Project description:As a consequence of impaired glucose or fatty acid metabolism, bioenergetic stress in skeletal muscles may trigger myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Genetic mutations causing loss of function of the LPIN1 gene frequently lead to severe rhabdomyolysis bouts in children, though the metabolic alterations and possible therapeutic interventions remain elusive. Here, we show that lipin1 deficiency in mouse skeletal muscles is sufficient to trigger myopathy. Strikingly, muscle fibers display strong accumulation of both neutral and phospholipids. The metabolic lipid imbalance can be traced to an altered fatty acid synthesis and fatty acid oxidation, accompanied by a defect in acyl chain elongation and desaturation. As an underlying cause, we reveal a severe sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) stress, leading to the activation of the lipogenic SREBP1c/SREBP2 factors, the accumulation of the Fgf21 cytokine, and alterations of SR-mitochondria morphology. Importantly, pharmacological treatments with the chaperone TUDCA and the fatty acid oxidation activator bezafibrate improve muscle histology and strength of lipin1 mutants. Our data reveal that SR stress and alterations in SR-mitochondria contacts are contributing factors and potential intervention targets of the myopathy associated with lipin1 deficiency.
Project description:Over-expression of wild type PrP in skeletal muscles is sufficient to cause a primary myopathy with no signs of peripheral neuropathy, possibly due to accumulation of a cytotoxic truncated form of PrP and/or PrP aggregation. In this study we used DNA microarrays to identify 1499 transcripts that are temporally deregulated concomitant with inducible PrPC over-expression in the skeletal muscles of transgenic mice. Examination using microarrays revealed a transcriptional profile with both similarities and differences to previously investigated models of myopathies. Down-regulation of genes coding for the myofibrillar proteins MYH2, MYH6, MYH7, MYL2, MYL3 and up-regulation of lysosomal genes CTSS, CTSD, CTSZ, DPEP2, HEXA, HEXB and LAMP1 coincide with the observed myopathy and lysosome accumulation on over-expression of PrPC. Down-regulation of the MEF2C gene, a key regulatory transcriptional factor muscle development and remodeling of adult muscles in response to physiologic and pathologic signals, may contribute to the centrally placed nuclei in the skeletal muscles. Significantly, up-regulation of genes involved in p53 signaling and the induction of p53 protein, suggest a central role for this molecule in the myopathy. Several p53-regulated genes involved in cell cycle arrest (CDNK1A, GADD45a and GADD45b) and apoptosis (BAK1, PMAIP1, BBC3, and BAX) are induced. We suggest that PrPC over-expression in skeletal muscles, possibly in response to accumulation of a cytotoxic truncated form of PrP, causes a primary myopathy involving the induction of p53-dependent pathways.
Project description:Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal-dominant condition that is characterised by a progressive degeneration and weakness of skeletal muscle fibers. The underlying cause of FSHD has been attributed to inappropriate expression of the transcription factor double homeobox (Dux); however, the mechanisms leading to myopathy in response to Dux expression remain incompletely understood. To study the acute effects of Dux activation in mammalian skeletal muscle fibers, we generated a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector allowing tunable Dux expression. Consistent with previous findings, we confirmed that the ectopic expression of Dux in mouse skeletal muscle results in a degenerative myopathy. Building on these findings, we observed that the acute expression of Dux in muscle fibers causes profound transcriptome changes prior to the onset of pathology. Furthermore, muscles expressing Dux display elevated levels of the TGF-beta superfamily member, Myostatin and increased Smad2/3 activity. Notably, inhibition of Myostatin is sufficient to prevent Dux-induced myopathy. Collectively, these findings support further investigation of interventions targeting the Myostatin-Smad2/3 pathway as prospective approaches to treating myopathy associated with Dux mis-expression.
