2025 Hyper Recent •CC0 1.0 Universal

This work is dedicated to the public domain. No rights reserved.

Access Preprint From Server
June 2nd, 2025
Version: 1
Genethon
genetics
biorxiv

A NEW DYSTROPHIN DEFICIENT RAT MODEL MIRRORING EXON SKIPPING IN PATIENTS WITH DMD EXON 45 DELETIONS

JABER, A.Open in Google Scholar•WANG, T.Open in Google Scholar•DAOUD, C.Open in Google Scholar•ALBINI, S.Open in Google Scholar•CORRE, G.Open in Google Scholar•BELLEC, J.Open in Google Scholar•BOVOLENTA, M.Open in Google Scholar•DORVAL, A.Open in Google Scholar•DUBOIS, A.Open in Google Scholar•PHILIDET, L.Open in Google Scholaret al.

Mutations in the dystrophin (DMD) gene can cause a spectrum of muscle-wasting disorders ranging from the milder Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) to the more severe Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Among these, exon 45 deletion is the most frequently reported single exon deletion in DMD patients worldwide. In this study, we generated a novel rat model with an exon 45 deletion using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The Dmd{Delta}45 rat recapitulate key clinical and molecular features of DMD, including progressive skeletal muscle degeneration, cardiac dysfunction, cognitive deficits, elevated circulating muscle damage biomarkers, impaired muscle function, and overall reduced lifespan. Transcriptomics analyses confirmed the deletion of exon 45 and revealed gene expression patterns consistent with dystrophin deficiency. In the skeletal muscle, RNA-seq profiles demonstrated a transition from early stress responses and regenerative activity at 6 months to chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and metabolic dysfunction by 12 months. Similarly, the cardiac transcriptomic shifted from an early inflammatory and stress-responsive state to one characterized by fibrotic remodelling and metabolic impairment. Despite these pathological features, the Dmd{Delta}45 rats exhibited a milder phenotype than other DMD rat models. This attenuation may be attributed to spontaneous exon 44 skipping, which partially restores the reading frame and results in an age-dependent increase in revertant dystrophin-positive fibres. Further analysis indicated downregulation of spliceosome-related genes, suggesting a potential mechanism driving exon skipping in this model. In summary, the Dmd{Delta}45 rat represents a valuable model for investigating both the molecular determinants of phenotypic variability and the endogenous mechanisms of exon skipping. These findings offer important insights for the development of personalized exon-skipping therapies, particularly for DMD patients with exon 45 deletions.

