title: Serum calcium-decreasing factor, caldecrin, ameliorates muscular dystrophy in dy/dy mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Calcium signaling is important in muscular cells and abnormal Ca(2+) handling results in muscle damage. Caldecrin is a serum calcium-decreasing factor purified from pancreas. It is a chymotrypsin-type secretory protease, whereas the serum calcium-decreasing activity does not depend on its protease activity. Here, we evaluated the effect of caldecrin on dystrophia muscularis (dy/dy) mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caldecrin gene in hemagglutinating virus of Japan envelop vector (10 μg/head) was single injected in the femoral muscle or daily intraperitoneal administration of caldecrin (100 μg/kg body weight) was given for 4 days in dy/dy mice. Progression of muscular dystrophy was assessed by blood urea nitrogen and Evans blue dye penetration assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ectopic expression of the caldecrin gene in the muscle of dy/dy mice reduced the level of blood urea nitrogen and improved the dystrophic progression similarly to that of caldecrin-injected mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caldecrin treatment is effective for preventing muscular dystrophy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemistry, Department of Oral Biology and Tissue Engineering, Meikai University School of Dentistry, 1-1 Keyakidai, Sakado, Saitama 350-0283 Japan. atomomu@dent.meikai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Mineko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomomura
authors.forename: Takeru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakagami
authors.forename: Akito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomomura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009137:Muscular Dystrophy, Animal / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C074385:caldecrin; D002118:Calcium