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Three Huntington's Disease Specific Mutation-Carrying Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Have Stable Number of CAG Repeats upon In Vitro Differentiation into Cardiomyocytes.

ABSTRACT: Huntington disease (HD; OMIM 143100), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is caused by an expanded trinucleotide CAG (polyQ) motif in the HTT gene. Cardiovascular symptoms, often present in early stage HD patients, are, in general, ascribed to dysautonomia. However, cardio-specific expression of polyQ peptides caused pathological response in murine models, suggesting the presence of a nervous system-independent heart phenotype in HD patients. A positive correlation between the CAG repeat size and severity of symptoms observed in HD patients has also been observed in in vitro HD cellular models. Here, we test the suitability of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines carrying HD-specific mutation as in vitro models for understanding molecular mechanisms of cardiac pathology seen in HD patients. We have differentiated three HD-hESC lines into cardiomyocytes and investigated CAG stability up to 60 days after starting differentiation. To assess CAG stability in other tissues, the lines were also subjected to in vivo differentiation into teratomas for 10 weeks. Neither directed differentiation into cardiomyocytes in vitro nor in vivo differentiation into teratomas, rich in immature neuronal tissue, led to an increase in the number of CAG repeats. Although the CAG stability might be cell line-dependent, induced pluripotent stem cells generated from patients with larger numbers of CAG repeats could have an advantage as a research tool for understanding cardiac symptoms of HD patients.

SUBMITTER: Jacquet L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4438866 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Huntingtons disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease, with out effective treatment. Despite significant advances, our understanding of how an expanded CAG repeat in the amino terminus of the large ubiquitously expressed HD gene product remains incomplete. Augmented adult neurogenesis in response to acute and chronic injury, including Huntingtons disease, has been demonstrated, but its role development, disease, and recovery is largely unknown, as are the factors controlling it. The HD gene product, huntingtin (htt) is know to interact with a number of transcription factors which subsequently influence gene expression. Understanding the factors involved in controlling neurogenesis in response to disease would bridge a significant knowledge gap and have tremendous therapeutic potential. We propose to identify transcripts responsible for CAG repeat facilitated neurogenesis. Our hypothesis is that expanded CAG repeats in the Huntingtons disease gene facilitates neurogenesis by altering transcription of genes critical in neurogenesis. We have developed a model in which mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) with expanded CAG repeats have facilitated neurogenesis. In this model more ESC with expanded CAG repeats transition to neuronal precursors and then develop into mature neurons more rapidly than control ESC. We propose to compare the gene expression profiles between ESC with expanded CAG repeats and control ESCs on days 4 and 6 of neuronal differentiation. Initial studies indicate that key transcriptional differences are occurring at these time points. Control ECS and a an ESC line with150 CAG repeats will be differentiated in triplicate, and RNA isolated form each replicate. It is anticipated that comparison of gene expression between the control and CAG repeat lines at each time point will identify transcripts involved in CAG repeat facilitated neurogenesis. Observed differences at day 4 may be more relevant to the transition from ESC to neuronal precursor whereas differences at day 6 may be more relevant to the neuronal precursor to neuron transition. Keywords: time-course

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Three Huntington's Disease Specific Mutation-Carrying Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Have Stable Number of CAG Repeats upon In Vitro Differentiation into Cardiomyocytes.

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