Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inborn neuromuscular disorder caused by low levels of survival motor neuron protein, and for which no efficient therapy exists. Here, we show that the slower rate of postnatal motor-unit maturation observed in type 2 SMA-like mice is correlated with the motor neuron death. Physical exercise delays motor neuron death and leads to an increase in the postnatal m...

The SMN (survival motor neuron) gene plays an important role in ontogenesis and its dysfunction leads to immatu-rity of skeletal muscles and motor neurons in the spinal cord. As a result of SMN mutations the affected cells die and clinical symptoms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) develop. Physiologically, SMN together with gemins is part of a multiprotein complex of particular importance to mo...

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by deletion or specific mutations of the telomeric survival motor neuron ( SMN ) gene on human chromosome 5. The human SMN gene, in contrast to the Smn gene in mouse, is duplicated and the centromeric copy on chromosome 5 codes for transcripts which preferentially lead to C-terminally truncated SMN protein. Here we show that a 46% reduction of Smn protein...

Autosomal recessive spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is linked to mutations in the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene. The SMN protein has been implicated at several levels of mRNA biogenesis and is expressed ubiquitously. Studies in various model organisms have shown that the loss of function of the SMN gene leads to embryonic lethality. The human contains two genes encoding for SMN protein and in ...

Diversification of mammalian spinal motor neurons into hundreds of subtypes is critical for the maintenance of body posture and coordination of complex movements. Motor neuron differentiation is controlled by extrinsic signals that regulate intrinsic genetic programs specifying and consolidating motor neuron subtype identity. While transcription factors have been recognized as principal regulat...

In the March 2021, CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee recommended that onasemnogene abeparvovec be reimbursed for treatment of pediatric patients with 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) biallelic mutations in survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, if certain conditions were met. A request was received to develop clinical criteria could used identify SMA older than 180 days who are most likely ben...

Motor neurons typically have very long axons, and fine-tuning axonal transport is crucial for their survival. The obstruction of axonal transport is gaining attention as a cause of neuronal dysfunction in a variety of neurodegenerative motor neuron diseases. Depletions in dynein and dynactin-1, motor molecules regulating axonal trafficking, disrupt axonal transport in flies, and mutations in th...

Abstract Background Type 1 spinal muscular atrophy is a rare, progressive neuromuscular disease that caused by low levels of functional survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. Risdiplam an or...