Mechanisms of Cell Death in Spinal Muscular Atrophy
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Purpose
Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetically based disease that affects motor neurons in the spinal cord and leads to muscle wasting and weakness. The gene found to be responsible for the underlying disease is called the SMN or survival motor neuron gene. Individuals with SMA are either missing a copy of the gene or have a mutation in the gene. Although the gene has been identified, how it actually causes the motor neurons to die and leads to muscle wasting and weakness is not completely understood. The investigators have found that skin cells from children with SMA tend to be more susceptible to cell death when exposed to cell death inducing agents. In this protocol, The investigators wish to study the mechanisms by which these cells die when exposed to these agents and how this may be related to the gene defect and the disease.
| Condition |
|---|
|
Spinal Muscular Atrophy |
| Study Type: | Observational |
| Study Design: | Time Perspective: Prospective |
| Official Title: | Mechanisms of Cell Death in Spinal Muscular Atrophy |
- SMN localization in SMA fibroblasts [ Time Frame: up to 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]Established fibroblast lines from SMA patients will be immunolabeled with antibodies directed against SMN and examined for changes in the nuclear localization of SMN in gems.
- SMN isoform mRNA levels [ Time Frame: up to 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]The levels of full-length SMN and SMNdelta7 (lacking exon 7) mRNA transcripts will be measured using quantitative PCR.
- Protein levels of putative SMA phenotypic modifiers [ Time Frame: up to 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]The levels of previously identified modifiers of SMA clinical phenotype (i.e. plastin-3 and ZPR-1) will be examined by immunoblot.
- cell viability in response to DNA damaging agents [ Time Frame: up to 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]The responsiveness of SMA fibroblasts to DNA damaging agents such as camptothecin, etoposide, bleomycin and actinomycin D will be measured using cell viability assays
- SMN protein levels [ Time Frame: up to 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]SMN protein levels will be measured by immunoblot.
- cell viability in response to cell death-inducing agents [ Time Frame: up to 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]The responsiveness of SMA fibroblasts to cell death-inducing agents such as staurosporine, tunicamycin and hydrogen peroxide will be examined using cell viability assays.
- SMN2 copy number [ Time Frame: up to 2 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]SMN2 copy number will be determined by quantitative PCR of genomic DNA isolated from established fibroblast lines.
Biospecimen Retention: Samples With DNA
Skin biopsy specimens
| Estimated Enrollment: | 50 |
| Study Start Date: | May 2008 |
| Estimated Study Completion Date: | December 2014 |
| Estimated Primary Completion Date: | December 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons and progressive muscle atrophy. The disease is one of the most common genetic causes of infant death. The gene responsible for SMA, survival motor neuron (SMN), exists in humans as two nearly identical copies (SMN1 and SMN2). Only deletion or mutation(s) of the telomeric copy of the gene (SMN1) causes the disease. The SMN protein has been known to function in assembly of the RNA splicing complex, however, the mechanism(s) by which SMN-deficiency causes cell death in SMA are not clear. The long-term goal is to understand the mechanism(s) of motor neuron death in SMA and develop a means of prevention. SMN protein has been reported to have some survival promoting functions in cultured cells. Preliminary studies show that skin fibroblasts from SMA patients are more sensitive to certain death promoting stimuli than control fibroblasts. The investigators hypothesize that the SMN protein is directly involved in cell survival and that loss of this survival function of SMA results in motor neuron death in SMA. The investigators will use fibroblasts from SMA patients, fibroblasts from controls without SMA, motor neuron-like cell lines (such as NSC-34) and rodent primary motor neuron cultures as model systems to test our hypothesis. The investigators will determine the effect of expression of SMN protein in regulating cell death of SMA fibroblasts. The investigators will further investigate the role of SMN in neuronal cell survival. Finally, the investigators will determine biological pathway(s) of SMN-mediated cell protection. Results from the proposed studies will provide insight into the mechanism(s) by which SMN protects cells from death and how a decrease in SMN function leads to the SMA phenotype. Ultimately, the obtained information could lead to develop therapeutic strategies for SMA.
Eligibility| Ages Eligible for Study: | up to 17 Years |
| Genders Eligible for Study: | Both |
| Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
| Sampling Method: | Non-Probability Sample |
This study will enroll Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of SMA confirmed by neurologist
Exclusion Criteria:
- Not seen as a patient at a participating Nemours facility
Contacts and Locations| United States, Delaware | |
| Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children | |
| Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 19803 | |
| Principal Investigator: | Matthew ER Butchbach, Ph.D. | Nemours Biomedical Research |
More Information
No publications provided
| Responsible Party: | Matthew E. R. Butchbach, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Nemours Children's Clinic |
| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01754441 History of Changes |
| Other Study ID Numbers: | 82008 |
| Study First Received: | December 13, 2012 |
| Last Updated: | December 18, 2012 |
| Health Authority: | United States: Institutional Review Board |
Keywords provided by Nemours Children's Clinic:
|
Spinal Muscular Atrophy SMA Motor Neuron Abnormalities |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
|
Muscular Atrophy Muscular Atrophy, Spinal Atrophy Spinal Cord Diseases Neuromuscular Manifestations Neurologic Manifestations Nervous System Diseases |
Pathological Conditions, Anatomical Signs and Symptoms Central Nervous System Diseases Motor Neuron Disease Neurodegenerative Diseases Neuromuscular Diseases |
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 23, 2013