Dux Is Dispensable for Skeletal Muscle Regeneration: A Study Inspired by a "Red Flagged" Publication and Editorial Oversight.

ABSTRACT: Double homeobox (DUX) genes are key embryonic regulators that are silenced after the early cleavage stages of embryogenesis. Aberrant expression of DUX4 in skeletal muscle is linked to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). A recent study reported that Dux, the murine ortholog of DUX4, contributes to the dystrophic phenotype in mdx mice, a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) model, and that its deletion enhances muscle regeneration by reducing oxidative stress. However, convincing evidence of Dux expression in either intact or injured muscle of wild-type (WT) and mdx mice remains lacking, raising questions about its role in muscle homeostasis. To investigate this, we assessed Dux expression in WT and mdx mice and used Dux knockout (Dux^Δ/Δ) mice to evaluate its funct

SUBMITTER: Chen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12109671 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature