Patent ID: 7892824

Claim:
An isolated synthetic nucleic acid molecule comprising a synthetic mini-dystrophin or micro-dystrophin gene encoding a synthetic, non-full-length, dystrophin protein that is able to restore nNOS to the sarcolemma, wherein the non-full-length dystrophin protein comprises, from the N terminus to the C terminus: (1) the N-terminal domain of the dystrophin protein or a modified N-terminal domain of the dystrophin protein, (2) at least two repeats of the mid-rod domain of the dystrophin protein, wherein said at least two repeats comprise R16 and R17, (3) at least 2 hinge regions of the dystrophin protein, whereas said at least two hinge regions comprise H1 and H4, and (4) the cysteine-rich domain of the dystrophin protein; wherein the mini- or micro-dystrophin gene is between 5 kb to about 8 kb in length or less than 5 kb in length, respectively.