Evaluating exon skipping in the central nervous system in Duchenne muscular dystrophy using spatial transcriptomics
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE318507 | GEO | 2026/07/06
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Purpose: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is typically caused by mutations that disrupt the DMD reading frame, but nonsense mutations in the 5’ part of the gene lead to the utilization of an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) in exon 5, resulting in expression of a highly functional N-truncated dystrophin. We have developed an AAV9 vector expressing U7 small nuclear RNAs targeting DMD exon 2 and tested it in a mouse model containing a duplication of exon 2, in which skipping of both exon 2 copies results in IRES-induced expression, and skipping of only one exon 2 leads to wild-type dystrophin expression. Methods: One-time intravascular injection of an AAV9 vector expressing U7 small nuclear RNAs targeting Dmd exon 2 at either P0-P1 or at 2 months of age results in efficient exon skipping and dystrophin expression, and significant protection from functional and pathologic deficits. Results: In mice treated neonatally, dystrophin immunofluorescence reached 49-85% of normal signal intensity and 76-99% dystrophin-positive fibers, with near-complete correction of dystrophic pathology, and these beneficial effects showed no significant signs of declining for at least 6 months. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and Ribosome Profiling (RPF-Seq) indicated that treatment restored a ‘non-dystrophic’ gene expression profile by reversing the direction and magnitude of differentially expressed genes previously identified in dystrophic skeletal muscle from DMD patients. The dystrophin transcript showed clearly increased RPF reads in the treated sample, indicating that the treatment specifically increased dystrophin translation. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the robustness, durability, and safety of exon 2 skipping following delivery of scAAV9.U7snRNA.ACCA, supporting its clinical use.
2022-01-29 | GSE195480 | GEO
Project description:Exon skipping is an effective strategy for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Natural exon skipping identified in several DMD cases can help with identifying novel therapeutic tools. Here, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9 inactivation of the splicing factor Celf2a in a DMD-D44 background induces skipping of exon-45 and dystrophin rescue. Celf2a ablation could be compatible with life and curative since a DMD case with a milder symptomatology exists where exon-45 skipping occurs because of a Celf2a deficiency. We show that in this individual, Celf2a absence is due to inherited epigenetic silencing and that its repression is controlled by the lncRNA DUXAP8.
2020-07-01 | GSE139571 | GEO
Project description:Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal X-linked disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin (DMD) gene, leading to the complete absence of DMD and progressive degeneration of skeletal and heart muscles. Expression of an internally shortened dystrophin in DMD subjects (DMDΔ52) can be achieved by skipping DMD exon 51 to reframe the transcript. To predict the best possible outcome of this therapeutic strategy, we generated transgenic pigs lacking DMD exon 51 and 52, additionally representing a new model for Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). To inspect the proteome alterations caused by the different dystrophin mutations in an unbiased and comprehensive manner, we performed a label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis (LC-MS/MS) of myocardial and skeletal muscle samples from wild-type (WT), DMDΔ52 and DMDΔ51-52 pigs.
2023-07-11 | PXD039533 | Pride
Project description:Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe form of muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. We characterized which isoforms of dystrophin were expressed by human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac fibroblasts obtained from control and DMD patients. Distinct dystrophin isoforms were observed; however, the highest molecular weight isoform was absent in DMD patients carrying exon deletions or mutations in the dystrophin gene. The loss of the full-length dystrophin isoform in hiPSC-derived cardiac fibroblasts from DMD patients resulted in deficient formation of actin microfilaments and a metabolic switch from mitochondrial oxidation to glycolysis. The DMD hiPSC-derived cardiac fibroblasts exhibited a dysregulated mitochondria network and reduced mitochondrial respiration, with enhanced compensatory glycolysis to sustain cellular ATP production. This metabolic remodeling was associated with an exacerbated myofibroblast phenotype and increased fibroblast activation in response to pro fibrotic challenges. As cardiac fibrosis is a critical pathological feature of the DMD heart, the myofibroblast phenotype induced by the absence of dystophin may contribute to deterioration in cardiac function. Our study highlights therelationship between cytoskeletal dynamics, metabolism of the cell and myofibroblast differentiation and provides a new mechanism by which inactivation of dystrophin in non-cardiomyocyte cells may increase the severity of cardiopathy.
2023-09-30 | GSE237014 | GEO
Project description:The DMD gene encodes for dystrophin, a large structural protein found in muscles that plays a critical role in muscular strength and stability. The absence of dystrophin is associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a fatal diseases characterized by muscle weakness and ddgeneration. Interestingly, DMD harbors multiple intragenic promoters that lead to alternative splicing and the production of various short isoforms of dystrophin, with distinct expression patterns and roles. Recent studies have found that the expression of these short isoforms may partially modulate the DMD phenotype. Here, we aimed to assess the contributions of short dystrophin isoforms to gene expression. Bulk RNA sequencing was performed on muscles from mdx mice, which fail to produce full-length dystrophin but still express short isoforms, and on DMD-Null mice, which have a complete DMD deletion preventing the expression of any dystrophin isoform.
2026-06-16 | GSE334131 | GEO
Project description:Mutations in the dystrophin (DMD) gene can cause muscle-wasting disorders ranging from the milder Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) to the more severe Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Exon 45 deletion is the most frequently reported single-exon deletion in DMD patients worldwide. In this study, we generated a novel rat model with an exon 45 deletion using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The DmdΔ45 rat recapitulate key clinical and molecular features of DMD, including progressive skeletal muscle degeneration, impaired muscle and cardiac function, cognitive deficits, elevated circulating muscle damage biomarkers and an overall reduced lifespan. Transcriptomics analyses confirmed the deletion of exon 45 and revealed gene expression patterns consistent with dystrophin deficiency. In the skeletal muscle, RNA-seq profiles demonstrated a transition from early stress responses and regenerative activity at 6 months to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and metabolic dysfunction by 12 months. Similarly, the cardiac transcriptomic shifted from an early inflammatory and stress-responsive state to one characterized by fibrotic remodelling and metabolic impairment. Despite these pathological features, the DmdΔ45 rats exhibited a milder phenotype than other DMD rat models. This attenuation may be attributed to spontaneous exon 44 skipping, which partially restores the reading frame and results in an age-dependent increase in revertant dystrophin-positive fibres. Further analysis indicated downregulation of spliceosome-related genes, suggesting a potential mechanism driving exon skipping in this model. In summary, the DmdΔ45 rat represents a valuable model for investigating both the molecular determinants of phenotypic variability and the endogenous mechanisms of exon skipping. These findings offer important insights for the development of personalized exon-skipping therapies, particularly for DMD patients with exon 45 deletions.
2025-09-18 | GSE308065 | GEO
Project description:The 2.2 Mb long dystrophin (DMD) gene, the largest gene in the human genome, corresponds to roughly 0.1% of the entire human DNA sequence. Mutations in this gene cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other milder X-linked, recessive dystrophinopathies. Using a custom-made tiling array, specifically designed for the DMD locus, we identified a variety of novel long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), both sense and antisense oriented, whose expression profiles mirror that of DMD gene. Importantly, these transcripts are intronic in origin and specifically localized to the nucleus and are transcribed contextually with dystrophin isoforms or primed by MyoD-induced myogenic differentiation. Furthermore, their forced ectopic expression in both human muscle and neuronal cells causes a specific and negative regulation of endogenous dystrophin full length isoforms and significantly down-regulate the activity of a luciferase reporter construct carrying the minimal promoter regions of the muscle dystrophin isoform. Consistent with this apparently repressive role, we found that, in muscle samples of DMD symptomatic female carriers, lncRNAs expression levels inversely correlate with those of muscle full length DMD isoforms. Overall these findings unveil an unprecedented complexity of the transcriptional pattern of the DMD locus and reveal that DMD-specific lncRNAs may contribute to the orchestration and homeostasis of the muscle dystrophin expression pattern by selective targeting and down-modulation of dystrophin promoter transcriptional activity.
2011-06-05 | GSE27068 | GEO
Project description:Dystrophin proteomic regulation in Muscular Dystrophies (MD) remains unclear. We report that a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) H19 associates with dystrophin. To investigate the biological roles of this interaction in vivo, we performed mass spectrometry analysis of dystrophin and its associated proteins in H19-proficient and -deficient C2C12 myotubes. Mass spectrometry data indicated that in H19-proficient myotubes, dystrophin associates with components of dystrophin-associated protein complex (DPC); however, in H19-deficient myotubes, dystrophin associated with UBA1, UB2G1, TRIM63 ubiquitin E3 ligase and ubiquitin. In H19-deficient myotubes, dystrophin was post-translationally modified with K48-linked poly-ubiquitination at Lys3577 (referred to as Ub-DMD). This mass spectrometry study demonstrated that lncRNA H19, associates with dystrophin and inhibits E3 ligase-dependent Ub-DMD formation and its subsequent proteasomal degradation. Based on this study, H19 RNA oligonucleotides conjugated with a muscle homing ligand Agrin (referred to as AGR-H19) and Nifenazone, a TRIM63-specific small molecule inhibitor, reverses the dystrophin degradation in iPSC-derived skeletal muscle cells from Becker Muscular Dystrophy patients. Furthermore,treatment of mdx mice with exon-skipping reagent, in combination with either AGR-H19 or Nifenazone, dramatically stablized dystrophin, preserved skeletal/cardiac muscle histology, and improved strength/heart function. In summary, this mass spectrometry study paves the way to meaningful targeted therapeutics for BMD and certain DMD patients.
2020-08-19 | PXD020566 | Pride
Project description:The 2.2 Mb long dystrophin (DMD) gene, the largest gene in the human genome, corresponds to roughly 0.1% of the entire human DNA sequence. Mutations in this gene cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other milder X-linked, recessive dystrophinopathies. Using a custom-made tiling array, specifically designed for the DMD locus, we identified a variety of novel long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), both sense and antisense oriented, whose expression profiles mirror that of DMD gene. Importantly, these transcripts are intronic in origin and specifically localized to the nucleus and are transcribed contextually with dystrophin isoforms or primed by MyoD-induced myogenic differentiation. Furthermore, their forced ectopic expression in both human muscle and neuronal cells causes a specific and negative regulation of endogenous dystrophin full length isoforms and significantly down-regulate the activity of a luciferase reporter construct carrying the minimal promoter regions of the muscle dystrophin isoform. Consistent with this apparently repressive role, we found that, in muscle samples of DMD symptomatic female carriers, lncRNAs expression levels inversely correlate with those of muscle full length DMD isoforms. Overall these findings unveil an unprecedented complexity of the transcriptional pattern of the DMD locus and reveal that DMD-specific lncRNAs may contribute to the orchestration and homeostasis of the muscle dystrophin expression pattern by selective targeting and down-modulation of dystrophin promoter transcriptional activity. We tiled the entire DMD gene, in both sense and antisense directions, using the web-based Agilent eArray database, Version 4.5 (Agilent Technologies), with 60-mer oligos every 66 bp of repeat-masked genome sequence. We defined probe sets for both orientations, encompassing the DMD exons, promoters, introns, predicted MiRNA (identified by PromiRII) and conserved non-coding sequences (CNSs) identified within dystrophin introns using the VISTA programme (http://genome.lbl.gov/vista/index.shtml). Two specific sets of probes were designed to cover, in both directions, the cDNA sequences of a group of control genes identified in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) and expressed equally in both normal and dystrophic muscles. Each probe set was opportunely distributed and replicated several times in order to obtain two 4x44k microarrays, referred to as DMD GEx Sense and DMD GEx Antisense, respectively, able to detect transcripts in the same and opposite directions as that of DMD gene transcription. Three commercial poly A+ RNAs from normal human brain, heart and skeletal muscle tissues were utilised (Ambion). Skin poly A+ RNA was isolated from total Skin RNA (Stratagene) using the Qiagen Oligotex kit. All RNA samples were checked for purity using a ND-1000 spectrophotometer (NanoDrop Technologies), and for integrity by electrophoresis on a 2100 BioAnalyzer (Agilent Technologies). Sample labelling and hybridisation were performed according to the protocols provided by Agilent (One-Color Microarray-Based Gene Expression Analysis version 5.0.1). The array was analysed using the Agilent scanner and Feature Extraction software (v9.1).
2011-06-05 | E-GEOD-27068 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an X-linked monogenic disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene (DMD) and characterized by progressive muscle weakness leading to loss of ambulation and significantly decreased life expectancy. Since the current standard of care for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is to merely treat symptoms, there is a dire need for novel treatment modalities that can correct the underlying genetic mutations. While several gene replacement therapies are being explored in clinical trials, one emerging approach that can directly correct mutations in genomic DNA is base editing. We have recently developed CRISPR-SKIP, a base editing strategy to induce permanent exon skipping by introducing C>T or A>G mutations at splice acceptors in genomic DNA, which can be utilized therapeutically to recover dystrophin expression when a genomic deletion leads to an out-of-frame DMD transcript. We now demonstrate that CRISPR-SKIP can be adapted to correct some forms of Duchenne muscular dystrophy by disrupting the splice acceptor in human DMD exon 45 with high efficiency, which enables open reading frame recovery and restoration of dystrophin expression. We also demonstrate that AAV-delivered split-intein base editors edit the splice acceptor of DMD exon 45 in cultured human cells and in vivo, highlighting the therapeutic potential of this strategy.
2023-07-20 | GSE235673 | GEO