1
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Wei Y, Zhang D, Shi H, Qian H, Chen H, Zeng Q, Jin F, Ye Y, Ou Z, Guo M, Guo B, Chen T. PDK1 promotes breast cancer progression by enhancing the stability and transcriptional activity of HIF-1α. Genes Dis 2024; 11:101041. [PMID: 38560503 PMCID: PMC10978537 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) phosphorylates the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, which inhibits its activity. Inhibiting pyruvate dehydrogenase complex inhibits the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the reprogramming of tumor cell metabolism to glycolysis, which plays an important role in tumor progression. This study aims to elucidate how PDK1 promotes breast cancer progression. We found that PDK1 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues, and PDK1 knockdown reduced the proliferation, migration, and tumorigenicity of breast cancer cells and inhibited the HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor 1α) pathway. Further investigation showed that PDK1 promoted the protein stability of HIF-1α by reducing the level of ubiquitination of HIF-1α. The HIF-1α protein levels were dependent on PDK1 kinase activity. Furthermore, HIF-1α phosphorylation at serine 451 was detected in wild-type breast cancer cells but not in PDK1 knockout breast cancer cells. The phosphorylation of HIF-1α at Ser 451 stabilized its protein levels by inhibiting the interaction of HIF-1α with von Hippel-Lindau and prolyl hydroxylase domain. We also found that PDK1 enhanced HIF-1α transcriptional activity. In summary, PDK1 enhances HIF-1α protein stability by phosphorylating HIF-1α at Ser451 and promotes HIF-1α transcriptional activity by enhancing the binding of HIF-1α to P300. PDK1 and HIF-1α form a positive feedback loop to promote breast cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wei
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Dian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - He Shi
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Husun Qian
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Hongling Chen
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Qian Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Fangfang Jin
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Yan Ye
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Zuli Ou
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Minkang Guo
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Bianqin Guo
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing 400030, China
| | - Tingmei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics (Ministry of Education), College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
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2
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Schätzl T, Todorow V, Kaiser L, Weinschrott H, Schoser B, Deigner HP, Meinke P, Kohl M. Meta-analysis towards FSHD reveals misregulation of neuromuscular junction, nuclear envelope, and spliceosome. Commun Biol 2024; 7:640. [PMID: 38796645 PMCID: PMC11127974 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06325-z] [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: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common autosomal dominant muscle disorders, yet no cure or amelioration exists. The clinical presentation is diverse, making it difficult to identify the actual driving pathomechanism among many downstream events. To unravel this complexity, we performed a meta-analysis of 13 original omics datasets (in total 171 FSHD and 129 control samples). Our approach confirmed previous findings about the disease pathology and specified them further. We confirmed increased expression of former proposed DUX4 biomarkers, and furthermore impairment of the respiratory chain. Notably, the meta-analysis provides insights about so far not reported pathways, including misregulation of neuromuscular junction protein encoding genes, downregulation of the spliceosome, and extensive alterations of nuclear envelope protein expression. Finally, we developed a publicly available shiny app to provide a platform for researchers who want to search our analysis for genes of interest in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Schätzl
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Furtwangen University, Furtwangen, Germany
| | - Vanessa Todorow
- Friedrich-Baur-Institute at the Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Lars Kaiser
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Furtwangen University, Furtwangen, Germany
| | - Helga Weinschrott
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Furtwangen University, Furtwangen, Germany
| | - Benedikt Schoser
- Friedrich-Baur-Institute at the Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Hans-Peter Deigner
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Furtwangen University, Furtwangen, Germany
- Faculty of Science, Eberhard-Karls-University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- EXIM Department, Fraunhofer Institute IZI (Leipzig), Rostock, Germany
| | - Peter Meinke
- Friedrich-Baur-Institute at the Department of Neurology, LMU University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Kohl
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Furtwangen University, Furtwangen, Germany.
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3
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Kong X, Nguyen NV, Li Y, Sakr JS, Williams K, Sharifi S, Chau J, Bayrakci A, Mizuno S, Takahashi S, Kiyono T, Tawil R, Mortazavi A, Yokomori K. Engineered FSHD mutations results in D4Z4 heterochromatin disruption and feedforward DUX4 network activation. iScience 2024; 27:109357. [PMID: 38510139 PMCID: PMC10951985 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109357] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is linked to contraction of D4Z4 repeats on chromosome 4q with SMCHD1 mutations acting as a disease modifier. D4Z4 heterochromatin disruption and abnormal upregulation of the transcription factor DUX4, encoded in the D4Z4 repeat, are the hallmarks of FSHD. However, defining the precise effect of D4Z4 contraction has been difficult because D4Z4 repeats are primate-specific and DUX4 expression is very rare in highly heterogeneous patient myocytes. We generated isogenic mutant cell lines harboring D4Z4 and/or SMCHD1 mutations in a healthy human skeletal myoblast line. We found that the mutations affect D4Z4 heterochromatin differently, and that SMCHD1 mutation or disruption of DNA methylation stabilizes otherwise variegated DUX4 target activation in D4Z4 contraction mutant cells, demonstrating the critical role of modifiers. Our study revealed amplification of the DUX4 signal through downstream targets, H3.X/Y and LEUTX. Our results provide important insights into how rare DUX4 expression leads to FSHD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangduo Kong
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Nam Viet Nguyen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yumeng Li
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jasmine Shaaban Sakr
- Department of Development and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kate Williams
- Department of Development and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Sheila Sharifi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Chau
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Altay Bayrakci
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Seiya Mizuno
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Satoru Takahashi
- Laboratory Animal Resource Center in Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Tohru Kiyono
- Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Rabi Tawil
- Neuromuscular Disease Unit, Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ali Mortazavi
- Department of Development and Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kyoko Yokomori
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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4
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Nguyen TH, Limpens M, Bouhmidi S, Paprzycki L, Legrand A, Declèves AE, Heher P, Belayew A, Banerji CRS, Zammit PS, Tassin A. The DUX4-HIF1α Axis in Murine and Human Muscle Cells: A Link More Complex Than Expected. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3327. [PMID: 38542301 PMCID: PMC10969790 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25063327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
FacioScapuloHumeral muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most prevalent inherited muscle disorders and is linked to the inappropriate expression of the DUX4 transcription factor in skeletal muscles. The deregulated molecular network causing FSHD muscle dysfunction and pathology is not well understood. It has been shown that the hypoxia response factor HIF1α is critically disturbed in FSHD and has a major role in DUX4-induced cell death. In this study, we further explored the relationship between DUX4 and HIF1α. We found that the DUX4 and HIF1α link differed according to the stage of myogenic differentiation and was conserved between human and mouse muscle. Furthermore, we found that HIF1α knockdown in a mouse model of DUX4 local expression exacerbated DUX4-mediated muscle fibrosis. Our data indicate that the suggested role of HIF1α in DUX4 toxicity is complex and that targeting HIF1α might be challenging in the context of FSHD therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy-Hang Nguyen
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Maelle Limpens
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Sihame Bouhmidi
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Lise Paprzycki
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Alexandre Legrand
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Anne-Emilie Declèves
- Department of Metabolic and Molecular Biochemistry, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Philipp Heher
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Alexandra Belayew
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Christopher R. S. Banerji
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, The British Library, London NW1 2DB, UK
| | - Peter S. Zammit
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Alexandra Tassin
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
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5
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Bittel AJ, Bittel DC, Gordish-Dressman H, Chen YW. Voluntary wheel running improves molecular and functional deficits in a murine model of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. iScience 2024; 27:108632. [PMID: 38188524 PMCID: PMC10770537 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108632] [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: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Endurance exercise training is beneficial for skeletal muscle health, but it is unclear if this type of exercise can target or correct the molecular mechanisms of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Using the FLExDUX4 murine model of FSHD characterized by chronic, low levels of pathological double homeobox protein 4 (DUX4) gene expression, we show that 6 weeks of voluntary, free wheel running improves running performance, strength, mitochondrial function, and sarcolemmal repair capacity, while slowing/reversing skeletal muscle fibrosis. These improvements are associated with restored transcriptional activity of gene networks/pathways regulating actin cytoskeletal signaling, vascular remodeling, inflammation, fibrosis, and muscle mass toward wild-type (WT) levels. However, FLExDUX4 mice exhibit blunted increases in mitochondrial content with training and persistent transcriptional overactivation of hypoxia, inflammatory, angiogenic, and cytoskeletal pathways. These results identify exercise-responsive and non-responsive molecular pathways in FSHD, while providing support for the use of endurance-type exercise as a non-invasive treatment option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Bittel
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA
| | - Daniel C. Bittel
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA
| | | | - Yi-Wen Chen
- Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC 20012, USA
- Department of Genomics and Precision Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
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6
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Nguyen TH, Paprzycki L, Legrand A, Declèves AE, Heher P, Limpens M, Belayew A, Banerji CRS, Zammit PS, Tassin A. Hypoxia enhances human myoblast differentiation: involvement of HIF1α and impact of DUX4, the FSHD causal gene. Skelet Muscle 2023; 13:21. [PMID: 38104132 PMCID: PMC10724930 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-023-00330-2] [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: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypoxia is known to modify skeletal muscle biological functions and muscle regeneration. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of hypoxia on human myoblast differentiation remain unclear. The hypoxic response pathway is of particular interest in patients with hereditary muscular dystrophies since many present respiratory impairment and muscle regeneration defects. For example, an altered hypoxia response characterizes the muscles of patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD). METHODS We examined the impact of hypoxia on the differentiation of human immortalized myoblasts (LHCN-M2) cultured in normoxia (PO2: 21%) or hypoxia (PO2: 1%). Cells were grown in proliferation (myoblasts) or differentiation medium for 2 (myocytes) or 4 days (myotubes). We evaluated proliferation rate by EdU incorporation, used myogenin-positive nuclei as a differentiation marker for myocytes, and determined the fusion index and myosin heavy chain-positive area in myotubes. The contribution of HIF1α was studied by gain (CoCl2) and loss (siRNAs) of function experiments. We further examined hypoxia in LHCN-M2-iDUX4 myoblasts with inducible expression of DUX4, the transcription factor underlying FSHD pathology. RESULTS We found that the hypoxic response did not impact myoblast proliferation but activated precocious myogenic differentiation and that HIF1α was critical for this process. Hypoxia also enhanced the late differentiation of human myocytes, but in an HIF1α-independent manner. Interestingly, the impact of hypoxia on muscle cell proliferation was influenced by dexamethasone. In the FSHD pathological context, DUX4 suppressed HIF1α-mediated precocious muscle differentiation. CONCLUSION Hypoxia stimulates myogenic differentiation in healthy myoblasts, with HIF1α-dependent early steps. In FSHD, DUX4-HIF1α interplay indicates a novel mechanism by which DUX4 could interfere with HIF1α function in the myogenic program and therefore with FSHD muscle performance and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy-Hang Nguyen
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Lise Paprzycki
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Alexandre Legrand
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Anne-Emilie Declèves
- Department of Metabolic and Molecular Biochemistry, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Philipp Heher
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Maelle Limpens
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Alexandra Belayew
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium
| | - Christopher R S Banerji
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, SE1 1UL, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, British Library, 96 Euston Rd, London, UK
| | - Peter S Zammit
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Alexandra Tassin
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, Mons, 7000, Belgium.
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7
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Tian X, Pedigo CE, Li K, Ma X, Bunda P, Pell J, Lek A, Gu J, Zhang Y, Medina Rangel PX, Li W, Schwartze E, Nagata S, Lerner G, Perincheri S, Priyadarshini A, Zhao H, Lek M, Menon MC, Fu R, Ishibe S. Profilin1 is required for prevention of mitotic catastrophe in murine and human glomerular diseases. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e171237. [PMID: 37847555 PMCID: PMC10721156 DOI: 10.1172/jci171237] [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] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The progression of proteinuric kidney diseases is associated with podocyte loss, but the mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Podocytes reenter the cell cycle to repair double-stranded DNA breaks. However, unsuccessful repair can result in podocytes crossing the G1/S checkpoint and undergoing abortive cytokinesis. In this study, we identified Pfn1 as indispensable in maintaining glomerular integrity - its tissue-specific loss in mouse podocytes resulted in severe proteinuria and kidney failure. Our results suggest that this phenotype is due to podocyte mitotic catastrophe (MC), characterized histologically and ultrastructurally by abundant multinucleated cells, irregular nuclei, and mitotic spindles. Podocyte cell cycle reentry was identified using FUCCI2aR mice, and we observed altered expression of cell-cycle associated proteins, such as p21, p53, cyclin B1, and cyclin D1. Podocyte-specific translating ribosome affinity purification and RNA-Seq revealed the downregulation of ribosomal RNA-processing 8 (Rrp8). Overexpression of Rrp8 in Pfn1-KO podocytes partially rescued the phenotype in vitro. Clinical and ultrastructural tomographic analysis of patients with diverse proteinuric kidney diseases further validated the presence of MC podocytes and reduction in podocyte PFN1 expression within kidney tissues. These results suggest that profilin1 is essential in regulating the podocyte cell cycle and its disruption leads to MC and subsequent podocyte loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuefei Tian
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Christopher E. Pedigo
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ke Li
- Department of Nephrology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaotao Ma
- Department of Nephrology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Patricia Bunda
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - John Pell
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Jianlei Gu
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Bioinformation Department, Suzhou SITRI Institute of Immunology Co. Ltd., Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Paulina X. Medina Rangel
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Wei Li
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Eike Schwartze
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Soichiro Nagata
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Gabriel Lerner
- Departments of Surgical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sudhir Perincheri
- Departments of Surgical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Anupama Priyadarshini
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Madhav C. Menon
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Rongguo Fu
- Department of Nephrology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shuta Ishibe
- Section of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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8
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Cohen J, Huang S, Koczwara KE, Woods KT, Ho V, Woodman KG, Arbiser JL, Daman K, Lek M, Emerson CP, DeSimone AM. Flavones provide resistance to DUX4-induced toxicity via an mTor-independent mechanism. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:749. [PMID: 37973788 PMCID: PMC10654915 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06257-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is among the most common of the muscular dystrophies, affecting nearly 1 in 8000 individuals, and is a cause of profound disability. Genetically, FSHD is linked to the contraction and/or epigenetic de-repression of the D4Z4 repeat array on chromosome 4, thereby allowing expression of the DUX4 gene in skeletal muscle. If the DUX4 transcript incorporates a stabilizing polyadenylation site the myotoxic DUX4 protein will be synthesized, resulting in muscle wasting. The mechanism of toxicity remains unclear, as many DUX4-induced cytopathologies have been described, however cell death does primarily occur through caspase 3/7-dependent apoptosis. To date, most FSHD therapeutic development has focused on molecular methods targeting DUX4 expression or the DUX4 transcript, while therapies targeting processes downstream of DUX4 activity have received less attention. Several studies have demonstrated that inhibition of multiple signal transduction pathways can ameliorate DUX4-induced toxicity, and thus compounds targeting these pathways have the potential to be developed into FSHD therapeutics. To this end, we have screened a group of small molecules curated based on their reported activity in relevant pathways and/or structural relationships with known toxicity-modulating molecules. We have identified a panel of five compounds that function downstream of DUX4 activity to inhibit DUX4-induced toxicity. Unexpectedly, this effect was mediated through an mTor-independent mechanism that preserved expression of ULK1 and correlated with an increase in a marker of active cellular autophagy. This identifies these flavones as compounds of interest for therapeutic development, and potentially identifies the autophagy pathway as a target for therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Cohen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Shushu Huang
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | | | - Kristen T Woods
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Vincent Ho
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Keryn G Woodman
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | | | - Katelyn Daman
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Charles P Emerson
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Li Weibo Institute for Rare Disease Research University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Alec M DeSimone
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA.
- Modalis Therapeutics, Waltham, MA, USA.
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9
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Colville A, Liu JY, Rodriguez-Mateo C, Thomas S, Ishak HD, Zhou R, Klein JDD, Morgens DW, Goshayeshi A, Salvi JS, Yao D, Spees K, Dixon SJ, Liu C, Rhee JW, Lai C, Wu JC, Bassik MC, Rando TA. Death-seq identifies regulators of cell death and senolytic therapies. Cell Metab 2023; 35:1814-1829.e6. [PMID: 37699398 PMCID: PMC10597643 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023]
Abstract
Selectively ablating damaged cells is an evolving therapeutic approach for age-related disease. Current methods for genome-wide screens to identify genes whose deletion might promote the death of damaged or senescent cells are generally underpowered because of the short timescales of cell death as well as the difficulty of scaling non-dividing cells. Here, we establish "Death-seq," a positive-selection CRISPR screen optimized to identify enhancers and mechanisms of cell death. Our screens identified synergistic enhancers of cell death induced by the known senolytic ABT-263. The screen also identified inducers of cell death and senescent cell clearance in models of age-related diseases by a related compound, ABT-199, which alone is not senolytic but exhibits less toxicity than ABT-263. Death-seq enables the systematic screening of cell death pathways to uncover molecular mechanisms of regulated cell death subroutines and identifies drug targets for the treatment of diverse pathological states such as senescence, cancer, and fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Colville
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jie-Yu Liu
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Cristina Rodriguez-Mateo
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Samantha Thomas
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Heather D Ishak
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ronghao Zhou
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Julian D D Klein
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David W Morgens
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Armon Goshayeshi
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jayesh S Salvi
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - David Yao
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Spees
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Scott J Dixon
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Chun Liu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - June-Wha Rhee
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Celine Lai
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Joseph C Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael C Bassik
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Chemistry, Engineering, and Medicine for Human Health (ChEM-H), Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Thomas A Rando
- Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging and Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair, and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
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10
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Sarsons CD, Gilham D, Tsujikawa LM, Wasiak S, Fu L, Rakai BD, Stotz SC, Carestia A, Sweeney M, Kulikowski E. Apabetalone, a Clinical-Stage, Selective BET Inhibitor, Opposes DUX4 Target Gene Expression in Primary Human FSHD Muscle Cells. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2683. [PMID: 37893058 PMCID: PMC10604783 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11102683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is a muscle disease caused by inappropriate expression of the double homeobox 4 (DUX4) gene in skeletal muscle, and its downstream activation of pro-apoptotic transcriptional programs. Inhibitors of DUX4 expression have the potential to treat FSHD. Apabetalone is a clinical-stage bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) inhibitor, selective for the second bromodomain on BET proteins. Using primary human skeletal muscle cells from FSHD type 1 patients, we evaluated apabetalone for its ability to counter DUX4's deleterious effects and compared it with the pan-BET inhibitor JQ1, and the p38 MAPK inhibitor-and DUX4 transcriptional repressor-losmapimod. We applied RNA-sequencing and bioinformatic analysis to detect treatment-associated impacts on the transcriptome of these cells. Apabetalone inhibited the expression of DUX4 downstream markers, reversing hallmarks of FSHD gene expression in differentiated muscle cells. JQ1, but not apabetalone, was found to induce apoptosis. While both BET inhibitors modestly impacted differentiation marker expression, they did not affect myotube fusion. Losmapimod also reduced expression of DUX4 target genes but differed in its impact on FSHD-associated pathways. These findings demonstrate that apabetalone inhibits DUX4 target gene expression and reverses transcriptional programs that contribute to FSHD pathology, making this drug a promising candidate therapeutic for FSHD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dean Gilham
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
| | - Laura M. Tsujikawa
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
| | - Sylwia Wasiak
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
| | - Li Fu
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
| | - Brooke D. Rakai
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
| | - Stephanie C. Stotz
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
| | - Agostina Carestia
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
| | - Michael Sweeney
- Resverlogix Corp., 535 Mission St., 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
| | - Ewelina Kulikowski
- Resverlogix Corp., 300, 4820 Richard Road SW, Calgary, AB T3E 6L1, Canada
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11
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Applying the CRISPR/Cas9 for treating human and animal diseases: a comprehensive review. ANNALS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.2478/aoas-2023-0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Recently, genome editing tools have been extensively used in many biomedical sciences. The gene editing system is applied to modify the DNA sequences in the cellular system to comprehend their physiological response. A developing genome editing technology like clustered regularly short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is widely expended in medical sciences. CRISPR and CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system is being exploited to edit any DNA mutations related to inherited ailments to investigate in animals (in vivo) and cell lines (in vitro). Remarkably, CRISPR/Cas9 could be employed to examine treatments of many human genetic diseases such as Cystic fibrosis, Tyrosinemia, Phenylketonuria, Muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, Retinoschisis, Hemophilia, β-Thalassemia and Atherosclerosis. Moreover, CRISPR/Cas9 was used for disease resistance such as Tuberculosis, Johne’s diseases, chronic enteritis, and Brucellosis in animals. Finally, this review discusses existing progress in treating hereditary diseases using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and the high points accompanying obstacles.
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12
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Tihaya MS, Mul K, Balog J, de Greef JC, Tapscott SJ, Tawil R, Statland JM, van der Maarel SM. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: the road to targeted therapies. Nat Rev Neurol 2023; 19:91-108. [PMID: 36627512 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-022-00762-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Advances in the molecular understanding of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) have revealed that FSHD results from epigenetic de-repression of the DUX4 gene in skeletal muscle, which encodes a transcription factor that is active in early embryonic development but is normally silenced in almost all somatic tissues. These advances also led to the identification of targets for disease-altering therapies for FSHD, as well as an improved understanding of the molecular mechanism of the disease and factors that influence its progression. Together, these developments led the FSHD research community to shift its focus towards the development of disease-modifying treatments for FSHD. This Review presents advances in the molecular and clinical understanding of FSHD, discusses the potential targeted therapies that are currently being explored, some of which are already in clinical trials, and describes progress in the development of FSHD-specific outcome measures and assessment tools for use in future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara S Tihaya
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Karlien Mul
- Department of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Judit Balog
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jessica C de Greef
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Stephen J Tapscott
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rabi Tawil
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Statland
- Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
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13
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Milanese JS, Marcotte R, Costain WJ, Kablar B, Drouin S. Roles of Skeletal Muscle in Development: A Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Overview. ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2023; 236:21-55. [PMID: 37955770 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-38215-4_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
The ability to assess various cellular events consequent to perturbations, such as genetic mutations, disease states and therapies, has been recently revolutionized by technological advances in multiple "omics" fields. The resulting deluge of information has enabled and necessitated the development of tools required to both process and interpret the data. While of tremendous value to basic researchers, the amount and complexity of the data has made it extremely difficult to manually draw inference and identify factors key to the study objectives. The challenges of data reduction and interpretation are being met by the development of increasingly complex tools that integrate disparate knowledge bases and synthesize coherent models based on current biological understanding. This chapter presents an example of how genomics data can be integrated with biological network analyses to gain further insight into the developmental consequences of genetic perturbations. State of the art methods for conducting similar studies are discussed along with modern methods used to analyze and interpret the data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Marcotte
- Human Health Therapeutics, National Research Council of Canada , Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Willard J Costain
- Human Health Therapeutics, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Boris Kablar
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Anatomy and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Simon Drouin
- Human Health Therapeutics, National Research Council of Canada , Montreal, QC, Canada.
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14
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Whole-muscle fat analysis identifies distal muscle end as disease initiation site in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2022; 2:155. [PMID: 36450865 PMCID: PMC9712512 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-022-00217-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is a major muscular dystrophy characterized by asymmetric fatty replacement of muscles. We aimed to determine the initiation site and progression profile of the disease in lower extremity muscles of FSHD patients by assessing fat infiltration along their full proximo-distal axis using quantitative MRI. METHODS Nine patients underwent MRI of lower extremities to assess end-to-end muscle fat fractions (FFs) and inflammatory lesions. Seven patients underwent the same MRI ~3.5 years later. Individual muscles (n = 396) were semi-automatically segmented to calculate average FFs over all slices covering whole muscles. To assess disease progression we determined FF changes in 5 adjacent muscle segments. RESULTS We provide evidence that fat replacement commonly starts at the distal end of affected muscles where the highest FFs occur (p < 0.001). It progresses in a wave-like manner in the proximal direction at an increasing rate with the highest value (4.9 ± 2.7%/year) for muscles with baseline FFs of 30-40%. Thereafter it proceeds at a slower pace towards the proximal muscle end. In early phases of disease, inflammatory lesions preferentially occur at the distal muscle end. Compared with whole-muscle analysis, the common FF assessments using only few MR slices centrally placed in muscles are significantly biased (~50% in progression rate). CONCLUSIONS These findings identify the distal end of leg muscles as a prime location for disease initiation in FSHD and demonstrate a wave-like progression towards the proximal end, consistent with proposed disease mechanisms. End-to-end whole-muscle fat assessment is essential to properly diagnose FSHD and its progression.
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15
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Koczwara KE, Lake NJ, DeSimone AM, Lek M. Neuromuscular disorders: finding the missing genetic diagnoses. Trends Genet 2022; 38:956-971. [PMID: 35908999 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2022.07.001] [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: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are a wide-ranging group of diseases that seriously affect the quality of life of affected individuals. The development of next-generation sequencing revolutionized the diagnosis of NMD, enabling the discovery of hundreds of NMD genes and many more pathogenic variants. However, the diagnostic yield of genetic testing in NMD cohorts remains incomplete, indicating a large number of genetic diagnoses are not identified through current methods. Fortunately, recent advancements in sequencing technologies, analytical tools, and high-throughput functional screening provide an opportunity to circumvent current challenges. Here, we discuss reasons for missing genetic diagnoses in NMD, how emerging technologies and tools can overcome these hurdles, and examine future approaches to improving diagnostic yields in NMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Koczwara
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Nicole J Lake
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Alec M DeSimone
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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16
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Yu C, Zhong H, Yang X, Li G, Wu Z, Yang H. Establishment of a pig CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library for functional gene screening in pig cells. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100408. [PMID: 34705337 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As an important farm animal, pig functional genomic study can help understand the molecular mechanism related to the key economic traits of pig, such as growth, reproduction, or disease. The genome-scale library based on clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9 (Cas9) system facilitates discovery of key genes involved in a specific function or phenotype, allowing for an effective "phenotype-to-genotype" strategy for functional genomic study. METHODS AND RESULTS We designed and constructed a pig genome-scale CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library targeting 16,888 genes with 970,001 unique sgRNAs. The library is a single-vector system including both Cas9 and sgRNA, and packaged into lentivirus for an easy cell delivery for screening. To establish a screening method in pig cells, we used diphtheria toxin (DT)-induced cell death as a model to screen the host genes critical for DT toxicity in pig PK-15 cells. After lentiviral transduction and two sequential screening with DT treatment, the highest-ranking candidates we identified were previously validated genes, HBEGF, DPH1, DPH2, DPH3, DPH5, DNAJC24, and ZBTB17, which are DT receptor and the key factors involved in biosynthesis of diphthamide, the target of DT action. The function and gene essentiality of candidates were further confirmed by gene knockout and DT toxicity assay in PK-15 cells. CONCLUSIONS Our CRISPR knockout library targeting pig whole genome establishes a promising platform for pig functional genomic analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanzhao Yu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haiwen Zhong
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaohui Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Guoling Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenfang Wu
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huaqiang Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Breeding Swine Industry, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
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Himeda CL, Jones PL. FSHD Therapeutic Strategies: What Will It Take to Get to Clinic? J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12060865. [PMID: 35743650 PMCID: PMC9225474 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12060865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is arguably one of the most challenging genetic diseases to understand and treat. The disease is caused by epigenetic dysregulation of a macrosatellite repeat, either by contraction of the repeat or by mutations in silencing proteins. Both cases lead to chromatin relaxation and, in the context of a permissive allele, pathogenic misexpression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle. The complex nature of the locus and the fact that FSHD is a toxic, gain-of-function disease present unique challenges for the design of therapeutic strategies. There are three major DUX4-targeting avenues of therapy for FSHD: small molecules, oligonucleotide therapeutics, and CRISPR-based approaches. Here, we evaluate the preclinical progress of each avenue, and discuss efforts being made to overcome major hurdles to translation.
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18
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Marwaha S, Knowles JW, Ashley EA. A guide for the diagnosis of rare and undiagnosed disease: beyond the exome. Genome Med 2022; 14:23. [PMID: 35220969 PMCID: PMC8883622 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-022-01026-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractRare diseases affect 30 million people in the USA and more than 300–400 million worldwide, often causing chronic illness, disability, and premature death. Traditional diagnostic techniques rely heavily on heuristic approaches, coupling clinical experience from prior rare disease presentations with the medical literature. A large number of rare disease patients remain undiagnosed for years and many even die without an accurate diagnosis. In recent years, gene panels, microarrays, and exome sequencing have helped to identify the molecular cause of such rare and undiagnosed diseases. These technologies have allowed diagnoses for a sizable proportion (25–35%) of undiagnosed patients, often with actionable findings. However, a large proportion of these patients remain undiagnosed. In this review, we focus on technologies that can be adopted if exome sequencing is unrevealing. We discuss the benefits of sequencing the whole genome and the additional benefit that may be offered by long-read technology, pan-genome reference, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and methyl profiling. We highlight computational methods to help identify regionally distant patients with similar phenotypes or similar genetic mutations. Finally, we describe approaches to automate and accelerate genomic analysis. The strategies discussed here are intended to serve as a guide for clinicians and researchers in the next steps when encountering patients with non-diagnostic exomes.
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19
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The evolution of DUX4 gene regulation and its implication for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2022; 1868:166367. [PMID: 35158020 PMCID: PMC9173005 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2022.166367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Double homeobox 4 (DUX4) is an early embryonic transcription factor whose expression in the skeletal muscle causes facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Despite decades of research, our knowledge of FSHD and DUX4 biology is incomplete, and the disease has currently no cures or targeted therapies. The unusual evolutionary origin of DUX4, its extensive epigenetic and post-transcriptional gene regulation, and various feedback regulatory loops that control its expression and function all contribute to the highly complex nature of FSHD pathogenesis. In this minireview, I synthesize the current state of knowledge in DUX4 and FSHD biology to highlight key areas where further research is needed to better understand DUX4 regulation. I also emphasize post-transcriptional regulation of and by DUX4 via changes in RNA and protein stability that might underlie key features of FSHD pathophysiology. Finally, I discuss the various feedback loops involved in DUX4 regulation and the context-specific consequences of its expression, which could be key to developing novel therapeutic approaches to combat FSHD.
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20
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Abdelnour SA, Xie L, Hassanin AA, Zuo E, Lu Y. The Potential of CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing as a Treatment Strategy for Inherited Diseases. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:699597. [PMID: 34977000 PMCID: PMC8715006 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.699597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a promising innovative technology for genomic editing that offers scientists the chance to edit DNA structures and change gene function. It has several possible uses consisting of editing inherited deficiencies, treating, and reducing the spread of disorders. Recently, reports have demonstrated the creation of synthetic RNA molecules and supplying them alongside Cas9 into genome of eukaryotes, since distinct specific regions of the genome can be manipulated and targeted. The therapeutic potential of CRISPR/Cas9 technology is great, especially in gene therapy, in which a patient-specific mutation is genetically edited, or in the treating of human disorders that are untreatable with traditional treatments. This review focused on numerous, in vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo uses of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology in human inherited diseases, discovering the capability of this versatile in medicine and examining some of the main limitations for its upcoming use in patients. In addition to introducing a brief impression of the biology of the CRISPR/Cas9 scheme and its mechanisms, we presented the utmost recent progress in the uses of CRISPR/Cas9 technology in editing and treating of human genetic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameh A Abdelnour
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.,Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Long Xie
- Center for Animal Genomics, Agricultural Genome Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Abdallah A Hassanin
- Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Erwei Zuo
- Center for Animal Genomics, Agricultural Genome Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yangqing Lu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
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21
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Molendijk J, Blazev R, Mills RJ, Ng YK, Watt KI, Chau D, Gregorevic P, Crouch PJ, Hilton JBW, Lisowski L, Zhang P, Reue K, Lusis AJ, Hudson JE, James DE, Seldin MM, Parker BL. Proteome-wide systems genetics identifies UFMylation as a regulator of skeletal muscle function. eLife 2022; 11:82951. [PMID: 36472367 PMCID: PMC9833826 DOI: 10.7554/elife.82951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Improving muscle function has great potential to improve the quality of life. To identify novel regulators of skeletal muscle metabolism and function, we performed a proteomic analysis of gastrocnemius muscle from 73 genetically distinct inbred mouse strains, and integrated the data with previously acquired genomics and >300 molecular/phenotypic traits via quantitative trait loci mapping and correlation network analysis. These data identified thousands of associations between protein abundance and phenotypes and can be accessed online (https://muscle.coffeeprot.com/) to identify regulators of muscle function. We used this resource to prioritize targets for a functional genomic screen in human bioengineered skeletal muscle. This identified several negative regulators of muscle function including UFC1, an E2 ligase for protein UFMylation. We show UFMylation is up-regulated in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that involves muscle atrophy. Furthermore, in vivo knockdown of UFMylation increased contraction force, implicating its role as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Molendijk
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,Centre for Muscle Research, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Ronnie Blazev
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,Centre for Muscle Research, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | | | - Yaan-Kit Ng
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,Centre for Muscle Research, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Kevin I Watt
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,Centre for Muscle Research, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Daryn Chau
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, IrvineIrvineUnited States
| | - Paul Gregorevic
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,Centre for Muscle Research, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Peter J Crouch
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - James BW Hilton
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Leszek Lisowski
- Children's Medical Research Institute, University of SydneySydneyAustralia,Military Institute of MedicineWarszawaPoland
| | - Peixiang Zhang
- Department of Human Genetics/Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Karen Reue
- Department of Human Genetics/Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Aldons J Lusis
- Department of Human Genetics/Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States,Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - James E Hudson
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research InstituteBrisbaneAustralia
| | - David E James
- Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Science, School of Medical Science, University of SydneySydneyAustralia
| | - Marcus M Seldin
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism, University of California, IrvineIrvineUnited States
| | - Benjamin L Parker
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,Centre for Muscle Research, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
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22
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Heher P, Ganassi M, Weidinger A, Engquist EN, Pruller J, Nguyen TH, Tassin A, Declèves AE, Mamchaoui K, Grillari J, Kozlov AV, Zammit PS. Interplay between mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, oxidative stress and hypoxic adaptation in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: Metabolic stress as potential therapeutic target. Redox Biol 2022; 51:102251. [PMID: 35248827 PMCID: PMC8899416 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is characterised by descending skeletal muscle weakness and wasting. FSHD is caused by mis-expression of the transcription factor DUX4, which is linked to oxidative stress, a condition especially detrimental to skeletal muscle with its high metabolic activity and energy demands. Oxidative damage characterises FSHD and recent work suggests metabolic dysfunction and perturbed hypoxia signalling as novel pathomechanisms. However, redox biology of FSHD remains poorly understood, and integrating the complex dynamics of DUX4-induced metabolic changes is lacking. Here we pinpoint the kinetic involvement of altered mitochondrial ROS metabolism and impaired mitochondrial function in aetiology of oxidative stress in FSHD. Transcriptomic analysis in FSHD muscle biopsies reveals strong enrichment for pathways involved in mitochondrial complex I assembly, nitrogen metabolism, oxidative stress response and hypoxia signalling. We found elevated mitochondrial ROS (mitoROS) levels correlate with increases in steady-state mitochondrial membrane potential in FSHD myogenic cells. DUX4 triggers mitochondrial membrane polarisation prior to oxidative stress generation and apoptosis through mitoROS, and affects mitochondrial health through lipid peroxidation. We identify complex I as the primary target for DUX4-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, with strong correlation between complex I-linked respiration and cellular oxygenation/hypoxia signalling activity in environmental hypoxia. Thus, FSHD myogenesis is uniquely susceptible to hypoxia-induced oxidative stress as a consequence of metabolic mis-adaptation. Importantly, mitochondria-targeted antioxidants rescue FSHD pathology more effectively than conventional antioxidants, highlighting the central involvement of disturbed mitochondrial ROS metabolism. This work provides a pathomechanistic model by which DUX4-induced changes in oxidative metabolism impair muscle function in FSHD, amplified when metabolic adaptation to varying O2 tension is required. Transcriptomics data from FSHD muscle indicates enrichment for disturbed mitochondrial pathways. Disturbed mitochondrial ROS metabolism correlates with mitochondrial membrane polarisation and myotube hypotrophy. DUX4-induced changes in mitochondrial function precede mitoROS generation and affect hypoxia signalling via complex I. FSHD is sensitive to environmental hypoxia, which increases ROS levels in FSHD myotubes. Hypotrophy in hypoxic FSHD myotubes is efficiently rescued with mitochondria-targeted antioxidants.
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23
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Mariot V, Joubert R, Le Gall L, Sidlauskaite E, Hourde C, Duddy W, Voit T, Bencze M, Dumonceaux J. RIPK3-mediated cell death is involved in DUX4-mediated toxicity in facioscapulohumeral dystrophy. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2021; 12:2079-2090. [PMID: 34687171 PMCID: PMC8718031 DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.12813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is caused by mutations leading to the aberrant expression of the DUX4 transcription factor in muscles. DUX4 was proposed to induce cell death, but the involvement of different death pathways is still discussed. A possible pro-apoptotic role of DUX4 was proposed, but as FSHD muscles are characterized by necrosis and inflammatory infiltrates, non-apoptotic pathways may be also involved. METHODS We explored DUX4-mediated cell death by focusing on the role of one regulated necrosis pathway called necroptosis, which is regulated by RIPK3. We investigated the effect of necroptosis on cell death in vitro and in vivo experiments using RIPK3 inhibitors and a RIPK3-deficient transgenic mouse model. RESULTS We showed in vitro that DUX4 expression causes a caspase-independent and RIPK3-mediated cell death in both myoblasts and myotubes. In vivo, RIPK3-deficient animals present improved body and muscle weights, a reduction of the aberrant activation of the DUX4 network genes, and an improvement of muscle histology. CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence for a role of RIPK3 in DUX4-mediated cell death and open new avenues of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Mariot
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Romain Joubert
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.,United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute Centre, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Laura Le Gall
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Eva Sidlauskaite
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Christophe Hourde
- Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Biologie de la Motricité, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Chambéry, France
| | - William Duddy
- Northern Ireland Center for Stratified/Personalised Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Thomas Voit
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Maximilien Bencze
- University Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Créteil, France.,The Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, Molecular Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Julie Dumonceaux
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.,Northern Ireland Center for Stratified/Personalised Medicine, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK
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24
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Mocciaro E, Runfola V, Ghezzi P, Pannese M, Gabellini D. DUX4 Role in Normal Physiology and in FSHD Muscular Dystrophy. Cells 2021; 10:3322. [PMID: 34943834 PMCID: PMC8699294 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, the sequence-specific transcription factor double homeobox 4 (DUX4) has gone from being an obscure entity to being a key factor in important physiological and pathological processes. We now know that expression of DUX4 is highly regulated and restricted to the early steps of embryonic development, where DUX4 is involved in transcriptional activation of the zygotic genome. While DUX4 is epigenetically silenced in most somatic tissues of healthy humans, its aberrant reactivation is associated with several diseases, including cancer, viral infection and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). DUX4 is also translocated, giving rise to chimeric oncogenic proteins at the basis of sarcoma and leukemia forms. Hence, understanding how DUX4 is regulated and performs its activity could provide relevant information, not only to further our knowledge of human embryonic development regulation, but also to develop therapeutic approaches for the diseases associated with DUX4. Here, we summarize current knowledge on the cellular and molecular processes regulated by DUX4 with a special emphasis on FSHD muscular dystrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Davide Gabellini
- Gene Expression and Muscular Dystrophy Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milano, Italy; (E.M.); (V.R.); (P.G.); (M.P.)
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25
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Yao S, Chen Z, Yu Y, Zhang N, Jiang H, Zhang G, Zhang Z, Zhang B. Current Pharmacological Strategies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:689533. [PMID: 34490244 PMCID: PMC8417245 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.689533] [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: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal, X-linked neuromuscular disorder caused by the absence of dystrophin protein, which is essential for muscle fiber integrity. Loss of dystrophin protein leads to recurrent myofiber damage, chronic inflammation, progressive fibrosis, and dysfunction of muscle stem cells. There is still no cure for DMD so far and the standard of care is principally limited to symptom relief through glucocorticoids treatments. Current therapeutic strategies could be divided into two lines. Dystrophin-targeted therapeutic strategies that aim at restoring the expression and/or function of dystrophin, including gene-based, cell-based and protein replacement therapies. The other line of therapeutic strategies aims to improve muscle function and quality by targeting the downstream pathological changes, including inflammation, fibrosis, and muscle atrophy. This review introduces the important developments in these two lines of strategies, especially those that have entered the clinical phase and/or have great potential for clinical translation. The rationale and efficacy of each agent in pre-clinical or clinical studies are presented. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of gene profiling in DMD patients has been performed to understand the molecular mechanisms of DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Yao
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Zihao Chen
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Yuanyuan Yu
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Ning Zhang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Hewen Jiang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Ge Zhang
- Law Sau Fai Institute for Advancing Translational Medicine in Bone and Joint Diseases, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Zongkang Zhang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Baoting Zhang
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
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26
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Banerji CRS, Zammit PS. Pathomechanisms and biomarkers in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: roles of DUX4 and PAX7. EMBO Mol Med 2021; 13:e13695. [PMID: 34151531 PMCID: PMC8350899 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.202013695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is characterised by progressive skeletal muscle weakness and wasting. FSHD is linked to epigenetic derepression of the subtelomeric D4Z4 macrosatellite at chromosome 4q35. Epigenetic derepression permits the distal-most D4Z4 unit to transcribe DUX4, with transcripts stabilised by splicing to a poly(A) signal on permissive 4qA haplotypes. The pioneer transcription factor DUX4 activates target genes that are proposed to drive FSHD pathology. While this toxic gain-of-function model is a satisfying "bottom-up" genotype-to-phenotype link, DUX4 is rarely detectable in muscle and DUX4 target gene expression is inconsistent in patients. A reliable biomarker for FSHD is suppression of a target gene score of PAX7, a master regulator of myogenesis. However, it is unclear how this "top-down" finding links to genomic changes that characterise FSHD and to DUX4. Here, we explore the roles and interactions of DUX4 and PAX7 in FSHD pathology and how the relationship between these two transcription factors deepens understanding via the immune system and muscle regeneration. Considering how FSHD pathomechanisms are represented by "DUX4opathy" models has implications for developing therapies and current clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter S Zammit
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular BiophysicsKing's College LondonLondonUK
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27
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Nguyen TH, Conotte S, Belayew A, Declèves AE, Legrand A, Tassin A. Hypoxia and Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Signaling in Muscular Dystrophies: Cause and Consequences. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7220. [PMID: 34281273 PMCID: PMC8269128 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a group of inherited degenerative muscle disorders characterized by a progressive skeletal muscle wasting. Respiratory impairments and subsequent hypoxemia are encountered in a significant subgroup of patients in almost all MD forms. In response to hypoxic stress, compensatory mechanisms are activated especially through Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 α (HIF-1α). In healthy muscle, hypoxia and HIF-1α activation are known to affect oxidative stress balance and metabolism. Recent evidence has also highlighted HIF-1α as a regulator of myogenesis and satellite cell function. However, the impact of HIF-1α pathway modifications in MDs remains to be investigated. Multifactorial pathological mechanisms could lead to HIF-1α activation in patient skeletal muscles. In addition to the genetic defect per se, respiratory failure or blood vessel alterations could modify hypoxia response pathways. Here, we will discuss the current knowledge about the hypoxia response pathway alterations in MDs and address whether such changes could influence MD pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuy-Hang Nguyen
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Stephanie Conotte
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Alexandra Belayew
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Anne-Emilie Declèves
- Department of Metabolic and Molecular Biochemistry, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium;
| | - Alexandre Legrand
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
| | - Alexandra Tassin
- Laboratory of Respiratory Physiology, Pathophysiology and Rehabilitation, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium; (T.-H.N.); (S.C.); (A.B.); (A.L.)
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28
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Brennan CM, Emerson CP, Owens J, Christoforou N. p38 MAPKs - roles in skeletal muscle physiology, disease mechanisms, and as potential therapeutic targets. JCI Insight 2021; 6:e149915. [PMID: 34156029 PMCID: PMC8262482 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.149915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
p38 MAPKs play a central role in orchestrating the cellular response to stress and inflammation and in the regulation of myogenesis. Potent inhibitors of p38 MAPKs have been pursued as potential therapies for several disease indications due to their antiinflammatory properties, although none have been approved to date. Here, we provide a brief overview of p38 MAPKs, including their role in regulating myogenesis and their association with disease progression. Finally, we discuss targeting p38 MAPKs as a therapeutic approach for treating facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and other muscular dystrophies by addressing multiple pathological mechanisms in skeletal muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Charles P Emerson
- Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Program, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jane Owens
- Rare Disease Research Unit, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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29
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Zhan Y, Li XP, Yin JY. COVID-19 one year later: a retrospect of CRISPR-Cas system in combating COVID-19. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:2080-2088. [PMID: 34131407 PMCID: PMC8193275 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.60655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has posed a persistent global threat. The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is wide and swift. Rapid detection of the viral RNA and effective therapy are imperative to prevent the worldwide spread of the new infectious disease. Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)- CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system is an RNA-directed adaptive immune system, and it has been transformed into a gene editing tool. Applications of CRISPR-Cas system involves in many fields, such as human gene therapy, drug discovery and disease diagnosis. Under the background of COVID-19 pandemic, CRISPR-Cas system shows hidden capacity to fight the emergency in many aspects. This review will focus on the role of gene editing in COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. We will describe the potential use of CRISPR-Cas-based system in combating COVID-19, from diagnosis to treatment. Furthermore, the limitation and perspectives of this novel technology are also evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhan
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha 410078, P. R. China.,Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, P. R. China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Xiang-Ping Li
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, P. R. China
| | - Ji-Ye Yin
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410078, P. R. China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Central South University; Hunan Key Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Changsha 410078, P. R. China.,Engineering Research Center of Applied Technology of Pharmacogenomics, Ministry of Education, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, P. R. China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410008, Hunan, P.R. China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Precise Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumor, Changsha 410078, P. R. China
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30
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Schätzl T, Kaiser L, Deigner HP. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy: genetics, gene activation and downstream signalling with regard to recent therapeutic approaches: an update. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2021; 16:129. [PMID: 33712050 PMCID: PMC7953708 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-021-01760-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Whilst a disease-modifying treatment for Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) does not exist currently, recent advances in complex molecular pathophysiology studies of FSHD have led to possible therapeutic approaches for its targeted treatment. Although the underlying genetics of FSHD have been researched extensively, there remains an incomplete understanding of the pathophysiology of FSHD in relation to the molecules leading to DUX4 gene activation and the downstream gene targets of DUX4 that cause its toxic effects. In the context of the local proximity of chromosome 4q to the nuclear envelope, a contraction of the D4Z4 macrosatellite induces lower methylation levels, enabling the ectopic expression of DUX4. This disrupts numerous signalling pathways that mostly result in cell death, detrimentally affecting skeletal muscle in affected individuals. In this regard different options are currently explored either to suppress the transcription of DUX4 gene, inhibiting DUX4 protein from its toxic effects, or to alleviate the symptoms triggered by its numerous targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Schätzl
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Medical and Life Sciences Faculty, Furtwangen University, Jakob-Kienzle-Straße 17, 78054, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
| | - Lars Kaiser
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Medical and Life Sciences Faculty, Furtwangen University, Jakob-Kienzle-Straße 17, 78054, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 25, 79104, Freiburg i. Br., Germany
| | - Hans-Peter Deigner
- Institute of Precision Medicine, Medical and Life Sciences Faculty, Furtwangen University, Jakob-Kienzle-Straße 17, 78054, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany.
- EXIM Department, Fraunhofer Institute IZI, Leipzig, Schillingallee 68, 18057, Rostock, Germany.
- Faculty of Science, Tuebingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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31
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Lim KRQ, Yokota T. Genetic Approaches for the Treatment of Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:642858. [PMID: 33776777 PMCID: PMC7996372 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.642858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by progressive, asymmetric muscle weakness at the face, shoulders, and upper limbs, which spreads to the lower body with age. It is the third most common inherited muscular disorder worldwide. Around 20% of patients are wheelchair-bound, and some present with extramuscular manifestations. FSHD is caused by aberrant expression of the double homeobox protein 4 (DUX4) gene in muscle. DUX4 codes for a transcription factor which, in skeletal muscle, dysregulates numerous signaling activities that culminate in cytotoxicity. Potential treatments for FSHD therefore aim to reduce the expression of DUX4 or the activity of its toxic protein product. In this article, we review how genetic approaches such as those based on oligonucleotide and genome editing technologies have been developed to achieve these goals. We also outline the challenges these therapies are facing on the road to translation, and discuss possible solutions and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Rowel Q. Lim
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Toshifumi Yokota
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- The Friends of Garrett Cumming Research and Muscular Dystrophy Canada, HM Toupin Neurological Science Research Chair, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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32
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Cohen J, DeSimone A, Lek M, Lek A. Therapeutic Approaches in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy. Trends Mol Med 2021; 27:123-137. [PMID: 33092966 PMCID: PMC8048701 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2020.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common types of muscular dystrophy, affecting roughly one in 8000 individuals. The complex underlying genetics and poor mechanistic understanding has caused a bottleneck in therapeutic development. Until the discovery of DUX4 and its causal role in FSHD, most trials were untargeted with limited results. Emerging approaches can learn from these early trials to increase their chance of success. Here, we explore the evolution of FSHD clinical trials from nonspecific anabolic or anti-inflammatory/oxidant strategies to cutting-edge molecular therapies targeting DUX4, and we discuss the importance of clinical outcome measures. With combined advances across multiple facets of FSHD research, the field is now poised to accelerate the process of therapeutic discovery and testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Cohen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alec DeSimone
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Angela Lek
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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33
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Daniloski Z, Jordan TX, Wessels HH, Hoagland DA, Kasela S, Legut M, Maniatis S, Mimitou EP, Lu L, Geller E, Danziger O, Rosenberg BR, Phatnani H, Smibert P, Lappalainen T, tenOever BR, Sanjana NE. Identification of Required Host Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Human Cells. Cell 2021; 184:92-105.e16. [PMID: 33147445 PMCID: PMC7584921 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 370] [Impact Index Per Article: 123.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
To better understand host-virus genetic dependencies and find potential therapeutic targets for COVID-19, we performed a genome-scale CRISPR loss-of-function screen to identify host factors required for SARS-CoV-2 viral infection of human alveolar epithelial cells. Top-ranked genes cluster into distinct pathways, including the vacuolar ATPase proton pump, Retromer, and Commander complexes. We validate these gene targets using several orthogonal methods such as CRISPR knockout, RNA interference knockdown, and small-molecule inhibitors. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing, we identify shared transcriptional changes in cholesterol biosynthesis upon loss of top-ranked genes. In addition, given the key role of the ACE2 receptor in the early stages of viral entry, we show that loss of RAB7A reduces viral entry by sequestering the ACE2 receptor inside cells. Overall, this work provides a genome-scale, quantitative resource of the impact of the loss of each host gene on fitness/response to viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zharko Daniloski
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tristan X Jordan
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hans-Hermann Wessels
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daisy A Hoagland
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Silva Kasela
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mateusz Legut
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Eleni P Mimitou
- Technology Innovation Lab, New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lu Lu
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Evan Geller
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Oded Danziger
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brad R Rosenberg
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hemali Phatnani
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Neurology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter Smibert
- Technology Innovation Lab, New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Tuuli Lappalainen
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin R tenOever
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Neville E Sanjana
- New York Genome Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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Rashnonejad A, Amini-Chermahini G, Taylor NK, Wein N, Harper SQ. Designed U7 snRNAs inhibit DUX4 expression and improve FSHD-associated outcomes in DUX4 overexpressing cells and FSHD patient myotubes. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2020; 23:476-486. [PMID: 33510937 PMCID: PMC7807095 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) arises from epigenetic changes that de-repress the DUX4 gene in muscle. The full-length DUX4 protein causes cell death and muscle toxicity, and therefore we hypothesize that FSHD therapies should center on inhibiting full-length DUX4 expression. In this study, we developed a strategy to accomplish DUX4 inhibition using U7-small nuclear RNA (snRNA) antisense expression cassettes (called U7-asDUX4). These non-coding RNAs were designed to inhibit production or maturation of the full-length DUX4 pre-mRNA by masking the DUX4 start codon, splice sites, or polyadenylation signal. In so doing, U7-asDUX4 snRNAs operate similarly to antisense oligonucleotides. However, in contrast to oligonucleotides, which are limited by poor uptake in muscle and a requirement for lifelong repeated dosing, U7-asDUX4 snRNAs can be packaged within myotropic gene therapy vectors and may require only a single administration when delivered to post-mitotic cells in vivo. We tested several U7-asDUX4s that reduced DUX4 expression in vitro and improved DUX4-associated outcomes. Inhibition of DUX4 expression via U7-snRNAs could be a new prospective gene therapy approach for FSHD or be used in combination with other strategies, like RNAi therapy, to maximize DUX4 silencing in individuals with FSHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afrooz Rashnonejad
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Gholamhossein Amini-Chermahini
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Noah K Taylor
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Nicolas Wein
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Scott Q Harper
- Center for Gene Therapy, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, 700 Children's Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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DeSimone AM, Cohen J, Lek M, Lek A. Cellular and animal models for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Dis Model Mech 2020; 13:13/10/dmm046904. [PMID: 33174531 PMCID: PMC7648604 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.046904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy and presents with weakness of the facial, scapular and humeral muscles, which frequently progresses to the lower limbs and truncal areas, causing profound disability. Myopathy results from epigenetic de-repression of the D4Z4 microsatellite repeat array on chromosome 4, which allows misexpression of the developmentally regulated DUX4 gene. DUX4 is toxic when misexpressed in skeletal muscle and disrupts several cellular pathways, including myogenic differentiation and fusion, which likely underpins pathology. DUX4 and the D4Z4 array are strongly conserved only in primates, making FSHD modeling in non-primate animals difficult. Additionally, its cytotoxicity and unusual mosaic expression pattern further complicate the generation of in vitro and in vivo models of FSHD. However, the pressing need to develop systems to test therapeutic approaches has led to the creation of multiple engineered FSHD models. Owing to the complex genetic, epigenetic and molecular factors underlying FSHD, it is difficult to engineer a system that accurately recapitulates every aspect of the human disease. Nevertheless, the past several years have seen the development of many new disease models, each with their own associated strengths that emphasize different aspects of the disease. Here, we review the wide range of FSHD models, including several in vitro cellular models, and an array of transgenic and xenograft in vivo models, with particular attention to newly developed systems and how they are being used to deepen our understanding of FSHD pathology and to test the efficacy of drug candidates. Summary: Owing to its complex etiology and the toxicity of DUX4, modeling facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is uniquely challenging. Here, we review the approaches that overcame these difficulties to develop highly relevant FSHD models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec M DeSimone
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Justin Cohen
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Monkol Lek
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Angela Lek
- Yale School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
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Bouwman LF, van der Maarel SM, de Greef JC. The prospects of targeting DUX4 in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Curr Opin Neurol 2020; 33:635-640. [PMID: 32796277 PMCID: PMC7735392 DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000000849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a neuromuscular disorder, which is caused by incomplete repression of the transcription factor double homeobox 4 (DUX4) in skeletal muscle. To date, there is no DUX4-targeting treatment to prevent or delay disease progression. In the present review, we summarize developments in therapeutic strategies with the focus on inhibiting DUX4 and DUX4 target gene expression. RECENT FINDINGS Different studies show that DUX4 and its target genes can be repressed with genetic therapies using diverse strategies. Additionally, different small compounds can reduce DUX4 and its target genes in vitro and in vivo. SUMMARY Most studies that show DUX4 repression by genetic therapies have only been tested in vitro. More efforts should be made to test them in vivo for clinical translation. Several compounds have been shown to prevent DUX4 and target gene expression in vitro and in vivo. However, their efficiency and specificity has not yet been shown. With emerging clinical trials, the clinical benefit from DUX4 repression in FSHD will likely soon become apparent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linde F Bouwman
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Xue VW, Wong SCC, Cho WCS. Genome-wide CRISPR screens for the identification of therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2020; 24:1147-1158. [PMID: 32893711 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2020.1820986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Exploring the function of every gene is a challenging task. There is a paradigm shift of RNA interference with the introduction of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-based genome-wide screening. CRISPR-based screening can detect the loss-of-function and gain-of-function targets. Many DNA-binding proteins are engineered as effective tools for modulating gene expression and for investigating therapeutic targets for a spectrum of diseases. Among them, CRISPR-Cas9 has received extensive attention with its potential for screening cancer treatment targets. AREAS COVERED This article reviews CRISPR toolkit and its applications in screening cancer therapeutic targets, especially genome-wide screens using different CRISPR-Cas9 systems. We compare and summarize the characteristics of CRISPR systems, which would be helpful for understanding and optimizing current CRISPR toolkits, as well as reflecting on the potential future development and clinical applications of CRISPR screens. EXPERT OPINION The application of CRISPR-based therapeutic target screening is broadly used in cancer drug development. Its application in cancer immunotherapy and precision oncology is blooming. Nevertheless, more effective methods of Cas protein delivery and the development of more accurate and efficient genome-editing tools are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Weiwen Xue
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong, China
| | - Sze Chuen Cesar Wong
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hong Kong, China
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Fabian L, Dowling JJ. Zebrafish Models of LAMA2-Related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (MDC1A). Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:122. [PMID: 32742259 PMCID: PMC7364686 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
LAMA2-related congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD; LAMA2-MD), also referred to as merosin deficient CMD (MDC1A), is a severe neonatal onset muscle disease caused by recessive mutations in the LAMA2 gene. LAMA2 encodes laminin α2, a subunit of the extracellular matrix (ECM) oligomer laminin 211. There are currently no treatments for MDC1A, and there is an incomplete understanding of disease pathogenesis. Zebrafish, due to their high degree of genetic conservation with humans, large clutch sizes, rapid development, and optical clarity, have emerged as an excellent model system for studying rare Mendelian diseases. They are particularly suitable as a model for muscular dystrophy because they contain at least one orthologue to all major human MD genes, have muscle that is similar to human muscle in structure and function, and manifest obvious and easily measured MD related phenotypes. In this review article, we present the existing zebrafish models of MDC1A, and discuss their contribution to the understanding of MDC1A pathomechanisms and therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lacramioara Fabian
- Program for Genetics and Genome Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James J Dowling
- Program for Genetics and Genome Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Crunkhorn S. Inhibiting hypoxia in muscular dystrophy. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2020; 19:310. [DOI: 10.1038/d41573-020-00064-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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