Muscle Cell News Volume 5.19 | Jun 1 2020

TOP STORY

Human-iPSC-Derived Cardiac Stromal Cells Enhance Maturation in 3D Cardiac Microtissues and Reveal Non-Cardiomyocyte Contributions to Heart Disease

Researchers showed that tri-cellular combinations of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, and cardiac endothelial cells enhanced maturation in easily constructed, scaffold-free, three-dimensional microtissues. [Cell Stem Cell] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

CARDIAC MUSCLE CELLS

Identifying Modifier Genes for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Myocardial hypertrophy, the major phenotype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, was determined by cardiomyocyte size on cardiac sections in 30 BXD strains, and their parental B6 and D2 strains and morphometric analysis was performed. [J Mol Cell Cardiol] Abstract

Pressure Overload Greatly Promotes Neonatal Right Ventricular Cardiomyocyte Proliferation: A New Model for the Study of Heart Regeneration

Cell proliferation assays indicated a continuous overproliferation of cardiomyocytes in the right ventricle after pulmonary artery banding, in particular for the first three postnatal days. [J Am Heart Assoc] Abstract

Recombinant Spider Silk Protein eADF4(C16)-RGD Coatings Are Suitable for Cardiac Tissue Engineering

Scientists investigated the interaction of neonatal rat heart cells with engineered spider silk protein tagged with the tripeptide arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid cell adhesion motif RGD. [Sci Rep] Full Article

SKELETAL MUSCLE CELLS

Long Noncoding RNA SAM Promotes Myoblast Proliferation through Stabilizing Sugt1 and Facilitating Kinetochore Assembly

Investigators identified SAM (Sugt1 asssociated muscle) lncRNA that was enriched in the proliferating myoblasts. Global deletion of SAM had no overt effect on mice but impaired adult muscle regeneration following acute damage. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Skeletal Muscle Enhancer Interactions Identify Genes Controlling Whole-Body Metabolism

Scientists mapped skeletal muscle genomic enhancer elements that were dynamically regulated after exposure to the free fatty acid palmitate or the inflammatory cytokine TNFα. [Nat Commun] Full Article

High Throughput Screening to Identify Inhibitors of the Type I Interferon – Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Pathway in Skeletal Muscle

Researchers conducted quantitative high throughput screening on >4,500 compound titrations, including all approved drugs, through a series of cell-based assays to identify those that inhibited the type I interferons-major histocompatibility complex class I pathway in muscle precursor cells. [ACS Chem Biol] Abstract

SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS

Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 Protects against Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation by Reducing Reactive Oxygen Species, Vascular Inflammation, and Apoptosis of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) were used for the in vitro experiments. Alda-1, an ALDH2 activator, reduced angiotensin II (AngII)-induced ROS production, NF-kB activation, and apoptosis in HASMCs. Alda-1 attenuated AngII-induced aneurysm formation and decreased aortic expansion in ApoE KO mice. [FASEB J] Abstract

MiR-126a-5p Limits the Formation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Mice and Decreases ADAMTS-4 Expression

A strong up-regulation of ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 4 (ADAMTS-4), a secreted proteinase that regulated matrix degradation, was observed in smooth muscle cells of aortic tunica media. [J Cell Mol Med] Full Article

Long Non-Coding RNA MIAT/miR-148b/PAPPA Axis Modifies Cell Proliferation and Migration in ox-LDL-Induced Human Aorta Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Levels of Myocardial Infarction Associated Transcript (MIAT), microRNA-148b and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A were detected by qRT-PCR in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced human aorta vascular smooth muscle cells. [Life Sci] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

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Native and Bioengineered Extracellular Vesicles for Cardiovascular Therapeutics

The authors discuss the therapeutic applications of native and bioengineered extracellular vesicles to cardiovascular diseases and examine the opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed to advance this research area. [Nat Rev Cardiol] Abstract

Unravelling the Biology of Adult Cardiac Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes to Foster Endogenous Cardiac Regeneration and Repair

Scientists focus on recent advances about the biological role of exosomes in heart tissue homeostasis and repair with the idea to use them as tools for new therapeutic biotechnologies. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the muscle cell research field.

Santhera Provides Update on the Ongoing Regulatory Review of Puldysa^® (Idebenone) by the CHMP in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD)

Santhera Pharmaceuticals announces that the EMA’s CHMP has granted a requested extension of the clock-stop in the regulatory procedure for its conditional marketing authorization application for Puldysa^® in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. [Santhera Pharmaceuticals] Press Release

Universities Will Never Be the Same after the Coronavirus Crisis

The coronavirus crisis is forcing universities to confront long-standing challenges in higher education, such as skyrocketing tuition costs and perceptions of elitism — and some of the resulting changes could be permanent. [Nature News] Editorial

US Looks to Block Chinese Grad Students’ and Researchers’ Visas

Administration officials and lawmakers say the move is to shore up national security threats, but university professors argue such cancellations represent targeted discrimination. [The Scientist] Editorial

What the Growing Rift Between the US and WHO Means for COVID-19 and Global Health

Experts in health policy are contending with the real possibility that the United States will pull away from the World Health Organization (WHO), fracturing a relationship that began in the wake of the Second World War. [Nature News] Editorial

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NEW Postdoctoral Position – Muscle Function (Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research)

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Tissue Engineering (Stanford University School of Medicine)

Assistant Specialist (The University of California, Davis)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Aging Muscle (Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation)

Postdoctoral Position – Cell Biology of Cardiovascular Diseases (University Medical Center Göttingen)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Musculoskeletal Regenerative Medicine (Novartis)

Postdoctoral Position – Muscle Denervation and Axonal Degeneration Research (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease (University of Iowa)

Postdoctoral Research Associate – Muscle Stem Cell Biology (State University of New York)

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