Mounting evidence suggests that reversing transcriptional alterations induced by mutant TBP and reducing the expression of mutant TBP are promising strategies to treat SCA17.
Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) is a recently identified neurotrophic factor, and increasing MANF expression ameliorated SCA17 neuropathology in TBP-105Q knock-in (KI) mouse model, indicating that MANF could be a therapeutic target for treating SCA17.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) is a rare autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the TATA-box binding protein gene (<i>TBP</i>).
Furthermore, heterozygous dTbp amorph mutant flies exhibited SCA17-like phenotypes and flies expressing polyQ-expanded TBP exhibited enhanced retinal degeneration, suggesting that loss of TBP function may contribute to SCA17 pathogenesis.
To further investigate this devastating disease, we sought to create a first transgenic rat model for SCA17 that carries a full human cDNA fragment of the TBP gene with 64 CAA/CAG repeats (TBPQ64).
Genetic diseases that can present as HD phenocopies include HD-like syndromes such as HDL1, HDL2 and HDL4 (SCA17), some spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) and dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA).
Because essential roles of HSPA5 in protection from neuronal apoptosis have been shown in a mouse model, NFYA could be a target of mutant TBP in SCA17.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) involves the expression of a CAG/CAA expansion mutation in the gene encoding TATA-box binding protein (TBP), a general transcription initiation factor.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) is a rare autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the CAG/CAA expansion in the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) gene.
Expansion of the CAG repeat of the TATA-box binding protein (TBP) gene has been identified as the causative mutations in spinocerebellar ataxia 17 (SCA17).
The aim of this study was to perform DNA analysis in patients with clinical diagnosis of Huntington's disease (HD) after molecular exclusion of HD and further molecular examinations for other neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease-like 2 (HDL-2; gene JPH3), dentatorubral pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA; gene ATN1) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17; gene TBP).
Interestingly, the TBP protein mutated in SCA17 is recruited in the inclusions of other polyglutaminopathies, suggesting its involvement in the transcription down-regulation observed in these diseases.
The size of the expansion was determined using a fluorescent PCR approach in 10 common SCA genes: SCA-1 (ATXN1), SCA-2 (ATXN2), SCA-3 (ATXN3), SCA-6 (CACNA1A), SCA-7 (ATXN7), SCA-8 (ATXN8OS), SCA-10 (ATXN10), SCA-12 (PPP2R2B), SCA-17 (TBP) and DRPLA (ATN1), in 165 ataxia patients and 307 controls of Welsh origin.