Neurology Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
FASEB J. 2012 Feb;26(2):587-95. doi: 10.1096/fj.11-189829. Epub 2011 Oct 19.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by the lack of a functional dystrophin protein that results in muscle fiber membrane disruption and, ultimately, degeneration. Regeneration of muscle fibers fails progressively, and muscle tissue is replaced with connective tissue. As a result, DMD causes progressive limb muscle weakness and cardiac and respiratory failure. The absence of dystrophin from muscle fibers triggers the chronic activation of the nuclear factor of kappa B (NF-κB). Chronic activation of NF-κB in muscle leads to infiltration of macrophages, up-regulation of the ubiquitin-proteosome system, and down-regulation of the helix-loop-helix muscle regulatory factor, MyoD. These processes, triggered by NF-κB activation, promote muscle degeneration and failure of muscle regeneration. A20 (TNFAIP3) is a critical negative regulator of NF-κB. In this study, we characterize the role of A20 in regulating NF-κB activation in skeletal muscle, identifying a novel role in muscle regeneration. A20 is highly expressed in regenerating muscle fibers, and knockdown of A20 impairs muscle differentiation in vitro, which suggests that A20 expression is critically important for regeneration of dystrophic muscle tissue. Furthermore, down-regulation of the classic pathway of NF-κB activation is associated with up-regulation of the alternate pathway in regenerating muscle fibers, suggesting a mechanism by which A20 promotes muscle regeneration. These results demonstrate the important role of A20 in muscle fiber repair and suggest the potential of A20 as a therapeutic target to ameliorate the pathology and clinical symptoms of DMD.
杜氏肌营养不良症(DMD)是由于缺乏功能性肌营养不良蛋白导致肌纤维膜破裂,最终导致退化。肌肉纤维的再生逐渐失败,肌肉组织被结缔组织取代。因此,DMD 导致肢体肌肉进行性无力以及心脏和呼吸衰竭。肌纤维中肌营养不良蛋白的缺失会触发核因子κB(NF-κB)的慢性激活。NF-κB 在肌肉中的慢性激活会导致巨噬细胞浸润、泛素-蛋白酶体系统的上调以及螺旋-环-螺旋肌肉调节因子 MyoD 的下调。这些由 NF-κB 激活引发的过程会促进肌肉退化和肌肉再生失败。A20(TNFAIP3)是 NF-κB 的关键负调控因子。在这项研究中,我们描述了 A20 在调节骨骼肌中 NF-κB 激活中的作用,确定了其在肌肉再生中的新作用。A20 在再生的肌纤维中高度表达,并且 A20 的敲低会损害体外肌肉分化,这表明 A20 的表达对于 DMD 肌肉组织的再生至关重要。此外,经典 NF-κB 激活途径的下调与再生肌纤维中替代途径的上调相关,这表明 A20 促进肌肉再生的一种机制。这些结果表明了 A20 在肌纤维修复中的重要作用,并表明 A20 作为一种治疗靶点改善 DMD 的病理学和临床症状的潜力。