1
|
Spangsberg Petersen US, Dembic M, Martínez-Pizarro A, Richard E, Holm LL, Havelund JF, Doktor TK, Larsen MR, Færgeman NJ, Desviat LR, Andresen BS. Regulating PCCA gene expression by modulation of pseudoexon splicing patterns to rescue enzyme activity in propionic acidemia. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2024; 35:102101. [PMID: 38204914 PMCID: PMC10776996 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.102101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Pseudoexons are nonfunctional intronic sequences that can be activated by deep-intronic sequence variation. Activation increases pseudoexon inclusion in mRNA and interferes with normal gene expression. The PCCA c.1285-1416A>G variation activates a pseudoexon and causes the severe metabolic disorder propionic acidemia by deficiency of the propionyl-CoA carboxylase enzyme encoded by PCCA and PCCB. We characterized this pathogenic pseudoexon activation event in detail and identified hnRNP A1 to be important for normal repression. The PCCA c.1285-1416A>G variation disrupts an hnRNP A1-binding splicing silencer and simultaneously creates a splicing enhancer. We demonstrate that blocking this region of regulation with splice-switching antisense oligonucleotides restores normal splicing and rescues enzyme activity in patient fibroblasts and in a cellular model created by CRISPR gene editing. Interestingly, the PCCA pseudoexon offers an unexploited potential to upregulate gene expression because healthy tissues show relatively high inclusion levels. By blocking inclusion of the nonactivated wild-type pseudoexon, we can increase both PCCA and PCCB protein levels, which increases the activity of the heterododecameric enzyme. Surprisingly, we can increase enzyme activity from residual levels in not only patient fibroblasts harboring PCCA missense variants but also those harboring PCCB missense variants. This is a potential treatment strategy for propionic acidemia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ulrika Simone Spangsberg Petersen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Maja Dembic
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Odense University Hospital, 5000 Odense C, Denmark
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Ainhoa Martínez-Pizarro
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, UAM-CSIC, CEDEM, CIBERER, IdiPaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Eva Richard
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, UAM-CSIC, CEDEM, CIBERER, IdiPaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lise Lolle Holm
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jesper Foged Havelund
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Thomas Koed Doktor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Martin Røssel Larsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Nils J. Færgeman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Lourdes Ruiz Desviat
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, UAM-CSIC, CEDEM, CIBERER, IdiPaz, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Brage Storstein Andresen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Villum Center for Bioanalytical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|