Mitochondrial toxins cause widespread downregulation of pathways in X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism patient-derived neurons

The genetic mechanism underlying the neurodegenerative movement disorder X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP) involves a retrotransposon insertion within the TAF1 gene. TAF1 encodes the TATA-box binding protein-associated factor 1, the largest subunit of the basal transcription factor TFIID, which connects transcription activation to the assembly of the RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex at the core promoter of genes. This study investigated how the TAF1 mutation affects the transcriptomes of XDP patient-derived neurons under basal conditions and in response to mitochondrial toxins.