Congratulations to Maximilien Bencze who has just published an article in Nature Communications on the role of necroptosis in the degeneration of dystrophic muscles!

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive neuromuscular disease, affecting 1 in 5000 live male births and is characterized by a progressive degeneration of myofibres, leading to an irreversible muscle weakness. In DMD, as in many muscle wasting conditions, cell death mechanisms are largely unknown.

Within the team 10 directed by Frederic Relaix and Jérôme Authier, Maximilien Bencze and colleagues have investigated the involvement of necroptosis (a newly identified form of necrosis) in DMD. They have demonstrated that muscle cells can undergo necroptotic cell death. The inhibition of necroptosis in dystrophic mice reduces of muscle loss and improves muscle function.

This work identifies for the first time a signalling pathway in skeletal muscle degeneration and suggests that necroptotic pathway could represent a new therapeutic target for dystrophinopathies.

This study was published in Nature Communications and was performed in collaboration with the Institute of Child Health-University College London, UK.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06057-9