Jk. Mcgeachie et al., AGE-RELATED-CHANGES IN REPLICATION OF MYOGENIC CELLS IN MDX MICE - QUANTITATIVE AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDIES, Journal of the neurological sciences, 119(2), 1993, pp. 169-179
Cell replication in muscle was measured by tritiated thymidine (H-3-Td
R) incorporation and autoradiography, in mdx mice from 2-44 weeks of a
ge. Pre-mitotic labelling (within 1 h of H-3-TdR injection) was determ
ined in 16 mice aged from 15 to 300 days. In 30 further mdx mice, one
leg was irradiated 1 h after H-3-TdR injection to block DNA synthesis.
Post-mitotic labelling was measured in both legs 10-15 days later. Be
tween 20 and 60 days of age a very high proportion (up to 2%) of muscl
e (satellite cell) nuclei were replicating pre-mitotically; from 80-30
0 days cell replication was detectable but at much lower levels. Centr
ally placed nuclei within muscle fibres appeared at 24 days, increased
rapidly to 50% by 50-100 days, declining thereafter to 25% at 300 day
s. In post-mitotic samples, labelled myotubes and labelled peripheral
muscle nuclei (satellite cell nuclei and myonuclei) appeared at 28 day
s and were present in the mdx muscles through to 310 days, indicating
continued cell replication and muscle regeneration. Myogenic cell repl
ication was both retarded and inhibited by irradiation. These data dem
onstrate that muscle cell replication in mdx mice commences at about 3
weeks of age, is maximal at 4-8 weeks, but continues at lower levels
until at least 44 weeks.