Project description:Mitochondria were isolated from heart tissue and the remaining tissue fraction was collected to identify RNA enriched in mitochondria.
Project description:Mitochondria were isolated from brown adipose tissue and the remaining tissue fraction was collected to identify RNA enriched in mitochondria.
Project description:LCR and HCR rats (from Nathan Qi's 2010 study) were dissected at rest or following 10 minutes of exercise. Mitochondria were isolated from frozen gastrocnemius skeletal muscle. Samples consist of these isolated mitochondria suspended in 50 uL of mitochondrial isolation buffer (IBM containing sucrose, salts, etc; see Katie Overmyer's notebook E, p~23).
Project description:Mitochondria are central to cellular function, particularly in metabolically active tissues such as skeletal muscle. Nuclear-encoded RNAs typically localise within the nucleus and cytosol but a small population may also translocate to subcellular compartments such as mitochondria. We aimed to investigate the nuclear-encoded RNAs that localise within the mitochondria of skeletal muscle tissue. Intact mitochondria were isolated via immunoprecipitation (IP) followed by enzymatic treatments (RNase-A and proteinase-K) optimised to remove transcripts located exterior to mitochondria, making it amenable for high-throughput transcriptomic sequencing. Whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing of enzymatically-purified mitochondria isolated by IP from skeletal muscle tissue showed a high degree of purity. In summary, we describe a novel, powerful sequencing approach applicable to animal and human tissues and cells that can facilitate the discovery of nuclear-encoded RNA transcripts localised within skeletal muscle mitochondria.
Project description:Mitochondria are central to cellular function, particularly in metabolically active tissues such as skeletal muscle. Nuclear-encoded RNAs typically localise within the nucleus and cytosol but a small population may also translocate to subcellular compartments such as mitochondria. We aimed to investigate the nuclear-encoded RNAs that localise within the mitochondria of skeletal muscle cells and tissue. Intact mitochondria were isolated via immunoprecipitation (IP) followed by enzymatic treatments (RNase-A and proteinase-K) to remove transcripts located exterior to mitochondria, making it amenable for high-throughput transcriptomic sequencing. Whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing of enzymatically-purified mitochondria isolated by IP from skeletal muscle tissue showed a striking similarity in the degree of purity compared to mitoplast preparations which lack an outer mitochondrial membrane. In summary, we describe a novel, powerful sequencing approach applicable to animal and human tissues and cells that can facilitate the discovery of nuclear-encoded RNA transcripts localised within skeletal muscle mitochondria.
Project description:Circular RNAs are abundant, covalently closed transcripts that arise in cells through back-splicing and display distinct expression patterns across cells and developmental stages. While their functions are largely unknown, their intrinsic stability has made them valuable biomarkers in diseases like cancer. Here, we set out to examine circRNA patterns in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). By RNA-sequencing analysis, we first identified circRNAs and linear RNAs that were differentially abundant in skeletal muscle biopsies from ALS and normal individuals. Among these, 8 circRNAs were significantly elevated and 10 significantly reduced in ALS, while the linear counterparts, arising from shared precursor RNAs, did not change. Several of these circRNAs were also differentially abundant in motor neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) bearing ALS mutations, and across different disease stages in skeletal muscle from a mouse model of ALS (SOD1G93A). Interestingly, several of the circRNAs significantly elevated in muscle were significantly reduced in the spinal cord from ALS patients and ALS (SOD1G93A) mice. In sum, we have identified differentially abundant circRNAs in ALS-relevant tissues (muscle and spinal cord) that could inform about neuromuscular molecular programs in ALS and guide the development of therapies.
Project description:Caloric restriction (CR) without malnutrition appears to mitigate many detrimental effects of aging, in particular the age-related decline in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function. Although the mechanisms responsible for this protective effect remain unclear, CR is commonly believed to increase mitochondrial biogenesis; a concept that is now demanding closer scrutiny. Here we show that lifelong CR in mice prevents age-related loss of mitochondrial function, measured in isolated mitochondria and permeabilized muscle fibers. We find that these beneficial effects of CR occur without increasing mitochondrial abundance. Furthermore, whole-genome expression profiling and large-scale proteomic surveys revealed expression patterns inconsistent with increased mitochondrial biogenesis. These observations, combined with lower protein synthesis rates support an alternative hypothesis that CR preserves mitochondrial function not by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis, but rather by decreasing mitochondrial oxidant emission, increasing antioxidant scavenging, thereby minimizing oxidative damage to cellular components. Cross-sectional comparison of skeletal muscle from young (8mo), old (24mo) and old caloric restricted mice, obtained from the colony maintained on behalf of the National Institute on Aging.
Project description:To reveal an unappreciated mechanism of mitochondrial regulation of skeletal metabolic homeostasis via mitochondria transfer and provide new insights of the mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis progression.
Project description:Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a recessive, developmental disorder caused by the genetic loss or mutation of the gene SMN1 (Survival of Motor Neuron 1). SMA is characterized by neuromuscular symptoms and muscle weakness. Several years ago, SMA treatment underwent a radical transformation, with the approval of three different SMN-dependent disease modifying therapies. This includes two SMN2 splicing therapies - Risdiplam and Nusinersen. One main challenge for Type II SMA patients treated with these drugs is ongoing muscle fatigue, limited mobility, and other skeletal problems. To date, few molecular studies have been conducted on SMA-patient derived tissues after treatment, limiting our understanding of what targets remain after the principal spinal cord targeted therapies are applied. Therefore, we collected paravertebral muscle from eight Type II patients undergoing spinal surgery for scoliosis and seven controls. We used RNA-sequencing to characterize their transcriptional profiles and correlate these with muscle histology. Despite the limited cohort size and heterogeneity, we observed a consistent loss of oxidative phosphorylation machinery of the mitochondria, a decrease in mitochondrial DNA copy number, and a correlation between signals of cellular stress, denervation and increased fibrosis. This work provides new putative targets for combination therapies for Type II SMA.