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23 Páginas.-- 17 Figuras, PLA2G6-Associated Neurodegeneration (PLAN) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with autosomal recessive inheritance, which belongs to the NBIA (Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation) group. Although the pathogenesis of the disease remains largely unclear, lipid peroxidation seems to play a central role in the pathogenesis. Currently, there is no cure for the disease., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 and PI19/00377 grants, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDR-Unión Europea), Proyectos de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía CTS-5725 and PY18-850 and by AIDNAI (Association Internationale de Dystrophie Neuro Axonale Infantile), ENACH (Asociación de Enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro), AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial), FEDER (Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras) and Fundación MERK Salud. S. Povea-Cabello is a recipient of Ayudas para la Formación del Profesorado Universitario (FPU) from Ministerio de Universidades de España.

© 2021 by the authors., The discovery and application of antibiotics in the common clinical practice has undeniably been one of the major medical advances in our times. Their use meant a drastic drop in infectious diseases-related mortality and contributed to prolonging human life expectancy worldwide. Nevertheless, antibiotics are considered by many a double-edged sword. Their extensive use in the past few years has given rise to a global problem: antibiotic resistance. This factor and the increasing evidence that a wide range of antibiotics can damage mammalian mitochondria, have driven a significant sector of the medical and scientific communities to advise against the use of antibiotics for purposes other to treating severe infections. Notwithstanding, a notorious number of recent studies support the use of these drugs to treat very diverse conditions, ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative or mitochondrial diseases. In this context, there is great controversy on whether the risks associated to antibiotics outweigh their promising beneficial features. The aim of this review is to provide insight in the topic, purpose for which the most relevant findings regarding antibiotic therapies have been discussed., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 (2016) and FIS PI19/00377 (2019) grants, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER Unión Europea), Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. This activity has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by the Regional Ministry of Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowledge and Universities of the Junta de Andalucía, within the framework of the ERDF Andalusia operational program 2014–2020 Thematic objective “01—Reinforcement of research, technological develop-ment and innovation” through the reference research project CTS-5725 and PY18-850. We acknowledge the support of “Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario” (FPU/MINECO), AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial), ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro), FEDER (Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras), Yo Nemálínica Association, KAT6A Association, Fundación MERCK Salud and Fundación MEHUER/Colegio Oficial de Farmacéuticos de Sevilla.

16 Páginas.-- 7 Figuras, Background: Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a group of genetic neurological disorders frequently associated with iron accumulation in the basal nuclei of the brain characterized by progressive spasticity, dystonia, muscle rigidity, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and retinal degeneration or optic nerve atrophy. Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is the most widespread NBIA disorder. It is caused by mutations in the gene of pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) which catalyzes the first reaction of coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis. Thus, altered PANK2 activity is expected to induce CoA deficiency as well as low levels of essential metabolic intermediates such as 4'-phosphopantetheine which is a necessary cofactor for critical proteins involved in cytosolic and mitochondrial pathways such as fatty acid biosynthesis, mitochondrial respiratory complex I assembly and lysine and tetrahydrofolate metabolism, among other metabolic processes. Methods: In this manuscript, we examined the effect of PANK2 mutations on the expression levels of proteins with phosphopantetheine cofactors in fibroblast derived from PKAN patients. These proteins include cytosolic acyl carrier protein (ACP), which is integrated within the multifunctional polypeptide chain of the fatty acid synthase involved in cytosolic fatty acid biosynthesis type I (FASI); mitochondrial ACP (mtACP) associated with mitocondrial fatty acid biosynthesis type II (FASII); mitochondrial alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde synthase (AASS); and 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenases (cytosolic, ALD1L1, and mitochondrial, ALD1L2). Results: In PKAN fibroblasts the expression levels of cytosolic FAS and ALD1L1 were not affected while the expression levels of mtACP, AASS and ALD1L2 were markedly reduced, suggesting that 4'-phosphopantetheinylation of mitochondrial but no cytosolic proteins were markedly affected in PKAN patients. Furthermore, the correction of PANK2 expression levels by treatment with pantothenate in selected mutations with residual enzyme content was able to correct the expression levels of mitochondrial phosphopantetheinyl-proteins and restore the affected pathways. The positive effects of pantothenate in particular mutations were also corroborated in induced neurons obtained by direct reprograming of mutant PANK2 fibroblasts. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the expression levels of mitochondrial phosphopantetheinyl-proteins are severely reduced in PKAN cells and that in selected mutations pantothenate increases the expression levels of both PANK2 and mitochondrial phosphopantetheinyl-proteins associated with remarkable improvement of cell pathophysiology., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 and PI19/00377 grants, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), Proyectos de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía CTS-5725 and PY18-850 and by ENACH (Asociación de Enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro), AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial), FEDER (Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras) and Fundación MERK Salud. S. Povea-Cabello is a recipient of a PhD fellowship from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO).

