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Sample records for dumbfounded affects myoblast

  1. Searching for Moral Dumbfounding: Identifying Measurable Indicators of Moral Dumbfounding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cillian McHugh

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Moral dumbfounding is defined as maintaining a moral judgement, without supporting reasons. The most cited demonstration of dumbfounding does not identify a specific measure of dumbfounding and has not been published in peer-review form, or directly replicated. Despite limited empirical examination, dumbfounding has been widely discussed in moral psychology. The present research examines the reliability with which dumbfounding can be elicited, and aims to identify measureable indicators of dumbfounding. Study 1 aimed at establishing the effect that is reported in the literature. Participants read four scenarios and judged the actions described. An Interviewer challenged participants’ stated reasons for judgements. Dumbfounding was evoked, as measured by two indicators, admissions of not having reasons (17%, unsupported declarations (9% with differences between scenarios. Study 2 measured dumbfounding as the selecting of an unsupported declaration as part of a computerised task. We observed high rates of dumbfounding across all scenarios. Studies 3a (college sample and 3b (MTurk sample, addressing limitations in Study 2, replaced the unsupported declaration with an admission of having no reason, and included open-ended responses that were coded for unsupported declarations. As predicted, lower rates of dumbfounding were observed (3a 20%; 3b 16%; or 3a 32%; 3b 24% including unsupported declarations in open-ended responses. Two measures provided evidence for dumbfounding across three studies; rates varied with task type (interview/computer task, and with the particular measure being employed (admissions of not having reasons/unsupported declarations. Possible cognitive processes underlying dumbfounding and limitations of methodologies used are discussed as a means to account for this variability.

  2. How Does Reasoning (Fail to) Contribute to Moral Judgment? Dumbfounding and Disengagement

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hindriks, Frank

    Recent experiments in moral psychology have been taken to imply that moral reasoning only serves to reaffirm prior moral intuitions. More specifically, Jonathan Haidt concludes from his moral dumbfounding experiments, in which people condemn other people’s behavior, that moral reasoning is biased

  3. Mechanical stimuli on C2C12 myoblasts affect myoblast differentiation, focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation and galectin-1 expression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grossi, Alberto Blak; Lametsch, Rene; Karlsson, Anders H

    2011-01-01

    Mechanical forces are crucial in the regulation of cell morphology and function. At the cellular level, these forces influence myoblast differentiation and fusion. In this study we applied mechanical stimuli to embryonic muscle cells using magnetic microbeads, a method shown to apply stress...... by mechanical stimulation including Galectin-1, Annexin III, and RhoGDI. In this study we demonstrate how the combination of this method of mechanical stimuli and proteomic analysis can be a powerful tool to detect proteins that are potentially interacting in biochemical pathways or complex cellular mechanisms...... during the process of myoblast differentiation. We determined an increase in expression and changes in cellular localization of Galectin-1, in mechanically stimulated myoblasts. A potential involvement of Galectin-1 in myoblast differentiation is presented....

  4. Marked heterogeneity in growth characteristics of myoblast clonal cultures and myoblast mixed cultures obtained from the same individual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maier, Andrea B; Cohen, Ron; Blom, Joke; van Heemst, Diana; Westendorp, Rudi G J

    2012-01-01

    Sarcopenia is defined as an age-related decrease in skeletal muscle mass and function while adjacent satellite cells are unable to compensate for this loss. However, myoblast cultures can be established even in the presence of sarcopenia. It is yet unknown whether satellite cells from failing muscle in older age are equally affected, as human satellite cells have been assessed using myoblast mixed cultures and not by using myoblast clonal cultures. We questioned to what extent myoblast mixed cultures reflect the in vivo characteristics of single satellite cells from adult skeletal muscle. We established a myoblast mixed culture and three myoblast clonal cultures out of the same muscle biopsy and cultured these cells for 100 days. Replicative capacity and oxidative stress resistance were compared. We found marked heterogeneity between the myoblast clonal cultures that all had a significantly lower replicative capacity when compared to the mixed culture. Replicative capacity of the clonal cultures was inversely related to the β-galactosidase activity after exposure to oxidative stress. Addition of L-carnosine enhanced the remaining replicative capacity in all cultures with a concomitant marginal decrease in β-galactosidase activity. It is concluded that myoblast mixed cultures in vitro do not reflect the marked heterogeneity between single isolated satellite cells. The consequences of the heterogeneity on muscle performance remain to be established. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. Substrate stiffness affects skeletal myoblast differentiation in vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Romanazzo, Giancarlo Forte, Mitsuhiro Ebara, Koichiro Uto, Stefania Pagliari, Takao Aoyagi, Enrico Traversa and Akiyoshi Taniguchi

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available To maximize the therapeutic efficacy of cardiac muscle constructs produced by stem cells and tissue engineering protocols, suitable scaffolds should be designed to recapitulate all the characteristics of native muscle and mimic the microenvironment encountered by cells in vivo. Moreover, so not to interfere with cardiac contractility, the scaffold should be deformable enough to withstand muscle contraction. Recently, it was suggested that the mechanical properties of scaffolds can interfere with stem/progenitor cell functions, and thus careful consideration is required when choosing polymers for targeted applications. In this study, cross-linked poly-ε-caprolactone membranes having similar chemical composition and controlled stiffness in a supra-physiological range were challenged with two sources of myoblasts to evaluate the suitability of substrates with different stiffness for cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, muscle-specific and non-related feeder layers were prepared on stiff surfaces to reveal the contribution of biological and mechanical cues to skeletal muscle progenitor differentiation. We demonstrated that substrate stiffness does affect myogenic differentiation, meaning that softer substrates can promote differentiation and that a muscle-specific feeder layer can improve the degree of maturation in skeletal muscle stem cells.

  6. Syncytin-1 in differentiating human myoblasts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjerregard, Bolette; Ziomkiewicz, Iwona; Schulz, Alexander

    2014-01-01

    Myoblasts fuse to form myotubes, which mature into skeletal muscle fibres. Recent studies indicate that an endogenous retroviral fusion gene, syncytin-1, is important for myoblast fusions in man. We have now expanded these data by examining the immunolocalization of syncytin in human myoblasts...... fusions. Thus, syncytin is involved in human myoblast fusions and is localized in areas of contact between fusing cells. Moreover, syncytin and caveolin-3 might interact at the level of the sarcolemma....

  7. The small G-proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in the mouse

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vasyutina, Elena; Martarelli, Benedetta; Brakebusch, Cord

    2009-01-01

    Rac1 and Cdc42 are small G-proteins that regulate actin dynamics and affect plasma membrane protrusion and vesicle traffic. We used conditional mutagenesis in mice to demonstrate that Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in vivo and in vitro. The deficit in fusion of Rac1 or Cdc42 mut...... genetic analysis demonstrates thus that the function of Rac in myoblast fusion is evolutionarily conserved from insects to mammals and that Cdc42, a molecule hitherto not implicated in myoblast fusion, is essential for the fusion of murine myoblasts....

  8. Estrogens enhance myoblast differentiation in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy by antagonizing DUX4 activity

    OpenAIRE

    Teveroni, Emanuela; Pellegrino, Marsha; Sacconi, Sabrina; Calandra, Patrizia; Cascino, Isabella; Farioli-Vecchioli, Stefano; Puma, Angela; Garibaldi, Matteo; Morosetti, Roberta; Tasca, Giorgio; Ricci, Enzo; Trevisan, Carlo Pietro; Galluzzi, Giuliana; Pontecorvi, Alfredo; Crescenzi, Marco

    2017-01-01

    Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is an autosomal dominant neuromuscular disorder that is characterized by extreme variability in symptoms, with females being less severely affected than males and presenting a higher proportion of asymptomatic carriers. The sex-related factors involved in the disease are not known. Here, we have utilized myoblasts isolated from FSHD patients (FSHD myoblasts) to investigate the effect of estrogens on muscle properties. Our results demonstrated that...

  9. Myoblast replication is reduced in the IUGR fetus despite maintained proliferative capacity in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto, Susan M; Blake, Amy C; Wesolowski, Stephanie R; Rozance, Paul J; Barthel, Kristen B; Gao, Bifeng; Hetrick, Byron; McCurdy, Carrie E; Garza, Natalia G; Hay, William W; Leinwand, Leslie A; Friedman, Jacob E; Brown, Laura D

    2017-03-01

    Adults who were affected by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) suffer from reductions in muscle mass and insulin resistance, suggesting muscle growth may be restricted by molecular events that occur during fetal development. To explore the basis of restricted fetal muscle growth, we used a sheep model of progressive placental insufficiency-induced IUGR to assess myoblast proliferation within intact skeletal muscle in vivo and isolated myoblasts stimulated with insulin in vitro Gastrocnemius and soleus muscle weights were reduced by 25% in IUGR fetuses compared to those in controls (CON). The ratio of PAX7+ nuclei (a marker of myoblasts) to total nuclei was maintained in IUGR muscle compared to CON, but the fraction of PAX7+ myoblasts that also expressed Ki-67 (a marker of cellular proliferation) was reduced by 23%. Despite reduced proliferation in vivo, fetal myoblasts isolated from IUGR biceps femoris and cultured in enriched media in vitro responded robustly to insulin in a dose- and time-dependent manner to increase proliferation. Similarly, insulin stimulation of IUGR myoblasts upregulated key cell cycle genes and DNA replication. There were no differences in the expression of myogenic regulatory transcription factors that drive commitment to muscle differentiation between CON and IUGR groups. These results demonstrate that the molecular machinery necessary for transcriptional control of proliferation remains intact in IUGR fetal myoblasts, indicating that in vivo factors such as reduced insulin and IGF1, hypoxia and/or elevated counter-regulatory hormones may be inhibiting muscle growth in IUGR fetuses. © 2017 Society for Endocrinology.

  10. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 augments myoblast adhesion and fusion through homophilic trans-interactions.

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    Pizza, Francis X; Martin, Ryan A; Springer, Evan M; Leffler, Maxwell S; Woelmer, Bryce R; Recker, Isaac J; Leaman, Douglas W

    2017-07-11

    The overall objective of the study was to identify mechanisms through which intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) augments the adhesive and fusogenic properties of myogenic cells. Hypotheses were tested using cultured myoblasts and fibroblasts, which do not constitutively express ICAM-1, and myoblasts and fibroblasts forced to express full length ICAM-1 or a truncated form lacking the cytoplasmic domain of ICAM-1. ICAM-1 mediated myoblast adhesion and fusion were quantified using novel assays and cell mixing experiments. We report that ICAM-1 augments myoblast adhesion to myoblasts and myotubes through homophilic trans-interactions. Such adhesive interactions enhanced levels of active Rac in adherent and fusing myoblasts, as well as triggered lamellipodia, spreading, and fusion of myoblasts through the signaling function of the cytoplasmic domain of ICAM-1. Rac inhibition negated ICAM-1 mediated lamellipodia, spreading, and fusion of myoblasts. The fusogenic property of ICAM-1-ICAM-1 interactions was restricted to myogenic cells, as forced expression of ICAM-1 by fibroblasts did not augment their fusion to ICAM-1+ myoblasts/myotubes. We conclude that ICAM-1 augments myoblast adhesion and fusion through its ability to self-associate and initiate Rac-mediated remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton.

  11. MicroRNA-27a promotes myoblast proliferation by targeting myostatin

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    Huang, Zhiqing; Chen, Xiaoling; Yu, Bing; He, Jun; Chen, Daiwen

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We identified a myogenic role for miR-27a and a new target, myostatin. ► The miR-27a was confirmed to target myostatin 3′UTR. ► miR-27a is upregulated and myostatin is downregulated during myoblast proliferation. ► miR-27a promotes myoblast proliferation by reducing the expression of myostatin. -- Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in skeletal muscle development as well as in regulation of muscle cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the role of miRNAs in myoblast proliferation remains poorly understood. Here we found that the expression of miR-27a was increased during proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts. Moreover, overexpression of miR-27a in C2C12 cells promoted myoblast proliferation by reducing the expression of myostatin, a critical inhibitor of skeletal myogenesis. In addition, the miR-27a was confirmed to target myostatin 3′UTR by a luciferase reporter analysis. Together, these results suggest that miR-27a promotes myoblast proliferation through targeting myostatin.

  12. MicroRNA-27a promotes myoblast proliferation by targeting myostatin

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    Huang, Zhiqing; Chen, Xiaoling; Yu, Bing; He, Jun [Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, Sichuan 625014 (China); Chen, Daiwen, E-mail: dwchen@sicau.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Animal Disease-Resistance Nutrition of China Ministry of Education, Institute of Animal Nutrition, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, Sichuan 625014 (China)

    2012-06-29

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We identified a myogenic role for miR-27a and a new target, myostatin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The miR-27a was confirmed to target myostatin 3 Prime UTR. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer miR-27a is upregulated and myostatin is downregulated during myoblast proliferation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer miR-27a promotes myoblast proliferation by reducing the expression of myostatin. -- Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in skeletal muscle development as well as in regulation of muscle cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the role of miRNAs in myoblast proliferation remains poorly understood. Here we found that the expression of miR-27a was increased during proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts. Moreover, overexpression of miR-27a in C2C12 cells promoted myoblast proliferation by reducing the expression of myostatin, a critical inhibitor of skeletal myogenesis. In addition, the miR-27a was confirmed to target myostatin 3 Prime UTR by a luciferase reporter analysis. Together, these results suggest that miR-27a promotes myoblast proliferation through targeting myostatin.

  13. Myoblast fusion in Drosophila

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    Haralalka, Shruti [Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Abmayr, Susan M., E-mail: sma@stowers.org [Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110 (United States); Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, MO 66160 (United States)

    2010-11-01

    The body wall musculature of a Drosophila larva is composed of an intricate pattern of 30 segmentally repeated muscle fibers in each abdominal hemisegment. Each muscle fiber has unique spatial and behavioral characteristics that include its location, orientation, epidermal attachment, size and pattern of innervation. Many, if not all, of these properties are dictated by founder cells, which determine the muscle pattern and seed the fusion process. Myofibers are then derived from fusion between a specific founder cell and several fusion competent myoblasts (FCMs) fusing with as few as 3-5 FCMs in the small muscles on the most ventral side of the embryo and as many as 30 FCMs in the larger muscles on the dorsal side of the embryo. The focus of the present review is the formation of the larval muscles in the developing embryo, summarizing the major issues and players in this process. We have attempted to emphasize experimentally-validated details of the mechanism of myoblast fusion and distinguish these from the theoretically possible details that have not yet been confirmed experimentally. We also direct the interested reader to other recent reviews that discuss myoblast fusion in Drosophila, each with their own perspective on the process . With apologies, we use gene nomenclature as specified by Flybase (http://flybase.org) but provide Table 1 with alternative names and references.

  14. Myoblast fusion in Drosophila

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haralalka, Shruti; Abmayr, Susan M.

    2010-01-01

    The body wall musculature of a Drosophila larva is composed of an intricate pattern of 30 segmentally repeated muscle fibers in each abdominal hemisegment. Each muscle fiber has unique spatial and behavioral characteristics that include its location, orientation, epidermal attachment, size and pattern of innervation. Many, if not all, of these properties are dictated by founder cells, which determine the muscle pattern and seed the fusion process. Myofibers are then derived from fusion between a specific founder cell and several fusion competent myoblasts (FCMs) fusing with as few as 3-5 FCMs in the small muscles on the most ventral side of the embryo and as many as 30 FCMs in the larger muscles on the dorsal side of the embryo. The focus of the present review is the formation of the larval muscles in the developing embryo, summarizing the major issues and players in this process. We have attempted to emphasize experimentally-validated details of the mechanism of myoblast fusion and distinguish these from the theoretically possible details that have not yet been confirmed experimentally. We also direct the interested reader to other recent reviews that discuss myoblast fusion in Drosophila, each with their own perspective on the process . With apologies, we use gene nomenclature as specified by Flybase (http://flybase.org) but provide Table 1 with alternative names and references.

  15. Isolation of human foetal myoblasts and its application for microencapsulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Anna Aihua; Bourgeois, Jacqueline; Potter, Murray; Chang, Patricia L

    2008-01-01

    Abstract Foetal cells secrete more growth factors, generate less immune response, grow and proliferate better than adult cells. These characteristics make them desirable for recombinant modification and use in microencapsulated cellular gene therapeutics. We have established a system in vitro to obtain a pure population of primary human foetal myoblasts under several rounds of selection with non-collagen coated plates and identified by desmin staining. These primary myoblasts presented good proliferation ability and better differentiation characteristics in monolayer and after microencapsulation compared to murine myoblast C2C12 cells based on creatine phosphokinase (CPK), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and multi-nucleated myotubule determination. The lifespan of primary myoblasts was 70 population doublings before entering into senescent state, with a population time of 18–24 hrs. Hence, we have developed a protocol for isolating human foetal primary myoblasts with excellent differentiation potential and robust growth and longevity. They should be useful for cell-based therapy in human clinical applications with microencapsulation technology. PMID:18366454

  16. Laminin-Coated Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) Nanofiber Scaffold Facilitates the Enrichment of Skeletal Muscle Myoblast Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zahari, Nor Kamalia; Idrus, Ruszymah Binti Haji; Chowdhury, Shiplu Roy

    2017-10-30

    Myoblasts, the contractile cells of skeletal muscle, have been invaluable for fundamental studies of muscle development and clinical applications for muscle loss. A major limitation to the myoblast-based therapeutic approach is contamination with non-contractile fibroblasts, which overgrow during cell expansion. To overcome these limitations, this study was carried out to establish a 3D culture environment using nanofiber scaffolds to enrich the myoblast population during construct formation. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanofiber (PM) scaffolds were fabricated using electrospinning techniques and coated with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, such as collagen or laminin, in the presence or absence of genipin. A mixed population of myoblasts and fibroblasts was isolated from human skeletal muscle tissues and cultured on plain surfaces, as well as coated and non-coated PM scaffolds. PMMA can produce smooth fibers with an average diameter of 360 ± 50 nm. Adsorption of collagen and laminin on PM scaffolds is significantly enhanced in the presence of genipin, which introduces roughness to the nanofiber surface without affecting fiber diameter and mechanical properties. It was also demonstrated that laminin-coated PM scaffolds significantly enhance myoblast proliferation (0.0081 ± 0.0007 h -1 ) and migration (0.26 ± 0.04 μm/min), while collagen-coated PM scaffolds favors fibroblasts proliferation (0.0097 ± 0.0009 h -1 ) and migration (0.23 ± 0.03 μm/min). Consequently, the myoblast population was enriched on laminin-coated PM scaffolds throughout the culture process. Therefore, laminin coating of nanofiber scaffolds could be a potential scaffold for the development of a tissue-engineered muscle substitute.

  17. Use of Flow Focusing Technique for Microencapsulation of Myoblasts.

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    Ciriza, J; Saenz del Burgo, L; Hernández, R M; Orive, G; Pedraz, J L

    2017-01-01

    Alginate cell microencapsulation implies the immobilization of cells within a polymeric membrane that allows the bidirectional diffusion of nutrients and oxygen inside the microcapsules and the release of waste and therapeutic molecules outside them. This technology has been applied to several cell types and it has been extensively described with pancreatic islets. However, other cells such as myoblasts are being currently studied and showing high interest. Moreover, different systems and approaches have been developed for cell encapsulation such as electrostatic extrusion and Flow focusing technology. When Flow focusing technology is applied for myoblast encapsulation, several factors should be considered, such as the pressure, the flow of the system, or the diameter size of the nebulizer, which will determine the final diameter size and shape of the microcapsules containing the myoblasts. Finally, viability of encapsulated myoblasts needs to be assessed before further studies are performed.

  18. Defective myoblasts identified in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

    OpenAIRE

    Blau, H M; Webster, C; Pavlath, G K

    1983-01-01

    A defect in the proliferative capacity of satellite cells, mononucleated precursors of mature muscle fibers, was found in clonal analyses of cells cultured from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. The total yield of myoblasts per gram of muscle biopsy was decreased to 5% of normal. Of the DMD myoblast clones obtained, a large proportion contained a morphological class of flat distended cells that had an increased generation time and ceased to proliferate beyond 100-1,000 cells but cou...

  19. Laminin-Coated Poly(Methyl Methacrylate (PMMA Nanofiber Scaffold Facilitates the Enrichment of Skeletal Muscle Myoblast Population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nor Kamalia Zahari

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Myoblasts, the contractile cells of skeletal muscle, have been invaluable for fundamental studies of muscle development and clinical applications for muscle loss. A major limitation to the myoblast-based therapeutic approach is contamination with non-contractile fibroblasts, which overgrow during cell expansion. To overcome these limitations, this study was carried out to establish a 3D culture environment using nanofiber scaffolds to enrich the myoblast population during construct formation. Poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMA nanofiber (PM scaffolds were fabricated using electrospinning techniques and coated with extracellular matrix (ECM proteins, such as collagen or laminin, in the presence or absence of genipin. A mixed population of myoblasts and fibroblasts was isolated from human skeletal muscle tissues and cultured on plain surfaces, as well as coated and non-coated PM scaffolds. PMMA can produce smooth fibers with an average diameter of 360 ± 50 nm. Adsorption of collagen and laminin on PM scaffolds is significantly enhanced in the presence of genipin, which introduces roughness to the nanofiber surface without affecting fiber diameter and mechanical properties. It was also demonstrated that laminin-coated PM scaffolds significantly enhance myoblast proliferation (0.0081 ± 0.0007 h−1 and migration (0.26 ± 0.04 μm/min, while collagen-coated PM scaffolds favors fibroblasts proliferation (0.0097 ± 0.0009 h−1 and migration (0.23 ± 0.03 μm/min. Consequently, the myoblast population was enriched on laminin-coated PM scaffolds throughout the culture process. Therefore, laminin coating of nanofiber scaffolds could be a potential scaffold for the development of a tissue-engineered muscle substitute.

  20. Phosphorylation of Lbx1 controls lateral myoblast migration into the limb.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masselink, Wouter; Masaki, Megumi; Sieiro, Daniel; Marcelle, Christophe; Currie, Peter D

    2017-10-15

    The migration of limb myogenic precursors from limb level somites to their ultimate site of differentiation in the limb is a paradigmatic example of a set of dynamic and orchestrated migratory cell behaviours. The homeobox containing transcription factor ladybird homeobox 1 (Lbx1) is a central regulator of limb myoblast migration, null mutations of Lbx1 result in severe disruptions to limb muscle formation, particularly in the distal region of the limb in mice (Gross et al., 2000). As such Lbx1 has been hypothesized to control lateral migration of myoblasts into the distal limb anlage. It acts as a core regulator of the limb myoblast migration machinery, controlled by Pax3. A secondary role for Lbx1 in the differentiation and commitment of limb musculature has also been proposed (Brohmann et al., 2000; Uchiyama et al., 2000). Here we show that lateral migration, but not differentiation or commitment of limb myoblasts, is controlled by the phosphorylation of three adjacent serine residues of LBX1. Electroporation of limb level somites in the chick embryo with a dephosphomimetic form of Lbx1 results in a specific defect in the lateral migration of limb myoblasts. Although the initial delamination and migration of myoblasts is unaffected, migration into the distal limb bud is severely disrupted. Interestingly, myoblasts undergo normal differentiation independent of their migratory status, suggesting that the differentiation potential of hypaxial muscle is not regulated by the phosphorylation state of LBX1. Furthermore, we show that FGF8 and ERK mediated signal transduction, both critical regulators of the developing limb bud, have the capacity to induce the phosphorylation of LBX1 at these residues. Overall, this suggests a mechanism whereby the phosphorylation of LBX1, potentially through FGF8 and ERK signalling, controls the lateral migration of myoblasts into the distal limb bud. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. Proliferation of Human Primary Myoblasts Is Associated with Altered Energy Metabolism in Dependence on Ageing In Vivo and In Vitro

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    Reedik Pääsuke

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Ageing is associated with suppressed regenerative potential of muscle precursor cells due to decrease of satellite cells and suppressive intramuscular milieu on their activation, associated with ageing-related low-grade inflammation. The aim of the study was to characterize the function of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS, glycolysis, adenylate kinase (AK, and creatine kinase (CK mediated systems in young and older individuals. Materials and Methods. Myoblasts were cultivated from biopsies taken by transcutaneous conchotomy from vastus lateralis muscle in young (20–29 yrs, n=7 and older (70–79 yrs, n=7 subjects. Energy metabolism was assessed in passages 2 to 6 by oxygraphy and enzyme analysis. Results. In myoblasts of young and older subjects the rate of OXPHOS decreased during proliferation from passages 2 to 6. The total activities of CK and AK decreased. Myoblasts of passage 2 cultivated from young muscle showed higher rate of OXPHOS and activities of CK and AK compared to myoblasts from older subjects while hexokinase and pyruvate kinase were not affected by ageing. Conclusions. Proliferation of myoblasts in vitro is associated with downregulation of OXPHOS and energy storage and transfer systems. Ageing in vivo exerts an impact on satellite cells which results in altered metabolic profile in favour of the prevalence of glycolytic pathways over mitochondrial OXPHOS of myoblasts.

  2. Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 Regulates Myoblast Proliferation and Controls Muscle Fiber Length

    OpenAIRE

    Burden, Steven; Lee, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    Muscle fiber length is nearly uniform within a muscle but widely different among muscles. Here, we show that Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 (Abl2) has a key role in regulating myofiber length, as a loss of Abl2 leads to excessively long myofibers in the diaphragm and other muscles. Increased myofiber length is caused by enhanced myoblast proliferation, expanding the pool of available myoblasts and leading to increased myoblast fusion. Abl2 acts in myoblasts, but expansion of the diaphragm ...

  3. FSHD myoblasts fail to downregulate intermediate filament protein vimentin during myogenic differentiation.

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    Lipinski M.

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD is an autosomal dominant hereditary neuromuscular disorder. The clinical features of FSHD include weakness of the facial and shoulder girdle muscles followed by wasting of skeletal muscles of the pelvic girdle and lower extremities. Although FSHD myoblasts grown in vitro can be induced to differentiate into myotubes by serum starvation, the resulting FSHD myotubes have been shown previously to be morphologically abnormal. Aim. In order to find the cause of morphological anomalies of FSHD myotubes we compared in vitro myogenic differentiation of normal and FSHD myoblasts at the protein level. Methods. We induced myogenic differentiation of normal and FSHD myoblasts by serum starvation. We then compared protein extracts from proliferating myoblasts and differentiated myotubes using SDS-PAGE followed by mass spectrometry identification of differentially expressed proteins. Results. We demonstrated that the expression of vimentin was elevated at the protein and mRNA levels in FSHD myotubes as compared to normal myotubes. Conclusions. We demonstrate for the first time that in contrast to normal myoblasts, FSHD myoblasts fail to downregulate vimentin after induction of in vitro myogenic differentiation. We suggest that vimentin could be an easily detectable marker of FSHD myotubes

  4. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species, apoptosis, and necrosis in myoblast cultures exposed to low-level infrared laser.

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    Alexsandra da Silva Neto Trajano, Larissa; da Silva, Camila Luna; de Carvalho, Simone Nunes; Cortez, Erika; Mencalha, André Luiz; de Souza da Fonseca, Adenilson; Stumbo, Ana Carolina

    2016-07-01

    Low-level infrared laser is considered safe and effective for treatment of muscle injuries. However, the mechanism involved on beneficial effects of laser therapy are not understood. The aim was to evaluate cell viability, reactive oxygen species, apoptosis, and necrosis in myoblast cultures exposed to low-level infrared laser at therapeutic fluences. C2C12 myoblast cultures at different (2 and 10 %) fetal bovine serum (FBS) concentrations were exposed to low-level infrared laser (808 nm, 100 mW) at different fluences (10, 35, and 70 J/cm(2)) and evaluated after 24, 48, and 72 h. Cell viability was evaluated by WST-1 assay; reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, and necrosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. Cell viability was decreased atthe lowest FBS concentration. Laser exposure increased the cell viability in myoblast cultures at 2 % FBS after 48 and 72 h, but no significant increase in ROS was observed. Apoptosis was decreased at the higher fluence and necrosis was increased at lower fluence in myoblast cultures after 24 h of laser exposure at 2 % FBS. No laser-induced alterations were obtained at 10 % FBS. Results show that level of reactive oxygen species is not altered, at least to those evaluated in this study, but low-level infrared laser exposure affects cell viability, apoptosis, and necrosis in myoblast cultures depending on laser fluence and physiologic conditions of cells.

  5. One-Step Purification of Human Skeletal Muscle Myoblasts and Subsequent Expansion Using Laminin-Coated Surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chowdhury, Shiplu Roy; binti Ismail, Annis; Chee, Sia Chye; bin Laupa, Mohd Suffian; binti Jaffri, Fadhlun; Saberi, Salfarina Ezrina Mohmad; Idrus, Ruszymah Bt Hj

    2015-11-01

    Skeletal myoblasts have been extensively used to study muscle growth and differentiation, and were recently tested for their application as cell therapy and as a gene delivery system to treat muscle and nonmuscle diseases. However, contamination of fibroblasts in isolated cells from skeletal muscle is one of the long-standing problems for routine expansion. This study aimed to establish a simple one-step process to purify myoblasts and maintain their purity during expansion. Mixed cells were preplated serially on laminin- and collagen type I-coated surfaces in a different array for 5, 10, and 15 min. Immunocytochemical staining with antibodies specific to myoblasts was performed to evaluate myoblast attachment efficiency, purity, and yield. It was found that laminin-coated surface favors the attachment of myoblasts. Highest myoblast purity of 78.9% ± 6.8% was achieved by 5 min of preplating only on the laminin-coated surface with a yield of 56.9% ± 3.3%. Primary cells, isolated from skeletal muscle (n = 4), confirm the enhancement of purity through preplating on laminin-coated surface for 5 min. Subsequent expansion after preplating enhanced myoblast purity due to an increase in myoblast growth than fibroblasts. Myoblast purity of ∼ 98% was achieved when another preplating was performed during passaging. In conclusion, myoblasts can be purified and efficiently expanded in one step by preplating on laminin-coated surface, which is a simple and robust technique.

  6. The critical role of myostatin in differentiation of sheep myoblasts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Chenxi [College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi (China); Xinjiang Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Urumqi (China); Li, Wenrong; Zhang, Xuemei; Zhang, Ning; He, Sangang; Huang, Juncheng [Xinjiang Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Urumqi (China); Laboratory of Grass-fed Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture, Urumqi (China); Animal Biotechnological Research Center, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi (China); Ge, Yubin [The State Engineering Laboratory of AIDS Vaccine, College of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun (China); Liu, Mingjun, E-mail: xjlmj2004@yahoo.com.cn [Xinjiang Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Urumqi (China); Laboratory of Grass-fed Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Agriculture, Urumqi (China); Animal Biotechnological Research Center, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi (China)

    2012-06-08

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Identification of the effective and specific shRNA to knockdown MSTN. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Overexpression of MSTN reversibly suppressed myogenic differentiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer shRNA knockdown of endogenous MSTN promoted ovine myoblast differentiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MSTN inhibits myogenic differentiation through down-regulation of MyoD and Myogenin and up-regulation of Smad3. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Provides a promise for the generation of transgenic sheep to improve meat productivity. -- Abstract: Myostatin [MSTN, also known as growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF8)], is an inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth. Blockade of MSTN function has been reported to result in increased muscle mass in mice. However, its role in myoblast differentiation in farm animals has not been determined. In the present study, we sought to determine the role of MSTN in the differentiation of primary sheep myoblasts. We found that ectopic overexpression of MSTN resulted in lower fusion index in sheep myoblasts, which indicated the repression of myoblast differentiation. This phenotypic change was reversed by shRNA knockdown of the ectopically expressed MSTN in the cells. In contrast, shRNA knockdown of the endogenous MSTN resulted in induction of myogenic differentiation. Additional studies revealed that the induction of differentiation by knocking down the ectopically or endogenously expressed MSTN was accompanied by up-regulation of MyoD and myogenin, and down-regulation of Smad3. Our results demonstrate that MSTN plays critical role in myoblast differentiation in sheep, analogous to that in mice. This study also suggests that shRNA knockdown of MSTN could be a potentially promising approach to improve sheep muscle growth, so as to increase meat productivity.

  7. The critical role of myostatin in differentiation of sheep myoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Chenxi; Li, Wenrong; Zhang, Xuemei; Zhang, Ning; He, Sangang; Huang, Juncheng; Ge, Yubin; Liu, Mingjun

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Identification of the effective and specific shRNA to knockdown MSTN. ► Overexpression of MSTN reversibly suppressed myogenic differentiation. ► shRNA knockdown of endogenous MSTN promoted ovine myoblast differentiation. ► MSTN inhibits myogenic differentiation through down-regulation of MyoD and Myogenin and up-regulation of Smad3. ► Provides a promise for the generation of transgenic sheep to improve meat productivity. -- Abstract: Myostatin [MSTN, also known as growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF8)], is an inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth. Blockade of MSTN function has been reported to result in increased muscle mass in mice. However, its role in myoblast differentiation in farm animals has not been determined. In the present study, we sought to determine the role of MSTN in the differentiation of primary sheep myoblasts. We found that ectopic overexpression of MSTN resulted in lower fusion index in sheep myoblasts, which indicated the repression of myoblast differentiation. This phenotypic change was reversed by shRNA knockdown of the ectopically expressed MSTN in the cells. In contrast, shRNA knockdown of the endogenous MSTN resulted in induction of myogenic differentiation. Additional studies revealed that the induction of differentiation by knocking down the ectopically or endogenously expressed MSTN was accompanied by up-regulation of MyoD and myogenin, and down-regulation of Smad3. Our results demonstrate that MSTN plays critical role in myoblast differentiation in sheep, analogous to that in mice. This study also suggests that shRNA knockdown of MSTN could be a potentially promising approach to improve sheep muscle growth, so as to increase meat productivity.

  8. Skeletal muscle myoblasts possess a stretch-responsive local angiotensin signalling system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Adam P W; Baker, Jeff; De Lisio, Michael; Parise, Gianni

    2011-06-01

    A paucity of information exists regarding the presence of local renin-angiotensin systems (RASs) in skeletal muscle and associated muscle stem cells. Skeletal muscle and muscle stem cells were isolated from C57BL/6 mice and examined for the presence of a local RAS using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blotting and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Furthermore, the effect of mechanical stimulation on RAS member gene expression was analysed. Whole skeletal muscle, primary myoblasts and C2C12 derived myoblasts and myotubes differentially expressed members of the RAS including angiotensinogen, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1 (AT(1)) and type 2 (AT(2)). Renin transcripts were never detected, however, mRNA for the 'renin-like' enzyme cathepsin D was observed and Ang I and Ang II were identified in cell culture supernatants from proliferating myoblasts. AT(1) appeared to co-localise with polymerised actin filaments in proliferating myoblasts and was primarily found in the nucleus of terminally differentiated myotubes. Furthermore, mechanical stretch of proliferating and differentiating C2C12 cells differentially induced mRNA expression of angiotensinogen, AT(1) and AT(2). Proliferating and differentiated muscle stem cells possess a local stress-responsive RAS in vitro. The precise function of a local RAS in myoblasts remains unknown. However, evidence presented here suggests that Ang II may be a regulator of skeletal muscle myoblasts.

  9. Myomaker, Regulated by MYOD, MYOG and miR-140-3p, Promotes Chicken Myoblast Fusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen Luo

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The fusion of myoblasts is an important step during skeletal muscle differentiation. A recent study in mice found that a transmembrane protein called Myomaker, which is specifically expressed in muscle, is critical for myoblast fusion. However, the cellular mechanism of its roles and the regulatory mechanism of its expression remain unclear. Chicken not only plays an important role in meat production but is also an ideal model organism for muscle development research. Here, we report that Myomaker is also essential for chicken myoblast fusion. Forced expression of Myomaker in chicken primary myoblasts promotes myoblast fusion, whereas knockdown of Myomaker by siRNA inhibits myoblast fusion. MYOD and MYOG, which belong to the family of myogenic regulatory factors, can bind to a conserved E-box located proximal to the Myomaker transcription start site and induce Myomaker transcription. Additionally, miR-140-3p can inhibit Myomaker expression and myoblast fusion, at least in part, by binding to the 3ʹ UTR of Myomaker in vitro. These findings confirm the essential roles of Myomaker in avian myoblast fusion and show that MYOD, MYOG and miR-140-3p can regulate Myomaker expression.

  10. Analysis of differential lipofection efficiency in primary and established myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pampinella, Francesca; Lechardeur, Delphine; Zanetti, Elena; MacLachlan, Ian; Benharouga, Mohammed; Lukacs, Gergely L; Vitiello, Libero

    2002-02-01

    In this study we have compared the process of lipid-mediated transfection in primary and established myoblasts, in an attempt to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the scarce transfectability of the former. We determined the metabolic stability of cytoplasmically injected and lipofected DNA in primary and established myoblasts and carried out a comparative time course analysis of luciferase reporter-gene expression and DNA stability. The efficiency of the transcription-translation machinery of the two cell types was compared by intranuclear injection of naked plasmid DNA encoding luciferase. Subcellular colocalization of fluorescein-labeled lipopolyplexes with specific endosomal and lysosomal markers was performed by confocal microscopy to monitor the intracellular trafficking of plasmid DNA during transfection. The metabolic stability of plasmid DNA was similar in primary and established myoblasts after both lipofection and cytoplasmic injection. In both cell types, lipofection had no detectable effect on the rate of cell proliferation. Confocal analysis showed that nuclear translocation of transfected DNA coincided with localization in a compartment devoid of endosome- or lysosome-specific marker proteins. The residency time of plasmid DNA in this compartment differed for primary and established myoblasts. Our findings suggest that the lower transfectability of primary myoblasts is mostly due to a difference in the intracellular delivery pathway that correlates with more rapid delivery of internalized complex to the lysosomal compartment.

  11. [Human myoblast culture as muscle stem cells in medical and biological studies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terekhov, S M; Krokhina, T B; Shishkin, S S; Krakhmaleva, I N; Zakharov, S F; Ershova, E S

    2001-01-01

    The method for obtaining human myoblast culture has been modified to consider the specific histological localization of the satellite cells as well as their growth properties; the cultivation conditions have been selected to grow up to 150000 cells/cm2. At high densities, the cells remain mononuclear and preserve their typical myoblast morphology as well as the capacity for fusion and the formation of myotubes. By contrast to fibroblasts, up to 80% of the cells in the myoblast culture were positive in the acid phosphatase test, which indicates their stem nature. The obtained myoblast cultures were used in the clinical tests of cell-mediated gene therapy of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy as well as in the bioassay for the effects of biologically active compounds.

  12. Elastic hydrogel substrate supports robust expansion of murine myoblasts and enhances their engraftment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, Ke; Yang, Zhong; Xu, Jian-zhong; Liu, Wen-ying; Zeng, Qiang; Hou, Fang; Lin, Sen

    2015-01-01

    The application of satellite cell-derived myoblasts in regenerative medicine has been restricted by the rapid loss of stemness during in vitro cell expansion using traditional culture systems. However, studies published in the past decade have highlighted the influence of substrate elasticity on stem cell fate and revealed that culture on a soft hydrogel substrate can promote self-renewal and prolong the regenerative potential of muscle stem cells. Whether hydrogel substrates have similar effects after long-term robust expansion remains to be determined. Herein we prepared an elastic chitosan/beta-glycerophosphate/collagen hydrogel mimicking the soft microenvironment of muscle tissues for use as the substrate for satellite cell culture and investigated its influence on long-term cell expansion. After 20 passages in culture, satellite cell-derived myoblasts cultured on our hydrogel substrate exhibited significant improvements in proliferation capability, cell viability, colony forming frequency, and potential for myogenic differentiation compared to those cultured on a routine rigid culture surface. Immunochemical staining and western blot analysis both confirmed that myoblasts cultured on the hydrogel substrate expressed higher levels of several differentiation-related markers, including Pax7, Pax3, and SSEA-1, and a lower level of MyoD compared to myoblasts cultured on rigid culture plates (all p<0.05). After transplantation into the tibialis anterior of nude mice, myoblasts that had been cultured on the hydrogel substrate demonstrated a significantly greater engraftment efficacy than those cultured on the traditional surface. Collectively, these results indicate that the elastic hydrogel substrate supported robust expansion of murine myoblasts and enhanced their engraftment in vivo. - Highlights: • An elastic hydrogel was designed to mimic the pliable muscle tissue microenvironment. • Myoblasts retained their stemness in long-term culture on the elastic

  13. Elastic hydrogel substrate supports robust expansion of murine myoblasts and enhances their engraftment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Ke, E-mail: dk1118@yeah.net [Department of Pediatric Surgery, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu 610072 (China); Yang, Zhong [Department of Clinical Hematology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Xu, Jian-zhong, E-mail: xjzspine@163.com [Department of Orthopaedics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Liu, Wen-ying; Zeng, Qiang; Hou, Fang [Department of Pediatric Surgery, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu 610072 (China); Lin, Sen [Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu 610500 (China)

    2015-09-10

    The application of satellite cell-derived myoblasts in regenerative medicine has been restricted by the rapid loss of stemness during in vitro cell expansion using traditional culture systems. However, studies published in the past decade have highlighted the influence of substrate elasticity on stem cell fate and revealed that culture on a soft hydrogel substrate can promote self-renewal and prolong the regenerative potential of muscle stem cells. Whether hydrogel substrates have similar effects after long-term robust expansion remains to be determined. Herein we prepared an elastic chitosan/beta-glycerophosphate/collagen hydrogel mimicking the soft microenvironment of muscle tissues for use as the substrate for satellite cell culture and investigated its influence on long-term cell expansion. After 20 passages in culture, satellite cell-derived myoblasts cultured on our hydrogel substrate exhibited significant improvements in proliferation capability, cell viability, colony forming frequency, and potential for myogenic differentiation compared to those cultured on a routine rigid culture surface. Immunochemical staining and western blot analysis both confirmed that myoblasts cultured on the hydrogel substrate expressed higher levels of several differentiation-related markers, including Pax7, Pax3, and SSEA-1, and a lower level of MyoD compared to myoblasts cultured on rigid culture plates (all p<0.05). After transplantation into the tibialis anterior of nude mice, myoblasts that had been cultured on the hydrogel substrate demonstrated a significantly greater engraftment efficacy than those cultured on the traditional surface. Collectively, these results indicate that the elastic hydrogel substrate supported robust expansion of murine myoblasts and enhanced their engraftment in vivo. - Highlights: • An elastic hydrogel was designed to mimic the pliable muscle tissue microenvironment. • Myoblasts retained their stemness in long-term culture on the elastic

  14. Culture Conditions Affect Expression of DUX4 in FSHD Myoblasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sachchida Nand Pandey

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD is believed to be caused by aberrant expression of double homeobox 4 (DUX4 due to epigenetic changes of the D4Z4 region at chromosome 4q35. Detecting DUX4 is challenging due to its stochastic expression pattern and low transcription level. In this study, we examined different cDNA synthesis strategies and the sensitivity for DUX4 detection. In addition, we investigated the effects of dexamethasone and knockout serum replacement (KOSR on DUX4 expression in culture. Our data showed that DUX4 was consistently detected in cDNA samples synthesized using Superscript III. The sensitivity of DUX4 detection was higher in the samples synthesized using oligo(dT primers compared to random hexamers. Adding dexamethasone to the culture media significantly suppressed DUX4 expression in immortalized (1.3 fold, p < 0.01 and primary (4.7 fold, p < 0.01 FSHD myoblasts, respectively. Culture medium with KOSR increased DUX4 expression and the response is concentration dependent. The findings suggest that detection strategies and culture conditions should be carefully considered when studying DUX4 in cultured cells.

  15. Distinct transcriptional networks in quiescent myoblasts: a role for Wnt signaling in reversible vs. irreversible arrest.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sindhu Subramaniam

    Full Text Available Most cells in adult mammals are non-dividing: differentiated cells exit the cell cycle permanently, but stem cells exist in a state of reversible arrest called quiescence. In damaged skeletal muscle, quiescent satellite stem cells re-enter the cell cycle, proliferate and subsequently execute divergent programs to regenerate both post-mitotic myofibers and quiescent stem cells. The molecular basis for these alternative programs of arrest is poorly understood. In this study, we used an established myogenic culture model (C2C12 myoblasts to generate cells in alternative states of arrest and investigate their global transcriptional profiles. Using cDNA microarrays, we compared G0 myoblasts with post-mitotic myotubes. Our findings define the transcriptional program of quiescent myoblasts in culture and establish that distinct gene expression profiles, especially of tumour suppressor genes and inhibitors of differentiation characterize reversible arrest, distinguishing this state from irreversibly arrested myotubes. We also reveal the existence of a tissue-specific quiescence program by comparing G0 C2C12 myoblasts to isogenic G0 fibroblasts (10T1/2. Intriguingly, in myoblasts but not fibroblasts, quiescence is associated with a signature of Wnt pathway genes. We provide evidence that different levels of signaling via the canonical Wnt pathway characterize distinct cellular states (proliferation vs. quiescence vs. differentiation. Moderate induction of Wnt signaling in quiescence is associated with critical properties such as clonogenic self-renewal. Exogenous Wnt treatment subverts the quiescence program and negatively affects clonogenicity. Finally, we identify two new quiescence-induced regulators of canonical Wnt signaling, Rgs2 and Dkk3, whose induction in G0 is required for clonogenic self-renewal. These results support the concept that active signal-mediated regulation of quiescence contributes to stem cell properties, and have implications for

  16. Distinct transcriptional networks in quiescent myoblasts: a role for Wnt signaling in reversible vs. irreversible arrest.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subramaniam, Sindhu; Sreenivas, Prethish; Cheedipudi, Sirisha; Reddy, Vatrapu Rami; Shashidhara, Lingadahalli Subrahmanya; Chilukoti, Ravi Kumar; Mylavarapu, Madhavi; Dhawan, Jyotsna

    2014-01-01

    Most cells in adult mammals are non-dividing: differentiated cells exit the cell cycle permanently, but stem cells exist in a state of reversible arrest called quiescence. In damaged skeletal muscle, quiescent satellite stem cells re-enter the cell cycle, proliferate and subsequently execute divergent programs to regenerate both post-mitotic myofibers and quiescent stem cells. The molecular basis for these alternative programs of arrest is poorly understood. In this study, we used an established myogenic culture model (C2C12 myoblasts) to generate cells in alternative states of arrest and investigate their global transcriptional profiles. Using cDNA microarrays, we compared G0 myoblasts with post-mitotic myotubes. Our findings define the transcriptional program of quiescent myoblasts in culture and establish that distinct gene expression profiles, especially of tumour suppressor genes and inhibitors of differentiation characterize reversible arrest, distinguishing this state from irreversibly arrested myotubes. We also reveal the existence of a tissue-specific quiescence program by comparing G0 C2C12 myoblasts to isogenic G0 fibroblasts (10T1/2). Intriguingly, in myoblasts but not fibroblasts, quiescence is associated with a signature of Wnt pathway genes. We provide evidence that different levels of signaling via the canonical Wnt pathway characterize distinct cellular states (proliferation vs. quiescence vs. differentiation). Moderate induction of Wnt signaling in quiescence is associated with critical properties such as clonogenic self-renewal. Exogenous Wnt treatment subverts the quiescence program and negatively affects clonogenicity. Finally, we identify two new quiescence-induced regulators of canonical Wnt signaling, Rgs2 and Dkk3, whose induction in G0 is required for clonogenic self-renewal. These results support the concept that active signal-mediated regulation of quiescence contributes to stem cell properties, and have implications for pathological

  17. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) activates promyogenic signaling pathways, thereby promoting myoblast differentiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Sang-Jin; Go, Ga-Yeon; Yoo, Miran; Kim, Yong Kee [Research Center for Cell Fate Control, College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women' s University, Seoul 140-742 (Korea, Republic of); Seo, Dong-Wan [College of Pharmacy, Dankook University, Cheonan 330-714 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Jong-Sun [Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Suwon 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Bae, Gyu-Un, E-mail: gbae@sookmyung.ac.kr [Research Center for Cell Fate Control, College of Pharmacy, Sookmyung Women' s University, Seoul 140-742 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-01-29

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) regulates postnatal myogenesis by alleviating myostatin activity, but the molecular mechanisms by which it regulates myogenesis are not fully understood. In this study, we investigate molecular mechanisms of PPARβ/δ in myoblast differentiation. C2C12 myoblasts treated with a PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 exhibit enhanced myotube formation and muscle-specific gene expression. GW0742 treatment dramatically activates promyogenic kinases, p38MAPK and Akt, in a dose-dependent manner. GW0742-stimulated myoblast differentiation is mediated by p38MAPK and Akt, since it failed to restore myoblast differentiation repressed by inhibition of p38MAPK and Akt. In addition, GW0742 treatment enhances MyoD-reporter activities. Consistently, overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation accompanied by elevated activation of p38MAPK and Akt. Collectively, these results suggest that PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation through activation of promyogenic signaling pathways. - Highlights: • A PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 promotes myoblast differentiation. • GW0742 activates both p38MAPK and Akt activation in myogenic differentiation. • GW0742 enhances MyoD activity for myogenic differentiation. • Overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation via activating promyogenic signaling pathways. • This is the first finding for agonistic mechanism of PPARβ/δ in myogenesis.

  18. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) activates promyogenic signaling pathways, thereby promoting myoblast differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sang-Jin; Go, Ga-Yeon; Yoo, Miran; Kim, Yong Kee; Seo, Dong-Wan; Kang, Jong-Sun; Bae, Gyu-Un

    2016-01-01

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) regulates postnatal myogenesis by alleviating myostatin activity, but the molecular mechanisms by which it regulates myogenesis are not fully understood. In this study, we investigate molecular mechanisms of PPARβ/δ in myoblast differentiation. C2C12 myoblasts treated with a PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 exhibit enhanced myotube formation and muscle-specific gene expression. GW0742 treatment dramatically activates promyogenic kinases, p38MAPK and Akt, in a dose-dependent manner. GW0742-stimulated myoblast differentiation is mediated by p38MAPK and Akt, since it failed to restore myoblast differentiation repressed by inhibition of p38MAPK and Akt. In addition, GW0742 treatment enhances MyoD-reporter activities. Consistently, overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation accompanied by elevated activation of p38MAPK and Akt. Collectively, these results suggest that PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation through activation of promyogenic signaling pathways. - Highlights: • A PPARβ/δ agonist, GW0742 promotes myoblast differentiation. • GW0742 activates both p38MAPK and Akt activation in myogenic differentiation. • GW0742 enhances MyoD activity for myogenic differentiation. • Overexpression of PPARβ/δ enhances myoblast differentiation via activating promyogenic signaling pathways. • This is the first finding for agonistic mechanism of PPARβ/δ in myogenesis.

  19. Myostatin acts as an autocrine/paracrine negative regulator in myoblast differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Fei; Kishida, Tsunao; Ejima, Akika [Department of Immunology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto (Japan); Gojo, Satoshi [Department of Cardiac Support, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto (Japan); Mazda, Osam, E-mail: mazda@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp [Department of Immunology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto (Japan)

    2013-02-08

    Highlights: ► iPS-derived cells express myostatin and its receptor upon myoblast differentiation. ► Myostatin inhibits myoblast differentiation by inhibiting MyoD and Myo5a induction. ► Silencing of myostatin promotes differentiation of human iPS cells into myoblasts. -- Abstract: Myostatin, also known as growth differentiation factor (GDF-8), regulates proliferation of muscle satellite cells, and suppresses differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes via down-regulation of key myogenic differentiation factors including MyoD. Recent advances in stem cell biology have enabled generation of myoblasts from pluripotent stem cells, but it remains to be clarified whether myostatin is also involved in regulation of artificial differentiation of myoblasts from pluripotent stem cells. Here we show that the human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cells that were induced to differentiate into myoblasts expressed myostatin and its receptor during the differentiation. An addition of recombinant human myostatin (rhMyostatin) suppressed induction of MyoD and Myo5a, resulting in significant suppression of myoblast differentiation. The rhMyostatin treatment also inhibited proliferation of the cells at a later phase of differentiation. RNAi-mediated silencing of myostatin promoted differentiation of human iPS-derived embryoid body (EB) cells into myoblasts. These results strongly suggest that myostatin plays an important role in regulation of myoblast differentiation from iPS cells of human origin. The present findings also have significant implications for potential regenerative medicine for muscular diseases.

  20. Myostatin acts as an autocrine/paracrine negative regulator in myoblast differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Fei; Kishida, Tsunao; Ejima, Akika; Gojo, Satoshi; Mazda, Osam

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► iPS-derived cells express myostatin and its receptor upon myoblast differentiation. ► Myostatin inhibits myoblast differentiation by inhibiting MyoD and Myo5a induction. ► Silencing of myostatin promotes differentiation of human iPS cells into myoblasts. -- Abstract: Myostatin, also known as growth differentiation factor (GDF-8), regulates proliferation of muscle satellite cells, and suppresses differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes via down-regulation of key myogenic differentiation factors including MyoD. Recent advances in stem cell biology have enabled generation of myoblasts from pluripotent stem cells, but it remains to be clarified whether myostatin is also involved in regulation of artificial differentiation of myoblasts from pluripotent stem cells. Here we show that the human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cells that were induced to differentiate into myoblasts expressed myostatin and its receptor during the differentiation. An addition of recombinant human myostatin (rhMyostatin) suppressed induction of MyoD and Myo5a, resulting in significant suppression of myoblast differentiation. The rhMyostatin treatment also inhibited proliferation of the cells at a later phase of differentiation. RNAi-mediated silencing of myostatin promoted differentiation of human iPS-derived embryoid body (EB) cells into myoblasts. These results strongly suggest that myostatin plays an important role in regulation of myoblast differentiation from iPS cells of human origin. The present findings also have significant implications for potential regenerative medicine for muscular diseases

  1. Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 regulates myoblast proliferation and controls muscle fiber length

    OpenAIRE

    Lee, Jennifer K; Hallock, Peter T; Burden, Steven J

    2017-01-01

    Muscle fiber length is nearly uniform within a muscle but widely different among different muscles. We show that Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 (Abl2) has a key role in regulating myofiber length, as a loss of Abl2 leads to excessively long myofibers in the diaphragm, intercostal and levator auris muscles but not limb muscles. Increased myofiber length is caused by enhanced myoblast proliferation, expanding the pool of myoblasts and leading to increased myoblast fusion. Abl2 acts in myobla...

  2. Group I Paks Promote Skeletal Myoblast Differentiation In Vivo and In Vitro

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Joseph, Giselle A; Lu, Min; Radu, Maria

    2017-01-01

    fusion in Drosophila We report that both Pak1 and Pak2 are activated during mammalian myoblast differentiation. One pathway of activation is initiated by N-cadherin ligation and involves the cadherin coreceptor Cdo with its downstream effector, Cdc42. Individual genetic deletion of Pak1 and Pak2 in mice....... Furthermore, primary myoblasts lacking Pak1 and Pak2 display delayed expression of myogenic differentiation markers and myotube formation. These results identify Pak1 and Pak2 as redundant regulators of myoblast differentiation in vitro and in vivo and as components of the promyogenic Ncad/Cdo/Cdc42 signaling...

  3. Interactions between Skeletal Muscle Myoblasts and their Extracellular Matrix Revealed by a Serum Free Culture System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaturvedi, Vishal; Dye, Danielle E; Kinnear, Beverley F; van Kuppevelt, Toin H; Grounds, Miranda D; Coombe, Deirdre R

    2015-01-01

    Decellularisation of skeletal muscle provides a system to study the interactions of myoblasts with muscle extracellular matrix (ECM). This study describes the efficient decellularisation of quadriceps muscle with the retention of matrix components and the use of this matrix for myoblast proliferation and differentiation under serum free culture conditions. Three decellularisation approaches were examined; the most effective was phospholipase A2 treatment, which removed cellular material while maximizing the retention of ECM components. Decellularised muscle matrices were then solubilized and used as substrates for C2C12 mouse myoblast serum free cultures. The muscle matrix supported myoblast proliferation and differentiation equally as well as collagen and fibronectin. Immunofluorescence analyses revealed that myoblasts seeded on muscle matrix and fibronectin differentiated to form long, well-aligned myotubes, while myoblasts seeded on collagen were less organized. qPCR analyses showed a time dependent increase in genes involved in skeletal muscle differentiation and suggested that muscle-derived matrix may stimulate an increased rate of differentiation compared to collagen and fibronectin. Decellularized whole muscle three-dimensional scaffolds also supported cell adhesion and spreading, with myoblasts aligning along specific tracts of matrix proteins within the scaffolds. Thus, under serum free conditions, intact acellular muscle matrices provided cues to direct myoblast adhesion and migration. In addition, myoblasts were shown to rapidly secrete and organise their own matrix glycoproteins to create a localized ECM microenvironment. This serum free culture system has revealed that the correct muscle ECM facilitates more rapid cell organisation and differentiation than single matrix glycoprotein substrates.

  4. Live cell imaging reveals marked variability in myoblast proliferation and fate

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background During the process of muscle regeneration, activated stem cells termed satellite cells proliferate, and then differentiate to form new myofibers that restore the injured area. Yet not all satellite cells contribute to muscle repair. Some continue to proliferate, others die, and others become quiescent and are available for regeneration following subsequent injury. The mechanisms that regulate the adoption of different cell fates in a muscle cell precursor population remain unclear. Methods We have used live cell imaging and lineage tracing to study cell fate in the C2 myoblast line. Results Analyzing the behavior of individual myoblasts revealed marked variability in both cell cycle duration and viability, but similarities between cells derived from the same parental lineage. As a consequence, lineage sizes and outcomes differed dramatically, and individual lineages made uneven contributions toward the terminally differentiated population. Thus, the cohort of myoblasts undergoing differentiation at the end of an experiment differed dramatically from the lineages present at the beginning. Treatment with IGF-I increased myoblast number by maintaining viability and by stimulating a fraction of cells to complete one additional cell cycle in differentiation medium, and as a consequence reduced the variability of the terminal population compared with controls. Conclusion Our results reveal that heterogeneity of responses to external cues is an intrinsic property of cultured myoblasts that may be explained in part by parental lineage, and demonstrate the power of live cell imaging for understanding how muscle differentiation is regulated. PMID:23638706

  5. Role of an inward rectifier K+ current and of hyperpolarization in human myoblast fusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, J-H; Bijlenga, P; Fischer-Lougheed, J; Occhiodoro, T; Kaelin, A; Bader, C R; Bernheim, L

    1998-01-01

    The role of K+ channels and membrane potential in myoblast fusion was evaluated by examining resting membrane potential and timing of expression of K+ currents at three stages of differentiation of human myogenic cells: undifferentiated myoblasts, fusion-competent myoblasts (FCMBs), and freshly formed myotubes. Two K+ currents contribute to a hyperpolarization of myoblasts prior to fusion: IK(NI), a non-inactivating delayed rectifier, and IK(IR), an inward rectifier. IK(NI) density is low in undifferentiated myoblasts, increases in FCMBs and declines in myotubes. On the other hand, IK(IR) is expressed in 28 % of the FCMBs and in all myotubes. IK(IR) is reversibly blocked by Ba2+ or Cs+. Cells expressing IK(IR) have resting membrane potentials of −65 mV. A block by Ba2+ or Cs+ induces a depolarization to a voltage determined by IK(NI) (−32 mV). Cs+ and Ba2+ ions reduce myoblast fusion. It is hypothesized that the IK(IR)-mediated hyperpolarization allows FCMBs to recruit Na+, K+ and T-type Ca2+ channels which are present in these cells and would otherwise be inactivated. FCMBs, rendered thereby capable of firing action potentials, could amplify depolarizing signals and may accelerate fusion. PMID:9705997

  6. Sphingosine kinase/sphingosine 1-phosphate axis: a new player for insulin-like growth factor-1-induced myoblast differentiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernacchioni Caterina

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1 is the most important physiological regulator of skeletal muscle progenitor cells, which are responsible for adult skeletal muscle regeneration. The ability of IGF-1 to affect multiple aspects of skeletal muscle cell biology such as proliferation, differentiation, survival and motility is well recognized, although the molecular mechanisms implicated in its complex biological action are not fully defined. Since sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P has recently emerged as a key player in skeletal muscle regeneration, we investigated the possible involvement of the sphingosine kinase (SK/S1P receptor axis on the biological effects of IGF-1 in murine myoblasts. Methods RNA interference, chemical inhibition and immunofluorescence approaches were used to assess the role of the SK/S1P axis on the myogenic and mitogenic effects of IGF-1 in C2C12 myoblasts. Results We show that IGF-1 increases SK activity in mouse myoblasts. The effect of the growth factor does not involve transcriptional regulation of SK1 or SK2, since the protein content of both isoforms is not affected; rather, IGF-1 enhances the fraction of the active form of SK. Moreover, transactivation of the S1P2 receptor induced by IGF-1 via SK activation appears to be involved in the myogenic effect of the growth factor. Indeed, the pro-differentiating effect of IGF-1 in myoblasts is impaired when SK activity is pharmacologically inhibited, or SK1 or SK2 are specifically silenced, or the S1P2 receptor is downregulated. Furthermore, in this study we show that IGF-1 transactivates S1P1/S1P3 receptors via SK activation and that this molecular event negatively regulates the mitogenic effect elicited by the growth factor, since the specific silencing of S1P1 or S1P3 receptors increases cell proliferation induced by IGF-1. Conclusions We demonstrate a dual role of the SK/S1P axis in response to myoblast challenge with IGF-1, that likely is important to

  7. HGF potentiates extracellular matrix-driven migration of human myoblasts: involvement of matrix metalloproteinases and MAPK/ERK pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, Mariela Natacha; de Mello, Wallace; Butler-Browne, Gillian S; Silva-Barbosa, Suse Dayse; Mouly, Vincent; Savino, Wilson; Riederer, Ingo

    2017-10-10

    The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is required for the activation of muscle progenitor cells called satellite cells (SC), plays a role in the migration of proliferating SC (myoblasts), and is present as a soluble factor during muscle regeneration, along with extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. In this study, we aimed at determining whether HGF is able to interact with ECM proteins, particularly laminin 111 and fibronectin, and to modulate human myoblast migration. We evaluated the expression of the HGF-receptor c-Met, laminin, and fibronectin receptors by immunoblotting, flow cytometry, or immunofluorescence and used Transwell assays to analyze myoblast migration on laminin 111 and fibronectin in the absence or presence of HGF. Zymography was used to check whether HGF could modulate the production of matrix metalloproteinases by human myoblasts, and the activation of MAPK/ERK pathways was evaluated by immunoblotting. We demonstrated that human myoblasts express c-Met, together with laminin and fibronectin receptors. We observed that human laminin 111 and fibronectin have a chemotactic effect on myoblast migration, and this was synergistically increased when low doses of HGF were added. We detected an increase in MMP-2 activity in myoblasts treated with HGF. Conversely, MMP-2 inhibition decreased the HGF-associated stimulation of cell migration triggered by laminin or fibronectin. HGF treatment also induced in human myoblasts activation of MAPK/ERK pathways, whose specific inhibition decreased the HGF-associated stimulus of cell migration triggered by laminin 111 or fibronectin. We demonstrate that HGF induces ERK phosphorylation and MMP production, thus stimulating human myoblast migration on ECM molecules. Conceptually, these data state that the mechanisms involved in the migration of human myoblasts comprise both soluble and insoluble moieties. This should be taken into account to optimize the design of therapeutic cell transplantation strategies by improving

  8. The Satellite Cell Niche Regulates the Balance between Myoblast Differentiation and Self-Renewal via p53.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flamini, Valentina; Ghadiali, Rachel S; Antczak, Philipp; Rothwell, Amy; Turnbull, Jeremy E; Pisconti, Addolorata

    2018-03-13

    Satellite cells are adult muscle stem cells residing in a specialized niche that regulates their homeostasis. How niche-generated signals integrate to regulate gene expression in satellite cell-derived myoblasts is poorly understood. We undertook an unbiased approach to study the effect of the satellite cell niche on satellite cell-derived myoblast transcriptional regulation and identified the tumor suppressor p53 as a key player in the regulation of myoblast quiescence. After activation and proliferation, a subpopulation of myoblasts cultured in the presence of the niche upregulates p53 and fails to differentiate. When satellite cell self-renewal is modeled ex vivo in a reserve cell assay, myoblasts treated with Nutlin-3, which increases p53 levels in the cell, fail to differentiate and instead become quiescent. Since both these Nutlin-3 effects are rescued by small interfering RNA-mediated p53 knockdown, we conclude that a tight control of p53 levels in myoblasts regulates the balance between differentiation and return to quiescence. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Short-hairpin Mediated Myostatin Knockdown Resulted in Altered Expression of Myogenic Regulatory Factors with Enhanced Myoblast Proliferation in Fetal Myoblast Cells of Goats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Rohit; Singh, Satyendra Pal; Mitra, Abhijit

    2018-01-02

    Myostatin (MSTN) is a well-known negative regulator of skeletal muscle development. Reduced expression due to natural mutations in the coding region and knockout as well as knockdown of MSTN results in an increase in the muscle mass. In the present study, we demonstrated as high as 60 and 52% downregulation (p < 0.01) of MSTN mRNA and protein in the primary fetal myoblast cells of goats using synthetic shRNAs (n = 3), without any interferon response. We, for the first time, evaluated the effect of MSTN knockdown on the expression of MRFs (namely, MyoD, Myf5), follistatin (FST), and IGFs (IGF-1 & IGF-2) in goat myoblast cells. MSTN knockdown caused an upregulation (p < 0.05) of MyoD and downregulation (p < 0.01) of MYf5 and FST expression. Moreover, we report up to ∼four fold (p < 0.001) enhanced proliferation in myoblasts after four days of culture. The anti-MSTN shRNA demonstrated in the present study could be used for the production of transgenic goats to increase the muscle mass.

  10. Absence of muscle regeneration after implantation of a collagen matrix seeded with myoblasts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Wachem, PB; Brouwer, LA; van Luyn, MJA

    Collagens are widely used as biomaterials for e.g. soft tissue reconstruction. The present study was aimed at reconstruction of abdominal wall muscle using processed dermal sheep collagen (DSC) and myoblast seeding. Myoblasts were harvested from foetal quadriceps muscle of an inbred rat strain,

  11. DNA replication timing is maintained genome-wide in primary human myoblasts independent of D4Z4 contraction in FSH muscular dystrophy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin D Pope

    Full Text Available Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD is linked to contraction of an array of tandem 3.3-kb repeats (D4Z4 at 4q35.2 from 11-100 copies to 1-10 copies. The extent to which D4Z4 contraction at 4q35.2 affects overall 4q35.2 chromatin organization remains unclear. Because DNA replication timing is highly predictive of long-range chromatin interactions, we generated genome-wide replication-timing profiles for FSHD and control myogenic precursor cells. We compared non-immortalized myoblasts from four FSHD patients and three control individuals to each other and to a variety of other human cell types. This study also represents the first genome-wide comparison of replication timing profiles in non-immortalized human cell cultures. Myoblasts from both control and FSHD individuals all shared a myoblast-specific replication profile. In contrast, male and female individuals were readily distinguished by monoallelic differences in replication timing at DXZ4 and other regions across the X chromosome affected by X inactivation. We conclude that replication timing is a robust cell-type specific feature that is unaffected by FSHD-related D4Z4 contraction.

  12. Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 regulates myoblast proliferation and controls muscle fiber length

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jennifer K; Hallock, Peter T

    2017-01-01

    Muscle fiber length is nearly uniform within a muscle but widely different among different muscles. We show that Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 (Abl2) has a key role in regulating myofiber length, as a loss of Abl2 leads to excessively long myofibers in the diaphragm, intercostal and levator auris muscles but not limb muscles. Increased myofiber length is caused by enhanced myoblast proliferation, expanding the pool of myoblasts and leading to increased myoblast fusion. Abl2 acts in myoblasts, but as a consequence of expansion of the diaphragm muscle, the diaphragm central tendon is reduced in size, likely contributing to reduced stamina of Abl2 mutant mice. Ectopic muscle islands, each composed of myofibers of uniform length and orientation, form within the central tendon of Abl2+/− mice. Specialized tendon cells, resembling tendon cells at myotendinous junctions, form at the ends of these muscle islands, suggesting that myofibers induce differentiation of tendon cells, which reciprocally regulate myofiber length and orientation. PMID:29231808

  13. Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 regulates myoblast proliferation and controls muscle fiber length.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jennifer K; Hallock, Peter T; Burden, Steven J

    2017-12-12

    Muscle fiber length is nearly uniform within a muscle but widely different among different muscles. We show that Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 (Abl2) has a key role in regulating myofiber length, as a loss of Abl2 leads to excessively long myofibers in the diaphragm, intercostal and levator auris muscles but not limb muscles. Increased myofiber length is caused by enhanced myoblast proliferation, expanding the pool of myoblasts and leading to increased myoblast fusion. Abl2 acts in myoblasts, but as a consequence of expansion of the diaphragm muscle, the diaphragm central tendon is reduced in size, likely contributing to reduced stamina of Abl2 mutant mice. Ectopic muscle islands, each composed of myofibers of uniform length and orientation, form within the central tendon of Abl2 +/- mice. Specialized tendon cells, resembling tendon cells at myotendinous junctions, form at the ends of these muscle islands, suggesting that myofibers induce differentiation of tendon cells, which reciprocally regulate myofiber length and orientation.

  14. Marked heterogeneity in growth characteristics of myoblast clonal cultures and myoblast mixed cultures obtained from the same individual

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maier, Andrea B.; Cohen, Ron; Blom, Joke; Van Heemst, Diana; Westendorp, Rudi G.J.

    Background: Sarcopenia is defined as an age-related decrease in skeletal muscle mass and function while adjacent satellite cells are unable to compensate for this loss. However, myoblast cultures can be established even in the presence of sarcopenia. Objective: It is yet unknown whether satellite

  15. Myostatin acts as an autocrine/paracrine negative regulator in myoblast differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Fei; Kishida, Tsunao; Ejima, Akika; Gojo, Satoshi; Mazda, Osam

    2013-02-08

    Myostatin, also known as growth differentiation factor (GDF-8), regulates proliferation of muscle satellite cells, and suppresses differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes via down-regulation of key myogenic differentiation factors including MyoD. Recent advances in stem cell biology have enabled generation of myoblasts from pluripotent stem cells, but it remains to be clarified whether myostatin is also involved in regulation of artificial differentiation of myoblasts from pluripotent stem cells. Here we show that the human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cells that were induced to differentiate into myoblasts expressed myostatin and its receptor during the differentiation. An addition of recombinant human myostatin (rhMyostatin) suppressed induction of MyoD and Myo5a, resulting in significant suppression of myoblast differentiation. The rhMyostatin treatment also inhibited proliferation of the cells at a later phase of differentiation. RNAi-mediated silencing of myostatin promoted differentiation of human iPS-derived embryoid body (EB) cells into myoblasts. These results strongly suggest that myostatin plays an important role in regulation of myoblast differentiation from iPS cells of human origin. The present findings also have significant implications for potential regenerative medicine for muscular diseases. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The MARVEL domain protein, Singles Bar, is required for progression past the pre-fusion complex stage of myoblast fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estrada, Beatriz; Maeland, Anne D; Gisselbrecht, Stephen S; Bloor, James W; Brown, Nicholas H; Michelson, Alan M

    2007-07-15

    Multinucleated myotubes develop by the sequential fusion of individual myoblasts. Using a convergence of genomic and classical genetic approaches, we have discovered a novel gene, singles bar (sing), that is essential for myoblast fusion. sing encodes a small multipass transmembrane protein containing a MARVEL domain, which is found in vertebrate proteins involved in processes such as tight junction formation and vesicle trafficking where--as in myoblast fusion--membrane apposition occurs. sing is expressed in both founder cells and fusion competent myoblasts preceding and during myoblast fusion. Examination of embryos injected with double-stranded sing RNA or embryos homozygous for ethane methyl sulfonate-induced sing alleles revealed an identical phenotype: replacement of multinucleated myofibers by groups of single, myosin-expressing myoblasts at a stage when formation of the mature muscle pattern is complete in wild-type embryos. Unfused sing mutant myoblasts form clusters, suggesting that early recognition and adhesion of these cells are unimpaired. To further investigate this phenotype, we undertook electron microscopic ultrastructural studies of fusing myoblasts in both sing and wild-type embryos. These experiments revealed that more sing mutant myoblasts than wild-type contain pre-fusion complexes, which are characterized by electron-dense vesicles paired on either side of the fusing plasma membranes. In contrast, embryos mutant for another muscle fusion gene, blown fuse (blow), have a normal number of such complexes. Together, these results lead to the hypothesis that sing acts at a step distinct from that of blow, and that sing is required on both founder cell and fusion-competent myoblast membranes to allow progression past the pre-fusion complex stage of myoblast fusion, possibly by mediating fusion of the electron-dense vesicles to the plasma membrane.

  17. Spatial and functional restriction of regulatory molecules during mammalian myoblast fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavlath, Grace K.

    2010-01-01

    Myoblast fusion is a highly regulated process that is key for forming skeletal muscle during development and regeneration in mammals. Much remains to be understood about the molecular regulation of myoblast fusion. Some molecules that influence mammalian muscle fusion display specific cellular localization during myogenesis. Such molecules can be localized to the contact region between two fusing cells either in both cells or only in one of the cells. How distinct localization of molecules contributes to fusion is not clear. Further complexity exists as other molecules are functionally restricted to myoblasts at later stages of myogenesis to regulate their fusion with multinucleated myotubes. This review examines these three categories of molecules and discusses how spatial and functional restriction may contribute to the formation of a multinucleated cell. Understanding how and why molecules become restricted in location or function is likely to provide further insights into the mechanisms regulating mammalian muscle fusion.

  18. Novel lncRNAs in myogenesis: a miR-31 overlapping transcript controls myoblast differentiation.

    KAUST Repository

    Ballarino, Monica; Cazzella, Valentina; D'Andrea, Daniel; Grassi, Luigi; Bisceglie, Lavinia; Cipriano, Andrea; Santini, Tiziana; Pinnarò , Chiara; Morlando, Mariangela; Tramontano, Anna; Bozzoni, Irene

    2014-01-01

    Transcriptome analysis allowed the identification of new long noncoding RNAs differentially expressed during murine myoblast differentiation. These transcripts were classified on the basis of their expression under proliferating versus differentiated conditions, muscle-restricted activation, and subcellular localization. Several species displayed preferential expression in dystrophic (mdx) versus wild-type muscles, indicating their possible link with regenerative processes. One of the identified transcripts, lnc-31, even if originating from the same nuclear precursor of miR-31, is produced by a pathway mutually exclusive. We show that lnc-31 and its human homologue hsa-lnc-31 are expressed in proliferating myoblasts, where they counteract differentiation. In line with this, both species are more abundant in mdx muscles and in human Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) myoblasts, than in their normal counterparts. Altogether, these data suggest a crucial role for lnc-31 in controlling the differentiation commitment of precursor myoblasts and indicate that its function is maintained in evolution despite the poor sequence conservation with the human counterpart.

  19. Novel lncRNAs in myogenesis: a miR-31 overlapping transcript controls myoblast differentiation.

    KAUST Repository

    Ballarino, Monica

    2014-12-15

    Transcriptome analysis allowed the identification of new long noncoding RNAs differentially expressed during murine myoblast differentiation. These transcripts were classified on the basis of their expression under proliferating versus differentiated conditions, muscle-restricted activation, and subcellular localization. Several species displayed preferential expression in dystrophic (mdx) versus wild-type muscles, indicating their possible link with regenerative processes. One of the identified transcripts, lnc-31, even if originating from the same nuclear precursor of miR-31, is produced by a pathway mutually exclusive. We show that lnc-31 and its human homologue hsa-lnc-31 are expressed in proliferating myoblasts, where they counteract differentiation. In line with this, both species are more abundant in mdx muscles and in human Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) myoblasts, than in their normal counterparts. Altogether, these data suggest a crucial role for lnc-31 in controlling the differentiation commitment of precursor myoblasts and indicate that its function is maintained in evolution despite the poor sequence conservation with the human counterpart.

  20. Signals of Ezh2, Src, and Akt Involve in Myostatin-Pax7 Pathways Regulating the Myogenic Fate Determination during the Sheep Myoblast Proliferation and Differentiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Li; Liu, Ruizao; Zhang, Li; Zhao, Fuping; Lu, Jian; Zhang, Xiaoning; Du, Lixin

    2015-01-01

    Myostatin and Pax7 have been well documented individually, however, the mechanism by which Myostatin regulates Pax7 is seldom reported. Here, based on muscle transcriptome analysis in Texel (Myostatin mutant) and Ujumqin (wild type) sheep across the five fetal stages, we constructed and examined the Myostatin-Pax7 pathways in muscle. Then we validated the signals by RNAi in the proliferating and differentiating sheep myoblasts in vitro at mRNA, protein, and cell morphological levels. We reveal that Myostatin signals to Pax7 at least through Ezh2, Src, and Akt during the sheep myoblast proliferation and differentiation. Other signals such as p38MAPK, mTOR, Erk1/2, Wnt, Bmp2, Smad, Tgfb1, and p21 are most probably involved in the Myostatin-affected myogenic events. Myostatin knockdown significantly reduces the counts of nucleus and myotube, but not the fusion index of myoblasts during cell differentiation. In addition, findings also indicate that Myostatin is required for normal myogenic differentiation of the sheep myoblasts, which is different from the C2C12 myoblasts. We expand the regulatory network of Myostatin-Pax7 pathways and first illustrate that Myostatin as a global regulator participates in the epigenetic events involved in myogenesis, which contributes to understand the molecular mechanism of Myostatin in regulation of myogenesis. PMID:25811841

  1. Possible role of TIEG1 as a feedback regulator of myostatin and TGF-{beta} in myoblasts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyake, Masato; Hayashi, Shinichiro; Iwasaki, Shunsuke; Chao, Guozheng; Takahashi, Hideyuki; Watanabe, Kouichi; Ohwada, Shyuichi; Aso, Hisashi [Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Animal Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 1-1 Tsutsumidori-Amamiyamachi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai 981-8555 (Japan); Yamaguchi, Takahiro, E-mail: ty1010@bios.tohoku.ac.jp [Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Animal Biology, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University, 1-1 Tsutsumidori-Amamiyamachi, Aoba-Ku, Sendai 981-8555 (Japan)

    2010-03-19

    Myostatin and TGF-{beta} negatively regulate skeletal muscle development and growth. Both factors signal through the Smad2/3 pathway. However, the regulatory mechanism of myostatin and TGF-{beta} signaling remains unclear. TGF-{beta} inducible early gene (TIEG) 1 is highly expressed in skeletal muscle and has been implicated in the modulation of TGF-{beta} signaling. These findings prompted us to investigate the effect of TIEG1 on myostatin and TGF-{beta} signaling using C2C12 myoblasts. Myostatin and TGF-{beta} induced the expression of TIEG1 and Smad7 mRNAs, but not TIEG2 mRNA, in proliferating C2C12 cells. When differentiating C2C12 myoblasts were stimulated by myostatin, TIEG1 mRNA was up-regulated at a late stage of differentiation. In contrast, TGF-{beta} enhanced TIEG1 expression at an early stage. Overexpression of TIEG1 prevented the transcriptional activation of Smad by myostatin and TGF-{beta} in both proliferating or differentiating C2C12 cells, but the expression of Smad2 and Smad7 mRNAs was not affected. Forced expression of TIEG1 inhibited myogenic differentiation but did not cause more inhibition than the empty vector in the presence of myostatin or TGF-{beta}. These results demonstrate that TIEG1 is one possible feedback regulator of myostatin and TGF-{beta} that prevents excess action in myoblasts.

  2. Possible role of TIEG1 as a feedback regulator of myostatin and TGF-β in myoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyake, Masato; Hayashi, Shinichiro; Iwasaki, Shunsuke; Chao, Guozheng; Takahashi, Hideyuki; Watanabe, Kouichi; Ohwada, Shyuichi; Aso, Hisashi; Yamaguchi, Takahiro

    2010-01-01

    Myostatin and TGF-β negatively regulate skeletal muscle development and growth. Both factors signal through the Smad2/3 pathway. However, the regulatory mechanism of myostatin and TGF-β signaling remains unclear. TGF-β inducible early gene (TIEG) 1 is highly expressed in skeletal muscle and has been implicated in the modulation of TGF-β signaling. These findings prompted us to investigate the effect of TIEG1 on myostatin and TGF-β signaling using C2C12 myoblasts. Myostatin and TGF-β induced the expression of TIEG1 and Smad7 mRNAs, but not TIEG2 mRNA, in proliferating C2C12 cells. When differentiating C2C12 myoblasts were stimulated by myostatin, TIEG1 mRNA was up-regulated at a late stage of differentiation. In contrast, TGF-β enhanced TIEG1 expression at an early stage. Overexpression of TIEG1 prevented the transcriptional activation of Smad by myostatin and TGF-β in both proliferating or differentiating C2C12 cells, but the expression of Smad2 and Smad7 mRNAs was not affected. Forced expression of TIEG1 inhibited myogenic differentiation but did not cause more inhibition than the empty vector in the presence of myostatin or TGF-β. These results demonstrate that TIEG1 is one possible feedback regulator of myostatin and TGF-β that prevents excess action in myoblasts.

  3. TIPS to manipulate myogenesis: retention of myoblast differentiation capacity using microsphere culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N Parmar

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Cell therapy is an emerging option for regenerating skeletal muscle. Improved delivery methods for anchorage-dependent myoblasts are likely to improve integration and function of transplanted muscle cells. Highly porous microspheres, produced using thermally induced phase separation (TIPS, have features ideally suited for minimally invasive cell delivery. The purpose of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the use of TIPS microspheres as highly porous microcarriers for manipulation of human skeletal muscle myoblasts (HSMM under defined culture conditions. HSMM cells readily attached to the surface of poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA TIPS microcarriers, where they were induced to continue proliferating or to be driven towards differentiation whilst under static-dynamic culture conditions for 7 days. Switching from proliferation medium to differentiation medium for 7 days, resulted in increased protein expression of skeletal muscle cell contractile apparatus components, MyoD and skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain, compared with cells cultured on conventional culture plasticware for the same duration (p < 0.001. Growth of myoblasts on the surface of the microcarriers and their migration following simulated delivery, caused no change to the proliferative capacity of cells over 7 days. Results from this study demonstrate that TIPS microspheres provide an ideal vehicle for the expansion and delivery of myoblasts for therapeutic applications. Transplantation of myoblasts anchored to a substrate, rather than in suspension, will reduce the amount of ex vivo manipulation required during preparation of the product and allows cells to be delivered in a more natural state. This will improve the ability to control cell dosage and increase the likelihood of efficacy.

  4. Function of skeletal muscle tissue formed after myoblast transplantation into irradiated mouse muscles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wernig, A; Zweyer, M; Irintchev, A

    2000-01-15

    1. Pretreatment of muscles with ionising radiation enhances tissue formation by transplanted myoblasts but little is known about the effects on muscle function. We implanted myoblasts from an expanded, male-donor-derived, culture (i28) into X-ray irradiated (16 Gy) or irradiated and damaged soleus muscles of female syngeneic mice (Balb/c). Three to 6 months later the isometric contractile properties of the muscles were studied in vitro, and donor nuclei were visualised in muscle sections with a Y chromosome-specific DNA probe. 2. Irradiated sham-injected muscles had smaller masses than untreated solei and produced less twitch and tetanic force (all by about 18 %). Injection of 106 myoblasts abolished these deficiencies and innervation appeared normal. 3. Cryodamage of irradiated solei produced muscle remnants with few (1-50) or no fibres. Additional myoblast implantation led to formation of large muscles (25 % above normal) containing numerous small-diameter fibres. Upon direct electrical stimulation, these muscles produced considerable twitch (53 % of normal) and tetanic forces (35 % of normal) but innervation was insufficient as indicated by weak nerve-evoked contractions and elevated ACh sensitivity. 4. In control experiments on irradiated muscles, reinnervation was found to be less complete after botulinum toxin paralysis than after nerve crush indicating that proliferative arrest of irradiated Schwann cells may account for the observed innervation deficits. 5. Irradiation appears to be an effective pretreatment for improving myoblast transplantation. The injected cells can even produce organised contractile tissue replacing whole muscle. However, impaired nerve regeneration limits the functional performance of the new muscle.

  5. Transdifferentiation of myoblasts into osteoblasts - possible use for bone therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Daphne P L; Carnagarin, Revathy; Dharmarajan, Arun; Dass, Crispin R

    2017-12-01

    Transdifferentiation is defined as the conversion of one cell type to another and is an ever-expanding field with a growing number of cells found to be capable of such a process. To date, the fact remains that there are limited treatment options for fracture healing, osteoporosis and bone repair post-destruction by bone tumours. Hence, this review focuses on the transdifferentiation of myoblast to osteoblast as a means to further understand the transdifferentiation process and to investigate a potential therapeutic option if successful. The potent osteoinductive effects of the bone morphogenetic protein-2 are largely implicated in the transdifferentiation of myoblast to osteoblast. Bone morphogenetic protein-2-induced activation of the Smad1 protein ultimately results in JunB synthesis, the first transcriptional step in myoblast dedifferentiation. The upregulation of the activating protein-1 binding activity triggers the transcription of the runt-related transcription factor 2 gene, a transcription factor that plays a major role in osteoblast differentiation. This potential transdifferentiation treatment may be utilised for dental implants, fracture healing, osteoporosis and bone repair post-destruction by bone tumours. © 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  6. CD36 is required for myoblast fusion during myogenic differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Seung-Yoon; Yun, Youngeun; Kim, In-San

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► CD36 expression was induced during myogenic differentiation. ► CD36 expression was localized in multinucleated myotubes. ► The expression of myogenic markers is attenuated in CD36 knockdown C2C12 cells. ► Knockdown of CD36 significantly inhibited myotube formation during differentiation. -- Abstract: Recently, CD36 has been found to be involved in the cytokine-induced fusion of macrophage. Myoblast fusion to form multinucleated myotubes is required for myogenesis and muscle regeneration. Because a search of gene expression database revealed the attenuation of CD36 expression in the muscles of muscular dystrophy patients, the possibility that CD36 could be required for myoblast fusion was investigated. CD36 expression was markedly up-regulated during myoblast differentiation and localized in multinucleated myotubes. Knockdown of endogenous CD36 significantly decreased the expression of myogenic markers as well as myotube formation. These results support the notion that CD36 plays an important role in cell fusion during myogenic differentiation. Our finding will aid the elucidation of the common mechanism governing cell-to-cell fusion in various fusion models.

  7. CD36 is required for myoblast fusion during myogenic differentiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Seung-Yoon [Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dongguk University and Medical Institute of Dongguk University, Gyeongju 780-714 (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Youngeun [Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Cell and Matrix Research Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 700-422 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, In-San, E-mail: iskim@knu.ac.kr [Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Cell and Matrix Research Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 700-422 (Korea, Republic of); Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-11-02

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CD36 expression was induced during myogenic differentiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CD36 expression was localized in multinucleated myotubes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The expression of myogenic markers is attenuated in CD36 knockdown C2C12 cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Knockdown of CD36 significantly inhibited myotube formation during differentiation. -- Abstract: Recently, CD36 has been found to be involved in the cytokine-induced fusion of macrophage. Myoblast fusion to form multinucleated myotubes is required for myogenesis and muscle regeneration. Because a search of gene expression database revealed the attenuation of CD36 expression in the muscles of muscular dystrophy patients, the possibility that CD36 could be required for myoblast fusion was investigated. CD36 expression was markedly up-regulated during myoblast differentiation and localized in multinucleated myotubes. Knockdown of endogenous CD36 significantly decreased the expression of myogenic markers as well as myotube formation. These results support the notion that CD36 plays an important role in cell fusion during myogenic differentiation. Our finding will aid the elucidation of the common mechanism governing cell-to-cell fusion in various fusion models.

  8. hHGF overexpression in myoblast sheets enhances their angiogenic potential in rat chronic heart failure.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antti Siltanen

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available After severe myocardial infarction (MI, heart failure results from ischemia, fibrosis, and remodeling. A promising therapy to enhance cardiac function and induce therapeutic angiogenesis via a paracrine mechanism in MI is myoblast sheet transplantation. We hypothesized that in a rat model of MI-induced chronic heart failure, this therapy could be further improved by overexpression of the antiapoptotic, antifibrotic, and proangiogenic hepatocyte growth factor (HGF in the myoblast sheets. We studied the ability of wild type (L6-WT and human HGF-expressing (L6-HGF L6 myoblast sheet-derived paracrine factors to stimulate cardiomyocyte, endothelial cell, or smooth muscle cell migration in culture. Further, we studied the autocrine effect of hHGF-expression on myoblast gene expression profiles by use of microarray analysis. We induced MI in Wistar rats by left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD ligation and allowed heart failure to develop for 4 weeks. Thereafter, we administered L6-WT (n = 15 or L6-HGF (n = 16 myoblast sheet therapy. Control rats (n = 13 underwent LAD ligation and rethoracotomy without therapy, and five rats underwent a sham operation in both surgeries. We evaluated cardiac function with echocardiography at 2 and 4 weeks after therapy, and analyzed cardiac angiogenesis and left ventricular architecture from histological sections at 4 weeks. Paracrine mediators from L6-HGF myoblast sheets effectively induced migration of cardiac endothelial and smooth muscle cells but not cardiomyocytes. Microarray data revealed that hHGF-expression modulated myoblast gene expression. In vivo, L6-HGF sheet therapy effectively stimulated angiogenesis in the infarcted and non-infarcted areas. Both L6-WT and L6-HGF therapies enhanced cardiac function and inhibited remodeling in a similar fashion. In conclusion, L6-HGF therapy effectively induced angiogenesis in the chronically failing heart. Cardiac function, however, was not further

  9. Ductile electroactive biodegradable hyperbranched polylactide copolymers enhancing myoblast differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Meihua; Wang, Ling; Guo, Baolin; Wang, Zhong; Chen, Y Eugene; Ma, Peter X

    2015-12-01

    Myotube formation is crucial to restoring muscular functions, and biomaterials that enhance the myoblast differentiation into myotubes are highly desirable for muscular repair. Here, we report the synthesis of electroactive, ductile, and degradable copolymers and their application in enhancing the differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes. A hyperbranched ductile polylactide (HPLA) was synthesized and then copolymerized with aniline tetramer (AT) to produce a series of electroactive, ductile and degradable copolymers (HPLAAT). The HPLA and HPLAAT showed excellent ductility with strain to failure from 158.9% to 42.7% and modulus from 265.2 to 758.2 MPa. The high electroactivity of the HPLAAT was confirmed by UV spectrometer and cyclic voltammogram measurements. These HPLAAT polymers also showed improved thermal stability and controlled biodegradation rate compared to HPLA. Importantly, when applying these polymers for myotube formation, the HPLAAT significantly improved the proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts in vitro compared to HPLA. Furthermore, these polymers greatly promoted myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells as measured by quantitative analysis of myotube number, length, diameter, maturation index, and gene expression of MyoD and TNNT. Together, our study shows that these electroactive, ductile and degradable HPLAAT copolymers represent significantly improved biomaterials for muscle tissue engineering compared to HPLA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Myoblast transplantation for heart repair: A review of the state of the field

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Howard J. Leonhardt; Michael Brown

    2006-01-01

    Over 200 humans have been treated with myoblast transplantation for heart muscle repair since June 2000. Bioheart sponsored percutaneous delivery studies began in May 2001 in Europe. Approximately one third of the patients have exhibited substantial improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of over 30% and two heart failure class improvements. Over 80% of the patients have exhibited one heart failure class improvement with moderate improvement of LVEF. Clinical trials seem to demonstrate a marked reduction in emergency hospitalizations in myoblast treated patients. Many years of careful studies have lead to randomized controlled studies that are enrolling patients now at numerous centers worldwide. A firm conclusion on the safety and efficacy of myoblast transplantation cannot be determined until these randomized studies are completed. Final results from randomized controlled studies should be available soon. (J Geriatr Cardiol 2006;3:165-7.)

  11. The use of cell-sheet technique eliminates arrhythmogenicity of skeletal myoblast-based therapy to the heart with enhanced therapeutic effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narita, Takuya; Shintani, Yasunori; Ikebe, Chiho; Kaneko, Masahiro; Harada, Narumi; Tshuma, Nomathamsanqa; Takahashi, Kunihiko; Campbell, Niall G; Coppen, Steven R; Yashiro, Kenta; Sawa, Yoshiki; Suzuki, Ken

    2013-09-20

    Clinical application of skeletal myoblast transplantation has been curtailed due to arrhythmogenicity and inconsistent therapeutic benefits observed in previous studies. However, these issues may be solved by the use of a new cell-delivery mode. It is now possible to generate "cell-sheets" using temperature-responsive dishes without artificial scaffolds. This study aimed to validate the safety and efficacy of epicardial placement of myoblast-sheets (myoblast-sheet therapy) in treating heart failure. After coronary artery ligation in rats, the same numbers of syngeneic myoblasts were transplanted by intramyocardial injection or cell-sheet placement. Continuous radio-telemetry monitoring detected increased ventricular arrhythmias, including ventricular tachycardia, after intramyocardial injection compared to the sham-control, while these were abolished in myoblast-sheet therapy. This effect was conjunct with avoidance of islet-like cell-cluster formation that disrupts electrical conduction, and with prevention of increased arrhythmogenic substrates due to exaggerated inflammation. Persistent ectopic donor cells were found in the lung only after intramyocardial injection, strengthening the improved safety of myoblast-sheet therapy. In addition, myoblast-sheet therapy enhanced cardiac function, corresponding to a 9.2-fold increase in donor cell survival, compared to intramyocardial injection. Both methods achieved reduced infarct size, decreased fibrosis, attenuated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and increased neovascular formation, in association with myocardial upregulation of a group of relevant molecules. The pattern of these beneficial changes was similar between two methods, but the degree was more substantial after myoblast-sheet therapy. The cell-sheet technique enhanced safety and therapeutic efficacy of myoblast-based therapy, compared to the current method, thereby paving the way for clinical application. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights

  12. Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Stimulate Skeletal Myoblast Proliferation through the Paracrine Release of VEGF

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chellini, Flaminia; Mazzanti, Benedetta; Nistri, Silvia; Nosi, Daniele; Saccardi, Riccardo; Quercioli, Franco; Zecchi-Orlandini, Sandra; Formigli, Lucia

    2012-01-01

    Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are the leading cell candidates in the field of regenerative medicine. These cells have also been successfully used to improve skeletal muscle repair/regeneration; however, the mechanisms responsible for their beneficial effects remain to be clarified. On this basis, in the present study, we evaluated in a co-culture system, the ability of bone-marrow MSCs to influence C2C12 myoblast behavior and analyzed the cross-talk between the two cell types at the cellular and molecular level. We found that myoblast proliferation was greatly enhanced in the co-culture as judged by time lapse videomicroscopy, cyclin A expression and EdU incorporation. Moreover, myoblasts immunomagnetically separated from MSCs after co-culture expressed higher mRNA and protein levels of Notch-1, a key determinant of myoblast activation and proliferation, as compared with the single culture. Notch-1 intracellular domain and nuclear localization of Hes-1, a Notch-1 target gene, were also increased in the co-culture. Interestingly, the myoblastic response was mainly dependent on the paracrine release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by MSCs. Indeed, the addition of MSC-derived conditioned medium (CM) to C2C12 cells yielded similar results as those observed in the co-culture and increased the phosphorylation and expression levels of VEGFR. The treatment with the selective pharmacological VEGFR inhibitor, KRN633, resulted in a marked attenuation of the receptor activation and concomitantly inhibited the effects of MSC-CM on C2C12 cell growth and Notch-1 signaling. In conclusion, this study provides novel evidence for a role of MSCs in stimulating myoblast cell proliferation and suggests that the functional interaction between the two cell types may be exploited for the development of new and more efficient cell-based skeletal muscle repair strategies. PMID:22815682

  13. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt signalling is responsible for the differential susceptibility of myoblasts and myotubes to menadione-induced oxidative stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jeong A; Woo, Joo Hong; Kim, Hye Sun

    2008-09-01

    In this study, it was found that undifferentiated myoblasts were more vulnerable to menadione-induced oxidative stress than differentiated myotubes. Cell death occurred with a relatively low concentration of menadione in myoblasts compared to myotubes. With the same concentration of menadione, the Bcl-2/Bax ratio decreased and nuclei containing condensed chromatin were observed in myoblasts to a greater extent than in myotubes. However, myotubes became increasingly susceptible to menadione when phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K) was blocked by pre-incubation with LY294002, a PI3-K inhibitor. Actually, PI3-K activity was reduced by menadione in myoblasts but not in myotubes. In addition, the phosphorylation of Akt, a downstream effector of PI3-K, was inhibited in myoblasts by menadione but increased in myotubes. Both LY294002 and API-2, an Akt inhibitor, decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in menadione-exposed myotubes. These results suggest that the differential activity of PI3-K/Akt signalling is responsible for the differential susceptibility of myoblasts and myotubes to menadione-induced oxidative stress.

  14. An integrated strategy for analyzing the unique developmental programs of different myoblast subtypes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available An important but largely unmet challenge in understanding the mechanisms that govern the formation of specific organs is to decipher the complex and dynamic genetic programs exhibited by the diversity of cell types within the tissue of interest. Here, we use an integrated genetic, genomic, and computational strategy to comprehensively determine the molecular identities of distinct myoblast subpopulations within the Drosophila embryonic mesoderm at the time that cell fates are initially specified. A compendium of gene expression profiles was generated for primary mesodermal cells purified by flow cytometry from appropriately staged wild-type embryos and from 12 genotypes in which myogenesis was selectively and predictably perturbed. A statistical meta-analysis of these pooled datasets--based on expected trends in gene expression and on the relative contribution of each genotype to the detection of known muscle genes--provisionally assigned hundreds of differentially expressed genes to particular myoblast subtypes. Whole embryo in situ hybridizations were then used to validate the majority of these predictions, thereby enabling true-positive detection rates to be estimated for the microarray data. This combined analysis reveals that myoblasts exhibit much greater gene expression heterogeneity and overall complexity than was previously appreciated. Moreover, it implicates the involvement of large numbers of uncharacterized, differentially expressed genes in myogenic specification and subsequent morphogenesis. These findings also underscore a requirement for considerable regulatory specificity for generating diverse myoblast identities. Finally, to illustrate how the developmental functions of newly identified myoblast genes can be efficiently surveyed, a rapid RNA interference assay that can be scored in living embryos was developed and applied to selected genes. This integrated strategy for examining embryonic gene expression and function provides

  15. Biomarker-free dielectrophoretic sorting of differentiating myoblast multipotent progenitor cells and their membrane analysis by Raman spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muratore, Massimo; Srsen, Vlastimil; Waterfall, Martin; Downes, Andrew; Pethig, Ronald

    2012-09-01

    Myoblasts are muscle derived mesenchymal stem cell progenitors that have great potential for use in regenerative medicine, especially for cardiomyogenesis grafts and intracardiac cell transplantation. To utilise such cells for pre-clinical and clinical applications, and especially for personalized medicine, it is essential to generate a synchronised, homogenous, population of cells that display phenotypic and genotypic homogeneity within a population of cells. We demonstrate that the biomarker-free technique of dielectrophoresis (DEP) can be used to discriminate cells between stages of differentiation in the C2C12 myoblast multipotent mouse model. Terminally differentiated myotubes were separated from C2C12 myoblasts to better than 96% purity, a result validated by flow cytometry and Western blotting. To determine the extent to which cell membrane capacitance, rather than cell size, determined the DEP response of a cell, C2C12 myoblasts were co-cultured with GFP-expressing MRC-5 fibroblasts of comparable size distributions (mean diameter ∼10 μm). A DEP sorting efficiency greater than 98% was achieved for these two cell types, a result concluded to arise from the fibroblasts possessing a larger membrane capacitance than the myoblasts. It is currently assumed that differences in membrane capacitance primarily reflect differences in the extent of folding or surface features of the membrane. However, our finding by Raman spectroscopy that the fibroblast membranes contained a smaller proportion of saturated lipids than those of the myoblasts suggests that the membrane chemistry should also be taken into account.

  16. DRAGON, a GPI-anchored membrane protein, inhibits BMP signaling in C2C12 myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanomata, Kazuhiro; Kokabu, Shoichiro; Nojima, Junya; Fukuda, Toru; Katagiri, Takenobu

    2009-06-01

    Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) induce osteoblastic differentiation of myoblasts via binding to cell surface receptors. Repulsive guidance molecules (RGMs) have been identified as BMP co-receptors. We report here that DRAGON/RGMb, a member of the RGM family, suppressed BMP signaling in C2C12 myoblasts via a novel mechanism. All RGMs were expressed in C2C12 cells that were differentiated into myocytes and osteoblastic cells, but RGMc was not detected in immature cells. In C2C12 cells, only DRAGON suppressed ALP and Id1 promoter activities induced by BMP-4 or by constitutively activated BMP type I receptors. This inhibition by DRAGON was dependent on the secretory form of the von Willbrand factor type D domain. DRAGON even suppressed BMP signaling induced by constitutively activated Smad1. Over-expression of neogenin did not alter the inhibitory capacity of DRAGON. Taken together, these findings indicate that DRAGON may be an inhibitor of BMP signaling in C2C12 myoblasts. We also suggest that a novel molecule(s) expressed on the cell membrane may mediate the signal transduction of DRAGON in order to suppress BMP signaling in C2C12 myoblasts.

  17. The Tocotrienol-Rich Fraction Is Superior to Tocopherol in Promoting Myogenic Differentiation in the Prevention of Replicative Senescence of Myoblasts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shy Cian Khor

    Full Text Available Aging results in a loss of muscle mass and strength. Myoblasts play an important role in maintaining muscle mass through regenerative processes, which are impaired during aging. Vitamin E potentially ameliorates age-related phenotypes. Hence, this study aimed to determine the effects of the tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF and α-tocopherol (ATF in protecting myoblasts from replicative senescence and promoting myogenic differentiation. Primary human myoblasts were cultured into young and senescent stages and were then treated with TRF or ATF for 24 h, followed by an analysis of cell proliferation, senescence biomarkers, cellular morphology and differentiation. Our data showed that replicative senescence impaired the normal regenerative processes of myoblasts, resulting in changes in cellular morphology, cell proliferation, senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal expression, myogenic differentiation and myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs expression. Treatment with both TRF and ATF was beneficial to senescent myoblasts in reclaiming the morphology of young cells, improved cell viability and decreased SA-β-gal expression. However, only TRF treatment increased BrdU incorporation in senescent myoblasts, as well as promoted myogenic differentiation through the modulation of MRFs at the mRNA and protein levels. MYOD1 and MYOG gene expression and myogenin protein expression were modulated in the early phases of myogenic differentiation. In conclusion, the tocotrienol-rich fraction is superior to α-tocopherol in ameliorating replicative senescence-related aberration and promoting differentiation via modulation of MRFs expression, indicating vitamin E potential in modulating replicative senescence of myoblasts.

  18. Hypomorphic Smn knockdown C2C12 myoblasts reveal intrinsic defects in myoblast fusion and myotube morphology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shafey, Dina; Cote, Patrice D.; Kothary, Rashmi

    2005-01-01

    Dosage of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein has been directly correlated with the severity of disease in patients diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It is also clear that SMA is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the degeneration of the α-motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and atrophy of the associated skeletal muscle. What is more controversial is whether it is neuronal and/or muscle-cell-autonomous defects that are responsible for the disease per se. Although motor neuron degeneration is generally accepted as the primary event in SMA, intrinsic muscle defects in this disease have not been ruled out. To gain a better understanding of the influence of SMN protein dosage in muscle, we have generated a hypomorphic series of myoblast (C2C12) stable cell lines with variable Smn knockdown. We show that depletion of Smn in these cells resulted in a decrease in the number of nuclear 'gems' (gemini of coiled bodies), reduced proliferation with no increase in cell death, defects in myoblast fusion, and malformed myotubes. Importantly, the severity of these abnormalities is directly correlated with the decrease in Smn dosage. Taken together, our work supports the view that there is an intrinsic defect in skeletal muscle cells of SMA patients and that this defect contributes to the overall pathogenesis in this devastating disease

  19. Comparison of arrhythmogenicity and proinflammatory activity induced by intramyocardial or epicardial myoblast sheet delivery in a rat model of ischemic heart failure.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tommi Pätilä

    Full Text Available Although cell therapy of the failing heart by intramyocardial injections of myoblasts to results in regenerative benefit, it has also been associated with undesired and prospectively fatal arrhythmias. We hypothesized that intramyocardial injections of myoblasts could enhance inflammatory reactivity and facilitate electrical cardiac abnormalities that can be reduced by epicardial myoblast sheet delivery. In a rat model of ischemic heart failure, myoblast therapy either by intramyocardial injections or epicardial cell sheets was given 2 weeks after occlusion of the coronary artery. Ventricular premature contractions (VPCs were assessed, using an implanted three-lead electrocardiograph at 1, 7, and 14 days after therapy, and 16-point epicardial electropotential mapping (EEPM was used to evaluate ventricular arrhythmogenicity under isoproterenol stress. Cardiac functioning was assessed by echocardiography. Both transplantation groups showed therapeutic benefit over sham therapy. However, VPCs were more frequent in the Injection group on day 1 and day 14 after therapy than in animals receiving epicardial or sham therapy (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively. EEPM under isoproterenol stress showed macroreentry at the infarct border area, leading to ventricular tachycardias in the Injection group, but not in the myoblast sheet- or sham-treated groups (p = 0.045. Both transplantation types modified the myocardial cytokine expression profile. In animals receiving epicardial myoblast therapy, selective reductions in the expressions of interferon gamma, interleukin (IL-1β and IL12 were observed, accompanied by reduced infiltration of inflammatory CD11b- and CD68-positive leukocytes, compared with animals receiving myoblasts as intramyocardial injections. Intramyocardial myoblast delivery was associated with enhanced inflammatory and immunomodulatory reactivity and increased frequency of VPCs. In comparison to intramyocardial injection, the epicardial

  20. Developmental Programming in Response to Intrauterine Growth Restriction Impairs Myoblast Function and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yates, D. T.; Macko, A. R.; Nearing, M.; Chen, X.; Rhoads, R. P.; Limesand, S. W.

    2012-01-01

    Fetal adaptations to placental insufficiency alter postnatal metabolic homeostasis in skeletal muscle by reducing glucose oxidation rates, impairing insulin action, and lowering the proportion of oxidative fibers. In animal models of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), skeletal muscle fibers have less myonuclei at birth. This means that myoblasts, the sole source for myonuclei accumulation in fibers, are compromised. Fetal hypoglycemia and hypoxemia are complications that result from placental insufficiency. Hypoxemia elevates circulating catecholamines, and chronic hypercatecholaminemia has been shown to reduce fetal muscle development and growth. We have found evidence for adaptations in adrenergic receptor expression profiles in myoblasts and skeletal muscle of IUGR sheep fetuses with placental insufficiency. The relationship of β-adrenergic receptors shifts in IUGR fetuses because Adrβ2 expression levels decline and Adrβ1 expression levels are unaffected in myofibers and increased in myoblasts. This adaptive response would suppress insulin signaling, myoblast incorporation, fiber hypertrophy, and glucose oxidation. Furthermore, this β-adrenergic receptor expression profile persists for at least the first month in IUGR lambs and lowers their fatty acid mobilization. Developmental programming of skeletal muscle adrenergic receptors partially explains metabolic and endocrine differences in IUGR offspring, and the impact on metabolism may result in differential nutrient utilization. PMID:22900186

  1. Biodistribution studies of 99mTc-labeled myoblasts in a murine model of muscular dystrophy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colombo, F.R.; Torrente, Y.; Casati, R.; Benti, R.; Corti, S.; Salani, S.; D'Angelo, M.G.; DeLiso, A.; Scarlato, G.; Bresolin, N.; Gerundini, P.

    2001-01-01

    The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to evaluate the myoblast labeling of various 99m Tc complexes and to select the complex that best accomplishes this labeling, and second to evaluate the biodistribution of myoblasts labeled with this complex using mice with MDX muscular dystrophy (the murine homologue of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy). The following ligands were used to prepare the corresponding 99m Tc complexes: hexakis-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile (MIBI), bis(2-ethoxyethyl)diphosphinoethane (Tf), (RR,SS)-4,8-diaza-3,6,6,9-tetramethyl-undecane-2,10-dione-bisoxime (HM-PAO), bis(N-ethyl)dithiocarbamate (NEt), and bis(N-ethoxy, N-ethyl)dithiocarbamate (NOEt). One million murine myoblasts were incubated for 30-60 minutes with 5 mCi of each of the 99mTc complexes prepared from the above ligands. Viability was assessed by microscopic counting after trypan blue staining, and the radioactivity absorbed in the cells was measured after centrifugation. The compound with the highest uptake in cellular pellets was [ 99m Tc]N-NOEt. The biodistribution of myoblasts labeled with this complex was evaluated after intraaortic injection in dystrophic mice. Such an approach has the potential of effecting widespread gene transfer through the bloodstream to muscles lacking dystrophin

  2. Developmental Programming in Response to Intrauterine Growth Restriction Impairs Myoblast Function and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. T. Yates

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Fetal adaptations to placental insufficiency alter postnatal metabolic homeostasis in skeletal muscle by reducing glucose oxidation rates, impairing insulin action, and lowering the proportion of oxidative fibers. In animal models of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR, skeletal muscle fibers have less myonuclei at birth. This means that myoblasts, the sole source for myonuclei accumulation in fibers, are compromised. Fetal hypoglycemia and hypoxemia are complications that result from placental insufficiency. Hypoxemia elevates circulating catecholamines, and chronic hypercatecholaminemia has been shown to reduce fetal muscle development and growth. We have found evidence for adaptations in adrenergic receptor expression profiles in myoblasts and skeletal muscle of IUGR sheep fetuses with placental insufficiency. The relationship of β-adrenergic receptors shifts in IUGR fetuses because Adrβ2 expression levels decline and Adrβ1 expression levels are unaffected in myofibers and increased in myoblasts. This adaptive response would suppress insulin signaling, myoblast incorporation, fiber hypertrophy, and glucose oxidation. Furthermore, this β-adrenergic receptor expression profile persists for at least the first month in IUGR lambs and lowers their fatty acid mobilization. Developmental programming of skeletal muscle adrenergic receptors partially explains metabolic and endocrine differences in IUGR offspring, and the impact on metabolism may result in differential nutrient utilization.

  3. Inhibition of Na+ channel currents in rat myoblasts by 4-aminopyridine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Boxun; Liu Linyun; Liao Lei; Zhang Zhihong; Mei Yanai

    2005-01-01

    Our previous study revealed that 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), a specific blocker of A-type current, could also inhibit inward Na + currents (I Na ) with a state-independent mechanism in rat cerebellar granule cells. In the present study, we report an inhibitory effect of 4-AP on voltage-gated and tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive I Na recorded from cultured rat myoblasts. 4-AP inhibited I Na amplitude in a dose-dependent manner between the concentrations of 0.5 and 10 mM without significant alteration in the activation or inactivation kinetics of the channel. By comparison to the 4-AP-induced inhibitory effect on cerebellum neurons, the inhibitory effect on myoblasts was enhanced through repetitive pulse and inflected by changing frequency. Specifically, the lower the frequency of pulse, the higher the inhibition observed, suggesting that block manner is inversely use-dependent. Moreover, experiments adding 4-AP to the intracellular solution indicate that the inhibitory effects are localized inside the cell. Additionally, 4-AP significantly modifies the properties of steady-state activation and inactivation kinetics of the channel. Our data suggest that the K + channel blocker 4-AP inhibits both neuron and myoblast Na + channels via different mechanisms. These findings may also provide information regarding 4-AP-induced pharmacological and toxicological effects in clinical use and experimental research

  4. Biodistribution studies of {sup 99m}Tc-labeled myoblasts in a murine model of muscular dystrophy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colombo, F.R. E-mail: colombof@policlinico.mi.it; Torrente, Y.; Casati, R.; Benti, R.; Corti, S.; Salani, S.; D' Angelo, M.G.; DeLiso, A.; Scarlato, G.; Bresolin, N.; Gerundini, P

    2001-11-01

    The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to evaluate the myoblast labeling of various {sup 99m}Tc complexes and to select the complex that best accomplishes this labeling, and second to evaluate the biodistribution of myoblasts labeled with this complex using mice with MDX muscular dystrophy (the murine homologue of Duchenne's muscular dystrophy). The following ligands were used to prepare the corresponding {sup 99m}Tc complexes: hexakis-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile (MIBI), bis(2-ethoxyethyl)diphosphinoethane (Tf), (RR,SS)-4,8-diaza-3,6,6,9-tetramethyl-undecane-2,10-dione-bisoxime (HM-PAO), bis(N-ethyl)dithiocarbamate (NEt), and bis(N-ethoxy, N-ethyl)dithiocarbamate (NOEt). One million murine myoblasts were incubated for 30-60 minutes with 5 mCi of each of the 99mTc complexes prepared from the above ligands. Viability was assessed by microscopic counting after trypan blue staining, and the radioactivity absorbed in the cells was measured after centrifugation. The compound with the highest uptake in cellular pellets was [{sup 99m}Tc]N-NOEt. The biodistribution of myoblasts labeled with this complex was evaluated after intraaortic injection in dystrophic mice. Such an approach has the potential of effecting widespread gene transfer through the bloodstream to muscles lacking dystrophin.

  5. Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cell Secreted IGF-1 Protects Myoblasts from the Negative Effect of Myostatin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastian Gehmert

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Myostatin, a TGF-β family member, is associated with inhibition of muscle growth and differentiation and might interact with the IGF-1 signaling pathway. Since IGF-1 is secreted at a bioactive level by adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs, these cells (ASCs provide a therapeutic option for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD. But the protective effect of stem cell secreted IGF-1 on myoblast under high level of myostatin remains unclear. In the present study murine myoblasts were exposed to myostatin under presence of ASCs conditioned medium and investigated for proliferation and apoptosis. The protective effect of IGF-1 was further examined by using IGF-1 neutralizing and receptor antibodies as well as gene silencing RNAi technology. MyoD expression was detected to identify impact of IGF-1 on myoblasts differentiation when exposed to myostatin. IGF-1 was accountable for 43.6% of the antiapoptotic impact and 48.8% for the proliferative effect of ASCs conditioned medium. Furthermore, IGF-1 restored mRNA and protein MyoD expression of myoblasts under risk. Beside fusion and transdifferentiation the beneficial effect of ASCs is mediated by paracrine secreted cytokines, particularly IGF-1. The present study underlines the potential of ASCs as a therapeutic option for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other dystrophic muscle diseases.

  6. Hes6 is required for actin cytoskeletal organization in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malone, Caroline M.P.; Domaschenz, Renae; Amagase, Yoko [MRC Cancer Cell Unit, Hutchison-MRC Research Centre, Addenbrooke' s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0XZ (United Kingdom); Dunham, Ian [EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD (United Kingdom); Murai, Kasumi [MRC Cancer Cell Unit, Hutchison-MRC Research Centre, Addenbrooke' s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0XZ (United Kingdom); Jones, Philip H., E-mail: phj20@cam.ac.uk [MRC Cancer Cell Unit, Hutchison-MRC Research Centre, Addenbrooke' s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0XZ (United Kingdom)

    2011-07-01

    Hes6 is a member of the hairy-enhancer-of-split family of transcription factors that regulate proliferating cell fate in development and is known to be expressed in developing muscle. Here we investigate its function in myogenesis in vitro. We show that Hes6 is a direct transcriptional target of the myogenic transcription factors MyoD and Myf5, indicating that it is integral to the myogenic transcriptional program. The localization of Hes6 protein changes during differentiation, becoming predominantly nuclear. Knockdown of Hes6 mRNA levels by siRNA has no effect on cell cycle exit or induction of myosin heavy chain expression in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts, but F-actin filament formation is disrupted and both cell motility and myoblast fusion are reduced. The knockdown phenotype is rescued by expression of Hes6 cDNA resistant to siRNA. These results define a novel role for Hes6 in actin cytoskeletal dynamics in post mitotic myoblasts.

  7. Hes6 is required for actin cytoskeletal organization in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malone, Caroline M.P.; Domaschenz, Renae; Amagase, Yoko; Dunham, Ian; Murai, Kasumi; Jones, Philip H.

    2011-01-01

    Hes6 is a member of the hairy-enhancer-of-split family of transcription factors that regulate proliferating cell fate in development and is known to be expressed in developing muscle. Here we investigate its function in myogenesis in vitro. We show that Hes6 is a direct transcriptional target of the myogenic transcription factors MyoD and Myf5, indicating that it is integral to the myogenic transcriptional program. The localization of Hes6 protein changes during differentiation, becoming predominantly nuclear. Knockdown of Hes6 mRNA levels by siRNA has no effect on cell cycle exit or induction of myosin heavy chain expression in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts, but F-actin filament formation is disrupted and both cell motility and myoblast fusion are reduced. The knockdown phenotype is rescued by expression of Hes6 cDNA resistant to siRNA. These results define a novel role for Hes6 in actin cytoskeletal dynamics in post mitotic myoblasts.

  8. New perspectives in the treatment of damaged myocardium using autologous skeletal myoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rigatelli, Gianluca; Rossini, Katia; Vindigni, Vincenzo; Mazzoleni, Francesco; Rigatelli, Giorgio; Carraro, Ugo

    2004-01-01

    Autologous skeletal myoblast transplantation may be used to ameliorate the healing process following myocardium infarct and, hopefully, cardiomyopathies. Despite successful animal experimentation, several issues need to be addressed in clinical settings, i.e., the impact of the delivery route, the extent of short- and long-term survival, and differentiation of the injected skeletal myoblasts. The authors offer some new hypotheses resulting from basic research, i.e., where and when to inject the myogenic cells, whatever their source, how to decrease new myofiber atrophy and improve their regeneration. Although these new hypotheses still need to be tested in humans, they may be decisive for future experimental studies and will lead to making endovascular cell implantation a more effective way to treat ischemic heart disease and failure

  9. β‐Taxilin participates in differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sakane, Hiroshi; Makiyama, Tomohiko; Nogami, Satoru; Horii, Yukimi [Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Graduate school of Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-town, Tochigi 321-0293 (Japan); Akasaki, Kenji [Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fukuyama University, Fukuyama, Hiroshima 729-0292 (Japan); Shirataki, Hiromichi, E-mail: hiro-sh@dokkyomed.ac.jp [Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Graduate school of Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-town, Tochigi 321-0293 (Japan)

    2016-07-15

    Myogenesis is required for the development of skeletal muscle. Accumulating evidence indicates that the expression of several genes are upregulated during myogenesis and these genes play pivotal roles in myogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying myogenesis is not fully understood. In this study, we found that β-taxilin, which is specifically expressed in the skeletal muscle and heart tissues, was progressively expressed during differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes, prompting us to investigate the role of β-taxilin in myogenesis. In C2C12 cells, knockdown of β-taxilin impaired the fusion of myoblasts into myotubes, and decreased the diameter of myotubes. We also found that β-taxilin interacted with dysbindin, a coiled-coil-containing protein. Knockdown of dysbindin conversely promoted the fusion of myoblasts into myotubes and increased the diameter of myotubes in C2C12 cells. Furthermore, knockdown of dysbindin attenuated the inhibitory effect of β-taxilin depletion on myotube formation of C2C12 cells. These results demonstrate that β-taxilin participates in myogenesis through suppressing the function of dysbindin to inhibit the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts into myotubes. - Highlights: • β‐Taxilin is progressively expressed during differentiation of C2C12 cell. • Knockdown of β-taxilin impaired C2C12 myotube formation. • β‐Taxilin interacted with dysbindin. • Knockdown of dysbindin promoted C2C12 myotube formation. • The function of β-taxilin in C2C12 myotube formation depends on dysbindin.

  10. Electrotransfection and lipofection show comparable efficiency for in vitro gene delivery of primary human myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mars, Tomaz; Strazisar, Marusa; Mis, Katarina; Kotnik, Nejc; Pegan, Katarina; Lojk, Jasna; Grubic, Zoran; Pavlin, Mojca

    2015-04-01

    Transfection of primary human myoblasts offers the possibility to study mechanisms that are important for muscle regeneration and gene therapy of muscle disease. Cultured human myoblasts were selected here because muscle cells still proliferate at this developmental stage, which might have several advantages in gene therapy. Gene therapy is one of the most sought-after tools in modern medicine. Its progress is, however, limited due to the lack of suitable gene transfer techniques. To obtain better insight into the transfection potential of the presently used techniques, two non-viral transfection methods--lipofection and electroporation--were compared. The parameters that can influence transfection efficiency and cell viability were systematically approached and compared. Cultured myoblasts were transfected with the pEGFP-N1 plasmid either using Lipofectamine 2000 or with electroporation. Various combinations for the preparation of the lipoplexes and the electroporation media, and for the pulsing protocols, were tested and compared. Transfection efficiency and cell viability were inversely proportional for both approaches. The appropriate ratio of Lipofectamine and plasmid DNA provides optimal conditions for lipofection, while for electroporation, RPMI medium and a pulsing protocol using eight pulses of 2 ms at E = 0.8 kV/cm proved to be the optimal combination. The transfection efficiencies for the optimal lipofection and optimal electrotransfection protocols were similar (32 vs. 32.5%, respectively). Both of these methods are effective for transfection of primary human myoblasts; however, electroporation might be advantageous for in vivo application to skeletal muscle.

  11. Gene trapping in differentiating cell lines: regulation of the lysosomal protease cathepsin B in skeletal myoblast growth and fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gogos, J A; Thompson, R; Lowry, W; Sloane, B F; Weintraub, H; Horwitz, M

    1996-08-01

    To identify genes regulated during skeletal muscle differentiation, we have infected mouse C2C12 myoblasts with retroviral gene trap vectors, containing a promoterless marker gene with a 5' splice acceptor signal. Integration of the vector adjacent to an actively transcribed gene places the marker under the transcriptional control of the endogenous gene, while the adjacent vector sequences facilitate cloning. The vector insertionally mutates the trapped locus and may also form fusion proteins with the endogenous gene product. We have screened several hundred clones, each containing a trapping vector integrated into a different endogenous gene. In agreement with previous estimates based on hybridization kinetics, we find that a large proportion of all genes expressed in myoblasts are regulated during differentiation. Many of these genes undergo unique temporal patterns of activation or repression during cell growth and myotube formation, and some show specific patterns of subcellular localization. The first gene we have identified with this strategy is the lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin B. Expression from the trapped allele is upregulated during early myoblast fusion and downregulated in myotubes. A direct role for cathepsin B in myoblast growth and fusion is suggested by the observation that the trapped cells deficient in cathepsin B activity have an unusual morphology and reduced survival in low-serum media and undergo differentiation with impaired cellular fusion. The phenotype is reproduced by antisense cathepsin B expression in parental C2C12 myoblasts. The cellular phenotype is similar to that observed in cultured myoblasts from patients with I cell disease, in which there is diminished accumulation of lysosomal enzymes. This suggests that a specific deficiency of cathepsin B could contribute to the myopathic component of this illness.

  12. Concordant but Varied Phenotypes among Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patient-Specific Myoblasts Derived using a Human iPSC-Based Model

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    In Young Choi

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD remains an intractable genetic disease. Althogh there are several animal models of DMD, there is no human cell model that carries patient-specific DYSTROPHIN mutations. Here, we present a human DMD model using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs. Our model reveals concordant disease-related phenotypes with patient-dependent variation, which are partially reversed by genetic and pharmacological approaches. Our “chemical-compound-based” strategy successfully directs hiPSCs into expandable myoblasts, which exhibit a myogenic transcriptional program, forming striated contractile myofibers and participating in muscle regeneration in vivo. DMD-hiPSC-derived myoblasts show disease-related phenotypes with patient-to-patient variability, including aberrant expression of inflammation or immune-response genes and collagens, increased BMP/TGFβ signaling, and reduced fusion competence. Furthermore, by genetic correction and pharmacological “dual-SMAD” inhibition, the DMD-hiPSC-derived myoblasts and genetically corrected isogenic myoblasts form “rescued” multi-nucleated myotubes. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate the feasibility of establishing a human “DMD-in-a-dish” model using hiPSC-based disease modeling.

  13. PKC-Mediated ZYG1 Phosphorylation Induces Fusion of Myoblasts as well as of Dictyostelium Cells

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    Aiko Amagai

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We have previously demonstrated that a novel protein ZYG1 induces sexual cell fusion (zygote formation of Dictyostelium cells. In the process of cell fusion, involvements of signal transduction pathways via Ca2+ and PKC (protein kinase C have been suggested because zygote formation is greatly enhanced by PKC activators. In fact, there are several deduced sites phosphorylated by PKC in ZYG1 protein. Thereupon, we designed the present work to examine whether or not ZYG1 is actually phosphorylated by PKC and localized at the regions of cell-cell contacts where cell fusion occurs. These were ascertained, suggesting that ZYG1 might be the target protein for PKC. A humanized version of zyg1 cDNA (mzyg1 was introduced into myoblasts to know if ZYG1 is also effective in cell fusion of myoblasts. Quite interestingly, enforced expression of ZYG1 in myoblasts was found to induce markedly their cell fusion, thus strongly suggesting the existence of a common signaling pathway for cell fusion beyond the difference of species.

  14. Hypoxia induces adipogenic differentitation of myoblastic cell lines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Itoigawa, Yoshiaki [Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai (Japan); Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Kishimoto, Koshi N., E-mail: kishimoto@med.tohoku.ac.jp [Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai (Japan); Okuno, Hiroshi; Sano, Hirotaka [Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai (Japan); Kaneko, Kazuo [Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Itoi, Eiji [Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai (Japan)

    2010-09-03

    Research highlights: {yields} C2C12 and G8 myogenic cell lines treated by hypoxia differentiate into adipocytes. {yields} The expression of C/EBP{beta}, {alpha} and PPAR{gamma} were increased under hypoxia. {yields} Myogenic differentiation of C2C12 was inhibited under hypoxia. -- Abstract: Muscle atrophy usually accompanies fat accumulation in the muscle. In such atrophic conditions as back muscles of kyphotic spine and the rotator cuff muscles with torn tendons, blood flow might be diminished. It is known that hypoxia causes trans-differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow into adipocytes. However, it has not been elucidated yet if hypoxia turned myoblasts into adipocytes. We investigated adipogenesis in C2C12 and G8 murine myogenic cell line treated by hypoxia. Cells were also treated with the cocktail of insulin, dexamethasone and IBMX (MDI), which has been known to inhibit Wnt signaling and promote adipogenesis. Adipogenic differentiation was seen in both hypoxia and MDI. Adipogenic marker gene expression was assessed in C2C12. CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) {beta}, {alpha} and peroxisome proliferator activating receptor (PPAR) {gamma} were increased by both hypoxia and MDI. The expression profile of Wnt10b was different between hypoxia and MDI. The mechanism for adipogenesis of myoblasts in hypoxia might be regulated by different mechanism than the modification of Wnt signaling.

  15. Concordant but Varied Phenotypes among Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patient-Specific Myoblasts Derived using a Human iPSC-Based Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, In Young; Lim, HoTae; Estrellas, Kenneth; Mula, Jyothi; Cohen, Tatiana V; Zhang, Yuanfan; Donnelly, Christopher J; Richard, Jean-Philippe; Kim, Yong Jun; Kim, Hyesoo; Kazuki, Yasuhiro; Oshimura, Mitsuo; Li, Hongmei Lisa; Hotta, Akitsu; Rothstein, Jeffrey; Maragakis, Nicholas; Wagner, Kathryn R; Lee, Gabsang

    2016-06-07

    Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) remains an intractable genetic disease. Althogh there are several animal models of DMD, there is no human cell model that carries patient-specific DYSTROPHIN mutations. Here, we present a human DMD model using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Our model reveals concordant disease-related phenotypes with patient-dependent variation, which are partially reversed by genetic and pharmacological approaches. Our "chemical-compound-based" strategy successfully directs hiPSCs into expandable myoblasts, which exhibit a myogenic transcriptional program, forming striated contractile myofibers and participating in muscle regeneration in vivo. DMD-hiPSC-derived myoblasts show disease-related phenotypes with patient-to-patient variability, including aberrant expression of inflammation or immune-response genes and collagens, increased BMP/TGFβ signaling, and reduced fusion competence. Furthermore, by genetic correction and pharmacological "dual-SMAD" inhibition, the DMD-hiPSC-derived myoblasts and genetically corrected isogenic myoblasts form "rescued" multi-nucleated myotubes. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate the feasibility of establishing a human "DMD-in-a-dish" model using hiPSC-based disease modeling. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Injectable scaffold materials differ in their cell instructive effects on primary human myoblasts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hejbøl, Eva Kildall; Sellathurai, Jeeva; Nair, Prabha Damodaran

    2017-01-01

    Scaffolds are materials used for delivery of cells for regeneration of tissues. They support three-dimensional organization and improve cell survival. For the repair of small skeletal muscles, injections of small volumes of cells are attractive, and injectable scaffolds for delivery of cells offer...... a minimally invasive technique. In this study, we examined in vitro the cell instructive effects of three types of injectable scaffolds, fibrin, alginate, and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-based microparticles on primary human myoblasts. The myoblast morphology and progression in the myogenic program differed......, depending on the type of scaffold material. In alginate gel, the cells obtained a round morphology, they ceased to proliferate, and entered quiescence. In the fibrin gels, differentiation was promoted, and myotubes were observed within a few days in culture, while poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid...

  17. Creation of Dystrophin Expressing Chimeric Cells of Myoblast Origin as a Novel Stem Cell Based Therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siemionow, M; Cwykiel, J; Heydemann, A; Garcia-Martinez, J; Siemionow, K; Szilagyi, E

    2018-04-01

    Over the past decade different stem cell (SC) based approaches were tested to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a lethal X-linked disorder caused by mutations in dystrophin gene. Despite research efforts, there is no curative therapy for DMD. Allogeneic SC therapies aim to restore dystrophin in the affected muscles; however, they are challenged by rejection and limited engraftment. Thus, there is a need to develop new more efficacious SC therapies. Chimeric Cells (CC), created via ex vivo fusion of donor and recipient cells, represent a promising therapeutic option for tissue regeneration and Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) due to tolerogenic properties that eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppression. This proof of concept study tested feasibility of myoblast fusion for Dystrophin Expressing. Chimeric Cell (DEC) therapy through in vitro characterization and in vivo assessment of engraftment, survival, and efficacy in the mdx mouse model of DMD. Murine DEC were created via ex vivo fusion of normal (snj) and dystrophin-deficient (mdx) myoblasts using polyethylene glycol. Efficacy of myoblast fusion was confirmed by flow cytometry and dystrophin immunostaining, while proliferative and myogenic differentiation capacity of DEC were assessed in vitro. Therapeutic effect after DEC transplant (0.5 × 10 6 ) into the gastrocnemius muscle (GM) of mdx mice was assessed by muscle functional tests. At 30 days post-transplant dystrophin expression in GM of injected mdx mice increased to 37.27 ± 12.1% and correlated with improvement of muscle strength and function. Our study confirmed feasibility and efficacy of DEC therapy and represents a novel SC based approach for treatment of muscular dystrophies.

  18. Black ginseng activates Akt signaling, thereby enhancing myoblast differentiation and myotube growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo-Yeon Lee

    2018-01-01

    Conclusion: BG enhances myoblast differentiation and myotube hypertrophy by activating Akt/mTOR/p70S6k axis. Thus, our study demonstrates that BG has promising potential to treat or prevent muscle loss related to aging or other pathological conditions, such as diabetes.

  19. Six1 induces protein synthesis signaling expression in duck myoblasts mainly via up-regulation of mTOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haohan Wang

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract As a critical transcription factor, Six1 plays an important role in the regulation of myogenesis and muscle development. However, little is known about its regulatory mechanism associated with muscular protein synthesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of overexpression ofSix1 on the expression of key protein metabolism-related genes in duck myoblasts. Through an experimental model where duck myoblasts were transfected with a pEGFP-duSix1 construct, we found that overexpression of duckSix1 could enhance cell proliferation activity and increase mRNA expression levels of key genes involved in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, while the expression of FOXO1, MuRF1and MAFbx was not significantly altered, indicating thatSix1 could promote protein synthesis in myoblasts through up-regulating the expression of several related genes. Additionally, in duck myoblasts treated with LY294002 and rapamycin, the specific inhibitors ofPI3K and mTOR, respectively, the overexpression of Six1 could significantly ameliorate inhibitive effects of these inhibitors on protein synthesis. Especially, the mRNA expression levels of mTOR and S6K1 were observed to undergo a visible change, and a significant increase in protein expression of S6K1 was seen. These data suggested that Six1plays an important role in protein synthesis, which may be mainly due to activation of the mTOR signaling pathway.

  20. Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Secreted Sphingosine 1-Phosphate (S1P) Exerts a Stimulatory Effect on Skeletal Myoblast Proliferation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tani, Alessia; Anderloni, Giulia; Pierucci, Federica; Matteini, Francesca; Chellini, Flaminia; Zecchi Orlandini, Sandra; Meacci, Elisabetta

    2014-01-01

    Bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have the potential to significantly contribute to skeletal muscle healing through the secretion of paracrine factors that support proliferation and enhance participation of the endogenous muscle stem cells in the process of repair/regeneration. However, MSC-derived trophic molecules have been poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate paracrine signaling effects of MSCs on skeletal myoblasts. It was found, using a biochemical and morphological approach that sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a natural bioactive lipid exerting a broad range of muscle cell responses, is secreted by MSCs and represents an important factor by which these cells exert their stimulatory effects on C2C12 myoblast and satellite cell proliferation. Indeed, exposure to conditioned medium obtained from MSCs cultured in the presence of the selective sphingosine kinase inhibitor (iSK), blocked increased cell proliferation caused by the conditioned medium from untreated MSCs, and the addition of exogenous S1P in the conditioned medium from MSCs pre-treated with iSK further increased myoblast proliferation. Finally, we also demonstrated that the myoblast response to MSC-secreted vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) involves the release of S1P from C2C12 cells. Our data may have important implications in the optimization of cell-based strategies to promote skeletal muscle regeneration. PMID:25264785

  1. Actin-associated protein palladin is required for migration behavior and differentiation potential of C2C12 myoblast cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Ngoc Uyen Nhi; Liang, Vincent Roderick; Wang, Hao-Ven, E-mail: hvwang@mail.ncku.edu.tw

    2014-09-26

    Highlights: • Palladin is involved in myogenesis in vitro. • Palladin knockdown by siRNA increases myoblast proliferation, viability and differentiation. • Palladin knockdown decreases C2C12 myoblast migration ability. - Abstract: The actin-associated protein palladin has been shown to be involved in differentiation processes in non-muscle tissues. However, but its function in skeletal muscle has rarely been studied. Palladin plays important roles in the regulation of diverse actin-related signaling in a number of cell types. Since intact actin-cytoskeletal remodeling is necessary for myogenesis, in the present study, we pursue to investigate the role of actin-associated palladin in skeletal muscle differentiation. Palladin in C2C12 myoblasts is knocked-down using specific small interfering RNA (siRNA). The results show that down-regulation of palladin decreased migratory activity of mouse skeletal muscle C2C12 myoblasts. Furthermore, the depletion of palladin enhances C2C12 vitality and proliferation. Of note, the loss of palladin promotes C2C12 to express the myosin heavy chain, suggesting that palladin has a role in the modulation of C2C12 differentiation. It is thus proposed that palladin is required for normal C2C12 myogenesis in vitro.

  2. Actin-associated protein palladin is required for migration behavior and differentiation potential of C2C12 myoblast cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, Ngoc Uyen Nhi; Liang, Vincent Roderick; Wang, Hao-Ven

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Palladin is involved in myogenesis in vitro. • Palladin knockdown by siRNA increases myoblast proliferation, viability and differentiation. • Palladin knockdown decreases C2C12 myoblast migration ability. - Abstract: The actin-associated protein palladin has been shown to be involved in differentiation processes in non-muscle tissues. However, but its function in skeletal muscle has rarely been studied. Palladin plays important roles in the regulation of diverse actin-related signaling in a number of cell types. Since intact actin-cytoskeletal remodeling is necessary for myogenesis, in the present study, we pursue to investigate the role of actin-associated palladin in skeletal muscle differentiation. Palladin in C2C12 myoblasts is knocked-down using specific small interfering RNA (siRNA). The results show that down-regulation of palladin decreased migratory activity of mouse skeletal muscle C2C12 myoblasts. Furthermore, the depletion of palladin enhances C2C12 vitality and proliferation. Of note, the loss of palladin promotes C2C12 to express the myosin heavy chain, suggesting that palladin has a role in the modulation of C2C12 differentiation. It is thus proposed that palladin is required for normal C2C12 myogenesis in vitro

  3. Mast cell tryptase stimulates myoblast proliferation; a mechanism relying on protease-activated receptor-2 and cyclooxygenase-2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Côté Claude H

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mast cells contribute to tissue repair in fibrous tissues by stimulating proliferation of fibroblasts through the release of tryptase which activates protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2. The possibility that a tryptase/PAR-2 signaling pathway exists in skeletal muscle cell has never been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether tryptase can stimulate myoblast proliferation and determine the downstream cascade. Methods Proliferation of L6 rat skeletal myoblasts stimulated with PAR-2 agonists (tryptase, trypsin and SLIGKV was assessed. The specificity of the tryptase effect was evaluated with a specific inhibitor, APC-366. Western blot analyses were used to evaluate the expression and functionality of PAR-2 receptor and to assess the expression of COX-2. COX-2 activity was evaluated with a commercial activity assay kit and by measurement of PGF2α production. Proliferation assays were also performed in presence of different prostaglandins (PGs. Results Tryptase increased L6 myoblast proliferation by 35% above control group and this effect was completely inhibited by APC-366. We confirmed the expression of PAR-2 receptor in vivo in skeletal muscle cells and in satellite cells and in vitro in L6 cells, where PAR-2 was found to be functional. Trypsin and SLIGKV increased L6 cells proliferation by 76% and 26% above control, respectively. COX-2 activity was increased following stimulation with PAR-2 agonist but its expression remained unchanged. Inhibition of COX-2 activity by NS-398 abolished the stimulation of cell proliferation induced by tryptase and trypsin. Finally, 15-deoxy-Δ-12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15Δ-PGJ2, a product of COX-2-derived prostaglandin D2, stimulated myoblast proliferation, but not PGE2 and PGF2α. Conclusions Taken together, our data show that tryptase can stimulate myoblast proliferation and this effect is part of a signaling cascade dependent on PAR-2 activation and on the downstream

  4. Mitophagy is required for mitochondrial biogenesis and myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sin, Jon; Andres, Allen M; Taylor, David J R; Weston, Thomas; Hiraumi, Yoshimi; Stotland, Aleksandr; Kim, Brandon J; Huang, Chengqun; Doran, Kelly S; Gottlieb, Roberta A

    2016-01-01

    Myogenesis is a crucial process governing skeletal muscle development and homeostasis. Differentiation of primitive myoblasts into mature myotubes requires a metabolic switch to support the increased energetic demand of contractile muscle. Skeletal myoblasts specifically shift from a highly glycolytic state to relying predominantly on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) upon differentiation. We have found that this phenomenon requires dramatic remodeling of the mitochondrial network involving both mitochondrial clearance and biogenesis. During early myogenic differentiation, autophagy is robustly upregulated and this coincides with DNM1L/DRP1 (dynamin 1-like)-mediated fragmentation and subsequent removal of mitochondria via SQSTM1 (sequestosome 1)-mediated mitophagy. Mitochondria are then repopulated via PPARGC1A/PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, coactivator 1 alpha)-mediated biogenesis. Mitochondrial fusion protein OPA1 (optic atrophy 1 [autosomal dominant]) is then briskly upregulated, resulting in the reformation of mitochondrial networks. The final product is a myotube replete with new mitochondria. Respirometry reveals that the constituents of these newly established mitochondrial networks are better primed for OXPHOS and are more tightly coupled than those in myoblasts. Additionally, we have found that suppressing autophagy with various inhibitors during differentiation interferes with myogenic differentiation. Together these data highlight the integral role of autophagy and mitophagy in myogenic differentiation.

  5. Effects of creatine and its analog, β-guanidinopropionic acid, on the differentiation of and nucleoli in myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohira, Yoshinobu; Matsuoka, Yoshikazu; Kawano, Fuminori; Ogura, Akihiko; Higo, Yoko; Ohira, Takashi; Terada, Masahiro; Oke, Yoshihiko; Nakai, Naoya

    2011-01-01

    The effects of supplementation with creatine (Cr) and its analog, β-guanidinopropionic acid (β-GPA), on the differentiation of myoblasts and the numbers of nucleoli were studied in C2C12 cells. The cells were cultured in differentiation medium for 4 d. Then Cr (1 mM) or β-GPA (1 mM) was added to the cells, and the mixture was cultured for an additional 2 d. Although the number of myotubes was not different among the groups, myotube diameters and nuclear numbers in myotubes were increased by Cr and β-GPA treatment respectively. The expression of differentiation marker proteins, myogenin, and the myosine heavy chain, was increased in the β-GPA group. Supplementation with β-GPA also increased the percentage of p21 (inhibitor for cell cycle progression)-positive myoblasts. Supplementation with Cr inhibited the decrease in nucleoli numbers, whereas β-GPA increased nucleolar sizes in the myotubes. These results suggest that β-GPA supplementation stimulated the differentiation of myoblasts into multi-nucleated myotubes through induction of p21 expression.

  6. Biphasic regulation of intracellular calcium by gemfibrozil contributes to inhibiting L6 myoblast differentiation: implications for clinical myotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Aiming; Yang, Julin; Gonzalez, Frank J; Cheng, Gary Q; Dai, Renke

    2011-02-18

    Gemfibrozil is the most myotoxic fibrate drug commonly used for dyslipidemia, but the mechanism is poorly understood. The current study revealed that gemfibrozil inhibits myoblast differentiation through the regulation of intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)]i) as revealed in L6 myoblasts by use of laser scan confocal microscopy and flow cytometry using Fluo-4 AM as a probe. Gemfibrozil at 20-400 μM, could regulate [Ca(2+)]i in L6 cells in a biphasic manner, and sustained reduction was observed when the concentration reached 200 μM. Inhibition of L6 differentiation by gemfibrozil was concentration-dependent with maximal effect noted between 200 and 400 μM, as indicated by creatine kinase activities and the differentiation index, respectively. In differentiating L6 myoblasts, gemfibrozil at concentrations below 400 μM led to no significant signs of apoptosis or cytotoxicity, whereas differentiation, inhibited by 200 μM gemfibrozil, was only partially recovered. A good correlation was noted between gemfibrozil concentrations that regulate [Ca(2+)]i and inhibit L6 myoblasts differentiation, and both are within the range of total serum concentrations found in the clinic. These data suggest a potential pharmacodynamic effect of gemfibrozil on myogenesis as a warning sign, in addition to the complex pharmacokinetic interactions. It is also noteworthy that mobilization of [Ca(2+)]i by gemfibrozil may trigger complex biological responses besides myocyte differentiation. Information revealed in this study explores the mechanism of gemfibrozil-induced myotoxicity through the regulation of intracellular calcium.

  7. MiRNA-199a-3p Regulates C2C12 Myoblast Differentiation through IGF-1/AKT/mTOR Signal Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Long Jia

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available MicroRNAs constitute a class of ~22-nucleotide non-coding RNAs. They modulate gene expression by associating with the 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs of messenger RNAs (mRNAs. Although multiple miRNAs are known to be regulated during myoblast differentiation, their individual roles in muscle development are still not fully understood. In this study, we showed that miR-199a-3p was highly expressed in skeletal muscle and was induced during C2C12 myoblasts differentiation. We also identified and confirmed several genes of the IGF-1/AKT/mTOR signal pathway, including IGF-1, mTOR, and RPS6KA6, as important cellular targets of miR-199a-3p in myoblasts. Overexpression of miR-199a-3p partially blocked C2C12 myoblast differentiation and the activation of AKT/mTOR signal pathway, while interference of miR-199a-3p by antisense oligonucleotides promoted C2C12 differentiation and myotube hypertrophy. Thus, our studies have established miR-199a-3p as a potential regulator of myogenesis through the suppression of IGF-1/AKT/mTOR signal pathway.

  8. Isolation and Characterization of Human Myoblast Culture In Vitro for Technologies of Cell and Gene Therapy of Skeletal Muscle Pathologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabakov, V Yu; Zinov'eva, O E; Voskresenskaya, O N; Skoblov, M Yu

    2018-03-01

    We analyzed cultures of 5 independent myoblast lines from human skeletal muscles. It was shown that the content of desmin-positive cells in cultures at early passages exceeds 90%. Typical morphofunctional signs of myogenic differentiation disturbances were identified and their dynamics was studied. Signs of alternative adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of cells were revealed. Based on these data, limitations for the use of myoblast cultures of certain passages for biomedical research and cell therapy were evaluated.

  9. Patterning Muscles Using Organizers: Larval Muscle Templates and Adult Myoblasts Actively Interact to Pattern the Dorsal Longitudinal Flight Muscles of Drosophila

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Sudipto; VijayRaghavan, K.

    1998-01-01

    Pattern formation in muscle development is often mediated by special cells called muscle organizers. During metamorphosis in Drosophila, a set of larval muscles function as organizers and provide scaffolding for the development of the dorsal longitudinal flight muscles. These organizers undergo defined morphological changes and dramatically split into templates as adult fibers differentiate during pupation. We have investigated the cellular mechanisms involved in the use of larval fibers as templates. Using molecular markers that label myoblasts and the larval muscles themselves, we show that splitting of the larval muscles is concomitant with invasion by imaginal myoblasts and the onset of differentiation. We show that the Erect wing protein, an early marker of muscle differentiation, is not only expressed in myoblasts just before and after fusion, but also in remnant larval nuclei during muscle differentiation. We also show that interaction between imaginal myoblasts and larval muscles is necessary for transformation of the larval fibers. In the absence of imaginal myoblasts, the earliest steps in metamorphosis, such as the escape of larval muscles from histolysis and changes in their innervation, are normal. However, subsequent events, such as the splitting of these muscles, fail to progress. Finally, we show that in a mutant combination, null for Erect wing function in the mesoderm, the splitting of the larval muscles is aborted. These studies provide a genetic and molecular handle for the understanding of mechanisms underlying the use of muscle organizers in muscle patterning. Since the use of such organizers is a common theme in myogenesis in several organisms, it is likely that many of the processes that we describe are conserved. PMID:9606206

  10. α-linolenic acid reduces TNF-induced apoptosis in C2C12 myoblasts by regulating expression of apoptotic proteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felicia Carotenuto

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Impaired regeneration and consequent muscle wasting is a major feature of muscle degenerative diseases. Nutritional interventions as adjuvant strategy for preventing such conditions are recently gaining increasing attention. Ingestion of n3-polyunsaturated fatty acids has been suggested to have a positive impact on muscle diseases. We recently demonstrated that the dietary n3-fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, exerts potent beneficial effects in preserving skeletal muscle regeneration in models of muscle dystrophy. To better elucidate the underlying mechanism we investigate here on the expression level of the anti- and pro-apototic proteins, as well as caspase-3 activity, in C2C12 myoblasts challenged with pathological levels of TNF. The results demonstrated that ALA protective effect on C2C12 myoblasts was associated to an increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Indeed, the effect of ALA was directed to rescue Bcl-2 expression and decrease Bax expression both affected in an opposite way by TNF treatment. This effect was associated with a decrease in caspase-3 activity by ALA. TNF is a major pro-inflammatory cytokine that is expressed in damaged skeletal muscle, therefore, counteract inflammatory signals in the muscle microenvironment represents a critical strategy to ameliorate skeletal muscle pathologies

  11. Lipopolysaccharide inhibits myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts through the Toll-like receptor 4-nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and myoblast-derived tumor necrosis factor-α.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuko Ono

    Full Text Available Circulating lipopolysaccharide (LPS concentrations are often elevated in patients with sepsis or with various endogenous diseases that are associated with metabolic endotoxemia. Involuntary loss of skeletal muscle, termed muscle wasting, is commonly observed in these conditions, suggesting that circulating LPS might play an essential role in its development. Although impairment of muscle regeneration is an important determinant of skeletal muscle wasting, it is unclear whether LPS affects this process and, if so, by what mechanism. Here, we used the C2C12 myoblast cell line to investigate the effects of LPS on myogenesis.C2C12 myoblasts were grown to 80% confluence and induced to differentiate in the absence or presence of LPS (0.1 or 1 μg/mL; TAK-242 (1 μM, a specific inhibitor of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4 signaling; and a tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α neutralizing antibody (5 μg/mL. Expression of a skeletal muscle differentiation marker (myosin heavy chain II, two essential myogenic regulatory factors (myogenin and MyoD, and a muscle negative regulatory factor (myostatin was analyzed by western blotting. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB DNA-binding activity was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.LPS dose-dependently and significantly decreased the formation of multinucleated myotubes and the expression of myosin heavy chain II, myogenin, and MyoD, and increased NF-κB DNA-binding activity and myostatin expression. The inhibitory effect of LPS on myogenic differentiation was reversible, suggesting that it was not caused by nonspecific toxicity. Both TAK-242 and anti-TNF-α reduced the LPS-induced increase in NF-κB DNA-binding activity, downregulation of myogenic regulatory factors, and upregulation of myostatin, thereby partially rescuing the impairment of myogenesis.Our data suggest that LPS inhibits myogenic differentiation via a TLR4-NF-κB-dependent pathway and an autocrine/paracrine TNF-α-induced pathway. These pathways

  12. Analysis of Mitochondrial Network Morphology in Cultured Myoblasts from Patients with Mitochondrial Disorders

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Sládková, J.; Spáčilová, J.; Čapek, Martin; Tesařová, M.; Hansíková, H.; Honzík, T.; Martínek, J.; Zámečník, J.; Kostková, O.; Zeman, J.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 39, č. 5 (2015), s. 340-350 ISSN 0191-3123 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GB14-36804G; GA MŠk(CZ) LH13028 Institutional support: RVO:67985823 Keywords : cristae * Fiji * image analysis * mitochondrial disorders * myoblasts * ultrastructure Subject RIV: EA - Cell Biology Impact factor: 0.828, year: 2015

  13. MicroRNA-128 targets myostatin at coding domain sequence to regulate myoblasts in skeletal muscle development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Lei; Zhou, Bo; Li, Pinghua; Schinckel, Allan P; Liang, Tingting; Wang, Han; Li, Huizhi; Fu, Lingling; Chu, Qingpo; Huang, Ruihua

    2015-09-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) play a critical role in skeletal muscle development. In a previous study we observed that miR-128 was highly expressed in skeletal muscle. However, its function in regulating skeletal muscle development is not clear. Our hypothesis was that miR-128 is involved in the regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of skeletal myoblasts. In this study, through bioinformatics analyses, we demonstrate that miR-128 specifically targeted mRNA of myostatin (MSTN), a critical inhibitor of skeletal myogenesis, at coding domain sequence (CDS) region, resulting in down-regulating of myostatin post-transcription. Overexpression of miR-128 inhibited proliferation of mouse C2C12 myoblast cells but promoted myotube formation; whereas knockdown of miR-128 had completely opposite effects. In addition, ectopic miR-128 regulated the expression of myogenic factor 5 (Myf5), myogenin (MyoG), paired box (Pax) 3 and 7. Furthermore, an inverse relationship was found between the expression of miR-128 and MSTN protein expression in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, these results reveal that there is a novel pathway in skeletal muscle development in which miR-128 regulates myostatin at CDS region to inhibit proliferation but promote differentiation of myoblast cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Improvement of maternal vitamin D status with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol positively impacts porcine fetal skeletal muscle development and myoblast activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hines, E A; Coffey, J D; Starkey, C W; Chung, T K; Starkey, J D

    2013-09-01

    There is little information available regarding the influence of maternal vitamin D status on fetal skeletal muscle development. Therefore, we investigated the effect of improved vitamin D status resulting from 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25OHD3) supplementation of dams on fetal skeletal muscle developmental characteristics and myoblast activity using Camborough 22 gilts (n = 40) randomly assigned to 1 of 2 corn-soybean meal-based diets. The control diet (CTL) contained 2,500 IU cholecalciferol (D3)/kg diet, whereas the experimental diet contained 500 IU D3/kg diet plus 50 µg 25OHD3/kg diet. Gilts were fed 2.7 kg of their assigned diet once daily beginning 43 d before breeding through d 90 of gestation. On gestational d 90 (± 1), fetal LM and semitendinosus muscle samples were collected for analysis of developmental characteristics and myoblast activity, respectively. No treatment difference was observed in fetal LM cross-sectional area (P = 0.25). Fetuses from 25OHD3-supplemented gilts had more LM fibers (P = 0.04) that tended to be smaller in cross-sectional area compared with CTL fetuses (P = 0.11). A numerical increase in the total number of Pax7+ myoblasts was also observed in fetuses from 25OHD3-supplemented gilts (P = 0.12). Myoblasts derived from the muscles of fetuses from 25OHD3-fed dams displayed an extended proliferative phase in culture compared with those from fetuses of dams fed only D3 (P importance of maternal vitamin D status on the development of fetal skeletal muscle.

  15. Ionizing radiation increases primary cilia incidence and induces multiciliation in C2C12 myoblasts

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Filipová, A.; Diaz-Garcia, D.; Bezrouk, A.; Čížková, D.; Havelek, R.; Vávrová, J.; Dayanithi, Govindan; Řezáčová, M.

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 39, č. 8 (2015), s. 943-953 ISSN 1065-6995 Institutional support: RVO:68378041 Keywords : cell line * ionizing radiation * multiple cilia * myoblast * primary cilium * serum starvation stress Subject RIV: FP - Other Medical Disciplines Impact factor: 1.663, year: 2015

  16. Differentiation-Associated Downregulation of Poly(ADP-Ribose Polymerase-1 Expression in Myoblasts Serves to Increase Their Resistance to Oxidative Stress.

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    Gábor Oláh

    Full Text Available Poly(ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP-1, the major isoform of the poly (ADP-ribose polymerase family, is a constitutive nuclear and mitochondrial protein with well-recognized roles in various essential cellular functions such as DNA repair, signal transduction, apoptosis, as well as in a variety of pathophysiological conditions including sepsis, diabetes and cancer. Activation of PARP-1 in response to oxidative stress catalyzes the covalent attachment of the poly (ADP-ribose (PAR groups on itself and other acceptor proteins, utilizing NAD+ as a substrate. Overactivation of PARP-1 depletes intracellular NAD+ influencing mitochondrial electron transport, cellular ATP generation and, if persistent, can result in necrotic cell death. Due to their high metabolic activity, skeletal muscle cells are particularly exposed to constant oxidative stress insults. In this study, we investigated the role of PARP-1 in a well-defined model of murine skeletal muscle differentiation (C2C12 and compare the responses to oxidative stress of undifferentiated myoblasts and differentiated myotubes. We observed a marked reduction of PARP-1 expression as myoblasts differentiated into myotubes. This alteration correlated with an increased resistance to oxidative stress of the myotubes, as measured by MTT and LDH assays. Mitochondrial function, assessed by measuring mitochondrial membrane potential, was preserved under oxidative stress in myotubes compared to myoblasts. Moreover, basal respiration, ATP synthesis, and the maximal respiratory capacity of mitochondria were higher in myotubes than in myoblasts. Inhibition of the catalytic activity of PARP-1 by PJ34 (a phenanthridinone PARP inhibitor exerted greater protective effects in undifferentiated myoblasts than in differentiated myotubes. The above observations in C2C12 cells were also confirmed in a rat-derived skeletal muscle cell line (L6. Forced overexpression of PARP1 in C2C12 myotubes sensitized the cells to oxidant

  17. The Use of Platelet-Rich and Platelet-Poor Plasma to Enhance Differentiation of Skeletal Myoblasts: Implications for the Use of Autologous Blood Products for Muscle Regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miroshnychenko, Olga; Chang, Wen-Teh; Dragoo, Jason L

    2017-03-01

    Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used to augment tissue repair and regeneration after musculoskeletal injury. However, there is increasing clinical evidence that PRP does not show a consistent clinical effect. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study aimed to compare the effects of the following non-neutrophil-containing (leukocyte-poor) plasma fractions on human skeletal muscle myoblast (HSMM) differentiation: (1) PRP, (2) modified PRP (Mod-PRP), in which transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and myostatin (MSTN) were depleted, and (3) platelet-poor plasma (PPP). The hypothesis was that leukocyte-poor PRP would lead to myoblast proliferation (not differentiation), whereas certain modifications of PRP preparations would increase myoblast differentiation, which is necessary for skeletal muscle regeneration. Controlled laboratory study. Blood from 7 human donors was individually processed to simultaneously create leukocyte-poor fractions: PRP, Mod-PRP, PPP, and secondarily spun PRP and Mod-PRP (PRP ss and Mod-PRP ss , respectively). Mod-PRP was produced by removing TGF-β1 and MSTN from PRP using antibodies attached to sterile beads, while a second-stage centrifugal spin of PRP was performed to remove platelets. The biologics were individually added to cell culture groups. Analysis for induction into myoblast differentiation pathways included Western blot analysis, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry, as well as confocal microscopy to assess polynucleated myotubule formation. HSMMs cultured with PRP showed an increase in proliferation but no evidence of differentiation. Western blot analysis confirmed that MSTN and TGF-β1 could be decreased in Mod-PRP using antibody-coated beads, but this modification mildly improved myoblast differentiation. However, cell culture with PPP, PRP ss , and Mod-PRP ss led to a decreased proliferation rate but a significant induction of myoblast differentiation verified by increased multinucleated

  18. Cardiac cell therapy: overexpression of connexin43 in skeletal myoblasts and prevention of ventricular arrhythmias

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fernandes, Sarah; van Rijen, Harold V. M.; Forest, Virginie; Evain, Stéphane; Leblond, Anne-Laure; Mérot, Jean; Charpentier, Flavien; de Bakker, Jacques M. T.; Lemarchand, Patricia

    2009-01-01

    Cell-based therapies have great potential for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Recently, using a transgenic mouse model Roell et al. reported that cardiac engraftment of connexin43 (Cx43)-overexpressing myoblasts in vivo prevents post-infarct arrhythmia, a common cause of death in patients

  19. L6E9 Myoblasts Are Deficient of Myostatin and Additional TGF- Members Are Candidates to Developmentally Control Their Fiber Formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania Rossi

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available This work provides evidence that the robust myoblast differentiation observed in L6E9 cells is causally linked to deficiency of myostatin, which, conversely, has been found to be expressed in C2C12 cells. However, despite the absence of endogenous myostatin, L6E9 myoblasts expressed functional Activin receptors type II (ActRIIs and follistatin as well as the highly related TGF- members Activins and GDF11, suggesting that in this cell line the regulation of fiber size might be under the control of multiple regulators regardless of myostatin. In line with this hypothesis, delivery of a dominant-negative ActRIIb form or the increase of follistatin, as obtained via Trichostatin treatment or stable transfection of a short human follistatin form, enhanced the L6E9 cell differentiation and further increased the size of myotubes, suggesting that L6E9 myoblasts provide a spontaneous myostatin knock-out in vitro model to study TGF- ligands involved in developmental regulation of fiber size.

  20. Myoblast sensitivity and fibroblast insensitivity to osteogenic conversion by BMP-2 correlates with the expression of Bmpr-1a

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    North Kathryn N

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Osteoblasts are considered to primarily arise from osseous progenitors within the periosteum or bone marrow. We have speculated that cells from local soft tissues may also take on an osteogenic phenotype. Myoblasts are known to adopt a bone gene program upon treatment with the osteogenic bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP-2,-4,-6,-7,-9, but their osteogenic capacity relative to other progenitor types is unclear. We further hypothesized that the sensitivity of cells to BMP-2 would correlate with BMP receptor expression. Methods We directly compared the BMP-2 sensitivity of myoblastic murine cell lines and primary cells with osteoprogenitors from osseous tissues and fibroblasts. Fibroblasts forced to undergo myogenic conversion by transduction with a MyoD-expressing lentiviral vector (LV-MyoD were also examined. Outcome measures included alkaline phosphatase expression, matrix mineralization, and expression of osteogenic genes (alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and bone morphogenetic protein receptor-1A as measured by quantitative PCR. Results BMP-2 induced a rapid and robust osteogenic response in myoblasts and osteoprogenitors, but not in fibroblasts. Myoblasts and osteoprogenitors grown in osteogenic media rapidly upregulated Bmpr-1a expression. Chronic BMP-2 treatment resulted in peak Bmpr-1a expression at day 6 before declining, suggestive of a negative feedback mechanism. In contrast, fibroblasts expressed low levels of Bmpr-1a that was only weakly up-regulated by BMP-2 treatment. Bioinformatics analysis confirmed the presence of myogenic responsive elements in the proximal promoter region of human and murine BMPR-1A/Bmpr-1a. Forced myogenic gene expression in fibroblasts was associated with a significant increase in Bmpr-1a expression and a synergistic increase in the osteogenic response to BMP-2. Conclusion These data demonstrate the osteogenic sensitivity of muscle progenitors and provide a mechanistic insight into the

  1. Heavy ion irradiation induces autophagy in irradiated C2C12 myoblasts and their bystander cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hino, Mizuki; Tajika, Yuki; Hamada, Nobuyuki

    2010-01-01

    Autophagy is one of the major processes involved in the degradation of intracellular materials. Here, we examined the potential impact of heavy ion irradiation on the induction of autophagy in irradiated C2C12 mouse myoblasts and their non-targeted bystander cells. In irradiated cells, ultrastructural analysis revealed the accumulation of autophagic structures at various stages of autophagy (id est (i.e.) phagophores, autophagosomes and autolysosomes) within 20 min after irradiation. Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) and autolysosomes containing MVBs (amphisomes) were also observed. Heavy ion irradiation increased the staining of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 and LysoTracker Red (LTR). Such enhanced staining was suppressed by an autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. In addition to irradiated cells, bystander cells were also positive with LTR staining. Altogether, these results suggest that heavy ion irradiation induces autophagy not only in irradiated myoblasts but also in their bystander cells. (author)

  2. Complex interactions between human myoblasts and the surrounding 3D fibrin-based matrix.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stéphane Chiron

    Full Text Available Anchorage of muscle cells to the extracellular matrix is crucial for a range of fundamental biological processes including migration, survival and differentiation. Three-dimensional (3D culture has been proposed to provide a more physiological in vitro model of muscle growth and differentiation than routine 2D cultures. However, muscle cell adhesion and cell-matrix interplay of engineered muscle tissue remain to be determined. We have characterized cell-matrix interactions in 3D muscle culture and analyzed their consequences on cell differentiation. Human myoblasts were embedded in a fibrin matrix cast between two posts, cultured until confluence, and then induced to differentiate. Myoblasts in 3D aligned along the longitudinal axis of the gel. They displayed actin stress fibers evenly distributed around the nucleus and a cortical mesh of thin actin filaments. Adhesion sites in 3D were smaller in size than in rigid 2D culture but expression of adhesion site proteins, including α5 integrin and vinculin, was higher in 3D compared with 2D (p<0.05. Myoblasts and myotubes in 3D exhibited thicker and ellipsoid nuclei instead of the thin disk-like shape of the nuclei in 2D (p<0.001. Differentiation kinetics were faster in 3D as demonstrated by higher mRNA concentrations of α-actinin and myosin. More important, the elastic modulus of engineered muscle tissues increased significantly from 3.5 ± 0.8 to 7.4 ± 4.7 kPa during proliferation (p<0.05 and reached 12.2 ± 6.0 kPa during differentiation (p<0.05, thus attesting the increase of matrix stiffness during proliferation and differentiation of the myocytes. In conclusion, we reported modulations of the adhesion complexes, the actin cytoskeleton and nuclear shape in 3D compared with routine 2D muscle culture. These findings point to complex interactions between muscle cells and the surrounding matrix with dynamic regulation of the cell-matrix stiffness.

  3. Let-7b Regulates Myoblast Proliferation by Inhibiting IGF2BP3 Expression in Dwarf and Normal Chicken

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Shumao; Luo, Wen; Ye, Yaqiong; Bekele, Endashaw J.; Nie, Qinghua; Li, Yugu; Zhang, Xiquan

    2017-01-01

    The sex-linked dwarf chicken is caused by the mutation of growth hormone receptor (GHR) gene and characterized by shorter shanks, lower body weight, smaller muscle fiber diameter and fewer muscle fiber number. However, the precise regulatory pathways that lead to the inhibition of skeletal muscle growth in dwarf chickens still remain unclear. Here we found a let-7b mediated pathway might play important role in the regulation of dwarf chicken skeletal muscle growth. Let-7b has higher expression in the skeletal muscle of dwarf chicken than in normal chicken, and the expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3), which is a translational activator of IGF2, showed opposite expression trend to let-7b. In vitro cellular assays validated that let-7b directly inhibits IGF2BP3 expression through binding to its 3′UTR region, and the protein level but not mRNA level of IGF2 would be reduced in let-7b overexpressed chicken myoblast. Let-7b can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell cycle arrest in chicken myoblast through let-7b-IGF2BP3-IGF2 signaling pathway. Additionally, let-7b can also regulate skeletal muscle growth through let-7b-GHR-GHR downstream genes pathway, but this pathway is non-existent in dwarf chicken because of the deletion mutation of GHR 3′UTR. Notably, as the loss binding site of GHR for let-7b, let-7b has enhanced its binding and inhibition on IGF2BP3 in dwarf myoblast, suggesting that the miRNA can balance its inhibiting effect through dynamic regulate its binding to target genes. Collectively, these results not only indicate that let-7b can inhibit skeletal muscle growth through let-7b-IGF2BP3-IGF2 signaling pathway, but also show that let-7b regulates myoblast proliferation by inhibiting IGF2BP3 expression in dwarf and normal chickens. PMID:28736533

  4. The cAMP Response Element Binding protein (CREB) is activated by Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) and regulates myostatin gene expression in skeletal myoblast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuloaga, R.; Fuentes, E.N.; Molina, A.; Valdés, J.A.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •IGF-1 induces the activation of CREB via IGF-1R/PI3K/PLC signaling pathway. •Calcium dependent signaling pathways regulate myostatin gene expression. •IGF-1 regulates myostatin gene expression via CREB transcription in skeletal myoblast. -- Abstract: Myostatin, a member of the Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily, plays an important role as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth and differentiation. We have previously reported that IGF-1 induces a transient myostatin mRNA expression, through the activation of the Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT) in an IP 3 /calcium-dependent manner. Here we examined the activation of CREB transcription factor as downstream targets of IGF-1 during myoblast differentiation and its role as a regulator of myostatin gene expression. In cultured skeletal myoblast, IGF-1 induced the phosphorylation and transcriptional activation of CREB via IGF-1 Receptor/Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)/Phospholipase C gamma (PLC γ), signaling pathways. Also, IGF-1 induced calcium-dependent molecules such as Calmodulin Kinase II (CaMK II), Extracellular signal-regulated Kinases (ERK), Protein Kinase C (PKC). Additionally, we examined myostatin mRNA levels and myostatin promoter activity in differentiated myoblasts stimulated with IGF-1. We found a significant increase in mRNA contents of myostatin and its reporter activity after treatment with IGF-1. The expression of myostatin in differentiated myoblast was downregulated by the transfection of siRNA–CREB and by pharmacological inhibitors of the signaling pathways involved in CREB activation. By using pharmacological and genetic approaches together these data demonstrate that IGF-1 regulates the myostatin gene expression via CREB transcription factor during muscle cell differentiation

  5. The cAMP Response Element Binding protein (CREB) is activated by Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) and regulates myostatin gene expression in skeletal myoblast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zuloaga, R. [Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago (Chile); Fuentes, E.N.; Molina, A. [Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago (Chile); Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), Víctor Lamas 1290, PO Box 160-C, Concepción (Chile); Valdés, J.A., E-mail: jvaldes@unab.cl [Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago (Chile); Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), Víctor Lamas 1290, PO Box 160-C, Concepción (Chile)

    2013-10-18

    Highlights: •IGF-1 induces the activation of CREB via IGF-1R/PI3K/PLC signaling pathway. •Calcium dependent signaling pathways regulate myostatin gene expression. •IGF-1 regulates myostatin gene expression via CREB transcription in skeletal myoblast. -- Abstract: Myostatin, a member of the Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily, plays an important role as a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth and differentiation. We have previously reported that IGF-1 induces a transient myostatin mRNA expression, through the activation of the Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT) in an IP{sub 3}/calcium-dependent manner. Here we examined the activation of CREB transcription factor as downstream targets of IGF-1 during myoblast differentiation and its role as a regulator of myostatin gene expression. In cultured skeletal myoblast, IGF-1 induced the phosphorylation and transcriptional activation of CREB via IGF-1 Receptor/Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)/Phospholipase C gamma (PLC γ), signaling pathways. Also, IGF-1 induced calcium-dependent molecules such as Calmodulin Kinase II (CaMK II), Extracellular signal-regulated Kinases (ERK), Protein Kinase C (PKC). Additionally, we examined myostatin mRNA levels and myostatin promoter activity in differentiated myoblasts stimulated with IGF-1. We found a significant increase in mRNA contents of myostatin and its reporter activity after treatment with IGF-1. The expression of myostatin in differentiated myoblast was downregulated by the transfection of siRNA–CREB and by pharmacological inhibitors of the signaling pathways involved in CREB activation. By using pharmacological and genetic approaches together these data demonstrate that IGF-1 regulates the myostatin gene expression via CREB transcription factor during muscle cell differentiation.

  6. Myosin heavy chain-like localizes at cell contact sites during Drosophila myoblast fusion and interacts in vitro with Rolling pebbles 7

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonn, Bettina R.; Rudolf, Anja; Hornbruch-Freitag, Christina; Daum, Gabor; Kuckwa, Jessica; Kastl, Lena; Buttgereit, Detlev [Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 8, 35037 Marburg (Germany); Renkawitz-Pohl, Renate, E-mail: renkawit@biologie.uni-marburg.de [Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 8, 35037 Marburg (Germany)

    2013-02-15

    Besides representing the sarcomeric thick filaments, myosins are involved in many cellular transport and motility processes. Myosin heavy chains are grouped into 18 classes. Here we show that in Drosophila, the unconventional group XVIII myosin heavy chain-like (Mhcl) is transcribed in the mesoderm of embryos, most prominently in founder cells (FCs). An ectopically expressed GFP-tagged Mhcl localizes in the growing muscle at cell–cell contacts towards the attached fusion competent myoblast (FCM). We further show that Mhcl interacts in vitro with the essential fusion protein Rolling pebbles 7 (Rols7), which is part of a protein complex established at cell contact sites (Fusion-restricted Myogenic-Adhesive Structure or FuRMAS). Here, branched F-actin is likely needed to widen the fusion pore and to integrate the myoblast into the growing muscle. We show that the localization of Mhcl is dependent on the presence of Rols7, and we postulate that Mhcl acts at the FuRMAS as an actin motor protein. We further show that Mhcl deficient embryos develop a wild-type musculature. We thus propose that Mhcl functions redundantly to other myosin heavy chains in myoblasts. Lastly, we found that the protein is detectable adjacent to the sarcomeric Z-discs, suggesting an additional function in mature muscles. - Highlights: ► The class XVIII myosin encoding gene Mhcl is transcribed in the mesoderm. ► Mhcl localization at contact sites of fusing myoblasts depends on Rols7. ► Mhcl interacts in vitro with Rols7 which is essential for myogenesis. ► Functional redundancy with other myosins is likely as mutants show no muscle defects. ► Mhcl localizes adjacent to Z-discs of sarcomeres and might support muscle integrity.

  7. Myosin heavy chain-like localizes at cell contact sites during Drosophila myoblast fusion and interacts in vitro with Rolling pebbles 7

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonn, Bettina R.; Rudolf, Anja; Hornbruch-Freitag, Christina; Daum, Gabor; Kuckwa, Jessica; Kastl, Lena; Buttgereit, Detlev; Renkawitz-Pohl, Renate

    2013-01-01

    Besides representing the sarcomeric thick filaments, myosins are involved in many cellular transport and motility processes. Myosin heavy chains are grouped into 18 classes. Here we show that in Drosophila, the unconventional group XVIII myosin heavy chain-like (Mhcl) is transcribed in the mesoderm of embryos, most prominently in founder cells (FCs). An ectopically expressed GFP-tagged Mhcl localizes in the growing muscle at cell–cell contacts towards the attached fusion competent myoblast (FCM). We further show that Mhcl interacts in vitro with the essential fusion protein Rolling pebbles 7 (Rols7), which is part of a protein complex established at cell contact sites (Fusion-restricted Myogenic-Adhesive Structure or FuRMAS). Here, branched F-actin is likely needed to widen the fusion pore and to integrate the myoblast into the growing muscle. We show that the localization of Mhcl is dependent on the presence of Rols7, and we postulate that Mhcl acts at the FuRMAS as an actin motor protein. We further show that Mhcl deficient embryos develop a wild-type musculature. We thus propose that Mhcl functions redundantly to other myosin heavy chains in myoblasts. Lastly, we found that the protein is detectable adjacent to the sarcomeric Z-discs, suggesting an additional function in mature muscles. - Highlights: ► The class XVIII myosin encoding gene Mhcl is transcribed in the mesoderm. ► Mhcl localization at contact sites of fusing myoblasts depends on Rols7. ► Mhcl interacts in vitro with Rols7 which is essential for myogenesis. ► Functional redundancy with other myosins is likely as mutants show no muscle defects. ► Mhcl localizes adjacent to Z-discs of sarcomeres and might support muscle integrity

  8. The CDM Superfamily Protein MBC Directs Myoblast Fusion through a Mechanism That Requires Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-Triphosphate Binding but Is Independent of Direct Interaction with DCrk▿§

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balagopalan, Lakshmi; Chen, Mei-Hui; Geisbrecht, Erika R.; Abmayr, Susan M.

    2006-01-01

    myoblast city (mbc), a member of the CDM superfamily, is essential in the Drosophila melanogaster embryo for fusion of myoblasts into multinucleate fibers. Using germ line clones in which both maternal and zygotic contributions were eliminated and rescue of the zygotic loss-of-function phenotype, we established that mbc is required in the fusion-competent subset of myoblasts. Along with its close orthologs Dock180 and CED-5, MBC has an SH3 domain at its N terminus, conserved internal domains termed DHR1 and DHR2 (or “Docker”), and C-terminal proline-rich domains that associate with the adapter protein DCrk. The importance of these domains has been evaluated by the ability of MBC mutations and deletions to rescue the mbc loss-of-function muscle phenotype. We demonstrate that the SH3 and Docker domains are essential. Moreover, ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutations that change amino acids within the MBC Docker domain to residues that are conserved in other CDM family members nevertheless eliminate MBC function in the embryo, which suggests that these sites may mediate interactions specific to Drosophila MBC. A functional requirement for the conserved DHR1 domain, which binds to phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate, implicates phosphoinositide signaling in myoblast fusion. Finally, the proline-rich C-terminal sites mediate strong interactions with DCrk, as expected. These sites are not required for MBC to rescue the muscle loss-of-function phenotype, however, which suggests that MBC's role in myoblast fusion can be carried out independently of direct DCrk binding. PMID:17030600

  9. Low Oxygen Tension Enhances Expression of Myogenic Genes When Human Myoblasts Are Activated from G0 Arrest

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sellathurai, Jeeva; Nielsen, Joachim; Hejbøl, Eva Kildall

    2016-01-01

    -PCR, immunocytochemistry and western blot. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We found an increase in proliferation rate of myoblasts when activated at a low oxygen tension (1% O2) compared to 21% O2. In addition, the gene expression studies showed up regulation of the myogenesis related genes PAX3, PAX7, MYOD, MYOG (myogenin), MET......, NCAM, DES (desmin), MEF2A, MEF2C and CDH15 (M-cadherin), however, the fraction of DES and MYOD positive cells was not increased by low oxygen tension, indicating that 1% O2 may not have a functional effect on the myogenic response. Furthermore, the expression of genes involved in the TGFβ, Notch...... and Wnt signaling pathways were also up regulated in low oxygen tension. The differences in gene expression were most pronounced at day one after activation from G0-arrest, thus the initial activation of myoblasts seemed most sensitive to changes in oxygen tension. Protein expression of HES1 and β...

  10. A novel whole-cell lysate kinase assay identifies substrates of the p38 MAPK in differentiating myoblasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Knight James DR

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK is a critical mediator of myoblast differentiation, and does so in part through the phosphorylation and regulation of several transcription factors and chromatin remodelling proteins. However, whether p38α is involved in processes other than gene regulation during myogenesis is currently unknown, and why other p38 isoforms cannot compensate for its loss is unclear. Methods To further characterise the involvement of p38α during myoblast differentiation, we developed and applied a simple technique for identifying relevant in vivo kinase substrates and their phosphorylation sites. In addition to identifying substrates for one kinase, the technique can be used in vitro to compare multiple kinases in the same experiment, and we made use of this to study the substrate specificities of the p38α and β isoforms. Results Applying the technique to p38α resulted in the identification of seven in vivo phosphorylation sites on six proteins, four of which are cytoplasmic, in lysate derived from differentiating myoblasts. An in vitro comparison with p38β revealed that substrate specificity does not discriminate these two isoforms, but rather that their distinguishing characteristic appears to be cellular localisation. Conclusion Our results suggest p38α has a novel cytoplasmic role during myogenesis and that its unique cellular localisation may be why p38β and other isoforms cannot compensate for its absence. The substrate-finding approach presented here also provides a necessary tool for studying the hundreds of protein kinases that exist and for uncovering the deeper mechanisms of phosphorylation-dependent cell signalling.

  11. α-Syntrophin stabilizes catalase to reduce endogenous reactive oxygen species levels during myoblast differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, Jae Yun; Choi, Su Jin; Heo, Cheol Ho; Kim, Hwan Myung; Kim, Hye Sun

    2017-07-01

    α-Syntrophin is a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex that interacts with various intracellular signaling proteins in muscle cells. The α-syntrophin knock-down C2 cell line (SNKD), established by infecting lentivirus particles with α-syntrophin shRNA, is characterized by a defect in terminal differentiation and increase in cell death. Since myoblast differentiation is accompanied by intensive mitochondrial biogenesis, the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) is also increased during myogenesis. Two-photon microscopy imaging showed that excessive intracellular ROS accumulated during the differentiation of SNKD cells as compared with control cells. The formation of 4-hydroxynonenal adduct, a byproduct of lipid peroxidation during oxidative stress, significantly increased in differentiated SNKD myotubes and was dramatically reduced by epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a well-known ROS scavenger. Among antioxidant enzymes, catalase was significantly decreased during differentiation of SNKD cells without changes at the mRNA level. Of interest was the finding that the degradation of catalase was rescued by MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, in the SNKD cells. This study demonstrates a novel function of α-syntrophin. This protein plays an important role in the regulation of oxidative stress from endogenously generated ROS during myoblast differentiation by modulating the protein stability of catalase. © 2017 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

  12. Use of 5-Bromodeoxyuridine and irradiation for the estimation of the myoblast and myocyte content of primary rat heart cell cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masse, M.J.O.; Harary, I.

    1980-01-01

    A method for killing dividing cells was adapted for the elimination of dividing heart muscle cells (myoblasts) in cultures. We have used this method to demonstrate their presence and to estimate their number as well as the number of nondividing heart muscle cells (myocytes) in the neo-natal rat heart. Cells were cultivated in BUdR (5-bromodeoxyuridine) 10 -4 M for 3 days and then irradiated with long uv light. The selective elimination of dividing cells led to a loss of myosin Ca 2+ -activated ATPase in the cultures. The percent of ATPase left after irradiation was 32% of the control in cultures derived from 1-day postnatal rats and 48% in cultures from 4-day postnatal rats. This reflects an in vivo shift of myoblasts to myocytes in the muscle cell population as the rat ages

  13. Myogenesis in the sea urchin embryo: the molecular fingerprint of the myoblast precursors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background In sea urchin larvae the circumesophageal fibers form a prominent muscle system of mesodermal origin. Although the morphology and later development of this muscle system has been well-described, little is known about the molecular signature of these cells or their precise origin in the early embryo. As an invertebrate deuterostome that is more closely related to the vertebrates than other commonly used model systems in myogenesis, the sea urchin fills an important phylogenetic gap and provides a unique perspective on the evolution of muscle cell development. Results Here, we present a comprehensive description of the development of the sea urchin larval circumesophageal muscle lineage beginning with its mesodermal origin using high-resolution localization of the expression of several myogenic transcriptional regulators and differentiation genes. A few myoblasts are bilaterally distributed at the oral vegetal side of the tip of the archenteron and first appear at the late gastrula stage. The expression of the differentiation genes Myosin Heavy Chain, Tropomyosin I and II, as well as the regulatory genes MyoD2, FoxF, FoxC, FoxL1, Myocardin, Twist, and Tbx6 uniquely identify these cells. Interestingly, evolutionarily conserved myogenic factors such as Mef2, MyoR and Six1/2 are not expressed in sea urchin myoblasts but are found in other mesodermal domains of the tip of the archenteron. The regulatory states of these domains were characterized in detail. Moreover, using a combinatorial analysis of gene expression we followed the development of the FoxF/FoxC positive cells from the onset of expression to the end of gastrulation. Our data allowed us to build a complete map of the Non-Skeletogenic Mesoderm at the very early gastrula stage, in which specific molecular signatures identify the precursors of different cell types. Among them, a small group of cells within the FoxY domain, which also express FoxC and SoxE, have been identified as plausible myoblast

  14. The MSX1 homeoprotein recruits G9a methyltransferase to repressed target genes in myoblast cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingqiang Wang

    Full Text Available Although the significance of lysine modifications of core histones for regulating gene expression is widely appreciated, the mechanisms by which these modifications are incorporated at specific regulatory elements during cellular differentiation remains largely unknown. In our previous studies, we have shown that in developing myoblasts the Msx1 homeoprotein represses gene expression by influencing the modification status of chromatin at its target genes. We now show that genomic binding by Msx1 promotes enrichment of the H3K9me2 mark on repressed target genes via recruitment of G9a histone methyltransferase, the enzyme responsible for catalyzing this histone mark. Interaction of Msx1 with G9a is mediated via the homeodomain and is required for transcriptional repression and regulation of cellular differentiation, as well as enrichment of the H3K9me2 mark in proximity to Msx1 binding sites on repressed target genes in myoblast cells as well as the developing limb. We propose that regulation of chromatin status by Msx1 recruitment of G9a and other histone modifying enzymes to regulatory regions of target genes represents an important means of regulating the gene expression during development.

  15. Skeletal muscle Kv7 (KCNQ) channels in myoblast differentiation and proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roura-Ferrer, Meritxell; Sole, Laura; Martinez-Marmol, Ramon; Villalonga, Nuria; Felipe, Antonio

    2008-01-01

    Voltage-dependent K + channels (Kv) are involved in myocyte proliferation and differentiation by triggering changes in membrane potential and regulating cell volume. Since Kv7 channels may participate in these events, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether skeletal muscle Kv7.1 and Kv7.5 were involved during proliferation and myogenesis. Here we report that, while myotube formation did not regulate Kv7 channels, Kv7.5 was up-regulated during cell cycle progression. Although, Kv7.1 mRNA also increased during the G 1 -phase, pharmacological evidence mainly involves Kv7.5 in myoblast growth. Our results indicate that the cell cycle-dependent expression of Kv7.5 is involved in skeletal muscle cell proliferation

  16. Identification of gene expression modifications in myostatin-stimulated myoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Wei; Zhang Yong; Ma Guoda; Zhao Xinyi; Chen Yan; Zhu Dahai

    2005-01-01

    Myostatin belongs to the transforming growth factor beta superfamily and has been shown to function as an inhibitor of skeletal muscle proliferation and differentiation. To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms of myostatin function during myogenesis, differential display reverse transcription PCR was employed to identify altered gene expressions associated with myostatin inhibitory function in chicken fetal myoblasts (CFMs). In this work, we have identified seven up-regulated and 12 down-regulated genes in myostatin stimulated CFMs. Those genes are involved in myogenic differentiation, cell architecture, energy metabolism, signal transduction, and apoptosis. The down-regulation of muscle creatine kinase B, troponin C, and myosin regulatory light chain is in agreement with the myostatin negative role in myocyte differentiation. In addition, the expression alteration of skeletal muscle-specific cardiac ankyrin repeat protein and the bcl-2 related anti-apoptotic protein Nr-13 suggests possible unique roles for myostatin in regulating myogenesis by controlling cofactors participated transcriptional regulation and apoptosis

  17. Mechanical stimuli activation of calpain is required for myoblast differentiation and occurs via an ERK/MAP kinase signaling pathway

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grossi, Alberto; Karlsson, Anders H; Lawson, Moira Ann

    2006-01-01

    a magnetic bead stimulation assay and C2C12 mouse myoblasts cell population, we have shown that mechanical signals transmitted through the C2C12 cells interaction with laminin cause an increase in cellular differentiation. This signaling results in an increase in the number of myotubes formed in the cultures...

  18. Anticancer activity of biologically synthesized silver and gold nanoparticles on mouse myoblast cancer cells and their toxicity against embryonic zebrafish

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramachandran, Rajan; Krishnaraj, Chandran; Sivakumar, Allur Subramaniyan; Prasannakumar, Palaniappan; Abhay Kumar, V.K.; Shim, Kwan Seob; Song, Chul-Gyu; Yun, Soon-Il

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the anticancer activity of bioinspired silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) against mouse myoblast cancer cells (C 2 C 12 ). Both AgNPs and AuNPs were biologically synthesized using Spinacia oleracea Linn., aqueous leaves extract. UV–Vis. spectrophotometer, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies supported the successful synthesis of AgNPs and AuNPs. Both these NPs have shown cytotoxicity against C 2 C 12 cells even at very low concentration (5 μg/mL). Acridine orange/Ethidium bromide (AO/EB) dual staining confirmed the apoptotic morphological features. The levels of caspase enzymes (caspase-3 and caspase-7) were significantly up-regulated in NPs treated myoblast cells than the plant extract. Furthermore, in zebrafish embryo toxicity study, AgNPs showed 100% mortality at 3 μg/mL concentration while AuNPs exhibited the same at much higher concentration (300 mg/mL). Taken together, these results provide a preliminary guidance for the development of biomaterials based drugs to fight against the fatal diseases for example cancer. - Highlights: • Anticancer activity was done for the first time against mouse myoblast cells. • AgNPs showed 100% growth inhibition against C 2 C 12 cells at 20 μg/mL concentration. • AO/EB dual staining and caspase assays confirmed the apoptotic features. • Nanoparticles treated embryos showed yolk sac edema and tail malformation. • AgNPs were found to be more toxic to embryonic zebrafishes than the AuNPs.

  19. Anticancer activity of biologically synthesized silver and gold nanoparticles on mouse myoblast cancer cells and their toxicity against embryonic zebrafish

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramachandran, Rajan [Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, School of Life Sciences, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu (India); Krishnaraj, Chandran [Department of Food Science & Technology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); M/s. Eureka Forbes Ltd, R & D Centre, Kudlu, Bangalore (India); Sivakumar, Allur Subramaniyan [Department of Animal Biotechnology, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896 (Korea, Republic of); Prasannakumar, Palaniappan [Advanced Biomedical Imaging Center, Department of Electronic Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896 (Korea, Republic of); Abhay Kumar, V.K. [M/s. Eureka Forbes Ltd, R & D Centre, Kudlu, Bangalore (India); Shim, Kwan Seob [Department of Animal Biotechnology, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896 (Korea, Republic of); Song, Chul-Gyu [Advanced Biomedical Imaging Center, Department of Electronic Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896 (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Soon-Il, E-mail: siyun@jbnu.ac.kr [Department of Food Science & Technology, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the anticancer activity of bioinspired silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) against mouse myoblast cancer cells (C{sub 2}C{sub 12}). Both AgNPs and AuNPs were biologically synthesized using Spinacia oleracea Linn., aqueous leaves extract. UV–Vis. spectrophotometer, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies supported the successful synthesis of AgNPs and AuNPs. Both these NPs have shown cytotoxicity against C{sub 2}C{sub 12} cells even at very low concentration (5 μg/mL). Acridine orange/Ethidium bromide (AO/EB) dual staining confirmed the apoptotic morphological features. The levels of caspase enzymes (caspase-3 and caspase-7) were significantly up-regulated in NPs treated myoblast cells than the plant extract. Furthermore, in zebrafish embryo toxicity study, AgNPs showed 100% mortality at 3 μg/mL concentration while AuNPs exhibited the same at much higher concentration (300 mg/mL). Taken together, these results provide a preliminary guidance for the development of biomaterials based drugs to fight against the fatal diseases for example cancer. - Highlights: • Anticancer activity was done for the first time against mouse myoblast cells. • AgNPs showed 100% growth inhibition against C{sub 2}C{sub 12} cells at 20 μg/mL concentration. • AO/EB dual staining and caspase assays confirmed the apoptotic features. • Nanoparticles treated embryos showed yolk sac edema and tail malformation. • AgNPs were found to be more toxic to embryonic zebrafishes than the AuNPs.

  20. A novel in vitro model for studying quiescence and activation of primary isolated human myoblasts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sellathurai, Jeeva; Cheedipudi, Sirisha; Dhawan, Jyotsna

    2013-01-01

    term exponentially proliferating cultures normally used for in vitro studies. Human myoblasts cultured through many passages inevitably consist of a mixture of proliferating and non-proliferating cells, while cells activated from G0 are in a synchronously proliferating phase, and therefore may...... be a better model for in vivo proliferating satellite cells. Furthermore, the temporal propagation of proliferation in these synchronized cultures resembles the pattern seen in vivo during regeneration. We therefore present this culture model as a useful and novel condition for molecular analysis...

  1. α-Syntrophin is involved in the survival signaling pathway in myoblasts under menadione-induced oxidative stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Jeong-A; Choi, Su Jin; Moon, Jae Yun; Kim, Hye Sun

    2016-05-15

    Dystrophin-deficient muscle is known to be more vulnerable to oxidative stress, but not much is known about the signaling pathway(s) responsible for this phenomenon. α-Syntrophin, a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex, can function as a scaffold protein because of its multiple protein interaction domains. In this study, we investigated the role of α-syntrophin in C2 myoblasts under menadione-induced oxidative stress. We found that the protein level of α-syntrophin was elevated when cells were exposed to menadione. To investigate the function of α-syntrophin during oxidative stress, we established α-syntrophin-overexpressing and knockdown cell lines. The α-syntrophin-overexpressing cells were resistant to the menadione-induced oxidative stress. In addition, survival signalings such as protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation and the Bcl-2/BAX ratio were increased in these cells. On the other hand, apoptotic signals such as cleavage of caspase-3 and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) were increased in the α-syntrophin knockdown cells. Furthermore, Ca(2+)influx, which is known to increase when cells are exposed to oxidative stress, decreased in the α-syntrophin-overexpressing cells, but increased in the knockdown cells. These results suggest that α-syntrophin plays a pivotal role in the survival pathway triggered by menadione-induced oxidative stress in cultured myoblasts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Action of lovastatin, simvastatin, and pravastatin on sterol synthesis and their antiproliferative effect in cultured myoblasts from human striated muscle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vliet, A.K. van; Nègre-Arrariou, P.; Thiel, G.C.F. van; Bolhuis, P.A.; Cohen, L.H.

    1996-01-01

    Lovastatin, simvastatin, and pravastatin are fairly strong inhibitors of sterol synthesis in human myoblasts in culture. Lovastatin and simvastatin have IC50 values of 19 ± 6 nM and 4.0 ± 2.3 nM, respectively. Pravastatin is a weaker inhibitor of sterol synthesis (IC50 value of 110 ± 38 nM). Through

  3. Assessment of the antioxidant activity of an olive oil total polyphenolic fraction and hydroxytyrosol from a Greek Olea europea variety in endothelial cells and myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kouka, Paraskevi; Priftis, Alexandros; Stagos, Dimitrios; Angelis, Apostolis; Stathopoulos, Panagiotis; Xinos, Nikos; Skaltsounis, Alexios-Léandros; Mamoulakis, Charalampos; Tsatsakis, Aristides M; Spandidos, Demetrios A; Kouretas, Demetrios

    2017-09-01

    Olive oil (OO) constitutes the basis of the Mediterranean diet, and it seems that its biophenols, such as hydroxytyrosol (HT) may scavenge free radicals, attracting distinct attention due to their beneficial effects in many pathological conditions, such as cancer. To the best of our knowedge, this is the first study in which the functional properties of an OO total polyphenolic fraction (TPF) and pure HT were examined in order to determine their antioxidant effects at a cellular level in endothelial cells and myoblasts. The test compounds were isolated using a green gradient‑elution centrifugal partition chromatography‑based method that allows the isolation of large volumes of OO in a continuous extraction procedure and with extremely low solvent consumption. For the isolation of HT, a combination of two chromatographic techniques was used, which is effective for the recovery of pure compounds from complex natural extracts. Moreover, TPF and HT exhibited potent free radical scavenging activity in vitro. The cells were treated with non‑cytotoxic concentrations and their redox status [in terms of glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels] was assessed. TPF extract was less cytotoxic than HT, and the observed differences between the two cell lines used suggest a tissue‑specific activity. Finally, flow cytometric analysis revealed that both TPF and HT improved the redox status by increasing the levels of GSH, one of the most important antioxidant molecules, in both endothelial cells and myoblasts, while the ROS levels were not significantly affected.

  4. NEU3 sialidase strictly modulates GM3 levels in skeletal myoblasts C2C12 thus favoring their differentiation and protecting them from apoptosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anastasia, Luigi; Papini, Nadia; Colazzo, Francesca; Palazzolo, Giacomo; Tringali, Cristina; Dileo, Loredana; Piccoli, Marco; Conforti, Erika; Sitzia, Clementina; Monti, Eugenio; Sampaolesi, Maurilio; Tettamanti, Guido; Venerando, Bruno

    2008-12-26

    Membrane-bound sialidase NEU3, often referred to as the "ganglioside sialidase," has a critical regulatory function on the sialoglycosphingolipid pattern of the cell membrane, with an anti-apoptotic function, especially in cancer cells. Although other sialidases have been shown to be involved in skeletal muscle differentiation, the role of NEU3 had yet to be disclosed. Herein we report that NEU3 plays a key role in skeletal muscle differentiation by strictly modulating the ganglioside content of adjacent cells, with special regard to GM3. Induced down-regulation of NEU3 in murine C2C12 myoblasts, even when partial, totally inhibits their capability to differentiate by increasing the GM3 level above a critical point, which causes epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition (and ultimately its down-regulation) and an higher responsiveness of myoblasts to the apoptotic stimuli.

  5. Modulation of Protein Quality Control and Proteasome to Autophagy Switch in Immortalized Myoblasts from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marion Wattin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The maintenance of proteome integrity is of primary importance in post-mitotic tissues such as muscle cells; thus, protein quality control mechanisms must be carefully regulated to ensure their optimal efficiency, a failure of these processes being associated with various muscular disorders. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD is one of the most common and severe forms of muscular dystrophies and is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. Protein quality control modulations have been diversely observed in degenerating muscles of patients suffering from DMD or in animal models of the disease. In this study, we investigated whether modulations of protein quality control mechanisms already pre-exist in undifferentiated myoblasts originating from DMD patients. We report for the first time that the absence of dystrophin in human myoblasts is associated with protein aggregation stress characterized by an increase of protein aggregates. This stress is combined with BAG1 to BAG3 switch, NFκB activation and up-regulation of BAG3/HSPB8 complexes that ensure preferential routing of misfolded/aggregated proteins to autophagy rather than to deficient 26S proteasome. In this context, restoration of pre-existing alterations of protein quality control processes might represent an alternative strategy for DMD therapies.

  6. Effects of Ghrelin on Triglyceride Accumulation and Glucose Uptake in Primary Cultured Rat Myoblasts under Palmitic Acid-Induced High Fat Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lingling Han

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to study the effects of acylated ghrelin on glucose and triglyceride metabolism in rat myoblasts under palmitic acid- (PA- induced high fat conditions. Rat myoblasts were treated with 0, 10−11, 10−9, or 10−7 M acylated ghrelin and 0.3 mM PA for 12 h. Triglyceride accumulation was determined by Oil-Red-O staining and the glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase-peroxidase enzymatic method, and glucose uptake was determined by isotope tracer. The glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC, and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3 were assessed by RT-PCR and western blot. Compared to 0.3 mM PA, ghrelin at 10−9 and 10−7 M reduced triglyceride content (5.855 ± 0.352 versus 5.030 ± 0.129 and 4.158 ± 0.254 mM, P<0.05 and prevented PA-induced reduction of glucose uptake (1.717 ± 0.264 versus 2.233 ± 0.333 and 2.333 ± 0.273 10−2 pmol/g/min, P<0.05. The relative protein expression of p-AMPKα/AMPKα, UCP3, and p-ACC under 0.3 mM PA was significantly reduced compared to controls (all P<0.05, but those in the 10−9 and 10−7 M ghrelin groups were significantly protected from 0.3 mM PA (all P<0.05. In conclusion, acylated ghrelin reduced PA-induced triglyceride accumulation and prevented the PA-induced decrease in glucose uptake in rat myoblasts. These effects may involve fatty acid oxidation.

  7. Feasibility of dual reporter gene in rat myoblast cell line using human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Yong Jin; Lee, You La; Ahn, Sohn Joo; Choi, Chang Ik; Lee, Sang Woo; Ahn, Byeong Cheol; Lee, Jae Tae [School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-07-01

    To develop a non-invasive combined imaging method of gamma camera and optical imaging to assess rat myoblast cell line, H9c2, we constructed retrovirus containing hNIS and EGFP gene, and transfected to rat myoblast cell and monitored hNIS and EGFP expression. Rat myoblast cell line, H9C2, was transfected with hNIS and EGFP gene using retrovirus (H9C2-NG). The expression of hNIS and EGFP gene was determined by RT-PCR and fluorescence microscopy, respectively. The uptake and efflux of I-125 were measured in the transfected and wild type cell lines. Each cell line was injected to 4 flank sites (H9c2: 1X107 or 2X107, H9C2-NG: 1X107 or 2X107) in nude mouse. Scintigraphic image was performed at 3h, 1 day after H9C2 and H9C2-NG cell inoculation. We performed gamma camera and animal PET imaging to evaluate NIS expression. Also, GFP image obtained using optical imaging system. The expression of hNIS and EGFP gene was confirmed by RT-PCR. In iodide uptake, H9C2-NG cells accumulated 274.52.2 pmol/ mg protein at 30 min. But wild type cell line did not uptake iodide. In fluorescent microscopy, H9C2-NG cells were highly fluorescent than that of H9C2 cells. In iodide efflux study, 50% of radioactivity flowed out during the first 10min. Scintigraphy showed increased uptake of Tc-99m in H9c2-NG than in H9C2 for 1 day. Also, H9C2-NG cells showed high signal-to-background fluorescent spots in animal body. In this study, NIS and EGFP reporter gene were successfully transfected by a retrovirus in myoblast cell line, and the transfected cell can be easily visualized in vivo. These results suggest that NIS and EGFP gene has an excellent feasibility as a reporter gene, and it can be used to monitor cell trafficking for monitoring.

  8. Wnt/β-catenin signaling changes C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation by inducing Id3 expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Long; Shi, Songting; Zhang, Juan; Zhou, Fangfang; Dijke, Peter ten

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Expression of Id3 but not Id1 is induced by Wnt3a stimulation in C2C12 cells. ► Wnt3a induces Id3 expression via canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway. ► Wnt3a-induced Id3 expression does not depend on BMP signaling activation. ► Induction of Id3 expression is critical determinant in Wnt3a-induced cell proliferation and differentiation. -- Abstract: Canonical Wnt signaling plays important roles in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. In this study, we report that inhibitor of differentiation (Id)3 is a Wnt-inducible gene in mouse C2C12 myoblasts. Wnt3a induced Id3 expression in a β-catenin-dependent manner. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) also potently induced Id3 expression. However, Wnt-induced Id3 expression occurred independent of the BMP/Smad pathway. Functional studies showed that Id3 depletion in C2C12 cells impaired Wnt3a-induced cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase activity, an early marker of osteoblast cells. Id3 depletion elevated myogenin induction during myogenic differentiation and partially impaired Wnt3a suppressed myogenin expression in C2C12 cells. These results suggest that Id3 is an important Wnt/β-catenin induced gene in myoblast cell fate determination.

  9. The effect of low intensity shockwave treatment (Li-SWT) on human myoblasts and mouse skeletal muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Lise K; Schrøder, Henrik D; Lund, Lars

    2017-01-01

    , proliferation and differentiation were tested. Cardiotoxin induced injury was created in tibialis anterior muscles of 28 mice, and two days later, the lesions were treated with 500 impulses of Li-SWT on one of the legs. The treatment was repeated every third day of the period and ended on day 14 after...... incremental effect on expression of pro-angiogenic genes. However, we found no changes in the number of PAX7 positive cells or blood vessel density in Li-SWT treated and control muscle. Furthermore, Li-SWT in the selected doses did not decrease survival, proliferation or differentiation of myoblasts in vitro....

  10. Myotube formation is affected by adipogenic lineage cells in a cell-to-cell contact-independent manner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takegahara, Yuki; Yamanouchi, Keitaro; Nakamura, Katsuyuki; Nakano, Shin-ichi; Nishihara, Masugi

    2014-01-01

    Intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) formation is observed in some pathological conditions such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and sarcopenia. Several studies have suggested that IMAT formation is not only negatively correlated with skeletal muscle mass but also causes decreased muscle contraction in sarcopenia. In the present study, we examined w hether adipocytes affect myogenesis. For this purpose, skeletal muscle progenitor cells were transfected with siRNA of PPARγ (siPPARγ) in an attempt to inhibit adipogenesis. Myosin heavy chain (MHC)-positive myotube formation was promoted in cells transfected with siPPARγ compared to that of cells transfected with control siRNA. To determine whether direct cell-to-cell contact between adipocytes and myoblasts is a prerequisite for adipocytes to affect myogenesis, skeletal muscle progenitor cells were cocultured with pre- or mature adipocytes in a Transwell coculture system. MHC-positive myotube formation was inhibited when skeletal muscle progenitor cells were cocultured with mature adipocytes, but was promoted when they were cocultured with preadipocytes. Similar effects were observed when pre- or mature adipocyte-conditioned medium was used. These results indicate that preadipocytes play an important role in maintaining skeletal muscle mass by promoting myogenesis; once differentiated, the resulting mature adipocytes negatively affect myogenesis, leading to the muscle deterioration observed in skeletal muscle pathologies. - Highlights: • We examined the effects of pre- and mature adipocytes on myogenesis in vitro. • Preadipocytes and mature adipocytes affect myoblast fusion. • Preadipocytes play an important role in maintaining skeletal muscle mass. • Mature adipocytes lead to muscle deterioration observed in skeletal muscle pathologies

  11. Myotube formation is affected by adipogenic lineage cells in a cell-to-cell contact-independent manner

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takegahara, Yuki; Yamanouchi, Keitaro, E-mail: akeita@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Nakamura, Katsuyuki; Nakano, Shin-ichi; Nishihara, Masugi

    2014-05-15

    Intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) formation is observed in some pathological conditions such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and sarcopenia. Several studies have suggested that IMAT formation is not only negatively correlated with skeletal muscle mass but also causes decreased muscle contraction in sarcopenia. In the present study, we examined w hether adipocytes affect myogenesis. For this purpose, skeletal muscle progenitor cells were transfected with siRNA of PPARγ (siPPARγ) in an attempt to inhibit adipogenesis. Myosin heavy chain (MHC)-positive myotube formation was promoted in cells transfected with siPPARγ compared to that of cells transfected with control siRNA. To determine whether direct cell-to-cell contact between adipocytes and myoblasts is a prerequisite for adipocytes to affect myogenesis, skeletal muscle progenitor cells were cocultured with pre- or mature adipocytes in a Transwell coculture system. MHC-positive myotube formation was inhibited when skeletal muscle progenitor cells were cocultured with mature adipocytes, but was promoted when they were cocultured with preadipocytes. Similar effects were observed when pre- or mature adipocyte-conditioned medium was used. These results indicate that preadipocytes play an important role in maintaining skeletal muscle mass by promoting myogenesis; once differentiated, the resulting mature adipocytes negatively affect myogenesis, leading to the muscle deterioration observed in skeletal muscle pathologies. - Highlights: • We examined the effects of pre- and mature adipocytes on myogenesis in vitro. • Preadipocytes and mature adipocytes affect myoblast fusion. • Preadipocytes play an important role in maintaining skeletal muscle mass. • Mature adipocytes lead to muscle deterioration observed in skeletal muscle pathologies.

  12. Combined use of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) and platelet rich plasma (PRP) stimulates proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts in vitro: new therapeutic perspectives for skeletal muscle repair/regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sassoli, Chiara; Vallone, Larissa; Tani, Alessia; Chellini, Flaminia; Nosi, Daniele; Zecchi-Orlandini, Sandra

    2018-02-05

    Satellite cell-mediated skeletal muscle repair/regeneration is compromised in cases of extended damage. Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) hold promise for muscle healing but some criticisms hamper their clinical application, including the need to avoid animal serum contamination for expansion and the scarce survival after transplant. In this context, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) could offer advantages. Here, we compare the effects of PRP or standard culture media on C2C12 myoblast, satellite cell and BM-MSC viability, survival, proliferation and myogenic differentiation and evaluate PRP/BM-MSC combination effects in promoting myogenic differentiation. PRP induced an increase of mitochondrial activity and Ki67 expression comparable or even greater than that elicited by standard media and promoted AKT signaling activation in myoblasts and BM-MSCs and Notch-1 pathway activation in BM-MSCs. It stimulated MyoD, myogenin, α-sarcomeric actin and MMP-2 expression in myoblasts and satellite cell activation. Notably, PRP/BM-MSC combination was more effective than PRP alone. We found that BM-MSCs influenced myoblast responses through a paracrine activation of AKT signaling, contributing to shed light on BM-MSC action mechanisms. Our results suggest that PRP represents a good serum substitute for BM-MSC manipulation in vitro and could be beneficial towards transplanted cells in vivo. Moreover, it might influence muscle resident progenitors' fate, thus favoring the endogenous repair/regeneration mechanisms. Finally, within the limitations of an in vitro experimentation, this study provides an experimental background for considering the PRP/BM-MSC combination as a potential therapeutic tool for skeletal muscle damage, combining the beneficial effects of BM-MSCs and PRP on muscle tissue, while potentiating BM-MSC functionality.

  13. Long-Term Endurance Exercise in Humans Stimulates Cell Fusion of Myoblasts along with Fusogenic Endogenous Retroviral Genes In Vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastian Frese

    Full Text Available Myogenesis is defined as growth, differentiation and repair of muscles where cell fusion of myoblasts to multinucleated myofibers is one major characteristic. Other cell fusion events in humans are found with bone resorbing osteoclasts and placental syncytiotrophoblasts. No unifying gene regulation for natural cell fusions has been found. We analyzed skeletal muscle biopsies of competitive cyclists for muscle-specific attributes and expression of human endogenous retrovirus (ERV envelope genes due to their involvement in cell fusion of osteoclasts and syncytiotrophoblasts. Comparing muscle biopsies from post- with the pre-competitive seasons a significant 2.25-fold increase of myonuclei/mm fiber, a 2.38-fold decrease of fiber area/nucleus and a 3.1-fold decrease of satellite cells (SCs occurred. We propose that during the pre-competitive season SC proliferation occurred following with increased cell fusion during the competitive season. Expression of twenty-two envelope genes of muscle biopsies demonstrated a significant increase of putative muscle-cell fusogenic genes Syncytin-1 and Syncytin-3, but also for the non-fusogenic erv3. Immunohistochemistry analyses showed that Syncytin-1 mainly localized to the sarcolemma of myofibers positive for myosin heavy-chain isotypes. Cellular receptors SLC1A4 and SLC1A5 of Syncytin-1 showed significant decrease of expression in post-competitive muscles compared with the pre-competitive season, but only SLC1A4 protein expression localized throughout the myofiber. Erv3 protein was strongly expressed throughout the myofiber, whereas envK1-7 localized to SC nuclei and myonuclei. Syncytin-1 transcription factors, PPARγ and RXRα, showed no protein expression in the myofiber, whereas the pCREB-Ser133 activator of Syncytin-1 was enriched to SC nuclei and myonuclei. Syncytin-1, Syncytin-3, SLC1A4 and PAX7 gene regulations along with MyoD1 and myogenin were verified during proliferating or actively-fusing human

  14. Effect of oxygen tension on bioenergetics and proteostasis in young and old myoblast precursor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konigsberg, M; Pérez, V I; Ríos, C; Liu, Y; Lee, S; Shi, Y; Van Remmen, H

    2013-01-01

    In the majority of studies using primary cultures of myoblasts, the cells are maintained at ambient oxygen tension (21% O2), despite the fact that physiological O2 at the tissue level in vivo is much lower (~1-5% O2). We hypothesized that the cellular response in presence of high oxygen concentration might be particularly important in studies comparing energetic function or oxidative stress in cells isolated from young versus old animals. To test this, we asked whether oxygen tension plays a role in mitochondrial bioenergetics (oxygen consumption, glycolysis and fatty acid oxidation) or oxidative damage to proteins (protein disulfides, carbonyls and aggregates) in myoblast precursor cells (MPCs) isolated from young (3-4 m) and old (29-30 m) C57BL/6 mice. MPCs were grown under physiological (3%) or ambient (21%) O2 for two weeks prior to exposure to an acute oxidative insult (H2O2). Our results show significantly higher basal mitochondrial respiration in young versus old MPCs, an increase in basal respiration in young MPCs maintained at 3% O2 compared to cells maintained at 21% O2, and a shift toward glycolytic metabolism in old MPCs grown at 21% O2. H2O2 treatment significantly reduced respiration in old MPCs grown at 3% O2 but did not further repress respiration at 21% O2 in old MPCs. Oxidative damage to protein was higher in cells maintained at 21% O2 and increased in response to H2O2 in old MPCs. These data underscore the importance of understanding the effect of ambient oxygen tension in cell culture studies, in particular studies measuring oxidative damage and mitochondrial function.

  15. Degree of Suppression of Mouse Myoblast Cell Line C₂C12 Differentiation Varies According to Chondroitin Sulfate Subtype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warita, Katsuhiko; Oshima, Nana; Takeda-Okuda, Naoko; Tamura, Jun-Ichi; Hosaka, Yoshinao Z

    2016-10-21

    Chondroitin sulfate (CS), a type of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), is a factor involved in the suppression of myogenic differentiation. CS comprises two repeating sugars and has different subtypes depending on the position and number of bonded sulfate groups. However, the effect of each subtype on myogenic differentiation remains unclear. In this study, we spiked cultures of C₂C 12 myoblasts, cells which are capable of undergoing skeletal muscle differentiation, with one of five types of CS (CS-A, -B, -C, -D, or -E) and induced differentiation over a fixed time. After immunostaining of the formed myotubes with an anti-MHC antibody, we counted the number of nuclei in the myotubes and then calculated the fusion index (FI) as a measure of myotube differentiation. The FI values of all the CS-treated groups were lower than the FI value of the control group, especially the group treated with CS-E, which displayed notable suppression of myotube formation. To confirm that the sugar chain in CS-E is important in the suppression of differentiation, chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), which catabolizes CS, was added to the media. The addition of ChABC led to the degradation of CS-E, and neutralized the suppression of myotube formation by CS-E. Collectively, it can be concluded that the degree of suppression of differentiation depends on the subtype of CS and that CS-E strongly suppresses myogenic differentiation. We conclude that the CS sugar chain has inhibitory action against myoblast cell fusion.

  16. Detection of Pancreatic Cancer-Induced Cachexia Using a Fluorescent Myoblast Reporter System and Analysis of Metabolite Abundance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winnard, Paul T; Bharti, Santosh K; Penet, Marie-France; Marik, Radharani; Mironchik, Yelena; Wildes, Flonne; Maitra, Anirban; Bhujwalla, Zaver M

    2016-03-15

    The dire effects of cancer-induced cachexia undermine treatment and contribute to decreased survival rates. Therapeutic options for this syndrome are limited, and therefore efforts to identify signs of precachexia in cancer patients are necessary for early intervention. The applications of molecular and functional imaging that would enable a whole-body "holistic" approach to this problem may lead to new insights and advances for diagnosis and treatment of this syndrome. Here we have developed a myoblast optical reporter system with the purpose of identifying early cachectic events. We generated a myoblast cell line expressing a dual tdTomato:GFP construct that was grafted onto the muscle of mice-bearing human pancreatic cancer xenografts to provide noninvasive live imaging of events associated with cancer-induced cachexia (i.e., weight loss). Real-time optical imaging detected a strong tdTomato fluorescent signal from skeletal muscle grafts in mice with weight losses of only 1.2% to 2.7% and tumor burdens of only approximately 79 to 170 mm(3). Weight loss in cachectic animals was also associated with a depletion of lipid, cholesterol, valine, and alanine levels, which may provide informative biomarkers of cachexia. Taken together, our findings demonstrate the utility of a reporter system that is capable of tracking tumor-induced weight loss, an early marker of cachexia. Future studies incorporating resected tissue from human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma into a reporter-carrying mouse may be able to provide a risk assessment of cachexia, with possible implications for therapeutic development. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  17. Thimerosal-induced apoptosis in mouse C2C12 myoblast cells occurs through suppression of the PI3K/Akt/survivin pathway.

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    Wen-Xue Li

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, is one of the most widely used preservatives and found in a variety of biological products. Concerns over its possible toxicity have reemerged recently due to its use in vaccines. Thimerosal has also been reported to be markedly cytotoxic to neural tissue. However, little is known regarding thimerosal-induced toxicity in muscle tissue. Therefore, we investigated the cytotoxic effect of thimerosal and its possible mechanisms on mouse C2C12 myoblast cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The study showed that C2C12 myoblast cells underwent inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis after exposure to thimerosal (125-500 nM for 24, 48 and 72 h. Thimerosal caused S phase arrest and induced apoptosis as assessed by flow cytometric analysis, Hoechst staining and immunoblotting. The data revealed that thimerosal could trigger the leakage of cytochrome c from mitochondria, followed by cleavage of caspase-9 and caspase-3, and that an inhibitor of caspase could suppress thimerosal-induced apoptosis. Thimerosal inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt(ser473 and survivin expression. Wortmannin, a PI3K inhibitor, inhibited Akt activity and decreased survivin expression, resulting in increased thimerosal-induced apoptosis in C2C12 cells, while the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway by mIGF-I (50 ng/ml increased the expression of survivin and attenuated apoptosis. Furthermore, the inhibition of survivin expression by siRNA enhanced thimerosal-induced cell apoptosis, while overexpression of survivin prevented thimerosal-induced apoptosis. Taken together, the data show that the PI3K/Akt/survivin pathway plays an important role in the thimerosal-induced apoptosis in C2C12 cells. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that in C2C12 myoblast cells, thimerosal induces S phase arrest and finally causes apoptosis via inhibition of PI3K/Akt/survivin signaling followed by activation of the mitochondrial apoptotic

  18. Effective myotube formation in human adipose tissue-derived stem cells expressing dystrophin and myosin heavy chain by cellular fusion with mouse C2C12 myoblasts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eom, Young Woo [Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering Center, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea, Republic of); Biomedical Research Institute, Lifeliver Co., Ltd., Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong Eun; Yang, Mal Sook; Jang, In Keun; Kim, Hyo Eun; Lee, Doo Hoon; Kim, Young Jin [Biomedical Research Institute, Lifeliver Co., Ltd., Suwon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Won Jin [Dr. Park' s Aesthetic Clinic, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kong, Jee Hyun; Shim, Kwang Yong [Department of Hematology-Oncology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jong In, E-mail: oncochem@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Hematology-Oncology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyun Soo, E-mail: khsmd@unitel.co.kr [Department of Hematology-Oncology, Wonju College of Medicine, Yonsei Univ., Wonju (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-04-29

    Highlights: {yields} hASCs were differentiated into skeletal muscle cells by treatment with 5-azacytidine, FGF-2, and the supernatant of cultured hASCs. {yields} Dystrophin and MyHC were expressed in late differentiation step by treatment with the supernatant of cultured hASCs. {yields} hASCs expressing dystrophin and MyHC contributed to myotube formation during co-culture with mouse myoblast C2C12 cells. -- Abstract: Stem cell therapy for muscular dystrophies requires stem cells that are able to participate in the formation of new muscle fibers. However, the differentiation steps that are the most critical for this process are not clear. We investigated the myogenic phases of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hASCs) step by step and the capability of myotube formation according to the differentiation phase by cellular fusion with mouse myoblast C2C12 cells. In hASCs treated with 5-azacytidine and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) for 1 day, the early differentiation step to express MyoD and myogenin was induced by FGF-2 treatment for 6 days. Dystrophin and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression was induced by hASC conditioned medium in the late differentiation step. Myotubes were observed only in hASCs undergoing the late differentiation step by cellular fusion with C2C12 cells. In contrast, hASCs that were normal or in the early stage were not involved in myotube formation. Our results indicate that stem cells expressing dystrophin and MyHC are more suitable for myotube formation by co-culture with myoblasts than normal or early differentiated stem cells expressing MyoD and myogenin.

  19. Effective myotube formation in human adipose tissue-derived stem cells expressing dystrophin and myosin heavy chain by cellular fusion with mouse C2C12 myoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eom, Young Woo; Lee, Jong Eun; Yang, Mal Sook; Jang, In Keun; Kim, Hyo Eun; Lee, Doo Hoon; Kim, Young Jin; Park, Won Jin; Kong, Jee Hyun; Shim, Kwang Yong; Lee, Jong In; Kim, Hyun Soo

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → hASCs were differentiated into skeletal muscle cells by treatment with 5-azacytidine, FGF-2, and the supernatant of cultured hASCs. → Dystrophin and MyHC were expressed in late differentiation step by treatment with the supernatant of cultured hASCs. → hASCs expressing dystrophin and MyHC contributed to myotube formation during co-culture with mouse myoblast C2C12 cells. -- Abstract: Stem cell therapy for muscular dystrophies requires stem cells that are able to participate in the formation of new muscle fibers. However, the differentiation steps that are the most critical for this process are not clear. We investigated the myogenic phases of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hASCs) step by step and the capability of myotube formation according to the differentiation phase by cellular fusion with mouse myoblast C2C12 cells. In hASCs treated with 5-azacytidine and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) for 1 day, the early differentiation step to express MyoD and myogenin was induced by FGF-2 treatment for 6 days. Dystrophin and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression was induced by hASC conditioned medium in the late differentiation step. Myotubes were observed only in hASCs undergoing the late differentiation step by cellular fusion with C2C12 cells. In contrast, hASCs that were normal or in the early stage were not involved in myotube formation. Our results indicate that stem cells expressing dystrophin and MyHC are more suitable for myotube formation by co-culture with myoblasts than normal or early differentiated stem cells expressing MyoD and myogenin.

  20. Enhanced contractile force generation by artificial skeletal muscle tissues using IGF-I gene-engineered myoblast cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Masanori; Ito, Akira; Kawabe, Yoshinori; Nagamori, Eiji; Kamihira, Masamichi

    2011-09-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate whether insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I gene delivery to myoblast cells promotes the contractile force generated by hydrogel-based tissue-engineered skeletal muscles in vitro. Two retroviral vectors allowing doxycycline (Dox)-inducible expression of the IGF-I gene were transduced into mouse myoblast C2C12 cells to evaluate the effects of IGF-I gene expression on these cells. IGF-I gene expression stimulated the proliferation of C2C12 cells, and a significant increase in the growth rate was observed for IGF-I-transduced C2C12 cells with Dox addition, designated C2C12/IGF (Dox+) cells. Quantitative morphometric analyses showed that the myotubes induced from C2C12/IGF (Dox+) cells had a larger area and a greater width than control myotubes induced from normal C2C12 cells. Artificial skeletal muscle tissues were prepared from the respective cells using hydrogels composed of type I collagen and Matrigel. Western blot analyses revealed that the C2C12/IGF (Dox+) tissue constructs showed activation of a skeletal muscle hypertrophy marker (Akt) and enhanced expression of muscle-specific markers (myogenin, myosin heavy chain and tropomyosin). Moreover, the creatine kinase activity was increased in the C2C12/IGF (Dox+) tissue constructs. The C2C12/IGF (Dox+) tissue constructs contracted in response to electrical pulses, and generated a significantly higher physical force than the control C2C12 tissue constructs. These findings indicate that IGF-I gene transfer has the potential to yield functional skeletal muscle substitutes that are capable of in vivo restoration of the load-bearing function of injured muscle or acting as in vitro electrically-controlled bio-actuators. Copyright © 2011 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Automated high-content assay for compounds selectively toxic to Trypanosoma cruzi in a myoblastic cell line.

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    Julio Alonso-Padilla

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, represents a very important public health problem in Latin America where it is endemic. Although mostly asymptomatic at its initial stage, after the disease becomes chronic, about a third of the infected patients progress to a potentially fatal outcome due to severe damage of heart and gut tissues. There is an urgent need for new drugs against Chagas disease since there are only two drugs available, benznidazole and nifurtimox, and both show toxic side effects and variable efficacy against the chronic stage of the disease.Genetically engineered parasitic strains are used for high throughput screening (HTS of large chemical collections in the search for new anti-parasitic compounds. These assays, although successful, are limited to reporter transgenic parasites and do not cover the wide T. cruzi genetic background. With the aim to contribute to the early drug discovery process against Chagas disease we have developed an automated image-based 384-well plate HTS assay for T. cruzi amastigote replication in a rat myoblast host cell line. An image analysis script was designed to inform on three outputs: total number of host cells, ratio of T. cruzi amastigotes per cell and percentage of infected cells, which respectively provides one host cell toxicity and two T. cruzi toxicity readouts. The assay was statistically robust (Z´ values >0.6 and was validated against a series of known anti-trypanosomatid drugs.We have established a highly reproducible, high content HTS assay for screening of chemical compounds against T. cruzi infection of myoblasts that is amenable for use with any T. cruzi strain capable of in vitro infection. Our visual assay informs on both anti-parasitic and host cell toxicity readouts in a single experiment, allowing the direct identification of compounds selectively targeted to the parasite.

  2. Functional analysis of SH3 domain containing ring finger 2 during the myogenic differentiation of quail myoblast cells

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    Si Won Kim

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Objective Owing to the public availability of complete genome sequences, including avian species, massive bioinformatics analyses may be conducted for computational gene prediction and the identification of gene regulatory networks through various informatics tools. However, to evaluate the biofunctional activity of a predicted target gene, in vivo and in vitro functional genomic analyses should be a prerequisite. Methods Due to a lack of quail genomic sequence information, we first identified the partial genomic structure and sequences of the quail SH3 domain containing ring finger 2 (SH3RF2 gene. Subsequently, SH3RF2 was knocked out using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/Cas9 technology and single cell-derived SH3RF2 mutant sublines were established to study the biofunctional activity of SH3RF2 in quail myoblast (QM7 cells during muscle differentiation. Results Through a T7 endonuclease I assay and genotyping analysis, we established an SH3RF2 knockout (KO QM7#4 subline with 61 and 155 nucleotide deletion mutations in SH3RF2. After the induction of myotube differentiation, the expression profiles were analyzed and compared between regular QM7 and SH3RF2 KO QM7#4 cells by global RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. Conclusion We did not detect any statistically significant role of SH3RF2 during myotube differentiation in QM7 myoblast cells. However, additional experiments are necessary to examine the biofunctional activity of SH3RF2 in cell proliferation and muscle growth.

  3. Morphofunctional and Biochemical Approaches for Studying Mitochondrial Changes during Myoblasts Differentiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Barbieri

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This study describes mitochondrial behaviour during the C2C12 myoblast differentiation program and proposes a proteomic approach to mitochondria integrated with classical morphofunctional and biochemical analyses. Mitochondrial ultrastructure variations were determined by transmission electron microscopy; mitochondrial mass and membrane potential were analysed by Mitotracker Green and JC-1 stains and by epifluorescence microscope. Expression of PGC1 , NRF1 , and Tfam genes controlling mitochondrial biogenesis was studied by real-time PCR. The mitochondrial functionality was tested by cytochrome c oxidase activity and COXII expression. Mitochondrial proteomic profile was also performed. These assays showed that mitochondrial biogenesis and activity significantly increase in differentiating myotubes. The proteomic profile identifies 32 differentially expressed proteins, mostly involved in oxidative metabolism, typical of myotubes formation. Other notable proteins, such as superoxide dismutase (MnSOD, a cell protection molecule, and voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein (VDAC1 involved in the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, were found to be regulated by the myogenic process. The integration of these approaches represents a helpful tool for studying mitochondrial dynamics, biogenesis, and functionality in comparative surveys on mitochondrial pathogenic or senescent satellite cells.

  4. Bupivacaine can enhance lysosomal activity in mouse muscle myoblasts%布比卡因增强小鼠成肌细胞溶酶体的活性

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    熊静薇; 毛雨; 李荣荣; 丁正年

    2015-01-01

    Objective To investigate the effects of bupivacaine on lysosomal abundance and activity in mouse muscle myoblasts.Methods Mouse myoblasts C2C12 was randomly divided into control group (without any treatment) and bupivacaine group (treated with bupivacaine 600 μ mol/L for 6 h).After then,the changes of lysosomal pH was assessed by LysoSensor pH indicator.The content of lysosomes was detected by LysoTracker probe.The expression of lysosomal-associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP-1) and Cathepsin B was detected by Western blot analysis.The activity of lysosomal proteolytic enzymes Cathepsin B was determined by MagicRed assay kit.Results Bupivacaine did not affect lysosomal pH.However,compared with the controls,lysosomal abundance was significantly increased 15.15% following bupivacaine treatment(P<0.01).Moreover,protein expression levels of LAMP-1 and Cathepsin B were significantly upregulated 36.41% and 35.29% respetctively by bupivacaine (P<0.01).Furthermore,the activity of Cathepsin B was significantly increased 23.74% by bupivacaine(P<0.01).Conclusions Bupivacaine increased lysosomal content and enhance lysosomal activity in mouse muscle myoblasts.%目的 探讨局部麻醉药布比卡因对小鼠成肌细胞溶酶体的影响. 方法 将体外培养的小鼠成肌细胞C2C12分为2组.对照组:不加任何药物;布比卡因组:以600μmol/L布比卡因刺激细胞6h.实验结束后,用LysoSensor探针评价溶酶体腔pH,用LysoTrackor探针检测溶酶体含量,用蛋白免疫印迹法检测溶酶体相关膜蛋白-1(LAMP-1)和溶酶体蛋白水解酶Cathepsin B的表达水平,并以MagicRed染色法测定Cathepsin B的活性.结果 布比卡因对溶酶体腔pH没有影响.但是,与对照组相比,布比卡因组溶酶体含量增加15.15% (P<0.01),LAMP-1与Cathepsin B表达量分别增加36.41%、35.29% (P<0.01),Cathepsin B活性增加23.74%(P<0.01).结论 布比卡因能增加小鼠成肌细胞溶酶体含量,增强溶酶体活性.

  5. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 functions as a negative regulator in the differentiation of myoblasts, but not as an inducer for the formations of cartilage and bone in mouse embryonic tongue

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    Suzuki Erika

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In vitro studies using the myogenic cell line C2C12 demonstrate that bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2 converts the developmental pathway of C2C12 from a myogenic cell lineage to an osteoblastic cell lineage. Further, in vivo studies using null mutation mice demonstrate that BMPs inhibit the specification of the developmental fate of myogenic progenitor cells. However, the roles of BMPs in the phases of differentiation and maturation in skeletal muscles have yet to be determined. The present study attempts to define the function of BMP-2 in the final stage of differentiation of mouse tongue myoblast. Results Recombinant BMP-2 inhibited the expressions of markers for the differentiation of skeletal muscle cells, such as myogenin, muscle creatine kinase (MCK, and fast myosin heavy chain (fMyHC, whereas BMP-2 siRNA stimulated such markers. Neither the recombinant BMP-2 nor BMP-2 siRNA altered the expressions of markers for the formation of cartilage and bone, such as osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP, collagen II, and collagen X. Further, no formation of cartilage and bone was observed in the recombinant BMP-2-treated tongues based on Alizarin red and Alcian blue stainings. Neither recombinant BMP-2 nor BMP-2 siRNA affected the expression of inhibitor of DNA binding/differentiation 1 (Id1. The ratios of chondrogenic and osteogenic markers relative to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, a house keeping gene were approximately 1000-fold lower than those of myogenic markers in the cultured tongue. Conclusions BMP-2 functions as a negative regulator for the final differentiation of tongue myoblasts, but not as an inducer for the formation of cartilage and bone in cultured tongue, probably because the genes related to myogenesis are in an activation mode, while the genes related to chondrogenesis and osteogenesis are in a silencing mode.

  6. Photobiomodulation Protects and Promotes Differentiation of C2C12 Myoblast Cells Exposed to Snake Venom.

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    Luciana Miato Gonçalves Silva

    Full Text Available Snakebites is a neglected disease and in Brazil is considered a serious health problem, with the majority of the snakebites caused by the genus Bothrops. Antivenom therapy and other first-aid treatments do not reverse local myonecrose which is the main sequel caused by the envenomation. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of low level laser (LLL therapy in reducing local myonecrosis induced by Bothropic venoms, however the mechanism involved in this effect is unknown. In this in vitro study, we aimed to analyze the effect of LLL irradiation against cytotoxicity induced by Bothrops jararacussu venom on myoblast C2C12 cells.C2C12 were utilized as a model target and were incubated with B. jararacussu venom (12.5 μg/mL and immediately irradiated with LLL at wavelength of red 685 nm or infrared 830 nm with energy density of 2.0, 4.6 and 7.0 J/cm2. Effects of LLL on cellular responses of venom-induced cytotoxicity were examined, including cell viability, measurement of cell damage and intra and extracellular ATP levels, expression of myogenic regulatory factors, as well as cellular differentiation.In non-irradiated cells, the venom caused a decrease in cell viability and a massive release of LDH and CK levels indicating myonecrosis. Infrared and red laser at all energy densities were able to considerably decrease venom-induced cytotoxicity. Laser irradiation induced myoblasts to differentiate into myotubes and this effect was accompanied by up regulation of MyoD and specially myogenin. Moreover, LLL was able to reduce the extracellular while increased the intracellular ATP content after venom exposure. In addition, no difference in the intensity of cytotoxicity was shown by non-irradiated and irradiated venom.LLL irradiation caused a protective effect on C2C12 cells against the cytotoxicity caused by B. jararacussu venom and promotes differentiation of these cells by up regulation of myogenic factors. A modulatory effect of ATP synthesis may

  7. YB1/p32, a nuclear Y-box binding protein 1, is a novel regulator of myoblast differentiation that interacts with Msx1 homeoprotein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, Young Joon [Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Science, Inha University, 253 Yonghyun-dong, Nam-Gu, Incheon, Korea, 402-751 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hansol, E-mail: hlee@inha.ac.kr [Department of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Science, Inha University, 253 Yonghyun-dong, Nam-Gu, Incheon, Korea, 402-751 (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-02-15

    Precisely controlled cellular differentiation is essential for the proper development of vertebrate embryo and deregulated differentiation is a major cause of many human congenital diseases as well as cancer. Msx1 is a member of the homeoprotein family implicated in these processes, which inhibits the differentiation of skeletal muscle and other cell types, presumably by regulating transcription of target genes through interaction with other cellular factors. We presently show that YB1/p32, a nuclear Y-box binding protein 1, interacts with Msx1 homeoprotein and functions as a regulator of C2C12 myoblast differentiation. We demonstrate that YB1/p32 functionally interacts with Msx1 through its N-terminal region and colocalizes with Msx1 at the nuclear periphery. Moreover, we find that YB1/p32 is competent for inhibition of C2C12 myoblast differentiation, which is correlated with its activity as a negative regulator of MyoD gene expression and binding to the MyoD core enhancer region (CER). Furthermore, YB1/p32 cooperates with Msx1 in transcriptional repression and knocking down the expression of endogenous YB1 attenuates the effects of Msx1. Taken together, our study has uncovered a new function of YB1/p32, a regulator of skeletal muscle differentiation.

  8. YB1/p32, a nuclear Y-box binding protein 1, is a novel regulator of myoblast differentiation that interacts with Msx1 homeoprotein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Young Joon; Lee, Hansol

    2010-01-01

    Precisely controlled cellular differentiation is essential for the proper development of vertebrate embryo and deregulated differentiation is a major cause of many human congenital diseases as well as cancer. Msx1 is a member of the homeoprotein family implicated in these processes, which inhibits the differentiation of skeletal muscle and other cell types, presumably by regulating transcription of target genes through interaction with other cellular factors. We presently show that YB1/p32, a nuclear Y-box binding protein 1, interacts with Msx1 homeoprotein and functions as a regulator of C2C12 myoblast differentiation. We demonstrate that YB1/p32 functionally interacts with Msx1 through its N-terminal region and colocalizes with Msx1 at the nuclear periphery. Moreover, we find that YB1/p32 is competent for inhibition of C2C12 myoblast differentiation, which is correlated with its activity as a negative regulator of MyoD gene expression and binding to the MyoD core enhancer region (CER). Furthermore, YB1/p32 cooperates with Msx1 in transcriptional repression and knocking down the expression of endogenous YB1 attenuates the effects of Msx1. Taken together, our study has uncovered a new function of YB1/p32, a regulator of skeletal muscle differentiation.

  9. MicroRNA, miR-374b, directly targets Myf6 and negatively regulates C2C12 myoblasts differentiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Zhiyuan; Sun, Xiaorui; Xu, Dequan; Xiong, Yuanzhu; Zuo, Bo, E-mail: zuobo@mail.hzau.edu.cn

    2015-11-27

    Myogenesis is a complex process including myoblast proliferation, differentiation and myotube formation and is controlled by myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs), MyoD, MyoG, Myf5 and Myf6 (also known as MRF4). MicroRNA is a kind of ∼22 nt-long non-coding small RNAs, and act as key transcriptional or post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Identification of miRNAs involved in the regulation of muscle genes could improve our understanding of myogenesis process. In this study, we investigated the regulation of Myf6 gene by miRNAs. We showed that miR-374b specifically bound to the 3'untranslated region (UTR) of Myf6 and down-regulated the expression of Myf6 gene at both mRNA and protein level. Furthermore, miR-374b is ubiquitously expressed in the tissues of adult C57BL6 mouse, and the mRNA abundance increases first and then decreases during C2C12 myoblasts differentiation. Over-expression of miR-374b impaired C2C12 cell differentiation, while inhibiting miR-374b expression by 2′-O-methyl antisense oligonucleotides promoted C2C12 cell differentiation. Taken together, our findings identified miR-374b directly targets Myf6 and negatively regulates myogenesis. - Highlights: • MiR-374b directly targets 3′UTR of Myf6. • MiR-374b negatively regulates Myf6 in C2C12 cells. • MiR-374b abundance significiently changes during C2C12 cells differentiation. • MiR-374b negatively regulates C2C12 cells differentiation.

  10. Deficient leukemia inhibitory factor signaling in muscle precursor cells from patients with type 2 diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Broholm, Christa; Brandt, Claus; Schultz, Ninna S

    2012-01-01

    The cytokine leukemia-inhibitory factor (LIF) is expressed by skeletal muscle and induces proliferation of muscle precursor cells, an important feature of skeletal muscle maintenance and repair. We hypothesized that muscle precursor cells from patients with type 2 diabetes had a deficient response...... nor proliferation rate was affected. In conclusion, although LIF and LIFR proteins were increased in muscle tissue and myoblasts from diabetic patients, LIF signaling and LIF-stimulated cell proliferation were impaired in diabetic myoblasts, suggesting a novel mechanism by which muscle function......RNA knockdown of suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)3 in myoblast cultures established from healthy individuals and patients with type 2 diabetes. Myoblast proliferation rate was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. LIF and LIFR proteins were increased in both muscle tissue and cultured myoblasts...

  11. Edible Scaffolds Based on Non-Mammalian Biopolymers for Myoblast Growth

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    Javier Enrione

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In vitro meat has recently emerged as a new concept in food biotechnology. Methods to produce in vitro meat generally involve the growth of muscle cells that are cultured on scaffolds using bioreactors. Suitable scaffold design and manufacture are critical to downstream culture and meat production. Most current scaffolds are based on mammalian-derived biomaterials, the use of which is counter to the desire to obviate mammal slaughter in artificial meat production. Consequently, most of the knowledge is related to the design and control of scaffold properties based on these mammalian-sourced materials. To address this, four different scaffold materials were formulated using non-mammalian sources, namely, salmon gelatin, alginate, and additives including gelling agents and plasticizers. The scaffolds were produced using a freeze-drying process, and the physical, mechanical, and biological properties of the scaffolds were evaluated. The most promising scaffolds were produced from salmon gelatin, alginate, agarose, and glycerol, which exhibited relatively large pore sizes (~200 μm diameter and biocompatibility, permitting myoblast cell adhesion (~40% and growth (~24 h duplication time. The biodegradation profiles of the scaffolds were followed, and were observed to be less than 25% after 4 weeks. The scaffolds enabled suitable myogenic response, with high cell proliferation, viability, and adequate cell distribution throughout. This system composed of non-mammalian edible scaffold material and muscle-cells is promising for the production of in vitro meat.

  12. G-protein coupled receptor 56 promotes myoblast fusion through serum response factor- and nuclear factor of activated T-cell-mediated signalling but is not essential for muscle development in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Melissa P; Doyle, Jamie R; Barry, Brenda; Beauvais, Ariane; Rozkalne, Anete; Piao, Xianhua; Lawlor, Michael W; Kopin, Alan S; Walsh, Christopher A; Gussoni, Emanuela

    2013-12-01

    Mammalian muscle cell differentiation is a complex process of multiple steps for which many of the factors involved have not yet been defined. In a screen to identify the regulators of myogenic cell fusion, we found that the gene for G-protein coupled receptor 56 (GPR56) was transiently up-regulated during the early fusion of human myoblasts. Human mutations in the gene for GPR56 cause the disease bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria; however, the consequences of receptor dysfunction on muscle development have not been explored. Using knockout mice, we defined the role of GPR56 in skeletal muscle. GPR56(-/-) myoblasts have decreased fusion and smaller myotube sizes in culture. In addition, a loss of GPR56 expression in muscle cells results in decreases or delays in the expression of myogenic differentiation 1, myogenin and nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT)c2. Our data suggest that these abnormalities result from decreased GPR56-mediated serum response element and NFAT signalling. Despite these changes, no overt differences in phenotype were identified in the muscle of GPR56 knockout mice, which presented only a mild but statistically significant elevation of serum creatine kinase compared to wild-type. In agreement with these findings, clinical data from 13 bilateral frontoparietal polymicrogyria patients revealed mild serum creatine kinase increase in only two patients. In summary, targeted disruption of GPR56 in mice results in myoblast abnormalities. The absence of a severe muscle phenotype in GPR56 knockout mice and human patients suggests that other factors may compensate for the lack of this G-protein coupled receptor during muscle development and that the motor delay observed in these patients is likely not a result of primary muscle abnormalities. © 2013 FEBS.

  13. Fermilab "Dumbfounded" by fiasco that broke magnet

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    "In what is being described as a "pratfall on the world stage", the quadrupole magnet that Fermilab built for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) particle accelerator failed high-pressure testing dramatically last week, resulting in a loud "bang" and a cloud of dust in the LHC tunnel." (1,5 page)

  14. IGF-II-mediated downregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α in myoblast cells involves PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mu, Xiaoyu; Qi, Weihong; Liu, Yunzhang; Zhou, Jianfeng; Li, Yun; Rong, Xiaozhi; Lu, Ling

    2017-08-01

    Insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) can stimulate myogenesis and is critically involved in skeletal muscle differentiation. The presence of negative regulators of this process, however, is not well explored. Here, we showed that in myoblast cells, IGF-II negatively regulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) mRNA expression, while constitutive expression of PGC-1α induced myoblast differentiation. These results suggest that the negative regulation of PGC-1α by IGF-II may act as a negative feedback mechanism in IGF-II-induced myogenic differentiation. Reporter assays demonstrated that IGF-II suppresses the basal PGC-1α promoter activity. Blocking the IGF-II signaling pathway increased the endogenous PGC-1α levels. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of PI3 kinase activity prevented the downregulation of PGC-1α but the activation of mTOR was not required for this process. Importantly, further analysis showed that forkhead transcription factor FoxO1 contributes to mediating the effects of IGF-II on PGC-1 promoter activity. These findings indicate that IGF-II reduces PGC-1α expression in skeletal muscle cells through a mechanism involving PI3K-Akt-FoxO1 but not p38 MAPK or Erk1/2 MAPK pathways.

  15. Human myotubes from myoblast cultures undergoing senescence exhibit defects in glucose and lipid metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nehlin, Jan O; Just, Marlene; Rustan, Arild C

    2011-01-01

    Adult stem cells are known to have a finite replication potential. Muscle biopsy-derived human satellite cells (SCs) were grown at different passages and differentiated to human myotubes in culture to analyze the functional state of various carbohydrate and lipid metabolic pathways. As the prolif......Adult stem cells are known to have a finite replication potential. Muscle biopsy-derived human satellite cells (SCs) were grown at different passages and differentiated to human myotubes in culture to analyze the functional state of various carbohydrate and lipid metabolic pathways...... number and could be explained by reduced incorporation into diacyl- and triacylglycerols. The levels of long-chain acyl-CoA esters decreased with increased passage number. Late-passage, non-proliferating, myoblast cultures showed strong senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity indicating...... that the observed metabolic defects accompany the induction of a senescent state. The main function of SCs is regeneration and skeletal muscle-build up. Thus, the metabolic defects observed during aging of SC-derived myotubes could have a role in sarcopenia, the gradual age-related loss of muscle mass and strength....

  16. Disruption of myoblast alignment by highly motile rhabdomyosarcoma cell in tissue structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Menglu; Nagamori, Eiji; Kino-Oka, Masahiro

    2017-02-01

    Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a highly malignant tumor type of skeletal muscle origin, hallmarked by local invasion. Interaction between invasive tumor cells and normal cells plays a major role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Culturing tumor cells in a three-dimensional (3D) model can translate tumor malignancy relevant cell-cell interaction. To mimic tumor heterogeneity in vitro, a co-culture system consisting of a malignant embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) cell line RD and a normal human skeletal muscle myoblast (HSMM) cell line was established by cell sheet technology. Various ratios of RDs to HSMMs were employed to understand the quantitative effect on intercellular interactions. Disruption of sheet structure was observed in heterogeneous cell sheets having a low ratio of RDs to HSMMs, whereas homogeneous HSMM or RD sheets maintained intact structure. Deeper exploration of dynamic tumor cell behavior inside HSMM sheets revealed that HSMM cell alignment was disrupted by highly motile RDs. This study demonstrated that RMS cells are capable of compromising their surrounding environment through induced decay of HSMMs alignment in a cell-based 3D system. This suggests that muscle disruption might be a major consequence of RMS cell invasion into muscles, which could be a promising target to preventing tumor invasion. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. First intron of nestin gene regulates its expression during C2C12 myoblast ifferentiation

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Hua Zhong; Zhigang Jin; Yongfeng Chen; Ting Zhang; Wei Bian; Xing Cui; Naihe Jing

    2008-01-01

    Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China Nestin is an intermediate filament protein expressed in neural progenitor cells and in developing skeletal muscle. Nestin has been widely used as a neural progenitor cell marker. It is well established that the specific expression of the nestin gene in neural progenitor cells is conferred by the neural-specific enhancer located in the second intron of the nestin gene. However, the transcriptional mechanism of nestin expression in developing muscle is still unclear. In this study, we identified a muscle cell-specific enhancer in the first intron of mouse nestin gene in mouse myoblast C2C12 cells.We localized the core enhancer activity to the 291-661 region of the first intron, and showed that the two E-boxes in the core enhancer region were important for enhancer activity in differentiating C2C12 cells. We also showed that MyoD protein was involved in the regulation of nestin expression in the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells.

  18. Perturbations of NAD+ salvage systems impact mitochondrial function and energy homeostasis in mouse myoblasts and intact skeletal muscle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Marianne Agerholm; Dall, Morten; Jensen, Benjamin Anderschou Holbech

    2018-01-01

    Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) can be synthesized by nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT). We aimed to determine the role of NAMPT for maintaining NAD+ levels, mitochondrial function, and metabolic homeostasis in skeletal muscle cells. We generated stable Nampt knockdown (sh......Nampt KD) C2C12 cells using a shRNA lentiviral approach. Moreover, we applied gene electrotransfer to express cre recombinase in tibialis anterior muscle of floxed Nampt mice. In shNampt KD C2C12 myoblasts, Nampt and NAD+ levels were reduced by 70% and 50%, respectively, and maximal respiratory capacity...... was reduced by 25%. Moreover, anaerobic glycolytic flux increased by 55% and 2-deoxyglucose uptake increased by 25% in shNampt KD cells. Treatment with the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide riboside restored NAD+ levels in shNampt cells and increased maximal respiratory capacity by 18% and 32% in control and sh...

  19. Skeletal Myoblast Cell Sheet Implantation Ameliorates Both Systolic and Diastolic Cardiac Performance in Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shirasaka, Tomonori; Miyagawa, Shigeru; Fukushima, Satsuki; Kawaguchi, Naomasa; Nakatani, Satoshi; Daimon, Takashi; Okita, Yutaka; Sawa, Yoshiki

    2016-02-01

    Improving both systolic and diastolic function may be the most important factor in treating heart failure. In this study, we hypothesized that cell-sheet transplantation could improve these function in the damaged heart. We generated a dilated cardiomyopathy model in beagles by continuous ventricle pacing at 240 beats per minute. After 4 weeks, the beagles underwent skeletal myoblast cell sheet transplantation (SMCST) or a sham operation, and rapid ventricle pacing continued for an additional 4 weeks. Six of the e8 beagles treated by SMCST were still alive 4 weeks after the procedure. We evaluated SMCST's cardiotherapeutic effects by comparing beagles treated by SMCST with beagles that underwent a sham operation (control, n = 5). Diastolic function, as well as systolic function improved significantly in the SMCST group as compared with the sham group (control vs SMCST group, median [interquartile range]: E/E', 16 [0.9] vs 11 [1.0]; P dilated cardiomyopathy heart.

  20. Bioenergetic Profile Experiment using C2C12 Myoblast Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicholls, David G.; Darley-Usmar, Victor M.; Wu, Min; Jensen, Per Bo; Rogers, George W.; Ferrick, David A.

    2010-01-01

    The ability to measure cellular metabolism and understand mitochondrial dysfunction, has enabled scientists worldwide to advance their research in understanding the role of mitochondrial function in obesity, diabetes, aging, cancer, cardiovascular function and safety toxicity. Cellular metabolism is the process of substrate uptake, such as oxygen, glucose, fatty acids, and glutamine, and subsequent energy conversion through a series of enzymatically controlled oxidation and reduction reactions. These intracellular biochemical reactions result in the production of ATP, the release of heat and chemical byproducts, such as lactate and CO2 into the extracellular environment. Valuable insight into the physiological state of cells, and the alteration of the state of those cells, can be gained through measuring the rate of oxygen consumed by the cells, an indicator of mitochondrial respiration - the Oxygen Consumption Rate - or OCR. Cells also generate ATP through glycolysis, i.e.: the conversion of glucose to lactate, independent of oxygen. In cultured wells, lactate is the primary source of protons. Measuring the lactic acid produced indirectly via protons released into the extracellular medium surrounding the cells, which causes acidification of the medium provides the Extra-Cellular Acidification Rate - or ECAR. In this experiment, C2C12 myoblast cells are seeded at a given density in Seahorse cell culture plates. The basal oxygen consumption (OCR) and extracellular acidification (ECAR) rates are measured to establish baseline rates. The cells are then metabolically perturbed by three additions of different compounds (in succession) that shift the bioenergetic profile of the cell. This assay is derived from a classic experiment to assess mitochondria and serves as a framework with which to build more complex experiments aimed at understanding both physiologic and pathophysiologic function of mitochondria and to predict the ability of cells to respond to stress and

  1. Proteasome activity or expression is not altered by activation of the heat shock transcription factor Hsf1 in cultured fibroblasts or myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, David M; Kabashi, Edor; Agar, Jeffrey N; Minotti, Sandra; Durham, Heather D

    2005-01-01

    Heat shock proteins (Hsps) with chaperoning function work together with the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway to prevent the accumulation of misfolded, potentially toxic proteins, as well as to control catabolism of the bulk of cytoplasmic, cellular protein. There is evidence for the involvement of both systems in neurodegenerative disease, and a therapeutic target is the heat shock transcription factor, Hsf1, which mediates upregulation of Hsps in response to cellular stress. The mechanisms regulating expression of proteasomal proteins in mammalian cells are less well defined. To assess any direct effect of Hsf1 on expression of proteasomal subunits and activity in mammalian cells, a plasmid encoding a constitutively active form of Hsf1 (Hsf1act) was expressed in mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking Hsf1 and in cultured human myoblasts. Plasmid encoding an inactivatible form of Hsf1 (Hsf1inact) served as control. In cultures transfected with plasmid hsf1act, robust expression of the major stress-inducible Hsp, Hsp70, occurred but not in cultures transfected with hsf1inact. No significant changes in the level of expression of representative proteasomal proteins (structural [20Salpha], a nonpeptidase beta subunit [20Sbeta3], or 2 regulatory subunits [19S subunit 6b, 11 Salpha]) or in chymotrypsin-, trypsin-, and caspaselike activities of the proteasome were measured. Thus, stress-induced or pharmacological activation of Hsf1 in mammalian cells would upregulate Hsps but not directly affect expression or activity of proteasomes.

  2. Novel Endogenous, Insulin-Stimulated Akt2 Protein Interaction Partners in L6 Myoblasts.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Caruso

    Full Text Available Insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes are marked by an aberrant response in the insulin signaling network. The phosphoinositide-dependent serine/threonine kinase, Akt2, plays a key role in insulin signaling and glucose uptake, most notably within skeletal muscle. Protein-protein interaction regulates the functional consequence of Akt2 and in turn, Akt2's role in glucose uptake. However, only few insulin-responsive Akt2 interaction partners have been identified in skeletal muscle cells. In the present work, rat L6 myoblasts, a widely used insulin sensitive skeletal muscle cell line, were used to examine endogenous, insulin-stimulated Akt2 protein interaction partners. Akt2 co-immunoprecipitation was coupled with 1D-SDS-PAGE and fractions were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS to reveal Akt2 protein-protein interactions. The pull-down assay displayed specificity for the Akt2 isoform; Akt1 and Akt3 unique peptides were not detected. A total of 49 were detected with a significantly increased (47 or decreased (2 association with Akt2 following insulin administration (n = 4; p<0.05. Multiple pathways were identified for the novel Akt2 interaction partners, such as the EIF2 and ubiquitination pathways. These data suggest that multiple new endogenous proteins may associate with Akt2 under basal as well as insulin-stimulated conditions, providing further insight into the insulin signaling network. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD002557.

  3. Prelamin A is involved in early steps of muscle differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Capanni, Cristina; Del Coco, Rosalba; Squarzoni, Stefano; Columbaro, Marta; Mattioli, Elisabetta; Camozzi, Daria; Rocchi, Anna; Scotlandi, Katia; Maraldi, Nadir; Foisner, Roland; Lattanzi, Giovanna

    2008-01-01

    Lamin A is a nuclear lamina constituent implicated in a number of human disorders including Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. Since increasing evidence suggests a role of the lamin A precursor in nuclear functions, we investigated the processing of prelamin A during differentiation of C2C12 mouse myoblasts. We show that both protein levels and cellular localization of prelamin A are modulated during myoblast activation. Similar changes of lamin A-binding proteins emerin and LAP2α were observed. Furthermore, prelamin A was found in a complex with LAP2α in differentiating myoblasts. Prelamin A accumulation in cycling myoblasts by expressing unprocessable mutants affected LAP2α and PCNA amount and increased caveolin 3 mRNA and protein levels, while accumulation of prelamin A in differentiated muscle cells following treatment with a farnesyl transferase inhibitor appeared to inhibit caveolin 3 expression. Our data provide evidence for a critical role of the lamin A precursor in the early steps of muscle cell differentiation

  4. 4,4'-Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) inhibit myogenesis in C2C12 myoblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jonggun; Park, Min Young; Kim, Yoo; Yoon, Kyong Sup; Clark, John Marshall; Park, Yeonhwa; Whang, Kwang-Youn

    2017-12-01

    Most countries have banned the use of 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). However, owing to its extremely high lipophilic characteristics, DDT and its metabolite 4,4'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) are ubiquitous in the environment and in many types of food. The positive correlation between exposure to insecticides, including DDT and DDE, and weight gain, resulting in impaired energy metabolism in offspring following perinatal DDT and DDE exposure, was previously reported. Therefore the influence of DDT and DDE on myogenesis using C2C12 myoblasts was investigated in this study. DDT and DDE decreased myotube formation dose- and time-dependently. Among myogenic regulatory factors, DDT and DDE mainly decreased MyoD1 and Myf5 expression. DDT and DDE treatment also altered Myostatin expression, phosphorylation of protein kinase B, p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase, forkhead box O protein 3 and mammalian target of rapamycin, resulting in attenuation of myotube formation. These results may have significant implications for understanding the effects of developmental exposure of DDT and DDE on myogenesis and development of obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  5. ZBED6, a novel transcription factor derived from a domesticated DNA transposon regulates IGF2 expression and muscle growth

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Markljung, Ellen; Jiang, Lin; Jaffe, Jacob D

    2009-01-01

    and find that the protein, named ZBED6, is previously unknown, specific for placental mammals, and derived from an exapted DNA transposon. Silencing of Zbed6 in mouse C2C12 myoblasts affected Igf2 expression, cell proliferation, wound healing, and myotube formation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (Ch......, including development and transcriptional regulation. The phenotypic effects in mutant pigs and ZBED6-silenced C2C12 myoblasts, the extreme sequence conservation, its nucleolar localization, the broad tissue distribution, and the many target genes with essential biological functions suggest that ZBED6...... is an important transcription factor in placental mammals, affecting development, cell proliferation, and growth....

  6. pPKCδ activates SC35 splicing factor during H9c2 myoblastic differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zara, Susi; Falconi, Mirella; Rapino, Monica; Zago, Michela; Orsini, Giovanna; Mazzotti, Giovanni; Cataldi, Amelia; Teti, Gabriella

    2011-01-01

    Although Protein Kinase C (PKC) isoforms' role in the neonatal and adult cardiac tissue development and ageing has been widely described "in vivo", the interaction of such enzymes with specific nuclear substrates needs to be investigated. The aim of our research has been the study of the expression, localization and interaction with the splicing factor SC35 of PKC isoforms (α, δ, ε, ζ) and their potential role in modulating the transcription machinery. H9c2 cells induced to myoblast differentiation in the presence of 1% Horse Serum (HS) have represented our experimental model. The expression of PKC isoforms, their distribution and interaction with SC35 have been evaluated by western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation and double gold immunolabeling for transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Our results show PKCδ as the most expressed isoform in differentiated cells. Surprisingly, the distribution of PKCδ and SC35 does not show any significant modification between 10%FBS and 1%HS treated samples and no co-localization is observed. Moreover the interaction between the phosphorylated form of PKCδ (pPKCδ) and SC35 increases, is distributed and co-localizes within the nucleus of differentiated H9c2. These data represent reasonable evidence of pPKCδ mediated SC35 splicing factor activation, suggesting its direct effect on transcription via interaction with the transcription machinery. Furthermore, this co-localization represents a crucial event resulting in downstream changes in transcription of components which determine the morphological modifications related to cardiomyoblast differentiated phenotype.

  7. Plasma membrane characterization, by scanning electron microscopy, of multipotent myoblasts-derived populations sorted using dielectrophoresis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muratore, Massimo; Mitchell, Steve; Waterfall, Martin

    2013-09-06

    Multipotent progenitor cells have shown promise for use in biomedical applications and regenerative medicine. The implementation of such cells for clinical application requires a synchronized, phenotypically and/or genotypically, homogenous cell population. Here we have demonstrated the implementation of a biological tag-free dielectrophoretic device used for discrimination of multipotent myoblastic C2C12 model. The multipotent capabilities in differentiation, for these cells, diminishes with higher passage number, so for cultures above 70 passages only a small percentage of cells is able to differentiate into terminal myotubes. In this work we demonstrated that we could recover, above 96% purity, specific cell types from a mixed population of cells at high passage number without any biological tag using dielectrophoresis. The purity of the samples was confirmed by cytometric analysis using the cell specific marker embryonic myosin. To further investigate the dielectric properties of the cell plasma membrane we co-culture C2C12 with similar size, when in suspension, GFP-positive fibroblast as feeder layer. The level of separation between the cell types was above 98% purity which was confirmed by flow cytometry. These levels of separation are assumed to account for cell size and for the plasma membrane morphological differences between C2C12 and fibroblast unrelated to the stages of the cell cycle which was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Plasma membrane conformational differences were further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Temperature-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone) cell culture platform with dynamically tunable nano-roughness and elasticity for control of myoblast morphology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uto, Koichiro; Ebara, Mitsuhiro; Aoyagi, Takao

    2014-01-21

    We developed a dynamic cell culture platform with dynamically tunable nano-roughness and elasticity. Temperature-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) films were successfully prepared by crosslinking linear and tetra-branched PCL macromonomers. By optimizing the mixing ratios, the crystal-amorphous transition temperature (Tm) of the crosslinked film was adjusted to the biological relevant temperature (~33 °C). While the crosslinked films are relatively stiff (50 MPa) below the Tm, they suddenly become soft (1 MPa) above the Tm. Correspondingly, roughness of the surface was decreased from 63.4-12.4 nm. It is noted that the surface wettability was independent of temperature. To investigate the role of dynamic surface roughness and elasticity on cell adhesion, cells were seeded on PCL films at 32 °C. Interestingly, spread myoblasts on the film became rounded when temperature was suddenly increased to 37 °C, while significant changes in cell morphology were not observed for fibroblasts. These results indicate that cells can sense dynamic changes in the surrounding environment but the sensitivity depends on cell types.

  9. Impact of Hepatocyte Growth Factor on Skeletal Myoblast Transplantation Late after Myocardial Infarction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stacy B. O'blenes

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In clinical studies, skeletal myoblast (SKMB transplantation late after myocardial infarction (MI has minimal impact on left ventricular (LV function. This may be related to our previous observation that the extent of SKMB engraftment is minimal in chronic MI when compared to acute MI, which correlates with decreased hepatocyte growth factor (HGF expression, an important regulator of SKMB function. Here, we investigated delivery of exogenous HGF as a strategy for augmenting SKMB engraftment late after MI. Rats underwent SKMB transplantation 4 weeks after coronary ligation. HGF or vehicle control was delivered intravenously during the subsequent 2 weeks. LV function was assessed by MRI before and 2 weeks after SKMB transplantation. We evaluated HGF delivery, SKMB engraftment, and expression of genes associated with post-MI remodeling. Serum HGF was 6.2 ± 2.4 ng/mL after 2 weeks of HGF infusion (n = 7, but undetectable in controls (n = 7. LV end-diastolic volume and ejection fraction did not improve with HGF treatment (321 ± 27 mm 3 , 42% ± 2% vs. 285 ± 33 mm 3 , 43% ± 2%, HGF vs. control. MIs were larger in HGF-treated animals (50 ± 7 vs. 30 ± 6 mm 3 , P = 0.046, but the volume of engrafted SKMBs or percentage of MIs occupied by SKMBs did not increase with HGF (1.7 ± 0.3 mm 3 , 4.7% ± 1.9% vs. 1.4 ± 0.4 mm 3 , 5.3% ± 1.6%, HGF vs. control. Expression of genes associated with post-infarction remodeling was not altered by HGF. Delivery of exogenous HGF failed to augment SKMB engraftment and functional recovery in chronic MI. Expression of genes associated with LV remodeling was not altered by HGF. Alternative strategies to enhance engraftment of SKMB must be explored to optimize the clinical efficacy of SKMB transplantation.

  10. Indignation: Psychology, Politics, Law

    OpenAIRE

    Sunstein, Cass Robert; Kahneman, Daniel

    2007-01-01

    Moral intuitions operate in much the same way as other intuitions do; what makes the moral domain is distinctive is its foundations in the emotions, beliefs, and response tendencies that define indignation. The intuitive system of cognition, System I, is typically responsible for indignation; the more reflective system, System II, may or may not provide an override. Moral dumbfounding and moral numbness are often a product of moral intuitions that people are unable to justify. An understandin...

  11. Differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts expressing lamin A mutated at a site responsible for Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy is improved by inhibition of the MEK-ERK pathway and stimulation of the PI3-kinase pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Favreau, Catherine; Delbarre, Erwan; Courvalin, Jean-Claude; Buendia, Brigitte

    2008-01-01

    Mutation R453W in A-type lamins, that are major nuclear envelope proteins, generates Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. We previously showed that mouse myoblasts expressing R453W-lamin A incompletely exit the cell cycle and differentiate into myocytes with a low level of multinucleation. Here we attempted to improve differentiation by treating these cells with a mixture of PD98059, an extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (also known as mitogen-activated kinase, MEK) inhibitor, and insulin-like growth factor-II, an activator of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. We show that mouse myoblasts expressing R453W-lamin A were sensitive to the drug treatment as shown by (i) an increase in multinucleation, (ii) downregulation of proliferation markers (cyclin D1, hyperphosphorylated Rb), (iii) upregulation of myogenin, and (iv) sustained activation of p21 and cyclin D3. However, nuclear matrix anchorage of p21 and cyclin D3 in a complex with hypophosphorylated Rb that is critical to trigger cell cycle arrest and myogenin induction was deficient and incompletely restored by drug treatment. As the turn-over of R453W-lamin A at the nuclear envelope was greatly enhanced, we propose that R453W-lamin A impairs the capacity of the nuclear lamina to serve as scaffold for substrates of the MEK-ERK pathway and for MyoD-induced proteins that play a role in the differentiation process

  12. Effect of IR Laser on Myoblasts: Prospects of Application for Counteracting Microgravity-Induced Muscle Atrophy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monici, Monica; Cialdai, Francesca; Romano, Giovanni; Corsetto, Paola Antonia; Rizzo, Angela Maria; Caselli, Anna; Ranaldi, Francesco

    2013-02-01

    Microgravity-induced muscle atrophy is a problem of utmost importance for the impact it may have on the health and performance of astronauts. Therefore, appropriate countermeasures are needed to prevent disuse atrophy and favour muscle recovery. Muscle atrophy is characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength, and a shift in substrate utilization from fat to glucose, that leads to a reduced metabolic efficiency and enhanced fatigability. Laser therapy is already used in physical medicine and rehabilitation to accelerate muscle recovery and in sports medicine to prevent damages produced by metabolic disturbances and inflammatory reactions after heavy exercise. The aim of the research we present was to get insights on possible benefits deriving from the application of an advanced infrared laser system to counteract deficits of muscle energy metabolism and stimulate the recovery of the hypotrophic tissue. The source used was a Multiwave Locked System (MLS) laser, which combines continuous and pulsed emissions at 808 nm and 905 nm, respectively. We studied the effect of MLS treatment on morphology and energy metabolism of C2C12 cells, a widely accepted myoblast model, previously exposed to microgravity conditions modelled by a Random Positioning Machine. The MLS laser treatment was able to restore basal levels of serine/threonine protein phosphatase activity and to counteract cytoskeletal alterations and increase in glycolytic enzymes activity that occurred following the exposure to modelled microgravity. In conclusion, the results provide interesting insights for the application of infrared laser in the treatment of muscle atrophy.

  13. Liposome-based vascular endothelial growth factor-165 transfection with skeletal myoblast for treatment of ischaemic limb disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Lei; Haider, Husnain Kh; Esa, Wahidah Bte; Su, Liping; Law, Peter K; Zhang, Wei; Lim, Yeanteng; Poh, Kian Keong; Sim, Eugene K W

    2010-01-01

    The study aims to use cholesterol (Chol) + DOTAP liposome (CD liposome) based human vascular endothelial growth factor-165 (VEGF(165)) gene transfer into skeletal myoblasts (SkMs) for treatment of acute hind limb ischaemia in a rabbit model. The feasibility and efficacy of CD liposome mediated gene transfer with rabbit SkMs were characterized using plasmid carrying enhanced green fluorescent protein (pEGFP) and assessed by flow cytometry. After optimization, SkMs were transfected with CD lipoplexes carrying plasmid-VEGF(165) (CD-pVEGF(165)) and transplanted into rabbit ischaemic limb. Animals were randomized to receive intramuscular injection of Medium199 (M199; group 1), non-transfected SkM (group 2) or CD-pVEGF(165) transfected SkM (group 3). Flow cytometry revealed that up to 16% rabbit SkMs were successfully transfected with pEGFP. Based on the optimized transfection condition, transfected rabbit SkM expressed VEGF(165) up to day 18 with peak at day 2. SkMs were observed in all cell-transplanted groups, as visualized with 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and bromodeoxyuridine. Angiographic blood vessel score revealed increased collateral vessel development in group 3 (39.7 +/- 2.0) compared with group 2 (21.6 +/- 1.1%, P limb and may serve as a safe and new therapeutic modality for the repair of acute ischaemic limb disease.

  14. Plasma membrane characterization, by scanning electron microscopy, of multipotent myoblasts-derived populations sorted using dielectrophoresis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muratore, Massimo, E-mail: M.Muratore@ed.ac.uk [Institute of Integrated Micro and Nano System, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JF (United Kingdom); Mitchell, Steve [Institute of Molecular Plant Science, School of Biological Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JF (United Kingdom); Waterfall, Martin [Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Science, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT (United Kingdom)

    2013-09-06

    Highlights: •Dielectrophoretic separation/sorting of multipotent cells. •Plasma membrane microvilli structure of C2C12 and fibroblasts by SEM microscopy. •Cell cycle determination by Ki-67 in DEP-sorted cells. •Plasma membrane differences responsible for changes in membrane capacitance. -- Abstract: Multipotent progenitor cells have shown promise for use in biomedical applications and regenerative medicine. The implementation of such cells for clinical application requires a synchronized, phenotypically and/or genotypically, homogenous cell population. Here we have demonstrated the implementation of a biological tag-free dielectrophoretic device used for discrimination of multipotent myoblastic C2C12 model. The multipotent capabilities in differentiation, for these cells, diminishes with higher passage number, so for cultures above 70 passages only a small percentage of cells is able to differentiate into terminal myotubes. In this work we demonstrated that we could recover, above 96% purity, specific cell types from a mixed population of cells at high passage number without any biological tag using dielectrophoresis. The purity of the samples was confirmed by cytometric analysis using the cell specific marker embryonic myosin. To further investigate the dielectric properties of the cell plasma membrane we co-culture C2C12 with similar size, when in suspension, GFP-positive fibroblast as feeder layer. The level of separation between the cell types was above 98% purity which was confirmed by flow cytometry. These levels of separation are assumed to account for cell size and for the plasma membrane morphological differences between C2C12 and fibroblast unrelated to the stages of the cell cycle which was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Plasma membrane conformational differences were further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy.

  15. Plasma membrane characterization, by scanning electron microscopy, of multipotent myoblasts-derived populations sorted using dielectrophoresis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muratore, Massimo; Mitchell, Steve; Waterfall, Martin

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Dielectrophoretic separation/sorting of multipotent cells. •Plasma membrane microvilli structure of C2C12 and fibroblasts by SEM microscopy. •Cell cycle determination by Ki-67 in DEP-sorted cells. •Plasma membrane differences responsible for changes in membrane capacitance. -- Abstract: Multipotent progenitor cells have shown promise for use in biomedical applications and regenerative medicine. The implementation of such cells for clinical application requires a synchronized, phenotypically and/or genotypically, homogenous cell population. Here we have demonstrated the implementation of a biological tag-free dielectrophoretic device used for discrimination of multipotent myoblastic C2C12 model. The multipotent capabilities in differentiation, for these cells, diminishes with higher passage number, so for cultures above 70 passages only a small percentage of cells is able to differentiate into terminal myotubes. In this work we demonstrated that we could recover, above 96% purity, specific cell types from a mixed population of cells at high passage number without any biological tag using dielectrophoresis. The purity of the samples was confirmed by cytometric analysis using the cell specific marker embryonic myosin. To further investigate the dielectric properties of the cell plasma membrane we co-culture C2C12 with similar size, when in suspension, GFP-positive fibroblast as feeder layer. The level of separation between the cell types was above 98% purity which was confirmed by flow cytometry. These levels of separation are assumed to account for cell size and for the plasma membrane morphological differences between C2C12 and fibroblast unrelated to the stages of the cell cycle which was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Plasma membrane conformational differences were further confirmed by scanning electron microscopy

  16. Biomaterials that promote cell-cell interactions enhance the paracrine function of MSCs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qazi, Taimoor H; Mooney, David J; Duda, Georg N; Geissler, Sven

    2017-09-01

    Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) secrete paracrine factors that play crucial roles during tissue regeneration. Whether this paracrine function is influenced by the properties of biomaterials in general, and those used for cell delivery in particular, largely remains unexplored. Here, we investigated if three-dimensional culture in distinct microenvironments - nanoporous hydrogels (mean pore size ∼5 nm) and macroporous scaffolds (mean pore size ∼120 μm) - affects the secretion pattern of MSCs, and consequently leads to differential paracrine effects on target progenitor cells such as myoblasts. We report that compared to MSCs encapsulated in hydrogels, scaffold seeded MSCs show an enhanced secretion profile and exert beneficial paracrine effects on various myoblast functions including migration and proliferation. Additionally, we show that the heightened paracrine effects of scaffold seeded cells can in part be attributed to N-cadherin mediated cell-cell interactions during culture. In hydrogels, this physical interaction between cells is prevented by the encapsulating matrix. Functionally blocking N-cadherin negatively affected the secretion profile and paracrine effects of MSCs on myoblasts, with stronger effects observed for scaffold seeded compared to hydrogel encapsulated cells. Together, these findings demonstrate that the therapeutic potency of MSCs can be enhanced by biomaterials that promote cell-cell interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Differentiation of mammalian skeletal muscle cells cultured on microcarrier beads in a rotating cell culture system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torgan, C. E.; Burge, S. S.; Collinsworth, A. M.; Truskey, G. A.; Kraus, W. E.

    2000-01-01

    The growth and repair of adult skeletal muscle are due in part to activation of muscle precursor cells, commonly known as satellite cells or myoblasts. These cells are responsive to a variety of environmental cues, including mechanical stimuli. The overall goal of the research is to examine the role of mechanical signalling mechanisms in muscle growth and plasticity through utilisation of cell culture systems where other potential signalling pathways (i.e. chemical and electrical stimuli) are controlled. To explore the effects of decreased mechanical loading on muscle differentiation, mammalian myoblasts are cultured in a bioreactor (rotating cell culture system), a model that has been utilised to simulate microgravity. C2C12 murine myoblasts are cultured on microcarrier beads in a bioreactor and followed throughout differentiation as they form a network of multinucleated myotubes. In comparison with three-dimensional control cultures that consist of myoblasts cultured on microcarrier beads in teflon bags, myoblasts cultured in the bioreactor exhibit an attenuation in differentiation. This is demonstrated by reduced immunohistochemical staining for myogenin and alpha-actinin. Western analysis shows a decrease, in bioreactor cultures compared with control cultures, in levels of the contractile proteins myosin (47% decrease, p < 0.01) and tropomyosin (63% decrease, p < 0.01). Hydrodynamic measurements indicate that the decrease in differentiation may be due, at least in part, to fluid stresses acting on the myotubes. In addition, constraints on aggregate size imposed by the action of fluid forces in the bioreactor affect differentiation. These results may have implications for muscle growth and repair during spaceflight.

  18. Chromatin plasticity as a differentiation index during muscle differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Tomonobu M.; Higuchi, Sayaka; Kawauchi, Keiko; Tsukasaki, Yoshikazu; Ichimura, Taro; Fujita, Hideaki

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Change in the epigenetic landscape during myogenesis was optically investigated. ► Mobility of nuclear proteins was used to state the epigenetic status of the cell. ► Mobility of nuclear proteins decreased as myogenesis progressed in C2C12. ► Differentiation state diagram was developed using parameters obtained. -- Abstract: Skeletal muscle undergoes complicated differentiation steps that include cell-cycle arrest, cell fusion, and maturation, which are controlled through sequential expression of transcription factors. During muscle differentiation, remodeling of the epigenetic landscape is also known to take place on a large scale, determining cell fate. In an attempt to determine the extent of epigenetic remodeling during muscle differentiation, we characterized the plasticity of the chromatin structure using C2C12 myoblasts. Differentiation of C2C12 cells was induced by lowering the serum concentration after they had reached full confluence, resulting in the formation of multi-nucleated myotubes. Upon induction of differentiation, the nucleus size decreased whereas the aspect ratio increased, indicating the presence of force on the nucleus during differentiation. Movement of the nucleus was also suppressed when differentiation was induced, indicating that the plasticity of chromatin changed upon differentiation. To evaluate the histone dynamics during differentiation, FRAP experiment was performed, which showed an increase in the immobile fraction of histone proteins when differentiation was induced. To further evaluate the change in the histone dynamics during differentiation, FCS was performed, which showed a decrease in histone mobility on differentiation. We here show that the plasticity of chromatin decreases upon differentiation, which takes place in a stepwise manner, and that it can be used as an index for the differentiation stage during myogenesis using the state diagram developed with the parameters obtained in this study.

  19. Sodium arsenite represses the expression of myogenin in C2C12 mouse myoblast cells through histone modifications and altered expression of Ezh2, Glp, and Igf-1

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    Hong, Gia-Ming [Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Present address: The University of Chicago, Section of Hematology/Oncology, 900 E. 57th Street, Room 7134, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Bain, Lisa J., E-mail: lbain@clemson.edu [Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States); Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, 132 Long Hall, Clemson, SC 29634 (United States)

    2012-05-01

    Arsenic is a toxicant commonly found in water systems and chronic exposure can result in adverse developmental effects including increased neonatal death, stillbirths, and miscarriages, low birth weight, and altered locomotor activity. Previous studies indicate that 20 nM sodium arsenite exposure to C2C12 mouse myocyte cells delayed myoblast differentiation due to reduced myogenin expression, the transcription factor that differentiates myoblasts into myotubes. In this study, several mechanisms by which arsenic could alter myogenin expression were examined. Exposing differentiating C2C12 cells to 20 nM arsenic increased H3K9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) and H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) by 3-fold near the transcription start site of myogenin, which is indicative of increased repressive marks, and reduced H3K9 acetylation (H3K9Ac) by 0.5-fold, indicative of reduced permissive marks. Protein expression of Glp or Ehmt1, a H3-K9 methyltransferase, was also increased by 1.6-fold in arsenic-exposed cells. In addition to the altered histone remodeling status on the myogenin promoter, protein and mRNA levels of Igf-1, a myogenic growth factor, were significantly repressed by arsenic exposure. Moreover, a 2-fold induction of Ezh2 expression, and an increased recruitment of Ezh2 (3.3-fold) and Dnmt3a (∼ 2-fold) to the myogenin promoter at the transcription start site (− 40 to + 42), were detected in the arsenic-treated cells. Together, we conclude that the repressed myogenin expression in arsenic-exposed C2C12 cells was likely due to a combination of reduced expression of Igf-1, enhanced nuclear expression and promoter recruitment of Ezh2, and altered histone remodeling status on myogenin promoter (− 40 to + 42). -- Highlights: ► Igf-1 expression is decreased in C2C12 cells after 20 nM arsenite exposure. ► Arsenic exposure alters histone remodeling on the myogenin promoter. ► Glp expression, a H3–K9 methyltransferase, was increased in arsenic-exposed cells. ► Ezh2

  20. Macrophages improve survival, proliferation and migration of engrafted myogenic precursor cells into MDX skeletal muscle.

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    Pierre-François Lesault

    Full Text Available Transplantation of muscle precursor cells is of therapeutic interest for focal skeletal muscular diseases. However, major limitations of cell transplantation are the poor survival, expansion and migration of the injected cells. The massive and early death of transplanted myoblasts is not fully understood although several mechanisms have been suggested. Various attempts have been made to improve their survival or migration. Taking into account that muscle regeneration is associated with the presence of macrophages, which are helpful in repairing the muscle by both cleansing the debris and deliver trophic cues to myoblasts in a sequential way, we attempted in the present work to improve myoblast transplantation by coinjecting macrophages. The present data showed that in the 5 days following the transplantation, macrophages efficiently improved: i myoblast survival by limiting their massive death, ii myoblast expansion within the tissue and iii myoblast migration in the dystrophic muscle. This was confirmed by in vitro analyses showing that macrophages stimulated myoblast adhesion and migration. As a result, myoblast contribution to regenerating host myofibres was increased by macrophages one month after transplantation. Altogether, these data demonstrate that macrophages are beneficial during the early steps of myoblast transplantation into skeletal muscle, showing that coinjecting these stromal cells may be used as a helper to improve the efficiency of parenchymal cell engraftment.

  1. FHL1 reduces dystrophy in transgenic mice overexpressing FSHD muscular dystrophy region gene 1 (FRG1.

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    Sandra J Feeney

    Full Text Available Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD is an autosomal-dominant disease with no effective treatment. The genetic cause of FSHD is complex and the primary pathogenic insult underlying the muscle disease is unknown. Several disease candidate genes have been proposed including DUX4 and FRG1. Expression analysis studies of FSHD report the deregulation of genes which mediate myoblast differentiation and fusion. Transgenic mice overexpressing FRG1 recapitulate the FSHD muscular dystrophy phenotype. Our current study selectively examines how increased expression of FRG1 may contribute to myoblast differentiation defects. We generated stable C2C12 cell lines overexpressing FRG1, which exhibited a myoblast fusion defect upon differentiation. To determine if myoblast fusion defects contribute to the FRG1 mouse dystrophic phenotype, this strain was crossed with skeletal muscle specific FHL1-transgenic mice. We previously reported that FHL1 promotes myoblast fusion in vitro and FHL1-transgenic mice develop skeletal muscle hypertrophy. In the current study, FRG1 mice overexpressing FHL1 showed an improvement in the dystrophic phenotype, including a reduced spinal kyphosis, increased muscle mass and myofiber size, and decreased muscle fibrosis. FHL1 expression in FRG1 mice, did not alter satellite cell number or activation, but enhanced myoblast fusion. Primary myoblasts isolated from FRG1 mice showed a myoblast fusion defect that was rescued by FHL1 expression. Therefore, increased FRG1 expression may contribute to a muscular dystrophy phenotype resembling FSHD by impairing myoblast fusion, a defect that can be rescued by enhanced myoblast fusion via expression of FHL1.

  2. Membrane glycoproteins of differentiating skeletal muscle cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, K.R.; Remy, C.N.; Smith, P.B.

    1987-01-01

    The composition of N-linked glycoprotein oligosaccharides was studied in myoblasts and myotubes of the C2 muscle cell line. Oligosaccharides were radioactively labelled for 15 hr with [ 3 H] mannose and plasma membranes isolated. Ten glycopeptides were detected by SDS-PAGE and fluorography. The extent of labelling was 4-6 fold greater in myoblasts vs myotubes. A glycopeptide of Mr > 100,000 was found exclusively in myoblast membranes. Lectin chromatography revealed that the proportion of tri-, tetranntenary, biantennary and high mannose chains was similar throughout differentiation. The high mannose chain fraction was devoid of hybrid chains. The major high mannose chain contained nine mannose residues. The higher level of glycopeptide labelling in myoblasts vs myotubes corresponded to a 5-fold greater rate of protein synthesis. Pulse-chase experiments were used to follow the synthesis of the Dol-oligosaccharides. Myoblasts and myotubes labelled equivalently the glucosylated tetradecasaccharide but myoblasts labelled the smaller intermediates 3-4 greater than myotubes. Myoblasts also exhibited a 2-3 fold higher Dol-P dependent glycosyl transferase activity for chain elongation and Dol-sugar synthesis. Together these results show that the degree of protein synthesis and level of Dol-P are contributing factors in the higher capacity of myoblasts to produce N-glycoproteins compared to myotubes

  3. Effect of ionizing radiation on human skeletal muscle precursor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jurdana, Mihaela; Cemazar, Maja; Pegan, Katarina; Mars, Tomaz

    2013-01-01

    Long term effects of different doses of ionizing radiation on human skeletal muscle myoblast proliferation, cytokine signalling and stress response capacity were studied in primary cell cultures. Human skeletal muscle myoblasts obtained from muscle biopsies were cultured and irradiated with a Darpac 2000 X-ray unit at doses of 4, 6 and 8 Gy. Acute effects of radiation were studied by interleukin – 6 (IL-6) release and stress response detected by the heat shock protein (HSP) level, while long term effects were followed by proliferation capacity and cell death. Compared with non-irradiated control and cells treated with inhibitor of cell proliferation Ara C, myoblast proliferation decreased 72 h post-irradiation, this effect was more pronounced with increasing doses. Post-irradiation myoblast survival determined by measurement of released LDH enzyme activity revealed increased activity after exposure to irradiation. The acute response of myoblasts to lower doses of irradiation (4 and 6 Gy) was decreased secretion of constitutive IL-6. Higher doses of irradiation triggered a stress response in myoblasts, determined by increased levels of stress markers (HSPs 27 and 70). Our results show that myoblasts are sensitive to irradiation in terms of their proliferation capacity and capacity to secret IL-6. Since myoblast proliferation and differentiation are a key stage in muscle regeneration, this effect of irradiation needs to be taken in account, particularly in certain clinical conditions

  4. Ret function in muscle stem cells points to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyle, Louise A; Blanc, Eric; Jaka, Oihane; Prueller, Johanna; Banerji, Christopher Rs; Tedesco, Francesco Saverio; Harridge, Stephen Dr; Knight, Robert D; Zammit, Peter S

    2016-11-14

    Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) involves sporadic expression of DUX4, which inhibits myogenesis and is pro-apoptotic. To identify target genes, we over-expressed DUX4 in myoblasts and found that the receptor tyrosine kinase Ret was significantly up-regulated, suggesting a role in FSHD. RET is dynamically expressed during myogenic progression in mouse and human myoblasts. Constitutive expression of either RET9 or RET51 increased myoblast proliferation, whereas siRNA-mediated knockdown of Ret induced myogenic differentiation. Suppressing RET activity using Sunitinib, a clinically-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitor, rescued differentiation in both DUX4-expressing murine myoblasts and in FSHD patient-derived myoblasts. Importantly, Sunitinib also increased engraftment and differentiation of FSHD myoblasts in regenerating mouse muscle. Thus, DUX4-mediated activation of Ret prevents myogenic differentiation and could contribute to FSHD pathology by preventing satellite cell-mediated repair. Rescue of DUX4-induced pathology by Sunitinib highlights the therapeutic potential of tyrosine kinase inhibitors for treatment of FSHD.

  5. Microfluidic-enhanced 3D bioprinting of aligned myoblast-laden hydrogels leads to functionally organized myofibers in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costantini, Marco; Testa, Stefano; Mozetic, Pamela; Barbetta, Andrea; Fuoco, Claudia; Fornetti, Ersilia; Tamiro, Francesco; Bernardini, Sergio; Jaroszewicz, Jakub; Święszkowski, Wojciech; Trombetta, Marcella; Castagnoli, Luisa; Seliktar, Dror; Garstecki, Piotr; Cesareni, Gianni; Cannata, Stefano; Rainer, Alberto; Gargioli, Cesare

    2017-07-01

    We present a new strategy for the fabrication of artificial skeletal muscle tissue with functional morphologies based on an innovative 3D bioprinting approach. The methodology is based on a microfluidic printing head coupled to a co-axial needle extruder for high-resolution 3D bioprinting of hydrogel fibers laden with muscle precursor cells (C2C12). To promote myogenic differentiation, we formulated a tailored bioink with a photocurable semi-synthetic biopolymer (PEG-Fibrinogen) encapsulating cells into 3D constructs composed of aligned hydrogel fibers. After 3-5 days of culture, the encapsulated myoblasts started migrating and fusing, forming multinucleated myotubes within the 3D bioprinted fibers. The obtained myotubes showed high degree of alignment along the direction of hydrogel fiber deposition, further revealing maturation, sarcomerogenesis, and functionality. Following subcutaneous implantation in the back of immunocompromised mice, bioprinted constructs generated organized artificial muscle tissue in vivo. Finally, we demonstrate that our microfluidic printing head allows to design three dimensional multi-cellular assemblies with an exquisite compartmentalization of the encapsulated cells. Our results demonstrate an enhanced myogenic differentiation with the formation of parallel aligned long-range myotubes. The approach that we report here represents a robust and valid candidate for the fabrication of macroscopic artificial muscle to scale up skeletal muscle tissue engineering for human clinical application. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. Efficient direct conversion of human fibroblasts into myogenic lineage induced by co-transduction with MYCL and MYOD1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakao, Junko; Kishida, Tsunao; Fumino, Shigehisa; Kimura, Koseki; Yamamoto, Kenta; Kotani, Shin-Ichiro; Mizushima, Katsura; Naito, Yuji; Yoshikawa, Toshikazu; Tajiri, Tatsuro; Mazda, Osam

    2017-06-24

    The skeletal muscle consists of contractile myofibers and plays essential roles for maintenance of body posture, movement, and metabolic regulation. During the development and regeneration of the skeletal muscle tissue, the myoblasts fuse into multinucleated myotubes that subsequently form myofibers. Transplantation of myoblasts may make possible a novel regenerative therapy against defects or dysfunction of the skeletal muscle. It is reported that rodent fibroblasts are converted into myoblast-like cells and fuse to form syncytium after forced expression of exogenous myogenic differentiation 1 (MYOD1) that is a key transcription factor for myoblast differentiation. But human fibroblasts are less efficiently converted into myoblasts and rarely fused by MYOD1 alone. Here we found that transduction of v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene lung carcinoma derived homolog (MYCL) gene in combination with MYOD1 gene induced myoblast-like phenotypes in human fibroblasts more strongly than MYOD1 gene alone. The rate of conversion was approximately 90%. The directly converted myoblasts (dMBs) underwent fusion in an ERK5 pathway-dependent manner. The dMBs also formed myofiber-like structure in vivo after an inoculation into mice at the subcutaneous tissue. The present results strongly suggest that the combination of MYCL plus MYOD1 may promote direct conversion of human fibroblasts into functional myoblasts that could potentially be used for regenerative therapy for muscle diseases and congenital muscle defects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Efficient non-viral reprogramming of myoblasts to stemness with a single small molecule to generate cardiac progenitor cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeeshan Pasha

    Full Text Available The current protocols for generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells involve genome integrating viral vectors which may induce tumorgenesis. The aim of this study was to develop and optimize a non-viral method without genetic manipulation for reprogramming of skeletal myoblasts (SMs using small molecules.SMs from young male Oct3/4-GFP(+ transgenic mouse were treated with DNA methyltransferase (DNMT inhibitor, RG108. Two weeks later, GFP(+ colonies of SM derived iPS cells (SiPS expressing GFP and with morphological similarity of mouse embryonic stem (ESCs were formed and propagated in vitro. SiPS were positive for alkaline phosphatase activity, expressed SSEA1, displayed ES cell specific pluripotency markers and formed teratoma in nude mice. Optimization of culture conditions for embryoid body (EBs formation yielded spontaneously contracting EBs having morphological, molecular, and ultra-structural similarities with cardiomyocytes and expressed early and late cardiac markers. miR profiling showed abrogation of let-7 family and upregulation of ESCs specific miR-290-295 cluster thus indicating that SiPS were similar to ESCs in miR profile. Four weeks after transplantation into the immunocompetent mice model of acute myocardial infarction (n = 12 per group, extensive myogenesis was observed in SiPS transplanted hearts as compared to DMEM controls (n = 6 per group. A significant reduction in fibrosis and improvement in global heart function in the hearts transplanted with SiPS derived cardiac progenitor cells were observed.Reprogramming of SMs by DNMT inhibitor is a simple, reproducible and efficient technique more likely to generate transgene integration-free iPS cells. Cardiac progenitors derived from iPS cells propagated extensively in the infarcted myocardium without tumorgenesis and improved cardiac function.

  8. Serotonin and Histamine Therapy Increases Tetanic Forces of Myoblasts, Reduces Muscle Injury, and Improves Grip Strength Performance of Dmdmdx Mice

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    Volkan Gurel

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD is a recessive X-linked fatal disorder caused by a mutation in the dystrophin gene. Although several therapeutic approaches have been studied, none has led to substantial long-term effects in patients. The aim of this study was to test a serotonin and histamine (S&H combination on human skeletal myoblasts and Dmdmdx mice for its effects on muscle strength and injury. Normal human bioartificial muscles (BAMs were treated, and muscle tetanic forces and muscle injury tests were performed using the MyoForce Analysis System. Dmdmdx mice, the murine model of DMD, were administered serotonin, histamine, or S&H combination twice daily for 6 weeks, and functional performance tests were conducted once a week. The S&H combination treatment caused significant increases in tetanic forces at all time points and concentrations tested as compared to the saline controls. Dose response of the BAMs to the treatment demonstrated a significant increase in force generation at all concentrations compared to the controls after 3 to 4 days of drug treatment. The highest 3 concentrations had a significant effect on lowering contractile-induced injury as measured by a reduction in the release of adenylate kinase. Histamine-only and S&H treatments improved grip strength of Dmdmdx mice, whereas serotonin-only treatment resulted in no significant improvement in muscle strength. The results of this study indicate that S&H therapy might be a promising new strategy for muscular dystrophies and that the mechanism should be further investigated.

  9. Manipulation of environmental oxygen modifies reactive oxygen and nitrogen species generation during myogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel McCormick

    2016-08-01

    Data demonstrate that satellite cell proliferation increased when cells were grown in 6% O2 compared with 20% O2. Myoblasts grown in 20% O2 showed an increase in DCF fluorescence and DHE oxidation compared with myoblasts grown at 6% O2. Myotubes grown in 20% O2 also showed an increase in DCF and DAF-FM fluorescence and DHE oxidation compared with myotubes grown in 6% O2. The catalase and MnSOD contents were also increased in myoblasts and myotubes that were maintained in 20% O2 compared with myoblasts and myotubes grown in 6% O2. These data indicate that intracellular RONS activities in myoblasts and myotubes at rest are influenced by changes in environmental oxygen concentration and that the increased ROS may influence myogenesis in a negative manner.

  10. Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute Program in Endocrinology and Metabolism

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    Schneyer, Alan; Brown, Melissa; Schwartz, Lawrence; Yadava, Nagendra; and Jerry, D Joseph

    2012-04-24

    Specific Aim - To determine the role of TGFBeta superfamily ligands in regulating Beta-cell function, proliferation, and survival (Drs. Schneyer and Brown) Specific Aim - To determine the feasibility of using respiratory activity and extracellular acidification rates of myoblasts to decipher the state of insulin resistance in cultured myoblastsMyoblast physiology (Drs. Schwartz and Yadava)

  11. Interaction of Wnt Signaling with BMP/Smad Signaling during the Transition from Cell Proliferation to Myogenic Differentiation in Mouse Myoblast-Derived Cells

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    Kumiko Terada

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Wnt signaling is involved in muscle formation through β-catenin-dependent or -independent pathways, but interactions with other signaling pathways including transforming growth factor β/Smad have not been precisely elucidated. Results. As Wnt4 stimulates myogenic differentiation by antagonizing myostatin (GDF8 activity, we examined the role of Wnt4 signaling during muscle differentiation in the C2C12 myoblast cell line. Among several extrinsic signaling molecules examined in a microarray analysis of C2C12 cells during the transition from cell proliferation to differentiation after mitogen deprivation, bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4 expression was prominently increased. Wnt4 overexpression had similar effects on BMP4 expression. BMP4 was able to inhibit muscle differentiation when added to the culture medium. BMP4 and noggin had no effects on the cellular localization of β-catenin induced by Wnt3a; however, the BMP4-induced phosphorylation of Smad1/5/8 was enhanced by Wnt4, but not by Wnt3a. The BMP antagonist noggin effectively stimulated muscle differentiation through binding to endogenous BMPs, and the effect of noggin was enhanced by the presence of Wnt3a and Wnt4. Conclusion. These results suggest that BMP/Smad pathways are modified through Wnt signaling during the transition from progenitor cell proliferation to myogenic differentiation, although Wnt/β-catenin signaling is not modified with BMP/Smad signaling.

  12. Productive infection of human skeletal muscle cells by pandemic and seasonal influenza A(H1N1 viruses.

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    Marion Desdouits

    Full Text Available Besides the classical respiratory and systemic symptoms, unusual complications of influenza A infection in humans involve the skeletal muscles. Numerous cases of acute myopathy and/or rhabdomyolysis have been reported, particularly following the outbreak of pandemic influenza A(H1N1 in 2009. The pathogenesis of these influenza-associated myopathies (IAM remains unkown, although the direct infection of muscle cells is suspected. Here, we studied the susceptibility of cultured human primary muscle cells to a 2009 pandemic and a 2008 seasonal influenza A(H1N1 isolate. Using cells from different donors, we found that differentiated muscle cells (i. e. myotubes were highly susceptible to infection by both influenza A(H1N1 isolates, whereas undifferentiated cells (i. e. myoblasts were partially resistant. The receptors for influenza viruses, α2-6 and α2-3 linked sialic acids, were detected on the surface of myotubes and myoblasts. Time line of viral nucleoprotein (NP expression and nuclear export showed that the first steps of the viral replication cycle could take place in muscle cells. Infected myotubes and myoblasts exhibited budding virions and nuclear inclusions as observed by transmission electron microscopy and correlative light and electron microscopy. Myotubes, but not myoblasts, yielded infectious virus progeny that could further infect naive muscle cells after proteolytic treatment. Infection led to a cytopathic effect with the lysis of muscle cells, as characterized by the release of lactate dehydrogenase. The secretion of proinflammatory cytokines by muscle cells was not affected following infection. Our results are compatible with the hypothesis of a direct muscle infection causing rhabdomyolysis in IAM patients.

  13. Norepinephrine-induced apoptotic and hypertrophic responses in H9c2 cardiac myoblasts are characterized by different repertoire of reactive oxygen species generation

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    Anita Thakur

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Despite recent advances, the role of ROS in mediating hypertrophic and apoptotic responses in cardiac myocytes elicited by norepinephrine (NE is rather poorly understood. We demonstrate through our experiments that H9c2 cardiac myoblasts treated with 2 µM NE (hypertrophic dose generate DCFH-DA positive ROS only for 2 h; while those treated with 100 µM NE (apoptotic dose sustains generation for 48 h, followed by apoptosis. Though the levels of DCFH fluorescence were comparable at early time points in the two treatment sets, its quenching by DPI, catalase and MnTmPyP suggested the existence of a different repertoire of ROS. Both doses of NE also induced moderate levels of H2O2 but with different kinetics. Sustained but intermittent generation of highly reactive species detectable by HPF was seen in both treatment sets but no peroxynitrite was generated in either conditions. Sustained generation of hydroxyl radicals with no appreciable differences were noticed in both treatment sets. Nevertheless, despite similar profile of ROS generation between the two conditions, extensive DNA damage as evident from the increase in 8-OH-dG content, formation of γ-H2AX and PARP cleavage was seen only in cells treated with the higher dose of NE. We therefore conclude that hypertrophic and apoptotic doses of NE generate distinct but comparable repertoire of ROS/RNS leading to two very distinct downstream responses.

  14. Insulin-like growth factor-1 suppresses the Myostatin signaling pathway during myogenic differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Retamales, A.; Zuloaga, R.; Valenzuela, C.A.; Gallardo-Escarate, C.; Molina, A.; Valdés, J.A.