Project description:Over-expression of wild type PrP in skeletal muscles is sufficient to cause a primary myopathy with no signs of peripheral neuropathy, possibly due to accumulation of a cytotoxic truncated form of PrP and/or PrP aggregation. In this study we used DNA microarrays to identify 1499 transcripts that are temporally deregulated concomitant with inducible PrPC over-expression in the skeletal muscles of transgenic mice. Examination using microarrays revealed a transcriptional profile with both similarities and differences to previously investigated models of myopathies. Down-regulation of genes coding for the myofibrillar proteins MYH2, MYH6, MYH7, MYL2, MYL3 and up-regulation of lysosomal genes CTSS, CTSD, CTSZ, DPEP2, HEXA, HEXB and LAMP1 coincide with the observed myopathy and lysosome accumulation on over-expression of PrPC. Down-regulation of the MEF2C gene, a key regulatory transcriptional factor muscle development and remodeling of adult muscles in response to physiologic and pathologic signals, may contribute to the centrally placed nuclei in the skeletal muscles. Significantly, up-regulation of genes involved in p53 signaling and the induction of p53 protein, suggest a central role for this molecule in the myopathy. Several p53-regulated genes involved in cell cycle arrest (CDNK1A, GADD45a and GADD45b) and apoptosis (BAK1, PMAIP1, BBC3, and BAX) are induced. We suggest that PrPC over-expression in skeletal muscles, possibly in response to accumulation of a cytotoxic truncated form of PrP, causes a primary myopathy involving the induction of p53-dependent pathways. Wild type (WT), PrP-null (KO), and Tg(HQK) mice were fed food pellets either lacking or containing 6g doxycycline (Dox)/kg food to induce PrPC expression. Skeletal muscles from the quadriceps of hind legs were removed at day 0, 4, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days following administration of Dox. Total RNA was isolated from these tissues for use in subsequent microarray analysis. Mouse gene expression was analysed by two-colour microarray experiments using an inhouse manufactured 16K mouse cDNA microarray. Age matched reference mice (WT) and experimental (KO and HQK) Alexa Flour labeled aRNA were used in each competitive hybridization. Each sample was labeled individually with both Alexa Fluor 555 and 647 for subsequent dye-swapped hybridizations to account for intensity bias. 3 individual mice from each experimental group at each time point were individually processed for separate microarrays. We used the program EDGE to identify genes that were differentially expressed in mouse skeletal muscle in either transgenic HQK mice over expressing PrP, or PrP knock out (KO) mice after administration of Dox. We used a P value cut-off of 0.05 as the criteria of selection of significantly differentially expressed genes.
Project description:Molecular impacts in the pathogenesis of GNE myopathy in model mouse muscles were well described through expression profiling of a total of 34000 genes
Project description:The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms implicated in this mouse model of nemaline myopathy, and to further compare the molecular disease response in different skeletal muscles. For this purpose, snap frozen skeletla muscle specimens from wild type and transgenic for alpha tropomyosin slow mice were studied. Five different muscle types were used (diaphragm, plantaris, extensor digitorum longus, tibialis anterior, gastrocnemus). Mice were sacrificed between 7 and 10 months. RNA pools from 3-5 animals were created and each pool was hybridized to a U74Av2 Affymetrix GeneChip. Datasets from 36 GeneChips were included in this study. Experiment Overall Design: 36 skeletal mouse muscle RNA pools were used, from 5 different skeletal muscles, in two different conditions (wild type and transgenic)
Project description:The goal of the project is to understand the mitochondrial proteome profiles related to T2DM. We performed comprehensive proteome profiling of mitochondria isolated from skeletal muscles in nine T2DM patients and nine control subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).
Project description:Skeletal muscle is a highly structured and differentiated tissue responsible for voluntary movement and metabolic regulation. Muscles however, are heterogeneous and depending on their location, speed of contraction, fatiguability and function, can be broadly subdivided into fast and slow twitch as well as subspecialized muscles, with each group expressing common as well as specific proteins. Congenital myopathies are a group of non-inflammatory non-dystrophic muscle diseases caused by mutations in a number of genes, leading to a weak muscle phenotype. In most cases specific muscles types are affected, with preferential involvement of fast twitch muscles as well as extraocular and facial muscles. The aim of this study is to compare the proteome of three groups of muscles from wild type and transgenic mice carrying compound heterozygous mutations in Ryr1 identified in a patient with a severe congenital myopathy. Qualitative proteomic analysis was performed by comparing the relative fold change of proteins in fast twitch and slow twitch muscles. Subsequently we compared the proteome of different muscles in wild type and Ryr1 mutant mice. Finally, we applied a quantitative analysis to determine the stoichiometry of the main protein components involved in excitation contraction coupling and calcium regulation. Our results show that recessive Ryr1 mutations do not only cause a change in RyR1 protein content in skeletal muscle, but they are accompanied by profound changes in protein expression in the different muscle types and that the latter effect may be responsible in part, for the weak muscle phenotype observed in patients.
Project description:The goal of the project is to understand the mitochondrial proteome profiles related to T2DM. We performed comprehensive proteome profiling of mitochondria isolated from skeletal muscles in nine T2DM patients and nine control subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).
Project description:We aim to identify a novel pathway to regulate insulin resistance from transcriptional profiles of skeletal muscles from patients with diabetes and to demonstrate its role in experimental models of insulin resistance. We performed transcriptional profiling of skeletal muscles from subjects with or without diabetes. Through an integrative analysis of our dataset with four previous datasets, we identified the core gene sets associated with insulin resistance.