Anti-myogenic and profibrotic effect of serum from patients affected by muscular laminopathies

Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy type 2 (EDMD2) and LMNA-related congenital muscular dystrophy (L-CMD) are caused by mutations in LMNA gene. Both pathologies are characterized by joint contractures, muscle weakness and wasting and cardiac involvement. In the last few years, circulating factors have been proposed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Based on this consideration, we studied the effect of laminopathic serum on the myogenic differentiation in healthy human myoblasts in culture. We observed impaired myogenesis and increased fibrosis in myoblast cultures conditioned with laminopathic serum and a dramatic increase in the level of profibrotic and proinflammatory cytokines in the cell culture supernatants. These results strongly support the pathogenic role of circulating factors in muscular laminopathies and pave the way to a possible therapeutic strategy.