JCB logo
Accuri Cytometers
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
Published online 5 March 2001. doi:10.1083/jcb.152.5.1107
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF, 623K)
Right arrow PPT slides of all figures
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JCB
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cifuentes-Diaz, C.
Right arrow Articles by Melki, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Cifuentes-Diaz, C.
Right arrow Articles by Melki, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

© The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525/2001//1107 $5.00
The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 152, Number 5, , 2001 1107-1114

Report

Deletion of Murine SMN Exon 7 Directed to Skeletal Muscle Leads to Severe Muscular Dystrophy



Carmen Cifuentes-Diaza, Tony Frugiera, Francesco D. Tizianoa, Emmanuelle Lacènea, Natacha Roblota, Vandana Joshia, Marie Helene Moreaub, and Judith Melkia

a Molecular Neurogenetics Laboratory, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Université d'Evry, EMI-9913, Genopole, 91057 Evry, France
b Laboratoire de Biologie Clinique, Centre Hospitalier Sud-Francilien, 91014 Evry, France
Molecular Neurogenetics Laboratory, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Université d'Evry, EMI-9913, Genopole, 2 rue Gaston Crémieux, CP5724, 91057 Evry, France.331 6087 4550331 6087 4552

j.melki{at}genopole.inserm.fr

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is characterized by degeneration of motor neurons of the spinal cord associated with muscle paralysis and caused by mutations of the survival motor neuron gene (SMN). To determine whether SMN gene defect in skeletal muscle might have a role in SMA pathogenesis, deletion of murine SMN exon 7, the most frequent mutation found in SMA, has been restricted to skeletal muscle by using the Cre-loxP system. Mutant mice display ongoing muscle necrosis with a dystrophic phenotype leading to muscle paralysis and death. The dystrophic phenotype is associated with elevated levels of creatine kinase activity, Evans blue dye uptake into muscle fibers, reduced amount of dystrophin and upregulation of utrophin expression suggesting a destabilization of the sarcolemma components. The mutant mice will be a valuable model for elucidating the underlying mechanism. Moreover, our results suggest a primary involvement of skeletal muscle in human SMA, which may contribute to motor defect in addition to muscle denervation caused by the motor neuron degeneration. These data may have important implications for the development of therapeutic strategies in SMA.

Key Words: spinal muscular atrophy • SMN • Cre-loxP • skeletal muscle • sarcolemma

© 2001 The Rockefeller University Press

Carmen Cifuentes-Diaz and Tony Frugier contributed equally to this work.

Abbreviations used in this paper: AChR, acetylcholine receptor, ChAT, choline acetyl transferase; CK, creatine kinase; DGC, dystrophin–glycoprotein complex; EBD, Evans blue dye; SMA, spinal muscular atrophy; SMN, survival motor neuron; RT, reverse transcription; U snRNP, uridine-rich small ribonucleoprotein.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?




  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents