Go to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Journal stats
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • All ...
  • Videos
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Resource and Technical Advances
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Editorials
    • Perspectives
    • Physician-Scientist Development
    • Reviews
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • In-Press Preview
  • Resource and Technical Advances
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Editorials
  • Perspectives
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Reviews
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Journal stats
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Excess muscle plasma membrane leak disrupts ECM content and shifts macrophage-mediated muscle repair
GaHyun Lee, Alexander J. Fitt, Ashlee M. Long, Lauren A. Vaught, Dorothy DeBiasse, Alexander R. Keeble, Jason M. Kwon, Patrick G.T. Page, Marie-Therese Daher, Michele Hadhazy, Alexander B. Willis, David Ceja Galindo, Maxwell McCabe, Connor Lantz, Kirk C. Hansen, Rachelle H. Crosbie, Edward B. Thorp, Alexis R. Demonbreun, Elizabeth M. McNally
GaHyun Lee, Alexander J. Fitt, Ashlee M. Long, Lauren A. Vaught, Dorothy DeBiasse, Alexander R. Keeble, Jason M. Kwon, Patrick G.T. Page, Marie-Therese Daher, Michele Hadhazy, Alexander B. Willis, David Ceja Galindo, Maxwell McCabe, Connor Lantz, Kirk C. Hansen, Rachelle H. Crosbie, Edward B. Thorp, Alexis R. Demonbreun, Elizabeth M. McNally
View: Text | PDF
Research Article Inflammation Muscle biology

Excess muscle plasma membrane leak disrupts ECM content and shifts macrophage-mediated muscle repair

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

Plasma membrane repair is critical for tissue integrity, especially for elongated contractile muscle cells. Genetically mediated defects in plasma membrane resealing produce persistent leak, leading to a disordered extracellular matrix (ECM). Loss of the membrane repair protein dysferlin slows sarcolemmal resealing and promotes excess leak. Annexin A6 is also implicated in sarcolemmal repair, forming repair caps at the site of membrane disruption. On its own, deletion of the gene for annexin A6, Anxa6, had little effect on muscle health. In contrast, combined loss of dysferlin and annexin A6 (DysfA6) generated muscle fibers with profoundly defective membrane leak. Strikingly, Anxa6 deletion in the context of loss of dystrophin (mdxA6) did not exacerbate muscle defects. The persistent membrane leak in DysfA6 muscle resulted in marked macrophage infiltration with disordered macrophage polarization. Injured muscle fibers were targets of macrophage efferocytosis. Loss of Anxa6 was associated with increased expression of annexins A1 and A2, both of which were heavily deposited into the ECM. In vitro, macrophages exposed to annexins A1 and A2 increased Csf1 expression, consistent with a model where excess leak results in annexins A1 and A2 in the ECM, where this protein composition influences macrophage proliferation and efferocytosis.

Authors

GaHyun Lee, Alexander J. Fitt, Ashlee M. Long, Lauren A. Vaught, Dorothy DeBiasse, Alexander R. Keeble, Jason M. Kwon, Patrick G.T. Page, Marie-Therese Daher, Michele Hadhazy, Alexander B. Willis, David Ceja Galindo, Maxwell McCabe, Connor Lantz, Kirk C. Hansen, Rachelle H. Crosbie, Edward B. Thorp, Alexis R. Demonbreun, Elizabeth M. McNally

×

Figure 4

Mertk+Trem2+ macrophages are the largest subtype of macrophages.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint

Mertk+Trem2+ macrophages are the largest subtype of macrophages.
(A) Ad...
(A) Adgre1+ (F4/80) myeloid cells from the Dysf and DysfA6 mononuclear cell fraction were analyzed by UMAP to identify macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Mertk+Trem2+ macrophages constitute the largest subtype. (B) Expression of select genes across macrophage subtypes, highlighting the relatively low Spp1 expression in Mertk+Trem2+ macrophages. (C) The dendrogram based on gene expression profiles identifies relationships among macrophage subtypes showing that Mertk+Trem2+ macrophages are distinct from Spp1+ macrophages. (D) MERTK protein signal (green) was more abundant in DysfA6 compared with Dysf muscle, and approximately 50%–60% of macrophages expressed MERTK in Dysf and DysfA6 muscle (n = 5 mice per genotype, 4–5 images across 2 sections per mouse). (E) MERTK (green) signal clustered around EBD+ (red) myofibers in DysfA6 muscle. *P < 0.05 by 2-tailed Student’s t test for comparisons between averages per mouse. Scale bars: 100 μm.

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN 2379-3708

Sign up for email alerts