Functional and molecular analysis of LMNA mutations related muscular dystrophy in zebrafish

LMNA mutations cause laminopathies, a group of rare genetic diseases with no known cure, only symptomatic treatment and supportive care. In this study, we characterized five LMNA mutations (LMNA(L35P), LMNA(A539V), LMNA(W520G), LMNA(E358K), and LMNA(R453W)) identified from patients diagnosed with muscular laminopathy in the zebrafish model. Overall design: We established transgenic fish overexpressing wild-type LMNA and each of the five LMNA mutants in the skeletal muscle and monitored swimming behavior, muscle endurance, and histopathological changes. We also used the LMNA zebrafish models for drug screening. Gene expression profiles of the muscle from the transgenic fish were studied through RNAseq.