Omigapil ameliorates the pathology of muscle dystrophy caused by laminin-α2 deficiency

M Erb, S Meinen, P Barzaghi, LT Sumanovski… - … of Pharmacology and …, 2009 - ASPET
M Erb, S Meinen, P Barzaghi, LT Sumanovski, I Courdier-Früh, MA Rüegg, T Meier
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2009ASPET
Laminin α2-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy, called MDC1A, is a rare, devastating
genetic disease characterized by severe neonatal hypotonia (“floppy infant syndrome”),
peripheral neuropathy, inability to stand or walk, respiratory distress, and premature death in
early life. Transgenic overexpression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein BCL-2, or deletion of
the proapoptotic Bax gene in a mouse model for MDC1A prolongs survival and mitigates
pathology, indicating that apoptotic events are involved in the pathology. Here we …
Laminin α2-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy, called MDC1A, is a rare, devastating genetic disease characterized by severe neonatal hypotonia (“floppy infant syndrome”), peripheral neuropathy, inability to stand or walk, respiratory distress, and premature death in early life. Transgenic overexpression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein BCL-2, or deletion of the proapoptotic Bax gene in a mouse model for MDC1A prolongs survival and mitigates pathology, indicating that apoptotic events are involved in the pathology. Here we demonstrate that the proapoptotic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH)-Siah1-CBP/p300-p53 pathway is activated in a mouse model for MDC1A. Moreover, we show that omigapil, which inhibits GAPDH-Siah1-mediated apoptosis, ameliorates several pathological hallmarks in the MDC1A mouse model. Specifically, we demonstrate that treatment with omigapil inhibits apoptosis in muscle, reduces body weight loss and skeletal deformation, increases locomotive activity, and protects from early mortality. These data qualify omigapil, which is in late phase of clinical development for human use, as a drug candidate for the treatment of MDC1A.
ASPET