The use of cytochalasin B to distinguish myoblasts from fibroblasts in cultures of developing chick striated muscle

Role of Actin-Binding Proteins in Skeletal Myogenesis

Maintenance of skeletal muscle quantity and quality is essential to ensure various vital functions of the body. Muscle homeostasis is regulated by multiple cytoskeletal proteins and myogenic transcriptional programs responding to endogenous and exogenous signals influencing cell structure and function. Since actin is an essential component in cytoskeleton dynamics, actin-binding proteins (ABPs) have been recognized as crucial players in skeletal muscle health and diseases. Hence, dysregulation of ABPs leads to muscle atrophy characterized by loss of mass, strength, quality, and capacity for regeneration. This comprehensive review summarizes the recent studies that have unveiled the role of ABPs in actin cytoskeletal dynamics, with a particular focus on skeletal myogenesis and diseases. This provides insight into the molecular mechanisms that regulate skeletal myogenesis via ABPs as well as research avenues to identify potential therapeutic targets. Moreover, this review explores the implications of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) targeting ABPs in skeletal myogenesis and disorders based on recent achievements in ncRNA research. The studies presented here will enhance our understanding of the functional significance of ABPs and mechanotransduction-derived myogenic regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, revealing how ncRNAs regulate ABPs will allow diverse therapeutic approaches for skeletal muscle disorders to be developed.

Cytochalasans and Their Impact on Actin Filament Remodeling

The eukaryotic actin cytoskeleton comprises the protein itself in its monomeric and filamentous forms, G- and F-actin, as well as multiple interaction partners (actin-binding proteins, ABPs). This gives rise to a temporally and spatially controlled, dynamic network, eliciting a plethora of motility-associated processes. To interfere with the complex inter- and intracellular interactions the actin cytoskeleton confers, small molecular inhibitors have been used, foremost of all to study the relevance of actin filaments and their turnover for various cellular processes. The most prominent inhibitors act by, e.g., sequestering monomers or by interfering with the polymerization of new filaments and the elongation of existing filaments. Among these inhibitors used as tool compounds are the cytochalasans, fungal secondary metabolites known for decades and exploited for their F-actin polymerization inhibitory capabilities. In spite of their application as tool compounds for decades, comprehensive data are lacking that explain (i) how the structural deviances of the more than 400 cytochalasans described to date influence their bioactivity mechanistically and (ii) how the intricate network of ABPs reacts (or adapts) to cytochalasan binding. This review thus aims to summarize the information available concerning the structural features of cytochalasans and their influence on the described activities on cell morphology and actin cytoskeleton organization in eukaryotic cells.

Muscle stem cell isolation and in vitro culture for meat production: A methodological review

Cultured muscle tissue-based protein products, also known as cultured meat, are produced through in vitro myogenesis involving muscle stem cell culture and differentiation, and mature muscle cell processing for flavor and texture. This review focuses on the in vitro myogenesis for cultured meat production. The muscle stem cell-based in vitro muscle tissue production consists of a sequential process: (1) muscle sampling for stem cell collection, (2) muscle tissue dissociation and muscle stem cell isolation, (3) primary cell culture, (4) upscaled cell culture, (5) muscle differentiation and maturation, and (6) muscle tissue harvest. Although muscle stem cell research is a well-established field, the majority of these steps remain to be underoptimized to enable the in vitro creation of edible muscle-derived meat products. The profound understanding of the process would help not only cultured meat production but also business sectors that have been seeking new biomaterials for the food industry. In this review, we discuss comprehensively and in detail each step of cutting-edge methods for cultured meat production. This would be meaningful for both academia and industry to prepare for the new era of cellular agriculture.

Quantitative high-precision imaging of myosin-dependent filamentous actin dynamics

Over recent decades, considerable effort has been made to understand how mechanical stress applied to the actin network alters actin assembly and disassembly dynamics. However, there are conflicting reports concerning the issue both in vitro and in cells. In this review, we discuss concerns regarding previous quantitative live-cell experiments that have attempted to evaluate myosin regulation of filamentous actin (F-actin) turnover. In particular, we highlight an error-generating mechanism in quantitative live-cell imaging, namely convection-induced misdistribution of actin-binding probes. Direct observation of actin turnover at the single-molecule level using our improved electroporation-based Single-Molecule Speckle (eSiMS) microscopy technique overcomes these concerns. We introduce our recent single-molecule analysis that unambiguously demonstrates myosin-dependent regulation of F-actin stability in live cells. We also discuss the possible application of eSiMS microscopy in the analysis of actin remodeling in striated muscle cells.

Distinctive Effects of Cytochalasin B in Chick Primary Myoblasts and Fibroblasts

Actin-based structures play fundamental roles in cellular functions. However it remains controversial how cells cope with the absence of F-actin structures. This report focuses on short- and long-term effects of cytochalasin B (CB) on actin-complexes in fibroblasts and myoblasts. Thirty min of CB treatment dispersed subplasma actin cortices, lamellipodia, ruffled membranes, stress fibers and adhesion plaques into actin patches in fibroblasts and muscle cells. In contrast, 72 hrs CB treatment showed distinct morphological effects. Fibroblasts became giant multinucleated-finger shaped with 5 to 10 protrusions, 3-8 μm in width, and >200 μm in length. They lacked cortical actin, stress fibers, adhesion plaques and ruffled membranes but contained immense lamelliopodia with abnormal adhesion plaque protein complexes. Muscle cells transformed into multinucleated globular-shaped but contained normal I-Z-I and A-bands, indicating that CB did not interfere with the assembly of myofibrils. Within 30 min after CB removal, finger-shaped fibroblasts returned to their original shape and actin-containing structures rapidly reappeared, whereas muscle cells respond slowly to form elongated myotubes following CB washout. The capacity to grow, complete several nuclear cycles, assemble intermediate filaments and microtubules without a morphologically recognizable actin cytoskeleton raises interesting issues related to the role of the actin compartments in eukaryotic cells.

