PUBLICATION

Genetic therapy in a mitochondrial disease model suggests a critical role for liver dysfunction in mortality

Authors
Sabharwal, A., Wishman, M.D., Cervera, R.L., Serres, M.R., Anderson, J.L., Holmberg, S.R., Kar, B., Treichel, A.J., Ichino, N., Liu, W., Yang, J., Ding, Y., Deng, Y., Lacey, J.M., Laxen, W.J., Loken, P.R., Oglesbee, D., Farber, S.A., Clark, K.J., Xu, X., Ekker, S.C.
ID
ZDB-PUB-221122-17
Date
2022
Source
eLIFE   11: (Journal)
Registered Authors
Ding, Yonghe, Ekker, Stephen C., Xu, Xiaolei, Yang, Jingchun
Keywords
developmental biology, genetics, genomics, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Canada
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Genetic Therapy
  • Liver Diseases*/genetics
  • Liver Diseases*/therapy
  • Mitochondrial Diseases*/genetics
  • Mitochondrial Diseases*/therapy
  • Neoplasm Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish/genetics
PubMed
36408801 Full text @ Elife
Abstract
The clinical and largely unpredictable heterogeneity of phenotypes in patients with mitochondrial disorders demonstrates the ongoing challenges in the understanding of this semi-autonomous organelle in biology and disease. Previously, we used the gene-breaking transposon to create 1200 transgenic zebrafish strains tagging protein-coding genes (1), including the lrpprc locus. Here we present and characterize a new genetic revertible animal model that recapitulates components of Leigh Syndrome French Canadian Type (LSFC), a mitochondrial disorder that includes diagnostic liver dysfunction. LSFC is caused by allelic variations in the LRPPRC gene, involved in mitochondrial mRNA polyadenylation and translation. lrpprc zebrafish homozygous mutants displayed biochemical and mitochondrial phenotypes similar to clinical manifestations observed in patients, including dysfunction in lipid homeostasis. We were able to rescue these phenotypes in the disease model using a liver-specific genetic model therapy, functionally demonstrating a previously under-recognized critical role for the liver in the pathophysiology of this disease.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping