanism of neurodegeneration

Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2009

Background: First-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) develop the disease at... more Background: First-degree relatives of patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) develop the disease at higher rates than unrelated individuals. Apart from dominantly inherited early-onset AD the sole genetic susceptibility factor for AD is the Apolipoprotein E (ApoEe4) allele which is neither necessary nor sufficient to cause disease. Family history studies show the familial risk for AD is approximately four times greater than that for the general population. Risk appears to increase with the number of affected first-degree relatives, particularly if the mother is affected. A tendency for a high concordance rate exists in identical twins with AD. The pathological processes leading to AD are underway for many years, probably decades prior to overt evidence of clinical disease. Identification of persons at high risk of AD is essential for a better understanding of the pathophysiology and for development of preventive and therapeutic interventions. Methods: In the Framingham Heart Study the study of AD and dementia has been underway for more than 30 years. Beginning in 1976 a dementia-free cohort was established among the Original cohort. These 3,042 subjects have been followed with a two-yearly MMSE & with intensive surveillance of all medical contacts and hospitalizations for the development of cognitive decline and dementia. Results: As of 2008, 507 subjects developed dementia, 384 fulfilled ADRDA criteria for AD. Through a brain donation program, over 130 brains have been studied and AD usually confirmed neuropathologically. Thus we have a large number of subjects fulfilling criteria for AD and didn't have to rely on a family history. The children of these subjects, with and without dementia or AD have been studied with two successive quantitative brain MR scans and neuropsychological testing. A significant interaction was seen with ApoEe4 status and parental dementia. In ApoEe4carriers, parental AD was associated with poorer scores on tests of verbal and visual memory. Conclusions: On preliminary study, no significant association with brain volumes was seen though serial MR scans tended to show a steeper decline in Offspring with parental AD who were also carriers of the ApoEe4 allele. Using a 550K GWAS we are seeking other associations with a variety of phenotypes for AD and dementia.

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P3-334 Association of tau with golgi membranes in adult brain: a new function of tau?

by Jacques Paiement, Dalinda Liazoghli, Nicole Leclerc, and Carole Farah

Neurobiology of Aging, 2004

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Lehmann, M. et al. Inactivation of Rho signaling pathway promotes CNS axon regeneration. J. Neurosci. 19, 7537−7547

The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

Regeneration in the CNS is blocked by many different growth inhibitory proteins. To foster regene... more Regeneration in the CNS is blocked by many different growth inhibitory proteins. To foster regeneration, we have investigated a strategy to block the neuronal response to growth inhibitory signals. Here, we report that injured axons regrow directly on complex inhibitory substrates when Rho GTPase is inactivated. Treatment of PC12 cells with C3 enzyme to inactivate Rho and transfection with dominant negative Rho allowed neurite growth on inhibitory substrates. Primary retinal neurons treated with C3 extended neurites on myelin-associated glycoprotein and myelin substrates. To explore regeneration in vivo, we crushed optic nerves of adult rat. After C3 treatment, numerous cut axons traversed the lesion to regrow in the distal white matter of the optic nerve. These results indicate that targeting signaling mechanisms converging to Rho stimulates axon regeneration on inhibitory CNS substrates.

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G3BP1 promotes stress-induced RNA granule interactions to preserve polyadenylated mRNA

by Nicole Leclerc and Christine Velde

The Journal of cell biology, Jan 6, 2015

G3BP1, a target of TDP-43, is required for normal stress granule (SG) assembly, but the functiona... more G3BP1, a target of TDP-43, is required for normal stress granule (SG) assembly, but the functional consequences of failed SG assembly remain unknown. Here, using both transformed cell lines and primary neurons, we investigated the functional impact of this disruption in SG dynamics. While stress-induced translational repression and recruitment of key SG proteins was undisturbed, depletion of G3BP1 or its upstream regulator TDP-43 disturbed normal interactions between SGs and processing bodies (PBs). This was concomitant with decreased SG size, reduced SG-PB docking, and impaired preservation of polyadenylated mRNA. Reintroduction of G3BP1 alone was sufficient to rescue all of these phenotypes, indicating that G3BP1 is essential for normal SG-PB interactions and SG function.

HMWMAP2: new perspectives on a pathway to dendritic identity

by Nicole Leclerc and Carole Farah

Cell motility and the cytoskeleton, 2008

Neuronal polarity is established by the differentiation of two types of cytoplasmic processes: de... more Neuronal polarity is established by the differentiation of two types of cytoplasmic processes: dendrites and the axon. These processes can be distinguished by their composition in microtubule-associated proteins, the high molecular weight MAP2 proteins (HMWMAP2) being found in the dendrites and tau proteins in the axon. It is believed that the main contribution of HMWMAP2 to the acquisition and maintenance of dendrites is to promote microtubule assembly and stability. However, recent studies force us to enlarge our view on how HMWMAP2 might contribute to defining the role of the dendritic microtubules. The purpose of this article is to convey our view that HMWMAP2 are important players in defining the contribution of microtubules to dendritic identity by anchoring membranous organelles and signaling proteins to the dendritic microtubules and by being a receptor for neurosteroids.

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Inactivation of Rho signaling pathway promotes CNS axon regeneration

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 1999

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beta-Actin is confined to structures having high capacity of remodelling in developing and adult rat cerebellum

The European journal of neuroscience, 1998

Neurons undergo complex morphological changes during differentiation and in cases of plasticity. ... more Neurons undergo complex morphological changes during differentiation and in cases of plasticity. A major determinant of cell morphology is the actin cytoskeleton, which in neurons is comprised of two actin isoforms, non-muscle gamma- and beta-actin. To better understand their respective roles during differentiation and plasticity, their cellular and subcellular localization was examined in developing and adult cerebellar cortex. It was observed that gamma-actin is expressed at a constant level throughout development, while the level of beta-actin expression rapidly decreases with age. At the light microscopic level, gamma-actin staining is ubiquitous and the only developmental change observed is a relative reduction of its concentration in cell bodies and white matter. In contrast, beta-actin staining almost completely disappears from the cytoplasm of cell bodies, primary dendrites and axons. In young cerebellar cultures, gamma-actin is found in the cell body, neurites and growth co...

Basket cell development in the normal and hypothyroid rat cerebellar cortex studied with a monoclonal anti-neurofilament antibody

Canadian journal of biochemistry and cell biology = Revue canadienne de biochimie et biologie cellulaire, 1985

We have used a monoclonal antibody against an antigenic determinant of the 210-kdalton neurofilam... more We have used a monoclonal antibody against an antigenic determinant of the 210-kdalton neurofilament protein to study basket cell maturation in rat cerebellar cortex. Neurofilament immunoreactivity first appears in basket cells at postnatal day 12 and mature axonal "pinceaux" are present at postnatal day 17. There are large differences in the rate of maturation from lobe to lobe which do not fully correspond to the rate of Purkinje cell differentiation. In hypothyroid rats the expression of the neurofilament antigen by basket cells is almost completely suppressed.

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Tau-mediated process outgrowth is differentially altered by the expression of MAP2b and MAP2c in Sf9 cells

Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton, 1999

It is well documented that the MAPs, MAP2 and tau, play pivotal roles in neurite outgrowth. Sever... more It is well documented that the MAPs, MAP2 and tau, play pivotal roles in neurite outgrowth. Several isoforms of MAP2 and tau are coexpressed in neurons, suggesting that the pattern of neurite outgrowth results from a functional equilibrium among these isoforms. In the present study, by coexpressing two of these MAPs at the same time in Sf9 cells, we demonstrated that tau-mediated process outgrowth is affected differently by MAP2b and MAP2c. MAP2b impairs tau ability to induce process outgrowth. Tau affects MAP2c capacity to induce the formation of multiple processes. There is evidence that actin microfilaments (F-actin) are involved in the elaboration of tau-mediated process outgrowth in Sf9 cells. We compared the effects of MAP2b and MAP2c with the effects of tau on F-actin distribution and stability in Sf9 cells. In MAP2b- and MAP2c-expressing cells with processes, F-actin was redistributed. However, in MAP2b-expressing cells without processes, the distribution of F-actin appears to be similar to the one in wild-type infected cells. Collectively, these results indicate that MAP2b could impair the ability of MAP2c and tau to redistribute F-actin in Sf9 cells, thereby decreasing their capacity to induce process formation. Furthermore, MAP2b and MAP2c patterns of process outgrowth were differentially modified by depolymerization of F-actin by cytochalasin D (CD). As previously reported for tau-expressing cells, the MAP2b-expressing cells developed a higher number of processes per cell and a higher number of cells presented processes in the presence of CD. However, the number of cells with multiple processes was lower in MAP2b-expressing cells than in tau-expressing cells treated with CD at 24 h postinfection. This suggests that MAP2b exerts an effect on F-actin stability at an earlier stage of infection than tau. MAP2c had also some stabilizing effects on F-actin at an early stage of infection, since the percentage of cells presenting one process was similar to the nontreated cells. Therefore, MAP2b seems to have less capacity than MAP2c to redistribute F-actin but, nonetheless, both of these MAP2 isoforms exert a stabilizing effect on F-actin at an early stage of infection. Finally, by modifying phosphorylation we showed that MAP2c capacity to induce multiple processes is related to protein phosphorylation in Sf9 cells. Therefore, the differential effect of MAP2c and MAP2b on process outgrowth seems also to depend on protein phosphorylation.

Zebrins: Molecular Markers of Compartmentation in the Cerebellum

The Cerebellum Revisited, 1992

Starvation and inhibition of lysosomal function increased tau secretion by primary cortical neurons

Scientific Reports, 2014

Recent studies have demonstrated that human tau can be secreted by neurons and non-neuronal cells... more Recent studies have demonstrated that human tau can be secreted by neurons and non-neuronal cells, an event linked to the propagation of tau pathology in the brain. In the present study, we confirmed that under physiological conditions, one tau-positive band was detected in the culture medium with an anti-tau antibody recognizing total tau and the Tau-1 antibody directed against unphosphorylated tau. We then examined whether tau secretion was modified upon insults. Tau secretion was increased by starvation [Earle's Balanced Salt Solution (EBSS)], inhibition of lysosomal function (leupeptin) and when both of these conditions were superimposed, this combined treatment having the most important effects on tau secretion. Interestingly, the pattern of tau secretion was distinct from that of control neurons when neurons were treated either with EBSS alone or EBSS 1 leupeptin. In these conditions, three tau-positive bands were detected in the culture medium. Two of these three bands were immunoreactive to Tau-1 antibody revealing that at least two tau species were released upon these treatments. Collectively, our results indicate that insults such as nutrient deprivation and lysosomal dysfunction observed in neurodegenerative diseases could result in an increase of tau secretion and propagation of tau pathology in the brain.

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Tau interacts with Golgi membranes and mediates their association with microtubules

by Nicole Leclerc and Carole Farah

Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton, 2006

Tau, a microtubule-associated protein enriched in the axon, is known to stabilize and promote the... more Tau, a microtubule-associated protein enriched in the axon, is known to stabilize and promote the formation of microtubules during axonal outgrowth. Several studies have reported that tau was associated with membranes. In the present study, we further characterized the interaction of tau with membranous elements by examining its distribution in subfractions enriched in either Golgi or endoplasmic reticulum membranes isolated from rat brain. A subfraction enriched with markers of the medial Golgi compartment, MG160 and mannosidase II, presented a high tau content indicating that tau was associated with these membranes. Electron microscope morphometry confirmed the enrichment of this subfraction with Golgi membranes. Doubleimmunogold labeling experiments conducted on this subfraction showed the direct association of tau with vesicles labeled with either an antibody directed against MG160 or TGN38. The association of tau with the Golgi membranes was further confirmed by immunoisolating Golgi membranes with an anti-tau antibody. Immunogold labeling confirmed the presence of tau on the Golgi membranes in neurons in vivo. Overexpression of human tau in primary hippocampal neurons induced the formation of large Golgi vesicles that were found in close vicinity to tau-containing microtubules. This suggested that tau could serve as a link between Golgi membranes and microtubules. Such role for tau was demonstrated in an in vitro reconstitution assay. Finally, our results showed that some tau isoforms present in the Golgi subfraction were phosphorylated at the sites recognized by the phosphorylation-dependent antibodies PHF-1 and AT-8. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 63:710-724, 2006. ' 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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The projection domain of MAP2b regulates microtubule protrusion and process formation in Sf9 cells

by Nicole Leclerc, Carole Farah, and Michael Nguyen

Journal of cell science, 2002

The expression of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), developmentally regulated by alternati... more The expression of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), developmentally regulated by alternative splicing, coincides with neurite outgrowth. MAP2 proteins contain a microtubule-binding domain (C-terminal) that promotes microtubule assembly and a poorly characterized domain, the projection domain (N-terminal), extending at the surface of microtubules. MAP2b differs from MAP2c by an additional sequence of 1372 amino acids in the projection domain. In this study, we examined the role of the projection domain in the protrusion of microtubules from the cell surface and the subsequent process formation in Sf9 cells. In this system, MAP2b has a lower capacity to induce process formation than MAP2c. To investigate the role of the projection domain in this event, we expressed truncated forms of MAP2b and MAP2c that have partial or complete deletion of their projection domain in Sf9 cells. Our results indicate that process formation is induced by the microtubule-binding domain of these MAP...

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Microtubule-associated Protein 2c Reorganizes Both Microtubules and Microfilaments into Distinct Cytological Structures in an Actin-binding Protein-280-deficient Melanoma Cell Line

The Journal of Cell Biology, 1997

The emergence of processes from cells often involves interactions between microtubules and microf... more The emergence of processes from cells often involves interactions between microtubules and microfilaments. Interactions between these two cytoskeletal systems are particularly apparent in neuronal growth cones. The juvenile isoform of the neuronal microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2c) is present in growth cones, where we hypothesize it mediates interactions between microfilaments and microtubules. To approach this problem in vivo, we used the human melanoma cell, M2, which lacks actin-binding protein-280 (ABP-280) and forms membrane blebs, which are not seen in wild-type or ABP-transfected cells. The microinjection of tau or mature MAP2 rescued the blebbing phenotype; MAP2c not only caused cessation of blebbing but also induced the formation of two distinct cellular structures. These were actin-rich lamellae, which often included membrane ruffles, and microtubule-bearing processes. The lamellae collapsed after treatment with cytochalasin D, and the processes retracted after treatment with colchicine. MAP2c was immunocytochemically visualized in zones of the cell that were devoid of tubulin, such as regions within the lamellae and in association with membrane ruffles. In vitro rheometry confirmed that MAP2c is an efficient actin gelation protein capable of organizing actin filaments into an isotropic array at very low concentrations; tau and mature MAP2 do not share this rheologic property. These results suggest that MAP2c engages in functionally specific interactions not only with microtubules but also with microfilaments.

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Taking organelles apart, putting them back together and creating new ones: Lessons from the endoplasmic reticulum

by Nicole Leclerc and Eustache Paramithiotis

Progress in Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, 2011

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a highly dynamic organelle. It is composed of four subcompartme... more

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Process formation in Sf9 cells induced by the expression of a microtubule-associated protein 2C-like construct

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1993

To understand the roles of various microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) in the development of a... more To understand the roles of various microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) in the development of axons and dendrites, we have expressed individual neuronal MAPs in normally rounded Sf9 host cells. We previously reported that expression of tau protein in these cells results in the elaboration of long processes containing dense bundles of microtubules (MTs). These bundles generally terminate in the hillock region of the cell body, and almost all of the MTs within the bundles are oriented with their plus ends distal to the cell body. Here we report the expression of a construct that approximates the MAP2C sequence and also induces the elaboration of processes with dense bundles of predominantly plus-end-distal MTs. Whereas tau generally results in a single process, there is a significantly greater tendency for the MAP2C-like construct to induce multiple processes. In contrast to the tau processes, the MT bundle in these processes extends far into the cell body. This latter observation suggests that MAP2C and tau have different effects on MT assembly and/or transport events in the cell. Although both of these MAPs can organize MTs that are competent to participate in process formation, the detailed organization of MTs induced by each of the two constructs is distinctive, and these differences may be relevant to axonal and dendritic differentiation.

Nicole Leclerc

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