Therapeutic targeting of Lyn kinase to treat chorea-acanthocytosis

Kevin Peikert, Enrica Federti, Alessandro Matte, Gabriela Constantin, Enrica Caterina Pietronigro, Paolo Francesco Fabene, Paola Defilippi, Emilia Turco, Federico Del Gallo, Pietro Pucci, Angela Amoresano, Anna Illiano, Flora Cozzolino, Maria Monti, Francesca Garello, Enzo Terreno, Seth Leo Alper, Hannes Glaß, Lisann Pelzl, Katja AkgünTjalf Ziemssen, Rainer Ordemann, Florian Lang, Anna Maria Brunati, Elena Tibaldi, Immacolata Andolfo, Achille Iolascon, Giuseppe Bertini, Mario Buffelli, Carlo Zancanaro, Erika Lorenzetto, Angela Siciliano, Massimiliano Bonifacio, Adrian Danek, Ruth Helen Walker, Andreas Hermann, Lucia De Franceschi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Chorea-Acanthocytosis (ChAc) is a devastating, little understood, and currently untreatable neurodegenerative disease caused by VPS13A mutations. Based on our recent demonstration that accumulation of activated Lyn tyrosine kinase is a key pathophysiological event in human ChAc cells, we took advantage of Vps13a−/− mice, which phenocopied human ChAc. Using proteomic approach, we found accumulation of active Lyn, γ-synuclein and phospho-tau proteins in Vps13a−/− basal ganglia secondary to impaired autophagy leading to neuroinflammation. Mice double knockout Vps13a−/− Lyn−/− showed normalization of red cell morphology and improvement of autophagy in basal ganglia. We then in vivo tested pharmacologic inhibitors of Lyn: dasatinib and nilotinib. Dasatinib failed to cross the mouse brain blood barrier (BBB), but the more specific Lyn kinase inhibitor nilotinib, crosses the BBB. Nilotinib ameliorates both Vps13a−/− hematological and neurological phenotypes, improving autophagy and preventing neuroinflammation. Our data support the proposal to repurpose nilotinib as new therapeutic option for ChAc patients.

Original languageEnglish
Article number81
JournalActa neuropathologica communications
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2021

Keywords

  • Basal ganglia
  • Cell signaling
  • Chorein
  • Lyn
  • Neurodegeneration

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