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Shalash R, Levi-Ferber M, Cohen C, Dori A, Brodie C, Henis-Korenblit S. Cross-species modeling of muscular dystrophy in Caenorhabditis elegans using patient-derived extracellular vesicles. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050412. [PMID: 38501170 PMCID: PMC11007864 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050412] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Reliable disease models are critical for medicine advancement. Here, we established a versatile human disease model system using patient-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), which transfer a pathology-inducing cargo from a patient to a recipient naïve model organism. As a proof of principle, we applied EVs from the serum of patients with muscular dystrophy to Caenorhabditis elegans and demonstrated their capability to induce a spectrum of muscle pathologies, including lifespan shortening and robust impairment of muscle organization and function. This demonstrates that patient-derived EVs can deliver disease-relevant pathologies between species and can be exploited for establishing novel and personalized models of human disease. Such models can potentially be used for disease diagnosis, prognosis, analyzing treatment responses, drug screening and identification of the disease-transmitting cargo of patient-derived EVs and their cellular targets. This system complements traditional genetic disease models and enables modeling of multifactorial diseases and of those not yet associated with specific genetic mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rewayd Shalash
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Mor Levi-Ferber
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Coral Cohen
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (BINA), Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Amir Dori
- Department of Neurology, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan 52621, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Chaya Brodie
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
- The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (BINA), Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Sivan Henis-Korenblit
- The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
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Yoshina S, Izuhara L, Mashima R, Maejima Y, Kamatani N, Mitani S. Febuxostat ameliorates muscle degeneration and movement disorder of the dystrophin mutant model in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Physiol Sci 2023; 73:28. [PMID: 37950170 DOI: 10.1186/s12576-023-00888-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited disorder with mutations in the dystrophin gene characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. Therapy such as administration of glucocorticoids, exon skipping of mutant genes and introduction of dystrophin mini-genes have been tried, but there is no radical therapy for DMD. In this study, we used C. elegans carrying mutations in the dys-1 gene as a model of DMD to examine the effects of febuxostat (FBX). We applied FBX to dys-1 mutant animals harboring a marker for muscle nuclei and mitochondria, and found that FBX ameliorates the muscle loss. We next used a severer model dys-1; unc-22 double mutant and found the dys-1 mutation causes a weakened muscle contraction. We applied FBX and other compounds to the double mutant animals and assayed the movement. We found that the administration of FBX in combination of uric acid has the best effects on the DMD model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sawako Yoshina
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1, Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
| | - Luna Izuhara
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1, Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
| | - Rei Mashima
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1, Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
- Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1, Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuka Maejima
- Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1, Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Kamatani
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1, Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
- Stagen. Co. Ltd., 4-11-6, Kuramae, Taito-Ku, Tokyo 111-0051, Japan
| | - Shohei Mitani
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, 8-1, Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan.
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Soni P, Edwards H, Anupom T, Rahman M, Lesanpezeshki L, Blawzdziewicz J, Cope H, Gharahdaghi N, Scott D, Toh LS, Williams PM, Etheridge T, Szewczyk N, Willis CRG, Vanapalli SA. Spaceflight Induces Strength Decline in Caenorhabditis elegans. Cells 2023; 12:2470. [PMID: 37887314 PMCID: PMC10605753 DOI: 10.3390/cells12202470] [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: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Understanding and countering the well-established negative health consequences of spaceflight remains a primary challenge preventing safe deep space exploration. Targeted/personalized therapeutics are at the forefront of space medicine strategies, and cross-species molecular signatures now define the 'typical' spaceflight response. However, a lack of direct genotype-phenotype associations currently limits the robustness and, therefore, the therapeutic utility of putative mechanisms underpinning pathological changes in flight. Methods: We employed the worm Caenorhabditis elegans as a validated model of space biology, combined with 'NemaFlex-S' microfluidic devices for assessing animal strength production as one of the most reproducible physiological responses to spaceflight. Wild-type and dys-1 (BZ33) strains (a Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) model for comparing predisposed muscle weak animals) were cultured on the International Space Station in chemically defined media before loading second-generation gravid adults into NemaFlex-S devices to assess individual animal strength. These same cultures were then frozen on orbit before returning to Earth for next-generation sequencing transcriptomic analysis. Results: Neuromuscular strength was lower in flight versus ground controls (16.6% decline, p < 0.05), with dys-1 significantly more (23% less strength, p < 0.01) affected than wild types. The transcriptional gene ontology signatures characterizing both strains of weaker animals in flight strongly corroborate previous results across species, enriched for upregulated stress response pathways and downregulated mitochondrial and cytoskeletal processes. Functional gene cluster analysis extended this to implicate decreased neuronal function, including abnormal calcium handling and acetylcholine signaling, in space-induced strength declines under the predicted control of UNC-89 and DAF-19 transcription factors. Finally, gene modules specifically altered in dys-1 animals in flight again cluster to neuronal/neuromuscular pathways, suggesting strength loss in DMD comprises a strong neuronal component that predisposes these animals to exacerbated strength loss in space. Conclusions: Highly reproducible gene signatures are strongly associated with space-induced neuromuscular strength loss across species and neuronal changes in calcium/acetylcholine signaling require further study. These results promote targeted medical efforts towards and provide an in vivo model for safely sending animals and people into deep space in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Purushottam Soni
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (P.S.); (M.R.); (L.L.)
| | - Hunter Edwards
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA;
| | - Taslim Anupom
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA;
| | - Mizanur Rahman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (P.S.); (M.R.); (L.L.)
| | - Leila Lesanpezeshki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (P.S.); (M.R.); (L.L.)
| | - Jerzy Blawzdziewicz
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA;
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Henry Cope
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (H.C.); (N.G.)
| | - Nima Gharahdaghi
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (H.C.); (N.G.)
| | - Daniel Scott
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK;
| | - Li Shean Toh
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (L.S.T.); (P.M.W.)
| | - Philip M. Williams
- School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; (L.S.T.); (P.M.W.)
| | - Timothy Etheridge
- Department of Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK;
| | - Nathaniel Szewczyk
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (H.C.); (N.G.)
- Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
| | - Craig R. G. Willis
- School of Chemistry and Biosciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK;
| | - Siva A. Vanapalli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (P.S.); (M.R.); (L.L.)
