Embryonic signals for skeletal myogenesis: arriving at the beginning.

Embryological studies have identified axial signalling processes that determine somite cells to skeletal myogenesis and control the spatial patterning of muscle differentiation in vertebrate embryos. Gene knockout studies provide evidence that the muscle-specific myoD genes have essential, although partially redundant functions in vivo as regulators of muscle differentiation. However, continuous cell-cell signalling processes also appear to be required to control and maintain the myogenic potential of embryonic progenitor cells, even after activation of myoD genes. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to cellular mechanisms of muscle regeneration and the use of myoblast transfer as a muscle regeneration therapy.

Myosin functional domains encoded by alternative exons are expressed in specific thoracic muscles of Drosophila.

The Drosophila 36B muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene has five sets of alternatively spliced exons that encode functionally important domains of the MHC protein and provide a combinatorial potential for expression of as many as 480 MHC isoforms. In this study, in situ hybridization analysis has been used to examine the complexity and muscle specificity of MHC isoform expression in the fibrillar indirect flight muscle (IFM), the tubular direct flight muscles (DFM) and tubular tergal depressor of the trochanter muscle (TDT), and the visceral esophageal muscle in the adult thorax. Our results show that alternative splicing of the MHC gene transcripts is precisely regulated in these thoracic muscles, which express three MHC isoforms. Individual thoracic muscles each express transcripts of only one isoform, as detectable by in situ hybridization. An apparently novel fourth MHC isoform, with sequence homology to the rod but not to the head domain of the 36B MHC, is expressed in two direct flight muscles. These findings form a basis for transgenic experiments designed to analyze the muscle-specific functions of MHC domains encoded by alternative exons.

Ribosomal RNA synthesis and the multiple, atypical nucleoli in cleaving embryos.

The rate of ribosomal RNA synthesis per nucleus in cleaving sea urchin embryos is similar to the rate at later embryonic stages. The multiple, atypical nucleoli, present in early embryos and usually attributed to decreased ribosomal RNA synthesis, are beginning stages of nucleolar formation. Full nucleolar development requires more time than the brief interphase of the rapidly dividing cells.

Regulatory elements that control the lineage-specific expression of myoD.

The molecular basis of skeletal muscle lineage determination was investigated by analyzing DNA control elements that regulate the myogenic determination gene myoD. A distal enhancer was identified that positively regulates expression of the human myoD gene. The myoD enhancer and promoter were active in myogenic and several nonmyogenic cell lines. In transgenic mouse embryos, however, the myoD enhancer and promoter together directed expression of a lacZ transgene specifically to the skeletal muscle lineage. These data suggest that during development myoD is regulated by mechanisms that restrict accessibility of myoD control elements to positive trans-acting factors.

Skeletal myogenesis: genetics and embryology to the fore.

The MyoD family of transcription factors are expressed in the skeletal muscles of vertebrate and invertebrate embryos and have dominant regulatory activities that indicate their important developmental functions in myogenic lineage determination and muscle differentiation. Genetic studies, however, reveal that individually, myoD-related genes are not essential for myogenic lineage determination in mouse and Caenorhabditis elegans embryos, but have differentiation functions and perhaps redundant functions in lineage determination that remain to be defined by further genetic studies.

Muscle determination: another key player in myogenesis?

The steps that commit multipotential somite cells to muscle differentiation are being elucidated. Recent results show that pax3 is an upstream regulator of myoD, one of the key genes in myogenic lineage determination.

Complex regulation of the muscle-specific contractile protein (troponin I) gene.

A cloned quail troponin I contractile protein gene, stably transfected into a mouse myogenic cell line, exhibits appropriate developmental activation and quantitative expression during myoblast differentiation. Deletion mutagenesis analyses reveal that the troponin I gene has two distinct cis regulatory elements required for its developmental expression, as measured by mRNA accumulation and nuclear runoff transcription assays. One element in the 5' flanking region is required for maximum quantitative expression, and a second larger regulatory element (1.5 kilobases) within the first intron is responsible for differentiation-specific transcription. The upstream region is highly sensitive to negative repression by interaction with pBR322 sequences. The larger intragenic region retains some activity when moved to the 5' and 3' flanking regions and when inverted but is maximally active in its native intragenic site. The concerted activities of these two regulatory regions produce a 100- to 200-fold transcriptional activation during myoblast differentiation. The conserved 5' exon-intron organization of troponin I and other contractile protein genes suggests a possible mechanism by which intragenic control elements coordinate contractile protein gene regulation during skeletal myogenesis.

Differentiation, not determination, regulates muscle gene activation: transfection of troponin I genes into multipotential and muscle lineages of 10T1/2 cells.

