Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive neuromuscular disorder characterized by muscle wasting and premature death. The defective gene is dystrophin, a structural protein, absence of which causes membrane fragility and myofiber necrosis. Several lines of evidence showed that in adult DMD patients dystrophin is involved in signaling pathways that regulate calcium homeostasis and differentiation programs. However, secondary aspects of the disease, such as inflammation and fibrosis development, might represent a bias in the analysis. Because fetal muscle is not influenced by gravity and does not suffer from mechanical load and/or inflammation, we investigated 12-week-old fetal DMD skeletal muscles, highlighting for the first time early alterations in signaling pathways mediated by the absence of dystrophin itself. We found that PLC/IP3/IP3R/Ryr1/Ca(2+) signaling is widely active in fetal DMD skeletal muscles and, through the calcium-dependent PKCα protein, exerts a fundamental regulatory role in delaying myogenesis and in myofiber commitment. These data provide new insights into the origin of DMD pathology during muscle development.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/dev.126193 | DOI Listing |
Hum Gene Ther
January 2025
BridgeBio Gene Therapy, Palo Alto, California, USA.
Complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in the form of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) has emerged as an immune complication of systemic adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene transfer that was unforeseen based on nonclinical studies. Understanding this phenomenon in the clinical setting has been limited by incomplete data and a lack of uniform diagnostic and reporting criteria. While apparently rare based on available information, AAV-associated TMA/aHUS can pose a substantial risk to patients including one published fatality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Pathol
January 2025
Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606; Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology Program, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Electronic address:
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal, muscle-wasting, genetic disease that is greatly amplified by an immune response to the diseased muscles. The mdx mouse model of DMD was used to test whether the pathology can be reduced by treatments with a CTLA4-Ig fusion protein that blocks costimulatory signals required for activation of T-cells. CTLA4-Ig treatments reduced mdx sarcolemma lesions and reduced the numbers of activated T-cells, macrophages and antigen presenting cells in mdx muscle and reduced macrophage invasion into muscle fibers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Little Steps Association for Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Becker Muscular Dystrophy, Kefar Saba, Israel.
For individuals with Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD and BMD, respectively), transitioning to adulthood presents significant challenges. Although considerable attention has been given to facilitating medical transitions due to the complexity of these conditions, less focus has been placed on other aspects of the transition, such as achieving independence. This study assessed the transition needs of people with DMD or BMD, exploring various domains including health, education, employment, living arrangements, transportation, daily activities, and independent personal life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Clin Invest
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States of America.
Eccentric contraction- (ECC) induced force loss is a hallmark of murine dystrophin-deficient (mdx) skeletal muscle that is used to assess efficacy of potential therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. While virtually all key proteins involved in muscle contraction have been implicated in ECC force loss, a unifying mechanism that orchestrates force loss across such diverse molecular targets has not been identified. We showed that correcting defective hydrogen sulfide (H2S) signaling in mdx muscle prevented ECC force loss.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSkelet Muscle
January 2025
Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a prevalent, fatal degenerative muscle disease with no effective treatments. Mdx mouse model of DMD exhibits impaired muscle performance, oxidative stress, and dysfunctional autophagy. Although antioxidant treatments may improve the mdx phenotype, the precise molecular mechanisms remain unclear.
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