© 2021 by the authors., Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 or ubiquinone) is a mobile proton and electron carrier of the mitochondrial respiratory chain with antioxidant properties widely used as an antiaging health supplement and to relieve the symptoms of many pathological conditions associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Even though the hegemony of CoQ10 in the context of antioxidant-based treatments is undeniable, the future primacy of this quinone is hindered by the promising features of its numerous analogues. Despite the unimpeachable performance of CoQ10 therapies, problems associated with their administration and intraorganismal delivery has led clinicians and scientists to search for alternative derivative molecules. Over the past few years, a wide variety of CoQ10 analogues with improved properties have been developed. These analogues conserve the antioxidant features of CoQ10 but present upgraded characteristics such as water solubility or enhanced mitochondrial accumulation. Moreover, recent studies have proven that some of these analogues might even outperform CoQ10 in the treatment of certain specific diseases. The aim of this review is to provide detailed information about these Coenzyme Q10 analogues, as well as their functionality and medical applications., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 and FIS PI19/00377 grants, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER Unión Europea), Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU), Ministerio de Ciencia e innovación; and AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).

© 2021 by the authors. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 or ubiquinone) is a mobile proton and electron carrier of the mitochondrial respiratory chain with antioxidant properties widely used as an antiaging health supplement and to relieve the symptoms of many pathological conditions associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Even though the hegemony of CoQ10 in the context of antioxidant-based treatments is undeniable, the future primacy of this quinone is hindered by the promising features of its numerous analogues. Despite the unimpeachable performance of CoQ10 therapies, problems associated with their administration and intraorganismal delivery has led clinicians and scientists to search for alternative derivative molecules. Over the past few years, a wide variety of CoQ10 analogues with improved properties have been developed. These analogues conserve the antioxidant features of CoQ10 but present upgraded characteristics such as water solubility or enhanced mitochondrial accumulation. Moreover, recent studies have proven that some of these analogues might even outperform CoQ10 in the treatment of certain specific diseases. The aim of this review is to provide detailed information about these Coenzyme Q10 analogues, as well as their functionality and medical applications. This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 and FIS PI19/00377 grants, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER Unión Europea), Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU), Ministerio de Ciencia e innovación; and AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).

© 2021 by the authors. The discovery and application of antibiotics in the common clinical practice has undeniably been one of the major medical advances in our times. Their use meant a drastic drop in infectious diseases-related mortality and contributed to prolonging human life expectancy worldwide. Nevertheless, antibiotics are considered by many a double-edged sword. Their extensive use in the past few years has given rise to a global problem: antibiotic resistance. This factor and the increasing evidence that a wide range of antibiotics can damage mammalian mitochondria, have driven a significant sector of the medical and scientific communities to advise against the use of antibiotics for purposes other to treating severe infections. Notwithstanding, a notorious number of recent studies support the use of these drugs to treat very diverse conditions, ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative or mitochondrial diseases. In this context, there is great controversy on whether the risks associated to antibiotics outweigh their promising beneficial features. The aim of this review is to provide insight in the topic, purpose for which the most relevant findings regarding antibiotic therapies have been discussed. This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 (2016) and FIS PI19/00377 (2019) grants, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER Unión Europea), Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. This activity has been co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by the Regional Ministry of Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowledge and Universities of the Junta de Andalucía, within the framework of the ERDF Andalusia operational program 2014–2020 Thematic objective “01—Reinforcement of research, technological develop-ment and innovation” through the reference research project CTS-5725 and PY18-850. We acknowledge the support of “Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario” (FPU/MINECO), AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial), ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro), FEDER (Federación Española de Enfermedades Raras), Yo Nemálínica Association, KAT6A Association, Fundación MERCK Salud and Fundación MEHUER/Colegio Oficial de Farmacéuticos de Sevilla.

© 2020 by the authors. The aim of this review is to shed light over the most recent advances in Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) applications as well as to provide detailed information about the functions of this versatile molecule, which have proven to be of great interest in the medical field. Traditionally, CoQ10 clinical use was based on its antioxidant properties; however, a wide range of highly interesting alternative functions have recently been discovered. In this line, CoQ10 has shown pain-alleviating properties in fibromyalgia patients, a membrane-stabilizing function, immune system enhancing ability, or a fundamental role for insulin sensitivity, apart from potentially beneficial properties for familial hypercholesterolemia patients. In brief, it shows a remarkable amount of functions in addition to those yet to be discovered. Despite its multiple therapeutic applications, CoQ10 is not commonly prescribed as a drug because of its low oral bioavailability, which compromises its efficacy. Hence, several formulations have been developed to face such inconvenience. These were initially designed as lipid nanoparticles for CoQ10 encapsulation and distribution through biological membranes and eventually evolved towards chemical modifications of the molecule to decrease its hydrophobicity. Some of the most promising formulations will also be discussed in this review. This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 and FIS PI19/00377 grants, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain, and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER Unión Europea), Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU), Ministerio de Ciencia e innovación, AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial), and ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).

Mitochondrial diseases are considered rare genetic disorders characterized by defects in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). They can be provoked by mutations in nuclear DNA (nDNA) or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). MERRF (Myoclonic Epilepsy with Ragged-Red Fibers) syndrome is one of the most frequent mitochondrial diseases, principally caused by the m.8344A>G mutation in mtDNA, which affects the translation of all mtDNA-encoded proteins and therefore impairs mitochondrial function. In the present work, we evaluated autophagy and mitophagy flux in transmitochondrial cybrids and fibroblasts derived from a MERRF patient, reporting that Parkin-mediated mitophagy is increased in MERRF cell cultures. Our results suggest that supplementation with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ), a component of the electron transport chain (ETC) and lipid antioxidant, prevents Parkin translocation to the mitochondria. In addition, CoQ acts as an enhancer of autophagy and mitophagy flux, which partially improves cell pathophysiology. The significance of Parkin-mediated mitophagy in cell survival was evaluated by silencing the expression of Parkin in MERRF cybrids. Our results show that mitophagy acts as a cell survival mechanism in mutant cells. To confirm these results in one of the main affected cell types in MERRF syndrome, mutant induced neurons (iNs) were generated by direct reprogramming of patients-derived skin fibroblasts. The treatment of MERRF iNs with Guttaquinon CoQ10 (GuttaQ), a water-soluble derivative of CoQ, revealed a significant improvement in cell bioenergetics. These results indicate that iNs, along with fibroblasts and cybrids, can be utilized as reliable cellular models to shed light on disease pathomechanisms as well as for drug screening., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 grant, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, “Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario” (FPU) and AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).

