Project description:This study describes a cDNA microarray analysis that compared developing mouse MyoD-/- limb musculature (MyoD-dependent, innervated by Lateral Motor Column motor neurons) and Myf5-/- back (epaxial) musculature (Myf5-dependent, innervated by Medial Motor Column motor neurons) to the control and to each other, at embryonic day 13.5 which coincides with the robust programmed cell death of motor neurons and the inability of myogenesis to undergo its normal progression in the absence of Myf5 and MyoD that at this embryonic day cannot substitute for each other. We wanted to see if/how the myogenic program couples with the neurotrophic one, and also to separate Lateral from Medial column trophic requirements, potentially relevant to Motor Neuron Diseases with the predilection for the Lateral column. Several follow-up steps revealed that Kif5c, Stxbp1 and Polb, differentially expressed in the MyoD-/- limb muscle, and Ppargc1a, Glrb and Hoxd10, differentially expressed in the Myf5-/- back muscle, are actually regulators of motor neuron numbers. We propose a series of follow-up experiments and various ways to consider our current data.
Project description:The study was designed to compare whether and how muscle fibroblasts (FIB) and muscle stem cells (MYO) interact with motor neurons. Moreover, we aimed to investigate whether muscle cells, isolated from lifelong exercisers, exerted a protective and supportive effect on motor neurons. These objectives were investigated in vitro using primary muscle cells from human donors and primary motor neurons from rat embryos and were analyzed by immunocytochemistry and species-specific RNA sequencing. Rat neuron cells were treated for 24 hours with conditioned media from human skeletal muscle fibroblasts and myoblasts.
Project description:The study was designed to compare whether and how muscle fibroblasts (FIB) and muscle stem cells (MYO) interact with motor neurons. Moreover, we aimed to investigate whether muscle cells, isolated from lifelong exercisers, exerted a protective and supportive effect on motor neurons. These objectives were investigated in vitro using primary muscle cells from human donors and primary motor neurons from rat embryos and were analyzed by immunocytochemistry and species-specific RNA sequencing. A short period (24 hours) of co-culture was chosen for the RNA seq experiment, as differences on the gene expression level were expected to be greater initially. This accession contains the counts from the human RNA sequences.
Project description:The study was designed to compare whether and how muscle fibroblasts (FIB) and muscle stem cells (MYO) interact with motor neurons. Moreover, we aimed to investigate whether muscle cells, isolated from lifelong exercisers, exerted a protective and supportive effect on motor neurons. These objectives were investigated in vitro using primary muscle cells from human donors and primary motor neurons from rat embryos and were analyzed by immunocytochemistry and species-specific RNA sequencing. A short period (24 hours) of co-culture was chosen for the RNA seq experiment, as differences on the gene expression level were expected to be greater initially. This accession contains the counts from the rat RNA sequences.
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.
Project description:Despite the discovery of many genetic risk factors, the cause of the motor neuron death that drives terminal pathology in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) remains unknown. We report that the skeletal muscle of ALS patients secretes exosomal vesicles that are specifically toxic to motor neurons. This could not be attributed to a trivial down-stream consequence of muscle denervation. In a study of muscle biopsies and biopsy-derived denervation-naïve differentiated muscle stem cells (myotubes) from 67 human subjects, including healthy and disease controls, ALS myotubes had a consistent signature of disrupted exosome biogenesis and RNA-processing, and their exosomes induced shortened, less branched, neurites, greater death, and disrupted localization of RNA and RNA-processing proteins in motor neurons. Toxicity was dependent on presence of the FUS protein, which is highly expressed in recipient motor neurons. As part of this work, we carried out gene expression analysis of myotubes (differentiated myoblasts) comparing ALS against two other motor neuron disorders as disease controls (SBMA, Spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy; and Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 4, SMA-IV) and healthy controls.
Project description:Spinal motor atrophy mice (SMN delta 7 mice) and wild-type control hindlimb skeletal muscle tissue was used for transcriptome profiling by mRNA-seq.
Project description:These experiments are designed to discover genes that are expressed selectively by synaptic nuclei in skeletal muscle with the particular goal of identifying genes that regulate motor axon growth and differentiation. We plan to isolate RNA from the dissected synaptic region of skeletal muscle and from the non-synaptic region of skeletal muscle and to identify the genes that are expressed at higher levels in the synaptic than non-synaptic region. Previously, we showed that motor axons fail to stop and differentiate in mice lacking MuSK, a receptor tyrosine kinase that is activated by motor neuron-derived Agrin. We hypothesize that MuSK activation normally leads to the production of a retrograde stop/differentiation signal that is encoded by a gene that is expressed preferentially in synaptic nuclei. In the absence of MuSK signaling, the retrograde signaling is not produced by synaptic nuclei, and consequently motor axons wander aimlessly over the muscle. We obtain 6 to 8 micrograms of total RNA from the dissected synaptic or non-synaptic region from a single P21 mouse diaphragm muscle. This is a standard procedure in the lab, and we have used these methods to analzye gene expression and to generate high-quality cDNA libraries. Because the synaptic zone is narrower in the left hemi-diaphragm, we will isolate RNA from this half of the diaphragm. In order to isolate sufficient RNA (5 micrograms from each sample), we will pool the synaptic and non-synaptic regions from two hemi-diaphragms. In order to reduce experimental variability, we wish to analzye expression in six samples: three samples of synaptic RNA and three samples of non-synaptic RNA. We will ship the isolated RNA samples to the Consortium in order to generate labeled cDNA, to screen Affymetrix mouse oligo arrays and to assist in the analysis. Several genes, including the subunits of the acetylcholine receptor, MuSK, acetylcholinesterase, and utrophin are known to be expressed preferentially in synaptic nuclei; thus, these genes serve as internal controls for the reliability and effectiveness of the screen. Most other genes, several of which we have analyzed in previous studies, including actin, GAPDH, runx1, nogoC, creatine kinase, etc. are expressed uniformly in skeletal muscle; thus, expression of these genes should be equally represented in synaptic and non-synaptic regions. Experiment Overall Design: as above