scholarly journals Muscular dystrophy with arrhythmia caused by loss-of-function mutations in BVES

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem De Ridder ◽  
Isabelle Nelson ◽  
Bob Asselbergh ◽  
Boel De Paepe ◽  
Maud Beuvin ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo study the genetic and phenotypic spectrum of patients harboring recessive mutations in BVES.MethodsWe performed whole-exome sequencing in a multicenter cohort of 1929 patients with a suspected hereditary myopathy, showing unexplained limb-girdle muscular weakness and/or elevated creatine kinase levels. Immunohistochemistry and mRNA experiments on patients' skeletal muscle tissue were performed to study the pathogenicity of identified loss-of-function (LOF) variants in BVES.ResultsWe identified 4 individuals from 3 families harboring homozygous LOF variants in BVES, the gene that encodes for Popeye domain containing protein 1 (POPDC1). Patients showed skeletal muscle involvement and cardiac conduction abnormalities of varying nature and severity, but all exhibited at least subclinical signs of both skeletal muscle and cardiac disease. All identified mutations lead to a partial or complete loss of function of BVES through nonsense-mediated decay or through functional changes to the POPDC1 protein.ConclusionsWe report the identification of homozygous LOF mutations in BVES, causal in a young adult-onset myopathy with concomitant cardiac conduction disorders in the absence of structural heart disease. These findings underline the role of POPDC1, and by extension, other members of this protein family, in striated muscle physiology and disease. This disorder appears to have a low prevalence, although it is probably underdiagnosed because of its striking phenotypic variability and often subtle yet clinically relevant manifestations, particularly concerning the cardiac conduction abnormalities.

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenda Comai ◽  
Eglantine Heude ◽  
Sebastian Mella ◽  
Sylvain Paisant ◽  
Francesca Pala ◽  
...  

In most vertebrates, the upper digestive tract is composed of muscularized jaws linked to the esophagus that permits food ingestion and swallowing. Masticatory and esophagus striated muscles (ESM) share a common cardiopharyngeal mesoderm (CPM) origin, however ESM are unusual among striated muscles as they are established in the absence of a primary skeletal muscle scaffold. Using mouse chimeras, we show that the transcription factors Tbx1 and Isl1 are required cell-autonomously for myogenic specification of ESM progenitors. Further, genetic loss-of-function and pharmacological studies point to MET/HGF signaling for antero-posterior migration of esophagus muscle progenitors, where Hgf ligand is expressed in adjacent smooth muscle cells. These observations highlight the functional relevance of a smooth and striated muscle progenitor dialogue for ESM patterning. Our findings establish a Tbx1-Isl1-Met genetic hierarchy that uniquely regulates esophagus myogenesis and identify distinct genetic signatures that can be used as framework to interpret pathologies arising within CPM derivatives.


2010 ◽  
Vol 189 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Gokhin ◽  
Raymond A. Lewis ◽  
Caroline R. McKeown ◽  
Roberta B. Nowak ◽  
Nancy E. Kim ◽  
...  

During myofibril assembly, thin filament lengths are precisely specified to optimize skeletal muscle function. Tropomodulins (Tmods) are capping proteins that specify thin filament lengths by controlling actin dynamics at pointed ends. In this study, we use a genetic targeting approach to explore the effects of deleting Tmod1 from skeletal muscle. Myofibril assembly, skeletal muscle structure, and thin filament lengths are normal in the absence of Tmod1. Tmod4 localizes to thin filament pointed ends in Tmod1-null embryonic muscle, whereas both Tmod3 and -4 localize to pointed ends in Tmod1-null adult muscle. Substitution by Tmod3 and -4 occurs despite their weaker interactions with striated muscle tropomyosins. However, the absence of Tmod1 results in depressed isometric stress production during muscle contraction, systemic locomotor deficits, and a shift to a faster fiber type distribution. Thus, Tmod3 and -4 compensate for the absence of Tmod1 structurally but not functionally. We conclude that Tmod1 is a novel regulator of skeletal muscle physiology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Thor ◽  
Vinojini Vivekanandam ◽  
Marisol Sampedro-Castañeda ◽  
S. Veronica Tan ◽  
Karen Suetterlin ◽  
...  

