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Dhoke NR, Kim H, Azzag K, Crist SB, Kiley J, Perlingeiro RCR. A Novel CRISPR-Cas9 Strategy to Target DYSTROPHIN Mutations Downstream of Exon 44 in Patient-Specific DMD iPSCs. Cells 2024; 13:972. [PMID: 38891104 PMCID: PMC11171783 DOI: 10.3390/cells13110972] [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: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the DMD gene cause fatal Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). An attractive therapeutic approach is autologous cell transplantation utilizing myogenic progenitors derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Given that a significant number of DMD mutations occur between exons 45 and 55, we developed a gene knock-in approach to correct any mutations downstream of exon 44. We applied this approach to two DMD patient-specific iPSC lines carrying mutations in exons 45 and 51 and confirmed mini-DYSTROPHIN (mini-DYS) protein expression in corrected myotubes by western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Transplantation of gene-edited DMD iPSC-derived myogenic progenitors into NSG/mdx4Cv mice produced donor-derived myofibers, as shown by the dual expression of human DYSTROPHIN and LAMIN A/C. These findings further provide proof-of-concept for the use of programmable nucleases for the development of autologous iPSC-based therapy for muscular dystrophies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha R. Dhoke
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (N.R.D.); (H.K.); (K.A.); (S.B.C.); (J.K.)
| | - Hyunkee Kim
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (N.R.D.); (H.K.); (K.A.); (S.B.C.); (J.K.)
| | - Karim Azzag
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (N.R.D.); (H.K.); (K.A.); (S.B.C.); (J.K.)
| | - Sarah B. Crist
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (N.R.D.); (H.K.); (K.A.); (S.B.C.); (J.K.)
| | - James Kiley
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (N.R.D.); (H.K.); (K.A.); (S.B.C.); (J.K.)
| | - Rita C. R. Perlingeiro
- Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; (N.R.D.); (H.K.); (K.A.); (S.B.C.); (J.K.)
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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2
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Budzynska K, Siemionow M, Stawarz K, Chambily L, Siemionow K. Chimeric Cell Therapies as a Novel Approach for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Muscle Regeneration. Biomolecules 2024; 14:575. [PMID: 38785982 PMCID: PMC11117592 DOI: 10.3390/biom14050575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimerism-based strategies represent a pioneering concept which has led to groundbreaking advancements in regenerative medicine and transplantation. This new approach offers therapeutic potential for the treatment of various diseases, including inherited disorders. The ongoing studies on chimeric cells prompted the development of Dystrophin-Expressing Chimeric (DEC) cells which were introduced as a potential therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). DMD is a genetic condition that leads to premature death in adolescent boys and remains incurable with current methods. DEC therapy, created via the fusion of human myoblasts derived from normal and DMD-affected donors, has proven to be safe and efficacious when tested in experimental models of DMD after systemic-intraosseous administration. These studies confirmed increased dystrophin expression, which correlated with functional and morphological improvements in DMD-affected muscles, including cardiac, respiratory, and skeletal muscles. Furthermore, the application of DEC therapy in a clinical study confirmed its long-term safety and efficacy in DMD patients. This review summarizes the development of chimeric cell technology tested in preclinical models and clinical studies, highlighting the potential of DEC therapy in muscle regeneration and repair, and introduces chimeric cell-based therapies as a promising, novel approach for muscle regeneration and the treatment of DMD and other neuromuscular disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Budzynska
- Department of Orthopaedics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA; (K.B.); (K.S.); (L.C.); (K.S.)
| | - Maria Siemionow
- Department of Orthopaedics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA; (K.B.); (K.S.); (L.C.); (K.S.)
- Chair and Department of Traumatology, Orthopaedics, and Surgery of the Hand, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 61-545 Poznan, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Stawarz
- Department of Orthopaedics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA; (K.B.); (K.S.); (L.C.); (K.S.)
| | - Lucile Chambily
- Department of Orthopaedics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA; (K.B.); (K.S.); (L.C.); (K.S.)
| | - Krzysztof Siemionow
- Department of Orthopaedics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA; (K.B.); (K.S.); (L.C.); (K.S.)
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3
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Alix JJP, Plesia M, Dudgeon AP, Kendall CA, Hewamadduma C, Hadjivassiliou M, Gorman GS, Taylor RW, McDermott CJ, Shaw PJ, Mead RJ, Day JC. Conformational fingerprinting with Raman spectroscopy reveals protein structure as a translational biomarker of muscle pathology. Analyst 2024; 149:2738-2746. [PMID: 38533726 PMCID: PMC11056770 DOI: 10.1039/d4an00320a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Neuromuscular disorders are a group of conditions that can result in weakness of skeletal muscles. Examples include fatal diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and conditions associated with high morbidity such as myopathies (muscle diseases). Many of these disorders are known to have abnormal protein folding and protein aggregates. Thus, easy to apply methods for the detection of such changes may prove useful diagnostic biomarkers. Raman spectroscopy has shown early promise in the detection of muscle pathology in neuromuscular disorders and is well suited to characterising the conformational profiles relating to protein secondary structure. In this work, we assess if Raman spectroscopy can detect differences in protein structure in muscle in the setting of neuromuscular disease. We utilise in vivo Raman spectroscopy measurements from preclinical models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the myopathy Duchenne muscular dystrophy, together with ex vivo measurements of human muscle samples from individuals with and without myopathy. Using quantitative conformation profiling and matrix factorisation we demonstrate that quantitative 'conformational fingerprinting' can be used to identify changes in protein folding in muscle. Notably, myopathic conditions in both preclinical models and human samples manifested a significant reduction in α-helix structures, with concomitant increases in β-sheet and, to a lesser extent, nonregular configurations. Spectral patterns derived through non-negative matrix factorisation were able to identify myopathy with a high accuracy (79% in mouse, 78% in human tissue). This work demonstrates the potential of conformational fingerprinting as an interpretable biomarker for neuromuscular disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J P Alix
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, Sheffield, UK
| | - Maria Plesia
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, UK.
| | - Alexander P Dudgeon
- Biophotonics Research Unit, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Catherine A Kendall
- Biophotonics Research Unit, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Channa Hewamadduma
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Neurology, Academic Directorate of Neurosciences, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, UK
| | - Marios Hadjivassiliou
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, Sheffield, UK
- Department of Neurology, Academic Directorate of Neurosciences, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, UK
| | - Gráinne S Gorman
- Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Robert W Taylor
- Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Christopher J McDermott
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, Sheffield, UK
| | - Pamela J Shaw
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, Sheffield, UK
| | - Richard J Mead
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, UK.
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK
| | - John C Day
- Interface Analysis Centre, School of Physics, University of Bristol, UK
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4
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Nicolau S, Malhotra J, Kaler M, Magistrado-Coxen P, Iammarino MA, Reash NF, Frair EC, Wijeratne S, Kelly BJ, White P, Lowes LP, Waldrop MA, Flanigan KM. Increase in Full-Length Dystrophin by Exon Skipping in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients with Single Exon Duplications: An Open-label Study. J Neuromuscul Dis 2024; 11:679-685. [PMID: 38461513 PMCID: PMC11091625 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-230107] [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] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Single exon duplications account for disease in a minority of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients. Exon skipping in these patients has the potential to be highly therapeutic through restoration of full-length dystrophin expression. We conducted a 48-week open label study of casimersen and golodirsen in 3 subjects with an exon 45 or 53 duplication. Two subjects (aged 18 and 23 years) were non-ambulatory at baseline. Upper limb, pulmonary, and cardiac function appeared stable in the 2 subjects in whom they could be evaluated. Dystrophin expression increased from 0.94 % ±0.59% (mean±SD) of normal to 5.1% ±2.9% by western blot. Percent dystrophin positive fibers also rose from 14% ±17% at baseline to 50% ±42% . Our results provide initial evidence that the use of exon-skipping drugs may increase dystrophin levels in patients with single-exon duplications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Nicolau
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Maryann Kaler
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Megan A. Iammarino
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Natalie F. Reash
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Emma C. Frair
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Saranga Wijeratne
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Benjamin J. Kelly
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Peter White
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Linda P. Lowes
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Megan A. Waldrop
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- >Department of Neurology>, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kevin M. Flanigan
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- >Department of Neurology>, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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5
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Clemens PR, Gordish-Dressman H, Niizawa G, Gorni K, Guglieri M, Connolly AM, Wicklund M, Bertorini T, Mah J, Thangarajh M, Smith EC, Kuntz NL, McDonald CM, Henricson E, Upadhyayula S, Byrne B, Manousakis G, Harper A, Iannaccone S, Dang UJ. Findings from the Longitudinal CINRG Becker Natural History Study. J Neuromuscul Dis 2024; 11:201-212. [PMID: 37980682 PMCID: PMC10789327 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-230178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Becker muscular dystrophy is an X-linked, genetic disorder causing progressive degeneration of skeletal and cardiac muscle, with a widely variable phenotype. OBJECTIVE A 3-year, longitudinal, prospective dataset contributed by patients with confirmed Becker muscular dystrophy was analyzed to characterize the natural history of this disorder. A better understanding of the natural history is crucial to rigorous therapeutic trials. METHODS A cohort of 83 patients with Becker muscular dystrophy (5-75 years at baseline) were followed for up to 3 years with annual assessments. Muscle and pulmonary function outcomes were analyzed herein. Age-stratified statistical analysis and modeling were conducted to analyze cross-sectional data, time-to-event data, and longitudinal data to characterize these clinical outcomes. RESULTS Deletion mutations of dystrophin exons 45-47 or 45-48 were most common. Subgroup analysis showed greater pairwise association between motor outcomes at baseline than association between these outcomes and age. Stronger correlations between outcomes for adults than for those under 18 years were also observed. Using cross-sectional binning analysis, a ceiling effect was seen for North Star Ambulatory Assessment but not for other functional outcomes. Longitudinal analysis showed a decline in percentage predicted forced vital capacity over the life span. There was relative stability or improved median function for motor functional outcomes through childhood and adolescence and decreasing function with age thereafter. CONCLUSIONS There is variable progression of outcomes resulting in significant heterogeneity of the clinical phenotype of Becker muscular dystrophy. Disease progression is largely manifest in adulthood. There are implications for clinical trial design revealed by this longitudinal analysis of a Becker natural history dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Michela Guglieri
- Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | | | - Matthew Wicklund
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | | | - Jean Mah
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Amy Harper
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Susan Iannaccone
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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6
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Nakamura A, Matsumura T, Ogata K, Mori‐Yoshimura M, Takeshita E, Kimura K, Kawashima T, Tomo Y, Arahata H, Miyazaki D, Takeshima Y, Takahashi T, Ishigaki K, Kuru S, Wakisaka A, Awano H, Funato M, Sato T, Saito Y, Takada H, Sugie K, Kobayashi M, Ozasa S, Fujii T, Maegaki Y, Oi H, Tachimori H, Komaki H. Natural history of Becker muscular dystrophy: a multicenter study of 225 patients. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2023; 10:2360-2372. [PMID: 37882106 PMCID: PMC10723226 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is a milder variant of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a lethal X-linked muscular disorder. Here, we aim to investigat the clinical involvement of skeletal, respiratory, cardiac, and central nervous systems in patients with BMD, as well as genotype-phenotype relationships. METHODS This nationwide cohort study investigated the clinical manifestations and genotype-phenotype relationships in 225 patients with BMD having in-frame deletion from 22 medical centers. The primary outcome was to elucidate the association of genotype with skeletal muscle, respiratory, cardiac, and central nervous system disorders. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS The average age of the subjects was 31.5 (range, 1-81) years. Initial symptoms of BMD were muscular (60%), followed by asymptomatic hypercreatine kinasemia (32.4%) and central nervous system disorders (5.3%). Gait disturbance was observed in 53.8% of patients and the average age at wheelchair introduction was 36.5 years. The ventilator introduction rate was 6.7% at an average age of 36.6 years. More than 30% of patients had an abnormal electrocardiogram and approximately 15% had heart failure symptoms. Cardiac function on echocardiography varied significantly among the patients. The frequencies of seizures and intellectual/developmental disability were 8.0% and 16.9%, respectively. Exon 45-47deletion (del) was the most common (22.6%), followed by exon 45-48del (13.1%). Patients with exon 45-49del patients demonstrated severe skeletal muscle damage. Patients with exon 45-47del and exon 45-55del patients did not require ventilator use. INTERPRETATION The study provides important prognostic information for patients and clinicians to establish therapy plans and to implement preventative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinori Nakamura
- Department of NeurologyNHO Matsumoto Medical CenterMatsumotoJapan
| | | | - Katsuhisa Ogata
- Department of NeurologyNHO Higashisaitama National HospitalHasudaJapan
| | - Madoka Mori‐Yoshimura
- Department of NeurologyNational Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryKodairaJapan
| | - Eri Takeshita
- Department of Child NeurologyNational Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryKodairaJapan
| | - Koichi Kimura
- Department of Laboratory Medicine/CardiologyThe Institute of Medical Science, The University of TokyoMinato‐kuJapan
| | - Takahiro Kawashima
- Department of Information Medicine, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryNational Institute of NeuroscienceKodairaJapan
| | - Yui Tomo
- Department of Clinical Data Science, Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryKodairaJapan
| | - Hajime Arahata
- Department of Neurology, Neuro‐Muscular CenterNHO Omuta National HospitalOmutaJapan
| | - Daigo Miyazaki
- Department of Medicine (Neurology and Rheumatology)Shinshu University School of MedicineMatsumotoJapan
| | - Yasuhiro Takeshima
- Department of PediatricsHyogo Medical University School of MedicineNishinomiyaJapan
| | | | - Keiko Ishigaki
- Department of PediatricsTokyo Women's Medical University School of MedicineShinjuku‐kuJapan
| | - Satoshi Kuru
- Department of NeurologyNHO Suzuka National HospitalSuzukaJapan
| | - Akiko Wakisaka
- Department of PediatricsNHO Iou National HospitalKanazawaJapan
| | - Hiroyuki Awano
- Research Initiative Center, Organization for Research Initiative and PromotionTottori UniversityYonagoJapan
| | - Michinori Funato
- Department of Pediatric NeurologyNHO Nagara Medical CenterNagaraJapan
| | - Tatsuharu Sato
- Department of PediatricsNagasaki University HospitalNagasakiJapan
| | - Yoshiaki Saito
- Department of PediatricsNational Rehabilitation Center for Children with DisabilitiesItabashiJapan
| | - Hiroto Takada
- Department of NeurologyNHO Aomori National HospitalAomoriJapan
| | - Kazuma Sugie
- Department of NeurologyNara Medical University School of MedicineKashiharaJapan
| | - Michio Kobayashi
- Department of NeurologyNHO Akita National HospitalYurihonjoJapan
| | - Shiro Ozasa
- Department of PediatricsKumamoto University HospitalKumamotoJapan
| | - Tatsuya Fujii
- Department of PediatricsShiga Medical Center for ChildrenMoriyamaJapan
| | - Yoshihiro Maegaki
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of MedicineTottori UniversityYonagoJapan
| | - Hideki Oi
- Department of Clinical Data Science, Clinical Research & Education Promotion Division, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryKodairaJapan
| | - Hisateru Tachimori
- Department of Information Medicine, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryNational Institute of NeuroscienceKodairaJapan
- Endowed Course of Health System InnovationKeio University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Hirofumi Komaki
- Department of Child NeurologyNational Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and PsychiatryKodairaJapan
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7
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Ishii MN, Quinton M, Kamiguchi H. A highly sensitive and quantitative assay for dystrophin protein using Single Molecule Count Technology. Neuromuscul Disord 2023; 33:737-743. [PMID: 37666691 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2023.08.009] [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: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disease characterized by progressive muscle loss caused by mutations in dystrophin, resulting in decreased dystrophin levels. Dystrophin protein expression is a biomarker used to evaluate treatments that restore patient dystrophin levels. Currently, a semiquantitative assay using western blotting, which normalizes dystrophin expression to that of a control population, is used for regulatory filing. However, the current methods are limited in terms of sensitivity, quantification, and reproducibility. To address this, a highly sensitive and quantitative sandwich immune assay using Single Molecule Counting technology was established, with recombinant dystrophin protein as the calibrator. Capture and detection antibodies were selected to detect full-length dystrophin. Using this optimized assay, dystrophin levels in muscle samples from Myotonic Dystrophy (n = 9) and DMD (n = 8) subjects were 93.2 ± 31.9 (range: 49.4-145.3) and 14.5 ± 6.8 (range: 6.18-22.6) fmol/total protein mg, respectively. The lowest concentration of dystrophin measured in the DMD samples was 5 times higher than that in the lower limit of quantitation, a level not detected by western blotting. These data indicate that this assay accurately and sensitively measured dystrophin protein and may be useful in clinical trials assessing dystrophin restoration therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misawa Niki Ishii
- Neuroscience Drug Discovery Unit, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, 251-0012, 26-1, 2-chome, Higashimuraoka, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Maria Quinton
- Neuroscience Drug Discovery Unit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, 40 Lansdowne Street, Cambridge MA 02139 USA
| | - Hidenori Kamiguchi
- Neuroscience Drug Discovery Unit, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, 251-0012, 26-1, 2-chome, Higashimuraoka, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Japan
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8
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Shah MNA, Yokota T. Cardiac therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Ther Adv Neurol Disord 2023; 16:17562864231182934. [PMID: 37425427 PMCID: PMC10328182 DOI: 10.1177/17562864231182934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating disease that results in life-limiting complications such as loss of skeletal muscle function as well as respiratory and cardiac complications. Advanced therapeutics in pulmonary care have significantly reduced respiratory complication-related mortality, making cardiomyopathy the main determinant factor of survival. While there are multiple therapies such as the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy, and ventilatory assistance targeted toward delaying the disease progression in DMD, a cure remains elusive. In the last decade, several therapeutic approaches have been developed to improve patient survival. These include small molecule-based therapy, micro-dystrophin gene delivery, CRISPR-mediated gene editing, nonsense readthrough, exon skipping, and cardiosphere-derived cell therapy. Associated with the specific benefits of each of these approaches are their individual risks and limitations. The variability in the genetic aberrations leading to DMD also limits the widespread use of these therapies. While numerous approaches have been explored to treat DMD pathophysiology, only a handful have successfully advanced through the preclinical stages. In this review, we summarize the currently approved as well as the most promising therapeutics undergoing clinical trials aimed toward treating DMD with a focus on its cardiac manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Nur Ahad Shah
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
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9
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Andrews JG, Galindo MK, Thomas S, Mathews KD, Whitehead N. DMD Gene and Dystrophinopathy Phenotypes Associated With Mutations: A Systematic Review for Clinicians. J Clin Neuromuscul Dis 2023; 24:171-187. [PMID: 37219861 DOI: 10.1097/cnd.0000000000000436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT The diagnosis of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DBMD) is made by genetic testing in approximately 95% of cases. Although specific mutations can be associated with skeletal muscle phenotype, pulmonary and cardiac comorbidities (leading causes of death in Duchenne) have not been associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation type or location and vary within families. Therefore, identifying predictors for phenotype severity beyond frameshift prediction is important clinically. We performed a systematic review assessing research related to genotype-phenotype correlations in DBMD. While there are severity differences across the spectrum and within mild and severe forms of DBMD, few protective or exacerbating mutations within the dystrophin gene were reported. Except for intellectual disability, clinical test results reporting genotypic information are insufficient for clinical prediction of severity and comorbidities and the predictive validity is too low to be useful when advising families. Including expanded information coupled with proposed severity predictions in clinical genetic reports for DBMD is critical for improving anticipatory guidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer G Andrews
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | | | | | - Katherine D Mathews
- Department of Pediatrics, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA; and
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10
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Egorova TV, Galkin II, Velyaev OA, Vassilieva SG, Savchenko IM, Loginov VA, Dzhenkova MA, Korshunova DS, Kozlova OS, Ivankov DN, Polikarpova AV. In-Frame Deletion of Dystrophin Exons 8-50 Results in DMD Phenotype. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119117. [PMID: 37298068 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations that prevent the production of proteins in the DMD gene cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Most frequently, these are deletions leading to reading-frame shift. The "reading-frame rule" states that deletions that preserve ORF result in a milder Becker muscular dystrophy. By removing several exons, new genome editing tools enable reading-frame restoration in DMD with the production of BMD-like dystrophins. However, not every truncated dystrophin with a significant internal loss functions properly. To determine the effectiveness of potential genome editing, each variant should be carefully studied in vitro or in vivo. In this study, we focused on the deletion of exons 8-50 as a potential reading-frame restoration option. Using the CRISPR-Cas9 tool, we created the novel mouse model DMDdel8-50, which has an in-frame deletion in the DMD gene. We compared DMDdel8-50 mice to C57Bl6/CBA background control mice and previously generated DMDdel8-34 KO mice. We discovered that the shortened protein was expressed and correctly localized on the sarcolemma. The truncated protein, on the other hand, was unable to function like a full-length dystrophin and prevent disease progression. On the basis of protein expression, histological examination, and physical assessment of the mice, we concluded that the deletion of exons 8-50 is an exception to the reading-frame rule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana V Egorova
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
- Marlin Biotech LLC, Sochi 354340, Russia
| | - Ivan I Galkin
- Marlin Biotech LLC, Sochi 354340, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Oleg A Velyaev
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Svetlana G Vassilieva
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Irina M Savchenko
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Vyacheslav A Loginov
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Marina A Dzhenkova
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Diana S Korshunova
- Core Facilities, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Olga S Kozlova
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
| | - Dmitry N Ivankov
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow 121205, Russia
| | - Anna V Polikarpova
- Laboratory of Modeling and Therapy of Hereditary Diseases, Institute of Gene Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119334, Russia
- Marlin Biotech LLC, Sochi 354340, Russia
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11
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Eslahi A, Alizadeh F, Avan A, Ferns GA, Moghbeli M, Reza Abbaszadegan M, Mojarrad M. New advancements in CRISPR based gene therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Gene 2023; 867:147358. [PMID: 36914142 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147358] [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: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by the dystrophin gene mutations and is one of the most common and lethal human hereditary disorders. A novel therapeutic approach using CRISPR technology has gained attention in the treatment of DMD. Gene replacement strategies are being proposed as a promising therapeutic option to compensate the loss of function mutations. Although, the large size of the dystrophin gene and the limitations of the existing gene replacement approach, could mean the gene delivery of shortened versions of dystrophin such as midystrophin and microdystrophins. There are also other approaches: including Targeted removal of dystrophin exons to restore the reading-frame; Dual sgRNA-directed DMD exon deletion, CRISPR-SKIP strategy; reframing of dystrophin using Prime Editing technology; exon removal using twin prime technology; TransCRISTI technology to targeted exon integration into dystrophin gene. Here we provide an overview of recent progresses in dystrophin gene editing using updated versions of CRISPR to introduce novel opportunities in DMD gene therapy. Overall, the novel CRISPR based technologies are improving and expanding to allow the application of more precise gene editing for the treatment of DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atieh Eslahi
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Alizadeh
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Amir Avan
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Basic Sciences Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Gordon A Ferns
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Division of Medical Education, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex BN1 9PH, UK
| | - Meysam Moghbeli
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Abbaszadegan
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
| | - Majid Mojarrad
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Genetic Center of Khorasan Razavi, Mashhad, Iran.
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12
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Viggiano E, Picillo E, Passamano L, Onore ME, Piluso G, Scutifero M, Torella A, Nigro V, Politano L. Spectrum of Genetic Variants in the Dystrophin Gene: A Single Centre Retrospective Analysis of 750 Duchenne and Becker Patients from Southern Italy. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:214. [PMID: 36672955 PMCID: PMC9859256 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Dystrophinopathies are X-linked recessive muscle disorders caused by mutations in the dystrophin (DMD) gene that include deletions, duplications, and point mutations. Correct diagnosis is important for providing adequate patient care and family planning, especially at this time when mutation-specific therapies are available. We report a large single-centre study on the spectrum of DMD gene variants observed in 750 patients analyzed for suspected Duchenne (DMD) or Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophy, over the past 30 years, at the Cardiomyology and Medical Genetics of the University of Campania. We found 534 (71.21%) large deletions, 73 (9.73%) large duplications, and 112 (14.93%) point mutations, of which 44 (5.9%) were small ins/del causing frame-shifts, 57 (7.6%) nonsense mutations, 8 (1.1%) splice site and 3 (0.4%) intronic mutations, and 31 (4.13%) non mutations. Moreover, we report the prevalence of the different types of mutations in patients with DMD and BMD according to their decade of birth, from 1930 to 2020, and correlate the data to the different techniques used over the years. In the most recent decades, we observed an apparent increase in the prevalence of point mutations, probably due to the use of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). In conclusion, in southern Italy, deletions are the most frequent variation observed in DMD and BMD patients followed by point mutations and duplications, as elsewhere in the world. NGS was useful to identify point mutations in cases of strong suspicion of DMD/BMD negative on deletions/duplications analyses. In the era of personalized medicine and availability of new causative therapies, a collective effort is necessary to enable DMD and BMD patients to have timely genetic diagnoses and avoid late implementation of standard of care and late initiation of appropriate treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Viggiano
- Department of Prevention, Hygiene and Public Health Service, ASL Roma 2, 00157 Rome, Italy
| | - Esther Picillo
- Medical Genetics and Cardiomyology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigia Passamano
- Medical Genetics and Cardiomyology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Elena Onore
- Medical Genetics and Cardiomyology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Giulio Piluso
- Medical Genetics and Cardiomyology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Marianna Scutifero
- Medical Genetics and Cardiomyology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Annalaura Torella
- Medical Genetics and Cardiomyology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Nigro
- Medical Genetics and Cardiomyology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, 80078 Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Luisa Politano
- Cardiomyology and Medical Genetics, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
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13
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Boehler JF, Brown KJ, Beatka M, Gonzalez JP, Donisa Dreghici R, Soustek-Kramer M, McGonigle S, Ganot A, Palmer T, Lowie C, Chamberlain JS, Lawlor MW, Morris CA. Clinical potential of microdystrophin as a surrogate endpoint. Neuromuscul Disord 2023; 33:40-49. [PMID: 36575103 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2022.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Accelerated approval based on a likely surrogate endpoint can be life-changing for patients suffering from a rare progressive disease with unmet medical need, as it substantially hastens access to potentially lifesaving therapies. In one such example, antisense morpholinos were approved to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) based on measurement of shortened dystrophin in skeletal muscle biopsies as a surrogate biomarker. New, promising therapeutics for DMD include AAV gene therapy to restore another form of dystrophin termed mini- or microdystrophin. AAV-microdystrophins are currently in clinical trials but have yet to be accepted by regulatory agencies as reasonably likely surrogate endpoints. To evaluate microdystrophin expression as a reasonably likely surrogate endpoint for DMD, this review highlights dystrophin biology in the context of functional and clinical benefit to support the argument that microdystrophin proteins have a high probability of providing clinical benefit based on their rational design. Unlike exon-skipping based strategies, the approach of rational design allows for functional capabilities (i.e. quality) of the protein to be maximized with every patient receiving the same optimized microdystrophin. Therefore, the presence of rationally designed microdystrophin in a muscle biopsy is likely to predict clinical benefit and is consequently a strong candidate for a surrogate endpoint analysis to support accelerated approval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica F Boehler
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States
| | - Kristy J Brown
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States
| | - Margaret Beatka
- Diverge TSL, 247 Freshwater Way Suite 610, Milwaukee, WI 53204, United States
| | - J Patrick Gonzalez
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States
| | | | | | - Sharon McGonigle
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States
| | - Annie Ganot
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States
| | - Timothy Palmer
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States
| | - Caitlin Lowie
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States
| | - Jeffrey S Chamberlain
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, United States
| | - Michael W Lawlor
- Diverge TSL, 247 Freshwater Way Suite 610, Milwaukee, WI 53204, United States
| | - Carl A Morris
- Solid Biosciences, 500 Rutherford Avenue 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02129, United States.
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14
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Poyatos‐García J, Martí P, Liquori A, Muelas N, Pitarch I, Martinez‐Dolz L, Rodríguez B, Gonzalez‐Quereda L, Damiá M, Aller E, Selva‐Gimenez M, Vilchez R, Diaz‐Manera J, Alonso‐Pérez J, Barcena JE, Jauregui A, Gámez J, Aladrén JA, Fernández A, Montolio M, Azorin I, Hervas D, Casasús A, Nieto M, Gallano P, Sevilla T, Vilchez JJ. Dystrophinopathy Phenotypes and Modifying Factors in DMD Exon 45-55 Deletion. Ann Neurol 2022; 92:793-806. [PMID: 35897138 PMCID: PMC9825930 DOI: 10.1002/ana.26461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) exon 45-55 deletion (del45-55) has been postulated as a model that could treat up to 60% of DMD patients, but the associated clinical variability and complications require clarification. We aimed to understand the phenotypes and potential modifying factors of this dystrophinopathy subset. METHODS This cross-sectional, multicenter cohort study applied clinical and functional evaluation. Next generation sequencing was employed to identify intronic breakpoints and their impact on the Dp140 promotor, intronic long noncoding RNA, and regulatory splicing sequences. DMD modifiers (SPP1, LTBP4, ACTN3) and concomitant mutations were also assessed. Haplotypes were built using DMD single nucleotide polymorphisms. Dystrophin expression was evaluated via immunostaining, Western blotting, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and droplet digital PCR in 9 muscle biopsies. RESULTS The series comprised 57 subjects (23 index) expressing Becker phenotype (28%), isolated cardiopathy (19%), and asymptomatic features (53%). Cognitive impairment occurred in 90% of children. Patients were classified according to 10 distinct index-case breakpoints; 4 of them were recurrent due to founder events. A specific breakpoint (D5) was associated with severity, but no significant effect was appreciated due to the changes in intronic sequences. All biopsies showed dystrophin expression of >67% and traces of alternative del45-57 transcript that were not deemed pathogenically relevant. Only the LTBP4 haplotype appeared associated the presence of cardiopathy among the explored extragenic factors. INTERPRETATION We confirmed that del45-55 segregates a high proportion of benign phenotypes, severe cases, and isolated cardiac and cognitive presentations. Although some influence of the intronic breakpoint position and the LTBP4 modifier may exist, the pathomechanisms responsible for the phenotypic variability remain largely unresolved. ANN NEUROL 2022;92:793-806.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Poyatos‐García
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain
| | - Pilar Martí
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain
| | - Alessandro Liquori
- Hematology Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Cancer (CIBERONC); CB16/12/00284MadridSpain
| | - Nuria Muelas
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain,Neuromuscular Referral Center, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)Universitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain
| | - Inmaculada Pitarch
- Neuromuscular Referral Center, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)Universitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain,Neuropediatric DepartmentUniversitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain
| | - Luis Martinez‐Dolz
- Cardiology DepartmentUniversity and Polytechnic La Fe Hospital, IIS La FeValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Cardiovascular Diseases (CIBERCV)ValenciaSpain
| | - Benjamin Rodríguez
- Genetics DepartmentIIB Sant Pau, Hospital of Sant PauBarcelonaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER)U705, U745, CB06/07/0011BarcelonaSpain
| | - Lidia Gonzalez‐Quereda
- Genetics DepartmentIIB Sant Pau, Hospital of Sant PauBarcelonaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER)U705, U745, CB06/07/0011BarcelonaSpain
| | - Maria Damiá
- Neuromuscular Referral Center, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)Universitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain,Neuropediatric DepartmentUniversitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain
| | - Elena Aller
- Genetics UnitUniversitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain
| | - Marta Selva‐Gimenez
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain
| | - Roger Vilchez
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain
| | - Jordi Diaz‐Manera
- Neuromuscular Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)Hospital of Sant PauBarcelonaSpain,Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER)U762, CB06/05/0030BarcelonaSpain
| | - Jorge Alonso‐Pérez
- Neuromuscular Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)Hospital of Sant PauBarcelonaSpain,Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER)U762, CB06/05/0030BarcelonaSpain
| | - José Eulalio Barcena
- Neuromuscular Section, Neurology ServiceCruces University HospitalBarakaldoSpain
| | - Amaia Jauregui
- Neuromuscular Section, Neurology ServiceCruces University HospitalBarakaldoSpain
| | - Josep Gámez
- Autonomous University of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain,Neurology Department, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)GMA ClinicBarcelonaSpain
| | | | | | - Marisol Montolio
- Duchenne Parent Project SpainMadridSpain,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology, and Immunology, Faculty of BiologyBarcelonaSpain
| | - Inmaculada Azorin
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain
| | - David Hervas
- Department of Applied Statistics and Operations Research, and QualityPolytechnic University of ValenciaValenciaSpain
| | - Ana Casasús
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain
| | - Marisa Nieto
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain
| | - Pia Gallano
- Genetics DepartmentIIB Sant Pau, Hospital of Sant PauBarcelonaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER)U705, U745, CB06/07/0011BarcelonaSpain
| | - Teresa Sevilla
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain,Neuromuscular Referral Center, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)Universitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain,Department of MedicineUniversity of ValenciaValenciaSpain
| | - Juan Jesus Vilchez
- Neuromuscular and Ataxias Research GroupHealth Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe)ValenciaSpain,Centre for Biomedical Network Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER); U763, CB06/05/0091ValenciaSpain,Neuromuscular Referral Center, European Reference Network on Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (ERN EURO‐NMD)Universitary and Polytechnic La Fe HospitalValenciaSpain,Department of MedicineUniversity of ValenciaValenciaSpain
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15
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Veeger TTJ, van de Velde NM, Keene KR, Niks EH, Hooijmans MT, Webb AG, de Groot JH, Kan HE. Baseline fat fraction is a strong predictor of disease progression in Becker muscular dystrophy. NMR IN BIOMEDICINE 2022; 35:e4691. [PMID: 35032073 PMCID: PMC9286612 DOI: 10.1002/nbm.4691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), muscle weakness progresses relatively slowly, with a highly variable rate among patients. This complicates clinical trials, as clinically relevant changes are difficult to capture within the typical duration of a trial. Therefore, predictors for disease progression are needed. We assessed if temporal increase of fat fraction (FF) in BMD follows a sigmoidal trajectory and whether fat fraction at baseline (FFbase) could therefore predict FF increase after 2 years (ΔFF). Thereafter, for two different MR-based parameters, we tested the additional predictive value to FFbase. We used 3-T Dixon data from the upper and lower leg, and multiecho spin-echo MRI and 7-T 31 P MRS datasets from the lower leg, acquired in 24 BMD patients (age: 41.4 [SD 12.8] years). We assessed the pattern of increase in FF using mixed-effects modelling. Subsequently, we tested if indicators of muscle damage like standard deviation in water T2 (stdT2 ) and the phosphodiester (PDE) over ATP ratio at baseline had additional value to FFbase for predicting ∆FF. The association between FFbase and ΔFF was described by the derivative of a sigmoid function and resulted in a peak ΔFF around 0.45 FFbase (fourth-order polynomial term: t = 3.7, p < .001). StdT2 and PDE/ATP were not significantly associated with ∆FF if FFbase was included in the model. The relationship between FFbase and ∆FF suggests a sigmoidal trajectory of the increase in FF over time in BMD, similar to that described for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Our results can be used to identify muscles (or patients) that are in the fast progressing stage of the disease, thereby facilitating the conduct of clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thom T. J. Veeger
- C. J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of RadiologyLeiden University Medical Center (LUMC)LeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Nienke M. van de Velde
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)LeidenThe Netherlands
- Duchenne Center NetherlandsThe Netherlands
| | - Kevin R. Keene
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)LeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Erik H. Niks
- Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)LeidenThe Netherlands
- Duchenne Center NetherlandsThe Netherlands
| | - Melissa T. Hooijmans
- Department of Radiology & Nuclear MedicineAmsterdam University Medical CentersAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Andrew G. Webb
- C. J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of RadiologyLeiden University Medical Center (LUMC)LeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Jurriaan H. de Groot
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)LeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Hermien E. Kan
- C. J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of RadiologyLeiden University Medical Center (LUMC)LeidenThe Netherlands
- Duchenne Center NetherlandsThe Netherlands
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16
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Cohen G, Asor AS, Ben-Shahar S, Goldfarb-Yaacobi R, Kaiser M, Rosenfeld R, Vinovezky M, Irge D, Furman Y, Reiss D, Litz-Philipsborn S, Sukenik-Halevy R. Large scale population screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy - Predictable and unpredictable challenges. Prenat Diagn 2022; 42:1162-1172. [PMID: 35751502 PMCID: PMC9546335 DOI: 10.1002/pd.6201] [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: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Objective Large deletions and duplications account for 65%–80% of pathogenic Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) variants. A nationwide carrier screening for DMD was initiated in Israel in 2020. We assessed the carrier rate and spectrum of variants detected in a cohort of women screened for DMD carrier status and analyzed screening efficacy and challenges related to DMD population screening. Methods A cohort of 12,362 women were tested at a single institute using multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification based copy number analysis of the 79 DMD exons. Consecutive sequencing of the primer region was performed when a single exon deletion was suspected. Results Deletions involving multiple exons were detected in seven cases and duplications involving multiple exons were found in four. Of these, nine were pathogenic based on previous reports and familial segregation testing, translating to a carrier rate of 1:1374. A family history was reported in three cases. Single exon deletions were suspected in 81 cases; further sequencing detected a single nucleotide variant affecting probe hybridization. These cases clustered according to ethnic origin. Discussion Population screening for DMD has a significant yield. Most carriers did not report a family history of dystrophinopathies. Screening should be adjusted for methodological limitations. Some cases may require extensive genetic counseling and work‐up.
What's already known about this topic?
Deletions and duplications account for 65%–80% of pathogenic Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) variants. About two‐thirds of DMD pathogenic variants are inherited from a female carrier. A nationwide carrier screening for DMD was initiated in Israel in 2020.
What does this study add?
The carrier rate among 12,362 women tested for deletions and duplications in the DMD gene was 1:1374. Screening should be adjusted for methodological limitations and may require extensive genetic counseling and work‐up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Cohen
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Atalia Shtorch Asor
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Genetics Institute, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shay Ben-Shahar
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.,Clalit Innovation division, Clalit Health System, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Racheli Goldfarb-Yaacobi
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Genetics Institute, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | | | | | | | - Dana Irge
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Genetics Institute, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yael Furman
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Genetics Institute, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dafni Reiss
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Genetics Institute, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shira Litz-Philipsborn
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Genetics Institute, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Rivka Sukenik-Halevy
- Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Genetics Institute, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.,Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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17
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Niu X, Menhart N. Structural Perturbations of Exon-Skipping Edits within the Dystrophin D20:24 Region. Biochemistry 2021; 60:765-779. [PMID: 33656846 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Exon skipping is a disease-modifying therapy in which oligonucleotide analogues mask specific exons, eliminating them from the mature mRNA, and also the cognate protein. That is one possible therapeutic aim, but it can also be used to restore the reading frame for diseases caused by frameshift mutations, which is the case for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD most commonly arises as a result of large exonic deletions that create a frameshift and abolish protein expression. Loss of dystrophin protein leads to the pathology of the disease, which is severe, causing death generally in the second or third decade of life. Here, the primary aim of exon skipping is restoration of protein expression by reading frame correction. However, the therapeutically expressed protein is missing both the region of the underlying genetic defect and the therapeutically skipped exon. How removing some region from the middle of a protein affects its structure and function is unclear. Many different underlying deletions are known, and exon skipping can be applied in many ways, in some cases in different ways to the same defect. These vary in how severely perturbative they are, with possible clinical consequences. In this study, we examine a systematic, comprehensive panel of exon edits in a region of dystrophin and identify for the first time exon edits that are minimally perturbed and appear to keep the structural stability similar to that of wild-type protein. We also identify factors that appear to be correlated with how perturbative an edit is.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Niu
- Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
| | - Nick Menhart
- Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, United States
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18
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Grahl MVC, Alcará AM, Perin APA, Moro CF, Pinto ÉSM, Feltes BC, Ghilardi IM, Rodrigues FVF, Dorn M, da Costa JC, Norberto de Souza O, Ligabue-Braun R. Evaluation of drug repositioning by molecular docking of pharmaceutical resources available in the Brazilian healthcare system against SARS-CoV-2. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2021; 23:100539. [PMID: 33623816 PMCID: PMC7893290 DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2021.100539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2020 SARS-CoV-2 reached pandemic status, reaching Brazil in mid-February. As of now, no specific drugs for treating the disease are available. In this work, the possibility of interaction between SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins (open and closed spike protein, isolate spike protein RBD, NSP 10, NSP 16, main protease, and RdRp polymerase) and multiple molecules is addressed through the repositioning of drugs available for the treatment of other diseases that are approved by the FDA and covered by SUS, the Brazilian Public Health System. Three different docking software were used, followed by a unification of the results by independent evaluation. Afterwards, the chemical interactions of the compounds with the targets were inspected via molecular dynamics and analyzed. The results point to a potential effectiveness of Penciclovir, Ribavirin, and Zanamivir, from a set of 48 potential candidates. They may also be multi-target drugs, showing high affinity with more than one viral protein. Further in vitro and in vivo validation is required to assess the suitability of repositioning the proposed drugs for COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus V C Grahl
- Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Allan M Alcará
- Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine, Pediatrics and Child Health, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula A Perin
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Center of Biotechnology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil
| | - Carlo F Moro
- Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Éderson S M Pinto
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Center of Biotechnology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil
| | - Bruno C Feltes
- Laboratory of Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil
- Laboratory of Immunobiology and Immunogenetics, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil
| | - Isadora M Ghilardi
- Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine, Pediatrics and Child Health, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Felipe V F Rodrigues
- Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine, Pediatrics and Child Health, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Marcio Dorn
- Laboratory of Structural Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Institute of Informatics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, RS, Brazil
| | - Jaderson C da Costa
- Brain Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine, Pediatrics and Child Health, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Osmar Norberto de Souza
- School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Ligabue-Braun
- Department of Pharmacosciences and Graduate Program in Biosciences (PPGBio), Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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19
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A Genotype-Phenotype Correlation Study of Exon Skip-Equivalent In-Frame Deletions and Exon Skip-Amenable Out-of-Frame Deletions across the DMD Gene to Simulate the Effects of Exon-Skipping Therapies: A Meta-Analysis. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11010046. [PMID: 33466756 PMCID: PMC7830903 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11010046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Dystrophinopathies are caused by mutations in the DMD gene. Out-of-frame deletions represent most mutational events in severe Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), while in-frame deletions typically lead to milder Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated exon skipping converts an out-of-frame transcript to an in-frame one, inducing a truncated but partially functional dystrophin protein. The reading frame rule, however, has many exceptions. We thus sought to simulate clinical outcomes of exon-skipping therapies for DMD exons from clinical data of exon skip-equivalent in-frame deletions, in which the expressed quasi-dystrophins are comparable to those resulting from exon-skipping therapies. We identified a total of 1298 unique patients with exon skip-equivalent mutations in patient registries and the existing literature. We classified them into skip-equivalent deletions of each exon and statistically compared the ratio of DMD/BMD and asymptomatic individuals across the DMD gene. Our analysis identified that five exons are associated with significantly milder phenotypes than all other exons when corresponding exon skip-equivalent in-frame deletion mutations occur. Most exon skip-equivalent in-frame deletions were associated with a significantly milder phenotype compared to corresponding exon skip-amenable out-of-frame mutations. This study indicates the importance of genotype-phenotype correlation studies in the rational design of exon-skipping therapies.
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20
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Lim KRQ, Nguyen Q, Yokota T. Genotype-Phenotype Correlations in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy Patients from the Canadian Neuromuscular Disease Registry. J Pers Med 2020; 10:E241. [PMID: 33238405 PMCID: PMC7712074 DOI: 10.3390/jpm10040241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal neuromuscular disorder generally caused by out-of-frame mutations in the DMD gene. In contrast, in-frame mutations usually give rise to the milder Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). However, this reading frame rule does not always hold true. Therefore, an understanding of the relationships between genotype and phenotype is important for informing diagnosis and disease management, as well as the development of genetic therapies. Here, we evaluated genotype-phenotype correlations in DMD and BMD patients enrolled in the Canadian Neuromuscular Disease Registry from 2012 to 2019. Data from 342 DMD and 60 BMD patients with genetic test results were analyzed. The majority of patients had deletions (71%), followed by small mutations (17%) and duplications (10%); 2% had negative results. Two deletion hotspots were identified, exons 3-20 and exons 45-55, harboring 86% of deletions. Exceptions to the reading frame rule were found in 13% of patients with deletions. Surprisingly, C-terminal domain mutations were associated with decreased wheelchair use and increased forced vital capacity. Dp116 and Dp71 mutations were also linked with decreased wheelchair use, while Dp140 mutations significantly predicted cardiomyopathy. Finally, we found that 12.3% and 7% of DMD patients in the registry could be treated with FDA-approved exon 51- and 53-skipping therapies, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Rowel Q. Lim
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada; (K.R.Q.L.); (Q.N.)
| | - Quynh Nguyen
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada; (K.R.Q.L.); (Q.N.)
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada; (K.R.Q.L.); (Q.N.)
- The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research & Muscular Dystrophy Canada, HM Toupin Neurological Science Research Chair, Edmonton, AB T6G2H7, Canada
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21
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Motley WW, Züchner S, Scherer SS. Isoform-specific loss of dystonin causes hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. NEUROLOGY-GENETICS 2020; 6:e496. [PMID: 32802955 PMCID: PMC7413632 DOI: 10.1212/nxg.0000000000000496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Objective To determine the genetic cause of axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in a small family with 2 affected siblings, one of whom had cerebellar features on examination. Methods Whole-exome sequencing of genomic DNA and analysis for recessively inherited mutations; PCR-based messenger RNA/complementary DNA analysis of transcripts to characterize the effects of variants identified by exome sequencing. Results We identified compound heterozygous mutations in dystonin (DST), which is alternatively spliced to create many plakin family linker proteins (named the bullous pemphigoid antigen 1 [BPAG1] proteins) that function to bridge cytoskeletal filament networks. One mutation (c.250C>T) is predicted to cause a nonsense mutation (p.R84X) that only affects isoform 2 variants, which have an N-terminal transmembrane domain; the other (c.8283+1G>A) mutates a consensus splice donor site and results in a 22 amino acid in-frame deletion in the spectrin repeat domain of all BPAG1a and BPAG1b isoforms. Conclusions These findings introduce a novel human phenotype, axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth, of recessive DST mutations, and provide further evidence that BPAG1 plays an essential role in axonal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- William W Motley
- Department of Neurology (W.W.M., S.S.S.), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and Department of Human Genetics (S.Z.), Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami, FL
| | - Stephan Züchner
- Department of Neurology (W.W.M., S.S.S.), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and Department of Human Genetics (S.Z.), Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami, FL
| | - Steven S Scherer
- Department of Neurology (W.W.M., S.S.S.), Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; and Department of Human Genetics (S.Z.), Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami, FL
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22
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Waldrop MA, Yaou RB, Lucas KK, Martin AS, O’Rourke E, Ferlini A, Muntoni F, Leturcq F, Tuffery-Giraud S, Weiss RB, Flanigan KM. Clinical Phenotypes of DMD Exon 51 Skip Equivalent Deletions: A Systematic Review. J Neuromuscul Dis 2020; 7:217-229. [PMID: 32417793 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-200483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Eteplirsen, the first FDA-approved RNA-modifying therapy for DMD, is applicable to ∼13% of patients with DMD. Because multiple exonic deletions are amenable to exon 51 skipping, the isoforms resulting from the various exon 51-skipped transcripts may vary in stability, function, and phenotype. OBJECTIVE/METHODS We conducted a detailed review of dystrophinopathy published literature and unpublished databases to compile phenotypic features of patients with exon 51 "skip-equivalent" deletions. RESULTS Theoretically, 48 different in-frame transcripts may result from exon 51 skipping. We found sufficient clinical information on 135 patients carrying mutations that would result in production of 11 (23%) of these transcripts, suggesting the remainder have not been identified in vivo. The majority had mild phenotypes: BMD (n = 81) or isolated dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 3). Particularly interesting are the asymptomatic (n = 10) or isolated hyperCKemia (n = 20) patients with deletions of exons 45- 51, 48- 51, 49- 51 and 50- 51. Finally, 16 (12%) had more severe phenotypes described as intermediate (n = 2) or DMD (n = 14), and 6 reports had no definitive phenotype. CONCLUSIONS This review shows that the majority of exon 51 "skip-equivalent" deletions result in milder (BMD) phenotypes and supports that exon 51 skipping therapy could provide clinical benefit, although we acknowledge that other factors, such as age at treatment initiation or ongoing standard of care, may influence the degree of benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan A. Waldrop
- The Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rabah Ben Yaou
- Center of Research in Myology, Sorbonne Université - Inserm UMRS 974; Databases unit; APHP, Nord/Est/Ile-de-France Neuromuscular reference center, Institut de Myologie, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | | | - Ann S. Martin
- Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Hackensack, NJ, USA
| | | | | | - Francesco Muntoni
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Molecular Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neuroscience Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
- NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - France Leturcq
- APHP, Laboratoire de Génétique et Biologie Moléculaires, HUPC Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France; Center of Research in Myology, Sorbonne Université - Inserm UMRS 974
| | - Sylvie Tuffery-Giraud
- Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire de Génétique de Maladies Rares, Montpellier, France
| | - Robert B. Weiss
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Kevin M. Flanigan
- The Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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23
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Brescia M, Janssen JM, Liu J, Gonçalves MAFV. High-Capacity Adenoviral Vectors Permit Robust and Versatile Testing of DMD Gene Repair Tools and Strategies in Human Cells. Cells 2020; 9:cells9040869. [PMID: 32252479 PMCID: PMC7226760 DOI: 10.3390/cells9040869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal X-linked muscle wasting disorder arising from mutations in the ~2.4 Mb dystrophin-encoding DMD gene. RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases (RGNs) are opening new DMD therapeutic routes whose bottlenecks include delivering sizable RGN complexes for assessing their effects on human genomes and testing ex vivo and in vivo DMD-correcting strategies. Here, high-capacity adenoviral vectors (HC-AdVs) encoding single or dual high-specificity RGNs with optimized components were investigated for permanently repairing defective DMD alleles either through exon 51-targeted indel formation or major mutational hotspot excision (>500 kb), respectively. Firstly, we establish that, at high doses, third-generation HC-AdVs lacking all viral genes are significantly less cytotoxic than second-generation adenoviral vectors deleted in E1 and E2A. Secondly, we demonstrate that genetically retargeted HC-AdVs can correct up to 42% ± 13% of defective DMD alleles in muscle cell populations through targeted removal of the major mutational hotspot, in which over 60% of frame-shifting large deletions locate. Both DMD gene repair strategies tested readily led to the detection of Becker-like dystrophins in unselected muscle cell populations, leading to the restoration of β-dystroglycan at the plasmalemma of differentiated muscle cells. Hence, HC-AdVs permit the effective assessment of DMD gene-editing tools and strategies in dystrophin-defective human cells while broadening the gamut of DMD-correcting agents.
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24
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Ait-Hamlat A, Zea DJ, Labeeuw A, Polit L, Richard H, Laine E. Transcripts' Evolutionary History and Structural Dynamics Give Mechanistic Insights into the Functional Diversity of the JNK Family. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:2121-2140. [PMID: 32067951 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Revised: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Alternative splicing and alternative initiation/termination transcription sites have the potential to greatly expand the proteome in eukaryotes by producing several transcript isoforms from the same gene. Although these mechanisms are well described at the genomic level, little is known about their contribution to protein evolution and their impact at the protein structure level. Here, we address both issues by reconstructing the evolutionary history of transcripts and by modeling the tertiary structures of the corresponding protein isoforms. We reconstruct phylogenetic forests relating 60 protein-coding transcripts from the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) family observed in seven species. We identify two alternative splicing events of ancient origin and show that they induce subtle changes in the protein's structural dynamics. We highlight a previously uncharacterized transcript whose predicted structure seems stable in solution. We further demonstrate that orphan transcripts, for which no phylogeny could be reconstructed, display peculiar sequence and structural properties. Our approach is implemented in PhyloSofS (Phylogenies of Splicing Isoforms Structures), a fully automated computational tool freely available at https://github.com/PhyloSofS-Team/PhyloSofS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Ait-Hamlat
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB), Paris, 75005, France
| | - Diego Javier Zea
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB), Paris, 75005, France
| | - Antoine Labeeuw
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB), Paris, 75005, France
| | - Lélia Polit
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB), Paris, 75005, France
| | - Hugues Richard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB), Paris, 75005, France.
| | - Elodie Laine
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB), Paris, 75005, France.
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25
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How the central domain of dystrophin acts to bridge F-actin to sarcolemmal lipids. J Struct Biol 2019; 209:107411. [PMID: 31689503 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2019.107411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Dystrophin is a large intracellular protein that prevents sarcolemmal ruptures by providing a mechanical link between the intracellular actin cytoskeleton and the transmembrane dystroglycan complex. Dystrophin deficiency leads to the severe muscle wasting disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and the milder allelic variant, Becker Muscular Dystrophy (DMD and BMD). Previous work has shown that concomitant interaction of the actin binding domain 2 (ABD2) comprising spectrin like repeats 11 to 15 (R11-15) of the central domain of dystrophin, with both actin and membrane lipids, can greatly increase membrane stiffness. Based on a combination of SAXS and SANS measurements, mass spectrometry analysis of cross-linked complexes and interactive low-resolution simulations, we explored in vitro the molecular properties of dystrophin that allow the formation of ABD2-F-actin and ABD2-membrane model complexes. In dystrophin we identified two subdomains interacting with F-actin, one located in R11 and a neighbouring region in R12 and another one in R15, while a single lipid binding domain was identified at the C-terminal end of R12. Relative orientations of the dystrophin central domain with F-actin and a membrane model were obtained from docking simulation under experimental constraints. SAXS-based models were then built for an extended central subdomain from R4 to R19, including ABD2. Overall results are compatible with a potential F-actin/dystrophin/membrane lipids ternary complex. Our description of this selected part of the dystrophin associated complex bridging muscle cell membrane and cytoskeleton opens the way to a better understanding of how cell muscle scaffolding is maintained through this essential protein.
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26
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Meyers TA, Townsend D. Cardiac Pathophysiology and the Future of Cardiac Therapies in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E4098. [PMID: 31443395 PMCID: PMC6747383 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20174098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating disease featuring skeletal muscle wasting, respiratory insufficiency, and cardiomyopathy. Historically, respiratory failure has been the leading cause of mortality in DMD, but recent improvements in symptomatic respiratory management have extended the life expectancy of DMD patients. With increased longevity, the clinical relevance of heart disease in DMD is growing, as virtually all DMD patients over 18 year of age display signs of cardiomyopathy. This review will focus on the pathophysiological basis of DMD in the heart and discuss the therapeutic approaches currently in use and those in development to treat dystrophic cardiomyopathy. The first section will describe the aspects of the DMD that result in the loss of cardiac tissue and accumulation of fibrosis. The second section will discuss cardiac small molecule therapies currently used to treat heart disease in DMD, with a focus on the evidence supporting the use of each drug in dystrophic patients. The final section will outline the strengths and limitations of approaches directed at correcting the genetic defect through dystrophin gene replacement, modification, or repair. There are several new and promising therapeutic approaches that may protect the dystrophic heart, but their limitations suggest that future management of dystrophic cardiomyopathy may benefit from combining gene-targeted therapies with small molecule therapies. Understanding the mechanistic basis of dystrophic heart disease and the effects of current and emerging therapies will be critical for their success in the treatment of patients with DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatyana A Meyers
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - DeWayne Townsend
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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27
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Echigoya Y, Lim KRQ, Melo D, Bao B, Trieu N, Mizobe Y, Maruyama R, Mamchaoui K, Tanihata J, Aoki Y, Takeda S, Mouly V, Duddy W, Yokota T. Exons 45-55 Skipping Using Mutation-Tailored Cocktails of Antisense Morpholinos in the DMD Gene. Mol Ther 2019; 27:2005-2017. [PMID: 31416775 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2019.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the dystrophin (DMD) gene and consequent loss of dystrophin cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A promising therapy for DMD, single-exon skipping using antisense phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs), currently confronts major issues in that an antisense drug induces the production of functionally undefined dystrophin and may not be similarly efficacious among patients with different mutations. Accordingly, the applicability of this approach is limited to out-of-frame mutations. Here, using an exon-skipping efficiency predictive tool, we designed three different PMO cocktail sets for exons 45-55 skipping aiming to produce a dystrophin variant with preserved functionality as seen in milder or asymptomatic individuals with an in-frame exons 45-55 deletion. Of them, the most effective set was composed of select PMOs that each efficiently skips an assigned exon in cell-based screening. These combinational PMOs fitted to different deletions of immortalized DMD patient muscle cells significantly induced exons 45-55 skipping with removing 3, 8, or 10 exons and dystrophin restoration as represented by western blotting. In vivo skipping of the maximum 11 human DMD exons was confirmed in humanized mice. The finding indicates that our PMO set can be used to create mutation-tailored cocktails for exons 45-55 skipping and treat over 65% of DMD patients carrying out-of-frame or in-frame deletions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Echigoya
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada; Laboratory of Biomedical Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan
| | - Kenji Rowel Q Lim
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Dyanna Melo
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Bo Bao
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Nhu Trieu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Yoshitaka Mizobe
- Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Rika Maruyama
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Kamel Mamchaoui
- UPMC-Sorbonne Universités-University Paris 6, UPMC/INSERM UMRS974, CNRS FRE 3617, Myology Centre for Research, Paris Cedex 13 75651, France
| | - Jun Tanihata
- Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan; Department of Cell Physiology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
| | - Yoshitsugu Aoki
- Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Shin'ichi Takeda
- Department of Molecular Therapy, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Vincent Mouly
- UPMC-Sorbonne Universités-University Paris 6, UPMC/INSERM UMRS974, CNRS FRE 3617, Myology Centre for Research, Paris Cedex 13 75651, France
| | - William Duddy
- Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine, Altnagelvin Hospital Campus, Ulster University, Londonderry BT47 6SB, UK
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada; Muscular Dystrophy Canada Research Chair, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H7, Canada.
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28
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Ma KM, Thomas ES, Wereszczynski J, Menhart N. Empirical and Computational Comparison of Alternative Therapeutic Exon Skip Repairs for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Biochemistry 2019; 58:2061-2076. [PMID: 30896926 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a common and devastating genetic disease primarily caused by exon deletions that create a genetic frameshift in dystrophin. Exon skipping therapy seeks to correct this by masking an exon during the mRNA maturation process, restoring dystrophin expression, but creating an edited protein missing both the original defect and the therapeutically skipped region. Crucially, it is possible to correct many defects in alternative ways, by skipping an exon either before or after the patient's defect. This results in alternatively edited, hybrid proteins that might have different properties and therapeutic consequences. We examined three such dystrophin exon-skipped edits, Δe45-53, Δe46-54, and Δe47-55, comprising two pairs of alternative repairs of Δe46-53 and Δe47-54 DMD defects. We found that in both cases, Δe46-54 was the more stable repair as determined by a variety of thermodynamic and biochemical measurements. We also examined the origin of these differences with molecular dynamics simulations, which showed that these stability differences were the result of different types of structural perturbations. For example, in one edit there was partial unfolding at the edit site that caused domain-localized perturbations while in another there was unfolding at the protein domain junctions distal to the edit site that increased molecular flexibility. These results demonstrate that alternative exon skip repairs of the same underlying defect can have very different consequences at the level of protein structure and stability and furthermore that these can arise by different mechanisms, either locally or by more subtle long-range perturbations.
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29
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Nakamura A. Mutation-Based Therapeutic Strategies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: From Genetic Diagnosis to Therapy. J Pers Med 2019; 9:jpm9010016. [PMID: 30836656 PMCID: PMC6462977 DOI: 10.3390/jpm9010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD/BMD) are X-linked muscle disorders caused by mutations of the DMD gene, which encodes the subsarcolemmal protein dystrophin. In DMD, dystrophin is not expressed due to a disruption in the reading frame of the DMD gene, resulting in a severe phenotype. Becker muscular dystrophy exhibits a milder phenotype, having mutations that maintain the reading frame and allow for the production of truncated dystrophin. To date, various therapeutic approaches for DMD have been extensively developed. However, the pathomechanism is quite complex despite it being a single gene disorder, and dystrophin is expressed not only in a large amount of skeletal muscle but also in cardiac, vascular, intestinal smooth muscle, and nervous system tissue. Thus, the most appropriate therapy would be complementation or restoration of dystrophin expression, such as gene therapy using viral vectors, readthrough therapy, or exon skipping therapy. Among them, exon skipping therapy with antisense oligonucleotides can restore the reading frame and yield the conversion of a severe phenotype to one that is mild. In this paper, I present the significance of molecular diagnosis and the development of mutation-based therapeutic strategies to complement or restore dystrophin expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinori Nakamura
- Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization, Matsumoto Medical Center, 2-20-30 Murai-machi Minami, Matsumoto 399-8701, Japan.
- Third Department of Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan.
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30
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Andrews JG, Lamb MM, Conway K, Street N, Westfield C, Ciafaloni E, Matthews D, Cunniff C, Pandya S, Fox DJ. Diagnostic Accuracy of Phenotype Classification in Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy Using Medical Record Data1. J Neuromuscul Dis 2019; 5:481-495. [PMID: 30320597 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-180306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Dystrophinopathies are caused by mutations in DMD resulting in progressive muscle weakness. They are historically divided into the more severe Duchenne (DMD) and milder Becker (BMD) muscular dystrophy phenotypes. Classification is important for research and clinical care. The purpose of this study was to describe a multi-variable approach to classifying cases from the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research Network (MD STARnet) and to assess the accuracy of the diagnostic classification scheme. We used age at loss of mobility, molecular testing results, and age at symptom onset to classify cases as having DMD or BMD and to assess sensitivity and specificity. Mobility status showed low sensitivity and high specificity for predicting DMD (65.5% and 99.3%, respectively) and BMD (62.8% and 97.7%, respectively) phenotypes. Molecular testing showed 90.9% sensitivity and 66.4% specificity for DMD; 76.3% sensitivity and 90.0% specificity for BMD. Age of onset predicted DMD with sensitivity of 73.9% and specificity of 69.0%; BMD had 99.7% specificity and 36.7% sensitivity. Mobility status, molecular test results, and age at symptom onset are important but inconsistent measures for accurately classifying individuals into DMD or BMD phenotypes. These results have implications for prognosis in newly diagnosed individuals and for classifying phenotype in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Molly M Lamb
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Kristin Conway
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Natalie Street
- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Emma Ciafaloni
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Dennis Matthews
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Christopher Cunniff
- Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
| | - Shree Pandya
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Deborah J Fox
- New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA
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31
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Multiple Exon Skipping in the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Hot Spots: Prospects and Challenges. J Pers Med 2018; 8:jpm8040041. [PMID: 30544634 PMCID: PMC6313462 DOI: 10.3390/jpm8040041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 11/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a fatal X-linked recessive disorder, is caused mostly by frame-disrupting, out-of-frame deletions in the dystrophin (DMD) gene. Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated exon skipping is a promising therapy for DMD. Exon skipping aims to convert out-of-frame mRNA to in-frame mRNA and induce the production of internally-deleted dystrophin as seen in the less severe Becker muscular dystrophy. Currently, multiple exon skipping has gained special interest as a new therapeutic modality for this approach. Previous retrospective database studies represented a potential therapeutic application of multiple exon skipping. Since then, public DMD databases have become more useful with an increase in patient registration and advances in molecular diagnosis. Here, we provide an update on DMD genotype-phenotype associations using a global DMD database and further provide the rationale for multiple exon skipping development, particularly for exons 45–55 skipping and an emerging therapeutic concept, exons 3–9 skipping. Importantly, this review highlights the potential of multiple exon skipping for enabling the production of functionally-corrected dystrophin and for treating symptomatic patients not only with out-of-frame deletions but also those with in-frame deletions. We will also discuss prospects and challenges in multiple exon skipping therapy, referring to recent progress in antisense chemistry and design, as well as disease models.
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32
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Duchêne BL, Cherif K, Iyombe-Engembe JP, Guyon A, Rousseau J, Ouellet DL, Barbeau X, Lague P, Tremblay JP. CRISPR-Induced Deletion with SaCas9 Restores Dystrophin Expression in Dystrophic Models In Vitro and In Vivo. Mol Ther 2018; 26:2604-2616. [PMID: 30195724 PMCID: PMC6224775 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2018.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe hereditary disease affecting 1 in 3,500 boys, mainly results from the deletion of exon(s), leading to a reading frameshift of the DMD gene that abrogates dystrophin protein synthesis. Pairs of sgRNAs for the Cas9 of Staphylococcus aureus were meticulously chosen to restore a normal reading frame and also produce a dystrophin protein with normally phased spectrin-like repeats (SLRs), which is not usually obtained by skipping or by deletion of complete exons. This can, however, be obtained in rare instances where the exon and intron borders of the beginning and the end of the complete deletion (patient deletion plus CRISPR-induced deletion) are at similar positions in the SLR. We used pairs of sgRNAs targeting exons 47 and 58, and a normal reading frame was restored in myoblasts derived from muscle biopsies of 4 DMD patients with different exon deletions. Restoration of the DMD reading frame and restoration of dystrophin expression were also obtained in vivo in the heart of the del52hDMD/mdx. Our results provide a proof of principle that SaCas9 could be used to edit the human DMD gene and could be considered for further development of a therapy for DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin L Duchêne
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Neurosciences Axis, Québec City, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Khadija Cherif
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Neurosciences Axis, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Jean-Paul Iyombe-Engembe
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Neurosciences Axis, Québec City, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Antoine Guyon
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Neurosciences Axis, Québec City, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Joel Rousseau
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Neurosciences Axis, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Dominique L Ouellet
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Neurosciences Axis, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Xavier Barbeau
- Proteo and IBIS, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Laval University, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Patrick Lague
- Proteo and IBIS, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Laval University, Québec City, QC, Canada
| | - Jacques P Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Neurosciences Axis, Québec City, QC, Canada; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Molecular Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada.
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33
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Mori-Yoshimura M, Mitsuhashi S, Nakamura H, Komaki H, Goto K, Yonemoto N, Takeuchi F, Hayashi YK, Murata M, Takahashi Y, Nishino I, Takeda S, Kimura E. Characteristics of Japanese Patients with Becker Muscular Dystrophy and Intermediate Muscular Dystrophy in a Japanese National Registry of Muscular Dystrophy (Remudy): Heterogeneity and Clinical Variation. J Neuromuscul Dis 2018; 5:193-203. [PMID: 29614690 PMCID: PMC6027860 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-170225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Background: Obtaining an adequate number of patients to conduct a natural history study for rare diseases such as Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) is difficult. Objectives: The present study used data from Remudy, a national registry for neuromuscular diseases in Japan, to conduct a phenotypic analysis of BMD. Methods: We analyzed Remudy data of participants with dystrophinopathy. All participants who were aged 17 and older and were ambulant at age 13 were included in this study. Participants were divided into two groups: those with BMD who were ambulant at age 17, and those with intermediate muscular dystrophy (IMD) who lost ambulation by age 17. Frequent mutations were analyzed by age at ambulation, cardiopulmonary function, and genotype. For clinical comparisons, participants who were administered steroids were excluded. Results: From July 2009 through September 2015, 192 participants had registered with Remudy. Mean participant age was 34.80±13.3 (range, 17–78) years, and 52.1% of participants were ambulant. Of the entire study population, 50.5% had cardiomyopathy and 35.9% had respiratory failure. Three participants required invasive ventilation and 30 required non-invasive ventilation. Nineteen of the 30 non-invasive ventilator users were part-time users. In total, 138 (71.9%) had BMD and 54 (28.1%) had IMD. The most frequent mutation was ex45_ex47del (36 participants). Among participants with frequent in-frame mutations, those with the ex45-49del mutation lost their ambulation earlier than those with the ex45_ex47del mutation. A total of 67 different exon deletions and duplications were identified in the study population. Conclusion: We clarified the clinical phenotypes of Japanese patients with BMD/IMD using data from Remudy. Our results suggest that not only IMD but also BMD are associated with risk of respiratory dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madoka Mori-Yoshimura
- Department of Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Satomi Mitsuhashi
- Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.,Medical Genome Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Harumasa Nakamura
- Department of Promoting Clinical Trial and Translational Medicine, Translational Medical Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Komaki
- Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kanako Goto
- Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.,Medical Genome Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naohiro Yonemoto
- Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Biostatistics, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Fumi Takeuchi
- Translational Medical Center, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yukiko K Hayashi
- Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Neurophysiology, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miho Murata
- Department of Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuji Takahashi
- Department of Neurology, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ichizo Nishino
- Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.,Medical Genome Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin'ichi Takeda
- National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - En Kimura
- Translational Medical Center, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
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34
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Li D, Mastaglia FL, Fletcher S, Wilton SD. Precision Medicine through Antisense Oligonucleotide-Mediated Exon Skipping. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2018; 39:982-994. [PMID: 30282590 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Clinical implementation of two recently approved antisense RNA therapeutics - Exondys51® to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne MD) and Spinraza® as a treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) - highlights the therapeutic potential of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). As shown in the Duchenne and Becker cases, the identification and specific removal of 'dispensable' exons by exon-skipping ASOs could potentially bypass lethal mutations in other genes and bring clinical benefits to affected individuals carrying amenable mutations. In this review, we discuss the potential of therapeutic alternative splicing, with a particular focus on targeted exon skipping using Duchenne MD as an example, and speculate on new applications for other inherited rare diseases where redundant or dispensable exons may be amenable to exon-skipping ASO intervention as precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dunhui Li
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth 6050, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, University of Western Australia, Perth 6000, Australia
| | - Frank L Mastaglia
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, University of Western Australia, Perth 6000, Australia
| | - Sue Fletcher
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth 6050, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, University of Western Australia, Perth 6000, Australia
| | - Steve D Wilton
- Centre for Comparative Genomics, Murdoch University, Perth 6050, Australia; Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, University of Western Australia, Perth 6000, Australia.
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35
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Tremblay JP, Iyombe-Engembe JP, Duchêne B, Ouellet DL. Gene Editing for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Using the CRISPR/Cas9 Technology: The Importance of Fine-tuning the Approach. Mol Ther 2018; 24:1888-1889. [PMID: 27916992 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2016.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques P Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada.
| | | | - Benjamin Duchêne
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dominique L Ouellet
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada
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36
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Shahnoor N, Siebers EM, Brown KJ, Lawlor MW. Pathological Issues in Dystrophinopathy in the Age of Genetic Therapies. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PATHOLOGY-MECHANISMS OF DISEASE 2018; 14:105-126. [PMID: 30148687 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012418-012945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Dystrophinopathy is a class of genetic skeletal muscle disease characterized by myofiber degeneration and regeneration due to insufficient levels or functioning of dystrophin. Pathological evaluation for dystrophinopathy includes the identification of dystrophic skeletal muscle pathology and the immunohistochemical evaluation of dystrophin epitopes, but biopsies have become rare in recent years. However, the evaluation of dystrophin expression in the research setting has become critically important due to recent advances in genetic therapies, including exon skipping and gene therapy. Given the number of these therapies under evaluation in patients, it is likely that the traditional methods of evaluating dystrophinopathy will need to evolve in the near future. This review discusses current muscle biopsy diagnostic practices in dystrophinopathy and further focuses on how these practices have evolved in the context of therapeutic interventions for dystrophinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazima Shahnoor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA; , ,
| | - Emily M Siebers
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA; , ,
| | - Kristy J Brown
- Solid Biosciences, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA;
| | - Michael W Lawlor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA; , ,
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37
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Nakamura Y, Saito Y, Kubota N, Matsumura W, Hosoda C, Tamasaki-Kondo A, Nishimura Y, Sunada Y, Fukada M, Ohno T, Maegaki Y, Matsuo M, Tokita Y. Identification of sleep hypoventilation in young individuals with Becker muscular dystrophy: A pilot study. Brain Dev 2018. [PMID: 29526517 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2018.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
AIM To report on sleep hypercapnia in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) at earlier stages than ever recognized. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This retrospective study examined nocturnal hypercapnia in six young Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) patients with deletions of one or more exons of DMD gene. Clinical information, consecutive data on forced vital capacity (FVC%), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1%), peak expiratory flow (PEF%), peak cough flow (PCF), average PCO2 in all-night monitoring, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were reviewed. RESULTS In five BMD patients, including three who were still ambulant, nocturnal average PCO2 was elevated to >45 mmHg at 12-31 years of age. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation was initiated in four patients. Gradual declines in FVC% and PEF% were evident in one BMD patient with exon 3-7 deletion, whereas these functions did not change in the remaining BMD patients. PCF, FEV1%, and LVEF were less informative for the assessment of respiratory function in this patient series. CONCLUSION Sleep hypercapnia was present in certain BMD patients, which was unexpected from the routine pulmonary function tests. Individualized assessment of nocturnal PCO2, partly based on the deletion types, should be further explored in the clinical practice of BMD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Nakamura
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsue Medical Center, 5-8-31 Agenogi, Matsue 690-8556, Japan; Division of Child Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Saito
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan.
| | - Norika Kubota
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsue Medical Center, 5-8-31 Agenogi, Matsue 690-8556, Japan
| | - Wataru Matsumura
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsue Medical Center, 5-8-31 Agenogi, Matsue 690-8556, Japan; Division of Child Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan
| | - Chika Hosoda
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsue Medical Center, 5-8-31 Agenogi, Matsue 690-8556, Japan; Division of Child Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, Tottori Rehabilitation Center for Children with Disabilities, 7-13-3 Kamifukubara, Yonago 683-0004, Japan
| | - Akiko Tamasaki-Kondo
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsue Medical Center, 5-8-31 Agenogi, Matsue 690-8556, Japan; Department of Pediatrics, Shimane Prefectural Central Hospital, 4-1-1 Himebara, Izumo 693-8555, Japan
| | - Yoko Nishimura
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan
| | - Yoshihide Sunada
- Department of Neurology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan
| | | | - Takako Ohno
- Western Shimane Medical and Welfare Center for the Disabled, 1926 Watazu, Gotsu 695-0001, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Maegaki
- Division of Child Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 36-1 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8504, Japan
| | - Masafumi Matsuo
- Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobe Gakuin University, 518 Arise, Ikawadani-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2180, Japan
| | - Yasuko Tokita
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsue Medical Center, 5-8-31 Agenogi, Matsue 690-8556, Japan
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38
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Yuan R, Yi J, Xie Z, Zheng Y, Han M, Hou Y, Wang Z, Yuan Y. Genotype-phenotype correlation in Becker muscular dystrophy in Chinese patients. J Hum Genet 2018; 63:1041-1048. [PMID: 29976999 DOI: 10.1038/s10038-018-0480-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Large deletions and duplications are the most frequent causative mutations in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), but genetic profile varied greatly among reports. We performed a comprehensive molecular investigation in 95 Chinese BMD patients. All patients were divided into three subtypes: normal muscle strength (type 1) in 18 cases, quadriceps myopathy (type 2) in 20 cases, and limb-girdle weakness (type 3) in 57 cases. Nineteen cases (20.0%) had small mutations and 76 cases (80.0%) had major rearrangements, including 67 cases (70.5%) of exonic deletions and 9 cases (9.5%) of exonic duplications. We identified 50 cases (65.8%) of in-frame mutations, and 26 cases (34.2%) of frame-shift mutations. The frequency of deletion in exons 13-19 was 30.6% in type 1 patients, 9.7% in type 2 patients, and 10.4% in type 3 patients. The frequency of deletion in exons 45-55 was 28.6% in type 1 patients, 40.8% in type 2, and 50.0% in type 3 patients. All major rearrangements of DMD gene in type 1 patients were also observed in type 3 patients. Our study suggested that frame-shift mutation was not rare in Chinese BMD patients. Although no difference was observed on the forms of DMD gene mutations among the three types of patients, the mutation in proximal region of DMD gene has higher frequency for patients without weakness. Effect of exon skipping for DMD depends on the size and location of the mutation. Additional studies are required to determine whether exon-skipping strategies in proximal region of DMD gene could yield more functional dystrophin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiyi Yuan
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Peking University, 100034, Beijing, China.,Haverford Collage, Haverford, PA, 19041, USA
| | - Junfei Yi
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Peking University, 100034, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiying Xie
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Peking University, 100034, Beijing, China
| | - Yimeng Zheng
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Peking University, 100034, Beijing, China
| | - Miao Han
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Henan University, Kaifeng Shi, China
| | - Yue Hou
- Department of Neurology, Traditional Medicine Hospital, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhaoxia Wang
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Peking University, 100034, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Yuan
- Department of Neurology, First Hospital, Peking University, 100034, Beijing, China.
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Marey I, Ben Yaou R, Deburgrave N, Vasson A, Nectoux J, Leturcq F, Eymard B, Laforet P, Behin A, Stojkovic T, Mayer M, Tiffreau V, Desguerre I, Boyer FC, Nadaj-Pakleza A, Ferrer X, Wahbi K, Becane HM, Claustres M, Chelly J, Cossee M. Non Random Distribution of DMD Deletion Breakpoints and Implication of Double Strand Breaks Repair and Replication Error Repair Mechanisms. J Neuromuscul Dis 2018; 3:227-245. [PMID: 27854212 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-150134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dystrophinopathies are mostly caused by copy number variations, especially deletions, in the dystrophin gene (DMD). Despite the large size of the gene, deletions do not occur randomly but mainly in two hot spots, the main one involving exons 45 to 55. The underlying mechanisms are complex and implicate two main mechanisms: Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and micro-homology mediated replication-dependent recombination (MMRDR). OBJECTIVE Our goals were to assess the distribution of intronic breakpoints (BPs) in the genomic sequence of the main hot spot of deletions within DMD gene and to search for specific sequences at or near to BPs that might promote BP occurrence or be associated with DNA break repair. METHODS Using comparative genomic hybridization microarray, 57 deletions within the intron 44 to 55 region were mapped. Moreover, 21 junction fragments were sequenced to search for specific sequences. RESULTS Non-randomly distributed BPs were found in introns 44, 47, 48, 49 and 53 and 50% of BPs clustered within genomic regions of less than 700bp. Repeated elements (REs), known to promote gene rearrangement via several mechanisms, were present in the vicinity of 90% of clustered BPs and less frequently (72%) close to scattered BPs, illustrating the important role of such elements in the occurrence of DMD deletions. Palindromic and TTTAAA sequences, which also promote DNA instability, were identified at fragment junctions in 20% and 5% of cases, respectively. Micro-homologies (76%) and insertions or deletions of small sequences were frequently found at BP junctions. CONCLUSIONS Our results illustrate, in a large series of patients, the important role of RE and other genomic features in DNA breaks, and the involvement of different mechanisms in DMD gene deletions: Mainly replication error repair mechanisms, but also NHEJ and potentially aberrant firing of replication origins. A combination of these mechanisms may also be possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Marey
- Service de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, HUPC Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Rabah Ben Yaou
- UPMC-Paris 6, UM 76, INSERM, U974, CNRS, UMR 7215, Center of Research in Myology, Institut de Myologie, Paris, France.,AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Référence de Pathologie Neuromusculaire Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Deburgrave
- Service de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, HUPC Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Vasson
- Service de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, HUPC Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Juliette Nectoux
- Service de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, HUPC Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France.,INSERM, U1016, Institut Cochin, CNRS UMR8104, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - France Leturcq
- Service de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, HUPC Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France.,UPMC-Paris 6, UM 76, INSERM, U974, CNRS, UMR 7215, Center of Research in Myology, Institut de Myologie, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Eymard
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Référence de Pathologie Neuromusculaire Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Pascal Laforet
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Référence de Pathologie Neuromusculaire Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Anthony Behin
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Référence de Pathologie Neuromusculaire Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Tanya Stojkovic
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Référence de Pathologie Neuromusculaire Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Michèle Mayer
- AP-HP, Hôpital Armand TROUSSEAU, Centre de référence de pathologie neuromusculaire Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Tiffreau
- Université de Lille 2, EA 4488, Centre de référence des maladies neuromusculaires du CHRU de Lille, Service de médecine physique et réadaptation, Hôpital Swynghedauw, Lille, France
| | - Isabelle Desguerre
- AP-HP, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Service de Neuropédiatrie, Centre de référence de pathologie neuromusculaires Garches-Necker-Mondor-Hendaye, Paris, France
| | - François Constant Boyer
- Service de Médecine Physique et Réadaptation, Centre de référence de pathologie neuromusculaires, Hôpital Sébastopol, CHU de Reims, Reims, France
| | - Aleksandra Nadaj-Pakleza
- Service de neurologie, Centre de référence de pathologie neuromusculaires Pays de Loire, Hôpital Larrey, CHU d'Angers, Angers, France
| | - Xavier Ferrer
- Service de neurologie, Centre de référence de pathologie neuromusculaires Aquitaine, Hôpital Pellegrin, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Karim Wahbi
- APHP, service de cardiologie, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Henri-Marc Becane
- AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Centre de Référence de Pathologie Neuromusculaire Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Mireille Claustres
- CHRU Montpellier, Laboratoire de Génétique moléculaire, Montpellier, France.,Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire de Génétique de Maladies rares, EA 7402, Montpellier, France
| | - Jamel Chelly
- Service de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, HUPC Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France.,INSERM, U1016, Institut Cochin, CNRS UMR8104, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Mireille Cossee
- CHRU Montpellier, Laboratoire de Génétique moléculaire, Montpellier, France.,Université de Montpellier, Laboratoire de Génétique de Maladies rares, EA 7402, Montpellier, France
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Kalra S, Montanaro F, Denning C. Can Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes Advance Understanding of Muscular Dystrophies? J Neuromuscul Dis 2018; 3:309-332. [PMID: 27854224 PMCID: PMC5123622 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-150133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are clinically and molecularly a highly heterogeneous group of single-gene disorders that primarily affect striated muscles. Cardiac disease is present in several MDs where it is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality. Careful monitoring of cardiac issues is necessary but current management of cardiac involvement does not effectively protect from disease progression and cardiac failure. There is a critical need to gain new knowledge on the diverse molecular underpinnings of cardiac disease in MDs in order to guide cardiac treatment development and assist in reaching a clearer consensus on cardiac disease management in the clinic. Animal models are available for the majority of MDs and have been invaluable tools in probing disease mechanisms and in pre-clinical screens. However, there are recognized genetic, physiological, and structural differences between human and animal hearts that impact disease progression, manifestation, and response to pharmacological interventions. Therefore, there is a need to develop parallel human systems to model cardiac disease in MDs. This review discusses the current status of cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) to model cardiac disease, with a focus on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and myotonic dystrophy (DM1). We seek to provide a balanced view of opportunities and limitations offered by this system in elucidating disease mechanisms pertinent to human cardiac physiology and as a platform for treatment development or refinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spandan Kalra
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK
| | - Federica Montanaro
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Department of Molecular Neurosciences, University College London - Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Chris Denning
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK
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Delalande O, Molza AE, Dos Santos Morais R, Chéron A, Pollet É, Raguenes-Nicol C, Tascon C, Giudice E, Guilbaud M, Nicolas A, Bondon A, Leturcq F, Férey N, Baaden M, Perez J, Roblin P, Piétri-Rouxel F, Hubert JF, Czjzek M, Le Rumeur E. Dystrophin's central domain forms a complex filament that becomes disorganized by in-frame deletions. J Biol Chem 2018. [PMID: 29535188 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.809798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Dystrophin, encoded by the DMD gene, is critical for maintaining plasma membrane integrity during muscle contraction events. Mutations in the DMD gene disrupting the reading frame prevent dystrophin production and result in severe Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD); in-frame internal deletions allow production of partly functional internally deleted dystrophin and result in less severe Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). Many known BMD deletions occur in dystrophin's central domain, generally considered to be a monotonous rod-shaped domain based on the knowledge of spectrin family proteins. However, the effects caused by these deletions, ranging from asymptomatic to severe BMD, argue against the central domain serving only as a featureless scaffold. We undertook structural studies combining small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular modeling in an effort to uncover the structure of the central domain, as dystrophin has been refractory to characterization. We show that this domain appears to be a tortuous and complex filament that is profoundly disorganized by the most severe BMD deletion (loss of exons 45-47). Despite the preservation of large parts of the binding site for neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in this deletion, computational approaches failed to recreate the association of dystrophin with nNOS. This observation is in agreement with a strong decrease of nNOS immunolocalization in muscle biopsies, a parameter related to the severity of BMD phenotypes. The structural description of the whole dystrophin central domain we present here is a first necessary step to improve the design of microdystrophin constructs toward the goal of a successful gene therapy for DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Delalande
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France,
| | - Anne-Elisabeth Molza
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Raphael Dos Santos Morais
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France.,the Synchrotron SOLEIL, 91190 Saint Aubin, France.,the Laboratoire Léon-Brillouin, UMR 12 CEA-CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, CEA-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Angélique Chéron
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Émeline Pollet
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Céline Raguenes-Nicol
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Christophe Tascon
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Emmanuel Giudice
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Marine Guilbaud
- the Sorbonne Universités UPMC-INSERM-UMRS 97-CNRS FRE 3617, Institut de Myologie, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Nicolas
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Arnaud Bondon
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France.,the Université Rennes, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes-UMR 6226, PRISM, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - France Leturcq
- the Sorbonne Universités UPMC-INSERM-UMRS 97-CNRS FRE 3617, Institut de Myologie, 75013 Paris, France.,the AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalier Cochin-Broca-Hôtel Dieu, Laboratoire de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Férey
- the CNRS UPR3251, Université Paris XI, 91403 Orsay Cedex, France
| | - Marc Baaden
- the CNRS UPR9080, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Javier Perez
- the Synchrotron SOLEIL, 91190 Saint Aubin, France
| | - Pierre Roblin
- the Synchrotron SOLEIL, 91190 Saint Aubin, France.,the INRA-Biopolymères, Interaction et Assemblages, 44000 Nantes, France
| | - France Piétri-Rouxel
- the Sorbonne Universités UPMC-INSERM-UMRS 97-CNRS FRE 3617, Institut de Myologie, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Jean-François Hubert
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Mirjam Czjzek
- the Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris 06, 75006 Paris, France, and.,the CNRS UMR 8227, Integrative Biology of Marine Models, 29688 Roscoff Cedex, France
| | - Elisabeth Le Rumeur
- From the Université de Rennes, CNRS, Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes-UMR 6290, 35000 Rennes, France
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Duchêne B, Iyombe-Engembe JP, Rousseau J, Tremblay JP, Ouellet DL. From gRNA Identification to the Restoration of Dystrophin Expression: A Dystrophin Gene Correction Strategy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Mutations Using the CRISPR-Induced Deletion Method. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1687:267-283. [PMID: 29067670 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7374-3_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 system raises hope for the treatment of many genetic disorders. We describe here an approach based on the use of a pair of single guide RNAs to form a hybrid exon that does not only restore the dystrophin gene reading frame but also results in the production of a dystrophin protein with an adequate structure of the central rod-domain, with a correct spectrin-like repeat. The therapeutic approach described here involved DMD patient cells having a deletion of exons 51-53 of the DMD gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Duchêne
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 4G2
| | - Jean-Paul Iyombe-Engembe
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 4G2
| | - Joël Rousseau
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 4G2
| | - Jacques P Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 4G2
| | - Dominique L Ouellet
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, 2705 Boul. Laurier, Québec, QC, Canada, G1V 4G2.
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Deepha S, Vengalil S, Preethish-Kumar V, Polavarapu K, Nalini A, Gayathri N, Purushottam M. MLPA identification of dystrophin mutations and in silico evaluation of the predicted protein in dystrophinopathy cases from India. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2017; 18:67. [PMID: 28610567 PMCID: PMC5470271 DOI: 10.1186/s12881-017-0431-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) are X-linked recessive disorders caused by mutations in the DMD gene. The aim of this study was to predict the effect of gene mutations on the dystrophin protein and study its impact on clinical phenotype. Methods In this study, 415 clinically diagnosed patients were tested for mutations by Multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Muscle biopsy was performed in 34 patients with negative MLPA. Phenotype-genotype correlation was done using PROVEAN, hydrophobicity and eDystrophin analysis. We have utilized bioinformatics tools in order to evaluate the observed mutations both at the level of primary as well as secondary structure. Results Mutations were identified in 75.42% cases, of which there were deletions in 91.6% and duplications in 8.30%. As per the reading frame rule, 84.6% out-of frame and 15.3% in-frame mutations were noted. Exon 50 was the most frequently deleted exon and the exon 45–52 region was the hot-spot for deletions in this cohort. There was no correlation noted between age of onset or creatine kinase (CK) values with extent of gene mutation. The PROVEAN analysis showed a deleterious effect in 94.5% cases and a neutral effect in 5.09% cases. Mutations in exon 45–54 (out of frame) and exon 46–54 (in-frame) regions in the central rod domain of dystrophin showed more negative scores compared to other domains in the present study. Hydrophobicity profile analysis showed that the hydrophobic regions I & III were equally affected. Analysis of deletions in hinge III hydrophobic region by the eDystrophin programme also predicted a hybrid repeat seen to be associated with a BMD like disease progression, thus making the hinge III region relatively tolerant to mutations. Conclusions We found that, while the predictions made by the software utilized might have overall significance, the results were not convincing on a case by case basis. This reflects the inadequacy of the currently available tools and also underlines the possible inadequacy of MLPA to detect other minor mutations that might enhance or suppress the effect of the primary mutation in this large gene. Next Generation Sequencing or targeted Sanger sequencing on a case by case basis might improve phenotype- genotype correlation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12881-017-0431-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sekar Deepha
- Department of Neuropathology, Neuromuscular Laboratory, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Seena Vengalil
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Veeramani Preethish-Kumar
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Kiran Polavarapu
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Atchayaram Nalini
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Narayanappa Gayathri
- Department of Neuropathology, Neuromuscular Laboratory, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Meera Purushottam
- Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Hosur Road, Bangalore, 560029, Karnataka, India.
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Moving towards successful exon-skipping therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. J Hum Genet 2017; 62:871-876. [DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2017.57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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Fayssoil A, Yaou RB, Ogna A, Leturcq F, Nardi O, Clair B, Wahbi K, Lofaso F, Laforet P, Duboc D, Orlikowski D, Annane D. Clinical profiles and prognosis of acute heart failure in adult patients with dystrophinopathies on home mechanical ventilation. ESC Heart Fail 2017; 4:527-534. [PMID: 29154419 PMCID: PMC5695197 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.12165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is characterized by respiratory and heart involvements. In the context of permanently wheelchair bound and on mechanical ventilation (MV) patients, the clinical presentation of acute heart failure (AHF) syndrome may be atypical. We sought to describe clinical and genetic profiles and to determine prognosis of DMD and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) patients on home MV (HMV), hospitalized for AHF. Methods and results We included genetically proven DMD and BMD patients on HMV admitted for AHF. A total of 13 patients (11 DMD and 2 BMD) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Median age was 34.0 [interquartile range (IQR) 26.0; 40.0] years. Median pulmonary vital capacity was 9.0% (6.0; 15.0) of predicted value. Long‐term invasive ventilation was performed in 69% of patients. All the 11 DMD patients carried out‐of‐frame DMD gene mutations. At admission, dyspnoea was present in 46%, lipothymia in 23%, and abdominal discomfort in 38.4% of patients. A total of 53.8% of patients showed anasarca. Cardiogenic shock presentation was found in six patients (46%). Ejection fraction was severely altered [median 25% (IQR 20; 30)]. Intra‐hospital mortality rate was 30%, reaching 53.8 % after 1 year. Previous episodes of AHF ≥ 2 were associated with intra‐hospital mortality (P = 0.025). In patients with cardiogenic shock, intra‐hospital mortality rate was 66.6%, reaching 83.3% after 1 year. Conclusions In adult DMD and BMD patients with severe ejection fraction alteration and on HMV, admitted for AHF, right cardiac signs are frequent. The intra‐hospital and 1 year mortality rate was high and was associated with previous episodes of AHF ≥ 2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdallah Fayssoil
- Service de Réanimation médicale et unité de ventilation à domicile, centre de référence neuromusculaire GNMH, CHU Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France.,Centre d'Investigation clinique et Innovation technologique CIC 14.29, INSERM, Garches, France.,UPMC INSERM UMRS974, CNRS FRE3617, Centre de recherche en myologie, Institut de Myologie, Groupe hospitalier Pitié Salpetrière, Paris, France.,APHP, Centre de référence maladies neuromusculaires Paris-Est, Groupe hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Rabah Ben Yaou
- UPMC INSERM UMRS974, CNRS FRE3617, Centre de recherche en myologie, Institut de Myologie, Groupe hospitalier Pitié Salpetrière, Paris, France.,APHP, Centre de référence maladies neuromusculaires Paris-Est, Groupe hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Adam Ogna
- Service de Réanimation médicale et unité de ventilation à domicile, centre de référence neuromusculaire GNMH, CHU Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France
| | - France Leturcq
- UPMC INSERM UMRS974, CNRS FRE3617, Centre de recherche en myologie, Institut de Myologie, Groupe hospitalier Pitié Salpetrière, Paris, France.,Laboratoire de génétique et biologie moléculaires, hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Nardi
- Service de Réanimation médicale et unité de ventilation à domicile, centre de référence neuromusculaire GNMH, CHU Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France
| | - Bernard Clair
- Service de Réanimation médicale et unité de ventilation à domicile, centre de référence neuromusculaire GNMH, CHU Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France
| | - Karim Wahbi
- APHP, Centre de référence maladies neuromusculaires Paris-Est, Groupe hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.,Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Cochin, APHP, Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Frederic Lofaso
- Service de Physiologie - Exploration fonctionnelles, CHU Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Université de Versailles saint Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France
| | - Pascal Laforet
- APHP, Centre de référence maladies neuromusculaires Paris-Est, Groupe hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Denis Duboc
- Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Cochin, APHP, Université Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - David Orlikowski
- Service de Réanimation médicale et unité de ventilation à domicile, centre de référence neuromusculaire GNMH, CHU Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France.,Centre d'Investigation clinique et Innovation technologique CIC 14.29, INSERM, Garches, France
| | - Djillali Annane
- Service de Réanimation médicale et unité de ventilation à domicile, centre de référence neuromusculaire GNMH, CHU Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Garches, France
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Vengalil S, Preethish-Kumar V, Polavarapu K, Mahadevappa M, Sekar D, Purushottam M, Thomas PT, Nashi S, Nalini A. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Becker Muscular Dystrophy Confirmed by Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification: Genotype-Phenotype Correlation in a Large Cohort. J Clin Neurol 2017; 13:91-97. [PMID: 28079318 PMCID: PMC5242159 DOI: 10.3988/jcn.2017.13.1.91] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Purpose Studies of cases of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) confirmed by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) have determined the clinical characteristics, genotype, and relations between the reading frame and phenotype for different countries. This is the first such study from India. Methods A retrospective genotype-phenotype analysis of 317 MLPA-confirmed patients with DMD or BMD who visited the neuromuscular clinic of a quaternary referral center in southern India. Results The 317 patients comprised 279 cases of DMD (88%), 32 of BMD (10.1%), and 6 of intermediate phenotype (1.9%). Deletions accounted for 91.8% of cases, with duplications causing the remaining 8.2%. There were 254 cases of DMD (91%) with deletions and 25 (9%) due to duplications, and 31 cases (96.8%) of BMD with deletions and 1 (3.2%) due to duplication. All six cases of intermediate type were due to deletions. The most-common mutation was a single-exon deletion. Deletions of six or fewer exons constituted 68.8% of cases. The deletion of exon 50 was the most common. The reading-frame rule held in 90% of DMD and 94% of BMD cases. A tendency toward a lower IQ and earlier wheelchair dependence was observed with distal exon deletions, though a significant correlation was not found. Conclusions The reading-frame rule held in 90% to 94% of children, which is consistent with reports from other parts of the world. However, testing by MLPA is a limitation, and advanced sequencing methods including analysis of the structure of mutant dystrophin is needed for more-accurate assessments of the genotype-phenotype correlation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seena Vengalil
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Veeramani Preethish-Kumar
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Kiran Polavarapu
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Manjunath Mahadevappa
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Deepha Sekar
- Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Meera Purushottam
- Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Priya Treesa Thomas
- Department of Psychiatric Social Work, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Saraswathi Nashi
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India
| | - Atchayaram Nalini
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
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Delalande O, Czogalla A, Hubert JF, Sikorski A, Le Rumeur E. Dystrophin and Spectrin, Two Highly Dissimilar Sisters of the Same Family. Subcell Biochem 2017; 82:373-403. [PMID: 28101868 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-49674-0_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Dystrophin and Spectrin are two proteins essential for the organization of the cytoskeleton and for the stabilization of membrane cells. The comparison of these two sister proteins, and with the dystrophin homologue utrophin, enables us to emphasise that, despite a similar topology with common subdomains and a common structural basis of a three-helix coiled-coil, they show a large range of dissimilarities in terms of genetics, cell expression and higher level structural organisation. Interactions with cellular partners, including proteins and membrane phospholipids, also show both strikingly similar and very different behaviours. The differences between dystrophin and spectrin are also illustrated by the large variety of pathological anomalies emerging from the dysfunction or the absence of these proteins, showing that they are keystones in their function of providing a scaffold that sustains cell structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Delalande
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, UMR CNRS 6290, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
| | - Aleksander Czogalla
- Biotechnology Faculty, Department of Cytobiochemistry, University of Wrocław, ul. joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jean-François Hubert
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, UMR CNRS 6290, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Aleksander Sikorski
- Biotechnology Faculty, Department of Cytobiochemistry, University of Wrocław, ul. joliot-Curie 14a, 50-383, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Elisabeth Le Rumeur
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, UMR CNRS 6290, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
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48
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Nakamura A, Shiba N, Miyazaki D, Nishizawa H, Inaba Y, Fueki N, Maruyama R, Echigoya Y, Yokota T. Comparison of the phenotypes of patients harboring in-frame deletions starting at exon 45 in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene indicates potential for the development of exon skipping therapy. J Hum Genet 2016; 62:459-463. [PMID: 27974813 DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2016.152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Revised: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Exon skipping therapy has recently received attention for its ability to convert the phenotype of lethal Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to a more benign form, Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), by correcting the open reading frame. This therapy has mainly focused on a hot-spot (exons 45-55) mutation in the DMD gene. Exon skipping of an entire stretch of exons 45-55 is an approach applicable to 46.9% of DMD patients. However, the resulting phenotype is not yet fully understood. Here we examined the clinical profiles of 24 patients with BMD resulting from deletions starting at exon 45. The Δ45-55 group ranged in age from 2 to 87 years; no mortality was observed, and one patient was ambulatory at 79 years of age. The age at which patients became wheelchair-bound in the Δ45-48 group (18-88 years old) was approximately 50 years. Cardiomyopathy was well controlled by pharmaceuticals in both deletion groups. In contrast, the Δ45-47 and Δ45-49 groups exhibited more severe phenotypes than those with other mutations: the age at which patients in the Δ45-49 group became wheelchair-bound was around 30-40 years. Our study shows that clinical severity differs between each hot-spot deletion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinori Nakamura
- Third Department of Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.,Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization, Matsumoto Medical Center, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Naoko Shiba
- Department of Pediatrics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Daigo Miyazaki
- Third Department of Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | | | - Yuji Inaba
- Department of Pediatrics, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan
| | - Noboru Fueki
- Division of Rehabilitation, Nagano Children's Hospital, Azumino, Japan
| | - Rika Maruyama
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Human Development, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Yusuke Echigoya
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Human Development, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Human Development, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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49
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50
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Ameziane-Le Hir S, Paboeuf G, Tascon C, Hubert JF, Le Rumeur E, Vié V, Raguénès-Nicol C. Dystrophin Hot-Spot Mutants Leading to Becker Muscular Dystrophy Insert More Deeply into Membrane Models than the Native Protein. Biochemistry 2016; 55:4018-26. [PMID: 27367833 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Dystrophin (DYS) is a membrane skeleton protein whose mutations lead to lethal Duchenne muscular dystrophy or to the milder Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). One third of BMD "in-frame" exon deletions are located in the region that codes for spectrin-like repeats R16 to R21. We focused on four prevalent mutated proteins deleted in this area (called RΔ45-47, RΔ45-48, RΔ45-49, and RΔ45-51 according to the deleted exon numbers), analyzing protein/membrane interactions. Two of the mutants, RΔ45-48 and RΔ45-51, led to mild pathologies and displayed a similar triple coiled-coil structure as the full-length DYS R16-21, whereas the two others, RΔ45-47 and RΔ45-49, induced more severe pathologies and showed "fractional" structures unrelated to the normal one. To explore lipid packing, small unilamellar liposomes (SUVs) and planar monolayers were used at various initial surface pressures. The dissociation constants determined by microscale thermophoresis (MST) were much higher for the full-length DYS R161-21 than for the mutants; thus the wild type protein has weaker SUV binding. Comparing surface pressures after protein adsorption and analysis of atomic force microscopy images of mixed protein/lipid monolayers revealed that the mutants insert more into the lipid monolayer than the wild type does. In fact, in both models every deletion mutant showed more interactions with membranes than the full-length protein did. This means that mutations in the R16-21 part of dystrophin disturb the protein's molecular behavior as it relates to membranes, regardless of whether the accompanying pathology is mild or severe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Ameziane-Le Hir
- Université de Rennes 1 , 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6251, Institut de Physique de Rennes, 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6290, Équipe SIM, 35043 Rennes, France
| | - Gilles Paboeuf
- Université de Rennes 1 , 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6251, Institut de Physique de Rennes, 35042 Rennes, France
| | - Christophe Tascon
- Université de Rennes 1 , 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6290, Équipe SIM, 35043 Rennes, France
| | - Jean-François Hubert
- Université de Rennes 1 , 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6290, Équipe SIM, 35043 Rennes, France
| | - Elisabeth Le Rumeur
- Université de Rennes 1 , 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6290, Équipe SIM, 35043 Rennes, France
| | - Véronique Vié
- Université de Rennes 1 , 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6251, Institut de Physique de Rennes, 35042 Rennes, France
| | - Céline Raguénès-Nicol
- Université de Rennes 1 , 35042 Rennes, France.,UMR CNRS 6290, Équipe SIM, 35043 Rennes, France
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