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Bailey LR, Bugg D, Reichardt IM, Ortaç CD, Nagle A, Gunaje J, Martinson A, Johnson R, MacCoss MJ, Sakamoto T, Kelly DP, Regnier M, Davis JM. MBNL1 Regulates Programmed Postnatal Switching Between Regenerative and Differentiated Cardiac States. Circulation 2024; 149:1812-1829. [PMID: 38426339 PMCID: PMC11147738 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.123.066860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Discovering determinants of cardiomyocyte maturity is critical for deeply understanding the maintenance of differentiated states and potentially reawakening endogenous regenerative programs in adult mammalian hearts as a therapeutic strategy. Forced dedifferentiation paired with oncogene expression is sufficient to drive cardiac regeneration, but elucidation of endogenous developmental regulators of the switch between regenerative and mature cardiomyocyte cell states is necessary for optimal design of regenerative approaches for heart disease. MBNL1 (muscleblind-like 1) regulates fibroblast, thymocyte, and erythroid differentiation and proliferation. Hence, we examined whether MBNL1 promotes and maintains mature cardiomyocyte states while antagonizing cardiomyocyte proliferation. METHODS MBNL1 gain- and loss-of-function mouse models were studied at several developmental time points and in surgical models of heart regeneration. Multi-omics approaches were combined with biochemical, histological, and in vitro assays to determine the mechanisms through which MBNL1 exerts its effects. RESULTS MBNL1 is coexpressed with a maturation-association genetic program in the heart and is regulated by the MEIS1/calcineurin signaling axis. Targeted MBNL1 overexpression early in development prematurely transitioned cardiomyocytes to hypertrophic growth, hypoplasia, and dysfunction, whereas loss of MBNL1 function increased cardiomyocyte cell cycle entry and proliferation through altered cell cycle inhibitor transcript stability. Moreover, MBNL1-dependent stabilization of estrogen-related receptor signaling was essential for maintaining cardiomyocyte maturity in adult myocytes. In accordance with these data, modulating MBNL1 dose tuned the temporal window of neonatal cardiac regeneration, where increased MBNL1 expression arrested myocyte proliferation and regeneration and MBNL1 deletion promoted regenerative states with prolonged myocyte proliferation. However, MBNL1 deficiency was insufficient to promote regeneration in the adult heart because of cell cycle checkpoint activation. CONCLUSIONS Here, MBNL1 was identified as an essential regulator of cardiomyocyte differentiated states, their developmental switch from hyperplastic to hypertrophic growth, and their regenerative potential through controlling an entire maturation program by stabilizing adult myocyte mRNAs during postnatal development and throughout adulthood. Targeting loss of cardiomyocyte maturity and downregulation of cell cycle inhibitors through MBNL1 deletion was not sufficient to promote adult regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan R.J. Bailey
- Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Darrian Bugg
- Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Isabella M. Reichardt
- Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - C. Dessirée Ortaç
- Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Abigail Nagle
- Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Jagadambika Gunaje
- Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Amy Martinson
- Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | | | | | - Tomoya Sakamoto
- Cardiovascular Institute, Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Daniel P. Kelly
- Cardiovascular Institute, Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Michael Regnier
- Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Center for Translational Muscle Research, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Jennifer M. Davis
- Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Center for Translational Muscle Research, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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2
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Völkers M, Preiss T, Hentze MW. RNA-binding proteins in cardiovascular biology and disease: the beat goes on. Nat Rev Cardiol 2024; 21:361-378. [PMID: 38163813 DOI: 10.1038/s41569-023-00958-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Cardiac development and function are becoming increasingly well understood from different angles, including signalling, transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms. By contrast, the importance of the post-transcriptional landscape of cardiac biology largely remains to be uncovered, building on the foundation of a few existing paradigms. The discovery during the past decade of hundreds of additional RNA-binding proteins in mammalian cells and organs, including the heart, is expected to accelerate progress and has raised intriguing possibilities for better understanding the intricacies of cardiac development, metabolism and adaptive alterations. In this Review, we discuss the progress and new concepts on RNA-binding proteins and RNA biology and appraise them in the context of common cardiovascular clinical conditions, from cell and organ-wide perspectives. We also discuss how a better understanding of cardiac RNA-binding proteins can fill crucial knowledge gaps in cardiology and might pave the way to developing better treatments to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Völkers
- Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Pneumology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Heidelberg and Mannheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Preiss
- Shine-Dalgarno Centre for RNA Innovation, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matthias W Hentze
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit (MMPU), Heidelberg, Germany.
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Falcetta D, Quirim S, Cocchiararo I, Chabry F, Théodore M, Stiefvater A, Lin S, Tintignac L, Ivanek R, Kinter J, Rüegg MA, Sinnreich M, Castets P. CaMKIIβ deregulation contributes to neuromuscular junction destabilization in Myotonic Dystrophy type I. Skelet Muscle 2024; 14:11. [PMID: 38769542 PMCID: PMC11106974 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-024-00345-3] [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: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Myotonic Dystrophy type I (DM1) is the most common muscular dystrophy in adults. Previous reports have highlighted that neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) deteriorate in skeletal muscle from DM1 patients and mouse models thereof. However, the underlying pathomechanisms and their contribution to muscle dysfunction remain unknown. METHODS We compared changes in NMJs and activity-dependent signalling pathways in HSALR and Mbnl1ΔE3/ΔE3 mice, two established mouse models of DM1. RESULTS Muscle from DM1 mouse models showed major deregulation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases II (CaMKIIs), which are key activity sensors regulating synaptic gene expression and acetylcholine receptor (AChR) recycling at the NMJ. Both mouse models exhibited increased fragmentation of the endplate, which preceded muscle degeneration. Endplate fragmentation was not accompanied by changes in AChR turnover at the NMJ. However, the expression of synaptic genes was up-regulated in mutant innervated muscle, together with an abnormal accumulation of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4), a known target of CaMKII. Interestingly, denervation-induced increase in synaptic gene expression and AChR turnover was hampered in DM1 muscle. Importantly, CaMKIIβ/βM overexpression normalized endplate fragmentation and synaptic gene expression in innervated Mbnl1ΔE3/ΔE3 muscle, but it did not restore denervation-induced synaptic gene up-regulation. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that CaMKIIβ-dependent and -independent mechanisms perturb synaptic gene regulation and muscle response to denervation in DM1 mouse models. Changes in these signalling pathways may contribute to NMJ destabilization and muscle dysfunction in DM1 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Falcetta
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel Servet, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland
- Neuromuscular Research Group, Departments of Neurology and Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Sandrine Quirim
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel Servet, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland
| | - Ilaria Cocchiararo
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel Servet, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland
| | - Florent Chabry
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel Servet, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland
| | - Marine Théodore
- Neuromuscular Research Group, Departments of Neurology and Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Adeline Stiefvater
- Neuromuscular Research Group, Departments of Neurology and Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Shuo Lin
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Lionel Tintignac
- Neuromuscular Research Group, Departments of Neurology and Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Robert Ivanek
- Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital and University of Basel, Hebelstrasse 20, Basel, CH-4053, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Hebelstrasse 20, Basel, CH-4053, Switzerland
| | - Jochen Kinter
- Neuromuscular Research Group, Departments of Neurology and Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Markus A Rüegg
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Michael Sinnreich
- Neuromuscular Research Group, Departments of Neurology and Biomedicine, University and University Hospital Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50/70, Basel, CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Perrine Castets
- Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel Servet, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland.
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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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5
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Yadava RS, Mandal M, Mahadevan MS. Studying the Effect of MBNL1 and MBNL2 Loss in Skeletal Muscle Regeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2687. [PMID: 38473933 PMCID: PMC10931579 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052687] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Loss of function of members of the muscleblind-like (MBNL) family of RNA binding proteins has been shown to play a key role in the spliceopathy of RNA toxicity in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common muscular dystrophy affecting adults and children. MBNL1 and MBNL2 are the most abundantly expressed members in skeletal muscle. A key aspect of DM1 is poor muscle regeneration and repair, leading to dystrophy. We used a BaCl2-induced damage model of muscle injury to study regeneration and effects on skeletal muscle satellite cells (MuSCs) in Mbnl1∆E3/∆E3 and Mbnl2∆E2/∆E2 knockout mice. Similar experiments have previously shown deleterious effects on these parameters in mouse models of RNA toxicity. Muscle regeneration in Mbnl1 and Mbnl2 knockout mice progressed normally with no obvious deleterious effects on MuSC numbers or increased expression of markers of fibrosis. Skeletal muscles in Mbnl1∆E3/∆E3/ Mbnl2∆E2/+ mice showed increased histopathology but no deleterious reductions in MuSC numbers and only a slight increase in collagen deposition. These results suggest that factors beyond the loss of MBNL1/MBNL2 and the associated spliceopathy are likely to play a key role in the defects in skeletal muscle regeneration and deleterious effects on MuSCs that are seen in mouse models of RNA toxicity due to expanded CUG repeats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mani S. Mahadevan
- Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (R.S.Y.)
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6
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Taylor K, Piasecka A, Kajdasz A, Brzęk A, Polay Espinoza M, Bourgeois CF, Jankowski A, Borowiak M, Raczyńska KD, Sznajder ŁJ, Sobczak K. Modulatory role of RNA helicases in MBNL-dependent alternative splicing regulation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:335. [PMID: 37882878 PMCID: PMC10602967 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04927-0] [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: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Muscleblind-like splicing regulators (MBNLs) activate or repress the inclusion of alternative splicing (AS) events, enabling the developmental transition of fetal mRNA splicing isoforms to their adult forms. Herein, we sought to elaborate the mechanism by which MBNLs mediate AS related to biological processes. We evaluated the functional role of DEAD-box (DDX) RNA helicases, DDX5 and DDX17 in MBNL-dependent AS regulation. Whole-transcriptome analysis and validation approaches revealed a handful of MBNLs-dependent AS events to be affected by DDX5 and DDX17 in mostly an opposite manner. The opposite expression patterns of these two groups of factors during muscle development and coordination of fetal-to-adult splicing transition indicate the importance of these proteins at early stages of development. The identified pathways of how the helicases modulate MBNL splicing activity include DDX5 and DDX17-dependent changes in the ratio of MBNL splicing isoforms and most likely changes in accessibility of MBNL-binding sites. Another pathway involves the mode of action of the helicases independent of MBNL activity. These findings lead to a deeper understanding of the network of interdependencies between RNA-binding proteins and constitute a valuable element in the discussion on developmental homeostasis and pathological states in which the studied protein factors play a significant role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Taylor
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Piasecka
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Arkadiusz Kajdasz
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704, Poznan, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Brzęk
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Micaela Polay Espinoza
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modelisation de la Cellule, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5239, Inserm, U1293, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 46 Allee d'Italie, 69364, Lyon, France
| | - Cyril F Bourgeois
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Modelisation de la Cellule, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5239, Inserm, U1293, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 46 Allee d'Italie, 69364, Lyon, France
| | - Artur Jankowski
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Borowiak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Katarzyna D Raczyńska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Łukasz J Sznajder
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics and the Genetics Institute, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA
| | - Krzysztof Sobczak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland.
