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Characterization Of Nrk2b Overexpression In A Transgenic Zebrafish Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Model, Anna Burgess

Honors College

Everyday movement, whether sitting or running a marathon, exerts stressful forces on myotendinous junctions (MTJs). As the sites which skeletal muscle fibers anchor to surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) material of tendon, MTJs need to maintain homeostasis under stress for muscle to function normally. Human congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases that disrupt muscle homeostasis, are severely debilitating, and currently have no cure. In many CMDs, genetic mutations effect cell adhesion complexes located at the MTJ. The adherence of muscle fibers’ cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is weakened when these complexes as compromised. Many genes resulting …