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Review
. 2024 May 28:15:1375428.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1375428. eCollection 2024.

What could be the function of the spinal muscular atrophy-causing protein SMN in macrophages?

Ines Tapken  1   2 , Nora T Detering  1   2 , Peter Claus  1   2
Affiliations
Review

What could be the function of the spinal muscular atrophy-causing protein SMN in macrophages?

Ines Tapken et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a neurodegenerative disorder, extends its impact beyond the nervous system. The central protein implicated in SMA, Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) protein, is ubiquitously expressed and functions in fundamental processes such as alternative splicing, translation, cytoskeletal dynamics and signaling. These processes are relevant for all cellular systems, including cells of the immune system such as macrophages. Macrophages are capable of modulating their splicing, cytoskeleton and expression profile in order to fulfil their role in tissue homeostasis and defense. However, less is known about impairment or dysfunction of macrophages lacking SMN and the subsequent impact on the immune system of SMA patients. We aimed to review the potential overlaps between SMN functions and macrophage mechanisms highlighting the need for future research, as well as the current state of research addressing the role of macrophages in SMA.

Keywords: SMA; SMN; SMN gene; macrophage; monocyte; neurodegeneration; spinal muscular atrophy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic summary of SMN functions and changes in SMA (blue) affecting mechanisms of macrophage differentiation, migration, splicing regulation, activation, and tissue specific functions. Interaction denoted as “:”. Increased and decreased expression/activity denoted as arrow. For references, see text. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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