The Utrophin Gene Is Transcriptionally Up-regulated in Regenerating Muscle *

The utrophin gene codes for a large cytoskeletal protein closely related to dystrophin, the gene mutated in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. Although utrophin could functionally substitute for dystrophin, in Duchenne's muscular dystrophy patients it did not compensate for the absence of dystrophin because in adult muscle utrophin was poorly expressed and limited to subsynaptic nuclei. However, increased levels of utrophin have been observed in regenerated muscles fibers suggesting that utrophin up-regulation in muscle is feasible. We observed that utrophin mRNA was transiently up-regulated at early time points after muscle injury with a peak already 24 h after muscle damage and utrophin induction in activated satellite cells before fusion into young regenerated fibers. Injection of utrophin lacZ constructs into regenerating muscle demonstrated that the utrophin upstream promoter under the control of its intronic enhancer activated the transcription that leads to the expression of the reporter gene in the newly formed fibers, which was not limited to neuromuscular junctions. Utrophin enhancer activity was dependent on an AP-1 site, and in satellite cells of regenerating muscle the AP-1 factors Fra1, Fra2, and JunD were strongly induced. These results establish that utrophin was induced in adult muscle independently from neuromuscular junctions and suggest that growth factors and cytokines that mediate the muscle repair up-regulate utrophin transcription

A Quantization of 2+1-Gravity Related to High-Energy Yang-Mills Theory

We point out that canonical quantization of the two-body problem in 2+1-Gravity is related to the high-energy equation in Yang-Mills theory by a proper ordering of the relevant operators. This feature arises from expanding the Hamiltonian around its conformal limit - or treating running coupling effects in the Yang-Mills case - and yields a peculiar short distance behaviour of the wave functions.Comment: 11 page

Direct Monitoring of the Calcium Concentration in the Sarcoplasmic and Endoplasmic Reticulum of Skeletal Muscle Myotubes

Direct monitoring of the free Ca2+ concentration in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was carried out in rat skeletal myotubes transfected with a specifically targeted aequorin chimera (srAEQ). Myotubes were also transfected with a chimeric aequorin (erAEQ) that we have demonstrated previously is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Immunolocalization analysis showed that although both recombinant proteins are distributed in an endomembrane network identifiable with immature SR, the erAEQ protein was retained also in the perinuclear membrane. The difficulty of measuring [Ca2+] in 100-1000 microM range was overcome with the use of the synthetic coelenterazine analogue, coelenterazine n. We demonstrate that the steady state levels of [Ca2+] measured with srAEQ is around 300 microM, whereas that measured with erAEQ is significantly lower, i.e. around 200 microM. The effects of caffeine, high KCl, and nicotinic receptor stimulation, in the presence or absence of external calcium or after blockade of the Ca-ATPase, were investigated with both chimeras. The kinetics of [Ca2+] changes revealed by the erAEQ were similar, but not identical, neither quantitatively nor qualitatively, to those monitored with the srAEQ, indicating that at this stage of muscle development, differences exist between SR and ER in their mechanisms of Ca2+ handling. The functional implications of these findings are discussed

Alteration in calcium handling at the subcellular level in mdx myotubes.

In this study, we have tested the hypothesis that augmented [Ca(2+)] in subcellular regions or organelles, which are known to play a key role in cell survival, is the missing link between Ca(2+) homeostasis alterations and muscular degeneration associated with muscular dystrophy. To this end, different targeted chimeras of the Ca(2+)-sensitive photoprotein aequorin have been transiently expressed in subcellular compartments of skeletal myotubes of mdx mice, the animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Direct measurements of the [Ca(2+)] in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, [Ca(2+)](sr), show a higher steady state level at rest and a larger drop after KCl-induced depolarization in mdx compared with control myotubes. The peaks in [Ca(2+)] occurring in the mitochondrial matrix of mdx myotubes are significantly larger than in controls upon KCl-induced depolarization or caffeine application. The augmented response of mitochondria precedes the alterations in the Ca(2+) responses of the cytosol and of the cytoplasmic region beneath the membrane, which become significant only at a later stage of myotube differentiation. Taking into account the key role played by mitochondria Ca(2+) handling in the control of cell death, our data suggest that mitochondria are potential targets of impaired Ca(2+) homeostasis in muscular dystrophy

Subthreshold bipolar atrial stimulation affects the discharge rate of the sinus node: an animal study

Aim of this study was to verify whether the electrical field generated inside the right atrium by sub-threshold electrical impulses (impulses unable to induce cells activation) may condition the discharge rate of the sinus node cells. An electrophysiological study was performed on seven young farm pigs before and after denervation. After general anesthesia, pigs were stimulated with impulses delivered at constant rate by a bipolar catheter positioned inside the right atrium. The amplitude of the stimulus was set to avoid atrial capture. A 10-minute atrial stimulation was performed at a rate above and below the spontaneous heart rate, both before and after denervation. Three animals showed a conditioning of the sinus rhythm, observed as phase synchronization. The different response, or even the no response, of animals to stimulation could be due to different factors, concerning biological, pharmacological and "geometric" conditions. The important result remains that a perturbation of the sinus rhythm can be induced by a very low electrical field, as the one generated by the activity of artificial pacemakers, and it could help explaining the onset of rhythm disturbances in paced patients

SYNCHRONIZATION INDUCED BY PACED ATRIAL SUBTHRESHOLD STIMULATION ON THE SINUS NODE ACTIVITY IN ANIMAL EXPERIMENT

Synchronization is the well-known phenomenon that indicates adjustment of frequencies of weakly interacting self-sustained periodic oscillators [1]. Besides the physics environment, synchronization is often encountered even in physiological systems exhibiting oscillatory behaviour. Above all others, the heart, the biological oscillator par excellence, has been object of a number of investigations. At the cellular level interesting experiments were carried out on spontaneously beating aggregates of cardiac cells from embryonic chicken heart stimulated with single impulse or impulses of different amplitudes and frequencies [2]. These experiments evidenced the interaction between stimuli and cardiac cells activity in terms of phase resetting (single stimulus) and synchronization (train of impulses). Aim of this study was to verify whether the electrical field generated inside the right atrium by subthreshold electrical impulses (impulses unable to induce cells activation) may condition the discharge rate of the sinus node cell

Functional Differences in Visceral and Subcutaneous Fat Pads Originate from Differences in the Adipose Stem Cell

Metabolic pathologies mainly originate from adipose tissue (AT) dysfunctions. AT differences are associated with fat-depot anatomic distribution in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral omental (VAT) pads. We address the question whether the functional differences between the two compartments may be present early in the adipose stem cell (ASC) instead of being restricted to the mature adipocytes. Using a specific human ASC model, we evaluated proliferation/differentiation of ASC from abdominal SAT-(S-ASC) and VAT-(V-ASC) paired biopsies in parallel as well as the electrophysiological properties and functional activity of ASC and their in vitro-derived adipocytes. A dramatic difference in proliferation and adipogenic potential was observed between the two ASC populations, S-ASC having a growth rate and adipogenic potential significantly higher than V-ASC and giving rise to more functional and better organized adipocytes. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive electrophysiological analysis of ASC and derived-adipocytes, showing electrophysiological properties, such as membrane potential, capacitance and K+-current parameters which confirm the better functionality of S-ASC and their derived adipocytes. We document the greater ability of S-ASC-derived adipocytes to secrete adiponectin and their reduced susceptibility to lipolysis. These features may account for the metabolic differences observed between the SAT and VAT. Our findings suggest that VAT and SAT functional differences originate at the level of the adult ASC which maintains a memory of its fat pad of origin. Such stem cell differences may account for differential adipose depot susceptibility to the development of metabolic dysfunction and may represent a suitable target for specific therapeutic approaches

