Epilepsy is a significant health problem affecting 1% of the human population. Genome wide DNA sequencing, which is now being adopted in clinical practice, has led to the identification of an increasing number of variants a in epilepsyassociated genes. However, clinical interpretation of the new variants is challenging. Some of the variants are known to be either pathological or benign, yet a majority of gene variations have unknown functional consequence. Lack of functional annotation makes the growing number of Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUSes) being identified in genes for human diseases a significant barrier to making diagnoses and implementing therapies. Bioinformatic approaches can provide some insight into pathogenic potential of VUS alleles, but functional studies in animal model systems are needed to make definitive pathogenicity assignments. The expense and long timelines of mouse model production make the use of alternative animal models attractive. In this proposal, the C. elegans nematode is used as an alternative model capable of fast, highthroughput production and screening. Human genes can be installed as geneswap replacements of the native diseasegene homologs decoupling the need for the residue to be conserved in worms. In prior work, geneswap humanization of STXBP1 in the unc18 locus rescued severe locomotion and behavior defects present in the gene KO animals. Similarly, geneswap humanization of KCNQ2 also rescued loss of function and lead to activity restoration towards wildtype. Pathogenic variants introduced into the STXBP1 and KCNQ2 geneswap loci lead to significant disruption of activity. In this proposal, the system is expanded to address a large set of VUSes from 8 more epilepsyassociated genes covering more than 50% of the known monogenic causes of epilepsy. The result is a set of animal models for capturing the biology of novel variants and increasing diagnostic yield of clinical genomic testing. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RoyJns09p8TOCWmPbVtFoYWm2i9khfE3w_UihlNNL-o/edit#heading=h.hx89obtutlfb 2/14
Public Health Relevance Statement: 1/4/2019 epilepsome phase 1 - Jan 5, 2019 - Google Docs Narrative Many cases of Epilepsy have genetic underpinings and doctors need to understand which of the genomic defects cause disease. In this project, small animal models are humanized to express defective genes associated with epilepsy. The resulting humanized animal models and their analysis will be used in understanding of disease mechanisms and ultimately discover new therapeutics. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RoyJns09p8TOCWmPbVtFoYWm2i9khfE3w_UihlNNL-o/edit# 3/14
NIH Spending Category: Brain Disorders; Epilepsy; Genetics; Human Genome; Neurodegenerative; Neurosciences
Project Terms: Address; Adopted; Affect; Alleles; Animal Model; Animal Testing Alternatives; Animals; base; Behavior; Benign; Bioinformatics; Biological Assay; Biological Models; Biology; Caenorhabditis elegans; Clinical; clinical practice; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats; Complementary DNA; Computer software; cost; dark matter; Data; data modeling; Defect; Detection; Diagnosis; Diagnostic; Disease; DNA; DNA sequencing; Epilepsy; Exhibits; Frequencies; Gene Frequency; gene function; Generations; Genes; Genetic; Genetic screening method; Genetic Variation; Genome; genome-wide; genomic data; Genomics; Health; Human; human disease; improved; insight; Knock-out; Laboratories; Lead; Locomotion; loss of function; Measures; Mediating; Modeling; mouse model; Nematoda; new technology; novel; novel therapeutics; Orthologous Gene; Pathogenicity; Pathologic; patient screening; Patients; Phase; phenotypic data; Population; Production; Reporting; restoration; SCN8A gene; screening; Series; SLC2A1 gene; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Speed; success; System; Testing; TimeLine; Transgenes; Transgenic Organisms; UBE3A gene; Variant; variant of unknown significance; Work
