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Hughes KJ, Vidal-Gadea AG. Methods for Modulating and Measuring Neuromuscular Exertion in C. elegans. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2468:339-356. [PMID: 35320575 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2181-3_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The nematode C. elegans has been used widely to study the genetic and cellular basis of behavior. Yet the laboratory conditions under which it is typically studied offer only a narrow glimpse into the richness of natural behaviors this remarkable animal evolved over 500 million years of evolution. For example, burrowing behavior naturally occurs in the wild, but it remains understudied. Our group studies burrowing in an attempt to expand our understanding of the natural behavioral repertoire of C. elegans. Aside from being an interesting and tractable behavior, burrowing is experimentally useful and permits the titration of the muscular output exerted by C. elegans. Here we describe several burrowing assays that allow the modulation of muscular exertion. We used these to study both adaptive and pathological muscular processes such as muscle hypertrophy and dystrophy, respectively. We believe these assays will be of use for researchers studying the production of locomotion under normal and disease-challenged conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiley J Hughes
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
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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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3
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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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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: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [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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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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