The Evolution of Complex Muscle Cell In Vitro Models to Study Pathomechanisms and Drug Development of Neuromuscular Disease

Many neuromuscular disease entities possess a significant disease burden and therapeutic options remain limited. Innovative human preclinical models may help to uncover relevant disease mechanisms and enhance the translation of therapeutic findings to strengthen neuromuscular disease precision medicine. By concentrating on idiopathic inflammatory muscle disorders, we summarize the recent evolution of the novel in vitro models to study disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. A particular focus is laid on the integration and simulation of multicellular interactions of muscle tissue in disease phenotypes in vitro. Finally, the requirements of a neuromuscular disease drug development workflow are discussed with a particular emphasis on cell sources, co-culture systems (including organoids), functionality, and throughput.

Myo-Inositol Transporter SLC5A3 Associates with Degenerative Changes and Inflammation in Sporadic Inclusion Body Myositis

Myo-inositol exerts many cellular functions, which include osmo-protection, membrane functioning, and secondary messaging. Its Na⁺/myo-inositol co-transporter SLC5A3 is expressed in muscle tissue and further accumulates in myositis. In this study we focused on the peculiar subgroup of sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM), in which auto-inflammatory responses and degenerative changes co-exist. A cohort of nine patients was selected with clinically confirmed IBM, in which SLC5A3 protein was immune-localized to the different tissue constituents using immunofluorescence, and expression levels were evaluated using Western blotting. In normal muscle tissue, SLC5A3 expression was restricted to blood vessels and occasional low levels on muscle fiber membranes. In IBM tissues, SLC5A3 staining was markedly increased, with discontinuous staining of the muscle fiber membranes, and accumulation of SLC5A3 near inclusions and on the rims of vacuoles. A subset of muscle-infiltrating auto-aggressive immune cells was SLC5A3 positive, of which most were T-cells and M1 lineage macrophages. We conclude that SLC5A3 is overexpressed in IBM muscle, where it associates with protein aggregation and inflammatory infiltration. Based on our results, functional studies could be initiated to explore the possibilities of therapeutic osmolyte pathway intervention for preventing protein aggregation in muscle cells.

Induction of Osmolyte Pathways in Skeletal Muscle Inflammation: Novel Biomarkers for Myositis

We recently identified osmolyte accumulators as novel biomarkers for chronic skeletal muscle inflammation and weakness, but their precise involvement in inflammatory myopathies remains elusive. In the current study, we demonstrate in vitro that, in myoblasts and myotubes exposed to pro-inflammatory cytokines or increased salt concentration, mRNA levels of the osmolyte carriers SLC5A3, SLC6A6, SLC6A12, and AKR1B1 enzyme can be upregulated. Induction of SLC6A12 and AKR1B1 was confirmed at the protein level using immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Gene silencing by specific siRNAs revealed that these factors were vital for muscle cells under hyperosmotic conditions. Pro-inflammatory cytokines activated mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor κB as well as nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 mRNA expression. In muscle biopsies from patients with polymyositis or sporadic inclusion body myositis, osmolyte pathway activation was observed in regenerating muscle fibers. In addition, the osmolyte carriers SLC5A3 and SLC6A12 localized to subsets of immune cells, most notably to the endomysial macrophages and T-cells. Collectively, this study unveiled that muscle cells respond to osmotic and inflammatory stress by osmolyte pathway activation, likely orchestrating general protection of the tissue. Moreover, pro-inflammatory properties are attributed to SLC5A3 and SLC6A12 in auto-aggressive macrophages and T-cells in inflamed skeletal muscle.