Clinical and genetic characterisation of dystrophin-deficient muscular dystrophy in a family of Miniature Poodle dogs

Four full-sibling intact male Miniature Poodles were evaluated at 4–19 months of age. One was clinically normal and three were affected. All affected dogs were reluctant to exercise and had generalised muscle atrophy, a stiff gait and a markedly elevated serum creatine kinase activity. Two affected dogs also showed poor development, learning difficulties and episodes of abnormal behaviour. In these two dogs, investigations into forebrain structural and metabolic diseases were unremarkable; electromyography demonstrated fibrillation potentials and complex repetitive discharges in the infraspinatus, supraspinatus and epaxial muscles. Histopathological, immunohistochemical and immunoblotting analyses of muscle biopsies were consistent with dystrophin-deficient muscular dystrophy. DNA samples were obtained from all four full-sibling male Poodles, a healthy female littermate and the dam, which was clinically normal. Whole genome sequencing of one affected dog revealed a >5 Mb deletion on the X chromosome, encompassing the entire DMD gene. The exact deletion breakpoints could not be experimentally ascertained, but we confirmed that this region was deleted in all affected males, but not in the unaffected dogs. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction confirmed all three affected males were hemizygous for the mutant X chromosome, while the wildtype chromosome was observed in the unaffected male littermate. The female littermate and the dam were both heterozygous for the mutant chromosome. Forty-four Miniature Poodles from the general population were screened for the mutation and were homozygous for the wildtype chromosome. The finding represents a naturally-occurring mutation causing dystrophin-deficient muscular dystrophy in the dog

MutS Homologue hMSH5: Recombinational DSB Repair and Non-Synonymous Polymorphic Variants

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) constitute the most deleterious form of DNA lesions that can lead to genome alterations and cell death, and the vast majority of DSBs arise pathologically in response to DNA damaging agents such as ionizing radiation (IR) and chemotherapeutic agents. Recent studies have implicated a role for the human MutS homologue hMSH5 in homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DSB repair and the DNA damage response. In the present study, we show that hMSH5 promotes HR-based DSB repair, and this property resides in the carboxyl-terminal portion of the protein. Our results demonstrate that DSB-triggered hMSH5 chromatin association peaks at the proximal regions of the DSB and decreases gradually with increased distance from the break. Furthermore, the DSB-triggered hMSH5 chromatin association is preceded by and relies on the assembly of hMRE11 and hRad51 at the proximal regions of the DSB. Lastly, the potential effects of hMSH5 non-synonymous variants (L85F, Y202C, V206F, R351G, L377F, and P786S) on HR and cell survival in response to DSB-inducing anticancer agents have been analyzed. These experiments show that the expression of hMSH5 variants elicits different survival responses to anticancer drugs cisplatin, bleomycin, doxorubicin and camptothecin. However, the effects of hMSH5 variants on survival responses to DSB-inducing agents are not directly correlated to their effects exerted on HR-mediated DSB repair, suggesting that the roles of hMSH5 variants in the processes of DNA damage response and repair are multifaceted