4.6 Article

Amlexanox: Readthrough Induction and Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay Inhibition in a Charcot-Marie-Tooth Model of hiPSCs-Derived Neuronal Cells Harboring a Nonsense Mutation in GDAP1 Gene

Journal

PHARMACEUTICALS
Volume 16, Issue 7, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ph16071034

Keywords

GDAP1; CMT disease; nonsense mutation; nonsense-mediated decay (NMD); readthrough molecules; premature termination codon (PTC)

Ask authors/readers for more resources

Nonsense mutations play a role in peripheral neuropathies by causing premature termination codons at the mRNA level. Readthrough molecules or NMD inhibitors, such as amlexanox, could be potential therapies for hereditary neuropathies. In the study, treatment with amlexanox on patient-derived neuronal cells carrying a specific mutation resulted in stabilization of GDAP1 mRNAs and restoration of mitochondrial morphology, highlighting the potential of readthrough molecules and NMD inhibitors for the treatment of genetic alterations in peripheral neuropathies.
Nonsense mutations are involved in multiple peripheral neuropathies. These mutations induce the presence of a premature termination codon (PTC) at the mRNA level. As a result, a dysfunctional or truncated protein is synthesized, or even absent linked to nonsense-mediated mRNA degradation (NMD) system activation. Readthrough molecules or NMD inhibitors could be innovative therapies in these hereditary neuropathies, particularly molecules harboring the dual activity as amlexanox. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most common inherited pathology of the peripheral nervous system, affecting 1 in 2500 people worldwide. Nonsense mutations in the GDAP1 gene have been associated with a severe form of CMT, prompting us to investigate the effect of readthrough and NMD inhibitor molecules. Although not clearly defined, GDAP1 could be involved in mitochondrial functions, such as mitophagy. We focused on the homozygous c.581C>G (p.Ser194*) mutation inducing CMT2H using patient human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal cells. Treatment during 20 h with 100 mu M of amlexanox on this cell model stabilized GDAP1 mRNAs carrying UGA-PTC and induced a restoration of the mitochondrial morphology. These results highlight the potential of readthrough molecules associated to NMD inhibitors for the treatment of genetic alterations in CMT, opening the way for future investigations and a potential therapy.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.6
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available