Treatment with IFB-088 improves neuropathy in CMT1A and CMT1B mice

Charcot Marie Tooth diseases type 1A (CMT1A), caused by duplication of Peripheral Myelin Protein 22 ( PMP22 ) gene, and CMT1B, caused by mutations in myelin protein zero ( MPZ ) gene are the two most common forms of demyelinating CMT (CMT1) and no treatments are available for either. Prior studies of the Mpz Ser63del mouse model of CMT1B have demonstrated that protein misfolding, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) contributed to the neuropathy. Heterozygous patients with an arginine to cysteine mutation in MPZ ( MPZ R98C) develop a severe infantile form of CMT1B which is modeled by Mpz R98C/+ mice that also show ER-stress and an activated UPR. C3-PMP22 mice are considered to effectively model CMT1A. Altered proteostasis, ER-stress and activation of the UPR have been demonstrated in mice carrying Pmp22 mutations. To determine whether enabling the ER-stress/UPR and readjusting protein homeostasis would effectively treat these models of CMT1B and CMT1A we administered Sephin1/IFB-088/icerguestat, a UPR modulator which showed efficacy in the MpzS63del model of CMT1B, to heterozygous Mpz R98C and C3-PMP22 mice. Mice were analyzed by behavioral, neurophysiological, morphological and biochemical measures. Both Mpz R98C/+ and C3-PMP22 mice improved in motor function and neurophysiology. Myelination, as demonstrated by g-ratios and myelin thickness, improved in CMT1B and CMT1A mice and markers of UPR activation returned towards wild type values. Taken together our results demonstrate the capability of IFB-088 to treat a second mouse model of CMT1B and a mouse model of CMT1A, the most common form of CMT. Given the recent benefits of IFB-088 treatment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Multiple Sclerosis animal models, these data demonstrate its potential in managing UPR and ER-stress for multiple mutations in CMT1 as well as in other neurodegenerative diseases.