Transcription of quail skeletal muscle troponin I (TnI) genes was examined after stable transfection into multipotential 10T1/2 mouse cells and into determined myoblast lineages derived by 5-azacytidine conversion. Transfected TnI and endogenous mouse muscle genes were inactive both in multipotential 10T1/2 and in proliferating myoblasts but were activated coordinately and to high levels when myoblast lineages differentiated, regardless of whether TnI genes were transfected before or after myoblast lineage determination. We conclude that the TnI gene contains evolutionarily conserved control sequences that activate its transcription in response to differentiation-specific regulatory signals. Myoblast lineage determination, therefore, does not appear to act directly on TnI and other muscle genes but likely establishes a regulatory control system that mediates expression of differentiation-specific transcription signals.

Functional domains of the Drosophila melanogaster muscle myosin heavy-chain gene are encoded by alternatively spliced exons.

The single-copy Drosophila muscle myosin heavy-chain (MHC) gene, located at 36B(2L), has a complex exon structure that produces a diversity of larval and adult muscle MHC isoforms through regulated alternative RNA splicing. Genomic and cDNA sequence analyses revealed that this 21-kilobase MHC gene encodes these MHC isoforms in 19 exons. However, five sets of these exons, encoding portions of the S1 head and the hinge domains of the MHC protein, are tandemly repeated as two, three, four, or five divergent copies, which are individually spliced into RNA transcripts. RNA hybridization studies with exon-specific probes showed that at least 10 of the 480 possible MHC isoforms that could arise by alternative RNA splicing of these exons are expressed as MHC transcripts and that the expression of specific members of alternative exon sets is regulated, both in stage and in muscle-type specificity. This regulated expression of specific exons is of particular interest because the alternatively spliced exon sets encode discrete domains of the MHC protein that likely contribute to the specialized contractile activities of different Drosophila muscle types. The alternative exon structure of the Drosophila MHC gene and the single-copy nature of this gene in the Drosophila genome make possible transgenic experiments to test the physiological functions of specific MHC protein domains and genetic and molecular experiments to investigate the mechanisms that regulate alternative exon splicing of MHC and other muscle gene transcripts.

Expression of the troponin complex genes: transcriptional coactivation during myoblast differentiation and independent control in heart and skeletal muscles.

We compared the developmental regulation of the three troponin genes that encode the proteins of the Ca2+ regulatory complex in striated muscles of the Japanese quail. Nuclear run-on transcription and RNA protection analyses showed that the fast skeletal troponin I, the fast skeletal troponin T, and the slow skeletal-cardiac troponin C genes were transcriptionally coactivated and that transcripts rapidly accumulated within 6 to 12 h after the initiation of myoblast differentiation. The fast-isoform mRNAs of troponin I and troponin T were coexpressed at similar levels in different skeletal muscles, whereas the slow-cardiac troponin C mRNA varied independently and was the only one of these genes expressed in embryonic and adult heart. We conclude that these troponin genes are transcriptionally coactivated during skeletal myoblast differentiation, indicating that their transcription is under precise temporal control. However, this troponin C gene is regulated independently is specialized striated muscles.

Alternative RNA splicing generates transcripts encoding a thorax-specific isoform of Drosophila melanogaster myosin heavy chain.

Genomic and cDNA sequencing studies show that transcripts from the muscle myosin heavy-chain (MHC) gene of Drosophila melanogaster are alternatively spliced, producing RNAs that encode at least two MHC isoforms with different C termini. Transcripts encoding an MHC isoform with 27 unique C-terminal amino acids accumulate during both larval and adult muscle differentiation. Transcripts for the second isoform encode one unique C-terminal amino acid and accumulate almost exclusively in pupal and adult thoracic segments, the location of the indirect flight muscles. The 3' splice acceptor site preceding the thorax-specific exon is unusually purine rich and thus may serve as a thorax-specific splicing signal. We suggest that the alternative C termini of these two MHC isoforms control myofilament assembly and may play a role in generating the distinctive myofilament organizations of flight muscle and other muscle types.

Myosin rod protein: a novel thick filament component of Drosophila muscle.

Myosin rod protein (MRP), a 155 kDa protein encoded by a gene internal to the Drosophila muscle myosin heavy chain (Mhc) gene, contains the MHC rod domain, but has 77 unique N-terminal residues that exactly replace the MHC motor and light chain binding domains. Originally described as an abundant testis protein, we now demonstrate the MRP also is a major component of myofilaments in Drosophila. Specifically, the Mrp promoter directs the expression of a LacZ reporter transgene in somatic, cardiac and visceral muscles. MRP-specific antibodies detect the protein in detergent-insoluble fractions of muscle extracts and co-localize the protein with MHC to the sarcomeric A-band in immunostained muscles. Immunoblot analysis shows that in a set of adult direct flight muscles (DFM), the ratio of MRP to MHC is 1:3. Chemical cross-link and co-immunoprecipitation experiments using 0.5 M KCl-extracted thick filament proteins indicate that native MRP is a homodimer. Electron microscopy of DFM49, which has a high MRP content, shows in cross section, disordered myofilament packing and a variable thin to thick filament ratio and, in longitudinal section, severely bent thin filaments that are not well associated with thick filaments. In rigor, thick filaments from DFM49 consist of segments with cross bridges that are interspersed with smooth domains lacking cross bridges. These data indicate that MRP is a novel contractile protein that co-integrates with myosin into the thick filament, thereby changing structure and function of the sarcomere.

Functional interactions between unlinked muscle genes within haploinsufficient regions of the Drosophila genome.

Mutations in 13 genes affecting muscle development in Drosophila have been examined in pairwise combinations for evidence of genetic interactions. Heterozygous combinations of mutations in five genes, including the gene coding for myosin heavy chain, result in more severe phenotypes than respective single heterozygous mutant controls. The various mutant interactions include examples showing allele-specific intergenic interactions, gene specific interactions, and allele-specific intragenic complementations, suggesting that some interactions result from the manner in which mutant gene products associate. Interactions that result from alterations in "+" gene copy number were also uncovered, suggesting that normal myofibril development requires that the relative amounts of respective gene products produced be tightly regulated. The importance of the latter parameter is substantiated by the finding that all five interacting loci map to disperse haploinsufficient or haplolethal regions of the genome. The implications of the present findings are discussed in relation to pursuing the phenomena involving genetic interactions to identify new genes encoding interacting myofibrillar proteins, to examine the nature of intermolecular interactions in mutant and normal development and to decipher the quantitative and temporal regulation of a large family of functionally related gene products.

Splice-junction elements and intronic sequences regulate alternative splicing of the Drosophila myosin heavy chain gene transcript.

The Drosophila muscle myosin heavy chain (Mhc) gene primary transcript contains five alternatively spliced exon groups (exon 3, 7, 9, 11 and 15), each of which contains two to five mutually exclusive members. Individual muscles typically select a specific alternative exon from each group for incorporation into the processed message. We report here on the cis-regulatory mechanisms that direct the processing of alternative exons in Mhc exon 11 in individual muscles using transgenic reporter constructs, RT-PCR and directed mutagenesis. The 6.0-kilobase exon 11 domain is sufficient to direct the correct processing of exon 11 alternatives, demonstrating that the alternative splicing cis-regulatory elements are local to Mhc exon 11. Mutational analysis of Mhc exon 11 reveals that the alternative exon nonconsensus 5'-splice donors are essential for alternative splicing regulation in general, but do not specify alternative exons for inclusion in individual muscles. Rather, we show, through exon substitutions and deletion analyses, that a 360-nucleotide intronic domain precisely directs the normal processing of one exon, Mhc exon 11e, in the indirect flight muscle. These and other data indicate that alternative exons are regulated in appropriate muscles through interactions between intronic alternative splice-specificity elements, nonconsensus exon 11 splice donors and, likely, novel exon-specific alternative splicing factors.

Transposable element insertions respecify alternative exon splicing in three Drosophila myosin heavy chain mutants.

Insertions of transposable elements into the myosin heavy chain (Mhc) locus disrupt the regulation of alternative pre-mRNA splicing for multi-alternative exons in the Mhc2, Mhc3, and Mhc4 mutants in Drosophila. Sequence and expression analyses show that each inserted element introduces a strong polyadenylation signal that defines novel terminal exons, which are then differentially recognized by the alternative splicing apparatus. Mhc2 and Mhc4 have insertion elements located within intron 7c and exon 9a, respectively, and each expresses a single truncated transcript that contains an aberrant terminal exon defined by the poly(A) signal of the inserted element and the 3' acceptor of the upstream common exon. In Mhc3, a poly(A) signal inserted into Mhc intron 7d defines terminal exons using either the upstream 3' acceptor of common exon 6 or the 7d acceptor, leading to the expression of 4.1- and 1.7-kb transcripts, respectively. Acceptor selection is regulated in Mhc3 transcripts, where the 3' acceptor of common Mhc exon 6 is preferentially selected in larvae, whereas the alternative exon 7d acceptor is favored in adults. These results reflect the adult-specific use of exon 7d and suggest that the normal exon 7 alternative splicing mechanism continues to influence the selection of exon 7d in Mhc3 transcripts. Overall, transposable element-induced disruptions in alternative processing demonstrate a role for the nonconsensus 3' acceptors in Mhc exons 7 and 9 alternative splicing regulation.

Positive and negative intronic regulatory elements control muscle-specific alternative exon splicing of Drosophila myosin heavy chain transcripts.

Alternative splicing of Drosophila muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) transcripts is precisely regulated to ensure the expression of specific MHC isoforms required for the distinctive contractile activities of physiologically specialized muscles. We have used transgenic expression analysis in combination with mutagenesis to identify cis-regulatory sequences that are required for muscle-specific splicing of exon 11, which is encoded by five alternative exons that produce alternative "converter" domains in the MHC head. Here, we report the identification of three conserved intronic elements (CIE1, -2, and -3) that control splicing of exon 11e in the indirect flight muscle (IFM). Each of these CIE elements has a distinct function: CIE1 acts as a splice repressor, while CIE2 and CIE3 behave as splice enhancers. These CIE elements function in combination with a nonconsensus splice donor to direct IFM-specific splicing of exon 11e. An additional cis-regulatory element that is essential in coordinating the muscle-specific splicing of other alternative exon 11s is identified. Therefore, multiple interacting intronic and splice donor elements establish the muscle-specific splicing of alternative exon 11s.

10T1/2 cells: an in vitro model for molecular genetic analysis of mesodermal determination and differentiation.

Progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell type-specific gene expression during the terminal differentiation of cells into specialized tissue types. These studies have concentrated largely on defining the cis elements and trans-acting factors responsible for the transcription of differentiation-specific genes. Valuable as these investigations have been, they have not been able to place differentiation into the larger context of development, specifically into the context of the earlier developmental process of cell determination, when embryonic stem cell lineages are formed and the genetic regulatory programs for cell type-specific gene activation and expression are acquired by stem cells. The clonal mouse embryo cell line, C3H/10T1/2, clone 8 (10T1/2) provides a unique opportunity to examine the molecular genetic regulation of both the developmental determination of vertebrate stem cell lineages and their subsequent differentiation. 10T1/2 is an apparently multipotential cell line that can be converted by 5-azacytidine into three mesodermal stem cell lineages. These determined proliferative stem cells are stable in culture and retain their ability to differentiate in mitogen-depleted medium. The most significant discovery has been that 10T1/2 lineage determination is under simple genetic control and that the regulatory genes that mediate the formation of myogenic cell lineages, and likely the chondrogenic and adipogenic lineages, can be demonstrated and studied by genomic DNA and cDNA transfection approaches. This paper is a description of the remarkable properties and genetic behaviors of the 10T1/2 cells and a discussion of the insights that future studies of this cell may provide.

Improved oxygen delivery to the myocardium during hypothermia by perfusion with 2,3 DPG-enriched red blood cells.

The oxygen affinity of red cells increases stepwise with temperature reductions below 37 degrees C. In vitro studies demonstrated that biochemically modified red cells with increased 2,3 diphosphoglycerate (2,3 DPG) (150% and 250% of normal) exhibited significantly less oxygen affinity at 24 degrees C than did unmodified cells. At 15 degrees C, significant attenuation of affinity was observed with 250%, but not 150%, of normal 2,3 DPG cells. Measurements made of isolated fibrillating dog hearts during perfusion at 24 degrees C alternately with unmodified (80% of normal 2,3 DPG) and modified (300% of normal 2,3 DPG) red cells demonstrated significantly greater oxygen consumption, higher coronary sinus partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide, higher in vitro P50 values, and lower arterial and coronary sinus lactate levels during perfusion with modified as compared with unmodified cells. This evidence, indicating improved oxygen delivery to hypothermic dog hearts by red cells with 300% of normal 2,3 DPG activity, suggests that high 2,3 DPG cells might protect myocardial tissue in patients undergoing hypothermic cardiac operation.

Liquid preservation of baboon red blood cells in acid-citrate-dextrose or citrate-phosphate-dextrose anticoagulant: effects of washing liquid-stored red blood cells.

Autologous baboon RBC stored at 4 C in acid-citrate-dextrose (ACD) or in citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD) for 3 weeks after collection had 24-hour 51Cr posttransfusion survival values of about 77%. When 20-day-old ACD and CPD baboon RBC were washed and then stored at 4 C for 24 hours before autotransfusion, the 24-hour 51Cr posttransfusion survival values were about 81%. These values were similar to those seen in studies of human RBC preserved in an identical manner. Our results indicated that the baboon can be used to evaluate RBC preservation techniques before human volunteers are studied.