| First Author | Kombairaju P | Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Front Physiol | Volume | 5 |
| Pages | 57 | PubMed ID | 24600403 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:328099 | Mgi Id | MGI:6782284 |
| Doi | 10.3389/fphys.2014.00057 | Citation | Kombairaju P, et al. (2014) Genetic silencing of Nrf2 enhances X-ROS in dysferlin-deficient muscle. Front Physiol 5:57 |
| abstractText | Oxidative stress is a critical disease modifier in the muscular dystrophies. Recently, we discovered a pathway by which mechanical stretch activates NADPH Oxidase 2 (Nox2) dependent ROS generation (X-ROS). Our work in dystrophic skeletal muscle revealed that X-ROS is excessive in dystrophin-deficient (mdx) skeletal muscle and contributes to muscle injury susceptibility, a hallmark of the dystrophic process. We also observed widespread alterations in the expression of genes associated with the X-ROS pathway and redox homeostasis in muscles from both Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients and mdx mice. As nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) plays an essential role in the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in redox homeostasis, we hypothesized that Nrf2 deficiency may contribute to enhanced X-ROS signaling by reducing redox buffering. To directly test the effect of diminished Nrf2 activity, Nrf2 was genetically silenced in the A/J model of dysferlinopathy-a model with a mild histopathologic and functional phenotype. Nrf2-deficient A/J mice exhibited significant muscle-specific functional deficits, histopathologic abnormalities, and dramatically enhanced X-ROS compared to control A/J and WT mice, both with functional Nrf2. Having identified that reduced Nrf2 activity is a negative disease modifier, we propose that strategies targeting Nrf2 activation may address the generalized reduction in redox homeostasis to halt or slow dystrophic progression. |