AbstractThe sarcolemmal voltage gated sodium channel NaV1.4 conducts the key depolarizing current that drives the upstroke of the skeletal muscle action potential. It contains four voltage-sensing domains (VSDs) that regulate the opening of the pore domain and ensuing permeation of sodium ions. Mutations that lead to increased NaV1.4 currents are found in patients with myotonia or hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis (HyperPP). Myotonia is also caused by mutations in the CLCN1gene that result in loss-of-function of the skeletal muscle chloride channel ClC-1. Mutations affecting arginine residues in the fourth transmembrane helix (S4) of the NaV1.4 VSDs can result in a leak current through the VSD and hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HypoPP), but these have hitherto not been associated with myotonia. We report a patient with an Nav1.4 S4 arginine mutation, R222Q, presenting with severe myotonia without fulminant paralytic episodes. Other mutations affecting the same residue, R222W and R222G, have been found in patients with HypoPP. We show that R222Q channels have enhanced activation, consistent with myotonia, but also conduct a leak current. The patient carries a concomitant synonymous CLCN1 variant that likely worsens the myotonia and potentially contributes to the amelioration of muscle paralysis. Our data show phenotypic variability for different mutations affecting the same S4 arginine that have implications for clinical therapy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Han ◽  
Lauren Z. Li ◽  
Nikhitha L. Kastury ◽  
Cody T. Thomas ◽  
Maggie P. Y. Lam ◽  
...  

RNA and protein levels correlate only partially and some transcripts are better correlated with their protein counterparts than others. This suggests that in aging and disease studies, some transcriptomics markers may carry more information in predicting protein-level changes. Here we applied a computational data analysis workflow to predict which transcriptomic changes are more likely relevant to protein-level regulation in striated muscle aging. The protein predictability of each transcript is estimated from existing large proteogenomics data sets, then transferred to new total RNA sequencing data comparing skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle in young adult (~4 months) mice vs. early aging (~20 months) mice. Aging cardiac and skeletal muscles both invoke transcriptomic changes in innate immune system and mitochondria pathways but diverge in extracellular matrix processes. On an individual gene level, we identified 611 age-associated signatures in skeletal and cardiac muscles at 10% FDR, including a number of myokine and cardiokine encoding genes. We estimate that about 48% of the aging-associated transcripts may predict protein levels well (r ≥ 0.5). In parallel, a comparison of the identified aging-regulated genes with public human transcriptomics data showed that only 35-45% of the identified genes show an age-dependent expression in corresponding human tissues. Finally, integrating both protein predictability and human translatability from multiple data sources, we nominate 134 prioritized aging signatures that are predicted to correlate strongly with protein levels and that show age-dependent expression in humans. These prioritized gene signatures may hold promise to understanding heart and skeletal muscle physiology in human and mouse aging.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenda Comai ◽  
Églantine Heude ◽  
Sebastien Mella ◽  
Sylvain Paisant ◽  
Francesca Pala ◽  
...  

SUMMARYIn most vertebrates, the upper digestive tract is composed of muscularised jaws linked to the esophagus that permit food uptake and swallowing. Masticatory and esophagus striated muscles (ESM) share a common cardiopharyngeal mesoderm (CPM) origin, however ESM are unusual among striated muscles as they are established in the absence of a primary skeletal muscle scaffold. Using mouse chimeras, we show that the transcription factors Tbx1 and Isl1 are required cell-autonomously for myogenic specification of ESM progenitors. Further, genetic loss-of-function and pharmacological studies point to Met/HGF signalling for antero-posterior migration of esophagus muscle progenitors, where HGF ligand is expressed in adjacent smooth muscle cells. These observations highlight the functional relevance of a smooth and striated muscle progenitor dialogue for ESM patterning. Our findings establish a Tbx1-Isl1-Met genetic hierarchy that uniquely regulate esophagus myogenesis and identify distinct genetic signatures that can be used as a framework to interpret pathologies arising within CPM derivatives.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Meng Wu ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
Hong-Ju Xie ◽  
Hong-Wei Liu

Silicone implant-based augmentation rhinoplasty or mammoplasty induces capsular contracture, which has been acknowledged as a process that develops an abnormal fibrotic capsule associated with the immune response to allogeneic materials. However, the signaling pathways leading to the nasal fibrosis remain poorly investigated. We aimed to explore the molecular mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of nasal capsular contracture, with a specific research interest in the signaling pathways involved in fibrotic development at the advanced stage of contracture. By examining our recently obtained RNA sequencing data and global gene expression profiling between grade II and grade IV nasal capsular tissues, we found that both the RAP1 and JAK/STAT signaling pathways were hyperactive in the contracted capsules. This was verified on quantitative real-time PCR which demonstrated upregulation of most of the representative component signatures in these pathways. Loss-of-function assays through siRNA-mediated Rap1 silencing and/or small molecule-directed inhibition of JAK/STAT pathway in ex vivo primary nasal fibroblasts caused a series of dramatic behavioral and functional changes, including decreased cell viability, increased apoptosis, reduced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, and synthesis of type I collagen, compared to control cells, and indicating the essential role of the RAP1 and JAK/STAT signaling pathways in nasal capsular fibrosis. Our results sheds light on targeting downstream signaling pathways for the prevention and therapy of silicone implant-induced nasal capsular contracture.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Silvia Ravalli ◽  
Concetta Federico ◽  
Giovanni Lauretta ◽  
Salvatore Saccone ◽  
Elisabetta Pricoco ◽  
...  

Skeletal muscle atrophy, resulting from states of hypokinesis or immobilization, leads to morphological, metabolic, and functional changes within the muscle tissue, a large variety of which are supported by the stromal cells populating the interstitium. Telocytes represent a recently discovered population of stromal cells, which has been increasingly identified in several human organs and appears to participate in sustaining cross-talk, promoting regenerative mechanisms and supporting differentiation of local stem cell niche. The aim of this morphologic study was to investigate the presence of Telocytes in the tibialis anterior muscle of healthy rats undergoing an endurance training protocol for either 4 weeks or 16 weeks compared to sedentary rats. Histomorphometric analysis of muscle fibers diameter revealed muscle atrophy in sedentary rats. Telocytes were identified by double-positive immunofluorescence staining for CD34/CD117 and CD34/vimentin. The results showed that Telocytes were significantly reduced in sedentary rats at 16 weeks, while rats subjected to regular exercise maintained a stable Telocytes population after 16 weeks. Understanding of the relationship between Telocytes and exercise offers new chances in the field of regenerative medicine, suggesting possible triggers for Telocytes in sarcopenia and other musculoskeletal disorders, promoting adapted physical activity and rehabilitation programmes in clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liselotte Bruun Christiansen ◽  
Tine Lovsø Dohlmann ◽  
Trine Pagh Ludvigsen ◽  
Ewa Parfieniuk ◽  
Michal Ciborowski ◽  
...  

AbstractStatins lower the risk of cardiovascular events but have been associated with mitochondrial functional changes in a tissue-dependent manner. We investigated tissue-specific modifications of mitochondrial function in liver, heart and skeletal muscle mediated by chronic statin therapy in a Göttingen Minipig model. We hypothesized that statins enhance the mitochondrial function in heart but impair skeletal muscle and liver mitochondria. Mitochondrial respiratory capacities, citrate synthase activity, coenzyme Q10 concentrations and protein carbonyl content (PCC) were analyzed in samples of liver, heart and skeletal muscle from three groups of Göttingen Minipigs: a lean control group (CON, n = 6), an obese group (HFD, n = 7) and an obese group treated with atorvastatin for 28 weeks (HFD + ATO, n = 7). Atorvastatin concentrations were analyzed in each of the three tissues and in plasma from the Göttingen Minipigs. In treated minipigs, atorvastatin was detected in the liver and in plasma. A significant reduction in complex I + II-supported mitochondrial respiratory capacity was seen in liver of HFD + ATO compared to HFD (P = 0.022). Opposite directed but insignificant modifications of mitochondrial respiratory capacity were seen in heart versus skeletal muscle in HFD + ATO compared to the HFD group. In heart muscle, the HFD + ATO had significantly higher PCC compared to the HFD group (P = 0.0323). In the HFD group relative to CON, liver mitochondrial respiration decreased whereas in skeletal muscle, respiration increased but these changes were insignificant when normalizing for mitochondrial content. Oral atorvastatin treatment in Göttingen Minipigs is associated with a reduced mitochondrial respiratory capacity in the liver that may be linked to increased content of atorvastatin in this organ.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 6039
Author(s):  
Justine Meunier ◽  
Rocio-Nur Villar-Quiles ◽  
Isabelle Duband-Goulet ◽  
Ana Ferreiro

Defects in transcriptional and cell cycle regulation have emerged as novel pathophysiological mechanisms in congenital neuromuscular disease with the recent identification of mutations in the TRIP4 and ASCC1 genes, encoding, respectively, ASC-1 and ASCC1, two subunits of the ASC-1 (Activating Signal Cointegrator-1) complex. This complex is a poorly known transcriptional coregulator involved in transcriptional, post-transcriptional or translational activities. Inherited defects in components of the ASC-1 complex have been associated with several autosomal recessive phenotypes, including severe and mild forms of striated muscle disease (congenital myopathy with or without myocardial involvement), but also cases diagnosed of motor neuron disease (spinal muscular atrophy). Additionally, antenatal bone fractures were present in the reported patients with ASCC1 mutations. Functional studies revealed that the ASC-1 subunit is a novel regulator of cell cycle, proliferation and growth in muscle and non-muscular cells. In this review, we summarize and discuss the available data on the clinical and histopathological phenotypes associated with inherited defects of the ASC-1 complex proteins, the known genotype–phenotype correlations, the ASC-1 pathophysiological role, the puzzling question of motoneuron versus primary muscle involvement and potential future research avenues, illustrating the study of rare monogenic disorders as an interesting model paradigm to understand major physiological processes.


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