Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube Function

Abstract Fast twitch muscle fibers are prone to degradation in skeletal muscle pathologies, such as sarcopenia and muscular dystrophies. We previously showed that the exercise‐induced long noncoding RNA CYTOR promotes fast‐twitch myogenesis. Here, we identify an independent functional element within...

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Main Authors: Zeinabou Niasse‐Sy, Bo Zhao, Ajda Lenardič, Huyen Thuc Tran Luong, Ori Bar‐Nur, Johan Auwerx, Martin Wohlwend
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-05-01
Series:Advanced Science
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202410908
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author Zeinabou Niasse‐Sy
Bo Zhao
Ajda Lenardič
Huyen Thuc Tran Luong
Ori Bar‐Nur
Johan Auwerx
Martin Wohlwend
author_facet Zeinabou Niasse‐Sy
Bo Zhao
Ajda Lenardič
Huyen Thuc Tran Luong
Ori Bar‐Nur
Johan Auwerx
Martin Wohlwend
author_sort Zeinabou Niasse‐Sy
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Fast twitch muscle fibers are prone to degradation in skeletal muscle pathologies, such as sarcopenia and muscular dystrophies. We previously showed that the exercise‐induced long noncoding RNA CYTOR promotes fast‐twitch myogenesis. Here, we identify an independent functional element within human CYTOR, and optimize its RNA delivery. In human primary myoblasts exogenous CYTOR exon 2 recapitulates the effect of full‐length CYTOR by boosting fast‐twitch myogenic differentiation. Furthermore, chemically modified CYTOR exon 2 RNAΨU (N1‐me‐PseudoU, 7‐methyl guanosine 5′Cap, polyA) enhances RNA stability and reduces immunogenicity to CYTORexon2 RNA. Viral‐ or chemically optimized RNA‐mediated CYTORexon2 administration drives commitment toward myogenic maturation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy‐derived primary myoblasts, myogenic progenitor cells, and mouse embryonic stem cells. Furthermore, CYTORexon2, m1ΨU improves key disease characteristics in dystrophic myotubes, including calcium handling and mitochondrial bioenergetics. In summary, we identify CYTOR exon 2 as the functional domain of CYTOR that can be delivered in a disease context using chemical modifications. This is of particular importance given the susceptibility of fast muscle fibers in different muscle pathologies such as aging and dystrophies, and the oncogenic effect of CYTOR exon 1. This study, therefore, highlights the potential of identifying functional domains in noncoding RNAs. Delivery, or targeting of RNA domains might constitute next‐generation RNA therapeutics.
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spelling doaj-art-63fcde4a608b4342bccf376aed5afe832025-08-20T03:26:38ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442025-05-011220n/an/a10.1002/advs.202410908Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube FunctionZeinabou Niasse‐Sy0Bo Zhao1Ajda Lenardič2Huyen Thuc Tran Luong3Ori Bar‐Nur4Johan Auwerx5Martin Wohlwend6Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Lausanne 1015 SwitzerlandMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge 02139 USALaboratory of Regenerative and Muscle Biology Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport Department of Health Sciences and Technology ETH Zurich Schwerzenbach 8603 SwitzerlandLaboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Lausanne 1015 SwitzerlandLaboratory of Regenerative and Muscle Biology Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport Department of Health Sciences and Technology ETH Zurich Schwerzenbach 8603 SwitzerlandLaboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Lausanne 1015 SwitzerlandMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge 02139 USAAbstract Fast twitch muscle fibers are prone to degradation in skeletal muscle pathologies, such as sarcopenia and muscular dystrophies. We previously showed that the exercise‐induced long noncoding RNA CYTOR promotes fast‐twitch myogenesis. Here, we identify an independent functional element within human CYTOR, and optimize its RNA delivery. In human primary myoblasts exogenous CYTOR exon 2 recapitulates the effect of full‐length CYTOR by boosting fast‐twitch myogenic differentiation. Furthermore, chemically modified CYTOR exon 2 RNAΨU (N1‐me‐PseudoU, 7‐methyl guanosine 5′Cap, polyA) enhances RNA stability and reduces immunogenicity to CYTORexon2 RNA. Viral‐ or chemically optimized RNA‐mediated CYTORexon2 administration drives commitment toward myogenic maturation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy‐derived primary myoblasts, myogenic progenitor cells, and mouse embryonic stem cells. Furthermore, CYTORexon2, m1ΨU improves key disease characteristics in dystrophic myotubes, including calcium handling and mitochondrial bioenergetics. In summary, we identify CYTOR exon 2 as the functional domain of CYTOR that can be delivered in a disease context using chemical modifications. This is of particular importance given the susceptibility of fast muscle fibers in different muscle pathologies such as aging and dystrophies, and the oncogenic effect of CYTOR exon 1. This study, therefore, highlights the potential of identifying functional domains in noncoding RNAs. Delivery, or targeting of RNA domains might constitute next‐generation RNA therapeutics.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202410908agingCYTORdifferentiationdystrophyfunctional domainlong noncoding RNA
spellingShingle Zeinabou Niasse‐Sy
Bo Zhao
Ajda Lenardič
Huyen Thuc Tran Luong
Ori Bar‐Nur
Johan Auwerx
Martin Wohlwend
Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube Function
Advanced Science
aging
CYTOR
differentiation
dystrophy
functional domain
long noncoding RNA
title Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube Function
title_full Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube Function
title_fullStr Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube Function
title_full_unstemmed Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube Function
title_short Delivery of A Chemically Modified Noncoding RNA Domain Improves Dystrophic Myotube Function
title_sort delivery of a chemically modified noncoding rna domain improves dystrophic myotube function
topic aging
CYTOR
differentiation
dystrophy
functional domain
long noncoding RNA
url https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202410908
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