Similar Papers

biorxiv
Wed Jun 04 2025
Population-scale inheritance analysis of 858,635 individuals reveals North Sea migration from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution
The North Sea's historical migrations have impacted the genetic structure of its neighbouring populations. We analysed haplotype sharing among 858,635 modern individuals from Denmark and Britain to infer migration history from the Middle Ages to the modern day. We estimated the genetic relationship among 370,259 Danes using Danish healthcare registries and validated those with retrievable pedigree...
Zhang, X.
•
Holm, P.
•
Scally, A.
•
Banasik, K.
...•
Birney, E.
biorxiv
Tue Jun 03 2025
An intergenerational lipid memory of the social environment in C. elegans
Information about the environment can, in some cases, be transmitted to an organism\'s offspring by epigenetic inheritance. Here, we describe a novel form of epigenetics in C. elegans where information is transmitted between generations not by alterations in DNA, chromatin, or RNA, but by changes in the composition of lipids. Specifically, we delineate an environment-to-neuron-to-intestine-to-oocy...
Wilhelm, T.
•
Chen, W.-W.
•
Wenzel, A.
•
Tang, W.
...•
Lehner, B.
biorxiv
Tue Jun 03 2025
An α-1,3-fucosyltransferase influences thermal nocifensive escape behaviors in Drosophila larvae
When exposed to noxious thermal or mechanical stimuli, Drosophila melanogaster larvae will attempt to escape by performing a stereotypical nocifensive rolling behavior. Here, we report the identification of a mutation in Drosophila that specifically alters the thermal nocifensive escape behaviors of larvae. We provide genetic, molecular, and histological evidence that this mutation maps to the Fuc...
Ballard, S.
•
Holt, L.
•
Stant, E.
•
Arthur Moore, A.
...•
Shirangi, T. R.
biorxiv
Tue Jun 03 2025
Unisexual reproduction in the global human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans
Sexual reproduction is a central tenet of the eukaryotic life cycle, essential for the long-term survival of a species. Sex promotes genetic diversity and facilitates natural selection, and in eukaryotes such as unicellular fungi, sexual reproduction leads to hyphal growth and spore production, enabling escape from harsh environments and long-distance dispersal. The human fungal pathogen Cryptococ...
Sun, S.
•
Bian, Z.
•
Xu, Z.
•
Choi, Y.
•
Heitman, J.
biorxiv
Tue Jun 03 2025
Desmoplakin Haploinsufficiency Underlies Cell-Cell Adhesion Failure in DSP Cardiomyopathy and is Rescued by Transcriptional Activation
Background: Truncating variants in desmoplakin (DSPtv), are a leading cause of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), often presenting with early fibrosis and arrhythmias disproportionate to systolic dysfunction. DSP is critical for cardiac mechanical integrity, linking desmosomes to the cytoskeleton to withstand contractile forces. While loss-of-function is implicated, direct evidence, both for DSP...
Smith, E. D.
•
Jin, K.
•
Ferguson, B.
•
Tsan, Y.-C.
...•
Helms, A. S.
biorxiv
Tue Jun 03 2025
Increased Genetic Protection Against Alzheimer's Disease in Centenarians
We constructed a polygenic protective score specific to Alzheimer\'s disease (AD PPS) based on the current literature among the participants enrolled in five studies of healthy aging and extreme longevity in the US, Europe, and Asia. This AD PPS did not include variants on Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. Comparisons of AD PPS in different data sets of healthy agers and centenarians showed that cente...
Bae, H.
•
Song, Z.
•
Ali, A.
•
Sasaki, T.
...•
Sebastiani, P.
biorxiv
Tue Jun 03 2025
Butterfly wing iridescence is regulated by araucan, a direct target of Optix and Spalt
Butterfly wings exhibit a remarkable diversity of structural iridescent colors, yet the genetic regulation of iridescence remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the Iroquois-complex transcription factor Araucan plays a specific and essential role in modulating wing scale iridescence in the common buckeye butterfly, Junonia coenia. Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockouts, we demonstrate that loss of ara...
Chatterjee, M.
•
Finet, C.
•
Siegel, K. J.
•
Loh, L. S.
...•
Reed, R. D.
biorxiv
Tue Jun 03 2025
Meiotic null MSH2 and SGS1 alleles in S. cerevisiae x S. uvarum hybrids result in near-haploid offspring with mixed parental chromosomal inheritance
In the natural world, genetic isolation between closely related species is often maintained by direct F1 hybrid sterility or hybrid breakdown in subsequent generations. This phenomenon is also observed in microorganisms within species of the Saccharomyces clade, including the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Members of Saccharomyces intermate and historical hybridization events have left g...
Wang, T. K.
•
Dunham, M. J.
biorxiv
Mon Jun 02 2025
Time Series GWAS for Iron Deficiency Chlorosis Tolerance in Soybean using Aerial Imagery
The use of drones has become a commonly used tool by plant scientists to aid in plant phenotyping endeavors. Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is a commonly observed abiotic stress in soybean fields with high soil pH levels. IDC severity is visually classified, and recent work has shown that digital imaging techniques using both ground and UAS-acquired imagery can be utilized for automated severity ...
Carroll, M. E.
•
Rairdin, A. M.
•
Van der Laan, L.
•
Ferela, A.
...•
Singh, A. K.
biorxiv
Mon Jun 02 2025
Nonequivalence of Zfp423 premature termination codons in mice.
Genetic variants that introduce a premature termination codon (PTC) are often assumed equivalent and functionally null. Exceptions depend on the specific architectures of the affected mRNA and protein. Here we address phenotypic differences among early truncating variants of mouse Zfp423, whose phenotypes resemble Joubert Syndrome and Related Disorders (JSRD). We replicate quantitative differences...
Concepcion, D.
•
Liang, C.
•
Kim, D.
•
Hamilton, B. A.