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Gosselin MRF, Mournetas V, Borczyk M, Verma S, Occhipinti A, Róg J, Bozycki L, Korostynski M, Robson SC, Angione C, Pinset C, Gorecki DC. Loss of full-length dystrophin expression results in major cell-autonomous abnormalities in proliferating myoblasts. eLife 2022; 11:75521. [PMID: 36164827 PMCID: PMC9514850 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) affects myofibers and muscle stem cells, causing progressive muscle degeneration and repair defects. It was unknown whether dystrophic myoblasts—the effector cells of muscle growth and regeneration—are affected. Using transcriptomic, genome-scale metabolic modelling and functional analyses, we demonstrate, for the first time, convergent abnormalities in primary mouse and human dystrophic myoblasts. In Dmdmdx myoblasts lacking full-length dystrophin, the expression of 170 genes was significantly altered. Myod1 and key genes controlled by MyoD (Myog, Mymk, Mymx, epigenetic regulators, ECM interactors, calcium signalling and fibrosis genes) were significantly downregulated. Gene ontology analysis indicated enrichment in genes involved in muscle development and function. Functionally, we found increased myoblast proliferation, reduced chemotaxis and accelerated differentiation, which are all essential for myoregeneration. The defects were caused by the loss of expression of full-length dystrophin, as similar and not exacerbated alterations were observed in dystrophin-null Dmdmdx-βgeo myoblasts. Corresponding abnormalities were identified in human DMD primary myoblasts and a dystrophic mouse muscle cell line, confirming the cross-species and cell-autonomous nature of these defects. The genome-scale metabolic analysis in human DMD myoblasts showed alterations in the rate of glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, leukotriene metabolism, and mitochondrial beta-oxidation of various fatty acids. These results reveal the disease continuum: DMD defects in satellite cells, the myoblast dysfunction affecting muscle regeneration, which is insufficient to counteract muscle loss due to myofiber instability. Contrary to the established belief, our data demonstrate that DMD abnormalities occur in myoblasts, making these cells a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of this lethal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime R F Gosselin
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | | | - Malgorzata Borczyk
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics, Maj Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Krakow, Poland
| | - Suraj Verma
- School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
| | - Annalisa Occhipinti
- School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
| | - Justyna Róg
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.,Laboratory of Cellular Metabolism, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Lukasz Bozycki
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.,Laboratory of Cellular Metabolism, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michal Korostynski
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics, Maj Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Krakow, Poland
| | - Samuel C Robson
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.,Centre for Enzyme Innovation, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Claudio Angione
- School of Computing, Engineering and Digital Technologies, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
| | | | - Dariusz C Gorecki
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
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Bremner SB, Mandrycky CJ, Leonard A, Padgett RM, Levinson AR, Rehn ES, Pioner JM, Sniadecki NJ, Mack DL. Full-length dystrophin deficiency leads to contractile and calcium transient defects in human engineered heart tissues. J Tissue Eng 2022; 13:20417314221119628. [PMID: 36003954 PMCID: PMC9393922 DOI: 10.1177/20417314221119628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiomyopathy is currently the leading cause of death for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a severe neuromuscular disorder affecting young boys. Animal models have provided insight into the mechanisms by which dystrophin protein deficiency causes cardiomyopathy, but there remains a need to develop human models of DMD to validate pathogenic mechanisms and identify therapeutic targets. Here, we have developed human engineered heart tissues (EHTs) from CRISPR-edited, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) expressing a truncated dystrophin protein lacking part of the actin-binding domain. The 3D EHT platform enables direct measurement of contractile force, simultaneous monitoring of Ca2+ transients, and assessment of myofibril structure. Dystrophin-mutant EHTs produced less contractile force as well as delayed kinetics of force generation and relaxation, as compared to isogenic controls. Contractile dysfunction was accompanied by reduced sarcomere length, increased resting cytosolic Ca2+ levels, delayed Ca2+ release and reuptake, and increased beat rate irregularity. Transcriptomic analysis revealed clear differences between dystrophin-deficient and control EHTs, including downregulation of genes related to Ca2+ homeostasis and extracellular matrix organization, and upregulation of genes related to regulation of membrane potential, cardiac muscle development, and heart contraction. These findings indicate that the EHT platform provides the cues necessary to expose the clinically-relevant, functional phenotype of force production as well as mechanistic insights into the role of Ca2+ handling and transcriptomic dysregulation in dystrophic cardiac function, ultimately providing a powerful platform for further studies in disease modeling and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha B Bremner
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christian J Mandrycky
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Andrea Leonard
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ruby M Padgett
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alan R Levinson
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ethan S Rehn
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - J Manuel Pioner
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Nathan J Sniadecki
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David L Mack
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Murphy S, Dowling P, Zweyer M, Henry M, Meleady P, Mundegar RR, Swandulla D, Ohlendieck K. Proteomic profiling of mdx-4cv serum reveals highly elevated levels of the inflammation-induced plasma marker haptoglobin in muscular dystrophy. Int J Mol Med 2017; 39:1357-1370. [PMID: 28440464 PMCID: PMC5428965 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2017.2952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
X-linked muscular dystrophy is caused by primary abnormalities in the Dmd gene and is characterized by the almost complete loss of the membrane cytoskeletal protein dystrophin, which triggers sarcolemmal instability, abnormal calcium homeostasis, increased proteolysis and impaired excitation-contraction coupling. In addition to progressive necrosis, crucial secondary pathologies are represented by myofibrosis and the invasion of immune cells in damaged muscle fibres. In order to determine whether these substantial changes within the skeletal musculature are reflected by an altered rate of protein release into the circulatory system or other plasma fluctuations, we used label-free mass spectrometry to characterize serum from the mdx-4cv model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Comparative proteomics revealed a large number of increased vs. decreased protein species in mdx-4cv serum. A serum component with greatly elevated levels was identified as the inflammation-inducible plasma marker haptoglobin. This acute phase response protein is usually secreted in relation to tissue damage and sterile inflammation. Both immunoblot analyses and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays confirmed the increased concentration of haptoglobin in crude mdx-4cv serum. This suggests that haptoglobin, in conjunction with other altered serum proteins, represents a novel diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapy-monitoring biomarker candidate to evaluate the inflammatory response in the mdx-4cv animal model of dystrophinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Murphy
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Paul Dowling
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
| | - Margit Zweyer
- Department of Physiology II, University of Bonn, D‑53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Henry
- National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Paula Meleady
- National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland
| | - Rustam R Mundegar
- Department of Physiology II, University of Bonn, D‑53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Dieter Swandulla
- Department of Physiology II, University of Bonn, D‑53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Kay Ohlendieck
- Department of Biology, Maynooth University, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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Influence of Botulinumtoxin A on the Expression of Adult MyHC Isoforms in the Masticatory Muscles in Dystrophin-Deficient Mice (Mdx-Mice). BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2016; 2016:7063093. [PMID: 27689088 PMCID: PMC5023834 DOI: 10.1155/2016/7063093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The most widespread animal model to investigate Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the mdx-mouse. In contrast to humans, phases of muscle degeneration are replaced by regeneration processes; hence there is only a restricted time slot for research. The aim of the study was to investigate if an intramuscular injection of BTX-A is able to break down muscle regeneration and has direct implications on the gene expression of myosin heavy chains in the corresponding treated and untreated muscles. Therefore, paralysis of the right masseter muscle was induced in adult healthy and dystrophic mice by a specific intramuscular injection of BTX-A. After 21 days the mRNA expression and protein content of MyHC isoforms of the right and left masseter, temporal, and the tongue muscle were determined using quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot technique. MyHC-IIa and MyHC-I-mRNA expression significantly increased in the paralyzed masseter muscle of control-mice, whereas MyHC-IIb and MyHC-IIx/d-mRNA were decreased. In dystrophic muscles no effect of BTX-A could be detected at the level of MyHC. This study suggests that BTX-A injection is a suitable method to simulate DMD-pathogenesis in healthy mice but further investigations are necessary to fully analyse the BTX-A effect and to generate sustained muscular atrophy in mdx-mice.
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