Lafora disease (LD) is a neurological disorder characterized by progressive myoclonus epilepsy. The hallmark of the disease is the presence of insoluble forms of glycogen (polyglucosan bodies, or PGBs) in the brain. The accumulation of PGBs is causative of the pathophysiological features of LD. However, despite the efforts made by different groups, the question of why PGBs accumulate in the brain is still unanswered. We have recently demonstrated that, in vivo, astrocytes accumulate most of the PGBs present in the brain, and this could lead to astrocyte dysfunction. To develop a deeper understanding of the defects present in LD astrocytes that lead to LD pathophysiology, we obtained pure primary cultures of astrocytes from LD mice from the postnatal stage under conditions that accumulate PGBs, the hallmark of LD. These cells serve as novel in vitro models for studying PGBs accumulation and related LD dysfunctions. In this sense, the metabolomics of LD astrocytes indicate that they accumulate metabolic intermediates of the upper part of the glycolytic pathway, probably as a consequence of enhanced glucose uptake. In addition, we also demonstrate the feasibility of using the model in the identification of different compounds that may reduce the accumulation of polyglucosan inclusions.
Keywords: Lafora disease; astrocytes; disease cellular model; polyglucosan accumulation.