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Su Z, Dong Y, Sun J, Wu Y, Wei Q, Liang Y, Lin Z, Li Y, Shen L, Xi C, Wu L, Xu Y, Liu Y, Yin J, Wang H, Shi K, Le R, Gao S, Xu X. RNA m 6A modification regulates cell fate transition between pluripotent stem cells and 2-cell-like cells. Cell Prolif 2024:e13696. [PMID: 38952035 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) exerts essential roles in early embryos, especially in the maternal-to-zygotic transition stage. However, the landscape and roles of RNA m6A modification during the transition between pluripotent stem cells and 2-cell-like (2C-like) cells remain elusive. Here, we utilised ultralow-input RNA m6A immunoprecipitation to depict the dynamic picture of transcriptome-wide m6A modifications during 2C-like transitions. We found that RNA m6A modification was preferentially enriched in zygotic genome activation (ZGA) transcripts and MERVL with high expression levels in 2C-like cells. During the exit of the 2C-like state, m6A facilitated the silencing of ZGA genes and MERVL. Notably, inhibition of m6A methyltransferase METTL3 and m6A reader protein IGF2BP2 is capable of significantly delaying 2C-like state exit and expanding 2C-like cells population. Together, our study reveals the critical roles of RNA m6A modification in the transition between 2C-like and pluripotent states, facilitating the study of totipotency and cell fate decision in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongqu Su
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Bioengineering and Disease Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Dong
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiatong Sun
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - You Wu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingqing Wei
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Bioengineering and Disease Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China
| | - Yuwei Liang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiyi Lin
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yujun Li
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Shen
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenxiang Xi
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Wu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiliang Xu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Bioengineering and Disease Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingdong Liu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiqing Yin
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kerong Shi
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Bioengineering and Disease Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, Shandong, China
| | - Rongrong Le
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaorong Gao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaocui Xu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cells, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Nunes AM, Ramirez MM, Garcia-Collazo E, Jones TI, Jones PL. Muscle eosinophilia is a hallmark of chronic disease in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:872-883. [PMID: 38340007 PMCID: PMC11070135 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddae019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a progressive myopathy caused by the aberrant increased expression of the DUX4 retrogene in skeletal muscle cells. The DUX4 gene encodes a transcription factor that functions in zygotic genome activation and then is silenced in most adult somatic tissues. DUX4 expression in FSHD disrupts normal muscle cell function; however, the downstream pathogenic mechanisms are still unclear. Histologically, FSHD affected muscles show a characteristic dystrophic phenotype that is often accompanied by a pronounced immune cell infiltration, but the role of the immune system in FSHD is not understood. Previously, we used ACTA1;FLExDUX4 FSHD-like mouse models varying in severity as discovery tools to identify increased Interleukin 6 and microRNA-206 levels as serum biomarkers for FSHD disease severity. In this study, we use the ACTA1;FLExDUX4 chronic FSHD-like mouse model to provide insight into the immune response to DUX4 expression in skeletal muscles. We demonstrate that these FSHD-like muscles are enriched with the chemoattractant eotaxin and the cytotoxic eosinophil peroxidase, and exhibit muscle eosinophilia. We further identified muscle fibers with positive staining for eosinophil peroxidase in human FSHD muscle. Our data supports that skeletal muscle eosinophilia is a hallmark of FSHD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia M Nunes
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Monique M Ramirez
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Enrique Garcia-Collazo
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Takako Iida Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
| | - Peter L Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno, NV 89557, United States
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Kong X, Nguyen NV, Li Y, Sakr JS, Williams K, Sharifi S, Chau J, Bayrakci A, Mizuno S, Takahashi S, Kiyono T, Tawil R, Mortazavi A, Yokomori K. Engineered FSHD mutations results in D4Z4 heterochromatin disruption and feedforward DUX4 network activation. iScience 2024; 27:109357. [PMID: 38510139 PMCID: PMC10951985 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is linked to contraction of D4Z4 repeats on chromosome 4q with SMCHD1 mutations acting as a disease modifier. D4Z4 heterochromatin disruption and abnormal upregulation of the transcription factor DUX4, encoded in the D4Z4 repeat, are the hallmarks of FSHD. However, defining the precise effect of D4Z4 contraction has been difficult because D4Z4 repeats are primate-specific and DUX4 expression is very rare in highly heterogeneous patient myocytes. We generated isogenic mutant cell lines harboring D4Z4 and/or SMCHD1 mutations in a healthy human skeletal myoblast line. We found that the mutations affect D4Z4 heterochromatin differently, and that SMCHD1 mutation or disruption of DNA methylation stabilizes otherwise variegated DUX4 target activation in D4Z4 contraction mutant cells, demonstrating the critical role of modifiers. Our study revealed amplification of the DUX4 signal through downstream targets, H3.X/Y and LEUTX. Our results provide important insights into how rare DUX4 expression leads to FSHD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangduo Kong
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Nam Viet Nguyen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yumeng Li
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jasmine Shaaban Sakr
- Department of Development and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kate Williams
- Department of Development and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sheila Sharifi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Chau
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Altay Bayrakci
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Satoru Takahashi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Tohru Kiyono
- Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Rabi Tawil
- Neuromuscular Disease Unit, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Development and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kyoko Yokomori
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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Sun C, Serra C, Kalicharan BH, Harding J, Rao M. Challenges and Considerations of Preclinical Development for iPSC-Based Myogenic Cell Therapy. Cells 2024; 13:596. [PMID: 38607035 PMCID: PMC11011706 DOI: 10.3390/cells13070596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell therapies derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a promising avenue in the field of regenerative medicine due to iPSCs' expandability, immune compatibility, and pluripotent potential. An increasing number of preclinical and clinical trials have been carried out, exploring the application of iPSC-based therapies for challenging diseases, such as muscular dystrophies. The unique syncytial nature of skeletal muscle allows stem/progenitor cells to integrate, forming new myonuclei and restoring the expression of genes affected by myopathies. This characteristic makes genome-editing techniques especially attractive in these therapies. With genetic modification and iPSC lineage specification methodologies, immune-compatible healthy iPSC-derived muscle cells can be manufactured to reverse the progression of muscle diseases or facilitate tissue regeneration. Despite this exciting advancement, much of the development of iPSC-based therapies for muscle diseases and tissue regeneration is limited to academic settings, with no successful clinical translation reported. The unknown differentiation process in vivo, potential tumorigenicity, and epigenetic abnormality of transplanted cells are preventing their clinical application. In this review, we give an overview on preclinical development of iPSC-derived myogenic cell transplantation therapies including processes related to iPSC-derived myogenic cells such as differentiation, scaling-up, delivery, and cGMP compliance. And we discuss the potential challenges of each step of clinical translation. Additionally, preclinical model systems for testing myogenic cells intended for clinical applications are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congshan Sun
- Vita Therapeutics, Baltimore, MD 21043, USA (M.R.)
| | - Carlo Serra
- Department of Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | | | - Mahendra Rao
- Vita Therapeutics, Baltimore, MD 21043, USA (M.R.)
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Nguyen TH, Limpens M, Bouhmidi S, Paprzycki L, Legrand A, Declèves AE, Heher P, Belayew A, Banerji CRS, Zammit PS, Tassin A. The DUX4-HIF1α Axis in Murine and Human Muscle Cells: A Link More Complex Than Expected. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3327. [PMID: 38542301 PMCID: PMC10969790 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25063327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
FacioScapuloHumeral muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most prevalent inherited muscle disorders and is linked to the inappropriate expression of the DUX4 transcription factor in skeletal muscles. The deregulated molecular network causing FSHD muscle dysfunction and pathology is not well understood. It has been shown that the hypoxia response factor HIF1α is critically disturbed in FSHD and has a major role in DUX4-induced cell death. In this study, we further explored the relationship between DUX4 and HIF1α. We found that the DUX4 and HIF1α link differed according to the stage of myogenic differentiation and was conserved between human and mouse muscle. Furthermore, we found that HIF1α knockdown in a mouse model of DUX4 local expression exacerbated DUX4-mediated muscle fibrosis. Our data indicate that the suggested role of HIF1α in DUX4 toxicity is complex and that targeting HIF1α might be challenging in the context of FSHD therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy-Hang Nguyen
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Maelle Limpens
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Sihame Bouhmidi
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Lise Paprzycki
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Alexandre Legrand
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Anne-Emilie Declèves
- Department of Metabolic and Molecular Biochemistry, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Philipp Heher
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Alexandra Belayew
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Christopher R. S. Banerji
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, The British Library, London NW1 2DB, UK
| | - Peter S. Zammit
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Alexandra Tassin
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
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Lemmers RJLF, Butterfield R, van der Vliet PJ, de Bleecker JL, van der Pol L, Dunn DM, Erasmus CE, D'Hooghe M, Verhoeven K, Balog J, Bigot A, van Engelen B, Statland J, Bugiardini E, van der Stoep N, Evangelista T, Marini-Bettolo C, van den Bergh P, Tawil R, Voermans NC, Vissing J, Weiss RB, van der Maarel SM. Autosomal dominant in cis D4Z4 repeat array duplication alleles in facioscapulohumeral dystrophy. Brain 2024; 147:414-426. [PMID: 37703328 PMCID: PMC10834250 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) has a unique genetic aetiology resulting in partial chromatin relaxation of the D4Z4 macrosatellite repeat array on 4qter. This D4Z4 chromatin relaxation facilitates inappropriate expression of the transcription factor DUX4 in skeletal muscle. DUX4 is encoded by a retrogene that is embedded within the distal region of the D4Z4 repeat array. In the European population, the D4Z4 repeat array is usually organized in a single array that ranges between 8 and 100 units. D4Z4 chromatin relaxation and DUX4 derepression in FSHD is most often caused by repeat array contraction to 1-10 units (FSHD1) or by a digenic mechanism requiring pathogenic variants in a D4Z4 chromatin repressor like SMCHD1, combined with a repeat array between 8 and 20 units (FSHD2). With a prevalence of 1.5% in the European population, in cis duplications of the D4Z4 repeat array, where two adjacent D4Z4 arrays are interrupted by a spacer sequence, are relatively common but their relationship to FSHD is not well understood. In cis duplication alleles were shown to be pathogenic in FSHD2 patients; however, there is inconsistent evidence for the necessity of an SMCHD1 mutation for disease development. To explore the pathogenic nature of these alleles we compared in cis duplication alleles in FSHD patients with or without pathogenic SMCHD1 variant. For both groups we showed duplication-allele-specific DUX4 expression. We studied these alleles in detail using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-based Southern blotting and molecular combing, emphasizing the challenges in the characterization of these rearrangements. Nanopore sequencing was instrumental to study the composition and methylation of the duplicated D4Z4 repeat arrays and to identify the breakpoints and the spacer sequence between the arrays. By comparing the composition of the D4Z4 repeat array of in cis duplication alleles in both groups, we found that specific combinations of proximal and distal repeat array sizes determine their pathogenicity. Supported by our algorithm to predict pathogenicity, diagnostic laboratories should now be furnished to accurately interpret these in cis D4Z4 repeat array duplications, alleles that can easily be missed in routine settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J L F Lemmers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Patrick J van der Vliet
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ludo van der Pol
- University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 EA, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Diane M Dunn
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Corrie E Erasmus
- Neuromuscular Centre Nijmegen, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marc D'Hooghe
- Department of Neurology, Algemeen Ziekenhuis Sint-Jan, 8000, Brugge, Belgium
| | - Kristof Verhoeven
- Department of Neurology, Algemeen Ziekenhuis Sint-Jan, 8000, Brugge, Belgium
| | - Judit Balog
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Bigot
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm UMRS974, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Baziel van Engelen
- Neuromuscular Centre Nijmegen, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Enrico Bugiardini
- National Hospital For Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - Nienke van der Stoep
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Teresinha Evangelista
- Unité de Morphologie Neuromusculaire, Institut de Myologie, AP-HP, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Chiara Marini-Bettolo
- The John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | | | - Rabi Tawil
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, NY 14642, Rochester, USA
| | - Nicol C Voermans
- Neuromuscular Centre Nijmegen, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - John Vissing
- Department of Neurology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Robert B Weiss
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Silvère M van der Maarel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
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7
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Engquist EN, Greco A, Joosten LAB, van Engelen BGM, Zammit PS, Banerji CRS. FSHD muscle shows perturbation in fibroadipogenic progenitor cells, mitochondrial function and alternative splicing independently of inflammation. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:182-197. [PMID: 37856562 PMCID: PMC10772042 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a prevalent, incurable myopathy. FSHD is highly heterogeneous, with patients following a variety of clinical trajectories, complicating clinical trials. Skeletal muscle in FSHD undergoes fibrosis and fatty replacement that can be accelerated by inflammation, adding to heterogeneity. Well controlled molecular studies are thus essential to both categorize FSHD patients into distinct subtypes and understand pathomechanisms. Here, we further analyzed RNA-sequencing data from 24 FSHD patients, each of whom donated a biopsy from both a non-inflamed (TIRM-) and inflamed (TIRM+) muscle, and 15 FSHD patients who donated peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMCs), alongside non-affected control individuals. Differential gene expression analysis identified suppression of mitochondrial biogenesis and up-regulation of fibroadipogenic progenitor (FAP) gene expression in FSHD muscle, which was particularly marked on inflamed samples. PBMCs demonstrated suppression of antigen presentation in FSHD. Gene expression deconvolution revealed FAP expansion as a consistent feature of FSHD muscle, via meta-analysis of 7 independent transcriptomic datasets. Clustering of muscle biopsies separated patients in an unbiased manner into clinically mild and severe subtypes, independently of known disease modifiers (age, sex, D4Z4 repeat length). Lastly, the first genome-wide analysis of alternative splicing in FSHD muscle revealed perturbation of autophagy, BMP2 and HMGB1 signalling. Overall, our findings reveal molecular subtypes of FSHD with clinical relevance and identify novel pathomechanisms for this highly heterogeneous condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise N Engquist
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Greco
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6525 GA, The Netherlands
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS) and Radboud Center of Infectious Diseases (RCI), Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, Nijmegen 6525 GA, The Netherlands
| | - Leo A B Joosten
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS) and Radboud Center of Infectious Diseases (RCI), Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, Nijmegen 6525 GA, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Genetics, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Baziel G M van Engelen
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6525 GA, The Netherlands
| | - Peter S Zammit
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher R S Banerji
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
- The Alan Turing Institute, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB, United Kingdom
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8
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Guruju NM, Jump V, Lemmers R, Van Der Maarel S, Liu R, Nallamilli BR, Shenoy S, Chaubey A, Koppikar P, Rose R, Khadilkar S, Hegde M. Molecular Diagnosis of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy in Patients Clinically Suspected of FSHD Using Optical Genome Mapping. Neurol Genet 2023; 9:e200107. [PMID: 38021397 PMCID: PMC10664978 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000200107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Background and Objectives Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) represents the third most common muscular dystrophy in the general population and is characterized by progressive and often asymmetric muscle weakness of the face, upper extremities, arms, lower leg, and hip girdle. In FSHD type 1, contraction of the number of D4Z4 repeats to 1-10 on the chromosome 4-permissive allele (4qA) results in abnormal epigenetic derepression of the DUX4 gene in skeletal muscle. In FSHD type 2, epigenetic derepression of the DUX4 gene on the permissive allele (4qA) with normal-sized D4Z4 repeats (mostly 8-20) is caused by heterozygous pathogenic variants in chromatin modifier genes such as SMCHD1, DNMT3B, or LRIF1. We present validation of the optical genome mapping (OGM) platform for accurate mapping of the D4Z4 repeat size, followed by diagnostic testing of 547 cases with a suspected clinical diagnosis of FSHD and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the SMCHD1 gene to identify cases with FSHD2. Methods OGM with Bionano Genomics Saphyr and EnFocus FSHD analysis software was used to identify FSHD haplotypes and D4Z4 repeat number and compared with the gold standard of Southern blot-based diagnosis. A custom Agilent SureSelect enrichment kit was used to enrich SMCHD1, followed by NGS on an Illumina system with 100-bp paired-end reads. Copy number variants were assessed using NxClinical software. Results We performed OGM for the diagnosis of FSHD in 547 patients suspected of FSHD between December 2019 and December 2022, including 301 male (55%) and 246 female patients (45%). Overall, 308 of the referred patients were positive for D4Z4 contraction on a permissive haplotype, resulting in a diagnosis of FSHD1. A total of 252 of 547 patients were referred for concurrent testing for FSHD1 and FSHD2. This resulted in the identification of FSHD2 in 9/252 (3.6%) patients. In our FSHD2 cohort, the 4qA allele size ranged from 8 to 18 repeats. Among FSHD1-positive cases, 2 patients had biallelic contraction and 4 patients had homozygous contraction and showed early onset of clinical features. Nine of the 308 patients (3%) positive for 4qA contraction had mosaic 4q alleles with contraction on at least one 4qA allele. The overall diagnostic yield in our cohort was 58%. Discussion A combination of OGM to identify the FSHD haplotype and D4Z4 repeat number and NGS to identify sequence and copy number variants in the SMCHD1 gene is a practical and cost-effective option with increased precision for accurate diagnosis of FSHD types 1 and 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naga M Guruju
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Vanessa Jump
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Richard Lemmers
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Silvere Van Der Maarel
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Ruby Liu
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Babi R Nallamilli
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Suresh Shenoy
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Alka Chaubey
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Pratik Koppikar
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Rajiv Rose
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Satish Khadilkar
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
| | - Madhuri Hegde
- From the Revvity Omics (N.M.G., V.J., Ruby Liu, B.R.N., S.S., R.R., M.H.), Pittsburgh, PA; Leiden University Medical Centre (Richard Lemmers, S.V.D.M.), Netherlands; Bionano Genomics (A.C.), San Diego, CA; UT Dallas (P.K.), TX; Bombay Hospital (S.K.), Mumbai, India
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9
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Cohen J, Huang S, Koczwara KE, Woods KT, Ho V, Woodman KG, Arbiser JL, Daman K, Lek M, Emerson CP, DeSimone AM. Flavones provide resistance to DUX4-induced toxicity via an mTor-independent mechanism. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:749. [PMID: 37973788 PMCID: PMC10654915 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06257-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is among the most common of the muscular dystrophies, affecting nearly 1 in 8000 individuals, and is a cause of profound disability. Genetically, FSHD is linked to the contraction and/or epigenetic de-repression of the D4Z4 repeat array on chromosome 4, thereby allowing expression of the DUX4 gene in skeletal muscle. If the DUX4 transcript incorporates a stabilizing polyadenylation site the myotoxic DUX4 protein will be synthesized, resulting in muscle wasting. The mechanism of toxicity remains unclear, as many DUX4-induced cytopathologies have been described, however cell death does primarily occur through caspase 3/7-dependent apoptosis. To date, most FSHD therapeutic development has focused on molecular methods targeting DUX4 expression or the DUX4 transcript, while therapies targeting processes downstream of DUX4 activity have received less attention. Several studies have demonstrated that inhibition of multiple signal transduction pathways can ameliorate DUX4-induced toxicity, and thus compounds targeting these pathways have the potential to be developed into FSHD therapeutics. To this end, we have screened a group of small molecules curated based on their reported activity in relevant pathways and/or structural relationships with known toxicity-modulating molecules. We have identified a panel of five compounds that function downstream of DUX4 activity to inhibit DUX4-induced toxicity. Unexpectedly, this effect was mediated through an mTor-independent mechanism that preserved expression of ULK1 and correlated with an increase in a marker of active cellular autophagy. This identifies these flavones as compounds of interest for therapeutic development, and potentially identifies the autophagy pathway as a target for therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Cohen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Shushu Huang
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | | | - Kristen T Woods
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Vincent Ho
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Keryn G Woodman
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | | | - Katelyn Daman
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Charles P Emerson
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Alec M DeSimone
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
- Modalis Therapeutics, Waltham, MA, USA.
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10
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Bosnakovski D, Toso EA, Ener ET, Gearhart MD, Yin L, Lüttmann FF, Magli A, Shi K, Kim J, Aihara H, Kyba M. Antagonism among DUX family members evolved from an ancestral toxic single homeodomain protein. iScience 2023; 26:107823. [PMID: 37744032 PMCID: PMC10514451 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Double homeobox (DUX) genes are unique to eutherian mammals, expressed transiently during zygotic genome activation (ZGA) and involved in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and cancer when misexpressed. We evaluate the 3 human DUX genes and the ancestral single homeobox gene sDUX from the non-eutherian mammal, platypus, and find that DUX4 cytotoxicity is not shared with DUXA or DUXB, but surprisingly is shared with platypus sDUX, which binds DNA as a homodimer and activates numerous ZGA genes and long terminal repeat (LTR) elements. DUXA, although transcriptionally inactive, has DNA binding overlap with DUX4, and DUXA-VP64 activates DUX4 targets and is cytotoxic. DUXA competition antagonizes the activity of DUX4 on its target genes, including in FSHD patient cells. Since DUXA is a DUX4 target gene, this competition potentiates feedback inhibition, constraining the window of DUX4 activity. The DUX gene family therefore comprises antagonistic members of opposing function, with implications for their roles in ZGA, FSHD, and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darko Bosnakovski
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Erik A. Toso
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Elizabeth T. Ener
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Micah D. Gearhart
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Lulu Yin
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Alessandro Magli
- Department of Cardiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ke Shi
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Johnny Kim
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- The Center for Cardiovascular Regeneration and Immunology at TRON – Translational Oncology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hideki Aihara
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Michael Kyba
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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11
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Megalizzi D, Trastulli G, Caputo V, Colantoni L, Caltagirone C, Strafella C, Cascella R, Giardina E. Epigenetic profiling of the D4Z4 locus: Optimization of the protocol for studying DNA methylation at single CpG site level. Electrophoresis 2023; 44:1588-1594. [PMID: 37565369 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202300058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
The alteration of epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, can contribute to the etiopathogenesis and progression of many diseases. Among them, facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is a muscular disorder characterized by the loss of repressive epigenetic features affecting the D4Z4 locus (4q35). As a consequence, these alterations are responsible for DNA hypomethylation and a transcriptional-active chromatin conformation change that, in turn, lead to the aberrant expression of DUX4 in muscle cells. In the present study, methylation levels of 29 CpG sites of the DR1 region (within each repeat unit of the D4Z4 macrosatellite) were assessed on 335 subjects by employing primers designed for enhancing the performance of the assay. First, the DR1 original primers were optimized by adding M13 oligonucleotide tails. Moreover, the DR1 reverse primer was replaced with a degenerate one. As a result, the protocol optimization allowed a better sequencing resolution and a more accurate evaluation of DR1 methylation levels. Moreover, the assessment of the repeatability of measurements proved the reliability and robustness of the assay. The optimized protocol emerges as an excellent method to detect methylation levels compatible with FSHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenica Megalizzi
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory-UILDM, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Trastulli
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory-UILDM, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Valerio Caputo
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory-UILDM, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Colantoni
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory-UILDM, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Carlo Caltagirone
- Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Strafella
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory-UILDM, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaella Cascella
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory-UILDM, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Catholic University Our Lady of Good Counsel, Tirana, Albania
| | - Emiliano Giardina
- Genomic Medicine Laboratory-UILDM, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
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12
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Smith AA, Nip Y, Bennett SR, Hamm DC, Lemmers RJLF, van der Vliet PJ, Setty M, van der Maarel SM, Tapscott SJ. DUX4 expression in cancer induces a metastable early embryonic totipotent program. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113114. [PMID: 37691147 PMCID: PMC10578318 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor DUX4 regulates a portion of the zygotic gene activation (ZGA) program in the early embryo. Many cancers express DUX4 but it is unknown whether this generates cells similar to early embryonic stem cells. Here we identified cancer cell lines that express DUX4 and showed that DUX4 is transiently expressed in a small subset of the cells. DUX4 expression activates the DUX4-regulated ZGA transcriptional program, the subsequent 8C-like program, and markers of early embryonic lineages, while suppressing steady-state and interferon-induced MHC class I expression. Although DUX4 was expressed in a small number of cells under standard culture conditions, DNA damage or changes in growth conditions increased the fraction of cells expressing DUX4 and its downstream programs. Our demonstration that transient expression of endogenous DUX4 in cancer cells induces a metastable early embryonic stem cell program and suppresses antigen presentation has implications for cancer growth, progression, and immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Smith
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yee Nip
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Sean R Bennett
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Danielle C Hamm
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Richard J L F Lemmers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Manu Setty
- Basic Sciences Division and Translational Science IRC, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | - Stephen J Tapscott
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98105, USA.
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13
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Banerji CRS, Greco A, Joosten LAB, van Engelen BGM, Zammit PS. The FSHD muscle-blood biomarker: a circulating transcriptomic biomarker for clinical severity in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad221. [PMID: 37731904 PMCID: PMC10507741 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a prevalent, incurable skeletal myopathy. Clinical trials for FSHD are hindered by heterogeneous biomarkers poorly associated with clinical severity, requiring invasive muscle biopsy. Macroscopically, FSHD presents with slow fatty replacement of muscle, rapidly accelerated by inflammation. Mis-expression of the transcription factor DUX4 is currently accepted to underlie pathogenesis, and mechanisms including PAX7 target gene repression have been proposed. Here, we performed RNA-sequencing on MRI-guided inflamed and isogenic non-inflamed muscle biopsies from the same clinically characterized FSHD patients (n = 24), alongside isogenic peripheral blood mononucleated cells from a subset of patients (n = 13) and unaffected controls (n = 11). Multivariate models were employed to evaluate the clinical associations of five published FSHD transcriptomic biomarkers. We demonstrated that PAX7 target gene repression can discriminate control, inflamed and non-inflamed FSHD muscle independently of age and sex (P < 0.013), while the discriminatory power of DUX4 target genes was limited to distinguishing FSHD muscle from control. Importantly, the level of PAX7 target gene repression in non-inflamed muscle associated with clinical assessments of FSHD severity (P = 0.04). DUX4 target gene biomarkers in FSHD muscle showed associations with lower limb fat fraction and D4Z4 array length but not clinical assessment. Lastly, PAX7 target gene repression in FSHD muscle correlated with the level in isogenic peripheral blood mononucleated cells (P = 0.002). A refined PAX7 target gene biomarker comprising 143/601 PAX7 target genes computed in peripheral blood (the FSHD muscle-blood biomarker) associated with clinical severity in FSHD patients (P < 0.036). Our new circulating biomarker validates as a classifier of clinical severity in an independent data set of 54 FSHD patient and 29 matched control blood samples, with improved power in older patients (P = 0.03). In summary, we present the minimally invasive FSHD muscle-blood biomarker of FSHD clinical severity valid in patient muscle and blood, of potential use in routine disease monitoring and clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R S Banerji
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, The British Library, London NW1 2DB, UK
| | - Anna Greco
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS) and Radboud Center of Infectious Diseases (RCI), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen 6525, The Netherlands
| | - Leo A B Joosten
- Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS) and Radboud Center of Infectious Diseases (RCI), Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen 6525, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Genetics, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Baziel G M van Engelen
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter S Zammit
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
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14
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Delourme M, Charlene C, Gerard L, Ganne B, Perrin P, Vovan C, Bertaux K, Nguyen K, Bernard R, Magdinier F. Complex 4q35 and 10q26 Rearrangements: A Challenge for Molecular Diagnosis of Patients With Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy. Neurol Genet 2023; 9:e200076. [PMID: 37200893 PMCID: PMC10188231 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000200076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Background and Objectives After clinical evaluation, the molecular diagnosis of type 1 facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD1) relies in most laboratories on the detection of a shortened D4Z4 array at the 4q35 locus by Southern blotting. In many instances, this molecular diagnosis remains inconclusive and requires additional experiments to determine the number of D4Z4 units or identify somatic mosaicism, 4q-10q translocations, and proximal p13E-11 deletions. These limitations highlight the need for alternative methodologies, illustrated by the recent emergence of novel technologies such as molecular combing (MC), single molecule optical mapping (SMOM), or Oxford Nanopore-based long-read sequencing providing a more comprehensive analysis of 4q and 10q loci. Over the last decade, MC revealed a further increasing complexity in the organization of the 4q and 10q distal regions in patients with FSHD with cis-duplication of D4Z4 arrays in approximately 1%-2% of cases. Methods By using MC, we investigated in our center 2,363 cases for molecular diagnosis of FSHD. We also evaluated whether previously reported cis-duplications might be identified by SMOM using the Bionano EnFocus FSHD 1.0 algorithm. Results In our cohort of 2,363 samples, we identified 147 individuals carrying an atypical organization of the 4q35 or 10q26 loci. Mosaicism is the most frequent category followed by cis-duplications of the D4Z4 array. We report here chromosomal abnormalities of the 4q35 or 10q26 loci in 54 patients clinically described as FSHD, which are not present in the healthy population. In one-third of the 54 patients, these rearrangements are the only genetic defect suggesting that they might be causative of the disease. By analyzing DNA samples from 3 patients carrying a complex rearrangement of the 4q35 region, we further showed that the SMOM direct assembly of the 4q and 10q alleles failed to reveal these abnormalities and lead to negative results for FSHD molecular diagnosis. Discussion This work further highlights the complexity of the 4q and 10q subtelomeric regions and the need of in-depth analyses in a significant number of cases. This work also highlights the complexity of the 4q35 region and interpretation issues with consequences on the molecular diagnosis of patients or genetic counseling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megane Delourme
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Chaix Charlene
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Laurene Gerard
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Benjamin Ganne
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Pierre Perrin
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Catherine Vovan
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Karine Bertaux
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Karine Nguyen
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Rafaëlle Bernard
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
| | - Frederique Magdinier
- From the Aix Marseille University (M.D., B.G., P.P., K.N., R.B., F.M.), INSERM; Département de Génétique Médicale (C.C., L.G., C.V., K.B., K.N., R.B.), and Centre de Ressources Biologiques (K.B.), AP-HM, Hôpital d'enfants de la Timone, Marseille, France
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15
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Tihaya MS, Mul K, Balog J, de Greef JC, Tapscott SJ, Tawil R, Statland JM, van der Maarel SM. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: the road to targeted therapies. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:91-108. [PMID: 36627512 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00762-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Advances in the molecular understanding of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) have revealed that FSHD results from epigenetic de-repression of the DUX4 gene in skeletal muscle, which encodes a transcription factor that is active in early embryonic development but is normally silenced in almost all somatic tissues. These advances also led to the identification of targets for disease-altering therapies for FSHD, as well as an improved understanding of the molecular mechanism of the disease and factors that influence its progression. Together, these developments led the FSHD research community to shift its focus towards the development of disease-modifying treatments for FSHD. This Review presents advances in the molecular and clinical understanding of FSHD, discusses the potential targeted therapies that are currently being explored, some of which are already in clinical trials, and describes progress in the development of FSHD-specific outcome measures and assessment tools for use in future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara S Tihaya
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Karlien Mul
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Judit Balog
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jessica C de Greef
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Stephen J Tapscott
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rabi Tawil
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Statland
- Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
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16
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Bosnakovski D, Toso EA, Ener ET, Gearhart MD, Yin L, Lüttmann FF, Magli A, Shi K, Kim J, Aihara H, Kyba M. Antagonism among DUX family members evolved from an ancestral toxic single homeodomain protein. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.21.524976. [PMID: 36711898 PMCID: PMC9882399 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.21.524976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Double homeobox (DUX) genes are unique to eutherian mammals and normally expressed transiently during zygotic genome activation. The canonical member, DUX4, is involved in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and cancer, when misexpressed in other contexts. We evaluate the 3 human DUX genes and the ancestral single homeobox gene sDUX from the non-eutherian mammal, platypus, and find that DUX4 activities are not shared with DUXA or DUXB, which lack transcriptional activation potential, but surprisingly are shared with platypus sDUX. In human myoblasts, platypus sDUX drives cytotoxicity, inhibits myogenesis, and induces DUX4 target genes, particularly those associated with zygotic genome activation (ZGA), by binding DNA as a homodimer in a way that overlaps the DUX4 homeodomain crystal structure. DUXA lacks transcriptional activity but has DNA-binding and chromatin accessibility overlap with DUX4 and sDUX, including on ZGA genes and LTR elements, and can actually be converted into a DUX4-like cytotoxic factor by fusion to a synthetic transactivation domain. DUXA competition antagonizes the activity of DUX4 on its target genes, including in FSHD patient cells. Since DUXA is an early DUX4 target gene, this activity potentiates feedback inhibition, constraining the window of DUX4 activity. The DUX gene family therefore comprises cross-regulating members of opposing function, with implications for their roles in ZGA, FSHD, and cancer. HIGHLIGHTS Platypus sDUX is toxic and inhibits myogenic differentiation.DUXA targets overlap substantially with those of DUX4.DUXA fused to a synthetic transactivation domain acquires DUX4-like toxicity.DUXA behaves as a competitive inhibitor of DUX4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darko Bosnakovski
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Erik A. Toso
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Elizabeth T. Ener
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Micah D. Gearhart
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Lulu Yin
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | | | - Alessandro Magli
- Department of Cardiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ke Shi
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Johnny Kim
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Hideki Aihara
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Michael Kyba
- Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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17
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Lim KRQ, Yokota T. Knocking Down DUX4 in Immortalized Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Patient-Derived Muscle Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2587:197-208. [PMID: 36401032 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2772-3_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The third most common muscular dystrophy in the world, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), is an inherited disorder characterized by distinct asymmetric, progressive skeletal muscle weakness that begins in the upper body and spreads to other regions with age. It is caused by mutations that induce aberrant expression of the DUX4 gene in skeletal muscle. DUX4 is highly cytotoxic in skeletal muscle, dysregulating numerous signaling pathways as a result of its transcription factor activity. A promising set of approaches being developed to treat FSHD uses antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) to inhibit DUX4 transcript expression. Both steric-blocking and gapmer AOs have been shown to induce efficient DUX4 transcript knockdown in vitro and in vivo. Here, we describe a protocol that allows reliable screening of DUX4-targeting AOs through the evaluation of DUX4 transcript expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We also describe methods to assess the efficacy of these AOs by looking at their effect on the expression of DUX4 downstream target and potential off-target genes, as well as on the amelioration of in vitro muscle cell phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Rowel Q Lim
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Edmonton, AB, Canada. .,The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research and Muscular Dystrophy Canada HM Toupin Neurological Science Research Chair, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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18
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Azzag K, Bosnakovski D, Tungtur S, Salama P, Kyba M, Perlingeiro RCR. Transplantation of PSC-derived myogenic progenitors counteracts disease phenotypes in FSHD mice. NPJ Regen Med 2022; 7:43. [PMID: 36056021 PMCID: PMC9440030 DOI: 10.1038/s41536-022-00249-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a genetically dominant progressive myopathy caused by improper silencing of the DUX4 gene, leading to fibrosis, muscle atrophy, and fatty replacement. Approaches focused on muscle regeneration through the delivery of stem cells represent an attractive therapeutic option for muscular dystrophies. To investigate the potential for cell transplantation in FSHD, we have used the doxycycline-regulated iDUX4pA-HSA mouse model in which low-level DUX4 can be induced in skeletal muscle. We find that mouse pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived myogenic progenitors engraft in muscle actively undergoing DUX4-mediated degeneration. Donor-derived muscle tissue displayed reduced fibrosis and importantly, engrafted muscles showed improved contractile specific force compared to non-transplanted controls. These data demonstrate the feasibility of replacement of diseased muscle with PSC-derived myogenic progenitors in a mouse model for FSHD, and highlight the potential for the clinical benefit of such a cell therapy approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Azzag
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Darko Bosnakovski
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sudheer Tungtur
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Peter Salama
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Michael Kyba
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.,Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Rita C R Perlingeiro
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. .,Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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19
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Mariot V, Dumonceaux J. Gene Editing to Tackle Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Front Genome Ed 2022; 4:937879. [PMID: 35910413 PMCID: PMC9334676 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2022.937879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is a skeletal muscle disease caused by the aberrant expression of the DUX4 gene in the muscle tissue. To date, different therapeutic approaches have been proposed, targeting DUX4 at the DNA, RNA or protein levels. The recent development of the clustered regularly interspaced short-palindromic repeat (CRISPR) based technology opened new avenues of research, and FSHD is no exception. For the first time, a cure for genetic muscular diseases can be considered. Here, we describe CRISPR-based strategies that are currently being investigated for FSHD. The different approaches include the epigenome editing targeting the DUX4 gene and its promoter, gene editing targeting the polyadenylation of DUX4 using TALEN, CRISPR/cas9 or adenine base editing and the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing for SMCHD1. We also discuss challenges facing the development of these gene editing based therapeutics.
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20
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Quintero J, Saad NY, Pagnoni SM, Jacquelin DK, Gatica L, Harper SQ, Rosa AL. The DUX4 protein is a co-repressor of the progesterone and glucocorticoid nuclear receptors. FEBS Lett 2022; 596:2644-2658. [PMID: 35662006 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
DUX4 is a transcription factor required during early embryonic development in placental mammals. In this work we provide evidence that DUX4 is a co-repressor of nuclear receptors (NRs) of progesterone (PR) and glucocorticoids (GR). The DUX4 C-ter and N-ter regions, including the nuclear localization signals and homeodomain motifs, contribute to the corepressor activity of DUX4 on PR and GR. Immunoprecipitation studies, using total protein extracts of cells expressing tagged versions of DUX4 and GR, support that these proteins are physically associated. Our studies suggest that DUX4 could modulate gene expression by coregulating the activity of hormone NRs. This is the first report highlighting a potential endocrine role for DUX4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Quintero
- Laboratorio de Genética y Biología Molecular, IRNASUS-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Nizar Y Saad
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Sabrina M Pagnoni
- Laboratorio de Genética y Biología Molecular, IRNASUS-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Daniela K Jacquelin
- Laboratorio de Genética y Biología Molecular, IRNASUS-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina.,INFIQC-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Laura Gatica
- Laboratorio de Genética y Biología Molecular, IRNASUS-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina.,CIBICI-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Scott Q Harper
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Alberto L Rosa
- Laboratorio de Genética y Biología Molecular, IRNASUS-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Católica de Córdoba, Argentina.,Fundación Allende-CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
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21
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Himeda CL, Jones PL. FSHD Therapeutic Strategies: What Will It Take to Get to Clinic? J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12060865. [PMID: 35743650 PMCID: PMC9225474 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12060865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is arguably one of the most challenging genetic diseases to understand and treat. The disease is caused by epigenetic dysregulation of a macrosatellite repeat, either by contraction of the repeat or by mutations in silencing proteins. Both cases lead to chromatin relaxation and, in the context of a permissive allele, pathogenic misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle. The complex nature of the locus and the fact that FSHD is a toxic, gain-of-function disease present unique challenges for the design of therapeutic strategies. There are three major DUX4-targeting avenues of therapy for FSHD: small molecules, oligonucleotide therapeutics, and CRISPR-based approaches. Here, we evaluate the preclinical progress of each avenue, and discuss efforts being made to overcome major hurdles to translation.
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22
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Soliman HAN, Toso EA, Darwish IE, Ali SM, Kyba M. Antiapoptotic Protein FAIM2 is targeted by miR-3202, and DUX4 via TRIM21, leading to cell death and defective myogenesis. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:405. [PMID: 35468884 PMCID: PMC9038730 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04804-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Inappropriate expression of DUX4, a transcription factor that induces cell death at high levels of expression and impairs myoblast differentiation at low levels of expression, leads to the development of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), however, the pathological mechanisms downstream of DUX4 responsible for muscle loss are poorly defined. We performed a screen of 1972 miR inhibitors for their ability to interfere with DUX4-induced cell death of human immortalized myoblasts. The most potent hit identified by the screen, miR-3202, is known to target the antiapoptotic protein FAIM2. Inhibition of miR-3202 led to the upregulation of FAIM2, and remarkably, expression of DUX4 led to reduced cellular levels of FAIM2. We show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase and DUX4 target gene, TRIM21, is responsible for FAIM2 degradation downstream of DUX4. Human myoblasts overexpressing FAIM2 showed increased resistance to DUX4-induced cell death, whereas in wild-type cells FAIM2 knockdown resulted in increased apoptosis and failure to differentiate into myotubes. The necessity of FAIM2 for myogenic differentiation of WT cells led us to test the effect of FAIM2 overexpression on the impairment of myogenesis by DUX4. Strikingly, FAIM2 overexpression rescued the myogenic differentiation defect caused by low-level expression of DUX4. These data implicate FAIM2 levels, modulated by DUX4 through TRIM21, as an important factor mediating the pathogenicity of DUX4, both in terms of cell viability and myogenic differentiation, and thereby open a new avenue of investigation towards drug targets in FSHD. ![]()
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23
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Triantafyllidou O, Stavridis K, Kastora SL, Vlahos N. Road to conception and successful delivery for a facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy patient. SAGE Open Med Case Rep 2022; 10:2050313X221081359. [PMID: 35251661 PMCID: PMC8891829 DOI: 10.1177/2050313x221081359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy is a muscular dystrophy affecting all ages, primarily people in the second decade. The disease is initially presented with face, shoulder girdle, and upper arm involvement, followed by lower extremity muscle weakness. Disease progression is usually slow, although about one-fifth of patients will require a wheelchair to accommodate mobility. Women with this muscular dystrophy could rarely have poor birth outcomes, with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy symptom deterioration post-partum. In this study, we present a case of a woman with a genetically confirmed facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy 1 who underwent cesarean section with epidural anesthesia with favorable outcomes following the procedure. Eight months post cesarean section, the patient reported no facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy symptom deterioration. We reviewed the literature with emphasis on large studies concerning facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and birth outcomes and concluded that the hereby presented approach is important for the comprehensive obstetric care and future risk assessment and management in such patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Triantafyllidou
- 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aretaieion Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Stavridis
- 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aretaieion Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Stavroula Lila Kastora
- Acute Medicine, Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust, Aberdeen, UK
- School of Medicine, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Nikolaos Vlahos
- 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aretaieion Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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24
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The evolution of DUX4 gene regulation and its implication for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2022; 1868:166367. [PMID: 35158020 PMCID: PMC9173005 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2022.166367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Double homeobox 4 (DUX4) is an early embryonic transcription factor whose expression in the skeletal muscle causes facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Despite decades of research, our knowledge of FSHD and DUX4 biology is incomplete, and the disease has currently no cures or targeted therapies. The unusual evolutionary origin of DUX4, its extensive epigenetic and post-transcriptional gene regulation, and various feedback regulatory loops that control its expression and function all contribute to the highly complex nature of FSHD pathogenesis. In this minireview, I synthesize the current state of knowledge in DUX4 and FSHD biology to highlight key areas where further research is needed to better understand DUX4 regulation. I also emphasize post-transcriptional regulation of and by DUX4 via changes in RNA and protein stability that might underlie key features of FSHD pathophysiology. Finally, I discuss the various feedback loops involved in DUX4 regulation and the context-specific consequences of its expression, which could be key to developing novel therapeutic approaches to combat FSHD.
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25
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Persistent Fibroadipogenic Progenitor Expansion Following Transient DUX4 Expression Provokes a Profibrotic State in a Mouse Model for FSHD. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23041983. [PMID: 35216102 PMCID: PMC8880758 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23041983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
FSHD is caused by loss of silencing of the DUX4 gene, but the DUX4 protein has not yet been directly detected immunohistologically in affected muscle, raising the possibility that DUX4 expression may occur at time points prior to obtaining adult biopsies for analysis, with consequent perturbations of muscle being responsible for disease progression. To test the extent to which muscle can regenerate following DUX4-mediated degeneration, we employed an animal model with reversible DUX4 expression, the iDUX4pA;HSA mouse. We find that muscle histology does recover substantially after DUX4 expression is switched off, with the extent of recovery correlating inversely with the duration of prior DUX4 expression. However, despite fairly normal muscle histology, and recovery of most cytological parameters, the fibroadipogenic progenitor compartment, which is significantly elevated during bouts of fiber-specific DUX4 expression, does not return to basal levels, even many weeks after a single burst of DUX4 expression. We find that muscle that has recovered from a DUX4 burst acquires a propensity for severe fibrosis, which can be revealed by subsequent cardiotoxin injuries. These results suggest that a past history of DUX4 expression leads to maintained pro-fibrotic alterations in the cellular physiology of muscle, with potential implications for therapeutic approaches.
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26
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Guo D, Daman K, Chen JJC, Shi MJ, Yan J, Matijasevic Z, Rickard AM, Bennett MH, Kiselyov A, Zhou H, Bang AG, Wagner KR, Maehr R, King OD, Hayward LJ, Emerson CP. iMyoblasts for ex vivo and in vivo investigations of human myogenesis and disease modeling. eLife 2022; 11:e70341. [PMID: 35076017 PMCID: PMC8789283 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscle myoblasts (iMyoblasts) were generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using an efficient and reliable transgene-free induction and stem cell selection protocol. Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, qPCR, digital RNA expression profiling, and scRNA-Seq studies identify iMyoblasts as a PAX3+/MYOD1+ skeletal myogenic lineage with a fetal-like transcriptome signature, distinct from adult muscle biopsy myoblasts (bMyoblasts) and iPSC-induced muscle progenitors. iMyoblasts can be stably propagated for >12 passages or 30 population doublings while retaining their dual commitment for myotube differentiation and regeneration of reserve cells. iMyoblasts also efficiently xenoengrafted into irradiated and injured mouse muscle where they undergo differentiation and fetal-adult MYH isoform switching, demonstrating their regulatory plasticity for adult muscle maturation in response to signals in the host muscle. Xenograft muscle retains PAX3+ muscle progenitors and can regenerate human muscle in response to secondary injury. As models of disease, iMyoblasts from individuals with Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy revealed a previously unknown epigenetic regulatory mechanism controlling developmental expression of the pathological DUX4 gene. iMyoblasts from Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy R7 and R9 and Walker Warburg Syndrome patients modeled their molecular disease pathologies and were responsive to small molecule and gene editing therapeutics. These findings establish the utility of iMyoblasts for ex vivo and in vivo investigations of human myogenesis and disease pathogenesis and for the development of muscle stem cell therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongsheng Guo
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Katelyn Daman
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Jennifer JC Chen
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Meng-Jiao Shi
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Jing Yan
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Zdenka Matijasevic
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Transgenic Animal Modeling Core, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | | | | | | | - Haowen Zhou
- Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery InstituteLa JollaUnited States
| | - Anne G Bang
- Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery InstituteLa JollaUnited States
| | - Kathryn R Wagner
- Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders, Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimoreUnited States
| | - René Maehr
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Oliver D King
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Lawrence J Hayward
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
| | - Charles P Emerson
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical SchoolWorcesterUnited States
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27
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Abstract
The zygotic genome is transcriptionally silent immediately after fertilization. In mice, initial activation of the zygotic genome occurs in the middle of the one-cell stage. At the mid-to-late two-cell stage, a burst of gene activation occurs after the second round of DNA replication, and the profile of transcribed genes changes dramatically. These two phases of gene activation are called minor and major zygotic gene activation (ZGA), respectively. As they mark the beginning of the gene expression program, it is important to elucidate gene expression regulation during these stages. This article reviews the outcomes of studies that have clarified the profiles and regulatory mechanisms of ZGA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fugaku Aoki
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
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28
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Heher P, Ganassi M, Weidinger A, Engquist EN, Pruller J, Nguyen TH, Tassin A, Declèves AE, Mamchaoui K, Grillari J, Kozlov AV, Zammit PS. Interplay between mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and hypoxic adaptation in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: Metabolic stress as potential therapeutic target. Redox Biol 2022; 51:102251. [PMID: 35248827 PMCID: PMC8899416 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is characterised by descending skeletal muscle weakness and wasting. FSHD is caused by mis-expression of the transcription factor DUX4, which is linked to oxidative stress, a condition especially detrimental to skeletal muscle with its high metabolic activity and energy demands. Oxidative damage characterises FSHD and recent work suggests metabolic dysfunction and perturbed hypoxia signalling as novel pathomechanisms. However, redox biology of FSHD remains poorly understood, and integrating the complex dynamics of DUX4-induced metabolic changes is lacking. Here we pinpoint the kinetic involvement of altered mitochondrial ROS metabolism and impaired mitochondrial function in aetiology of oxidative stress in FSHD. Transcriptomic analysis in FSHD muscle biopsies reveals strong enrichment for pathways involved in mitochondrial complex I assembly, nitrogen metabolism, oxidative stress response and hypoxia signalling. We found elevated mitochondrial ROS (mitoROS) levels correlate with increases in steady-state mitochondrial membrane potential in FSHD myogenic cells. DUX4 triggers mitochondrial membrane polarisation prior to oxidative stress generation and apoptosis through mitoROS, and affects mitochondrial health through lipid peroxidation. We identify complex I as the primary target for DUX4-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, with strong correlation between complex I-linked respiration and cellular oxygenation/hypoxia signalling activity in environmental hypoxia. Thus, FSHD myogenesis is uniquely susceptible to hypoxia-induced oxidative stress as a consequence of metabolic mis-adaptation. Importantly, mitochondria-targeted antioxidants rescue FSHD pathology more effectively than conventional antioxidants, highlighting the central involvement of disturbed mitochondrial ROS metabolism. This work provides a pathomechanistic model by which DUX4-induced changes in oxidative metabolism impair muscle function in FSHD, amplified when metabolic adaptation to varying O2 tension is required. Transcriptomics data from FSHD muscle indicates enrichment for disturbed mitochondrial pathways. Disturbed mitochondrial ROS metabolism correlates with mitochondrial membrane polarisation and myotube hypotrophy. DUX4-induced changes in mitochondrial function precede mitoROS generation and affect hypoxia signalling via complex I. FSHD is sensitive to environmental hypoxia, which increases ROS levels in FSHD myotubes. Hypotrophy in hypoxic FSHD myotubes is efficiently rescued with mitochondria-targeted antioxidants.
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29
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Diedrich JD, Dong Q, Ferguson DC, Bergeron BP, Autry RJ, Qian M, Yang W, Smith C, Papizan JB, Connelly JP, Hagiwara K, Crews KR, Pruett-Miller SM, Pui CH, Yang JJ, Relling MV, Evans WE, Savic D. Profiling chromatin accessibility in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia identifies subtype-specific chromatin landscapes and gene regulatory networks. Leukemia 2021; 35:3078-3091. [PMID: 33714976 PMCID: PMC8435544 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-021-01209-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a hematopoietic malignancy comprised of molecular subtypes largely characterized by aneuploidy or recurring chromosomal rearrangements. Despite extensive information on the ALL transcriptome and methylome, there is limited understanding of the ALL chromatin landscape. We therefore mapped accessible chromatin in 24 primary ALL cell biospecimens comprising three common molecular subtypes (DUX4/ERG, ETV6-RUNX1 and hyperdiploid) from patients treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Our findings highlight extensive chromatin reprogramming in ALL, including the identification ALL subtype-specific chromatin landscapes that are additionally modulated by genetic variation. Chromatin accessibility differences between ALL and normal B-cells implicate the activation of B-cell repressed chromatin domains and detail the disruption of normal B-cell development in ALL. Among ALL subtypes, we uncovered roles for basic helix-loop-helix, homeodomain and activator protein 1 transcription factors in promoting subtype-specific chromatin accessibility and distinct gene regulatory networks. In addition to chromatin subtype-specificity, we further identified over 3500 DNA sequence variants that alter the ALL chromatin landscape and contribute to inter-individual variability in chromatin accessibility. Collectively, our data suggest that subtype-specific chromatin landscapes and gene regulatory networks impact ALL biology and contribute to transcriptomic differences among ALL subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Diedrich
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Qian Dong
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Daniel C Ferguson
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Brennan P Bergeron
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Robert J Autry
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Maoxiang Qian
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Wenjian Yang
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Colton Smith
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - James B Papizan
- Department of Cell and Molecular biology and Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jon P Connelly
- Department of Cell and Molecular biology and Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Kohei Hagiwara
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Kristine R Crews
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shondra M Pruett-Miller
- Department of Cell and Molecular biology and Center for Advanced Genome Engineering, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Ching-Hon Pui
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jun J Yang
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Mary V Relling
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - William E Evans
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Daniel Savic
- Hematological Malignancies Program and Center for Precision Medicine in Leukemia, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
- Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
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30
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Distrofia muscolare facio-scapolo-omerale. Neurologia 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/s1634-7072(21)45785-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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31
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Bosnakovski D, Ener ET, Cooper MS, Gearhart MD, Knights KA, Xu NC, Palumbo CA, Toso EA, Marsh GP, Maple HJ, Kyba M. Inactivation of the CIC-DUX4 oncogene through P300/CBP inhibition, a therapeutic approach for CIC-DUX4 sarcoma. Oncogenesis 2021; 10:68. [PMID: 34642317 PMCID: PMC8511258 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-021-00357-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
CIC-DUX4 sarcoma (CDS) is a highly aggressive and metastatic small round type of predominantly pediatric sarcoma driven by a fusion oncoprotein comprising the transcriptional repressor Capicua (CIC) fused to the C-terminal transcriptional activation domain of DUX4. CDS rapidly develops resistance to chemotherapy, thus novel specific therapies are greatly needed. We demonstrate that CIC-DUX4 requires P300/CBP to induce histone H3 acetylation, activate its targets, and drive oncogenesis. We describe the synthetic route to a selective and highly potent P300/CBP inhibitor named iP300w and related stereoisomers, and find that iP300w efficiently suppresses CIC-DUX4 transcriptional activity and reverses CIC-DUX4 induced acetylation. iP300w is active at 100-fold lower concentrations than related stereoisomers or A-485. At low doses, iP300w shows specificity to CDS cancer cell lines, rapidly inducing cell cycle arrest and preventing growth of established CDS xenograft tumors when delivered in vivo. The effectiveness of iP300w to inactivate CIC-DUX4 highlights a promising therapeutic opportunity for CDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darko Bosnakovski
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Minneapolis, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. .,Faculty of Medical Sciences, University Goce Delchev - Shtip, Shtip, 2000, Republic of North Macedonia.
| | - Elizabeth T Ener
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Minneapolis, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Mark S Cooper
- Bio-Techne (Tocris), The Watkins Building, Atlantic Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, UK
| | - Micah D Gearhart
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Kevin A Knights
- Bio-Techne (Tocris), The Watkins Building, Atlantic Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, UK
| | - Natalie C Xu
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Minneapolis, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Christian A Palumbo
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Minneapolis, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Erik A Toso
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Minneapolis, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Graham P Marsh
- Bio-Techne (Tocris), The Watkins Building, Atlantic Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, UK
| | - Hannah J Maple
- Bio-Techne (Tocris), The Watkins Building, Atlantic Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, UK
| | - Michael Kyba
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Minneapolis, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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32
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Lemmers RJLF, Vliet PJ, Granado DSL, Stoep N, Buermans H, Schendel R, Schimmel J, Visser M, Coster R, Jeanpierre M, Laforet P, Upadhyaya M, Engelen B, Sacconi S, Tawil R, Voermans NC, Rogers M, van der Maarel SM. High resolution breakpoint junction mapping of proximally extended D4Z4 deletions in FSHD1 reveals evidence for a founder effect. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 31:748-760. [PMID: 34559225 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an inherited myopathy clinically characterized by weakness in the facial, shoulder girdle and upper arm muscles. FSHD is caused by chromatin relaxation of the D4Z4 macrosatellite repeat, mostly by a repeat contraction, facilitating ectopic expression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle. Genetic diagnosis for FSHD is generally based on the sizing and haplotyping of the D4Z4 repeat on chromosome 4 by Southern blotting, molecular combing or single-molecule optical mapping, which is usually straight forward but can be complicated by atypical rearrangements of the D4Z4 repeat. One of these rearrangements is a D4Z4 proximally-extended deletion (DPED) allele, where not only the D4Z4 repeat is partially deleted, but also sequences immediately proximal to the repeat are lost, which can impede accurate diagnosis in all genetic methods. Previously, we identified several DPED alleles in FSHD and estimated the size of the proximal deletions by a complex pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern blot strategy. Here, using next generation sequencing, we have defined the breakpoint junctions of these DPED alleles at the base pair resolution in 12 FSHD families and 4 control individuals facilitating a PCR-based diagnosis of these DPED alleles. Our results show that half of the DPED alleles are derivates of an ancient founder allele. For some DPED alleles we found that genetic elements are deleted such as DUX4c, FRG2, DBE-T and myogenic enhancers necessitating re-evaluation of their role in FSHD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J L F Lemmers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick J Vliet
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Nienke Stoep
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Henk Buermans
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Robin Schendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Joost Schimmel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marianne Visser
- Academic Medical Center, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rudy Coster
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Pascal Laforet
- Nord-Est/Ile-de-France Neuromuscular Reference Center, FHU PHENIX, Neurology Department, Raymond-Poincaré Hospital, Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - Paris Saclay University, Garches, France
| | - Meena Upadhyaya
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cardiff University, Cardif, UK
| | - Baziel Engelen
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, The Netherlands
| | - Sabrina Sacconi
- Centre de référence des Maladies neuromusculaires, Nice University Hospital, Nice, France
| | - Rabi Tawil
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Nicol C Voermans
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, The Netherlands
| | - Mark Rogers
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cardiff University, Cardif, UK
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33
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Banerji CRS, Panamarova M, Zammit PS. DUX4 expressing immortalized FSHD lymphoblastoid cells express genes elevated in FSHD muscle biopsies, correlating with the early stages of inflammation. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 29:2285-2299. [PMID: 32242220 PMCID: PMC7424723 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an incurable disorder linked to ectopic expression of DUX4. However, DUX4 is notoriously difficult to detect in FSHD muscle cells, while DUX4 target gene expression is an inconsistent biomarker for FSHD skeletal muscle biopsies, displaying efficacy only on pathologically inflamed samples. Immune gene misregulation occurs in FSHD muscle, with DUX4 target genes enriched for those associated with inflammatory processes. However, there lacks an assessment of the FSHD immune cell transcriptome, and its contribution to gene expression in FSHD muscle biopsies. Here, we show that EBV-immortalized FSHD lymphoblastoid cell lines express DUX4 and both early and late DUX4 target genes. Moreover, a biomarker of 237 up-regulated genes derived from FSHD lymphoblastoid cell lines is elevated in FSHD muscle biopsies compared to controls. The FSHD Lymphoblast score is unaltered between FSHD myoblasts/myotubes and their controls however, implying a non-myogenic cell source in muscle biopsies. Indeed, the FSHD Lymphoblast score correlates with the early stages of muscle inflammation identified by histological analysis on muscle biopsies, while our two late DUX4 target gene expression biomarkers associate with macroscopic inflammation detectable via MRI. Thus, FSHD lymphoblastoid cell lines express DUX4 and early and late DUX4 target genes, therefore, muscle-infiltrated immune cells may contribute the molecular landscape of FSHD muscle biopsies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R S Banerji
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Maryna Panamarova
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Peter S Zammit
- King's College London, Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
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34
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Precise Epigenetic Analysis Using Targeted Bisulfite Genomic Sequencing Distinguishes FSHD1, FSHD2, and Healthy Subjects. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11081469. [PMID: 34441403 PMCID: PMC8393475 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11081469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The true prevalence of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is unknown due to difficulties with accurate clinical evaluation and the complexities of current genetic diagnostics. Interestingly, all forms of FSHD are linked to epigenetic changes in the chromosome 4q35 D4Z4 macrosatellite, suggesting that epigenetic analysis could provide an avenue for sequence-based FSHD diagnostics. However, studies assessing DNA methylation at the FSHD locus have produced conflicting results; thus, the utility of this technique as an FSHD diagnostic remains controversial. Here, we critically compared two protocols for epigenetic analysis of the FSHD region using bisulfite genomic sequencing: Jones et al., that contends to be individually diagnostic for FSHD1 and FSHD2, and Gaillard et al., that can identify some changes in DNA methylation levels between groups of clinically affected FSHD and healthy subjects, but is not individually diagnostic for any form of FSHD. We performed both sets of assays on the same genetically confirmed samples and showed that this discrepancy was due strictly to differences in amplicon specificity. We propose that the epigenetic status of the FSHD-associated D4Z4 arrays, when accurately assessed, is a diagnostic for genetic FSHD and can readily distinguish between healthy, FSHD1 and FSHD2. Thus, epigenetic diagnosis of FSHD, which can be performed on saliva DNA, will greatly increase accessibility to FSHD diagnostics for populations around the world.
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35
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Banerji CRS, Zammit PS. Pathomechanisms and biomarkers in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: roles of DUX4 and PAX7. EMBO Mol Med 2021; 13:e13695. [PMID: 34151531 PMCID: PMC8350899 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202013695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is characterised by progressive skeletal muscle weakness and wasting. FSHD is linked to epigenetic derepression of the subtelomeric D4Z4 macrosatellite at chromosome 4q35. Epigenetic derepression permits the distal-most D4Z4 unit to transcribe DUX4, with transcripts stabilised by splicing to a poly(A) signal on permissive 4qA haplotypes. The pioneer transcription factor DUX4 activates target genes that are proposed to drive FSHD pathology. While this toxic gain-of-function model is a satisfying "bottom-up" genotype-to-phenotype link, DUX4 is rarely detectable in muscle and DUX4 target gene expression is inconsistent in patients. A reliable biomarker for FSHD is suppression of a target gene score of PAX7, a master regulator of myogenesis. However, it is unclear how this "top-down" finding links to genomic changes that characterise FSHD and to DUX4. Here, we explore the roles and interactions of DUX4 and PAX7 in FSHD pathology and how the relationship between these two transcription factors deepens understanding via the immune system and muscle regeneration. Considering how FSHD pathomechanisms are represented by "DUX4opathy" models has implications for developing therapies and current clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter S Zammit
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular BiophysicsKing's College LondonLondonUK
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36
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Nunes AM, Ramirez M, Jones TI, Jones PL. Identification of candidate miRNA biomarkers for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy using DUX4-based mouse models. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:dmm049016. [PMID: 34338285 PMCID: PMC8405850 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is caused by misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal myocytes. As DUX4 is the key therapeutic target in FSHD, surrogate biomarkers of DUX4 expression in skeletal muscle are critically needed for clinical trials. Although no natural animal models of FSHD exist, transgenic mice with inducible DUX4 expression in skeletal muscles rapidly develop myopathic phenotypes consistent with FSHD. Here, we established a new, more-accurate FSHD-like mouse model based on chronic DUX4 expression in a small fraction of skeletal myonuclei that develops pathology mimicking key aspects of FSHD across its lifespan. Utilizing this new aged mouse model and DUX4-inducible mouse models, we characterized the DUX4-related microRNA signatures in skeletal muscles, which represent potential biomarkers for FSHD. We found increased expression of miR-31-5p and miR-206 in muscles expressing different levels of DUX4 and displaying varying degrees of pathology. Importantly, miR-206 expression is significantly increased in serum samples from FSHD patients compared with healthy controls. Our data support miR-31-5p and miR-206 as new potential regulators of muscle pathology and miR-206 as a potential circulating biomarker for FSHD. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Takako I. Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Peter L. Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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37
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Nguyen TH, Conotte S, Belayew A, Declèves AE, Legrand A, Tassin A. Hypoxia and Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Signaling in Muscular Dystrophies: Cause and Consequences. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7220. [PMID: 34281273 PMCID: PMC8269128 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a group of inherited degenerative muscle disorders characterized by a progressive skeletal muscle wasting. Respiratory impairments and subsequent hypoxemia are encountered in a significant subgroup of patients in almost all MD forms. In response to hypoxic stress, compensatory mechanisms are activated especially through Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 α (HIF-1α). In healthy muscle, hypoxia and HIF-1α activation are known to affect oxidative stress balance and metabolism. Recent evidence has also highlighted HIF-1α as a regulator of myogenesis and satellite cell function. However, the impact of HIF-1α pathway modifications in MDs remains to be investigated. Multifactorial pathological mechanisms could lead to HIF-1α activation in patient skeletal muscles. In addition to the genetic defect per se, respiratory failure or blood vessel alterations could modify hypoxia response pathways. Here, we will discuss the current knowledge about the hypoxia response pathway alterations in MDs and address whether such changes could influence MD pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy-Hang Nguyen
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Stephanie Conotte
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Alexandra Belayew
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Anne-Emilie Declèves
- Department of Metabolic and Molecular Biochemistry, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium;
| | - Alexandre Legrand
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Alexandra Tassin
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
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38
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Lek A, Zhang Y, Woodman KG, Huang S, DeSimone AM, Cohen J, Ho V, Conner J, Mead L, Kodani A, Pakula A, Sanjana N, King OD, Jones PL, Wagner KR, Lek M, Kunkel LM. Applying genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens for therapeutic discovery in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Sci Transl Med 2021; 12:12/536/eaay0271. [PMID: 32213627 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay0271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technologies and genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 libraries enables efficient unbiased genetic screening that can accelerate the process of therapeutic discovery for genetic disorders. Here, we demonstrate the utility of a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function library to identify therapeutic targets for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a genetically complex type of muscular dystrophy for which there is currently no treatment. In FSHD, both genetic and epigenetic changes lead to misexpression of DUX4, the FSHD causal gene that encodes the highly cytotoxic DUX4 protein. We performed a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen to identify genes whose loss-of-function conferred survival when DUX4 was expressed in muscle cells. Genes emerging from our screen illuminated a pathogenic link to the cellular hypoxia response, which was revealed to be the main driver of DUX4-induced cell death. Application of hypoxia signaling inhibitors resulted in increased DUX4 protein turnover and subsequent reduction of the cellular hypoxia response and cell death. In addition, these compounds proved successful in reducing FSHD disease biomarkers in patient myogenic lines, as well as improving structural and functional properties in two zebrafish models of FSHD. Our genome-wide perturbation of pathways affecting DUX4 expression has provided insight into key drivers of DUX4-induced pathogenesis and has identified existing compounds with potential therapeutic benefit for FSHD. Our experimental approach presents an accelerated paradigm toward mechanistic understanding and therapeutic discovery of a complex genetic disease, which may be translatable to other diseases with well-established phenotypic selection assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA. .,Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yuanfan Zhang
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Keryn G Woodman
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Shushu Huang
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.,First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.,Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226001, China
| | - Alec M DeSimone
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.,Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Justin Cohen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Vincent Ho
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - James Conner
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lillian Mead
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew Kodani
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anna Pakula
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Neville Sanjana
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY 10013, USA.,Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Oliver D King
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Peter L Jones
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Kathryn R Wagner
- Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.,Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Louis M Kunkel
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics and Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.,Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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39
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Karpukhina A, Tiukacheva E, Dib C, Vassetzky YS. Control of DUX4 Expression in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy and Cancer. Trends Mol Med 2021; 27:588-601. [PMID: 33863674 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2021.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
DUX4, a gene encoding a transcription factor involved in early embryogenesis, is located within the D4Z4 subtelomeric repeat on chromosome 4q35. In most healthy somatic tissues, DUX4 is heavily repressed by multiple genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, and its aberrant expression is linked to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) where it has been extensively studied. Recently, DUX4 expression has been implicated in oncogenesis, although this is much less explored. In this review, we discuss multiple levels of control of DUX4 expression, including enhancer-promoter interactions, DNA methylation, histone modifications, noncoding RNAs, and telomere positioning effect. We also connect disparate data on intrachromosomal contacts involving DUX4 and emphasize the feedback loops in DUX4 regulation. Finally, we bridge data on DUX4 in FSHD and cancer and discuss prospective approaches for future FSHD therapies and the potential outcomes of DUX4 inhibition in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Karpukhina
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif F-94805, France; Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Moscow 117334, Russia; Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Eugenia Tiukacheva
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif F-94805, France
| | - Carla Dib
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif F-94805, France; Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-510, USA
| | - Yegor S Vassetzky
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif F-94805, France; Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Moscow 117334, Russia.
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40
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Lim KRQ, Yokota T. Genetic Approaches for the Treatment of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:642858. [PMID: 33776777 PMCID: PMC7996372 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.642858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by progressive, asymmetric muscle weakness at the face, shoulders, and upper limbs, which spreads to the lower body with age. It is the third most common inherited muscular disorder worldwide. Around 20% of patients are wheelchair-bound, and some present with extramuscular manifestations. FSHD is caused by aberrant expression of the double homeobox protein 4 (DUX4) gene in muscle. DUX4 codes for a transcription factor which, in skeletal muscle, dysregulates numerous signaling activities that culminate in cytotoxicity. Potential treatments for FSHD therefore aim to reduce the expression of DUX4 or the activity of its toxic protein product. In this article, we review how genetic approaches such as those based on oligonucleotide and genome editing technologies have been developed to achieve these goals. We also outline the challenges these therapies are facing on the road to translation, and discuss possible solutions and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Rowel Q. Lim
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research and Muscular Dystrophy Canada, HM Toupin Neurological Science Research Chair, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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41
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Mitsuhashi S, Nakagawa S, Sasaki-Honda M, Sakurai H, Frith MC, Mitsuhashi H. Nanopore direct RNA sequencing detects DUX4-activated repeats and isoforms in human muscle cells. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:552-563. [PMID: 33693705 PMCID: PMC8120133 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an inherited muscle disease caused by misexpression of the DUX4 gene in skeletal muscle. DUX4 is a transcription factor, which is normally expressed in the cleavage-stage embryo and regulates gene expression involved in early embryonic development. Recent studies revealed that DUX4 also activates the transcription of repetitive elements such as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), mammalian apparent long terminal repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons and pericentromeric satellite repeats (Human Satellite II). DUX4-bound ERV sequences also create alternative promoters for genes or long non-coding RNAs, producing fusion transcripts. To further understand transcriptional regulation by DUX4, we performed nanopore long-read direct RNA sequencing (dRNA-seq) of human muscle cells induced by DUX4, because long reads show whole isoforms with greater confidence. We successfully detected differential expression of known DUX4-induced genes and discovered 61 differentially expressed repeat loci, which are near DUX4–ChIP peaks. We also identified 247 gene–ERV fusion transcripts, of which 216 were not reported previously. In addition, long-read dRNA-seq clearly shows that RNA splicing is a common event in DUX4-activated ERV transcripts. Long-read analysis showed non-LTR transposons including Alu elements are also transcribed from LTRs. Our findings revealed further complexity of DUX4-induced ERV transcripts. This catalogue of DUX4-activated repetitive elements may provide useful information to elucidate the pathology of FSHD. Also, our results indicate that nanopore dRNA-seq has complementary strengths to conventional short-read complementary DNA sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satomi Mitsuhashi
- Department of Genomic Function and Diversity, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan.,Department of Human Genetics, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa 236-0004, Japan
| | - So Nakagawa
- Micro/Nano Technology Center, Tokai University, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292, Japan.,Department of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Sasaki-Honda
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Sakurai
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Martin C Frith
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo 135-0064, Japan.,Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8561, Japan.,Computational Bio Big-Data Open Innovation Laboratory (CBBD-OIL), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Mitsuhashi
- Micro/Nano Technology Center, Tokai University, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292, Japan.,Department of Applied Biochemistry, School of Engineering, Tokai University, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292, Japan
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42
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Zhang Y, Huang Y, Dong Y, Liu X, Kou X, Zhao Y, Zhao A, Sun J, Su Z, Li Z, Zhang H, Li Y, Cao S, Wei J, Yin J, Kang L, Gao Y, Chen J, Wang Y, Li C, Gao R, Wang H, Gao S, Le R. Unique Patterns of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in 2-Cell-like Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports 2021; 16:458-469. [PMID: 33636112 PMCID: PMC7940259 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A small subgroup of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit molecular features similar to those of two-cell embryos (2C). However, it remains elusive whether 2C-like cells and 2C embryos share similar epigenetic features. Here, we map the genome-wide profiles of histone H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in 2C-like cells. We found that the majority of genes in 2C-like cells inherit their histone status from ESCs. Among the genes showing a switch in their histone methylation status during 2C-like transitions, only a small number acquire 2C-embryo epigenetic signatures. In contrast, broad H3K4me3 domains display extensive loss in 2C-like cells. Most of the differentially expressed genes display decreased H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 levels in 2C-like cells, whereas de novo H3K4me3 deposition is closely linked with the expression levels of upregulated 2C-specific genes. Taken together, our study reveals the unique epigenetic profiles of 2C-like cells, facilitating the further exploration of totipotency in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanping Zhang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yixin Huang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yu Dong
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiaochen Kou
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yanhong Zhao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Anqi Zhao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jiatong Sun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Bioengineering and Disease Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Zhongqu Su
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Bioengineering and Disease Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Zongyu Li
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yunwei Li
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Shuyuan Cao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Key Laboratory of Animal Bioengineering and Disease Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong 271018, China
| | - Junhao Wei
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jiqing Yin
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Lan Kang
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yawei Gao
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Jiayu Chen
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yixuan Wang
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chong Li
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Rui Gao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Shaorong Gao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Rongrong Le
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
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43
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Chau J, Kong X, Viet Nguyen N, Williams K, Ball M, Tawil R, Kiyono T, Mortazavi A, Yokomori K. Relationship of DUX4 and target gene expression in FSHD myocytes. Hum Mutat 2021; 42:421-433. [PMID: 33502067 DOI: 10.1002/humu.24171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is associated with the upregulation of the DUX4 transcription factor and its target genes. However, low-frequency DUX4 upregulation in patient myocytes is difficult to detect and examining the relationship and dynamics of DUX4 and target gene expression has been challenging. Using RNAScope in situ hybridization with highly specific probes, we detect the endogenous DUX4 and target gene transcripts in situ in patient skeletal myotubes during 13-day differentiation in vitro. We found that the endogenous DUX4 transcripts primarily localize as foci in one or two nuclei as compared with the accumulation of the recombinant DUX4 transcripts in the cytoplasm. We also found the continuous increase of DUX4 and target gene-positive myotubes after Day 3, arguing against its expected immediate cytotoxicity. Interestingly, DUX4 and target gene expression become discordant later in differentiation with the increase of DUX4-positive/target gene-negative as well as DUX4-negative/target gene-positive myotubes. Depletion of DUX4-activated transcription factors, DUXA and LEUTX, specifically repressed a DUX4-target gene, KDM4E, later in differentiation, suggesting that after the initial activation by DUX4, target genes themselves contribute to the maintenance of downstream gene expression. Together, the study provides important new insights into the dynamics of the DUX4 transcriptional network in FSHD patient myocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Chau
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Xiangduo Kong
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Nam Viet Nguyen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Katherine Williams
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Miya Ball
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Rabi Tawil
- Department of Neurology, Neuromuscular Disease Unit, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Tohru Kiyono
- Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Kyoko Yokomori
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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44
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Lim KRQ, Bittel A, Maruyama R, Echigoya Y, Nguyen Q, Huang Y, Dzierlega K, Zhang A, Chen YW, Yokota T. DUX4 Transcript Knockdown with Antisense 2'-O-Methoxyethyl Gapmers for the Treatment of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Mol Ther 2021; 29:848-858. [PMID: 33068777 PMCID: PMC7854280 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by a progressive, asymmetric weakening of muscles, starting with those in the upper body. It is caused by aberrant expression of the double homeobox protein 4 gene (DUX4) in skeletal muscle. FSHD is currently incurable. We propose to develop a therapy for FSHD using antisense 2'-O-methoxyethyl (2'-MOE) gapmers, to knock down DUX4 mRNA expression. Using immortalized patient-derived muscle cells and local intramuscular injections in the FLExDUX4 FSHD mouse model, we showed that our designed 2'-MOE gapmers significantly reduced DUX4 transcript levels in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Furthermore, in vitro, we observed significantly reduced expression of DUX4-activated downstream targets, restoration of FSHD signature genes by RNA sequencing, significant improvements in myotube morphology, and minimal off-target activity. This work facilitates the development of a promising candidate therapy for FSHD and lays down the foundation for in vivo systemic treatment studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Rowel Q Lim
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada
| | - Adam Bittel
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC 20010, USA
| | - Rika Maruyama
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada
| | - Yusuke Echigoya
- Laboratory of Biomedical Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan
| | - Quynh Nguyen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada
| | - Yiqing Huang
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada
| | - Kasia Dzierlega
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada
| | - Aiping Zhang
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC 20010, USA
| | - Yi-Wen Chen
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC 20010, USA; Department of Genomics and Precision Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Science, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada; Muscular Dystrophy Canada Research Chair, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada.
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45
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Cohen J, DeSimone A, Lek M, Lek A. Therapeutic Approaches in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Trends Mol Med 2021; 27:123-137. [PMID: 33092966 PMCID: PMC8048701 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common types of muscular dystrophy, affecting roughly one in 8000 individuals. The complex underlying genetics and poor mechanistic understanding has caused a bottleneck in therapeutic development. Until the discovery of DUX4 and its causal role in FSHD, most trials were untargeted with limited results. Emerging approaches can learn from these early trials to increase their chance of success. Here, we explore the evolution of FSHD clinical trials from nonspecific anabolic or anti-inflammatory/oxidant strategies to cutting-edge molecular therapies targeting DUX4, and we discuss the importance of clinical outcome measures. With combined advances across multiple facets of FSHD research, the field is now poised to accelerate the process of therapeutic discovery and testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Cohen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alec DeSimone
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Angela Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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46
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Serra C, Wagner KR. It's not all about muscle: fibroadipogenic progenitors contribute to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:2186-2188. [PMID: 32250345 DOI: 10.1172/jci136133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) results from expression of the full-length double homeobox 4 (DUX4-FL) retrogene in skeletal muscle. However, even in cases of severe FSHD the presence of DUX4 is barely detectable. In this issue of the JCI, Bosnakovski et al. used an inducible, muscle-specific human DUX4 to reproduce the low-level, sporadic DUX4 expression of human FSHD muscle as well the myopathology seen in human FSHD disease. Notably, dysregulated fibroadipogenic progenitors accumulated in affected muscles, thus providing a mechanism for the replacement of muscle by fibrosis and fat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Serra
- Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Neurology and
| | - Kathryn R Wagner
- Center for Genetic Muscle Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Neurology and.,Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore Maryland, USA
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47
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Gene Editing Targeting the DUX4 Polyadenylation Signal: A Therapy for FSHD? J Pers Med 2020; 11:jpm11010007. [PMID: 33374516 PMCID: PMC7822190 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD, OMIM: 158900, 158901) is the most common dystrophy in adults and so far, there is no treatment. Different loci of the disease have been characterized and they all lead to the aberrant expression of the DUX4 protein, which impairs the function of the muscle, ultimately leading to cell death. Here, we used gene editing to try to permanently shut down DUX4 expression by targeting its poly(A) sequence. We used transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN) and CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases in vitro on FSHD myoblasts. More than 150 TOPO clones were sequenced and only indels were observed in 4%. Importantly, in 2 of them, the DUX4 poly(A) signal was eliminated at the genomic level but DUX4 mRNA was still produced thanks to the use of a non-canonical upstream poly(A) signal sequence. These experiments show that targeting DUX4 PAS at the genomic level might not be an appropriate gene editing strategy for FSHD therapy.
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Chiu W, Hsun YH, Chang KJ, Yarmishyn AA, Hsiao YJ, Chien Y, Chien CS, Ma C, Yang YP, Tsai PH, Chiou SH, Lin TY, Cheng HM. Current Genetic Survey and Potential Gene-Targeting Therapeutics for Neuromuscular Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E9589. [PMID: 33339321 PMCID: PMC7767109 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) belong to a class of functional impairments that cause dysfunctions of the motor neuron-muscle functional axis components. Inherited monogenic neuromuscular disorders encompass both muscular dystrophies and motor neuron diseases. Understanding of their causative genetic defects and pathological genetic mechanisms has led to the unprecedented clinical translation of genetic therapies. Challenged by a broad range of gene defect types, researchers have developed different approaches to tackle mutations by hijacking the cellular gene expression machinery to minimize the mutational damage and produce the functional target proteins. Such manipulations may be directed to any point of the gene expression axis, such as classical gene augmentation, modulating premature termination codon ribosomal bypass, splicing modification of pre-mRNA, etc. With the soar of the CRISPR-based gene editing systems, researchers now gravitate toward genome surgery in tackling NMDs by directly correcting the mutational defects at the genome level and expanding the scope of targetable NMDs. In this article, we will review the current development of gene therapy and focus on NMDs that are available in published reports, including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM), Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), and Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy Type 2C (LGMD2C).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chiu
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.C.); (K.-J.C.); (Y.-J.H.); (Y.C.); (Y.-P.Y.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Ya-Hsin Hsun
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada;
- Department of Biological Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Kao-Jung Chang
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.C.); (K.-J.C.); (Y.-J.H.); (Y.C.); (Y.-P.Y.); (S.-H.C.)
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Aliaksandr A. Yarmishyn
- Division of Basic Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan; (A.A.Y.); (P.-H.T.)
| | - Yu-Jer Hsiao
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.C.); (K.-J.C.); (Y.-J.H.); (Y.C.); (Y.-P.Y.); (S.-H.C.)
| | - Yueh Chien
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.C.); (K.-J.C.); (Y.-J.H.); (Y.C.); (Y.-P.Y.); (S.-H.C.)
- Division of Basic Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan; (A.A.Y.); (P.-H.T.)
| | - Chian-Shiu Chien
- Department of Medical Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan;
- Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Chun Ma
- Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan;
| | - Yi-Ping Yang
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.C.); (K.-J.C.); (Y.-J.H.); (Y.C.); (Y.-P.Y.); (S.-H.C.)
- Division of Basic Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan; (A.A.Y.); (P.-H.T.)
- Institute of Food Safety and Health Risk Assessment, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Ping-Hsing Tsai
- Division of Basic Research, Department of Medical Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan; (A.A.Y.); (P.-H.T.)
- Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Hwa Chiou
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.C.); (K.-J.C.); (Y.-J.H.); (Y.C.); (Y.-P.Y.); (S.-H.C.)
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan;
- Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
- Institute of Food Safety and Health Risk Assessment, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
- Genomic Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National Chiao-Tung University, Hsinchu 1001, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Yi Lin
- Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Min Cheng
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan; (W.C.); (K.-J.C.); (Y.-J.H.); (Y.C.); (Y.-P.Y.); (S.-H.C.)
- Department of Medical Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan;
- Center for Evidence-based Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112201, Taiwan
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Rashnonejad A, Amini-Chermahini G, Taylor NK, Wein N, Harper SQ. Designed U7 snRNAs inhibit DUX4 expression and improve FSHD-associated outcomes in DUX4 overexpressing cells and FSHD patient myotubes. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2020; 23:476-486. [PMID: 33510937 PMCID: PMC7807095 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) arises from epigenetic changes that de-repress the DUX4 gene in muscle. The full-length DUX4 protein causes cell death and muscle toxicity, and therefore we hypothesize that FSHD therapies should center on inhibiting full-length DUX4 expression. In this study, we developed a strategy to accomplish DUX4 inhibition using U7-small nuclear RNA (snRNA) antisense expression cassettes (called U7-asDUX4). These non-coding RNAs were designed to inhibit production or maturation of the full-length DUX4 pre-mRNA by masking the DUX4 start codon, splice sites, or polyadenylation signal. In so doing, U7-asDUX4 snRNAs operate similarly to antisense oligonucleotides. However, in contrast to oligonucleotides, which are limited by poor uptake in muscle and a requirement for lifelong repeated dosing, U7-asDUX4 snRNAs can be packaged within myotropic gene therapy vectors and may require only a single administration when delivered to post-mitotic cells in vivo. We tested several U7-asDUX4s that reduced DUX4 expression in vitro and improved DUX4-associated outcomes. Inhibition of DUX4 expression via U7-snRNAs could be a new prospective gene therapy approach for FSHD or be used in combination with other strategies, like RNAi therapy, to maximize DUX4 silencing in individuals with FSHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afrooz Rashnonejad
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Gholamhossein Amini-Chermahini
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Noah K Taylor
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Nicolas Wein
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Scott Q Harper
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Sztretye M, Szabó L, Dobrosi N, Fodor J, Szentesi P, Almássy J, Magyar ZÉ, Dienes B, Csernoch L. From Mice to Humans: An Overview of the Potentials and Limitations of Current Transgenic Mouse Models of Major Muscular Dystrophies and Congenital Myopathies. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21238935. [PMID: 33255644 PMCID: PMC7728138 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21238935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscular dystrophies are a group of more than 160 different human neuromuscular disorders characterized by a progressive deterioration of muscle mass and strength. The causes, symptoms, age of onset, severity, and progression vary depending on the exact time point of diagnosis and the entity. Congenital myopathies are rare muscle diseases mostly present at birth that result from genetic defects. There are no known cures for congenital myopathies; however, recent advances in gene therapy are promising tools in providing treatment. This review gives an overview of the mouse models used to investigate the most common muscular dystrophies and congenital myopathies with emphasis on their potentials and limitations in respect to human applications.
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