Enhancing Glucose Metabolism via Gluconeogenesis Is Therapeutic in a Zebrafish Model of Dravet Syndrome

Authors

Rajeswari Banerji
Christopher Huynh
Francisco Figueroa
Matthew T Dinday
Scott C Baraban
Manisha Patel

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Journal

Brain Communications

DOI

10.1093/braincomms/fcab004

PMID

33842883

PMCID

PMC8023476

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

1-25-2021

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

epilepsy, gluconeogenesis, metabolism, mitochondria, zebrafish

Abstract

Energy-producing pathways are novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we focussed on correcting metabolic defects in a catastrophic paediatric epilepsy, Dravet syndrome which is caused by mutations in sodium channel NaV1.1 gene, SCN1A. We utilized a translatable zebrafish model of Dravet syndrome (scn1lab) which exhibits key characteristics of patients with Dravet syndrome and shows metabolic deficits accompanied by down-regulation of gluconeogenesis genes, pck1 and pck2. Using a metabolism-based small library screen, we identified compounds that increased gluconeogenesis via up-regulation of pck1 gene expression in scn1lab larvae. Treatment with PK11195, a pck1 activator and a translocator protein ligand, normalized dys-regulated glucose levels, metabolic deficits, translocator protein expression and significantly decreased electrographic seizures in mutant larvae. Inhibition of pck1 in wild-type larvae mimicked metabolic and behaviour defects observed in scn1lab mutants. Together, this suggests that correcting dys-regulated metabolic pathways can be therapeutic in neurodevelopmental disorders such as Dravet syndrome arising from ion channel dysfunction.

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