Heckel, E. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2023

Metabolic Reprogramming of the Neovascular Niche Promotes Regenerative Angiogenesis in Proliferative Retinopathy

Healthy blood vessels supply neurons to preserve metabolic function. In blinding ischemic proliferative retinopathies (PRs), pathological neovascular tufts often emerge in lieu of needed physiological neuroretina revascularization. We show that metabolic shifts in the neurovascular niche define this angiogenic dichotomy between healthy and diseased blood vessel growth. Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) metabolites accumulated in human and murine retinopathy samples. Neovascular tufts with a distinct single-cell transcriptional signature highly expressed FAO enzymes. The deletion of Sirt3, an FAO regulator, shifted the neurovascular niche metabolism from FAO to glycolysis and suppressed tuft formation. This metabolic transition increased Vegf expression in astrocytes and reprogrammed pathological EC to a physiological phenotype, hastening vascular regeneration of the ischemic retina. Our findings identify SIRT3 as a metabolic switch in the neurovascular niche, offering a new therapeutic target for optimizing ischemic tissue revascularization. HighlightsO_LIPathological EC favor FAO over glycolysis. C_LIO_LIUnique signature for pathological EC found in proliferative retinopathy model. C_LIO_LISirt3 deletion shifts astrocytes and EC metabolism from FAO to glycolysis. C_LIO_LIMetabolic reprogramming of the vascular niche enhances physiological revascularization. C_LI Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=83 SRC="FIGDIR/small/566898v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (21K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@70020eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@19719acorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1168ddeorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1bc25e0_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Inhibition of Type I PRMTs Reforms Muscle Stem Cell Identity Enhancing their Therapeutic Capacity

In skeletal muscle, muscle stem cells (MuSC) are the main cells responsible for regeneration upon injury. In diseased skeletal muscle, it would be therapeutically advantageous to replace defective MuSCs, or rejuvenate them with drugs to enhance their self-renewal and ensure long-term regenerative potential. One limitation of the replacement approach has been the inability to efficiently expand MuSCs ex vivo, while maintaining their stemness and engraftment abilities. Herein, we show that inhibition of type I protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) with MS023 increases the proliferative capacity of ex vivo cultured MuSCs. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) of ex vivo cultured MuSCs revealed the emergence of subpopulations in MS023-treated cells which are defined by elevated Pax7 expression and markers of MuSC quiescence, both features of enhanced self-renewal. Furthermore, the scRNAseq identified MS023-specific subpopulations to be metabolically altered with upregulated glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos). Transplantation of MuSCs treated with MS023 had a better ability to repopulate the MuSC niche and contributed efficiently to muscle regeneration following injury. Interestingly, the preclinical mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy had increased grip strength with MS023 treatment. Our findings show that inhibition of type I PRMTs increased the proliferation capabilities of MuSCs with altered cellular metabolism, while maintaining their stem-like properties such as self-renewal and engraftment potential.

molecular biology↗