A human-specific deletion in mouse Cmah increases disease severity in the mdx model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

ABSTRACT: During the evolution of humans, an inactivating deletion was introduced in the CMAH (cytidine monophosphate-sialic acid hydroxylase) gene, which eliminated biosynthesis of the common mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid from all human cells. We found that this human-specific change in sialylation capacity contributes to the marked discrepancy in phenotype between the mdx mouse model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and the human disease. When compared to human patients with DMD, mdx mice show reduced severity or slower development of clinically relevant disease phenotypes, despite lacking dystrophin protein in almost all muscle cells. This is especially true for the loss of ambulation, cardiac and respiratory muscle weakness, and decreased life span, all of which are major

SUBMITTER: Chandrasekharan K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2950110 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature