Rho-kinase inactivation prolongs survival of an intermediate SMA mouse model

Bowerman, Mélissa; Beauvais, Ariane; Anderson, Carrie L.; Kothary, Rashmi

doi:10.1093/hmg/ddq021

Cited by 150 publications

(150 citation statements)

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“…32 It is important to note that increased activation of RhoA GTPase was identified in the spinal cord of intermediate SMA mice and the inhibition of the main RhoA target ROCK contributes to their lifespan extension. 44 We found increased methylation levels at one CpG site in the ARHGAP22 gene in both severe and mild SMA patients compared with the corresponding controls that may explain the decreased expression level of this gene and consequently the lower level of Rho GTPase inhibition in the patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Genome-wide analysis shows association of epigenetic changes in regulators of Rab and Rho GTPases with spinal muscular atrophy severity

et al. 2013

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Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a monogenic disorder that is subdivided into four different types and caused by survival motor neuron gene 1 (SMN1) deletion. Discordant cases of SMA suggest that there exist additional severity modifying factors, apart from the SMN2 gene copy number. Here we performed the first genome-wide methylation profiling of SMA patients and healthy individuals to study the association of DNA methylation status with the severity of the SMA phenotype. We identified strong significant differences in methylation level between SMA patients and healthy controls in CpG sites close to the genes CHML, ARHGAP22, CYTSB, CDK2AP1 and SLC23A2. Interestingly, the CHML and ARHGAP22 genes are associated with the activity of Rab and Rho GTPases, which are important regulators of vesicle formation, actin dynamics, axonogenesis, processes that could be critical for SMA development. We suggest that epigenetic modifications may influence the severity of SMA and that these novel genetic positions could prove to be valuable biomarkers for the understanding of SMA pathogenesis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Genome-wide analysis shows association of epigenetic changes in regulators of Rab and Rho GTPases with spinal muscular atrophy severity

et al. 2013

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“…3), translation control ("eIF3 complex") (21-24), endocytosis ("Snap/SNARE complex") (25,26), and protein transport ("flotillin complex") (27)(28)(29). Importantly, several genetic modifiers fall within protein complexes whose functions have not been previously associated with Smn function.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic circuitry of Survival motor neuron , the gene underlying spinal muscular atrophy

Sen

Dimlich

Guruharsha

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The clinical severity of the neurodegenerative disorder spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is dependent on the levels of functional Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) protein. Consequently, current strategies for developing treatments for SMA generally focus on augmenting SMN levels. To identify additional potential therapeutic avenues and achieve a greater understanding of SMN, we applied in vivo, in vitro, and in silico approaches to identify genetic and biochemical interactors of the Drosophila SMN homolog. We identified more than 300 candidate genes that alter an Smn-dependent phenotype in vivo. Integrating the results from our genetic screens, large-scale protein interaction studies, and bioinformatic analysis, we define a unique interactome for SMN that provides a knowledge base for a better understanding of SMA.pinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic cause of infant mortality, results from the partial loss of Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) gene activity (1). Numerous studies indicate that SMN functions as a central component of a complex that is responsible for the assembly of spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) (reviewed in ref.2). SMN is also reported to play additional roles, including mRNA trafficking in the axon (3). In humans, SMN is encoded by two nearly identical genes, SMN1 and SMN2, which are located on chromosome 5 (4). SMN2 differs from SMN1 in that only 10% of SMN2 transcripts produce functional SMN due to a single-nucleotide polymorphism that results in inefficient splicing of exon 7 and translation of a truncated, unstable SMN protein (1,5,6). The clinical severity of SMA correlates with the SMN2 copy number, which varies between individuals (7). As the small amount of functional SMN2 protein produced by each copy of the gene is capable of partially compensating for the loss of the SMN1 gene function, higher copy numbers of SMN2 typically result in milder forms of SMA. Therefore, genetic modifiers capable of increasing the abundance and/or specific activity of SMN hold promise as therapeutic targets.The Drosophila genome harbors a single, highly conserved ortholog of SMN1/2, the Smn gene. SMN is essential for cell viability in vertebrates and Drosophila (8, 9). In Drosophila, zygotic loss of Smn function results in recessive larval lethality (not embryonic as might be expected) due to the rescue of early development by maternal contribution of Smn. The larval phenotype includes neuromuscular junction (NMJ) abnormalities that are reminiscent of those associated with the human disease, rendering this invertebrate organism an excellent system to model SMN biology (9-11). We previously described a genetic screen for modifiers of the lethal phenotype resulting from a complete lossof-function Smn allele (12). This screen, although it probed half of the Drosophila genome, identified only a relatively small number of genes that affected the NMJ phenotype associated with Smn loss of function (12). In particular, it did not identify genes involved in snRNP biogenesis, the molecular func...

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“…Several lines of experimental evidence suggest that skeletal muscle is not an innocent spectator but that SMN deficiency in muscle could actively contribute to SMA disease pathology [Bowerman et al, 2007[Bowerman et al, , 2009[Bowerman et al, , 2010[Bowerman et al, , 2012. Indeed, current evidence indicates that SMN likely plays a role in both the pre-and post-synaptic sides of the NMJ.…”

Section: Smn: How Many Functions Can a Single Protein Possess?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Solving the puzzle of spinal muscular atrophy: What are the missing pieces?

Tiziano

Melki

Simard

2013

American J of Med Genetics Pt A

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Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive, lower motor neuron disease. Clinical heterogeneity is pervasive: three infantile (type I-III) and one adult-onset (type IV) forms are recognized. Type I SMA is the most common genetic cause of death in infancy and accounts for about 50% of all patients with SMA. Most forms of SMA are caused by mutations of the survival motor neuron (SMN1) gene. A second gene that is 99% identical to SMN1 (SMN2) is located in the same region. The only functionally relevant difference between the two genes identified to date is a C ! T transition in exon 7 of SMN2, which determines an alternative spliced isoform that predominantly excludes exon 7. Thus, SMN2 genes do not produce sufficient full length SMN protein to prevent the onset of the disease. Since the identification of the causative mutation, biomedical research of SMA has progressed by leaps and bounds: from clues on the function of SMN protein, to the development of different models of the disease, to the identification of potential treatments, some of which are currently in human trials. The aim of this review is to elucidate the current state of knowledge, emphasizing how close we are to the solution of the puzzle that is SMA, and, more importantly, to highlight the missing pieces of this puzzle. Filling in these gaps in our knowledge will likely accelerate the development and delivery of efficient treatments for SMA patients and be a prerequisite towards achieving our final goal, the cure of SMA. Ó 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Key words: spinal muscular atrophy; SMN INTRODUCTIONSpinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a lower motor neuron disease that predominantly affects spinal cord anterior horn cells and brain stem nuclei [Dubowitz, 1995; reviewed in Hamilton and Gillingwater, 2013]. Alpha-motor neuron cell degeneration results in progressive, symmetrical skeletal muscle atrophy of limbs and trunk, spreading proximal to distal [Crawford and Pardo, 1996]. Clinical heterogeneity is pervasive: based on the age of onset and on the maximum motor achievement of patients, three infantile (type I-III) and one adult-onset (type IV) forms are commonly recognized. Classification criteria are summarized in Table I. However, this rigid classification does not accurately depict the range of SMA clinical phenotypes, which display a more continuous spectrum, ranging from prenatal onset to almost asymptomatic patients. SMA is a common autosomal recessive disorder (incidence is $1 in 6,000 in most ethnicities). Type I SMA is the most common genetic cause of death in infancy and accounts for about 50% of all patients with SMA [Crawford and Pardo, 1996;Prior, 2010].Most forms of SMA are caused by mutations in the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene, which was isolated in 1995 in chromosome 5q13 harboring a segmental duplication [Lefebvre et al., 1995]. Mutations in SMN1 are responsible for the four forms of SMA [Wirth, 2000;Alías et al., 2009]. A second gene that is 99% identical to SMN1, the SMN2 gene, is located in the same region [Le...

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Rho-kinase inactivation prolongs survival of an intermediate SMA mouse model

Cited by 150 publications

References 54 publications

Genome-wide analysis shows association of epigenetic changes in regulators of Rab and Rho GTPases with spinal muscular atrophy severity

Genome-wide analysis shows association of epigenetic changes in regulators of Rab and Rho GTPases with spinal muscular atrophy severity

Genetic circuitry of Survival motor neuron , the gene underlying spinal muscular atrophy

Solving the puzzle of spinal muscular atrophy: What are the missing pieces?

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