Rescue of ATP7B function in hepatocyte-like cells from Wilson's disease induced pluripotent stem cells using gene therapy or the chaperone drug curcumin

Hum Mol Genet. 2011 Aug 15;20(16):3176-87. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddr223. Epub 2011 May 18.

Abstract

Directed hepatocyte differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) potentially provides a unique platform for modeling liver genetic diseases and performing drug-toxicity screening in vitro. Wilson's disease is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the ATP7B gene, whose product is a liver transporter protein responsible for coordinated copper export into bile and blood. Interestingly, the spectrum of ATP7B mutations is vast and can influence clinical presentation (a variable spectrum of hepatic and neural manifestations), though the reason is not well understood. We describe the generation of iPSCs from a Chinese patient with Wilson's disease that bears the R778L Chinese hotspot mutation in the ATP7B gene. These iPSCs were pluripotent and could be readily differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells that displayed abnormal cytoplasmic localization of mutated ATP7B and defective copper transport. Moreover, gene correction using a self-inactivating lentiviral vector that expresses codon optimized-ATP7B or treatment with the chaperone drug curcumin could reverse the functional defect in vitro. Hence, our work describes an attractive model for studying the pathogenesis of Wilson's disease that is valuable for screening compounds or gene therapy approaches aimed to correct the abnormality. In the future, once relevant safety concerns (including the stability of the mature liver-like phenotype) and technical issues for the transplantation procedure are solved, hepatocyte-like cells from similarly genetically corrected iPSCs could be an option for autologous transplantation in Wilson's disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / genetics*
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / metabolism
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases / therapeutic use
  • Base Sequence
  • Cation Transport Proteins / genetics*
  • Cation Transport Proteins / metabolism
  • Cation Transport Proteins / therapeutic use
  • Copper / metabolism
  • Copper-Transporting ATPases
  • Curcumin / therapeutic use*
  • Genetic Therapy*
  • Hepatocytes / metabolism*
  • Hepatolenticular Degeneration / drug therapy*
  • Hepatolenticular Degeneration / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Chaperones / therapeutic use
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Protein Transport
  • Subcellular Fractions / metabolism

Substances

  • Cation Transport Proteins
  • Molecular Chaperones
  • Copper
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases
  • ATP7B protein, human
  • Copper-Transporting ATPases
  • Curcumin