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Higashitani A, Teranishi M, Nakagawa Y, Itoh Y, Sudevan S, Szewczyk NJ, Kubota Y, Abe T, Kobayashi T. Increased mitochondrial Ca 2+ contributes to health decline with age and Duchene muscular dystrophy in C. elegans. FASEB J 2023; 37:e22851. [PMID: 36935171 PMCID: PMC10946577 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202201489rr] [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: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome characterized by an age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength. Here, we show that suppression of mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU)-mediated Ca2+ influx into mitochondria in the body wall muscles of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans improved the sarcopenic phenotypes, blunting movement and mitochondrial structural and functional decline with age. We found that normally aged muscle cells exhibited elevated resting mitochondrial Ca2+ levels and increased mitophagy to eliminate damaged mitochondria. Similar to aging muscle, we found that suppressing MCU function in muscular dystrophy improved movement via reducing elevated resting mitochondrial Ca2+ levels. Taken together, our results reveal that elevated resting mitochondrial Ca2+ levels contribute to muscle decline with age and muscular dystrophy. Further, modulation of MCU activity may act as a potential pharmacological target in various conditions involving muscle loss.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mika Teranishi
- Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku UniversitySendaiJapan
| | - Yui Nakagawa
- Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku UniversitySendaiJapan
| | - Yukou Itoh
- Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku UniversitySendaiJapan
| | - Surabhi Sudevan
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby HospitalUniversity of NottinghamDerbyUK
| | - Nathaniel J. Szewczyk
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby HospitalUniversity of NottinghamDerbyUK
- Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurologic Institute, Heritage College of Osteopathic MedicineOhio UniversityAthensOhioUSA
| | | | - Takaaki Abe
- Division of Medical ScienceTohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical EngineeringSendaiJapan
- Department of Clinical Biology and Hormonal RegulationTohoku University Graduate School of MedicineSendaiJapan
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5
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Salipante PF. Microfluidic techniques for mechanical measurements of biological samples. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:011303. [PMID: 38505816 PMCID: PMC10903441 DOI: 10.1063/5.0130762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The use of microfluidics to make mechanical property measurements is increasingly common. Fabrication of microfluidic devices has enabled various types of flow control and sensor integration at micrometer length scales to interrogate biological materials. For rheological measurements of biofluids, the small length scales are well suited to reach high rates, and measurements can be made on droplet-sized samples. The control of flow fields, constrictions, and external fields can be used in microfluidics to make mechanical measurements of individual bioparticle properties, often at high sampling rates for high-throughput measurements. Microfluidics also enables the measurement of bio-surfaces, such as the elasticity and permeability properties of layers of cells cultured in microfluidic devices. Recent progress on these topics is reviewed, and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul F. Salipante
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Polymers and Complex Fluids Group, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
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Yang A, Lin X, Liu Z, Duan X, Yuan Y, Zhang J, Liang Q, Ji X, Sun N, Yu H, He W, Zhu L, Xu B, Lin X. Worm Generator: A System for High-Throughput in Vivo Screening. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:1280-1288. [PMID: 36719250 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c04456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale screening of molecules in organisms requires high-throughput and cost-effective evaluating tools during preclinical development. Here, a novel in vivo screening strategy combining hierarchically structured biohybrid triboelectric nanogenerators (HB-TENGs) arrays with computational bioinformatics analysis for high-throughput pharmacological evaluation using Caenorhabditis elegans is described. Unlike the traditional methods for behavioral monitoring of the animals, which are laborious and costly, HB-TENGs with micropillars are designed to efficiently convert animals' behaviors into friction deformation and result in a contact-separation motion between two triboelectric layers to generate electrical outputs. The triboelectric signals are recorded and extracted to various bioinformation for each screened compound. Moreover, the information-rich electrical readouts are successfully demonstrated to be sufficient to predict a drug's identity by multiple-Gaussian-kernels-based machine learning methods. This proposed strategy can be readily applied to various fields and is especially useful in in vivo explorations to accelerate the identification of novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Xiang Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Zijian Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Xin Duan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Yurou Yuan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Jiaxuan Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Qilin Liang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Xianglin Ji
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Nannan Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524023, China
| | - Huajun Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang 524023, China
| | - Weiwei He
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Lili Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Bingzhe Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Xudong Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Sensor Technology and Biomedical Instrument School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
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Sulfur amino acid supplementation displays therapeutic potential in a C. elegans model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1255. [PMID: 36385509 PMCID: PMC9668843 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04212-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the dystrophin gene cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a common muscle disease that manifests with muscle weakness, wasting, and degeneration. An emerging theme in DMD pathophysiology is an intramuscular deficit in the gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Here we show that the C. elegans DMD model displays reduced levels of H2S and expression of genes required for sulfur metabolism. These reductions can be offset by increasing bioavailability of sulfur containing amino acids (L-methionine, L-homocysteine, L-cysteine, L-glutathione, and L-taurine), augmenting healthspan primarily via improved calcium regulation, mitochondrial structure and delayed muscle cell death. Additionally, we show distinct differences in preservation mechanisms between sulfur amino acid vs H2S administration, despite similarities in required health-preserving pathways. Our results suggest that the H2S deficit in DMD is likely caused by altered sulfur metabolism and that modulation of this pathway may improve DMD muscle health via multiple evolutionarily conserved mechanisms. A C. elegans model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy reveals a potential role for disrupted sulfur metabolism in the disease and thus the therapeutic potential of sulfur amino acid supplementation.
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8
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Soni P, Anupom T, Lesanpezeshki L, Rahman M, Hewitt JE, Vellone M, Stodieck L, Blawzdziewicz J, Szewczyk NJ, Vanapalli SA. Microfluidics-integrated spaceflight hardware for measuring muscle strength of Caenorhabditis elegans on the International Space Station. NPJ Microgravity 2022; 8:50. [PMID: 36344513 PMCID: PMC9640571 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-022-00241-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a low-cost genetic model that has been flown to the International Space Station to investigate the influence of microgravity on changes in the expression of genes involved in muscle maintenance. These studies showed that genes that encode muscle attachment complexes have decreased expression under microgravity. However, it remains to be answered whether the decreased expression leads to concomitant changes in animal muscle strength, specifically across multiple generations. We recently reported the NemaFlex microfluidic device for the measurement of muscle strength of C. elegans (Rahman et al., Lab Chip, 2018). In this study, we redesign our original NemaFlex device and integrate it with flow control hardware for spaceflight investigations considering mixed animal culture, constraints on astronaut time, crew safety, and on-orbit operations. The technical advances we have made include (i) a microfluidic device design that allows animals of a given size to be sorted from unsynchronized cultures and housed in individual chambers, (ii) a fluid handling protocol for injecting the suspension of animals into the microfluidic device that prevents channel clogging, introduction of bubbles, and crowding of animals in the chambers, and (iii) a custom-built worm-loading apparatus interfaced with the microfluidic device that allows easy manipulation of the worm suspension and prevents fluid leakage into the surrounding environment. Collectively, these technical advances enabled the development of new microfluidics-integrated hardware for spaceflight studies in C. elegans. Finally, we report Earth-based validation studies to test this new hardware, which has led to it being flown to the International Space Station.
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Mitochonic Acid 5 Improves Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Parkinson’s Disease Model of Caenorhabditis elegans. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179572. [PMID: 36076995 PMCID: PMC9455831 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179572] [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: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochonic Acid 5 (MA-5) enhances mitochondrial ATP production, restores fibroblasts from mitochondrial disease patients and extends the lifespan of the disease model “Mitomouse”. Additionally, MA-5 interacts with mitofilin and modulates the mitochondrial inner membrane organizing system (MINOS) in mammalian cultured cells. Here, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate whether MA-5 improves the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) model. Firstly, we confirmed the efficient penetration of MA-5 in the mitochondria of C. elegans. MA-5 also alleviated symptoms such as movement decline, muscular tone, mitochondrial fragmentation and Ca2+ accumulation of the DMD model. To assess the effect of MA-5 on mitochondria perturbation, we employed a low concentration of rotenone with or without MA-5. MA-5 significantly suppressed rotenone-induced mitochondria reactive oxygen species (ROS) increase, mitochondrial network fragmentation and nuclear destruction in body wall muscles as well as endogenous ATP levels decline. In addition, MA-5 suppressed rotenone-induced degeneration of dopaminergic cephalic (CEP) neurons seen in the Parkinson’s disease (PD) model. Furthermore, the application of MA-5 reduced mitochondrial swelling due to the immt-1 null mutation. These results indicate that MA-5 has broad mitochondrial homing and MINOS stabilizing activity in metazoans and may be a therapeutic agent for these by ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction in DMD and PD.
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McIntyre RL, Rahman M, Vanapalli SA, Houtkooper RH, Janssens GE. Biological Age Prediction From Wearable Device Movement Data Identifies Nutritional and Pharmacological Interventions for Healthy Aging. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2022; 2:708680. [PMID: 35822021 PMCID: PMC9261299 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2021.708680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Intervening in aging processes is hypothesized to extend healthy years of life and treat age-related disease, thereby providing great benefit to society. However, the ability to measure the biological aging process in individuals, which is necessary to test for efficacy of these interventions, remains largely inaccessible to the general public. Here we used NHANES physical activity accelerometer data from a wearable device and machine-learning algorithms to derive biological age predictions for individuals based on their movement patterns. We found that accelerated biological aging from our “MoveAge” predictor is associated with higher all-cause mortality. We further searched for nutritional or pharmacological compounds that associate with decelerated aging according to our model. A number of nutritional components peak in their association to decelerated aging later in life, including fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E. We additionally identified one FDA-approved drug associated with decelerated biological aging: the alpha-blocker doxazosin. We show that doxazosin extends healthspan and lifespan in C. elegans. Our work demonstrates how a biological aging score based on relative mobility can be accessible to the wider public and can potentially be used to identify and determine efficacy of geroprotective interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L McIntyre
- Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mizanur Rahman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Siva A Vanapalli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States.,NemaLife Inc., Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Riekelt H Houtkooper
- Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Georges E Janssens
- Laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases, Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Lesanpezeshki L, Qadota H, Darabad MN, Kashyap K, Lacerda CMR, Szewczyk NJ, Benian GM, Vanapalli SA. Investigating the correlation of muscle function tests and sarcomere organization in C. elegans. Skelet Muscle 2021; 11:20. [PMID: 34389048 PMCID: PMC8362255 DOI: 10.1186/s13395-021-00275-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Caenorhabditis elegans has been widely used as a model to study muscle structure and function. Its body wall muscle is functionally and structurally similar to vertebrate skeletal muscle with conserved molecular pathways contributing to sarcomere structure, and muscle function. However, a systematic investigation of the relationship between muscle force and sarcomere organization is lacking. Here, we investigate the contribution of various sarcomere proteins and membrane attachment components to muscle structure and function to introduce C. elegans as a model organism to study the genetic basis of muscle strength. Methods We employ two recently developed assays that involve exertion of muscle forces to investigate the correlation of muscle function to sarcomere organization. We utilized a microfluidic pillar-based platform called NemaFlex that quantifies the maximum exertable force and a burrowing assay that challenges the animals to move in three dimensions under a chemical stimulus. We selected 20 mutants with known defects in various substructures of sarcomeres and compared the physiological function of muscle proteins required for force generation and transmission. We also characterized the degree of sarcomere disorganization using immunostaining approaches. Results We find that mutants with genetic defects in thin filaments, thick filaments, and M-lines are generally weaker, and our assays are successful in detecting the functional changes in response to each sarcomere location tested. We find that the NemaFlex and burrowing assays are functionally distinct informing on different aspects of muscle physiology. Specifically, the burrowing assay has a larger bandwidth in phenotyping muscle mutants, because it could pick ten additional mutants impaired while exerting normal muscle force in NemaFlex. This enabled us to combine their readouts to develop an integrated muscle function score that was found to correlate with the score for muscle structure disorganization. Conclusions Our results highlight the suitability of NemaFlex and burrowing assays for evaluating muscle physiology of C. elegans. Using these approaches, we discuss the importance of the studied sarcomere proteins for muscle function and structure. The scoring methodology we have developed enhances the utility of C. elegans as a genetic model to study muscle function. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13395-021-00275-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Lesanpezeshki
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Hiroshi Qadota
- Department of Pathology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | | | - Karishma Kashyap
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Carla M R Lacerda
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Szewczyk
- MRC/Arthritis Research UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom & National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby, DE22 3DT, UK.,Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute (OMNI) and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
| | - Guy M Benian
- Department of Pathology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Siva A Vanapalli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
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12
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Hrach HC, O'Brien S, Steber HS, Newbern J, Rawls A, Mangone M. Transcriptome changes during the initiation and progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Caenorhabditis elegans. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 29:1607-1623. [PMID: 32227114 PMCID: PMC7322572 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal, X-linked disease characterized by progressive muscle degeneration. The condition is driven by nonsense and missense mutations in the dystrophin gene, leading to instability of the sarcolemma and skeletal muscle necrosis and atrophy. Resulting changes in muscle-specific gene expression that take place in dystrophin's absence remain largely uncharacterized, as they are potentially obscured by the chronic inflammation elicited by muscle damage in humans. Caenorhabditis elegans possess a mild inflammatory response that is not active in the muscle, and lack a satellite cell equivalent. This allows for the characterization of the transcriptome rearrangements affecting disease progression independently of inflammation and regeneration. In effort to better understand these dynamics, we have isolated and sequenced body muscle-specific transcriptomes from C. elegans lacking functional dystrophin at distinct stages of disease progression. We have identified an upregulation of genes involved in mitochondrial function early in disease progression, and an upregulation of genes related to muscle repair in later stages. Our results suggest that in C. elegans, dystrophin may have a signaling role early in development, and its absence may activate compensatory mechanisms that counteract muscle degradation caused by loss of dystrophin. We have also developed a temperature-based screening method for synthetic paralysis that can be used to rapidly identify genetic partners of dystrophin. Our results allow for the comprehensive identification of transcriptome changes that potentially serve as independent drivers of disease progression and may in turn allow for the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather C Hrach
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 4501, USA.,Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Shannon O'Brien
- Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.,Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University, 751 E Lemon Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Hannah S Steber
- Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University, 751 E Lemon Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Jason Newbern
- School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 4501, USA
| | - Alan Rawls
- School of Life Sciences, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287 4501, USA
| | - Marco Mangone
- Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics, The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, 1001 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
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13
