Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) represents a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive death of the upper and lower motor neurons. Because accompanying inflammation may interact with and promote neurodegeneration, anti-inflammatory treatment strategies are being evaluated. Because peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ␥ (PPAR␥) agonists act as potent antiinflammatory drugs, we tested whether superoxide dismutase (SOD1)-G93A transgenic mice, a mouse model of ALS, benefit from oral treatment with the PPAR␥ agonist pioglitazone (Pio). Pio-treated transgenic mice revealed improved muscle strength and body weight, exhibited a delayed disease onset, and survived significantly longer than nontreated SOD1-G93A mice. Quantification of motor neurons of the spinal cord at day 90 revealed complete neuroprotection by Pio, whereas nontreated SOD1-G93A mice had lost 30% of motor neurons. This was paralleled by preservation of the median fiber diameter of the quadriceps muscle, indicating not only morphological but also functional protection of motor neurons by Pio. Activated microglia were significantly reduced at sites of neurodegeneration in Pio-treated SOD1-G93A mice, as were the protein levels of cyclooxygenase 2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Interestingly, mRNA levels of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 and 3 genes were increased by Pio, whereas both the mRNA and protein levels of endogenous mouse SOD1 and of transgenic human SOD1 remained unaffected.

Mutations of the human plectin gene (Plec1) cause autosomal recessive epidermolysis bullosa simplex with muscular dystrophy (EBS-MD). Here, we report on molecular mechanisms leading to severe dystrophic muscle alterations in EBS-MD. Analysis of a 25-yr-old EBS-MD patient carrying a novel homozygous 16-bp insertion mutation (13803ins16/13803ins16) close to the intermediate filament (IF) binding site of plectin showed severe disorganization of the myogenic IF cytoskeleton. Intermyofibrillar and subsarcolemmal accumulations of assembled but highly unordered desmin filaments may be attributed to impaired desmin binding capability of the mutant plectin. This IF pathology was also associated with severe mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that the muscle pathology of EBS-MD caused by IF disorganization leads not only to defects in mechanical force transduction but also to metabolic dysfunction. Beyond EBS-MD, our data may contribute to the understanding of other myopathies characterized by sarcoplasmic IF accumulations such as desminopathies or alpha-B-crystallinopathies.

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'Myofibrillar myopathy' defines a myopathic condition with focal myofibrillar destruction and accumulation of degraded myofibrillar elements. Despite the fact that a number of mutations in different genes as well as cytotoxic agents lead to the disease, abnormal accumulation of desmin is a typical, common feature. Pathological changes of mitochondrial morphology and function have been observed in animal models with intermediate filament pathology. Therefore, in the present study we tested for mitochondrial pathology in skeletal muscle of five patients with the pathohistological diagnosis of myofibrillar myopathy. Screening for large-scale mtDNA deletions and the frequent MERRF (myoclonic epilepsy; ragged red fibres) and MELAS (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy; lactic acidosis; stroke) point mutations was negative in all patients. Histologically, all muscle biopsies showed nonspecific abnormalities of the oxidative/mitochondrial enzyme stainings (histochemistry for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, succinic dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase), only one of them had ragged red fibres and a significant number of cytochrome c oxidase-negative fibres. Upon biochemical investigation, four of our patients showed pathologically low respiratory chain complex I activities. Only one of our patients had a pathologically low complex IV activity, while the measurements of the others were within low normal range. The single patient with pathological values for both complex I and IV was the one with the clear histological hallmarks (ragged red and cytochrome c oxidase-negative fibres) of mitochondrial pathology. She also was the only patient with clinical signs hinting at a mitochondrial disorder. Together with data from observations in desmin- and plectin-deficient mice, our results support the view that desmin intermediate filament pathology in these cases is closely linked to mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine secreted by activated T cells and macrophages that has antiapoptotic, proproliferative, and chemotactic effects. Because these cells are major components of many muscle disorders with different etiologies, we investigated the amount and distribution of MIF in inflammatory myopathies. Concentrations of MIF in protein lysates from dermatomyositis (n = 6), polymyositis (n = 7), sporadic inclusion body myositis (n = 9) muscle samples and control biopsies without specific changes (n = 10) were determined by ELISA. In polymyositis, MIF concentrations were higher than in controls (p<0.05), whereas they were not significantly different in other inflammatory myopathies. By immunohistochemistry, MIF was detected not only in inflammatory cells, but also at muscle fiber membranes where they were invaded or bordered infiltrates or necrotic fibers; focal sarcoplasmic reactivity was also observed. A similar distribution was found in areas of infiltration, necrosis, myophagocytosis, degeneration, and regeneration in 8 muscular dystrophy samples. The expression of MIF was verified in human myogenic tissue cultures; MIF immunoreactivity decreased with progressive differentiation, and its distribution changed. These data suggest that MIF is a skeletal muscle cytokine with probable functions beyond inflammatory pathology in the complex regenerative response to muscle fiber damage.

To review our diagnostic and treatment approaches concerning sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) and polymyositis with mitochondrial pathology (PM-Mito), we conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical and histological data of 32 patients diagnosed as sIBM and 7 patients diagnosed as PM-Mito by muscle biopsy. Of 32 patients identified histologically as sIBM, 19 fulfilled the 2011 European Neuromuscular Center (ENMC) diagnostic criteria for “clinico-pathologically defined sIBM” at the time of biopsy. Among these, 2 patients developed sIBM after years of immunosuppressive treatment for organ transplantation. Of 11 patients fulfilling the histological but not the clinical criteria, including 3 cases with duration &lt;12 months, 8 later fulfilled the criteria for clinico-pathologically defined sIBM. Of 7 PM-Mito patients, 4 received immunosuppression with clinical improvement in 3. One of these later developed clinico-pathologically defined sIBM; 1 untreated patient progressed to clinically defined sIBM. Thus, muscle histology remains important for this differential diagnosis to identify sIBM patients not matching the ENMC criteria and the PM-Mito group. In the latter, we report at least 50% positive, if occasionally transient, response to immunosuppressive treatments and progression to sIBM in a minority. The mitochondrial abnormalities defining PM-Mito do not seem to define the threshold to immunosuppression unresponsiveness.

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) is the most prevalent acquired muscle disorder in the elderly with no defined etiology or effective therapy. Endoplasmic reticulum stress and deposition of myostatin, a secreted negative regulator of muscle growth, have been implicated in disease pathology. The myostatin signaling pathway has emerged as a major target for symptomatic treatment of muscle atrophy. Here, we systematically analyzed the maturation and secretion of myostatin precursor MstnPP and its metabolites in a human muscle cell line. We find that increased MsntPP protein levels induce ER stress. MstnPP metabolites were predominantly retained within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), also evident in sIBM histology. MstnPP cleavage products formed insoluble high molecular weight aggregates, a process that was aggravated by experimental ER stress. Importantly, ER stress also impaired secretion of mature myostatin. Reduced secretion and aggregation of MstnPP metabolites were not simply caused by overexpression, as both events were also observed in wildtype cells under ER stress. It is tempting to speculate that reduced circulating myostatin growth factor could be one explanation for the poor clinical efficacy of drugs targeting the myostatin pathway in sIBM.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12035-018-0997-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The link between specific changes in myofiber type proportions and modulation of training in human skeletal muscle has yet to be unraveled. We investigated whether a defined increase in training volume induces a corresponding change of myofiber shifting in human skeletal muscle with distinct basal myofiber distribution. Twenty-one male cyclists (Age 26 ± 4 years) with different performance levels were exposed to increased cycling training volume with reduced power output for 3 months. Biopsies were taken from vastus lateralis muscle PRE-POST and the proportions of type I, IIa, IIx and IIc myofibers were determined. Total training time did not correlate to the degree of fiber type shifting of any type. In the entire sample of subjects, the proportion of type I myofibers tended to increase (P = 0.14) while IIa fibers decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Subgroups of subjects possessing higher (HPS) and lower proportions (LPS) of type I myofibers at baseline showed a distinct pattern in changing myofiber distribution. Subjects in HPS offered no change in myofiber proportions of any type. In contrast, subjects in LPS showed marked increases in type I (P = 0.06) and a significant reduction in IIa myofibers (P = 0.01). An inverse correlation between baseline proportion of type I and IIa myofibers and its change was observed. We conclude that individual myofiber composition constitutes a modulating factor for exercise-induced changes in its distribution. This might be influenced by altered demands of myofiber recruitment in relation to the intensity of muscle contraction but also by its relative abundance in contracting muscle.