title: Lentivirus-meditated frataxin gene delivery reverses genome instability in Friedreich ataxia patient and mouse model fibroblasts.
abstract: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by deficiency of frataxin protein, with the primary sites of pathology being the large sensory neurons of the dorsal root ganglia and the cerebellum. FRDA is also often accompanied by severe cardiomyopathy and diabetes mellitus. Frataxin is important in mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) biogenesis and low-frataxin expression is due to a GAA repeat expansion in intron 1 of the FXN gene. FRDA cells are genomically unstable, with increased levels of reactive oxygen species and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Here we report the identification of elevated levels of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in FRDA patient and YG8sR FRDA mouse model fibroblasts compared to normal fibroblasts. Using lentivirus FXN gene delivery to FRDA patient and YG8sR cells, we obtained long-term overexpression of FXN mRNA and frataxin protein levels with reduced DSB levels towards normal. Furthermore, γ-irradiation of FRDA patient and YG8sR cells revealed impaired DSB repair that was recovered on FXN gene transfer. This suggests that frataxin may be involved in DSB repair, either directly by an unknown mechanism, or indirectly via ISC biogenesis for DNA repair enzymes, which may be essential for the prevention of neurodegeneration.
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.|Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Khonsari
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.|Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Schneider
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.|Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Al-Mahdawi
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.|Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors: Y G
authors: YG
authors: Chianea
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Themis
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Parris
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.|Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Pook
authors: Division of Biosciences, Department of Life Sciences, College of Health & Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.|Synthetic Biology Theme, Institute of Environment, Health & Societies, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK.|Division of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Themis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D005621:Friedreich Ataxia / Q000628:therapy*; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006801:Humans; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D059767:Recombinational DNA Repair; D000096923:Frataxin
chemical_list: D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D000096923:Frataxin