AAGGG repeat expansions trigger RFC1-independent synaptic dysregulation in human CANVAS Neurons

Cerebellar ataxia with neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS) is a late onset, recessively inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by biallelic, non-reference pentameric AAGGG(CCCTT) repeat expansions within the second intron of replication factor complex subunit 1 (RFC1). To investigate how these repeats cause disease, we generated CANVAS patient induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neurons (iNeurons) and utilized calcium imaging and transcriptomic analysis to define repeat-elicited gain-of-function and loss-of-function contributions to neuronal toxicity. AAGGG repeat expansions do not alter neuronal RFC1 splicing, expression, or DNA repair pathway functions. In reporter assays, AAGGG repeats are translated into pentapeptide repeat proteins that selectively accumulate in CANVAS patient brains. However, neither these proteins nor repeat RNA foci were detected in iNeurons, and overexpression of these repeats in isolation did not induce neuronal toxicity. CANVAS iNeurons exhibit defects in neuronal development and diminished synaptic connectivity that is rescued by CRISPR deletion of a single expanded allele. These phenotypic deficits were not replicated by knockdown of RFC1 in control neurons and were not rescued by ectopic expression of RFC1. These findings support a repeat-dependent but RFC1-independent cause of neuronal dysfunction in CANVAS, with important implications for therapeutic development in this currently untreatable condition.