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Sonic hedgehog gene therapy increases the ability of the dystrophic skeletal muscle to regenerate after injury

Gene Therapy volume 21, pages 413–421 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway is a crucial regulator of muscle development during embryogenesis. We have previously demonstrated that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) regulates postnatal myogenesis in the adult skeletal muscle both directly, by acting on muscle satellite cells, and indirectly, by promoting the production of growth factors from interstitial fibroblasts. Here, we show that in mdx mice, the murine equivalent of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in humans, progression of the dystrophic pathology corresponds to progressive inhibition of the Hh signaling pathway in the skeletal muscle. We also show that the upregulation of the Hh pathway in response to injury and during regeneration is significantly impaired in mdx muscle. Shh treatment increases the proliferative potential of satellite cells isolated from the muscles of mdx mice. This treatment also increases the production of proregenerative factors, such as insulin-like growth factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor, from fibroblasts isolated from the muscle of mdx mice. In vivo, overexpression of the Hh pathway using a plasmid encoding the human Shh gene promotes successful regeneration after injury in terms of increased number of proliferating myogenic cells and newly formed myofibers, as well as enhanced vascularization and decreased fibrosis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant RBID08MAFS (FIRB-IDEAS) from the Italian Department of University and Research (MIUR) and by NIH grant 1R21HL089684.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, A. Gemelli University Hospital, Catholic University School of Medicine, Rome, Italy

    A Piccioni, E Gaetani, M Palladino, I Gatto, V Neri, M Marcantoni, I Giarretta, R Landolfi & R Pola

  2. Division of Cardiovascular Research, Steward St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    A Piccioni, M Palladino, R C Smith, V Neri, M Silver & R Pola

  3. Laboratory of Vascular Pathology, IDI IRCCS Research Institute, Rome, Italy

    S Straino & M Capogrossi

  4. Explora Biotech, srl, Rome, Italy

    S Straino

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  1. A Piccioni
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  2. E Gaetani
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Correspondence to R Landolfi or R Pola.

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Piccioni, A., Gaetani, E., Palladino, M. et al. Sonic hedgehog gene therapy increases the ability of the dystrophic skeletal muscle to regenerate after injury. Gene Ther 21, 413–421 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/gt.2014.13

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