Characterization of behavioral and neuromuscular junction phenotypes in a novel allelic series of SMA mouse models.

A number of mouse models for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have been genetically engineered to recapitulate the severity of human SMA by using a targeted null mutation at the mouse Smn1 locus coupled with the transgenic addition of varying copy numbers of human SMN2 genes. Although this approach has been useful in modeling severe SMA and very mild SMA, a mouse model of the intermediate form of the disease would provide an additional research tool amenable for drug discovery. In addition, many of the previously engineered SMA strains are multi-allelic by design, containing a combination of transgenes and targeted mutations in the homozygous state, making further genetic manipulation difficult. A new genetic engineering approach was developed whereby variable numbers of SMN2 sequences were incorporated directly into the murine Smn1 locus. Using combinations of these alleles, we generated an allelic series of SMA mouse strains harboring no, one, two, three, four, five, six or eight copies of SMN2. We report here the characterization of SMA mutants in this series that displayed a range in disease severity from embryonic lethal to viable with mild neuromuscular deficits.

Benefits of global mutant huntingtin lowering diminish over time in a Huntington's disease mouse model.

We have developed an inducible Huntington's disease (HD) mouse model that allows temporal control of whole-body allele-specific mutant huntingtin (mHtt) expression. We asked whether moderate global lowering of mHtt (~50%) was sufficient for long-term amelioration of HD-related deficits and, if so, whether early mHtt lowering (before measurable deficits) was required. Both early and late mHtt lowering delayed behavioral dysfunction and mHTT protein aggregation, as measured biochemically. However, long-term follow-up revealed that the benefits, in all mHtt-lowering groups, attenuated by 12 months of age. While early mHtt lowering attenuated cortical and striatal transcriptional dysregulation evaluated at 6 months of age, the benefits diminished by 12 months of age, and late mHtt lowering did not ameliorate striatal transcriptional dysregulation at 12 months of age. Only early mHtt lowering delayed the elevation in cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light chain that we observed in our model starting at 9 months of age. As small-molecule HTT-lowering therapeutics progress to the clinic, our findings suggest that moderate mHtt lowering allows disease progression to continue, albeit at a slower rate, and could be relevant to the degree of mHTT lowering required to sustain long-term benefits in humans.

Prediction of death in the SMNΔ7 mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy: insight into disease stage and progression.

Proximal Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a debilitating neuromuscular disease and a leading inherited genetic cause of infant death. To date, there is no effective treatment for SMA. The SMNΔ7 neonatal mouse model of SMA recapitulates key features of the severe form of SMA and remains a valuable tool in preclinical drug discovery. At any particular postnatal age (P), the disease progression in the SMNΔ7 mouse model is not universal, as some animals die as early as the day of birth and others live for up to three weeks. Identification of the disease stage in SMNΔ7 mice, independent of age, would aid in the design and interpretation of preclinical studies. We developed a score (CD score), derived from body weight analysis, that allowed us to gain insight into the disease progression and predict death. Respiratory complication is a leading cause of mortality in the SMA patient and this phenotype has been reported in severe mouse models of SMA. We subsequently measured muscle and brain tissue lactate levels, an indirect measure of hypoxia, in SMNΔ7 mice at P10 and correlated these measures to respiratory rate. SMNΔ7 mice showed a significant increase in tissue lactate and a decrease in respiratory rate in comparison to control. The CD score correlates linearly with tissue lactate level and respiratory rate. The finding of lactate buildup in the SMNΔ7 mouse and the correlation with a score that is predictive of disease stage provide an interesting insight into the disease pathophysiology and a possible biomarker for SMA.