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Hoolachan JM, McCallion E, Sutton ER, Çetin Ö, Pacheco-Torres P, Dimitriadi M, Sari S, Miller GJ, Okoh M, Walter LM, Claus P, Wood MJA, Tonge DP, Bowerman M. A transcriptomics-based drug repositioning approach to identify drugs with similar activities for the treatment of muscle pathologies in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) models. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:400-425. [PMID: 37947217 PMCID: PMC10877467 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disorder caused by the reduction of survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein levels. Although three SMN-augmentation therapies are clinically approved that significantly slow down disease progression, they are unfortunately not cures. Thus, complementary SMN-independent therapies that can target key SMA pathologies and that can support the clinically approved SMN-dependent drugs are the forefront of therapeutic development. We have previously demonstrated that prednisolone, a synthetic glucocorticoid (GC) improved muscle health and survival in severe Smn-/-;SMN2 and intermediate Smn2B/- SMA mice. However, long-term administration of prednisolone can promote myopathy. We thus wanted to identify genes and pathways targeted by prednisolone in skeletal muscle to discover clinically approved drugs that are predicted to emulate prednisolone's activities. Using an RNA-sequencing, bioinformatics, and drug repositioning pipeline on skeletal muscle from symptomatic prednisolone-treated and untreated Smn-/-; SMN2 SMA and Smn+/-; SMN2 healthy mice, we identified molecular targets linked to prednisolone's ameliorative effects and a list of 580 drug candidates with similar predicted activities. Two of these candidates, metformin and oxandrolone, were further investigated in SMA cellular and animal models, which highlighted that these compounds do not have the same ameliorative effects on SMA phenotypes as prednisolone; however, a number of other important drug targets remain. Overall, our work further supports the usefulness of prednisolone's potential as a second-generation therapy for SMA, identifies a list of potential SMA drug treatments and highlights improvements for future transcriptomic-based drug repositioning studies in SMA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Hoolachan
- School of Medicine, David Weatherall Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Eve McCallion
- School of Medicine, David Weatherall Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Emma R Sutton
- School of Medicine, David Weatherall Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Özge Çetin
- School of Medicine, David Weatherall Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Paloma Pacheco-Torres
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL910 9AB, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Dimitriadi
- School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL910 9AB, United Kingdom
| | - Suat Sari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, 06100, Turkey
- School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Lennard-Jones Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin J Miller
- School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Lennard-Jones Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
- Centre for Glycoscience, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Magnus Okoh
- School of Medicine, David Weatherall Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Lisa M Walter
- SMATHERIA gGmbH – Non-Profit Biomedical Research Institute, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 31, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Centre of Systems Neuroscience (ZSN), Hannover Medical School, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Peter Claus
- SMATHERIA gGmbH – Non-Profit Biomedical Research Institute, Feodor-Lynen-Straße 31, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Centre of Systems Neuroscience (ZSN), Hannover Medical School, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Matthew J A Wood
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Level 2, Children's Hospital, John Radcliffe, Headington Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel P Tonge
- School of Life Sciences, Huxley Building, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
| | - Melissa Bowerman
- School of Medicine, David Weatherall Building, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
- Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, SY10 7AG, United Kingdom
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Meijboom KE, Sutton ER, McCallion E, McFall E, Anthony D, Edwards B, Kubinski S, Tapken I, Bünermann I, Hazell G, Ahlskog N, Claus P, Davies KE, Kothary R, Wood MJA, Bowerman M. Dysregulation of Tweak and Fn14 in skeletal muscle of spinal muscular atrophy mice. Skelet Muscle 2022; 12:18. [PMID: 35902978 PMCID: PMC9331072 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-022-00301-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a childhood neuromuscular disorder caused by depletion of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. SMA is characterized by the selective death of spinal cord motor neurons, leading to progressive muscle wasting. Loss of skeletal muscle in SMA is a combination of denervation-induced muscle atrophy and intrinsic muscle pathologies. Elucidation of the pathways involved is essential to identify the key molecules that contribute to and sustain muscle pathology. The tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK)/TNF receptor superfamily member fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) pathway has been shown to play a critical role in the regulation of denervation-induced muscle atrophy as well as muscle proliferation, differentiation, and metabolism in adults. However, it is not clear whether this pathway would be important in highly dynamic and developing muscle. METHODS We thus investigated the potential role of the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway in SMA muscle pathology, using the severe Taiwanese Smn-/-; SMN2 and the less severe Smn2B/- SMA mice, which undergo a progressive neuromuscular decline in the first three post-natal weeks. We also used experimental models of denervation and muscle injury in pre-weaned wild-type (WT) animals and siRNA-mediated knockdown in C2C12 muscle cells to conduct additional mechanistic investigations. RESULTS Here, we report significantly dysregulated expression of Tweak, Fn14, and previously proposed downstream effectors during disease progression in skeletal muscle of the two SMA mouse models. In addition, siRNA-mediated Smn knockdown in C2C12 myoblasts suggests a genetic interaction between Smn and the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway. Further analyses of SMA, Tweak-/-, and Fn14-/- mice revealed dysregulated myopathy, myogenesis, and glucose metabolism pathways as a common skeletal muscle feature, providing further evidence in support of a relationship between the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway and Smn. Finally, administration of the TWEAK/Fn14 agonist Fc-TWEAK improved disease phenotypes in the two SMA mouse models. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides mechanistic insights into potential molecular players that contribute to muscle pathology in SMA and into likely differential responses of the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway in developing muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina E Meijboom
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Gene Therapy Center, UMass Medical School, Worcester, USA
| | - Emma R Sutton
- School of Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Eve McCallion
- School of Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Emily McFall
- Regenerative Medicine Program and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Daniel Anthony
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Benjamin Edwards
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sabrina Kubinski
- Center for Systems Neuroscience and Institute of Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ines Tapken
- Center for Systems Neuroscience and Institute of Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,SMATHERIA - Non-Profit Biomedical Research Institute, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ines Bünermann
- SMATHERIA - Non-Profit Biomedical Research Institute, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gareth Hazell
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nina Ahlskog
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter Claus
- Center for Systems Neuroscience and Institute of Neuroanatomy and Cell Biology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,SMATHERIA - Non-Profit Biomedical Research Institute, Hannover, Germany
| | - Kay E Davies
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rashmi Kothary
- Regenerative Medicine Program and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Matthew J A Wood
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Melissa Bowerman
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,School of Medicine, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK. .,Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, UK.
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