Lafora disease (LD) is a catastrophic epilepsy with onset in teenage years in otherwise normal adolescents. Its causes are known, its pathogenesis in advanced understanding, in major part through the research of members of this proposed program project. The disease genes, EPM2A and EPM2B, encode the laforin glycogen phosphatase and the malin ubiquitin E3 ligase, which regulate glycogen synthesis, in particular glycogen structure. Mutations of either gene lead to formation of malstructured glycogen (polyglucosan), which precipitates, aggregates, and accumulates into Lafora bodies (LB). These overtake neuronal somatodendritic cytoplasm and initiate a progressive soon-intractable epilepsy that aggressively escalates, and leads to death after 10 years of essentially constant seizing. Our groups have shown in the LD mouse models that reducing glycogen synthesis by 50-100% through knockouts of the glycogen synthase (GS) gene or the GS activator PTG gene are safe, and fully rescue murine LD. Here, we propose to translate these findings from gene knockout experiments to therapeutic interventions, in mouse, as a step towards human therapy.
In Aim 1, we target the GS and Ptg genes at the DNA level through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, in collaboration with F Zhang, co- discoverer of the CRISPR system. We deliver CRISPR/Cas9 using the AAV9 virus, in collaboration with B Kaspar, an AAV9 field leader. We utilize a new Cas9 enzyme recently developed in the Zhang lab with a size that for the first time allows packaging in AAV9.
In Aim 2, we target the GS and Ptg genes at the mRNA level using antisense oligonucleotides with unique brain-specific chemistries. Here, we already preliminarily show rescue.
In Aim 3 we target glycogen itself. We utilize an innovative chain-termination approach, which introduces glucose derivatives into the growing chains of polyglucosans to block extension, and thus prevent their formation, and prevent LB and LD. Finally in Aim 4 we utilize the ketogenic diet, under which the brain utilizes ketones for energy in lieu of glucose and determine whether this can prevent LB formation.
The aims of this and our other projects of this CWOW are a comprehensive intervention on the pathogenic pathway in LD. We expect that one, though more likely a combination, of these aims will succeed in our murine models and later translate to eliminating LD from the roster of intractable epilepsies.
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| Rubio-Villena, Carla; Viana, Rosa; Bonet, Jose et al. (2018) Astrocytes: new players in progressive myoclonus epilepsy of Lafora type. Hum Mol Genet 27:1290-1300 |
| Brewer, M Kathryn; Gentry, Matthew S (2018) The 3rd International Lafora Epilepsy Workshop: Evidence for a cure. Epilepsy Behav 81:125-127 |
| Sánchez, Marina P; García-Cabrero, Ana M; Sánchez-Elexpuru, Gentzane et al. (2018) Tau-Induced Pathology in Epilepsy and Dementia: Notions from Patients and Animal Models. Int J Mol Sci 19: |
| Kuchtová, Andrea; Gentry, Matthew S; Jane?ek, Štefan (2018) The unique evolution of the carbohydrate-binding module CBM20 in laforin. FEBS Lett 592:586-598 |
| García-Gimeno, Maria Adelaida; Knecht, Erwin; Sanz, Pascual (2018) Lafora Disease: A Ubiquitination-Related Pathology. Cells 7: |
| Nitschke, Felix; Ahonen, Saija J; Nitschke, Silvia et al. (2018) Lafora disease - from pathogenesis to treatment strategies. Nat Rev Neurol 14:606-617 |
| Goldsmith, Danielle; Minassian, Berge A (2018) Extraneurological sparing in long-lived typical Lafora disease. Epilepsia Open 3:295-298 |
| Sharma, Savita; Vander Kooi, Carl D; Gentry, Matthew S et al. (2018) Oligomerization and carbohydrate binding of glucan phosphatases. Anal Biochem 563:51-55 |
| Garcia-Gimeno, Maria Adelaida; Rodilla-Ramirez, Pilar Natalia; Viana, Rosa et al. (2018) A novel EPM2A mutation yields a slow progression form of Lafora disease. Epilepsy Res 145:169-177 |
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