scholarly journals A Promising Future for Stem-Cell-Based Therapies in Muscular Dystrophies—In Vitro and In Vivo Treatments to Boost Cellular Engraftment

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Gois Beghini ◽  
Samuel Iwao Horita ◽  
Liana Monteiro da Fonseca Cardoso ◽  
Luiz Anastacio Alves ◽  
Kanneboyina Nagaraju ◽  
...  

Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a group of genetic diseases that lead to skeletal muscle wasting and may affect many organs (multisystem). Unfortunately, no curative therapies are available at present for MD patients, and current treatments mainly address the symptoms. Thus, stem-cell-based therapies may present hope for improvement of life quality and expectancy. Different stem cell types lead to skeletal muscle regeneration and they have potential to be used for cellular therapies, although with several limitations. In this review, we propose a combination of genetic, biochemical, and cell culture treatments to correct pathogenic genetic alterations and to increase proliferation, dispersion, fusion, and differentiation into new or hybrid myotubes. These boosted stem cells can also be injected into pretreate recipient muscles to improve engraftment. We believe that this combination of treatments targeting the limitations of stem-cell-based therapies may result in safer and more efficient therapies for MD patients. Matricryptins have also discussed.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minas Nalbandian ◽  
Zsolt Radak ◽  
Masaki Takeda

Lactate is one of the metabolic products of glycolysis. It is widely accepted as an important energy source for many cell types and more recently has been proposed to actively participate in cell-cell communication. Satellite cells (SCs), which are adult skeletal muscle stem cells, are the main players of the skeletal muscle regeneration process. Recent studies have proposed a metabolic switch to increase glycolysis in activated SCs. Moreover, lactate has been shown to affect SCs and myoblasts in vivo and in vitro. In this short review, we describe how metabolic variations relate with SC fate (quiescence, activation, proliferation, migration, differentiation, fusion, and self-renewal), as well as discuss possible relationships between lactate as a metabolite and as a signaling molecule affecting SC fate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon J. Gheller ◽  
Jamie E. Blum ◽  
Ern Hwei Hannah Fong ◽  
Olga V. Malysheva ◽  
Benjamin D. Cosgrove ◽  
...  

Abstract Muscle-specific adult stem cells (MuSCs) are required for skeletal muscle regeneration. To ensure efficient skeletal muscle regeneration after injury, MuSCs must undergo state transitions as they are activated from quiescence, give rise to a population of proliferating myoblasts, and continue either to terminal differentiation, to repair or replace damaged myofibers, or self-renewal to repopulate the quiescent population. Changes in MuSC/myoblast state are accompanied by dramatic shifts in their transcriptional profile. Previous reports in other adult stem cell systems have identified alterations in the most abundant internal mRNA modification, N6-methyladenosine (m6A), conferred by its active writer, METTL3, to regulate cell state transitions through alterations in the transcriptional profile of these cells. Our objective was to determine if m6A-modification deposition via METTL3 is a regulator of MuSC/myoblast state transitions in vitro and in vivo. Using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry we identified that global m6A levels increase during the early stages of skeletal muscle regeneration, in vivo, and decline when C2C12 myoblasts transition from proliferation to differentiation, in vitro. Using m6A-specific RNA-sequencing (MeRIP-seq), a distinct profile of m6A-modification was identified, distinguishing proliferating from differentiating C2C12 myoblasts. RNAi studies show that reducing levels of METTL3, the active m6A methyltransferase, reduced global m6A levels and forced C2C12 myoblasts to prematurely differentiate. Reducing levels of METTL3 in primary mouse MuSCs prior to transplantation enhanced their engraftment capacity upon primary transplantation, however their capacity for serial transplantation was lost. In conclusion, METTL3 regulates m6A levels in MuSCs/myoblasts and controls the transition of MuSCs/myoblasts to different cell states. Furthermore, the first transcriptome wide map of m6A-modifications in proliferating and differentiating C2C12 myoblasts is provided and reveals a number of genes that may regulate MuSC/myoblast state transitions which had not been previously identified.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kriti Joshi ◽  
Fergus Cameron ◽  
Swasti Tiwari ◽  
Stuart I. Mannering ◽  
Andrew G. Elefanty ◽  
...  

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology is increasingly being used to create in vitro models of monogenic human disorders. This is possible because, by and large, the phenotypic consequences of such genetic variants are often confined to a specific and known cell type, and the genetic variants themselves can be clearly identified and controlled for using a standardized genetic background. In contrast, complex conditions such as autoimmune Type 1 diabetes (T1D) have a polygenic inheritance and are subject to diverse environmental influences. Moreover, the potential cell types thought to contribute to disease progression are many and varied. Furthermore, as HLA matching is critical for cell-cell interactions in disease pathogenesis, any model that seeks to test the involvement of particular cell types must take this restriction into account. As such, creation of an in vitro model of T1D will require a system that is cognizant of genetic background and enables the interaction of cells representing multiple lineages to be examined in the context of the relevant environmental disease triggers. In addition, as many of the lineages critical to the development of T1D cannot be easily generated from iPSCs, such models will likely require combinations of cell types derived from in vitro and in vivo sources. In this review we imagine what an ideal in vitro model of T1D might look like and discuss how the required elements could be feasibly assembled using existing technologies. We also examine recent advances towards this goal and discuss potential uses of this technology in contributing to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this autoimmune condition.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon W Simone ◽  
Han B Lee ◽  
Camden L Daby ◽  
Santiago Restrepo-Castillo ◽  
Hirotaka Ata ◽  
...  

Introducing small genetic changes to study specific mutations or reverting clinical mutations to wild type has been an area of interest in precision genomics for several years. In fact, it has been found that nearly 90% of all human pathogenic mutations are caused by small genetic variations, and the methods to efficiently and precisely correct these errors are critically important. One common way to make these small DNA changes is to provide a single stranded DNA (ssDNA) donor containing the desired alteration together with a targeted double-strand break (DSB) at the genomic target. The donor is typically flanked by regions of homology that are often ~30-100bp in length to leverage the homology directed repair (HDR) pathway. Coupling a ssDNA donor with a CRISPR-Cas9 to produce a targeted DSB is one of the most streamlined approaches to introduce small changes. However, in many cell types this approach results in a low rate of incorporation of the desired alteration and has undesired imprecise repair at the 5' or 3' junction due to artifacts of the DNA repair process. We herein report a technology that couples the spatial temporal localization of an ssDNA repair template and leverages the nucleic acid components of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. We show that by direct fusion of an ssDNA template to the trans activating RNA (tracrRNA) to generate an RNA-DNA chimera, termed Donorguide, we recover precise integration of genetic alterations, with both increased integration rates and decreased imprecision at the 5' or 3' junctions relative to an ssODN donor in vitro in HEK293T cells as well as in vivo in zebrafish. Further, we show that this technology can be used to enhance gene conversion with other gene editing tools such as TALENs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 309 (3) ◽  
pp. C159-C168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsung-Chuan Ho ◽  
Yi-Pin Chiang ◽  
Chih-Kuang Chuang ◽  
Show-Li Chen ◽  
Jui-Wen Hsieh ◽  
...  

In response injury, intrinsic repair mechanisms are activated in skeletal muscle to replace the damaged muscle fibers with new muscle fibers. The regeneration process starts with the proliferation of satellite cells to give rise to myoblasts, which subsequently differentiate terminally into myofibers. Here, we investigated the promotion effect of pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF) on muscle regeneration. We report that PEDF and a synthetic PEDF-derived short peptide (PSP; residues Ser93-Leu112) induce satellite cell proliferation in vitro and promote muscle regeneration in vivo. Extensively, soleus muscle necrosis was induced in rats by bupivacaine, and an injectable alginate gel was used to release the PSP in the injured muscle. PSP delivery was found to stimulate satellite cell proliferation in damaged muscle and enhance the growth of regenerating myofibers, with complete regeneration of normal muscle mass by 2 wk. In cell culture, PEDF/PSP stimulated C2C12 myoblast proliferation, together with a rise in cyclin D1 expression. PEDF induced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Akt, and STAT3 in C2C12 myoblasts. Blocking the activity of ERK, Akt, or STAT3 with pharmacological inhibitors attenuated the effects of PEDF/PSP on the induction of C2C12 cell proliferation and cyclin D1 expression. Moreover, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine pulse-labeling demonstrated that PEDF/PSP stimulated primary rat satellite cell proliferation in myofibers in vitro. In summary, we report for the first time that PSP is capable of promoting the regeneration of skeletal muscle. The signaling mechanism involves the ERK, AKT, and STAT3 pathways. These results show the potential utility of this PEDF peptide for muscle regeneration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 5686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Oikawa ◽  
Minjung Lee ◽  
Takayuki Akimoto

Skeletal muscle has a remarkable regenerative capacity, which is orchestrated by multiple processes, including the proliferation, fusion, and differentiation of the resident stem cells in muscle. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that mediate the translational repression or degradation of mRNA to regulate diverse biological functions. Previous studies have suggested that several miRNAs play important roles in myoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro. However, their potential roles in skeletal muscle regeneration in vivo have not been fully established. In this study, we generated a mouse in which the Dicer gene, which encodes an enzyme essential in miRNA processing, was knocked out in a tamoxifen-inducible way (iDicer KO mouse) and determined its regenerative potential after cardiotoxin-induced acute muscle injury. Dicer mRNA expression was significantly reduced in the tibialis anterior muscle of the iDicer KO mice, whereas the expression of muscle-enriched miRNAs was only slightly reduced in the Dicer-deficient muscles. After cardiotoxin injection, the iDicer KO mice showed impaired muscle regeneration. We also demonstrated that the number of PAX7+ cells, cell proliferation, and the myogenic differentiation capacity of the primary myoblasts did not differ between the wild-type and the iDicer KO mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate that Dicer is a critical factor for muscle regeneration in vivo.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicia Carotenuto ◽  
Alessandra Costa ◽  
Maria Cristina Albertini ◽  
Marco Bruno Luigi Rocchi ◽  
Alexander Rudov ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 144 (6) ◽  
pp. 1113-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Beauchamp ◽  
Jennifer E. Morgan ◽  
Charles N. Pagel ◽  
Terence A. Partridge

