Dataset Information

Fibro/Adipogenic Progenitors Are Key Effectors and Regulators of Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis in Muscular Dystrophy

ABSTRACT: Fibrosis is a prominent pathological feature of skeletal muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The commonly used disease mouse model, mdx5cv, displays progressive fibrosis in diaphragm but not limb muscles. We use single-cell RNA sequencing to determine the cellular expression of the genes involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) production and degradation in mdx5cv diaphragm and quadriceps. We find that fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) are not only the primary source of ECM but also the predominant cells that express important ECM regulatory genes, including Ccn2, Ltbp4, Mmp2, Mmp14, Timp1, Timp2, and Loxs. The effector and regulatory functions are exerted by diverse FAP clusters which are different between diaphragm and quadriceps, indicating their activation by different tissue microenvironment. FAPs are more abundant in diaphragm than in quadriceps.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE218201 | GEO | 2023/01/03

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) are emerging cellular components of the skeletal muscle regenerative environment. The alternative functional phenotype of FAPs - either supportive of muscle regeneration or promoting fibro-adipogenic degeneration - is a key determinant in the pathogenesis of muscular diseases, including Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). However, the molecular regulation of FAPs is still unknown. We show here that an "HDAC-myomiR-BAF60 variant network" regulates the functional phenotype of FAPs in dystrophic muscles of mdx mice. Combinatorial analysis of gene expression microarray and genome-wide chromatin remodeling by Nuclease accessibility (NA)-seq revealed that HDAC inhibitors de-repress a "latent" myogenic program in FAPs from dystrophic muscles at early stages of disease progression. In these cells HDAC inhibition promoted the expression of two core components of the myogenic transcriptional machinery, MyoD and BAF60C, and upregulated the myomiRs (miRs) miR-1.2, miR-133 and miR-206, which target two alternative BAF60 variants (BAF60A and B) ultimately leading to the activation of a pro-myogenic program at the expense of the fibro-adipogenic phenotype. By contrast, FAPs from dystrophic muscles at late stages of disease progression displayed resistance to HDACi-induced chromatin remodeling at myogenic loci and fail to activate the pro-myogenic phenotype. These results reveal a previously unappreciated disease stage-specific bipotency of mesenchimal cells within the regenerative environment of dystrophic muscles. Resolution of such bi-potency by epigenetic interventions, such as HDACi, provides the molecular rationale for the in situ reprogramming of target cells to promote therapeutic regeneration of dystrophic muscles. miRNA modulation upon Histone Deacetylase inhibition in Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitors (FAPs) derived from young mdx mice was evaluated by small RNA-sequencing in 2 controls and 2 treated samples

Dataset Information

Fibro/Adipogenic Progenitors Are Key Effectors and Regulators of Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis in Muscular Dystrophy

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure