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Tesoriero C, Greco F, Cannone E, Ghirotto F, Facchinello N, Schiavone M, Vettori A. Modeling Human Muscular Dystrophies in Zebrafish: Mutant Lines, Transgenic Fluorescent Biosensors, and Phenotyping Assays. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8314. [PMID: 37176020 PMCID: PMC10179009 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a heterogeneous group of myopathies characterized by progressive muscle weakness leading to death from heart or respiratory failure. MDs are caused by mutations in genes involved in both the development and organization of muscle fibers. Several animal models harboring mutations in MD-associated genes have been developed so far. Together with rodents, the zebrafish is one of the most popular animal models used to reproduce MDs because of the high level of sequence homology with the human genome and its genetic manipulability. This review describes the most important zebrafish mutant models of MD and the most advanced tools used to generate and characterize all these valuable transgenic lines. Zebrafish models of MDs have been generated by introducing mutations to muscle-specific genes with different genetic techniques, such as (i) N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) treatment, (ii) the injection of specific morpholino, (iii) tol2-based transgenesis, (iv) TALEN, (v) and CRISPR/Cas9 technology. All these models are extensively used either to study muscle development and function or understand the pathogenetic mechanisms of MDs. Several tools have also been developed to characterize these zebrafish models by checking (i) motor behavior, (ii) muscle fiber structure, (iii) oxidative stress, and (iv) mitochondrial function and dynamics. Further, living biosensor models, based on the expression of fluorescent reporter proteins under the control of muscle-specific promoters or responsive elements, have been revealed to be powerful tools to follow molecular dynamics at the level of a single muscle fiber. Thus, zebrafish models of MDs can also be a powerful tool to search for new drugs or gene therapies able to block or slow down disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Tesoriero
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy; (C.T.); (F.G.); (F.G.); (A.V.)
| | - Francesca Greco
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy; (C.T.); (F.G.); (F.G.); (A.V.)
| | - Elena Cannone
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy;
| | - Francesco Ghirotto
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy; (C.T.); (F.G.); (F.G.); (A.V.)
| | - Nicola Facchinello
- Neuroscience Institute, Italian National Research Council (CNR), 35131 Padua, Italy
| | - Marco Schiavone
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy;
| | - Andrea Vettori
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy; (C.T.); (F.G.); (F.G.); (A.V.)
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Hasan S, Asakawa S, Watabe S, Kinoshita S. Regulation of the Expression of the Myosin Heavy Chain (MYH) Gene myh14 in Zebrafish Development. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 23:821-835. [PMID: 34490548 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-021-10066-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The human sarcomeric myosin heavy chain gene MYH14 contains an intronic microRNA, miR-499. Our previous studies demonstrated divergent genomic organization and expression patterns of myh14/miR-499 among teleosts; however, the regulatory mechanism is partly known. In this study, we report the regulation of myh14 expression in zebrafish, Danio rerio. Zebrafish myh14 has three paralogs, myh14-1, myh14-2, and myh14-3. Detailed promoter analysis suggested that a 5710-bp 5'-flanking region of myh14-1 and a 5641-bp region of myh14-3 contain a necessary regulatory region to recapitulate specific expression during embryonic development. The 5'-flanking region of zebrafish myh14-1 and its torafugu ortholog shared two distal and a single proximal conserved region. The two distal conserved regions had no effect on zebrafish myh14-1 expression, in contrast to torafugu expression, suggesting an alternative regulatory mechanism among the myh14 orthologs. Comparison among the 5'-flanking regions of the myh14 paralogs revealed two conserved regions. Deletion of these conserved regions significantly reduced the promoter activity of myh14-3 but had no effect on myh14-1, indicating different cis-regulatory mechanisms of myh14 paralogs. Loss of function of miR-499 resulted in a marked reduction in slow muscle fibers in embryonic development. Our study identified different cis-regulatory mechanisms controlling the expression of myh14/miR-499 and an indispensable role of miR-499 in muscle fiber-type specification in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharmin Hasan
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
- Department of Biology and Chemistry, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Blvd., Laredo, TX, 78041, USA.
| | - Shuichi Asakawa
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Shugo Watabe
- School of Marine Bioscience, Kitasato University, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Shigeharu Kinoshita
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
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Wu P, Chen L, Cheng J, Pan Y, Zhu X, Bao L, Chu W, Zhang J. The miRNA expression profile directly reflects the energy metabolic differences between slow and fast muscle with nutritional regulation of the Chinese perch (Siniperca chuatsi). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2021; 259:111003. [PMID: 34118407 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.111003] [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: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Fish skeletal muscles are composed of two distinct types, slow and fast muscles, and they play important roles in maintaining the body's movement and energy metabolism. The two types of muscle are easy to separate, so they are often used as the model system for studies on their physiological and functional characteristics. In this study, we revealed that the carbohydrate and lipid metabolic KEGG pathways are different between slow and fast muscles of Chinese perch with transcriptome analysis. In fast muscle, glucose metabolism was catabolic with higher glycolysis capacity, while in slow muscle, glucose metabolism was anabolic with more glycogen synthesis. In addition, oxidative metabolism in slow muscle was stronger than that in fast muscle. By analyzing the expression levels of 40 miRNAs involved in metabolism in the muscles of Chinese perch, 18 miRNAs were significantly upregulated and 7 were significantly downregulated in slow muscle compared with fast muscle. Based on functional enrichment analysis of their target genes, the differential expression levels of 17 miRNAs in slow and fast muscles were reflected in their carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Among these, 15 miRNAs were associated with carbohydrate metabolism, and 6 miRNAs were associated with lipid metabolism. After 3 days of starvation, the expression levels of 15 miRNAs involved in glucose metabolism in fast and slow muscles increased. However, after 7 days of starvation, the mRNA levels of miR-22a, miR-23a, miR-133a-3p, miR-139, miR-143, miR-144, miR-181a and miR-206 decreased to basal levels. Our data suggest that the possible reason for the difference in glucose and lipid metabolism is that more miRNAs inhibit the expression of target genes in slow muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wu
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Fish Developmental Biology of Education Ministry of China, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Quality Control of Aquatic Animals, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China
| | - Jia Cheng
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Quality Control of Aquatic Animals, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China
| | - Yaxiong Pan
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Quality Control of Aquatic Animals, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China
| | - Xin Zhu
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Quality Control of Aquatic Animals, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China
| | - Lingsheng Bao
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Quality Control of Aquatic Animals, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China
| | - Wuying Chu
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Quality Control of Aquatic Animals, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China.
| | - Jianshe Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering and Environmental Science, Changsha University, Changsha, Hunan 410003, China; Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Nutrition and Quality Control of Aquatic Animals, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Changsha University, Changsha 410022, China.
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Kinoshita S, Ceyhun SB, Md A, Siddique BS, Akolkar DB, Asakawa S, Watabe S. Promoter analysis of the fish gene of slow/cardiac-type myosin heavy chain implicated in specification of muscle fiber types. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2018; 44:679-691. [PMID: 29349631 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-018-0463-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate skeletal muscles consist of heterogeneous tissues containing various types of muscle fibers, where specification of the fiber type is crucial for muscle development. Fish are an attractive experimental model to study the mechanisms of such fiber type specification because of the separated localization of slow and fast muscles in the trunk myotome. We examined regulation of expression of the torafugu gene of slow/cardiac-type myosin heavy chain, MYH M5 , and isolated an operational promoter in order to force its tissue-specific expression across different fish species via the transgenic approach in zebrafish and medaka. This promoter activity was observed in adaxial cell-derived superficial slow muscle fibers under the control of a hedgehog signal. We also uncovered coordinated expression of MYH M5 and Sox6b, which is an important transcriptional repressor for specification of muscle fiber types and participates in hedgehog signaling. Sequence comparison in the 5'-flanking region identified three conserved regions, CSR1-CSR3, between torafugu MYH M5 and its zebrafish ortholog. Analysis of deletion mutants showed that CSR1 significantly stimulates gene expression in slow muscle fibers. In contrast, deletion of CSR3 resulted in ectopic expression of a reporter gene in fast muscle fibers. CSR3 was found to contain a putative Sox family protein-binding site. These results indicate that the dual mechanism causing inhibition in fast muscle fibers and activation in slow muscle fibers is essential for slow muscle fiber-specific gene expression in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeharu Kinoshita
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
| | | | - Asaduzzamann Md
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Bhuiyan Sharmin Siddique
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Dadasaheb B Akolkar
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Shuichi Asakawa
- Department of Aquatic Bioscience, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Shugo Watabe
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
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Xiyuan Z, Fink RHA, Mosqueira M. NO-sGC Pathway Modulates Ca 2+ Release and Muscle Contraction in Zebrafish Skeletal Muscle. Front Physiol 2017; 8:607. [PMID: 28878687 PMCID: PMC5572320 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate skeletal muscle contraction and relaxation is a complex process that depends on Ca2+ ions to promote the interaction of actin and myosin. This process can be modulated by nitric oxide (NO), a gas molecule synthesized endogenously by (nitric oxide synthase) NOS isoforms. At nanomolar concentrations NO activates soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), which in turn activates protein kinase G via conversion of GTP into cyclic GMP. Alternatively, NO post-translationally modifies proteins via S-nitrosylation of the thiol group of cysteine. However, the mechanisms of action of NO on Ca2+ homeostasis during muscle contraction are not fully understood and we hypothesize that NO exerts its effects on Ca2+ homeostasis in skeletal muscles mainly through negative modulation of Ca2+ release and Ca2+ uptake via the NO-sGC-PKG pathway. To address this, we used 5–7 days-post fecundation-larvae of zebrafish, a well-established animal model for physiological and pathophysiological muscle activity. We evaluated the response of muscle contraction and Ca2+ transients in presence of SNAP, a NO-donor, or L-NAME, an unspecific NOS blocker in combination with specific blockers of key proteins of Ca2+ homeostasis. We also evaluate the expression of NOS in combination with dihydropteridine receptor, ryanodine receptor and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase. We concluded that endogenous NO reduced force production through negative modulation of Ca2+ transients via the NO-sGC pathway. This effect could be reversed using an unspecific NOS blocker or sGC blocker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhou Xiyuan
- Medical Biophysics Unit, Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Heidelberg University HospitalHeidelberg, Germany.,Department of Traumatic Surgery, TongJi Hospital affiliated to TongJi Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhan, China
| | - Rainer H A Fink
- Medical Biophysics Unit, Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Heidelberg University HospitalHeidelberg, Germany
| | - Matias Mosqueira
- Medical Biophysics Unit, Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Heidelberg University HospitalHeidelberg, Germany
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5′-flanking sequences of zebrafish fast myosin heavy chain genes regulate unique expression in the anterior, medial subsection and posterior tail somites of the skeletal muscle. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2016; 191:1-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2015.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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