Mangione Cecelia C, Frank Andrew, Dalgard Clifton L, Burnett Barrington G, Flagg Thomas P
Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20814, United States.
Hum Mol Genet. 2025 Jun 18;34(13):1123-1133. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddaf060.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease that leads to loss of motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord with consequent muscle atrophy. SMA results from the functional deletions of the SMN1 gene, resulting in insufficient production of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. It is not known why lower motor neurons are particularly sensitive to the loss of SMN function, but it is increasingly apparent that extraneuronal tissues, such as cardiac and skeletal muscle, are also affected by SMN deficiency. We have previously shown that SMN deficiency in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy (SMNΔ7) impairs cardiomyocyte contraction and Ca2+ handling. In this study, we performed a comparative total mRNA sequencing analysis of whole hearts isolated at an early (P5) or late (P10) stage of the disease process to investigate the mechanisms contributing to cardiac pathology in SMA. The results demonstrate transcriptional signatures consistent with heart failure, dysregulation of Ca2+ signaling, and hypoxia induced changes occurring as early as P5 and persisting through P10. Similar transcriptomic changes in skeletal muscle tissue indicate that there are likely common, cell autonomous molecular mechanisms resulting in both cardiac and skeletal muscle due to SMN deficiency. The identification of these common themes suggests a link underlying the mechanism of neuronal and non-neuronal deficits in SMA.
脊髓性肌萎缩症(SMA)是一种遗传性神经退行性疾病,会导致脊髓前角运动神经元丧失,进而引起肌肉萎缩。SMA是由SMN1基因的功能性缺失导致生存运动神经元(SMN)蛋白产生不足所致。目前尚不清楚为什么下运动神经元对SMN功能丧失特别敏感,但越来越明显的是,心脏和骨骼肌等神经外组织也会受到SMN缺乏的影响。我们之前已经表明,脊髓性肌萎缩症小鼠模型(SMNΔ7)中SMN缺乏会损害心肌细胞收缩和钙离子处理。在本研究中,我们对在疾病进程早期(P5)或晚期(P10)分离的整个心脏进行了比较性全mRNA测序分析,以研究导致SMA心脏病理的机制。结果表明,转录特征与心力衰竭、钙离子信号失调以及早在P5时就出现并持续到P10的缺氧诱导变化一致。骨骼肌组织中类似的转录组变化表明,由于SMN缺乏,可能存在导致心脏和骨骼肌病变的共同的细胞自主分子机制。这些共同主题的确定表明了SMA中神经元和非神经元缺陷机制之间的联系。