Injection of a soluble fragment of neural agrin (NT-1654) considerably improves the muscle pathology caused by the disassembly of the neuromuscular junction

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 2; p. e88739
• Main Authors: Hettwer, Stefan, Lin, Shuo, Kucsera, Stefan, Haubitz, Monika, Oliveri, Filippo, Fariello, Ruggero G, Ruegg, Markus A, Vrijbloed, Jan W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 10.02.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Agrin; Agrin - administration & dosage; Agrin - pharmacology; Amino acids; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Animals; Biology; Body Weight - drug effects; Chromatography; Congenital diseases; Dismantling; Extracellular matrix; Genotype & phenotype; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Injection; Injections; Innervation; Kinases; Medical treatment; Medicine; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - pathology; Muscle Strength - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - pathology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Muscles; Nerve Crush; Neuromuscular diseases; Neuromuscular Junction - drug effects; Neuromuscular Junction - metabolism; Neuromuscular Junction - pathology; Neuromuscular junctions; Phenotype; Proteins; Receptors, Cholinergic - metabolism; Rodents; Sarcopenia; Sarcopenia - complications; Sarcopenia - pathology; Sarcopenia - physiopathology; Sciatic Nerve - drug effects; Sciatic Nerve - metabolism; Sciatic Nerve - pathology; Serine Endopeptidases - metabolism; Solubility

Treatment of neuromuscular diseases is still an unsolved problem. Evidence over the last years strongly indicates the involvement of malformation and dysfunction of neuromuscular junctions in the development of such medical conditions. Stabilization of NMJs thus seems to be a promising approach to a...