RNAseq data.

The presence of large protein inclusions is a hallmark of neurodegeneration, and yet the precise molecular factors that contribute to their formation remain poorly understood. Screens using aggregation-prone proteins have commonly relied on downstream toxicity as a readout rather than the direct formation of aggregates. Here, we combined a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen with Pulse Shape Analysis, a FACS-based method for inclusion detection, to identify direct modifiers of TDP-43 aggregation in human cells. Our screen revealed both canonical and novel proteostasis genes, and unearthed SRRD, a poorly characterized protein, as a top regulator of protein inclusion formation. APEX biotin labeling reveals that SRRD resides in proximity to proteins that are involved in the formation and breakage of disulfide bonds and to intermediate filaments, suggesting a role in regulation of the spatial dynamics of the intermediate filament network. Indeed, loss of SRRD results in aberrant intermediate filament fibrils and the impaired formation of aggresomes, including blunted vimentin cage structure, during proteotoxic stress. Interestingly, SRRD also localizes to aggresomes and unfolded proteins, and rescues proteotoxicity in yeast whereby its N-terminal low complexity domain is sufficient to induce this affect. Altogether this suggests an unanticipated and broad role for SRRD in cytoskeletal organization and cellular proteostasis.</div

Figs S1-S15.

The presence of large protein inclusions is a hallmark of neurodegeneration, and yet the precise molecular factors that contribute to their formation remain poorly understood. Screens using aggregation-prone proteins have commonly relied on downstream toxicity as a readout rather than the direct formation of aggregates. Here, we combined a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen with Pulse Shape Analysis, a FACS-based method for inclusion detection, to identify direct modifiers of TDP-43 aggregation in human cells. Our screen revealed both canonical and novel proteostasis genes, and unearthed SRRD, a poorly characterized protein, as a top regulator of protein inclusion formation. APEX biotin labeling reveals that SRRD resides in proximity to proteins that are involved in the formation and breakage of disulfide bonds and to intermediate filaments, suggesting a role in regulation of the spatial dynamics of the intermediate filament network. Indeed, loss of SRRD results in aberrant intermediate filament fibrils and the impaired formation of aggresomes, including blunted vimentin cage structure, during proteotoxic stress. Interestingly, SRRD also localizes to aggresomes and unfolded proteins, and rescues proteotoxicity in yeast whereby its N-terminal low complexity domain is sufficient to induce this affect. Altogether this suggests an unanticipated and broad role for SRRD in cytoskeletal organization and cellular proteostasis.</div

TDP-43 screen hits (less aggregation).

The presence of large protein inclusions is a hallmark of neurodegeneration, and yet the precise molecular factors that contribute to their formation remain poorly understood. Screens using aggregation-prone proteins have commonly relied on downstream toxicity as a readout rather than the direct formation of aggregates. Here, we combined a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen with Pulse Shape Analysis, a FACS-based method for inclusion detection, to identify direct modifiers of TDP-43 aggregation in human cells. Our screen revealed both canonical and novel proteostasis genes, and unearthed SRRD, a poorly characterized protein, as a top regulator of protein inclusion formation. APEX biotin labeling reveals that SRRD resides in proximity to proteins that are involved in the formation and breakage of disulfide bonds and to intermediate filaments, suggesting a role in regulation of the spatial dynamics of the intermediate filament network. Indeed, loss of SRRD results in aberrant intermediate filament fibrils and the impaired formation of aggresomes, including blunted vimentin cage structure, during proteotoxic stress. Interestingly, SRRD also localizes to aggresomes and unfolded proteins, and rescues proteotoxicity in yeast whereby its N-terminal low complexity domain is sufficient to induce this affect. Altogether this suggests an unanticipated and broad role for SRRD in cytoskeletal organization and cellular proteostasis.</div

APEX2 proximity labeling reveals SRRD in close proximity to intermediate filaments and regulators of IF oligomerization.