Localization of sarcomeric proteins during myofibril assembly in cultured mouse primary skeletal myotubes

It is important to understand how muscle forms normally in order to understand muscle diseases that result in abnormal muscle formation. Although the structure of myofibrils is well understood, the process through which the myofibril components form organized contractile units is not clear. Based on the staining of muscle proteins in avian embryonic cardiomyocytes, we previously proposed that myofibrils formation occurred in steps that began with premyofibrils followed by nascent myofibrils and ending with mature myofibrils. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the premyofibril model of myofibrillogenesis developed from studies developed from studies in avian cardiomyocytes was supported by our current studies of myofibril assembly in mouse skeletal muscle. Emphasis was on establishing how the key sarcomeric proteins, F-actin, nonmuscle myosin II, muscle myosin II, and α-actinin were organized in the three stages of myofibril assembly. The results also test previous reports that nonmuscle myosins II A and B are components of the Z-bands of mature myofibrils, data that are inconsistent with the premyofibril model. We have also determined that in mouse muscle cells, telethonin is a late assembling protein that is present only in the Z-bands of mature myofibrils. This result of using specific telethonin antibodies supports the approach of using YFP-tagged proteins to determine where and when these YFP-sarcomeric fusion proteins are localized. The data presented in this study on cultures of primary mouse skeletal myocytes are consistent with the premyofibril model of myofibrillogenesis previously proposed for both avian cardiac and skeletal muscle cells.

Differential effects of Latrunculin-A on myofibrils in cultures of skeletal muscle cells: insights into mechanisms of myofibrillogenesis

To test different models of myofibrillogenesis, we followed live cells expressing Green Fluorescent Proteins ligated to either actin or alpha-actinin and analyzed stress fibers, premyofibrils, and myofibrils in quail myotube cultures. Actin filaments in the three types of fibers were compared by analyzing the effects of Latrunculin-A (Lat-A), a monomeric actin binding macrolide drug (M.W. = 422 Daltons), on stress fibers in fibroblasts and on myofibrils in skeletal myotubes in the same culture. Lat-A, at low concentrations (0.2 microM), induced the loss of stress fibers in fibroblasts within a few hours and within 10 min when Lat-A was increased to 1.0 microM. The effect was reversible with reformation of the stress fibers when the drug was removed. In contrast to the Lat-A induced disassembly of stress fibers in fibroblasts, assembling myofibrils in the skeletal muscle cells were not affected by 1.0-microM concentrations of Lat-A. With increasing concentrations of Lat-A (up to 5 microM), and increasing incubation times, however, the drug induced premyofibrils, the precursors of mature myofibrils, to disassemble and the accumulation of mature myofibrils to be halted. Removal of the drug led to the reformation of premyofibrils and the resumption of myofibrillogenesis in the spreading edges of the myotubes. In contrast, the mature myofibrils in the central shaft of the myotubes were stable in doses of Lat-A as high as 50 microM. The newly assembled mature myofibrils located adjacent to the premyofibrils at the ends and sides of the myotube were intermediate in sensitivity to Lat-A, disassembling when exposed to 10 microM Lat-A for one hour. To determine how a change in the actin filaments during myofibrillogenesis might confer greater resistance to depolymerization by Lat-A, we stained the myotubes with an antibody directed against CapZ, a protein that blocks the release of monomer actin from the barbed ends of actin filaments. CapZ was absent from premyofibrils. It was distributed uniformly along nascent myofibrils where F-actin was unstriated, and was localized in a clearly striated Z-band pattern in the mature myofibrils where F-actin patterns were fully striated. These Lat-A and CapZ results are discussed in the context of various models of myofibrillogenesis.

Myofibrillogenesis in skeletal muscle cells

How are myofibrils assembled in skeletal muscles? The current authors present evidence that myofibrils assemble through a three-step model: premyofibrils to nascent myofibrils to mature myofibrils. This three-step sequence was based initially on studies of living and fixed cultured cells from cardiac muscle. Data from avian primary muscle cells and from a transgenic skeletal mouse cell line indicate that a premyofibril model for myofibrillogenesis also holds for skeletal muscle cells. Premyofibrils are characterized by minisarcomeres bounded by Z-bodies composed of the muscle isoform of alpha-actinin. Actin filaments are connected to these Z-bodies and to the mini-A-bands composed of nonmuscle myosin II filaments. Nascent myofibrils are formed when premyofibrils align and are modified by the addition of titin and muscle myosin II filaments. Mature myofibrils result when nonmuscle myosin II is eliminated from the myofibrils and the alpha-actinin rich Z-bodies fuse as the distance between them increases from 0.5 microm in premyofibrils to 2 to 2.5 microm in the mature myofibrils.

TGF-beta and bFGF affect the differentiation of proliferating porcine fibroblasts into myofibroblasts in vitro

Fibroblasts and myofibroblasts are involved in the foreign body reaction to biomaterials, especially in capsule formation. However, contraction or detachment of the capsule can lead to complications. Biocompatibility of biomaterials may be improved by the application of proteins regulating the differentiation or activation of (myo)fibroblasts. Myofibroblasts, differentiating from fibroblasts can be identified by the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SM actin). We investigated the influence of proliferation and quiescence on the differentiation of porcine dermal cells and whether transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are involved in the differentiation of proliferating cells. Porcine cells were used because pigs increasingly function as in vivo models while little is known of the characteristics of their cells. Serum-free cultured, quiescent fibroblasts differentiated into myofibroblasts, while proliferating fibroblasts cultured in the presence of serum containing TGF-beta, formed alpha-SM actin-negative cell clusters. After reaching confluency, these clusters started to expressing alpha-SM actin. Moreover, these proliferating cells produced TGF-beta from day 4 onwards while bFGF did not. Differentiation into myofibroblasts was inhibited by bFGF and to an even greater extent by antibodies to TGF-beta. Further, two theories concerning the role of the myofibroblast in tissue contraction in view of two biomaterial application will be discussed.

Movement of Ca(2+)-ATPase molecules within the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscle

The endoplasmic reticulum undergoes rapid, microscopic changes in its structure, including extension and anastomosis of tubular elements. Such dynamism is expected to manifest itself also as rapid intermixing of membrane components, at least within subdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum. Here we present evidence of a similar dynamism in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of developing skeletal muscle. The sarcoplasmic reticulum is sometimes considered a specialized type of endoplasmic reticulum, but it appears to be a rather static set of membrane-bound elements, repetitively arranged to enwrap each sarcomere of each myofibril. Both endoplasmic reticulum and sarcoplasmic reticulum contain P-type Ca(2+)-ATPases that transport calcium from the cytosol into their lumen. In the experiments reported here, chicken and mouse cells were fused by polyethylene glycol, natural myogenic cell fusion, or Sendai virus. The redistribution of Ca(2+)-ATPase molecules between chick and mouse endoplasmic reticulum/sarcoplasmic reticulum was followed by immunofluorescence microscopy in which species-specific monoclonal antibodies to chick and mouse Ca(2+)-ATPases were used. Redistribution was time- and temperature-dependent but independent of protein synthesis as well as the method of cell fusion. Intermixing occurred on a time scale of tens of minutes at 37 degrees C. These results verify the dynamic nature of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and illustrate an aspect of the special relationship between endoplasmic reticulum and sarcoplasmic reticulum.

The premyofibril: evidence for its role in myofibrillogenesis

When cardiac muscle cells are isolated from embryonic chicks and grown in culture they attach to the substrate as spherical cells with disrupted myofibrils, and over several days in culture, they spread and extend lamellae. Based on antibody localizations of various cytoskeletal proteins within the spreading cardiomyocyte, three types of myofibrils have been identified: 1) fully formed mature myofibrils that are centrally positioned in the cell, 2) premyofibrils that are closest to the cell periphery, and 3) nascent myofibrils located between the premyofibrils and the mature myofibrils. Muscle-specific myosin is localized in the A-bands in the mature, contractile myofibrils, and along the nascent myofibrils in a continuous pattern, but it is absent from the premyofibrils. Antibodies to non-muscle isoforms of myosin IIB react with the premyofibrils at the cell periphery and with the nascent myofibrils, revealing short bands of myosin between closely spaced bands of alpha-actinin. In the areas where the nascent myofibrils border on the mature myofibrils, the bands of non-muscle myosin II reach lengths matching the lengths of the mature A-bands. With the exception of a small transition zone consisting of one myofibril, or sometimes several sarcomeres, bordering the nascent myofibrils, there is no reaction of these non-muscle myosin IIB antibodies with the mature myofibrils in spreading myocytes. C-protein is found only in the mature myofibrils, and its presence there may prevent co-polymerization of non-muscle and muscle myosins. Antibodies directed against the non-muscle myosin isoforms, IIA, do not stain the cardiomyocytes. In contrast to the cardiomyocytes, the fibroblasts in these cultures stain with antibodies to both non-muscle myosin IIA and IIB. The premyofibrils near the leading edge of the lamellae show no reaction with antibodies to either titin or zeugmatin, whereas the nascent myofibrils and mature myofibrils do. The spacings of the banded alpha-actinin staining range from 0.3 to 1.4 microns in the pre- and nascent myofibrils and reach full spacings (1.8-2.5 microns) in the mature myofibrils. Based on these observations, we propose a premyofibril model in which non-muscle myosin IIB, titin, and zeugmatin play key roles in myofibrillogenesis. This model proposes that pre- and nascent myofibrils are composed of minisarcomeres that increase in length, presumably by the concurrent elongation of actin filaments, the loss of the non-muscle myosin II filaments, the fusion of dense bodies or Z-bodies to form wide Z-bands, and the capture and alignment of muscle myosin II filaments to form the full spacings of mature myofibrils.

Contractile protein dynamics of myofibrils in paired adult rat cardiomyocytes

The purpose of this study was to determine how quickly contractile proteins are incorporated into the myofibrils of freshly isolated cardiomyocytes and to determine whether there are regions of the cells that are more dynamic than others in their ability to incorporate the proteins. Paired cardiomyocytes joined at intercalated discs and single cells were isolated from adult rats, and microinjected 3 hours later with fluorescently labeled actin, alpha-actinin, myosin light chains and vinculin. The cells were fixed and permeabilized at various period, 5 seconds and longer, after microinjection. Actin became incorporated throughout the I-Bands in as short a time as 5 seconds. The free edges of the cells, which were formerly intercalated discs, exhibited concentrations of actin greater than that incorporated in the I-Bands. This extra concentration of actin was not detected, however, at intact intercalated discs connecting paired cells. Alpha-actinin was incorporated immediately into Z-Bands and intercalated discs. Vinculin, also, was localized at the Z-Bands and at intercalated discs, but in contrast to alpha-actinin, there was a higher concentration of vinculin in the region of the intact intercalated discs. Both alpha-actinin and vinculin were concentrated at the free ends of the cells that were formerly parts of intercalated discs. Myosin light chains were observed to incorporate into the A-Bands in periods as short as 5 seconds. These results suggest that the myofibrils of adult cardiomyocytes may be capable of rapid isoform transitions along the length of the myofibrils. The rapid accumulation of fluorescent actin, alpha-actinin, and vinculin in membrane sites that were previously parts of intercalated discs, may reflect the response to locomotory activity that is initiated in these areas as cells spread in culture. A similar response after an injury in the intact heart could allow repair to occur.

Disruption of microfilament organization in living nonmuscle cells by microinjection of plasma vitamin D-binding protein or DNase I

Plasma vitamin D-binding protein (DBP), which binds to monomeric actin, causes the breakdown of stress fibers when it is microinjected into nonmuscle cells. Disruption of the stress fiber network is also accompanied by shape changes in the cell that resemble those seen after cytochalasin treatment. When DBP was coinjected with fluorescently labeled alpha-actinin, no fluorescent stress fibers or attachment plaques were visible 30 min after injection. Twelve hours later the cells regained their flattened shape and their stress fibers. Fluorescently labeled DBP causes the same reversible changes in cell shape as the unlabeled protein. Upon injection, the labeled DBP diffuses throughout the cytoplasm, becoming localized by 12 hr in a punctate pattern, presumably due to lysozomal sequestration. Similar injections of DBP into skeletal myotubes and cardiac myocytes did not lead to shape changes or breakdown of nascent and/or fully formed myofibrils, even though DBP has a 2-fold higher binding affinity for muscle actin over that of the nonmuscle isoactins. Similar differential effects in nonmuscle cells were also observed after the microinjection of DNase I, another protein capable of binding monomer actin. The effects of these microinjected monomer actin-binding proteins imply that an accessible pool of monomer actin is needed to maintain stress fiber integrity in nonmuscle cells but not the integrity of the nascent or fully formed myofibrils in muscle cells.

