Dataset Information

Neb: a zebrafish model of nemaline myopathy due to nebulin mutation.

ABSTRACT: Nemaline myopathy is one of the most common and severe non-dystrophic muscle diseases of childhood. Patients typically present in infancy with hypotonia, weakness, delayed motor development, and bulbar and respiratory difficulties. Mutations in six different genes are associated with nemaline myopathy, with nebulin mutations being the most common. No treatments or disease-modifying therapies have been identified for this disease. One of the major barriers to treatment development is the lack of models amenable to rapid and coordinated testing of potential therapeutic strategies. To overcome this barrier, we have characterized the first zebrafish model of nemaline myopathy. This model, termed neb, harbors a recessive mutation in the nebulin gene that results in decreased Nebulin protein levels, a severe motor phenotype and premature lethality. In addition to impaired motor function, neb zebrafish exhibit many of the features associated with human nemaline myopathy. These include impaired force generation, altered thin filament length and the presence of specific histopathological changes, including the formation of nemaline bodies. In summary, neb zebrafish mirror the genetic, clinical and pathological aspects of nemaline myopathy due to NEB mutation, and thus are an excellent model for future therapy development for this devastating disorder.

SUBMITTER: Telfer WR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3339832 | biostudies-other | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Neb: a zebrafish model of nemaline myopathy due to nebulin mutation.

Telfer William R WR Nelson Darcee D DD Waugh Trent T Brooks Susan V SV Dowling James J JJ

Disease models & mechanisms 20111212 3

Nemaline myopathy is one of the most common and severe non-dystrophic muscle diseases of childhood. Patients typically present in infancy with hypotonia, weakness, delayed motor development, and bulbar and respiratory difficulties. Mutations in six different genes are associated with nemaline myopathy, with nebulin mutations being the most common. No treatments or disease-modifying therapies have been identified for this disease. One of the major barriers to treatment development is the lack of ...[more]

PMID: 22159874

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundCongenital myopathy (CM) is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous muscle disorders, characterized by muscle weakness and hypotonia from birth. Currently, no definite treatment exists for CM. A de novo mutation in Tropomyosin 3-TPM3(E151G) was identified from a boy diagnosed with CM, previously TPM3(E151A) was reported to cause CM. However, the role of TPM3(E151G) in CM is unknown.MethodsHistopathological, swimming behavior, and muscle endurance were monitored in TPM3 wild-type and mutant transgenic fish, modelling CM. Gene expression profiling of muscle of the transgenic fish were studied through RNAseq, and mitochondria respiration was investigated.ResultsWhile TPM3(WT) and TPM3(E151A) fish show normal appearance, amazingly a few TPM3(E151G) fish display either no tail, a crooked body in both F0 and F1 adults. Using histochemical staining for the muscle biopsy, we found TPM3(E151G) displays congenital fiber type disproportion and TPM3(E151A) resembles nemaline myopathy. TPM3(E151G) transgenic fish dramatically swimming slower than those in TPM3(WT) and TPM3(E151A) fish measured by DanioVision and T-maze, and exhibit weaker muscle endurance by swimming tunnel instrument. Interestingly, L-carnitine treatment on TPM3(E151G) transgenic larvae significantly improves the muscle endurance by restoring the basal respiration and ATP levels in mitochondria. With RNAseq transcriptomic analysis of the expression profiling from the muscle specimens, it surprisingly discloses large downregulation of genes involved in pathways of sodium, potassium, and calcium channels, which can be rescued by L-carnitine treatment, fatty acid metabolism was differentially dysregulated in TPM3(E151G) fish and rescued by L-carnitine treatment.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate that TPM3(E151G) and TPM3(E151A) exhibit different pathogenicity, also have distinct gene regulatory profiles but the ion channels were downregulated in both mutants, and provides a potential mechanism of action of TPM3 pathophysiology. Our results shed a new light in the future development of potential treatment for TPM3-related CM.

Dataset Information

Neb: a zebrafish model of nemaline myopathy due to nebulin mutation.

Publications

Neb: a zebrafish model of nemaline myopathy due to nebulin mutation.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets