Transcriptional abnormalities in Huntington disease

Huntington disease (HD) is caused by a CAG repeat expansion that is translated into an abnormally long polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in the huntingtin protein. The precise mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration in HD have not been fully elucidated, but alterations in gene transcription could well be involved because the activities of several nuclear proteins are compromised by the polyQ mutation. Recent microarray studies also show relevant changes in gene expression profiles in HD models, providing useful information on the potential consequences of disrupted transcriptional pathways in HD.