Relaxin favors the morphofunctional integration between skeletal myoblasts and adult cardiomyocytes in coculture.
We have investigated the interaction between mouse skeletal myoblasts and rat cardiomyocytes in coculture and the influence of relaxin. Connexin43 expression, Lucifer yellow microinjection, Ca2+ propagation, and electrophysiological analysis have shown that myoblasts and cardiomyocytes are coupled by functional gap junctions. Cardiomyocytes and relaxin upregulated connexin43 expression and gap junctional communication in myoblasts. Relaxin also increased transjunctional current between myoblasts and between myoblasts and cardiomyocytes. In conclusion, relaxin potentiates the intercellular coupling, upregulating the transcellular exchange of regulatory molecules between myoblasts and cardiomyocytes, including Ca2+. This could favor the transdifferentiation of myoblasts toward a cardiac phenotype.
Formigli
Lucia
L
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Forensic Medicine, Viale G. Pieraccini 6, Florence I-50139, Italy.
Francini
Fabio
F
Chiappini
Laura
L
Zecchi-Orlandini
Sandra
S
Bani
Daniele
D
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D032448:Myoblasts, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D012065:Relaxin / Q000494:pharmacology*
D018031:Connexin 43; D012065:Relaxin; D002118:Calcium