Satellite cells

The life of a sleeping muscle stem cell is very busy

/ Todd Dubnicoff / Leave a comment

For biological processes, knowing when to slow down is as important as knowing when to step on the accelerator. Take for example muscle stem cells. In a healthy state, these cells mostly lay quiet and rarely divide but upon injury, they bolt into action by dividing and specializing into new muscle cells to help repair damaged muscle tissue. Once that mission is accomplished, the small pool of muscle stem cells is replenished through self-renewal before going back into a dormant, or quiescent, state.

muscle stem cell

Muscle stem cell (pink with green outline) sits along a muscle fiber. Image: Michael Rudnicki/OIRM

“Dormant” may not be the best way to describe it because a lot of activity is going on within the cells to maintain its sleepy state. And a better understanding of the processes at play in a dormant state could reveal insights about treating aging or diseased muscles which often suffer from a depletion of muscle stem cells. One way to analyze cellular activity is by examining RNA transcripts which are created when a gene is turned “on”. These transcripts are the messenger molecules that provide a gene’s instructions for making a particular protein.

By observing something, you change it
In order to carry out the RNA transcript analyses in animal studies, researchers must isolate and purify the stem cells from muscle tissue. The worry here is that all of the necessary poking of prodding of the cells during the isolation method will alter the RNA transcripts leading to a misinterpretation of what is actually happening in the native muscle tissue. To overcome this challenge, Dr. Thomas Rando and his team at Stanford University applied a recently developed technique that allowed them to tag and track the RNA transcripts within living mice.

The CIRM-funded study reported today in Cell Reports found that there are indeed significant differences in results when comparing the standard in vitro lab method to the newer in vivo method. As science writer Krista Conger summarized in a Stanford Medical School press release, those differences led to some unexpected results that hadn’t been observed previously:

“The researchers were particularly surprised to learn that many of the RNAs made by the muscle stem cells in vivo are either degraded before they are made into proteins, or they are made into proteins that are then rapidly destroyed — a seemingly shocking waste of energy for cells that spend most of their lives just cooling their heels along the muscle fiber.”

It takes a lot of energy to stay ready
Dr. Rando thinks that these curious observations do not point to an inefficient use of a cell’s resources but instead, “it’s possible that this is one way the cells stay ready to undergo a rapid transformation, either by blocking degradation of RNA or proteins or by swiftly initiating translation of already existing RNA transcripts.”

The new method provides Rando’s team a whole new perceptive on understanding what’s happening behind the scenes during a muscle stem cell’s “dormant” state. And Rando thinks the technique has applications well beyond this study:

Rando

Thomas Rando

“It’s so important to know what we are and are not modeling about the state of these cells in vivo. This study will have a big impact on how researchers in the field think about understanding the characteristics of stem cells as they exist in their native state in the tissue.”

 

 

An unexpected link: immune cells send muscle injury signal to activate stem cell regeneration

/ Todd Dubnicoff / Leave a comment

We’ve written many blogs over the years about research focused on muscle stem cell function . Those stories describe how satellite cells, another name for muscle stem cells, lay dormant but jump into action to grow new muscle cells in response to injury and damage. And when satellite function breaks down with aging as well as with diseases like muscular dystrophy, the satellite cells drop in number and/or lose their capacity to divide, leading to muscle degeneration.

Illustration of satellite cells within muscle fibers. Image source: APSU Biology

One thing those research studies don’t focus on is the cellular and molecular signals that cause the satellite cells to say, “Hey! We need to start dividing and regenerating!” A Stanford research team examining this aspect of satellite cell function reports this week in Nature Communications that immune cells play an unexpected role in satellite cell activation. This study, funded in part by CIRM, provides a fundamental understanding of muscle regeneration and repair that could aid the development of novel treatments for muscle disorders.

ADAMTS1: a muscle injury signal?
To reach this conclusion, the research team drew upon previous studies that indicated a gene called Adamts1 was turned on more strongly in the activated satellite cells compared to the dormant satellite cells. The ADAMTS1 protein is a secreted protein so the researchers figured it’s possible it could act as a muscle injury signal that activates satellites cells. When ADAMTS1 was applied to mouse muscle fibers in a petri dish, satellite cells were indeed activated.

Next, the team examined ADAMTS1 in a mouse model of muscle injury and found the protein clearly increased within one day after muscle injury. This timing corresponds to when satellite cells drop out of there dormant state after muscle injury and begin dividing and specializing into new muscle cells. But follow up tests showed the satellite cells were not the source of ADAMTS1. Instead, a white blood cell called a macrophage appeared to be responsible for producing the protein at the site of injury. Macrophages, which literally means “big eaters”, patrol our organs and will travel to sites of injury and infection to keep them clean and healthy by gobbling up dead cells, bacteria and viruses. They also secrete various proteins to alert the rest of the immune system to join the fight against infection.

Immune cell’s double duty after muscle injury: cleaning up the mess and signaling muscle regeneration
To confirm the macrophages’ additional role as the transmitter of this ADAMTS1 muscle injury signal, the researchers generated transgenic mice whose macrophages produce abnormally high levels of ADAMTS1. The activation of satellite cells in these mice was much higher than in normal mice lacking this boost of ADAMTS1 production. And four months after birth, the increased activation led to larger muscles in the transgenic mice. In terms of muscle regeneration, one-month old transgenic mice recovered from muscle injury faster than normal mice. Stanford professor Brian Feldman, MD, PhD, the senior author of the study, described his team’s initial reaction to their findings in an interview with Scope, Stanford Medicine’s blog:

“While, in retrospect, it might make intuitive sense that the same cells that are sent into a site of injury to clean up the mess also carry the tools and signals needed to rebuild what was destroyed, it was not at all obvious how, or if, these two processes were biologically coupled. Our data show a direct link in which the clean-up crew releases a signal to launch the rebuild. This was a surprise.”

Further experiments showed that ADAMTS1 works by chopping up a protein called NOTCH that lies on the surface of satellite cells. NOTCH provides signals to the satellite cell to stay in a dormant state. So, when ADAMTS1 degrades NOTCH, the dormancy state of the satellite cells is lifted and they begin to divide and transform into muscle cells.

A pathway to novel muscle disorder therapies?
One gotcha with the ADAMTS1 injury signal is that too much activation can lead to a depletion of satellite cells. In fact, after 8 months, muscle regeneration actually weakened in the transgenic mice that were designed to persistently produce the protein. Still, this novel role of macrophages in stimulating muscle regeneration via the secreted ADAMTS1 protein opens a door for the Stanford team to explore new therapeutic approaches to treating muscle disorders:

“We are excited to learn that a single purified protein, that functions outside the cell, is sufficient to signal to muscle stem cells and stimulate them to differentiate into muscle,” says Dr. Feldman. “The simplicity of that type of signal in general and the extracellular nature of the mechanism in particular, make the pathway highly tractable to manipulation to support efforts to develop therapies that improve health.”

Scientists find new stem cell target for regenerating aging muscles

/ Karen Ring / Leave a comment
Young Arnold (wiki)

Young Arnold (wiki)

Today I’m going to use our former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example of what happens to our muscles when we age.

One of Arnold’s many talents when he was younger was being a professional bodybuilder. As you can see in this photo, Arnold worked hard to generate an impressive amount of muscle that landed him lead roles in movies Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator.

Older Arnold

Older Arnold

If you look at pictures of Arnold now (who is now 68), while still being an impressively large human being, it’s obvious that much of his muscular bulk has diminished. That’s because as humans age, so do their muscles.

Muscles shrink with age

As muscles age, they slowly lose mass and shrink (a condition called sarcopenia) because of a number of reasons – one of them being their inability to regenerate new muscle tissue efficiently. The adult stem cells responsible for muscle regeneration are called satellite cells. When muscles are injured, satellite cells are activated to divide and generate new muscle fibers that can repair injury and also improve muscle function.

However, satellite cells become less efficient at doing their job over time because of environmental and internal reasons, and scientists are looking for new targets that can restore and promote the regenerative abilities of muscle stem cells for human therapeutic applications.

A study published earlier this week in Nature Medicine, identified a potential new target that could boost muscle stem cell regeneration and improved muscle function in a mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

β1-integrin is important for muscle regeneration

Scientists from the Carnegie Institute of Washington found that β1-integrin is important for maintaining the homeostasis (or balance) of the muscle stem cell environment. If β1-integrin is doing its job properly, muscle stem cells are able to go about their regular routine of being dormant, activating in response to injury, dividing to create new muscle tissue, and then going back to sleep.

When the scientists studied the function of β1-integrin in the muscles of aged mice, they found that the integrin wasn’t functioning properly. Without β1-integrin, mouse satellite cells spontaneously turned into muscle tissue and were unable to maintain their regenerative capacity following muscle injury.

Upon further inspection, they found that β1-integrin interacts with a growth factor called fibroblast growth factor 2 (Fgf2) and this relationship was essential for promoting muscle regeneration following injury. When β1-integrin function deteriorates as in the muscles of aged mice, the mice lose sensitivity to the regenerative capacity of Fgf2.

Restoring muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy

By using an antibody to artificially activate β1-integrin function in the muscles of aged mice, they were able to restore Fgf2 responsiveness and boosted muscle regeneration after injury. When a similar technique was used in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, they observed muscle regeneration and improved muscle function.

Muscle loss seen in muscular dystrophy mice (left). Treatment with beta1 intern boosts muscle regeneration in the same mice (right). (Nature Medicine)

Muscle loss seen in muscular dystrophy mice (left). Treatment with B1-integrin boosts muscle regeneration in the same mice (right). (Nature Medicine)

The authors believe that β1-integrin acts as a sensor of the muscle stem cell environment that it maintains a balance between a dormant and a regenerative stem cell state. They conclude in their publication:

“β1-integrin senses the SC [satellite cell] niche to maintain responsiveness to Fgf2, and this integrin represents a potential therapeutic target for pathological conditions of the muscle in which the stem cell niche is compromised.”

Co-author on the study Dr. Chen-Ming Fan also spoke to the clinical relevance of their findings in a piece by GenBio:

“Inefficient muscular healing in the elderly is a significant clinical problem and therapeutic approaches are much needed, especially given the aging population. Finding a way to target muscle stem cells could greatly improve muscle renewal in older individuals.”

Does this mean anyone can be a body builder?

So does this study mean that one day we can prevent muscle loss in the elderly and all be body builders like Arnold? I highly doubt that. It’s important to remember these are preclinical studies done in mouse models and much work needs to be done to test whether β1-integrin is an appropriate therapeutic target in humans.

However, I do think this study sheds new light on the inner workings of the muscle stem cell environment. Finding out more clues about how to promote the health and regenerative function of this environment will bring the field closer to generating new treatments for patients suffering from muscle wasting diseases like muscular dystrophy.

Researchers cool to idea of ice bath after exercise

/ Kevin McCormack / 1 Comment

Have you ever had a great workout, really pushed your body and muscles hard and thought “You know what would be good right now? A nice plunge into an ice bath.”

No. Me neither.

Weightlifter Karyn Marshall taking an ice bath: Photo courtesy Karyn Marshall

Weightlifter Karyn Marshall taking an ice bath: Photo courtesy Karyn Marshall

But some people apparently believe that taking an ice bath after a hard workout can help their muscles rebound and get stronger.

It’s a mistaken belief, at least according to a new study from researchers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia. They are – pardon the pun – giving the cold shoulder to the idea that an ice bath can help hot muscles recover after a hard session of strength training.

The researchers got 21 men who exercise a lot to do strength training twice a week for 12 weeks. One group then agreed – and I’d love to know how they persuaded them to do this – to end the training session by jumping into a 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius) ice bath. The other group – let’s label them the “sensible brigade” – ended by doing their cool down on an exercise bike.

Happily for the rest of us at the end of the 12 weeks the “sensible brigade” experienced more gains in muscle strength and muscle mass than the cool kids.

So what does this have to do with stem cells? Well the researchers say the reason for this result is because our bodies use so-called satellite cells – which are a kind of muscle stem cell – to help build stronger muscles. When you plunge those muscles into a cold bath you effectively blunt or block the ability of the muscle stem cells to work as well as they normally would.

But the researchers weren’t satisfied just putting that particular theory on ice, so in a second study they took muscle biopsies from men after they had done leg-strengthening exercises. Again, half did an active cool down, the others jumped in the ice bath.

In a news release accompanying the article in the The Journal of Physiology, Dr Llion Roberts, from UQ’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, said the results were the same:

“We found that cold water immersion after training substantially attenuated, or reduced, long-term gains in muscle mass and strength. It is anticipated that athletes who use ice baths after workouts would see less long-term muscle gains than those who choose an active warm down.”

The bottom line; if you strain a muscle working out ice is your friend because it’s great for reducing inflammation. If you want to build stronger muscles ice is not your friend. Save it for that nice refreshing beverage you have earned after the workout.

Cheers!

CIRM-Funded Scientists Test Recipe for Building New Muscles

/ cirmweb / Leave a comment

When muscles get damaged due to disease or injury, the body activates its reserves—muscle stem cells that head to the injury site and mature into fully functioning muscle cells. But when the reserves are all used up, things get tricky.

Scientists at Sanford-Burnham may have uncovered the key to muscle repair.

Scientists at Sanford-Burnham may have uncovered the key to muscle repair.

This is especially the case for people living with muscle diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, in which the muscle degrades at a far faster rate than average and the body’s reserve stem cell supply becomes exhausted. With no more supply from which to draw new muscle cells, the muscles degrade further, resulting in the disease’s debilitating symptoms, such as progressive difficulty walking, running or speaking.

So, scientists have long tried to find a way to replenish the dwindling supply of muscle stem cells (called ‘satellite cells’), thus slowing—or even halting—muscle decay.

And now, researchers at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have found a way to tweak the normal cycle, and boost the production of muscle cells even when supplies appear to be diminished. These findings, reported in the latest issue of Nature Medicine, offer an alternative treatment for the millions of people suffering not only from muscular dystrophy, but also other diseases that result in muscle decay—such as some forms of cancer and age-related diseases.

In this study, Sanford-Burnham researchers found that introducing a particular protein, called a STAT3 inhibitor, into the cycle of muscle-cell regeneration could boost the production of muscle cells—even after multiple rounds of repair that would otherwise render regeneration virtually impossible.

The STAT3 inhibitor, as its name suggests, works by ‘inhibiting,’ or effectively neutralizing, another protein called STAT3. Normally, STAT3 gets switched on in response to muscle injury, setting in motion a series of steps that replenishes muscle cells.

In experiments first in animal models of muscular dystrophy—and next in human cells in a petri dish—the team decided to modify how STAT3 functions. Instead of keeping STAT3 active, as would normally occur, the team introduced the STAT3 inhibitor at specific times during the muscle regeneration process. And in so doing, noticed a significant boost in muscle cell production. As Dr. Alessandra Sacco, the study’s senior author, stated in a news release:

“We’ve discovered that by timing the inhibition of STAT3—like an ‘on/off’ light switch—we can transiently expand the satellite cell population followed by their differentiation into mature cells.”

This approach to spurring muscle regeneration, which was funded in part by a CIRM training grant, is not only innovative, but offers new hope to a disease for which treatments have offered little. As Dr. Vittorio Sartorelli, deputy scientific director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), stated:

“Currently, there is no cure to stop or reverse any form of muscle-wasting disorders—only medication and therapy that can slow the process. A treatment approach consisting of cyclic bursts of STAT3 inhibitors could potentially restore muscle mass and function in patients, and this would be a very significant breakthrough.”

Sacco and her colleagues are encouraged by these results, and plan to explore their findings in greater detail—hopefully moving towards clinical trials:

“Our next step is to see how long we can extend the cycling pattern, and test some of the STAT3 inhibitors currently in clinical trials for other indications such as cancer, as this could accelerate testing in humans.”