1) HEK293Ts stably expressing SRRD-HA stained for HA and either CANX or mitochondria. B) Schematic of APEX2 proximity labeling experiment where APEX2 is fused to SRRD or to an NES control. C) Volcano plot of APEX2 proximity labeling mass spectrometry output, where fold change (x-axis) is plotted by significance (y-axis). Colored dots correspond to STRING clusters in 2E. (*) correspond to indicate functional annotations of interest highlighted in STRING cluster in 2E. D) Filtered GSEA (cellular compartment) of SRRD-APEX2 dataset. E) Clustering of top protein-protein interactions (STRING database) of top 88 proteins ranked by fold change and p-value. Clusters generated with MCL clustering and excludes proteins with no known connections and clusters with insignificant p-values. Clusters colored based on STRING annotated GO terms and proteins with functional annotations of interested are highlighted as follows: Protein-disulfide isomerases circled in pink, proteins involved in calcium binding circled in orange.</p

Antibodies used.

The presence of large protein inclusions is a hallmark of neurodegeneration, and yet the precise molecular factors that contribute to their formation remain poorly understood. Screens using aggregation-prone proteins have commonly relied on downstream toxicity as a readout rather than the direct formation of aggregates. Here, we combined a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen with Pulse Shape Analysis, a FACS-based method for inclusion detection, to identify direct modifiers of TDP-43 aggregation in human cells. Our screen revealed both canonical and novel proteostasis genes, and unearthed SRRD, a poorly characterized protein, as a top regulator of protein inclusion formation. APEX biotin labeling reveals that SRRD resides in proximity to proteins that are involved in the formation and breakage of disulfide bonds and to intermediate filaments, suggesting a role in regulation of the spatial dynamics of the intermediate filament network. Indeed, loss of SRRD results in aberrant intermediate filament fibrils and the impaired formation of aggresomes, including blunted vimentin cage structure, during proteotoxic stress. Interestingly, SRRD also localizes to aggresomes and unfolded proteins, and rescues proteotoxicity in yeast whereby its N-terminal low complexity domain is sufficient to induce this affect. Altogether this suggests an unanticipated and broad role for SRRD in cytoskeletal organization and cellular proteostasis.</div

Plasmids submitted to AddGene.

The presence of large protein inclusions is a hallmark of neurodegeneration, and yet the precise molecular factors that contribute to their formation remain poorly understood. Screens using aggregation-prone proteins have commonly relied on downstream toxicity as a readout rather than the direct formation of aggregates. Here, we combined a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen with Pulse Shape Analysis, a FACS-based method for inclusion detection, to identify direct modifiers of TDP-43 aggregation in human cells. Our screen revealed both canonical and novel proteostasis genes, and unearthed SRRD, a poorly characterized protein, as a top regulator of protein inclusion formation. APEX biotin labeling reveals that SRRD resides in proximity to proteins that are involved in the formation and breakage of disulfide bonds and to intermediate filaments, suggesting a role in regulation of the spatial dynamics of the intermediate filament network. Indeed, loss of SRRD results in aberrant intermediate filament fibrils and the impaired formation of aggresomes, including blunted vimentin cage structure, during proteotoxic stress. Interestingly, SRRD also localizes to aggresomes and unfolded proteins, and rescues proteotoxicity in yeast whereby its N-terminal low complexity domain is sufficient to induce this affect. Altogether this suggests an unanticipated and broad role for SRRD in cytoskeletal organization and cellular proteostasis.</div

SRRD regulates efficient assembly of aggresomes.

