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Wherley TJ, Thomas S, Millay DP, Saunders T, Roy S. Molecular regulation of myocyte fusion. Curr Top Dev Biol 2024; 158:53-82. [PMID: 38670716 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2024.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Myocyte fusion is a pivotal process in the development and regeneration of skeletal muscle. Failure during fusion can lead to a range of developmental as well as pathological consequences. This review aims to comprehensively explore the intricate processes underlying myocyte fusion, from the molecular to tissue scale. We shed light on key players, such as the muscle-specific fusogens - Myomaker and Myomixer, in addition to some lesser studied molecules contributing to myocyte fusion. Conserved across vertebrates, Myomaker and Myomixer play a crucial role in driving the merger of plasma membranes of fusing myocytes, ensuring the formation of functional muscle syncytia. Our multiscale approach also delves into broader cell and tissue dynamics that orchestrate the timing and positioning of fusion events. In addition, we explore the relevance of muscle fusogens to human health and disease. Mutations in fusogen genes have been linked to congenital myopathies, providing unique insights into the molecular basis of muscle diseases. We conclude with a discussion on potential therapeutic avenues that may emerge from manipulating the myocyte fusion process to remediate skeletal muscle disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanner J Wherley
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Serena Thomas
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Douglas P Millay
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States.
| | - Timothy Saunders
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom; Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Sudipto Roy
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Proteos, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Department of Pediatrics, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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Johnson CJ, Zhang Z, Zhang H, Shang R, Piekarz KM, Bi P, Stolfi A. A change in cis-regulatory logic underlying obligate versus facultative muscle multinucleation in chordates. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.06.583753. [PMID: 38559144 PMCID: PMC10979880 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.06.583753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Vertebrates and tunicates are sister groups that share a common fusogenic factor, Myomaker (Mymk), that drives myoblast fusion and muscle multinucleation. Yet they are divergent in when and where they express Mymk. In vertebrates, all developing skeletal muscles express Mymk and are obligately multinucleated. In tunicates, Mymk is only expressed in post-metamorphic multinucleated muscles, but is absent from mononucleated larval muscles. In this study, we demonstrate that cis-regulatory sequence differences in the promoter region of Mymk underlie the different spatiotemporal patterns of its transcriptional activation in tunicates and vertebrates. While in vertebrates Myogenic Regulatory Factors (MRFs) like MyoD1 alone are required and sufficient for Mymk transcription in all skeletal muscles, we show that transcription of Mymk in post-metamorphic muscles of the tunicate Ciona requires the combinatorial activity of MRF/MyoD and Early B-Cell Factor (Ebf). This macroevolutionary difference appears to be encoded in cis, likely due to the presence of a putative Ebf binding site adjacent to predicted MRF binding sites in the Ciona Mymk promoter. We further discuss how Mymk and myoblast fusion might have been regulated in the last common ancestor of tunicates and vertebrates, for which we propose two models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zheng Zhang
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Haifeng Zhang
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Renjie Shang
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Katarzyna M Piekarz
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Pengpeng Bi
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Alberto Stolfi
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Rizk J, Sahu R, Duteil D. An overview on androgen-mediated actions in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Steroids 2023; 199:109306. [PMID: 37634653 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2023.109306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Androgens are a class of steroid hormones primarily associated with male sexual development and physiology, but exert pleiotropic effects in either sex. They have a crucial role in various physiological processes, including the regulation of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue homeostasis. The effects of androgens are mainly mediated through the androgen receptor (AR), a ligand-activated nuclear receptor expressed in both tissues. In skeletal muscle, androgens via AR exert a multitude of effects, ranging from increased muscle mass and strength, to the regulation of muscle fiber type composition, contraction and metabolic functions. In adipose tissue, androgens influence several processes including proliferation, fat distribution, and metabolism but they display depot-specific and organism-specific effects which differ in certain context. This review further explores the potential mechanisms underlying androgen-AR signaling in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Understanding the roles of androgens and their receptor in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue is essential for elucidating their contributions to physiological processes, disease conditions, and potential therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Rizk
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, IGBMC UMR 7104- UMR-S 1258, F-67400 Illkirch, France
| | - Rajesh Sahu
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, IGBMC UMR 7104- UMR-S 1258, F-67400 Illkirch, France
| | - Delphine Duteil
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Inserm, IGBMC UMR 7104- UMR-S 1258, F-67400 Illkirch, France.
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Fukada SI, Higashimoto T, Kaneshige A. Differences in muscle satellite cell dynamics during muscle hypertrophy and regeneration. Skelet Muscle 2022; 12:17. [PMID: 35794679 PMCID: PMC9258228 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-022-00300-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscle homeostasis and function are ensured by orchestrated cellular interactions among several types of cells. A noticeable aspect of skeletal muscle biology is the drastic cell–cell communication changes that occur in multiple scenarios. The process of recovering from an injury, which is known as regeneration, has been relatively well investigated. However, the cellular interplay that occurs in response to mechanical loading, such as during resistance training, is poorly understood compared to regeneration. During muscle regeneration, muscle satellite cells (MuSCs) rebuild multinuclear myofibers through a stepwise process of proliferation, differentiation, fusion, and maturation, whereas during mechanical loading-dependent muscle hypertrophy, MuSCs do not undergo such stepwise processes (except in rare injuries) because the nuclei of MuSCs become directly incorporated into the mature myonuclei. In this review, six specific examples of such differences in MuSC dynamics between regeneration and hypertrophy processes are discussed.
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The Notch signaling network in muscle stem cells during development, homeostasis, and disease. Skelet Muscle 2022; 12:9. [PMID: 35459219 PMCID: PMC9027478 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-022-00293-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscle stem cells have a central role in muscle growth and regeneration. They reside as quiescent cells in resting muscle and in response to damage they transiently amplify and fuse to produce new myofibers or self-renew to replenish the stem cell pool. A signaling pathway that is critical in the regulation of all these processes is Notch. Despite the major differences in the anatomical and cellular niches between the embryonic myotome, the adult sarcolemma/basement-membrane interphase, and the regenerating muscle, Notch signaling has evolved to support the context-specific requirements of the muscle cells. In this review, we discuss the diverse ways by which Notch signaling factors and other modifying partners are operating during the lifetime of muscle stem cells to establish an adaptive dynamic network.
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