Abstract

Microsatellite expansions cause more than 40 neurological disorders, including Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy, and C9ORF72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). These repeat expansion mutations can produce repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) proteins in all three reading frames, which accumulate in disease-relevant tissues. There has been considerable interest in RAN protein products and their downstream consequences, particularly for the dipeptide proteins found in C9ORF72 ALS/FTD. Understanding how RAN translation occurs, what cellular factors contribute to RAN protein accumulation, and how these proteins contribute to disease should lead to a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of gene expression and human disease.

Highlights

  • Introduction and backgroundMore than 40 different neurological diseases are caused by unstable microsatellite sequences (e.g. CAG, CCG, or G4C2) that are repeated multiple times at specific human genetic loci

  • repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) proteins have been reported in eight repeat expansion disorders with different repeat motifs, pathogenic thresholds, and disease presentations

  • Significant progress has been made in understanding the role of RAN proteins in disease, additional insights into the mechanisms of RAN translation will facilitate the identification of new therapeutic targets and advance our understanding of cell biology and protein

Read more

Summary

Edited by Joel Gottesfeld

Microsatellite expansions cause more than 40 neurological disorders, including Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy, and C9ORF72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). These repeat expansion mutations can produce repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) proteins in all three reading frames, which accumulate in disease-relevant tissues. There has been considerable interest in RAN protein products and their downstream consequences, for the dipeptide proteins found in C9ORF72 ALS/FTD. Understanding how RAN translation occurs, what cellular factors contribute to RAN protein accumulation, and how these proteins contribute to disease should lead to a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of gene expression and human disease

Introduction and background
Microsatellite repeats and their sense and antisense protein products
Discovery and initial characterization of RAN translation
Fragile X tremor ataxia syndrome
Nucleocytoplasmic transport
Mouse models
Therapeutic approaches
Summary and future directions

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.