Fig. 6: Gli1+ MuSCs have higher ability to support muscle regeneration.
From: Gli1 marks a sentinel muscle stem cell population for muscle regeneration
a Scheme of the experimental strategy. Equal numbers (5000 cells) of freshly isolated GFP+tdT+ (Gli1+) MuSCs and GFP-tdT+ (Gli1−) MuSCs from Gli1-CreERT2; R26-eGFP; Pax7-DreERT2; R26-tdT mice, along with the same volumes of PBS were transplanted into pre-injured TA muscle of the NOD-SCID mice. b Left panel: Representative photographs of the TA muscles from NOD-SCID mice (n = 5). Scale bars, 2 mm. Right panel: Statistical analysis of TA muscle weight to body weight (n = 5). PBS injection served as control. c Time (Left panel) and distance (Right panel) of exhaustion in a downhill treadmill running exercise were measured in mice that received transplanted GFP+tdT+ (Gli1+) or GFP−tdT+ (Gli1−) MuSCs (n = 10). d Immunofluorescence staining for tdT (red), GFP (green), Laminin (gray) and DAPI (blue) on NOD-SCID mice TA muscle sections (n = 3). The boxed regions are magnified in the panels on the right with split channels. Scale bars, 50 µm. e Quantification analysis of the number of tdT+ fiber in the recipient NOD-SCID mice (n = 3). f Scheme of the experimental strategy. Equal numbers (5000 cells) of freshly isolated GFP+tdT+ (Gli1+) MuSCs and GFP-tdT+ (Gli1−) MuSCs from Gli1-CreERT2; R26-eGFP; Pax7-DreERT2; R26-tdT mice were transplanted into CTX-injured TA muscle of the DMD mice. g Immunofluorescence staining for tdT (red), GFP (green), Laminin (gray) and DAPI (blue) on TA muscle sections (n = 3). Scale bars, 50 µm. h Quantification analysis of the number of tdT+ fiber in the recipient DMD mice (n = 3). i Immunofluorescence staining for tdT (red), GFP (green), Dystrophin (gray) and DAPI (blue) on TA muscle sections (n = 3). Scale bars, 50 µm. j Quantification analysis of the number of Dystrophin+ fiber in the recipient DMD mice (n = 3). Data are presented as mean ± SEM; Statistical significance was determined by one-way ANOVA (b, c, e) or two-tailed unpaired Student’s t test (h, j). All numbers (n) are biologically independent experiments. Source data are provided in the Source Data File.
