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Szwec S, Kapłucha Z, Chamberlain JS, Konieczny P. Dystrophin- and Utrophin-Based Therapeutic Approaches for Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Comparative Review. BioDrugs 2024; 38:95-119. [PMID: 37917377 PMCID: PMC10789850 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-023-00632-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease that leads to progressive muscle loss and premature death. While medical management focuses mostly on symptomatic treatment, decades of research have resulted in first therapeutics able to restore the affected reading frame of dystrophin transcripts or induce synthesis of a truncated dystrophin protein from a vector, with other strategies based on gene therapy and cell signaling in preclinical or clinical development. Nevertheless, recent reports show that potentially therapeutic dystrophins can be immunogenic in patients. This raises the question of whether a dystrophin paralog, utrophin, could be a more suitable therapeutic protein. Here, we compare dystrophin and utrophin amino acid sequences and structures, combining published data with our extended in silico analyses. We then discuss these results in the context of therapeutic approaches for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Specifically, we focus on strategies based on delivery of micro-dystrophin and micro-utrophin genes with recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors, exon skipping of the mutated dystrophin pre-mRNAs, reading through termination codons with small molecules that mask premature stop codons, dystrophin gene repair by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated genetic engineering, and increasing utrophin levels. Our analyses highlight the importance of various dystrophin and utrophin domains in Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment, providing insights into designing novel therapeutic compounds with improved efficacy and decreased immunoreactivity. While the necessary actin and β-dystroglycan binding sites are present in both proteins, important functional distinctions can be identified in these domains and some other parts of truncated dystrophins might need redesigning due to their potentially immunogenic qualities. Alternatively, therapies based on utrophins might provide a safer and more effective approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Szwec
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Zuzanna Kapłucha
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jeffrey S Chamberlain
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
- Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
| | - Patryk Konieczny
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
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2
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Aita R, Chen L, Verzi MP. Evaluating Performance of IsoformSwitchAnalyzeR and mRNA Isoform Switching in Small Intestine Epithelial Differentiation. GASTRO HEP ADVANCES 2023; 2:1077-1081. [PMID: 38094226 PMCID: PMC10718563 DOI: 10.1016/j.gastha.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- R Aita
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition & Health, Division of Environmental & Population Health Biosciences, EOHSI, New Brunswick, New Jersey
| | - L Chen
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition & Health, Division of Environmental & Population Health Biosciences, EOHSI, New Brunswick, New Jersey
- School of Life Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - M P Verzi
- Department of Genetics, Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Center for Lipid Research, New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition & Health, Division of Environmental & Population Health Biosciences, EOHSI, New Brunswick, New Jersey
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3
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Gleneadie HJ, Fernandez-Ruiz B, Sardini A, Van de Pette M, Dimond A, Prinjha RK, McGinty J, French PMW, Bagci H, Merkenschlager M, Fisher AG. Endogenous bioluminescent reporters reveal a sustained increase in utrophin gene expression upon EZH2 and ERK1/2 inhibition. Commun Biol 2023; 6:318. [PMID: 36966198 PMCID: PMC10039851 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04666-9] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked disorder caused by loss of function mutations in the dystrophin gene (Dmd), resulting in progressive muscle weakening. Here we modelled the longitudinal expression of endogenous Dmd, and its paralogue Utrn, in mice and in myoblasts by generating bespoke bioluminescent gene reporters. As utrophin can partially compensate for Dmd-deficiency, these reporters were used as tools to ask whether chromatin-modifying drugs can enhance Utrn expression in developing muscle. Myoblasts treated with different PRC2 inhibitors showed significant increases in Utrn transcripts and bioluminescent signals, and these responses were independently verified by conditional Ezh2 deletion. Inhibition of ERK1/2 signalling provoked an additional increase in Utrn expression that was also seen in Dmd-mutant cells, and maintained as myoblasts differentiate. These data reveal PRC2 and ERK1/2 to be negative regulators of Utrn expression and provide specialised molecular imaging tools to monitor utrophin expression as a therapeutic strategy for DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Gleneadie
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Beatriz Fernandez-Ruiz
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Alessandro Sardini
- Whole Animal Physiology and Imaging Facility, MRC LMS, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Mathew Van de Pette
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
- MRC Toxicology Unit, Gleeson Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK
| | - Andrew Dimond
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Rab K Prinjha
- Immunology and Epigenetics Research Unit, Research, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - James McGinty
- Photonics Group, Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Paul M W French
- Photonics Group, Department of Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Hakan Bagci
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC LMS, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Matthias Merkenschlager
- Lymphocyte Development Group, MRC LMS, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK
| | - Amanda G Fisher
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3QU, Oxford, UK.
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Ghosh G, Samui S, Das S, Singh V, Pal D, Das S, Naskar J, Sinha Roy S, Basu U. Poly C Binding Protein 2 dependent nuclear retention of the utrophin-A mRNA in C2C12 cells. RNA Biol 2021; 18:612-622. [PMID: 34904931 PMCID: PMC8782177 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2021.2004683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Upregulation of utrophin, the autosomal homologue of dystrophin, can compensate dystrophin deficiency in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) although the therapeutic success is yet to be achieved. The present study has identified Poly (C) binding protein 2 (PCBP2) as a post-transcriptional suppresser for the expression of utrophin-A, the muscle-specific utrophin isoform. This study confirms nuclear retention of utrophin-A mRNA in C2C12 cells, which is mediated by PCBP2. Further investigation demonstrates PCBP2-dependent nuclear retention of follistatin mRNA as well. Its involvement in nuclear retention of mRNA sheds light on a novel function of PCBP2 that makes utrophin-A mRNA less available in cytosol. PCBP2, therefore, may be a target to de-repress utrophin-A expression in DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gargi Ghosh
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India
| | - Satyabrata Samui
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India
| | - Santanu Das
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Vandana Singh
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi University Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Doel Pal
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India
| | - Subhanwita Das
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India
| | - Jishu Naskar
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India
| | - Soumya Sinha Roy
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi University Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Utpal Basu
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, India,CONTACT Utpal Basu Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal741235, India
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Yedigaryan L, Sampaolesi M. Therapeutic Implications of miRNAs for Muscle-Wasting Conditions. Cells 2021; 10:cells10113035. [PMID: 34831256 PMCID: PMC8616481 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that are mainly involved in translational repression by binding to specific messenger RNAs. Recently, miRNAs have emerged as biomarkers, relevant for a multitude of pathophysiological conditions, and cells can selectively sort miRNAs into extracellular vesicles for paracrine and endocrine effects. In the overall context of muscle-wasting conditions, a multitude of miRNAs has been implied as being responsible for the typical dysregulation of anabolic and catabolic pathways. In general, chronic muscle disorders are associated with the main characteristic of a substantial loss in muscle mass. Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a group of genetic diseases that cause muscle weakness and degeneration. Typically, MDs are caused by mutations in those genes responsible for upholding the integrity of muscle structure and function. Recently, the dysregulation of miRNA levels in such pathological conditions has been reported. This revelation is imperative for both MDs and other muscle-wasting conditions, such as sarcopenia and cancer cachexia. The expression levels of miRNAs have immense potential for use as potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers. Understanding the role of miRNAs in muscle-wasting conditions may lead to the development of novel strategies for the improvement of patient management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Yedigaryan
- Translational Cardiomyology Laboratory, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
| | - Maurilio Sampaolesi
- Translational Cardiomyology Laboratory, Stem Cell Biology and Embryology, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- Histology and Medical Embryology Unit, Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Karnam S, Skiba NP, Rao PV. Biochemical and biomechanical characteristics of dystrophin-deficient mdx 3cv mouse lens. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2021; 1867:165998. [PMID: 33127476 PMCID: PMC8323981 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The molecular and cellular basis for cataract development in mice lacking dystrophin, a scaffolding protein that links the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix, is poorly understood. In this study, we characterized lenses derived from the dystrophin-deficient mdx3cv mouse model. Expression of Dp71, a predominant isoform of dystrophin in the lens, was induced during lens fiber cell differentiation. Dp71 was found to co-distribute with dystroglycan, connexin-50 and 46, aquaporin-0, and NrCAM as a large cluster at the center of long arms of the hexagonal fibers. Although mdx3cv mouse lenses exhibited dramatically reduced levels of Dp71, only older lenses revealed punctate nuclear opacities compared to littermate wild type (WT) lenses. The levels of dystroglycan, syntrophin, and dystrobrevin which comprise the dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC), and NrCAM, connexin-50, and aquaporin-0, were significantly lower in the lens membrane fraction of adult mdx3cv mice compared to WT mice. Additionally, decreases were observed in myosin light chain phosphorylation and lens stiffness together with a significant elevation in the levels of utrophin, a functional homolog of dystrophin in mdx3cv mouse lenses compared to WT lenses. The levels of perlecan and laminin (ligands of α-dystroglycan) remained normal in dystrophin-deficient lens fibers. Taken together, although mdx3cv mouse lenses exhibit only minor defects in lens clarity possibly due to a compensatory increase in utrophin, the noted disruptions of DAPC, stability, and organization of membrane integral proteins of fibers, and stiffness of mdx3cv lenses reveal the importance of dystrophin and DAPC in maintaining lens clarity and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruthi Karnam
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nikolai P Skiba
