An improved method for culturing myotubes on laminins for the robust clustering of postsynaptic machinery

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Pęziński ◽  
Patrycja Daszczuk ◽  
Bhola Shankar Pradhan ◽  
Hanns Lochmüller ◽  
Tomasz J. Prószyński
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neurons ◽  
High Throughput Screening ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Neuromuscular Disorders ◽  
Cluster Assembly ◽  
Achr Cluster ◽  
Robust Clustering ◽  
Coated Surfaces

AbstractMotor neurons form specialized synapses with skeletal muscle fibers, called neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Cultured myotubes are used as a simplified in vitro system to study the postsynaptic specialization of muscles. The stimulation of myotubes with the glycoprotein agrin or laminin-111 induces the clustering of postsynaptic machinery that contains acetylcholine receptors (AChRs). When myotubes are grown on laminin-coated surfaces, AChR clusters undergo developmental remodeling to form topologically complex structures that resemble mature NMJs. Needing further exploration are the molecular processes that govern AChR cluster assembly and its developmental maturation. Here, we describe an improved protocol for culturing muscle cells to promote the formation of complex AChR clusters. We screened various laminin isoforms and showed that laminin-221 was the most potent for inducing AChR clusters, whereas laminin-121, laminin-211, and laminin-221 afforded the highest percentages of topologically complex assemblies. Human primary myotubes that were formed by myoblasts obtained from patient biopsies also assembled AChR clusters that underwent remodeling in vitro. Collectively, these results demonstrate an advancement of culturing myotubes that can facilitate high-throughput screening for potential therapeutic targets for neuromuscular disorders.

scholarly journals Compartmentalized three-dimensional human neuromuscular tissue models fabricated on a well-plate-format microdevice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuki Yamamoto ◽  
Nao Yamaoka ◽  
Yu Imaizumi ◽  
Takunori Nagashima ◽  
Taiki Furutani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Neuromuscular Disorders ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Mechanical Stimuli ◽  
Tissue Models

Engineered three-dimensional models of neuromuscular tissues are promising for use in mimicking their disorder states in vitro. Although several models have been developed, it is still challenging to mimic the physically separated structures of motor neurons (MNs) and skeletal muscle (SkM) fibers in the motor units in vivo. In this study, we aimed to develop microdevices for precisely compartmentalized coculturing of MNs and engineered SkM tissues. The developed microdevices, which fit a well of 24 well plates, had a chamber for MNs and chamber for SkM tissues. The two chambers were connected by microtunnels for axons, permissive to axons but not to cell bodies. The axons from human-induced-pluripotent-stem-cell-derived MN spheroids in the MN chamber elongated in microtunnels, reached the tissue-engineered human SkM in the SkM chamber, and formed functional neuromuscular junctions with the muscle fibers. The cocultured SkM tissues with MNs on the device contracted spontaneously in response to spontaneous firing of MNs. The addition of a neurotransmitter, glutamate, into the MN chamber induced contraction of the cocultured SkM tissues. Selective addition of tetrodotoxin or vecuronium bromide into either chamber induced SkM tissue relaxation, which could be explained by the inhibitory mechanisms. We also demonstrated the application of chemical or mechanical stimuli to the middle of the axons of cocultured tissues on the device. Thus, compartmentalized neuromuscular tissue models fabricated on the device could be used for phenotypic screening to evaluate the cellular type specific efficacy of drug candidates and would be a useful tool in fundamental research and drug development for neuromuscular disorders.

scholarly journals Global transcriptome profile of the developmental principles of in vitro iPSC-to-motor neuron differentiation

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Solomon ◽  
Katie Davis-Anderson ◽  
Blake Hovde ◽  
Sofiya Micheva-Viteva ◽  
Jennifer Foster Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Neural Stem Cells ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Gene Networks ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Regulatory Gene ◽  
Transcriptome Profile

Abstract Background Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have opened new avenues for regenerative medicine. Consequently, iPSC-derived motor neurons have emerged as potentially viable therapies for spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative disorders including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. However, direct clinical application of iPSC bears in itself the risk of tumorigenesis and other unforeseeable genetic or epigenetic abnormalities. Results Employing RNA-seq technology, we identified and characterized gene regulatory networks triggered by in vitro chemical reprogramming of iPSC into cells with the molecular features of motor neurons (MNs) whose function in vivo is to innervate effector organs. We present meta-transcriptome signatures of 5 cell types: iPSCs, neural stem cells, motor neuron progenitors, early motor neurons, and mature motor neurons. In strict response to the chemical stimuli, along the MN differentiation axis we observed temporal downregulation of tumor growth factor-β signaling pathway and consistent activation of sonic hedgehog, Wnt/β-catenin, and Notch signaling. Together with gene networks defining neuronal differentiation (neurogenin 2, microtubule-associated protein 2, Pax6, and neuropilin-1), we observed steady accumulation of motor neuron-specific regulatory genes, including Islet-1 and homeobox protein HB9. Interestingly, transcriptome profiling of the differentiation process showed that Ca2+ signaling through cAMP and LPC was downregulated during the conversion of the iPSC to neural stem cells and key regulatory gene activity of the pathway remained inhibited until later stages of motor neuron formation. Pathways shaping the neuronal development and function were well-represented in the early motor neuron cells including, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, axon guidance, and the cholinergic synapse formation. A notable hallmark of our in vitro motor neuron maturation in monoculture was the activation of genes encoding G-coupled muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and downregulation of the ionotropic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expression. We observed the formation of functional neuronal networks as spontaneous oscillations in the extracellular action potentials recorded on multi-electrode array chip after 20 days of differentiation. Conclusions Detailed transcriptome profile of each developmental step from iPSC to motor neuron driven by chemical induction provides the guidelines to novel therapeutic approaches in the re-construction efforts of muscle innervation.

scholarly journals Association of beta-cytoplasmic actin with high concentrations of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) in normal and anti-AChR-treated primary rat muscle cultures.

1984 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 973-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
B W Lubit
Keyword(s):  
Acetylcholine Receptor ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Rat Muscle ◽  
Cytoplasmic Actin ◽  
High Concentrations

Previous immunocytochemical studies in which an antibody specific for mammalian cytoplasmic actin was used showed that a high concentration of cytoplasmic actin exists at neuromuscular junctions of rat muscle fibers such that the distribution of actin corresponded exactly to that of the acetylcholine receptors. Although clusters of acetylcholine receptors also are present in noninnervated rat and chick muscle cells grown in vitro, neither the mechanism for the formation and maintenance of these clusters nor the relationship of these clusters to the high density of acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction in vivo are known. In the present study, a relationship between beta-cytoplasmic actin and acetylcholine receptors in vitro has been demonstrated immunocytochemically using an antibody specific for the beta-form of cytoplasmic actin. Networks of cytoplasmic actin-containing filaments were found in discrete regions of the myotube membrane that also contained high concentrations of acetylcholine receptors; such high concentrations of acetylcholine receptors have been described in regions of membrane-substrate contact. Moreover, when primary rat myotubes were exposed to human myasthenic serum, gross morphological changes, accompanied by an apparent rearrangement of the cytoplasmic actin-containing cytoskeleton, were produced. Although whether the distribution of cytoplasmic actin-containing structures was influenced by the organization of acetylcholine receptor or vice versa cannot be determined from these studies, these findings suggest that in primary rat muscle cells grown in vitro, acetylcholine receptors and beta-cytoplasmic actin-containing structures may be somehow connected.

scholarly journals Therapeutic Strategies for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: An Update

Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengmei Sun ◽  
Luoan Shen ◽  
Zheng Zhang ◽  
Xin Xie
Keyword(s):  
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy ◽  
Muscular Dystrophy ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Neuromuscular Disorders ◽  
Dystrophin Gene ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Muscle Stem Cells ◽  
Cell Based Therapy ◽  
Dystrophin Protein

Neuromuscular disorders encompass a heterogeneous group of conditions that impair the function of muscles, motor neurons, peripheral nerves, and neuromuscular junctions. Being the most common and most severe type of muscular dystrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), is caused by mutations in the X-linked dystrophin gene. Loss of dystrophin protein leads to recurrent myofiber damage, chronic inflammation, progressive fibrosis, and dysfunction of muscle stem cells. Over the last few years, there has been considerable development of diagnosis and therapeutics for DMD, but current treatments do not cure the disease. Here, we review the current status of DMD pathogenesis and therapy, focusing on mutational spectrum, diagnosis tools, clinical trials, and therapeutic approaches including dystrophin restoration, gene therapy, and myogenic cell transplantation. Furthermore, we present the clinical potential of advanced strategies combining gene editing, cell-based therapy with tissue engineering for the treatment of muscular dystrophy.

scholarly journals Brain extract causes acetylcholine receptor redistribution which mimics some early events at developing neuromuscular junctions.

1982 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
M M Salpeter ◽  
S Spanton ◽  
K Holley ◽  
T R Podleski
Keyword(s):  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
Brain Extract ◽  
Bottom Surface ◽  
Culture Dish ◽  
Tissue Culture Dish ◽  
Em Autoradiography ◽  
Alpha Bungarotoxin

We studied the effect of rat brain extract on rat muscle cells in vitro by light and electron microscope (EM) autoradiography after labeling acetylcholine receptors (AChR's) with 125I-alpha-bungarotoxin. We found that: (a) In the absence of brain extract, peak site densities within AChR clusters usually do not exceed 4,000 sites/micrometer2. (b) Within hours after exposure to brain extract, AChR's redistribute to form clusters in which the peak site densities are greater than 10,000 sites/micrometer2. Receptor concentration within extract-induced clusters is thus within a factor of 2 of that at the neuromuscular junction (nmj). (c) In the absence of extract, the AChR's and AChR clusters are predominantly on the bottom surface of the myotubes (facing the tissue culture dish). After extract treatment, they are predominantly at the top surface. (d) Plasma membrane in regions of high-density AChR clusters is enriched in membrane with enhanced electron density and surface basal lamina whether or not cells are treated with extract. Extract causes an increase in both these specializations on the top surface of the myotubes. (e) Brain extract does not produce an overall increase in AChR site density or a marked change in degradation rate of receptors in either clustered or nonclustered regions. By producing AChR clusters with junctional site densities and enhanced surface specialization, and by causing an overall shift in AChR's distribution, brain extract mimics early events reported at developing neuromuscular junctions.

Laminin and alpha7beta1 integrin regulate agrin-induced clustering of acetylcholine receptors

2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (16) ◽  
pp. 2877-2886 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.J. Burkin ◽  
J.E. Kim ◽  
M. Gu ◽  
S.J. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Cluster Formation ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Synaptic Membrane ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Stable Association ◽  
Achr Clustering ◽  
Alpha7beta1 Integrin

The clustering of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) in the post-synaptic membrane of skeletal muscle is an early developmental event in the formation of the neuromuscular junction. Several studies show that laminin, as well as neural agrin, can induce AChR clustering in C2C12 myofibers. We recently showed that specific isoforms of the alpha7beta1 integrin (a receptor normally found at neuromuscular junctions) colocalize and physically interact with AChR clusters in a laminin-dependent fashion. In contrast, induction with agrin alone fails to promote localization of the integrin with AChR clusters. Together both agrin and laminin enhance the interaction of the integrin with AChRs and their aggregation into clusters. To further understand this mechanism we investigated cluster formation and the association of the alpha7beta1 integrin and AChR over time following induction with laminin and/or agrin. Our results show that the alpha7beta1 integrin associates with AChRs early during the formation of the post-synaptic membrane and that laminin modulates this recruitment. Laminin induces a rapid stable association of the integrin and AChRs and this association is independent of clustering. In addition to laminin-1, merosin (laminin-2/4) is present both before and after formation of neuromuscular junctions and also promotes AChR clustering and colocalization with the integrin as well as synergism with agrin. Using site directed mutagenesis we demonstrate that a tyrosine residue in the cytoplasmic domain of both (α)7A and (α)7B chains regulates the localization of the integrin with AChR clusters. We also provide evidence that laminin, through its association with the alpha7beta1 integrin, reduces by 20-fold the concentration of agrin required to promote AChR clustering and accelerates the formation of clusters. Thus laminin, agrin and the alpha7beta1 integrin act in a concerted manner early in the development of the post-synaptic membrane, with laminin priming newly formed myofibers to rapidly and vigorously respond to low concentrations of neural agrin produced by innervating motor neurons.

scholarly journals Agonist-induced myopathy at the neuromuscular junction is mediated by calcium.

1979 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 811-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
J P Leonard ◽  
M M Salpeter
Keyword(s):  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Mammalian Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Esterase Inhibitors ◽  
Bath Application ◽  
Esterase Inhibition ◽  
Muscle Necrosis ◽  
Alpha Bungarotoxin

Inactivation of cholinesterases at mammalian neuromuscular junctions (nmj) produces extensive muscle "necrosis." Fine-structurally, this myopathy begins near the nmj with an increase in large-diameter vesicles in the soleplasm, the dissolution of Z-disks, dilation of mitochondria, destruction of sarcoplasmic reticulum, and often a highly specific contracture of the muscle under the endplate. Since a Ca++-activated protease which specifically removes Z-disks is known to exist in mammalian skeletal muscle, we tested the possibility that the myopathy after esterase inactivation is due to the prolongation of acetylcholine lifetime and thus of Ca++ influx. We first produced the myopathy near endplates by inactivating esterases with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) followed by nerve stimulation for 1--2 h in vitro. The myopathy was later mimicked by bath application of carbamylcholine without esterase inhibitors. This myopathy could be prevented by inactivating the acetylcholine receptors (AChR) with alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-BGT) or by removing Ca++ from the bath with EGTA. These results favor the hypothesis that esterase inhibition leads to an agonist-induced myopathy, which is mediated by Ca++ and requires an intact AChR.

scholarly journals ARIA is concentrated in the synaptic basal lamina of the developing chick neuromuscular junction.

1995 ◽  
Vol 130 (6) ◽  
pp. 1423-1434 ◽  
Author(s):  
A D Goodearl ◽  
A G Yee ◽  
A W Sandrock ◽  
G Corfas ◽  
G D Fischbach
Keyword(s):  
Neuromuscular Junction ◽  
Basal Lamina ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Primary Cultures ◽  
Cholinergic Neurons ◽  
Synaptic Cleft ◽  
Motor Axons ◽  
Amino Terminal

ARIA is a member of a family of polypeptide growth and differentiation factors that also includes glial growth factor (GGF), neu differentiation factor, and heregulin. ARIA mRNA is expressed in all cholinergic neurons of the central nervous systems of rats and chicks, including spinal cord motor neurons. In vitro, ARIA elevates the rate of acetylcholine receptor incorporation into the plasma membrane of primary cultures of chick myotubes. To study whether ARIA may regulate the synthesis of junctional synaptic acetylcholine receptors in chick embryos, we have developed riboprobes and polyclonal antibody reagents that recognize isoforms of ARIA that include an amino-terminal immunoglobulin C2 domain and examined the expression and distribution of ARIA in motor neurons and at the neuromuscular junction. We detected significant ARIA mRNA expression in motor neurons as early as embryonic day 5, around the time that motor axons are making initial synaptic contacts with their target muscle cells. In older embryos and postnatal animals, we found ARIA protein concentrated in the synaptic cleft at neuromuscular junctions, consistent with transport down motor axons and release at nerve terminals. At high resolution using immunoelectron microscopy, we detected ARIA immunoreactivity exclusively in the synaptic basal lamina in a pattern consistent with binding to synapse specific components on the presynaptic side of the basal lamina. These results support a role for ARIA as a trophic factor released by motor neuron terminals that may regulate the formation of mature neuromuscular synapses.

scholarly journals Human motor units in microfluidic devices are impaired by FUS mutations and improved by HDAC6 inhibition

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Stoklund Dittlau ◽  
Emily N. Krasnow ◽  
Laura Fumagalli ◽  
Tijs Vandoorne ◽  
Pieter Baatsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Neurite Outgrowth ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Neuromuscular Junctions ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Human Motor ◽  
Induced Pluripotent

AbstractNeuromuscular junctions (NMJs) ensure proper communication between motor neurons and muscle through the release of neurotransmitters. In motor neuron disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), NMJs degenerate resulting in muscle atrophy, paralysis and respiratory failure. The aim of this study was to establish a versatile and reproducible in vitro model of a human motor unit to study the effect of ALS-causing mutations. Therefore, we generated a co-culture of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons and human primary mesoangioblast-derived myotubes in microfluidic devices. A chemotactic and volumetric gradient facilitated the growth of motor neuron neurites through microgrooves resulting in the interaction with myotubes and the formation of NMJs. We observed that ALS-causing FUS mutations resulted in a reduced neurite outgrowth and in a decreased NMJ number. Interestingly, the selective HDAC6 inhibitor, Tubastatin A, improved the neurite outgrowth and the NMJ morphology of FUS-ALS co-cultures, further prompting HDAC6 inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for ALS.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document