Fibroblast fusion to the muscle fiber regulates myotendinous junction formation

Wesal Yaseen, Ortal Kraft-Sheleg, Shelly Zaffryar-Eilot, Shay Melamed, Chengyi Sun, Douglas P. Millay and Peleg Hasson ()
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Wesal Yaseen: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Ortal Kraft-Sheleg: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Shelly Zaffryar-Eilot: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Shay Melamed: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Chengyi Sun: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Douglas P. Millay: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Peleg Hasson: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Vertebrate muscles and tendons are derived from distinct embryonic origins yet they must interact in order to facilitate muscle contraction and body movements. How robust muscle tendon junctions (MTJs) form to be able to withstand contraction forces is still not understood. Using techniques at a single cell resolution we reexamine the classical view of distinct identities for the tissues composing the musculoskeletal system. We identify fibroblasts that have switched on a myogenic program and demonstrate these dual identity cells fuse into the developing muscle fibers along the MTJs facilitating the introduction of fibroblast-specific transcripts into the elongating myofibers. We suggest this mechanism resulting in a hybrid muscle fiber, primarily along the fiber tips, enables a smooth transition from muscle fiber characteristics towards tendon features essential for forming robust MTJs. We propose that dual characteristics of junctional cells could be a common mechanism for generating stable interactions between tissues throughout the musculoskeletal system.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24159-9

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