title: Rational selection of small molecules that increase transcription through the GAA repeats found in Friedreich's ataxia.
abstract: Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive trinucleotide repeat disease with no effective therapy. Expanded GAA repeats in the first intron of the FRDA gene are thought to form unusual non-B DNA conformations that decrease transcription and subsequently reduce levels of the encoded protein, frataxin. Frataxin plays a crucial role in iron metabolism and detoxification. To discover small molecules that increase transcription through the GAA repeat region in FRDA, we have made stable cell lines containing a portion of expanded intron 1 fused to a GFP reporter. Small molecules identified using the competition dialysis method were found to increase FRDA-intron 1-reporter gene expression. One of these compounds, pentamidine, increases frataxin levels in patient cells. Thus our approach can be used to detect small molecules of potential therapeutic value in FRDA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, 2500 North State Street, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, 39216-4505, USA.
authors.forename: LaKechia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Hongzhi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Subramony
authors.forename: Jonathan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Chaires
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hebert
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation / Q000187:drug effects; D010419:Pentamidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D019680:Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D000096923:Frataxin
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D010419:Pentamidine; D000096923:Frataxin