Localization of muscle gene products in nuclear domains: does this constitute a problem for myoblast therapy?

Molecular and Structural Alterations of Skeletal Muscle Tissue Nuclei during Aging

Aging is accompanied by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are certainly multifactorial and still remain to be fully elucidated. Changes in the cell nucleus structure and function have been considered among the possible contributing causes. This review offers an overview of the current knowledge on skeletal muscle nuclei in aging, focusing on the impairment of nuclear pathways potentially involved in age-related muscle decline. In skeletal muscle two types of cells are present: fiber cells, constituting the contractile muscle mass and containing hundreds of myonuclei, and the satellite cells, i.e., the myogenic mononuclear stem cells occurring at the periphery of the fibers and responsible for muscle growth and repair. Research conducted on different experimental models and with different methodological approaches demonstrated that both the myonuclei and satellite cell nuclei of aged skeletal muscles undergo several structural and molecular alterations, affecting chromatin organization, gene expression, and transcriptional and post-transcriptional activities. These alterations play a key role in the impairment of muscle fiber homeostasis and regeneration, thus contributing to the age-related decrease in skeletal muscle mass and function.

Prime editing optimized RTT permits the correction of the c.8713C>T mutation in DMD gene

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a severe debilitating genetic disease caused by different mutations in the DMD gene leading to the absence of dystrophin protein under the sarcolemma. We used CRISPR-Cas9 prime editing technology for correction of the c.8713C>T mutation in the DMD gene and tested different variations of reverse transcription template (RTT) sequences. We increased by 3.8-fold the editing percentage of the target nucleotide located at +13. A modification of the protospacer adjacent motif sequence (located at +6) and a silent mutation (located at +9) were also simultaneously added to the target sequence modification. We observed significant differences in editing efficiency in interconversion of different nucleotides and the distance between the target, the nicking site, and the additional mutations. We achieved 22% modifications in myoblasts of a DMD patient, which led to dystrophin expression detected by western blot in the myotubes that they formed. RTT optimization permitted us to improve the prime editing of a point mutation located at +13 nucleotides from the nick site to restore dystrophin protein.

Prime Editing Permits the Introduction of Specific Mutations in the Gene Responsible for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

The Prime editing technique derived from the CRISPR/Cas9 discovery permits the modification of selected nucleotides in a specific gene. We used it to insert specific point mutations in exons 9, 20, 35, 43, 55 and 61 of the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) gene coding for the dystrophin protein, which is absent in DMD patients. Up to 11% and 21% desired mutations of the DMD gene in HEK293T cells were obtained with the PRIME Editor 2 (PE2) and PE3, respectively. Three repeated treatments increased the percentage of specific mutations with PE2 to 16%. An additional mutation in the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) sequence improved the PE3 result to 38% after a single treatment. We also carried out the correction of c.428 G>A point mutation in exon 6 of the DMD gene in a patient myoblast. Myoblast electroporation showed up to 8% and 28% modifications, respectively, for one and three repeated treatments using the PE3 system. The myoblast correction led to dystrophin expression in myotubes detected by Western blot. Thus, prime editing can be used for the correction of point mutations in the DMD gene.

Age-dependent changes in nuclear-cytoplasmic signaling in skeletal muscle

Mechanical forces are conducted through myofibers and into nuclei to regulate muscle development, hypertrophy, and homeostasis. We hypothesized that nuclei in aged muscle have changes in the nuclear envelope and associated proteins, resulting in altered markers of mechano-signaling.

METHODS

YAP/TAZ protein expression and gene expression of downstream targets, Ankrd1 and Cyr61, were evaluated as mechanotransduction indicators. Expression of proteins in the nuclear lamina and the nuclear pore complex (NPC) were assessed, and nuclear morphology was characterized by electron microscopy. Nuclear envelope permeability was assessed by uptake of 70 kDa fluorescent dextran.

RESULTS

Nuclear changes with aging included a relative decrease of lamin β1 and Nup107, and a relative increase in Nup93, which could underlie the aberrant nuclear morphology, increased nuclear leakiness, and elevated YAP/TAZ signaling.

CONCLUSION

Aged muscles have hyperactive nuclear-cytoplasmic signaling, indicative of altered nuclear mechanotransduction. These data highlight a possible role for the nucleus in aging-related aberrant mechano-sensing.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus for muscle directed gene therapy

Although gene transfer with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors has typically been low, transduction can be enhanced in the presence of adenovirus gene products through the formation of double stranded, non-integrated AAV genomes. We describe the unexpected finding of high level and stable transgene expression in mice following intramuscular injection of purified recombinant AAV (rAAV). The rAAV genome is efficiently incorporated into nuclei of differentiated muscle fibers where it persists as head-to-tail concatamers. Fluorescent in situ hybridization of muscle tissue suggests single integration sites. Neutralizing antibody against AAV capsid proteins does not prevent readministration of vector. Remarkably, no humoral or cellular immune responses are elicited to the neoantigenic transgene product E. coli beta-galactosidase. The favorable biology of rAAV in muscle-directed gene therapy described in this study expands the potential of this vector for the treatment of inherited and acquired diseases.

Utilization of myoblasts from transgenic mice to evaluate the efficacy of myoblast transplantation

A possible treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the injection of normal myoblasts into dystrophic muscles to induce the formation of new, healthy, and dystrophin-positive muscle fibers. To develop this therapy, it is important to identify the muscle fibers formed by the injected myoblasts in the host muscles. In this study, we used myoblasts from transgenic mice which have a gene expressing beta-galactosidase under the control of the promoter of quail fast skeletal muscle troponin I. This transgene is expressed in myotubes and muscle fibers, but not in myoblasts. Twenty-eight days after myoblast transplantation in nude and in mdx mice, muscle fibers containing of beta-galactosidase were identified by x-gal staining. In mdx mice, most of the beta-galactosidase-positive muscle fibers resulting from the myoblast transplantation were also dystrophin positive. This technique could make it possible to follow the success of myoblast transplantation even in mice that are not depleted of dystrophin.

Expression pattern of M-cadherin in normal, denervated, and regenerating mouse muscles

Following muscle damage in adult vertebrates, myofibers can be regenerated from muscle precursor cells (satellite cells). During this process, prenatal myogenesis is recapitulated to a large extent, both morphologically and molecularly. A putative morphoregulatory molecule involved in myogenesis is M-cadherin (Mcad), a calcium-dependent cell adhesion protein. The expression of Mcad was studied by immunofluorescence in regenerating, denervated, and normal mouse muscles. Our results demonstrate that Mcad is present in satellite cells in normal muscle. Enhanced staining at sites of contact between satellite cells and the parent muscle fiber suggests an additional, spatially restricted expression of Mcad in muscle fibers. Mcad positive cells in normal and denervated muscles did not incorporate bromodeoxyuridine within 24 hr after injection in vivo, indicating that Mcad is expressed on mitotically quiescent satellite cells. Neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) co-localized with Mcad in nearly all satellite cells in denervated muscles but rarely in intact muscles. At early stages of regeneration, Mcad was exclusively and strongly expressed in myoblasts. After fusion of myoblasts into myotubes, Mcad was down-regulated and was barely detectable on more mature myotubes surrounded by distinct basal lamina sheaths. These observations are in line with the idea that Mcad plays a crucial role in myogenesis. In intact muscle, Mcad might function as a molecular link between satellite cell and muscle fiber.