A) WT, SRRD clonal KO, and SRRD clonal KO + SRRD-mRuby3 293Ts treated for 16hrs with 5μM MG132 or DMSO control and stained for VIM and HDAC6. B) Quantification of the percentage of cells harboring aggresomes (perinuclear, HDAC6+, VIM cage+) after MG132 treatment. Dots indicate replicate wells treated, stained, and imaged in parallel. n = 4 replicates, one way anova with Tukey HSD test. Adjusted p-values WT:SRRD KO = 0; KO:rescue = 2.71e-09. C) WT, SRRD clonal KO, and SRRD clonal KO + SRRD-mRuby3 293Ts transfected with mClover3-TDP-43 ΔNLS and stained for VIM. D) Line intensity plots of TDP-43 ΔNLS (green) and VIM (blue) signals corresponding to white lines drawn in 3C. E) Line intensity drawings aggregating TDP-43 ΔNLS intensity data from WT, SRRD clonal KO, and SRRD clonal KO + SRRD-mRuby3 293Ts. Solid line indicates average value at each point, and shaded areas represent the standard deviation. F) Quantification of the percentage of TDP-43 ΔNLS aggregates that have at least a partial VIM cage surrounding it in WT, SRRD clonal KO, and SRRD clonal KO + SRRD-mRuby3 293Ts transfected with mClover3-TDP-43 ΔNLS and stained for VIM. G) WT, SRRD clonal KO, and SRRD clonal KO + SRRD-mRuby3 293Ts treated for 16hrs with 5μM MG132 and stained for SQSTM1 and HDAC6. H) Line intensity plots of SQSTM1 corresponding to white lines drawn in 3G. I) Line intensity drawings aggregating SQSTM1 data from WT, SRRD clonal KO, and SRRD clonal KO + SRRD-mRuby3 293Ts. Solid line indicates average value at each point, and shaded areas represent the standard deviation.</p

Loss of SRRD results in disorganized and downregulated IFs.

A) Confocal images of indicated cells lines stained for VIM. B) Volcano plot of quantitative proteomics experiment comparing SRRD clonal KO HEK293Ts to WT HEK293Ts where fold change (x-axis) is plotted by significance (y-axis). Horizontal dashed line represents adjusted p-value cutoff of 0.05, vertical line represents fold change of -1. Orange and green colored dots correspond to STRING clusters in 3C. C) Select clusters of top depleted proteins in SRRD KO (STRING database) ranked by fold change and p-value. Clusters generated with MCL clustering and excludes proteins with insignificant p-values. Clusters colored based on STRING annotated GO terms. D) Filtered GSEA (cellular compartment) of quantitative proteomics dataset. E) Representative images of NGN2 neurons transduced with SRRD CRISPRi sgRNA or non-targeting control, stained for MAP2 and INA. F) Quantification of the area per cell covered by INA and MAP2 signal in SRRD CRISPRi and NTC control NGN2 neurons.</p

Processed quantitative proteomics data.

The presence of large protein inclusions is a hallmark of neurodegeneration, and yet the precise molecular factors that contribute to their formation remain poorly understood. Screens using aggregation-prone proteins have commonly relied on downstream toxicity as a readout rather than the direct formation of aggregates. Here, we combined a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen with Pulse Shape Analysis, a FACS-based method for inclusion detection, to identify direct modifiers of TDP-43 aggregation in human cells. Our screen revealed both canonical and novel proteostasis genes, and unearthed SRRD, a poorly characterized protein, as a top regulator of protein inclusion formation. APEX biotin labeling reveals that SRRD resides in proximity to proteins that are involved in the formation and breakage of disulfide bonds and to intermediate filaments, suggesting a role in regulation of the spatial dynamics of the intermediate filament network. Indeed, loss of SRRD results in aberrant intermediate filament fibrils and the impaired formation of aggresomes, including blunted vimentin cage structure, during proteotoxic stress. Interestingly, SRRD also localizes to aggresomes and unfolded proteins, and rescues proteotoxicity in yeast whereby its N-terminal low complexity domain is sufficient to induce this affect. Altogether this suggests an unanticipated and broad role for SRRD in cytoskeletal organization and cellular proteostasis.</div

Spacer sequences for sgRNAs used in validation studies.

Spacer sequences for sgRNAs used in validation studies.</p