Division of Research, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA.
Cells. 2023 Jun 27;12(13):1725. doi: 10.3390/cells12131725.
Herein, we review a unique and versatile lineage composed of Myo/Nog cells that may be beneficial or detrimental depending on their environment and nature of the pathological stimuli they are exposed to. While we will focus on the lens, related Myo/Nog cell behaviors and functions in other tissues are integrated into the narrative of our research that spans over three decades, examines multiple species and progresses from early stages of embryonic development to aging adults. Myo/Nog cells were discovered in the embryonic epiblast by their co-expression of the skeletal muscle-specific transcription factor MyoD, the bone morphogenetic protein inhibitor Noggin and brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1. They were tracked from the epiblast into the developing lens, revealing heterogeneity of cell types within this structure. Depletion of Myo/Nog cells in the epiblast results in eye malformations arising from the absence of Noggin. In the adult lens, Myo/Nog cells are the source of myofibroblasts whose contractions produce wrinkles in the capsule. Eliminating this population within the rabbit lens during cataract surgery reduces posterior capsule opacification to below clinically significant levels. Parallels are drawn between the therapeutic potential of targeting Myo/Nog cells to prevent fibrotic disease in the lens and other ocular tissues.
在此，我们回顾了一个独特且多功能的细胞谱系，该谱系由 Myo/Nog 细胞组成，其功能可能有益也可能有害，具体取决于其所处的环境以及所暴露的病理刺激的性质。虽然我们将重点关注晶状体，但与 Myo/Nog 细胞相关的行为和功能在其他组织中也被纳入了我们跨越三个十年的研究叙述中，该研究涉及多个物种，研究范围从胚胎发育的早期阶段到衰老的成年人。Myo/Nog 细胞是通过其与骨骼肌特异性转录因子 MyoD、骨形态发生蛋白抑制剂 Noggin 和脑特异性血管生成抑制剂 1 的共表达在胚胎外胚层中被发现的。它们从外胚层追踪到发育中的晶状体，揭示了该结构内细胞类型的异质性。在外胚层中耗尽 Myo/Nog 细胞会导致 Noggin 缺失引起的眼睛畸形。在成年晶状体中，Myo/Nog 细胞是肌成纤维细胞的来源，其收缩会在囊膜上产生皱纹。在兔晶状体白内障手术中消除该细胞群可将后囊混浊减少到低于临床显著水平。在晶状体和其他眼组织中，靶向 Myo/Nog 细胞以预防纤维化疾病的治疗潜力之间存在相似之处。