© 2019 by the authors., Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of cardiac deaths worldwide. Classically, atherosclerosis has been explained as a simple arterial lipid deposition with concomitant loss of vascular elasticity. Eventually, this condition can lead to consequent blood flow reduction through the affected vessel. However, numerous studies have demonstrated that more factors than lipid accumulation are involved in arterial damage at the cellular level, such as inflammation, autophagy impairment, mitochondrial dysfunction, and/or free-radical overproduction. In order to consider the correction of all of these pathological changes, new approaches in atherosclerosis treatment are necessary. Ubiquinone or coenzyme Q10 is a multifunctional molecule that could theoretically revert most of the cellular alterations found in atherosclerosis, such as cholesterol biosynthesis dysregulation, impaired autophagy flux and mitochondrial dysfunction thanks to its redox and signaling properties. In this review, we will show the latest advances in the knowledge of the relationships between coenzyme Q10 and atherosclerosis. In addition, as atherosclerosis phenotype is closely related to aging, it is reasonable to believe that coenzyme Q10 supplementation could be beneficial for both conditions., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 grant, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, “Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario” (FPU) and AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation is a broad term that describes a heterogeneous group of progressive and invalidating neurologic disorders in which iron deposits in certain brain areas, mainly the basal ganglia. The predominant clinical symptoms include spasticity, progressive dystonia, Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms, neuropsychiatric alterations, and retinal degeneration. Among the neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation disorders, the most frequent subtype is pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) caused by defects in the gene encoding the enzyme pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) which catalyzed the first reaction of the coenzyme A biosynthesis pathway. Currently there is no effective treatment to prevent the inexorable course of these disorders. The aim of this review is to open up a discussion on the utility of using cellular models derived from patients as a valuable tool for the development of precision medicine in PKAN. Recently, we have described that dermal fibroblasts obtained from PKAN patients can manifest the main pathological changes of the disease such as intracellular iron accumulation accompanied by large amounts of lipofuscin granules, mitochondrial dysfunction and a pronounced increase of markers of oxidative stress. In addition, PKAN fibroblasts showed a morphological senescence-like phenotype. Interestingly, pantothenate supplementation, the substrate of the PANK2 enzyme, corrected all pathophysiological alterations in responder PKAN fibroblasts with low/residual PANK2 enzyme expression. However, pantothenate treatment had no favourable effect on PKAN fibroblasts harbouring mutations associated with the expression of a truncated/incomplete protein. The correction of pathological alterations by pantothenate in individual mutations was also verified in induced neurons obtained by direct reprograming of PKAN fibroblasts. Our observations indicate that pantothenate supplementation can increase/stabilize the expression levels of PANK2 in specific mutations. Fibroblasts and induced neurons derived from patients can provide a useful tool for recognizing PKAN patients who can respond to pantothenate treatment. The presence of low but significant PANK2 expression which can be increased in particular mutations gives valuable information which can support the treatment with high dose of pantothenate. The evaluation of personalized treatments in vitro of fibroblasts and neuronal cells derived from PKAN patients with a wide range of pharmacological options currently available, and monitoring its effect on the pathophysiological changes, can help for a better therapeutic strategy. In addition, these cell models will be also useful for testing the efficacy of new therapeutic options developed in the future., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 grant, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), Proyectos de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía CTS-5725, and by AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de Enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro) (to JASA).

© 2020 by the authors., The aim of this review is to shed light over the most recent advances in Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) applications as well as to provide detailed information about the functions of this versatile molecule, which have proven to be of great interest in the medical field. Traditionally, CoQ10 clinical use was based on its antioxidant properties; however, a wide range of highly interesting alternative functions have recently been discovered. In this line, CoQ10 has shown pain-alleviating properties in fibromyalgia patients, a membrane-stabilizing function, immune system enhancing ability, or a fundamental role for insulin sensitivity, apart from potentially beneficial properties for familial hypercholesterolemia patients. In brief, it shows a remarkable amount of functions in addition to those yet to be discovered. Despite its multiple therapeutic applications, CoQ10 is not commonly prescribed as a drug because of its low oral bioavailability, which compromises its efficacy. Hence, several formulations have been developed to face such inconvenience. These were initially designed as lipid nanoparticles for CoQ10 encapsulation and distribution through biological membranes and eventually evolved towards chemical modifications of the molecule to decrease its hydrophobicity. Some of the most promising formulations will also be discussed in this review., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 and FIS PI19/00377 grants, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain, and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER Unión Europea), Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU), Ministerio de Ciencia e innovación, AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial), and ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).

63 Páginas; 8 Figiras; 9 Figuras suplementarias, Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal co-dominant genetic disorder characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and increased risk for premature cardiovascular disease. Here, we examined FH pathophysiology in skin fibroblasts derived from FH patients harboring heterozygous mutations in the LDL-receptor. Fibroblasts from FH patients showed a reduced LDL-uptake associated with increased intracellular cholesterol levels and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency, suggesting dysregulation of the mevalonate pathway. Secondary CoQ10 deficiency was associated with mitochondrial depolarization and mitophagy activation in FH fibroblasts. Persistent mitophagy altered autophagy flux and induced inflammasome activation accompanied by increased production of cytokines by mutant cells. All the pathological alterations in FH fibroblasts were also reproduced in a human endothelial cell line by LDL-receptor gene silencing. Both increased intracellular cholesterol and mitochondrial dysfunction in FH fibroblasts were partially restored by CoQ10 supplementation. Dysregulated mevalonate pathway in FH, including increased expression of cholesterogenic enzymes and decreased expression of CoQ10 biosynthetic enzymes, was also corrected by CoQ10 treatment. Reduced CoQ10 content and mitochondrial dysfunction may play an important role in the pathophysiology of early atherosclerosis in FH. The diagnosis of CoQ10 deficiency and mitochondrial impairment in FH patients may also be important to establish early treatment with CoQ10., This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea) under Grant PI16/00786, and by AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de Enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro). We thank Dr. Juan Bautista Lorite for his support throughout the study. In memoriam of José Villar Ortiz, Director de la Unidad de Lípidos del Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío de Sevilla.

Mitochondrial diseases are a group of rare heterogeneous genetic disorders caused by total or partial mitochondrial dysfunction. They can be caused by mutations in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). MERRF (Myoclonic Epilepsy with Ragged-Red Fibers) syndrome is one of the most common mitochondrial disorders caused by point mutations in mtDNA. It is mainly caused by the m.8344A > G mutation in the tRNALys (UUR) gene of mtDNA (MT-TK gene). This mutation affects the translation of mtDNA encoded proteins; therefore, the assembly of the electron transport chain (ETC) complexes is disrupted, leading to a reduced mitochondrial respiratory function. However, the molecular pathogenesis of MERRF syndrome remains poorly understood due to the lack of appropriate cell models, particularly in those cell types most affected in the disease such as neurons. Patient-specific induced neurons (iNs) are originated from dermal fibroblasts derived from different individuals carrying the particular mutation causing the disease. Therefore, patient-specific iNs can be used as an excellent cell model to elucidate the mechanisms underlying MERRF syndrome. Here we present for the first time the generation of iNs from MERRF dermal fibroblasts by direct reprograming, as well as a series of pathophysiological characterizations which can be used for testing the impact of a specific mtDNA mutation on neurons and screening for drugs that can correct the phenotype., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 grant, Ministerio de Sanidad, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, “Ayudas para la Formación de Profesorado Universitario” (FPU) and by AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).

50 Páginas; 9 Figuras, Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a group of inherited neurologic disorders in which iron accumulates in the basal ganglia resulting in progressive dystonia, spasticity, parkinsonism, neuropsychiatric abnormalities, and optic atrophy or retinal degeneration. The most prevalent form of NBIA is pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) associated with mutations in the gene of pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2), which is essential for coenzyme A (CoA) synthesis. There is no cure for NBIA nor is there a standard course of treatment. In the current work, we describe that fibroblasts derived from patients harbouring PANK2 mutations can reproduce many of the cellular pathological alterations found in the disease, such as intracellular iron and lipofuscin accumulation, increased oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, mutant fibroblasts showed a characteristic senescent morphology. Treatment with pantothenate, the PANK2 enzyme substrate, was able to correct all pathological alterations in responder mutant fibroblasts with residual PANK2 enzyme expression. However, pantothenate had no effect on mutant fibroblasts with truncated/incomplete protein expression. The positive effect of pantothenate in particular mutations was also confirmed in induced neurons obtained by direct reprograming of mutant fibroblasts. Our results suggest that pantothenate treatment can stabilize the expression levels of PANK2 in selected mutations. These results encourage us to propose our screening model as a quick and easy way to detect pantothenate-responder patients with PANK2 mutations. The existence of residual enzyme expression in some affected individuals raises the possibility of treatment using high dose of pantothenate., This work was supported by FIS PI16/00786 grant, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER-Unión Europea), Proyectos de Investigación de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía CTS-5725 and BIO-122, DGICYT BFU2015-64536-R, and by AEPMI (Asociación de Enfermos de Patología Mitocondrial) and ENACH (Asociación de Enfermos de Neurodegeneración con Acumulación Cerebral de Hierro).