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Cenni V, Sabatelli P, Di Martino A, Merlini L, Antoniel M, Squarzoni S, Neri S, Santi S, Metti S, Bonaldo P, Faldini C. Collagen VI Deficiency Impairs Tendon Fibroblasts Mechanoresponse in Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. Cells 2024; 13:378. [PMID: 38474342 DOI: 10.3390/cells13050378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The pericellular matrix (PCM) is a specialized extracellular matrix that surrounds cells. Interactions with the PCM enable the cells to sense and respond to mechanical signals, triggering a proper adaptive response. Collagen VI is a component of muscle and tendon PCM. Mutations in collagen VI genes cause a distinctive group of inherited skeletal muscle diseases, and Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD) is the most severe form. In addition to muscle weakness, UCMD patients show structural and functional changes of the tendon PCM. In this study, we investigated whether PCM alterations due to collagen VI mutations affect the response of tendon fibroblasts to mechanical stimulation. By taking advantage of human tendon cultures obtained from unaffected donors and from UCMD patients, we analyzed the morphological and functional properties of cellular mechanosensors. We found that the length of the primary cilia of UCMD cells was longer than that of controls. Unlike controls, in UCMD cells, both cilia prevalence and length were not recovered after mechanical stimulation. Accordingly, under the same experimental conditions, the activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, which is related to cilia activity, was impaired in UCMD cells. Finally, UCMD tendon cells exposed to mechanical stimuli showed altered focal adhesions, as well as impaired activation of Akt, ERK1/2, p38MAPK, and mechanoresponsive genes downstream of YAP. By exploring the response to mechanical stimulation, for the first time, our findings uncover novel unreported mechanistic aspects of the physiopathology of UCMD-derived tendon fibroblasts and point at a role for collagen VI in the modulation of mechanotransduction in tendons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Cenni
- CNR-Institute of Molecular Genetics, via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Patrizia Sabatelli
- CNR-Institute of Molecular Genetics, via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alberto Di Martino
- 1st Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Science, DIBINEM, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Luciano Merlini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Science, DIBINEM, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Manuela Antoniel
- CNR-Institute of Molecular Genetics, via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefano Squarzoni
- CNR-Institute of Molecular Genetics, via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Simona Neri
- Medicine and Rheumatology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Spartaco Santi
- CNR-Institute of Molecular Genetics, via di Barbiano 1/10, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Samuele Metti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy
| | - Paolo Bonaldo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy
| | - Cesare Faldini
- 1st Orthopedics and Traumatology Department, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Science, DIBINEM, University of Bologna, 40136 Bologna, Italy
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Marchello R, Colombi A, Preziosi L, Giverso C. A non local model for cell migration in response to mechanical stimuli. Math Biosci 2024; 368:109124. [PMID: 38072125 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2023.109124] [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: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Cell migration is one of the most studied phenomena in biology since it plays a fundamental role in many physiological and pathological processes such as morphogenesis, wound healing and tumorigenesis. In recent years, researchers have performed experiments showing that cells can migrate in response to mechanical stimuli of the substrate they adhere to. Motion towards regions of the substrate with higher stiffness is called durotaxis, while motion guided by the stress or the deformation of the substrate itself is called tensotaxis. Unlike chemotaxis (i.e. the motion in response to a chemical stimulus), these migratory processes are not yet fully understood from a biological point of view. In this respect, we present a mathematical model of single-cell migration in response to mechanical stimuli, in order to simulate these two processes. Specifically, the cell moves by changing its direction of polarization and its motility according to material properties of the substrate (e.g., stiffness) or in response to proper scalar measures of the substrate strain or stress. The equations of motion of the cell are non-local integro-differential equations, with the addition of a stochastic term to account for random Brownian motion. The mechanical stimulus to be integrated in the equations of motion is defined according to experimental measurements found in literature, in the case of durotaxis. Conversely, in the case of tensotaxis, substrate strain and stress are given by the solution of the mechanical problem, assuming that the extracellular matrix behaves as a hyperelastic Yeoh's solid. In both cases, the proposed model is validated through numerical simulations that qualitatively reproduce different experimental scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Marchello
- Mathematics Area, SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies), Via Bonomea 265, Trieste, 34136, Italy
| | - Annachiara Colombi
- Department of Mathematical Sciences G. L. Lagrange, Politecnico di Torino, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino, 10129, Italy
| | - Luigi Preziosi
- Department of Mathematical Sciences G. L. Lagrange, Politecnico di Torino, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino, 10129, Italy
| | - Chiara Giverso
- Department of Mathematical Sciences G. L. Lagrange, Politecnico di Torino, C.so Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Torino, 10129, Italy.
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