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7
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Pierre M, Djemai M, Chapotte-Baldacci CA, Pouliot V, Puymirat J, Boutjdir M, Chahine M. Cardiac involvement in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells of myotonic dystrophy type 1: unveiling the impact of voltage-gated sodium channels. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1258318. [PMID: 37791351 PMCID: PMC10544896 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1258318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and myotonia. In DM1 patients, cardiac electrical manifestations include conduction defects and atrial fibrillation. DM1 results in the expansion of a CTG transcribed into CUG-containing transcripts that accumulate in the nucleus as RNA foci and alter the activity of several splicing regulators. The underlying pathological mechanism involves two key RNA-binding proteins (MBNL and CELF) with expanded CUG repeats that sequester MBNL and alter the activity of CELF resulting in spliceopathy and abnormal electrical activity. In the present study, we identified two DM1 patients with heart conduction abnormalities and characterized their hiPSC lines. Two differentiation protocols were used to investigate both the ventricular and the atrial electrophysiological aspects of DM1 and unveil the impact of the mutation on voltage-gated ion channels, electrical activity, and calcium homeostasis in DM1 cardiomyocytes derived from hiPSCs. Our analysis revealed the presence of molecular hallmarks of DM1, including the accumulation of RNA foci and sequestration of MBNL1 in DM1 hiPSC-CMs. We also observed mis-splicing of SCN5A and haploinsufficiency of DMPK. Furthermore, we conducted separate characterizations of atrial and ventricular electrical activity, conduction properties, and calcium homeostasis. Both DM1 cell lines exhibited reduced density of sodium and calcium currents, prolonged action potential duration, slower conduction velocity, and impaired calcium transient propagation in both ventricular and atrial cardiomyocytes. Notably, arrhythmogenic events were recorded, including both ventricular and atrial arrhythmias were observed in the two DM1 cell lines. These findings enhance our comprehension of the molecular mechanisms underlying DM1 and provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of ventricular and atrial involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jack Puymirat
- LOEX, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Mohamed Boutjdir
- Cardiovascular Research Program, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn, NY, United States
- Departments of Cell Biology and Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
- Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Mohamed Chahine
- CERVO Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
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8
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Sznajder L, Khan M, Tadross M, Ciesiołka A, Nutter C, Taylor K, Pearson C, Sobczak K, Lewis M, Swanson M, Yuen R. Autistic traits in myotonic dystrophy type 1 due to MBNL inhibition and RNA mis-splicing. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3221704. [PMID: 37645891 PMCID: PMC10462192 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3221704/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Tandem repeat expansions are enriched in autism spectrum disorder, including CTG expansion in the DMPK gene that underlines myotonic muscular dystrophy type 1. Although the clinical connection of autism to myotonic dystrophy is corroborated, the molecular links remained unknown. Here, we show a mechanistic path of autism via repeat expansion in myotonic dystrophy. We found that inhibition of muscleblind-like (MBNL) splicing factors by expanded CUG RNAs alerts the splicing of autism-risk genes during brain development especially a class of autism-relevant microexons. To provide in vivo evidence that the CTG expansion and MBNL inhibition axis leads to the presentation of autistic traits, we demonstrate that CTG expansion and MBNL-null mouse models recapitulate autism-relevant mis-splicing profiles and demonstrate social deficits. Our findings indicate that DMPK CTG expansion-associated autism arises from developmental mis-splicing. Understanding this pathomechanistic connection provides an opportunity for greater in-depth investigations of mechanistic threads in autism.
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9
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Navarro-Martínez A, Vicente-García C, Carvajal JJ. NMJ-related diseases beyond the congenital myasthenic syndromes. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1216726. [PMID: 37601107 PMCID: PMC10436495 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1216726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) are a special type of chemical synapse that transmits electrical stimuli from motor neurons (MNs) to their innervating skeletal muscle to induce a motor response. They are an ideal model for the study of synapses, given their manageable size and easy accessibility. Alterations in their morphology or function lead to neuromuscular disorders, such as the congenital myasthenic syndromes, which are caused by mutations in proteins located in the NMJ. In this review, we highlight novel potential candidate genes that may cause or modify NMJs-related pathologies in humans by exploring the phenotypes of hundreds of mouse models available in the literature. We also underscore the fact that NMJs may differ between species, muscles or even sexes. Hence the importance of choosing a good model organism for the study of NMJ-related diseases: only taking into account the specific features of the mammalian NMJ, experimental results would be efficiently translated to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristina Vicente-García
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CSIC-UPO-JA, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
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Porquet F, Weidong L, Jehasse K, Gazon H, Kondili M, Blacher S, Massotte L, Di Valentin E, Furling D, Gillet NA, Klein AF, Seutin V, Willems L. Specific DMPK-promoter targeting by CRISPRi reverses myotonic dystrophy type 1-associated defects in patient muscle cells. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 32:857-871. [PMID: 37273786 PMCID: PMC10238591 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a neuromuscular disease that originates from an expansion of CTG microsatellites in the 3' untranslated region of the DMPK gene, thus leading to the expression of transcripts containing expanded CUG repeats (CUGexp). The pathophysiology is explained by a toxic RNA gain of function where CUGexp RNAs form nuclear aggregates that sequester and alter the function of MBNL splicing factors, triggering splicing misregulation linked to the DM1 symptoms. There is currently no cure for DM1, and most therapeutic strategies aim at eliminating CUGexp-DMPK transcripts. Here, we investigate a DMPK-promoter silencing strategy using CRISPR interference as a new alternative approach. Different sgRNAs targeting the DMPK promoter are evaluated in DM1 patient muscle cells. The most effective guides allowed us to reduce the level of DMPK transcripts and CUGexp-RNA aggregates up to 80%. The CUGexp-DMPK repression corrects the overall transcriptome, including spliceopathy, and reverses a physiological parameter in DM1 muscle cells. Its action is specific and restricted to the DMPK gene, as confirmed by genome-wide expression analysis. Altogether, our findings highlight DMPK-promoter silencing by CRISPRi as a promising therapeutic approach for DM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Porquet
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Epigenetics, GIGA-Cancer, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, GIGA-Neurosciences, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Lin Weidong
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Epigenetics, GIGA-Cancer, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Kévin Jehasse
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, GIGA-Neurosciences, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Hélène Gazon
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Epigenetics, GIGA-Cancer, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Maria Kondili
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Silvia Blacher
- Laboratory of Biology of Tumor and Development, GIGA-Cancer, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Laurent Massotte
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, GIGA-Neurosciences, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Denis Furling
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Albert Gillet
- Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), Integrated Veterinary Research Unit (URVI), University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Arnaud François Klein
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Vincent Seutin
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology, GIGA-Neurosciences, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Luc Willems
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Epigenetics, GIGA-Cancer, ULiège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
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11
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Montañés-Agudo P, Pinto YM, Creemers EE. Splicing factors in the heart: Uncovering shared and unique targets. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2023; 179:72-79. [PMID: 37059416 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2023.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Alternative splicing generates specialized protein isoforms that allow the heart to adapt during development and disease. The recent discovery that mutations in the splicing factor RNA-binding protein 20 (RBM20) cause a severe form of familial dilated cardiomyopathy has sparked a great interest in alternative splicing in the field of cardiology. Since then, identification of splicing factors controlling alternative splicing in the heart has grown at a rapid pace. Despite the intriguing observation that a certain overlap exists between the targets of some splicing factors, an integrated and systematic analysis of their splicing networks is missing. Here, we compared the splicing networks of individual splicing factors by re-analyzing original RNA-sequencing data from eight previously published mouse models, in which a single splicing factor has been genetically deleted (i.e. HNRNPU, MBNL1/2, QKI, RBM20, RBM24, RBPMS, SRSF3, SRSF4). We show that key splicing events in Camk2d, Ryr2, Tpm1, Tpm2 and Pdlim5 require the combined action of the majority of these splicing factors. Additionally, we identified common targets and pathways among splicing factors, with the largest overlap between the splicing networks of MBNL, QKI and RBM24. We also re-analyzed a large-scale RNA-sequencing study on hearts of 128 heart failure patients. Here, we observed that MBNL1, QKI and RBM24 expression varied greatly. This variation in expression correlated with differential splicing of their downstream targets as found in mice, suggesting that aberrant splicing by MBNL1, QKI and RBM24 might contribute to the disease mechanism in heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Montañés-Agudo
- Experimental Cardiology, Room K2-112, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, Amsterdam 1105AZ, the Netherlands.
| | - Yigal M Pinto
- Experimental Cardiology, Room K2-104, Amsterdam UMC, location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, Amsterdam 1105AZ, the Netherlands.
| | - Esther E Creemers
- Experimental Cardiology, Room K2-104-2, Amsterdam UMC, Location University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 15, Amsterdam 1105AZ, the Netherlands.
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12
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Hu N, Kim E, Antoury L, Wheeler TM. Correction of Clcn1 alternative splicing reverses muscle fiber type transition in mice with myotonic dystrophy. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1956. [PMID: 37029100 PMCID: PMC10082032 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37619-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), deregulated alternative splicing of the muscle chloride channel Clcn1 causes myotonia, a delayed relaxation of muscles due to repetitive action potentials. The degree of weakness in adult DM1 is associated with increased frequency of oxidative muscle fibers. However, the mechanism for glycolytic-to-oxidative fiber type transition in DM1 and its relationship to myotonia are uncertain. Here we cross two mouse models of DM1 to create a double homozygous model that features progressive functional impairment, severe myotonia, and near absence of type 2B glycolytic fibers. Intramuscular injection of an antisense oligonucleotide for targeted skipping of Clcn1 exon 7a corrects Clcn1 alternative splicing, increases glycolytic 2B levels to ≥ 40% frequency, reduces muscle injury, and improves fiber hypertrophy relative to treatment with a control oligo. Our results demonstrate that fiber type transitions in DM1 result from myotonia and are reversible, and support the development of Clcn1-targeting therapies for DM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningyan Hu
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eunjoo Kim
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Layal Antoury
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thurman M Wheeler
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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13
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Bailey LRJ, Bugg D, Reichardt IM, Ortaç CD, Gunaje J, Johnson R, MacCoss MJ, Sakamoto T, Kelly DP, Regnier M, Davis JM. MBNL1 regulates programmed postnatal switching between regenerative and differentiated cardiac states. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.16.532974. [PMID: 36993225 PMCID: PMC10055038 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.16.532974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Discovering determinants of cardiomyocyte maturity and the maintenance of differentiated states is critical to both understanding development and potentially reawakening endogenous regenerative programs in adult mammalian hearts as a therapeutic strategy. Here, the RNA binding protein Muscleblind-like 1 (MBNL1) was identified as a critical regulator of cardiomyocyte differentiated states and their regenerative potential through transcriptome-wide control of RNA stability. Targeted MBNL1 overexpression early in development prematurely transitioned cardiomyocytes to hypertrophic growth, hypoplasia, and dysfunction, whereas loss of MBNL1 function increased cardiomyocyte cell cycle entry and proliferation through altered cell cycle inhibitor transcript stability. Moreover, MBNL1-dependent stabilization of the estrogen-related receptor signaling axis was essential for maintaining cardiomyocyte maturity. In accordance with these data, modulating MBNL1 dose tuned the temporal window of cardiac regeneration, where enhanced MBNL1 activity arrested myocyte proliferation, and MBNL1 deletion promoted regenerative states with prolonged myocyte proliferation. Collectively these data suggest MBNL1 acts as a transcriptome-wide switch between regenerative and mature myocyte states postnatally and throughout adulthood.
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14
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Souidi A, Nakamori M, Zmojdzian M, Jagla T, Renaud Y, Jagla K. Deregulations of miR-1 and its target Multiplexin promote dilated cardiomyopathy associated with myotonic dystrophy type 1. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e56616. [PMID: 36852954 PMCID: PMC10074075 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202256616] [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: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common muscular dystrophy in adults. It is caused by the excessive expansion of noncoding CTG repeats, which when transcribed affects the functions of RNA-binding factors with adverse effects on alternative splicing, processing, and stability of a large set of muscular and cardiac transcripts. Among these effects, inefficient processing and down-regulation of muscle- and heart-specific miRNA, miR-1, have been reported in DM1 patients, but the impact of reduced miR-1 on DM1 pathogenesis has been unknown. Here, we use Drosophila DM1 models to explore the role of miR-1 in cardiac dysfunction in DM1. We show that miR-1 down-regulation in the heart leads to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a DM1-associated phenotype. We combined in silico screening for miR-1 targets with transcriptional profiling of DM1 cardiac cells to identify miR-1 target genes with potential roles in DCM. We identify Multiplexin (Mp) as a new cardiac miR-1 target involved in DM1. Mp encodes a collagen protein involved in cardiac tube formation in Drosophila. Mp and its human ortholog Col15A1 are both highly enriched in cardiac cells of DCM-developing DM1 flies and in heart samples from DM1 patients with DCM, respectively. When overexpressed in the heart, Mp induces DCM, whereas its attenuation rescues the DCM phenotype of aged DM1 flies. Reduced levels of miR-1 and consecutive up-regulation of its target Mp/Col15A1 might be critical in DM1-associated DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anissa Souidi
- iGReD Genetics Reproduction and Development Institute, Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Masayuki Nakamori
- Department of Neurology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Monika Zmojdzian
- iGReD Genetics Reproduction and Development Institute, Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Teresa Jagla
- iGReD Genetics Reproduction and Development Institute, Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Yoan Renaud
- iGReD Genetics Reproduction and Development Institute, Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Krzysztof Jagla
- iGReD Genetics Reproduction and Development Institute, Clermont Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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15
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Nitschke L, Hu RC, Miller A, Lucas L, Cooper T. Alternative splicing mediates the compensatory upregulation of MBNL2 upon MBNL1 loss-of-function. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:1245-1259. [PMID: 36617982 PMCID: PMC9943662 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss of gene function can be compensated by paralogs with redundant functions. An example of such compensation are the paralogs of the Muscleblind-Like (MBNL) family of RNA-binding proteins that are sequestered and lose their function in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1). Loss of MBNL1 increases the levels of its paralog MBNL2 in tissues where Mbnl2 expression is low, allowing MBNL2 to functionally compensate for MBNL1 loss. Here, we show that loss of MBNL1 increases the inclusion of Mbnl2 exon 6 and exon 9. We find that inclusion of Mbnl2 exon 6 increases the translocation of MBNL2 to the nucleus, while the inclusion of Mbnl2 exon 9 shifts the reading frame to an alternative C-terminus. We show that the C-terminus lacking exon 9 contains a PEST domain which causes proteasomal degradation. Loss of MBNL1 increases the inclusion of exon 9, resulting in an alternative C-terminus lacking the PEST domain and the increase of MBNL2. We further find that the compensatory mechanism is active in a mouse DM1 model. Together, this study uncovers the compensatory mechanism by which loss of MBNL1 upregulates its paralog MBNL2 and highlights a potential role of the compensatory mechanism in DM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Nitschke
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rong-Chi Hu
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Andrew N Miller
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lathan Lucas
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Chemical, Physical & Structural Biology Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Thomas A Cooper
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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16
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Tahraoui-Bories J, Mérien A, González-Barriga A, Lainé J, Leteur C, Polvèche H, Carteron A, De Lamotte JD, Nicoleau C, Polentes J, Jarrige M, Gomes-Pereira M, Ventre E, Poydenot P, Furling D, Schaeffer L, Legay C, Martinat C. MBNL-dependent impaired development within the neuromuscular system in myotonic dystrophy type 1. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2023; 49:e12876. [PMID: 36575942 PMCID: PMC10107781 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12876] [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: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1) is one of the most frequent muscular dystrophies in adults. Although DM1 has long been considered mainly a muscle disorder, growing evidence suggests the involvement of peripheral nerves in the pathogenicity of DM1 raising the question of whether motoneurons (MNs) actively contribute to neuromuscular defects in DM1. METHODS By using micropatterned 96-well plates as a coculture platform, we generated a functional neuromuscular model combining DM1 and muscleblind protein (MBNL) knock-out human-induced pluripotent stem cells-derived MNs and human healthy skeletal muscle cells. RESULTS This approach led to the identification of presynaptic defects which affect the formation or stability of the neuromuscular junction at an early developmental stage. These neuropathological defects could be reproduced by the loss of RNA-binding MBNL proteins, whose loss of function in vivo is associated with muscular defects associated with DM1. These experiments indicate that the functional defects associated with MNs can be directly attributed to MBNL family proteins. Comparative transcriptomic analyses also revealed specific neuronal-related processes regulated by these proteins that are commonly misregulated in DM1. CONCLUSIONS Beyond the application to DM1, our approach to generating a robust and reliable human neuromuscular system should facilitate disease modelling studies and drug screening assays.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antoine Mérien
- INSERM/UEVE UMR 861, Université Paris Saclay, I-STEM, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Anchel González-Barriga
- INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Jeanne Lainé
- INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mário Gomes-Pereira
- INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Denis Furling
- INSERM, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Laurent Schaeffer
- INMG, INSERM U1217, CNRS UMR5310, Université Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Claire Legay
- CNRS, SPINN-Saint-Pères Paris Institute for the Neurosciences, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Martinat
- INSERM/UEVE UMR 861, Université Paris Saclay, I-STEM, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
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17
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Stoodley J, Vallejo-Bedia F, Seone-Miraz D, Debasa-Mouce M, Wood MJA, Varela MA. Application of Antisense Conjugates for the Treatment of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:2697. [PMID: 36769018 PMCID: PMC9916419 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is one of the most common muscular dystrophies and can be potentially treated with antisense therapy decreasing mutant DMPK, targeting miRNAs or their binding sites or via a blocking mechanism for MBNL1 displacement from the repeats. Unconjugated antisense molecules are able to correct the disease phenotype in mouse models, but they show poor muscle penetration upon systemic delivery in DM1 patients. In order to overcome this challenge, research has focused on the improvement of the therapeutic window and biodistribution of antisense therapy using bioconjugation to lipids, cell penetrating peptides or antibodies. Antisense conjugates are able to induce the long-lasting correction of DM1 pathology at both molecular and functional levels and also efficiently penetrate hard-to-reach tissues such as cardiac muscle. Delivery to the CNS at clinically relevant levels remains challenging and the use of alternative administration routes may be necessary to ameliorate some of the symptoms experienced by DM1 patients. With several antisense therapies currently in clinical trials, the outlook for achieving a clinically approved treatment for patients has never looked more promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Stoodley
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
- MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
| | - Francisco Vallejo-Bedia
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
- MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
| | - David Seone-Miraz
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
- MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
| | - Manuel Debasa-Mouce
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
- MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
| | - Matthew J. A. Wood
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
- MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
| | - Miguel A. Varela
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Roosevelt Dr, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
- MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford OX3 7TY, UK
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18
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Misquitta NS, Ravel-Chapuis A, Jasmin BJ. Combinatorial treatment with exercise and AICAR potentiates the rescue of myotonic dystrophy type 1 mouse muscles in a sex-specific manner. Hum Mol Genet 2023; 32:551-566. [PMID: 36048859 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeting AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is emerging as a promising strategy for treating myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most prevalent form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy. We previously demonstrated that 5-aminomidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR) and exercise, two potent AMPK activators, improve disease features in DM1 mouse skeletal muscles. Here, we employed a combinatorial approach with these AMPK activators and examined their joint impact on disease severity in male and female DM1 mice. Our data reveal that swimming exercise additively enhances the effect of AICAR in mitigating the nuclear accumulation of toxic CUGexp RNA foci. In addition, our findings show a trend towards an enhanced reversal of MBNL1 sequestration and correction in pathogenic alternative splicing events. Our results further demonstrate that the combinatorial impact of exercise and AICAR promotes muscle fiber hypertrophy in DM1 skeletal muscle. Importantly, these improvements occur in a sex-specific manner with greater benefits observed in female DM1 mice. Our findings demonstrate that combining AMPK-activating interventions may prove optimal for rescuing the DM1 muscle phenotype and uncover important sex differences in the response to AMPK-based therapeutic strategies in DM1 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi S Misquitta
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,The Eric J. Poulin Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Aymeric Ravel-Chapuis
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,The Eric J. Poulin Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Bernard J Jasmin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.,The Eric J. Poulin Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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19
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Ait Benichou S, Jauvin D, De Serres-Bérard T, Pierre M, Ling KK, Bennett CF, Rigo F, Gourdon G, Chahine M, Puymirat J. Antisense oligonucleotides as a potential treatment for brain deficits observed in myotonic dystrophy type 1. Gene Ther 2022; 29:698-709. [PMID: 35075265 PMCID: PMC9750879 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-022-00316-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy, or dystrophia myotonica type 1 (DM1), is a multi-systemic disorder and is the most common adult form of muscular dystrophy. It affects not only muscles but also many organs, including the brain. Cerebral impairments include cognitive deficits, daytime sleepiness, and loss of visuospatial and memory functions. The expression of mutated transcripts with CUG repeats results in a gain of toxic mRNA function. The antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) strategy to treat DM1 brain deficits is limited by the fact that ASOs do not cross the blood-brain barrier after systemic administration, indicating that other methods of delivery should be considered. ASO technology has emerged as a powerful tool for developing potential new therapies for a wide variety of human diseases, and its potential has been proven in a recent clinical trial. Targeting DMPK mRNA in neural cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells obtained from a DM1 patient with the IONIS 486178 ASO abolished CUG-expanded foci, enabled nuclear redistribution of MBNL1/2, and corrected aberrant splicing. Intracerebroventricular injection of the IONIS 486178 ASO in DMSXL mice decreased the levels of mutant DMPK mRNAs by up to 70% throughout different brain regions. It also reversed behavioral abnormalities following neonatal administration. The present study indicated that the IONIS 486178 ASO targets mutant DMPK mRNAs in the brain and strongly supports the feasibility of a therapy for DM1 patients based on the intrathecal injection of an ASO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siham Ait Benichou
- LOEX, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Dominic Jauvin
- LOEX, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- CERVO Research Center, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Thiéry De Serres-Bérard
- LOEX, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- CERVO Research Center, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Marion Pierre
- CERVO Research Center, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | | | | | - Frank Rigo
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Carlsbad, CA, USA
| | - Genevieve Gourdon
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Association Institut de Myologie, Centre de recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Mohamed Chahine
- CERVO Research Center, Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
| | - Jack Puymirat
- LOEX, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
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20
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Peterson JAM, Cooper TA. Clinical and Molecular Insights into Gastrointestinal Dysfunction in Myotonic Dystrophy Types 1 & 2. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314779. [PMID: 36499107 PMCID: PMC9737721 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314779] [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: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is a highly variable, multisystemic disorder that clinically affects one in 8000 individuals. While research has predominantly focused on the symptoms and pathological mechanisms affecting striated muscle and brain, DM patient surveys have identified a high prevalence for gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms amongst affected individuals. Clinical studies have identified chronic and progressive dysfunction of the esophagus, stomach, liver and gallbladder, small and large intestine, and rectum and anal sphincters. Despite the high incidence of GI dysmotility in DM, little is known regarding the pathological mechanisms leading to GI dysfunction. In this review, we summarize results from clinical and molecular analyses of GI dysfunction in both genetic forms of DM, DM type 1 (DM1) and DM type 2 (DM2). Based on current knowledge of DM primary pathological mechanisms in other affected tissues and GI tissue studies, we suggest that misregulation of alternative splicing in smooth muscle resulting from the dysregulation of RNA binding proteins muscleblind-like and CUGBP-elav-like is likely to contribute to GI dysfunction in DM. We propose that a combinatorial approach using clinical and molecular analysis of DM GI tissues and model organisms that recapitulate DM GI manifestations will provide important insight into defects impacting DM GI motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janel A. M. Peterson
- Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Thomas A. Cooper
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Integrative Physiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Correspondence:
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21
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Stoodley J, Miraz DS, Jad Y, Fischer M, Wood MJA, Varela MA. Peptide-Conjugated PMOs for the Treatment of Myotonic Dystrophy. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2587:209-237. [PMID: 36401033 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2772-3_13] [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
Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have shown great therapeutic potential in the treatment of many neuromuscular diseases including myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1). However, systemically delivered ASOs display poor biodistribution and display limited penetration into skeletal muscle. The conjugation of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotides (PMOs), a class of ASOs with a modified backbone, can be used to enhance ASO skeletal muscle penetration. Peptide-PMOs (P-PMOs) have been shown to be highly effective in correcting the DM1 skeletal muscle phenotype in both murine and cellular models of DM1 and at a molecular and functional level. Here we describe the synthesis and conjugation of P-PMOs and methods for analyzing their biodistribution and toxicity in the HSA-LR DM1 mouse model and their efficacy both in vitro and in vivo using FISH and RT-PCR splicing analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Stoodley
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - David Seoane Miraz
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Yahya Jad
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Mathieu Fischer
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew J A Wood
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - Miguel A Varela
- Department of Paediatrics, Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM), University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, Oxford, UK.
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22
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Sun X, Kang Y, Li M, Li Y, Song J. The emerging regulatory mechanisms and biological function of circular RNAs in skeletal muscle development. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA (BBA) - GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2022; 1865:194888. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2022.194888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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23
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Wheeler JR, Whitney ON, Vogler TO, Nguyen ED, Pawlikowski B, Lester E, Cutler A, Elston T, Dalla Betta N, Parker KR, Yost KE, Vogel H, Rando TA, Chang HY, Johnson AM, Parker R, Olwin BB. RNA-binding proteins direct myogenic cell fate decisions. eLife 2022; 11:e75844. [PMID: 35695839 PMCID: PMC9191894 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), essential for skeletal muscle regeneration, cause muscle degeneration and neuromuscular disease when mutated. Why mutations in these ubiquitously expressed RBPs orchestrate complex tissue regeneration and direct cell fate decisions in skeletal muscle remains poorly understood. Single-cell RNA-sequencing of regenerating Mus musculus skeletal muscle reveals that RBP expression, including the expression of many neuromuscular disease-associated RBPs, is temporally regulated in skeletal muscle stem cells and correlates with specific stages of myogenic differentiation. By combining machine learning with RBP engagement scoring, we discovered that the neuromuscular disease-associated RBP Hnrnpa2b1 is a differentiation-specifying regulator of myogenesis that controls myogenic cell fate transitions during terminal differentiation in mice. The timing of RBP expression specifies cell fate transitions by providing post-transcriptional regulation of messenger RNAs that coordinate stem cell fate decisions during tissue regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R Wheeler
- Department of Biochemistry, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
- Department of Pathology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Neuropathology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Oscar N Whitney
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Thomas O Vogler
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
- Department of Surgery, University of ColoradoAuroraUnited States
| | - Eric D Nguyen
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- Molecular Biology Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Bradley Pawlikowski
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - Evan Lester
- Department of Biochemistry, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Alicia Cutler
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - Tiffany Elston
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - Nicole Dalla Betta
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - Kevin R Parker
- Center for Personal and Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford UniversityPalo AltoUnited States
| | - Kathryn E Yost
- Center for Personal and Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford UniversityPalo AltoUnited States
| | - Hannes Vogel
- Department of Pathology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Thomas A Rando
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging, Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair, and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care SystemPalo AltoUnited States
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal and Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford UniversityPalo AltoUnited States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Aaron M Johnson
- Molecular Biology Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraUnited States
| | - Roy Parker
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
| | - Bradley B Olwin
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of ColoradoBoulderUnited States
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24
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Alternative splicing diversifies the skeletal muscle transcriptome during prolonged spaceflight. Skelet Muscle 2022; 12:11. [PMID: 35642060 PMCID: PMC9153194 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-022-00294-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As the interest in manned spaceflight increases, so does the requirement to understand the transcriptomic mechanisms that underlay the detrimental physiological adaptations of skeletal muscle to microgravity. While microgravity-induced differential gene expression (DGE) has been extensively investigated, the contribution of differential alternative splicing (DAS) to the plasticity and functional status of the skeletal muscle transcriptome has not been studied in an animal model. Therefore, by evaluating both DGE and DAS across spaceflight, we set out to provide the first comprehensive characterization of the transcriptomic landscape of skeletal muscle during exposure to microgravity. METHODS RNA-sequencing, immunohistochemistry, and morphological analyses were conducted utilizing total RNA and tissue sections isolated from the gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles of 30-week-old female BALB/c mice exposed to microgravity or ground control conditions for 9 weeks. RESULTS In response to microgravity, the skeletal muscle transcriptome was remodeled via both DGE and DAS. Importantly, while DGE showed variable gene network enrichment, DAS was enriched in structural and functional gene networks of skeletal muscle, resulting in the expression of alternatively spliced transcript isoforms that have been associated with the physiological changes to skeletal muscle in microgravity, including muscle atrophy and altered fiber type function. Finally, RNA-binding proteins, which are required for regulation of pre-mRNA splicing, were themselves differentially spliced but not differentially expressed, an upstream event that is speculated to account for the downstream splicing changes identified in target skeletal muscle genes. CONCLUSIONS Our work serves as the first investigation of coordinate changes in DGE and DAS in large limb muscles across spaceflight. It opens up a new opportunity to understand (i) the molecular mechanisms by which splice variants of skeletal muscle genes regulate the physiological adaptations of skeletal muscle to microgravity and (ii) how small molecule splicing regulator therapies might thwart muscle atrophy and alterations to fiber type function during prolonged spaceflight.
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25
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Jenquin JR, O’Brien AP, Poukalov K, Lu Y, Frias JA, Shorrock HK, Richardson JI, Mazdiyasni H, Yang H, Huigens RW, Boykin D, Ranum LP, Cleary JD, Wang ET, Berglund JA. Molecular characterization of myotonic dystrophy fibroblast cell lines for use in small molecule screening. iScience 2022; 25:104198. [PMID: 35479399 PMCID: PMC9035709 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are common forms of adult onset muscular dystrophy. Pathogenesis in both diseases is largely driven by production of toxic-expanded repeat RNAs that sequester MBNL RNA-binding proteins, causing mis-splicing. Given this shared pathogenesis, we hypothesized that diamidines, small molecules that rescue mis-splicing in DM1 models, could also rescue mis-splicing in DM2 models. While several DM1 cell models exist, few are available for DM2 limiting research and therapeutic development. Here, we characterize DM1 and DM2 patient-derived fibroblasts for use in small molecule screens and therapeutic studies. We identify mis-splicing events unique to DM2 fibroblasts and common events shared with DM1 fibroblasts. We show that diamidines can partially rescue molecular phenotypes in both DM1 and DM2 fibroblasts. This study demonstrates the potential of fibroblasts as models for DM1 and DM2, which will help meet an important need for well-characterized DM2 cell models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana R. Jenquin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Alana P. O’Brien
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Kiril Poukalov
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Yidan Lu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Jesus A. Frias
- RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Hannah K. Shorrock
- RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Jared I. Richardson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Hormoz Mazdiyasni
- RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Hongfen Yang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products Drug Discovery and Development, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Robert W. Huigens
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Center for Natural Products Drug Discovery and Development, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - David Boykin
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Laura P.W. Ranum
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - John Douglas Cleary
- RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Eric T. Wang
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - J. Andrew Berglund
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
- RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, NY 12222, USA
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26
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Lee KY, Seah C, Li C, Chen YF, Chen CY, Wu CI, Liao PC, Shyu YC, Olafson HR, McKee KK, Wang ET, Yeh CH, Wang CH. Mice lacking MBNL1 and MBNL2 exhibit sudden cardiac death and molecular signatures recapitulating myotonic dystrophy. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:3144-3160. [PMID: 35567413 PMCID: PMC9476621 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is caused by expansions of C(C)TG repeats in the non-coding regions of the DMPK and CNBP genes, and DM patients often suffer from sudden cardiac death due to lethal conduction block or arrhythmia. Specific molecular changes that underlie DM cardiac pathology have been linked to repeat-associated depletion of Muscleblind-like (MBNL) 1 and 2 proteins and upregulation of CUGBP, Elav-like family member 1 (CELF1). Hypothesis solely targeting MBNL1 or CELF1 pathways that could address all the consequences of repeat expansion in heart remained inconclusive, particularly when the direct cause of mortality and results of transcriptome analyses remained undetermined in Mbnl compound knockout (KO) mice with cardiac phenotypes. Here, we develop Myh6-Cre double KO (DKO) (Mbnl1−/−; Mbnl2cond/cond; Myh6-Cre+/−) mice to eliminate Mbnl1/2 in cardiomyocytes and observe spontaneous lethal cardiac events under no anesthesia. RNA sequencing recapitulates DM heart spliceopathy and shows gene expression changes that were previously undescribed in DM heart studies. Notably, immunoblotting reveals a nearly 6-fold increase of Calsequestrin 1 and 50% reduction of epidermal growth factor proteins. Our findings demonstrate that complete ablation of MBNL1/2 in cardiomyocytes is essential for generating sudden death due to lethal cardiac rhythms and reveal potential mechanisms for DM heart pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuang-Yung Lee
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan.,Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Carol Seah
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Ching Li
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Fu Chen
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Chwen-Yu Chen
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Ching-I Wu
- Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Po-Cheng Liao
- Community Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chiau Shyu
- Community Medicine Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan.,Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Hailey R Olafson
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 32610, USA
| | - Kendra K McKee
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 32610, USA
| | - Eric T Wang
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 32610, USA
| | - Chi-Hsiao Yeh
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linko Branch, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Hung Wang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Heart Failure Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung Branch, Keelung, Taiwan.,Chang Gung University, College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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27
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Pamudurti NR, Patop IL, Krishnamoorthy A, Bartok O, Maya R, Lerner N, Ashwall-Fluss R, Konakondla JVV, Beatus T, Kadener S. circMbl functions in cis and in trans to regulate gene expression and physiology in a tissue-specific fashion. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110740. [PMID: 35476987 PMCID: PMC9352392 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscleblind (mbl) is an essential muscle and neuronal splicing regulator. Mbl hosts multiple circular RNAs (circRNAs), including circMbl, which is conserved from flies to humans. Here, we show that mbl-derived circRNAs are key regulators of MBL by cis- and trans-acting mechanisms. By generating fly lines to specifically modulate the levels of all mbl RNA isoforms, including circMbl, we demonstrate that the two major mbl protein isoforms, MBL-O/P and MBL-C, buffer their own levels by producing different types of circRNA isoforms in the eye and fly brain, respectively. Moreover, we show that circMbl has unique functions in trans, as knockdown of circMbl results in specific morphological and physiological phenotypes. In addition, depletion of MBL-C or circMbl results in opposite behavioral phenotypes, showing that they also regulate each other in trans. Together, our results illuminate key aspects of mbl regulation and uncover cis and trans functions of circMbl in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Osnat Bartok
- Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Roni Maya
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Department of Neurobiology, The Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Noam Lerner
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Department of Neurobiology, The Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Reut Ashwall-Fluss
- Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | | | - Tsevi Beatus
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; Department of Neurobiology, The Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Sebastian Kadener
- Biology Department, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA; Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel.
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28
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Molecular Therapies for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1: From Small Drugs to Gene Editing. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094622. [PMID: 35563013 PMCID: PMC9101876 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common muscular dystrophy affecting many different body tissues, predominantly skeletal and cardiac muscles and the central nervous system. The expansion of CTG repeats in the DM1 protein-kinase (DMPK) gene is the genetic cause of the disease. The pathogenetic mechanisms are mainly mediated by the production of a toxic expanded CUG transcript from the DMPK gene. With the availability of new knowledge, disease models, and technical tools, much progress has been made in the discovery of altered pathways and in the potential of therapeutic intervention, making the path to the clinic a closer reality. In this review, we describe and discuss the molecular therapeutic strategies for DM1, which are designed to directly target the CTG genomic tract, the expanded CUG transcript or downstream signaling molecules.
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29
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Arandel L, Matloka M, Klein AF, Rau F, Sureau A, Ney M, Cordier A, Kondili M, Polay-Espinoza M, Naouar N, Ferry A, Lemaitre M, Begard S, Colin M, Lamarre C, Tran H, Buée L, Marie J, Sergeant N, Furling D. Reversal of RNA toxicity in myotonic dystrophy via a decoy RNA-binding protein with high affinity for expanded CUG repeats. Nat Biomed Eng 2022; 6:207-220. [PMID: 35145256 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00838-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is an RNA-dominant disease whose pathogenesis stems from the functional loss of muscleblind-like RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which causes the formation of alternative-splicing defects. The loss of functional muscleblind-like protein 1 (MBNL1) results from its nuclear sequestration by mutant transcripts containing pathogenic expanded CUG repeats (CUGexp). Here we show that an RBP engineered to act as a decoy for CUGexp reverses the toxicity of the mutant transcripts. In vitro, the binding of the RBP decoy to CUGexp in immortalized muscle cells derived from a patient with DM1 released sequestered endogenous MBNL1 from nuclear RNA foci, restored MBNL1 activity, and corrected the transcriptomic signature of DM1. In mice with DM1, the local or systemic delivery of the RBP decoy via an adeno-associated virus into the animals' skeletal muscle led to the long-lasting correction of the splicing defects and to ameliorated disease pathology. Our findings support the development of decoy RBPs with high binding affinities for expanded RNA repeats as a therapeutic strategy for myotonic dystrophies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Arandel
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Magdalena Matloka
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud F Klein
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Frédérique Rau
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Alain Sureau
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Michel Ney
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Aurélien Cordier
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Maria Kondili
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Micaela Polay-Espinoza
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Naira Naouar
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Arnaud Ferry
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Mégane Lemaitre
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Phénotypage du petit animal, Paris, France
| | - Séverine Begard
- Université de Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Morvane Colin
- Université de Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Chloé Lamarre
- Université de Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Hélène Tran
- Université de Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Luc Buée
- Université de Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Joëlle Marie
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Sergeant
- Université de Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, Lille, France.
| | - Denis Furling
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France.
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30
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Espinosa-Espinosa J, González-Barriga A, López-Castel A, Artero R. Deciphering the Complex Molecular Pathogenesis of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 through Omics Studies. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031441. [PMID: 35163365 PMCID: PMC8836095 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Omics studies are crucial to improve our understanding of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common muscular dystrophy in adults. Employing tissue samples and cell lines derived from patients and animal models, omics approaches have revealed the myriad alterations in gene and microRNA expression, alternative splicing, 3′ polyadenylation, CpG methylation, and proteins levels, among others, that contribute to this complex multisystem disease. In addition, omics characterization of drug candidate treatment experiments provides crucial insight into the degree of therapeutic rescue and off-target effects that can be achieved. Finally, several innovative technologies such as single-cell sequencing and artificial intelligence will have a significant impact on future DM1 research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Espinosa-Espinosa
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Valencia, Spain; (J.E.-E.); (R.A.)
- Translational Genomics Group, Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Anchel González-Barriga
- Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Sorbonne Université, 75013 Paris, France;
| | - Arturo López-Castel
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Valencia, Spain; (J.E.-E.); (R.A.)
- Translational Genomics Group, Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-963543028
| | - Rubén Artero
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, 46100 Valencia, Spain; (J.E.-E.); (R.A.)
- Translational Genomics Group, Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, 46010 Valencia, Spain
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31
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Loureiro JR, Castro AF, Figueiredo AS, Silveira I. Molecular Mechanisms in Pentanucleotide Repeat Diseases. Cells 2022; 11:cells11020205. [PMID: 35053321 PMCID: PMC8773600 DOI: 10.3390/cells11020205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The number of neurodegenerative diseases resulting from repeat expansion has increased extraordinarily in recent years. In several of these pathologies, the repeat can be transcribed in RNA from both DNA strands producing, at least, one toxic RNA repeat that causes neurodegeneration by a complex mechanism. Recently, seven diseases have been found caused by a novel intronic pentanucleotide repeat in distinct genes encoding proteins highly expressed in the cerebellum. These disorders are clinically heterogeneous being characterized by impaired motor function, resulting from ataxia or epilepsy. The role that apparently normal proteins from these mutant genes play in these pathologies is not known. However, recent advances in previously known spinocerebellar ataxias originated by abnormal non-coding pentanucleotide repeats point to a gain of a toxic function by the pathogenic repeat-containing RNA that abnormally forms nuclear foci with RNA-binding proteins. In cells, RNA foci have been shown to be formed by phase separation. Moreover, the field of repeat expansions has lately achieved an extraordinary progress with the discovery that RNA repeats, polyglutamine, and polyalanine proteins are crucial for the formation of nuclear membraneless organelles by phase separation, which is perturbed when they are expanded. This review will cover the amazing advances on repeat diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana R. Loureiro
- Genetics of Cognitive Dysfunction Laboratory, i3S- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (J.R.L.); (A.F.C.); (A.S.F.)
- Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana F. Castro
- Genetics of Cognitive Dysfunction Laboratory, i3S- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (J.R.L.); (A.F.C.); (A.S.F.)
- Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana S. Figueiredo
- Genetics of Cognitive Dysfunction Laboratory, i3S- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (J.R.L.); (A.F.C.); (A.S.F.)
- Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel Silveira
- Genetics of Cognitive Dysfunction Laboratory, i3S- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (J.R.L.); (A.F.C.); (A.S.F.)
- Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-2240-8800
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Kajdasz A, Niewiadomska D, Sekrecki M, Sobczak K. Distribution of alternative untranslated regions within the mRNA of the CELF1 splicing factor affects its expression. Sci Rep 2022; 12:190. [PMID: 34996980 PMCID: PMC8742084 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03901-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
CUG-binding protein, ELAV-like Family Member 1 (CELF1) plays an important role during the development of different tissues, such as striated muscle and brain tissue. CELF1 is an RNA-binding protein that regulates RNA metabolism processes, e.g., alternative splicing, and antagonizes other RNA-binding proteins, such as Muscleblind-like proteins (MBNLs). Abnormal activity of both classes of proteins plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults. In this work, we show that alternative splicing of exons forming both the 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of CELF1 mRNA is efficiently regulated during development and tissue differentiation and is disrupted in skeletal muscles in the context of DM1. Alternative splicing of the CELF1 5'UTR leads to translation of two potential protein isoforms that differ in the lengths of their N-terminal domains. We also show that the MBNL and CELF proteins regulate the distribution of mRNA splicing isoforms with different 5'UTRs and 3'UTRs and affect the CELF1 expression by changing its sensitivity to specific microRNAs or RNA-binding proteins. Together, our findings show the existence of different mechanisms of regulation of CELF1 expression through the distribution of various 5' and 3' UTR isoforms within CELF1 mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkadiusz Kajdasz
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Daria Niewiadomska
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Michal Sekrecki
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Sobczak
- Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Uniwersytetu Poznanskiego 6, 61-614, Poznan, Poland.
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Dastidar S, Majumdar D, Tipanee J, Singh K, Klein AF, Furling D, Chuah MK, VandenDriessche T. Comprehensive transcriptome-wide analysis of spliceopathy correction of myotonic dystrophy using CRISPR-Cas9 in iPSCs-derived cardiomyocytes. Mol Ther 2022; 30:75-91. [PMID: 34371182 PMCID: PMC8753376 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
CTG repeat expansion (CTGexp) is associated with aberrant alternate splicing that contributes to cardiac dysfunction in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). Excision of this CTGexp repeat using CRISPR-Cas resulted in the disappearance of punctate ribonuclear foci in cardiomyocyte-like cells derived from DM1-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This was associated with correction of the underlying spliceopathy as determined by RNA sequencing and alternate splicing analysis. Certain genes were of particular interest due to their role in cardiac development, maturation, and function (TPM4, CYP2J2, DMD, MBNL3, CACNA1H, ROCK2, ACTB) or their association with splicing (SMN2, GCFC2, MBNL3). Moreover, while comparing isogenic CRISPR-Cas9-corrected versus non-corrected DM1 cardiomyocytes, a prominent difference in the splicing pattern for a number of candidate genes was apparent pertaining to genes that are associated with cardiac function (TNNT, TNNT2, TTN, TPM1, SYNE1, CACNA1A, MTMR1, NEBL, TPM1), cellular signaling (NCOR2, CLIP1, LRRFIP2, CLASP1, CAMK2G), and other DM1-related genes (i.e., NUMA1, MBNL2, LDB3) in addition to the disease-causing DMPK gene itself. Subsequent validation using a selected gene subset, including MBNL1, MBNL2, INSR, ADD3, and CRTC2, further confirmed correction of the spliceopathy following CTGexp repeat excision. To our knowledge, the present study provides the first comprehensive unbiased transcriptome-wide analysis of the differential splicing landscape in DM1 patient-derived cardiac cells after excision of the CTGexp repeat using CRISPR-Cas9, showing reversal of the abnormal cardiac spliceopathy in DM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumitava Dastidar
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Debanjana Majumdar
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jaitip Tipanee
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kshitiz Singh
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Arnaud F. Klein
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Denis Furling
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, F-75013 Paris, France
| | - Marinee K. Chuah
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium,Center for Molecular & Vascular Biology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium,Corresponding author: Marinee K. Chuah, Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Thierry VandenDriessche
- Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium,Center for Molecular & Vascular Biology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium,Corresponding author: Thierry VandenDriessche, Department of Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
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34
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Disrupting the Molecular Pathway in Myotonic Dystrophy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222413225. [PMID: 34948025 PMCID: PMC8708683 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413225] [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: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy is the most common muscular dystrophy in adults. It consists of two forms: type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2). DM1 is associated with a trinucleotide repeat expansion mutation, which is transcribed but not translated into protein. The mutant RNA remains in the nucleus, which leads to a series of downstream abnormalities. DM1 is widely considered to be an RNA-based disorder. Thus, we consider three areas of the RNA pathway that may offer targeting opportunities to disrupt the production, stability, and degradation of the mutant RNA.
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Cerro-Herreros E, González-Martínez I, Moreno N, Espinosa-Espinosa J, Fernández-Costa JM, Colom-Rodrigo A, Overby SJ, Seoane-Miraz D, Poyatos-García J, Vilchez JJ, López de Munain A, Varela MA, Wood MJ, Pérez-Alonso M, Llamusí B, Artero R. Preclinical characterization of antagomiR-218 as a potential treatment for myotonic dystrophy. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2021; 26:174-191. [PMID: 34513303 PMCID: PMC8413838 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2021.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a rare neuromuscular disease caused by expansion of unstable CTG repeats in a non-coding region of the DMPK gene. CUG expansions in mutant DMPK transcripts sequester MBNL1 proteins in ribonuclear foci. Depletion of this protein is a primary contributor to disease symptoms such as muscle weakness and atrophy and myotonia, yet upregulation of endogenous MBNL1 levels may compensate for this sequestration. Having previously demonstrated that antisense oligonucleotides against miR-218 boost MBNL1 expression and rescue phenotypes in disease models, here we provide preclinical characterization of an antagomiR-218 molecule using the HSALR mouse model and patient-derived myotubes. In HSALR, antagomiR-218 reached 40–60 pM 2 weeks after injection, rescued molecular and functional phenotypes in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and showed a good toxicity profile after a single subcutaneous administration. In muscle tissue, antagomiR rescued the normal subcellular distribution of Mbnl1 and did not alter the proportion of myonuclei containing CUG foci. In patient-derived cells, antagomiR-218 improved defective fusion and differentiation and rescued up to 34% of the gene expression alterations found in the transcriptome of patient cells. Importantly, miR-218 was found to be upregulated in DM1 muscle biopsies, pinpointing this microRNA (miRNA) as a relevant therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefanía Cerro-Herreros
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Irene González-Martínez
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Nerea Moreno
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Jorge Espinosa-Espinosa
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan M Fernández-Costa
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Anna Colom-Rodrigo
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Sarah J Overby
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - David Seoane-Miraz
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Javier Poyatos-García
- The IISLAFE Health Research Institute, Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106 Torre A 7 planta, 46026 Valencia, Spain.,Neuromuscular Reference Centre ERN EURO-NMD and Neuromuscular Pathology and Ataxia Research Group, Hospital La Fe Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan J Vilchez
- The IISLAFE Health Research Institute, Avenida Fernando Abril Martorell, 106 Torre A 7 planta, 46026 Valencia, Spain.,Neuromuscular Reference Centre ERN EURO-NMD and Neuromuscular Pathology and Ataxia Research Group, Hospital La Fe Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adolfo López de Munain
- Biodonostia Health Research Institute, P° Dr. Beguiristain s/n, 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.,Hospital Universitario Donostia-Osakidetza-Departamento de Neurociencias-Universidad del Pais Vasco-CIBERNED
| | - Miguel A Varela
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew J Wood
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, OX3 9DU, Oxford, UK.,MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Manuel Pérez-Alonso
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Beatriz Llamusí
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Rubén Artero
- University Research Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100 Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Incliva Biomedical Research Institute, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 4 acc, 46010 Valencia, Spain
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36
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Liu J, Guo ZN, Yan XL, Yang Y, Huang S. Brain Pathogenesis and Potential Therapeutic Strategies in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:755392. [PMID: 34867280 PMCID: PMC8634727 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.755392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common muscular dystrophy that affects multiple systems including the muscle and heart. The mutant CTG expansion at the 3'-UTR of the DMPK gene causes the expression of toxic RNA that aggregate as nuclear foci. The foci then interfere with RNA-binding proteins, affecting hundreds of mis-spliced effector genes, leading to aberrant alternative splicing and loss of effector gene product functions, ultimately resulting in systemic disorders. In recent years, increasing clinical, imaging, and pathological evidence have indicated that DM1, though to a lesser extent, could also be recognized as true brain diseases, with more and more researchers dedicating to develop novel therapeutic tools dealing with it. In this review, we summarize the current advances in the pathogenesis and pathology of central nervous system (CNS) deficits in DM1, intervention measures currently being investigated are also highlighted, aiming to promote novel and cutting-edge therapeutic investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Liu
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Zhen-Ni Guo
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Xiu-Li Yan
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Shuo Huang
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
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37
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Cardiac Pathology in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111874. [PMID: 34769305 PMCID: PMC8584352 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common muscular dystrophy affecting adults and children, is a multi-systemic disorder affecting skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles as well as neurologic, endocrine and other systems. This review is on the cardiac pathology associated with DM1. The heart is one of the primary organs affected in DM1. Cardiac conduction defects are seen in up to 75% of adult DM1 cases and sudden death due to cardiac arrhythmias is one of the most common causes of death in DM1. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of cardiac manifestations in DM1 is ill defined. In this review, we provide an overview of the history of cardiac studies in DM1, clinical manifestations, and pathology of the heart in DM1. This is followed by a discussion of emerging data about the utility of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) as a biomarker for cardiac disease in DM1, and ends with a discussion on models of cardiac RNA toxicity in DM1 and recent clinical guidelines for cardiologic management of individuals with DM1.
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Lin G, Li J, Cai J, Zhang H, Xin Q, Wang N, Xie W, Zhang Y, Xu N. RNA-binding Protein MBNL2 regulates Cancer Cell Metastasis through MiR-182-MBNL2-AKT Pathway. J Cancer 2021; 12:6715-6726. [PMID: 34659561 PMCID: PMC8518006 DOI: 10.7150/jca.62816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The aberrant expression of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) plays important roles in the occurrence and progression of cancer. MBNL2 is a member of the RNA binding protein MBNL family that is widely expressed in mammalian cells. We report here that MBNL2 is downregulated in breast, lung and liver cancer tissues, the promoter methylation levels of MBNL2 are higher in cancer tissues than normal tissues. The enrichment analysis of MBNL2 correlated genes indicates the potential function of MBNL2 on cancer progression. MBNL2 regulates cancer cell migration and invasion by modulating PI3K/AKT-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition. PI3K/AKT inhibitor overcomes the promotive effect of shMBNL2 on metastasis. The expression of MBNL2 is directly targeted by miR-182. miR-182 is upregulated in breast, lung and liver cancers and has good potential for cancer diagnosis. miR-182 promotes cancer cell migration and invasion by inhibiting the expression of MBNL2. Re-introduction of exogenous MBNL2 reverses the promotive effect of miR-182 on metastasis. Collectively, these findings suggest that MBNL2 plays a tumor suppressive function through miR-182-MBNL2-AKT-EMT signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanglan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jiao Li
- Department of Neurology, Wuhan Hankou Hospital, Wuhan 430010, China
| | - Jin Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Haowei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Qilei Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ningchao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Weidong Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yaou Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Naihan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Institute of Biopharmaceutical and Health Engineering, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Shi DL, Grifone R. RNA-Binding Proteins in the Post-transcriptional Control of Skeletal Muscle Development, Regeneration and Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:738978. [PMID: 34616743 PMCID: PMC8488162 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.738978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Embryonic myogenesis is a temporally and spatially regulated process that generates skeletal muscle of the trunk and limbs. During this process, mononucleated myoblasts derived from myogenic progenitor cells within the somites undergo proliferation, migration and differentiation to elongate and fuse into multinucleated functional myofibers. Skeletal muscle is the most abundant tissue of the body and has the remarkable ability to self-repair by re-activating the myogenic program in muscle stem cells, known as satellite cells. Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression mediated by RNA-binding proteins is critically required for muscle development during embryogenesis and for muscle homeostasis in the adult. Differential subcellular localization and activity of RNA-binding proteins orchestrates target gene expression at multiple levels to regulate different steps of myogenesis. Dysfunctions of these post-transcriptional regulators impair muscle development and homeostasis, but also cause defects in motor neurons or the neuromuscular junction, resulting in muscle degeneration and neuromuscular disease. Many RNA-binding proteins, such as members of the muscle blind-like (MBNL) and CUG-BP and ETR-3-like factors (CELF) families, display both overlapping and distinct targets in muscle cells. Thus they function either cooperatively or antagonistically to coordinate myoblast proliferation and differentiation. Evidence is accumulating that the dynamic interplay of their regulatory activity may control the progression of myogenic program as well as stem cell quiescence and activation. Moreover, the role of RNA-binding proteins that regulate post-transcriptional modification in the myogenic program is far less understood as compared with transcription factors involved in myogenic specification and differentiation. Here we review past achievements and recent advances in understanding the functions of RNA-binding proteins during skeletal muscle development, regeneration and disease, with the aim to identify the fundamental questions that are still open for further investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- De-Li Shi
- Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China.,Developmental Biology Laboratory, CNRS-UMR 7622, Institut de Biologie de Paris-Seine, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Raphaëlle Grifone
- Developmental Biology Laboratory, CNRS-UMR 7622, Institut de Biologie de Paris-Seine, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
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Rapisarda A, Bargiela A, Llamusi B, Pont I, Estrada-Tejedor R, Garcia-España E, Artero R, Perez-Alonso M. Defined D-hexapeptides bind CUG repeats and rescue phenotypes of myotonic dystrophy myotubes in a Drosophila model of the disease. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19417. [PMID: 34593893 PMCID: PMC8484449 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98866-0] [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: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a non-coding CTG repeats rare expansion disease; toxic double-stranded RNA hairpins sequester the RNA-binding proteins Muscleblind-like 1 and 2 (MBNL1 and 2) and trigger other DM1-related pathogenesis pathway defects. In this paper, we characterize four d-amino acid hexapeptides identified together with abp1, a peptide previously shown to stabilize CUG RNA in its single-stranded conformation. With the generalized sequence cpy(a/t)(q/w)e, these related peptides improved three MBNL-regulated exon inclusions in DM1-derived cells. Subsequent experiments showed that these compounds generally increased the relative expression of MBNL1 and its nuclear-cytoplasmic distribution, reduced hyperactivated autophagy, and increased the percentage of differentiated (Desmin-positive) cells in vitro. All peptides rescued atrophy of indirect flight muscles in a Drosophila model of the disease, and partially rescued muscle function according to climbing and flight tests. Investigation of their mechanism of action supports that all four compounds can bind to CUG repeats with slightly different association constant, but binding did not strongly influence the secondary structure of the toxic RNA in contrast to abp1. Finally, molecular modeling suggests a detailed view of the interactions of peptide-CUG RNA complexes useful in the chemical optimization of compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Rapisarda
- Department of Genetics, University Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Translational Genomics Group, INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ariadna Bargiela
- Department of Genetics, University Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain. .,Translational Genomics Group, INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Beatriz Llamusi
- Department of Genetics, University Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Translational Genomics Group, INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010, Valencia, Spain.,Arthex Biotech S.L. Catedrático Agustín Escardino 9, Parc Scientific University of Valencia, Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Isabel Pont
- Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Departamento de Química Inorgánica, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, Universidad de Valencia, 46980, Paterna, Spain
| | | | - Enrique Garcia-España
- Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Departamento de Química Inorgánica, C. Catedrático José Beltrán 2, Universidad de Valencia, 46980, Paterna, Spain
| | - Ruben Artero
- Department of Genetics, University Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Translational Genomics Group, INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Perez-Alonso
- Department of Genetics, University Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Dr. Moliner, 50, 46100, Burjasot, Valencia, Spain.,Translational Genomics Group, INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, 46010, Valencia, Spain
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Mérien A, Tahraoui-Bories J, Cailleret M, Dupont JB, Leteur C, Polentes J, Carteron A, Polvèche H, Concordet JP, Pinset C, Jarrige M, Furling D, Martinat C. CRISPR gene editing in pluripotent stem cells reveals the function of MBNL proteins during human in vitro myogenesis. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 31:41-56. [PMID: 34312665 PMCID: PMC8682758 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing has emerged as a fundamental mechanism for the spatiotemporal control of development. A better understanding of how this mechanism is regulated has the potential not only to elucidate fundamental biological principles, but also to decipher pathological mechanisms implicated in diseases where normal splicing networks are misregulated. Here, we took advantage of human pluripotent stem cells to decipher during human myogenesis the role of muscleblind-like (MBNL) proteins, a family of tissue-specific splicing regulators whose loss of function is associated with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), an inherited neuromuscular disease. Thanks to the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we generated human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) depleted in MBNL proteins and evaluated the consequences of their losses on the generation of skeletal muscle cells. Our results suggested that MBNL proteins are required for the late myogenic maturation. In addition, loss of MBNL1 and MBNL2 recapitulated the main features of DM1 observed in hiPSC-derived skeletal muscle cells. Comparative transcriptomic analyses also revealed the muscle-related processes regulated by these proteins that are commonly misregulated in DM1. Together, our study reveals the temporal requirement of MBNL proteins in human myogenesis and should facilitate the identification of new therapeutic strategies capable to cope with the loss of function of these MBNL proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Mérien
- INSERM/UEPS UMR 861, Paris Saclay University, I-STEM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Julie Tahraoui-Bories
- INSERM/UEPS UMR 861, Paris Saclay University, I-STEM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Michel Cailleret
- INSERM/UEPS UMR 861, Paris Saclay University, I-STEM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Dupont
- INSERM/UEPS UMR 861, Paris Saclay University, I-STEM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Denis Furling
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Association Institut de Myologie, Centre de recherche en myologie, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Martinat
- INSERM/UEPS UMR 861, Paris Saclay University, I-STEM, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
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42
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Tylock KM, Auerbach DS, Tang ZZ, Thornton CA, Dirksen RT. Biophysical mechanisms for QRS- and QTc-interval prolongation in mice with cardiac expression of expanded CUG-repeat RNA. J Gen Physiol 2021; 152:133632. [PMID: 31968060 PMCID: PMC7062505 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201912450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults, results from the expression of toxic gain-of-function transcripts containing expanded CUG-repeats. DM1 patients experience cardiac electrophysiological defects, including prolonged PR-, QRS-, and QT-intervals, that increase susceptibility to sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, the specific biophysical and molecular mechanisms that underlie the electrocardiograph (ECG) abnormalities and SCD in DM1 are unclear. Here, we addressed this issue using a novel transgenic mouse model that exhibits robust cardiac expression of expanded CUG-repeat RNA (LC15 mice). ECG measurements in conscious LC15 mice revealed significantly prolonged QRS- and corrected QT-intervals, but a normal PR-interval. Although spontaneous arrhythmias were not observed in conscious LC15 mice under nonchallenged conditions, acute administration of the sodium channel blocker flecainide prolonged the QRS-interval and unveiled an increased susceptibility to lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Current clamp measurements in ventricular myocytes from LC15 mice revealed significantly reduced action potential upstroke velocity at physiological pacing (9 Hz) and prolonged action potential duration at all stimulation rates (1–9 Hz). Voltage clamp experiments revealed significant rightward shifts in the voltage dependence of sodium channel activation and steady-state inactivation, as well as a marked reduction in outward potassium current density. Together, these findings indicate that expression of expanded CUG-repeat RNA in the murine heart results in reduced sodium and potassium channel activity that results in QRS- and QT-interval prolongation, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Tylock
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - David S Auerbach
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY.,Department of Pharmacology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
| | - Zhen Zhi Tang
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Charles A Thornton
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
| | - Robert T Dirksen
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY
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43
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Hinman MN, Richardson JI, Sockol RA, Aronson ED, Stednitz SJ, Murray KN, Berglund JA, Guillemin K. Zebrafish mbnl mutants model physical and molecular phenotypes of myotonic dystrophy. Dis Model Mech 2021; 14:dmm045773. [PMID: 34125183 PMCID: PMC8246264 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.045773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The muscleblind RNA-binding proteins (MBNL1, MBNL2 and MBNL3) are highly conserved across vertebrates and are important regulators of RNA alternative splicing. Loss of MBNL protein function through sequestration by CUG or CCUG RNA repeats is largely responsible for the phenotypes of the human genetic disorder myotonic dystrophy (DM). We generated the first stable zebrafish (Danio rerio) models of DM-associated MBNL loss of function through mutation of the three zebrafish mbnl genes. In contrast to mouse models, zebrafish double and triple homozygous mbnl mutants were viable to adulthood. Zebrafish mbnl mutants displayed disease-relevant physical phenotypes including decreased body size and impaired movement. They also exhibited widespread alternative splicing changes, including the misregulation of many DM-relevant exons. Physical and molecular phenotypes were more severe in compound mbnl mutants than in single mbnl mutants, suggesting partially redundant functions of Mbnl proteins. The high fecundity and larval optical transparency of this complete series of zebrafish mbnl mutants will make them useful for studying DM-related phenotypes and how individual Mbnl proteins contribute to them, and for testing potential therapeutics. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa N. Hinman
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Jared I. Richardson
- RNA Institute, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Rose A. Sockol
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Eliza D. Aronson
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Sarah J. Stednitz
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Katrina N. Murray
- Zebrafish International Resource Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - J. Andrew Berglund
- RNA Institute, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for NeuroGenetics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Karen Guillemin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Humans and the Microbiome Program, CIFAR, Toronto, ON M5G 1M1, Canada
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44
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González-Barriga A, Lallemant L, Dincã DM, Braz SO, Polvèche H, Magneron P, Pionneau C, Huguet-Lachon A, Claude JB, Chhuon C, Guerrera IC, Bourgeois CF, Auboeuf D, Gourdon G, Gomes-Pereira M. Integrative Cell Type-Specific Multi-Omics Approaches Reveal Impaired Programs of Glial Cell Differentiation in Mouse Culture Models of DM1. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:662035. [PMID: 34025359 PMCID: PMC8136287 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.662035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a neuromuscular disorder caused by a non-coding CTG repeat expansion in the DMPK gene. This mutation generates a toxic CUG RNA that interferes with the RNA processing of target genes in multiple tissues. Despite debilitating neurological impairment, the pathophysiological cascade of molecular and cellular events in the central nervous system (CNS) has been less extensively characterized than the molecular pathogenesis of muscle/cardiac dysfunction. Particularly, the contribution of different cell types to DM1 brain disease is not clearly understood. We first used transcriptomics to compare the impact of expanded CUG RNA on the transcriptome of primary neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes derived from DMSXL mice, a transgenic model of DM1. RNA sequencing revealed more frequent expression and splicing changes in glia than neuronal cells. In particular, primary DMSXL oligodendrocytes showed the highest number of transcripts differentially expressed, while DMSXL astrocytes displayed the most severe splicing dysregulation. Interestingly, the expression and splicing defects of DMSXL glia recreated molecular signatures suggestive of impaired cell differentiation: while DMSXL oligodendrocytes failed to upregulate a subset of genes that are naturally activated during the oligodendroglia differentiation, a significant proportion of missplicing events in DMSXL oligodendrocytes and astrocytes increased the expression of RNA isoforms typical of precursor cell stages. Together these data suggest that expanded CUG RNA in glial cells affects preferentially differentiation-regulated molecular events. This hypothesis was corroborated by gene ontology (GO) analyses, which revealed an enrichment for biological processes and cellular components with critical roles during cell differentiation. Finally, we combined exon ontology with phosphoproteomics and cell imaging to explore the functional impact of CUG-associated spliceopathy on downstream protein metabolism. Changes in phosphorylation, protein isoform expression and intracellular localization in DMSXL astrocytes demonstrate the far-reaching impact of the DM1 repeat expansion on cell metabolism. Our multi-omics approaches provide insight into the mechanisms of CUG RNA toxicity in the CNS with cell type resolution, and support the priority for future research on non-neuronal mechanisms and proteomic changes in DM1 brain disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anchel González-Barriga
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Louison Lallemant
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Diana M Dincã
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Sandra O Braz
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France.,Inserm UMR 1163, Institut Imagine, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Hélène Polvèche
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, Inserm U1210, Lyon, France.,Inserm/UEVE UMR 861, Université Paris Saclay I-STEM, Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Paul Magneron
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Cédric Pionneau
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, UMS PASS, Plateforme Post-génomique de la Pitié Salpêtrière (P3S), Paris, France
| | - Aline Huguet-Lachon
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Claude
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, Inserm U1210, Lyon, France
| | - Cerina Chhuon
- Proteomics Platform Necker, Université de Paris - Structure Fédérative de Recherche Necker, Inserm US24/CNRS UMS 3633, Paris, France
| | - Ida Chiara Guerrera
- Proteomics Platform Necker, Université de Paris - Structure Fédérative de Recherche Necker, Inserm US24/CNRS UMS 3633, Paris, France
| | - Cyril F Bourgeois
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, Inserm U1210, Lyon, France
| | - Didier Auboeuf
- Laboratory of Biology and Modeling of the Cell, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, Inserm U1210, Lyon, France
| | - Geneviève Gourdon
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Mário Gomes-Pereira
- Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
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45
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Alexander MS, Hightower RM, Reid AL, Bennett AH, Iyer L, Slonim DK, Saha M, Kawahara G, Kunkel LM, Kopin AS, Gupta VA, Kang PB, Draper I. hnRNP L is essential for myogenic differentiation and modulates myotonic dystrophy pathologies. Muscle Nerve 2021; 63:928-940. [PMID: 33651408 DOI: 10.1002/mus.27216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play an important role in skeletal muscle development and disease by regulating RNA splicing. In myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), the RBP MBNL1 (muscleblind-like) is sequestered by toxic CUG repeats, leading to missplicing of MBNL1 targets. Mounting evidence from the literature has implicated other factors in the pathogenesis of DM1. Herein we sought to evaluate the functional role of the splicing factor hnRNP L in normal and DM1 muscle cells. METHODS Co-immunoprecipitation assays using hnRNPL and MBNL1 expression constructs and splicing profiling in normal and DM1 muscle cell lines were performed. Zebrafish morpholinos targeting hnrpl and hnrnpl2 were injected into one-cell zebrafish for developmental and muscle analysis. In human myoblasts downregulation of hnRNP L was achieved with shRNAi. Ascochlorin administration to DM1 myoblasts was performed and expression of the CUG repeats, DM1 splicing biomarkers, and hnRNP L expression levels were evaluated. RESULTS Using DM1 patient myoblast cell lines we observed the formation of abnormal hnRNP L nuclear foci within and outside the expanded CUG repeats, suggesting a role for this factor in DM1 pathology. We showed that the antiviral and antitumorigenic isoprenoid compound ascochlorin increased MBNL1 and hnRNP L expression levels. Drug treatment of DM1 muscle cells with ascochlorin partially rescued missplicing of established early biomarkers of DM1 and improved the defective myotube formation displayed by DM1 muscle cells. DISCUSSION Together, these studies revealed that hnRNP L can modulate DM1 pathologies and is a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Alexander
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.,Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.,Civitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Rylie M Hightower
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.,Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Andrea L Reid
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Alexis H Bennett
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lakshmanan Iyer
- Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Donna K Slonim
- Department of Computer Science, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Madhurima Saha
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Genri Kawahara
- Department of Pathophysiology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Louis M Kunkel
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alan S Kopin
- Department of Medicine, Molecular Cardiology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Vandana A Gupta
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter B Kang
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Genetics Institute and Myology Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.,Paul and Sheila Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Neurology Department, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Isabelle Draper
- Department of Medicine, Molecular Cardiology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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46
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Rao AN, Campbell HM, Guan X, Word TA, Wehrens XH, Xia Z, Cooper TA. Reversible cardiac disease features in an inducible CUG repeat RNA-expressing mouse model of myotonic dystrophy. JCI Insight 2021; 6:143465. [PMID: 33497365 PMCID: PMC8021116 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.143465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is caused by a CTG repeat expansion in the DMPK gene. Expression of pathogenic expanded CUG repeat (CUGexp) RNA causes multisystemic disease by perturbing the functions of RNA-binding proteins, resulting in expression of fetal protein isoforms in adult tissues. Cardiac involvement affects 50% of individuals with DM1 and causes 25% of disease-related deaths. We developed a transgenic mouse model for tetracycline-inducible and heart-specific expression of human DMPK mRNA containing 960 CUG repeats. CUGexp RNA is expressed in atria and ventricles and induced mice exhibit electrophysiological and molecular features of DM1 disease, including cardiac conduction delays, supraventricular arrhythmias, nuclear RNA foci with Muscleblind protein colocalization, and alternative splicing defects. Importantly, these phenotypes were rescued upon loss of CUGexp RNA expression. Transcriptome analysis revealed gene expression and alternative splicing changes in ion transport genes that are associated with inherited cardiac conduction diseases, including a subset of genes involved in calcium handling. Consistent with RNA-Seq results, calcium-handling defects were identified in atrial cardiomyocytes isolated from mice expressing CUGexp RNA. These results identify potential tissue-specific mechanisms contributing to cardiac pathogenesis in DM1 and demonstrate the utility of reversible phenotypes in our model to facilitate development of targeted therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hannah M Campbell
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and.,Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Xiangnan Guan
- Computational Biology Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Tarah A Word
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and
| | - Xander Ht Wehrens
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Zheng Xia
- Computational Biology Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Thomas A Cooper
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.,Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, and.,Cardiovascular Research Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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47
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Tanner MK, Tang Z, Thornton CA. Targeted splice sequencing reveals RNA toxicity and therapeutic response in myotonic dystrophy. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:2240-2254. [PMID: 33503262 PMCID: PMC7913682 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomarker-driven trials hold promise for therapeutic development in chronic diseases, such as muscular dystrophy. Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) involves RNA toxicity, where transcripts containing expanded CUG-repeats (CUGexp) accumulate in nuclear foci and sequester splicing factors in the Muscleblind-like (Mbnl) family. Oligonucleotide therapies to mitigate RNA toxicity have emerged but reliable measures of target engagement are needed. Here we examined muscle transcriptomes in mouse models of DM1 and found that CUGexp expression or Mbnl gene deletion cause similar dysregulation of alternative splicing. We selected 35 dysregulated exons for further study by targeted RNA sequencing. Across a spectrum of mouse models, the individual splice events and a composite index derived from all events showed a graded response to decrements of Mbnl or increments of CUGexp. Antisense oligonucleotides caused prompt reduction of CUGexp RNA and parallel correction of the splicing index, followed by subsequent elimination of myotonia. These results suggest that targeted splice sequencing may provide a sensitive and reliable way to assess therapeutic impact in DM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew K Tanner
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Zhenzhi Tang
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Charles A Thornton
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
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48
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iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 have abnormal ion channel functions and slower conduction velocities. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2500. [PMID: 33510259 PMCID: PMC7844414 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82007-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac complications such as electrical abnormalities including conduction delays and arrhythmias are the main cause of death in individuals with Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1). We developed a disease model using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) from a healthy individual and two DM1 patients with different CTG repeats lengths and clinical history (DM1-1300 and DM1-300). We confirmed the presence of toxic RNA foci and mis-spliced MBNL1/2 transcripts in DM1 iPSC-CMs. In DM1-1300, we identified a switch in the cardiac sodium channel SCN5A from the adult to the neonatal isoform. The down-regulation of adult SCN5A isoforms is consistent with a shift in the sodium current activation to depolarized potentials observed in DM1-1300. L-type calcium current density was higher in iPSC-CMs from DM1-1300, which is correlated with the overexpression of the CaV1.2 transcript and proteins. Importantly, INa and ICaL dysfunctions resulted in prolonged action potentials duration, slower velocities, and decreased overshoots. Optical mapping analysis revealed a slower conduction velocity in DM1-1300 iPSC-CM monolayers. In conclusion, our data revealed two distinct ions channels perturbations in DM1 iPSC-CM from the patient with cardiac dysfunction, one affecting Na+ channels and one affecting Ca2+ channels. Both have an impact on cardiac APs and ultimately on heart conduction.
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49
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Otero BA, Poukalov K, Hildebrandt RP, Thornton CA, Jinnai K, Fujimura H, Kimura T, Hagerman KA, Sampson JB, Day JW, Wang ET. Transcriptome alterations in myotonic dystrophy frontal cortex. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108634. [PMID: 33472074 PMCID: PMC9272850 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is caused by expanded CTG/CCTG repeats, causing symptoms in skeletal muscle, heart, and central nervous system (CNS). CNS issues are debilitating and include hypersomnolence, executive dysfunction, white matter atrophy, and neurofibrillary tangles. Here, we generate RNA-seq transcriptomes from DM and unaffected frontal cortex and identify 130 high-confidence splicing changes, most occurring only in cortex, not skeletal muscle or heart. Mis-spliced exons occur in neurotransmitter receptors, ion channels, and synaptic scaffolds, and GRIP1 mis-splicing modulates kinesin association. Optical mapping of expanded CTG repeats reveals extreme mosaicism, with some alleles showing >1,000 CTGs. Mis-splicing severity correlates with CTG repeat length across individuals. Upregulated genes tend to be microglial and endothelial, suggesting neuroinflammation, and downregulated genes tend to be neuronal. Many gene expression changes strongly correlate with mis-splicing, suggesting candidate biomarkers of disease. These findings provide a framework for mechanistic and therapeutic studies of the DM CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittney A Otero
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Kiril Poukalov
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ryan P Hildebrandt
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Charles A Thornton
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Kenji Jinnai
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hyogo-Chuo Hospital, Sanda, Japan
| | - Harutoshi Fujimura
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Toneyama Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takashi Kimura
- Department of Neurology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nichinomiya, Japan
| | | | | | - John W Day
- Department of Neurology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Eric T Wang
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, Center for NeuroGenetics, Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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50
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Jiang L, Chen Q, Bei M, Shao M, Xu J. Characterizing the tumor RBP-ncRNA circuits by integrating transcriptomics, interactomics and clinical data. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:5235-5245. [PMID: 34630941 PMCID: PMC8479238 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The interactions among non-coding RNA (ncRNA) and RNA binding protein (RBP) are increasingly recognized as one of basic mechanisms in gene regulation, and play a crucial role in cancer progressions. However, the current understanding of this regulation network, especially its dynamic spectrum according to the differentially expressed nodes (i.e. ncRNAs and RBP) is limited. Utilizing transcriptomics and interactomics resources, dysregulated RBP-ncRNA circuits (RNCs) are systematically dissected across 14 tumor types. We found these aberrant RNCs are robust and enriched with cancer-associated ncRNAs, RBPs and drug targets. Notably, the nodes in altered RNCs can jointly predict the clinical outcome while the individual node can't, underscoring RNCs can serve as prognostic biomarkers. We identified 30 pan-cancer RNCs dysregulated at least in six tumor types. Pan-cancer RNC analysis can reveal novel mechanism of action (MOA) and repurpose for existing drugs. Importantly, our experiments elucidated the novel role of hsa-miR-224-5p, a member of the pan-cancer RNC hsa-miR-224-5p_MAGI2-AS3_MBNL2, in EMT program. Our analysis highlights the potential utilities of RNCs in elucidating ncRNA function in cancer, associating with clinical outcomes and discovering novel drug targets or MOA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jianzhen Xu
- Corresponding author at: No. 22, Rd. Xinling, Shantou, China.
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