Validation of DE50-MD dogs as a model for the brain phenotype of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Disease Models & Mechanisms

John C. W. Hildyard¹  Richard J. Piercy¹  Sophie A. M. Rushing¹  Abbe H. Crawford¹  Dominic J. Wells²  Maria Diez-Leon³ 

[1] Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, London NW1 0TU, UK;Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London NW1 0TU, UK;Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London AL9 7TA, UK;

关键词: duchenne muscular dystrophy;    brain;    cognitive;    dog;    animal model;   

DOI  :  10.1242/dmm.049291

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a fatal musculoskeletal disease, is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and cognitive impairment caused by brain dystrophin deficiency. Dog models of DMD represent key translational tools to study dystrophin biology and to develop novel therapeutics. However, characterisation of dystrophin expression and function in the canine brain is lacking. We studied the DE50-MD canine model of DMD that has a missense mutation in the donor splice site of exon 50. Using a battery of cognitive tests, we detected a neurocognitive phenotype in DE50-MD dogs, including reduced attention, problem solving and exploration of novel objects. Through a combination of capillary immunoelectrophoresis, immunolabelling, quantitative PCR and RNAScope in situ hybridisation, we show that regional dystrophin expression in the adult canine brain reflects that of humans, and that the DE50-MD dog lacks full-length dystrophin (Dp427) protein expression but retains expression of the two shorter brain-expressed isoforms, Dp140 and Dp71. Thus, the DE50-MD dog is a translationally relevant pre-clinical model to study the consequences of Dp427 deficiency in the brain and to develop therapeutic strategies for the neurological sequelae of DMD.

【 授权许可】

Unknown