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Wherley TJ, Thomas S, Millay DP, Saunders T, Roy S. Molecular regulation of myocyte fusion. Curr Top Dev Biol 2024; 158:53-82. [PMID: 38670716 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2024.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Myocyte fusion is a pivotal process in the development and regeneration of skeletal muscle. Failure during fusion can lead to a range of developmental as well as pathological consequences. This review aims to comprehensively explore the intricate processes underlying myocyte fusion, from the molecular to tissue scale. We shed light on key players, such as the muscle-specific fusogens - Myomaker and Myomixer, in addition to some lesser studied molecules contributing to myocyte fusion. Conserved across vertebrates, Myomaker and Myomixer play a crucial role in driving the merger of plasma membranes of fusing myocytes, ensuring the formation of functional muscle syncytia. Our multiscale approach also delves into broader cell and tissue dynamics that orchestrate the timing and positioning of fusion events. In addition, we explore the relevance of muscle fusogens to human health and disease. Mutations in fusogen genes have been linked to congenital myopathies, providing unique insights into the molecular basis of muscle diseases. We conclude with a discussion on potential therapeutic avenues that may emerge from manipulating the myocyte fusion process to remediate skeletal muscle disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanner J Wherley
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Serena Thomas
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Douglas P Millay
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
| | - Timothy Saunders
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Sudipto Roy
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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Mendieta-Serrano MA, Dhar S, Ng BH, Narayanan R, Lee JJY, Ong HT, Toh PJY, Röllin A, Roy S, Saunders TE. Slow muscles guide fast myocyte fusion to ensure robust myotome formation despite the high spatiotemporal stochasticity of fusion events. Dev Cell 2022; 57:2095-2110.e5. [PMID: 36027918 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Skeletal myogenesis is dynamic, and it involves cell-shape changes together with cell fusion and rearrangements. However, the final muscle arrangement is highly organized with striated fibers. By combining live imaging with quantitative analyses, we dissected fast-twitch myocyte fusion within the zebrafish myotome in toto. We found a strong mediolateral bias in fusion timing; however, at a cellular scale, there was heterogeneity in cell shape and the relationship between initial position of fast myocytes and resulting fusion partners. We show that the expression of the fusogen myomaker is permissive, but not instructive, in determining the spatiotemporal fusion pattern. Rather, we observed a close coordination between slow muscle rearrangements and fast myocyte fusion. In mutants that lack slow fibers, the spatiotemporal fusion pattern is substantially noisier. We propose a model in which slow muscles guide fast myocytes by funneling them close together, enhancing fusion probability. Thus, despite fusion being highly stochastic, a robust myotome structure emerges at the tissue scale.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sunandan Dhar
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore; Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Boon Heng Ng
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Rachna Narayanan
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore; Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Jorge J Y Lee
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Hui Ting Ong
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Pearlyn Jia Ying Toh
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Adrian Röllin
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117546, Singapore
| | - Sudipto Roy
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore; Department of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
| | - Timothy E Saunders
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore; Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117558, Singapore.
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Kuyyamudi C, Menon SN, Sinha S. Morphogen-regulated contact-mediated signaling between cells can drive the transitions underlying body segmentation in vertebrates. Phys Biol 2021; 19. [PMID: 34670199 DOI: 10.1088/1478-3975/ac31a3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
We propose a unified mechanism that reproduces the sequence of dynamical transitions observed during somitogenesis, the process of body segmentation during embryonic development, that is invariant across all vertebrate species. This is achieved by combining inter-cellular interactions mediated via receptor-ligand coupling with global spatial heterogeneity introduced through a morphogen gradient known to occur along the anteroposterior axis. Our model reproduces synchronized oscillations in the gene expression in cells at the anterior of the presomitic mesoderm as it grows by adding new cells at its posterior, followed by travelling waves and subsequent arrest of activity, with the eventual appearance of somite-like patterns. This framework integrates a boundary-organized pattern formation mechanism, which uses positional information provided by a morphogen gradient, with the coupling-mediated self-organized emergence of collective dynamics, to explain the processes that lead to segmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrashekar Kuyyamudi
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400 094, India
| | - Shakti N Menon
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India
| | - Sitabhra Sinha
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600113, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai 400 094, India
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