title: Stat5 constitutive activation rescues defects in spinal muscular atrophy.
abstract: Proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motor neuron degeneration disorder for which there is currently no effective treatment. Here, we report three compounds (sodium vanadate, trichostatin A and aclarubicin) that effectively enhance SMN2 expression by inducing Stat5 activation in SMA-like mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human SMN2-transfected NSC34 cells. We found that Stat5 activation enhanced SMN2 promoter activity with increase in both full-length and deletion exon 7 SMN transcripts in SMN2-NSC34 cells. Knockdown of Stat5 expression disrupted the effects of sodium vanadate on SMN2 activation but did not influence SMN2 splicing, suggesting that Stat5 signaling is involved in SMN2 transcriptional regulation. In addition, constitutive activation of Stat5 mutant (Stat5A1*6) profoundly increased the number of nuclear gems in SMA-patient lymphocytes and reduced SMA-like motor neuron axon outgrowth defects. These results demonstrate that Stat5 signaling could be a possible pharmacological target for treating SMA.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chen-Hung
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: Chiao-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shin-Lan
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Hsiu-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Hsieh-Li
authors.forename: Hung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D015250:Aclarubicin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D022003:Cell Nucleus Structures / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009134:Muscular Atrophy, Spinal / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D050505:Mutant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055532:SMN Complex Proteins; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D055540:Survival of Motor Neuron 2 Protein; D014638:Vanadates / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids; D050505:Mutant Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D055532:SMN Complex Proteins; C526477:SMN2 protein, human; D050799:STAT5 Transcription Factor; D055540:Survival of Motor Neuron 2 Protein; D014638:Vanadates; C012589:trichostatin A; D015250:Aclarubicin