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Figure 6 | Skeletal Muscle

Figure 6

From: Increased microenvironment stiffness in damaged myofibers promotes myogenic progenitor cell proliferation

Figure 6

Collapse of myofibers increases the myogenic progenitor cell microenvironment stiffness and maintains cell proliferation. (A) Representative phase contrast photomicrographs of freshly isolated intact and collapsed myofibers from 3 WT mice in differentiation medium during AFM measurements. The triangular cantilever is shown. (B) Histograms showing the stiffness of isolated intact myofibers (n = 27), collapsed myofibers after 0 days of culture (n = 26), and collapsed myofibers after 6 days of culture (n = 22). The myofiber stiffness values (average of 3 measurements/myofiber) from 3 independent experiments are expressed as kPa. ***P < 0.0001 versus intact myofibers on day 0. (C) Scatter dot plot showing the number of myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs or myoblasts)/ cm2 after 3 days of culture in proliferative medium on the 0.5- and 2-kPa substrates. The results were obtained by counting eight fields/well and three wells/substrate (n = 3). (D) Scatter dot plot showing the number of MPCs/cm2 after 3 days of culture in proliferative medium on the 0.5- or 2-kPa substrates following treatment with mitomycin. Results were obtained by counting 15 fields/well and 4 wells/substrate (n = 2). (E) Scatter dot plot showing the percentage of Ki67+ MPCs after 3 days of culture in proliferative medium on the 0.5- or 2-kPa substrates. Results were obtained by counting eight fields/well and three wells/substrate (n = 3). (F) Scatter dot plot showing the percentage of Myog+ MPCs after 3 days of culture in proliferative medium on the 0.5- and 2-kPa substrates. Results were obtained by counting eight fields/well and three wells/ substrate (n = 3). The primary MPC lines were isolated from 3 different mice. Percentages are expressed as relative values of the 0.5-kPa substrate values. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.0001 versus 0.5 kPa. Results are expressed as means ± SEM.

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