Conditional gene targeting of an X-linked activator of cytochrome c: modelling of an infantile cardiomyopathy. [ 2000 - 2002 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Timothy Cox (Principal investigator)

Brief description Irregularities in heart rhythms are a significant cause of sudden and unexpected death in infants. The past few years has seen a dramatic increase in the identification of genetic abnormalities underlying such irregularities. In particular, a significant proportion of these abnormalities (known as mitochondriopathies) have been shown to be due to deficiencies or defects in the mitochondrial DNA, which encodes some of the components necessary for the generation of cellular energy stores. In contrast, surprisingly few examples exist where this type of disorder has been shown to be due to a defect in the DNA from the nucleus, despite the numerous components it encodes. We have strong genetic and biochemical evidence to suggest that a new gene (encoded by the nuclear DNA) underlies the sex-linked disorder, oncocytic cardiomyopathy, the major clinical features of which are sudden and irregular heart rhythms usually causing death in female infants before the age of two years. We will utilise a new and powerful genetic technique to reproduce the disorder in laboratory mice to enable a thorough investigation into how the disease manifests itself. It is hoped that this disease model will provide valuable clues towards our understanding of other disorders with sudden heart rhythm abnormalities. It may also give additional support to the likelihood that similar nuclear-encoded defects contribute to the prevalence of, and-or susceptibility to, sudden infant mortality. The novel approach taken will also, for the first time, directly investigate the mechanisms that govern the severity of presentation of the disease in females. These studies will also complement other biochemical studies that are ongoing in our laboratory and will likely have implications for the clinical presentation of numerous other X-linked genetic disorders.

Funding Amount $AUD 183,266.40

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant