Aberrant Myokine Signaling in Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy

Publication date: 31 October 2017
Source:Cell Reports, Volume 21, Issue 5
Author(s): Masayuki Nakamori, Kohei Hamanaka, James D. Thomas, Eric T. Wang, Yukiko K. Hayashi, Masanori P. Takahashi, Maurice S. Swanson, Ichizo Nishino, Hideki Mochizuki
Myotonic dystrophy types 1 (DM1) and 2 (DM2) are dominantly inherited neuromuscular disorders caused by a toxic gain of function of expanded CUG and CCUG repeats, respectively. Although both disorders are clinically similar, congenital myotonic dystrophy (CDM), a severe DM form, is found only in DM1. CDM is also characterized by muscle fiber immaturity not observed in adult DM, suggesting specific pathological mechanisms. Here, we revealed upregulation of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) myokine signaling pathway in CDM muscles. We also found a correlation between muscle immaturity and not only IL-6 expression but also expanded CTG repeat length and CpG methylation status upstream of the repeats. Aberrant CpG methylation was associated with transcriptional dysregulation at the repeat locus, increasing the toxic RNA burden that upregulates IL-6. Because the IL-6 pathway is involved in myocyte maturation and muscle atrophy, our results indicate that enhanced RNA toxicity contributes to severe CDM phenotypes through aberrant IL-6 signaling.

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Teaser

Congenital myotonic dystrophy (CDM) manifests characteristic genetic (very large CTG repeat expansions), epigenetic (CpG hypermethylation upstream of the repeat), and phenotypic (muscle immaturity) features not seen in adult DM. Nakamori et al. find phenotype-genotype and epigenotype correlation in CDM muscle and reveal involvement of the IL-6 myokine signaling pathway in the disease process.


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