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Lynch E, Peek E, Reilly M, FitzGibbons C, Robertson S, Suzuki M. Current Progress in the Creation, Characterization, and Application of Human Stem Cell-derived in Vitro Neuromuscular Junction Models. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2022; 18:768-780. [PMID: 34212303 PMCID: PMC8720113 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-021-10201-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are of great value for studying developmental processes, disease modeling, and drug testing. One area in which the use of human PSCs has become of great interest in recent years is for in vitro models of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). The NMJ is a synapse at which a motor neuron releases acetylcholine to bind to skeletal muscle and stimulate contraction. Degeneration of the NMJ and subsequent loss of muscle function is a common feature of many neuromuscular diseases such as myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In order to develop new therapies for patients with neuromuscular diseases, it is essential to understand mechanisms taking place at the NMJ. However, we have limited ability to study the NMJ in living human patients, and animal models are limited by physiological relevance. Therefore, an in vitro model of the NMJ consisting of human cells is of great value. The use of stem cells for in vitro NMJ models is still in progress and requires further optimization in order to yield reliable, reproducible results. The objective of this review is (1) to outline the current progress towards fully PSC-derived in vitro co-culture models of the human NMJ and (2) to discuss future directions and challenges that must be overcome in order to create reproducible fully PSC-derived models that can be used for developmental studies, disease modeling, and drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen Lynch
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Emma Peek
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Megan Reilly
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Claire FitzGibbons
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Samantha Robertson
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Masatoshi Suzuki
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Tamáš M, Pankratova S, Schjerling P, Soendenbroe C, Yeung CC, Pennisi CP, Jakobsen JR, Krogsgaard MR, Kjaer M, Mackey AL. Mutual stimulatory signaling between human myogenic cells and rat cerebellar neurons. Physiol Rep 2021; 9:e15077. [PMID: 34713978 PMCID: PMC8554775 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Insight into the bidirectional signaling between primary human myogenic cells and neurons is lacking. For this purpose, human myogenic cells were derived from the semitendinosus and gracilis muscles of five healthy individuals and co-cultured with cerebellar granule neurons from two litters of 7-day-old Wistar rat pups, in muscle medium or neural medium, alongside monocultures of myogenic cells or neurons. RT-PCR was performed to determine human mRNA levels of GAPDH, Ki67, myogenin, and MUSK, and the acetylcholine receptor subtypes CHRNA1, CHRNB1, CHRNG, CHRND, and CHRNE, and rat mRNA levels of GAPDH, Fth1, Rack1, vimentin, Cdh13, and Ppp1r1a. Immunocytochemistry was used to evaluate neurite outgrowth (GAP43) in the presence and absence of myogenic cells. Co-culture with primary neurons lead to higher myogenic cell gene expression levels of GAPDH, myogenin, MUSK, CHRNA1, CHRNG, and CHRND, compared to myogenic cells cultured alone. It appeared that neurons preferentially attached to myotubes and that neurite outgrowth was enhanced when neurons were cultured with myogenic cells compared to monoculture. In neural medium, rat mRNA levels of GAPDH, vimentin, Cdh13, and Ppp1r1a were greater in co-culture, versus monoculture, whereas in muscle medium co-culture lead to lower levels of Fth1, Rack1, vimentin, and Cdh13 than monoculture. These findings demonstrate mutually beneficial stimulatory signaling between rat cerebellar granule neurons and human myogenic cells, providing support for an active role for both the neuron and the muscle cell in stimulating neurite growth and myogenesis. Bidirectional muscle nerve signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Tamáš
- Institute of Sports Medicine CopenhagenDepartment of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for Healthy AgingDepartment of Clinical MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Stanislava Pankratova
- Laboratory of Neural PlasticityDepartment of NeuroscienceUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Comparative Pediatrics and NutritionDepartment of Veterinary and Animal SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenFrederiksberg CDenmark
| | - Peter Schjerling
- Institute of Sports Medicine CopenhagenDepartment of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for Healthy AgingDepartment of Clinical MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Casper Soendenbroe
- Institute of Sports Medicine CopenhagenDepartment of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for Healthy AgingDepartment of Clinical MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- XlabDepartment of Biomedical SciencesFaculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Ching‐Yan Chloé Yeung
- Institute of Sports Medicine CopenhagenDepartment of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for Healthy AgingDepartment of Clinical MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Cristian Pablo Pennisi
- Regenerative Medicine GroupDepartment of Health Science and TechnologyAalborg UniversityAalborgDenmark
| | - Jens R. Jakobsen
- Section for Sports Traumatology M51Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Michael R. Krogsgaard
- Section for Sports Traumatology M51Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Michael Kjaer
- Institute of Sports Medicine CopenhagenDepartment of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for Healthy AgingDepartment of Clinical MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Abigail L. Mackey
- Institute of Sports Medicine CopenhagenDepartment of Orthopaedic SurgeryCopenhagen University Hospital – Bispebjerg and FrederiksbergCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for Healthy AgingDepartment of Clinical MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- XlabDepartment of Biomedical SciencesFaculty of Health and Medical SciencesUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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Zandona A, Maraković N, Mišetić P, Madunić J, Miš K, Padovan J, Pirkmajer S, Katalinić M. Activation of (un)regulated cell death as a new perspective for bispyridinium and imidazolium oximes. Arch Toxicol 2021; 95:2737-2754. [PMID: 34173857 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-021-03098-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oximes, investigated as antidotes against organophosphates (OP) poisoning, are known to display toxic effects on a cellular level, which could be explained beyond action on acetylcholinesterase as their main target. To investigate this further, we performed an in vitro cell-based evaluation of effects of two structurally diverse oxime groups at concentrations of up to 800 μM, on several cell models: skeletal muscle, kidney, liver, and neural cells. As indicated by our results, compounds with an imidazolium core induced necrosis, unregulated cell death characterized by a cell burst, increased formation of reactive oxygen species, and activation of antioxidant scavenging. On the other hand, oximes with a pyridinium core activated apoptosis through specific caspases 3, 8, and/or 9. Interestingly, some of the compounds exhibited a synergistic effect. Moreover, we generated a pharmacophore model for each oxime series and identified ligands from public databases that map to generated pharmacophores. Several interesting hits were obtained including chemotherapeutics and specific inhibitors. We were able to define the possible structural features of tested oximes triggering toxic effects: chlorine atoms in combination with but-2(E)-en-1,4-diyl linker and adding a second benzene ring with substituents such as chlorine and/or methyl on the imidazolium core. Such oximes could not be used in further OP antidote development research, but could be introduced in other research studies on new specific targets. This could undoubtedly result in an overall improved wider use of unexplored oxime database created so far in OP antidotes field of research in a completely new perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Zandona
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, POB 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Nikola Maraković
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, POB 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Josip Madunić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, POB 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Katarina Miš
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Sergej Pirkmajer
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Katalinić
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, POB 291, 10001, Zagreb, Croatia.
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Marš T, Miš K, Meznarič M, Prpar Mihevc S, Jan V, Haugen F, Rogelj B, Rustan AC, Thoresen GH, Pirkmajer S, Nikolić N. Innervation and electrical pulse stimulation — in vitro effects on human skeletal muscle cells. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2021; 46:299-308. [DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2019-0575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Contraction-induced adaptations in skeletal muscles are well characterized in vivo, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are still not completely understood. Cultured human myotubes represent an essential model system for human skeletal muscle that can be modulated ex vivo, but they are quiescent and do not contract unless being stimulated. Stimulation can be achieved by innervation of human myotubes in vitro by co-culturing with embryonic rat spinal cord, or by replacing motor neuron activation by electrical pulse stimulation (EPS). Effects of these two in vitro approaches, innervation and EPS, were characterized with respects to the expression of myosin heavy chains (MyHCs) and metabolism of glucose and oleic acid in cultured human myotubes. Adherent human myotubes were either innervated with rat spinal cord segments or exposed to EPS. The expression pattern of MyHCs was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence, while the metabolism of glucose and oleic acid were studied using radiolabelled substrates. Innervation and EPS promoted differentiation towards different fiber types in human myotubes. Expression of the slow MyHC-1 isoform was reduced in innervated myotubes, whereas it remained unaltered in EPS-treated cells. Expression of both fast isoforms (MyHC-2A and MyHC-2X) tended to decrease in EPS-treated cells. Both approaches induced a more oxidative phenotype, reflected in increased CO2 production from both glucose and oleic acid. Novelty: Innervation and EPS favour differentiation into different fiber types in human myotubes. Both innervation and EPS promote a metabolically more oxidative phenotype in human myotubes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomaz Marš
