Neuronal Ablation of CoA Synthase Causes Motor Deficits, Iron Dyshomeostasis, and Mitochondrial Dysfunctions in a CoPAN Mouse Model

• Main Authors: Ivano Di Meo, Chiara Cavestro, Silvia Pedretti, Tingting Fu, Simona Ligorio, Antonello Manocchio, Lucrezia Lavermicocca, Paolo Santambrogio, Maddalena Ripamonti, Sonia Levi, Sophie Ayciriex, Nico Mitro, Valeria Tiranti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: neurodegeneration; CoPAN (COASY protein-associated neurodegeneration); NBIA (neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation); coenzyme A; iron; mitochondria
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/24/9707

COASY protein-associated neurodegeneration (CoPAN) is a rare but devastating genetic autosomal recessive disorder of inborn error of CoA metabolism, which shares with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) similar features, such as dystonia, parkinsonian traits, cognitive impairment, axonal neuropathy, and brain iron accumulation. These two disorders are part of the big group of neurodegenerations with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) for which no effective treatment is available at the moment. To date, the lack of a mammalian model, fully recapitulating the human disorder, has prevented the elucidation of pathogenesis and the development of therapeutic approaches. To gain new insights into the mechanisms linking CoA metabolism, iron dyshomeostasis, and neurodegeneration, we generated and characterized the first CoPAN disease mammalian model. Since CoA is a crucial metabolite, constitutive ablation of the <i>Coasy</i> gene is incompatible with life. On the contrary, a conditional neuronal-specific <i>Coasy</i> knock-out mouse model consistently developed a severe early onset neurological phenotype characterized by sensorimotor defects and dystonia-like movements, leading to premature death. For the first time, we highlighted defective brain iron homeostasis, elevation of iron, calcium, and magnesium, together with mitochondrial dysfunction. Surprisingly, total brain CoA levels were unchanged, and no signs of neurodegeneration were present.