    2015-01-01

    Myogenic differentiation is a complex and well-coordinated process for generating mature skeletal muscle fibers. This event is autocrine/paracrine regulated by growth factors, principally Myostatin (MSTN) and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). Myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth in vertebrates that exerts its inhibitory function by activating Smad transcription factors. In contrast, IGF-1 promotes the differentiation of skeletal myoblasts by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. This study reports on a novel functional crosstalk between the IGF-1 and MSTN signaling pathways, as mediated through interaction between PI3K/Akt and Smad3. Stimulation of skeletal myoblasts with MSTN resulted in a transient increase in the pSmad3:Smad3 ratio and Smad-dependent transcription. Moreover, MSTN inhibited myod gene expression and myoblast fusion in an Activin receptor-like kinase/Smad3-dependent manner. Preincubation of skeletal myoblasts with IGF-1 blocked MSTN-induced Smad3 activation, promoting myod expression and myoblast differentiation. This inhibitory effect of IGF-1 on the MSTN signaling pathway was dependent on IGF-1 receptor, PI3K, and Akt activities. Finally, immunoprecipitation assay analysis determined that IGF-1 pretreatment increased Akt and Smad3 interaction. These results demonstrate that the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt pathway may inhibit MSTN signaling during myoblast differentiation, providing new insight to existing knowledge on the complex crosstalk between both growth factors. - Highlights: • IGF-1 inhibits Myostatin canonical signaling pathway through IGF-1R/PI3K/Akt pathway. • IGF-1 promotes myoblast differentiation through a direct blocking of Myostatin signaling pathway. • IGF-1 induces the interaction of Akt with Smad3 in skeletal myoblast

  15. Insulin-like growth factor-1 suppresses the Myostatin signaling pathway during myogenic differentiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Retamales, A.; Zuloaga, R.; Valenzuela, C.A. [Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago (Chile); Gallardo-Escarate, C. [Laboratory of Biotechnology and Aquatic Genomics, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción (Chile); Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción (Chile); Molina, A. [Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago (Chile); Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción (Chile); Valdés, J.A., E-mail: jvaldes@unab.cl [Laboratorio de Biotecnología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago (Chile); Interdisciplinary Center for Aquaculture Research (INCAR), P.O. Box 160-C, Concepción (Chile)

    2015-08-21

    Myogenic differentiation is a complex and well-coordinated process for generating mature skeletal muscle fibers. This event is autocrine/paracrine regulated by growth factors, principally Myostatin (MSTN) and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). Myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth in vertebrates that exerts its inhibitory function by activating Smad transcription factors. In contrast, IGF-1 promotes the differentiation of skeletal myoblasts by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. This study reports on a novel functional crosstalk between the IGF-1 and MSTN signaling pathways, as mediated through interaction between PI3K/Akt and Smad3. Stimulation of skeletal myoblasts with MSTN resulted in a transient increase in the pSmad3:Smad3 ratio and Smad-dependent transcription. Moreover, MSTN inhibited myod gene expression and myoblast fusion in an Activin receptor-like kinase/Smad3-dependent manner. Preincubation of skeletal myoblasts with IGF-1 blocked MSTN-induced Smad3 activation, promoting myod expression and myoblast differentiation. This inhibitory effect of IGF-1 on the MSTN signaling pathway was dependent on IGF-1 receptor, PI3K, and Akt activities. Finally, immunoprecipitation assay analysis determined that IGF-1 pretreatment increased Akt and Smad3 interaction. These results demonstrate that the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt pathway may inhibit MSTN signaling during myoblast differentiation, providing new insight to existing knowledge on the complex crosstalk between both growth factors. - Highlights: • IGF-1 inhibits Myostatin canonical signaling pathway through IGF-1R/PI3K/Akt pathway. • IGF-1 promotes myoblast differentiation through a direct blocking of Myostatin signaling pathway. • IGF-1 induces the interaction of Akt with Smad3 in skeletal myoblast.

  16. Tissue-engineered human bioartificial muscles expressing a foreign recombinant protein for gene therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, C.; Shansky, J.; Del Tatto, M.; Forman, D. E.; Hennessey, J.; Sullivan, K.; Zielinski, B. A.; Vandenburgh, H. H.

    1999-01-01

    Murine skeletal muscle cells transduced with foreign genes and tissue engineered in vitro into bioartificial muscles (BAMs) are capable of long-term delivery of soluble growth factors when implanted into syngeneic mice (Vandenburgh et al., 1996b). With the goal of developing a therapeutic cell-based protein delivery system for humans, similar genetic tissue-engineering techniques were designed for human skeletal muscle stem cells. Stem cell myoblasts were isolated, cloned, and expanded in vitro from biopsied healthy adult (mean age, 42 +/- 2 years), and elderly congestive heart failure patient (mean age, 76 +/- 1 years) skeletal muscle. Total cell yield varied widely between biopsies (50 to 672 per 100 mg of tissue, N = 10), but was not significantly different between the two patient groups. Percent myoblasts per biopsy (73 +/- 6%), number of myoblast doublings prior to senescence in vitro (37 +/- 2), and myoblast doubling time (27 +/- 1 hr) were also not significantly different between the two patient groups. Fusion kinetics of the myoblasts were similar for the two groups after 20-22 doublings (74 +/- 2% myoblast fusion) when the biopsy samples had been expanded to 1 to 2 billion muscle cells, a number acceptable for human gene therapy use. The myoblasts from the two groups could be equally transduced ex vivo with replication-deficient retroviral expression vectors to secrete 0.5 to 2 microg of a foreign protein (recombinant human growth hormone, rhGH)/10(6) cells/day, and tissue engineered into human BAMs containing parallel arrays of differentiated, postmitotic myofibers. This work suggests that autologous human skeletal myoblasts from a potential patient population can be isolated, genetically modified to secrete foreign proteins, and tissue engineered into implantable living protein secretory devices for therapeutic use.

  17. Mechanical stimulation of C2C12 cells increases m-calpain expression, focal adhesion plaque protein degradation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grossi, Alberto; Karlsson, Anders H; Lawson, Moira Ann

    2008-01-01

    . Stimulation due to stretch- or load-induced signaling is now beginning to be understood as a factor which affects gene sequences, protein synthesis and an increase in Ca2+ influx in myocytes. Evidence of the involvement of Ca2+ -dependent activity in myoblast fusion, cell membrane and cytoskeleton component...... reorganization due to the activity of the ubiquitous proteolytic enzymes, calpains, has been reported. Whether there is a link between stretch- or load-induced signaling and calpain expression and activation is not known. Using a magnetic bead stimulation assay and C2C12 mouse myoblasts cell population, we have...... demonstrated that mechanical stimulation via laminin receptors leads to an increase in m-calpain expression, but no increase in the expression of other calpain isoforms. Our study revealed that after a short period of stimulation, m-calpain relocates into focal adhesion complexes and is followed by a breakdown...

  18. The Him gene inhibits the development of Drosophila flight muscles during metamorphosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soler, Cédric; Taylor, Michael V

    2009-07-01

    During Drosophila metamorphosis some larval tissues escape the general histolysis and are remodelled to form adult tissues. One example is the dorso-longitudinal muscles (DLMs) of the indirect flight musculature. They are formed by an intriguing process in which residual larval oblique muscles (LOMs) split and fuse with imaginal myoblasts associated with the wing disc. These myoblasts arise in the embryo, but remain undifferentiated throughout embryogenesis and larval life, and thus share characteristics with mammalian satellite cells. However, the mechanisms that maintain the Drosophila myoblasts in an undifferentiated state until needed for LOM remodelling are not understood. Here we show that the Him gene is expressed in these myoblasts, but is undetectable in developing DLM fibres. Consistent with this, we found that Him could inhibit DLM development: it inhibited LOM splitting and resulted in fibre degeneration. We then uncovered a balance between mef2, a positive factor required for proper DLM development, and the inhibitory action of Him. Mef2 suppressed the inhibitory effect of Him on DLM development, while Him could suppress the premature myosin expression induced by mef2 in myoblasts. Furthermore, either decreased Him function or increased mef2 function disrupted DLM development. These findings, together with the co-expression of Him and Mef2 in myoblasts, indicate that Him may antagonise mef2 function during normal DLM development and that Him participates in a balance of signals that controls adult myoblast differentiation and remodelling of these muscle fibres. Lastly, we provide evidence for a link between Notch function and Him and mef2 in this balance.

  19. DNA methyltransferase inhibitor CDA-II inhibits myogenic differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Zirong; Jin, Guorong; Lin, Shuibin; Lin, Xiumei; Gu, Yumei; Zhu, Yujuan; Hu, Chengbin; Zhang, Qingjiong; Wu, Lizi; Shen, Huangxuan

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► CDA-II inhibits myogenic differentiation in a dose-dependent manner. ► CDA-II repressed expression of muscle transcription factors and structural proteins. ► CDA-II inhibited proliferation and migration of C2C12 myoblasts. -- Abstract: CDA-II (cell differentiation agent II), isolated from healthy human urine, is a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor. Previous studies indicated that CDA-II played important roles in the regulation of cell growth and certain differentiation processes. However, it has not been determined whether CDA-II affects skeletal myogenesis. In this study, we investigated effects of CDA-II treatment on skeletal muscle progenitor cell differentiation, migration and proliferation. We found that CDA-II blocked differentiation of murine myoblasts C2C12 in a dose-dependent manner. CDA-II repressed expression of muscle transcription factors, such as Myogenin and Mef2c, and structural proteins, such as myosin heavy chain (Myh3), light chain (Mylpf) and MCK. Moreover, CDA-II inhibited C1C12 cell migration and proliferation. Thus, our data provide the first evidence that CDA-II inhibits growth and differentiation of muscle progenitor cells, suggesting that the use of CDA-II might affect skeletal muscle functions.

  20. Dual oxidase maturation factor 1 (DUOXA1) overexpression increases reactive oxygen species production and inhibits murine muscle satellite cell differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandiford, Shelley D E; Kennedy, Karen A M; Xie, Xiaojun; Pickering, J Geoffrey; Li, Shawn S C

    2014-01-11

    Dual oxidase maturation factor 1 (DUOXA1) has been associated with the maturation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) producing enzyme, dual oxidase 1 (DUOX1) in the adult thyroid. However, ROS have also been implicated in the development of several tissues. We found that activated muscle satellite cells and primary myoblasts isolated from mice express robust levels of DUOXA1 and that its levels are altered as cells differentiate. To determine whether DUOXA1 levels affect muscle differentiation, we used an adenoviral construct (pCMV5-DUOXA1-GFP) to drive constitutive overexpression of this protein in primary myoblasts. High levels of DUOXA1 throughout myogenesis resulted in enhanced H2O2 production, fusion defects, reduced expression of early (myogenin) and late (myosin heavy chain) markers of differentiation, and elevated levels of apoptosis compared to control cells infected with an empty adenoviral vector (pCMV5-GFP). DUOXA1 knockdown (using a DUOXA1 shRNA construct) resulted in enhanced differentiation compared to cells subjected to a control shRNA, and subjecting DUOXA1 overexpressing cells to siRNAs targeting DUOX1 or apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) rescued the phenotype. This study represents the first to demonstrate the importance of DUOXA1 in skeletal muscle myoblasts and that DUOXA1 overexpression in muscle stem cells induces apoptosis and inhibits differentiation through DUOX1 and ASK1.

  1. Heterogeneity among muscle precursor cells in adult skeletal muscles with differing regenerative capacities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavlath, G K; Thaloor, D; Rando, T A; Cheong, M; English, A W; Zheng, B

    1998-08-01

    Skeletal muscle has a remarkable capacity to regenerate after injury, although studies of muscle regeneration have heretofore been limited almost exclusively to limb musculature. Muscle precursor cells in skeletal muscle are responsible for the repair of damaged muscle. Heterogeneity exists in the growth and differentiation properties of muscle precursor cell (myoblast) populations throughout limb development but whether the muscle precursor cells differ among adult skeletal muscles is unknown. Such heterogeneity among myoblasts in the adult may give rise to skeletal muscles with different regenerative capacities. Here we compare the regenerative response of a masticatory muscle, the masseter, to that of limb muscles. After exogenous trauma (freeze or crush injuries), masseter muscle regenerated much less effectively than limb muscle. In limb muscle, normal architecture was restored 12 days after injury, whereas in masseter muscle, minimal regeneration occurred during the same time period. Indeed, at late time points, masseter muscles exhibited increased fibrous connective tissue in the region of damage, evidence of ineffective muscle regeneration. Similarly, in response to endogenous muscle injury due to a muscular dystrophy, widespread evidence of impaired regeneration was present in masseter muscle but not in limb muscle. To explore the cellular basis of these different regenerative capacities, we analyzed the myoblast populations of limb and masseter muscles both in vivo and in vitro. From in vivo analyses, the number of myoblasts in regenerating muscle was less in masseter compared with limb muscle. Assessment of population growth in vitro indicated that masseter myoblasts grow more slowly than limb myoblasts under identical conditions. We conclude that the impaired regeneration in masseter muscles is due to differences in the intrinsic myoblast populations compared to limb muscles.

  2. Retinoid acid-induced microRNA-27b-3p impairs C2C12 myoblast proliferation and differentiation by suppressing α-dystrobrevin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Nan; Tang, Yi; Liu, Bo; Cong, Wei; Liu, Chao, E-mail: liuchao_19760711@yahoo.com; Xiao, Jing, E-mail: xiaoj@dmu.edu.cn

    2017-01-15

    We previously reported that excess retinoic acid (RA) resulted in hypoplastic and derangement of myofilaments in embryonic tongue by inhibiting myogenic proliferation and differentiation through CamKIID pathway. Our further studies revealed that the expression of a series of miRNAs was altered by RA administration in embryonic tongue as well as in C2C12 cells. Thus, if excess RA impairs myogenic proliferation and differentiation through miRNAs is taken into account. In present study, miR-27b-3p was found up-regulated in RA-treated C2C12 cells as in embryonic tongue, and predicted to target the 3′UTR of α-dystrobrevin (DTNA). Luciferase reporter assays confirmed the direct interaction between miR-27b-3p and the 3′UTR of DTNA. MiR-27b-3p mimics recapitulated the RA repression on DTNA expression, C2C12 proliferation and differentiation, while the miR-27b-3p inhibitor circumvented these defects resulting from excess RA. As expected, the effects of siDTNA on C2C12 were coincided with those by RA treatment or miR-27b-3p mimics. Therefore, these findings indicated that excess RA inhibited the myoblast proliferation and differentiation by up-regulating miR-27b-3p to target DTNA, which implied a new mechanism in myogenic hypoplasia. - Highlights: • A mechanism that RA results in tongue deformity by disrupting the myogenesis. • A non-muscle specific miR mediating the RA suppression on tongue myogenesis. • A target gene of non-muscle specific miR involved in RA induced tongue deformity.

  3. A thermolabile aldolase A mutant causes fever-induced recurrent rhabdomyolysis without hemolytic anemia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asmaa Mamoune

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Aldolase A deficiency has been reported as a rare cause of hemolytic anemia occasionally associated with myopathy. We identified a deleterious homozygous mutation in the ALDOA gene in 3 siblings with episodic rhabdomyolysis without hemolytic anemia. Myoglobinuria was always triggered by febrile illnesses. We show that the underlying mechanism involves an exacerbation of aldolase A deficiency at high temperatures that affected myoblasts but not erythrocytes. The aldolase A deficiency was rescued by arginine supplementation in vitro but not by glycerol, betaine or benzylhydantoin, three other known chaperones, suggesting that arginine-mediated rescue operated by a mechanism other than protein chaperoning. Lipid droplets accumulated in patient myoblasts relative to control and this was increased by cytokines, and reduced by dexamethasone. Our results expand the clinical spectrum of aldolase A deficiency to isolated temperature-dependent rhabdomyolysis, and suggest that thermolability may be tissue specific. We also propose a treatment for this severe disease.

  4. A New In Vitro Co-Culture Model Using Magnetic Force-Based Nanotechnology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Takanari, Hiroki; Miwa, Keiko; Fu, Xianming; Nakai, Junichi; Ito, Akira; Ino, Kousuke; Honda, Hiroyuki; Tonomura, Wataru; Konishi, Satoshi; Opthof, Tobias; van der Heyden, Marcel Ag; Kodama, Itsuo; Lee, Jong-Kook

    2016-01-01

    Skeletal myoblast (SkMB) transplantation has been conducted as a therapeutic strategy for severe heart failure. However, arrhythmogenicity following transplantation remains unsolved. We developed an in vitro model of myoblast transplantation with "patterned" or "randomly-mixed" co-culture of SkMBs

  5. A New In Vitro Co-Culture Model Using Magnetic Force-Based Nanotechnology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Takanari, Hiroki; Miwa, Keiko; Fu, Xian Ming; Nakai, Junichi; Ito, Akira; Ino, Kousuke; Honda, Hiroyuki; Tonomura, Wataru; Konishi, Satoshi; Opthof, Tobias; van der Heyden, Marcel A G; Kodama, Itsuo; Lee, Jong Kook

    2016-01-01

    Skeletal myoblast (SkMB) transplantation has been conducted as a therapeutic strategy for severe heart failure. However, arrhythmogenicity following transplantation remains unsolved. We developed an in vitro model of myoblast transplantation with “patterned” or “randomly-mixed” co-culture of SkMBs

  6. Muscle satellite cells are functionally impaired in myasthenia gravis: consequences on muscle regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attia, Mohamed; Maurer, Marie; Robinet, Marieke; Le Grand, Fabien; Fadel, Elie; Le Panse, Rozen; Butler-Browne, Gillian; Berrih-Aknin, Sonia

    2017-12-01

    Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular disease caused in most cases by anti-acetyl-choline receptor (AChR) autoantibodies that impair neuromuscular signal transmission and affect skeletal muscle homeostasis. Myogenesis is carried out by muscle stem cells called satellite cells (SCs). However, myogenesis in MG had never been explored. The aim of this study was to characterise the functional properties of myasthenic SCs as well as their abilities in muscle regeneration. SCs were isolated from muscle biopsies of MG patients and age-matched controls. We first showed that the number of Pax7+ SCs was increased in muscle sections from MG and its experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) mouse model. Myoblasts isolated from MG muscles proliferate and differentiate more actively than myoblasts from control muscles. MyoD and MyoG were expressed at a higher level in MG myoblasts as well as in MG muscle biopsies compared to controls. We found that treatment of control myoblasts with MG sera or monoclonal anti-AChR antibodies increased the differentiation and MyoG mRNA expression compared to control sera. To investigate the functional ability of SCs from MG muscle to regenerate, we induced muscle regeneration using acute cardiotoxin injury in the EAMG mouse model. We observed a delay in maturation evidenced by a decrease in fibre size and MyoG mRNA expression as well as an increase in fibre number and embryonic myosin heavy-chain mRNA expression. These findings demonstrate for the first time the altered function of SCs from MG compared to control muscles. These alterations could be due to the anti-AChR antibodies via the modulation of myogenic markers resulting in muscle regeneration impairment. In conclusion, the autoimmune attack in MG appears to have unsuspected pathogenic effects on SCs and muscle regeneration, with potential consequences on myogenic signalling pathways, and subsequently on clinical outcome, especially in the case of muscle stress.

  7. Identification of Histone Deacetylase 2 as a Functional Gene for Skeletal Muscle Development in Chickens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Shahjahan

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS exposed histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2 as a possible candidate gene for breast muscle weight in chickens. The present research has examined the possible role of HDAC2 in skeletal muscle development in chickens. Gene expression was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in breast and thigh muscles during both embryonic (four ages and post-hatch (five ages development and in cultures of primary myoblasts during both proliferation and differentiation. The expression of HDAC2 increased significantly across embryonic days (ED in breast (ED 14, 16, 18, and 21 and thigh (ED 14 and 18, and ED 14 and 21 muscles suggesting that it possibly plays a role in myoblast hyperplasia in both breast and thigh muscles. Transcript abundance of HDAC2 identified significantly higher in fast growing muscle than slow growing in chickens at d 90 of age. Expression of HDAC2 during myoblast proliferation in vitro declined between 24 h and 48 h when expression of the marker gene paired box 7 (PAX7 increased and cell numbers increased throughout 72 h of culture. During induced differentiation of myoblasts to myotubes, the abundance of HDAC2 and the marker gene myogenic differentiation 1 (MYOD1, both increased significantly. Taken together, it is suggested that HDAC2 is most likely involved in a suppressive fashion in myoblast proliferation and may play a positive role in myoblast differentiation. The present results confirm the suggestion that HDAC2 is a functional gene for pre-hatch and post-hatch (fast growing muscle development of chicken skeletal muscle.

  8. Dynamics of the Skeletal Muscle Secretome during Myoblast Differentiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henningsen, Jeanette; Rigbolt, Kristoffer T G; Blagoev, Blagoy

    2010-01-01

    During recent years, increased efforts have focused on elucidating the secretory function of skeletal muscle. Through secreted molecules, skeletal muscle affects local muscle biology in an auto/paracrine manner as well as having systemic effects on other tissues. Here we used a quantitative...... proteomics platform to investigate the factors secreted during the differentiation of murine C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. Using triple encoding stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture, we compared the secretomes at three different time points of muscle differentiation and followed the dynamics...... of the skeletal muscle as a prominent secretory organ. In addition to previously reported molecules, we identified many secreted proteins that have not previously been shown to be released from skeletal muscle cells nor shown to be differentially released during the process of myogenesis. We found 188...

  9. A Simplified Method for Tissue Engineering Skeletal Muscle Organoids in Vitro

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shansky, Janet; DelTatto, Michael; Chromiak, Joseph; Vandenburgh, Herman

    1996-01-01

    Tissue-engineered three dimensional skeletal muscle organ-like structures have been formed in vitro from primary myoblasts by several different techniques. This report describes a simplified method for generating large numbers of muscle organoids from either primary embryonic avian or neonatal rodent myoblasts, which avoids the requirements for stretching and other mechanical stimulation.

  10. ANKRD1 modulates inflammatory responses in C2C12 myoblasts through feedback inhibition of NF-κB signaling activity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Xin-Hua [National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury, James J. Peter VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468 (United States); Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 (United States); Bauman, William A. [National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury, James J. Peter VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468 (United States); Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 (United States); Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 (United States); Cardozo, Christopher, E-mail: chris.cardozo@va.gov [National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury, James J. Peter VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10468 (United States); Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 (United States); Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 (United States); Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029 (United States)

    2015-08-14

    Transcription factors of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) family play a pivotal role in inflammation, immunity and cell survival responses. Recent studies revealed that NF-κB also regulates the processes of muscle atrophy. NF-κB activity is regulated by various factors, including ankyrin repeat domain 2 (AnkrD2), which belongs to the muscle ankyrin repeat protein family. Another member of this family, AnkrD1 is also a transcriptional effector. The expression levels of AnkrD1 are highly upregulated in denervated skeletal muscle, suggesting an involvement of AnkrD1 in NF-κB mediated cellular responses to paralysis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the interactive role of AnkrD1 in NF-κB mediated cellular responses is not well understood. In the current study, we examined the effect of AnkrD1 on NF-κB activity and determined the interactions between AnkrD1 expression and NF-κB signaling induced by TNFα in differentiating C2C12 myoblasts. TNFα upregulated AnkrD1 mRNA and protein levels. AnkrD1-siRNA significantly increased TNFα-induced transcriptional activation of NF-κB, whereas overexpression of AnkrD1 inhibited TNFα-induced NF-κB activity. Co-immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that AnkrD1 was able to bind p50 subunit of NF-κB and vice versa. Finally, CHIP assays revealed that AnkrD1 bound chromatin at a NF-κB binding site in the AnrkD2 promoter and required NF-κB to do so. These results provide evidence of signaling integration between AnkrD1 and NF-κB pathways, and suggest a novel anti-inflammatory role of AnkrD1 through feedback inhibition of NF-κB transcriptional activity by which AnkrD1 modulates the balance between physiological and pathological inflammatory responses in skeletal muscle. - Highlights: • AnkrD1 is upregulated by TNFα and represses NF-κB-induced transcriptional activity. • AnkrD1 binds to p50 subunit of NF-κB and is recruited to NF-κB bound to chromatin. • AnkrD1 mediates a feed-back inhibitory loop

  11. MicroRNA-27a Is Induced by Leucine and Contributes to Leucine-Induced Proliferation Promotion in C2C12 Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guangmang Liu

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Leucine, a branched chain amino acid, is well known to stimulate protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. However, the role of leucine in myoblast proliferation remains unclear. In this study, we found that leucine could promote proliferation of C2C12 cells. Moreover, expressions of miR-27a and myostatin (a bona fide target of miR-27a were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, following leucine treatment. We also found that miR-27a loss-of-function by transfection of a miR-27a inhibitor suppressed the promotion of myoblast proliferation caused by leucine. Our results suggest that miR-27a is induced by leucine and contributes to leucine-induced proliferation promotion of myoblast.

  12. Method of cell transplantation promoting the organization of intraarterial thrombus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirano, Koji; Shimono, Takatsugu; Imanaka-Yoshida, Kyoko; Miyamoto, Keiichi; Fujinaga, Kazuya; Kajimoto, Masaki; Miyake, Yoichiro; Nishikawa, Masakatsu; Yoshida, Toshimichi; Uchida, Atsumasa; Shimpo, Hideto; Yada, Isao; Hirata, Hitoshi

    2005-08-30

    Endovascular aortic repairs have been developed as less invasive treatments for aortic aneurysms. Some aneurismal cavities, however, remain without organization, causing a re-expansion of the aneurysms. We studied cell transplantation into the aneurismal sac to promote the organization of thrombus for the complete healing of aneurysms. Skin fibroblasts and skeletal myoblasts were isolated from rats for cell transplantation. An intraarterial thrombus model was made by ligation of the carotid artery. Culture medium (medium group, n=11), collagen gel (gel group, n=11), fibroblasts with collagen gel (F group, n=15), myoblasts with collagen gel (M group, n=12), or mixture of fibroblasts and myoblasts with collagen gel (F+M group, n=14) were injected into the thrombus. After 28 days, histologically, the arterial lumens of the F and M groups were partly filled with fibrous tissues, whereas in the F+M group organization was almost completed and luminal sizes diminished. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive cells were more abundantly contained in the organized area of the F+M group than in the other groups. We also analyzed cellular function in vitro with immunofluorescence; coculture of fibroblasts and myoblasts showed that the fraction of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive fibroblasts increased. This phenomenon accounts for the rapid organization of thrombus in the F+M group in vivo. Cell transplantation accelerated thrombus organization. Especially, myoblasts enhanced differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, contributing to rapid thrombus organization. Cell transplantation into unorganized spaces seems applicable to endovascular treatment of aneurysms.

  13. Goat activin receptor type IIB knockdown by muscle specific promoter driven artificial microRNAs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Amrutlal K; Shah, Ravi K; Patel, Utsav A; Tripathi, Ajai K; Joshi, Chaitanya G

    2014-10-10

    Activin receptor type IIB (ACVR2B) is a transmembrane receptor which mediates signaling of TGF beta superfamily ligands known to function in regulation of muscle mass, embryonic development and reproduction. ACVR2B antagonism has shown to enhance the muscle growth in several disease and transgenic models. Here, we show ACVR2B knockdown by RNA interference using muscle creatine kinase (MCK) promoter driven artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs). Among the various promoter elements tested, the ∼1.26 kb MCK promoter region showed maximum transcriptional activity in goat myoblasts cells. We observed up to 20% silencing in non-myogenic 293T cells and up to 32% silencing in myogenic goat myoblasts by MCK directed amiRNAs by transient transfection. Goat myoblasts stably integrated with MCK directed amiRNAs showed merely 8% silencing in proliferating myoblasts which was increased to 34% upon induction of differentiation at transcript level whereas up to 57% silencing at protein level. Knockdown of ACVR2B by 5'-UTR derived amiRNAs resulted in decreased SMAD2/3 signaling, increased expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) and enhanced proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. Unexpectedly, knockdown of ACVR2B by 3'-UTR derived amiRNAs resulted in increased SMAD2/3 signaling, reduced expression of MRFs and suppression of myogenesis. Our study offers muscle specific knockdown of ACVR2B as a potential strategy to enhance muscle mass in the farm animal species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Immortalized human myotonic dystrophy muscle cell lines to assess therapeutic compounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arandel, Ludovic; Polay Espinoza, Micaela; Matloka, Magdalena; Bazinet, Audrey; De Dea Diniz, Damily; Naouar, Naïra; Rau, Frédérique; Jollet, Arnaud; Edom-Vovard, Frédérique; Mamchaoui, Kamel; Tarnopolsky, Mark; Puymirat, Jack; Battail, Christophe; Boland, Anne; Deleuze, Jean-Francois; Mouly, Vincent; Klein, Arnaud F.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are autosomal dominant neuromuscular diseases caused by microsatellite expansions and belong to the family of RNA-dominant disorders. Availability of cellular models in which the DM mutation is expressed within its natural context is essential to facilitate efforts to identify new therapeutic compounds. Here, we generated immortalized DM1 and DM2 human muscle cell lines that display nuclear RNA aggregates of expanded repeats, a hallmark of myotonic dystrophy. Selected clones of DM1 and DM2 immortalized myoblasts behave as parental primary myoblasts with a reduced fusion capacity of immortalized DM1 myoblasts when compared with control and DM2 cells. Alternative splicing defects were observed in differentiated DM1 muscle cell lines, but not in DM2 lines. Splicing alterations did not result from differentiation delay because similar changes were found in immortalized DM1 transdifferentiated fibroblasts in which myogenic differentiation has been forced by overexpression of MYOD1. As a proof-of-concept, we show that antisense approaches alleviate disease-associated defects, and an RNA-seq analysis confirmed that the vast majority of mis-spliced events in immortalized DM1 muscle cells were affected by antisense treatment, with half of them significantly rescued in treated DM1 cells. Immortalized DM1 muscle cell lines displaying characteristic disease-associated molecular features such as nuclear RNA aggregates and splicing defects can be used as robust readouts for the screening of therapeutic compounds. Therefore, immortalized DM1 and DM2 muscle cell lines represent new models and tools to investigate molecular pathophysiological mechanisms and evaluate the in vitro effects of compounds on RNA toxicity associated with myotonic dystrophy mutations. PMID:28188264

  15. Investigation of interactions between poly-L-lysine-coated boron nitride nanotubes and C2C12 cells: up-take, cytocompatibility, and differentiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G Ciofani

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available G Ciofani1, L Ricotti1, S Danti2,3, S Moscato4, C Nesti2, D D’Alessandro2,4, D Dinucci5, F Chiellini5, A Pietrabissa3, M Petrini2,3, A Menciassi1,61Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy; 2CUCCS-RRMR, Center for the Clinical Use of Stem Cells – Regional Network of Regenerative Medicine, 3Department of Oncology, Transplants and Advanced Technologies, 4Department of Human Morphology and Applied Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; 5Laboratory of Bioactive Polymeric Materials for Biomedical and Environmental Applications (BIOlab, UdR INSTM, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, San Piero a Grado, Italy; 6Italian Institute of Technology, Genova, ItalyAbstract: Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs have generated considerable interest within the scientific community by virtue of their unique physical properties, which can be exploited in the biomedical field. In the present in vitro study, we investigated the interactions of poly-L-lysine-coated BNNTs with C2C12 cells, as a model of muscle cells, in terms of cytocompatibility and BNNT internalization. The latter was performed using both confocal and transmission electron microscopy. Finally, we investigated myoblast differentiation in the presence of BNNTs, evaluating the protein synthesis of differentiating cells, myotube formation, and expression of some constitutive myoblastic markers, such as MyoD and Cx43, by reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. We demonstrated that BNNTs are highly internalized by C2C12 cells, with neither adversely affecting C2C12 myoblast viability nor significantly interfering with myotube formation.Keywords: boron nitride nanotubes, C2C12 cells, cytocompatibility, up-take, differentiation, MyoD, connexin 43

  16. Acute rhabdomyolysis

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    Pascale de Lonlay

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Rhabdomyolysis results from the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle fibers, which leads to leakage of potentially toxic cellular contents into the systemic circulation. Acquired causes by direct injury to the sarcolemma are the most frequent. The inherited causes are: metabolic with failure of energy production, including mitochondrial fatty acid ß-oxidation defects, LPIN1 mutations, inborn errors of glycogenolysis and glycolysis, more rarely mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiency, purine defects and peroxysomalα-Methylacyl-CoA-racemase defect (AMACR; dystrophinopathies and myopathies; calcic causes with RYR1 mutations; inflammatory with myositis. Irrespective of the cause of rhabdomyolysis, the pathophysiologic events follow a common pathway, the ATP depletion leading to an increased intracellular calcium concentration and necrosis. Most episodes of rhabdomyolysis are triggered by an environmental stress, mostly fever. This condition is associated with two events, elevated temperature and high circulating levels of pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines. We describe here an example of rhabdomyolysis related to high temperature, aldolase deficiency, in 3 siblings with episodic rhabdomyolysis without hemolytic anemia. Myoglobinuria was always triggered by febrile illnesses. We show that the underlying mechanism involves an exacerbation of aldolase A deficiency at high temperatures that affected myoblasts but not erythrocytes. Thermolability was enhanced in patient myoblasts compared to control. The aldolase A deficiency was rescued by arginine supplementation in vitro. Lipid droplets accumulated in patient myoblasts relative to control and this was increased by cytokines. Lipotoxicity may participate to myolysis. Our results expand the clinical spectrum of aldolase A deficiency to isolated temperature-dependent rhabdomyolysis, and suggest that thermolability may be tissue specific. We also propose a

  17. Immortalized human myotonic dystrophy muscle cell lines to assess therapeutic compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludovic Arandel

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1 and type 2 (DM2 are autosomal dominant neuromuscular diseases caused by microsatellite expansions and belong to the family of RNA-dominant disorders. Availability of cellular models in which the DM mutation is expressed within its natural context is essential to facilitate efforts to identify new therapeutic compounds. Here, we generated immortalized DM1 and DM2 human muscle cell lines that display nuclear RNA aggregates of expanded repeats, a hallmark of myotonic dystrophy. Selected clones of DM1 and DM2 immortalized myoblasts behave as parental primary myoblasts with a reduced fusion capacity of immortalized DM1 myoblasts when compared with control and DM2 cells. Alternative splicing defects were observed in differentiated DM1 muscle cell lines, but not in DM2 lines. Splicing alterations did not result from differentiation delay because similar changes were found in immortalized DM1 transdifferentiated fibroblasts in which myogenic differentiation has been forced by overexpression of MYOD1. As a proof-of-concept, we show that antisense approaches alleviate disease-associated defects, and an RNA-seq analysis confirmed that the vast majority of mis-spliced events in immortalized DM1 muscle cells were affected by antisense treatment, with half of them significantly rescued in treated DM1 cells. Immortalized DM1 muscle cell lines displaying characteristic disease-associated molecular features such as nuclear RNA aggregates and splicing defects can be used as robust readouts for the screening of therapeutic compounds. Therefore, immortalized DM1 and DM2 muscle cell lines represent new models and tools to investigate molecular pathophysiological mechanisms and evaluate the in vitro effects of compounds on RNA toxicity associated with myotonic dystrophy mutations.

  18. Immortalized human myotonic dystrophy muscle cell lines to assess therapeutic compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arandel, Ludovic; Polay Espinoza, Micaela; Matloka, Magdalena; Bazinet, Audrey; De Dea Diniz, Damily; Naouar, Naïra; Rau, Frédérique; Jollet, Arnaud; Edom-Vovard, Frédérique; Mamchaoui, Kamel; Tarnopolsky, Mark; Puymirat, Jack; Battail, Christophe; Boland, Anne; Deleuze, Jean-Francois; Mouly, Vincent; Klein, Arnaud F; Furling, Denis

    2017-04-01

    Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are autosomal dominant neuromuscular diseases caused by microsatellite expansions and belong to the family of RNA-dominant disorders. Availability of cellular models in which the DM mutation is expressed within its natural context is essential to facilitate efforts to identify new therapeutic compounds. Here, we generated immortalized DM1 and DM2 human muscle cell lines that display nuclear RNA aggregates of expanded repeats, a hallmark of myotonic dystrophy. Selected clones of DM1 and DM2 immortalized myoblasts behave as parental primary myoblasts with a reduced fusion capacity of immortalized DM1 myoblasts when compared with control and DM2 cells. Alternative splicing defects were observed in differentiated DM1 muscle cell lines, but not in DM2 lines. Splicing alterations did not result from differentiation delay because similar changes were found in immortalized DM1 transdifferentiated fibroblasts in which myogenic differentiation has been forced by overexpression of MYOD1. As a proof-of-concept, we show that antisense approaches alleviate disease-associated defects, and an RNA-seq analysis confirmed that the vast majority of mis-spliced events in immortalized DM1 muscle cells were affected by antisense treatment, with half of them significantly rescued in treated DM1 cells. Immortalized DM1 muscle cell lines displaying characteristic disease-associated molecular features such as nuclear RNA aggregates and splicing defects can be used as robust readouts for the screening of therapeutic compounds. Therefore, immortalized DM1 and DM2 muscle cell lines represent new models and tools to investigate molecular pathophysiological mechanisms and evaluate the in vitro effects of compounds on RNA toxicity associated with myotonic dystrophy mutations. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  19. mTOR is necessary for proper satellite cell activity and skeletal muscle regeneration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Pengpeng [Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Agricultural Ministry & Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070 (China); Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Liang, Xinrong; Shan, Tizhong [Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Jiang, Qinyang [Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Deng, Changyan [Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Agricultural Ministry & Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070 (China); Zheng, Rong, E-mail: zhengrong@mail.hzau.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Swine Genetics and Breeding of Agricultural Ministry & Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070 (China); Kuang, Shihuan, E-mail: skuang@purdue.edu [Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)

    2015-07-17

    The serine/threonine kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of protein synthesis, cell proliferation and energy metabolism. As constitutive deletion of Mtor gene results in embryonic lethality, the function of mTOR in muscle stem cells (satellite cells) and skeletal muscle regeneration remains to be determined. In this study, we established a satellite cell specific Mtor conditional knockout (cKO) mouse model by crossing Pax7{sup CreER} and Mtor{sup flox/flox} mice. Skeletal muscle regeneration after injury was severely compromised in the absence of Mtor, indicated by increased number of necrotic myofibers infiltrated by Evans blue dye, and reduced number and size of regenerated myofibers in the Mtor cKO mice compared to wild type (WT) littermates. To dissect the cellular mechanism, we analyzed satellite cell-derived primary myoblasts grown on single myofibers or adhered to culture plates. The Mtor cKO myoblasts exhibited defective proliferation and differentiation kinetics when compared to myoblasts derived from WT littermates. At the mRNA and protein levels, the Mtor cKO myoblasts expressed lower levels of key myogenic determinant genes Pax7, Myf5, Myod, Myog than did the WT myoblasts. These results suggest that mTOR is essential for satellite cell function and skeletal muscle regeneration through controlling the expression of myogenic genes. - Highlights: • Pax7{sup CreER} was used to delete Mtor gene in satellite cells. • Satellite cell specific deletion of Mtor impairs muscle regeneration. • mTOR is necessary for satellite cell proliferation and differentiation. • Deletion of Mtor leads to reduced expression of key myogenic genes.

  20. mTOR is necessary for proper satellite cell activity and skeletal muscle regeneration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Pengpeng; Liang, Xinrong; Shan, Tizhong; Jiang, Qinyang; Deng, Changyan; Zheng, Rong; Kuang, Shihuan

    2015-01-01

    The serine/threonine kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator of protein synthesis, cell proliferation and energy metabolism. As constitutive deletion of Mtor gene results in embryonic lethality, the function of mTOR in muscle stem cells (satellite cells) and skeletal muscle regeneration remains to be determined. In this study, we established a satellite cell specific Mtor conditional knockout (cKO) mouse model by crossing Pax7 CreER and Mtor flox/flox mice. Skeletal muscle regeneration after injury was severely compromised in the absence of Mtor, indicated by increased number of necrotic myofibers infiltrated by Evans blue dye, and reduced number and size of regenerated myofibers in the Mtor cKO mice compared to wild type (WT) littermates. To dissect the cellular mechanism, we analyzed satellite cell-derived primary myoblasts grown on single myofibers or adhered to culture plates. The Mtor cKO myoblasts exhibited defective proliferation and differentiation kinetics when compared to myoblasts derived from WT littermates. At the mRNA and protein levels, the Mtor cKO myoblasts expressed lower levels of key myogenic determinant genes Pax7, Myf5, Myod, Myog than did the WT myoblasts. These results suggest that mTOR is essential for satellite cell function and skeletal muscle regeneration through controlling the expression of myogenic genes. - Highlights: • Pax7 CreER was used to delete Mtor gene in satellite cells. • Satellite cell specific deletion of Mtor impairs muscle regeneration. • mTOR is necessary for satellite cell proliferation and differentiation. • Deletion of Mtor leads to reduced expression of key myogenic genes

  1. MURC, a muscle-restricted coiled-coil protein, is involved in the regulation of skeletal myogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tagawa, Masashi; Ueyama, Tomomi; Ogata, Takehiro; Takehara, Naofumi; Nakajima, Norio; Isodono, Koji; Asada, Satoshi; Takahashi, Tomosaburo; Matsubara, Hiroaki; Oh, Hidemasa

    2008-08-01

    Skeletal myogenesis is a multistep process by which multinucleated mature muscle fibers are formed from undifferentiated, mononucleated myoblasts. However, the molecular mechanisms of skeletal myogenesis have not been fully elucidated. Here, we identified muscle-restricted coiled-coil (MURC) protein as a positive regulator of myogenesis. In skeletal muscle, MURC was localized to the cytoplasm with accumulation in the Z-disc of the sarcomere. In C2C12 myoblasts, MURC expression occurred coincidentally with myogenin expression and preceded sarcomeric myosin expression during differentiation into myotubes. RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of MURC impaired differentiation in C2C12 myoblasts, which was accompanied by impaired myogenin expression and ERK activation. Overexpression of MURC in C2C12 myoblasts resulted in the promotion of differentiation with enhanced myogenin expression and ERK activation during differentiation. During injury-induced muscle regeneration, MURC expression increased, and a higher abundance of MURC was observed in immature myofibers compared with mature myofibers. In addition, ERK was activated in regenerating tissue, and ERK activation was detected in MURC-expressing immature myofibers. These findings suggest that MURC is involved in the skeletal myogenesis that results from modulation of myogenin expression and ERK activation. MURC may play pivotal roles in the molecular mechanisms of skeletal myogenic differentiation.

  2. The role of Sema3–Npn-1 signaling during diaphragm innervation and muscle development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huettl, Rosa-Eva; Hanuschick, Philipp; Amend, Anna-Lena; Alberton, Paolo; Aszodi, Attila; Huber, Andrea B.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Correct innervation of the main respiratory muscle in mammals, namely the thoracic diaphragm, is a crucial pre-requisite for the functionality of this muscle and the viability of the entire organism. Systemic impairment of Sema3A–Npn-1 (Npn-1 is also known as NRP1) signaling causes excessive branching of phrenic nerves in the diaphragm and into the central tendon region, where the majority of misguided axons innervate ectopic musculature. To elucidate whether these ectopic muscles are a result of misguidance of myoblast precursors due to the loss of Sema3A–Npn-1 signaling, we conditionally ablated Npn-1 in somatic motor neurons, which led to a similar phenotype of phrenic nerve defasciculation and, intriguingly, also formation of innervated ectopic muscles. We therefore hypothesize that ectopic myocyte fusion is caused by additional factors released by misprojecting growth cones. Slit2 and its Robo receptors are expressed by phrenic motor axons and migrating myoblasts, respectively, during innervation of the diaphragm. In vitro analyses revealed a chemoattractant effect of Slit2 on primary diaphragm myoblasts. Thus, we postulate that factors released by motor neuron growth cones have an influence on the migration properties of myoblasts during establishment of the diaphragm. PMID:27466379

  3. Stem Cell Antigen-1 in Skeletal Muscle Function

    OpenAIRE

    Bernstein, Harold S.; Samad, Tahmina; Cholsiripunlert, Sompob; Khalifian, Saami; Gong, Wenhui; Ritner, Carissa; Aurigui, Julian; Ling, Vivian; Wilschut, Karlijn J.; Bennett, Stephen; Hoffman, Julien; Oishi, Peter

    2013-01-01

    Stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1) is a member of the Ly-6 multigene family encoding highly homologous, glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane proteins. Sca-1 is expressed on muscle-derived stem cells and myogenic precursors recruited to sites of muscle injury. We previously reported that inhibition of Sca-1 expression stimulated myoblast proliferation in vitro and regulated the tempo of muscle repair in vivo. Despite its function in myoblast expansion during muscle repair, a role for Sca-1...

  4. Progress on gene therapy, cell therapy, and pharmacological strategies toward the treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harish, Pradeep; Malerba, Alberto; Dickson, George; Bachtarzi, Houria

    2015-05-01

    Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a muscle-specific, late-onset degenerative disorder whereby muscles of the eyes (causing ptosis), throat (leading to dysphagia), and limbs (causing proximal limb weakness) are mostly affected. The disease is characterized by a mutation in the poly(A)-binding protein nuclear-1 (PABPN1) gene, resulting in a short GCG expansion in the polyalanine tract of PABPN1 protein. Accumulation of filamentous intranuclear inclusions in affected skeletal muscle cells constitutes the pathological hallmark of OPMD. This review highlights the current translational research advances in the treatment of OPMD. In vitro and in vivo disease models are described. Conventional and experimental therapeutic approaches are discussed with emphasis on novel molecular therapies including the use of intrabodies, gene therapy, and myoblast transfer therapy.

  5. Nuclear bodies reorganize during myogenesis in vitro and are differentially disrupted by expression of FSHD-associated DUX4

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sachiko Homma

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Nuclear bodies, such as nucleoli, PML bodies, and SC35 speckles, are dynamic sub-nuclear structures that regulate multiple genetic and epigenetic processes. Additional regulation is provided by RNA/DNA handling proteins, notably TDP-43 and FUS, which have been linked to ALS pathology. Previous work showed that mouse cell line myotubes have fewer but larger nucleoli than myoblasts, and we had found that nuclear aggregation of TDP-43 in human myotubes was induced by expression of DUX4-FL, a transcription factor that is aberrantly expressed and causes pathology in facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD. However, questions remained about nuclear bodies in human myogenesis and in muscle disease. Methods We examined nucleoli, PML bodies, SC35 speckles, TDP-43, and FUS in myoblasts and myotubes derived from healthy donors and from patients with FSHD, laminin-alpha-2-deficiency (MDC1A, and alpha-sarcoglycan-deficiency (LGMD2D. We further examined how these nuclear bodies and proteins were affected by DUX4-FL expression. Results We found that nucleoli, PML bodies, and SC35 speckles reorganized during differentiation in vitro, with all three becoming less abundant in myotube vs. myoblast nuclei. In addition, though PML bodies did not change in size, both nucleoli and SC35 speckles were larger in myotube than myoblast nuclei. Similar patterns of nuclear body reorganization occurred in healthy control, MDC1A, and LGMD2D cultures, as well as in the large fraction of nuclei that did not show DUX4-FL expression in FSHD cultures. In contrast, nuclei that expressed endogenous or exogenous DUX4-FL, though retaining normal nucleoli, showed disrupted morphology of some PML bodies and most SC35 speckles and also co-aggregation of FUS with TDP-43. Conclusions Nucleoli, PML bodies, and SC35 speckles reorganize during human myotube formation in vitro. These nuclear body reorganizations are likely needed to carry out the distinct gene transcription and

  6. LncRNA Dum interacts with Dnmts to regulate Dppa2 expression during myogenic differentiation and muscle regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lijun; Zhao, Yu; Bao, Xichen; Zhu, Xihua; Kwok, Yvonne Ka-yin; Sun, Kun; Chen, Xiaona; Huang, Yongheng; Jauch, Ralf; Esteban, Miguel A; Sun, Hao; Wang, Huating

    2015-01-01

    Emerging studies document the roles of long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) in regulating gene expression at chromatin level but relatively less is known how they regulate DNA methylation. Here we identify an lncRNA, Dum (developmental pluripotency-associated 2 (Dppa2) Upstream binding Muscle lncRNA) in skeletal myoblast cells. The expression of Dum is dynamically regulated during myogenesis in vitro and in vivo. It is also transcriptionally induced by MyoD binding upon myoblast differentiation. Functional analyses show that it promotes myoblast differentiation and damage-induced muscle regeneration. Mechanistically, Dum was found to silence its neighboring gene, Dppa2, in cis through recruiting Dnmt1, Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b. Furthermore, intrachromosomal looping between Dum locus and Dppa2 promoter is necessary for Dum/Dppa2 interaction. Collectively, we have identified a novel lncRNA that interacts with Dnmts to regulate myogenesis. PMID:25686699

  7. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression by skeletal muscle cells augments myogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goh, Qingnian; Dearth, Christopher L.; Corbett, Jacob T.; Pierre, Philippe; Chadee, Deborah N.; Pizza, Francis X.

    2015-01-01

    We previously demonstrated that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) by skeletal muscle cells after muscle overload contributes to ensuing regenerative and hypertrophic processes in skeletal muscle. The objective of the present study is to reveal mechanisms through which skeletal muscle cell expression of ICAM-1 augments regenerative and hypertrophic processes of myogenesis. This was accomplished by genetically engineering C2C12 myoblasts to stably express ICAM-1, and by inhibiting the adhesive and signaling functions of ICAM-1 through the use of a neutralizing antibody or cell penetrating peptide, respectively. Expression of ICAM-1 by cultured skeletal muscle cells augmented myoblast–myoblast adhesion, myotube formation, myonuclear number, myotube alignment, myotube–myotube fusion, and myotube size without influencing the ability of myoblasts to proliferate or differentiate. ICAM-1 augmented myotube formation, myonuclear accretion, and myotube alignment through a mechanism involving adhesion-induced activation of ICAM-1 signaling, as these dependent measures were reduced via antibody and peptide inhibition of ICAM-1. The adhesive and signaling functions of ICAM-1 also facilitated myotube hypertrophy through a mechanism involving myotube–myotube fusion, protein synthesis, and Akt/p70s6k signaling. Our findings demonstrate that ICAM-1 expression by skeletal muscle cells augments myogenesis, and establish a novel mechanism through which the inflammatory response facilitates growth processes in skeletal muscle. - Highlights: • We examined mechanisms through which skeletal muscle cell expression of ICAM-1 facilitates events of in vitro myogenesis. • Expression of ICAM-1 by cultured myoblasts did not influence their ability to proliferate or differentiate. • Skeletal muscle cell expression of ICAM-1 augmented myoblast fusion, myotube alignment, myotube–myotube fusion, and myotube size. • ICAM-1 augmented myogenic processes through

  8. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression by skeletal muscle cells augments myogenesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goh, Qingnian; Dearth, Christopher L.; Corbett, Jacob T. [Department of Kinesiology, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH (United States); Pierre, Philippe [Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy U2M, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille (France); INSERM U631, Institut National de la Santé et Recherche Médicale, Marseille (France); CNRS UMR6102, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille (France); Chadee, Deborah N. [Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH (United States); Pizza, Francis X., E-mail: Francis.Pizza@utoledo.edu [Department of Kinesiology, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH (United States)

    2015-02-15

    We previously demonstrated that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) by skeletal muscle cells after muscle overload contributes to ensuing regenerative and hypertrophic processes in skeletal muscle. The objective of the present study is to reveal mechanisms through which skeletal muscle cell expression of ICAM-1 augments regenerative and hypertrophic processes of myogenesis. This was accomplished by genetically engineering C2C12 myoblasts to stably express ICAM-1, and by inhibiting the adhesive and signaling functions of ICAM-1 through the use of a neutralizing antibody or cell penetrating peptide, respectively. Expression of ICAM-1 by cultured skeletal muscle cells augmented myoblast–myoblast adhesion, myotube formation, myonuclear number, myotube alignment, myotube–myotube fusion, and myotube size without influencing the ability of myoblasts to proliferate or differentiate. ICAM-1 augmented myotube formation, myonuclear accretion, and myotube alignment through a mechanism involving adhesion-induced activation of ICAM-1 signaling, as these dependent measures were reduced via antibody and peptide inhibition of ICAM-1. The adhesive and signaling functions of ICAM-1 also facilitated myotube hypertrophy through a mechanism involving myotube–myotube fusion, protein synthesis, and Akt/p70s6k signaling. Our findings demonstrate that ICAM-1 expression by skeletal muscle cells augments myogenesis, and establish a novel mechanism through which the inflammatory response facilitates growth processes in skeletal muscle. - Highlights: • We examined mechanisms through which skeletal muscle cell expression of ICAM-1 facilitates events of in vitro myogenesis. • Expression of ICAM-1 by cultured myoblasts did not influence their ability to proliferate or differentiate. • Skeletal muscle cell expression of ICAM-1 augmented myoblast fusion, myotube alignment, myotube–myotube fusion, and myotube size. • ICAM-1 augmented myogenic processes through

  9. Gli3 Regulation of Myogenesis Is Necessary for Ischemia-Induced Angiogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renault, Marie-Ange; Vandierdonck, Soizic; Chapouly, Candice; Yu, Yang; Qin, Gangjian; Metras, Alexandre; Couffinhal, Thierry; Losordo, Douglas W.; Yao, Qinyu; Reynaud, Annabel; Jaspard-Vinassa, Béatrice; Belloc, Isabelle; Desgranges, Claude; Gadeau, Alain-Pierre

    2015-01-01

    Rationale A better understanding of the mechanism underlying skeletal muscle repair is required to develop therapies that promote tissue regeneration in adults. Hedgehog signaling has been shown previously to be involved in myogenesis and angiogenesis: 2 crucial processes for muscle development and regeneration. Objective The objective of this study was to identify the role of the hedgehog transcription factor Gli3 in the crosstalk between angiogenesis and myogenesis in adults. Methods and Results Using conditional knockout mice, we found that Gli3 deficiency in endothelial cells did not affect ischemic muscle repair, whereas in myocytes, Gli3 deficiency resulted in severely delayed ischemia-induced myogenesis. Moreover, angiogenesis was also significantly impaired in HSA-CreERT2; Gli3Flox/Flox mice, demonstrating that impaired myogenesis indirectly affects ischemia-induced angiogenesis. The role of Gli3 in myocytes was then further investigated. We found that Gli3 promotes myoblast differentiation through myogenic factor 5 regulation. In addition, we found that Gli3 regulates several proangiogenic factors, including thymidine phosphorylase and angiopoietin-1 both in vitro and in vivo, which indirectly promote endothelial cell proliferation and arteriole formation. In addition, we found that Gli3 is upregulated in proliferating myoblasts by the cell cycle–associated transcription factor E2F1. Conclusions This study shows for the first time that Gli3-regulated postnatal myogenesis is necessary for muscle repair–associated angiogenesis. Most importantly, it implies that myogenesis drives angiogenesis in the setting of skeletal muscle repair and identifies Gli3 as a potential target for regenerative medicine. PMID:24044950

  10. Self-assembly of tissue spheroids on polymeric membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messina, Antonietta; Morelli, Sabrina; Forgacs, Gabor; Barbieri, Giuseppe; Drioli, Enrico; De Bartolo, Loredana

    2017-07-01

    In this study, multicellular tissue spheroids were fabricated on polymeric membranes in order to accelerate the fusion process and tissue formation. To this purpose, tissue spheroids composed of three different cell types, myoblasts, fibroblasts and neural cells, were formed and cultured on agarose and membranes of polycaprolactone (PCL) and chitosan (CHT). Membranes prepared by a phase-inversion technique display different physicochemical, mechanical and transport properties, which can affect the fusion process. The membranes accelerated the fusion process of a pair of spheroids with respect to the inert substrate. In this process, a critical role is played by the membrane properties, especially by their mechanical characteristics and oxygen and carbon dioxide mass transfer. The rate of fusion was quantified and found to be similar for fibroblast, myoblast and neural tissue spheroids on membranes, which completed the fusion within 3 days. These spheroids underwent faster fusion and maturation on PCL membrane than on agarose, the rate of fusion being proportional to the value of oxygen and carbon dioxide permeances and elastic characteristics. Consequently, tissue spheroids on the membranes expressed high biological activity in terms of oxygen uptake, making them more suitable as building blocks in the fabrication of tissues and organs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Nutlin-3 down-regulates retinoblastoma protein expression and inhibits muscle cell differentiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walsh, Erica M. [Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118 (United States); Niu, MengMeng; Bergholz, Johann [Center of Growth, Metabolism and Aging, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610014 China (China); Jim Xiao, Zhi-Xiong, E-mail: jxiao@bu.edu [Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118 (United States); Center of Growth, Metabolism and Aging, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610014 China (China)

    2015-05-29

    The p53 tumor suppressor gene plays a critical role in regulation of proliferation, cell death and differentiation. The MDM2 oncoprotein is a major negative regulator for p53 by binding to and targeting p53 for proteasome-mediated degradation. The small molecule inhibitor, nutlin-3, disrupts MDM2-p53 interaction resulting in stabilization and activation of p53 protein. We have previously shown that nutlin-3 activates p53, leading to MDM2 accumulation as concomitant of reduced retinoblastoma (Rb) protein stability. It is well known that Rb is important in muscle development and myoblast differentiation and that rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), or cancer of the skeletal muscle, typically harbors MDM2 amplification. In this study, we show that nutlin-3 inhibited myoblast proliferation and effectively prevented myoblast differentiation, as evidenced by lack of expression of muscle differentiation markers including myogenin and myosin heavy chain (MyHC), as well as a failure to form multinucleated myotubes, which were associated with dramatic increases in MDM2 expression and decrease in Rb protein levels. These results indicate that nutlin-3 can effectively inhibit muscle cell differentiation. - Highlights: • Nutlin-3 inhibits myoblast proliferation and prevents differentiation into myotubes. • Nutlin-3 increases MDM2 expression and down-regulates Rb protein levels. • This study has implication in nutlin-3 treatment of rhabdomyosarcomas.

  12. Affects and Affect Consciousness

    Science.gov (United States)

    MONSEN, JON T.; EILERTSEN, DAG ERIK; MELGÅRD, TROND; ØDEGÅRD, PÅL

    1996-01-01

    Affect consciousness (AC) was operationalized as degrees of awareness, tolerance, nonverbal expression, and conceptual expression of nine specific affects. A semistructured interview (ACI) and separate scales were developed to assess these aspects of affect integration. Their psychometric properties were preliminarily explored by having 20 former psychiatric outpatients complete the interview. Concurrent validity was assessed by using DSM-III-R Axis I and II diagnoses, the Health-Sickness Rating Scale, SCL-90-R, and several indexes from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Satisfactory interrater reliability and high levels of internal consistency supported the construct validity of the measure. Results suggest the most meaningful use of this instrument is in measuring specific affect and overall AC. Clinically, the ACI has provided highly specific and relevant qualitative data for use in planning psychotherapeutic interventions. PMID:22700292

  13. The use of supernatural entities in moral conversations as a cultural-psychological attractor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tófalvy, Tamás; Viciana, Hugo

    2009-06-01

    Social behavior in most human societies is characterized by the following of moral rules explicitly justified by religious belief systems. These systems constitute the diverse domain of human sacred values. Supernatural entities as founders or warranty of moral principles may be seen as a form of "conversation stoppers," considerations that can be dropped into a moral decision process in order to prevent endlessly reconsidering and endlessly asking for further justification. In this article we offer a general naturalistic framework toward answering the question of why supernatural entities are so attractive in moral argumentation. We present an explanatory model based on the phenomena of multiple channels of moral reasoning, the suspension of epistemic vigilance, and relevance assumptions through the attractiveness of the sacred, moral dumbfounding, and the expression of social coalitionary commitment. Thus, in light of much of current cognitive theory, sacred values make sense as basins in the evolutionary landscape of human morality.

  14. A human in vitro model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy muscle formation and contractility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesmith, Alexander P; Wagner, Matthew A; Pasqualini, Francesco S; O'Connor, Blakely B; Pincus, Mark J; August, Paul R; Parker, Kevin Kit

    2016-10-10

    Tongue weakness, like all weakness in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), occurs as a result of contraction-induced muscle damage and deficient muscular repair. Although membrane fragility is known to potentiate injury in DMD, whether muscle stem cells are implicated in deficient muscular repair remains unclear. We hypothesized that DMD myoblasts are less sensitive to cues in the extracellular matrix designed to potentiate structure-function relationships of healthy muscle. To test this hypothesis, we drew inspiration from the tongue and engineered contractile human muscle tissues on thin films. On this platform, DMD myoblasts formed fewer and smaller myotubes and exhibited impaired polarization of the cell nucleus and contractile cytoskeleton when compared with healthy cells. These structural aberrations were reflected in their functional behavior, as engineered tongues from DMD myoblasts failed to achieve the same contractile strength as healthy tongue structures. These data suggest that dystrophic muscle may fail to organize with respect to extracellular cues necessary to potentiate adaptive growth and remodeling. © 2016 Nesmith et al.

  15. How does real affect affect affect recognition in speech?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Truong, Khiet Phuong

    2009-01-01

    The automatic analysis of affect is a relatively new and challenging multidisciplinary research area that has gained a lot of interest over the past few years. The research and development of affect recognition systems has opened many opportunities for improving the interaction between man and

  16. Influence of anabolic agents on protein synthesis and degradation in muscle cells grown in culture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roeder, R.A.; Thorpe, S.D.; Byers, F.M.; Schelling, G.T.; Gunn, J.M.

    Muscle cell culture (L/sub 6/) studies were conducted to determine whether anabolic agents have a direct effect on the muscle cell. The effect of zeranol, testosterone propionate, estradiol benzoate, progesterone, dexamethasone and anabolic agent-dexamethasone combinations on protein synthesis and degradation were measured. Myoblast and myotube cultures were pretreated with 1 ..mu..M compounds for 12, 24 and 48 h before a 6-h synthesis or degradation measuring period. Protein synthesis was determined as cpm of (/sup 3/H) leucine incorporated per mg cell protein. Protein degradation was measured by a pulse-chase procedure using (/sup 3/H) leucine and expressed as the percentage labeled protein degraded in 6 h. Progesterone slightly increased protein synthesis in myoblast cultures. Testosterone propionate had no effect on synthesis. Protein synthesis was decreased by estradiol benzoate in myotube cultures. Protein degradation was not altered appreciably by anabolic agents. Protein synthesis was initially inhibited in myotubes by dexamethasone, but increased in myoblasts and myotubes in the extended incubation time. Dexamethasone also consistently increased protein degradation, but this required several hours to be expressed. Anabolic agents did not interfere with dexamethasone-induced increases in protein synthesis and degradation. The magnitude of response and sensitivity were similar for both the myoblast and the more fully differentiated myotube for all compounds tested. These results indicate that anabolic agents at the 1 ..mu..M level do not have a direct anabolic effect on muscle or alter glucocorticoid-induced catabolic response in muscle.

  17. Influence of anabolic agents on protein synthesis and degradation in muscle cells grown in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roeder, R.A.; Thorpe, S.D.; Byers, F.M.; Schelling, G.T.; Gunn, J.M.

    1986-01-01

    Muscle cell culture (L 6 ) studies were conducted to determine whether anabolic agents have a direct effect on the muscle cell. The effect of zeranol, testosterone propionate, estradiol benzoate, progesterone, dexamethasone and anabolic agent-dexamethasone combinations on protein synthesis and degradation were measured. Myoblast and myotube cultures were pretreated with 1 μM compounds for 12, 24 and 48 h before a 6-h synthesis or degradation measuring period. Protein synthesis was determined as cpm of [ 3 H] leucine incorporated per mg cell protein. Protein degradation was measured by a pulse-chase procedure using [ 3 H] leucine and expressed as the percentage labeled protein degraded in 6 h. Progesterone slightly increased protein synthesis in myoblast cultures. Testosterone propionate had no effect on synthesis. Protein synthesis was decreased by estradiol benzoate in myotube cultures. Protein degradation was not altered appreciably by anabolic agents. Protein synthesis was initially inhibited in myotubes by dexamethasone, but increased in myoblasts and myotubes in the extended incubation time. Dexamethasone also consistently increased protein degradation, but this required several hours to be expressed. Anabolic agents did not interfere with dexamethasone-induced increases in protein synthesis and degradation. The magnitude of response and sensitivity were similar for both the myoblast and the more fully differentiated myotube for all compounds tested. These results indicate that anabolic agents at the 1 μM level do not have a direct anabolic effect on muscle or alter glucocorticoid-induced catabolic response in muscle

  18. Selenium regulates gene expression of selenoprotein W in chicken skeletal muscle system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruan, Hongfeng; Zhang, Ziwei; Wu, Qiong; Yao, Haidong; Li, Jinlong; Li, Shu; Xu, Shiwen

    2012-01-01

    Selenoprotein W (SelW) is abundantly expressed in skeletal muscles of mammals and necessary for the metabolism of skeletal muscles. However, its expression pattern in skeletal muscle system of birds is still uncovered. Herein, to investigate the distribution of SelW mRNA in chicken skeletal muscle system and its response to different selenium (Se) status, 1-day-old chickens were exposed to various concentrations of Se as sodium selenite in the feed for 35 days. In addition, myoblasts were treated with different concentrations of Se in the medium for 72 h. Then the levels of SelW mRNA in skeletal muscles (wing muscle, pectoral muscle, thigh muscle) and myoblasts were determined on days 1, 15, 25, and 35 and at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. The results showed that SelW was detected in all these muscle components and it increased both along with the growth of organism and the differentiation process of myoblasts. The thigh muscle is more responsive to Se intake than the other two skeletal muscle tissues while the optimal Se supplementation for SelW mRNA expression in chicken myoblasts was 10(-7) M. In summary, Se plays important roles in the development of chicken skeletal muscles. To effect optimal SelW gene expression, Se must be provided in the diet and the media in adequate amounts and neither at excessive nor deficient levels.

  19. Cartap-induced cytotoxicity in mouse C2C12 myoblast cell line and the roles of calcium ion and oxidative stress on the toxic effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Jiunn-Wang; Kang, Jaw-Jou; Jeng, Chian-Ren; Chang, Shao-Kuang; Kuo, Ming-Jang; Wang, Shun-Cheng; Liu, Michael R S; Pang, Victor Fei

    2006-02-15

    Our previous study has demonstrated that instead of neuromuscular blockage cartap, an organonitrogen insecticide, could cause a marked irreversible Ca2+-dependent contracture in both isolated mouse and rabbit phrenic nerve-diaphragms. We further examined the potential of direct myocytotoxicity of cartap and the possible roles of calcium ion and oxidative stress on cartap-induced muscle cell injury using the mouse myoblast cell line, C2C12. Cartap exerted a dose- and time-dependent cytotoxic effect in C2C12 cells measured by MTT colorimetric assay and trypan blue dye exclusion. The extracellular activities of both creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were elevated in the cartap-treated groups at or greater than 100 microM. The isoenzymatic profiles showed that the elevations were mainly due to CK-3, LDH-3, and LDH-4. Following the addition of 0.5-2.5mM EGTA, a Ca2+ chelator, or 30-100 microM verapamil, an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, the cartap-induced reduction in MTT metabolic rate of C2C12 cells was significantly restored in a dose-dependent manner in both EGTA and verapamil-treated cells. Furthermore, EGTA could significantly reduce the cartap-induced elevation in the levels of total extracellular CK and LDH activities. Additionally, cartap significantly increased the level of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) in C2C12 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The cartap-induced ROS generation could be significantly inhibited by antioxidants, including Vitamins C and E, catalase, and superoxide dismutase, with catalase the most effective. EGTA could significantly inhibit cartap-induced ROS generation in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggested that cartap could induce ROS generation in C2C12 cells via a Ca2+-dependent mechanism resulting in subsequent cytotoxicity, at least partially, to C2C12 cells. It is speculated that both Ca2+ and Ca2+-induced ROS may also play the central role on the myogenic contracture and myofiber injury

  20. Network Analysis for the Identification of Differentially Expressed Hub Genes Using Myogenin Knock-down Muscle Satellite Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adeel Malik

    Full Text Available Muscle, a multinucleate syncytium formed by the fusion of mononuclear myoblasts, arises from quiescent progenitors (satellite cells via activation of muscle-specific transcription factors (MyoD, Myf5, myogenin: MYOG, and MRF4. Subsequent to a decline in Pax7, induction in the expression of MYOG is a hallmark of myoblasts that have entered the differentiation phase following cell cycle withdrawal. It is evident that MYOG function cannot be compensated by any other myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs. Despite a plethora of information available regarding MYOG, the mechanism by which MYOG regulates muscle cell differentiation has not yet been identified. Using an RNA-Seq approach, analysis of MYOG knock-down muscle satellite cells (MSCs have shown that genes associated with cell cycle and division, DNA replication, and phosphate metabolism are differentially expressed. By constructing an interaction network of differentially expressed genes (DEGs using GeneMANIA, cadherin-associated protein (CTNNA2 was identified as the main hub gene in the network with highest node degree. Four functional clusters (modules or communities were identified in the network and the functional enrichment analysis revealed that genes included in these clusters significantly contribute to skeletal muscle development. To confirm this finding, in vitro studies revealed increased expression of CTNNA2 in MSCs on day 12 compared to day 10. Expression of CTNNA2 was decreased in MYOG knock-down cells. However, knocking down CTNNA2, which leads to increased expression of extracellular matrix (ECM genes (type I collagen α1 and type I collagen α2 along with myostatin (MSTN, was not found significantly affecting the expression of MYOG in C2C12 cells. We therefore propose that MYOG exerts its regulatory effects by acting upstream of CTNNA2, which in turn regulates the differentiation of C2C12 cells via interaction with ECM genes. Taken together, these findings highlight a new

  1. Affective monitoring: A generic mechanism for affect elicitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans ePhaf

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we sketch a new framework for affect elicitation, which is based on previous evolutionary and connectionist modeling and experimental work from our group. Affective monitoring is considered a local match-mismatch process within a module of the neural network. Negative affect is raised instantly by mismatches, incongruency, disfluency, novelty, incoherence, and dissonance, whereas positive affect follows from matches, congruency, fluency, familiarity, coherence, and resonance, at least when an initial mismatch can be solved quickly. Affective monitoring is considered an evolutionary-early conflict and change detection process operating at the same level as, for instance, attentional selection. It runs in parallel and imparts affective flavour to emotional behavior systems, which involve evolutionary-prepared stimuli and action tendencies related to for instance defensive, exploratory, attachment, or appetitive behavior. Positive affect is represented in the networks by high-frequency oscillations, presumably in the gamma band. Negative affect corresponds to more incoherent lower-frequency oscillations, presumably in the theta band. For affect to become conscious, large-scale synchronization of the oscillations over the network and the construction of emotional experiences are required. These constructions involve perceptions of bodily states and action tendencies, but also appraisals as well as efforts to regulate the emotion. Importantly, affective monitoring accompanies every kind of information processing, but conscious emotions, which result from the later integration of affect in a cognitive context, are much rarer events.

  2. Heterokaryon analysis of muscle differentiation: regulation of the postmitotic state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clegg, C H; Hauschka, S D

    1987-08-01

    MM14 mouse myoblasts withdraw irreversibly from the cell cycle and become postmitotic within a few hours of being deprived of fibroblast growth factor (Clegg, C. H., T. A. Linkhart, B. B. Olwin, and S. D. Hauschka, 1987, J. Cell Biol., 105:949-956). To examine the mechanisms that may regulate this developmental state of skeletal muscle, we tested the mitogen responsiveness of various cell types after their polyethylene glycol-mediated fusion with post-mitotic myocytes. Heterokaryons containing myocytes and quiescent nonmyogenic cells such as 3T3, L cell, and a differentiation-defective myoblast line (DD-1) responded to mitogen-rich medium by initiating DNA synthesis. Myonuclei replicated DNA and reexpressed thymidine kinase. In contrast, (myocyte x G1 myoblast) heterokaryons failed to replicate DNA in mitogen-rich medium and became postmitotic. This included cells with a nuclear ratio of three myoblasts to one myocyte. Proliferation dominance in (myocyte x 3T3 cell) and (myocyte x DD-1) heterokaryons was conditionally regulated by the timing of mitogen treatment; such cells became postmitotic when mitogen exposure was delayed for as little as 6 h after cell fusion. In addition, (myocyte x DD-1) heterokaryons expressed a muscle-specific trait and lost epidermal growth factor receptors when they became postmitotic. These results demonstrate that DNA synthesis is not irreversibly blocked in skeletal muscle; myonuclei readily express proliferation-related functions when provided with a mitogenic signal. Rather, myocyte-specific repression of DNA synthesis in heterokaryons argues that the postmitotic state of skeletal muscle is regulated by diffusible factors that inhibit processes of cellular mitogenesis.

  3. Dynamic Synchronization of Teacher-Students Affection in Affective Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wenhai; Lu, Jiamei

    2011-01-01

    Based on Bower's affective network theory, the article links the dynamic analysis of affective factors in affective instruction, and presents affective instruction strategic of dynamic synchronization between teacher and students to implement the best ideal mood that promotes students' cognition and affection together. In the process of teaching,…

  4. Sound

    CERN Document Server

    Robertson, William C

    2003-01-01

    Muddled about what makes music? Stuck on the study of harmonics? Dumbfounded by how sound gets around? Now you no longer have to struggle to teach concepts you really don t grasp yourself. Sound takes an intentionally light touch to help out all those adults science teachers, parents wanting to help with homework, home-schoolers seeking necessary scientific background to teach middle school physics with confidence. The book introduces sound waves and uses that model to explain sound-related occurrences. Starting with the basics of what causes sound and how it travels, you'll learn how musical instruments work, how sound waves add and subtract, how the human ear works, and even why you can sound like a Munchkin when you inhale helium. Sound is the fourth book in the award-winning Stop Faking It! Series, published by NSTA Press. Like the other popular volumes, it is written by irreverent educator Bill Robertson, who offers this Sound recommendation: One of the coolest activities is whacking a spinning metal rod...

  5. Full speed ahead!

    CERN Multimedia

    Anaïs Schaeffer

    2014-01-01

    When he’s not working at CERN, Jean-Yves Le Meur is a top-level skier. Fresh from the Winter Paralympics in Sochi and the French disability snowsport championship, he has agreed to answer a few questions.   Jean-Yves tackles a giant slalom. Image: @FFH. Few athletes can boast of having participated in the Olympic or Paralympic Games even once in their sporting career, let alone four times... But Jean-Yves Le Meur, a member of both CERN’s IT-CIS Group and the French disabled ski team, tells me modestly during our interview that this is what he has achieved. While the skier might act like it’s no big deal, it leaves me, amateur sportsperson that I am, dumbfounded. A few weeks ago in Sochi, the sun shining a little too brightly, Jean-Yves left his fourth Paralympics with the same enthusiasm he had for the previous three, and the same bitter taste in his mouth: “Just like in the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, I failed to finish the sitting slalom, d...

  6. Role of androgen receptor on cyclic mechanical stretch-regulated proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts and its upstream signals: IGF-1-mediated PI3K/Akt and MAPKs pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yiming; Fu, Shaoting; Lu, Lin; Wang, Xiaohui

    2017-07-15

    To detect the effects of androgen receptor (AR) on cyclic mechanical stretch-modulated proliferation of C2C12 myoblasts and its pathways: roles of IGF-1, PI3K and MAPK. C2C12 were randomly divided into five groups: un-stretched control, six or 8 h of fifteen percent stretch, and six or 8 h of twenty percent stretch. Cyclic mechanical stretch of C2C12 were completed using a computer-controlled FlexCell Strain Unit. Cell proliferation and IGF-1 concentration in medium were detected by CCK8 and ELISA, respectively. Expressions of AR and IGF-1R, and expressions and activities of PI3K, p38 and ERK1/2 in stretched C2C12 cells were determined by Western blot. ①The proliferation of C2C12 cells, IGF-1 concentration in medium, expressions of AR and IGF-1R, and activities of PI3K, p38 and ERK1/2 were increased by 6 h of fifteen percent stretch, while decreased by twenty percent stretch for six or 8 h ②The fifteen percent stretch-increased proliferation of C2C12 cells was reversed by AR inhibitor, Flutamide. ③The increases of AR expression, activities of PI3K, p38 and ERK1/2 resulted from fifteen percent stretch were attenuated by IGF-1 neutralizing antibody, while twenty percent stretch-induced decreases of the above indicators were enhanced by recombinant IGF-1. ④Specific inhibitors of p38, ERK1/2 and PI3K all decreased the expression of AR in fifteen percent and twenty percent of stretched C2C12 cells. Cyclic mechanical stretch modulated the proliferation of C2C12 cells, which may be attributed to the alterations of AR via IGF-1-PI3K/Akt and IGF-1-MAPK (p38, ERK1/2) pathways in C2C12 cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Genotoxic Changes to Rodent Cells Exposed in Vitro to Tungsten, Nickel, Cobalt and Iron

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie Bardack

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Tungsten-based materials have been proposed as replacements for depleted uranium in armor-penetrating munitions and for lead in small-arms ammunition. A recent report demonstrated that a military-grade composition of tungsten, nickel, and cobalt induced a highly-aggressive, metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma when implanted into the leg muscle of laboratory rats to simulate a shrapnel wound. The early genetic changes occurring in response to embedded metal fragments are not known. In this study, we utilized two cultured rodent myoblast cell lines, exposed to soluble tungsten alloys and the individual metals comprising the alloys, to study the genotoxic effects. By profiling cell transcriptomes using microarray, we found slight, yet distinct and unique, gene expression changes in rat myoblast cells after 24 h metal exposure, and several genes were identified that correlate with impending adverse consequences of ongoing exposure to weapons-grade tungsten alloy. These changes were not as apparent in the mouse myoblast cell line. This indicates a potential species difference in the cellular response to tungsten alloy, a hypothesis supported by current findings with in vivo model systems. Studies examining genotoxic-associated gene expression changes in cells from longer exposure times are warranted.

  8. Growth of Limb Muscle is Dependent on Skeletal-Derived Indian Hedgehog

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bren-Mattison, Yvette; Hausburg, Melissa; Olwin, Bradley B.

    2011-01-01

    During embryogenesis, muscle and bone develop in close temporal and spatial proximity. We show that Indian Hedgehog, a bone-derived signaling molecule, participates in growth of skeletal muscle. In Ihh−/− embryos, skeletal muscle development appears abnormal at embryonic day 14.5 and at later ages through embryonic day 20.5, dramatic losses of hindlimb muscle occur. To further examine the role of Ihh in myogenesis, we manipulated Ihh expression in the developing chick hindlimb. Reduction of Ihh in chicken embryo hindlimbs reduced skeletal muscle mass similar to that seen in Ihh−/− mouse embryos. The reduction in muscle mass appears to be a direct effect of Ihh since ectopic expression of Ihh by RCAS retroviral infection of chicken embryo hindlimbs restores muscle mass. These effects are independent of bone length, and occur when Shh is not expressed, suggesting Ihh acts directly on fetal myoblasts to regulate secondary myogenesis. Loss of muscle mass in Ihh null mouse embryos is accompanied by a dramatic increase in myoblast apoptosis accompanied by a loss of p21 protein. Our data suggest that Ihh promotes fetal myoblast survival during their differentiation into secondary myofibers by maintaining p21 protein levels. PMID:21683695

  9. The hypobaric hypoxia affects the oxidant balance in skeletal muscle regeneration of women

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Mancinelli

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether a 14-day trekking expeditions, in high altitude hypoxic environment, triggers redox disturbance at the level of satellite cells (adult stem cells in young women.Methods: We collected muscle biopsies from Vastus Lateralis muscle for both single fiber analysis and satellite cells isolation. The samples collected before (PRE-Hypoxia and after (POST-Hypoxia the trekking in the Himalayas were compared. Satellite cells were investigated for oxidative stress (oxidant production, antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid damage, mitochondrial potential variation, gene profile of HIF and myogenic transcription factors (Pax7, MyoD, myogenin and miRNA expression (miR-1, miR-133, miR-206.Results: The nuclear domain analysis showed a significant fusion and consequent reduction of the Pax7+ satellite cells in the single mature fibers. The POST-Hypoxia myoblasts obtained by two out of six volunteers showed high superoxide anion production and lipid peroxidation along with impaired dismutase and catalase and mitochondrial potential. The transcription profile and miRNA expression were different for oxidized and non oxidized cells.Conclusions: The present study supports the phenomenon of hypobaric-hypoxia-induced oxidative stress and its role in the impairment of the regenerative capacity of satellite cells derived from the Vastus Lateralis muscle of young adult female subjects.

  10. Testing the Grandchildren's Received Affection Scale using Affection Exchange Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mansson, Daniel H

    2013-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the Grandchildren's Received Affection Scale (GRAS) using Affection Exchange Theory (Floyd, 2006). In accordance with Affection Exchange Theory, it was hypothesized that grandchildren's scores on the Trait Affection Received Scale (i.e., the extent to which individuals by nature receive affection) would be related significantly and positively to their reports of received affection from their grandparents (i.e., their scores on the GRAS). Additionally, a research question was asked to explore if grandchildren's received affection from their grandparents is dependent on their grandparent's biological sex or lineage (i.e., maternal vs paternal). Thus, young adult grandchildren (N = 422) completed the GRAS and the Trait Affection Received Scale. The results of zero-order Pearson correlational analyses provided support for the hypothesis, whereas the results of MANOVAs tests only partially support extant grandparent-grandchild theory and research. These findings broaden the scope of Affection Exchange Theory and also bolster the GRAS's utility in future grandparent-grandchild affectionate communication research.

  11. Affect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cetinic, M.; Diamanti, J.; Szeman, I.; Blacker, S.; Sully, J.

    2017-01-01

    This chapter historicizes four divergent but historically contemporaneous genres of affect theory – romantic, realist, speculative, and materialist. While critics credited with the turn to affect in the 1990s wrote largely in the wake of poststructuralism from the perspective of gender and queer

  12. Formation and characterisation of neuromuscular junctions between hiPSC derived motoneurons and myotubes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Demestre

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Striated skeletal muscle cells from humans represent a valuable source for in vitro studies of the motoric system as well as for pathophysiological investigations in the clinical settings. Myoblasts can readily be grown from human muscle tissue. However, if muscle tissue is unavailable, myogenic cells can be generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs preferably without genetic engineering. Our study aimed to optimize the generation of hiPSCs derived myogenic cells by employing selection of CD34 positive cells and followed by distinct, stepwise culture conditions. Following the expansion of CD34 positive single cells under myogenic cell culture conditions, serum deprived myoblast-like cells finally fused and formed multinucleated striated myotubes that expressed a set of key markers for muscle differentiation. In addition, these myotubes contracted upon electrical stimulation, responded to acetylcholine (Ach and were able to generate action potentials. Finally, we co-cultured motoneurons and myotubes generated from identical hiPSCs cell lines. We could observe the early aggregation of acetylcholine receptors in muscle cells of immature co-cultures. At later stages, we identified and characterised mature neuromuscular junctions (NMJs. In summary, we describe here the successful generation of an iPS cell derived functional cellular system consisting of two distinct communicating cells types. This in vitro co-culture system could therefore contribute to research on diseases in which the motoneurons and the NMJ are predominantly affected, such as in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or spinal muscular atrophy.

  13. In vitro myogenesis induced by human recombinant elastin-like proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Andrea, Paola; Scaini, Denis; Ulloa Severino, Luisa; Borelli, Violetta; Passamonti, Sabina; Lorenzon, Paola; Bandiera, Antonella

    2015-10-01

    Mammalian adult skeletal muscle has a limited ability to regenerate after injury, usage or trauma. A promising strategy for successful regenerative technology is the engineering of bio interfaces that mimic the characteristics of the extracellular matrix. Human elastin-like polypeptides (HELPs) have been synthesized as biomimetic materials that maintain some peculiar properties of the native protein. We developed a novel Human Elastin Like Polypeptide obtained by fusing the elastin-like backbone to a domain present in the α2 chain of type IV collagen, containing two RGD motives. We employed this peptide as adhesion substrate for C2C12 myoblasts and compared its effects to those induced by two other polypeptides of the HELP series. Myoblast adhered to all HELPs coatings, where they assumed morphology and cytoarchitecture that depended on the polypeptide structure. Adhesion to HELPs stimulated at a different extent cell proliferation and differentiation, the expression of Myosin Heavy Chain and the fusion of aligned fibers into multinucleated myotubes. Adhesion substrates significantly altered myotubes stiffness, measured by Atomic Force Microscopy, and differently affected the cells Ca(2+) handling capacity and the maturation of excitation-contraction coupling machinery, evaluated by Ca(2+) imaging. Overall, our findings indicate that the properties of HELP biopolymers can be exploited for dissecting the molecular connections underlying myogenic differentiation and for designing novel substrates for skeletal muscle regeneration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Effects of the activin A-myostatin-follistatin system on aging bone and muscle progenitor cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowser, Matthew; Herberg, Samuel; Arounleut, Phonepasong; Shi, Xingming; Fulzele, Sadanand; Hill, William D.; Isales, Carlos M.; Hamrick, Mark W.

    2013-01-01

    The activin A-myostatin-follistatin system is thought to play an important role in the regulation of muscle and bone mass throughout growth, development, and aging; however, the effects of these ligands on progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation in muscle and bone are not well understood. In addition, age-associated changes in the relative expression of these factors in musculoskeletal tissues have not been described. We therefore examined changes in protein levels of activin A, follistatin, and myostatin (GDF-8) in both muscle and bone with age in C57BL6 mice using ELISA. We then investigated the effects of activin A, myostatin and follistatin on the proliferation and differentiation of primary myoblasts and mouse bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in vitro. Myostatin levels and the myostatin:follistatin ratio increased with age in the primarily slow-twitch mouse soleus muscle, whereas the pattern was reversed with age in the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus muscle. Myostatin levels and the myostatin: follistatin ratio increased significantly (+75%) in mouse bone marrow with age, as did activin A levels (+17%). Follistatin increased the proliferation of primary myoblasts from both young and aged mice, whereas myostatin increased proliferation of younger myoblasts but decreased proliferation of older myoblasts. Myostatin reduced proliferation of both young and aged BMSCs in a dose-dependent fashion, and activin A increased mineralization in both young and aged BMSCs. Together these data suggest that aging in mice is accompanied by changes in the expression of activin A and myostatin, as well as changes in the response of bone and muscle progenitor cells to these factors. Myostatin appears to play a particularly important role in the impaired proliferative capacity of muscle and bone progenitor cells from aged mice. PMID:23178301

  15. Tissue-Specific Gain of RTK Signalling Uncovers Selective Cell Vulnerability during Embryogenesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yannan Fan

    Full Text Available The successive events that cells experience throughout development shape their intrinsic capacity to respond and integrate RTK inputs. Cellular responses to RTKs rely on different mechanisms of regulation that establish proper levels of RTK activation, define duration of RTK action, and exert quantitative/qualitative signalling outcomes. The extent to which cells are competent to deal with fluctuations in RTK signalling is incompletely understood. Here, we employ a genetic system to enhance RTK signalling in a tissue-specific manner. The chosen RTK is the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF receptor Met, an appropriate model due to its pleiotropic requirement in distinct developmental events. Ubiquitously enhanced Met in Cre/loxP-based Rosa26(stopMet knock-in context (Del-R26(Met reveals that most tissues are capable of buffering enhanced Met-RTK signalling thus avoiding perturbation of developmental programs. Nevertheless, this ubiquitous increase of Met does compromise selected programs such as myoblast migration. Using cell-type specific Cre drivers, we genetically showed that altered myoblast migration results from ectopic Met expression in limb mesenchyme rather than in migrating myoblasts themselves. qRT-PCR analyses show that ectopic Met in limbs causes molecular changes such as downregulation in the expression levels of Notum and Syndecan4, two known regulators of morphogen gradients. Molecular and functional studies revealed that ectopic Met expression in limb mesenchyme does not alter HGF expression patterns and levels, but impairs HGF bioavailability. Together, our findings show that myoblasts, in which Met is endogenously expressed, are capable of buffering increased RTK levels, and identify mesenchymal cells as a cell type vulnerable to ectopic Met-RTK signalling. These results illustrate that embryonic cells are sensitive to alterations in the spatial distribution of RTK action, yet resilient to fluctuations in signalling levels of an

  16. Early de novo DNA methylation and prolonged demethylation in the muscle lineage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsumagari, Koji; Baribault, Carl; Terragni, Jolyon; Varley, Katherine E; Gertz, Jason; Pradhan, Sirharsa; Badoo, Melody; Crain, Charlene M; Song, Lingyun; Crawford, Gregory E; Myers, Richard M; Lacey, Michelle; Ehrlich, Melanie

    2013-03-01

    Myogenic cell cultures derived from muscle biopsies are excellent models for human cell differentiation. We report the first comprehensive analysis of myogenesis-specific DNA hyper- and hypo-methylation throughout the genome for human muscle progenitor cells (both myoblasts and myotubes) and skeletal muscle tissue vs. 30 non-muscle samples using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. We also focused on four genes with extensive hyper- or hypo-methylation in the muscle lineage (PAX3, TBX1, MYH7B/MIR499 and OBSCN) to compare DNA methylation, DNaseI hypersensitivity, histone modification, and CTCF binding profiles. We found that myogenic hypermethylation was strongly associated with homeobox or T-box genes and muscle hypomethylation with contractile fiber genes. Nonetheless, there was no simple relationship between differential gene expression and myogenic differential methylation, rather only for subsets of these genes, such as contractile fiber genes. Skeletal muscle retained ~30% of the hypomethylated sites but only ~3% of hypermethylated sites seen in myogenic progenitor cells. By enzymatic assays, skeletal muscle was 2-fold enriched globally in genomic 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) vs. myoblasts or myotubes and was the only sample type enriched in 5-hmC at tested myogenic hypermethylated sites in PAX3/CCDC140 andTBX1. TET1 and TET2 RNAs, which are involved in generation of 5-hmC and DNA demethylation, were strongly upregulated in myoblasts and myotubes. Our findings implicate de novo methylation predominantly before the myoblast stage and demethylation before and after the myotube stage in control of transcription and co-transcriptional RNA processing. They also suggest that, in muscle, TET1 or TET2 are involved in active demethylation and in formation of stable 5-hmC residues.

  17. Plant natriuretic peptides: Systemic regulators of plant homeostasis and defense that can affect cardiomyoblasts

    KAUST Repository

    Gehring, Christoph A.

    2010-09-01

    Immunologic evidence has suggested the presence of biologically active natriuretic peptide (NPs) hormones in plants because antiatrial NP antibodies affinity purify biologically active plant NPs (PNP). In the model plant, an Arabidopsis thaliana PNP (AtPNP-A) has been identified and characterized. AtPNP-A belongs to a novel class of molecules that share some similarity with the cell wall loosening expansins but do not contain the carbohydrate-binding wall anchor thus suggesting that PNPs and atrial natriuretic peptides are heterologs. AtPNP-A acts systemically, and this is consistent with its localization in the apoplastic extracellular space and the conductive tissue. Furthermore, AtPNP-A signals via the second messenger cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate and modulates ion and water transport and homeostasis. It also plays a critical role in host defense against pathogens. AtPNP-A can be classified as novel paracrine plant hormone because it is secreted into the apoplastic space in response to stress and can enhance its own expression. Interestingly, purified recombinant PNP induces apo-ptosis in a dose-dependent manner and was most effective on cardiac myoblast cell lines. Because PNP is mimicking the effect of ANP in some instances, PNP may prove to provide useful leads for development of novel therapeutic NPs. Copyright © 2013 by The American Federation for Medical Research.

  18. Plant natriuretic peptides: Systemic regulators of plant homeostasis and defense that can affect cardiomyoblasts

    KAUST Repository

    Gehring, Christoph A; Irving, Helen R.

    2010-01-01

    Immunologic evidence has suggested the presence of biologically active natriuretic peptide (NPs) hormones in plants because antiatrial NP antibodies affinity purify biologically active plant NPs (PNP). In the model plant, an Arabidopsis thaliana PNP (AtPNP-A) has been identified and characterized. AtPNP-A belongs to a novel class of molecules that share some similarity with the cell wall loosening expansins but do not contain the carbohydrate-binding wall anchor thus suggesting that PNPs and atrial natriuretic peptides are heterologs. AtPNP-A acts systemically, and this is consistent with its localization in the apoplastic extracellular space and the conductive tissue. Furthermore, AtPNP-A signals via the second messenger cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate and modulates ion and water transport and homeostasis. It also plays a critical role in host defense against pathogens. AtPNP-A can be classified as novel paracrine plant hormone because it is secreted into the apoplastic space in response to stress and can enhance its own expression. Interestingly, purified recombinant PNP induces apo-ptosis in a dose-dependent manner and was most effective on cardiac myoblast cell lines. Because PNP is mimicking the effect of ANP in some instances, PNP may prove to provide useful leads for development of novel therapeutic NPs. Copyright © 2013 by The American Federation for Medical Research.

  19. Encountering Science Education's Capacity to Affect and Be Affected

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsop, Steve

    2016-01-01

    What might science education learn from the recent affective turn in the humanities and social sciences? Framed as a response to Michalinos Zembylas's article, this essay draws from selected theorizing in affect theory, science education and science and technology studies, in pursuit of diverse and productive ways to talk of affect within science…

  20. Misremembering Past Affect Predicts Adolescents’ Future Affective Experience during Exercise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karnaze, Melissa M.; Levine, Linda J.; Schneider, Margaret

    2018-01-01

    Purpose Increasing physical activity among adolescents is a public health priority. Because people are motivated to engage in activities that make them feel good, this study examined predictors of adolescents’ feelings during exercise. Method During the first semester of the school year, we assessed sixth grade students’ (N = 136) cognitive appraisals of the importance of exercise. Participants also reported their affect during a cardiovascular fitness test, and recalled their affect during the fitness test later that semester. During the second semester, the same participants rated their affect during a moderate-intensity exercise task. Results Affect reported during the moderate-intensity exercise task was predicted by cognitive appraisals of the importance of exercise, and by misremembering affect during the fitness test as more positive than it actually was. This memory bias mediated the association between appraising exercise as important and experiencing a positive change in affect during the moderate-intensity exercise task. Conclusion These findings highlight the roles of both cognitive appraisals and memory as factors that may influence affect during exercise. Future work should explore whether affect during exercise can be modified by targeting appraisals and memories related to exercise experiences. PMID:28494196

  1. Misremembering Past Affect Predicts Adolescents' Future Affective Experience During Exercise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karnaze, Melissa M; Levine, Linda J; Schneider, Margaret

    2017-09-01

    Increasing physical activity among adolescents is a public health priority. Because people are motivated to engage in activities that make them feel good, this study examined predictors of adolescents' feelings during exercise. During the 1st semester of the school year, we assessed 6th-grade students' (N = 136) cognitive appraisals of the importance of exercise. Participants also reported their affect during a cardiovascular fitness test and recalled their affect during the fitness test later that semester. During the 2nd semester, the same participants rated their affect during a moderate-intensity exercise task. Affect reported during the moderate-intensity exercise task was predicted by cognitive appraisals of the importance of exercise and by misremembering affect during the fitness test as more positive than it actually was. This memory bias mediated the association between appraising exercise as important and experiencing a positive change in affect during the moderate-intensity exercise task. These findings highlight the roles of both cognitive appraisals and memory as factors that may influence affect during exercise. Future work should explore whether affect during exercise can be modified by targeting appraisals and memories related to exercise experiences.

  2. Alexithymia Components Are Differentially Related to Explicit Negative Affect But Not Associated with Explicit Positive Affect or Implicit Affectivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suslow, Thomas; Donges, Uta-Susan

    2017-01-01

    Alexithymia represents a multifaceted personality construct defined by difficulties in recognizing and verbalizing emotions and externally oriented thinking. According to clinical observations, experience of negative affects is exacerbated and experience of positive affects is decreased in alexithymia. Findings from research based on self-report indicate that all alexithymia facets are negatively associated with the experience of positive affects, whereas difficulties identifying and describing feelings are related to heightened negative affect. Implicit affectivity, which can be measured using indirect assessment methods, relates to processes of the impulsive system. The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the relations between alexithymia components and implicit and explicit positive and negative affectivity in healthy adults. The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered to two hundred and forty-one healthy individuals along with measures of depression and trait anxiety. Difficulties identifying feelings were correlated with explicit negative trait affect, depressive mood and trait anxiety. Difficulties describing feelings showed smaller but also significant correlations with depressive mood and trait anxiety but were not correlated with explicit state or trait affect as assessed by the PANAS. Externally oriented thinking was not significantly correlated with any of the implicit and explicit affect measures. According to our findings, an externally oriented, concrete way of thinking appears to be generally unrelated to dispositions to develop positive or negative affects. Difficulties identifying feelings seem to be associated with increased conscious negative affects but not with a heightened disposition to develop negative affects at an automatic response level.

  3. Alexithymia Components Are Differentially Related to Explicit Negative Affect But Not Associated with Explicit Positive Affect or Implicit Affectivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Suslow

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Alexithymia represents a multifaceted personality construct defined by difficulties in recognizing and verbalizing emotions and externally oriented thinking. According to clinical observations, experience of negative affects is exacerbated and experience of positive affects is decreased in alexithymia. Findings from research based on self-report indicate that all alexithymia facets are negatively associated with the experience of positive affects, whereas difficulties identifying and describing feelings are related to heightened negative affect. Implicit affectivity, which can be measured using indirect assessment methods, relates to processes of the impulsive system. The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the relations between alexithymia components and implicit and explicit positive and negative affectivity in healthy adults. The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS were administered to two hundred and forty-one healthy individuals along with measures of depression and trait anxiety. Difficulties identifying feelings were correlated with explicit negative trait affect, depressive mood and trait anxiety. Difficulties describing feelings showed smaller but also significant correlations with depressive mood and trait anxiety but were not correlated with explicit state or trait affect as assessed by the PANAS. Externally oriented thinking was not significantly correlated with any of the implicit and explicit affect measures. According to our findings, an externally oriented, concrete way of thinking appears to be generally unrelated to dispositions to develop positive or negative affects. Difficulties identifying feelings seem to be associated with increased conscious negative affects but not with a heightened disposition to develop negative affects at an automatic response level.

  4. Localized cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity is required for myogenic cell fusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukai, Atsushi; Hashimoto, Naohiro

    2008-01-01

    Multinucleated myotubes are formed by fusion of mononucleated myogenic progenitor cells (myoblasts) during terminal skeletal muscle differentiation. In addition, myoblasts fuse with myotubes, but terminally differentiated myotubes have not been shown to fuse with each other. We show here that an adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, and other reagents that elevate intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels induced cell fusion between small bipolar myotubes in vitro. Then an extra-large myotube, designated a 'myosheet,' was produced by both primary and established mouse myogenic cells. Myotube-to-myotube fusion always occurred between the leading edge of lamellipodia at the polar end of one myotube and the lateral plasma membrane of the other. Forskolin enhanced the formation of lamellipodia where cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) was accumulated. Blocking enzymatic activity or anchoring of PKA suppressed forskolin-enhanced lamellipodium formation and prevented fusion of multinucleated myotubes. Localized PKA activity was also required for fusion of mononucleated myoblasts. The present results suggest that localized PKA plays a pivotal role in the early steps of myogenic cell fusion, such as cell-to-cell contact/recognition through lamellipodium formation. Furthermore, the localized cAMP-PKA pathway might be involved in the specification of the fusion-competent areas of the plasma membrane in lamellipodia of myogenic cells

  5. Dual roles of palladin protein in in vitro myogenesis: inhibition of early induction but promotion of myotube maturation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ngoc-Uyen-Nhi Nguyen

    Full Text Available Palladin is a microfilament-associated phosphoprotein whose function in skeletal muscle has rarely been studied. Therefore, we investigate whether myogenesis is influenced by the depletion of palladin expression known to interfere with the actin cytoskeleton dynamic required for skeletal muscle differentiation. The inhibition of palladin in C2C12 myoblasts leads to precocious myogenic differentiation with a concomitant reduction in cell apoptosis. This premature myogenesis is caused, in part, by an accelerated induction of p21, myogenin, and myosin heavy chain, suggesting that palladin acts as a negative regulator in early differentiation phases. Paradoxically, palladin-knockdown myoblasts are unable to differentiate terminally, despite their ability to perform some initial steps of differentiation. Cells with attenuated palladin expression form thinner myotubes with fewer myonuclei compared to those of the control. It is noteworthy that a negative regulator of myogenesis, myostatin, is activated in palladin-deficient myotubes, suggesting the palladin-mediated impairment of late-stage myogenesis. Additionally, overexpression of 140-kDa palladin inhibits myoblast differentiation while 200-kDa and 90-kDa palladin-overexpressed cells display an enhanced differentiation rate. Together, our data suggest that palladin might have both positive and negative roles in maintaining the proper skeletal myogenic differentiation in vitro.

  6. Regulation of promyogenic signal transduction by cell-cell contact and adhesion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krauss, Robert S.

    2010-01-01

    Skeletal myoblast differentiation involves acquisition of the muscle-specific transcriptional program and morphological changes, including fusion into multinucleated myofibers. Differentiation is regulated by extracellular signaling cues, including cell-cell contact and adhesion. Cadherin and Ig adhesion receptors have been implicated in distinct but overlapping stages of myogenesis. N-cadherin signals through the Ig receptor Cdo to activate p38 MAP kinase, while the Ig receptor neogenin signals to activate FAK; both processes promote muscle-specific gene expression and myoblast fusion. M-cadherin activates Rac1 to enhance fusion. Specific Ig receptors (Kirre and Sns) are essential for myoblast fusion in Drosophila, also signaling through Rac, and vertebrate orthologs of Kirre and Sns have partially conserved function. Mice lacking specific cytoplasmic signaling factors activated by multiple receptors (e.g., Rac1) have strong muscle phenotypes in vivo. In contrast, mice lacking individual adhesion receptors that lie upstream of these factors have modest phenotypes. Redundancy among receptors may account for this. Many of the mammalian Ig receptors and cadherins associate with each other, and multivalent interactions within these complexes may require removal of multiple components to reveal dramatic defects in vivo. Nevertheless, it is possible that the murine adhesion receptors rate-limiting in vivo have not yet been identified or fully assessed.

  7. Regulation of promyogenic signal transduction by cell-cell contact and adhesion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krauss, Robert S., E-mail: Robert.Krauss@mssm.edu [Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029 (United States)

    2010-11-01

    Skeletal myoblast differentiation involves acquisition of the muscle-specific transcriptional program and morphological changes, including fusion into multinucleated myofibers. Differentiation is regulated by extracellular signaling cues, including cell-cell contact and adhesion. Cadherin and Ig adhesion receptors have been implicated in distinct but overlapping stages of myogenesis. N-cadherin signals through the Ig receptor Cdo to activate p38 MAP kinase, while the Ig receptor neogenin signals to activate FAK; both processes promote muscle-specific gene expression and myoblast fusion. M-cadherin activates Rac1 to enhance fusion. Specific Ig receptors (Kirre and Sns) are essential for myoblast fusion in Drosophila, also signaling through Rac, and vertebrate orthologs of Kirre and Sns have partially conserved function. Mice lacking specific cytoplasmic signaling factors activated by multiple receptors (e.g., Rac1) have strong muscle phenotypes in vivo. In contrast, mice lacking individual adhesion receptors that lie upstream of these factors have modest phenotypes. Redundancy among receptors may account for this. Many of the mammalian Ig receptors and cadherins associate with each other, and multivalent interactions within these complexes may require removal of multiple components to reveal dramatic defects in vivo. Nevertheless, it is possible that the murine adhesion receptors rate-limiting in vivo have not yet been identified or fully assessed.

  8. Interleukin-4 improves the migration of human myogenic precursor cells in vitro and in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lafreniere, J.F.; Mills, P.; Bouchentouf, M.; Tremblay, J.P.

    2006-01-01

    Different molecules are available to recruit new neighboring myogenic cells to the site of regeneration. Formerly called B cell stimulatory factor-1, IL-4 can now be included in the list of motogenic factors. The present report demonstrates that human IL-4 is not required for fusion between mononucleated myoblasts but is required for myotube maturation. In identifying IL-4 as a pro-migratory agent for myogenic cells, these results provide a mechanism which partly explains IL-4 demonstrated activity during differentiation. Among the different mechanisms by which IL-4 might enhance myoblast migration processes, our results indicate that there are implications of some integrins and of three major components of the fibrinolytic system. Indeed, increases in the amount of active urokinase plasminogen activator and its receptor were observed following an IL-4 treatment, while the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 decreased. Finally, IL-4 did not modify the amount of cell surface α5 integrin but increased the presence of β3 and β1 integrins. This integrin modulation might favor myogenic cell migration and its interaction with newly formed myotubes. Therefore, IL-4 co-injection with transplanted myoblasts might be an approach to enhance the migration of transplanted cells for the treatment of a damaged myocardium or of a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patient

  9. Affect as Information in Persuasion: A Model of Affect Identification and Discounting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albarracín, Dolores; Kumkale, G. Tarcan

    2016-01-01

    Three studies examined the implications of a model of affect as information in persuasion. According to this model, extraneous affect may have an influence when message recipients exert moderate amounts of thought, because they identify their affective reactions as potential criteria but fail to discount them as irrelevant. However, message recipients may not use affect as information when they deem affect irrelevant or when they do not identify their affective reactions at all. Consistent with this curvilinear prediction, recipients of a message that either favored or opposed comprehensive exams used affect as a basis for attitudes in situations that elicited moderate thought. Affect, however, had no influence on attitudes in conditions that elicited either large or small amounts of thought. PMID:12635909

  10. Ideal affect in daily life: implications for affective experience, health, and social behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Jeanne L

    2017-10-01

    Over the last decade, researchers have increasingly demonstrated that ideal affect-the affective states that people value and ideally want to feel-shapes different aspects of daily life. Here I briefly review Affect Valuation Theory (AVT), which integrates ideal affect into existing models of affect and emotion by identifying the causes and consequences of variation in ideal affect. I then describe recent research that applies AVT to the valuation of negative states as well as more complex states, examines how ideal affect shapes momentary affective experience, suggests that ideal affect has both direct and indirect effects on health, and illustrates that people's ideal affect shapes how they judge and respond to others. Finally, I discuss the implications of cultural and individual differences in ideal affect for clinical, educational, work, and leisure settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Histogenesis of the forestomach of red Sokoto goats | Okpe | Animal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Animal Research International ... Three stages of fetal development were studied by gross and light microscopy techniques. ... The underlying bastemic tissue differentiated into disorganized arrays of myoblastic tissues at about 53 days.

  12. The structure of affective action representations: temporal binding of affective response codes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eder, Andreas B; Müsseler, Jochen; Hommel, Bernhard

    2012-01-01

    Two experiments examined the hypothesis that preparing an action with a specific affective connotation involves the binding of this action to an affective code reflecting this connotation. This integration into an action plan should lead to a temporary occupation of the affective code, which should impair the concurrent representation of affectively congruent events, such as the planning of another action with the same valence. This hypothesis was tested with a dual-task setup that required a speeded choice between approach- and avoidance-type lever movements after having planned and before having executed an evaluative button press. In line with the code-occupation hypothesis, slower lever movements were observed when the lever movement was affectively compatible with the prepared evaluative button press than when the two actions were affectively incompatible. Lever movements related to approach and avoidance and evaluative button presses thus seem to share a code that represents affective meaning. A model of affective action control that is based on the theory of event coding is discussed.

  13. Reliability Generalization: An Examination of the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leue, Anja; Lange, Sebastian

    2011-01-01

    The assessment of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) by means of the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule has received a remarkable popularity in the social sciences. Using a meta-analytic tool--namely, reliability generalization (RG)--population reliability scores of both scales have been investigated on the basis of a random…

  14. Parental Sensitivity, Infant Affect, and Affect Regulation: Predictors of Later Attachment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braungart-Rieker, Julia M.; Garwood, Molly M.; Powers, Bruce P.; Wang, Xiaoyu

    2001-01-01

    Examined extent to which parent sensitivity, infant affect, and affect regulation at 4 months predicted mother- and father-infant attachment classifications at 1 year. Found that affect regulation and maternal sensitivity discriminated infant-mother attachment groups. The association between maternal sensitivity and infant-mother attachment was…

  15. Influence of different types of carbon nanotubes on muscle cell response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fraczek-Szczypta, Aneta, E-mail: afraczek@agh.edu.pl [Department of Biomaterials, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH-University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Menaszek, Elzbieta [Department of Cytobiology, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Medyczna 9, 30-068 Krakow (Poland); Blazewicz, Stanislaw [Department of Biomaterials, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, AGH-University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow (Poland); Adu, Jimi; Shevchenko, Ross [Pharmidex Pharmaceutical Services, 72 New Bond Street, Mayfair London, W1S 1RR (United Kingdom); Syeda, Tahmina Bahar; Misra, Anil; Alavijeh, Mohammad [School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Huxley Building, University of Brighton, Brighton, BN2 4GJ (United Kingdom)

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), before and after chemical surface functionalization on muscle cell response in vitro and in vivo conditions. Prior to biological tests the surface physicochemical properties of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) deposited on a polymer membrane were investigated. To 'evaluate microstructure and structure of CNTs scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used. During in vitro study CNTs deposited on polymer membrane were contacted directly with myoblast cells, and after 7 days of culture cytotoxicity of samples was analyzed. Moreover, cell morphology in contact with CNTs was observed using SEM and fluorescence microscopy. The cytotoxicity of CNTs modified in a different way was comparable and significantly lower in comparison with pure polymer membrane. Microscopy analysis of cultured myoblasts confirms intense cell proliferation of all investigated samples with CNTs while for two kinds of CNTs myoblasts' differentiation into myotubes was observed. Histochemical reactions for the activity of enzymes such as acid phosphatase, cytochrome C oxidase, and non-specific esterase allowed the analysis of the extent of inflammation, degree of regeneration process of the muscle fibers resulting from the presence of the satellite cells and the neuromuscular junction on muscle fibers in contact with CNTs after implantation of CNTs into gluteal muscle of rat.

  16. Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) stimulates myogenic cell proliferation, differentiation and survival via the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kornasio, Reut; Riederer, Ingo; Butler-Browne, Gillian; Mouly, Vincent; Uni, Zehava; Halevy, Orna

    2009-05-01

    Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), a leucine catabolite, has been shown to prevent exercise-induced protein degradation and muscle damage. We hypothesized that HMB would directly regulate muscle-cell proliferation and differentiation and would attenuate apoptosis, the latter presumably underlying satellite-cell depletion during muscle degradation or atrophy. Adding various concentrations of HMB to serum-starved myoblasts induced cell proliferation and MyoD expression as well as the phosphorylation of MAPK/ERK. HMB induced differentiation-specific markers, increased IGF-I mRNA levels and accelerated cell fusion. Its inhibition of serum-starvation- or staurosporine-induced apoptosis was reflected by less apoptotic cells, reduced BAX expression and increased levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X. Annexin V staining and flow cytometry analysis showed reduced staurosporine-induced apoptosis in human myoblasts in response to HMB. HMB enhanced the association of the p85 subunit of PI3K with tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. HMB elevated Akt phosphorylation on Thr308 and Ser473 and this was inhibited by Wortmannin, suggesting that HMB acts via Class I PI3K. Blocking of the PI3K/Akt pathway with specific inhibitors revealed its requirement in mediating the promotive effects of HMB on muscle cell differentiation and fusion. These direct effects of HMB on myoblast differentiation and survival resembling those of IGF-I, at least in culture, suggest its positive influence in preventing muscle wasting.

  17. Stem cell antigen-1 in skeletal muscle function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernstein, Harold S; Samad, Tahmina; Cholsiripunlert, Sompob; Khalifian, Saami; Gong, Wenhui; Ritner, Carissa; Aurigui, Julian; Ling, Vivian; Wilschut, Karlijn J; Bennett, Stephen; Hoffman, Julien; Oishi, Peter

    2013-08-15

    Stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1) is a member of the Ly-6 multigene family encoding highly homologous, glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane proteins. Sca-1 is expressed on muscle-derived stem cells and myogenic precursors recruited to sites of muscle injury. We previously reported that inhibition of Sca-1 expression stimulated myoblast proliferation in vitro and regulated the tempo of muscle repair in vivo. Despite its function in myoblast expansion during muscle repair, a role for Sca-1 in normal, post-natal muscle has not been thoroughly investigated. We systematically compared Sca-1-/- (KO) and Sca-1+/+ (WT) mice and hindlimb muscles to elucidate the tissue, contractile, and functional effects of Sca-1 in young and aging animals. Comparison of muscle volume, fibrosis, myofiber cross-sectional area, and Pax7+ myoblast number showed little differences between ages or genotypes. Exercise protocols, however, demonstrated decreased stamina in KO versus WT mice, with young KO mice achieving results similar to aging WT animals. In addition, KO mice did not improve with practice, while WT animals demonstrated conditioning over time. Surprisingly, myomechanical analysis of isolated muscles showed that KO young muscle generated more force and experienced less fatigue. However, KO muscle also demonstrated incomplete relaxation with fatigue. These findings suggest that Sca-1 is necessary for muscle conditioning with exercise, and that deficient conditioning in Sca-1 KO animals becomes more pronounced with age.

  18. Intake of Mediterranean foods associated with positive affect and low negative affect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Patricia A; Jaceldo-Siegl, Karen; Lee, Jerry W; Youngberg, Wes; Tonstad, Serena

    2013-02-01

    To examine associations between consumption of foods typical of Mediterranean versus Western diets with positive and negative affect. Nutrients influence mental states yet few studies have examined whether foods protective or deleterious for cardiovascular disease affect mood. Participants were 9255 Adventist church attendees in North America who completed a validated food frequency questionnaire in 2002-6. Scores for affect were obtained from the positive and negative affect schedule questionnaire in 2006-7. Multiple linear regression models controlled for age, gender, ethnicity, BMI, education, sleep, sleep squared (to account for high or low amounts), exercise, total caloric intake, alcohol and time between the questionnaires. Intake of vegetables (β=0.124 [95% CI 0.101, 0.147]), fruit (β=0.066 [95% CI 0.046, 0.085]), olive oil (β=0.070 [95% CI 0.029, 0.111]), nuts (β=0.054 [95% CI 0.026, 0.082]), and legumes (β=0.055 [95% CI 0.032, 0.077]) were associated with positive affect while sweets/desserts (β=-0.066 [95% CI -0.086, -0.046]), soda (β=-0.025 [95% CI -0.037, -0.013]) and fast food frequency (β=-0.046 [95% CI -0.062, -0.030]) were inversely associated with positive affect. Intake of sweets/desserts (β=0.058 [95% CI 0.037, 0.078]) and fast food frequency (β=0.052 [95% CI 0.036, 0.068]) were associated with negative affect while intake of vegetables (β=-0.076 [95% CI -0.099, -0.052]), fruit (β=-0.033 [95% CI -0.053, -0.014]) and nuts (β=-0.088 [95% CI -0.116, -0.060]) were inversely associated with negative affect. Gender interacted with red meat intake (Pnegative affect in females only. Foods typical of Mediterranean diets were associated with positive affect as well as lower negative affect while Western foods were associated with low positive affect in general and negative affect in women. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Differing Effects of Younger and Older Human Plasma on C2C12 Myocytes in Vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ifigeneia Kalampouka

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Ageing is associated with a general reduction of physiological function and a reduction of muscle mass and strength. Endocrine factors such as myostatin, activin A, growth and differentiation factor 11 (GDF-11 and their inhibitory peptides influence muscle mass in health and disease. We hypothesised that myocytes cultured in plasma from older and younger individuals would show an ageing effect, with reduced proliferation and differentiation in older environments. C2C12 myoblasts were grown as standard and stimulated with media conditioned with 5% plasma from healthy male participants that were either younger (n = 6, 18–35 years of age or older (n = 6, >57 years of age. Concentration of plasma myostatin (total and free, follistatin-like binding protein (FLRG, GDF-11 and activin A were quantified by ELISA. Both FLRG and activin A were elevated in older individuals (109.6 and 35.1% increase, respectively, whilst myostatin (free and total and GDF-11 were not. Results indicated that plasma activin A and FLRG were increased in older vs. younger participants, GDF11 and myostatin did not differ. Myoblasts in vitro showed no difference in proliferation rate between ages, however scratch closure was greater in younger vs. older plasma stimulated myoblasts (78.2 vs. 87.2% of baseline scratch diameter, respectively. Myotube diameters were larger in cells stimulated with younger plasma than with older at 24 and 48 h, but not at 2 h. A significant negative correlation was noted between in vivo plasma FLRG concentration and in vitro myotube diameter 48 h following plasma stimulation (r2 = 0.392, p = 0.030. Here we show that myoblasts and myotubes cultured in media conditioned with plasma from younger or older individuals show an ageing effect, and further this effect moderately correlates with circulating FLRG concentration in vivo. The effect of ageing on muscle function may not be innate to the tissue, but involve a general cellular environment change

  20. Transcription factor ZBED6 mediates IGF2 gene expression by regulating promoter activity and DNA methylation in myoblasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinc finger, BED-type containing 6 (ZBED6) is an important transcription factor in placental mammals, affecting development, cell proliferation and growth. In this study, we found that the expression of the ZBED6 and IGF2 were up regulated during C2C12 differentiation. The IGF2 expression levels wer...

  1. Mechanical stimulation of C2C12 cells increases m-calpain expression and activity, focal adhesion plaque degradation and cell fusion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grossi, Alberto; Karlsson, Anders Hans; Lawson, Moira A.

    2005-01-01

    Abstract Mechanical Stimulation of C2C12 Cells Increases m-calpain Expression and Activity, Focal Adhesion Plaque Degradation and Cell Fusion A. Grossi, A. H. Karlsson, M. A. Lawson; Department of Dairy and Food Science, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg C, Denmark...... Myogenesis is a complex sequence of events, including the irreversible transition from the proliferation-competent myoblast stage into fused, multinucleated myotubes. During embryonic development, myogenic differentiation is regulated by positive and negative signals from surrounding tissues. Stimulation due...... to the activity of ubiquitous proteolytic enzymes known as calpains has been reported. Whether there is a link between stretch- or load induced signaling and calpain expression and activation is not known. Using a magnetic bead stimulation assay and C2C12 mouse myoblasts cell population, we have demonstrated...

  2. Engaging in Affective Practices

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Galløe, Lotte Rannveig

    schools, the paper develops an affective-power approach drawing on Foucault’s notion of power and Whetherell’s conceptualisation of affect. The approach captures the affective dimension of governing and resistance in interactional practice that engages teachers and pupils. This enables a research focus......The paper presents how the merging of the theoretical concepts ‘Affect’ and ‘Power’ faces methodological and ethical challenges when entangled in teachers’ and pupils’ practice. Based on a study of pedagogical methods aiming to shape certain affective relations and avoid conflicts in Danish primary....... Witnessing tense conflict situations taking place I as a researcher get affected as well, and in turn affect the practice myself. Because, both the teacher, pupil, and I are well aware of my research focus on power and affect, being observed in conflictual situations contributes to pervasive shame...

  3. Interactive affective sharing versus non-interactive affective sharing in work groups : Comparative effects of group affect on work group performance and dynamics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klep, Annefloor; Wisse, Barbara; Van Der Flier, Henk

    This study explores whether the dynamic path to group affect, which is characterized by interactive affective sharing processes, yields different effects on task performance and group dynamics than the static path to group affect, which arises from non-interactive affective sharing. The results of

  4. Interactive affective sharing versus non-interactive affective sharing in work groups: Comparative effects of group affect on work group performance and dynamics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klep, A.H.M.; Wisse, B.M.; van der Flier, H.

    2011-01-01

    This study explores whether the dynamic path to group affect, which is characterized by interactive affective sharing processes, yields different effects on task performance and group dynamics than the static path to group affect, which arises from non-interactive affective sharing. The results of

  5. Affective match: Leader emotions, follower positive affect, and follower performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Damen, F.; van Knippenberg, B.M.; van Knippenberg, D.

    2008-01-01

    Leader emotions may play an important role in leadership effectiveness. Extending earlier research on leader emotional displays and leadership effectiveness, we propose that the affective match between follower positive affect (PA) and leaders' emotional displays moderates the effectiveness of

  6. Affectivity in the Liminal

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomassen, Bjørn

    In this paper I propose a return to the work of Arnold van Gennep, in order to briefly discuss how the terms of liminality and affectivity were always already connected. By linking the concept of liminality that van Gennep made famous to affectivity, we are actually not proposing new...... at the threshold. The paper contains three sections: a) liminality and affectivity in van Gennep’s life; b) liminality and affectivity as a theme in his work; c) liminality and affectivity as developed in the early reception of his work....

  7. Affective Urbanism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Samson, Kristine

    Urban design and architecture are increasingly used as material and affective strategies for setting the scene, for manipulation and the production of urban life: The orchestration of atmospheres, the framing and staging of urban actions, the programming for contemplation, involvement, play......, experience and consumption are all strategic design tools applied by planners and architects. Whereas urban design in former modernist planning served merely functional or political means, urban design has increasingly become an aesthetical mediator of ideologies embedded in the urban field of life forces....... Under these circumstances affective aesthetics operate strategically within the urban field of interests, capital flows and desires of the social. This ‘affective urbanism’ (Anderson & Holden 2008) is linked to a society influenced by new kinds of information flows, where culture is mediated and enacted...

  8. Affect Consciousness in children with internalizing problems: Assessment of affect integration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taarvig, Eva; Solbakken, Ole André; Grova, Bjørg; Monsen, Jon T

    2015-10-01

    Affect integration was operationalized through the Affect Consciousness (AC) construct as degrees of awareness, tolerance, nonverbal expression and conceptual expression of 11 affects. These aspects are assessed through a semi-structured Affect Consciousness Interview (ACI) and separate rating scales (Affect Consciousness Scales (ACSs)) developed for use in research and clinical work with adults with psychopathological disorders. Age-adjusted changes were made in the interview and rating system. This study explored the applicability of the adjusted ACI to a sample of 11-year-old children with internalizing problems through examining inter-rater reliability of the adjusted ACI, along with relationships between the AC aspects and aspects of mental health as symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety, social competence, besides general intelligence. Satisfactory inter-rater reliability was found, as well as consistent relationships between the AC aspects and the various aspects of mental health, a finding which coincides with previous research. The finding indicates that the attainment of the capacity to deal adaptively with affect is probably an important contributor to the development of adequate social competence and maybe in the prevention of psychopathology in children. The results indicate that the adjusted ACI and rating scales are useful tools in treatment planning with children at least from the age of 11 years. © The Author(s) 2014.

  9. The Relationship of Teacher Affective Behavior to Pupil Affective Behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kameen, Marilyn C.; Brown, Jeannette A.

    The study investigated the relationship of teacher affective behavior changes to pupil affective behavior changes in the presence of elementary school guidance services for both populations. Specifically, the study asked: Is teacher change in Intimacy and Esprit related to pupil change in Self Perception and Peer Acceptance? Activities were…

  10. Pterins and affective disorders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. Hoekstra (Rocco)

    2007-01-01

    textabstractThe pathophysiology of affective disorders is largely unknown. In patients with various affective disorders the activity of pterins and related amino acids were investigated before and after clinical treatment. In particular the bipolar affective disorder could be

  11. Mediatised affective activism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reestorff, Camilla Møhring

    2014-01-01

    bodies by addressing affective registers. The mediatised ‘affective environment’ (Massumi, 2009) cues bodies and generates spreadability, yet it also produces disconnections. These disconnections might redistribute the ‘economy of recognizability’ (Butler and Athanasiou, 2013); however, the Femen...

  12. Caspase-12 is involved in stretch-induced apoptosis mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qiang; Liu, Jianing; Chen, Shulan; Liu, Jing; Liu, Lijuan; Liu, Guirong; Wang, Fang; Jiang, Wenxin; Zhang, Caixia; Wang, Shuangyu; Yuan, Xiao

    2016-04-01

    It is well recognized that mandibular growth, which is caused by a variety of functional appliances, is considered to be the result of both neuromuscular and skeletal adaptations. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that apoptosis plays an important role in the adaptation of skeletal muscle function. However, the underlying mechanism of apoptosis that is induced by stretch continues to be incompletely understood. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), a newly defined signaling pathway, initiates apoptosis. This study seeks to determine if caspase-12 is involved in stretch-induced apoptosis mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress in myoblast and its underlying mechanism. Apoptosis was assessed by Hochest staining, DAPI staining and annexin V binding and PI staining. ER chaperones, such as GRP78, CHOP and caspase-12, were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. Furthermore, caspase-12 inhibitor was used to value the mechanism of the caspase-12 pathway. Apoptosis of myoblast, which is subjected to cyclic stretch, was observed in a time-dependent manner. We found that GRP78 mRNA and protein were significantly increased and CHOP and caspase-12 were activated in myoblast that was exposed to cyclic stretch. Caspase-12 inhibition reduced stretch-induced apoptosis, and caspase-12 activated caspase-3 to induce apoptosis. We concluded that caspase-12 played an important role in stretch-induced apoptosis that is associated by endoplasmic reticulum stress by activating caspase-3.

  13. Expression of androgen receptor target genes in skeletal muscle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kesha Rana

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available We aimed to determine the mechanisms of the anabolic actions of androgens in skeletal muscle by investigating potential androgen receptor (AR-regulated genes in in vitro and in vivo models. The expression of the myogenic regulatory factor myogenin was significantly decreased in skeletal muscle from testosterone-treated orchidectomized male mice compared to control orchidectomized males, and was increased in muscle from male AR knockout mice that lacked DNA binding activity (ARΔZF2 versus wildtype mice, demonstrating that myogenin is repressed by the androgen/AR pathway. The ubiquitin ligase Fbxo32 was repressed by 12 h dihydrotestosterone treatment in human skeletal muscle cell myoblasts, and c-Myc expression was decreased in testosterone-treated orchidectomized male muscle compared to control orchidectomized male muscle, and increased in AR∆ZF2 muscle. The expression of a group of genes that regulate the transition from myoblast proliferation to differentiation, Tceal7 , p57 Kip2, Igf2 and calcineurin Aa, was increased in AR∆ZF2 muscle, and the expression of all but p57 Kip2 was also decreased in testosterone-treated orchidectomized male muscle compared to control orchidectomized male muscle. We conclude that in males, androgens act via the AR in part to promote peak muscle mass by maintaining myoblasts in the proliferative state and delaying the transition to differentiation during muscle growth and development, and by suppressing ubiquitin ligase-mediated atrophy pathways to preserve muscle mass in adult muscle.

  14. Protective effect of Rhus coriaria fruit extracts against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in muscle progenitors and zebrafish embryos

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fadia Najjar

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose Oxidative stress is involved in normal and pathological functioning of skeletal muscle. Protection of myoblasts from oxidative stress may improve muscle contraction and delay aging. Here we studied the effect of R. coriaria sumac fruit extract on human myoblasts and zebrafish embryos in conditions of hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. Study Design and Methods Crude ethanolic 70% extract (CE and its fractions was obtained from sumac fruits. The composition of sumac ethyl acetate EtOAc fraction was studied by 1H NMR. The viability of human myoblasts treated with CE and the EtOAc fraction was determined by trypan blue exclusion test. Oxidative stress, cell cycle and adhesion were analyzed by flow cytometry and microscopy. Gene expression was analyzed by qPCR. Results The EtOAc fraction (IC50 2.57 µg/mL had the highest antioxidant activity and exhibited the best protective effect against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. It also restored cell adhesion. This effect was mediated by superoxide dismutase 2 and catalase. Pre-treatment of zebrafish embryos with low concentrations of the EtOAc fraction protected them from hydrogen peroxide-induced death in vivo. 1H NMR analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid in this fraction. Conclusion Rhus coriaria extracts inhibited or slowed down the progress of skeletal muscle atrophy by decreasing oxidative stress via superoxide dismutase 2 and catalase-dependent mechanisms.

  15. Affectivity and race

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vitus, Kathrine; Andreassen, Rikke

    into the experience of racial difference and the unfolding of political discourses on race in various social spheres. Organised around the themes of the politicisation of race through affect, the way that race produces affect and the affective experience of race, this interdisciplinary collection sheds light...... on the role of feelings in the formation of subjectivities, how race and whiteness are affectively circulated in public life and the ways in which emotions contribute to regimes of inclusion and exclusion. As such it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences, with interests in sociology, anthropology......This book presents new empirical studies of social difference in the Nordic welfare states, in order to advance novel theoretical perspectives on the everyday practices and macro-politics of race and gender in multi-ethnic societies. With attention to the specific political and cultural landscapes...

  16. Affectivity and race

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    on the role of feelings in the formation of subjectivities, how race and whiteness are affectively circulated in public life and the ways in which emotions contribute to regimes of inclusion and exclusion. As such it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences, with interests in sociology, anthropology...... of the Nordic countries, Affectivity and Race draws on a variety of sources, including television programmes, news media, fictional literature, interviews, ethnographic observations, teaching curricula and policy documents, to explore the ways in which ideas about affectivity and emotion afford new insights...

  17. ADAM 12 protease induces adipogenesis in transgenic mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kawaguchi, Nobuko; Xu, Xiufeng; Tajima, Rie

    2002-01-01

    ADAM 12 (meltrin-alpha) is a member of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family. ADAM 12 functions as an active metalloprotease, supports cell adhesion, and has been implicated in myoblast differentiation and fusion. Human ADAM 12 exists in two forms: the prototype membrane-anchored pr......ADAM 12 (meltrin-alpha) is a member of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family. ADAM 12 functions as an active metalloprotease, supports cell adhesion, and has been implicated in myoblast differentiation and fusion. Human ADAM 12 exists in two forms: the prototype membrane......-anchored protein, ADAM 12-L, and a shorter secreted form, ADAM 12-S. Here we report the occurrence of adipocytes in the skeletal muscle of transgenic mice in which overexpression of either form is driven by the muscle creatine kinase promoter. Cells expressing a marker of early adipogenesis were apparent...

  18. Activation of estrogen response elements is mediated both via estrogen and muscle contractions in rat skeletal muscle myotubes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiik, A.; Hellsten, Ylva; Berthelson, P.

    2009-01-01

    is ER independent. The muscle contraction-induced transactivation of ERE and increase in ERbeta mRNA were instead found to be MAP kinase (MAPK) dependent. This study demonstrates for the first time that muscle contractions have a similar functional effect as estrogen in skeletal muscle myotubes, causing......The aim of the present study was to investigate the activation of estrogen response elements (EREs) by estrogen and muscle contractions in rat myotubes in culture and to assess whether the activation is dependent on the estrogen receptors (ERs). In addition, the effect of estrogen and contraction...... on the mRNA levels of ERalpha and ERbeta was studied to determine the functional consequence of the transactivation. Myoblasts were isolated from rat skeletal muscle and transfected with a vector consisting of sequences of EREs coupled to the gene for luciferase. The transfected myoblasts were...

  19. Introduction: Affective Ecologies and Conservation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neera M Singh

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Engaging the affective and materialist turn in the social sciences, this special section elaborates on how analytical attention on affect and affective relations is central to understanding human-nature relations and to conservation interventions. The contributors to this section use conceptual resources from affect theory, new materialism, and indigenous ontologies to illustrate the practical significance of paying attention to affect in understanding nature-society relations. This introduction reviews these conceptual resources to make a case for affective political ecology.

  20. Questions of time and affect: a person's affectivity profile, time perspective, and well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Danilo; Sailer, Uta; Nima, Ali Al; Archer, Trevor

    2016-01-01

    Background. A "balanced" time perspective has been suggested to have a positive influence on well-being: a sentimental and positive view of the past (high Past Positive), a less pessimistic attitude toward the past (low Past Negative), the desire of experiencing pleasure with slight concern for future consequences (high Present Hedonistic), a less fatalistic and hopeless view of the future (low Present Fatalistic), and the ability to find reward in achieving specific long-term goals (high Future). We used the affective profiles model (i.e., combinations of individuals' experience of high/low positive/negative affectivity) to investigate differences between individuals in time perspective dimensions and to investigate if the influence of time perspective dimensions on well-being was moderated by the individual's type of profile. Method. Participants (N = 720) answered to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and two measures of well-being: the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale and Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being-short version. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to identify differences in time perspective dimensions and well-being among individuals with distinct affective profiles. Four structural equation models (SEM) were used to investigate which time perspective dimensions predicted well-being for individuals in each profile. Results. Comparisons between individuals at the extreme of the affective profiles model suggested that individuals with a self-fulfilling profile (high positive/low negative affect) were characterized by a "balanced" time perspective and higher well-being compared to individuals with a self-destructive profile (low positive/high negative affect). However, a different pattern emerged when individuals who differed in one affect dimension but matched in the other were compared to each other. For instance, decreases in the past negative time perspective

  1. Affective State Influences Perception by Affecting Decision Parameters Underlying Bias and Sensitivity

    OpenAIRE

    Lynn, Spencer K.; Zhang, Xuan; Barrett, Lisa Feldman

    2012-01-01

    Studies of the effect of affect on perception often show consistent directional effects of a person’s affective state on perception. Unpleasant emotions have been associated with a “locally focused” style of stimulus evaluation, and positive emotions with a “globally focused” style. Typically, however, studies of affect and perception have not been conducted under the conditions of perceptual uncertainty and behavioral risk inherent to perceptual judgments outside the laboratory. We investiga...

  2. Alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain (MYH6) mutations affecting myofibril formation are associated with congenital heart defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granados-Riveron, Javier T; Ghosh, Tushar K; Pope, Mark; Bu'Lock, Frances; Thornborough, Christopher; Eason, Jacqueline; Kirk, Edwin P; Fatkin, Diane; Feneley, Michael P; Harvey, Richard P; Armour, John A L; David Brook, J

    2010-10-15

    Congenital heart defects (CHD) are collectively the most common form of congenital malformation. Studies of human cases and animal models have revealed that mutations in several genes are responsible for both familial and sporadic forms of CHD. We have previously shown that a mutation in MYH6 can cause an autosomal dominant form of atrial septal defect (ASD), whereas others have identified mutations of the same gene in patients with hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy. In the present study, we report a mutation analysis of MYH6 in patients with a wide spectrum of sporadic CHD. The mutation analysis of MYH6 was performed in DNA samples from 470 cases of isolated CHD using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography and sequence analysis to detect point mutations and small deletions or insertions, and multiplex amplifiable probe hybridization to detect partial or complete copy number variations. One non-sense mutation, one splicing site mutation and seven non-synonymous coding mutations were identified. Transfection of plasmids encoding mutant and non-mutant green fluorescent protein-MYH6 fusion proteins in mouse myoblasts revealed that the mutations A230P and A1366D significantly disrupt myofibril formation, whereas the H252Q mutation significantly enhances myofibril assembly in comparison with the non-mutant protein. Our data indicate that functional variants of MYH6 are associated with cardiac malformations in addition to ASD and provide a novel potential mechanism. Such phenotypic heterogeneity has been observed in other genes mutated in CHD.

  3. Affective state influences perception by affecting decision parameters underlying bias and sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynn, Spencer K; Zhang, Xuan; Barrett, Lisa Feldman

    2012-08-01

    Studies of the effect of affect on perception often show consistent directional effects of a person's affective state on perception. Unpleasant emotions have been associated with a "locally focused" style of stimulus evaluation, and positive emotions with a "globally focused" style. Typically, however, studies of affect and perception have not been conducted under the conditions of perceptual uncertainty and behavioral risk inherent to perceptual judgments outside the laboratory. We investigated the influence of perceivers' experienced affect (valence and arousal) on the utility of social threat perception by combining signal detection theory and behavioral economics. We compared 3 perceptual decision environments that systematically differed with respect to factors that underlie uncertainty and risk: the base rate of threat, the costs of incorrect identification threat, and the perceptual similarity of threats and nonthreats. We found that no single affective state yielded the best performance on the threat perception task across the 3 environments. Unpleasant valence promoted calibration of response bias to base rate and costs, high arousal promoted calibration of perceptual sensitivity to perceptual similarity, and low arousal was associated with an optimal adjustment of bias to sensitivity. However, the strength of these associations was conditional upon the difficulty of attaining optimal bias and high sensitivity, such that the effect of the perceiver's affective state on perception differed with the cause and/or level of uncertainty and risk.

  4. [The relationship of empathic-affective responses toward others' positive affect with prosocial behaviors and aggressive behaviors].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakurai, Shigeo; Hayama, Daichi; Suzuki, Takashi; Kurazumi, Tomoe; Hagiwara, Toshihiko; Suzuki, Miyuki; Ohuchi, Akiko; Chizuko, Oikawa

    2011-06-01

    The purposes of this study were to develop and validate the Empathic-Affective Response Scale, and to examine the relationship of empathic-affective responses with prosocial behaviors and aggressive behaviors. Undergraduate students (N = 443) participated in a questionnaire study. The results of factor analysis indicated that empathic-affective responses involved three factors: (a) sharing and good feeling toward others' positive affect, (b) sharing of negative affect and (c) sympathy toward others' negative affect. Correlations with other empathy-related scales and internal consistency suggested that this scale has satisfactory validity and reliability. Cluster analysis revealed that participants were clustered into four groups: high-empathic group, low-empathic group, insufficient positive affective response group and insufficient negative affective response group. Additional analysis showed the frequency of prosocial behaviors in high-empathic group was highest in all groups. On the other hand, the frequency of aggressive behaviors in both insufficient positive affective response group and low-empathic group were higher than others' groups. The results indicated that empathic-affective responses toward positive affect are also very important to predict prosocial behaviors and aggressive behaviors.

  5. Free-energy carriers in human cultured muscle cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bolhuis, P. A.; de Zwart, H. J.; Ponne, N. J.; de Jong, J. M.

    1985-01-01

    Creatine phosphate (CrP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), creatine kinase (CK), adenylate kinase (AK), protein, and DNA were quantified in human muscle cell cultures undergoing transition from dividing myoblasts to multinucleate myotubes. CrP is negligible in cultures grown in commonly applied media

  6. Personality and Stressor-Related Affect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leger, Kate A.; Charles, Susan T.; Turiano, Nicholas A.; Almeida, David M.

    2015-01-01

    Greater increases in negative affect and greater decreases in positive affect on days stressors occur portend poorer mental and physical health years later. Although personality traits influence stressor-related affect, only neuroticism and extraversion among the Big Five personality traits have been examined in any detail. Moreover, personality traits may shape how people appraise daily stressors, yet few studies have examined how stressor-related appraisals may account for associations between personality and stressor-related affect. Two studies used participants (N=2022, age 30–84) from the National Study of Daily Experiences II (NSDE II) to examine the associations between Big Five personality traits and stressor-related affect, in addition to how appraisals may account for these relationships. Results from Study 1 indicate that higher levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness to experience, and lower levels of neuroticism, are related to less stressor-related negative affect. Only agreeableness was associated with stressor-related positive affect, such that higher levels were related to greater decreases in positive affect on days stressors occur. The second study found that stressor-related appraisals partially accounted for the significant associations between stressor-related negative affect and personality. Implications for these findings in relation to how personality may influence physical and emotional health are discussed. PMID:26796984

  7. Culture experiments on conductive polymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onoda, Mitsuyoshi

    2012-01-01

    Fibroblast L929 and myoblast C2C12 cells of the mouse connective tissue origin were sown on the surface of conductive polymer films (polypyrrole, PPy and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT) in the cell culture medium, and the proliferative process of these cells was observed. Without changing the form, fibroblast L929 and myoblast C2C12 cells were observed to proliferate almost similarly to the cell which cultured on a dish on the market and to maintain compatibility. In other word, it has been understood these two kinds of conductive polymers used in this study, the PEDOT films maintain the secretion function of the cell cultured on the surface of these polymers. Therefore, the PPy- and the PEDOT-coated electrode suggested the possibility usable as a nerve stimulation electrode with biocompatibility, because these polymers were effective to culture the cell.

  8. Leader Affect and Leadership Effectiveness: How leader affective displays influence follower outcomes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    V.A. Visser (Victoria)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractThe aim of this dissertation is to uncover the relationship between leader affective displays and leadership effectiveness. Five empirical studies were conducted to test the influence of several leader affective displays on different follower outcomes that indicate leadership

  9. Positive affect, negative affect, stress, and social support as mediators of the forgiveness-health relationship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Michelle; Decourville, Nancy; Sadava, Stanley

    2012-01-01

    Structural equation modeling was used to test a model in which positive affect, negative affect, perceived stress, and social support were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between forgiveness and mental and physical health. Six hundred and twenty-three undergraduates completed a battery of self-report measures. Results of the analyses indicated that the forgiveness-health relation was mediated by positive affect, negative affect, stress, and the interrelationship between negative affect and stress. There was limited support for social support and the interrelationship between positive affect and social support as mediators. The results suggested that the relationship between forgiveness and health is mediated rather than direct. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

  10. Apoptosis in differentiating C2C12 muscle cells selectively targets Bcl-2-deficient myotubes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoneich, Christian; Dremina, Elena; Galeva, Nadezhda; Sharov, Victor

    2014-01-01

    Muscle cell apoptosis accompanies normal muscle development and regeneration, as well as degenerative diseases and aging. C2C12 murine myoblast cells represent a common model to study muscle differentiation. Though it was already shown that myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells is accompanied by enhanced apoptosis in a fraction of cells, either the cell population sensitive to apoptosis or regulatory mechanisms for the apoptotic response are unclear so far. In the current study we characterize apoptotic phenotypes of different types of C2C12 cells at all stages of differentiation, and report here that myotubes of differentiated C2C12 cells with low levels of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression are particularly vulnerable to apoptosis even though they are displaying low levels of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, Bak and Bad. In contrast, reserve cells exhibit higher levels of Bcl-2 and high resistance to apoptosis. The transfection of proliferating myoblasts with Bcl-2 prior to differentiation did not protect against spontaneous apoptosis accompanying differentiation of C2C12 cell but led to Bcl-2 overexpression in myotubes and to significant protection from apoptotic cell loss caused by exposure to hydrogen peroxide. Overall, our data advocate for a Bcl-2-dependent mechanism of apoptosis in differentiated muscle cells. However, downstream processes for spontaneous and hydrogen peroxide induced apoptosis are not completely similar. Apoptosis in differentiating myoblasts and myotubes is regulated not through interaction of Bcl-2 with pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins such as Bax, Bak, and Bad. PMID:24129924

  11. Differential expression of FGF receptors and of myogenic regulatory factors in primary cultures of satellite cells originating from fast (EDL) and slow (Soleus) twitch rat muscles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martelly, I; Soulet, L; Bonnavaud, S; Cebrian, J; Gautron, J; Barritault, D

    2000-11-01

    In the rat, the fast and slow twitch muscles respectively Extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and Soleus present differential characteristics during regeneration. This suggests that their satellite cells responsible for muscle growth and repair represent distinct cellular populations. We have previously shown that satellite cells dissociated from Soleus and grown in vitro proliferate more readily than those isolated from EDL muscle. Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are known as regulators of myoblast proliferation and several studies have revealed a relationship between the response of myoblasts to FGF and the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRF) of the MyoD family by myoblasts. Therefore, we presently examined the possibility that the satellite cells isolated from EDL and Soleus muscles differ in the expression of FGF receptors (FGF-R) and of MRF expression. FGF-R1 and -R4 were strongly expressed in proliferating cultures whereas FGF-R2 and R3 were not detected in these cultures. In differentiating cultures, only -R1 was present in EDL satellite cells while FGF-R4 was also still expressed in Soleus cells. Interestingly, the unconventional receptor for FGF called cystein rich FGF receptor (CFR), of yet unknown function, was mainly detected in EDL satellite cell cultures. Soleus and EDL satellite cell cultures also differed in the expression MRFs. These results are consistent with the notion that satellite cells from fast and slow twitch muscles belong to different types of myogenic cells and suggest that satellite cells might play distinct roles in the formation and diversification of fast and slow fibres.

  12. The role of Na+/K+-ATPase during chick skeletal myogenesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taissa Neustadt Oliveira

    Full Text Available The formation of a vertebrate skeletal muscle fiber involves a series of sequential and interdependent events that occurs during embryogenesis. One of these events is myoblast fusion which has been widely studied, yet not completely understood. It was previously shown that during myoblast fusion there is an increase in the expression of Na+/K+-ATPase. This fact prompted us to search for a role of the enzyme during chick in vitro skeletal myogenesis. Chick myogenic cells were treated with the Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor ouabain in four different concentrations (0.01-10 μM and analyzed. Our results show that 0.01, 0.1 and 1 μM ouabain did not induce changes in cell viability, whereas 10 μM induced a 45% decrease. We also observed a reduction in the number and thickness of multinucleated myotubes and a decrease in the number of myoblasts after 10 μM ouabain treatment. We tested the involvement of MEK-ERK and p38 signaling pathways in the ouabain-induced effects during myogenesis, since both pathways have been associated with Na+/K+-ATPase. The MEK-ERK inhibitor U0126 alone did not alter cell viability and did not change ouabain effect. The p38 inhibitor SB202190 alone or together with 10 μM ouabain did not alter cell viability. Our results show that the 10 μM ouabain effects in myofiber formation do not involve the MEK-ERK or the p38 signaling pathways, and therefore are probably related to the pump activity function of the Na+/K+-ATPase.

  13. Phentermine, sibutramine and affective disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Hoyoung; Sohn, Hyunjoo; Chung, Seockhoon

    2013-04-01

    A safe and effective way to control weight in patients with affective disorders is needed, and phentermine is a possible candidate. We performed a PubMed search of articles pertaining to phentermine, sibutramine, and affective disorders. We compared the studies of phentermine with those of sibutramine. The search yielded a small number of reports. Reports concerning phentermine and affective disorders reported that i) its potency in the central nervous system may be comparatively low, and ii) it may induce depression in some patients. We were unable to find more studies on the subject; thus, it is unclear presently whether phentermine use is safe in affective disorder patients. Reports regarding the association of sibutramine and affective disorders were slightly more abundant. A recent study that suggested that sibutramine may have deleterious effects in patients with a psychiatric history may provide a clue for future phentermine research. Three explanations are possible concerning the association between phentermine and affective disorders: i) phentermine, like sibutramine, may have a depression-inducing effect that affects a specific subgroup of patients, ii) phentermine may have a dose-dependent depression-inducing effect, or iii) phentermine may simply not be associated with depression. Large-scale studies with affective disorder patients focusing on these questions are needed to clarify this matter before investigation of its efficacy may be carried out and it can be used in patients with affective disorders.

  14. Questions of time and affect: a person’s affectivity profile, time perspective, and well-being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sailer, Uta; Nima, Ali Al; Archer, Trevor

    2016-01-01

    Background. A “balanced” time perspective has been suggested to have a positive influence on well-being: a sentimental and positive view of the past (high Past Positive), a less pessimistic attitude toward the past (low Past Negative), the desire of experiencing pleasure with slight concern for future consequences (high Present Hedonistic), a less fatalistic and hopeless view of the future (low Present Fatalistic), and the ability to find reward in achieving specific long-term goals (high Future). We used the affective profiles model (i.e., combinations of individuals’ experience of high/low positive/negative affectivity) to investigate differences between individuals in time perspective dimensions and to investigate if the influence of time perspective dimensions on well-being was moderated by the individual’s type of profile. Method. Participants (N = 720) answered to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and two measures of well-being: the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale and Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being-short version. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to identify differences in time perspective dimensions and well-being among individuals with distinct affective profiles. Four structural equation models (SEM) were used to investigate which time perspective dimensions predicted well-being for individuals in each profile. Results. Comparisons between individuals at the extreme of the affective profiles model suggested that individuals with a self-fulfilling profile (high positive/low negative affect) were characterized by a “balanced” time perspective and higher well-being compared to individuals with a self-destructive profile (low positive/high negative affect). However, a different pattern emerged when individuals who differed in one affect dimension but matched in the other were compared to each other. For instance, decreases in the past negative time

  15. Questions of time and affect: a person’s affectivity profile, time perspective, and well-being

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilo Garcia

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Background. A “balanced” time perspective has been suggested to have a positive influence on well-being: a sentimental and positive view of the past (high Past Positive, a less pessimistic attitude toward the past (low Past Negative, the desire of experiencing pleasure with slight concern for future consequences (high Present Hedonistic, a less fatalistic and hopeless view of the future (low Present Fatalistic, and the ability to find reward in achieving specific long-term goals (high Future. We used the affective profiles model (i.e., combinations of individuals’ experience of high/low positive/negative affectivity to investigate differences between individuals in time perspective dimensions and to investigate if the influence of time perspective dimensions on well-being was moderated by the individual’s type of profile. Method. Participants (N = 720 answered to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and two measures of well-being: the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale and Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being-short version. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA was conducted to identify differences in time perspective dimensions and well-being among individuals with distinct affective profiles. Four structural equation models (SEM were used to investigate which time perspective dimensions predicted well-being for individuals in each profile. Results. Comparisons between individuals at the extreme of the affective profiles model suggested that individuals with a self-fulfilling profile (high positive/low negative affect were characterized by a “balanced” time perspective and higher well-being compared to individuals with a self-destructive profile (low positive/high negative affect. However, a different pattern emerged when individuals who differed in one affect dimension but matched in the other were compared to each other. For instance, decreases in the past negative

  16. Affect and craving: positive and negative affect are differentially associated with approach and avoidance inclinations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlauch, Robert C; Gwynn-Shapiro, Daniel; Stasiewicz, Paul R; Molnar, Danielle S; Lang, Alan R

    2013-04-01

    Research on reactivity to alcohol and drug cues has either ignored affective state altogether or has focused rather narrowly on the role of negative affect in craving. Moreover, until recently, the relevant analyses of affect and craving have rarely addressed the ambivalence often associated with craving itself. The current study investigated how both negative and positive affect moderate approach and avoidance inclinations associated with cue-elicited craving in a clinical sample diagnosed with substance use disorders. One hundred forty-four patients (age range of 18-65, mean 42.0; n=92 males) were recruited from an inpatient detoxification unit for substance abuse. Participants completed a baseline assessment of both positive and negative affect prior to completing a cue-reactivity paradigm for which they provided self-report ratings of inclinations to approach (use) and avoid (not use) alcohol, cigarettes, and non-psychoactive control substances (food and beverages). Participants with elevated negative affect reported significantly higher approach ratings for cigarette and alcohol cues, whereas those high in positive affect showed significantly higher levels of avoidance inclinations for both alcohol and cigarette cues and also significantly lower approach ratings for alcohol cues, all relative to control cues. Results for negative affect are consistent with previous cue reactivity research, whereas results for positive affect are unique and call attention to its clinical potential for attenuating approach inclinations to substance use cues. Further, positive affect was related to both approach and avoidance inclinations, underscoring the utility of a multidimensional conceptualization of craving in the analysis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Salidroside Inhibits Myogenesis by Modulating p-Smad3-Induced Myf5 Transcription

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peng Zhang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Aim: Salidroside is an active compound extracted from Rhodiola rosea which is used to alleviate fatigue and enhance endurance in high altitude regions. Some studies have demonstrated that salidroside can affect precursor cell differentiation in hematopoietic stem cells, erythrocytes, and osteoblasts. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of salidroside on myoblast differentiation and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of this effect.Methods: C2C12 myoblast cells were treated with different concentrations of salidroside in differentiation media. Real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assay were employed to evaluate the effects of salidroside on C2C12 differentiation. RNA interference was used to reveal the important role of Myf5 in myogenesis inhibited by salidroside. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assay were utilized to explore the underlying mechanisms of salidroside-induced upregulation of Myf5.Results: We found that salidroside inhibits myogenesis by downregulating MyoD and myogenin, preserves undifferentiated reserve cell pools by upregulating Myf5. Knocking down Myf5 expression significantly rescued the myogenesis inhibited by salidroside. The effect of salidroside on myogenesis was associated with increased phosphorylated Smad3 (p-Smad3. Both SIS3 (Specific inhibitor of p-Smad3 and dominant negative Smad3 plasmid (DN-Smad3 attenuated the inhibitory effect of salidroside on C2C12 differentiation. Moreover, the induction of Myf5 transcription by salidroside was dependent on a Smad-binding site in the promoter region of Myf5 gene.Conclusion and Implications: Our findings identify a novel role and mechanism for salidroside in regulating myogenesis through p-Smad3-induced Myf5 transcription, which may have implications for its further application in combating degenerative muscular diseases caused by depletion of muscle stem cells, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy or

  18. Feeling worse to feel better: pain-offset relief simultaneously stimulates positive affect and reduces negative affect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franklin, Joseph C; Lee, Kent M; Hanna, Eleanor K; Prinstein, Mitchell J

    2013-04-01

    Although pain itself induces negative affect, the removal (or offset) of pain induces a powerful state of relief. Despite being implicated in a wide range of psychological and behavioral phenomena, relief remains a poorly understood emotion. In particular, some theorists associate relief with increased positive affect, whereas others associate relief with diminished negative affect. In the present study, we examined the affective nature of relief in a pain-offset paradigm with psychophysiological measures that were specific to negative valence (startle eyeblink reactivity) and positive valence (startle postauricular reactivity). Results revealed that pain offset simultaneously stimulates positive affect and diminishes negative affect for at least several seconds. Results also indicated that pain intensity differentially affects the positive and negative valence aspects of relief. These findings clarify the affective nature of relief and provide insight into why people engage in both normal and abnormal behaviors associated with relief.

  19. Dementia in affective disorder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kessing, L V; Olsen, E W; Mortensen, P B

    1999-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate whether patients with affective disorder have increased risk of developing dementia compared to other groups of psychiatric patients and compared to the general population. METHOD: In the Danish psychiatric central register, 3363 patients...... with unipolar affective disorder, 518 patients with bipolar affective disorder, 1025 schizophrenic and 8946 neurotic patients were identified according to the diagnosis at the first ever discharge from psychiatric hospital during the period from 1970 to 1974. The rate of discharge diagnosis of dementia...... on readmission was estimated during 21 years of follow-up. In addition, the rates were compared with the rates for admission to psychiatric hospitals with a discharge diagnosis of dementia for the total Danish population. RESULTS: Patients with unipolar and with bipolar affective disorder had a greater risk...

  20. 40 CFR 1508.3 - Affecting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Affecting. 1508.3 Section 1508.3 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY TERMINOLOGY AND INDEX § 1508.3 Affecting. Affecting means will or may have an effect on. ...

  1. Social and Affective Robotics Tutorial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pantic, Maja; Evers, Vanessa; Deisenroth, Marc; Merino, Luis; Schuller, Björn

    2016-01-01

    Social and Affective Robotics is a growing multidisciplinary field encompassing computer science, engineering, psychology, education, and many other disciplines. It explores how social and affective factors influence interactions between humans and robots, and how affect and social signals can be

  2. Affective reading and strategic hermeneutics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riccardo Frangi

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals mainly with three issues: how people interact with linguistically codified messages in everyday life? How this affects people’s behaviour? And how does this thing relates to practicing philosophy? These three issues are faced with the help two concepts: “affective reading” regards the first two of them, while “strategic hermeneutics” regards the last one. This paper thus starts with the analysis of the meaning of affective reading and tries to show how this way of reading is practiced on everyday basis to organize our actions. Then the focus turns to philosophical applications of the affective reading to show how much it affects our discipline. Strategic hermeneutics takes here its place on the stage. Indeed, this concept is the application of affective reading as a philosophical tool and method. Hence, it’s shown how to use this kind of tool with a theoretical analysis and an example given. At the end of the paper I’ve tried to display how this philosophical method affects the foundation and development of the philosopher’s ego under the prospective of Lacan’s theory of Oedipus’ complex.

  3. How differentiated do children experience affect? An investigation of the within- and between-person structure of children's affect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonhardt, Anja; Könen, Tanja; Dirk, Judith; Schmiedek, Florian

    2016-05-01

    Research on the structure of children's affect is limited. It is possible that children's perception of their own affect might be less differentiated than that of adults. Support for the 2-factor model of positive and negative affect and the pleasure-arousal model suggests that children in middle childhood can distinguish positive and negative affect as well as valence and arousal. Whether children are able to differentiate further aspects of affect, as proposed by the 3-dimensional model of affect (good-bad mood, alertness-tiredness, calmness-tension), is an unresolved issue. The aim of our study was the comparison of these 3 affect models to establish how differentiated children experience their affect and which model best describes affect in children. We examined affect structures on the between- and within-person level, acknowledging that affect varies across time and that no valid interpretation of either level is feasible if both are confounded. For this purpose, 214 children (age 8-11 years) answered affect items once a day for 5 consecutive days on smartphones. We tested all affect models by means of 2-level confirmatory factor analysis. Although all affect models had an acceptable fit, the 3-dimensional model best described affect in children on both the within- and between-person level. Thus, children in middle childhood can already describe affect in a differentiated way. Also, affect structures were similar on the within- and between-person level. We conclude that in order to acquire a thorough picture of children's affect, measures for children should include items of all 3 affect dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  4. The Scope of Our Affective Influences: When and How Naturally Occurring Positive, Negative, and Neutral Affects Alter Judgment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasper, Karen; Danube, Cinnamon L

    2016-03-01

    To determine how naturally arising affect alters judgment, we examined whether (a) affective states exert a specific, rather than a general, influence on valenced-specific judgments; (b) neutral affect is associated with increased neutral judgments, independent of positive, negative, and ambivalent affects, and whether neutral judgments are associated with behavioral disengagement; and (c) the informational value of naturally arising states may be difficult to alter via salience and relevance manipulations. The results support several conclusions: (a) Affective states exerted a judgment-specific effect-positive affect was most strongly associated with positive judgments, negative affect with negative judgments, and neutral affect with neutral judgments. (b) Neutral affect influenced judgments, taking into account positive, negative, and ambivalent affects; and neutral judgments predicted behavioral disengagement. (c) With the exception of negative affect, naturally arising affective states typically influenced judgments regardless of their salience and relevance. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

  5. Toward a definition of affective instability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renaud, Suzane M; Zacchia, Camillo

    2012-01-01

    Affective instability is a psychophysiological symptom observed in some psychopathologies. It is a complex construct that encompasses (1) primary emotions, or affects, and secondary emotions, with each category having its own characteristics, amplitude, and duration, (2) rapid shifting from neutral or valenced affect to intense affect, and (3) dysfunctional modulation of emotions. Affective instability is often confused with mood lability, as in bipolar disorders, as well as with other terms. To clarify the concept, we searched databases for the term affective instability and read related articles on the topic. In this article we situate the term within the current affective nomenclature and human emotional experience, explore its psychophysiological features, and place it within the context of psychopathology. We explain why the term can potentially be confused with mood pathology and then define affective instability as an inherited temperamental trait modulated by developmental experience.

  6. Enhancement of contractile force generation of artificial skeletal muscle tissues by mild and transient heat treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Masanori; Ikeda, Kazushi; Kanno, Shota; Ito, Akira; Kawabe, Yoshinori; Kamihira, Masamichi

    2014-01-01

    Artificial skeletal muscle tissues composed of cells are expected to be used for applications of regenerative medicine and drug screening. Generally, however, the physical forces generated by tissue-engineered skeletal muscle are lower than those of skeletal muscle tissues found in the body. Local hyperthermia is used for many diseases including muscle injuries. It was recently reported that mild heat treatment improved skeletal muscle functions. In this study, we investigated the effects of mild heat treatment on the tissue-engineered skeletal muscle tissues in vitro. We used magnetite cationic liposomes to label C2C12 myoblast cells magnetically, and constructed densely packed artificial skeletal muscle tissues by using magnetic force. Cell culture at 39°C promoted the differentiation of myoblast cells into myotubes. Moreover, the mild and transient heat treatment improved the contractile properties of artificial skeletal muscle tissue constructs. These findings indicate that the culture method using heat treatment is a useful approach to enhance functions of artificial skeletal muscle tissue.

  7. The C. elegans SoxC protein SEM-2 opposes differentiation factors to promote a proliferative blast cell fate in the postembryonic mesoderm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Chenxi; Shi, Herong; Colledge, Clark; Stern, Michael; Waterston, Robert; Liu, Jun

    2011-01-01

    The proper development of multicellular organisms requires precise regulation and coordination of cell fate specification, cell proliferation and differentiation. Abnormal regulation and coordination of these processes could lead to disease, including cancer. We have examined the function of the sole C. elegans SoxC protein, SEM-2, in the M lineage, which produces the postembryonic mesoderm. We found that SEM-2/SoxC is both necessary and sufficient to promote a proliferating blast cell fate, the sex myoblast fate, over a differentiated striated bodywall muscle fate. A number of factors control the specific expression of sem-2 in the sex myoblast precursors and their descendants. This includes direct control of sem-2 expression by a Hox-PBC complex. The crucial nature of the HOX/PBC factors in directly enhancing expression of this proliferative factor in the C. elegans M lineage suggests a possible more general link between Hox-PBC factors and SoxC proteins in regulating cell proliferation. PMID:21307099

  8. Skeletal muscle tissue engineering: methods to form skeletal myotubes and their applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ostrovidov, Serge; Hosseini, Vahid; Ahadian, Samad; Fujie, Toshinori; Parthiban, Selvakumar Prakash; Ramalingam, Murugan; Bae, Hojae; Kaji, Hirokazu; Khademhosseini, Ali

    2014-10-01

    Skeletal muscle tissue engineering (SMTE) aims to repair or regenerate defective skeletal muscle tissue lost by traumatic injury, tumor ablation, or muscular disease. However, two decades after the introduction of SMTE, the engineering of functional skeletal muscle in the laboratory still remains a great challenge, and numerous techniques for growing functional muscle tissues are constantly being developed. This article reviews the recent findings regarding the methodology and various technical aspects of SMTE, including cell alignment and differentiation. We describe the structure and organization of muscle and discuss the methods for myoblast alignment cultured in vitro. To better understand muscle formation and to enhance the engineering of skeletal muscle, we also address the molecular basics of myogenesis and discuss different methods to induce myoblast differentiation into myotubes. We then provide an overview of different coculture systems involving skeletal muscle cells, and highlight major applications of engineered skeletal muscle tissues. Finally, potential challenges and future research directions for SMTE are outlined.

  9. A mRNA and cognate microRNAs localize in the nucleolus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes-Gutierrez, Pablo; Ritland Politz, Joan C; Pederson, Thoru

    2014-01-01

    We previously discovered that a set of 5 microRNAs are concentrated in the nucleolus of rat myoblasts. We now report that several mRNAs are also localized in the nucleoli of these cells as determined by microarray analysis of RNA from purified nucleoli. Among the most abundant of these nucleolus-localized mRNAs is that encoding insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), a regulator of myoblast proliferation and differentiation. The presence of IGF2 mRNA in nucleoli was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and RT-PCR experiments demonstrated that these nucleolar transcripts are spliced, thus arriving from the nucleoplasm. Bioinformatics analysis predicted canonically structured, highly thermodynamically stable interactions between IGF2 mRNA and all 5 of the nucleolus-localized microRNAs. These results raise the possibility that the nucleolus is a staging site for setting up particular mRNA-microRNA interactions prior to export to the cytoplasm.

  10. Delta-like 1 homolog (dlk1): a marker for rhabdomyosarcomas implicated in skeletal muscle regeneration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Louise Helskov; Sellathurai, Jeeva; Davis, Erica E

    2013-01-01

    of the myosin light chain promotor, and detected an early, enhanced formation of myotubes in Dlk1 transgenic mice. We then stably transfected the mouse myoblast cell line, C2C12, with full-length Dlk1 (soluble A variant) and detected an inhibition of myotube formation, which could be reversed by adding Dlk1...... antibody to the culture supernatant. These results suggest that Dlk1 is involved in controlling the myogenic programme and that the various splice forms may exert different effects. Interestingly, both in the Dlk1 transgenic mice and the DLK1-C2C12 cells, we detected reduced myostatin expression......, suggesting that the effect of Dlk1 on the myogenic programme might involve the myostatin signaling pathway. In support of a relationship between Dlk1 and myostatin we detected reciprocal expression of these two transcripts during different cell cycle stages of human myoblasts. Together our results suggest...

  11. Depressive affect in incident hemodialysis patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larkin, John W; Wingard, Rebecca L; Jiao, Yue; Rosen, Sophia; Ma, Lin; Usvyat, Len A; Maddux, Franklin W

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Background The prevalence of depressive affect is not well defined in the incident hemodialysis (HD) population. We investigated the prevalence of and associated risk factors and hospitalization rates for depressive affect in incident HD patients. Methods We performed a prospective investigation using the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 (PHQ2) depressive affect assessment. From January to July of 2013 at 108 in-center clinics randomly selected across tertiles of baseline quality measures, we contacted 577 and 543 patients by telephone for depressive affect screening. PHQ2 test scores range from 0 to 6 (scores  ≥3 suggest the presence of depressive affect). The prevalence of depressive affect was measured at 1–30 and 121–150 days after initiating HD; depressive affect risk factors and hospitalization rates by depressive affect status at 1–30 days after starting HD were computed. Results Of 1120 contacted patients, 340 completed the PHQ2. In patients screened at 1–30 or 121–150 days after starting HD, depressive affect prevalence was 20.2% and 18.5%, respectively (unpaired t-test, P = 0.7). In 35 patients screened at both time points, there were trends for lower prevalence of depressive affect at the end of incident HD, with 20.0% and 5.7% of patients positive for depressive affect at 1–30 and 121–150 days, respectively (paired t-test, P = 0.1). Hospitalization rates were higher in patients with depressive affect during the first 30 days, exhibiting 1.5 more admissions (P < 0.001) and 10.5 additional hospital days (P = 0.008) per patient-year. Females were at higher risk for depressive affect at 1–30 days (P = 0.01). Conclusions The prevalence of depressive affect in HD patients is high throughout the incident period. Rates of hospital admissions and hospital days are increased in incident HD patients with depressive affect. PMID:29423211

  12. Recurrence in affective disorder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kessing, L V; Olsen, E W; Andersen, P K

    1999-01-01

    The risk of recurrence in affective disorder is influenced by the number of prior episodes and by a person's tendency toward recurrence. Newly developed frailty models were used to estimate the effect of the number of episodes on the rate of recurrence, taking into account individual frailty toward...... recurrence. The study base was the Danish psychiatric case register of all hospital admissions for primary affective disorder in Denmark during 1971-1993. A total of 20,350 first-admission patients were discharged with a diagnosis of major affective disorder. For women with unipolar disorder and for all...... kinds of patients with bipolar disorder, the rate of recurrence was affected by the number of prior episodes even when the effect was adjusted for individual frailty toward recurrence. No effect of episodes but a large effect of the frailty parameter was found for unipolar men. The authors concluded...

  13. How Affectively-Based and Cognitively-Based Attitudes Drive Intergroup Behaviours: The Moderating Role of Affective-Cognitive Consistency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jie; Dovidio, John; Wang, Erping

    2013-01-01

    The moderating role of affective-cognitive consistency in the effects of affectively-based and cognitively-based attitudes on consummatory and instrumental behaviors was explored using two experimental studies in the intergroup context. Study 1 revealed that affectively-based attitudes were better predictors than cognitively-based attitudes regardless of affective-cognitive consistency for consummatory behaviors (e.g., undergraduates’ supportive behaviors toward government officials). Study 2, which investigated task groups’ supportive behaviors toward an immediate supervisory group, found that for these instrumental behaviors cognitively-based attitudes were better predictors than affectively-based attitudes only when affective-cognitive consistency was high. The present research also examined the mechanism by which affective-cognitive consistency moderates the relative roles of affectively-based and cognitively-based attitudes in attitude-behavior consistency. Results indicated that attitude-behavior consistency is eroded primarily because of the weaker relationship of affective or cognitive components to behaviors than to general attitudes. The reciprocal implications of research on attitudes and work on intergroup relations are considered. PMID:24244751

  14. Proliferation Rates of Bovine Primary Muscle Cells Relate to Liveweight and Carcase Weight in Cattle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coles, Chantal A.; Wadeson, Jenny; Leyton, Carolina P.; Siddell, Jason P.; Greenwood, Paul L.; White, Jason D.; McDonagh, Matthew B.

    2015-01-01

    Muscling in cattle is largely influenced by genetic background, ultimately affecting beef yield and is of major interest to the beef industry. This investigation aimed to determine whether primary skeletal muscle cells isolated from different breeds of cattle with a varying genetic potential for muscling differ in their myogenic proliferative capacity. Primary skeletal muscle cells were isolated and cultured from the Longissimus muscle (LM) of 6 month old Angus, Hereford and Wagyu X Angus cattle. Cells were assessed for rate of proliferation and gene expression of PAX7, MYOD, MYF5, and MYOG. Proliferation rates were found to differ between breeds of cattle whereby myoblasts from Angus cattle were found to proliferate at a greater rate than those of Hereford and Wagyu X Angus during early stages of growth (5–20 hours in culture) in vitro (P cattle (P cattle (P cattle. PMID:25875203

  15. Zwitterionic Nanofibers of Super-Glue for Transparent and Biocompatible Multi-Purpose Coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mele, Elisa; Heredia-Guerrero, José A.; Bayer, Ilker S.; Ciofani, Gianni; Genchi, Giada G.; Ceseracciu, Luca; Davis, Alexander; Papadopoulou, Evie L.; Barthel, Markus J.; Marini, Lara; Ruffilli, Roberta; Athanassiou, Athanassia

    2015-09-01

    Here we show that macrozwitterions of poly(ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate), commonly called Super Glue, can easily assemble into long and well defined fibers by electrospinning. The resulting fibrous networks are thermally treated on glass in order to create transparent coatings whose superficial morphology recalls the organization of the initial electrospun mats. These textured coatings are characterized by low liquid adhesion and anti-staining performance. Furthermore, the low friction coefficient and excellent scratch resistance make them attractive as solid lubricants. The inherent texture of the coatings positively affects their biocompatibility. In fact, they are able to promote the proliferation and differentiation of myoblast stem cells. Optically-transparent and biocompatible coatings that simultaneously possess characteristics of low water contact angle hysteresis, low friction and mechanical robustness can find application in a wide range of technological sectors, from the construction and automotive industries to electronic and biomedical devices.

  16. Affective Productions of Mathematical Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walshaw, Margaret; Brown, Tony

    2012-01-01

    In underscoring the affective elements of mathematics experience, we work with contemporary readings of the work of Spinoza on the politics of affect, to understand what is included in the cognitive repertoire of the Subject. We draw on those resources to tell a pedagogical tale about the relation between cognition and affect in settings of…

  17. Affect, Reason, and Persuasion: Advertising Strategies That Predict Affective and Analytic-Cognitive Responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhuri, Arjun; Buck, Ross

    1995-01-01

    Develops and tests hypotheses concerning the relationship of specific advertising strategies to affective and analytic cognitive responses of the audience. Analyses undergraduate students' responses to 240 advertisements. Demonstrates that advertising strategy variables accounted substantially for the variance in affective and analytic cognition.…

  18. AFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siti Mariam

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Affective aspect plays important role in man’s life, mainly in making decision, perception, interaction, communication and intelligence. A second behavior domain is the affective domain. The affective domain involves feelings, attitude, interests, preferences, values, and emotions. Emotional stability, motivation, trustworthiness, self-control, and personality are all examples of affective characteristics. Although affective behaviors are rarely assessed formally in schools and classrooms, teachers constantly assess affective behaviors informally, especially when sizing up students. Teachers need to know who can be trusted to work unsupervised and who cannot, who can maintain self-control when the teacher has to leave the classroom and who cannot, who needs to be encouraged to speak in class and who does not, who is interested in science but not in social studies, and who needs to be prodded to start class work and who does not. Most classroom teachers can describe their students’ affective characteristics based on their informal observations and interactions with the students. Statement of the Problem. a Exploration Phase. (1 Can affective aspects improve students’ achievement of English subject for university students of non-English Departments ? (2 Which affective aspects are potentially be used to improve students’ achievement of English subject for university students of non-English Department ? (3 To what extent is the affective assessment of English subject needed by English teachers of non-English Departments ? b Prototype Development Phase. (4 How should the affective assessment model of English subject for university students of non-English Departments be constructed ? (5 How high is the effectiveness of affective assessment model of English subject for university students of non – English Departments ? c Field Assessment Phase. (6 To what extent can the model of affective assessment draft be used to enhance students

  19. Human Technology and Human Affects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fausing, Bent

    2009-01-01

    Human Technology and Human Affects  This year Samsung introduced a mobile phone with "Soul". It was made with a human touch and included itself a magical touch. Which function does technology and affects get in everyday aesthetics like this, its images and interactions included this presentation...... will ask and try to answer. The mobile phone and its devices are depicted as being able to make a unique human presence, interaction, and affect. The medium, the technology is a necessary helper to get towards this very special and lost humanity. Without the technology, no special humanity - soul....... The paper will investigate how technology, humanity, affects, and synaesthesia are presented and combined with examples from everyday aesthetics, e.g. early computer tv-commercial, net-commercial for mobile phones. Technology and affects point, is the conclusion, towards a forgotten pre-human and not he...

  20. Seasonal affective disorder and non-seasonal affective disorders : Results from the NESDA study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Winthorst, Wim H; Roest, Annelieke M; Bos, Elisabeth H; Meesters, Ybe; Penninx, Brenda W J H; Nolen, Willem A; de Jonge, Peter

    BACKGROUND: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is considered to be a subtype of depression. AIMS: To compare the clinical picture of SAD to non-seasonal affective disorders (non-SADs). METHOD: Diagnoses according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) were established

  1. Come, See and Experience Affective Interactive Art

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nijholt, Antinus; Bialoskorski, Leticia S.S.; Westerink, Joyce H.D.M.; Reidsma, Dennis; van den Broek, Egon; Hondorp, G.H.W.

    2009-01-01

    The progress in the field of affective computing enables the realization of affective consumer products, affective games, and affective art. This paper describes the affective interactive art system Mood Swings, which interprets and visualizes affect expressed by a person. Mood Swings is founded on

  2. The influence of serum-free culture conditions on skeletal muscle differentiation in a tissue-engineered model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gawlitta, D.; Boonen, K.J.M.; Oomens, C.W.J.; Baaijens, F.P.T.; Bouten, C.V.C.

    2008-01-01

    The influence of differentiation medium (DM) components on C2C12 murine myoblast differentiation has only been studied in monolayer cultures. Serum-free formulations have been applied that omit the use of sera with unknown composition. The goal of the present study was to compare the influence of

  3. Potential gene regulatory role for cyclin D3 in muscle cells

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we demonstrated that expression of cyclin D3 in undifferentiated myoblasts altered histone epigenetic marks at promoters of muscle-specific genes like MyoD, Pax7, myogenin and muscle creatine kinase but not non-muscle genes. Cyclin D3 expression also reduced the mRNA ...

  4. [The influence of affect on satisfaction with conversations and interpersonal impressions from the perspective of dyadic affective combinations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ken, Fujiwara; Daibo, Ikuo

    2013-12-01

    This study examined the influence of affect on interpersonal relationships in a dyadic communication context. The combination of speakers' affective states was considered, as compared to previous studies which considered only the individual's affective state. The independent variables, in a between-subjects design, were affective condition (positive vs. negative) and affective combination (similar vs. dissimilar). Participants (N = 86) took a test on creative thinking and were given false feedback. Then they had a 6-minute conversation and answered questions about their satisfaction with the conversation and their impressions of their partner. Results showed that the two-factor interactions were significant for satisfaction with the conversation and interpersonal impressions (social desirability) of the partner. The scores for these variables in the positive affect condition were higher than in the negative affect condition only when the affective combination was dissimilar. These results show that individual's affect could not predict conversational outcomes. The results were discussed in terms of incorrect inferences about the partner's affective state and imbalanced conversation activity.

  5. Affected in the nightclub

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Demant, Jakob Johan

    2013-01-01

    simultaneously with the affects of love, joy, sympathy and so on. Alcohol, illicit drugs, bouncers, music and other human or non-human actants are part of the place. It is within this heterogeneous assemblage that affects become embodied. The data consists of 273 cases from a large Copenhagen nightclub where...

  6. Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase IV Mediates IFN-γ-Induced Immune Behaviors in Skeletal Muscle Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    RuiCai Gu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Whether calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV plays a role in regulating immunologic features of muscle cells in inflammatory environment, as it does for immune cells, remains mostly unknown. In this study, we investigated the influence of endogenous CaMKIV on the immunological characteristics of myoblasts and myotubes received IFN-γ stimulation. Methods: C2C12 and murine myogenic precursor cells (MPCs were cultured and differentiated in vitro, in the presence of pro-inflammatory IFN-γ. CaMKIV shRNA lentivirus transfection was performed to knockdown CaMKIV gene in C2C12 cells. pEGFP-N1-CaMKIV plasmid was delivered into knockout cells for recovering intracellular CaMKIV gene level. CREB1 antagonist KG-501 was used to block CREB signal. qPCR, immunoblot analysis, or immunofluorescence was used to detect mRNA and protein levels of CaMKIV, immuno-molecules, or pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Co-stimulatory molecules expression was assessed by FACS analysis. Results: IFN-γ induces the expression or up-regulation of MHC-I/II and TLR3, and the up-regulation of CaMKIV level in muscle cells. In contrast, CaMKIV knockdown in myoblasts and myotubes leads to expression inhibition of the above immuno-molecules. As well, CaMKIV knockdown selectively inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines, and co-stimulatory molecules expression in IFN-γ treated myoblasts and myotubes. Finally, CaMKIV knockdown abolishes IFN-γ induced CREB pathway molecules accumulation in differentiated myotubes. Conclusions: CaMKIV can be induced to up-regulate in muscle cells under inflammatory condition, and positively mediates intrinsic immune behaviors of muscle cells triggered by IFN-γ.

  7. Characterization and Functional Analysis of Extracellular Vesicles and Muscle-Abundant miRNAs (miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206 in C2C12 Myocytes and mdx Mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yasunari Matsuzaka

    Full Text Available Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD is a progressive neuromuscular disorder. Here, we show that the CD63 antigen, which is located on the surface of extracellular vesicles (EVs, is associated with increased levels of muscle-abundant miRNAs, namely myomiRs miR-1, miR-133a, and miR-206, in the sera of DMD patients and mdx mice. Furthermore, the release of EVs from the murine myoblast C2C12 cell line was found to be modulated by intracellular ceramide levels in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Next, to investigate the effects of EVs on cell survival, C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes were cultured with EVs from the sera of mdx mice or C2C12 cells overexpressing myomiRs in presence of cellular stresses. Both the exposure of C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes to EVs from the serum of mdx mice, and the overexpression of miR-133a in C2C12 cells in presence of cellular stress resulted in a significant decrease in cell death. Finally, to assess whether miRNAs regulate skeletal muscle regeneration in vivo, we intraperitoneally injected GW4869 (an inhibitor of exosome secretion into mdx mice for 5 and 10 days. Levels of miRNAs and creatine kinase in the serum of GW4869-treated mdx mice were significantly downregulated compared with those of controls. The tibialis anterior muscles of the GW4869-treated mdx mice showed a robust decrease in Evans blue dye uptake. Collectively, these results indicate that EVs and myomiRs might protect the skeletal muscle of mdx mice from degeneration.

  8. The affect heuristic in occupational safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savadori, Lucia; Caovilla, Jessica; Zaniboni, Sara; Fraccaroli, Franco

    2015-07-08

    The affect heuristic is a rule of thumb according to which, in the process of making a judgment or decision, people use affect as a cue. If a stimulus elicits positive affect then risks associated to that stimulus are viewed as low and benefits as high; conversely, if the stimulus elicits negative affect, then risks are perceived as high and benefits as low. The basic tenet of this study is that affect heuristic guides worker's judgment and decision making in a risk situation. The more the worker likes her/his organization the less she/he will perceive the risks as high. A sample of 115 employers and 65 employees working in small family agricultural businesses completed a questionnaire measuring perceived safety costs, psychological safety climate, affective commitment and safety compliance. A multi-sample structural analysis supported the thesis that safety compliance can be explained through an affect-based heuristic reasoning, but only for employers. Positive affective commitment towards their family business reduced employers' compliance with safety procedures by increasing the perceived cost of implementing them.

  9. Leader Affect and Leadership Effectiveness: How leader affective displays influence follower outcomes

    OpenAIRE

    Visser, Victoria

    2013-01-01

    textabstractThe aim of this dissertation is to uncover the relationship between leader affective displays and leadership effectiveness. Five empirical studies were conducted to test the influence of several leader affective displays on different follower outcomes that indicate leadership effectiveness. The results showed that leader happy displays enhance followers’ creative performance, whereas leader sad displays enhance followers’ analytical performance. In addition, a leader displaying ha...

  10. Affects and assemblages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Samson, Kristine

    the paper raises the questions where to locate aesthetics when planners and architects wishes to design for aesthetical experiences and sensations rather than formal objects. The paper will proceed through a brief outline of the recent notion of assemblage and affect in urban studies, planning theory...... happens to aesthetics and how does it change the existing social and geographical understanding of urban space? The paper sets out to reintroduce aesthetical aspects of affects and assemblages in relation to urban space and urban planning. It presupposes urban space as a continuous state of becoming where...

  11. Acute lesions that impair affective empathy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oishi, Kenichi; Hsu, John; Lindquist, Martin; Gottesman, Rebecca F.; Jarso, Samson; Crainiceanu, Ciprian; Mori, Susumu

    2013-01-01

    Functional imaging studies of healthy participants and previous lesion studies have provided evidence that empathy involves dissociable cognitive functions that rely on at least partially distinct neural networks that can be individually impaired by brain damage. These studies converge in support of the proposal that affective empathy—making inferences about how another person feels—engages at least the following areas: prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal gyrus, anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex, temporal pole, amygdala and temporoparietal junction. We hypothesized that right-sided lesions to any one of these structures, except temporoparietal junction, would cause impaired affective empathy (whereas bilateral damage to temporoparietal junction would be required to disrupt empathy). We studied 27 patients with acute right hemisphere ischaemic stroke and 24 neurologically intact inpatients on a test of affective empathy. Acute impairment of affective empathy was associated with infarcts in the hypothesized network, particularly temporal pole and anterior insula. All patients with impaired affective empathy were also impaired in comprehension of affective prosody, but many patients with impairments in prosodic comprehension had spared affective empathy. Patients with impaired affective empathy were older, but showed no difference in performance on tests of hemispatial neglect, volume of infarct or sex distribution compared with patients with intact affective empathy. PMID:23824490

  12. Evolutionary Influences on Attribution and Affect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennie Brown

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Evolutionary theory was applied to Reeder and Brewer's schematic theory and Trafimow's affect theory to extend this area of research with five new predictions involving affect and ability attributions, comparing morality and ability attributions, gender differences, and reaction times for affect and attribution ratings. The design included a 2 (Trait Dimension Type: HR, PR × 2 (Behavior Type: morality, ability × 2 (Valence: positive, negative × 2 (Replication: original, replication × 2 (Sex: female or male actor × 2 (Gender: female or male participant × 2 (Order: attribution portion first, affect portion first mixed design. All factors were within participants except the order and participant gender. Participants were presented with 32 different scenarios in which an actor engaged in a concrete behavior after which they made attributions and rated their affect in response to the behavior. Reaction times were measured during attribution and affect ratings. In general, the findings from the experiment supported the new predictions. Affect was related to attributions for both morality and ability related behaviors. Morality related behaviors received more extreme attribution and affect ratings than ability related behaviors. Female actors received stronger attribution and affect ratings for diagnostic morality behaviors compared to male actors. Male and female actors received similar attribution and affect ratings for diagnostic ability behaviors. Diagnostic behaviors were associated with lower reaction times than non-diagnostic behaviors. These findings demonstrate the utility of evolutionary theory in creating new hypotheses and empirical findings in the domain of attribution.

  13. Perfectionism, Performance, and State Positive Affect and Negative Affect after a Classroom Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flett, Gordon L.; Blankstein, Kirk R.; Hewitt, Paul L.

    2009-01-01

    The current study examined the associations among trait dimensions of perfectionism, test performance, and levels of positive and negative affect after taking a test. A sample of 92 female university students completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale one week prior to an actual class test. Measures of positive affect and negative affect…

  14. Mood Swings: An Affective Interactive Art System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bialoskorski, Leticia S. S.; Westerink, Joyce H. D. M.; van den Broek, Egon L.

    The progress in the field of affective computing enables the realization of affective consumer products, affective games, and affective art. This paper describes the affective interactive art system Mood Swings, which interprets and visualizes affect expressed by a person. Mood Swings is founded on the integration of a framework for affective movements and a color model. This enables Mood Swings to recognize affective movement characteristics as expressed by a person and display a color that matches the expressed emotion. With that, a unique interactive system is introduced, which can be considered as art, a game, or a combination of both.

  15. Affective medicine. A review of affective computing efforts in medical informatics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luneski, A; Konstantinidis, E; Bamidis, P D

    2010-01-01

    Affective computing (AC) is concerned with emotional interactions performed with and through computers. It is defined as "computing that relates to, arises from, or deliberately influences emotions". AC enables investigation and understanding of the relation between human emotions and health as well as application of assistive and useful technologies in the medical domain. 1) To review the general state of the art in AC and its applications in medicine, and 2) to establish synergies between the research communities of AC and medical informatics. Aspects related to the human affective state as a determinant of the human health are discussed, coupled with an illustration of significant AC research and related literature output. Moreover, affective communication channels are described and their range of application fields is explored through illustrative examples. The presented conferences, European research projects and research publications illustrate the recent increase of interest in the AC area by the medical community. Tele-home healthcare, AmI, ubiquitous monitoring, e-learning and virtual communities with emotionally expressive characters for elderly or impaired people are few areas where the potential of AC has been realized and applications have emerged. A number of gaps can potentially be overcome through the synergy of AC and medical informatics. The application of AC technologies parallels the advancement of the existing state of the art and the introduction of new methods. The amount of work and projects reviewed in this paper witness an ambitious and optimistic synergetic future of the affective medicine field.

  16. Flow, affect and visual creativity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cseh, Genevieve M; Phillips, Louise H; Pearson, David G

    2015-01-01

    Flow (being in the zone) is purported to have positive consequences in terms of affect and performance; however, there is no empirical evidence about these links in visual creativity. Positive affect often--but inconsistently--facilitates creativity, and both may be linked to experiencing flow. This study aimed to determine relationships between these variables within visual creativity. Participants performed the creative mental synthesis task to simulate the creative process. Affect change (pre- vs. post-task) and flow were measured via questionnaires. The creativity of synthesis drawings was rated objectively and subjectively by judges. Findings empirically demonstrate that flow is related to affect improvement during visual creativity. Affect change was linked to productivity and self-rated creativity, but no other objective or subjective performance measures. Flow was unrelated to all external performance measures but was highly correlated with self-rated creativity; flow may therefore motivate perseverance towards eventual excellence rather than provide direct cognitive enhancement.

  17. Hot Temperatures, Hostile Affect, Hostile Cognition, and Arousal: Tests of a General Model of Affective Aggression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Craig A.; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Used a general model of affective aggression to generate predictions concerning hot temperatures. Results indicated that hot temperatures produced increases in hostile affect, hostile cognition, and physiological arousal. Concluded that hostile affect, hostile cognitions, and excitation transfer processes may all increase the likelihood of biased…

  18. Skeletal Muscle Differentiation on a Chip Shows Human Donor Mesoangioblasts' Efficiency in Restoring Dystrophin in a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serena, Elena; Zatti, Susi; Zoso, Alice; Lo Verso, Francesca; Tedesco, F Saverio; Cossu, Giulio; Elvassore, Nicola

    2016-12-01

    : Restoration of the protein dystrophin on muscle membrane is the goal of many research lines aimed at curing Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Results of ongoing preclinical and clinical trials suggest that partial restoration of dystrophin might be sufficient to significantly reduce muscle damage. Different myogenic progenitors are candidates for cell therapy of muscular dystrophies, but only satellite cells and pericytes have already entered clinical experimentation. This study aimed to provide in vitro quantitative evidence of the ability of mesoangioblasts to restore dystrophin, in terms of protein accumulation and distribution, within myotubes derived from DMD patients, using a microengineered model. We designed an ad hoc experimental strategy to miniaturize on a chip the standard process of muscle regeneration independent of variables such as inflammation and fibrosis. It is based on the coculture, at different ratios, of human dystrophin-positive myogenic progenitors and dystrophin-negative myoblasts in a substrate with muscle-like physiological stiffness and cell micropatterns. Results showed that both healthy myoblasts and mesoangioblasts restored dystrophin expression in DMD myotubes. However, mesoangioblasts showed unexpected efficiency with respect to myoblasts in dystrophin production in terms of the amount of protein produced (40% vs. 15%) and length of the dystrophin membrane domain (210-240 µm vs. 40-70 µm). These results show that our microscaled in vitro model of human DMD skeletal muscle validated previous in vivo preclinical work and may be used to predict efficacy of new methods aimed at enhancing dystrophin accumulation and distribution before they are tested in vivo, reducing time, costs, and variability of clinical experimentation. This study aimed to provide in vitro quantitative evidence of the ability of human mesoangioblasts to restore dystrophin, in terms of protein accumulation and distribution, within myotubes derived from

  19. Chromosome analysis of arsenic affected cattle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Shekhar

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The aim was to study the chromosome analysis of arsenic affected cattle. Materials and Methods: 27 female cattle (21 arsenic affected and 6 normal were selected for cytogenetical study. The blood samples were collected, incubated, and cultured using appropriate media and specific methods. The samples were analyzed for chromosome number and morphology, relative length of the chromosome, arm ratio, and centromere index of X chromosome and chromosomal abnormalities in arsenic affected cattle to that of normal ones. Results: The diploid number of metaphase chromosomes in arsenic affected cattle as well as in normal cattle were all 2n=60, 58 being autosomes and 2 being sex chromosomes. From the centromeric position, karyotyping studies revealed that all the 29 pair of autosomes was found to be acrocentric or telocentric, and the sex chromosomes (XX were submetacentric in both normal and arsenic affected cattle. The relative length of all the autosome pairs and sex chrosomosome pair was found to be higher in normal than that of arsenic affected cattle. The mean arm ratio of X-chromosome was higher in normal than that of arsenic affected cattle, but it is reverse in case of centromere index value of X-chromosome. There was no significant difference of arm ratio and centromere index of X-chromosomes between arsenic affected and normal cattle. No chromosomal abnormalities were found in arsenic affected cattle. Conclusion: The chromosome analysis of arsenic affected cattle in West Bengal reported for the first time in this present study which may serve as a guideline for future studies in other species. These reference values will also help in comparison of cytological studies of arsenic affected cattle to that of various toxicants.

  20. Affect Regulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Signe Holm; Poulsen, Stig Bernt; Lunn, Susanne

    2014-01-01

    Gergely and colleagues’ state that their Social Biofeedback Theory of Parental Affect Mirroring” can be seen as a kind of operationalization of the classical psychoanalytic concepts of holding, containing and mirroring. This article examines to what extent the social biofeedback theory of parenta...

  1. The affective shift model of work engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bledow, Ronald; Schmitt, Antje; Frese, Michael; Kühnel, Jana

    2011-11-01

    On the basis of self-regulation theories, the authors develop an affective shift model of work engagement according to which work engagement emerges from the dynamic interplay of positive and negative affect. The affective shift model posits that negative affect is positively related to work engagement if negative affect is followed by positive affect. The authors applied experience sampling methodology to test the model. Data on affective events, mood, and work engagement was collected twice a day over 9 working days among 55 software developers. In support of the affective shift model, negative mood and negative events experienced in the morning of a working day were positively related to work engagement in the afternoon if positive mood in the time interval between morning and afternoon was high. Individual differences in positive affectivity moderated within-person relationships. The authors discuss how work engagement can be fostered through affect regulation. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

  2. Sleep Quality, Affect, Pain, and Disability in Children With Chronic Pain: Is Affect a Mediator or Moderator?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Subhadra; Djilas, Vesna; Seidman, Laura C; Zeltzer, Lonnie K; Tsao, Jennie C I

    2017-09-01

    Sleep problems have been identified as a potential antecedent of chronic pain and pain-related disability in pediatric populations. In adult studies, affect has been implicated in these relationships. This study sought to better understand the relationships between sleep quality, negative and positive affect, and pain and functioning in children with chronic pain. Participants included 213 children and adolescents (aged 7-17 years) presenting to a tertiary pain clinic with chronic pain. Children completed questionnaires measuring sleep quality, positive and negative affect, pain intensity, and functional disability. Results indicated that 74% of children reported disordered sleeping and that poor sleep quality was significantly associated with increased pain, disability, negative affect, and decreased positive affect. Our hypotheses were partially supported, with negative affect (but not positive affect) mediating the relationship between poor sleep and increased pain; and positive as well as negative affect mediating the relationship between poor sleep and increased functional disability. There was no evidence for affect as a moderator. This study adds to the growing literature demonstrating the effect of poor sleep quality on children's pain and functioning, highlighting the need to develop further longitudinal research to confirm the causal roles of these variables. This article examines the relationship between poor sleep quality, affect (negative as well as positive), pain, and disability in children with chronic pain. The findings have the potential to better understand the processes involved in how poor sleep may lead to increased pain and pain-related disability. Copyright © 2017 American Pain Society. All rights reserved.

  3. When is affect variability bad for health? The association between affect variability and immune response to the influenza vaccination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Brooke N; Hunter, John F; Cross, Marie P; Acevedo, Amanda M; Pressman, Sarah D

    2018-01-01

    This study addresses methodological and theoretical questions about the association between affect and physical health. Specifically, we examine the role of affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect to predict antibody (Ab) levels in response to an influenza vaccination. Participants (N=83) received the vaccination and completed daily diary measures of affect four times a day for 13days. At one and four months post-vaccination, blood was collected from the participants to assess Ab levels. Findings indicate that affect variability and its interaction with mean levels of affect predict an individual's immune response. Those high in mean positive affect (PA) who had more PA variability were more likely to have a lower Ab response in comparison to those who had high mean PA and less PA variability. Although it did not interact with mean negative affect (NA), NA variability on its own was associated with Ab response, whereby those with less NA variability mounted a more robust immune response. Affect variability is related to immune response to an influenza vaccination and, in some cases, interacts with mean levels of affect. These oscillations in affective experiences are critical to consider in order to unpack the intricacies of how affect influences health. These findings suggest that future researchers should consider the important role of affect variability on physical health-relevant outcomes as well as examine the moderating effect of mean affect levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Urdu translation and validation of shorter version of Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) on Pakistani bank employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akhter, Noreen

    2017-10-01

    To translate, adapt and validate shorter version of positive affect and negative affect scale on Pakistani corporate employees. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi from October 2014 to December 2015. The study was completed into two independent parts. In part one, the scale was translated by forward translation. Then it was pilot-tested and administered on customer services employees from commercial banks and the telecommunication sector. Data of the pilot study was analysed by using exploratory factor analysis to extract the initial factor of positive affect and negative affect scale. Part two comprised the main study. Commercial bank employees were included in the sample using convenient sampling technique. Data of the main study was analysed using confirmatory factor analysis in order to establish construct validity of positive affect and negative affect scale. There were145 participants in the first part of the study and 495 in the second. Results of confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of positive affect and negative affect scale suggesting that the scale has two distinct domains, i.e. positive affect and negative affect. The shorter version of positive affect and negative affect scale was found to be a valid and reliable measure.

  5. Affective disorders in neurological diseases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nilsson, F M; Kessing, L V; Sørensen, T M

    2003-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the temporal relationships between a range of neurological diseases and affective disorders. METHOD: Data derived from linkage of the Danish Psychiatric Central Register and the Danish National Hospital Register. Seven cohorts with neurological index diagnoses and two...... of affective disorder was lower than the incidence in the control groups. CONCLUSION: In neurological diseases there seems to be an increased incidence of affective disorders. The elevated incidence was found to be particularly high for dementia and Parkinson's disease (neurodegenerative diseases)....

  6. Foods That Can Affect Fertility

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... That Can Affect Fertility Print Email Foods That Can Affect Fertility By Caroline Kaufman, MS, RDN Published ... the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. While couples can't control all of the causes of infertility, ...

  7. Interfacial modulation of urban affect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Samson, Kristine

    Urban culture can increasingly be understood as interface culture (Munster) in which urban design, cultural institutions and architecture increasingly operate as affective interfaces distributing and mediating human perception, consumption and social encounters. As noted by Amin and Thrift (2002......, Massey 2006), they also exclude in depth social and human interaction. Through analysis of three examples of urban affective interfaces (The High Line in New York, Superkilen in Copenhagen and Stålsat By, Frederiksværk, the paper examines how affective urban interfaces modulate and mediate urban...... environments as bodily and sensorial experiences. It asks what is mediated through the interface – whether the. It also asks, what is excluded when urban environments become affective interfaces in the global networked city. Whereas urban interface collect and distribute the bodily and sensible in relational...

  8. Mobilisation of satellite cells following ischaemia and reperfusion in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Enrique

    inar is not disturbed, and migration to adjacent myofibres using tissue bridges ... or in group 2, the novel observation of the satellite cell breaking away ... satellite cells of group 1 were significantly longer than the group 2 cells .... Statistical analysis was by unpaired t-test with Welch's cor- ... or fully motile, interfibre myoblasts.

  9. Maintenance of DNA repair capacity in differentiating rat muscle cells in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koval, T.M.; Kaufman, S.J.

    1981-01-01

    Unscheduled DNA synthesis was measured at several times during the differentiation of cultured rat skeletal muscle cells in response to exposures to 254 nm UV light. There was no change in the amount of repair DNA synthesis as the cells fuse and differentiate from postmitotic prefusion myoblasts to multinucleated contracting myotubes. (author)

  10. Editors' Introduction: New Perspectives on 'The War-Prayer'

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shelley Fisher Fishkin

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available "The War-Prayer," written a hundred years ago as Mark Twain reflected on the conditions surrounding the U.S. decision to embark on the imperialist venture known as the Philippine-American War, speaks to us across time in strikingly uncanny ways. Although today "The War-Prayer" is increasingly accessible to readers worldwide, this important piece by Mark Twain has never received the critical attention that it warrants. Neither has it occupied the place that it deserves in the Mark Twain canon, or in the American literary canon. In the years since its first publication in 1923, it has often been reprinted. But it rarely appears in anthologies of American literature, and it is among the least well-known works by Twain as far as the general public is concerned. Indeed, educated individuals are often startled and shocked when they are introduced to this piece, dumbfounded as to why they never encountered it before. A question worth pondering: How might American history and world history in the 20th century have been different if "The War-Prayer" had been as familiar to every high school student as Tom Sawyer? As editors of this international forum on "The War-Prayer" in Mark Twain Studies, we are pleased to be able to give this important work by Mark Twain some of the attention that it has long deserved.

  11. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, underlying affective vulnerabilities, and smoking for affect regulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathew, Amanda R; Cook, Jessica W; Japuntich, Sandra J; Leventhal, Adam M

    2015-01-01

    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is overrepresented among cigarette smokers. It has been hypothesized that those with PTSD smoke to alleviate negative affect and counteract deficient positive affect commonly associated with the disorder; however, limited research has examined associations between PTSD symptoms, smoking motives, and affective vulnerability factors. In the current study, we examined (1) whether PTSD symptoms were associated with positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement smoking motives; and (2) whether two affective vulnerability factors implicated in PTSD-anxiety sensitivity and anhedonia-mediated relationships between PTSD symptoms and smoking motives. Data were drawn from a community sample of non-treatment-seeking smokers recruited without regard for trauma history (N = 342; 10+ cig/day). We used the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) to assess overall PTSD symptom severity as well as individual PTSD subfactors. Overall, PTSD symptom severity was significantly associated with negative reinforcement, but not positive reinforcement, smoking motives. Variation in anxiety sensitivity significantly mediated the relation between PTSD symptom severity and negative reinforcement smoking motives, whereas anhedonia did not. Regarding PTSD subfactors, emotional numbing was the only PTSD subfactor associated with smoking rate, while re-experiencing symptoms were uniquely associated with both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement smoking motives. Findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity may be an important feature associated with PTSD that enhances motivation to smoke for negative reinforcement purposes. Smoking cessation interventions that alleviate anxiety sensitivity and enhance coping with negative affect may be useful for smokers with elevated PTSD symptoms. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

  12. Daily Emotional Labor, Negative Affect State, and Emotional Exhaustion: Cross-Level Moderators of Affective Commitment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyewon Kong

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Employees’ emotional-labor strategies, experienced affects, and emotional exhaustion in the workplace may vary over time within individuals, even within the same day. However, previous studies on these relationships have not highlighted their dynamic properties of these relationships. In addition, although the effects of surface and deep acting on emotional exhaustion have been investigated in emotional-labor research, empirical studies on these relationships still report mixed results. Thus, we suggest that moderators may affect the relationship between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion. Also, this study examines the relationship between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion within individuals by repeated measurements, and verifies the mediating effect of a negative affect state. Finally, our study confirms the moderating effects that affective commitment has on the relationship between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion. Data was collected from tellers who had a high degree of interaction with clients at banks based in South Korea. A total of 56 tellers participated in the survey and responded for five working days. A total of 616 data entries were collected from the 56 respondents. We used a hierarchical linear model (HLM to examine our hypothesis. The results showed that surface-acting emotional labor increases emotional exhaustion; furthermore, the relationship between surface acting emotional labor and emotional exhaustion is mediated by a negative affect state within individuals. In addition, this study verified that affective commitment buffers the negative effects that surface acting emotional labor has on emotional exhaustion. These results suggest that emotional labor is a dynamic process within individuals, and that emotional exhaustion caused by emotional labor differs among individuals, and is dependent upon factors such as the individual’s level of affective commitment.

  13. The affective discourse dynamics of metaphor clustering The affective discourse dynamics of metaphor clustering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lynne Cameron

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available

    Metaphor is examined in the very different iscourse contexts of the classroom and of reconciliation talk to highlight the neglected affective dimension. The distribution of metaphors across discourse shows clustering at certain points, often where speakers are engaged in critical interpersonal discourse activity. Clusters in classroom talk co-occur with sequences of agenda management where teachers prepare students for upcoming lessons and with giving feedback to students, both of which require careful management of interpersonal and affective issues. Clusters in reconciliation talk co-occur with discourse management and with two situations with significant affective dynamics: appropriation of metaphor and exploration of alternative scenarios.

    Metaphor is examined in the very different iscourse contexts of the classroom and of reconciliation talk to highlight the neglected affective dimension. The distribution of metaphors across discourse shows clustering at certain points, often where speakers are engaged in critical interpersonal discourse activity. Clusters in classroom talk co-occur with sequences of agenda management where teachers prepare students for upcoming lessons and with giving feedback to students, both of which require careful management of interpersonal and affective issues. Clusters in reconciliation talk co-occur with discourse management and with two situations with significant affective dynamics: appropriation of metaphor and exploration of alternative scenarios.

  14. Reduction of a 4q35-encoded nuclear envelope protein in muscle differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ostlund, Cecilia; Guan, Tinglu; Figlewicz, Denise A.; Hays, Arthur P.; Worman, Howard J.; Gerace, Larry; Schirmer, Eric C.

    2009-01-01

    Muscular dystrophy and peripheral neuropathy have been linked to mutations in genes encoding nuclear envelope proteins; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these disorders remain unresolved. Nuclear envelope protein p19A is a protein of unknown function encoded by a gene at chromosome 4q35. p19A levels are significantly reduced in human muscle as cells differentiate from myoblasts to myotubes; however, its levels are not similarly reduced in all differentiation systems tested. Because 4q35 has been linked to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and some adjacent genes are reportedly misregulated in the disorder, levels of p19A were analyzed in muscle samples from patients with FSHD. Although p19A was increased in most cases, an absolute correlation was not observed. Nonetheless, p19A downregulation in normal muscle differentiation suggests that in the cases where its gene is inappropriately re-activated it could affect muscle differentiation and contribute to disease pathology.

  15. Reduction of a 4q35-encoded nuclear envelope protein in muscle differentiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ostlund, Cecilia [Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 (United States); Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 (United States); Guan, Tinglu [Department of Cell Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 (United States); Figlewicz, Denise A. [Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Hays, Arthur P. [Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 (United States); Worman, Howard J. [Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 (United States); Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 (United States); Gerace, Larry [Department of Cell Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 (United States); Schirmer, Eric C., E-mail: e.schirmer@ed.ac.uk [Department of Cell Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 (United States); Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JR (United Kingdom)

    2009-11-13

    Muscular dystrophy and peripheral neuropathy have been linked to mutations in genes encoding nuclear envelope proteins; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these disorders remain unresolved. Nuclear envelope protein p19A is a protein of unknown function encoded by a gene at chromosome 4q35. p19A levels are significantly reduced in human muscle as cells differentiate from myoblasts to myotubes; however, its levels are not similarly reduced in all differentiation systems tested. Because 4q35 has been linked to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and some adjacent genes are reportedly misregulated in the disorder, levels of p19A were analyzed in muscle samples from patients with FSHD. Although p19A was increased in most cases, an absolute correlation was not observed. Nonetheless, p19A downregulation in normal muscle differentiation suggests that in the cases where its gene is inappropriately re-activated it could affect muscle differentiation and contribute to disease pathology.

  16. Matrilin-2, an extracellular adaptor protein, is needed for the regeneration of muscle, nerve and other tissues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Éva Korpos

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The extracellular matrix (ECM performs essential functions in the differentiation, maintenance and remodeling of tissues during development and regeneration, and it undergoes dynamic changes during remodeling concomitant to alterations in the cell-ECM interactions. Here we discuss recent data addressing the critical role of the widely expressed ECM protein, matrilin-2 (Matn2 in the timely onset of differentiation and regeneration processes in myogenic, neural and other tissues and in tumorigenesis. As a multiadhesion adaptor protein, it interacts with other ECM proteins and integrins. Matn2 promotes neurite outgrowth, Schwann cell migration, neuromuscular junction formation, skeletal muscle and liver regeneration and skin wound healing. Matn2 deposition by myoblasts is crucial for the timely induction of the global switch toward terminal myogenic differentiation during muscle regeneration by affecting transforming growth factor beta/bone morphogenetic protein 7/Smad and other signal transduction pathways. Depending on the type of tissue and the pathomechanism, Matn2 can also promote or suppress tumor growth.

  17. Affect and subsequent physical activity: An ambulatory assessment study examining the affect-activity association in a real-life context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina eNiermann

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Traditionally, cognitive, motivational and volitional determinants have been used to explain and predict health behaviors such as physical activity. Recently, the role of affect in influencing and regulating health behaviors received more attention. Affects as internal cues may automatically activate unconscious processes of behavior regulation. The aim of our study was to examine the association between affect and physical activity in daily life. In addition, we studied the influence of the habit of being physically active on this relationship.An ambulatory assessment study in 89 persons (33.7% male, 25 to 65 years, M=45.2, SD=8.1 was conducted. Affect was assessed in the afternoon on 5 weekdays using smartphones. Physical activity was measured continuously objectively using accelerometers and subjectively using smartphones in the evening. Habit strength was assessed at the beginning of the diary period. The outcomes were objectively and subjectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA performed after work. Multilevel regression models were used to analyze the association between affect and after work MVPA. In addition, the cross-level interaction of habit strength and affect on after work MVPA was tested.Positive affect was positively related to objectively measured and self-reported after work MVPA: the greater the positive affect the more time persons subsequently spent on MVPA. An inverse relationship was found for negative affect: the greater the negative affect the less time persons spent on MVPA. The cross-level interaction effect was significant only for objectively measured MVPA. A strong habit seems to strengthen both the positive influence of positive affect and the negative influence of negative affect.The results of this study confirm previous results and indicate that affect plays an important role for the regulation of physical activity behavior in daily life. The results for positive affect were consistent

  18. Affect and Subsequent Physical Activity: An Ambulatory Assessment Study Examining the Affect-Activity Association in a Real-Life Context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niermann, Christina Y N; Herrmann, Christian; von Haaren, Birte; van Kann, Dave; Woll, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    Traditionally, cognitive, motivational, and volitional determinants have been used to explain and predict health behaviors such as physical activity. Recently, the role of affect in influencing and regulating health behaviors received more attention. Affects as internal cues may automatically activate unconscious processes of behavior regulation. The aim of our study was to examine the association between affect and physical activity in daily life. In addition, we studied the influence of the habit of being physically active on this relationship. An ambulatory assessment study in 89 persons (33.7% male, 25 to 65 years, M = 45.2, SD = 8.1) was conducted. Affect was assessed in the afternoon on 5 weekdays using smartphones. Physical activity was measured continuously objectively using accelerometers and subjectively using smartphones in the evening. Habit strength was assessed at the beginning of the diary period. The outcomes were objectively and subjectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) performed after work. Multilevel regression models were used to analyze the association between affect and after work MVPA. In addition, the cross-level interaction of habit strength and affect on after work MVPA was tested. Positive affect was positively related to objectively measured and self-reported after work MVPA: the greater the positive affect the more time persons subsequently spent on MVPA. An inverse relationship was found for negative affect: the greater the negative affect the less time persons spent on MVPA. The cross-level interaction effect was significant only for objectively measured MVPA. A strong habit seems to strengthen both the positive influence of positive affect and the negative influence of negative affect. The results of this study confirm previous results and indicate that affect plays an important role for the regulation of physical activity behavior in daily life. The results for positive affect were consistent. However, in

  19. Affective health bias in older adults: Considering positive and negative affect in a general health context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitehead, Brenda R; Bergeman, C S

    2016-09-01

    Because subjective health reports are a primary source of health information in a number of medical and research-based contexts, much research has been devoted to establishing the extent to which these self-reports of health correspond to health information from more objective sources. One of the key factors considered in this area is trait affect, with most studies emphasizing the impact of negative affect (negative emotions) over positive affect (positive emotions), and focusing on high-arousal affect (e.g., anger, excitement) over moderate- or low-arousal affect (e.g., relaxed, depressed). The present study examines the impact of both Positive and Negative Affect (PA/NA)-measured by items of both high and low arousal-on the correspondence between objective health information and subjective health reports. Another limitation of existing literature in the area is the focus on samples suffering from a particular diagnosis or on specific symptom reports; here, these effects are investigated in a sample of community-dwelling older adults representing a broader spectrum of health. 153 older adults (Mage = 71.2) took surveys assessing Perceived Health and Affect and underwent an objective physical health assessment. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the extent to which the relationship between Objective Health and Perceived Health was moderated by PA or NA, which would indicate the presence of affective health bias. Results reveal a significant moderation effect for NA, but not for PA; PA appeared to serve a more mediational function, indicating that NA and PA operate on health perceptions in distinct ways. These findings provide evidence that in our high-functioning, community-dwelling sample of older adults, a) affective health bias is present within a general health context, and not only within specific symptom or diagnostic categories; and b) that both PA and NA play important roles in the process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  20. A touch of affect: mediated social touch and affect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huisman, Gijs

    2012-01-01

    This position paper outlines the first stages in an ongoing PhD project on mediated social touch, and the effects mediated touch can have on someone's affective state. It is argued that touch is a profound communication channel for humans, and that communication through touch can, to some extent,

  1. Does Leisure Time as a Stress Coping Resource Increase Affective Complexity? Applying the Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Xinyi (Lisa); Yarnal, Careen M.; Almeida, David M.

    2013-01-01

    Affective complexity, a manifestation of psychological well-being, refers to the relative independence between positive and negative affect (PA, NA). According to the Dynamic Model of Affect (DMA), stressful situations lead to highly inverse PA-NA relationship, reducing affective complexity. Meanwhile, positive events can sustain affective complexity by restoring PA-NA independence. Leisure, a type of positive events, has been identified as a coping resource. This study used the DMA to assess whether leisure time helps restore affective complexity on stressful days. We found that on days with more leisure time than usual, an individual experienced less negative PA-NA relationship after daily stressful events. The finding demonstrates the value of leisure time as a coping resource and the DMA’s contribution to coping research. PMID:24659826

  2. The role of sleep in adolescents' daily stress recovery: Negative affect spillover and positive affect bounce-back effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chue, Amanda E; Gunthert, Kathleen C; Kim, Rebecca W; Alfano, Candice A; Ruggiero, Aria R

    2018-07-01

    The present study examined the role of sleep in daily affective stress recovery processes in adolescents. Eighty-nine American adolescents recorded their emotions and stress through daily surveys and sleep with Fitbit devices for two weeks. Results show that objectively measured sleep (sleep onset latency and sleep debt) moderated negative affective responses to previous-day stress, such that stress-related negative affect spillover effects became more pronounced as amount of sleep decreased. Total sleep time and sleep debt moderated cross-day positive affect "bounce-back" effects. With more sleep, morning positive affect on days following high stress tended to bounce back to the levels that were common following low stress days. Conversely, if sleep was short following high stress days, positive affect remained low the next morning. No evidence for subjective sleep quality as a moderator of spillover/bounce-back effects was found. This research suggests that sleep quantity could relate to overnight affective stress recovery. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. How decision reversibility affects motivation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bullens, L.; van Harreveld, F.; Förster, J.; Higgins, T.E.

    2014-01-01

    The present research examined how decision reversibility can affect motivation. On the basis of extant findings, it was suggested that 1 way it could affect motivation would be to strengthen different regulatory foci, with reversible decision making, compared to irreversible decision making,

  4. Defining the role of mesenchymal stromal cells on the regulation of matrix metalloproteinases in skeletal muscle cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sassoli, Chiara; Nosi, Daniele; Tani, Alessia; Chellini, Flaminia; Mazzanti, Benedetta; Quercioli, Franco; Zecchi-Orlandini, Sandra; Formigli, Lucia

    2014-01-01

    Recent studies indicate that mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) transplantation improves healing of injured and diseased skeletal muscle, although the mechanisms of benefit are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated whether MSCs and/or their trophic factors were able to regulate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression and activity in different cells of the muscle tissue. MSCs in co-culture with C2C12 cells or their conditioned medium (MSC-CM) up-regulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression and function in the myoblastic cells; these effects were concomitant with the down-regulation of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1 and -2 and with increased cell motility. In the single muscle fiber experiments, MSC-CM administration increased MMP-2/9 expression in Pax-7 + satellite cells and stimulated their mobilization, differentiation and fusion. The anti-fibrotic properties of MSC-CM involved also the regulation of MMPs by skeletal fibroblasts and the inhibition of their differentiation into myofibroblasts. The treatment with SB-3CT, a potent MMP inhibitor, prevented in these cells, the decrease of α-smooth actin and type-I collagen expression induced by MSC-CM, suggesting that MSC-CM could attenuate the fibrogenic response through mechanisms mediated by MMPs. Our results indicate that growth factors and cytokines released by these cells may modulate the fibrotic response and improve the endogenous mechanisms of muscle repair/regeneration. - Highlights: • MSC-CM contains paracrine factors that up-regulate MMP expression and function in different skeletal muscle cells. • MSC-CM promotes myoblast and satellite cell migration, proliferation and differentiation. • MSC-CM negatively interferes with fibroblast-myoblast transition in primary skeletal fibroblasts. • Paracrine factors from MSCs modulate the fibrotic response and improve the endogenous mechanisms of muscle regeneration

  5. Opposing roles of miR-21 and miR-29 in the progression of fibrosis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zanotti, Simona; Gibertini, Sara; Curcio, Maurizio; Savadori, Paolo; Pasanisi, Barbara; Morandi, Lucia; Cornelio, Ferdinando; Mantegazza, Renato; Mora, Marina

    2015-07-01

    Excessive extracellular matrix deposition progressively replacing muscle fibres is the endpoint of most severe muscle diseases. Recent data indicate major involvement of microRNAs in regulating pro- and anti-fibrotic genes. To investigate the roles of miR-21 and miR-29 in muscle fibrosis in Duchenne muscle dystrophy, we evaluated their expression in muscle biopsies from 14 patients, and in muscle-derived fibroblasts and myoblasts. In Duchenne muscle biopsies, miR-21 expression was significantly increased, and correlated directly with COL1A1 and COL6A1 transcript levels. MiR-21 expression was also significantly increased in Duchenne fibroblasts, more so after TGF-β1 treatment. In Duchenne fibroblasts the expression of miR-21 target transcripts PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) and SPRY-1 (Sprouty homolog 1) was significantly reduced; while collagen I and VI transcript levels and soluble collagen production were significantly increased. MiR-29a and miR-29c were significantly reduced in Duchenne muscle and myoblasts, and miR-29 target transcripts, COL3A1, FBN1 and YY1, significantly increased. MiR-21 silencing in mdx mice reduced fibrosis in the diaphragm muscle and in both Duchenne fibroblasts and mdx mice restored PTEN and SPRY-1 expression, and significantly reduced collagen I and VI expression; while miR-29 mimicking in Duchenne myoblasts significantly decreased miR-29 target transcripts. These findings indicate that miR-21 and miR-29 play opposing roles in Duchenne muscle fibrosis and suggest that pharmacological modulation of their expression has therapeutic potential for reducing fibrosis in this condition. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Anti-fatigue activity of a mixture of seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis hydrolysate and red ginseng

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nalae Kang

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Seahorse, a syngnathidae fish, is one of the important organisms used in Chinese traditional medicine. Hippocampus abdominalis, a seahorse species successfully cultured in Korea, was validated for use in food by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in February 2016; however. the validation was restricted to 50% of the entire composition. Therefore, to use H. abdominalis as a food ingredient, H. abdominalis has to be prepared as a mixture by adding other materials. In this study, the effect of H. abdominalis on muscles was investigated to scientifically verify its potential bioactivity. In addition, the anti-fatigue activity of a mixture comprising H. abdominalis and red ginseng (RG was evaluated to commercially utilize H. abdominalis in food industry. H. abdominalis was hydrolyzed using Alcalase, a protease, and the effect of H. abdominalis hydrolysate (HH on the muscles was assessed in C2C12 myoblasts by measuring cell proliferation and glycogen content. In addition, the mixtures comprising HH and RG were prepared at different percentages of RG to HH (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% RG, and the anti-fatigue activity of these mixtures against oxidative stress was assessed in C2C12 myoblasts. In C2C12 myoblasts, H2O2-induced oxidative stress caused a decrease in viability and physical fatigue-related biomarkers such as glycogen and ATP contents. However, treatment with RG and HH mixtures increased cell viability and the content of fatigue-related biomarkers. In particular, the 80% RG mixture showed an optimum effect on cell viability and ATP synthesis activity. In this study, all results indicated that HH had anti-fatigue activity at concentrations approved for use in food by the law in Korea. Especially, an 80% RG to HH mixture can be used in food for ameliorating fatigue.

  7. Discovery of a Mammalian Splice Variant of Myostatin That Stimulates Myogenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeanplong, Ferenc; Falconer, Shelley J.; Oldham, Jenny M.; Thomas, Mark; Gray, Tarra S.; Hennebry, Alex; Matthews, Kenneth G.; Kemp, Frederick C.; Patel, Ketan; Berry, Carole; Nicholas, Gina; McMahon, Christopher D.

    2013-01-01

    Myostatin plays a fundamental role in regulating the size of skeletal muscles. To date, only a single myostatin gene and no splice variants have been identified in mammals. Here we describe the splicing of a cryptic intron that removes the coding sequence for the receptor binding moiety of sheep myostatin. The deduced polypeptide sequence of the myostatin splice variant (MSV) contains a 256 amino acid N-terminal domain, which is common to myostatin, and a unique C-terminus of 65 amino acids. Western immunoblotting demonstrated that MSV mRNA is translated into protein, which is present in skeletal muscles. To determine the biological role of MSV, we developed an MSV over-expressing C2C12 myoblast line and showed that it proliferated faster than that of the control line in association with an increased abundance of the CDK2/Cyclin E complex in the nucleus. Recombinant protein made for the novel C-terminus of MSV also stimulated myoblast proliferation and bound to myostatin with high affinity as determined by surface plasmon resonance assay. Therefore, we postulated that MSV functions as a binding protein and antagonist of myostatin. Consistent with our postulate, myostatin protein was co-immunoprecipitated from skeletal muscle extracts with an MSV-specific antibody. MSV over-expression in C2C12 myoblasts blocked myostatin-induced Smad2/3-dependent signaling, thereby confirming that MSV antagonizes the canonical myostatin pathway. Furthermore, MSV over-expression increased the abundance of MyoD, Myogenin and MRF4 proteins (Pmyostatin remained unchanged, which suggests that MSV may promote the growth of skeletal muscles. We conclude that MSV represents a unique example of intra-genic regulation in which a splice variant directly antagonizes the biological activity of the canonical gene product. PMID:24312578

  8. Rac1 Activation Caused by Membrane Translocation of a Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor in Akt2-Mediated Insulin Signaling in Mouse Skeletal Muscle.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nobuyuki Takenaka

    Full Text Available Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle is mediated by the glucose transporter GLUT4, which is translocated to the plasma membrane following insulin stimulation. Several lines of evidence suggested that the protein kinase Akt2 plays a key role in this insulin action. The small GTPase Rac1 has also been implicated as a regulator of insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation, acting downstream of Akt2. However, the mechanisms whereby Akt2 regulates Rac1 activity remain obscure. The guanine nucleotide exchange factor FLJ00068 has been identified as a direct regulator of Rac1 in Akt2-mediated signaling, but its characterization was performed mostly in cultured myoblasts. Here, we provide in vivo evidence that FLJ00068 indeed acts downstream of Akt2 as a Rac1 regulator by using mouse skeletal muscle. Small interfering RNA knockdown of FLJ00068 markedly diminished GLUT4 translocation to the sarcolemma following insulin administration or ectopic expression of a constitutively activated mutant of either phosphoinositide 3-kinase or Akt2. Additionally, insulin and these constitutively activated mutants caused the activation of Rac1 as shown by immunofluorescent microscopy using a polypeptide probe specific to activated Rac1 in isolated gastrocnemius muscle fibers and frozen sections of gastrocnemius muscle. This Rac1 activation was also abrogated by FLJ00068 knockdown. Furthermore, we observed translocation of FLJ00068 to the cell periphery following insulin stimulation in cultured myoblasts. Localization of FLJ00068 in the plasma membrane in insulin-stimulated, but not unstimulated, myoblasts and mouse gastrocnemius muscle was further affirmed by subcellular fractionation and subsequent immunoblotting. Collectively, these results strongly support a critical role of FLJ00068 in Akt2-mediated Rac1 activation in mouse skeletal muscle insulin signaling.

  9. Defining the role of mesenchymal stromal cells on the regulation of matrix metalloproteinases in skeletal muscle cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sassoli, Chiara; Nosi, Daniele; Tani, Alessia; Chellini, Flaminia [Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Medicine—Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla, 3, 50134, Florence (Italy); Mazzanti, Benedetta [Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Medicine—Section of Haematology, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla, 3, 50134, Florence (Italy); Quercioli, Franco [CNR-National Institute of Optics (INO), Largo Enrico Fermi 6, 50125 Arcetri-Florence (Italy); Zecchi-Orlandini, Sandra [Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Medicine—Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla, 3, 50134, Florence (Italy); Formigli, Lucia, E-mail: formigli@unifi.it [Dept. of Experimental and Clinical Medicine—Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla, 3, 50134, Florence (Italy)

    2014-05-01

    Recent studies indicate that mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) transplantation improves healing of injured and diseased skeletal muscle, although the mechanisms of benefit are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated whether MSCs and/or their trophic factors were able to regulate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression and activity in different cells of the muscle tissue. MSCs in co-culture with C2C12 cells or their conditioned medium (MSC-CM) up-regulated MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression and function in the myoblastic cells; these effects were concomitant with the down-regulation of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1 and -2 and with increased cell motility. In the single muscle fiber experiments, MSC-CM administration increased MMP-2/9 expression in Pax-7{sup +} satellite cells and stimulated their mobilization, differentiation and fusion. The anti-fibrotic properties of MSC-CM involved also the regulation of MMPs by skeletal fibroblasts and the inhibition of their differentiation into myofibroblasts. The treatment with SB-3CT, a potent MMP inhibitor, prevented in these cells, the decrease of α-smooth actin and type-I collagen expression induced by MSC-CM, suggesting that MSC-CM could attenuate the fibrogenic response through mechanisms mediated by MMPs. Our results indicate that growth factors and cytokines released by these cells may modulate the fibrotic response and improve the endogenous mechanisms of muscle repair/regeneration. - Highlights: • MSC-CM contains paracrine factors that up-regulate MMP expression and function in different skeletal muscle cells. • MSC-CM promotes myoblast and satellite cell migration, proliferation and differentiation. • MSC-CM negatively interferes with fibroblast-myoblast transition in primary skeletal fibroblasts. • Paracrine factors from MSCs modulate the fibrotic response and improve the endogenous mechanisms of muscle regeneration.

  10. PEDF-derived peptide promotes skeletal muscle regeneration through its mitogenic effect on muscle progenitor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ho, Tsung-Chuan; Chiang, Yi-Pin; Chuang, Chih-Kuang; Chen, Show-Li; Hsieh, Jui-Wen; Lan, Yu-Wen; Tsao, Yeou-Ping

    2015-08-01

    In response injury, intrinsic repair mechanisms are activated in skeletal muscle to replace the damaged muscle fibers with new muscle fibers. The regeneration process starts with the proliferation of satellite cells to give rise to myoblasts, which subsequently differentiate terminally into myofibers. Here, we investigated the promotion effect of pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF) on muscle regeneration. We report that PEDF and a synthetic PEDF-derived short peptide (PSP; residues Ser(93)-Leu(112)) induce satellite cell proliferation in vitro and promote muscle regeneration in vivo. Extensively, soleus muscle necrosis was induced in rats by bupivacaine, and an injectable alginate gel was used to release the PSP in the injured muscle. PSP delivery was found to stimulate satellite cell proliferation in damaged muscle and enhance the growth of regenerating myofibers, with complete regeneration of normal muscle mass by 2 wk. In cell culture, PEDF/PSP stimulated C2C12 myoblast proliferation, together with a rise in cyclin D1 expression. PEDF induced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Akt, and STAT3 in C2C12 myoblasts. Blocking the activity of ERK, Akt, or STAT3 with pharmacological inhibitors attenuated the effects of PEDF/PSP on the induction of C2C12 cell proliferation and cyclin D1 expression. Moreover, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine pulse-labeling demonstrated that PEDF/PSP stimulated primary rat satellite cell proliferation in myofibers in vitro. In summary, we report for the first time that PSP is capable of promoting the regeneration of skeletal muscle. The signaling mechanism involves the ERK, AKT, and STAT3 pathways. These results show the potential utility of this PEDF peptide for muscle regeneration. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  11. Protection by 6-aminonicotinamide against oxidative stress in cardiac cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hofgaard, Johannes P; Sigurdardottir, Kristin Sigridur; Treiman, Marek

    2006-01-01

    necrosis following global ischemia in an isolated rat heart, apparently by limiting the oxidative injury component. We therefore explored the antioxidative potential of 6AN in a model using H9C2(2-1) rat cardiac myoblasts exposed to H2O2 stress. Dependent on the specific protocol, 6AN pretreatment for 6...

  12. Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tavares, Inês M; Laan, Ellen T M; Nobre, Pedro J

    2017-06-01

    Cognitive-affective factors contribute to female sexual dysfunctions, defined as clinically significant difficulties in the ability to respond sexually or to experience sexual pleasure. Automatic thoughts and affect presented during sexual activity are acknowledged as maintenance factors for these difficulties. However, there is a lack of studies on the influence of these cognitive-affective dimensions regarding female orgasm. To assess the role of automatic thoughts and affect during sexual activity in predicting female orgasm occurrence and to investigate the mediator role of these variables in the relation between sexual activity and orgasm occurrence. Nine hundred twenty-six sexually active heterosexual premenopausal women reported on frequency of sexual activities and frequency of orgasm occurrence, cognitive factors, and social desirability. Participants completed the Sexual Modes Questionnaire-Automatic Thoughts Subscale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Socially Desirable Response Set. Multiple linear regressions and mediation analyses were performed, controlling for the effect of covariates such as social desirability, sociodemographic and medical characteristics, and relationship factors. The main outcome measurement was orgasm frequency as predicted and mediated by automatic thoughts and affect experienced during sexual activities. The presence of failure thoughts and lack of erotic thoughts during sexual activity significantly and negatively predicted female orgasm, whereas positive affect experienced during sexual activity significantly and positively predicted female orgasm. Moreover, negative automatic thoughts and positive affect during sexual activity were found to mediate the relation between sexual activity and female orgasm occurrence. These data suggest that the cognitive aspects of sexual involvement are critical to enhancing female orgasm experience and can aid the development of strategies that contemplate the central role

  13. Myogenic Precursors from iPS Cells for Skeletal Muscle Cell Replacement Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isart Roca

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of adult myogenic stem cells as a cell therapy for skeletal muscle regeneration has been attempted for decades, with only moderate success. Myogenic progenitors (MP made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs are promising candidates for stem cell therapy to regenerate skeletal muscle since they allow allogenic transplantation, can be produced in large quantities, and, as compared to adult myoblasts, present more embryonic-like features and more proliferative capacity in vitro, which indicates a potential for more self-renewal and regenerative capacity in vivo. Different approaches have been described to make myogenic progenitors either by gene overexpression or by directed differentiation through culture conditions, and several myopathies have already been modeled using iPSC-MP. However, even though results in animal models have shown improvement from previous work with isolated adult myoblasts, major challenges regarding host response have to be addressed and clinically relevant transplantation protocols are lacking. Despite these challenges we are closer than we think to bringing iPSC-MP towards clinical use for treating human muscle disease and sporting injuries.

  14. Lipofection of cultured mouse muscle cells: a direct comparison of Lipofectamine and DOSPER.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodds, E; Dunckley, M G; Naujoks, K; Michaelis, U; Dickson, G

    1998-04-01

    Cationic lipid-DNA complexes (lipoplexes) have been widely used as gene transfer vectors which avoid the adverse immunogenicity and potential for viraemia of viral vectors. With the long-term aim of gene transfer into skeletal muscle in vivo, we describe a direct in vitro comparison of two commercially available cationic lipid formulations, Lipofectamine and DOSPER. Optimisation of transfection was performed in the C2C12 mouse muscle cell line, before further studies in primary mouse myoblasts and C2C12 myotubes. Reporter gene constructs expressing either E. coli beta-galactosidase or green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used in order to evaluate transfection efficiency by histochemical staining or FACS analysis, respectively. Both lipid formulations were able to promote efficient, reproducible gene transfer in C2C12 cells, and to transfect primary mouse myoblast cultures successfully. However, DOSPER exhibited the important advantage of being able to transfect cells in the presence of serum of both bovine and murine origin. This feature allowed increased cell survival during in vitro transfections, and may be advantageous for direct in vivo gene transfer efficacy.

  15. Full-length Dysferlin Transfer by the Hyperactive Sleeping Beauty Transposase Restores Dysferlin-deficient Muscle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena Escobar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy is a progressive disease characterized by muscle weakness and wasting for which there is no treatment. It is caused by mutations in DYSF, a large, multiexonic gene that forms a coding sequence of 6.2 kb. Sleeping Beauty (SB transposon is a nonviral gene transfer vector, already used in clinical trials. The hyperactive SB system consists of a transposon DNA sequence and a transposase protein, SB100X, that can integrate DNA over 10 kb into the target genome. We constructed an SB transposon-based vector to deliver full-length human DYSF cDNA into dysferlin-deficient H2K A/J myoblasts. We demonstrate proper dysferlin expression as well as highly efficient engraftment (>1,100 donor-derived fibers of the engineered myoblasts in the skeletal muscle of dysferlin- and immunodeficient B6. Cg-Dysfprmd Prkdcscid/J (Scid/BLA/J mice. Nonviral gene delivery of full-length human dysferlin into muscle cells, along with a successful and efficient transplantation into skeletal muscle are important advances towards successful gene therapy of dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy.

  16. A long noncoding RNA controls muscle differentiation by functioning as a competing endogenous RNA.

    KAUST Repository

    Cesana, Marcella

    2011-10-01

    Recently, a new regulatory circuitry has been identified in which RNAs can crosstalk with each other by competing for shared microRNAs. Such competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) regulate the distribution of miRNA molecules on their targets and thereby impose an additional level of post-transcriptional regulation. Here we identify a muscle-specific long noncoding RNA, linc-MD1, which governs the time of muscle differentiation by acting as a ceRNA in mouse and human myoblasts. Downregulation or overexpression of linc-MD1 correlate with retardation or anticipation of the muscle differentiation program, respectively. We show that linc-MD1 "sponges" miR-133 and miR-133 [corrected] to regulate the expression of MAML1 and MEF2C, transcription factors that activate muscle-specific gene expression. Finally, we demonstrate that linc-MD1 exerts the same control over differentiation timing in human myoblasts, and that its levels are strongly reduced in Duchenne muscle cells. We conclude that the ceRNA network plays an important role in muscle differentiation.

  17. TRAF6 promotes myogenic differentiation via the TAK1/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and Akt pathways.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Xiao

    Full Text Available p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK is an essential kinase involved in myogenic differentiation. Although many substrates of p38 MAPK have been identified, little is known about its upstream activators during myogenic differentiation. TRAF6 is known to function in cytokine signaling during inflammatory responses. However, not much is known about its role in myogenic differentiation and muscle regeneration. We showed here that TRAF6 and its intrinsic ubiquitin E3 ligase activity are required for myogenic differentiation. In mouse myoblasts, knockdown of TRAF6 compromised the p38 MAPK and Akt pathways, while deliberate activation of either pathway rescued the differentiation defect caused by TRAF6 knockdown. TAK1 acted as a key signal transducer downstream of TRAF6 in myogenic differentiation. In vivo, knockdown of TRAF6 in mouse muscles compromised the injury-induced muscle regeneration without impairing macrophage infiltration and myoblast proliferation. Collectively, we demonstrated that TRAF6 promotes myogenic differentiation and muscle regeneration via the TAK1/p38 MAPK and Akt pathways.

  18. A novel approach for in vitro meat production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandurangan, Muthuraman; Kim, Doo Hwan

    2015-07-01

    The present review describes the possibility of in vitro meat production with the help of advanced co-culturing methods. In vitro meat production method could be a possible alternative for the conventional meat production. Originally, the research on in vitro meat production was initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for space voyages. The required key qualities for accepting in vitro meat for consumption would be good efficiency ratio, increased protein synthesis rate in skeletal muscles, and mimicking the conventional meat qualities. In vitro culturing of meat is possible with the use of skeletal muscle tissue engineering, stem cell, cell co-culture, and tissue culture methods. Co-culture of myoblast and fibroblast is believed as one of the major techniques for in vitro meat production. In our lab, we have co-cultured myoblast and fibroblast. We believe that a billion pounds of in vitro meat could be produced from one animal for consumption. However, we require a great deal of research on in vitro meat production.

  19. A long noncoding RNA controls muscle differentiation by functioning as a competing endogenous RNA.

    KAUST Repository

    Cesana, Marcella; Cacchiarelli, Davide; Legnini, Ivano; Santini, Tiziana; Sthandier, Olga; Chinappi, Mauro; Tramontano, Anna; Bozzoni, Irene

    2011-01-01

    Recently, a new regulatory circuitry has been identified in which RNAs can crosstalk with each other by competing for shared microRNAs. Such competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) regulate the distribution of miRNA molecules on their targets and thereby impose an additional level of post-transcriptional regulation. Here we identify a muscle-specific long noncoding RNA, linc-MD1, which governs the time of muscle differentiation by acting as a ceRNA in mouse and human myoblasts. Downregulation or overexpression of linc-MD1 correlate with retardation or anticipation of the muscle differentiation program, respectively. We show that linc-MD1 "sponges" miR-133 and miR-133 [corrected] to regulate the expression of MAML1 and MEF2C, transcription factors that activate muscle-specific gene expression. Finally, we demonstrate that linc-MD1 exerts the same control over differentiation timing in human myoblasts, and that its levels are strongly reduced in Duchenne muscle cells. We conclude that the ceRNA network plays an important role in muscle differentiation.

  20. Effect of Excess Gravitational Force on Cultured Myotubes in Vitro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shigehiro Hashimoto

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available An effect of an excess gravitational force on cultured myoblasts has been studied in an experimental system with centrifugal force in vitro. Mouse myoblasts (C2C12 were seeded on a culture dish of 35 mm diameter, and cultured in the Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium until the sub-confluent condition. To apply the excess gravitational force on the cultured cells, the dish was set in a conventional centrifugal machine. Constant gravitational force was applied to the cultured cells for three hours. Variations were made on the gravitational force (6 G, 10 G, 100 G, 500 G, and 800 G with control of the rotational speed of the rotator in the centrifugal machine. Morphology of the cells was observed with a phasecontrast microscope for eight days. The experimental results show that the myotube thickens day by day after the exposure to the excess gravitational force field. The results also show that the higher excess gravitational force thickens myotubes. The microscopic study shows that myotubes thicken with fusion each other.

  1. Effect of Oenothera odorata Root Extract on Microgravity and Disuse-Induced Muscle Atrophy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yong-Hyeon; Seo, Dong-Hyun; Park, Ji-Hyung; Kabayama, Kazuya; Opitz, Joerg; Lee, Kwang Ho; Kim, Han-Sung; Kim, Tack-Joong

    2015-01-01

    Muscle atrophy, a reduction of muscle mass, strength, and volume, results from reduced muscle use and plays a key role in various muscular diseases. In the microgravity environment of space especially, muscle atrophy is induced by muscle inactivity. Exposure to microgravity induces muscle atrophy through several biological effects, including associations with reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study used 3D-clinostat to investigate muscle atrophy caused by oxidative stress in vitro, and sciatic denervation was used to investigate muscle atrophy in vivo. We assessed the effect of Oenothera odorata root extract (EVP) on muscle atrophy. EVP helped recover cell viability in C2C12 myoblasts exposed to microgravity for 24 h and delayed muscle atrophy in sciatic denervated mice. However, the expressions of HSP70, SOD1, and ceramide in microgravity-exposed C2C12 myoblasts and in sciatic denervated mice were either decreased or completely inhibited. These results suggested that EVP can be expected to have a positive effect on muscle atrophy by disuse and microgravity. In addition, EVP helped characterize the antioxidant function in muscle atrophy.

  2. Isolation, culture and biological characteristics of multipotent porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jinjuan; Liu, Hao; Wang, Kunfu; Li, Lu; Yuan, Hongyi; Liu, Xueting; Liu, Yingjie; Guan, Weijun

    2017-12-01

    Skeletal muscle has a huge regenerative potential for postnatal muscle growth and repair, which mainly depends on a kind of muscle progenitor cell population, called satellite cell. Nowadays, the majority of satellite cells were obtained from human, mouse, rat and other animals but rarely from pig. In this article, the porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells were isolated and cultured in vitro. The expression of surface markers of satellite cells was detected by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR assays. The differentiation capacity was assessed by inducing satellite cells into adipocytes, myoblasts and osteoblasts. The results showed that satellite cells isolated from porcine tibialis anterior were subcultured up to 12 passages and were positive for Pax7, Myod, c-Met, desmin, PCNA and NANOG but were negative for Myogenin. Satellite cells were also induced to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts and myoblasts, respectively. These findings indicated that porcine satellite cells possess similar biological characteristics of stem cells, which may provide theoretical basis and experimental evidence for potential therapeutic application in the treatment of dystrophic muscle and other muscle injuries.

  3. Does Positive Affect Broaden and Negative Affect Narrow Attentional Scope? A New Answer to an Old Question

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huntsinger, Jeffrey R.

    2012-01-01

    The current research challenges the common view that positive affect and negative affect generate a broadened or narrowed attentional focus, respectively. Contrary to this view, two studies found that the link between affect and attentional focus as measured by a traditional flanker task (Study 1) and a modified flanker task (Study 2) reflects…

  4. Dynamic artificial neural networks with affective systems.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine D Schuman

    Full Text Available Artificial neural networks (ANNs are processors that are trained to perform particular tasks. We couple a computational ANN with a simulated affective system in order to explore the interaction between the two. In particular, we design a simple affective system that adjusts the threshold values in the neurons of our ANN. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that this simple affective system can control the firing rate of the ensemble of neurons in the ANN, as well as to explore the coupling between the affective system and the processes of long term potentiation (LTP and long term depression (LTD, and the effect of the parameters of the affective system on its performance. We apply our networks with affective systems to a simple pole balancing example and briefly discuss the effect of affective systems on network performance.

  5. Family psychoeducation for affective disorders

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Timmerby, Nina; Austin, Stephen; Bech, Per

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this article was to examine the evidence of family psychoeducation (FPE) for affective disorders. Evidence indicates that FPE can be an effective supplement to the standard treatment of patients with affective disorders. FPE can effectively reduce the patients' risk of relapse and redu...

  6. Does performance management affect nurses' well-being?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decramer, Adelien; Audenaert, Mieke; Van Waeyenberg, Thomas; Claeys, Tine; Claes, Claudia; Vandevelde, Stijn; van Loon, Jos; Crucke, Saskia

    2015-04-01

    This article focuses on employee performance-management practices in the healthcare sector. We specifically aim to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of employee performance-management practices on affective well-being of nurses in hospitals. Theory suggests that the features of employee-performance management (planning and evaluation of individual performances) predict affective well-being (in this study: job satisfaction and affective commitment). Performance-management planning and evaluation and affective well-being were drawn from a survey of nurses at a Flemish hospital. Separate estimations were performed for different aspects of affective well-being. Performance planning has a negative effect on job satisfaction of nurses. Both vertical alignment and satisfaction with the employee performance-management system increase the affective well-being of nurses; however, the impact of vertical alignment differs for different aspects of affective well-being (i.e. job satisfaction and affective commitment). Performance-management planning and evaluation of nurses are associated with attitudinal outcomes. The results indicate that employee performance-management features have different impacts on different aspects of well-being. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. How culture affects management?

    OpenAIRE

    Billi, Lorena

    2012-01-01

    The study is about how culture affects management. Culture can have many different meanings. Management has also many different ways to be approached. While doing research about cultures, the study will try to analyze how the culture affects the management. The study starts with a full explanation of the meaning of culture. Some previous analysis and studies are added to illustrate my study on the subject. The effect culture has on management is studied at different levels. The study does not...

  8. Emotion modelling towards affective pathogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bas, James Le

    2009-12-01

    Objective: There is a need in psychiatry for models that integrate pathological states with normal systems. The interaction of arousal and emotion is the focus of an exploration of affective pathogenesis. Method: Given that the explicit causes of affective disorder remain nascent, methods of linking emotion and disorder are evaluated. Results: A network model of emotional families is presented, in which emotions exist as quantal gradients. Morbid emotional states are seen as the activation of distal emotion sites. The phenomenology of affective disorders is described with reference to this model. Recourse is made to non-linear dynamic theory. Conclusions: Metaphoric emotion models have face validity and may prove a useful heuristic.

  9. Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction

    CERN Document Server

    2012-01-01

    2012 International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ICACII 2012) was the most comprehensive conference focused on the various aspects of advances in Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction. The conference provided a rare opportunity to bring together worldwide academic researchers and practitioners for exchanging the latest developments and applications in this field such as Intelligent Computing, Affective Computing, Machine Learning, Business Intelligence and HCI.   This volume is a collection of 119 papers selected from 410 submissions from universities and industries all over the world, based on their quality and relevancy to the conference. All of the papers have been peer-reviewed by selected experts.  

  10. The positive group affect spiral : a dynamic model of the emergence of positive affective similarity in work groups

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Walter, F.; Bruch, H.

    This conceptual paper seeks to clarify the process of the emergence of positive collective affect. Specifically, it develops a dynamic model of the emergence of positive affective similarity in work groups. It is suggested that positive group affective similarity and within-group relationship

  11. Ultrastructural changes in the flight muscle mitochondria of adult male mosquito Culex Pipiens L I

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abd Elmeguid, A.; Elmoursy, A.A.; Rouchdy, H.; Elzahraa, F.

    1995-01-01

    Ultrastructural differences between differentiating myoblasts of 1-day old pupae and 2-day old pupae and between well developed flight muscles in newly emerged 1-day old and 2-day old and ageing 21-day old adult male Culex Pipiens were studied. Ageing mosquitoes showed various signs of deterioration, vocalization, fusion and disorientation of cristae. 6 figs

  12. Transient emotional events and individual affective traits affect emotion recognition in a perceptual decision-making task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao-Tasserit, Emilie; Garcia Quesada, Maria; Antico, Lia; Bavelier, Daphne; Vuilleumier, Patrik; Pichon, Swann

    2017-01-01

    Both affective states and personality traits shape how we perceive the social world and interpret emotions. The literature on affective priming has mostly focused on brief influences of emotional stimuli and emotional states on perceptual and cognitive processes. Yet this approach does not fully capture more dynamic processes at the root of emotional states, with such states lingering beyond the duration of the inducing external stimuli. Our goal was to put in perspective three different types of affective states (induced affective states, more sustained mood states and affective traits such as depression and anxiety) and investigate how they may interact and influence emotion perception. Here, we hypothesized that absorption into positive and negative emotional episodes generate sustained affective states that outlast the episode period and bias the interpretation of facial expressions in a perceptual decision-making task. We also investigated how such effects are influenced by more sustained mood states and by individual affect traits (depression and anxiety) and whether they interact. Transient emotional states were induced using movie-clips, after which participants performed a forced-choice emotion classification task with morphed facial expressions ranging from fear to happiness. Using a psychometric approach, we show that negative (vs. neutral) clips increased participants' propensity to classify ambiguous faces as fearful during several minutes. In contrast, positive movies biased classification toward happiness only for those clips perceived as most absorbing. Negative mood, anxiety and depression had a stronger effect than transient states and increased the propensity to classify ambiguous faces as fearful. These results provide the first evidence that absorption and different temporal dimensions of emotions have a significant effect on how we perceive facial expressions.

  13. Transient emotional events and individual affective traits affect emotion recognition in a perceptual decision-making task.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emilie Qiao-Tasserit

    Full Text Available Both affective states and personality traits shape how we perceive the social world and interpret emotions. The literature on affective priming has mostly focused on brief influences of emotional stimuli and emotional states on perceptual and cognitive processes. Yet this approach does not fully capture more dynamic processes at the root of emotional states, with such states lingering beyond the duration of the inducing external stimuli. Our goal was to put in perspective three different types of affective states (induced affective states, more sustained mood states and affective traits such as depression and anxiety and investigate how they may interact and influence emotion perception. Here, we hypothesized that absorption into positive and negative emotional episodes generate sustained affective states that outlast the episode period and bias the interpretation of facial expressions in a perceptual decision-making task. We also investigated how such effects are influenced by more sustained mood states and by individual affect traits (depression and anxiety and whether they interact. Transient emotional states were induced using movie-clips, after which participants performed a forced-choice emotion classification task with morphed facial expressions ranging from fear to happiness. Using a psychometric approach, we show that negative (vs. neutral clips increased participants' propensity to classify ambiguous faces as fearful during several minutes. In contrast, positive movies biased classification toward happiness only for those clips perceived as most absorbing. Negative mood, anxiety and depression had a stronger effect than transient states and increased the propensity to classify ambiguous faces as fearful. These results provide the first evidence that absorption and different temporal dimensions of emotions have a significant effect on how we perceive facial expressions.

  14. Transient emotional events and individual affective traits affect emotion recognition in a perceptual decision-making task

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia Quesada, Maria; Antico, Lia; Bavelier, Daphne; Vuilleumier, Patrik; Pichon, Swann

    2017-01-01

    Both affective states and personality traits shape how we perceive the social world and interpret emotions. The literature on affective priming has mostly focused on brief influences of emotional stimuli and emotional states on perceptual and cognitive processes. Yet this approach does not fully capture more dynamic processes at the root of emotional states, with such states lingering beyond the duration of the inducing external stimuli. Our goal was to put in perspective three different types of affective states (induced affective states, more sustained mood states and affective traits such as depression and anxiety) and investigate how they may interact and influence emotion perception. Here, we hypothesized that absorption into positive and negative emotional episodes generate sustained affective states that outlast the episode period and bias the interpretation of facial expressions in a perceptual decision-making task. We also investigated how such effects are influenced by more sustained mood states and by individual affect traits (depression and anxiety) and whether they interact. Transient emotional states were induced using movie-clips, after which participants performed a forced-choice emotion classification task with morphed facial expressions ranging from fear to happiness. Using a psychometric approach, we show that negative (vs. neutral) clips increased participants’ propensity to classify ambiguous faces as fearful during several minutes. In contrast, positive movies biased classification toward happiness only for those clips perceived as most absorbing. Negative mood, anxiety and depression had a stronger effect than transient states and increased the propensity to classify ambiguous faces as fearful. These results provide the first evidence that absorption and different temporal dimensions of emotions have a significant effect on how we perceive facial expressions. PMID:28151976

  15. Rheumatoid Arthritis: Can It Affect the Eyes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rheumatoid arthritis: Can it affect the eyes? Can rheumatoid arthritis affect the eyes? Answers from April Chang-Miller, M.D. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily affects the ...

  16. Daily affect variability and context-specific alcohol consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohr, Cynthia D; Arpin, Sarah; McCabe, Cameron T

    2015-11-01

    Research explored the effects of variability in negative and positive affect on alcohol consumption, specifying daily fluctuation in affect as a critical form of emotion dysregulation. Using daily process methodology allows for a more objective calculation of affect variability relative to traditional self-reports. The present study models within-person negative and positive affect variabilities as predictors of context-specific consumption (i.e. solitary vs. social drinking), controlling for mean levels of affect. A community sample of moderate-to-heavy drinkers (n = 47; 49% women) from a US metropolitan area reported on affect and alcohol consumption thrice daily for 30 days via a handheld electronic interviewer. Within-person affect variability was calculated using daily standard deviations in positive and negative affect. Within person, greater negative and positive variabilities are related to greater daily solitary and social consumption. Across study days, mean levels of negative and positive affect variabilities related to greater social consumption between persons; yet, aggregated negative affect variability was related to less solitary consumption. Results affirm affect variability as a unique predictor of alcohol consumption, independent of mean affect levels. Yet, it is important to differentiate social context of consumption, as well as type of affect variability, particularly at the between-person level. These distinctions help clarify inconsistencies in the self-medication literature regarding associations between average levels of affect and consumption. Importantly, consistent within-person relationships for both variabilities support arguments that both negative and positive affect variabilities are detrimental and reflect an inability to regulate emotional experience. © 2015 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

  17. Affect and Public Support for Military Action

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dukhong Kim

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the effects of affect on public opinion on foreign policy. It extends the existing studies which show a significant role that affect, as measured by feelings toward a country, plays in shaping public opinion on military action. According to the existing theory, the mass public, which does not have high levels of political information and knowledge, can rely on affect to make reasonable decisions and opinions. This is possible because affect works as an information shortcut or heuristic that can help those individuals who lack cognitive capacity to engage in a systematic search for information and a decision-making process. The research finding confirms this theory. More importantly, this study extends the existing studies by elaborating the conditions under which affect works in accounting for individuals’ support for military intervention. The effect of affect is conditioned by the level of political knowledge, which shows that knowledgeable individuals are more adept at using affect as a heuristic tool.

  18. Affective processes in human-automation interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merritt, Stephanie M

    2011-08-01

    This study contributes to the literature on automation reliance by illuminating the influences of user moods and emotions on reliance on automated systems. Past work has focused predominantly on cognitive and attitudinal variables, such as perceived machine reliability and trust. However, recent work on human decision making suggests that affective variables (i.e., moods and emotions) are also important. Drawing from the affect infusion model, significant effects of affect are hypothesized. Furthermore, a new affectively laden attitude termed liking is introduced. Participants watched video clips selected to induce positive or negative moods, then interacted with a fictitious automated system on an X-ray screening task At five time points, important variables were assessed including trust, liking, perceived machine accuracy, user self-perceived accuracy, and reliance.These variables, along with propensity to trust machines and state affect, were integrated in a structural equation model. Happiness significantly increased trust and liking for the system throughout the task. Liking was the only variable that significantly predicted reliance early in the task. Trust predicted reliance later in the task, whereas perceived machine accuracy and user self-perceived accuracy had no significant direct effects on reliance at any time. Affective influences on automation reliance are demonstrated, suggesting that this decision-making process may be less rational and more emotional than previously acknowledged. Liking for a new system may be key to appropriate reliance, particularly early in the task. Positive affect can be easily induced and may be a lever for increasing liking.

  19. The Affective Turn

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carnera, Alexander

    2012-01-01

    This paper confronts biopolitics with modern labour addressing questions of ‘governmentality’, ‘self-management’ and ‘social innovation’. It argues that the new modes of production within immaterial labour involve a new complex relation between on the one hand the ‘Art of Governance...... of biopolitics that surpasses that of governmentality. The affective self-relation is used as a research tool to analyse the creation of social and economic values in our new modes of productions, for instance, within free labour of the cultural industry. The movie The Five Obstructions is used to show how...... organizing good affective encounters based on limitations enhance and facilitate the performative dimension of self-management. Finally, the paper addresses the problem of critique confronting self-relation with Spinoza's ethics as an ethical difference of powe...

  20. Factors Affecting University Library Website Design

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Yongi-Mi; University of Oklahoma

    2011-01-01

    Existing studies have extensively explored factors that affect users’ intentions to use university library website resources (ULWR); yet little attention has been given to factors affecting university library website design. This paper investigates factors that affect university library website design and assesses the success of the university library website from both designers’ and users’ perspectives. The findings show that when planning a website, university web designers consider univers...

  1. Affect asymmetry and comfort food consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubé, Laurette; LeBel, Jordan L; Lu, Ji

    2005-11-15

    It is proposed that the emotional triggers of comfort food consumption can reliably be predicted by factors tied to affect asymmetry whereby negative affects dominate one's experience, decision making and behaviors in some instances while positive emotions prevail in others. Specifically, we relate three of these factors (age, gender, and culture) to differences in the emotional triggers of comfort food consumption and we further explore the possibility that the type of food eaten during comfort-seeking episodes can also be tied to affect asymmetry. Two hundred and seventy-seven participants completed a web-based survey conducted to assess the emotional antecedents and consequences of comfort food consumption. Consistent with expectations, results indicate that men's comfort food consumption was motivated by positive emotions whereas women's consumption was triggered by negative affects. Consumption of comfort foods alleviated women's negative emotions but also produced guilt. Positive affect was a particularly powerful trigger of comfort food consumption for older participants and for participants with French cultural background. Younger participants and participants with English background reported more intense negative emotions prior to consuming comfort foods. Foods high in sugar and fat content were more efficient in alleviating negative affects whereas low-calorie foods were more efficient in increasing positive emotions.

  2. Don't Classify Ratings of Affect; Rank Them!

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martinez, H. P.; Yannakakis, G. N.; Hallam, John

    2014-01-01

    How should affect be appropriately annotated and how should machine learning best be employed to map manifestations of affect to affect annotations? What is the use of ratings of affect for the study of affective computing and how should we treat them? These are the key questions this paper attem...

  3. Identifying subgroups of CERME affect research papers

    OpenAIRE

    Hannula, Markku S.; Garcia Moreno-Esteva, Enrique

    2017-01-01

    Research in mathematics related affect uses a variety of theoretical frameworks. Three different dimensions have been suggested as significant to characterize concepts in this area: (1) emotional, motivational, and cognitive aspects of affect, (2) state and trait aspects of affect, and (3) physiological, psychological, and sociological level of theorizing affect. In this study, we used the information in reference lists and graph theory to identify Graph Communities (coherent clusters) of res...

  4. Can the Weather Affect My Child's Asthma?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... English Español Can the Weather Affect My Child's Asthma? KidsHealth / For Parents / Can the Weather Affect My ... Asthma? Print Can the Weather Affect My Child's Asthma? Yes. Weather conditions can bring on asthma symptoms. ...

  5. Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tavares, Inês M.; Laan, Ellen T. M.; Nobre, Pedro J.

    2017-01-01

    Cognitive-affective factors contribute to female sexual dysfunctions, defined as clinically significant difficulties in the ability to respond sexually or to experience sexual pleasure. Automatic thoughts and affect presented during sexual activity are acknowledged as maintenance factors for these

  6. Efeitos do ultra-som terapêutico contínuo sobre a proliferação e viabilidade de células musculares C2C12 Effects of continuous therapeutic ultrasound on proliferation and viability of C2C12 muscle cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Pelegrineli Artilheiro

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available O ultra-som terapêutico (US é um recurso bioestimulante utilizado para propiciar reparo muscular de melhor qualidade e menor duração, mas o potencial terapêutico do US contínuo não está totalmente estabelecido. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do US contínuo sobre a proliferação e viabilidade de células musculares precursoras (mioblastos C2C12. Mioblastos C2C12 foram cultivados em meio de cultura contendo 10% de soro fetal bovino e irradiados com US contínuo nas freqüências de 1 e 3 MHz nas intensidades de 0,2 e 0,5 W/cm2, durante 2 e 5 minutos. A viabilidade e proliferação celular foram avaliadas após 24, 48 e 72 h de incubação. Grupos não-irradiados serviram como controle. Foram realizados experimentos independentes em cada condição acima, e os dados obtidos submetidos à análise estatística. Os resultados mostram que não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa na proliferação e viabilidade celular entre os mioblastos tratados com US e as culturas controles após os diferentes períodos de incubação, em todos os parâmetros avaliados. Conclui-se que o US contínuo, nos parâmetros avaliados, não foi capaz de alterar a proliferação e viabilidade dos mioblastos.Therapeutic ultrasound (US is a biophysical stimulation resource widely used in order to promote better, faster muscle repair, but the effectiveness of continuous US in treating injuries is not fully established. The aim of the present in vitro study was to assess the effects of continuous ultrasound on viability and proliferation of skeletal muscle precursor cells (C2C12 myoblasts. C2C12 myoblasts were cultured in a medium containing 10% foetal bovine serum and irradiated with continuous ultrasound at 1 and 3 MHz frequencies, at intensities of 0.2 and 0.5 W/cm² for 2 and 5 minutes. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed after different incubation periods (24, 48 and 72 h. Non-irradiated groups served as control and data were

  7. Affective Decision Making and the Ellsberg Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Anat Bracha; Donald J. Brown

    2008-01-01

    Affective decision-making is a strategic model of choice under risk and uncertainty where we posit two cognitive processes -- the "rational" and the "emotional" process. Observed choice is the result of equilibrium in this intrapersonal game. As an example, we present applications of affective decision-making in insurance markets, where the risk perceptions of consumers are endogenous. We derive the axiomatic foundation of affective decision making, and show that affective decision making is ...

  8. Hold it! memory affects attentional dwell time

    OpenAIRE

    Parks, Emily L.; Hopfinger, Joseph B.

    2008-01-01

    The allocation of attention, including the initial orienting and the subsequent dwell time, is affected by several bottom-up and top-down factors. How item memory affects these processes, however, remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether item memory affects attentional dwell time by using a modified version of the attentional blink (AB) paradigm. Across four experiments, our results revealed that the AB was significantly affected by memory status (novel vs. old), but critically, this ef...

  9. Alcohol: Does It Affect Blood Pressure?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure? Does drinking alcohol affect your blood pressure? Answers from Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D. Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Having ...

  10. Seasonal Affective Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cravings and weight gain Thoughts of death or suicide SAD is more common in women, young people, ... of serotonin, a brain chemical that affects your mood. Their bodies also make too ... with light therapy. NIH: National Institute of Mental Health

  11. Radon affected areas: Scotland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miles, J.C.H.; Green, B.M.R.; Lomas, P.R.

    1993-01-01

    Board advice on radon in homes issued in 1990 specifies that areas of the UK where 1% or more of homes exceed the Action Level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre of air should be regarded as Affected Areas. Results of radon measurements in homes in the districts of Kincardine and Deeside and Gordon in Grampian Region and Caithness and Sutherland in Highland Region are mapped and used to delineate Affected Areas in these areas where required. The Scottish Office is advised to consider the desirability of developing guidance on precautions against radon in future homes. (author)

  12. Affective Biases in Humans and Animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, E S J; Roiser, J P

    Depression is one of the most common but poorly understood psychiatric conditions. Although drug treatments and psychological therapies are effective in some patients, many do not achieve full remission and some patients receive no apparent benefit. Developing new improved treatments requires a better understanding of the aetiology of symptoms and evaluation of novel therapeutic targets in pre-clinical studies. Recent developments in our understanding of the basic cognitive processes that may contribute to the development of depression and its treatment offer new opportunities for both clinical and pre-clinical research. This chapter discusses the clinical evidence supporting a cognitive neuropsychological model of depression and antidepressant efficacy, and how this information may be usefully translated to pre-clinical investigation. Studies using neuropsychological tests in depressed patients and at risk populations have revealed basic negative emotional biases and disrupted reward and punishment processing, which may also impact on non-affective cognition. These affective biases are sensitive to antidepressant treatments with early onset effects observed, suggesting an important role in recovery. This clinical work into affective biases has also facilitated back-translation to animals and the development of assays to study affective biases in rodents. These animal studies suggest that, similar to humans, rodents in putative negative affective states exhibit negative affective biases on decision-making and memory tasks. Antidepressant treatments also induce positive biases in these rodent tasks, supporting the translational validity of this approach. Although still in the early stages of development and validation, affective biases in depression have the potential to offer new insights into the clinical condition, as well as facilitating the development of more translational approaches for pre-clinical studies.

  13. Nonverbal synchrony and affect in dyadic interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wolfgang eTschacher

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available In an experiment on dyadic social interaction, we invited participants to verbal interactions in cooperative, competitive, and 'fun task' conditions. We focused on the link between interactants' affectivity and their nonverbal synchrony, and explored which further variables contributed to affectivity: interactants' personality traits, sex, and the prescribed interaction tasks. Nonverbal synchrony was quantified by the coordination of interactants' body movement, using an automated video-analysis algorithm (Motion Energy Analysis, MEA. Traits were assessed with standard questionnaires of personality, attachment, interactional style, psychopathology and interpersonal reactivity. We included 168 previously unacquainted individuals who were randomly allocated to same-sex dyads (84 females, 84 males, mean age 27.3 years. Dyads discussed four topics of general interest drawn from an urn of eight topics, and finally engaged in a fun interaction. Each interaction lasted five minutes. In between interactions, participants repeatedly assessed their affect. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we found moderate to strong effect sizes for synchrony to occur, especially in competitive and fun task conditions. Positive affect was associated positively with synchrony, negative affect was associated negatively. As for causal direction, data supported the interpretation that synchrony entailed affect rather than vice versa. The link between nonverbal synchrony and affect was strongest in female dyads. The findings extend previous reports of synchrony and mimicry associated with emotion in relationships and suggest a possible mechanism of the synchrony-affect correlation.

  14. Micro-Valences: Affective valence in neutral everyday objects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie eLebrecht

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Affective valence influences both our cognition and our perception of the world. Indeed, the speed and quality with which we recognize objects in a visual scene can vary dramatically depending on its affective content. However, affective processing of visual objects has been typically studied using only stimuli with strong affective valences (e.g., guns or roses. Here we explore whether affective valence must be strong or obvious to exert an effect on our perception. We conclude that the majority of objects carry some affective valence (micro-valences and, thus, nominally neutral objects are not really neutral. Functionally, the perception of valence in everyday objects facilitates perceptually-driven choice behavior, decision-making, and affective responses.

  15. Continuous Analysis of Affect from Voice and Face

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gunes, Hatice; Nicolaou, Mihalis A.; Pantic, Maja; Salah, Albert Ali; Gevers, Theo

    2011-01-01

    Human affective behavior is multimodal, continuous and complex. Despite major advances within the affective computing research field, modeling, analyzing, interpreting and responding to human affective behavior still remains a challenge for automated systems as affect and emotions are complex

  16. Network position and related power : how they affect and are affected by network management and outcomes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oukes, Tamara

    2018-01-01

    In network position and related power you learn more about how network position and related power affect and are affected by network management and outcomes. First, I expand our present understanding of how startups with a fragile network position manage business relationships by taking an

  17. Embodied affectivity: On moving and being moved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas eFuchs

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available There is a growing body of research indicating that bodily sensation and behaviour strongly influences one’s emotional reaction towards certain situations or objects. On this background, a framework model of embodied affectivity is suggested: we regard emotions as resulting from the circular interaction between affective qualities or affordances in the environment and the subject’s bodily resonance, be it in the form of sensations, postures, expressive movements or movement tendencies. Motion and emotion are thus intrinsically connected: one is moved by movement (perception; impression; affection and moved to move (action; expression; e-motion. Through its resonance, the body functions as a medium of emotional perception: it colours or charges self-experience and the environment with affective valences while it remains itself in the background of one’s own awareness. This model is then applied to emotional social understanding or interaffectivity which is regarded as an intertwinement of two cycles of embodied affectivity, thus continuously modifying each partner’s affective affordances and bodily resonance. We conclude with considerations of how embodied affectivity is altered in psychopathology and can be addressed in psychotherapy of the embodied self.

  18. The effects of trait and state affect on diurnal cortisol slope among children affected by parental HIV/AIDS in rural China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lihua; Chi, Peilian; Li, Xiaoming; Zilioli, Samuele; Zhao, Junfeng; Zhao, Guoxiang; Lin, Danhua

    2017-08-01

    Affect is believed to be one of the most prominent proximal psychological pathway through which more distal psychosocial factors influence physiology and ultimately health. The current study examines the relative contributions of trait affect and state affect to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, with particular focus on cortisol slope, in children affected by parental HIV/AIDS. A sample of 645 children (8-15 years old) affected by parental HIV/AIDS in rural China completed a multiple-day naturalistic salivary cortisol protocol. Trait and state affect, demographics, and psychosocial covariates were assessed via self-report. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for estimating the effects of trait affect and state affect on cortisol slope. Confidence intervals for indirect effects were estimated using the Monte Carlo method. Our results indicated that both trait and state negative affect (NA) predicted flatter (less "healthy") diurnal cortisol slopes. Subsequent analyses revealed that children's state NA mediated the effect of their trait NA on diurnal cortisol slope. The same relationships did not emerge for trait and state positive affect. These findings provide a rationale for future interventions that target NA as a modifiable antecedent of compromised health-related endocrine processes among children affected by parental HIV/AIDS.

  19. Affective Development in Advanced Old Age: Analyses of Terminal Change in Positive and Negative Affect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schilling, Oliver K.; Wahl, Hans-Werner; Wiegering, Sarah

    2013-01-01

    Late-life development of affect may unfold terminal changes that are driven more by end-of-life processes and not so much by time since birth. This study aimed to explore time-to-death-related effects in measures of affect in a sample of the very old. We used longitudinal data (2 measurement occasions: 2002 and 2003) from 140 deceased…

  20. Neural systems supporting cognitive-affective interactions in adolescence: The role of puberty and implications for affective disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecile D. Ladouceur

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Evidence from longitudinal studies suggests that adolescence may represent a period of vulnerability that, in the context of adverse events, could contribute to developmental trajectories toward behavioral and emotional health problems, including affective disorders. Adolescence is also a sensitive period for the development of neural systems supporting cognitive-affective processes, which have been implicated in the pathophysiology of affective disorders such as anxiety and mood disorders. In particular, the onset of puberty brings about a cascade of physical, hormonal, psychological, and social changes that contribute in complex ways to the development of these systems. This article provides a brief overview of neuroimaging research pertaining to the development of cognitive-affective processes in adolescence. It also includes a brief review of evidence from animal and human neuroimaging studies suggesting that sex steroids influence the connectivity between prefrontal cortical and subcortical limbic regions in ways that contribute to increased reactivity to emotionally salient stimuli. We integrate these findings in the context of a developmental affective neuroscience framework suggesting that the impact of rising levels of sex steroids during puberty on fronto-limbic connectivity may be even greater in the context of protracted development of prefrontal cortical regions in adolescence. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for future research aimed at identifying neurodevelopmental markers of risk for future onset of affective disorders.

  1. Mood swings: design and evaluation of affective interactive art

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bialoskorski, Leticia S.S.; Westerink, Joyce H.D.M.; van den Broek, Egon

    2009-01-01

    The field of affective computing is concerned with developing emphatic products, such as affective consumer products, affective games, and affective art. This paper describes Mood Swings, an affective interactive art system, which interprets and visualizes affect expressed by a person. Mood Swings

  2. Science 101: Can Electromagnetic Waves Affect Emotions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Bill

    2017-01-01

    The answer to this month's question, "Can electromagnetic waves affect emotions," is yes. Wherever there are electromagnetic (EM) waves (basically everywhere!), there is the potential for them directly or indirectly to affect the emotions. But what about the likely motivation behind the originally-posed question? Can EM waves affect your…

  3. Enhancing teaching and assessment practices in affective ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The results of the study indicate that social studies tutors in the TTCs seldom teach in the affective domain because they have little knowledge about the taxonomic levels of internalisation of the affective domain. Similarly, the tutors hardly assess the affective outcomes and ineffectively too because of lack of adequate ...

  4. Affective Primacy vs. Cognitive Primacy: Dissolving the Debate

    OpenAIRE

    Lai, Vicky Tzuyin; Hagoort, Peter; Casasanto, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    When people see a snake, they are likely to activate both affective information (e.g., dangerous) and non-affective information about its ontological category (e.g., animal). According to the Affective Primacy Hypothesis, the affective information has priority, and its activation can precede identification of the ontological category of a stimulus. Alternatively, according to the Cognitive Primacy Hypothesis, perceivers must know what they are looking at before they can make an affective judg...

  5. Affect and Metaphor Sensing in Virtual Drama

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Zhang

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We report our developments on metaphor and affect sensing for several metaphorical language phenomena including affects as external entities metaphor, food metaphor, animal metaphor, size metaphor, and anger metaphor. The metaphor and affect sensing component has been embedded in a conversational intelligent agent interacting with human users under loose scenarios. Evaluation for the detection of several metaphorical language phenomena and affect is provided. Our paper contributes to the journal themes on believable virtual characters in real-time narrative environment, narrative in digital games and storytelling and educational gaming with social software.

  6. Categorization in the Affective Domain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sauciuc, Gabriela-Alina

    2011-01-01

    Data collected in Romance and Scandinavian languages (N=474) in a superordinate category name production task indicate that a multiple-strategy approach would be more suitable for accounting of categorization in the affective domain instead of a prototype approach as suggested by previous studies....... This paper will highlight performance aspects which appear to be consistent with such an interpretation, as well as an important layman- expert knowledge asymmetry in affective categorization....

  7. Ventricular enlargement in patients with affective disorders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murashita, Jun; Kato, Tadafumi; Shioiri, Toshiki; Hamakawa, Inubushi, Toshiro; Hiroshi; Takahashi, Saburo

    1994-01-01

    Ventricular enlargement was determined using linear measurement on MR images in a total of 71 patients with affective disorders, including bipolar affective disorder (41) and depression (30). Fourty-one healthy persons served as controls. Evans ratio, Huckman number and minimum distance of caudate nuclei (MDCN) were used as indices for ventricular enlargment. No significant difference in Evans ratio was observed between both the group of bipolar affective disorder and the group of depression and the control group. Nor did it correlate with age in any of the groups. Huckman number was significantly higher in the group of bipolar affective disorder than the other two groups. It positively correlated with age in the group of depression. MDCN was significantly increased in the group of bipolar affective disorder, as compared with the control group; and there was a positive correlation between MDCN and age in both the group of dipolar affective disorder and the group of depression. In conclusion, ventricular enlargement was dependent upon aging in affetive disorder patients. This tendency was more noticeable in the group of depression. In addition, atrophy of the caudate nuclei was likely to be severer in the group of dipolar affective disorder than the group of depression. (N.K.)

  8. 29 CFR 401.3 - Industry affecting commerce.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Industry affecting commerce. 401.3 Section 401.3 Labor... STANDARDS MEANING OF TERMS USED IN THIS SUBCHAPTER § 401.3 Industry affecting commerce. Industry affecting commerce means any activity, business, or industry in commerce or in which a labor dispute would hinder or...

  9. Micro-Valences: Affective valence in neutral everyday objects

    OpenAIRE

    Sophie eLebrecht; Moshe eBar; Lisa F Barrett; Michael J Tarr

    2012-01-01

    Affective valence influences both our cognition and our perception of the world. Indeed, the speed and quality with which we recognize objects in a visual scene can vary dramatically depending on its affective content. However, affective processing of visual objects has been typically studied using only stimuli with strong affective valences (e.g., guns or roses). Here we explore whether affective valence must be strong or obvious to exert an effect on our perception. We conclude that the maj...

  10. Antecedents and Consequences of Affective Commitment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bloemer, J.M.M.; Odekerken-Schröder, G.J.

    2003-01-01

    The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of three psychological antecedents (position involvement, volitional choice and informational complexity) on affective commitment in a financial service setting. Furthermore, this study addresses the consequences of affective commitment on

  11. Affective Primacy vs. Cognitive Primacy: Dissolving the Debate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Vicky Tzuyin; Hagoort, Peter; Casasanto, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    When people see a snake, they are likely to activate both affective information (e.g., dangerous) and non-affective information about its ontological category (e.g., animal). According to the Affective Primacy Hypothesis, the affective information has priority, and its activation can precede identification of the ontological category of a stimulus. Alternatively, according to the Cognitive Primacy Hypothesis, perceivers must know what they are looking at before they can make an affective judgment about it. We propose that neither hypothesis holds at all times. Here we show that the relative speed with which affective and non-affective information gets activated by pictures and words depends upon the contexts in which stimuli are processed. Results illustrate that the question of whether affective information has processing priority over ontological information (or vice versa) is ill-posed. Rather than seeking to resolve the debate over Cognitive vs. Affective Primacy in favor of one hypothesis or the other, a more productive goal may be to determine the factors that cause affective information to have processing priority in some circumstances and ontological information in others. Our findings support a view of the mind according to which words and pictures activate different neurocognitive representations every time they are processed, the specifics of which are co-determined by the stimuli themselves and the contexts in which they occur.

  12. Affective Primacy vs. Cognitive Primacy: Dissolving the debate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vicky T. Lai

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available When people see a snake, they are likely to activate both affective information (e.g., dangerous and non-affective information about its ontological category (e.g., animal. According to the Affective Primacy Hypothesis, the affective information has priority, and its activation can precede identification of the ontological category of a stimulus. Alternatively, according to the Cognitive Primacy Hypothesis, perceivers must know what they are looking at before they can make an affective judgment about it. We propose that neither hypothesis holds at all times. Here we show that the relative speed with which affective and non-affective information gets activated by pictures and words depends upon the contexts in which stimuli are processed. Results illustrate that the question of whether affective information has processing priority over ontological information (or vice versa is ill posed. Rather than seeking to resolve the debate over Cognitive vs. Affective Primacy in favor of one hypothesis or the other, a more productive goal may be to determine the factors that cause affective information to have processing priority in some circumstances and ontological information in others. Our findings support a view of the mind according to which words and pictures activate different neurocognitive representations every time they are processed, the specifics of which are co-determined by the stimuli themselves and the contexts in which they occur.

  13. Manipulating affective state using extended picture presentations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton, S K; Davidson, R J; Donzella, B; Irwin, W; Dottl, D A

    1997-03-01

    Separate, extended series of positive, negative, and neutral pictures were presented to 24 (12 men, 12 women) undergraduates. Each series was presented on a different day, with full counterbalancing of presentation orders. Affective state was measured using (a) orbicularis oculi activity in response to acoustic startle probes during picture presentation, (b) corrugator supercilii activity between and during picture presentation, and (c) changes in self-reports of positive and negative affect. Participants exhibited larger eyeblink reflex magnitudes when viewing negative than when viewing positive pictures. Corrugator activity was also greater during the negative than during the positive picture set, during both picture presentation and the period between pictures. Self-reports of negative affect increased in response to the negative picture set, and self-reports of positive affect were greatest following the positive picture set. These findings suggest that extended picture presentation is an effective method of manipulating affective state and further highlight the utility of startle probe and facial electromyographic measures in providing on-line readouts of affective state.

  14. Stability of Facial Affective Expressions in Schizophrenia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Fatouros-Bergman

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Thirty-two videorecorded interviews were conducted by two interviewers with eight patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Each patient was interviewed four times: three weekly interviews by the first interviewer and one additional interview by the second interviewer. 64 selected sequences where the patients were speaking about psychotic experiences were scored for facial affective behaviour with Emotion Facial Action Coding System (EMFACS. In accordance with previous research, the results show that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia express negative facial affectivity. Facial affective behaviour seems not to be dependent on temporality, since within-subjects ANOVA revealed no substantial changes in the amount of affects displayed across the weekly interview occasions. Whereas previous findings found contempt to be the most frequent affect in patients, in the present material disgust was as common, but depended on the interviewer. The results suggest that facial affectivity in these patients is primarily dominated by the negative emotions of disgust and, to a lesser extent, contempt and implies that this seems to be a fairly stable feature.

  15. Mental health in war-affected populations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Scholte, W.F.

    2013-01-01

    This book addresses mental health problems in populations in nonwestern war-affected regions, and methods to mitigate these problems through interventions focusing on social reintegration. It describes a number of studies among war-affected populations in widely different areas: refugees from the

  16. 40 CFR 1502.15 - Affected environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Affected environment. 1502.15 Section 1502.15 Protection of Environment COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT § 1502.15 Affected environment. The environmental impact statement shall succinctly describe the...

  17. Family Caregivers' Patterns of Positive and Negative Affect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Suzanne M.; Zarit, Steven H.; Duncan, Larissa G.; Rovine, Michael J.; Femia, Elia E.

    2007-01-01

    Stressful and positive family caregiving experiences were examined as predictors of caregivers' patterns of positive and negative affect in a sample of families providing care for a relative with dementia (N = 234). Four affect pattern groups were identified: (a) Well Adjusted (i.e., high positive affect, low negative affect); (b) Ambiguous (i.e.,…

  18. Affective psychotherapy in post-traumatic reactions guided by affective neuroscience: memory reconsolidation and play

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Högberg G

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Göran Högberg1,2, Davide Nardo3, Tore Hällström4,5, Marco Pagani6,71Department of Women's and Children's Health, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 2BUP Huddinge Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy; 4Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section for Psychiatry/Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 5Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Unit for Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; 6Department of Nuclear Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; 7Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Rome, ItalyAbstract: This paper reviews the affective neuroscience dealing with the effects of traumatic events. We give an overview of the normal fear reactions, the pathological fear reaction, and the character of emotional episodic memories. We find that both emotions and emotional memories are a tripartite unit of sensory information, autonomic reaction, and motor impulse (the PRM complex. We propose that emotions and movements are part and parcel of the same complex. This is our main finding from the review of affective neuroscience, and from here we focus on psychotherapy with post-trauma reactions. The finding of the process of memory reconsolidation opens up a new treatment approach: affective psychotherapy focused on reconsolidation. The meaning of reconsolidation is that an emotional memory, when retrieved and being active, will rest in a labile form, amenable to change, for a brief period of time, until it reconsolidates in the memory. This leads us to the conclusion that emotions, affects, must be evoked during the treatment session and that positive emotion must come first, because safety must be part of the new memories. In the proposed protocol of affective

  19. Affective Commitment among Student Affairs Professionals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boehman, Joseph

    2007-01-01

    Student affairs professionals in the United States were surveyed to determine the predictive value of overall job satisfaction, organizational support, organizational politics, and work/nonwork interaction on affective organizational commitment. Results indicate that a supportive work environment leads to increased affective attachment to the…

  20. Introduction: Analysing Emotion and Theorising Affect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peta Tait

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available This discussion introduces ideas of emotion and affect for a volume of articles demonstrating the scope of approaches used in their study within the humanities and creative arts. The volume offers multiple perspectives on emotion and affect within 20th-century and 21st-century texts, arts and organisations and their histories. The discussion explains how emotion encompasses the emotions, emotional feeling, sensation and mood and how these can be analysed particularly in relation to literature, art and performance. It briefly summarises concepts of affect theory within recent approaches before introducing the articles.

  1. Examining the Factors Affecting Student Dropout

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fethi Ahmet INAN

    2006-07-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the factors affecting student dropouts in an online certificate program. In this research, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Online Course Dropout Survey was developed and used to determine which factors affect student attrition from the program. The dropout survey was sent by e-mail to 98 students who had dropped the program. Twenty-six students returned the survey. The findings show that the most important factor affecting student retention is finding sufficient time to study. Having personal problems and affordability of the program took second and third place.

  2. Happiness is pleasant, or is it? Implicit representations of affect valence are associated with contrahedonic motivation and mixed affect in daily life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riediger, Michaela; Wrzus, Cornelia; Wagner, Gert G

    2014-10-01

    People typically want to feel good. At times, however, they seek to maintain or enhance negative affect or to dampen positive affect. The prevalence of such contrahedonic motivation has been related to simultaneous experiences of positive and negative (i.e., mixed) affect. We investigated the role that implicit mental representations of affect valence may play in this regard in a study with N = 400 participants aged 11-88 years. Results demonstrated the age-fairness and reliability of the affect-valence Implicit Association Test, a newly developed implicit measure of interindividual differences in mental representations of affect valence. The older participants were, the more distinctively they implicitly associated happiness with pleasantness and/or unhappiness with unpleasantness. Participants furthermore carried mobile phones as assessment instruments with them for 3 weeks while pursuing their daily routines. The phones prompted participants on average 54 times to report their momentary affective experience and affect-regulation motivation. Contrahedonic motivation and mixed affect were most prevalent among adolescents and least prevalent among older adults, and thus showed a similar pattern of age differences as the affect-valence Implicit Association Test. Furthermore, the more distinctive participants' implicit associations of happiness with pleasantness, and/or unhappiness with unpleasantness, the less likely participants were to report contrahedonic motivation and mixed affect in their daily lives. These findings contribute to a refined understanding of the mixed-affect perspective on contrahedonic motivation by demonstrating the respective role of implicit affect-valence representations. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  3. Affective Consequences of Teachers' Psychological Investment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephenson, Don

    1990-01-01

    Relationships between teachers' (N=740) psychological condition (burned-out, worn-out, or healthy) and their affective reactions to student success or failure were examined. Findings indicated that affects of anger, guilt, pride, and disappointment varied with and could be predicted from knowledge of teachers' psychological conditions. (IAH)

  4. Identifying pathways affected by cancer mutations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iengar, Prathima

    2017-12-16

    Mutations in 15 cancers, sourced from the COSMIC Whole Genomes database, and 297 human pathways, arranged into pathway groups based on the processes they orchestrate, and sourced from the KEGG pathway database, have together been used to identify pathways affected by cancer mutations. Genes studied in ≥15, and mutated in ≥10 samples of a cancer have been considered recurrently mutated, and pathways with recurrently mutated genes have been considered affected in the cancer. Novel doughnut plots have been presented which enable visualization of the extent to which pathways and genes, in each pathway group, are targeted, in each cancer. The 'organismal systems' pathway group (including organism-level pathways; e.g., nervous system) is the most targeted, more than even the well-recognized signal transduction, cell-cycle and apoptosis, and DNA repair pathway groups. The important, yet poorly-recognized, role played by the group merits attention. Pathways affected in ≥7 cancers yielded insights into processes affected. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Affective disorders in childhood and adolescence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marija Burgić-Radmanović

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Affective disorders in childhood have been more intensively studied in the last three decades. They can be recognized among the children of all ages, but are more frequent among the older children. The main characteristics of mood disorders are similar among children, adolescents and adults, although development factors affect their clinical features. Development factors affect the manifestation of all symptoms. Two main criteria for these disorders in childhood are mood disorders, such as reduced or elevated mood and irritability. These symptoms may result in social or academic damage. Depression among children is a wide-spread, family and recurrent condition, which continues episodically in adulthood. Depression is frequently associated with other psychiatric disorders, increasing the risk of suicidal behaviour, misuse of psychoactive substances and behavioural disorders. Depression in childhood brings about worse psychosocial, academic and family functioning. Family, social and environmental factors have a significant role in affective disorders of children and young people.

  6. Cellular Proteome Dynamics during Differentiation of Human Primary Myoblasts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Le Bihan, Marie-Catherine; Barrio, Inigo; Mortensen, Tenna Pavia

    2015-01-01

    Muscle stem cells, or satellite cells, play an important role in the maintenance and repair of muscle tissue and have the capacity to proliferate and differentiate in response to physiological or environmental changes. Although they have been extensively studied, the key regulatory steps and the ...

  7. Changing exercise through targeting affective or cognitive attitudes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conner, Mark; Rhodes, Ryan E; Morris, Ben; McEachan, Rosemary; Lawton, Rebecca

    2011-02-01

    Two studies investigated the impact of affective and cognitive messages compared to a no-message control on self-reported exercise. Students (Study 1, N = 383 and Study 2, N = 197) were randomly allocated to one of the three conditions (control - no message, affective message or cognitive message). Participants completed questionnaire measures tapping components of the theory of planned behaviour in relation to exercise and reported their level of exercise (3 weeks later). In Study 2, measures of need for affect (NFA) and need for cognition (NFC) were also completed. Results showed that affective messages consistently produced greater increases in self-reported level of exercise than the other conditions. In both studies, this effect was partly mediated by affective attitude change. Study 2 indicated these effects to be significantly stronger among those high in NFA or low in NFC. These findings indicate the value of affective messages that target affective attitudes in changing exercise behaviour.

  8. Affective Management and its Effects on Management Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Waratta Authayarat

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Affective management is a new concept which suggests that top managers should take stakeholders’ affective experiences into account when making their management decisions. To show that this concept could contribute to the improvement of management performance in organizations, this study investigated the correlations between the affectiveness of top management and management performance indices. Our questionnaire based on the Affective Management Scorecard was employed to assess top managers’ recognition of the importance, as well as the actual practices of affective management. Top managers from 43 Thai organizations participated in the study. A correlation analysis was conducted to observe whether affective management indices would correlate with management performance indices, such as return on equity, return on assets, price to earnings ratio, and price to book value ratio. The findings showed that the results for organizations practicing affective management were positively correlated with their management performance in both profitability and good perceptions by investors.

  9. Affective Atmospheres in the House of Usher

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brink, Dennis Meyhoff

    2016-01-01

    Emotional intensities do not only pertain to the ‘inner life’ of individuals; they are also to be found, as the saying goes, ‘in the air,’ i.e. as shared atmospheres that envelope and affect us. Such affective atmospheres are omnipresent in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House...... of Usher” (1839). The house in the story is not only enshrouded in an atmosphere of its own; the entire plot is focused on the ways in which this atmosphere affects the characters. Informed by these recent theories on affect, the essay analyzes Poe’s short story and proposes a number of new concepts...

  10. Effects of heat stimulation and l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate supplementation on myogenic differentiation of artificial skeletal muscle tissue constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Kazushi; Ito, Akira; Sato, Masanori; Kanno, Shota; Kawabe, Yoshinori; Kamihira, Masamichi

    2017-05-01

    Although skeletal muscle tissue engineering has been extensively studied, the physical forces produced by tissue-engineered skeletal muscles remain to be improved for potential clinical utility. In this study, we examined the effects of mild heat stimulation and supplementation of a l-ascorbic acid derivative, l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AscP), on myoblast differentiation and physical force generation of tissue-engineered skeletal muscles. Compared with control cultures at 37°C, mouse C2C12 myoblast cells cultured at 39°C enhanced myotube diameter (skeletal muscle hypertrophy), whereas mild heat stimulation did not promote myotube formation (differentiation rate). Conversely, AscP supplementation resulted in an increased differentiation rate but did not induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Following combined treatment with mild heat stimulation and AscP supplementation, both skeletal muscle hypertrophy and differentiation rate were enhanced. Moreover, the active tension produced by the tissue-engineered skeletal muscles was improved following combined treatment. These findings indicate that tissue culture using mild heat stimulation and AscP supplementation is a promising approach to enhance the function of tissue-engineered skeletal muscles. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Chiral Orientation of Skeletal Muscle Cells Requires Rigid Substrate

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    Ninghao Zhu

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Reconstitution of tissue morphology with inherent left–right (LR asymmetry is essential for tissue/organ functions. For skeletal muscle, the largest tissue in mammalian organisms, successful myogenesis requires the regulation of the LR asymmetry to form the appropriate muscle alignment. However, the key factor for reproducing the LR asymmetry of skeletal tissues in a controllable, engineering context remains largely unknown. Recent reports indicate that cell chirality may underlie the LR development in tissue morphogenesis. Here, we report that a rigid substrate is required for the chirality of skeletal muscle cells. By using alternating micropatterned cell-adherent and cell-repellent stripes on a rigid substrate, we found that C2C12 skeletal muscle myoblasts exhibited a unidirectional tilted orientation with respect to the stripe boundary. Importantly, such chiral orientation was reduced when soft substrates were used instead. In addition, we demonstrated the key role of actin stress fibers in the formation of the chiral orientation. This study reveals that a rigid substrate is required for the chiral pattern of myoblasts, paving the way for reconstructing damaged muscle tissue with inherent LR asymmetry in the future.

  12. Centrosome proteins form an insoluble perinuclear matrix during muscle cell differentiation

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    Srsen Vlastimil

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Muscle fibres are formed by elongation and fusion of myoblasts into myotubes. During this differentiation process, the cytoskeleton is reorganized, and proteins of the centrosome re-localize to the surface of the nucleus. The exact timing of this event, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood. Results We performed studies on mouse myoblast cell lines that were induced to differentiate in culture, to characterize the early events of centrosome protein re-localization. We demonstrate that this re-localization occurs already at the single cell stage, prior to fusion into myotubes. Centrosome proteins that accumulate at the nuclear surface form an insoluble matrix that can be reversibly disassembled if isolated nuclei are exposed to mitotic cytoplasm from Xenopus egg extract. Our microscopy data suggest that this perinuclear matrix of centrosome proteins consists of a system of interconnected fibrils. Conclusion Our data provide new insights into the reorganization of centrosome proteins during muscular differentiation, at the structural and biochemical level. Because we observe that centrosome protein re-localization occurs early during differentiation, we believe that it is of functional importance for the reorganization of the cytoskeleton in the differentiation process.

  13. Borax-Loaded PLLA for Promotion of Myogenic Differentiation.

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    Rico, Patricia; Rodrigo-Navarro, Aleixandre; Salmerón-Sánchez, Manuel

    2015-11-01

    Boron is an essential metalloid, which plays a key role in plant and animal metabolisms. It has been reported that boron is involved in bone mineralization, has some uses in synthetic chemistry, and its potential has been only recently exploited in medicinal chemistry. However, in the area of tissue engineering, the use of boron is limited to works involving certain bioactive glasses. In this study, we engineer poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) substrates with sustained release of boron. Then, we analyze for the first time the uniqueness effects of boron in cell differentiation using murine C2C12 myoblasts and discuss a potential mechanism of action in cooperation with Ca(2+). Our results demonstrate that borax-loaded materials strongly enhance myotube formation at initial steps of myogenesis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Ca(2+) plays an essential role in combination with borax as chelating or blocking Ca(2+) entry into the cell leads to a detrimental effect on myoblast differentiation observed on borax-loaded materials. This research identifies borax-loaded materials to trigger differentiation mechanisms and it establishes a new tool to engineer microenvironments with applications in regenerative medicine for muscular diseases.

  14. Topologically Micropatterned Collagen and Poly(ε-caprolactone) Struts Fabricated Using the Poly(vinyl alcohol) Fibrillation/Leaching Process To Develop Efficiently Engineered Skeletal Muscle Tissue.

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    Kim, Minseong; Kim, WonJin; Kim, GeunHyung

    2017-12-20

    Optimally designed three-dimensional (3D) biomedical scaffolds for skeletal muscle tissue regeneration pose significant research challenges. Currently, most studies on scaffolds focus on the two-dimensional (2D) surface structures that are patterned in the micro-/nanoscales with various repeating sizes and shapes to induce the alignment of myoblasts and myotube formation. The 2D patterned surface clearly provides effective analytical results of pattern size and shape of the myoblast alignment and differentiation. However, it is inconvenient in terms of the direct application for clinical usage due to the limited thickness and 3D shapeability. Hence, the present study suggests an innovative hydrogel or synthetic structure that consists of uniaxially surface-patterned cylindrical struts for skeleton muscle regeneration. The alignment of the pattern on the hydrogel (collagen) and poly(ε-caprolactone) struts was attained with the fibrillation of poly(vinyl alcohol) and the leaching process. Various cell culture results indicate that the C2C12 cells on the micropatterned collagen structure were fully aligned, and that a significantly high level of myotube formation was achieved when compared to the collagen structures that were not treated with the micropatterning process.

  15. Nuclear translocation of the cytoskeleton-associated protein, smALP, upon induction of skeletal muscle differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cambier, Linda; Pomies, Pascal

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → The cytoskeleton-associated protein, smALP, is expressed in differentiated skeletal muscle. → smALP is translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of C2C12 myoblasts upon induction of myogenesis. → The differentiation-dependent nuclear translocation of smALP occurs in parallel with the nuclear accumulation of myogenin. → The LIM domain of smALP is essential for the nuclear accumulation of the protein. → smALP might act in the nucleus to control some critical aspect of the muscle differentiation process. -- Abstract: The skALP isoform has been shown to play a critical role in actin organization and anchorage within the Z-discs of skeletal muscles, but no data is available on the function of the smALP isoform in skeletal muscle cells. Here, we show that upon induction of differentiation a nuclear translocation of smALP from the cytoplasm to the nucleus of C2C12 myoblasts, concomitant to an up-regulation of the protein expression, occurs in parallel with the nuclear accumulation of myogenin. Moreover, we demonstrate that the LIM domain of smALP is essential for the nuclear translocation of the protein.

  16. Decorin expression in quiescent myogenic cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, Takanori; Nozu, Kenjiro; Kishioka, Yasuhiro; Wakamatsu, Jun-ichi; Hattori, Akihito

    2008-01-01

    Satellite cells are quiescent muscle stem cells that promote postnatal muscle growth and repair. When satellite cells are activated by myotrauma, they proliferate, migrate, differentiate, and ultimately fuse to existing myofibers. The remainder of these cells do not differentiate, but instead return to quiescence and remain in a quiescent state until activation begins the process again. This ability to maintain their own population is important for skeletal muscle to maintain the capability to repair during postnatal life. However, the mechanisms by which satellite cells return to quiescence and maintain the quiescent state are still unclear. Here, we demonstrated that decorin mRNA expression was high in cell cultures containing a higher ratio of quiescent satellite cells when satellite cells were stimulated with various concentrations of hepatocyte growth factor. This result suggests that quiescent satellite cells express decorin at a high level compared to activated satellite cells. Furthermore, we examined the expression of decorin in reserve cells, which were undifferentiated myoblasts remaining after induction of differentiation by serum-deprivation. Decorin mRNA levels in reserve cells were higher than those in differentiated myotubes and growing myoblasts. These results suggest that decorin participates in the quiescence of myogenic cells

  17. Irisin Enhances Osteoblast Differentiation In Vitro

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    Graziana Colaianni

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available It has been recently demonstrated that exercise activity increases the expression of the myokine Irisin in skeletal muscle, which is able to drive the transition of white to brown adipocytes, likely following a phenomenon of transdifferentiation. This new evidence supports the idea that muscle can be considered an endocrine organ, given its ability to target adipose tissue by promoting energy expenditure. In accordance with these new findings, we hypothesized that Irisin is directly involved in bone metabolism, demonstrating its ability to increase the differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells into mature osteoblasts. Firstly, we confirmed that myoblasts from mice subjected to 3 weeks of free wheel running increased Irisin expression compared to nonexercised state. The conditioned media (CM collected from myoblasts of exercised mice induced osteoblast differentiation in vitro to a greater extent than those of mice housed in resting conditions. Furthermore, the differentiated osteoblasts increased alkaline phosphatase and collagen I expression by an Irisin-dependent mechanism. Our results show, for the first time, that Irisin directly targets osteoblasts, enhancing their differentiation. This finding advances notable perspectives in future studies which could satisfy the ongoing research of exercise-mimetic therapies with anabolic action on the skeleton.

  18. Effect of Oenothera odorata Root Extract on Microgravity and Disuse-Induced Muscle Atrophy

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    Yong-Hyeon Lee

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Muscle atrophy, a reduction of muscle mass, strength, and volume, results from reduced muscle use and plays a key role in various muscular diseases. In the microgravity environment of space especially, muscle atrophy is induced by muscle inactivity. Exposure to microgravity induces muscle atrophy through several biological effects, including associations with reactive oxygen species (ROS. This study used 3D-clinostat to investigate muscle atrophy caused by oxidative stress in vitro, and sciatic denervation was used to investigate muscle atrophy in vivo. We assessed the effect of Oenothera odorata root extract (EVP on muscle atrophy. EVP helped recover cell viability in C2C12 myoblasts exposed to microgravity for 24 h and delayed muscle atrophy in sciatic denervated mice. However, the expressions of HSP70, SOD1, and ceramide in microgravity-exposed C2C12 myoblasts and in sciatic denervated mice were either decreased or completely inhibited. These results suggested that EVP can be expected to have a positive effect on muscle atrophy by disuse and microgravity. In addition, EVP helped characterize the antioxidant function in muscle atrophy.

  19. On the link between different combinations of Negative Affectivity (NA) and Positive Affectivity (PA) and job performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Yperen, N.W.

    2003-01-01

    Despite the assumed orthogonality of Negative Affectivity (NA) and Positive Affectivity (PA), the effects of the different combinations of NA and PA on work-related outcomes such as job performance have been neglected. The present study among 42 employees of a local social services department in the

  20. Affective Pictures and the Open Library of Affective Foods (OLAF): Tools to Investigate Emotions toward Food in Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miccoli, Laura; Delgado, Rafael; Guerra, Pedro; Versace, Francesco; Rodríguez-Ruiz, Sonia; Fernández-Santaella, M Carmen

    2016-01-01

    Recently, several sets of standardized food pictures have been created, supplying both food images and their subjective evaluations. However, to date only the OLAF (Open Library of Affective Foods), a set of food images and ratings we developed in adolescents, has the specific purpose of studying emotions toward food. Moreover, some researchers have argued that food evaluations are not valid across individuals and groups, unless feelings toward food cues are compared with feelings toward intense experiences unrelated to food, that serve as benchmarks. Therefore the OLAF presented here, comprising a set of original food images and a group of standardized highly emotional pictures, is intended to provide valid between-group judgments in adults. Emotional images (erotica, mutilations, and neutrals from the International Affective Picture System/IAPS) additionally ensure that the affective ratings are consistent with emotion research. The OLAF depicts high-calorie sweet and savory foods and low-calorie fruits and vegetables, portraying foods within natural scenes matching the IAPS features. An adult sample evaluated both food and affective pictures in terms of pleasure, arousal, dominance, and food craving, following standardized affective rating procedures. The affective ratings for the emotional pictures corroborated previous findings, thus confirming the reliability of evaluations for the food images. Among the OLAF images, high-calorie sweet and savory foods elicited the greatest pleasure, although they elicited, as expected, less arousal than erotica. The observed patterns were consistent with research on emotions and confirmed the reliability of OLAF evaluations. The OLAF and affective pictures constitute a sound methodology to investigate emotions toward food within a wider motivational framework. The OLAF is freely accessible at digibug.ugr.es.