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Canonico F, Chirivi M, Maiullari F, Milan M, Rizzi R, Arcudi A, Galli M, Pane M, Gowran A, Pompilio G, Mercuri E, Crea F, Bearzi C, D'Amario D. Focus on the road to modelling cardiomyopathy in muscular dystrophy. Cardiovasc Res 2021; 118:1872-1884. [PMID: 34254111 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvab232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alterations in the DMD gene, which codes for the protein dystrophin, cause forms of dystrophinopathies such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, an X-linked disease. Cardiomyopathy linked to DMD mutations is becoming the leading cause of death in patients with dystrophinopathy. Since phenotypic pathophysiological mechanisms are not fully understood, the improvement and development of new disease models, considering their relative advantages and disadvantages, is essential. The application of genetic engineering approaches on induced pluripotent stem cells, such as gene editing technology, enables the development of physiologically relevant human cell models for in vitro dystrophinopathy studies. The combination of induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiovascular cell types and 3 D bioprinting technologies hold great promise for the study of dystrophin-linked cardiomyopathy. This combined approach enables the assessment of responses to physical or chemical stimuli, and the influence of pharmaceutical approaches. The critical objective of in vitro microphysiological systems is to more accurately reproduce the microenvironment observed in vivo. Ground-breaking methodology involving the connection of multiple microphysiological systems comprised of different tissues would represent a move toward precision body-on-chip disease modelling could lead to a critical expansion in what is known about inter-organ responses to disease and novel therapies that have the potential to replace animal models. In this review, we will focus on the generation, development, and application of current cellular, animal and potential for bio-printed models, in the study of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying dystrophin-linked cardiomyopathy in the direction of personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Canonico
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Maila Chirivi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council of Italy (IBBC-CNR), Monterotondo, Rome, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare (INGM) "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Maiullari
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare (INGM) "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy
| | - Marika Milan
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, National Research Council of Italy (IBBC-CNR), Monterotondo, Rome, Italy.,Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare (INGM) "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Rizzi
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare (INGM) "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy.,Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council of Italy (ITB-CNR), Segrate, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Arcudi
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Galli
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Marika Pane
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Aoife Gowran
- Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Unit of Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulio Pompilio
- Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Unit of Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Milan, Italy.,Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Eugenio Mercuri
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Filippo Crea
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Bearzi
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare (INGM) "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy.,Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council (IRGB-CNR), Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico D'Amario
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Rome, Italy
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14
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Sofela S, Sahloul S, Song YA. Biophysical analysis of drug efficacy on C. elegans models for neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246496. [PMID: 34115761 PMCID: PMC8195402 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a powerful model organism for drug screening due to its cellular simplicity, genetic amenability and homology to humans combined with its small size and low cost. Currently, high-throughput drug screening assays are mostly based on image-based phenotyping with the focus on morphological-descriptive traits not exploiting key locomotory parameters of this multicellular model with muscles such as its thrashing force, a critical biophysical parameter when screening drugs for muscle-related diseases. In this study, we demonstrated the use of a micropillar-based force assay chip in combination with a fluorescence assay to evaluate the efficacy of various drugs currently used in treatment of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. Using this two-dimensional approach, we showed that the force assay was generally more sensitive in measuring efficacy of drug treatment in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Parkinson's Disease mutant worms as well as partly in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis model. These results underline the potential of our force assay chip in screening of potential drug candidates for the treatment of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases when combined with a fluorescence assay in a two-dimensional analysis approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Sofela
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Sarah Sahloul
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Yong-Ak Song
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, NY, United States of America
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15
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β-Glucans as Dietary Supplement to Improve Locomotion and Mitochondrial Respiration in a Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13051619. [PMID: 34065946 PMCID: PMC8151547 DOI: 10.3390/nu13051619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe X-linked neuromuscular childhood disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. A lack of dystrophin in DMD leads to inflammatory response, autophagic dysregulation, and oxidative stress in skeletal muscle fibers that play a key role in the progression of the pathology. β-glucans can modulate immune function by modifying the phagocytic activity of immunocompetent cells, notably macrophages. Mitochondrial function is also involved in an important mechanism of the innate and adaptive immune responses, owing to high need for energy of immune cells. In the present study, the effects of 1,3-1,6 β-glucans on five-day-old non-dystrophic and dystrophic (sapje) zebrafish larvae were investigated. The effects of the sonication of β-glucans and the dechorionation of embryos were also evaluated. The results showed that the incidence of dystrophic phenotypes was reduced when dystrophic embryos were exposed to 2 and 4 mg L-1 of 1,3-1,6 β-glucans. Moreover, when the dystrophic larvae underwent 8 mg L-1 treatment, an improvement of the locomotor performances and mitochondrial respiration were observed. In conclusion, the observed results demonstrated that 1,3-1,6 β-glucans improve locomotor performances and mitochondrial function in dystrophic zebrafish. Therefore, for ameliorating their life quality, 1,3-1,6 β-glucans look like a promising diet supplement for DMD patients, even though further investigations are required.
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16
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Ellwood RA, Piasecki M, Szewczyk NJ. Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094891. [PMID: 34063069 PMCID: PMC8125261 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans has been used extensively to enhance our understanding of the human neuromuscular disorder Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). With new arising clinically relevant models, technologies and treatments, there is a need to reconcile the literature and collate the key findings associated with this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A. Ellwood
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (R.A.E.); (M.P.)
- National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Mathew Piasecki
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (R.A.E.); (M.P.)
- National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, UK
| | - Nathaniel J. Szewczyk
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, UK; (R.A.E.); (M.P.)
- National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, UK
- Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurologic Institute, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
- Correspondence:
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17
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Ellwood RA, Hewitt JE, Torregrossa R, Philp AM, Hardee JP, Hughes S, van de Klashorst D, Gharahdaghi N, Anupom T, Slade L, Deane CS, Cooke M, Etheridge T, Piasecki M, Antebi A, Lynch GS, Philp A, Vanapalli SA, Whiteman M, Szewczyk NJ. Mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide supplementation improves health in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2018342118. [PMID: 33627403 PMCID: PMC7936346 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018342118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness due to mutations in the dystrophin gene. The symptoms of DMD share similarities with those of accelerated aging. Recently, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) supplementation has been suggested to modulate the effects of age-related decline in muscle function, and metabolic H2S deficiencies have been implicated in affecting muscle mass in conditions such as phenylketonuria. We therefore evaluated the use of sodium GYY4137 (NaGYY), a H2S-releasing molecule, as a possible approach for DMD treatment. Using the dys-1(eg33) Caenorhabditis elegans DMD model, we found that NaGYY treatment (100 µM) improved movement, strength, gait, and muscle mitochondrial structure, similar to the gold-standard therapeutic treatment, prednisone (370 µM). The health improvements of either treatment required the action of the kinase JNK-1, the transcription factor SKN-1, and the NAD-dependent deacetylase SIR-2.1. The transcription factor DAF-16 was required for the health benefits of NaGYY treatment, but not prednisone treatment. AP39 (100 pM), a mitochondria-targeted H2S compound, also improved movement and strength in the dys-1(eg33) model, further implying that these improvements are mitochondria-based. Additionally, we found a decline in total sulfide and H2S-producing enzymes in dystrophin/utrophin knockout mice. Overall, our results suggest that H2S deficit may contribute to DMD pathology, and rectifying/overcoming the deficit with H2S delivery compounds has potential as a therapeutic approach to DMD treatment.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics
- Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolism
- Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/genetics
- Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/metabolism
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Dystrophin/deficiency
- Dystrophin/genetics
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Humans
- Hydrogen Sulfide/metabolism
- Hydrogen Sulfide/pharmacology
- Locomotion/drug effects
- Locomotion/genetics
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred mdx
- Mitochondria, Muscle/drug effects
- Mitochondria, Muscle/metabolism
- Mitochondria, Muscle/pathology
- Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics
- Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism
- Morpholines/metabolism
- Morpholines/pharmacology
- Muscle, Skeletal/drug effects
- Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism
- Muscle, Skeletal/pathology
- Muscular Dystrophy, Animal/drug therapy
- Muscular Dystrophy, Animal/genetics
- Muscular Dystrophy, Animal/metabolism
- Muscular Dystrophy, Animal/pathology
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/drug therapy
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/genetics
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/metabolism
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/pathology
- Organophosphorus Compounds/metabolism
- Organophosphorus Compounds/pharmacology
- Organothiophosphorus Compounds/metabolism
- Organothiophosphorus Compounds/pharmacology
- Prednisone/pharmacology
- Sirtuins/genetics
- Sirtuins/metabolism
- Thiones/metabolism
- Thiones/pharmacology
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Utrophin/deficiency
- Utrophin/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Ellwood
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
- Musculoskeletal Conditions, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer E Hewitt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
- Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Roberta Torregrossa
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, EX1 2LU Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Ashleigh M Philp
- Mitochondrial Metabolism and Ageing, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Justin P Hardee
- Centre for Muscle Research, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Samantha Hughes
- HAN BioCentre, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen 6525EM, The Netherlands
| | | | - Nima Gharahdaghi
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
- Musculoskeletal Conditions, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
| | - Taslim Anupom
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
| | - Luke Slade
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, EX1 2LU Exeter, United Kingdom
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, EX1 2LU Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Colleen S Deane
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, EX1 2LU Exeter, United Kingdom
- Living System Institute, University of Exeter, EX4 4QD Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Cooke
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
- Musculoskeletal Conditions, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, EX1 2LU Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy Etheridge
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, EX1 2LU Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Mathew Piasecki
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
- Musculoskeletal Conditions, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Antebi
- Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, 50931 Cologne, Germany
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Gordon S Lynch
- Centre for Muscle Research, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Andrew Philp
- Mitochondrial Metabolism and Ageing, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Medicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Siva A Vanapalli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
| | - Matthew Whiteman
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, EX1 2LU Exeter, United Kingdom;
| | - Nathaniel J Szewczyk
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, Royal Derby Hospital, University of Nottingham, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom;
- Musculoskeletal Conditions, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby DE22 3DT, United Kingdom
- Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurologic Institute, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701
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18
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Fox BC, Slade L, Torregrossa R, Pacitti D, Szabo C, Etheridge T, Whiteman M. The mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide donor AP39 improves health and mitochondrial function in a C. elegans primary mitochondrial disease model. J Inherit Metab Dis 2021; 44:367-375. [PMID: 33325042 DOI: 10.1002/jimd.12345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Primary mitochondrial diseases (PMD) are inherited diseases that cause dysfunctional mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, leading to diverse multisystem diseases and substantially impaired quality of life. PMD treatment currently comprises symptom management, with an unmet need for therapies targeting the causative mitochondrial defects. Molecules which selective target mitochondria have been proposed as potential treatment options in PMD but have met with limited success. We have previously shown in animal models that mitochondrial dysfunction caused by the disease process could be prevented and/or reversed by selective targeting of the "gasotransmitter" hydrogen sulfide (H2 S) to mitochondria using a novel compound, AP39. Therefore, in this study we investigated whether AP39 could also restore mitochondrial function in PMD models where mitochondrial dysfunction was the cause of the disease pathology using C. elegans. We characterised several PMD mutant C. elegans strains for reduced survival, movement and impaired cellular bioenergetics and treated each with AP39. In animals with widespread electron transport chain deficiency (gfm-1[ok3372]), AP39 (100 nM) restored ATP levels, but had no effect on survival or movement. However, in a complex I mutant (nuo-4[ok2533]), a Leigh syndrome orthologue, AP39 significantly reversed the decline in ATP levels, preserved mitochondrial membrane potential and increased movement and survival. For the first time, this study provides proof-of-principle evidence suggesting that selective targeting of mitochondria with H2 S could represent a novel drug discovery approach to delay, prevent and possibly reverse mitochondrial decline in PMD and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luke Slade
- University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | | | - Csaba Szabo
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Timothy Etheridge
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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19
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Dubinin MV, Talanov EY, Tenkov KS, Starinets VS, Belosludtseva NV, Belosludtsev KN. The Effect of Deflazacort Treatment on the Functioning of Skeletal Muscle Mitochondria in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E8763. [PMID: 33228255 PMCID: PMC7699511 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe hereditary disease caused by a lack of dystrophin, a protein essential for myocyte integrity. Mitochondrial dysfunction is reportedly responsible for DMD. This study examines the effect of glucocorticoid deflazacort on the functioning of the skeletal-muscle mitochondria of dystrophin-deficient mdx mice and WT animals. Deflazacort administration was found to improve mitochondrial respiration of mdx mice due to an increase in the level of ETC complexes (complexes III and IV and ATP synthase), which may contribute to the normalization of ATP levels in the skeletal muscle of mdx animals. Deflazacort treatment improved the rate of Ca2+ uniport in the skeletal muscle mitochondria of mdx mice, presumably by affecting the subunit composition of the calcium uniporter of organelles. At the same time, deflazacort was found to reduce the resistance of skeletal mitochondria to MPT pore opening, which may be associated with a change in the level of ANT2 and CypD. In this case, deflazacort also affected the mitochondria of WT mice. The paper discusses the mechanisms underlying the effect of deflazacort on the functioning of mitochondria and contributing to the improvement of the muscular function of mdx mice.
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MESH Headings
- Adenine Nucleotide Translocator 2/genetics
- Adenine Nucleotide Translocator 2/metabolism
- Adenosine Triphosphate/biosynthesis
- Animals
- Calcium/metabolism
- Calcium Channels/genetics
- Calcium Channels/metabolism
- Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerase F/genetics
- Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerase F/metabolism
- Electron Transport Complex III/genetics
- Electron Transport Complex III/metabolism
- Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics
- Electron Transport Complex IV/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Inbred mdx
- Mitochondria, Muscle/drug effects
- Mitochondria, Muscle/genetics
- Mitochondria, Muscle/metabolism
- Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases/genetics
- Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases/metabolism
- Muscle, Skeletal/drug effects
- Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism
- Muscle, Skeletal/pathology
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/drug therapy
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/genetics
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/metabolism
- Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne/pathology
- Pregnenediones/pharmacology
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail V. Dubinin
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Microbiology, Mari State University, pl. Lenina 1, 424001 Yoshkar-Ola, Russia; (K.S.T.); (V.S.S.); (K.N.B.)
| | - Eugeny Yu. Talanov
- Laboratory of Mitochondrial Transport, Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskaya 3, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (E.Y.T.); (N.V.B.)
| | - Kirill S. Tenkov
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Microbiology, Mari State University, pl. Lenina 1, 424001 Yoshkar-Ola, Russia; (K.S.T.); (V.S.S.); (K.N.B.)
| | - Vlada S. Starinets
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Microbiology, Mari State University, pl. Lenina 1, 424001 Yoshkar-Ola, Russia; (K.S.T.); (V.S.S.); (K.N.B.)
- Laboratory of Mitochondrial Transport, Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskaya 3, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (E.Y.T.); (N.V.B.)
| | - Natalia V. Belosludtseva
- Laboratory of Mitochondrial Transport, Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institutskaya 3, 142290 Pushchino, Russia; (E.Y.T.); (N.V.B.)
| | - Konstantin N. Belosludtsev
- Department of Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Microbiology, Mari State University, pl. Lenina 1, 424001 Yoshkar-Ola, Russia; (K.S.T.); (V.S.S.); (K.N.B.)
- Biophotonics Center, Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vavilov st. 38, 119991 Moscow, Russia
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20
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The Impact of Mitochondrial Deficiencies in Neuromuscular Diseases. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020; 9:antiox9100964. [PMID: 33050147 PMCID: PMC7600520 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9100964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) are a heterogeneous group of acquired or inherited rare disorders caused by injury or dysfunction of the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord (lower motor neurons), peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junctions, or skeletal muscles leading to muscle weakness and waste. Unfortunately, most of them entail serious or even fatal consequences. The prevalence rates among NMDs range between 1 and 10 per 100,000 population, but their rarity and diversity pose difficulties for healthcare and research. Some molecular hallmarks are being explored to elucidate the mechanisms triggering disease, to set the path for further advances. In fact, in the present review we outline the metabolic alterations of NMDs, mainly focusing on the role of mitochondria. The aim of the review is to discuss the mechanisms underlying energy production, oxidative stress generation, cell signaling, autophagy, and inflammation triggered or conditioned by the mitochondria. Briefly, increased levels of inflammation have been linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which is key in mitochondrial genomic instability and mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) dysfunction. ROS burst, impaired autophagy, and increased inflammation are observed in many NMDs. Increasing knowledge of the etiology of NMDs will help to develop better diagnosis and treatments, eventually reducing the health and economic burden of NMDs for patients and healthcare systems.
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Abstract
Melatonin (Mel) promotes sleep through G protein-coupled receptors. However, the downstream molecular target(s) is unknown. We identified the Caenorhabditis elegans BK channel SLO-1 as a molecular target of the Mel receptor PCDR-1-. Knockout of pcdr-1, slo-1, or homt-1 (a gene required for Mel synthesis) causes substantially increased neurotransmitter release and shortened sleep duration, and these effects are nonadditive in double knockouts. Exogenous Mel inhibits neurotransmitter release and promotes sleep in wild-type (WT) but not pcdr-1 and slo-1 mutants. In a heterologous expression system, Mel activates the human BK channel (hSlo1) in a membrane-delimited manner in the presence of the Mel receptor MT1 but not MT2 A peptide acting to release free Gβγ also activates hSlo1 in a MT1-dependent and membrane-delimited manner, whereas a Gβλ inhibitor abolishes the stimulating effect of Mel. Our results suggest that Mel promotes sleep by activating the BK channel through a specific Mel receptor and Gβλ.
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Pollard AK, Gaffney CJ, Deane CS, Balsamo M, Cooke M, Ellwood RA, Hewitt JE, Mierzwa BE, Mariani A, Vanapalli SA, Etheridge T, Szewczyk NJ. Molecular Muscle Experiment: Hardware and Operational Lessons for Future Astrobiology Space Experiments. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:935-943. [PMID: 32267726 PMCID: PMC7415877 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Biology experiments in space seek to increase our understanding of what happens to life beyond Earth and how we can safely send life beyond Earth. Spaceflight is associated with many (mal)adaptations in physiology, including decline in musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, vestibular, and immune systems. Biological experiments in space are inherently challenging to implement. Development of hardware and validation of experimental conditions are critical to ensure the collection of high-quality data. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has been studied in space for more than 20 years to better understand spaceflight-induced (patho)physiology, particularly spaceflight-induced muscle decline. These experiments have used a variety of hardware configurations. Despite this, hardware used in the past was not available for our most recent experiment, the Molecular Muscle Experiment (MME). Therefore, we had to design and validate flight hardware for MME. MME provides a contemporary example of many of the challenges faced by researchers conducting C. elegans experiments onboard the International Space Station. Here, we describe the hardware selection and validation, in addition to the ground-based experiment scientific validation testing. These experiences and operational solutions allow others to replicate and/or improve our experimental design on future missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia K. Pollard
- MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham BRC, University of Nottingham, Medical School Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher J. Gaffney
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
- Lancaster Medical School, Furness College, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Colleen S. Deane
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | | | - Michael Cooke
- MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham BRC, University of Nottingham, Medical School Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, United Kingdom
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca A. Ellwood
- MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham BRC, University of Nottingham, Medical School Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer E. Hewitt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Beata E. Mierzwa
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | | | - Siva A. Vanapalli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
| | - Timothy Etheridge
- Sport and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Nathaniel J. Szewczyk
- MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and NIHR Nottingham BRC, University of Nottingham, Medical School Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, United Kingdom
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Assessing motor-related phenotypes of Caenorhabditis elegans with the wide field-of-view nematode tracking platform. Nat Protoc 2020; 15:2071-2106. [PMID: 32433626 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-0321-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans is a valuable model organism in biomedical research that has led to major discoveries in the fields of neurodegeneration, cancer and aging. Because movement phenotypes are commonly used and represent strong indicators of C. elegans fitness, there is an increasing need to replace manual assessments of worm motility with automated measurements to increase throughput and minimize observer biases. Here, we provide a protocol for the implementation of the improved wide field-of-view nematode tracking platform (WF-NTP), which enables the simultaneous analysis of hundreds of worms with respect to multiple behavioral parameters. The protocol takes only a few hours to complete, excluding the time spent culturing C. elegans, and includes (i) experimental design and preparation of samples, (ii) data recording, (iii) software management with appropriate parameter choices and (iv) post-experimental data analysis. We compare the WF-NTP with other existing worm trackers, including those having high spatial resolution. The main benefits of WF-NTP relate to the high number of worms that can be assessed at the same time on a whole-plate basis and the number of phenotypes that can be screened for simultaneously.
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Jayarathne S, Ramalingam L, Edwards H, Vanapalli SA, Moustaid-Moussa N. Tart Cherry Increases Lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans by Altering Metabolic Signaling Pathways. Nutrients 2020; 12:E1482. [PMID: 32443669 PMCID: PMC7285199 DOI: 10.3390/nu12051482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging and healthspan are determined by both environmental and genetic factors. The insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) pathway is a key mediator of aging in Caenorhabditis elegans and mammals. Specifically, DAF-2 signaling, an ortholog of human IGF, controls DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor, a master regulator of metabolism and longevity. Moreover, mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are both linked to aging. We propose that daily supplementation of tart cherry extract (TCE), rich in anthocyanins with antioxidant properties may exert dual benefits for mitochondrial function and oxidative stress, resulting in beneficial effects on aging in C. elegans. We found that TCE supplementation at 6 μg or 12 μg/mL, increased (p < 0.05) the mean lifespan of wild type N2 worms, respectively, when compared to untreated control worms. Consistent with these findings, TCE upregulated (p < 0.05) expression of longevity-related genes such as daf-16 and aak-2 (but not daf-2 or akt-1 genes) and genes related to oxidative stress such as sod-2. Further, we showed that TCE supplementation increased spare respiration in N2 worms. However, TCE did not change the mean lifespan of daf-16 and aak-2 mutant worms. In conclusion, our findings indicate that TCE confers healthspan benefits in C. elegans through enhanced mitochondrial function and reduced oxidative stress, mainly via the DAF-16 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasika Jayarathne
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Obesity Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (S.J.); (L.R.)
| | - Latha Ramalingam
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Obesity Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (S.J.); (L.R.)
| | - Hunter Edwards
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (H.E.); (S.A.V.)
| | - Siva A. Vanapalli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (H.E.); (S.A.V.)
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Naima Moustaid-Moussa
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, Obesity Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA; (S.J.); (L.R.)
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25
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Abstract
Skeletal muscle fibres are multinucleated cells that contain postmitotic nuclei (i.e. they are no longer able to divide) and perform muscle contraction. They are formed by fusion of muscle precursor cells, and grow into elongating myofibres by the addition of further precursor cells, called satellite cells, which are also responsible for regeneration following injury. Skeletal muscle regeneration occurs in most muscular dystrophies in response to necrosis of muscle fibres. However, the complex environment within dystrophic skeletal muscle, which includes inflammatory cells, fibroblasts and fibro-adipogenic cells, together with the genetic background of the in vivo model and the muscle being studied, complicates the interpretation of laboratory studies on muscular dystrophies. Many genes are expressed in satellite cells and in other tissues, which makes it difficult to determine the molecular cause of various types of muscular dystrophies. Here, and in the accompanying poster, we discuss our current knowledge of the cellular mechanisms that govern the growth and regeneration of skeletal muscle, and highlight the defects in satellite cell function that give rise to muscular dystrophies. Summary: The mechanisms of skeletal muscle development, growth and regeneration are described. We discuss whether these processes are dysregulated in inherited muscle diseases and identify pathways that may represent therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Morgan
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK .,National Institute for Health Research, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Terence Partridge
- Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.,National Institute for Health Research, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health Biomedical Research Centre, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK.,Center for Genetic Medicine Research, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA
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26
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Wasala NB, Chen SJ, Duan D. Duchenne muscular dystrophy animal models for high-throughput drug discovery and precision medicine. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 15:443-456. [PMID: 32000537 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2020.1718100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked handicapping disease due to the loss of an essential muscle protein dystrophin. Dystrophin-null animals have been extensively used to study disease mechanisms and to develop experimental therapeutics. Despite decades of research, however, treatment options for DMD remain very limited.Areas covered: High-throughput high-content screening and precision medicine offer exciting new opportunities. Here, the authors review animal models that are suitable for these studies.Expert opinion: Nonmammalian models (worm, fruit fly, and zebrafish) are particularly attractive for cost-effective large-scale drug screening. Several promising lead compounds have been discovered using these models. Precision medicine for DMD aims at developing mutation-specific therapies such as exon-skipping and genome editing. To meet these needs, models with patient-like mutations have been established in different species. Models that harbor hotspot mutations are very attractive because the drugs developed in these models can bring mutation-specific therapies to a large population of patients. Humanized hDMD mice carry the entire human dystrophin gene in the mouse genome. Reagents developed in the hDMD mouse-based models are directly translatable to human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nalinda B Wasala
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Shi-Jie Chen
- Department of Physics, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Dongsheng Duan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Department of Biomedical, Biological & Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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27
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Sofela S, Sahloul S, Stubbs C, Orozaliev A, Refai FS, Esmaeel AM, Fahs H, Abdelgawad MO, Gunsalus KC, Song YA. Phenotyping of the thrashing forces exerted by partially immobilized C. elegans using elastomeric micropillar arrays. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:3685-3696. [PMID: 31576392 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00660e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
As a simple model organism, C. elegans plays an important role in gaining insight into the relationship between bodily thrashing forces and biological effects, such as disease and aging, or physical stimuli, like touch and light. Due to their similar length scale, microfluidic chips have been extensively explored for use in various biological studies involving C. elegans. However, a formidable challenge still exists due to the complexity of integrating external stimuli (chemical, mechanical or optical) with free-moving worms and subsequent imaging on the chip. In this report, we use a microfluidic device to partially immobilize a worm, which allows for measurements of the relative changes in the thrashing force under different assay conditions. Using a device adapted to the natural escape-like coiling response of a worm to immobilization, we have quantified the relative changes in the thrashing force during different developmental stages (L1, L3, L4, and young adult) and in response to various glucose concentrations and drug treatment. Our findings showed a loss of thrashing force following the introduction of glucose into a wild type worm culture that could be reversed upon treatment with the type 2 diabetes drug metformin. A morphological study of the actin filament structures in the body wall muscles provided supporting evidence for the force measurement data. Finally, we demonstrated the multiplexing capabilities of our device through recording the thrashing activities of eight worms simultaneously. The multiplexing capabilities and facile imaging available using our device open the door for high-throughput neuromuscular studies using C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Sofela
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. and Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Sarah Sahloul
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
| | | | - Ajymurat Orozaliev
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
| | - Fathima Shaffra Refai
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Hala Fahs
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Mohamed Omar Abdelgawad
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Assiut University, Egypt and Department of Mechanical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Kristin C Gunsalus
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Yong-Ak Song
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. and Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, USA
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28
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Lesanpezeshki L, Hewitt JE, Laranjeiro R, Antebi A, Driscoll M, Szewczyk NJ, Blawzdziewicz J, Lacerda CMR, Vanapalli SA. Pluronic gel-based burrowing assay for rapid assessment of neuromuscular health in C. elegans. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15246. [PMID: 31645584 PMCID: PMC6811592 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51608-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Whole-organism phenotypic assays are central to the assessment of neuromuscular function and health in model organisms such as the nematode C. elegans. In this study, we report a new assay format for engaging C. elegans in burrowing that enables rapid assessment of nematode neuromuscular health. In contrast to agar environments that pose specific drawbacks for characterization of C. elegans burrowing ability, here we use the optically transparent and biocompatible Pluronic F-127 gel that transitions from liquid to gel at room temperature, enabling convenient and safe handling of animals. The burrowing assay methodology involves loading animals at the bottom of well plates, casting a liquid-phase of Pluronic on top that solidifies via a modest temperature upshift, enticing animals to reach the surface via chemotaxis to food, and quantifying the relative success animals have in reaching the chemoattractant. We study the influence of Pluronic concentration, gel height and chemoattractant choice to optimize assay performance. To demonstrate the simplicity of the assay workflow and versatility, we show its novel application in multiple areas including (i) evaluating muscle mutants with defects in dense bodies and/or M-lines (pfn-3, atn-1, uig-1, dyc-1, zyx-1, unc-95 and tln-1), (ii) tuning assay conditions to reveal changes in the mutant gei-8, (iii) sorting of fast burrowers in a genetically-uniform wild-type population for later quantitation of their distinct muscle gene expression, and (iv) testing proteotoxic animal models of Huntington and Parkinson's disease. Results from our studies show that stimulating animals to navigate in a dense environment that offers mechanical resistance to three-dimensional locomotion challenges the neuromuscular system in a manner distinct from standard crawling and thrashing assays. Our simple and high throughput burrowing assay can provide insight into molecular mechanisms for maintenance of neuromuscular health and facilitate screening for therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer E Hewitt
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ricardo Laranjeiro
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Adam Antebi
- Department of Molecular Genetics of Ageing, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, and Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Monica Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Nathaniel J Szewczyk
- MRC/Arthritis Research UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom & National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Derby, UK
| | - Jerzy Blawzdziewicz
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Carla M R Lacerda
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Siva A Vanapalli
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA.
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Sudevan S, Takiura M, Kubota Y, Higashitani N, Cooke M, Ellwood RA, Etheridge T, Szewczyk NJ, Higashitani A. Mitochondrial dysfunction causes Ca 2+ overload and ECM degradation-mediated muscle damage in C. elegans. FASEB J 2019; 33:9540-9550. [PMID: 31162948 PMCID: PMC6662967 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201802298r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial dysfunction impairs muscle health and causes subsequent muscle wasting. This study explores the role of mitochondrial dysfunction as an intramuscular signal for the extracellular matrix (ECM)-based proteolysis and, consequentially, muscle cell dystrophy. We found that inhibition of the mitochondrial electron transport chain causes paralysis as well as muscle structural damage in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. This was associated with a significant decline in collagen content. Both paralysis and muscle damage could be rescued with collagen IV overexpression, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), and Furin inhibitors in Antimycin A-treated animal as well as in the C. elegans Duchenne muscular dystrophy model. Additionally, muscle cytosolic calcium increased in the Antimycin A-treated worms, and its down-regulation rescued the muscle damage, suggesting that calcium overload acts as one of the early triggers and activates Furin and MMPs for collagen degradation. In conclusion, we have established ECM degradation as an important pathway of muscle damage.-Sudevan, S., Takiura, M., Kubota, Y., Higashitani, N., Cooke, M., Ellwood, R. A., Etheridge, T., Szewczyk, N. J., Higashitani, A. Mitochondrial dysfunction causes Ca2+ overload and ECM degradation-mediated muscle damage in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surabhi Sudevan
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Mai Takiura
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yukihiko Kubota
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | | | - Michael Cooke
- College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council (MRC) and Arthritis Research United Kingdom (ARUK) Centre of Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca A. Ellwood
- Medical Research Council (MRC) and Arthritis Research United Kingdom (ARUK) Centre of Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy Etheridge
- College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Nathaniel J. Szewczyk
- Medical Research Council (MRC) and Arthritis Research United Kingdom (ARUK) Centre of Musculoskeletal Ageing Research and National Institute for Health Research, Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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30
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Model systems inform rare disease diagnosis, therapeutic discovery and pre-clinical efficacy. Emerg Top Life Sci 2019; 3:1-10. [DOI: 10.1042/etls20180057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Model systems have played a large role in understanding human diseases and are instrumental in taking basic research findings to the clinic; however, for rare diseases, model systems play an even larger role. Here, we outline how model organisms are crucial for confirming causal associations, understanding functional mechanisms and developing therapies for disease. As diseases that have been studied extensively through genetics and molecular biology, cystic fibrosis and Rett syndrome are portrayed as primary examples of how genetic diagnosis, model organism development and therapies have led to improved patient health. Considering which model to use, yeast, worms, flies, fish, mice or larger animals requires a careful evaluation of experimental genetic tools and gene pathway conservation. Recent advances in genome editing will aid in confirming diagnoses and developing model systems for rare disease. Genetic or chemical screening for disease suppression may reveal functional pathway members and provide candidate entry points for developing therapies. Model organisms may also be used in drug discovery and as preclinical models as a prelude to testing treatments in patient populations. Now, model organisms will increasingly be used as platforms for understanding variation in rare disease severity and onset, thereby informing therapeutic intervention.
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Hmeljak J, Justice MJ. From gene to treatment: supporting rare disease translational research through model systems. Dis Model Mech 2019; 12:12/2/dmm039271. [PMID: 30819728 PMCID: PMC6398488 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.039271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual rare diseases may affect only a few people, making them difficult to recognize, diagnose or treat by studying humans alone. Instead, model organisms help to validate genetic associations, understand functional pathways and develop therapeutic interventions for rare diseases. In this Editorial, we point to the key parameters in face, construct, predictive and target validity for accurate disease modelling, with special emphasis on rare disease models. Raising the experimental standards for disease models will enhance successful clinical translation and benefit rare disease research. Summary: This Editorial discusses the importance of model systems with accurate face, construct, target and predictive validity for rare disease research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julija Hmeljak
- Disease Models & Mechanisms, The Company of Biologists, Bidder Building, Station Road, Histon, Cambridge CB24 9LF, UK
| | - Monica J Justice
- Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, and Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4 Canada
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Physical exertion exacerbates decline in the musculature of an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:3508-3517. [PMID: 30755520 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1811379116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder caused by loss of the protein dystrophin. In humans, DMD has early onset, causes developmental delays, muscle necrosis, loss of ambulation, and death. Current animal models have been challenged by their inability to model the early onset and severity of the disease. It remains unresolved whether increased sarcoplasmic calcium observed in dystrophic muscles follows or leads the mechanical insults caused by the muscle's disrupted contractile machinery. This knowledge has important implications for patients, as potential physiotherapeutic treatments may either help or exacerbate symptoms, depending on how dystrophic muscles differ from healthy ones. Recently we showed how burrowing dystrophic (dys-1) C. elegans recapitulate many salient phenotypes of DMD, including loss of mobility and muscle necrosis. Here, we report that dys-1 worms display early pathogenesis, including dysregulated sarcoplasmic calcium and increased lethality. Sarcoplasmic calcium dysregulation in dys-1 worms precedes overt structural phenotypes (e.g., mitochondrial, and contractile machinery damage) and can be mitigated by reducing calmodulin expression. To learn how dystrophic musculature responds to altered physical activity, we cultivated dys-1 animals in environments requiring high intensity or high frequency of muscle exertion during locomotion. We find that several muscular parameters (e.g., size) improve with increased activity. However, longevity in dystrophic animals was negatively associated with muscular exertion, regardless of effort duration. The high degree of phenotypic conservation between dystrophic worms and humans provides a unique opportunity to gain insight into the pathology of the disease as well as the initial assessment of potential treatment strategies.
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First person – Jennifer Hewitt. Dis Model Mech 2018. [PMCID: PMC6307896 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.038091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Jennifer Hewitt is first author on ‘Muscle strength deficiency and mitochondrial dysfunction in a muscular dystrophy model of Caenorhabditis elegans and its functional response to drugs’, published in DMM. Jennifer is a PhD student in the lab of Siva Vanapalli at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA, investigating using C. elegans as a model for studying the mechanisms of and interventions for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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