Management of psoriatic arthritis: a consensus opinion by expert rheumatologists

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory musculoskeletal disease involving several articular and extra-articular structures. Despite the important progresses recently made in all of the aspects of this disease, its management is still burdened by unresolved issues. The aim of this exercise was to provide a set of statements that may be helpful for the management of PsA. Methods: A group of 38 Italian rheumatologists with recognized expertise in PsA selected and addressed the following four topics: "early PsA," "axial-PsA," "extra-articular manifestations and comorbidities," "therapeutic goals." Relevant articles from the literature (2016-2022) were selected by the experts based on a PubMed search. A number of statements for each topic were elaborated. Results: Ninety-four articles were selected and evaluated, 68 out of the 1,114 yielded by the literature search and 26 added by the Authors. Each of the four topic was subdivided in themes as follows: transition from psoriasis to PsA, imaging vs. CASPAR criteria in early diagnosis, early treatment for "early PsA"; axial-PsA vs. axialspondyloarthritis, diagnosis, clinical evaluation, treatment, standard radiography vs. magnetic resonance imaging for "axial PsA"; influence of inflammatory bowel disease on the therapeutic choice, cardiovascular comorbidity, bone damage, risk of infection for "comorbidities and extra-articular manifestations"; target and tools, treat-to-target strategy, role of imaging for "therapeutic goals." The final document consisted of 49 statements. Discussion: The final product of this exercise is a set of statements concerning the main issues of PsA management offering an expert opinion for some unmet needs of this complex disease

High familial burden of cancer correlates with improved outcome from immunotherapy in patients with NSCLC independent of somatic DNA damage response gene status

Family history of cancer (FHC) is a hallmark of cancer risk and an independent predictor of outcome, albeit with uncertain biologic foundations. We previously showed that FHC-high patients experienced prolonged overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) following PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors. To validate our findings in patients with NSCLC, we evaluated two multicenter cohorts of patients with metastatic NSCLC receiving either first-line pembrolizumab or chemotherapy. From each cohort, 607 patients were randomly case-control matched accounting for FHC, age, performance status, and disease burden. Compared to FHC-low/negative, FHC-high patients experienced longer OS (HR 0.67 [95% CI 0.46-0.95], p\u2009=\u20090.0281), PFS (HR 0.65 [95% CI 0.48-0.89]; p\u2009=\u20090.0074) and higher disease control rates (DCR, 86.4% vs 67.5%, p\u2009=\u20090.0096), within the pembrolizumab cohort. No significant associations were found between FHC and OS/PFS/DCR within the chemotherapy cohort. We explored the association between FHC and somatic DNA damage response (DDR) gene alterations as underlying mechanism to our findings in a parallel cohort of 118 NSCLC, 16.9% of whom were FHC-high. The prevalence of\u2009 65\u20091 somatic DDR gene mutation was 20% and 24.5% (p\u2009=\u20090.6684) in FHC-high vs. FHC-low/negative, with no differences in tumor mutational burden (6.0 vs. 7.6 Mut/Mb, p\u2009=\u20090.6018) and tumor cell PD-L1 expression. FHC-high status identifies NSCLC patients with improved outcomes from pembrolizumab but not chemotherapy, independent of somatic DDR gene status. Prospective studies evaluating FHC alongside germline genetic testing are warranted

Machrofage-released factor stimulates selectively myogenic cells in primary muscle culture

J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1995 Jan;54(1):121-8. Macrophage-released factor stimulates selectively myogenic cells in primary muscle culture. Cantini M, Carraro U. Source Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Italy. Abstract Myofibers are reconstituted by the proliferation and fusion of muscle precursor cells when skeletal muscle is injured. One of the critical events is the peak accumulation of macrophages after 48 hours at the damage site before the satellite cell proliferation. In addition to their well-known role as a scavenger cell, there is now direct evidence of a mitogenic role of macrophages in regenerating muscle. We have utilized an in vitro model to directly investigate and prove that macrophages increase myoblast growth not only of satellite cells, but also of primary myoblasts. Rat muscle cells were cultured in the presence or absence of exudate macrophages obtained by peritoneal washing after thioglycollate broth injection. Macrophage coculture increases several times the myoblasts/myotubes yield. This effect is particularly evident in muscle culture conditions in which fibroblast growth is predominant over myoblast proliferation, suggesting a myoblast selective mitogenic effect of macrophages. The results are confirmed by quantitative analyses of both DNA and skeletal muscle-specific-contractile proteins by gel electrophoresis and immunocytochemistry. Experiments with macrophage-conditioned media show this effect is mediated by soluble factors. This growth factor-like activity, which has been shown to be acid-stable and heat-labile, labile, exerts its effects not only on specialized satellite cells during muscle regeneration, but also has a broader mitotic activity on all myogenic cells. In view of the role of muscle regeneration in muscle diseases and of the perspectives offered by gene therapy via myoblasts, we strongly believe that our results open new opportunities in removing many of the clinical constraints associated with repair and cell transplantation. PMID: 7815074 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE