Restoration of cytoskeleton homeostasis after gigaxonin gene transfer for giant axonal neuropathy.

Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is caused by loss of function of the gigaxonin protein. On a cellular level GAN is characterized by intermediate filament (IF) aggregation, leading to a progressive and fatal peripheral neuropathy in humans. This study sought to determine if re-introduction of the GAN gene into GAN-deficient cells and mice would restore proper cytoskeleton IF homeostasis.

Proteomic analysis in giant axonal neuropathy: new insights into disease mechanisms.

Introduction: Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is a progressive hereditary disease that affects the peripheral and central nervous systems. It is characterized morphologically by aggregates of intermediate filaments in different tissues. Mutations have been reported in the gene that codes for gigaxonin.

Giant axonal neuropathy caused by compound heterozygosity for a maternally inherited microdeletion and a paternal mutation within the GAN gene.

Different missense, nonsense and frameshift mutations in the GAN gene encoding gigaxonin have been described to cause giant axonal neuropathy, a severe early-onset progressive neurological disease with autosomal recessive inheritance. By oligonucleotide array CGH analysis, we identified a 57-131 kb microdeletion affecting this gene in a patient with developmental delay, ataxia, areflexia, macrocephaly, and strikingly frizzy hair. The microdeletion was inherited from the mother and mutation analysis revealed a paternally inherited missense mutation c.