Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by an alanine tract expansion mutation in Poly(A)-binding protein nuclear 1 (expPABPN1). To model OPMD in a myogenic and physiological context, we generated mouse myoblast cell clones stably expressing either human wild type (WT) or expPABPN1 at low levels. The transgene expression is induced upon myotube differentiation and results in formation of insoluble nuclear PABPN1 aggregates that are similar to the in vivo aggregates. Quantitative analysis of PABPN1 protein in myotube cultures revealed that expPABPN1 accumulation and aggregation is greater than that of the WT protein. In a comparative study we found that aggregation of expPABPN1 is more affected by inhibition of proteasome activity, as compared with the WT PABPN1 aggregation. Consistent with this, in myotubes cultures expressing expPABPN1 deregulation of the proteasome was identified as the most significantly deregulated pathway. Differences in the accumulation of soluble WT and expPABPN1 were consistent with differences in ubiquitination and protein turnover. This study indicates, for the first time, that in myotubes the ratio of soluble to insoluble expPABPN1 is significantly lower compared to that of the WT protein. We suggest that this difference can contribute to muscle weakness in OPMD.
Modeling oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy in myotube cultures reveals reduced accumulation of soluble mutant PABPN1 protein.
Cell line
View SamplesZFP57 is necessary for maintaining repressive epigenetic modifications at Imprinting control regions (ICRs). In mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), ZFP57 binds ICRs (ICRBS) and many other loci (non-ICRBS). To address the role of ZFP57 on all its target sites, we performed high-throughput and multi-locus analyses of inbred and hybrid mouse ESC lines carrying different gene knockouts. By using an allele-specific RNA-seq approach, we demonstrate that ZFP57 loss results in derepression of the imprinted allele of multiple genes in the imprinted clusters. We also find marked epigenetic differences between ICRBS and non-ICRBS suggesting that different cis-acting regulatory functions are repressed by ZFP57 at these two classes of target loci. Overall, these data demonstrate that ZFP57 is pivotal to maintain the allele-specific epigenetic modifications of ICRs that in turn are necessary for maintaining the imprinted expression over long distances. At non-ICRBS, ZFP57 inactivation results in acquisition of epigenetic features that are characteristic of poised enhancers, suggesting that another function of ZFP57 in early embryogenesis is to repress cis-acting regulatory elements whose activity is not yet required. Overall design: Examination of mRNA levels in Zfp57-/- mouse ESCs compared to the wild-type.
ZFP57 maintains the parent-of-origin-specific expression of the imprinted genes and differentially affects non-imprinted targets in mouse embryonic stem cells.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesIKKe was identified previously as a breast cancer oncogene and was associated with poor clinical outcome in ovarian cancer.
IKK-ε coordinates invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer.
Specimen part, Cell line, Treatment
View SamplesOculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late-onset progressive muscle disorder caused by a poly-alanine expansion mutation in PABPN1. The hallmark of OPMD is the accumulation of the mutant protein in insoluble nuclear inclusions. The molecular mechanisms associated with disease onset and progression are unknown. We performed a high-throughput cross-species transcriptome study of affected muscles from two OPMD animal models and from patients at pre-symptomatic and symptomatic stages. The most consistently and significantly OPMD-deregulated pathway across species is the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). By analyzing expression profiles, we found that the majority of OPMD-deregulated genes are age-associated. Based on expression trends, disease onset can be separated from progression; the expression profiles of the proteasome-encoding genes are associated with onset but not with progression. In a muscle cell model, proteasome inhibition and the stimulation of immunoproteasome specifically affect the accumulation and aggregation of mutant PABPN1. We suggest that proteasome down-regulation during muscle aging triggers the accumulation of expPABPN1 that in turn enhances proteasome deregulation and leads to intranuclear inclusions (INI) formation.
Deregulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system is the predominant molecular pathology in OPMD animal models and patients.
Sex, Age, Disease, Disease stage
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