International Journal of Molecular Sciences,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
26(6), P. 2655 - 2655
Published: March 15, 2025
Fragile
X-related
disorders
(FXDs)
are
caused
by
the
expansion
of
a
CGG
repeat
tract
in
5’-UTR
FMR1
gene.
The
mechanism
is
likely
shared
with
45+
other
human
diseases
resulting
from
expansion,
process
that
has
been
shown
to
require
key
mismatch
repair
(MMR)
factors.
FANCJ,
DNA
helicase
involved
unwinding
unusual
secondary
structures,
implicated
number
processes
including
MMR.
To
test
role
FANCJ
we
crossed
FancJ-null
mice
an
FXD
mouse
model.
We
found
loss
resulted
trend
towards
more
extensive
was
significant
for
small
intestine
and
male
germline.
This
finding
interesting
implications
raises
possibility
helicases
may
be
important
modifiers
risk
certain
cell
types.
Gastroenterology,
Journal Year:
2023,
Volume and Issue:
164(5), P. 783 - 799
Published: Jan. 24, 2023
Lynch
syndrome
(LS)
is
one
of
the
most
prevalent
hereditary
cancer
syndromes
in
humans
and
accounts
for
some
3%
unselected
patients
with
colorectal
or
endometrial
10%-15%
those
DNA
mismatch
repair-deficient
tumors.
Previous
studies
have
established
genetic
basis
LS
predisposition,
but
there
been
significant
advances
recently
understanding
molecular
pathogenesis
tumors,
which
has
important
implications
clinical
management.
At
same
time,
immunotherapy
revolutionized
treatment
advanced
cancers
repair
defects.
We
aim
to
review
recent
progress
field
discuss
how
accumulating
epidemiologic,
clinical,
information
contributed
a
more
accurate
complete
picture
LS,
resulting
genotype-
immunologic
subtype-specific
strategies
surveillance,
prevention,
treatment.
Nature Genetics,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
56(3), P. 383 - 394
Published: Jan. 30, 2024
Abstract
Brain
region-specific
degeneration
and
somatic
expansions
of
the
mutant
Huntingtin
(
mHTT
)
CAG
tract
are
key
features
Huntington’s
disease
(HD).
However,
relationships
among
expansions,
death
specific
cell
types
molecular
events
associated
with
these
processes
not
established.
Here,
we
used
fluorescence-activated
nuclear
sorting
(FANS)
deep
profiling
to
gain
insight
into
properties
human
striatum
cerebellum
in
HD
control
donors.
arise
at
striatal
medium
spiny
neurons
(MSNs),
cholinergic
interneurons
cerebellar
Purkinje
neurons,
ATXN3
MSNs
from
SCA3
higher
levels
MSH2
MSH3
(forming
MutSβ),
which
can
inhibit
nucleolytic
excision
slip-outs
by
FAN1.
Our
data
support
a
model
necessary
but
may
be
sufficient
for
identify
transcriptional
changes
toxicity.
Neuron,
Journal Year:
2022,
Volume and Issue:
110(7), P. 1173 - 1192.e7
Published: Feb. 2, 2022
In
Huntington's
disease
(HD),
the
uninterrupted
CAG
repeat
length,
but
not
polyglutamine
predicts
onset.
However,
underlying
pathobiology
remains
unclear.
Here,
we
developed
bacterial
artificial
chromosome
(BAC)
transgenic
mice
expressing
human
mutant
huntingtin
(mHTT)
with
uninterrupted,
and
somatically
unstable,
repeats
that
exhibit
progressive
disease-related
phenotypes.
Unlike
prior
mHTT
models
stable,
CAA-interrupted,
polyglutamine-encoding
repeats,
BAC-CAG
show
robust
striatum-selective
nuclear
inclusions
transcriptional
dysregulation
resembling
those
in
murine
knockin
HD
patients.
Importantly,
striatal
transcriptionopathy
is
significantly
correlated
their
length
length.
Finally,
among
pathogenic
entities
originating
from
genomic
transgenes
only
present
or
enriched
model,
somatic
instability
aggregation
are
best
early-onset
molecular
pathogenesis
locomotor
sleep
deficits,
while
RNA-associated
pathologies
repeat-associated
non-AUG
(RAN)
translation
may
play
less
selective
late
roles,
respectively.
Nature Communications,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
15(1)
Published: April 12, 2024
Abstract
Huntington’s
disease
(HD)
is
a
dominant
neurological
disorder
caused
by
an
expanded
HTT
exon
1
CAG
repeat
that
lengthens
huntingtin’s
polyglutamine
tract.
Lowering
mutant
huntingtin
has
been
proposed
for
treating
HD,
but
genetic
modifiers
implicate
somatic
expansion
as
the
driver
of
onset.
We
find
branaplam
and
risdiplam,
small
molecule
splice
modulators
lower
promoting
pseudoexon
inclusion,
also
decrease
unstable
in
engineered
cell
model.
Targeted
CRISPR-Cas9
editing
shows
this
effect
not
due
to
lowering,
pointing
instead
inclusion
PMS1
.
Homozygous
heterozygous
inactivation
reduces
expansion,
supporting
modifier
HD
potential
target
therapeutic
intervention.
Although
modulation
provides
one
strategy,
genome-wide
transcriptomics
emphasize
consideration
cell-type
specific
effects
polymorphic
variation
at
both
off-target
sites.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: June 18, 2024
ABSTRACT
Huntington’s
disease
(HD),
due
to
expansion
of
a
CAG
repeat
in
HTT
,
is
representative
growing
number
disorders
involving
somatically
unstable
short
tandem
repeats.
We
find
that
overlapping
and
distinct
genetic
modifiers
clinical
landmarks
somatic
blood
DNA
reveal
an
underlying
complexity
cell-type
specificity
the
mismatch
repair-related
processes
influence
timing.
Differential
capture
non-DNA-repair
gene
by
multiple
measures
cognitive
motor
dysfunction
argues
additionally
for
pathogenic
processes.
Beyond
trans
modifiers,
differential
effects
are
also
illustrated
at
5’-UTR
variant
promotes
without
influencing
HD,
while,
even
after
correcting
uninterrupted
length,
synonymous
sequence
change
end
dramatically
hastens
onset
signs
increasing
expansion.
Our
findings
directly
relevant
therapeutic
suppression
HD
related
provide
route
define
individual
neuronal
cell
types
contribute
different
phenotypes.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory),
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: June 9, 2024
Huntington's
disease
(HD),
one
of
>50
inherited
repeat
expansion
disorders
(Depienne
and
Mandel,
2021),
is
a
dominantly-inherited
neurodegenerative
caused
by
CAG
in
SUMMARY
Modifiers
of
Huntington’s
disease
(HD)
include
mismatch
repair
(MMR)
genes;
however,
their
underlying
disease-altering
mechanisms
remain
unresolved.
Knockout
(KO)
alleles
for
9
HD
GWAS
modifiers/MMR
genes
were
crossed
to
the
Q140
Huntingtin
(mHtt)
knock-in
mice
probe
such
mechanisms.
Four
KO
strongly
(
Msh3
and
Pms1
)
or
moderately
Msh2
Mlh1
rescue
a
triad
adult-onset,
striatal
medium-spiny-neuron
(MSN)-selective
phenotypes:
somatic
Htt
DNA
CAG-repeat
expansion,
transcriptionopathy,
mHtt
protein
aggregation.
Comparatively,
cortex
also
exhibits
an
analogous,
but
later-onset,
pathogenic
that
is
-dependent.
Remarkably,
Q140/homozygous
Msh3-KO
lacks
visible
aggregates
in
brain,
even
at
advanced
ages
(20-months).
Moreover,
-deficiency
prevents
synaptic
marker
loss,
astrogliosis,
locomotor
impairment
mice.
Purified
MSN
nuclei
exhibit
highly
linear
age-dependent
repeat
expansion
(i.e.
migration),
with
modal-CAG
increasing
+8.8
repeats/month
(R
2
=0.98).
This
rate
reduced
2.3
0.3
heterozygous
homozygous
alleles,
respectively.
Our
study
defines
thresholds
below
which
there
are
no
detectable
nuclear
neuropil
aggregates.
Mild
transcriptionopathy
can
still
occur
stabilized
140-CAG
repeats,
majority
transcriptomic
changes
due
expansion.
analysis
reveals
479
expression
levels
correlated
length
MSNs.
Thus,
our
mechanistically
connects
selective
neuronal
vulnerability
HD,
set
migration
drive
repeat-length
dependent
pathogenesis;
provides
preclinical
platform
targeting
these
suppression
across
brain
regions.
One
Sentence
Summary
genetic
drivers
sequential
cortical
pathogenesis
by
mediating
vulnerable
neurons.
Nature Genetics,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Jan. 22, 2025
Huntington's
disease,
one
of
more
than
50
inherited
repeat
expansion
disorders1,
is
a
dominantly
neurodegenerative
disease
caused
by
CAG
in
HTT2.
Inherited
length
the
primary
determinant
age
onset,
with
human
genetic
studies
underscoring
that
driven
length-dependent
propensity
to
further
expand
brain3–9.
Routes
slowing
somatic
expansion,
therefore,
hold
promise
for
disease-modifying
therapies.
Several
DNA
repair
genes,
notably
mismatch
pathway,
modify
mouse
models10.
To
identify
novel
modifiers
we
used
CRISPR–Cas9
editing
knock-in
mice
enable
vivo
screening
expansion-modifier
candidates
at
scale.
This
included
testing
onset
modifier
genes
emerging
from
genome-wide
association
as
well
interactions
between
providing
insight
into
pathways
underlying
and
potential
therapeutic
targets.
A
strategy
identifies
new
contribute
disease.