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Almeida CF, Robriquet F, Vetter TA, Huang N, Neinast R, Hernandez-Rosario L, Rajakumar D, Arnold WD, McBride KL, Flanigan KM, Weiss RB, Wein N. Promising AAV.U7snRNAs vectors targeting DMPK improve DM1 hallmarks in patient-derived cell lines. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1181040. [PMID: 37397246 PMCID: PMC10309041 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1181040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults and affects mainly the skeletal muscle, heart, and brain. DM1 is caused by a CTG repeat expansion in the 3'UTR region of the DMPK gene that sequesters muscleblind-like proteins, blocking their splicing activity and forming nuclear RNA foci. Consequently, many genes have their splicing reversed to a fetal pattern. There is no treatment for DM1, but several approaches have been explored, including antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) aiming to knock down DMPK expression or bind to the CTGs expansion. ASOs were shown to reduce RNA foci and restore the splicing pattern. However, ASOs have several limitations and although being safe treated DM1 patients did not demonstrate improvement in a human clinical trial. AAV-based gene therapies have the potential to overcome such limitations, providing longer and more stable expression of antisense sequences. In the present study, we designed different antisense sequences targeting exons 5 or 8 of DMPK and the CTG repeat tract aiming to knock down DMPK expression or promote steric hindrance, respectively. The antisense sequences were inserted in U7snRNAs, which were then vectorized in AAV8 particles. Patient-derived myoblasts treated with AAV8. U7snRNAs showed a significant reduction in the number of RNA foci and re-localization of muscle-blind protein. RNA-seq analysis revealed a global splicing correction in different patient-cell lines, without alteration in DMPK expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila F. Almeida
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Florence Robriquet
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Tatyana A. Vetter
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Nianyuan Huang
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Reid Neinast
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | | | - Dhanarajan Rajakumar
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - W. David Arnold
- Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Kim L. McBride
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Kevin M. Flanigan
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Robert B. Weiss
- Department of Human Genetics, The University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Nicolas Wein
- Center for Gene Therapy, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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2
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Pluripotent Stem Cells in Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Cells 2023; 12:cells12040571. [PMID: 36831237 PMCID: PMC9954118 DOI: 10.3390/cells12040571] [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: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a progressive multisystemic disease caused by the expansion of a CTG repeat tract within the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of the dystrophia myotonica protein kinase gene (DMPK). Although DM1 is considered to be the most frequent myopathy of genetic origin in adults, DM1 patients exhibit a vast diversity of symptoms, affecting many different organs. Up until now, different in vitro models from patients' derived cells have largely contributed to the current understanding of DM1. Most of those studies have focused on muscle physiopathology. However, regarding the multisystemic aspect of DM1, there is still a crucial need for relevant cellular models to cover the whole complexity of the disease and open up options for new therapeutic approaches. This review discusses how human pluripotent stem cell-based models significantly contributed to DM1 mechanism decoding, and how they provided new therapeutic strategies that led to actual phase III clinical trials.
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3
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Loss of the Nuclear Envelope Protein LAP1B Disrupts the Myogenic Differentiation of Patient-Derived Fibroblasts. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113615. [PMID: 36362402 PMCID: PMC9656778 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Lamina-associated polypeptide 1 (LAP1) is a ubiquitously expressed inner nuclear membrane protein encoded by TOR1AIP1, and presents as two isoforms in humans, LAP1B and LAP1C. While loss of both isoforms results in a multisystemic progeroid-like syndrome, specific loss of LAP1B causes muscular dystrophy and cardiomyopathy, suggesting that LAP1B has a critical role in striated muscle. To gain more insight into the molecular pathophysiology underlying muscular dystrophy caused by LAP1B, we established a patient-derived fibroblast line that was transdifferentiated into myogenic cells using inducible MyoD expression. Compared to the controls, we observed strongly reduced myogenic differentiation and fusion potentials. Similar defects were observed in the C2C12 murine myoblasts carrying loss-of-function LAP1A/B mutations. Using RNA sequencing, we found that, despite MyoD overexpression and efficient cell cycle exit, transcriptional reprogramming of the LAP1B-deficient cells into the myogenic lineage is impaired with delayed activation of MYOG and muscle-specific genes. Gene set enrichment analyses suggested dysregulations of protein metabolism, extracellular matrix, and chromosome organization. Finally, we found that the LAP1B-deficient cells exhibit nuclear deformations, such as an increased number of micronuclei and altered morphometric parameters. This study uncovers the phenotypic and transcriptomic changes occurring during myoconversion of patient-derived LAP1B-deficient fibroblasts and provides a useful resource to gain insights into the mechanisms implicated in LAP1B-associated nuclear envelopathies.
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De Serres-Bérard T, Ait Benichou S, Jauvin D, Boutjdir M, Puymirat J, Chahine M. Recent Progress and Challenges in the Development of Antisense Therapies for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:13359. [PMID: 36362145 PMCID: PMC9657934 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a dominant genetic disease in which the expansion of long CTG trinucleotides in the 3' UTR of the myotonic dystrophy protein kinase (DMPK) gene results in toxic RNA gain-of-function and gene mis-splicing affecting mainly the muscles, the heart, and the brain. The CUG-expanded transcripts are a suitable target for the development of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies. Various chemical modifications of the sugar-phosphate backbone have been reported to significantly enhance the affinity of ASOs for RNA and their resistance to nucleases, making it possible to reverse DM1-like symptoms following systemic administration in different transgenic mouse models. However, specific tissue delivery remains to be improved to achieve significant clinical outcomes in humans. Several strategies, including ASO conjugation to cell-penetrating peptides, fatty acids, or monoclonal antibodies, have recently been shown to improve potency in muscle and cardiac tissues in mice. Moreover, intrathecal administration of ASOs may be an advantageous complementary administration route to bypass the blood-brain barrier and correct defects of the central nervous system in DM1. This review describes the evolution of the chemical design of antisense oligonucleotides targeting CUG-expanded mRNAs and how recent advances in the field may be game-changing by forwarding laboratory findings into clinical research and treatments for DM1 and other microsatellite diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiéry De Serres-Bérard
- CERVO Research Center, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Siham Ait Benichou
- LOEX, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Dominic Jauvin
- CERVO Research Center, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
| | - Mohamed Boutjdir
- Cardiovascular Research Program, VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY 11209, USA
- Department of Medicine, Cell Biology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Health Science University, New York, NY 11203, USA
- Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jack Puymirat
- LOEX, CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Mohamed Chahine
- CERVO Research Center, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec, Quebec City, QC G1J 2G3, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
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5
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Liu J, Guo ZN, Yan XL, Yang Y, Huang S. Brain Pathogenesis and Potential Therapeutic Strategies in Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:755392. [PMID: 34867280 PMCID: PMC8634727 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.755392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common muscular dystrophy that affects multiple systems including the muscle and heart. The mutant CTG expansion at the 3′-UTR of the DMPK gene causes the expression of toxic RNA that aggregate as nuclear foci. The foci then interfere with RNA-binding proteins, affecting hundreds of mis-spliced effector genes, leading to aberrant alternative splicing and loss of effector gene product functions, ultimately resulting in systemic disorders. In recent years, increasing clinical, imaging, and pathological evidence have indicated that DM1, though to a lesser extent, could also be recognized as true brain diseases, with more and more researchers dedicating to develop novel therapeutic tools dealing with it. In this review, we summarize the current advances in the pathogenesis and pathology of central nervous system (CNS) deficits in DM1, intervention measures currently being investigated are also highlighted, aiming to promote novel and cutting-edge therapeutic investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Liu
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Zhen-Ni Guo
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Xiu-Li Yan
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Shuo Huang
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Shuo Huang,
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6
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Recovery in the Myogenic Program of Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy Myoblasts after Excision of the Expanded (CTG) n Repeat. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20225685. [PMID: 31766224 PMCID: PMC6888582 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The congenital form of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (cDM) is caused by the large-scale expansion of a (CTG•CAG)n repeat in DMPK and DM1-AS. The production of toxic transcripts with long trinucleotide tracts from these genes results in impairment of the myogenic differentiation capacity as cDM’s most prominent morpho-phenotypic hallmark. In the current in vitro study, we compared the early differentiation programs of isogenic cDM myoblasts with and without a (CTG)2600 repeat obtained by gene editing. We found that excision of the repeat restored the ability of cDM myoblasts to engage in myogenic fusion, preventing the ensuing myotubes from remaining immature. Although the cDM-typical epigenetic status of the DM1 locus and the expression of genes therein were not altered upon removal of the repeat, analyses at the transcriptome and proteome level revealed that early abnormalities in the temporal expression of differentiation regulators, myogenic progression markers, and alternative splicing patterns before and immediately after the onset of differentiation became normalized. Our observation that molecular and cellular features of cDM are reversible in vitro and can be corrected by repeat-directed genome editing in muscle progenitors, when already committed and poised for myogenic differentiation, is important information for the future development of gene therapy for different forms of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1).
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7
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Ausems CRM, Raaijmakers RHL, van den Broek WJAA, Willemse M, van Engelen BGM, Wansink DG, van Bokhoven H. Intrinsic Myogenic Potential of Skeletal Muscle-Derived Pericytes from Patients with Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2019; 15:120-132. [PMID: 31649961 PMCID: PMC6804802 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Pericytes are multipotent, vessel-associated progenitors that exhibit high proliferative capacity, can cross the blood-muscle barrier, and have the ability to home to muscle tissue and contribute to myogenesis. Consequently, pericyte-based therapies hold great promise for muscular dystrophies. A complex multi-system disorder exhibiting muscular dystrophy for which pericytes might be a valuable cell source is myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). DM1 is caused by an unstable (CTG)n repeat in the DMPK gene and characterized by skeletal muscle weakness, muscle wasting, and myotonia. We have successfully isolated alkaline phosphatase-positive pericytes from skeletal muscle of DM1 patients and a transgenic mouse model. Intranuclear (CUG)n RNA foci, a pathogenic DM1 hallmark, were identified in human and mouse pericytes. Notably, pericytes from DM1 patients maintained similar growth parameters and innate myogenic characteristics in vitro compared to cells from unaffected controls. Our in vitro results thus demonstrate the potential of pericytes to ameliorate muscle features in DM1 in a therapeutic setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Rosanne Maria Ausems
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders lnstitute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders lnstitute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Department of Cell Biology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Renée Henrica Lamberta Raaijmakers
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders lnstitute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders lnstitute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Department of Cell Biology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Marieke Willemse
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Baziel Gerardus Maria van Engelen
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders lnstitute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Derick Gert Wansink
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Hans van Bokhoven
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders lnstitute for Brain Cognition and Behavior, 6525 GA Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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8
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Kim EY, Barefield DY, Vo AH, Gacita AM, Schuster EJ, Wyatt EJ, Davis JL, Dong B, Sun C, Page P, Dellefave-Castillo L, Demonbreun A, Zhang HF, McNally EM. Distinct pathological signatures in human cellular models of myotonic dystrophy subtypes. JCI Insight 2019; 4:122686. [PMID: 30730308 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.122686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is the most common autosomal dominant muscular dystrophy and encompasses both skeletal muscle and cardiac complications. DM is nucleotide repeat expansion disorder in which type 1 (DM1) is due to a trinucleotide repeat expansion on chromosome 19 and type 2 (DM2) arises from a tetranucleotide repeat expansion on chromosome 3. Developing representative models of DM in animals has been challenging due to instability of nucleotide repeat expansions, especially for DM2, which is characterized by nucleotide repeat expansions often greater than 5,000 copies. To investigate mechanisms of human DM, we generated cellular models of DM1 and DM2. We used regulated MyoD expression to reprogram urine-derived cells into myotubes. In this myogenic cell model, we found impaired dystrophin expression, in the presence of muscleblind-like 1 (MBNL1) foci, and aberrant splicing in DM1 but not in DM2 cells. We generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from healthy controls and DM1 and DM2 subjects, and we differentiated these into cardiomyocytes. DM1 and DM2 cells displayed an increase in RNA foci concomitant with cellular differentiation. iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from DM1 but not DM2 had aberrant splicing of known target genes and MBNL sequestration. High-resolution imaging revealed tight association between MBNL clusters and RNA foci in DM1. Ca2+ transients differed between DM1- and DM2 iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and each differed from healthy control cells. RNA-sequencing from DM1- and DM2 iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes revealed distinct misregulation of gene expression, as well as differential aberrant splicing patterns. Together, these data support that DM1 and DM2, despite some shared clinical and molecular features, have distinct pathological signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellis Y Kim
- Molecular Pathogenesis and Molecular Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - David Y Barefield
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Andy H Vo
- Committee on Development, Regeneration, and Stem Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Anthony M Gacita
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Emma J Schuster
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Eugene J Wyatt
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Biqin Dong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Cheng Sun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Patrick Page
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lisa Dellefave-Castillo
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alexis Demonbreun
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth M McNally
- Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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9
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Matloka M, Klein AF, Rau F, Furling D. Cells of Matter- In Vitro Models for Myotonic Dystrophy. Front Neurol 2018; 9:361. [PMID: 29875732 PMCID: PMC5974047 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1 also known as Steinert disease) is a multisystemic disorder mainly characterized by myotonia, progressive muscle weakness and wasting, cognitive impairments, and cardiac defects. This autosomal dominant disease is caused by the expression of nuclear retained RNAs containing pathologic expanded CUG repeats that alter the function of RNA-binding proteins in a tissue-specific manner, leading ultimately to neuromuscular dysfunction and clinical symptoms. Although considerable knowledge has been gathered on myotonic dystrophy since its first description, the development of novel relevant disease models remains of high importance to investigate pathophysiologic mechanisms and to assess new therapeutic approaches. In addition to animal models, in vitro cell cultures provide a unique resource for both fundamental and translational research. This review discusses how cellular models broke ground to decipher molecular basis of DM1 and describes currently available cell models, ranging from exogenous expression of the CTG tracts to variable patients' derived cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Denis Furling
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Association Institut de Myologie, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Paris, France
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10
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Provenzano C, Cappella M, Valaperta R, Cardani R, Meola G, Martelli F, Cardinali B, Falcone G. CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Deletion of CTG Expansions Recovers Normal Phenotype in Myogenic Cells Derived from Myotonic Dystrophy 1 Patients. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2017; 9:337-348. [PMID: 29246312 PMCID: PMC5684470 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most common adult-onset muscular dystrophy, characterized by progressive myopathy, myotonia, and multi-organ involvement. This dystrophy is an inherited autosomal dominant disease caused by a (CTG)n expansion within the 3′ untranslated region of the DMPK gene. Expression of the mutated gene results in production of toxic transcripts that aggregate as nuclear foci and sequester RNA-binding proteins, resulting in mis-splicing of several transcripts, defective translation, and microRNA dysregulation. No effective therapy is yet available for treatment of the disease. In this study, myogenic cell models were generated from myotonic dystrophy patient-derived fibroblasts. These cells exhibit typical disease-associated ribonuclear aggregates, containing CUG repeats and muscleblind-like 1 protein, and alternative splicing alterations. We exploited these cell models to develop new gene therapy strategies aimed at eliminating the toxic mutant repeats. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system, the repeat expansions were removed, therefore preventing nuclear foci formation and splicing alterations. Compared with the previously reported strategies of inhibition/degradation of CUG expanded transcripts by various techniques, the advantage of this approach is that affected cells can be permanently reverted to a normal phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Provenzano
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - Marisa Cappella
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy; DAHFMO-Unit of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Rea Valaperta
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Policlinico San Donato-IRCCS, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy
| | - Rosanna Cardani
- Muscle Histopathology and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Policlinico San Donato-IRCCS, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Meola
- Department of Neurology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy; Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Martelli
- Molecular Cardiology Laboratory, Policlinico San Donato-IRCCS, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cardinali
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy.
| | - Germana Falcone
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, National Research Council, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy.
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11
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Urbanek MO, Fiszer A, Krzyzosiak WJ. Reduction of Huntington's Disease RNA Foci by CAG Repeat-Targeting Reagents. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:82. [PMID: 28400719 PMCID: PMC5368221 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In several human polyglutamine diseases caused by expansions of CAG repeats in the coding sequence of single genes, mutant transcripts are detained in nuclear RNA foci. In polyglutamine disorders, unlike other repeat-associated diseases, both RNA and proteins exert pathogenic effects; therefore, decreases of both RNA and protein toxicity need to be addressed in proposed treatments. A variety of oligonucleotide-based therapeutic approaches have been developed for polyglutamine diseases, but concomitant assays for RNA foci reduction are lacking. Here, we show that various types of oligonucleotide-based reagents affect RNA foci number in Huntington’s disease cells. We analyzed the effects of reagents targeting either CAG repeat tracts or specific HTT sequences in fibroblasts derived from patients. We tested reagents that either acted as translation blockers or triggered mRNA degradation via the RNA interference pathway or RNase H activation. We also analyzed the effect of chemical modifications of CAG repeat-targeting siRNAs on their efficiency in the foci decline. Our results suggest that the decrease of RNA foci number may be considered as a readout of treatment outcomes for oligonucleotide reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna O Urbanek
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences Poznan, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Fiszer
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences Poznan, Poland
| | - Wlodzimierz J Krzyzosiak
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences Poznan, Poland
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12
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Arandel L, Polay Espinoza M, Matloka M, Bazinet A, De Dea Diniz D, Naouar N, Rau F, Jollet A, Edom-Vovard F, Mamchaoui K, Tarnopolsky M, Puymirat J, Battail C, Boland A, Deleuze JF, Mouly V, Klein AF, Furling D. Immortalized human myotonic dystrophy muscle cell lines to assess therapeutic compounds. Dis Model Mech 2017; 10:487-497. [PMID: 28188264 PMCID: PMC5399563 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.027367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 02/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are autosomal dominant neuromuscular diseases caused by microsatellite expansions and belong to the family of RNA-dominant disorders. Availability of cellular models in which the DM mutation is expressed within its natural context is essential to facilitate efforts to identify new therapeutic compounds. Here, we generated immortalized DM1 and DM2 human muscle cell lines that display nuclear RNA aggregates of expanded repeats, a hallmark of myotonic dystrophy. Selected clones of DM1 and DM2 immortalized myoblasts behave as parental primary myoblasts with a reduced fusion capacity of immortalized DM1 myoblasts when compared with control and DM2 cells. Alternative splicing defects were observed in differentiated DM1 muscle cell lines, but not in DM2 lines. Splicing alterations did not result from differentiation delay because similar changes were found in immortalized DM1 transdifferentiated fibroblasts in which myogenic differentiation has been forced by overexpression of MYOD1. As a proof-of-concept, we show that antisense approaches alleviate disease-associated defects, and an RNA-seq analysis confirmed that the vast majority of mis-spliced events in immortalized DM1 muscle cells were affected by antisense treatment, with half of them significantly rescued in treated DM1 cells. Immortalized DM1 muscle cell lines displaying characteristic disease-associated molecular features such as nuclear RNA aggregates and splicing defects can be used as robust readouts for the screening of therapeutic compounds. Therefore, immortalized DM1 and DM2 muscle cell lines represent new models and tools to investigate molecular pathophysiological mechanisms and evaluate the in vitro effects of compounds on RNA toxicity associated with myotonic dystrophy mutations. Summary: Myotonic dystrophy muscle cell models displaying characteristic disease-associated molecular features can be used to investigate molecular pathophysiological mechanisms and evaluate therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic Arandel
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Micaela Polay Espinoza
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Magdalena Matloka
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Audrey Bazinet
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Damily De Dea Diniz
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Naïra Naouar
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Frédérique Rau
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Arnaud Jollet
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Frédérique Edom-Vovard
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Kamel Mamchaoui
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Mark Tarnopolsky
- McMaster University Medical Center, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, 1200 Main St W., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, L8N 3Z5
| | - Jack Puymirat
- CHU de Quebec, site Enfant-Jésus, Université Laval, Québec, Canada G1J 1Z4
| | - Christophe Battail
- Centre National de Génotypage, Institut de Génomique, CEA, 91000 Evry, France
| | - Anne Boland
- Centre National de Génotypage, Institut de Génomique, CEA, 91000 Evry, France
| | | | - Vincent Mouly
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Arnaud F Klein
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
| | - Denis Furling
- Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Myologie, Institut de Myologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris 75013, France
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13
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van den Boogaard ML, Lemmers RJLF, Balog J, Wohlgemuth M, Auranen M, Mitsuhashi S, van der Vliet PJ, Straasheijm KR, van den Akker RFP, Kriek M, Laurense-Bik MEY, Raz V, van Ostaijen-Ten Dam MM, Hansson KBM, van der Kooi EL, Kiuru-Enari S, Udd B, van Tol MJD, Nishino I, Tawil R, Tapscott SJ, van Engelen BGM, van der Maarel SM. Mutations in DNMT3B Modify Epigenetic Repression of the D4Z4 Repeat and the Penetrance of Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy. Am J Hum Genet 2016; 98:1020-1029. [PMID: 27153398 PMCID: PMC4863565 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2016.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is associated with somatic chromatin relaxation of the D4Z4 repeat array and derepression of the D4Z4-encoded DUX4 retrogene coding for a germline transcription factor. Somatic DUX4 derepression is caused either by a 1-10 unit repeat-array contraction (FSHD1) or by mutations in SMCHD1, which encodes a chromatin repressor that binds to D4Z4 (FSHD2). Here, we show that heterozygous mutations in DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) are a likely cause of D4Z4 derepression associated with low levels of DUX4 expression from the D4Z4 repeat and increased penetrance of FSHD. Recessive mutations in DNMT3B were previously shown to cause immunodeficiency, centromeric instability, and facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome. This study suggests that transcription of DUX4 in somatic cells is modified by variations in its epigenetic state and provides a basis for understanding the reduced penetrance of FSHD within families.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard J L F Lemmers
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Judit Balog
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Mariëlle Wohlgemuth
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Mari Auranen
- Clinical Neurosciences, Neurology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satomi Mitsuhashi
- Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Patrick J van der Vliet
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kirsten R Straasheijm
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Rob F P van den Akker
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Kriek
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marlies E Y Laurense-Bik
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Vered Raz
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Kerstin B M Hansson
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Sari Kiuru-Enari
- Clinical Neurosciences, Neurology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bjarne Udd
- Neuromuscular Research Center, Department of Neurology, Tampere University Hospital and University of Tampere, 33520 Tampere, Finland
| | - Maarten J D van Tol
- Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ichizo Nishino
- Department of Neuromuscular Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Rabi Tawil
- Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Stephen J Tapscott
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Baziel G M van Engelen
- Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Silvère M van der Maarel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands.
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14
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Gudde AEEG, González-Barriga A, van den Broek WJAA, Wieringa B, Wansink DG. A low absolute number of expanded transcripts is involved in myotonic dystrophy type 1 manifestation in muscle. Hum Mol Genet 2016; 25:1648-62. [PMID: 26908607 PMCID: PMC4805313 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscular manifestation of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a common inheritable degenerative multisystem disorder, is mainly caused by expression of RNA from a (CTG·CAG)n-expanded DM1 locus. Here, we report on comparative profiling of expression of normal and expanded endogenous or transgenic transcripts in skeletal muscle cells and biopsies from DM1 mouse models and patients in order to help us in understanding the role of this RNA-mediated toxicity. In tissue of HSALR mice, the most intensely used ‘muscle-only’ model in the DM1 field, RNA from the α-actin (CTG)250 transgene was at least 1000-fold more abundant than that from the Dmpk gene, or the DMPK gene in humans. Conversely, the DMPK transgene in another line, DM500/DMSXL mice, was expressed ∼10-fold lower than the endogenous gene. Temporal regulation of expanded RNA expression differed between models. Onset of expression occurred remarkably late in HSALR myoblasts during in vitro myogenesis whereas Dmpk or DMPK (trans)genes were expressed throughout proliferation and differentiation phases. Importantly, quantification of absolute transcript numbers revealed that normal and expanded Dmpk/DMPK transcripts in mouse models and DM1 patients are low-abundance RNA species. Northern blotting, reverse transcriptase–quantitative polymerase chain reaction, RNA-sequencing and fluorescent in situ hybridization analyses showed that they occur at an absolute number between one and a few dozen molecules per cell. Our findings refine the current RNA dominance theory for DM1 pathophysiology, as anomalous factor binding to expanded transcripts and formation of soluble or insoluble ribonucleoprotein aggregates must be nucleated by only few expanded DMPK transcripts and therefore be a small numbers game.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke E E G Gudde
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anchel González-Barriga
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Walther J A A van den Broek
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Bé Wieringa
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Derick G Wansink
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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15
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Urbanek MO, Krzyzosiak WJ. RNA FISH for detecting expanded repeats in human diseases. Methods 2015; 98:115-123. [PMID: 26615955 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2015.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Revised: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a widely used technique for detecting transcripts in fixed cells and tissues. Many variants of RNA FISH have been proposed to increase signal strength, resolution and target specificity. The current variants of this technique facilitate the detection of the subcellular localization of transcripts at a single molecule level. Among the applications of RNA FISH are studies on nuclear RNA foci in diseases resulting from the expansion of tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexanucleotide repeats present in different single genes. The partial or complete retention of mutant transcripts forming RNA aggregates within the nucleoplasm has been shown in multiple cellular disease models and in the tissues of patients affected with these atypical mutations. Relevant diseases include, among others, myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) with CUG repeats, Huntington's disease (HD) and spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) with CAG repeats, fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) with CGG repeats, myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) with CCUG repeats, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD) with GGGGCC repeats and spinocerebellar ataxia type 32 (SCA32) with GGCCUG. In this article, we summarize the results obtained with FISH to examine RNA nuclear inclusions. We provide a detailed protocol for detecting RNAs containing expanded CAG and CUG repeats in different cellular models, including fibroblasts, lymphoblasts, induced pluripotent stem cells and murine and human neuronal progenitors. We also present the results of the first single-molecule FISH application in a cellular model of polyglutamine disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna O Urbanek
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14 Str., 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Wlodzimierz J Krzyzosiak
- Department of Molecular Biomedicine, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Noskowskiego 12/14 Str., 61-704 Poznan, Poland.
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16
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Pettersson OJ, Aagaard L, Jensen TG, Damgaard CK. Molecular mechanisms in DM1 - a focus on foci. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:2433-41. [PMID: 25605794 PMCID: PMC4344492 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Revised: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 is caused by abnormal expansion of a CTG-trinucleotide repeat in the gene encoding Dystrophia Myotonica Protein Kinase (DMPK), which in turn leads to global deregulation of gene expression in affected individuals. The transcribed mRNA contains a massive CUG-expansion in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) facilitating nucleation of several regulatory RNA-binding proteins, which are thus unable to perform their normal cellular function. These CUG-expanded mRNA-protein aggregates form distinct, primarily nuclear foci. In differentiated muscle cells, most of the CUG-expanded RNA remains in the nuclear compartment, while in dividing cells such as fibroblasts a considerable fraction of the mutant RNA reaches the cytoplasm, consistent with findings that both nuclear and cytoplasmic events are mis-regulated in DM1. Recent evidence suggests that the nuclear aggregates, or ribonuclear foci, are more dynamic than previously anticipated and regulated by several proteins, including RNA helicases. In this review, we focus on the homeostasis of DMPK mRNA foci and discuss how their dynamic regulation may affect disease-causing mechanisms in DM1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olof Joakim Pettersson
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, Building 1240, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Lars Aagaard
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, Building 1240, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Thomas Gryesten Jensen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, Building 1240, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Christian Kroun Damgaard
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 3, Building 1130, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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17
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Fernandez-Fuente M, Terracciano CM, Martin-Duque P, Brown SC, Vassaux G, Piercy RJ. Calcium homeostasis in myogenic differentiation factor 1 (MyoD)-transformed, virally-transduced, skin-derived equine myotubes. PLoS One 2014; 9:e105971. [PMID: 25148524 PMCID: PMC4141859 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysfunctional skeletal muscle calcium homeostasis plays a central role in the pathophysiology of several human and animal skeletal muscle disorders, in particular, genetic disorders associated with ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) mutations, such as malignant hyperthermia, central core disease, multiminicore disease and certain centronuclear myopathies. In addition, aberrant skeletal muscle calcium handling is believed to play a pivotal role in the highly prevalent disorder of Thoroughbred racehorses, known as Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis. Traditionally, such defects were studied in human and equine subjects by examining the contractile responses of biopsied muscle strips exposed to caffeine, a potent RYR1 agonist. However, this test is not widely available and, due to its invasive nature, is potentially less suitable for valuable animals in training or in the human paediatric setting. Furthermore, increasingly, RYR1 gene polymorphisms (of unknown pathogenicity and significance) are being identified through next generation sequencing projects. Consequently, we have investigated a less invasive test that can be used to study calcium homeostasis in cultured, skin-derived fibroblasts that are converted to the muscle lineage by viral transduction with a MyoD (myogenic differentiation 1) transgene. Similar models have been utilised to examine calcium homeostasis in human patient cells, however, to date, there has been no detailed assessment of the cells’ calcium homeostasis, and in particular, the responses to agonists and antagonists of RYR1. Here we describe experiments conducted to assess calcium handling of the cells and examine responses to treatment with dantrolene, a drug commonly used for prophylaxis of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis in horses and malignant hyperthermia in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Fernandez-Fuente
- Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Cesare M. Terracciano
- Laboratory of Cell Electrophysiology, Imperial College London, Myocardial Function, National Heart and Lung Institute, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pilar Martin-Duque
- Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Facultad de Ciencias Biosanitarias: Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Madrid, Spain
| | - Susan C. Brown
- Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Georges Vassaux
- Laboratoire TIRO, UMRE 4320, iBEB, DSV, Commissariat a’ l’Energie Atomique, Nice, France
| | - Richard J. Piercy
- Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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18
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Pettersson OJ, Aagaard L, Andrejeva D, Thomsen R, Jensen TG, Damgaard CK. DDX6 regulates sequestered nuclear CUG-expanded DMPK-mRNA in dystrophia myotonica type 1. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:7186-200. [PMID: 24792155 PMCID: PMC4066779 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is caused by CUG triplet expansions in the 3′ UTR of dystrophia myotonica protein kinase (DMPK) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). The etiology of this multi-systemic disease involves pre-mRNA splicing defects elicited by the ability of the CUG-expanded mRNA to ‘sponge’ splicing factors of the muscleblind family. Although nuclear aggregation of CUG-containing mRNPs in distinct foci is a hallmark of DM1, the mechanisms of their homeostasis have not been completely elucidated. Here we show that a DEAD-box helicase, DDX6, interacts with CUG triplet-repeat mRNA in primary fibroblasts from DM1 patients and with CUG–RNA in vitro. DDX6 overexpression relieves DM1 mis-splicing, and causes a significant reduction in nuclear DMPK-mRNA foci. Conversely, knockdown of endogenous DDX6 leads to a significant increase in DMPK-mRNA foci count and to increased sequestration of MBNL1 in the nucleus. While the level of CUG-expanded mRNA is unaffected by increased DDX6 expression, the mRNA re-localizes to the cytoplasm and its interaction partner MBNL1 becomes dispersed and also partially re-localized to the cytoplasm. Finally, we show that DDX6 unwinds CUG-repeat duplexes in vitro in an adenosinetriphosphate-dependent manner, suggesting that DDX6 can remodel and release nuclear DMPK messenger ribonucleoprotein foci, leading to normalization of pathogenic alternative splicing events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olof J Pettersson
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, Building 1240, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Lars Aagaard
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, Building 1240, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Diana Andrejeva
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 3, building 1131, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Rune Thomsen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 3, building 1131, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Thomas G Jensen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 4, Building 1240, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Christian K Damgaard
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 3, building 1131, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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19
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Xia G, Santostefano KE, Goodwin M, Liu J, Subramony SH, Swanson MS, Terada N, Ashizawa T. Generation of neural cells from DM1 induced pluripotent stem cells as cellular model for the study of central nervous system neuropathogenesis. Cell Reprogram 2013; 15:166-77. [PMID: 23550732 DOI: 10.1089/cell.2012.0086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Dystrophia myotonica type 1 (DM1) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder. The pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) involvement is poorly understood. Disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines would provide an alternative model. In this study, we generated two DM1 lines and a normal iPSC line from dermal fibroblasts by retroviral transduction of Yamanaka's four factors (hOct4, hSox2, hKlf4, and hc-Myc). Both DM1 and control iPSC clones showed typical human embryonic stem cell (hESC) growth patterns with a high nuclear-to-cytoplasm ratio. The iPSC colonies maintained the same growth pattern through subsequent passages. All iPSC lines expressed stem cell markers and differentiated into cells derived from three embryonic germ layers. All iPSC lines underwent normal neural differentiation. Intranuclear RNA foci, a hallmark of DM1, were detected in DM1 iPSCs, neural stem cells (NSCs), and terminally differentiated neurons and astrocytes. In conclusion, we have successfully established disease-specific human DM1 iPSC lines, NSCs, and neuronal lineages with pathognomonic intranuclear RNA foci, which offer an unlimited cell resource for CNS mechanistic studies and a translational platform for therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangbin Xia
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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