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Miš
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marija Meznarič
- Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Sonja Prpar Mihevc
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Vid Jan
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Fred Haugen
- Department of Work Psychology and Physiology, STAMI - The National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Boris Rogelj
- Department of Biotechnology, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biomedical Research Institute (BRIS), Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Arild C. Rustan
- Department of Pharmacy, Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - G. Hege Thoresen
- Department of Pharmacy, Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Sergej Pirkmajer
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nataša Nikolić
- Department of Pharmacy, Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
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Jan V, Miš K, Nikolic N, Dolinar K, Petrič M, Bone A, Thoresen GH, Rustan AC, Marš T, Chibalin AV, Pirkmajer S. Effect of differentiation, de novo innervation, and electrical pulse stimulation on mRNA and protein expression of Na+,K+-ATPase, FXYD1, and FXYD5 in cultured human skeletal muscle cells. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247377. [PMID: 33635930 PMCID: PMC7909653 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Denervation reduces the abundance of Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA) in skeletal muscle, while reinnervation increases it. Primary human skeletal muscle cells, the most widely used model to study human skeletal muscle in vitro, are usually cultured as myoblasts or myotubes without neurons and typically do not contract spontaneously, which might affect their ability to express and regulate NKA. We determined how differentiation, de novo innervation, and electrical pulse stimulation affect expression of NKA (α and β) subunits and NKA regulators FXYD1 (phospholemman) and FXYD5 (dysadherin). Differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes under low serum conditions increased expression of myogenic markers CD56 (NCAM1), desmin, myosin heavy chains, dihydropyridine receptor subunit α1S, and SERCA2 as well as NKAα2 and FXYD1, while it decreased expression of FXYD5 mRNA. Myotubes, which were innervated de novo by motor neurons in co-culture with the embryonic rat spinal cord explants, started to contract spontaneously within 7–10 days. A short-term co-culture (10–11 days) promoted mRNA expression of myokines, such as IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, and IL-15, but did not affect mRNA expression of NKA, FXYDs, or myokines, such as musclin, cathepsin B, meteorin-like protein, or SPARC. A long-term co-culture (21 days) increased the protein abundance of NKAα1, NKAα2, FXYD1, and phospho-FXYD1Ser68 without attendant changes in mRNA levels. Suppression of neuromuscular transmission with α-bungarotoxin or tubocurarine for 24 h did not alter NKA or FXYD mRNA expression. Electrical pulse stimulation (48 h) of non-innervated myotubes promoted mRNA expression of NKAβ2, NKAβ3, FXYD1, and FXYD5. In conclusion, low serum concentration promotes NKAα2 and FXYD1 expression, while de novo innervation is not essential for upregulation of NKAα2 and FXYD1 mRNA in cultured myotubes. Finally, although innervation and EPS both stimulate contractions of myotubes, they exert distinct effects on the expression of NKA and FXYDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vid Jan
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Miš
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Natasa Nikolic
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Klemen Dolinar
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Metka Petrič
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andraž Bone
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - G. Hege Thoresen
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arild C. Rustan
- Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tomaž Marš
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Alexander V. Chibalin
- National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Integrative Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sergej Pirkmajer
- Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
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Leung MR, Zeev-Ben-Mordehai T. Cryo-electron microscopy of cholinesterases, present and future. J Neurochem 2020; 158:1236-1243. [PMID: 33222205 PMCID: PMC8518539 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) exist in a variety of oligomeric forms, each with defined cellular and subcellular distributions. Although crystal structures of AChE and BChE have been available for many years, structures of the physiologically relevant ChE tetramer were only recently solved by cryo‐electron microscopy (cryo‐EM) single‐particle analysis. Here, we briefly review how these structures contribute to our understanding of cholinesterase oligomerization, highlighting the advantages of using cryo‐EM to resolve structures of protein assemblies that cannot be expressed recombinantly. We argue that the next frontier in cholinesterase structural biology is to image membrane‐anchored ChE oligomers directly in their native environment—the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ricardo Leung
- Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,The Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai
- Cryo-Electron Microscopy, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,The Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Park D, Lee J, Chung JJ, Jung Y, Kim SH. Integrating Organs-on-Chips: Multiplexing, Scaling, Vascularization, and Innervation. Trends Biotechnol 2019; 38:99-112. [PMID: 31345572 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Organs-on-chips (OoCs) have attracted significant attention because they can be designed to mimic in vivo environments. Beyond constructing a single OoC, recent efforts have tried to integrate multiple OoCs to broaden potential applications such as disease modeling and drug discoveries. However, various challenges remain for integrating OoCs towards in vivo-like operation, such as incorporating various connections for integrating multiple OoCs. We review multiplexed OoCs and challenges they face: scaling, vascularization, and innervation. In our opinion, future OoCs will be constructed to have increased predictive power for in vivo phenomena and will ultimately become a mainstream tool for high quality biomedical and pharmaceutical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- DoYeun Park
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeseo Lee
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Justin J Chung
- Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngmee Jung
- Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo Hyun Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea; Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
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Luo B, Tian L, Chen N, Ramakrishna S, Thakor N, Yang IH. Electrospun nanofibers facilitate better alignment, differentiation, and long-term culture in an in vitro model of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Biomater Sci 2019; 6:3262-3272. [PMID: 30402630 DOI: 10.1039/c8bm00720a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a specialized synapse between motor neurons and the muscle fibers they innervate. Due to the complexity of various signalling molecules and pathways, in vivo NMJs are difficult to study. Therefore, in vitro motor neuron-muscle co-culture plays a pivotal role in studying the mechanisms of NMJ formation associated with neurodegenerative diseases. There is a growing need to develop novel methodologies that can be used to develop long-term cultures of NMJs. To date, there have been few studies on NMJ development and long-term maintenance of the system, which is also the main challenge for the current in vitro models of NMJs. In this study, we demonstrate a long-term co-culture system of primary embryonic motor neurons from Sprague-Dawley rats and C2C12 cells on both random and aligned electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) nanofibrous scaffolds. This is the first study to explore the role of electrospun nanofibers in the long-term maintenance of NMJs. PLA nanofibrous scaffolds provide better contact guidance for C2C12 cells aligning along the fibers, thus guiding myotube formation. We can only maintain the co-culture system on a conventional glass substrate for 2 weeks, whilst 55% and 70% of the cells still survived on random and aligned PLA substrates after 7 weeks. Our nanofiber-based long-term co-culture system is used as an important tool for the fundamental research of NMJs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baiwen Luo
- Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology, National University of Singapore, 28 Medical Drive, #05-COR, Singapore 119077. inhong.yang.@ku.ac.ae
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Xie S, Luo H, Zhang H, Zhu H, Zuo X, Liu S. Discovery of Key Genes in Dermatomyositis Based on the Gene Expression Omnibus Database. DNA Cell Biol 2018; 37:982-992. [PMID: 30383435 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2018.4256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify biomarkers of dermatomyositis (DM). The analysis was conducted by retrieving DM-related cDNA microarray data sets from public databases. Gene ontology, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes, and protein-protein interaction analyses were performed, together with quantitative PCR-based detection of biomarkers in muscle tissue after stimulation with serum from patients with DM or healthy controls. Our analysis of five microarray data sets identified 20 common differentially expressed genes that are closely associated with DM. PCR analysis showed that mRNAs of IFITM2, LY6E, DDX58, and IFI6 were expressed at significantly higher levels in the muscle tissue of patients with DM than in normal muscle tissues. These mRNAs were also upregulated in human skeletal muscle cells stimulated with the serum from patients with DM. The results of integrated analyses of the DM microarray data and the mRNA levels of genes showed significant differences between the muscle tissues of DM patients and controls, which could indicate key pathogenic genes and novel therapeutic targets for DM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuoshan Xie
- 1 Rheumatology Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University , Changsha, China
| | - Hui Luo
- 1 Rheumatology Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University , Changsha, China
| | - Huali Zhang
- 2 Department of Pathophysiology, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University , Changsha, China
| | - Honglin Zhu
- 1 Rheumatology Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University , Changsha, China
| | - Xiaoxia Zuo
- 1 Rheumatology Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University , Changsha, China
| | - Sijia Liu
- 1 Rheumatology Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University , Changsha, China
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