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Dubuisson N, Versele R, Planchon C, Selvais CM, Noel L, Abou-Samra M, Davis-López de Carrizosa MA. Histological Methods to Assess Skeletal Muscle Degeneration and Regeneration in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:16080. [PMID: 36555721 PMCID: PMC9786356 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232416080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive disease caused by the loss of function of the protein dystrophin. This protein contributes to the stabilisation of striated cells during contraction, as it anchors the cytoskeleton with components of the extracellular matrix through the dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC). Moreover, absence of the functional protein affects the expression and function of proteins within the DAPC, leading to molecular events responsible for myofibre damage, muscle weakening, disability and, eventually, premature death. Presently, there is no cure for DMD, but different treatments help manage some of the symptoms. Advances in genetic and exon-skipping therapies are the most promising intervention, the safety and efficiency of which are tested in animal models. In addition to in vivo functional tests, ex vivo molecular evaluation aids assess to what extent the therapy has contributed to the regenerative process. In this regard, the later advances in microscopy and image acquisition systems and the current expansion of antibodies for immunohistological evaluation together with the development of different spectrum fluorescent dyes have made histology a crucial tool. Nevertheless, the complexity of the molecular events that take place in dystrophic muscles, together with the rise of a multitude of markers for each of the phases of the process, makes the histological assessment a challenging task. Therefore, here, we summarise and explain the rationale behind different histological techniques used in the literature to assess degeneration and regeneration in the field of dystrophinopathies, focusing especially on those related to DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Dubuisson
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Medical Sector, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 55, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
- Neuromuscular Reference Center, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc (CUSL), Avenue Hippocrate 10, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Romain Versele
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Medical Sector, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 55, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chloé Planchon
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Medical Sector, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 55, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Camille M. Selvais
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Medical Sector, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 55, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Laurence Noel
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Medical Sector, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 55, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Michel Abou-Samra
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Medical Sector, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 55, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - María A. Davis-López de Carrizosa
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Research, Medical Sector, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 55, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain
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Roelofs AJ, Kania K, Rafipay AJ, Sambale M, Kuwahara ST, Collins FL, Smeeton J, Serowoky MA, Rowley L, Wang H, Gronewold R, Kapeni C, Méndez-Ferrer S, Little CB, Bateman JF, Pap T, Mariani FV, Sherwood J, Crump JG, De Bari C. Identification of the skeletal progenitor cells forming osteophytes in osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2020; 79:1625-1634. [PMID: 32963046 PMCID: PMC8136618 DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Osteophytes are highly prevalent in osteoarthritis (OA) and are associated with pain and functional disability. These pathological outgrowths of cartilage and bone typically form at the junction of articular cartilage, periosteum and synovium. The aim of this study was to identify the cells forming osteophytes in OA. METHODS Fluorescent genetic cell-labelling and tracing mouse models were induced with tamoxifen to switch on reporter expression, as appropriate, followed by surgery to induce destabilisation of the medial meniscus. Contributions of fluorescently labelled cells to osteophytes after 2 or 8 weeks, and their molecular identity, were analysed by histology, immunofluorescence staining and RNA in situ hybridisation. Pdgfrα-H2BGFP mice and Pdgfrα-CreER mice crossed with multicolour Confetti reporter mice were used for identification and clonal tracing of mesenchymal progenitors. Mice carrying Col2-CreER, Nes-CreER, LepR-Cre, Grem1-CreER, Gdf5-Cre, Sox9-CreER or Prg4-CreER were crossed with tdTomato reporter mice to lineage-trace chondrocytes and stem/progenitor cell subpopulations. RESULTS Articular chondrocytes, or skeletal stem cells identified by Nes, LepR or Grem1 expression, did not give rise to osteophytes. Instead, osteophytes derived from Pdgfrα-expressing stem/progenitor cells in periosteum and synovium that are descendants from the Gdf5-expressing embryonic joint interzone. Further, we show that Sox9-expressing progenitors in periosteum supplied hybrid skeletal cells to the early osteophyte, while Prg4-expressing progenitors from synovial lining contributed to cartilage capping the osteophyte, but not to bone. CONCLUSION Our findings reveal distinct periosteal and synovial skeletal progenitors that cooperate to form osteophytes in OA. These cell populations could be targeted in disease modification for treatment of OA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke J Roelofs
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Karolina Kania
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Alexandra J Rafipay
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Meike Sambale
- Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine, University Hospital Munster, Munster, Germany
| | - Stephanie T Kuwahara
- Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Fraser L Collins
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Joanna Smeeton
- Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Maxwell A Serowoky
- Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Lynn Rowley
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hui Wang
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - René Gronewold
- Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine, University Hospital Munster, Munster, Germany
| | - Chrysa Kapeni
- Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simón Méndez-Ferrer
- Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christopher B Little
- Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Laboratories, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, The University of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John F Bateman
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Thomas Pap
- Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine, University Hospital Munster, Munster, Germany
| | - Francesca V Mariani
- Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Joanna Sherwood
- Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine, University Hospital Munster, Munster, Germany
| | - J Gage Crump
- Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Cosimo De Bari
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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Nürnberg E, Vitacolonna M, Klicks J, von Molitor E, Cesetti T, Keller F, Bruch R, Ertongur-Fauth T, Riedel K, Scholz P, Lau T, Schneider R, Meier J, Hafner M, Rudolf R. Routine Optical Clearing of 3D-Cell Cultures: Simplicity Forward. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:20. [PMID: 32154265 PMCID: PMC7046628 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional cell cultures, such as spheroids and organoids, serve as increasingly important models in fundamental and applied research and start to be used for drug screening purposes. Optical tissue clearing procedures are employed to enhance visualization of fluorescence-stained organs, tissues, and three-dimensional cell cultures. To get a more systematic overview about the effects and applicability of optical tissue clearing on three-dimensional cell cultures, we compared six different clearing/embedding protocols on seven types of spheroid- and chip-based three-dimensional cell cultures of approximately 300 μm in size that were stained with nuclear dyes, immunofluorescence, cell trackers, and cyan fluorescent protein. Subsequent whole mount confocal microscopy and semi-automated image analysis were performed to quantify the effects. Quantitative analysis included fluorescence signal intensity and signal-to-noise ratio as a function of z-depth as well as segmentation and counting of nuclei and immunopositive cells. In general, these analyses revealed five key points, which largely confirmed current knowledge and were quantified in this study. First, there was a massive variability of effects of different clearing protocols on sample transparency and shrinkage as well as on dye quenching. Second, all tested clearing protocols worked more efficiently on samples prepared with one cell type than on co-cultures. Third, z-compensation was imperative to minimize variations in signal-to-noise ratio. Fourth, a combination of sample-inherent cell density, sample shrinkage, uniformity of signal-to-noise ratio, and image resolution had a strong impact on data segmentation, cell counts, and relative numbers of immunofluorescence-positive cells. Finally, considering all mentioned aspects and including a wish for simplicity and speed of protocols - in particular, for screening purposes - clearing with 88% Glycerol appeared to be the most promising option amongst the ones tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Nürnberg
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
- Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit, Department of Translational Brain Research, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Mario Vitacolonna
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Julia Klicks
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Elena von Molitor
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tiziana Cesetti
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Florian Keller
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Roman Bruch
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Thorsten Lau
- Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit, Department of Translational Brain Research, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Julia Meier
- TIP Oncology, Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Mathias Hafner
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rüdiger Rudolf
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
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Kania K, Colella F, Riemen AHK, Wang H, Howard KA, Aigner T, Dell'Accio F, Capellini TD, Roelofs AJ, De Bari C. Regulation of Gdf5 expression in joint remodelling, repair and osteoarthritis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:157. [PMID: 31932746 PMCID: PMC6957535 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57011-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Growth and Differentiation Factor 5 (GDF5) is a key risk locus for osteoarthritis (OA). However, little is known regarding regulation of Gdf5 expression following joint tissue damage. Here, we employed Gdf5-LacZ reporter mouse lines to assess the spatiotemporal activity of Gdf5 regulatory sequences in experimental OA following destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM) and after acute cartilage injury and repair. Gdf5 expression was upregulated in articular cartilage post-DMM, and was increased in human OA cartilage as determined by immunohistochemistry and microarray analysis. Gdf5 expression was also upregulated during cartilage repair in mice and was switched on in injured synovium in prospective areas of cartilage formation, where it inversely correlated with expression of the transcriptional co-factor Yes-associated protein (Yap). Indeed, overexpression of Yap suppressed Gdf5 expression in chondroprogenitors in vitro. Gdf5 expression in both mouse injury models required regulatory sequence downstream of Gdf5 coding exons. Our findings suggest that Gdf5 upregulation in articular cartilage and synovium is a generic response to knee injury that is dependent on downstream regulatory sequence and in progenitors is associated with chondrogenic specification. We propose a role for Gdf5 in tissue remodelling and repair after injury, which may partly underpin its association with OA risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Kania
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Fabio Colella
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Anna H K Riemen
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Hui Wang
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Kenneth A Howard
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Thomas Aigner
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, Medical Center Coburg, Coburg, Germany
| | - Francesco Dell'Accio
- Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Terence D Capellini
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anke J Roelofs
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Cosimo De Bari
- Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Aberdeen Centre for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
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