Repository logo
 

Modulation of Agrin and RhoA Pathways Ameliorates Movement Defects and Synapse Morphology in MYO9A-Depleted Zebrafish.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

No Thumbnail Available

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

O'Connor, Emily 
Cairns, George 
Burns, David 
Hettwer, Stefan 

Abstract

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are a group of rare, inherited disorders characterised by impaired function of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This is due to defects in one of the many proteins associated with the NMJ. In three patients with CMS, missense mutations in a gene encoding an unconventional myosin protein, MYO9A, were identified as likely causing their disorder. Preliminary studies revealed a potential involvement of the RhoA/ROCK pathway and of a key NMJ protein, agrin, in the pathophysiology of MYO9A-depletion. In this study, a CRISPR/Cas9 approach was used to generate genetic mutants of MYO9A zebrafish orthologues, myo9aa/ab, to expand and refine the morphological analysis of the NMJ. Injection of NT1654, a synthetic agrin fragment compound, improved NMJ structure and zebrafish movement in the absence of Myo9aa/ab. In addition, treatment of zebrafish with fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, also provided improvements to the morphology of NMJs in early development, as well as rescuing movement defects, but not to the same extent as NT1654 and not at later time points. Therefore, this study highlights a role for MYO9A at the NMJ, the first unconventional myosin motor protein associated with a neuromuscular disease, and provides a potential mechanism of action of MYO9A-pathophysiology.

Description

Keywords

Myo9aa, Myo9ab, NT1654, fasudil, myosin IXa, neuromuscular junction, unconventional myosin, Animals, Mutation, Missense, Myosins, Neuromuscular Junction, Zebrafish, rho-Associated Kinases

Journal Title

Cells

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2073-4409
2073-4409

Volume Title

8

Publisher

MDPI AG

Rights

All rights reserved