Normal embryonic spinal cord cells can induce spontaneous contractions in muscular dysgenic myotubes by forming functional synapses rather than fusing.
May guide cell therapy development for congenital myopathies; leaves open translation from dysgenic mouse models to patients.
Muscular dysgenic (mdg/mdg) myotubes cultured alone do not contract. Glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI-1) isozymes were analyzed to determine the final genotype of cultured dysgenic (mdg/mdg, gpi-1a/a) myotubes to which normal embryonic spinal cord and limb cells (CBA/J +/+, gpi-1b/b) had been added. Although both myoblast and spinal cord cell additions caused induction of spontaneous contractions, only myoblasts fused with the myotubes to create functional heterokaryons. Spinal cord cells did not fuse with dysgenic myotubes, but formed functional synapses.
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Powell et al. (1984) studied this question.
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