Project description:Spinal muscular atrophy is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the SMN1 gene. Although classically viewed as a neurogenic disease, SMA patients exhibit poor skeletal muscle regeneration and increased fatty-fibrotic infiltration. Fibro-Adipogenic progenitors are mesenchymal precursor cells that contribute to muscle remodeling and underly fat and fibrosis formation. Because FAPs transiently express Smn1 during regeneration, FAPs were examined in muscles from adult SMA and control mice to determine if reduced Smn activity altered their properties. We performed a non-biased screen of FAPs following BaCl2-induced injury using an in-situ cell surface proteomic strategy that probed the cellular membrane and environment of FAPs in early regeneration. Proteomic profiling revealed early adipogenic priming in SMA tissues, with increased levels of perilipin-4 and adipocyte lipid-binding proteins. Significantly more adipocytes accumulated in SMA muscles after glycerol injection versus controls. Further, SMA FAPs produced more fat than control FAPs when transplanted into glycerol injured muscles lacking FAPs. RNA sequencing of FAPs isolated after BaCl2 or glycerol injury identified transcriptional enrichment of lipid biosynthesis and dysregulated lipid metabolism in SMA FAPs. Primary FAPs isolated from SMA muscles mirrored heightened adipocyte formation, which was normalized by increasing Smn activity with Risdiplam. Conversely, adipogenesis of primary FAPs from control muscles was enhanced when subjected to siRNA Smn1 knockdown. Together, these findings demonstrate that reduced Smn activity potentiates intrinsic adipogenic bias in FAPs that may contribute to pathological fat deposition in SMA muscle.
Project description:The transcriptome sequencing on muscle tissue from control group (CTX) and denervated group(CTX-DeN). The PI3K/Akt pathway is involved in denervation-aggravated muscle HO.
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
Project description:GSDME (Gasdermin E) is a critical protein known for its role in pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death associated with inflammation. We demonstrated that GSDME as a crucial mediator in muscle repair, particularly in the context of muscle damage induced by cardiotoxin (CTX). Specifically, we found that GSDME-controlled pyroptosis promotes muscle repair by coordinating the activities of tissue-resident macrophages and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs).
Project description:Fibro adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) promote satellite cell differentiation in adult skeletal muscle regeneration. However, in pathological conditions, FAPs are responsible for fibrosis and fatty infiltrations. Here we show that the NOTCH pathway negatively modulates FAP differentiation both in vitro and in vivo. However, FAPs isolated from young dystrophin- deficient mdx mice are insensitive to this control mechanism. An unbiased mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of FAPs from muscles of wild type and mdx mice, suggest that the synergistic cooperation between NOTCH and inflammatory signals controls FAP differentiation. Remarkably, we demonstrated that factors released by hematopoietic cells restore the sensitivity to NOTCH adipogenic inhibition in mdx FAPs. These results offer a basis for rationalizing pathological ectopic fat infiltrations in skeletal muscle and may suggest new therapeutic strategies to mitigate the detrimental effects of fat depositions in muscles of dystrophic patients.
Project description:GSDME (Gasdermin E) is a critical protein known for its role in pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death associated with inflammation. We demonstrated that GSDME as a crucial mediator in muscle repair, particularly in the context of muscle damage induced by cardiotoxin (CTX). Specifically, we found that GSDME-controlled pyroptosis promotes muscle repair by coordinating the activities of tissue-resident macrophages and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs).
Project description:In human dystrophies, the progressive muscle wasting is exacerbated by ectopic deposition of fat and fibrous tissue originating from fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs). In degenerating muscles, the ability of these cells to adjuvate a successful healing is attenuated and FAPs aberrantly expand and differentiate into adipocytes and fibroblasts. Thus, arresting the fibroadipogenic fate of FAPs, without affecting their physiological role, represents a valuable therapeutic strategy for patients affected by muscle diseases. Here, using a panel of adipose progenitor cells including human-derived FAPs coupled with pharmacological perturbations and proteome profiling, we report that LY2090314 interferes with a genuine adipogenic program acting as WNT surrogate for the stabilization of a competent -catenin transcriptional complex. To predict the beneficial impact of LY2090314 in limiting ectopic deposition of fat in human muscles, we combined the Poly-Ethylene-Glycol-Fibrinogen biomimetic matrix with these progenitor cells to create a miniaturized 3D model of adipogenesis. Using this scalable system, we demonstrated that a two-digit nanomolar dose of this compound is effective to repress adipogenesis in a higher 3D scale, thus offering a concrete proof for the use of LY2090314 to limit FAP-derived fat infiltrates in dystrophic muscles.
Project description:GSDME (Gasdermin E) is a critical protein known for its role in pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death associated with inflammation. We demonstrated that GSDME as a crucial mediator in muscle repair, particularly in the context of muscle damage induced by cardiotoxin (CTX). Specifically, we found that GSDME-controlled pyroptosis promotes muscle repair by coordinating the activities of tissue-resident macrophages and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs).