Browsing by Author "Lawlor, Michael W."

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    Systemic AAV8-Mediated Gene Therapy Drives Whole-Body Correction of Myotubular Myopathy in Dogs
    Mack, David L.; Poulard, Karine; Goddard, Melissa A.; Latoumerie, Virginie; Snyder, Jessica M.; Grange, Robert W.; Elverman, Matthew R.; Denard, Jerome; Veron, Philippe; Buscara, Laurine; Le Bec, Christine; Hogrel, Jean-Yves; Brezovec, Annie G.; Meng, Hui; Yang, Lin; Liu, Fujun; O'Callaghan, Michael; Gopal, Nikhil; Kelly, Valerie E.; Smith, Barbara K.; Strande, Jennifer L.; Mavilio, Fulvio; Beggs, Alan H.; Mingozzi, Federico; Lawlor, Michael W.; Buj-Bello, Ana; Childers, Martin K. (2017-04-05)
    X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) results from MTM1 gene mutations and myotubularin deficiency. Most XLMTM patients develop severe muscle weakness leading to respiratory failure and death, typically within 2 years of age. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of systemic gene therapy in the p.N155K canine model of XLMTM by performing a dose escalation study. A recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (rAAV8) vector expressing canine myotubularin (cMTM1) under the muscle-speCific desmin promoter (rAAV8-cMTM1) was administered by simple peripheral venous infusion in XLMTM dogs at 10 weeks of age, when signs of the disease are already present. A comprehensive analysis of survival, limb strength, gait, respiratory function, neurological assessment, histology, vector biodistribution, transgene expression, and immune response was performed over a 9-month study period. Results indicate that systemic gene therapy was well tolerated, prolonged lifespan, and corrected the skeletal musculature throughout the body in a dose-dependent manner, defining an efficacious dose in this large-animal model of the disease. These results support the development of gene therapy clinical trials for XLMTM.
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    Tissue Triage and Freezing for Models of Skeletal Muscle Disease
    Meng, Hui; Janssen, Paul M. L.; Grange, Robert W.; Yang, Lin; Beggs, Alan H.; Swansons, Lindsay C.; Cossette, Stacy A.; Frase, Alison; Childers, Martin K.; Granzier, Henk; Gussoni, Emanuela; Lawlor, Michael W. (Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2014-07-01)
    Skeletal muscle is a unique tissue because of its structure and function, which requires specific protocols for tissue collection to obtain optimal results from functional, cellular, molecular, and pathological evaluations. Due to the subtlety of some pathological abnormalities seen in congenital muscle disorders and the potential for fixation to interfere with the recognition of these features, pathological evaluation of frozen muscle is preferable to fixed muscle when evaluating skeletal muscle for congenital muscle disease. Additionally, the potential to produce severe freezing artifacts in muscle requires specific precautions when freezing skeletal muscle for histological examination that are not commonly used when freezing other tissues. This manuscript describes a protocol for rapid freezing of skeletal muscle using isopentane (2-methylbutane) cooled with liquid nitrogen to preserve optimal skeletal muscle morphology. This procedure is also effective for freezing tissue intended for genetic or protein expression studies. Furthermore, we have integrated our freezing protocol into a broader procedure that also describes preferred methods for the short term triage of tissue for (1) single fiber functional studies and (2) myoblast cell culture, with a focus on the minimum effort necessary to collect tissue and transport it to specialized research or reference labs to complete these studies. Overall, this manuscript provides an outline of how fresh tissue can be effectively distributed for a variety of phenotypic studies and thereby provides standard operating procedures (SOPs) for pathological studies related to congenital muscle disease.
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    Voluntary wheel running complements microdystrophin gene therapy to improve muscle function in mdx mice
    Hamm, Shelby E.; Fathalikhani, Daniel D.; Bukovec, Katherine E.; Addington, Adele K.; Zhang, Haiyan; Perry, Justin B.; McMillan, Ryan P.; Lawlor, Michael W.; Prom, Mariah J.; Vanden Avond, Mark A.; Kumar, Suresh N.; Coleman, Kirsten E.; Dupont, J.B.; Mack, David L.; Brown, David A.; Morris, Carl A.; Gonzalez, J. Patrick; Grange, Robert W. (Cell Press, 2021-02-25)
    We tested the hypothesis that voluntary wheel running would complement microdystrophin gene therapy to improve muscle function in young mdx mice, a model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. mdx mice injected with a single dose of AAV9- CK8-microdystrophin or vehicle at age 7 weeks were assigned to three groups: mdxRGT (run, gene therapy), mdxGT (no run, gene therapy), or mdx (no run, no gene therapy). Wildtype (WT) mice were assigned to WTR (run) and WT (no run) groups.WTRandmdxRGTperformed voluntary wheel running for 21 weeks; remaining groups were cage active. Robust expression of microdystrophin occurred in heart and limb muscles of treated mice. mdxRGT versus mdxGT mice showed increased microdystrophin in quadriceps but decreased levels in diaphragm. mdx final treadmill fatigue time was depressed compared to all groups, improved in mdxGT, and highest in mdxRGT. Both weekly running distance (km) and final treadmill fatigue time for mdxRGT and WTR were similar. Remarkably, mdxRGT diaphragm power was only rescued to 60% of WT, suggesting a negative impact of running. However, potential changes in fiber type distribution in mdxRGT diaphragms could indicate an adaptation to trade power for endurance. Post-treatment in vivo maximal plantar flexor torque relative to baseline values was greater for mdxGT and mdxRGT versus all other groups. Mitochondrial respiration rates from red quadriceps fibers were significantly improved in mdxGTanimals, but the greatest bioenergetic benefit was observed in the mdxRGT group. Additional assessments revealed partial to full functional restoration in mdxGT and mdxRGT muscles relative to WT. These data demonstrate that voluntary wheel running combined with microdystrophin gene therapy in young mdx mice improved whole-body performance, affected muscle function differentially, mitigated energetic deficits, but also revealed some detrimental effects of exercise. With microdystrophin gene therapy currently in clinical trials, these data may help us understand the potential impact of exercise in treated patients.