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Zhang T, Sui W, Li B, Shao X, Deng Y, Zhang Z, Yang J, Huang Z, Yang W, Yang J. The morphological discrepancy of neuromuscular junctions between bilateral paraspinal muscles in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A quantitative immunofluorescence assay. JOR Spine 2024; 7:e1358. [PMID: 39011366 PMCID: PMC11247395 DOI: 10.1002/jsp2.1358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Prior studies suggested that neuromuscular factors might be involved in the pathogenesis of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the important pivot where the nervous system interacts with muscle fibers, but it has not been well characterized in the paraspinal muscles of AIS. This study aims to perform the quantitative morphological analysis of NMJs from paraspinal muscles of AIS. Methods AIS patients who received surgery in our center were prospectively enrolled. Meanwhile, age-matched congenital scoliosis (CS) and non-scoliosis patients were also included as controls. Fresh samples of paraspinal muscles were harvested intraoperatively. NMJs were immunolabeled using different antibodies to reveal pre-synaptic neuronal architecture and post-synaptic motor endplates. A confocal microscope was used to acquire z-stack projections of NMJs images. Then, NMJs images were analyzed on maximum intensity projections using ImageJ software. The morphology of NMJs was quantitatively measured by a standardized 'NMJ-morph' workflow. A total of 21 variables were measured and compared between different groups. Results A total of 15 AIS patients, 10 CS patients and 5 normal controls were enrolled initially. For AIS group, NMJs in the convex side of paraspinal muscles demonstrated obviously decreased overlap when compared with the concave side (34.27% ± 8.09% vs. 48.11% ± 10.31%, p = 0.0036). However, no variables showed statistical difference between both sides of paraspinal muscles in CS patients. In contrast with non-scoliosis controls, both sides of paraspinal muscles in AIS patients demonstrated significantly smaller muscle bundle diameters. Conclusions This study first elucidated the morphological features of NMJs from paraspinal muscles of AIS patients. The NMJs in the convex side showed smaller overlap for AIS patients, but no difference was found in CS. This proved further evidence that neuromuscular factors might contribute to the mechanisms of AIS and could be considered as a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of progressive AIS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyuan Zhang
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Wenyuan Sui
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Bin Li
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Xiexiang Shao
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Yaolong Deng
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Zifang Zhang
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Jingfan Yang
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Zifang Huang
- Department of Spine Surgery The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou China
| | - Wenjun Yang
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
| | - Junlin Yang
- Spine Center, Department of Pediatric Orthopedics Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine Shanghai China
- Department of Spine Surgery The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou China
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Santanasto AJ, Acharya S, Wojczynski MK, Cvejkus RK, Lin S, Brent MR, Anema JA, Wang L, Thyagarajan B, Christensen K, Daw EW, Zmuda JM. Whole Genome Linkage and Association Analyses Identify DLG Associated Protein-1 as a Novel Positional and Biological Candidate Gene for Muscle Strength: The Long Life Family Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2024; 79:glae144. [PMID: 38808484 PMCID: PMC11226997 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae144] [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] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Grip strength is a robust indicator of overall health, is moderately heritable, and predicts longevity in older adults. METHODS Using genome-wide linkage analysis, we identified a novel locus on chromosome 18p (mega-basepair region: 3.4-4.0) linked to grip strength in 3 755 individuals from 582 families aged 64 ± 12 years (range 30-110 years; 55% women). There were 26 families that contributed to the linkage peak (cumulative logarithm of the odds [LOD] score = 10.94), with 6 families (119 individuals) accounting for most of the linkage signal (LOD = 6.4). In these 6 families, using whole genome sequencing data, we performed association analyses between the 7 312 single nucleotide (SNVs) and insertion deletion (INDELs) variants in the linkage region and grip strength. Models were adjusted for age, age2, sex, height, field center, and population substructure. RESULTS We found significant associations between genetic variants (8 SNVs and 4 INDELs, p < 5 × 10-5) in the Disks Large-associated Protein 1 (DLGAP1) gene and grip strength. Haplotypes constructed using these variants explained up to 98.1% of the LOD score. Finally, RNAseq data showed that these variants were significantly associated with the expression of nearby Myosin Light Chain 12A (MYL12A), Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes Flexible Hinge Domain Containing 1 (SMCHD1), Erythrocyte Membrane Protein Band 4.1 Like 3 (EPB41L3) genes (p < .0004). CONCLUSIONS The DLGAP1 gene plays an important role in the postsynaptic density of neurons; thus, it is both a novel positional and biological candidate gene for follow-up studies aimed at uncovering genetic determinants of muscle strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Santanasto
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sandeep Acharya
- Division of Computational and Data Sciences, Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Mary K Wojczynski
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ryan K Cvejkus
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shiow Lin
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael R Brent
- Division of Computational and Data Sciences, Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jason A Anema
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Lihua Wang
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Bharat Thyagarajan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kaare Christensen
- Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Public Health, The Danish Aging Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - E Warwick Daw
- Division of Statistical Genomics, Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Joseph M Zmuda
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Song J, Duivenvoorde LPM, Grefte S, Kuda O, Martínez-Ramírez F, van der Stelt I, Mastorakou D, van Schothorst EM, Keijer J. Normobaric hypoxia shows enhanced FOXO1 signaling in obese mouse gastrocnemius muscle linked to metabolism and muscle structure and neuromuscular innervation. Pflugers Arch 2023; 475:1265-1281. [PMID: 37656229 PMCID: PMC10567817 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-023-02854-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Skeletal muscle relies on mitochondria for sustainable ATP production, which may be impacted by reduced oxygen availability (hypoxia). Compared with long-term hypoxia, the mechanistic in vivo response to acute hypoxia remains elusive. Therefore, we aimed to provide an integrated description of the Musculus gastrocnemius response to acute hypoxia. Fasted male C57BL/6JOlaHsd mice, fed a 40en% fat diet for six weeks, were exposed to 12% O2 normobaric hypoxia or normoxia (20.9% O2) for six hours (n = 12 per group). Whole-body energy metabolism and the transcriptome response of the M. gastrocnemius were analyzed and confirmed by acylcarnitine determination and Q-PCR. At the whole-body level, six hours of hypoxia reduced energy expenditure, increased blood glucose and tended to decreased the respiratory exchange ratio (RER). Whole-genome transcriptome analysis revealed upregulation of forkhead box-O (FOXO) signalling, including an increased expression of tribbles pseudokinase 3 (Trib3). Trib3 positively correlated with blood glucose levels. Upregulated carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A negatively correlated with the RER, but the significantly increased in tissue C14-1, C16-0 and C18-1 acylcarnitines supported that β-oxidation was not regulated. The hypoxia-induced FOXO activation could also be connected to altered gene expression related to fiber-type switching, extracellular matrix remodeling, muscle differentiation and neuromuscular junction denervation. Our results suggest that a six-hour exposure of obese mice to 12% O2 normobaric hypoxia impacts M. gastrocnemius via FOXO1, initiating alterations that may contribute to muscle remodeling of which denervation is novel and warrants further investigation. The findings support an early role of hypoxia in tissue alterations in hypoxia-associated conditions such as aging and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Song
- Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Sander Grefte
- Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ondrej Kuda
- Laboratory of Metabolism of Bioactive Lipids, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 14220, Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Felipe Martínez-Ramírez
- Laboratory of Metabolism of Bioactive Lipids, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 14220, Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | - Inge van der Stelt
- Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dimitra Mastorakou
- Laboratory of Metabolism of Bioactive Lipids, Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, 14220, Prague 4, Czech Republic
| | | | - Jaap Keijer
- Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Bai L, Tu WY, Xiao Y, Zhang K, Shen C. Motoneurons innervation determines the distinct gene expressions in multinucleated myofibers. Cell Biosci 2022; 12:140. [PMID: 36042463 PMCID: PMC9429338 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00876-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) are peripheral synapses connecting motoneurons and skeletal myofibers. At the postsynaptic side in myofibers, acetylcholine receptor (AChR) proteins are clustered by the neuronal agrin signal. Meanwhile, several nuclei in each myofiber are specially enriched around the NMJ for postsynaptic gene transcription. It remains mysterious that how gene expressions in these synaptic nuclei are systematically regulated, especially by motoneurons. Results We found that synaptic nuclei have a distinctive chromatin structure and gene expression profiling. Synaptic nuclei are formed during NMJ development and maintained by motoneuron innervation. Transcriptome analysis revealed that motoneuron innervation determines the distinct expression patterns in the synaptic region and non-synaptic region in each multinucleated myofiber, probably through epigenetic regulation. Myonuclei in synaptic and non-synaptic regions have different responses to denervation. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed that the histone lysine demethylases Kdm1a is a negative regulator of synaptic gene expression. Inhibition of Kdm1a promotes AChR expression but impairs motor functions. Conclusion These results demonstrate that motoneurons innervation determines the distinct gene expressions in multinucleated myofibers. Thus, dysregulation of nerve-controlled chromatin structure and muscle gene expression might cause muscle weakness and atrophy in motoneuron degenerative disorders. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13578-022-00876-6.
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Khokhar M, Tomo S, Gadwal A, Purohit P. Multi-omics integration and interactomics reveals molecular networks and regulators of the beneficial effect of yoga and exercise. Int J Yoga 2022; 15:25-39. [PMID: 35444372 PMCID: PMC9015089 DOI: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_146_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Yoga is a multifaceted spiritual tool that helps in maintaining health, peace of mind, and positive thoughts. In the context of asana, yoga is similar to physical exercise. This study aims to construct a molecular network to find hub genes that play important roles in physical exercise and yoga. Methodology We combined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in yoga and exercise using computational bioinformatics from publicly available gene expression omnibus (GEO) datasets and identified the codifferentially expressed mRNAs with GEO2R. The co-DEGs were divided into four different groups and each group was subjected to protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, pathways analysis, and gene ontology. Results Our study identified immunological modulation as a dominant target of differential expression in yoga and exercise. Yoga predominantly modulated genes affecting the Th1 and NK cells, whereas Cytokines, Macrophage activation, and oxidative stress were affected by exercise. We also observed that while yoga regulated genes for two main physiological functions of the body, namely Circadian Rhythm (BHLHE40) and immunity (LBP, T-box transcription factor 21, CEACAM1), exercise-regulated genes involved in apoptosis (BAG3, protein kinase C alpha), angiogenesis, and cellular adhesion (EPH receptor A1). Conclusion The dissimilarity in the genetic expression patterns in Yoga and exercise highlights the discrete effect of each in biological systems. The integration and convergences of multi-omics signals can provide deeper and comprehensive insights into the various biological mechanisms through which yoga and exercise exert their beneficial effects and opens up potential newer research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoj Khokhar
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Sojit Tomo
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India,Department of Biochemistry, Santosh Medical College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Ashita Gadwal
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Purvi Purohit
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India,Address for correspondence: Dr. Purvi Purohit, Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Basni Industrial Area, Phase-2, Jodhpur - 342 005, Rajasthan, India. E-mail:
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