Search results for "Ataxin"
showing 10 items of 42 documents
Nuclear inclusions of pathogenic ataxin-1 induce oxidative stress and perturb the protein synthesis machinery
2020
Spinocerebellar ataxia type-1 (SCA1) is caused by an abnormally expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in ataxin-1. These expansions are responsible for protein misfolding and self-assembly into intranuclear inclusion bodies (IIBs) that are somehow linked to neuronal death. However, owing to lack of a suitable cellular model, the downstream consequences of IIB formation are yet to be resolved. Here, we describe a nuclear protein aggregation model of pathogenic human ataxin-1 and characterize IIB effects. Using an inducible Sleeping Beauty transposon system, we overexpressed the ATXN1(Q82) gene in human mesenchymal stem cells that are resistant to the early cytotoxic effects caused by the expr…
Dynamics of a Protein Interaction Network Associated to the Aggregation of polyQ-Expanded Ataxin-1
2020
Background: Several experimental models of polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases have been previously developed that are useful for studying disease progression in the primarily affected central nervous system. However, there is a missing link between cellular and animal models that would indicate the molecular defects occurring in neurons and are responsible for the disease phenotype in vivo. Methods: Here, we used a computational approach to identify dysregulated pathways shared by an in vitro and an in vivo model of ATXN1(Q82) protein aggregation, the mutant protein that causes the neurodegenerative polyQ disease spinocerebellar ataxia type-1 (SCA1). Results: A set of common dysregulated pathwa…
Disarrangement of Endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria communication impairs Ca2+ homeostasis in FRDA
2020
AbstractFriedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by neuromuscular and neurological manifestations. It is caused by mutations in gene FXN, which results in loss of the mitochondrial protein frataxin. Endoplasmic Reticulum-mitochondria associated membranes (MAMs) are inter-organelle structures involved in the regulation of essential cellular processes, including lipid metabolism and calcium signaling. In the present study, we have analyzed in both, unicellular and multicellular models of FRDA, an analysis of calcium management and of integrity of MAMs. We observed that function of MAMs is compromised in our cellular model of FRDA, which was improved upon treatmen…
Genotype and phenotype analysis of Friedreich's ataxia compound heterozygous patients
2000
Friedreich's ataxia is caused by mutations in the FRDA gene that encodes frataxin, a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein. Most patients are homozygous for the expansion of a GAA triplet repeat within the FRDA gene, but a few patients show compound heterozygosity for a point mutation and the GAA-repeat expansion. We analyzed DNA samples from a cohort of 241 patients with autosomal recessive or isolated spinocerebellar ataxia for the GAA triplet expansion. Patients heterozygous for the GAA expansion were screened for point mutations within the FRDA coding region. Molecular analyses included the single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis, direct sequencing, and linkage analysis with FR…
Circulating miR-323-3p is a biomarker for cardiomyopathy and an indicator of phenotypic variability in Friedreich’s ataxia patients
2017
AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that contribute to gene expression modulation by regulating important cellular pathways. In this study, we used small RNA sequencing to identify a series of circulating miRNAs in blood samples taken from Friedreich’s ataxia patients. We were thus able to develop a miRNA biomarker signature to differentiate Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) patients from healthy people. Most research on FDRA has focused on understanding the role of frataxin in the mitochondria, and a whole molecular view of pathological pathways underlying FRDA therefore remains to be elucidated. We found seven differentially expressed miRNAs, and we propose that these miRNAs represent …
Causative role of oxidative stress in a Drosophila model of Friedreich ataxia
2006
Friedreich ataxia (FA), the most common form of hereditary ataxia, is caused by a deficit in the mitochondrial protein frataxin. While several hypotheses have been suggested, frataxin function is not well understood. Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of FA, but this view has been recently questioned, and its link to frataxin is unclear. Here, we report the use of RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress the Drosophila frataxin gene (fh) expression. This model system parallels the situation in FA patients, namely a moderate systemic reduction of frataxin levels compatible with normal embryonic development. Under these conditions, fh-RNAi flies showed a shor…
Deferiprone and idebenone rescue frataxin depletion phenotypes in a Drosophila model of Friedreich's ataxia
2013
Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), the most common inherited ataxia, is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a reduction in the levels of the mitochondrial protein frataxin, the function of which remains a controversial matter. Several therapeutic approaches are being developed to increase frataxin expression and reduce the intramitochondrial iron aggregates and oxidative damage found in this disease. In this study, we tested separately the response of a Drosophila RNAi model of FRDA ( Llorens et al., 2007) to treatment with the iron chelator deferiprone (DFP) and the antioxidant idebenone (IDE), which are both in clinical trials. The FRDA flies have a shortened life span and impaired motor coord…
Modelos de ataxia de Friedreich en Drosophila: identificación de candidatos terapéuticos y caracterización de un modelo portador de las repeticiones …
2018
La ataxia de Friedreich es una enfermedad neurodegenerativa hereditaria que constituye la ataxia autosómica recesiva más común a nivel mundial. La ataxia de la marcha es el síntoma más temprano, pudiéndose encontrar otros síntomas neurológicos como disartria, disfagia o neuropatías ópticas y auditivas, y síntomas no neurológicos como deformidades esqueléticas, diabetes y cardiomiopatía hipertrófica. La enfermedad está causada en la mayoría de los pacientes por la presencia en homocigosis de una expansión patológica de las repeticiones del triplete GAA situadas en el intrón 1 del gen FXN. Dicha mutación provoca la represión transcripcional del gen y la reducción de los niveles de la proteína…
Friedreich Ataxia: An Update on Animal Models, Frataxin Function and Therapies
2009
Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive progressively debilitating degenerative disease that principally affects the nervous system and the heart. Although FRDA is considered a rare disease, is the most common inherited ataxia. It is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the FXN gene, mainly an expanded GAA triplet repeat in the intron 1. The genetic defect results in the reduction of frataxin levels, a protein targeted to the mitochondria. Frataxin deficiency leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and iron accumulation. Studies of the yeast and animal models of the disease have led to propose several different roles for frataxin. Animal models have also been impo…
The Friedreich's Ataxia protein frataxin modulates DNA base excision repair in prokaryotes and mammals
2010
DNA-repair mechanisms enable cells to maintain their genetic information by protecting it from mutations that may cause malignant growth. Recent evidence suggests that specific DNA-repair enzymes contain ISCs (iron–sulfur clusters). The nuclearencoded protein frataxin is essential for the mitochondrial biosynthesis of ISCs. Frataxin deficiency causes a neurodegenerative disorder named Friedreich's ataxia in humans. Various types of cancer occurring at young age are associated with this disease, and hence with frataxin deficiency. Mice carrying a hepatocyte-specific disruption of the frataxin gene develop multiple liver tumours for unresolved reasons. In the present study, we show that frata…