Mutations in Hspd1, the gene encoding Hsp60, are associated with two human inherited diseases of the nervous system, a dominantly inherited form of spastic paraplegia (SPG13) and an autosomal recessively inherited white matter disorder termed MitCHAP60 disease.
Our findings suggest that Hsp60 defects can cause neurodegenerative pathologies of varying severity, not previously suspected on the basis of the SPG13 phenotype.
We found that both the c.292G>A RNA transcript and the corresponding Hsp60-(p.Val98Ile) protein were present at comparable levels to their wild-type counterparts in SPG13 patient cells.
Our findings suggest that Hsp60 defects can cause neurodegenerative pathologies of varying severity, not previously suspected on the basis of the SPG13 phenotype.