Myoblasts, the precursors of skeletal muscle fibers, can be induced to withdraw from the cell cycle and differentiate in vitro. Recent studies have also identified undifferentiated subpopulations that can self-renew and generate myogenic cells (Baroffio, A., M. Hamann, L. Bernheim, M.-L. Bochaton-Pillat, G. Gabbiani, and C.R. Bader. 1996. Differentiation. 60:47–57; Yoshida, N., S. Yoshida, K. Koishi, K. Masuda, and Y. Nabeshima. 1998. J. Cell Sci. 111:769–779). Cultured myoblasts can also differentiate and contribute to repair and new muscle formation in vivo, a capacity exploited in attempts to develop myoblast transplantation (MT) for genetic modification of adult muscle. Our studies of the dynamics of MT demonstrate that cultures of myoblasts contain distinct subpopulations defined by their behavior in vitro and divergent responses to grafting. By comparing a genomic and a semiconserved marker, we have followed the fate of myoblasts transplanted into muscles of dystrophic mice, finding that the majority of the grafted cells quickly die and only a minority are responsible for new muscle formation. This minority is behaviorally distinct, slowly dividing in tissue culture, but rapidly proliferative after grafting, suggesting a subpopulation with stem cell–like characteristics.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3302
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Zimowska ◽  
Karolina Archacka ◽  
Edyta Brzoska ◽  
Joanna Bem ◽  
Areta M. Czerwinska ◽  
...  

Skeletal muscle regeneration depends on the satellite cells, which, in response to injury, activate, proliferate, and reconstruct damaged tissue. However, under certain conditions, such as large injuries or myopathies, these cells might not sufficiently support repair. Thus, other cell populations, among them adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ADSCs), are tested as a tool to improve regeneration. Importantly, the pro-regenerative action of such cells could be improved by various factors. In the current study, we tested whether IL-4 and SDF-1 could improve the ability of ADSCs to support the regeneration of rat skeletal muscles. We compared their effect at properly regenerating fast-twitch EDL and poorly regenerating slow-twitch soleus. To this end, ADSCs subjected to IL-4 and SDF-1 were analyzed in vitro and also in vivo after their transplantation into injured muscles. We tested their proliferation rate, migration, expression of stem cell markers and myogenic factors, their ability to fuse with myoblasts, as well as their impact on the mass, structure and function of regenerating muscles. As a result, we showed that cytokine-pretreated ADSCs had a beneficial effect in the regeneration process. Their presence resulted in improved muscle structure and function, as well as decreased fibrosis development and a modulated immune response.


Blood ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 99 (8) ◽  
pp. 2835-2844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mònica Suelves ◽  
Roser López-Alemany ◽  
Frederic Lluı́s ◽  
Gloria Aniorte ◽  
Erika Serrano ◽  
...  

Abstract Plasmin, the primary fibrinolytic enzyme, has a broad substrate spectrum and is implicated in biologic processes dependent upon proteolytic activity, such as tissue remodeling and cell migration. Active plasmin is generated from proteolytic cleavage of the zymogen plasminogen (Plg) by urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA). Here, we have investigated the role of plasmin in C2C12 myoblast fusion and differentiation in vitro, as well as in skeletal muscle regeneration in vivo, in wild-type and Plg-deficient mice. Wild-type mice completely repaired experimentally damaged skeletal muscle. In contrast, Plg−/− mice presented a severe regeneration defect with decreased recruitment of blood-derived monocytes and lymphocytes to the site of injury and persistent myotube degeneration. In addition, Plg-deficient mice accumulated fibrin in the degenerating muscle fibers; however, fibrinogen depletion of Plg-deficient mice resulted in a correction of the muscular regeneration defect. Because we found that uPA, but not tPA, was induced in skeletal muscle regeneration, and persistent fibrin deposition was also reproducible in uPA-deficient mice following injury, we propose that fibrinolysis by uPA-dependent plasmin activity plays a fundamental role in skeletal muscle regeneration. In summary, we identify plasmin as a critical component of the mammalian skeletal muscle regeneration process, possibly by preventing intramuscular fibrin accumulation and by contributing to the adequate inflammatory response after injury. Finally, we found that inhibition of plasmin activity with α2-antiplasmin resulted in decreased myoblast fusion and differentiation in vitro. Altogether, these studies demonstrate the requirement of plasmin during myogenesis in vitro and muscle regeneration in vivo.


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