Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2023 Dec;2(12):1246-1261. doi: 10.1038/s44161-023-00370-3. Epub 2023 Dec 7.
ABSTRACT
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a fatal genetic heart disease characterized by cardiac arrhythmias, in which fibrofatty deposition leads to heart failure, with no effective treatments. Plakophilin 2 (PKP2) is the most frequently mutated gene in ARVC, and although altered RNA splicing has been implicated, there are no models to study its effect and therapeutics. Here, we generate a mouse model harboring a PKP2 mutation (IVS10-1G>C) affecting RNA splicing, recapitulating ARVC features and sudden death starting at 4 weeks. Administering AAV-PKP2 gene therapy (adeno-associated viral therapy to drive cardiac expression of PKP2) to neonatal mice restored PKP2 protein levels, completely preventing cardiac desmosomal and pathological deficits associated with ARVC, ensuring 100% survival of mice up to 6 months. Late-stage AAV-PKP2 administration rescued desmosomal protein deficits and reduced pathological deficits including improved cardiac function in adult mice, resulting in 100% survival up to 4 months. We suggest that AAV-PKP2 gene therapy holds promise for circumventing ARVC associated with PKP2 mutations, including splice site mutations.
PMID:39196150 | DOI:10.1038/s44161-023-00370-3
