title: Gene expression profiling studies on Caenorhabditis elegans dystrophin mutants dys-1(cx-35) and dys-1(cx18).
abstract: The Caenorhabditis elegans genome contains a single dystrophin/utrophin orthologue, dys-1. Point mutations in this gene, dys-1(cx35) and dys-1(cx18), result in truncated proteins. Such mutants offer potentially valuable worm models of human Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We have used microarrays to examine genes expressed differentially between wild-type C. elegans and dys-1 mutants. We found 106 genes (115 probe sets) to be differentially expressed when the two mutants are compared to wild-type worms, 49 of which have been assigned to six functional categories. The main categories of regulated genes in C. elegans are genes encoding intracellular signalling, cell-cell communication, cell-surface, and extracellular matrix proteins; genes in these same categories have been shown by others to be differentially expressed in muscle biopsies of muscular dystrophy patients. The C. elegans model may serve as a convenient vehicle for future genetic and chemical screens to search for new drug targets.
authors.affiliation: MRC Functional Genetics Unit, Department of Human Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK.
authors.forename: Paula R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Towers
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lescure
authors.forename: Dilair
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baban
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Malek
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Kay E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ségalat
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Sattelle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D006801:Humans; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018509:DNA, Helminth; D016189:Dystrophin