2023
Flavones provide resistance to DUX4-induced toxicity via an mTor-independent mechanism
Cohen J, Huang S, Koczwara K, Woods K, Ho V, Woodman K, Arbiser J, Daman K, Lek M, Emerson C, DeSimone A. Flavones provide resistance to DUX4-induced toxicity via an mTor-independent mechanism. Cell Death & Disease 2023, 14: 749. PMID: 37973788, PMCID: PMC10654915, DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06257-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMTOR-independent mechanismsFacioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophyDUX4 transcriptsDUX4 activityMultiple signal transduction pathwaysSignal transduction pathwaysTherapeutic developmentDUX4 proteinDUX4 expressionTransduction pathwaysPolyadenylation sitesChromosome 4DUX4 geneMechanisms of toxicityAutophagy pathwayExpression of ULK1DUX4Cellular autophagyCell deathRelevant pathwaysMuscular dystrophyMolecular methodsPathwaySkeletal muscleTranscriptsDeath after High-Dose rAAV9 Gene Therapy in a Patient with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy
Lek A, Wong B, Keeler A, Blackwood M, Ma K, Huang S, Sylvia K, Batista A, Artinian R, Kokoski D, Parajuli S, Putra J, Carreon C, Lidov H, Woodman K, Pajusalu S, Spinazzola J, Gallagher T, LaRovere J, Balderson D, Black L, Sutton K, Horgan R, Lek M, Flotte T. Death after High-Dose rAAV9 Gene Therapy in a Patient with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy. New England Journal Of Medicine 2023, 389: 1203-1210. PMID: 37754285, PMCID: PMC11288170, DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa2307798.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAcute respiratory distress syndromeDuchenne muscular dystrophyMuscular dystrophyAdvanced Duchenne muscular dystrophySevere diffuse alveolar damageDiffuse alveolar damageRespiratory distress syndromeMild cardiac dysfunctionT cell reactivityInnate immune reactionsVirus serotype 9Gene therapyAlveolar damagePericardial effusionDistress syndromeCardiac dysfunctionPostmortem examinationImmune reactionsRAAV gene therapyBody weightPatientsTherapySerotype 9Recombinant adenoDystrophy
2020
Applying genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens for therapeutic discovery in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
Lek A, Zhang Y, Woodman KG, Huang S, DeSimone AM, Cohen J, Ho V, Conner J, Mead L, Kodani A, Pakula A, Sanjana N, King OD, Jones PL, Wagner KR, Lek M, Kunkel LM. Applying genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens for therapeutic discovery in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Science Translational Medicine 2020, 12 PMID: 32213627, PMCID: PMC7304480, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay0271.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide CRISPRCellular hypoxia responseFacioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophyHypoxia responseCell deathTherapeutic discoveryGenome-wide perturbationsComplex genetic diseasesEmergence of CRISPRUnbiased genetic screeningSelection assaysGene-editing technologyDUX4 proteinCausal genesDUX4 expressionZebrafish modelEpigenetic changesProtein turnoverMuscular dystrophyCRISPRMyogenic lineDUX4Genetic diseasesGenesMechanistic understanding