During early stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), motor neuron loss is compensated for by collateral innervation, which delays onset of muscle wasting. In a recent study of 11 patients with ALS, researchers identified increased muscle expression of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) in patients with rapidly progressing disease compared with long-term ALS survivors. Moreover, HDAC4 expression levels were inversely correlated with extent of muscle reinnervation. Inhibitors of HDAC4 could, therefore, be a therapeutic option to slow disease progression in ALS.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Bruneteau, G. et al. Muscle histone deacetylase 4 upregulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: potential role in reinnervation ability and disease progression. Brain doi:10.1093/brain/awt164
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Histone deacetylase 4—accelerator of progression in ALS?. Nat Rev Neurol 9, 418 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.142
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2013.142