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Generation of allogeneic and xenogeneic functional muscle stem cells for intramuscular transplantation
Ajda Lenardič, … , Christoph Handschin, Ori Bar-Nur
Ajda Lenardič, … , Christoph Handschin, Ori Bar-Nur
Published May 7, 2024
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2024;134(12):e166998. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI166998.
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Research Article Muscle biology

Generation of allogeneic and xenogeneic functional muscle stem cells for intramuscular transplantation

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Abstract

Satellite cells, the stem cells of skeletal muscle tissue, hold a remarkable regeneration capacity and therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine. However, low satellite cell yield from autologous or donor-derived muscles hinders the adoption of satellite cell transplantation for the treatment of muscle diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To address this limitation, here we investigated whether satellite cells can be derived in allogeneic or xenogeneic animal hosts. First, injection of CRISPR/Cas9-corrected Dmdmdx mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into mouse blastocysts carrying an ablation system of host satellite cells gave rise to intraspecies chimeras exclusively carrying iPSC-derived satellite cells. Furthermore, injection of genetically corrected DMD iPSCs into rat blastocysts resulted in the formation of interspecies rat-mouse chimeras harboring mouse satellite cells. Notably, iPSC-derived satellite cells or derivative myoblasts produced in intraspecies or interspecies chimeras restored dystrophin expression in DMD mice following intramuscular transplantation and contributed to the satellite cell pool. Collectively, this study demonstrates the feasibility of producing therapeutically competent stem cells across divergent animal species, raising the possibility of generating human muscle stem cells in large animals for regenerative medicine purposes.

Authors

Ajda Lenardič, Seraina A. Domenig, Joel Zvick, Nicola Bundschuh, Monika Tarnowska-Sengül, Regula Furrer, Falko Noé, Christine L. Trautmann, Adhideb Ghosh, Giada Bacchin, Pjeter Gjonlleshaj, Xhem Qabrati, Evi Masschelein, Katrien De Bock, Christoph Handschin, Ori Bar-Nur

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Figure 3

Constitutive PAX7+ cell ablation enables exclusive iPSC-derived satellite cell production in chimeras.

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Constitutive PAX7+ cell ablation enables exclusive iPSC-derived satellit...
(A) Schematic representation of the experimental design. (B) Representative images of a low- and a high-grade chimera, as well as a complemented chimera. Black coat color indicates iPSC chimeric contribution in low- and high-grade chimeras. Scale bars: 3 cm. (C) A graph showing chimera numbers based on coat color or Pax7-nGFP allele genotyping. (D) Representative FACS plots displaying the percentage of Pax7-nGFP+ cells within the ITGA7+ satellite cell population of the indicated animals. (E) A graph showing the quantification of the FACS plot shown in D for a larger group of analyzed mice. n = 3 animals for non-complemented chimeras and n = 5 animals for complemented chimeras as well as Pax7-nGFP control mice. Data are presented as mean ± SD. Statistical analysis was performed using an ordinary 1-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple-comparison test. ****P ≤ 0.0001. (F) PCR for dystrophin using DNA extracted from the specified cell populations and animals. (G) Schematic representation of the isolation and expansion of myoblasts from the muscles of complemented chimeras. (H) PCR for dystrophin in total muscles of the specified mice prior to satellite cell isolation. (I) Representative FACS plots showing Pax7-nGFP expression in muscles of the indicated animals. (J) A graph showing quantification of the analysis shown in I. n = 5 animals for each group. Data are presented as mean ± SD. Statistical analysis was performed using a Student’s 2-tailed t test. (K) Representative images of chimera-derived edited Dmdmdx; Pax7-nGFP+ myoblasts. Scale bars: 100 μm. (L) PCR for dystrophin using DNA extracted from FACS-purified Dmdmdx; Pax7-nGFP+ myoblasts. Note the presence of only an edited band. (M) Immunostaining for the indicated markers in myoblast-derived myotubes from the specified cell lines. Scale bars: 100 μm.

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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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