Target formation in muscle fibres indicates reinnervation - A proteomic study in muscle samples from peripheral neuropathies

Aims Target skeletal muscle fibres - defined by different concentric areas in oxidative enzyme staining - can occur in patients with neurogenic muscular atrophy. Here, we used our established hypothesis-free proteomic approach with the aim of deciphering the protein composition of targets. We also searched for potential novel interactions between target proteins. Methods Targets and control areas were laser microdissected from skeletal muscle sections of 20 patients with neurogenic muscular atrophy. Samples were analysed by a highly sensitive mass spectrometry approach, enabling relative protein quantification. The results were validated by immunofluorescence studies. Protein interactions were investigated by yeast two-hybrid assays, coimmunoprecipitation experiments and bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Results More than 1000 proteins were identified. Among these, 55 proteins were significantly over-represented and 40 proteins were significantly under-represented in targets compared to intraindividual control samples. The majority of over-represented proteins were associated with the myofibrillar Z-disc and actin dynamics, followed by myosin and myosin-associated proteins, proteins involved in protein biosynthesis and chaperones. Under-represented proteins were mainly mitochondrial proteins. Functional studies revealed that the LIM domain of the over-represented protein LIMCH1 interacts with isoform A of Xin actin-binding repeat-containing protein 1 (XinA). Conclusions In particular, proteins involved in myofibrillogenesis are over-represented in target structures, which indicate an ongoing process of sarcomere assembly and/or remodelling within this specific area of the muscle fibres. We speculate that target structures are the result of reinnervation processes in which filamin C-associated myofibrillogenesis is tightly regulated by the BAG3-associated protein quality system.