Gene therapy for Lafora disease in the Epm2a mouse model
Luis Zafra‐Puerta, Nerea Iglesias‐Cabeza, Daniel F. Burgos, Miriam Sciaccaluga, Juan González‐Fernández, Laura Bellingacci, Jacopo Canonichesi, Gema Sánchez‐Martín, Cinzia Costa, Marina P. Sánchez, José M. Serratosa
Abstract
knockout mouse model of Lafora disease to apply gene therapy by administering intracerebroventricular injections of a recombinant adeno-associated virus carrying the human EPM2A gene. We evaluated the effects of this treatment through neuropathological studies, behavioral tests, video-electroencephalography, electrophysiological recordings, and proteomic/phosphoproteomic analysis. Gene therapy ameliorated neurological and histopathological alterations, reduced epileptic activity and neuronal hyperexcitability, and decreased the formation of Lafora bodies. Moreover, differential quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics revealed beneficial changes in various molecular pathways altered in Lafora disease. Our results represent proof of principle for gene therapy with the coding region of the human EPM2A gene as a treatment for EPM2A-related Lafora disease.