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Shelton GD, Tucciarone F, Guo LT, Coghill LM, Lyons LA. Precision medicine using whole genome sequencing identifies a novel dystrophin (DMD) variant for X-linked muscular dystrophy in a cat. J Vet Intern Med 2024; 38:135-144. [PMID: 38180235 PMCID: PMC10800237 DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16971] [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: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a large, heterogeneous group of degenerative muscle diseases. X-linked dystrophin-deficient MD in cats is the first genetically characterized cat model for a human disease and a few novel forms have been identified. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES Muscular dystrophy was suspected in a young male domestic shorthair cat. Clinical, molecular, and genetic techniques could provide a definitive diagnosis. ANIMALS A 1-year-old male domestic shorthair cat presented for progressive difficulty walking, macroglossia and dysphagia beginning at 6 months of age. The tongue was thickened, protruded with constant ptyalism, and thickening and rigidity of the neck and shoulders were observed. METHODS A complete neurological examination, baseline laboratory evaluation and biopsies of the trapezius muscle were performed with owner consent. Indirect immunofluorescence staining of muscle cryosections was performed using several monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against dystrophy-associated proteins. DNA was isolated for genomic analyses by whole genome sequencing and comparison to DNA variants in the 99 Lives Cat Genome Sequencing dataset. RESULTS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Aspartate aminotransferase (687 IU/L) and creatine kinase (24 830 IU/L) activities were increased and mild hypokalemia (3.7 mmol/L) was present. Biopsy samples from the trapezius muscle confirmed a degenerative and regenerative myopathy and protein alterations identified by immunohistochemistry resulted in a diagnosis of a in dystrophin-deficient form of X-linked MD. A stop gain variant (c.4849C>T; p.Gln1617Ter) dystrophin was identified by genome sequencing. Precision/genomic medicine efforts for the domestic cat and in veterinary medicine support disease variant and animal model discovery and provide opportunities for targeted treatments for companion animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Diane Shelton
- Department of Pathology, School of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Ling T. Guo
- Department of Pathology, School of MedicineUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Lyndon M. Coghill
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of MissouriColumbiaMissouriUSA
| | - Leslie A. Lyons
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of MissouriColumbiaMissouriUSA
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of MissouriColumbiaMissouriUSA
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Szwec S, Kapłucha Z, Chamberlain JS, Konieczny P. Dystrophin- and Utrophin-Based Therapeutic Approaches for Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: A Comparative Review. BioDrugs 2024; 38:95-119. [PMID: 37917377 PMCID: PMC10789850 DOI: 10.1007/s40259-023-00632-3] [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] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a devastating disease that leads to progressive muscle loss and premature death. While medical management focuses mostly on symptomatic treatment, decades of research have resulted in first therapeutics able to restore the affected reading frame of dystrophin transcripts or induce synthesis of a truncated dystrophin protein from a vector, with other strategies based on gene therapy and cell signaling in preclinical or clinical development. Nevertheless, recent reports show that potentially therapeutic dystrophins can be immunogenic in patients. This raises the question of whether a dystrophin paralog, utrophin, could be a more suitable therapeutic protein. Here, we compare dystrophin and utrophin amino acid sequences and structures, combining published data with our extended in silico analyses. We then discuss these results in the context of therapeutic approaches for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Specifically, we focus on strategies based on delivery of micro-dystrophin and micro-utrophin genes with recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors, exon skipping of the mutated dystrophin pre-mRNAs, reading through termination codons with small molecules that mask premature stop codons, dystrophin gene repair by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated genetic engineering, and increasing utrophin levels. Our analyses highlight the importance of various dystrophin and utrophin domains in Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment, providing insights into designing novel therapeutic compounds with improved efficacy and decreased immunoreactivity. While the necessary actin and β-dystroglycan binding sites are present in both proteins, important functional distinctions can be identified in these domains and some other parts of truncated dystrophins might need redesigning due to their potentially immunogenic qualities. Alternatively, therapies based on utrophins might provide a safer and more effective approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Szwec
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Zuzanna Kapłucha
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jeffrey S Chamberlain
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
- Senator Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Specialized Research Center, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, 98109-8055, USA
| | - Patryk Konieczny
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614, Poznań, Poland.
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Ghaleh B, Barthélemy I, Sambin L, Bizé A, Corboz D, Hittinger L, Blot S, Su JB. Spatial and Temporal Non-Uniform Changes in Left Ventricular Myocardial Strain in Dogs with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2023; 10:jcdd10050217. [PMID: 37233184 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd10050217] [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: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding and effectively treating dystrophin-deficient cardiomyopathy is of high importance for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients due to their prolonged lifespan. We used two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography to analyze more deeply the non-uniformity of myocardial strain within the left ventricle during the progression of cardiomyopathy in golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dogs. METHODS The circumferential strain (CS) and longitudinal strain (LS) of left ventricular (LV) endocardial, middle and epicardial layers were analyzed from three parasternal short-axis views and three apical views, respectively, in GRMD (n = 22) and healthy control dogs (n = 7) from 2 to 24 months of age. RESULTS In GRMD dogs, despite normal global systolic function (normal LV fractional shortening and ejection fraction), a reduction in systolic CS was detected in the three layers of the LV apex but not in the LV middle-chamber and base at 2 months of age. This spatial heterogeneity in CS progressed with age, whereas a decrease in systolic LS could be detected early at 2 months of age in the three layers of the LV wall from three apical views. CONCLUSIONS Analyzing the evolution of myocardial CS and LS in GRMD dogs reveals spatial and temporal non-uniform alterations of LV myocardial strain, providing new insights into the progression of dystrophin-deficient cardiomyopathy in this relevant model of DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bijan Ghaleh
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team 3, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Service de Cardiologie, 94010 Créteil, France
| | - Inès Barthélemy
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team10, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Lucien Sambin
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team 3, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Alain Bizé
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team 3, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Daphné Corboz
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team 3, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Luc Hittinger
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team 3, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Service de Cardiologie, 94010 Créteil, France
| | - Stéphane Blot
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team10, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Jin Bo Su
- Inserm U955-IMRB, Team 3, UPEC, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France
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Duca M, Malagolini N, Dall'Olio F. The story of the Sd a antigen and of its cognate enzyme B4GALNT2: What is new? Glycoconj J 2023; 40:123-133. [PMID: 36287346 DOI: 10.1007/s10719-022-10089-1] [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: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The structure Siaα2,3(GalNAcβ1,4)Gal- is the epitope of the Sda antigen, which is expressed on the erythrocytes and secretions of the vast majority of Caucasians, carried by N- and O-linked chains of glycoproteins, as well as by glycolipids. Sda is very similar, but not identical, to ganglioside GM2 [Siaα2,3(GalNAcβ1,4)Galβ1,4Glc-Cer]. The Sda synthase β1,4 N-acetylgalactosaminyl transferase 2 (B4GALNT2) exists in a short and a long form, diverging in the aminoterminal domain. The latter has a very long cytoplasmic tail and displays a Golgi- as well as a post-Golgi localization. The biosynthesis of Sda is mutually exclusive with that of the cancer-associated sialyl Lewis antigens, whose structure is Siaα2,3Galβ1,3/4(Fucα1,4/3)GlcNAc-. B4GALNT2 is down-regulated in colon cancer but patients with higher expression survive longer. In experimental systems, B4GALNT2 inhibits colon cancer progression,not only through inhibition of sialyl Lewis antigen biosynthesis. By contrast, in breast cancer B4GALNT2 is associated with malignancy. In colon cancer, the B4GALNT2 gene is regulated by multiple mechanisms, which include miRNA and transcription factor expression, as well as CpG methylation. In addition, Sda/B4GALNT2 regulates the susceptibility to infectious agents, the protection from muscle dystrophy, the activity of immune system in pregnancy and the immune rejection in xenotransplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Duca
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Building, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Nadia Malagolini
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Building, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fabio Dall'Olio
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), General Pathology Building, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
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Flanigan KM, Vetter TA, Simmons TR, Iammarino M, Frair EC, Rinaldi F, Chicoine LG, Harris J, Cheatham JP, Cheatham SL, Boe B, Waldrop MA, Zygmunt DA, Packer D, Martin PT. A first-in-human phase I/IIa gene transfer clinical trial for Duchenne muscular dystrophy using rAAVrh74.MCK. GALGT2. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2022; 27:47-60. [PMID: 36186954 PMCID: PMC9483573 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2022.08.009] [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: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In a phase 1/2, open-label dose escalation trial, we delivered rAAVrh74.MCK.GALGT2 (also B4GALNT2) bilaterally to the legs of two boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy using intravascular limb infusion. Subject 1 (age 8.9 years at dosing) received 2.5 × 1013 vector genome (vg)/kg per leg (5 × 1013 vg/kg total) and subject 2 (age 6.9 years at dosing) received 5 × 1013 vg/kg per leg (1 × 1014 vg/kg total). No serious adverse events were observed. Muscle biopsy evaluated 3 or 4 months post treatment versus baseline showed evidence of GALGT2 gene expression and GALGT2-induced muscle cell glycosylation. Functionally, subject 1 showed a decline in 6-min walk test (6MWT) distance; an increase in time to run 100 m, and a decline in North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) score until ambulation was lost at 24 months. Subject 2, treated at a younger age and at a higher dose, demonstrated an improvement over 24 months in NSAA score (from 20 to 23 points), an increase in 6MWT distance (from 405 to 478 m), and only a minimal increase in 100 m time (45.6-48.4 s). These data suggest preliminary safety at a dose of 1 × 1014 vg/kg and functional stabilization in one patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M. Flanigan
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Tatyana A. Vetter
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Tabatha R. Simmons
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Megan Iammarino
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Emma C. Frair
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Federica Rinaldi
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Louis G. Chicoine
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Johan Harris
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - John P. Cheatham
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Sharon L. Cheatham
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Brian Boe
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Megan A. Waldrop
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Deborah A. Zygmunt
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Davin Packer
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Paul T. Martin
- Center for Gene Therapy, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, 700 Children’s Drive, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
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Dang K, Jiang S, Gao Y, Qian A. The role of protein glycosylation in muscle diseases. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:8037-8049. [DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07334-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Mitrani-Rosenbaum S, Yakovlev L, Becker Cohen M, Argov Z, Fellig Y, Harazi A. Pre Clinical Assessment of AAVrh74.MCK.GNE Viral Vector Therapeutic Potential: Robust Activity Despite Lack of Consistent Animal Model for GNE Myopathy. J Neuromuscul Dis 2021; 9:179-192. [PMID: 34806613 PMCID: PMC8842764 DOI: 10.3233/jnd-210755] [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] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Background: GNE myopathy is a unique adult onset rare neuromuscular disease caused by recessive mutations in the GNE gene. The pathophysiological mechanism of this disorder is not well understood and to date, there is no available therapy for this debilitating disease. We have previously established proof of concept that AAV based gene therapy can effectively deliver the wild type human GNE into cultured muscle cells from human patients and in mice, using a CMV promoter driven human wild type GNE plasmid delivered through an adeno associated virus (AAV8) based platform. Objective: In the present study we have generated a muscle specific GNE construct, driven by the MCK promoter and packaged with the AAVrh74 serotype for efficacy evaluation in an animal model of GNE Myopathy. Methods: The viral vector was systemically delivered at 2 doses to two age groups of a Gne–/– hGNED207V Tg mouse described as a preclinical model of GNE Myopathy, and treatment was monitored for long term efficacy. Results: In spite of the fact that the full described characteristics of the preclinical model could not be reproduced, the systemic injection of the rAAVrh74.MCK.GNE viral vector resulted in a long term presence and expression of human wt GNE in the murine muscles and in some improvements of their mild phenotype. The Gne–/– hGNED207V Tg mice are smaller from birth, but cannot be differentiated from littermates by muscle function (grip strength and Rotarod) and their muscle histology is normal, even at advanced age. Conclusions: The rAAVrh74.MCK.GNE vector is a robust tool for the development of GNE Myopathy therapies that supply the intact GNE. However, there is still no reliable animal model to fully assess its efficacy since the previously developed Gne–/– hGNED207V Tg mice do not present disease characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Mitrani-Rosenbaum
- Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy, Hadassah Medical Center, The Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lena Yakovlev
- Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy, Hadassah Medical Center, The Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Michal Becker Cohen
- Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy, Hadassah Medical Center, The Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Zohar Argov
- Department of Neurology, Hadassah Medical Center, The Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yakov Fellig
- Department of Pathology, Hadassah Medical Center, The Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Avi Harazi
- Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy, Hadassah Medical Center, The Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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