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Activity-dependent gene regulation in conditionally-immortalized muscle precursor cell lines
Peter C D Macpherson1, Steven T Suhr, Daniel Goldman
1Mental Health Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 205 Zina Pitcher Pl., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0720, USA. petercdm@umich.edu
Journal of Cellular Biochemistry
|March 3, 2004
Summary
Researchers developed novel immortalized rat myoblast-like tetracycline (RMT) cell lines that exhibit robust spontaneous contractile activity, mimicking primary muscle cultures for skeletal muscle research.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Physiology
Background:
- Skeletal muscle contractile activity is crucial for cell differentiation and maturation.
- Primary muscle cell cultures are labor-intensive and costly.
- Existing immortalized cell lines lack sufficient contractile activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop conditionally-immortalized skeletal muscle cell lines with robust spontaneous contractile activity.
- To provide a viable alternative to primary muscle cultures for research.
Main Methods:
- Primary myoblasts were infected with a retroviral vector expressing a temperature-sensitive T-antigen.
- Clonal cell lines (RMT lines) were isolated.
- RMT lines were cultured in non-transformation-permissive conditions to induce differentiation and contractile activity.
Main Results:
- RMT cell lines differentiate into mature myotubes with spontaneous contractile activity.
- RMT lines share morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics with primary cultures.
- Activity-dependent gene regulation in RMT lines mirrors that of primary cultures, including for nAChR, MuSK, and myogenin.
Conclusions:
- Conditionally-immortalized RMT cell lines offer a valuable alternative to primary cultures.
- RMT lines facilitate the study of muscle differentiation and activity-dependent processes.
- These cell lines support research on molecular and physiological aspects of muscle fiber electrical activity.