Diverse effector and regulatory functions of fibro/adipogenic progenitors during skeletal muscle fibrosis in muscular dystrophy

Xingyu Wang, Jianming Chen, Sachiko T. Homma, Yinhang Wang, Gregory R. Smith, Frederique Ruf-Zamojski, Stuart C. Sealfon, Lan Zhou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Fibrosis is a prominent pathological feature of skeletal muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The commonly used disease mouse model, mdx5cv, displays progressive fibrosis in the diaphragm but not limb muscles. We use single-cell RNA sequencing to determine the cellular expression of the genes involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) production and degradation in the mdx5cv diaphragm and quadriceps. We find that fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) are not only the primary source of ECM but also the predominant cells that express important ECM regulatory genes, including Ccn2, Ltbp4, Mmp2, Mmp14, Timp1, Timp2, and Loxs. The effector and regulatory functions are exerted by diverse FAP clusters which are different between diaphragm and quadriceps, indicating their activation by different tissue microenvironments. FAPs are more abundant in diaphragm than in quadriceps. Our findings suggest that the development of anti-fibrotic therapy for DMD should target not only the ECM production but also the pro-fibrogenic regulatory functions of FAPs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105775
JournaliScience
Volume26
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 20 Jan 2023

Keywords

  • Genetics
  • Musculoskeletal medicine

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