Muscle Cell News Volume 3.03 | Jan 29 2018

TOP STORY

UBC-Developed Drug Shows Promise for Calming Overeager Stem Cells

A drug co-created by University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers might overcome one of the major challenges of stem cell therapy – their tendency to differentiate, becoming specific tissue cells too early and too quickly. If the drug works as well as it did in lab mice, it could help bring new stem cell treatments closer to reality. [Press release from the University of British Columbia discussing online prepublication in Cell Stem Cell] Press Release | Abstract | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

CARDIAC MUSCLE CELLS

Distinct Epigenetic Programs Regulate Cardiac Myocyte Development and Disease in the Human Heart In Vivo

The authors investigated the dynamics of the cardiac myocyte epigenome during development and in chronic heart failure. They found that prenatal development and postnatal maturation were characterized by a cooperation of active CpG methylation and histone marks at cis-regulatory and genic regions to shape the cardiac myocyte transcriptome. [Nat Commun] Full Article | Press Release

Cardiomyocytes Sense Matrix Rigidity through a Combination of Muscle and Non-Muscle Myosin Contractions

Scientists identified that single cardiomyocyte adhesions sense simultaneous (fast oscillating) cardiac and (slow) non-muscle myosin contractions. Together, these lead to oscillating tension on the mechanosensitive adaptor protein talin on substrates with a stiffness of healthy adult heart tissue, compared with no tension on embryonic heart stiffness and continuous stretching on fibrotic stiffness. [Dev Cell] Full Article | Press Release | Graphical Abstract

Biologically Active Constituents of the Secretome of Human W8B2⁺ Cardiac Stem Cells

The complexity of the W8B2⁺ cardiac stem cell (CSC) secretomes was characterized and examined in detail. Using ion exchange chromatography to separate soluble proteins based on their net surface charge, the secreted factors responsible for the pro-survival activity of W8B2⁺ CSCs were found within the low and medium cation fractions. [Sci Rep] Full Article

SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS

Lsd1 Regulates Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Directs the Fate of Satellite Cells

Researchers showed that elevated levels of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (Kdm1a, also known as Lsd1) have a beneficial effect on muscle regeneration and recovery after injury, since Lsd1 directly regulates key myogenic transcription factor genes. Importantly, selective Lsd1 ablation or inhibition in Pax7-positive satellite cells not only delayed muscle regeneration, but changed cell fate towards brown adipocytes. [Nat Commun] Full Article | Press Release

Linc-RAM Is Required for FGF2 Function in Regulating Myogenic Cell Differentiation

Scientists investigated the transcriptional regulation and intracellular signaling pathway in mediating Linc-RAM gene expression during muscle cell differentiation. They demonstrated that Linc-RAM is negatively regulated by FGF2 via Ras/Raf/Mek/Erk signaling pathway in muscle cells. [RNA Biol] Abstract

Zinc Stimulates Glucose Oxidation and Glycemic Control by Modulating the Insulin Signaling Pathway in Human and Mouse Skeletal Muscle Cell Lines

Researchers evaluated the insulin-like effects of zinc on cell signaling molecules including tyrosine, PRSA40, Akt, ERK1/2, SHP-2, GSK-3β and p38, and glucose oxidation in human and mouse skeletal muscle cells. Insulin and zinc independently led to the phosphorylation of these proteins over a 60-minute time course in both mouse and human skeletal muscle cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS

Sirtuin 1 Regulates Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation: Role in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Investigators studied the role of the deacetylase sirtuin1 (SIRT1) in energy metabolism regulation in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) via various pathways including activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha, master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. Rat and human PASMC proliferation was potentiated by SIRT1 pharmacological inhibition or specific downregulation via short-interfering RNA. [J Hypertens] Abstract

Deletion of DGCR8 in VSMCs of Adult Mice Results in Loss of Vascular Reactivity, Reduced Blood Pressure and Neointima Formation

To investigate the role of DiGeorge syndrome chromosomal region 8 (DGCR8) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) at the postnatal stages, the authors generated tamoxifen-inducible VSMC specific knockout (iKO) mice by crossing DGCR8^loxp/loxp with VSMC specific tamoxifen-inducible Cre transgenic mice SMA-Cre-ER^T2. DGCR8iKO mice displayed reduced body weight one month following tamoxifen treatment and died around three months. [Sci Rep] Full Article

The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid-3 Regulates Hypoxia-Mediated Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells Proliferation via PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway

Scientists investigated the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) in pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells proliferation under hypoxia. They found that, in vivo, the expression of TRPV3 was increased in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and hypoxic rats. [Cell Prolif] Abstract

Role of Smooth Muscle Cells in Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Failure

The authors focus on the role of altered behavior of vascular smooth muscle cells in the vein graft and some of the factors which critically lead to intimal thickening that predisposes the vein graft to further atherosclerosis and reoccurrence of symptoms in the patient. [Cardiovasc Res] Abstract

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Ezutromid Significantly Reduced Muscle Damage in DMD Patients in 24-Week Interim Data from Summit’s Phaseout DMD Clinical Trial

Summit Therapeutics plc announced positive 24-week interim results from the open-label Phase II proof of concept clinical trial, PhaseOut DMD. PhaseOut DMD is evaluating the utrophin modulator ezutromid in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). [Summit Therapeutics plc] Press Release

Santhera Receives Negative CHMP Opinion on Appeal for Authorization of Raxone^® in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Santhera Pharmaceuticals announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency maintained its negative opinion on the Type II extension application for Raxone^® in Duchenne muscular dystrophy following a re-examination procedure. [Santhera Pharmaceuticals] Press Release

Computer Scientist to Lead French Research Giant; Interim Head Leaves Amid Misconduct Allegations

Computer scientist Antoine Petit, 57, is the new head of Europe’s largest research organization. There was an unusual twist to Petit’s appointment, however. A week before the official procedure ended, the French government named Petit interim president of the National Center for Scientific Research, a position that had been held by cell biologist Anne Peyroche since Fuchs’s departure. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Gender Bias Goes Away When Grant Reviewers Focus on the Science

But female scientists suffer when their research proposals are judged primarily on the strength of their CVs. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Advances in Cell and Tissue Culture (ACTC) 2018
May 21-23, 2018
Cardiff, United Kingdom

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Senior Scientist – In Vivo Biology (AstraZeneca)

NEW Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cardiac Morphogenesis (The University of Queensland)

NEW Postdoctoral Researcher – Cell-Based Cardiac Regeneration (Karolinska Institutet)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Metabolic Regulation (Harvard University)

Research Fellow – Rhabdomyosarcoma (Massachusetts General Hospital)

Research Assistant – Cardiovascular Stem Cells (University of Oxford)

Faculty Position – Translational Research in Cardiac Biology (Temple University)

Postdoctoral Fellowship – Mass Spectrometry of Cardiomyocytes (Medical College of Wisconsin)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Molecular and Integrative Cardiology and Muscle Biology (University of Minnesota Medical School)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cardiac Tissue Homeostasis and Regeneration Mechanisms (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares)

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