α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis.
α-Smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) is used as a marker for a subset of activated fibrogenic cells, myofibroblasts, which are regarded as important effector cells of tissue fibrogenesis. We address whether α-SMA-expressing myofibroblasts are detectable in fibrotic muscles of mdx5cv mice, a mouse model for...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2018-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5761950?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818133525666201600 |
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| author | Wanming Zhao Xingyu Wang Kai-Hui Sun Lan Zhou |
| author_facet | Wanming Zhao Xingyu Wang Kai-Hui Sun Lan Zhou |
| author_sort | Wanming Zhao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | α-Smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) is used as a marker for a subset of activated fibrogenic cells, myofibroblasts, which are regarded as important effector cells of tissue fibrogenesis. We address whether α-SMA-expressing myofibroblasts are detectable in fibrotic muscles of mdx5cv mice, a mouse model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and whether the α-SMA expression correlates with the fibrogenic function of intramuscular fibrogenic cells. α-SMA immunostaining signal was not detected in collagen I (GFP)-expressing cells in fibrotic muscles of ColI-GFP/mdx5cv mice, but it was readily detected in smooth muscle cells lining intramuscular blood vessel walls. α-SMA expression was detected by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot in fibrogenic cells sorted from diaphragm and quadriceps muscles of the ColI-GFP/mdx5cv mice. Consistent with the more severe fibrosis in the ColI-GFP/mdx5cv diaphragm, the fibrogenic cells in the diaphragm exerted a stronger fibrogenic function than the fibrogenic cells in the quadriceps as gauged by their extracellular matrix gene expression. However, both gene and protein expression of α-SMA was lower in the diaphragm fibrogenic cells than in the quadriceps fibrogenic cells in the ColI-GFP/mdx5cv mice. We conclude that myofibroblasts are present in fibrotic skeletal muscles, but their expression of α-SMA is not detectable by immunostaining. The level of α-SMA expression by intramuscular fibrogenic cells does not correlate positively with the level of collagen gene expression or the severity of skeletal muscle fibrosis in the mdx5cv mice. α-SMA is not a functional marker of fibrogenic cells in skeletal muscle fibrosis associated with muscular dystrophy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:54:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a954950eed8148f7b3a5d673fca8a016 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T08:54:07Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-a954950eed8148f7b3a5d673fca8a0162022-12-22T01:13:56ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-01131e019103110.1371/journal.pone.0191031α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis.Wanming ZhaoXingyu WangKai-Hui SunLan Zhouα-Smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) is used as a marker for a subset of activated fibrogenic cells, myofibroblasts, which are regarded as important effector cells of tissue fibrogenesis. We address whether α-SMA-expressing myofibroblasts are detectable in fibrotic muscles of mdx5cv mice, a mouse model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and whether the α-SMA expression correlates with the fibrogenic function of intramuscular fibrogenic cells. α-SMA immunostaining signal was not detected in collagen I (GFP)-expressing cells in fibrotic muscles of ColI-GFP/mdx5cv mice, but it was readily detected in smooth muscle cells lining intramuscular blood vessel walls. α-SMA expression was detected by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot in fibrogenic cells sorted from diaphragm and quadriceps muscles of the ColI-GFP/mdx5cv mice. Consistent with the more severe fibrosis in the ColI-GFP/mdx5cv diaphragm, the fibrogenic cells in the diaphragm exerted a stronger fibrogenic function than the fibrogenic cells in the quadriceps as gauged by their extracellular matrix gene expression. However, both gene and protein expression of α-SMA was lower in the diaphragm fibrogenic cells than in the quadriceps fibrogenic cells in the ColI-GFP/mdx5cv mice. We conclude that myofibroblasts are present in fibrotic skeletal muscles, but their expression of α-SMA is not detectable by immunostaining. The level of α-SMA expression by intramuscular fibrogenic cells does not correlate positively with the level of collagen gene expression or the severity of skeletal muscle fibrosis in the mdx5cv mice. α-SMA is not a functional marker of fibrogenic cells in skeletal muscle fibrosis associated with muscular dystrophy.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5761950?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Wanming Zhao Xingyu Wang Kai-Hui Sun Lan Zhou α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis. PLoS ONE |
| title | α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis. |
| title_full | α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis. |
| title_fullStr | α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis. |
| title_full_unstemmed | α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis. |
| title_short | α-smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis. |
| title_sort | α smooth muscle actin is not a marker of fibrogenic cell activity in skeletal muscle fibrosis |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5761950?pdf=render |
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