Glial cells maintain synapses by inhibiting an activity-dependent retrograde protease signal
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE125490 | GEO | 2019/03/14
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:To develop effective cures for neuromuscular diseases, human-relevant in vitro models of neuromuscular tissues are critically needed to probe disease mechanisms on the cellular and molecular level. However, previous attempts to co-culture motor neurons and skeletal muscle have resulted in relatively immature neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). In this study, NMJs formed by human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived motor neurons were improved by optimizing the maturity of the co-cultured muscle tissue. First, muscle tissues were engineered from the C2C12 mouse myoblast cell line, cryopreserved primary human myoblasts, and freshly isolated primary chick myoblasts on micromolded gelatin hydrogels. After three weeks, only chick muscle tissues remained stably adhered to hydrogels and exhibited progressive increases in myogenic index and stress generation, approaching values generated by native muscle tissue. After three weeks of co-culture with hiPSC-derived motor neurons, engineered chick muscle tissues formed NMJs with increasing co-localization of pre- and post-synaptic markers as well as increased frequency and magnitude of synaptic activity, surpassing structural and functional maturity of previous in vitro models. Engineered chick muscle tissues also demonstrated increased expression of genes related to sarcomere maturation and innervation over time, revealing new insights into the molecular pathways that likely contribute to enhanced NMJ formation. These approaches for engineering human-relevant neuromuscular tissues with relatively mature NMJs and interrogating their structure and function have many applications in neuromuscular disease modeling and drug development.
2021-07-13 | GSE172606 | GEO
Project description:The appropriate growth of the neurons, accurate organization of their synapses, and successful neurotransmission are indispensable for sensorimotor activities. These processes are highly dynamic and tightly regulated. Extensive genetic, molecular, physiological, and behavioural studies have identified many molecular players and investigated their roles in various neuromuscular processes. In this paper we show that Beadex (Bx), the Drosophila LIM only (LMO) protein, governs the growth of larval neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and neuronal activities. The Bx mutant, Bx7, and the RNAi-mediated neuronal-specific knockdown of Bx show drastically reduced synaptic span of the NMJs, an increased spontaneous neuronal firing with altered motor patterns in the CPGs. Microarray studies identified multiple targets of Bx that are involved in different cellular and molecular pathways, including those associated with the cytoskeleton and mitochondria, that could be responsible for the observed neuromuscular defects. With genetic interaction studies, we further show that Highwire (Hiw), a negative regulator of synaptic growth at the NMJs, negatively regulates Bx, as the latter’s deficiency was able to rescue the phenotype of the Hiw dominant negative mutant, HiwDN.
2023-02-20 | GSE197058 | GEO
Project description:Desmin, the major intermediate filament (IF) protein in muscle cells, interlinks neighboring myofibrils and connects the whole myofibrillar apparatus to myonuclei, mitochondria, and the sarcolemma. However, desmin is also known to be enriched at postsynaptic membranes of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). The pivotal role of the desmin IF cytoskeletal network is underscored by the fact that over 100 mutations of the human DES gene cause hereditary and sporadic myopathies and cardiomyopathies. A subgroup of human desminopathies comprises autosomal recessive cases resulting in complete abolition of desmin protein. In these patients, who display a more severe phenotype than the autosomal dominant cases, it has been reported that some individuals also suffer from a myasthenic syndrome in addition to the classical occurrence of myopathy and cardiomyopathy. Since further studies on the NMJ pathology is hampered by the lack of available human striated muscle biopsy specimens, we exploited homozygous desmin knock-out mice which closely mirror the striated muscle pathology of human patients lacking desmin protein. Here, we report on the impact of the lack of desmin on the structure and function of NMJs and on the transcription of genes coding for postsynaptic proteins. Desmin knock-out mice display a fragmentation of NMJs in soleus, but not in extensor digitorum longus muscle. Moreover, soleus muscle fibers show larger NMJs. Further, transcription levels of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) genes are increased in muscles from desmin knock-out mice, especially of the AChR subunit, which is known as a marker of muscle fiber regeneration. Electrophysiological recordings depicted a pathological decrement of nerve-dependent endplate potentials and a faster rise time of the nerve-independent miniature endplate potentials. The latter is indicating an enhanced opening time of the AChR channels. Our study highlights the essential role of desmin for the structural and functional integrity of mammalian neuromuscular junctions.
2020-07-17 | GSE154573 | GEO
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2023-04-26 | GSE171988 | GEO
Project description:Age-induced degeneration of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is associated with motor dysfunction and muscle atrophy. While the impact of aging on the NMJ pre- and postsynapse is well-documented, little is known about the changes perisynaptic Schwann cells (PSCs), the synaptic glia of the NMJ, undergo during aging. Here, we examined PSCs in young, middle-aged, and old mice in three muscles with different susceptibility to aging. Using light and electron microscopy, we found that PSCs acquire age-associated cellular features either prior to or at the same time as the onset of NMJ degeneration. Notably, we found that aged PSCs fail to completely cap the NMJ even though they are more abundant in old compared to young mice. We also found that aging PSCs form extensions that guide axon terminal sprouts away from innervated NMJs. We next profiled the transcriptome of PSCs and other Schwann cells (SCs) to identify mechanisms altered in aged PSCs. This analysis revealed that aged PSCs acquire a transcriptional pattern that promotes phagocytosis that is absent in other SCs. It also showed that aged PSCs upregulate unique pro-inflammatory molecules compared to other aged SCs. Interestingly, neither synaptogenesis genes nor genes that are typically upregulated by repair SCs were induced in aged PSCs or other SCs. These findings provide insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms that could be targeted in PSCs to stave-off the deleterious effects of aging on NMJs.
2023-11-22 | GSE222631 | GEO
Project description:Muscle denervation due to injury, disease or aging results in impaired motor function. Restoring neuromuscular communication requires axonal regrowth and regeneration of neuromuscular synapses. Muscle activity inhibits neuromuscular synapse regeneration. The mechanism by which muscle activity regulates regeneration of synapses is poorly understood. Dach2 and Hdac9 are activity-regulated transcriptional co-repressors that are highly expressed in innervated muscle and suppressed following muscle denervation. Here, we report that Dach2 and Hdac9 inhibit regeneration of neuromuscular synapses. Importantly, we identified Myog and Gdf5 as muscle-specific Dach2/Hdac9-regulated genes that stimulate neuromuscular regeneration in denervated muscle. Interestingly, Gdf5 also stimulates presynaptic differentiation and inhibits branching of regenerating neurons. Finally, we found that Dach2 and Hdac9 suppress miR206 expression, a microRNA involved in enhancing neuromuscular regeneration. RNAseq on innervated and 3 day denervated adult soleus muscle from wildtype mice is compared with that from 3 day denervated soleus muscle from Dach2/Hdac9 deleted mice to identify Dach2/Hdac9-regulated genes.
2015-10-29 | E-GEOD-58669 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Muscle denervation due to injury, disease or aging results in impaired motor function. Restoring neuromuscular communication requires axonal regrowth and regeneration of neuromuscular synapses. Muscle activity inhibits neuromuscular synapse regeneration. The mechanism by which muscle activity regulates regeneration of synapses is poorly understood. Dach2 and Hdac9 are activity-regulated transcriptional co-repressors that are highly expressed in innervated muscle and suppressed following muscle denervation. Here, we report that Dach2 and Hdac9 inhibit regeneration of neuromuscular synapses. Importantly, we identified Myog and Gdf5 as muscle-specific Dach2/Hdac9-regulated genes that stimulate neuromuscular regeneration in denervated muscle. Interestingly, Gdf5 also stimulates presynaptic differentiation and inhibits branching of regenerating neurons. Finally, we found that Dach2 and Hdac9 suppress miR206 expression, a microRNA involved in enhancing neuromuscular regeneration.
2015-10-29 | GSE58669 | GEO
Project description:Endurance exercise promotes skeletal muscle vascularization, oxidative metabolism, fiber-type switching, and neuromuscular junction integrity. Importantly, the metabolic and contractile properties of the muscle fiber must be coupled to the identity of the innervating motor neuron (MN). Here, we show that muscle-derived neurturin (NRTN) acts on muscle fibers and MNs to couple their characteristics. Using a muscle-specific NRTN transgenic mouse (HSA-NRTN) and RNA-sequencing of MN somas, we observed that retrograde NRTN signaling promotes a shift towards a slow MN identity. In muscle, NRTN increased capillary density, oxidative capacity, and induced a transcriptional reprograming favoring fatty acid metabolism over glycolysis. This combination of effects on muscle and MNs, makes HSA-NRTN mice lean with remarkable exercise performance and motor coordination. Interestingly, HSA-NRTN mice largely recapitulate the phenotype of mice with muscle-specific expression of its upstream regulator PGC-1ɑ1. This work identifies NRTN as a myokine that couples muscle oxidative capacity to slow MN identity.
2021-11-30 | GSE180266 | GEO
Project description:Aging is associated with delayed skeletal muscle repair and regeneration. Loss of innervation occurs after degenerative muscle injury, however, the extent of denervation, whether the kinetics of reinnervation changes with aging, and the cellular consequences of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) disruption in adult and aged muscle have not been explored. Here we show after degenerative muscle injury progressive denervation and delayed reinnervation in aged compared to adult muscle. Using confocal microscopy and 3-D image rendering we found a relationship between innervation and myofiber size in aged regenerating muscle. Although timely inhibition of pro-inflammatory Ccr2 activity after degenerative muscle injury improved aged regenerated myofiber size, this was not associated with an increase in reinnervation. In contrast, single cell RNA sequencing (scRNASeq) analysis revealed denervation triggers an inflammatory response in target muscles regardless of age; however, pro-inflammatory signaling predominated in aged macrophages and fibroadipogenic progenitors (FAPs) compared to a pro-regenerative response in adult cells. Thus, denervation and delayed reinnervation of NMJs after injury is a feature of persistent pro-inflammatory signals associated with delayed repair and regeneration of aged muscle.
2022-06-05 | GSE205395 | GEO
Project description:Purpose: To examine and characterize the expression profile of genes expressed at the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) of extraocular muscles (EOMs) in comparison to the NMJs of tibialis anterior muscle (TA). Methods: Adult rat rectus EOMs and TAs were dissected, flash-frozen, serially sectioned and stained for acetylcholinesterase to identify NMJs. Approximately 6000 NMJs for EOM (EOMsyn) and 6000 NMJs for TA (TAsyn) and equal amounts of NMJ-free fiber regions (EOMfib, TAfib) and underlying myonuclei were captured using laser capture microdissection (LCM). RNA was isolated, processed and used for microarray-based expression profiling. Profiles were generated for genes differentially expressed at synaptic and non-synaptic regions of TA (TAsyn vs TAfib) and EOM (EOMsyn vs EOMfib) using a false discovery rate (FDR) of 5% as well as an 'interaction list' revealing the most significantly differentially expressed genes at an FDR of 1%. We validated the profiles by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results: The regional transcriptomes associated with NMJ of EOMs and TAs were identified. We found 275 genes that were preferentially expressed in EOMsyn and 230 known transcripts that were preferentially expressed in TAsyn; 288 of the transcripts were common to both synapses; these included well-known, evolutionarily conserved, synaptic markers (e.g. nicotinic Acetylcholine receptor (ACHR) alpha and epsilon subunits, nestin) as well as a large number of novel genes. Conclusion: Transcriptome level differences exist between EOM synaptic regions and TA synaptic regions. Our definition of the synaptic transcriptome provides insight into the mechanism of formation and functioning of the unique synapses of EOM and their differential involvement in diseases noted in the EOM allotype. Tissue preparation: A total of 4 rats were killed by CO2 inhalation. The bony orbit was removed from the skull and opened at the lamina cribrosa. The globe with the four recti EOMs still attached was carefully dissected from the bony orbit. The eyeball with muscles was placed on cryomolds, covered with OCT tissue embedding medium (Tissue-Tek: Sakura Finetek, Tokyo, Japan) and flash-frozen in isopentane, cooled in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80 degreeC. The tibialis anterior (TA) muscles of all rats were dissected and frozen in the same way. The EOM and TA were then cut transversely into 10 um sections using a Microm HM 500 cryostat (Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany), mounted on PEN (poly-ethylene-naphthalene) Membrane Slides (Arcturus) and refrozen immediately. Unfixed sections were stored at -80 degreeC until needed. Section staining: Sections for LCM were stained for acetylcholinesterase based on the method of Karnowsky and Roots to visualize NMJ. Palm microdissection: The PALM MicroBeam System was used for microdissection and for catapulting isolated tissue into a microfuge cap containing 80 ul RLT-Lysis Buffer (Quiagen). Approximately 1000 NMJ and equal amount of non-synaptic regions were collected for each muscle.
2010-04-28 | E-GEOD-15737 | biostudies-arrayexpress