PUBLICATION

NIM811, a cyclophilin inhibitor without immunosuppressive activity, is beneficial in collagen VI congenital muscular dystrophy models

Authors
Zulian, A., Rizzo, E., Schiavone, M., Palma, E., Tagliavini, F., Blaauw, B., Merlini, L., Maraldi, N.M., Sabatelli, P., Braghetta, P., Bonaldo, P., Argenton, F., Bernardi, P.
ID
ZDB-PUB-140524-7
Date
2014
Source
Human molecular genetics   23(20): 5353-63 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Argenton, Francesco, Schiavone, Marco
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis/drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Collagen Type VI/genetics*
  • Collagen Type VI/metabolism*
  • Cyclosporine/administration & dosage*
  • Cyclosporine/therapeutic use
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mitochondria/metabolism
  • Muscle Strength/drug effects
  • Muscular Dystrophies/congenital
  • Muscular Dystrophies/drug therapy*
  • Muscular Dystrophies/genetics
  • Muscular Dystrophies/pathology*
  • Zebrafish
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
PubMed
24852368 Full text @ Hum. Mol. Genet.
Abstract
Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (UCMD) and Bethlem Myopathy (BM) are inherited muscle diseases due to mutations in the genes encoding the extracellular matrix protein collagen (Col) VI. Opening of the cyclosporin A-sensitive mitochondrial permeability transition pore is a causative event in disease pathogenesis, and a potential target for therapy. Here we have tested the effect of N-methyl-4-isoleucine-cyclosporin (NIM811), a non-immunosuppressive cyclophilin inhibitor, in a zebrafish model of ColVI myopathy obtained by deletion of the N-terminal region of the ColVI α1 triple helical domain, a common mutation of UCMD. Treatment with antisense morpholino sequences targeting col6a1 exon 9 at the 1-4 cell stage (within 1 hour post fertilization, hpf) caused severe ultrastructural and motor abnormalities as assessed by electron and fluorescence microscopy, birefringence, spontaneous coiling events and touch-evoked responses measured at 24-48 hpf. Structural and functional abnormalities were largely prevented when NIM811 -which proved significantly more effective than cyclosporin A- was administered at 21 hpf, while FK506 was ineffective. Beneficial effects of NIM811 were also detected (i) in primary muscle-derived cell cultures from UCMD and BM patients, where the typical mitochondrial alterations and depolarizing response to rotenone and oligomycin were significantly reduced; and (ii) in the Col6a1(-/-) myopathic mouse model, where apoptosis was prevented and muscle strength was increased. Since the permeability transition pore of zebrafish shares its key regulatory features with the mammalian pore, our results suggest that early treatment with NIM811 should be tested as a potential therapy for UCMD and BM.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping