Label-free morphology-based phenotypic analysis of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy muscle cell models.

ABSTRACT: Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a neuromuscular disorder caused by CAG trinucleotide expansion in the androgen receptor (AR) gene. To improve the quality of in vitro cell-based assays for the evaluation of potential drug candidates for SBMA, we developed a morphology-based phenotypic analysis for a muscle cell model of SBMA that involves multiparametric morphological profiling to quantitatively assess the therapeutic effects of drugs on muscle cell phenotype. The analysis was validated using dihydrotestosterone and pioglitazone, which have been shown to exacerbate and ameliorate the pathophysiology of SBMA, respectively. Gene expression analysis revealed activation of the JNK pathway in the SBMA cells compared to the control cells. Phenotypic analysis revealed the effect of na

SUBMITTER: Sakakibara K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12233066 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature