Visualization of cell-to-cell transmission of mutant huntingtin oligomers.

We developed a new cell model for the visualization of toxic huntingtin oligomers in living cells. Huntingtin exon 1 (25Q or 103Q) was fused to non-fluorescent halves of the Venus protein. When huntingtin dimerizes inside the cells, Venus becomes functionally reconstituted and emits fluorescence. Oligomerization, aggregation and toxicity of mutant huntingtin were assessed by several procedures. We also present evidence that the transmission of huntingtin between cells can be determined in a quantitative manner with our model. Thus, this model can be a powerful screening tool for the identification of modifiers of oligomerization and cell-to-cell traffic of mutant huntingtin.