English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Zendy Plus

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Zendy Tools

Zendy Open

The dystrophin–glycoprotein complex (DGC) is a membrane adhesion complex that provides structural stability at the sarcolemma by linking the myocyte’s internal cytoskeleton and external extracellular matrix. In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the absence of dystrophin leads to the loss of the DGC at the sarcolemma, resulting in sarcolemmal instability and progressive muscle damage. Utrophin (UTRN), an autosomal homolog of dystrophin, is upregulated in dystrophic muscle and partially compensates for the loss of dystrophin in muscle from patients with DMD. Here, we examine the interaction between Utr and sarcospan (SSPN), a small transmembrane protein that is a core component of both UTRN–glycoprotein complex (UGC) and DGC. We show that additional loss of SSPN causes an earlier onset of disease in dystrophin-deficient  mdx  mice by reducing the expression of the UGC at the sarcolemma. In order to further evaluate the role of SSPN in maintaining therapeutic levels of Utr at the sarcolemma, we tested the effect of Utr transgenic overexpression in  mdx  mice lacking SSPN ( mdx :SSPN  −/− :Utr-Tg). We found that overexpression of Utr restored SSPN to the sarcolemma in  mdx  muscle but that the ablation of SSPN in  mdx  muscle reduced Utr at the membrane. Nevertheless, Utr overexpression reduced central nucleation and improved grip strength in both lines. These findings demonstrate that high levels of Utr transgenic overexpression ameliorate the  mdx  phenotype independently of SSPN expression but that loss of SSPN may impair Utr-based mechanisms that rely on lower levels of Utr protein.

Loss of sarcospan exacerbates pathology in mdx mice, but does not affect utrophin amelioration of disease