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ponugoti V Rao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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Singh GB, Cowan DB, Wang DZ. Tiny Regulators of Massive Tissue: MicroRNAs in Skeletal Muscle Development, Myopathies, and Cancer Cachexia. Front Oncol 2020; 10:598964. [PMID: 33330096 PMCID: PMC7719840 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.598964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscles are the largest tissues in our body and the physiological function of muscle is essential to every aspect of life. The regulation of development, homeostasis, and metabolism is critical for the proper functioning of skeletal muscle. Consequently, understanding the processes involved in the regulation of myogenesis is of great interest. Non-coding RNAs especially microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression and function. MiRNAs are small (~22 nucleotides long) noncoding RNAs known to negatively regulate target gene expression post-transcriptionally and are abundantly expressed in skeletal muscle. Gain- and loss-of function studies have revealed important roles of this class of small molecules in muscle biology and disease. In this review, we summarize the latest research that explores the role of miRNAs in skeletal muscle development, gene expression, and function as well as in muscle disorders like sarcopenia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Continuing with the theme of the current review series, we also briefly discuss the role of miRNAs in cancer cachexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurinder Bir Singh
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Douglas B Cowan
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Da-Zhi Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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Brusa R, Magri F, Bresolin N, Comi GP, Corti S. Noncoding RNAs in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies: role in pathogenesis and future prognostic and therapeutic perspectives. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:4299-4313. [PMID: 32350552 PMCID: PMC11105074 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03537-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as miRNAs and long noncoding RNAs, are key regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and represent promising therapeutic targets and biomarkers for several human diseases, including Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD). A role for ncRNAs in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophies has been suggested, even if it is still incompletely understood. Here, we discuss current progress leading towards the clinical utility of ncRNAs for DMD/BMD. Long and short noncoding RNAs are differentially expressed in DMD/BMD and have a mechanism of action via targeting mRNAs. A subset of muscle-enriched miRNAs, the so-called myomiRs (miR-1, miR-133, and miR-206), are increased in the serum of patients with DMD and in dystrophin-defective animal models. Interestingly, myomiRs might be used as biomarkers, given that their levels can be corrected after dystrophin restoration in dystrophic mice. Remarkably, further evidence demonstrates that ncRNAs also play a role in dystrophin expression; thus, their modulations might represent a potential therapeutic strategy with the aim of upregulating the dystrophin protein in combination with other oligonucleotides/gene therapy approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Brusa
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Magri
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Nereo Bresolin
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
- Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giacomo Pietro Comi
- Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Neuromuscular and Rare Diseases Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Corti
- Neurology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
- Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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Zamani G, Hosseini Bereshneh A, Azizi Malamiri R, Bagheri S, Moradi K, Ashrafi MR, Tavasoli AR, Mohammadi M, Badv RS, Ghahvechi Akbari M, Heidari M. The First Comprehensive Cohort of the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Iranian Population: Mutation Spectrum of 314 Patients and Identifying Two Novel Nonsense Mutations. J Mol Neurosci 2020; 70:1565-1573. [DOI: 10.1007/s12031-020-01594-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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High-throughput identification of post-transcriptional utrophin up-regulators for Duchenne muscle dystrophy (DMD) therapy. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2132. [PMID: 32034254 PMCID: PMC7005813 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58737-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Upregulation of endogenous utrophin offers great promise for treating DMD, as it can functionally compensate for the lack of dystrophin caused by DMD gene mutations, without the immunogenic concerns associated with delivering dystrophin. However, post-transcriptional repression mechanisms targeting the 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) of utrophin mRNA significantly limit the magnitude of utrophin upregulation achievable by promoter activation. Using a utrophin 5′3′UTR reporter assay, we performed a high-throughput screen (HTS) for small molecules capable of relieving utrophin post-transcriptional repression. We identified 27 hits that were ranked using a using an algorithm that we designed for hit prioritization that we call Hit to Lead Prioritization Score (H2LPS). The top 10 hits were validated using an orthogonal assay for endogenous utrophin expression. Evaluation of the top scoring hit, Trichostatin A (TSA), demonstrated utrophin upregulation and functional improvement in the mdx mouse model of DMD. TSA and the other small molecules identified here represent potential starting points for DMD drug discovery efforts.
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Malik D, Basu U. Repression-free utrophin-A 5'UTR variants. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2020; 8:129-133. [PMID: 31998814 PMCID: PMC6802688 DOI: 10.22099/mbrc.2019.34240.1421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Mutation in the dystrophin gene results Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), an X-linked fatal neuromuscular disorder. Dystrophin deficiency can be compensated by upregulation of utrophin, an autosomal homologue of dystrophin. But the expression of utrophin in adults is restricted to myotendinous and neuromuscular junctions. Therefore utrophin upregulation throughout the muscle fiber can only be achieved if we understand regulatory mechanisms behind its expression. Utrophin-A 5′UTR mediated repression of translation was reported earlier. In this article, we present evidences of two transcript variants of utrophin-A that do not confer repression to the downstream reporter ORF in mouse myoblast C2C12 cells. These repression-free variants may be targeted for utrophin upregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debasish Malik
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, 741235 India
| | - Utpal Basu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, 741235 India
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