Human Molecular Genetics, 2015, Vol. 24, No. 5 1420–1431 doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddu556 Advance Access Publication Date: 4 November 2014 Original Article ORIGINAL ARTICLE Intermediate filament protein accumulation in motor neurons derived from giant axonal neuropathy iPSCs rescued by restoration of gigaxonin Bethany L. Johnson-Kerner1,2,3,4,†, Faizzan S. Ahmad10,‡,¶, Alejandro Garcia Diaz1, John Palmer Greene1, Steven J. Gray7, Richard Jude Samulski7, Wendy K. Chung6, Rudy Van Coster8, Paul Maertens9, Scott A. Noggle10, Christopher E. Henderson1,2,3,4,5, and Hynek Wichterle1,2,3,4,* 1Project A.L.S./Jenifer Estess Laboratory for Stem Cell Research, New York, NY 10032, USA, 2Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, 3Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neurology, and Neuroscience, 4Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, 5Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, 6Department of Pediatrics and Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA, 7Gene Therapy Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 8Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology and Metabolism, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium, 9Departments of Pediatric Neurology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA, and 10New York Stem Cell Foundation, New York, NY 10032, USA *To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 2123423929; Fax: +1 2123421555; Email:
[email protected] Abstract Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by autosomal recessive mutations in the GAN gene resulting in a loss of a ubiquitously expressed protein, gigaxonin. Gene replacement therapy is a promising strategy for treatment of the disease; however, the effectiveness and safety of gigaxonin reintroduction have not been tested in human GAN nerve cells.