Mapping dystrophin expression in the central nervous system

In the context of the cognitive difficulties frequently observed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), British researchers have reported work on the presence of dystrophin in the brain, whether adult or simply developing:

  • transcripts of the DMD gene were analysed on samples from a bank of brain tissue at different stages of development,
  • in particular, the different versions of the dp427 transcript (dp427c, dp427m, dp427p2), the dp140 and dp71 transcripts,
  • the expression of dystrophin transcripts varies in time and space, resulting in a truly dynamic map.

This fundamental work is extremely important and underlines the highly ubiquitous role of dystrophin in humans.

 

A comprehensive spatiotemporal map of dystrophin isoform expression in the developing and adult human brain. Catapano F, Alkharji R, Chambers D, et al. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2025 May