Expression of avian Ca2+-ATPase in cultured mouse myogenic cells

cDNA encoding Ca2+-ATPase was cloned from a chicken skeletal muscle library. The cDNA (termed FCa) comprised 3,239 base pairs, including an open reading frame encoding 994 amino acids which showed the highest degree of homology with the adult rabbit fast-twitch Ca2+-ATPase isoform (C. J. Brandl, S. de Leon, D. R. Martin, and D. H. MacLennan, J. Biol. Chem. 262:3768-3774, 1987). Radiolabeled FCa hybridized to a 3.2-kilobase transcript in chicken skeletal muscle RNA but not to cardiac muscle RNA, which confirmed its identity as encoding the fast Ca2+-ATPase isoenzyme. FCa was transfected into the mouse myogenic line C2C12, from which a protein of 100 kilodaltons was immunopurified by using a monoclonal antibody specific for the avian fast Ca2+-ATPase. Immunofluorescence microscopy of a line (designated C2FCa2) stably expressing the avian Ca2+-ATPase localized the protein to the nuclear envelope and a population of cytoplasmic vesicles. A similar pattern was observed when C2FCa2 cells were stained with DiOC6(3), a cyanine dye that labels endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria (M. Terasaki, J. Song, J. R. Wong, M. J. Weiss, and L. B. Chen, Cell 38:101-108, 1984). We conclude that the avian Ca2+-ATPase fast isoform is expressed and correctly targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum in mouse C2C12 cells.

Expression of avian Ca2+-ATPase in cultured mouse myogenic cells

cDNA encoding Ca2+-ATPase was cloned from a chicken skeletal muscle library. The cDNA (termed FCa) comprised 3,239 base pairs, including an open reading frame encoding 994 amino acids which showed the highest degree of homology with the adult rabbit fast-twitch Ca2+-ATPase isoform (C. J. Brandl, S. de Leon, D. R. Martin, and D. H. MacLennan, J. Biol. Chem. 262:3768-3774, 1987). Radiolabeled FCa hybridized to a 3.2-kilobase transcript in chicken skeletal muscle RNA but not to cardiac muscle RNA, which confirmed its identity as encoding the fast Ca2+-ATPase isoenzyme. FCa was transfected into the mouse myogenic line C2C12, from which a protein of 100 kilodaltons was immunopurified by using a monoclonal antibody specific for the avian fast Ca2+-ATPase. Immunofluorescence microscopy of a line (designated C2FCa2) stably expressing the avian Ca2+-ATPase localized the protein to the nuclear envelope and a population of cytoplasmic vesicles. A similar pattern was observed when C2FCa2 cells were stained with DiOC6(3), a cyanine dye that labels endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria (M. Terasaki, J. Song, J. R. Wong, M. J. Weiss, and L. B. Chen, Cell 38:101-108, 1984). We conclude that the avian Ca2+-ATPase fast isoform is expressed and correctly targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum in mouse C2C12 cells.

Transport across rat trachea in vitro after exposure to cytoskeleton-active drugs in vitro or to ozone in vivo

Full-length tracheas from Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to cytoskeleton-active drugs in short-term organ culture, and the permeability of the tracheal epithelium was measured by instilling radiotracers into the lumen and assay of the radioactivity appearing in the external bathing medium. In vitro treatment with cytochalasin D (cyto D, 2-10 x 10(-6) M) increased the rate of movement of [14C]mannitol across the epithelium. Exposure to vinblastine (VB, 10(-4) M) alone had no significant effect. However, VB in combination with cyto D increased the permeability in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo exposure to ozone (O3, 0.8 or 2.0 ppm, 2 h) had only a slight effect on the rate of movement of the tracer as measured in vitro immediately after exposure. At 24 h postexposure there was no significant difference in permeability between ozone- and air-exposed tracheas. Prior in vivo O3 exposure sensitized the tracheas to the in vitro effects of cyto D; treatment of O3-exposed tracheas with cyto D immediately after O3 exposure produced a greater than additive effect on permeability measured in vitro. VB at concentrations up to 10(-4) M had no enhancing effect on permeability in O3-exposed tracheas. Sham exposure to clean air did not affect permeability compared to untreated (shelf) controls. Electron microscopic studies demonstrated penetration of horseradish peroxidase into intercellular spaces in the tracheas treated in vitro with cyto D or cyto D plus VB. Cyto D is known to affect intracellular microfilaments that have attachments at or near the cell surface, while VB affects microtubules associated with internal cellular structures. Therefore, the synergistic effect on tracheal permeability observed with O3 and cyto D, but not with O3 and VB, suggests that O3 may change cell surface structures associated with the microfilamentous cytoskeleton.

Cellular localization of muscle and nonmuscle actin mRNAs in chicken primary myogenic cultures: the induction of alpha-skeletal actin mRNA is regulated independently of alpha-cardiac actin gene expression

Specific DNA fragments complementary to the 3' untranslated regions of the beta-, alpha-cardiac, and alpha-skeletal actin mRNAs were used as in situ hybridization probes to examine differential expression and distribution of these mRNAs in primary myogenic cultures. We demonstrated that prefusion bipolar-shaped cells derived from day 3 dissociated embryonic somites were equivalent to myoblasts derived from embryonic day 11-12 pectoral tissue with respect to the expression of the alpha-cardiac actin gene. Fibroblasts present in primary muscle cultures were not labeled by the alpha-cardiac actin gene probe. Since virtually all of the bipolar cells express alpha-cardiac actin mRNA before fusion, we suggest that the bipolar phenotype may distinguish a committed myogenic cell type. In contrast, alpha-skeletal actin mRNA accumulates only in multinucleated myotubes and appears to be regulated independently from the alpha-cardiac actin gene. Accumulation of alpha-skeletal but not alpha-cardiac actin mRNA can be blocked by growth in Ca2+-deficient medium which arrests myoblast fusion. Thus, the sequential appearance of alpha-cardiac and then alpha-skeletal actin mRNA may result from factors that arise during terminal differentiation. Finally, the beta-actin mRNA was located in both fibroblasts and myoblasts but diminished in content during myoblast fusion and was absent from differentiated myotubes. It appears that in primary myogenic cultures, an asynchronous stage-dependent induction of two different alpha-striated actin mRNA species occurs concomitant with the deinduction of the nonmuscle beta-actin gene.

Bi-functional action of transforming growth factor-beta on DNA synthesis in early passage human fetal fibroblasts

We investigated the influence of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) on DNA synthesis in human fetal fibroblasts, as measured by the incorporation of [3H]thymidine and cell replication. In serum-free medium, without additional peptide growth factors, TGF-beta had no action on thymidine incorporation. However, in the presence of 0.1% v/v fetal calf serum, TGF-beta exhibited a bi-functional action on the cells. A dose-dependent stimulation of [3H]thymidine incorporation, and an increase in cell number, occurred with fibroblasts established from fetuses under 50 g body weight, with a maximum stimulation seen at 1.25 ng/ml. For fibroblasts from fetuses of 100 g or greater body weight, TGF-beta caused a dose-related decrease in thymidine uptake with a maximal inhibition at 2.5 ng/ml, and a small decrease in cell number. When DNA synthesis was stimulated by the addition of somatomedin-C/insulin-like growth factor I, epidermal growth factor, or platelet-derived growth factor, their actions were potentiated by the presence of TGF-beta on cells derived from fetuses under 50 g body weight, but inhibited on cells obtained from the larger fetuses weighing more than 100 g. Similar results were found for changes in cell number in response to TGF-beta when stimulated by SM-C/IGF I. The ability of TGF-beta to modulate [3H] thymidine incorporation did not involve a change in the time required for growth-restricted cells to enter the S phase of the replication cycle. These data suggest that TGF-beta may exert either a growth-promoting or growth-inhibiting action on human fetal connective tissues in the presence of other peptide growth factors, which is dependent on fetal age and development.

Incorporation of [3H]thymidine by isolated fetal myoblasts and fibroblasts in response to human placental lactogen (HPL): possible mediation of HPL action by release of immunoreactive SM-C

We investigated the actions of human placental lactogen (HPL) and human growth hormone (HGH) on [3H]thymidine incorporation and the release of immunoassayable somatomedin-C (SM-C) by isolated myoblasts, dermal fibroblasts, and costal cartilage explants taken from human fetuses at 11-21 weeks of gestation. The incorporation of [3H]thymidine by myoblasts and fibroblasts was significantly increased after incubation for 20 hr or 44 hr, and cell number after incubation for 7 days, in the presence of 50-250 ng/ml HPL. Incubation with HPL did not increase [3H]thymidine incorporation into cartilage explants, whereas incubation with HGH failed to enhance the uptake of this isotope by any of the tissues. Following extraction with acid-ethanol, culture medium conditioned by exposure to myoblasts or fibroblasts for 44 hr, and to cartilage explants for 7 days, contained radioimmunoassayable SM-C. Myoblast-conditioned medium contained significantly more SM-C [1,609 +/- 953 mU/mg cell protein (mean +/- SD); n = 10] than did that conditioned by fibroblasts (637 +/- 323; n = 5; P less than 0.02). In 1 week of culture, cartilage explants released 4.1 +/- 1.1 mU/mg wet weight (n = 7). The release of immunoassayable SM-C from cultured cells was significantly increased in the presence of 250 ng/ml HPL in five of eight experiments with myoblasts and two of four experiments with fibroblasts. Neither fibroblasts or myoblasts showed increased SM-C release following exposure to HGH. The results suggest that HPL, but not HGH, is growth-promoting for some human fetal tissues in vitro and that this action is mediated, at least in part, by an increased release of somatomedins.

Separation of precursor myogenic and chondrogenic cells in early limb bud mesenchyme by a monoclonal antibody

We have addressed the problem of the segregation of cell lineages during the development of cartilage and muscle in the chick limb bud. The following experiments demonstrate that early limb buds consist of at least two independent subpopulations of committed precursor cells--those in (a) the myogenic and (b) the chondrogenic lineage--which can be physically separated. Cells obtained from stage 20, 21, and 22 limb buds were cultured for 5 h in the presence of a monoclonal antibody that was originally isolated for its ability to detach preferentially myogenic cells from extracellular matrices. The detached limb bud cells were collected and replated in normal medium. Within 2 d nearly all of the replated cells had differentiated into myoblasts and myotubes; no chondroblasts differentiated in these cultures. In contrast, the original adherent population that remained after the antibody-induced detachment of the myogenic cells differentiated largely into cartilage and was devoid of muscle. Rearing the antibody-detached cells (i.e., replicating myogenic precursors and postmitotic myoblasts) in medium known to promote chondrogenesis did not induce these cells to chondrify. Conversely, rearing the attached precursor cells (i.e., chondrogenic precursors) in medium known to promote myogenesis did not induce these cells to undergo myogenesis. The definitive mononucleated myoblasts and multinucleated myotubes were identified by muscle-specific antibodies against light meromyosin or desmin, whereas the definitive chondroblasts were identified by a monoclonal antibody against the keratan sulfate chains of the cartilage-specific sulfated proteoglycan. These findings are interpreted as supporting the lineage hypothesis in which the differentiation program of a cell is determined by means of transit through compartments of a lineage.

Cultured fetal rat myoblasts release peptide growth factors which are immunologically and biologically similar to somatomedin

The production of immunologically and biologically active somatomedin activity from isolated myoblasts and fibroblasts from fetal rats of 21 days gestational age was investigated. Myoblast-rich cell populations were derived from primary cultures of dispersed muscle cells by the tendency of myoblasts to become detached from the culture dish in the presence of cytochalasin B. Fibroblasts were obtained from fetal muscle. Culture medium conditioned by exposure to myoblasts for 48 hours produced an increased incorporation of both [35S]sulphate and [3H]thymidine by explants of fetal rat costal cartilage in vitro compared to fresh medium. Myoblast-conditioned medium also contained somatomedin-C-like immunoreactivity which diluted in parallel with partially purified human somatomedin-C (3,271 +/- 446 mU/mg cell protein; mean +/- SEM, seven experiments). Medium conditioned by exposure to fetal rat fibroblasts did not promote isotope uptake by fetal rat cartilage above control values, and contained only low levels of somatomedin-C-like immunoreactivity (343 +/- 89 mU/mg cell protein, three experiments). The release of both somatomedin bioactivity and immunoreactivity into conditioned medium was significantly reduced by the incubation of myoblasts in the presence of rat growth hormone (100 ng/ml and 500 ng/ml). We conclude that fetal rat myoblasts released growth factor activity during culture which exhibited biological and immunologic characteristics of somatomedin. Since the bioactivity was demonstrated on skeletal tissues from rat fetuses of the same gestational age as those that yielded myoblasts such growth factor release may be physiological.

Effects of bunaftine on morphology, microfilament integrity, and mitotic activity in cultured human fibroblasts and HeLa cells

Human fibroblasts and HeLa cells were treated with bunaftine (N-butyl-N-/2-(diethylamino)ethyl/-1-naphthalenecarboxamide ) in vitro. At concentrations of 0.5-2.0 mM, the drug caused contraction and rounding of the cells with loss of microvilli-like processes. Aggregates of dense, partly granular, partly fibrillar material formed in the cytoplasm and the rough endoplasmic reticulum became vesiculated. Immunofluorescence microscopy with DNase I and anti-DNase I demonstrated that bundles of actin filaments were disrupted, forming rings, coils, and granules. Filaments stained with antibodies to vimentin (fibroblasts) and prekeratin (HeLa cells) showed less characteristic rearrangements, probably related to the rounding up of the cells. 0.4 mM bunaftine increased and 0.8-1.0 mM markedly decreased the percentage of mitotic cells, without accumulation of cells in any particular stage of mitosis. The drug may arrest the cell cycle at some point before mitosis; it may have a critical concentration above which the arrest becomes permanent. These results suggest that bunaftine interferes with the integrity of microfilament bundles in a different manner from that of cytochalasins. It does not cause any depletion of cellular ATP, indicating that its effect is not a result of inhibition of cell metabolism. It is proposed that bunaftine may be used a complement to cytochalasins in studies of the microfilament system of the cell. The possible binding of bunaftine to actin or myosin and further details of its mechanism of action remain to be elucidated.

Control of differentiation in heterokaryons and hybrids involving differentiation-defective myoblast variants

Clones of differentiation-defective myoblasts were isolated by selecting clones of L6 rat myoblasts that did not form myotubes under differentiation-stimulating conditions. Rat skeletal myosin light chain synthesis was induced in heterokaryons formed by fusing these defective myoblasts to differentiated chick skeletal myocytes. This indicates that the structural gene for this muscle protein was still responsive to chick inducing factors and that the defective myoblasts were not producing large quantities of molecules that dominantly suppressed the expression of differentiated functions. The regulation of the decision to differentiate was then examined in hybrids between differentiation-defective myoblasts and differentiation-competent myoblasts. Staining with antimyosin antibodies showed that the defective myoblasts and homotypic hybrids formed by fusing defective myoblasts to themselves could in fact differentiate, but did so more than a thousand times less frequently than the 64% differentiation achieved by competent L6 myoblasts or homotypic competent X competent L6 hybrids. Heterotypic hybrids between differentiation-defective myoblasts and competent L6 cells exhibited an intermediate behavior of approximately 1% differentiation. A theoretical model for the regulation of the commitment to terminal differentiation is proposed that could explain these results by invoking the need to achieve threshold levels of secondary inducing molecules in response to differentiation-stimulating conditions. This model helps explain many of the stochastic aspects of cell differentiation.

Regulation of rat myosin light-chain synthesis in heterokaryons between 5-bromodeoxyuridine-blocked rat myoblasts and differentiated chick myocytes

Terminal cell differentiation in a variety of model systems is inhibited by the thymidine analogue 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR). We investigated the mode of action of BUdR by forming heterokaryons between undifferentiated BUdR-blocked rat myoblasts and differentiated chick skeletal myocytes. We analyzed newly synthesized proteins on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels. The induction of rat skeletal myosin light-chain synthesis was reduced fivefold, as compared with controls, when chick myocytes were fused to BUdR-blocked rat myoblasts. This indicates that plasma membrane effects cannot be the proximate cause for the inhibition of myogenesis by BUdR, since BUdR is able to block the effect of chick inducing factors even when a differentiated chick myocyte is in direct cytoplasmic continuity with the BUdR-blocked rat nucleus. The observation that chick cells required an 80% substitution of BUdR for thymidine to block myogenesis, whereas L6 rat myoblasts required only a 20% substitution led to a hypothesis involving a DNA-mediated action of BUdR. This model yielded three testable predictions: (a) putative chick inducing molecules should be present in limiting quantities, (b) exploiting gene-dosage effects to increase the quantity of putative chick inducing factors might overcome the inhibition produced in the rat myoblasts by a 35% BUdR for thymidine substitution, and (c) these gene-dosage effects should be abolished by increasing the level of BUdR substitution in the rat myoblast to 60-80%. All three of these predictions have been verified, providing strong indirect evidence that the inhibition of myogenesis produced by BUdR is a direct result of its incorporation into cellular DNA.

Beneficial effects of transplanting normal limb-bud mesenchyme into dystrophic mouse muscles

A new technique is being developed to remedy muscle weakness of hereditary myopathies. Mesenchymal cells dissected from limb-buds of day-12 normal mouse embryos were transplanted into the right solei of 20-day-old normal or dystrophic C56BL/6J-dy2J mice. Host and donors were immunocompatible. Unoperated left solei served as controls. Sham control solei receiving similar surgical treatment but no mesenchyme transplant did not differ from contralateral, unoperated solei. Six to seven months postoperatively the test solei (8 normal and 15 dystrophic) exhibited greater cross-sectional area, total fiber number, and twitch and tetanus tensions than their contralateral controls. Test dystrophic solei contained more normal-appearing and less abnormal-appearing fibers than their controls. Their mean fiber resting potential was intermediate between those of normal and dystrophic controls. There is no difference in twitch time course between test and control solei. The results indicate that such transplantation improves the structure and function of the dystrophic muscles.

Induction of myosin light chain synthesis in heterokaryons between normal diploid cells

Quail myoblasts were maintained in an undifferentiated state by first blocking differentiation with 5-bromodeoxyuridine and then reversing the block in the presence of phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. The synthesis of quail skeletal myosin light chain 1 is induced in heterokaryons formed by fusing these undifferentiated quail myoblasts to differentiated chick myocytes. These results extend observations previously obtained using an established line of rat myoblasts and indicate that the induction is a result of regulatory interactions present in normal diploid cells.

Correlation between effects of 24 different cytochalasins on cellular structures and cellular events and those on actin in vitro

To compare the effects of cytochalasins on the cellular level with those on the molecular level, 24 cytochalasins, 20 natural compounds and 4 derivatives, were used. The following effects were tested for each of 24 cytochalasins; (a) four high dose (2-20 muM) effects on the cellular level: rounding up of fibroblastic cells, contraction of actin cables, formation of hairy filaments containing actin, and inhibition of lymphocyte capping; (b) a low dose (0.2-2 muM) effect: inhibition of membrane ruffling; and (c) two in vitro effects: an inhibition of actin filament elongation (the high affinity effect [low dose effect] in vitro) and an effect on viscosity of actin filaments(the low affinity effect [high dose effect] in vitro). These results indicated that there are almost the same hierarchic orders of relative effectiveness of different cytochalasins between low and high dose effects and between cellular and molecular effects. From the data obtained with the 24 cytochalasins, we have calculated correlation coefficients of 0.87 and 0.79 between an effect in vivo, inhibition of capping, and an effect in vitro, inhibition of actin filament elongation, as well as between inhibition of capping and another effect in vitro, effect on viscosity of actin filaments, respectively. Furthermore, a correlation coefficient between the high affinity effect and the low affinity effect determined in vitro was calculated to be 0.90 from the data obtained in this study. The strong positive correlation among low and high dose effects in vivo and those in vitro suggests that most of the effects caused by a cytochalasin, irrespective of doses or affected phenomena, might be attributed to the interaction between the drug and the common target protein, actin. In the course of the immunofluorescence microscope study on cytochalasin-treated cells using actin antibody, we have found that aspochalasin D, a 10-isopropylcytochalasin, strongly induced the formation of rodlets containing actin in the cytoplasm of the treated fibroblasts. In contrast, the other cytochalasins, including cytochalasin B, cytochalasin C, cytochalasin D, and cytochalasin H, were found to induce the formation of nuclear rodlets. Both cytoplasmic and nuclear rodlets found in the cytochalasin-treated cells were similar in ultrastructures to those induced by 5 to 10 percent (vol/vol) dimethyl sulfoxide in the same type of cells.

Synthesis of rat myosin light chains in heterokaryons formed between undifferentiated rat myoblasts and chick skeletal myocytes

The control of gene expression during terminal myogenesis was explored in heterokaryons between differentiated and undifferentiated myogenic cells by analyzing the formation of species specific myosin light chains of chick and rat skeletal muscle. Dividing L6 rat myoblasts served as the biochemically undifferentiated parent. The differentiated parental cells were mononucleated muscle cells (myocytes) that were obtained from primary cultures of embryonic chick thigh muscle by blocking myotube formation with EGTA and later incubating the postimitotic cells in cytochalasin B. Heterokaryons were isolated by the selective rescue of fusion products between cells previously treated with lethal doses of different cell poisons. 95-99% pure populations of heterokaryons formed between undifferentiated rat myoblasts and differentiated chick myocytes were obtained. The cells were labeled with [35S]methionine, and whole cell extracts were analyzed on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gels. These heterokaryons synthesize the light chain of chick myosin and both embryonic and adult light chains of rat skeletal myosin. Control homokaryons formed by fusing undifferentiated cells to themselves did not synthesize skeletal myosin light chains. Control heterokaryons formed between undifferentiated rat myoblasts and chick fibroblasts also failed to synthesize myosin light chains. These results indicate that differentiated chick muscle cells provide some factor that induces L6 myoblasts to synthesize rat myosin light chains. This system provides a model for investigating the processes by which differentiated cell functions are induced.

Localization of cytoplasmic and skeletal myosins in developing muscle cells by double-label immunofluorescence

Antibodies to a cytoplasmic myosin, rat lymphoma myosin, and to rat skeletal myosin were prepared in rabbits and shown to be specific for their corresponding antigens. The two antibodies did not cross-react. The skeletal myosin antibody was directly labeled with rhodamine, and the cytoplasmic myosin antibody was detected by indirect immunofluorescence with fluorescein-labeled goat anti-rabbit antibody. The two antibodies were used to examine developing rat muscle cultures for the presence and location of the antigens. The antibody to cytoplasmic myosin reacted with multinucleated myotubes and with all the mononucleated cells in the culture. The antibody to skeletal myosin reacted with myotubes and with a small fraction of the mononucleated cells. In the myotubes, the cytoplasmic myosin appeared to be localized primarily in two structures: fine stress fibers, often visible also by phase microscopy and present predominantly in the ends of the cells, and in a submembranous rim all along the cell's border. In addition, a diffuse fluorescence within the cells was observed. The skeletal myosin was localized in the central part of the myotubes in sarcomeres or in fibers without periodicities and was excluded from the ends of the myotubes. When the same cells were doubly stained with the two antibodies, the complementary distribution of the two isozymes was very clear. There was also a narrow region of overlap of staining, with cytoplasmic myosin present in some stress fibers that appeared to be continuous with fibrous elements containing skeletal myosin. Myotubes that rounded up with cytochalasin B or with trypsin displayed a diffuse distribution of both isozymes. When these cells were allowed to respread into extended configurations, the location of the two myosins were essentially the same as in untreated cells. The ability of myotubes to adhere to the surface and to move in culture may be related to the presence of cytoplasmic myosin. Our results show that in myotubes and myoblasts the two isozymes differ sufficiently to be localized in distinct regions of the cell and to be sorted out into different structures, even after the cytoplasmic contents have been reshuffled. The cell can, by some unknown mechanism, distinguish the two myosins.

Motility, linear arrangement and cell-to-cell contact of myogenic cells prior to fusion

Time-lapse cinematography elucidates the genesis of a uniform and approximately linearly arranged myogenic cell aggregate, stemming from two larger cell groups. The ultimate aggregate is created by continuous movement of one cell group toward the other. Following this motion, the angle between the cell groups is reduced as they approach each other. Different patterns of cell motility can be recognized. Some cells move in a preferred direction in relation to the aggregate as a whole, whereas others alter their direction of movement. The myogenic cells are aligned end-to-end and side-by-side. The latter is often accomplished in the following manner: two cells in end-to-end contact form as crescent-shaped free space with their polar extensions; a neighboring spindle-shaped cell then settles in this space. An arrangement of cells such that their greatest cytoplasmic widths lie at the same level can also be seen. During the recording period, two cells in one of the groups were replicating. One of them realized karyo- and cytokinesis in approximately 80 min. The daughter cells moved apart in opposite directions, but never lost contact to the aggregate. This observation shows that contact between presumptive myoblasts and myoblasts is established.

Actin-containing microprocesses in the fusion of cultured chick myoblasts

Scanning electron microscopic studies of myoblasts from 11- to 13-day-old chick embroyonic breast muscle cultured on collagen-coated glass coverslips showed six stages of development into multinucleated myotubes: (1) growth of flattened, spread-out cells for 20-30 hr following initiation of monolayer cultures; (2) extension of microprocesses (1-150 microM) from cells that have become spindle shaped; (3) contact and adherence of microprocesses from adjacent cells; (4) thickening of fused processes; (5) approximation of the cells; and (6) coalescence of the cells to form a spindle-shaped myotube. When the calcium-ion concentration in the growth medium was lowered--either by increasing the concentration of ethylene-glycol-bis(aminoethyl ether)N,N'-tetraacetate (EGTA)or by decreasing the cconcentration of free calciumion used--the number of microprocesses present on the cells was reduced. Presumably, however, these microprocesses could still fuse together, provided that the calciumion concentration was greater than 160 microM. Indirect immunofluorescence assay with actin-specific antibody indicated that actin is a major component of the myoblasts' microprocesses. Cytochalasin B (5 microgram/ml) caused the microprocesses to retract within 15 min and the myoblasts to round up and detach from the glass substrate. This was presumably caused by the action of the drug on actin filaments.

A comparison of the responses of cultured myoblasts and chondrocytes to fibroblast and epidermal growth factors

The effects of fibroblast and epidermal growth factors on proliferation and differentiation of cultured myoblasts and chondrocytes have been compared. FGF stimulated myoblast proliferation, as determined by monitoring levels of DNA synthesis during seven days growth in vitro and by the morphology of the cultures after myotube formation. EGF has relatively little effect on myoblast proliferation. With chondrocytes, both FGF and EGF are mitogenic and FGF's, but not EGF's effect is potentiated by dexamethasone. One implication of these results is that in the course of differentiation cell types which develop from the same embryonic origin as fibroblasts are controlled by different sets of mitogenic factors. Myoblasts become primarily dependent on mitogenic agents such as FGF while chondrocytes can respond to both FGF and EGF.

Mitosis in beating cardiac myoblasts treated with cytochalasin-B

Time-lapse pictures of isolated chick cardiac myoblasts grown in a medium with cytochalasin-B reveal that normal mitotic chromosomal separation and muscle contraction can take place simultaneously. These observations indicate that the contractile stimulation for the cells' myogibrils does not affect the movement of the chromosomes and that the cell can regulate two different motile systems inside one cell.

Polymerization of sperm actin in the presence of cytochalasin-B

The polymerization of globular actin to fibrous actin which occurs when sperm are activated, was not inhibited by cytochalasin-B. The acrosomal filament and its component actin filaments formed in the presence of cytochalasin-B; and once formed, the actin filaments did not depolymerize when exposed to cytochalasin-B.

Intracellular localization of actin with fluorescently labelled heavy meromyosin

An improved technique for fluorescent labelling of heavy meromyosin has made it possible to detect on a light microscopic level the cellular sites of actin localization. Rabbit heavy meromyosin (HMM) was labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate so that the actin binding site was protected during the reaction. The specificity of fluorescent HMM binding to cellular actin was tested by using glycerinated myofibrils. Staining was most intense in the I-Bands, and decreased at the edges of the A-Band, where actin filaments overlap with myosin. No staining occurred in the H-Zones or in the Z-Bands. The fluorescent HMM could be removed by washing with a relaxing solution. Similar sarcomeric patterns were obtained when embryonic chick skeletal and cardiac muscle cells were stained with fluorescent HMM. Localized fluorescent staining was also observed in smooth muscle fibers, axons and growth cones of nerves, acrosomal caps of sperm, cleavage furrows of dividing cells and pseudopods of various motile cells, all of which are known to contain actin. In sessile cells, the actin was found predominantly in fibrous bundles. This pattern of actin localization was altered when the cells underwent cleavage or became motile. The relationship between the intracellular distribution of actin and its function in the cell is discussed.

Myogenesis of avian striated muscle in vitro: role of collagen in myofiber formation

The complex chemical environment required for the development of the myofiber (myotube) from embryonic avian muscle myoblasts in vitro has been simplified. Myotube formation is shown to occur in the presence of insulin, a low-molecular-weight (fusion) factor obtained from embryo extract, and a collagen substratum. In the absence of collagen, globular structures are formed which are microscopically identical to the globular syncytial structures previously described [de la Haba and Amundsen (1972) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 69, 1131-1135]. A high-molecular-weight fraction from embryo extract will also promote myotube formation in the presence of the fusion factor. This fraction is shown to contain (a) collagen, which promotes myotube formation, and (b) an additional factor which also promotes myotube formation, and which we tentatively hypothsize to be an inducer of collagen synthesis by myogenic cells.

Response of myogenic and fibrogenic cells to cytochalasin B and to colcemid. I. Light microscope observations

Cytochalasin B (CB) induces a biphasic retraction is some cell types. The rapid response that peaks in 30 min leads to the "dendritic" condition. Replicating myogenic and fibrogenic cells, as well as postmitotic myoblasts and myotubes, participate in this reaction. This is followed by a slower phase that requires 40 h for stabilization and leads to the fully "absorized" state. Only replicating myogenic and fibrogenic cells participate in this reaction. Postmitotic myoblasts and myotubes do not arborize but round up and float off into the medium. Pretreatment with Colcemid does not block the rapid response to CB, but does block arborization. CB-arborized cells exposed to Colcemid while in the presence of CB develop sufficient tension to pull themselves apart. If CB depolymerizes actin-like filaments, and if such filaments constitute the only contractile system in the cell, then it is difficult to visualize how cells in CB develop such tension. Colcemid induces twisting, birefringent bands in interphase- and metaphase-arrested myogenic and fibrogenic cells, and in postmitotic myotubes. Such bands are more evident when CB-arborized cells are removed from CB and allowed to relax in Colcemid. These birefringent bands assemble in the prescence of cycloheximide, and may constitute 20% of the volume of the cell.