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Ribot C, Soler C, Chartier A, Al Hayek S, Naït-Saïdi R, Barbezier N, Coux O, Simonelig M. Activation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system contributes to oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy through muscle atrophy. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010015. [PMID: 35025870 PMCID: PMC8791501 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late-onset disorder characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of specific muscles. OPMD is due to extension of a polyalanine tract in poly(A) binding protein nuclear 1 (PABPN1). Aggregation of the mutant protein in muscle nuclei is a hallmark of the disease. Previous transcriptomic analyses revealed the consistent deregulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in OPMD animal models and patients, suggesting a role of this deregulation in OPMD pathogenesis. Subsequent studies proposed that UPS contribution to OPMD involved PABPN1 aggregation. Here, we use a Drosophila model of OPMD to address the functional importance of UPS deregulation in OPMD. Through genome-wide and targeted genetic screens we identify a large number of UPS components that are involved in OPMD. Half dosage of UPS genes reduces OPMD muscle defects suggesting a pathological increase of UPS activity in the disease. Quantification of proteasome activity confirms stronger activity in OPMD muscles, associated with degradation of myofibrillar proteins. Importantly, improvement of muscle structure and function in the presence of UPS mutants does not correlate with the levels of PABPN1 aggregation, but is linked to decreased degradation of muscle proteins. Oral treatment with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 is beneficial to the OPMD Drosophila model, improving muscle function although PABPN1 aggregation is enhanced. This functional study reveals the importance of increased UPS activity that underlies muscle atrophy in OPMD. It also provides a proof-of-concept that inhibitors of proteasome activity might be an attractive pharmacological approach for OPMD. Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a genetic disease characterized by progressive weakness of specific muscles, leading to swallowing difficulties (dysphagia), eyelid drooping (ptosis) and walking difficulties at later stages. No drug treatments are currently available. OPMD is due to mutations in a nuclear protein called poly(A) binding protein nuclear 1 (PABPN1) that is involved in processing of different classes of RNAs in the nucleus. We have used an animal model of OPMD that we have developed in the fly Drosophila to investigate the role in OPMD of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, a pathway specialized in protein degradation. We report an increased activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome system that is associated with degradation of muscular proteins in the OPMD Drosophila model. We propose that higher activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome system leads to muscle atrophy in OPMD. Importantly, oral treatment of this OPMD animal model with an inhibitor of proteasome activity reduces muscle defects. A number of proteasome inhibitors are approved drugs used in clinic against cancers, therefore our results provide a proof-of-concept that inhibitors of proteasome might be of interest in future treatments of OPMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Ribot
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Cédric Soler
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Aymeric Chartier
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Sandy Al Hayek
- GReD Laboratory, Clermont-Auvergne University, INSERM U1103, CNRS UMR6293, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Rima Naït-Saïdi
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nicolas Barbezier
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Olivier Coux
- Ubiquitin-proteasome system and cell cycle control, Montpellier Cell Biology Research Center, UMR5237 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Martine Simonelig
- mRNA Regulation and Development, Institute of Human Genetics, UMR9002 CNRS-Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
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Kroon RHMJM, Kalf JG, de Swart BJM, van der Sluijs BM, Glennon JC, Raz V, van Engelen BG, Horlings CGC. Longitudinal Assessment of Strength, Functional Capacity, Oropharyngeal Function, and Quality of Life in Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy. Neurology 2021; 97:e1475-e1483. [PMID: 34380753 PMCID: PMC8575133 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late-onset, progressive muscle disease. Disease progression is known to be slow, but details on the natural history remain unknown. We aimed to examine the natural history of OPMD in a large nationwide cohort to determine clinical outcome measures that capture disease progression and can be used in future clinical trials. METHODS Patients invited by their treating physicians or identified from the national neuromuscular database and invited family members were examined twice 20 months apart with fixed dynamometry; Medical Research Council (MRC) grading; maximum bite force and isometric tongue strength; Motor Function Measure (MFM); 10-step stair test; maximum swallowing, chewing, and speech tasks; and quality of life assessments. RESULTS Disease progression was captured by 8 of 18 measures over 20 months in 43 patients with genetically confirmed OPMD. The largest deterioration was seen in deltoid muscle strength (-27% [range -17% to -37%]), followed by the quadriceps (-14% [range -6 to -23%]), iliopsoas (-12.2%), tongue (-9.9%), and MRC sum score (-2.5%). The 10-step stair test (-12.5%), MFM part D1 (-7.1%), and maximum repetition rate of /pa/ (-5.3%) showed a significant decrease as well (all p < 0.05). The Physical Functioning domain of the Short Form-36 Health Survey significantly deteriorated (p = 0.044). No relationship was found between disease progression and genotype or disease duration (p > 0.05). DISCUSSION Despite the slow disease progression of OPMD, this study showed that several outcome measures detected progression within 20 months. Deltoid muscle strength, measured by fixed dynamometry, showed the greatest decline. These longitudinal data provide clinical outcome measures that can be used as biomarkers in future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosemarie H M J M Kroon
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Johanna G Kalf
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Bert J M de Swart
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Barbara M van der Sluijs
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey C Glennon
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Vered Raz
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Baziel G van Engelen
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Corinne G C Horlings
- From the Departments of Rehabilitation (R.H.M.J.M.K., J.G.K., B.J.M.d.S.) and Neurology (B.G.v.E., C.G.C.H.), Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; Department of Neurology (B.M.v.d.S.), Gelre Hospital Zutphen, the Netherlands; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research (J.C.G.), School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland; Department of Human Genetics (V.R.), Leiden University Medical Centre; and Department of Neurology (C.G.C.H., Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Riaz M, Raz Y, van der Slujis B, Dickson G, van Engelen B, Vissing J, Raz V. Cytokine genes as potential biomarkers for muscle weakness in OPMD. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:4282-4287. [PMID: 27506982 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular biomarkers emerge as an accurate diagnostic tool, but are scarce for myopathies. Lack of outcome measures sensitive to disease onset and symptom severity hamper evaluation of therapeutic developments. Cytokines are circulating immunogenic molecules, and their potential as biomarkers has been exploited in the last decade. Cytokines are released from many tissues, including skeletal muscles, but their application to monitor muscle pathology is sparse. We report that the cytokine functional group is altered in the transcriptome of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). OPMD is a dominant, late-onset myopathy, caused by an alanine-expansion mutation in the gene encoding for poly(A) binding protein nuclear 1 (expPABPN1). Here, we investigated the hypothesis that cytokines could mark OPMD disease state. We determined cytokines levels the vastus lateralis muscle from genetically confirmed expPABPN1 carriers at a symptomatic or a presymptomatic stage. We identified cytokine-related genes candidates from a transcriptome study in a mouse overexpressing exp PABPN1 Six cytokines were found to be consistently down-regulated in OPMD vastus lateralis muscles. Expression levels of these cytokines were highly correlated in controls, but this correlation pattern was disrupted in OPMD. The levels of these 6 cytokines were not altered in expPABPN1 carriers at a pre-symptomatic stage, suggesting that this group of cytokines is a potential biomarker for muscle weakness in OPMD. Correlation pattern of expression levels could be a novel measurer for disease state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Riaz
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Yotam Raz
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - George Dickson
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway - University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Baziel van Engelen
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - John Vissing
- Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen Neuromuscular Center, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Vered Raz
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Harish P, Malerba A, Dickson G, Bachtarzi H. Progress on gene therapy, cell therapy, and pharmacological strategies toward the treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. Hum Gene Ther 2015; 26:286-92. [PMID: 25860803 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2015.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a muscle-specific, late-onset degenerative disorder whereby muscles of the eyes (causing ptosis), throat (leading to dysphagia), and limbs (causing proximal limb weakness) are mostly affected. The disease is characterized by a mutation in the poly(A)-binding protein nuclear-1 (PABPN1) gene, resulting in a short GCG expansion in the polyalanine tract of PABPN1 protein. Accumulation of filamentous intranuclear inclusions in affected skeletal muscle cells constitutes the pathological hallmark of OPMD. This review highlights the current translational research advances in the treatment of OPMD. In vitro and in vivo disease models are described. Conventional and experimental therapeutic approaches are discussed with emphasis on novel molecular therapies including the use of intrabodies, gene therapy, and myoblast transfer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Harish
- 1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway-University of London, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - Alberto Malerba
- 1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway-University of London, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - George Dickson
- 1School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway-University of London, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - Houria Bachtarzi
- 2Brighton Centre for Regenerative Medicine, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, United Kingdom
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