4-Phenylbutyrate restores localization and membrane repair to human dysferlin mutations

oleh: Kana Tominaga, Naoomi Tominaga, Eric O. Williams, Laura Rufibach, Verena Schöwel, Simone Spuler, Mohan Viswanathan, Leonard P. Guarente

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Elsevier 2022-01-01

Deskripsi

Summary: Dysferlinopathies are muscular dystrophies caused by recessive loss-of-function mutations in dysferlin (DYSF), a membrane protein involved in skeletal muscle membrane repair. We describe a cell-based assay in which human DYSF proteins bearing missense mutations are quantitatively assayed for membrane localization by flow cytometry and identified 64 localization-defective DYSF mutations. Using this platform, we show that the clinically approved drug 4-phenylbutryric acid (4-PBA) partially restores membrane localization to 25 mutations, as well as membrane repair to cultured myotubes expressing 2 different mutations. Two-day oral administration of 4-PBA to mice homozygous for one of these mutations restored myofiber membrane repair. 4-PBA may hold therapeutic potential for treating a subset of humans with muscular dystrophy due to dysferlin deficiency.