The disease is caused by a de novo heterozygous dominant mutation in the LMNA gene (encoding nuclear A-type lamins), most frequently the single base substitution c.1824C>T (p.Gly608Gly) (“classic HGPS”, in ~90% of patients). This synonymous mutation activates an alternative splice donor site in LMNA exon 11, which produces an aberrant mRNA lacking 150 nucleotides (LMNAΔ150) that translates into a truncated version of prelamin A called progerin. The C-terminal end of progerin lacks the cleavage site for the endoprotease ZMPSTE24; therefore, progerin remains irreversibly farnesylated and methylated and exerts a dominant-negative damaging effect. Progerin accumulation causes multiple alterations in cells, including aberrant nuclear morphology, severe heterochromatin loss, mislocalization and loss of chromatin-associated proteins and DNA damage repair proteins, and telomere and mitochondrial dysfunction, among other alterations, which ultimately cause cell senescence and eventually cell death.
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) (OMIM 176670), also known as Progeria, is an ultrarare rare (prevalence 1 in 18-20 million) genetic pediatric disorder characterized by segmental severe premature aging and early death (average lifespan 14.5 years), and for which no cure exists.
The disease is caused by a de novo heterozygous dominant mutation in the LMNA gene (encoding nuclear A-type lamins), most frequently the single base substitution c.1824C>T (p.Gly608Gly) (“classic HGPS”, in ~90% of patients).
For reasons that remain unknown and unpredictable, HGPS progression shows high inter-individual variability (eg, lifespan in HGPS patients ranges from 6 to 20 years).
While previous studies have applied several high-throughput omics modalities in progerin-expressing animal models and human cells for the unbiased identification of disease biomarkers…
To thoroughly phenotype WT and HGPS mice at early and intermediate disease stages and collect tissues for multi-omics studies in WP3-WP7
To identify non-invasive multimodal imaging biomarkers associated with the presence of HGPS clinical signs and their progression in mice
To identify alterations in RNA expression (miRNA, LncRNA, cRNA & mRNA) associated with the presence of HGPS clinical signs and their progression in mice
To identify by single-cell analysis epigenetic profiles associated with the presence of HGPS clinical signs and their progression in mice
To identify protein alterations associated with the presence of HGPS clinical signs and their progression in mice
To identify metabolite perturbations associated with the presence of HGPS clinical signs and their progression in mice
Use bioinformatics tools to integrate mouse phenotypic data (WP1-2) and omics data (WP3-6) to identify biomarkers of HGPS presence and progression with potential clinical value
To validate the candidate mouse biomarkers identified in WP7 in human plasma and PBMCs from HGPS patients
To maximize the communication, dissemination, and exploitation of results generated in ProgerOmics
To coordinate and manage ProgerOmics and prepare and submit reports