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MicroRNA-486–dependent modulation of DOCK3/PTEN/AKT signaling pathways improves muscular dystrophy–associated symptoms
Matthew S. Alexander, … , Jeffrey J. Widrick, Louis M. Kunkel
Matthew S. Alexander, … , Jeffrey J. Widrick, Louis M. Kunkel
Published May 1, 2014
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2014;124(6):2651-2667. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI73579.
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Research Article Muscle biology

MicroRNA-486–dependent modulation of DOCK3/PTEN/AKT signaling pathways improves muscular dystrophy–associated symptoms

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Abstract

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin, which results in dysfunctional signaling pathways within muscle. Previously, we identified microRNA-486 (miR-486) as a muscle-enriched microRNA that is markedly reduced in the muscles of dystrophin-deficient mice (Dmdmdx-5Cv mice) and in DMD patient muscles. Here, we determined that muscle-specific transgenic overexpression of miR-486 in muscle of Dmdmdx-5Cv mice results in reduced serum creatine kinase levels, improved sarcolemmal integrity, fewer centralized myonuclei, increased myofiber size, and improved muscle physiology and performance. Additionally, we identified dedicator of cytokinesis 3 (DOCK3) as a miR-486 target in skeletal muscle and determined that DOCK3 expression is induced in dystrophic muscles. DOCK3 overexpression in human myotubes modulated PTEN/AKT signaling, which regulates muscle hypertrophy and growth, and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, several components of the PTEN/AKT pathway were markedly modulated by miR-486 in dystrophin-deficient muscle. Skeletal muscle–specific miR-486 overexpression in Dmdmdx-5Cv animals decreased levels of DOCK3, reduced PTEN expression, and subsequently increased levels of phosphorylated AKT, which resulted in an overall beneficial effect. Together, these studies demonstrate that stable overexpression of miR-486 ameliorates the disease progression of dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscle.

Authors

Matthew S. Alexander, Juan Carlos Casar, Norio Motohashi, Natássia M. Vieira, Iris Eisenberg, Jamie L. Marshall, Molly J. Gasperini, Angela Lek, Jennifer A. Myers, Elicia A. Estrella, Peter B. Kang, Frederic Shapiro, Fedik Rahimov, Genri Kawahara, Jeffrey J. Widrick, Louis M. Kunkel

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Figure 7

DOCK3 is a direct target of miR-486 in skeletal muscle.

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DOCK3 is a direct target of miR-486 in skeletal muscle.
(A) Real-time qP...
(A) Real-time qPCR of human DOCK3 expression levels in normal, DMD, and BMD muscle biopsies. Expression levels are normalized to the 18sRb loading control. (B) Evolutionary conservation of the miR-486 seed site in mammalian DOCK3 3′ UTRs. Human, dog, and mouse are shown aligned with the seed region of miR-486-5p (boxed inset). (C) Schematic of 3′ UTR of the miR-486 target fused to a luciferase reporter construct. The miR-486 seed site is mutated in the mutant constructs. (D) Relative luciferase fold expression of the human DOCK3 3′ UTR fused to luciferase and transfected into HEK293T cells with either miR-486 or scrambled miR control plasmids. (E) Western blot analysis of human DOCK3 protein expression in primary human myotubes overexpressing either miR-486 or scrambled miR control lentivirus. β-Tubulin is shown as a loading control. (F) Western blot of DOCK3 protein in WT, Tg(Cmk-Mir486), Dmdmdx-5Cv, and Dmdmdx-5Cv Tg(Cmk-Mir486) TA muscle lysates. GAPDH is shown as a loading control. (G) Densitometry graph of DOCK3 protein expression normalized to either WT or Dmdmdx-5Cv levels,and the GAPDH loading control. *P < 0.005.

Copyright © 2023 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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