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Meng J, Moore M, Counsell J, Muntoni F, Popplewell L, Morgan J. Optimized lentiviral vector to restore full-length dystrophin via a cell-mediated approach in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2022; 25:491-507. [PMID: 35615709 PMCID: PMC9121076 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2022.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscle wasting disorder caused by mutations in the DMD gene. Restoration of full-length dystrophin protein in skeletal muscle would have therapeutic benefit, but lentivirally mediated delivery of such a large gene in vivo has been hindered by lack of tissue specificity, limited transduction, and insufficient transgene expression. To address these problems, we developed a lentiviral vector, which contains a muscle-specific promoter and sequence-optimized full-length dystrophin, to constrain dystrophin expression to differentiated myotubes/myofibers and enhance the transgene expression. We further explored the efficiency of restoration of full-length dystrophin in vivo, by grafting DMD myoblasts that had been corrected by this optimized lentiviral vector intramuscularly into an immunodeficient DMD mouse model. We show that these lentivirally corrected DMD myoblasts effectively reconstituted full-length dystrophin expression in 93.58% ± 2.17% of the myotubes in vitro. Moreover, dystrophin was restored in 64.4% ± 2.87% of the donor-derived regenerated muscle fibers in vivo, which were able to recruit members of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex at the sarcolemma. This study represents a significant advance over existing cell-mediated gene therapy strategies for DMD that aim to restore full-length dystrophin expression in skeletal muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhong Meng
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Molecular Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neuroscience Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- National Institute for Health Research, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Marc Moore
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Molecular Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neuroscience Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- National Institute for Health Research, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - John Counsell
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Molecular Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neuroscience Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, Charles Bell House, 43-45 Foley Street, London W1W 7TY, UK
- National Institute for Health Research, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Francesco Muntoni
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Molecular Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neuroscience Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- National Institute for Health Research, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Linda Popplewell
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life Sciences and the Environment, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Jennifer Morgan
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Molecular Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neuroscience Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- National Institute for Health Research, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
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Meng J, Chun S, Asfahani R, Lochmüller H, Muntoni F, Morgan J. Human skeletal muscle-derived CD133(+) cells form functional satellite cells after intramuscular transplantation in immunodeficient host mice. Mol Ther 2014; 22:1008-17. [PMID: 24569833 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2014.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 02/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cell therapy is a promising strategy for treatment of muscular dystrophies. In addition to muscle fiber formation, reconstitution of functional stem cell pool by donor cells is vital for long-term treatment. We show here that some CD133(+) cells within human muscle are located underneath the basal lamina of muscle fibers, in the position of the muscle satellite cell. Cultured hCD133(+) cells are heterogeneous and multipotent, capable of forming myotubes and reserve satellite cells in vitro. They contribute to extensive muscle regeneration and satellite cell formation following intramuscular transplantation into irradiated and cryodamaged tibialis anterior muscles of immunodeficient Rag2-/γ chain-/C5-mice. Some donor-derived satellite cells expressed the myogenic regulatory factor MyoD, indicating that they were activated. In addition, when transplanted host muscles were reinjured, there was significantly more newly-regenerated muscle fibers of donor origin in treated than in control, nonreinjured muscles, indicating that hCD133(+) cells had given rise to functional muscle stem cells, which were able to activate in response to injury and contribute to a further round of muscle regeneration. Our findings provide new evidence for the location and characterization of hCD133(+) cells, and highlight that these cells are highly suitable for future clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhong Meng
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Soyon Chun
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Rowan Asfahani
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Hanns Lochmüller
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Francesco Muntoni
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Jennifer Morgan
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK
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Briggs D, Morgan JE. Recent progress in satellite cell/myoblast engraftment -- relevance for therapy. FEBS J 2013; 280:4281-93. [PMID: 23560812 PMCID: PMC3795440 DOI: 10.1111/febs.12273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2013] [Revised: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
There is currently no cure for muscular dystrophies, although several promising strategies are in basic and clinical research. One such strategy is cell transplantation with satellite cells (or their myoblast progeny) to repair damaged muscle and provide dystrophin protein with the aim of preventing subsequent myofibre degeneration and repopulating the stem cell niche for future use. The present review aims to cover recent advances in satellite cell/myoblast therapy and to discuss the challenges that remain for it to become a realistic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Briggs
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Institute of Child HealthLondon, UK
| | - Jennifer E Morgan
- The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Institute of Child HealthLondon, UK
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Brown KJ, Marathi R, Fiorillo AA, Ciccimaro EF, Sharma S, Rowlands DS, Rayavarapu S, Nagaraju K, Hoffman EP, Hathout Y. Accurate Quantitation of Dystrophin Protein in Human Skeletal Muscle Using Mass Spectrometry. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; Suppl 7. [PMID: 23646235 DOI: 10.4172/1948-593x.s7-001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Quantitation of human dystrophin protein in muscle biopsies is a clinically relevant endpoint for both diagnosis and response to dystrophin-replacement therapies for dystrophinopathies. A robust and accurate assay would enable the use of dystrophin as a surrogate biomarker, particularly in exploratory Phase 2 trials. Currently available methods to quantitate dystrophin rely on immunoblot or immunohistochemistry methods that are not considered robust. Here we present a mass spectrometry based approach to accurately quantitate dystrophin protein in a total protein extract from human muscle biopsies. Our approach uses a combination of stable isotope labeled dystrophin as a spike-in standard, gel electrophoresis and high precision mass spectrometry to detect and quantitate multiple peptides of dystrophin within a complex protein mixture. The method was found highly reproducible and linear over a wide dynamic range, detecting as low as 5% of dystrophin relative to the normal amount in healthy individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristy J Brown
- Children's National Medical Center, Center for Genetic Medicine Research, USA ; Department of Integrative Systems Biology, The George Washington University, 2300 Eye Street, N.W., Ross 605, Washington, D.C. USA
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