Biology subjects

Widrick, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Widrick, J..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

KLHL40 gene replacement therapy in severe nemaline myopathy improves survival and skeletal muscle function in a preclinical mouse model

Nemaline myopathy is a severe inherited skeletal muscle disorder characterized by profound muscle weakness, impaired mobility, and early mortality in severe cases. Despite the devastating clinical burden, no disease-modifying therapies are currently available. Nemaline myopathy-causing genes either encode sarcomeric structural proteins or regulators of sarcomeric protein stability, resulting in primary defects in sarcomere structure and function. Recessive mutations in KLHL40 cause one of the most severe forms of nemaline myopathy, frequently resulting in perinatal lethality. Given its loss-of-function mechanism, KLHL40-associated nemaline myopathy is an attractive candidate for gene replacement therapy. We therefore evaluated the therapeutic potential of systemic AAV9-mediated KLHL40 gene replacement in a mouse model of severe nemaline myopathy. A single systemic administration of an AAV9 vector encoding human KLHL40 during early disease produced durable rescue of survival, skeletal muscle pathology, motor performance, and contractile function in KLHL40-deficient mice. Therapeutic benefit was accompanied by restoration of sarcomere organization and normalization of myofiber size without detectable long-term histopathological abnormalities in major organs. Collectively, our findings provide a strong preclinical foundation for developing AAV9-mediated KLHL40 gene replacement as a treatment for severe KLHL40-associated nemaline myopathy.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2025

KLHL41 orchestrates sarcomere assembly and size to drive skeletal muscle hypertrophy in vivo

Sarcomere assembly and growth are fundamental processes essential for the development, function, and repair of skeletal muscle. However, the mechanisms underlying sarcomere formation and assembly in vivo, which are critical for the formation of functional myofibers in vertebrates, remain poorly understood. Defects in sarcomeres contribute to muscle dysfunction in numerous genetic and acquired myopathies, yet the lack of a clear understanding of specific sarcomeric defects has hindered the development of effective therapies. Nemaline myopathy (NM) is caused by mutations in genes that primarily affect sarcomere structure and function. The disease is clinically heterogeneous, with the congenital form being the most severe. Using zebrafish models of congenital forms of NM, we investigated sarcomere assembly in vivo during skeletal muscle development to identify key steps contributing to myofibril formation and muscle growth under both normal and disease conditions. Our findings demonstrate that the gene encoding the sarcomeric protein KLHL41 plays a critical role in the formation and directional organization of new sarcomeres within developing myofibrils, facilitating both radial and longitudinal muscle growth. Dysregulation of sarcomeric proteins and impaired protein turnover in the KLHL41-NM zebrafish model resulted in the development of sarcomeric defects. Moreover, we show that the interaction between the KLHL41-troponin complex is essential for muscle growth and cross-bridge regulation in developing muscle. These studies address a significant gap in the understanding of sarcomeric defects in myopathies and will help guide the development of targeted therapies aimed at rescuing these processes.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2022

Dynamic regulation of inter-organelle communication by ubiquitylation controls skeletal muscle development and disease onset

Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) dysfunction is associated with the pathology of a wide range of human diseases including myopathies and muscular atrophy. However, the mechanistic understanding of specific components on the regulation of protein turnover during development and disease progression in skeletal muscle is unclear. Mutations in KLHL40, an E3 ubiquitin ligase cullin3 (CUL3) substrate-specific adapter protein result in a severe form of congenital nemaline myopathy, but the events that initiate the pathology and the mechanism through which it becomes pervasive, remains poorly understood. To characterize the KLHL40-regulated ubiquitin modified proteome during skeletal muscle development and disease onset, we used global, quantitative mass spectrometry-based ubiquitylome and global proteome analyses of klhl40 mutant zebrafish during disease progression. Global proteomics during skeletal muscle development revealed extensive remodeling of functional modules linked with sarcomere formation, energy and biosynthetic metabolic processes and vesicle trafficking. Combined analysis of klh40 mutant muscle proteome and ubiquitylome identified thin filament proteins, metabolic enzymes and ER-Golgi vesicle trafficking pathway proteins regulated by ubiquitylation during muscle development. Our studies identified a role for KLHL40 as a negative regulator of ER-Golgi anterograde trafficking through ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation of secretion associated Ras related GTPase1a (Sar1a). In KLHL40 deficient muscle, defects in ER exit site vesicle formation alter Golgi compartment and downstream transport of extracellular cargo proteins, resulting in structural and functional abnormalities. Our work reveals that the muscle proteome is dynamically fine-tuned by ubiquitylation to regulate skeletal muscle development and uncovers new disease mechanisms for therapeutic development in patients. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=140 SRC="FIGDIR/small/501000v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (39K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1950696org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@e37313org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9804a6org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@59527f_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

genetics↗

bioRxiv2017

RNA helicase, DDX27 regulates proliferation and myogenic commitment of muscle stem cells

Developmental processes depend on the combined efforts of epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes that lead to the production of specific proteins that are important determinants of cellular identity and developmental processes. Ribosomes are a central component of the protein biosynthesis machinery in cells; however, their regulatory roles in the translational control of gene expression in an organ specific context during development remain to be defined. In a genetic screen to identify critical regulators of myogenesis, we identified a DEAD-Box RNA helicase, DDX27, that is required for the proliferation and myogenic commitment of skeletal muscle stem cells. DDX27 deficient skeletal muscle exhibits hypotrophy and impaired regeneration potential. We demonstrate that DDX27 regulates ribosomal RNA (rRNA) maturation, and thereby the ribosome biogenesis and the translation of specific transcripts that are required to maintain pluripotency and myogenic differentiation of satellite cells. These findings provide insight into the translational regulation of gene expression in myogenesis and suggest novel functions for ribosomes in regulating gene expression during skeletal muscle development.\n\nAUTHOR SUMMARYInherited skeletal muscle diseases are the most common form of genetic disorders with primary abnormalities in the structure and function of skeletal muscle resulting in the impaired locomotion in affected patients. A major hindrance to the development of effective therapies is a lack of understanding of biological processes that promote skeletal muscle growth. By performing a forward genetic screen in zebrafish we have identified mutation in a RNA helicase that leads to perturbations of ribosomal biogenesis pathway and impairs skeletal muscle growth and regeneration. Therefore, our studies have identified novel ribosome-based disease processes that may be therapeutic modulated to restore muscle function in skeletal muscle diseases.

genetics↗