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Ecovoiu AA, Ratiu AC, Micheu MM, Chifiriuc MC. Inter-Species Rescue of Mutant Phenotype—The Standard for Genetic Analysis of Human Genetic Disorders in Drosophila melanogaster Model. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23052613. [PMID: 35269756 PMCID: PMC8909942 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly) is arguably a superstar of genetics, an astonishing versatile experimental model which fueled no less than six Nobel prizes in medicine. Nowadays, an evolving research endeavor is to simulate and investigate human genetic diseases in the powerful D. melanogaster platform. Such a translational experimental strategy is expected to allow scientists not only to understand the molecular mechanisms of the respective disorders but also to alleviate or even cure them. In this regard, functional gene orthology should be initially confirmed in vivo by transferring human or vertebrate orthologous transgenes in specific mutant backgrounds of D. melanogaster. If such a transgene rescues, at least partially, the mutant phenotype, then it qualifies as a strong candidate for modeling the respective genetic disorder in the fruit fly. Herein, we review various examples of inter-species rescue of relevant mutant phenotypes of the fruit fly and discuss how these results recommend several human genes as candidates to study and validate genetic variants associated with human diseases. We also consider that a wider implementation of this evolutionist exploratory approach as a standard for the medicine of genetic disorders would allow this particular field of human health to advance at a faster pace.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru Al. Ecovoiu
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 060101 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Attila Cristian Ratiu
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 060101 Bucharest, Romania;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +40-722250366
| | - Miruna Mihaela Micheu
- Department of Cardiology, Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, 014461 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Mariana Carmen Chifiriuc
- The Research Institute of the University of Bucharest and Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 050095 Bucharest, Romania;
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Kreipke RE, Kwon YV, Shcherbata HR, Ruohola-Baker H. Drosophila melanogaster as a Model of Muscle Degeneration Disorders. Curr Top Dev Biol 2016; 121:83-109. [PMID: 28057309 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2016.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster provides a powerful platform with which researchers can dissect complex genetic questions and biochemical pathways relevant to a vast array of human diseases and disorders. Of particular interest, much work has been done with flies to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle degeneration diseases. The fly is particularly useful for modeling muscle degeneration disorders because there are no identified satellite muscle cells to repair adult muscle following injury. This allows for the identification of endogenous processes of muscle degeneration as discrete events, distinguishable from phenotypes due to the lack of stem cell-based regeneration. In this review, we will discuss the ways in which the fruit fly provides a powerful platform with which to study human muscle degeneration disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Kreipke
- University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Y V Kwon
- University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - H R Shcherbata
- Max Planck Research Group of Gene Expression and Signaling, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | - H Ruohola-Baker
- University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, United States.
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Abstract
The high level of conservation of the cardiogenic gene regulatory network as well as of the cellular and physiological characteristics of the cardiomyocytes between fly and human, makes the small heart of this invertebrate the simplest and most flexible genetic system to dissect the fundamental molecular mechanisms that are brought into play during the development, the establishment and the maintenance of the cardiac function. The recent improvements in techniques of measurements of cardiac function made it possible to validate Drosophila as a model of cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias of genetic and metabolic origin or dependent of ageing. The heart of the fly thus represents a model of choice to identify genes and their interactions implicated in cardiac pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Perrin
- Inserm UMR_S 1090, Technological advances for genomics and clinics (TAGC), parc scientifique de Luminy, case 908, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France - CNRS, Marseille, France - Aix-Marseille université, UMR_S 1090, TAGC, parc scientifique de Luminy, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Laurence Röder
- Inserm UMR_S 1090, Technological advances for genomics and clinics (TAGC), parc scientifique de Luminy, case 908, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France - Aix-Marseille université, UMR_S 1090, TAGC, parc scientifique de Luminy, 13288 Marseille, France
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Farini A, Sitzia C, Cassinelli L, Colleoni F, Parolini D, Giovanella U, Maciotta S, Colombo A, Meregalli M, Torrente Y. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3)-dependent Ca2+ signaling mediates delayed myogenesis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy fetal muscle. Development 2016; 143:658-69. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.126193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive neuromuscular disorder characterized by muscle wasting and premature death. The defective gene is dystrophin, a structural protein, absence of which causes membrane fragility and myofiber necrosis. Several lines of evidence showed that in adult DMD patients dystrophin is involved in signaling pathways that regulate calcium homeostasis and differentiation programs. However, secondary aspects of the disease, such as inflammation and fibrosis development, might represent a bias in the analysis. Because fetal muscle is not influenced by gravity and does not suffer from mechanical load and/or inflammation, we investigated 12-week-old fetal DMD skeletal muscles, highlighting for the first time early alterations in signaling pathways mediated by the absence of dystrophin itself. We found that PLC/IP3/IP3R/Ryr1/Ca2+ signaling is widely active in fetal DMD skeletal muscles and, through the calcium-dependent PKCα protein, exerts a fundamental regulatory role in delaying myogenesis and in myofiber commitment. These data provide new insights into the origin of DMD pathology during muscle development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Farini
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
| | - Clementina Sitzia
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
| | - Letizia Cassinelli
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
| | - Federica Colleoni
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
| | - Daniele Parolini
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
| | - Umberto Giovanella
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio delle Macromolecole (CNR-ISMAC), via Bassini 15, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Simona Maciotta
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
| | - Augusto Colombo
- Servizio ‘Legge 194’ Dipartimento BDN-Fondazione IRCCS, Policlinico Mangiagalli-Regina Elena, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Italy
| | - Mirella Meregalli
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
| | - Yvan Torrente
- Laboratorio di Cellule Staminali, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia medico-chirurgica e dei Trapianti, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Centro Dino Ferrari, Via Francesco Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Centro Dino Ferrari, Italy
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X-Linked Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Cardiospecific Phenotype of Dystrophinopathy. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2015; 8:303-20. [PMID: 26066469 PMCID: PMC4491663 DOI: 10.3390/ph8020303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked dilated cardiomyopathy (XLDCM) is a distinct phenotype of dystrophinopathy characterized by preferential cardiac involvement without any overt skeletal myopathy. XLDCM is caused by mutations of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene and results in lethal heart failure in individuals between 10 and 20 years. Patients with Becker muscular dystrophy, an allelic disorder, have a milder phenotype of skeletal muscle involvement compared to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and sometimes present with dilated cardiomyopathy. The precise relationship between mutations in the DMD gene and cardiomyopathy remain unclear. However, some hypothetical mechanisms are being considered to be associated with the presence of some several dystrophin isoforms, certain reported mutations, and an unknown dystrophin-related pathophysiological mechanism. Recent therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the severe dystrophinopathy phenotype, appears promising, but the presence of XLDCM highlights the importance of focusing on cardiomyopathy while elucidating the pathomechanism and developing treatment.
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Lostal W, Kodippili K, Yue Y, Duan D. Full-length dystrophin reconstitution with adeno-associated viral vectors. Hum Gene Ther 2014; 25:552-62. [PMID: 24580018 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2013.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common lethal muscle disorder in children. It is caused by mutations of the dystrophin gene. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene replacement therapy has been actively pursued to treat DMD. However, this promising therapeutic modality has been challenged by the small packaging capacity of the AAV vector. The size of the full-length dystrophin cDNA is >11 kb, while an AAV virus can carry only a 5 kb genome. Innovative high-capacity AAV vectors may offer an opportunity to express the full-length dystrophin coding sequence. Here we describe several sets of tri-AAV vectors for full-length human dystrophin delivery. In each set, the full-length human dystrophin cDNA was split into three fragments and independently packaged into separate recombinant AAV vectors. Each vector was engineered with unique recombination signals for directional recombination. Tri-AAV vectors were coinjected into the tibialis anterior muscle of dystrophin-deficient mdx4cv mice. Thirty-five days after injection, dystrophin expression was examined by immunofluorescence staining. Despite low reconstitution efficiency, full-length human dystrophin was successfully expressed from the tri-AAV vectors. Our results suggest that AAV can be engineered to express an extra-large (up to 15 kb) gene that is approximately three times the size of the wild-type AAV genome. Further optimization of the trivector strategy may expand the utility of AAV for human gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Lostal
- 1 Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri , Columbia, MO 65212
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