1
|
Péladeau C, Adam N, Bronicki LM, Coriati A, Thabet M, Al-Rewashdy H, Vanstone J, Mears A, Renaud JM, Holcik M, Jasmin BJ. Identification of therapeutics that target eEF1A2 and upregulate utrophin A translation in dystrophic muscles. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1990. [PMID: 32332749 PMCID: PMC7181625 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15971-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Up-regulation of utrophin in muscles represents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We previously demonstrated that eEF1A2 associates with the 5’UTR of utrophin A to promote IRES-dependent translation. Here, we examine whether eEF1A2 directly regulates utrophin A expression and identify via an ELISA-based high-throughput screen, FDA-approved drugs that upregulate both eEF1A2 and utrophin A. Our results show that transient overexpression of eEF1A2 in mouse muscles causes an increase in IRES-mediated translation of utrophin A. Through the assessment of our screen, we reveal 7 classes of FDA-approved drugs that increase eEF1A2 and utrophin A protein levels. Treatment of mdx mice with the 2 top leads results in multiple improvements of the dystrophic phenotype. Here, we report that IRES-mediated translation of utrophin A via eEF1A2 is a critical mechanism of regulating utrophin A expression and reveal the potential of repurposed drugs for treating DMD via this pathway. One potential approach for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dysrophy is to increase expression of the dystrophin homolog utrophin. Here, the authors show that eEF1A2 regulates utrophin expression, and show that 2 FDA-approved drugs upregulate eEIF1A2 and utrophin level in mice, leading to improvement of the dystrophic phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Péladeau
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.,Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Nadine Adam
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.,Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Lucas M Bronicki
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.,Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Adèle Coriati
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Mohamed Thabet
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Hasanen Al-Rewashdy
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.,Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Jason Vanstone
- Apoptosis Research Centre, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 5B2, Canada
| | - Alan Mears
- Apoptosis Research Centre, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 5B2, Canada
| | - Jean-Marc Renaud
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Martin Holcik
- Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Bernard J Jasmin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada. .,Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bronicki LM, Stevenson RE, Spranger JW. Beyond osteogenesis imperfecta: Causes of fractures during infancy and childhood. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 2015; 169:314-27. [PMID: 26531771 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Fractures in infancy or early childhood require prompt evaluation with consideration of accidental or non-accidental trauma as well as a large number of genetic disorders that predispose to fractures. Bone fragility has been reported in more than 100 genetic disorders, including skeletal dysplasias, inborn errors of metabolism and congenital insensitivity to pain. Most of these disorders are rare but often have distinctive clinical or radiographic findings to assist in the diagnosis. Gene sequencing is available, albeit connective tissue and skeletal dysplasia panels and biochemical studies are only helpful in a minority of cases. This article presents the clinical, radiographic, and molecular profiles of the most common heritable disorders other than osteogenesis imperfecta with increased bone fragility. In addition, the clinicians must consider non-heritable influences such as extreme prematurity, prenatal viral infection and neoplasia in the diagnostic process.
Collapse
|
3
|
Bronicki LM, Redin C, Drunat S, Piton A, Lyons M, Passemard S, Baumann C, Faivre L, Thevenon J, Rivière JB, Isidor B, Gan G, Francannet C, Willems M, Gunel M, Jones JR, Gleeson JG, Mandel JL, Stevenson RE, Friez MJ, Aylsworth AS. Ten new cases further delineate the syndromic intellectual disability phenotype caused by mutations in DYRK1A. Eur J Hum Genet 2015; 23:1482-7. [PMID: 25920557 PMCID: PMC4613470 DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2015.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2014] [Revised: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) gene, located on chromosome 21q22.13 within the Down syndrome critical region, has been implicated in syndromic intellectual disability associated with Down syndrome and autism. DYRK1A has a critical role in brain growth and development primarily by regulating cell proliferation, neurogenesis, neuronal plasticity and survival. Several patients have been reported with chromosome 21 aberrations such as partial monosomy, involving multiple genes including DYRK1A. In addition, seven other individuals have been described with chromosomal rearrangements, intragenic deletions or truncating mutations that disrupt specifically DYRK1A. Most of these patients have microcephaly and all have significant intellectual disability. In the present study, we report 10 unrelated individuals with DYRK1A-associated intellectual disability (ID) who display a recurrent pattern of clinical manifestations including primary or acquired microcephaly, ID ranging from mild to severe, speech delay or absence, seizures, autism, motor delay, deep-set eyes, poor feeding and poor weight gain. We identified unique truncating and non-synonymous mutations (three nonsense, four frameshift and two missense) in DYRK1A in nine patients and a large chromosomal deletion that encompassed DYRK1A in one patient. On the basis of increasing identification of mutations in DYRK1A, we suggest that this gene be considered potentially causative in patients presenting with ID, primary or acquired microcephaly, feeding problems and absent or delayed speech with or without seizures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Claire Redin
- Department of Translational Medicine and Neurogenetics, IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France
| | - Severine Drunat
- Department of Genetics and INSERM U1141, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Amélie Piton
- Department of Translational Medicine and Neurogenetics, IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France
- Laboratoire de diagnostic génétique, Faculty of Medicine and CHU Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Sandrine Passemard
- Department of Genetics and INSERM U1141, Robert Debré Hospital, Paris, France
| | | | - Laurence Faivre
- Fédération Hospitalo- Universitaire Médecine Translationnelle et Anomalies du Développement (TRANSLAD), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon, Dijon, France
- Centre de Génétique et Centre de Référence Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs de l'Interrégion Est, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon, Dijon, France
- Equipe d'Accueil 4271, Génétique des Anomalies du Développement, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Julien Thevenon
- Fédération Hospitalo- Universitaire Médecine Translationnelle et Anomalies du Développement (TRANSLAD), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon, Dijon, France
- Centre de Génétique et Centre de Référence Anomalies du Développement et Syndromes Malformatifs de l'Interrégion Est, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon, Dijon, France
- Equipe d'Accueil 4271, Génétique des Anomalies du Développement, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Rivière
- Fédération Hospitalo- Universitaire Médecine Translationnelle et Anomalies du Développement (TRANSLAD), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon, Dijon, France
- Equipe d'Accueil 4271, Génétique des Anomalies du Développement, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire, Plateau Technique de Biologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon, Dijon, France
| | - Bertrand Isidor
- Medical Genetics- Clinical Genetics Unit, CHU de Nantes, Nantes-Cedex, France
| | - Grace Gan
- Department of Translational Medicine and Neurogenetics, IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France
| | - Christine Francannet
- Service de génétique médicale, CHU de Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Marjolaine Willems
- Department of Medical Genetics, Reference Center for Rare Diseases, Developmental Disorders and Multiple Congenital Anomalies, Arnaud de Villeneuve Hospital, Montpellier, France
| | - Murat Gunel
- Department of Genetics and Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Joseph G Gleeson
- Department of Neurosciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Rady Children's Hospital, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jean-Louis Mandel
- Department of Translational Medicine and Neurogenetics, IGBMC, CNRS UMR 7104, INSERM U964, Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France
- Laboratoire de diagnostic génétique, Faculty of Medicine and CHU Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | | | | | - Arthur S Aylsworth
- Departments of Pediatrics and Genetics, Division of Genetics and Metabolism, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Péladeau C, Ahmed A, Amirouche A, Crawford Parks TE, Bronicki LM, Ljubicic V, Renaud JM, Jasmin BJ. Combinatorial therapeutic activation with heparin and AICAR stimulates additive effects on utrophin A expression in dystrophic muscles. Hum Mol Genet 2015; 25:24-43. [PMID: 26494902 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddv444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Upregulation of utrophin A is an attractive therapeutic strategy for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Over the years, several studies revealed that utrophin A is regulated by multiple transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms, and that pharmacological modulation of these pathways stimulates utrophin A expression in dystrophic muscle. In particular, we recently showed that activation of p38 signaling causes an increase in the levels of utrophin A mRNAs and protein by decreasing the functional availability of the destabilizing RNA-binding protein called K-homology splicing regulatory protein, thereby resulting in increases in the stability of existing mRNAs. Here, we treated 6-week-old mdx mice for 4 weeks with the clinically used anticoagulant drug heparin known to activate p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and determined the impact of this pharmacological intervention on the dystrophic phenotype. Our results show that heparin treatment of mdx mice caused a significant ∼1.5- to 3-fold increase in utrophin A expression in diaphragm, extensor digitorum longus and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. In agreement with these findings, heparin-treated diaphragm and TA muscle fibers showed an accumulation of utrophin A and β-dystroglycan along their sarcolemma and displayed improved morphology and structural integrity. Moreover, combinatorial drug treatment using both heparin and 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICAR), the latter targeting 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and the transcriptional activation of utrophin A, caused an additive effect on utrophin A expression in dystrophic muscle. These findings establish that heparin is a relevant therapeutic agent for treating DMD, and illustrate that combinatorial treatment of heparin with AICAR may serve as an effective strategy to further increase utrophin A expression in dystrophic muscle via activation of distinct signaling pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christine Péladeau
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aatika Ahmed
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adel Amirouche
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tara E Crawford Parks
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lucas M Bronicki
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Vladimir Ljubicic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jean-Marc Renaud
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bernard J Jasmin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Centre for Neuromuscular Disease, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
Precise control of messenger RNA (mRNA) processing and abundance are increasingly being recognized as critical for proper spatiotemporal gene expression, particularly in neurons. These regulatory events are governed by a large number of trans-acting factors found in neurons, most notably RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and micro-RNAs (miRs), which bind to specific cis-acting elements or structures within mRNAs. Through this binding mechanism, trans-acting factors, particularly RBPs, control all aspects of mRNA metabolism, ranging from altering the transcription rate to mediating mRNA degradation. In this context the best-characterized neuronal RBP, the Hu/ELAVl family member HuD, is emerging as a key component in multiple regulatory processes--including pre-mRNA processing, mRNA stability, and translation--governing the fate of a substantial amount of neuronal mRNAs. Through its ability to regulate mRNA metabolism of diverse groups of functionally similar genes, HuD plays important roles in neuronal development and function. Furthermore, compelling evidence indicates supplementary roles for HuD in neuronal plasticity, in particular, recovery from axonal injury, learning and memory, and multiple neurological diseases. The purpose of this review is to provide a detailed overview of the current knowledge surrounding the expression and roles of HuD in the nervous system. Additionally, we outline the present understanding of the molecular mechanisms presiding over the localization, abundance, and function of HuD in neurons.
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
The most characterized function of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is to terminate cholinergic signaling at neuron-neuron and neuro-muscular synapses. In addition, AChE is causally or casually implicated in neuronal development, stress-response, cognition, and neurodegenerative diseases. Given the importance of AChE, many studies have focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms that govern its expression. Despite these efforts, post-transcriptional control of AChE mRNA expression is still relatively unclear. Here, we review the trans-acting factors and cis-acting elements that are known to control AChE pre-mRNA splicing, mature mRNA stability and translation. Moreover, since the Hu/ELAV family of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have emerged in recent years as “master” post-transcriptional regulators, we discuss the possibility that predominantly neuronal ELAVs (nELAVs) play multiple roles in regulating splicing, stability, localization, and translation of AChE mRNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas M Bronicki
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON, Canada
| | | |
Collapse
|