Transplacental injection of somite-derived cells in mdx mouse embryos for the correction of dystrophin deficiency
Authors: S Corti
N Bresolin
G P Comi
M G D&#x27;Angelo
A DeLiso
Y Torrente
A Fassati
M Mericskay
R Del Bo
Z Li
D Paulin
G Scarlato
Journal: Human Molecular Genetics (2000)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: Duchenne muscular dystrophy; dystrophin deficiency; somite-derived cells; transplantation; mdx mouse embryos
Affiliations: IRCCS Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.

Abstract:  Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal recessive disease caused by the absence of dystrophin in skeletal muscle, heart and other tissues. No cure is available at present for DMD. Here we describe a new strategy for the correction of dystrophin deficiency based on the transplantation of normal somite-derived cells into mdx mouse embryos. Somite-derived cells were isolated from E11.5 transgenic mouse embryos expressing the LacZ gene under the control of the muscle-specific desmin promoter and injected into the uterine circulation of pregnant mdx mice at gestational days E11.5-E17. Approximately 30% of the injected mdx embryos survived the procedure. Donor somite-derived cells were able to cross the placenta and migrate into host embryonic tissues. The pattern of donor cell distribution in host tissues depended on the gestational age of the transplanted embryos. Cells were found in hindlimb muscles, diaphragm, heart and ribs in E11.5 treated embryos and in the skull, ribs, vertebrae and lung of E15-E17 treated embryos. Normal dystrophin transcripts were detected in muscle and bone by RT-PCR. Histochemical analysis showed co-localization of LacZ and dystrophin expression in 5% of soleus and quadriceps muscle fibres and in 4% of heart myocytes of two of seven 8-week-old treated mdx mice. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 The absurdity of the initial References does not inspire faith in the integrity of this paper s preparation.  Stable coronary heart disease (SCAD) refers to the rapid and transient ischemic hypoxia syndrome of the myocardium caused by the increase of myocardial load on the basis of coronary artery stenosis [1]. - [1] S. Tang, Z. Wang, D. Yuan, Y. Zhang, J. Qi, Y. Rao, G. Lu, B. Li, K. Wang, K. Yin, Int. J. Electrochem. Sci. 15 (2020) 2470u20132480. ** Enhanced photocatalytic performance of BiVO4 for degradation of methylene blue under LED visible light irradiation assisted by peroxymonosulfate **  According to the latest data from the United States, the incidence of SCAD is twice of myocardial infarction [2]. - [2] J. Su, Z. Sheng, A. Liu, Y. Han, Y. Chen, IEEE Trans. Commun. 68 (2020) 998u20131012. ** A Group-Based Binary Splitting Algorithm for UHF RFID Anti-Collision Systems **  In the past decades, more and more researches have indicated that the intestinal flora imbalance has a significant function in the precession of diseases [3]. - [3] C. Duan, Y. Yu, P. Yang, X. Zhang, F. Li, L. Li, H. Xi, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 59 (2020) 774u2013782. ** Engineering New Defects in MIL-100(Fe) via a Mixed-Ligand Approach To Effect Enhanced Volatile Organic Compound Adsorption Capacity ** , 
 The authors for this article are affiliated to the  *Department of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation* , the  *Department of Cardiology* , the  *Department of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation* and the  *Department of Gastroenterology* in two hospitals in China. The authorship contribution statement at the end of the article gives the following contributions: * Zhi Wang: Writing - original draft. * Yan-Qing Shen: Data curation, Formal analysis. * Jian-Feng Hao: Validation. * Qiao-Feng Chen: Formal analysis. * Yan Jin: Writing - review editing. But there is no mention of who synthesized the complexes, who determined the X-ray structures, who realized the TGA analysis, who recorded the emission spectra, who determined the release level of IL-17... Why do the editors accept such uninformative, useless, and probably invented contribution statements? , 
 I have so many questions about this paper! The authors acquired rats and subjected them to a state of  stable coronary heart disease , but they **can t tell us how**, because they **don t know**.  Briefly, forty rats utilized in this experiment were bought from Experimental Animal Research Center (Zhejiang, China), and the animals were kept at standard laboratory conditions with free water and food. All the preparation in this experiment were authorized via the Experimental Animal Research Center Ethics Committee (Zhejiang, China). Before carrying out this experiment, the mice were separated randomly into five distinct groups: group of normal (n = 10); group of model (n = 10); group of compound 1 treatment (treated using compound 1 and n = 10); group of compound 2 treatment (treated using compound 2 and n = 10). After building SCAD model, compound 1 or compound 2 was given for treatment at 5 mg kg concentration for specific time. After indicated treatment, the plasma in different groups was collected and the IL-17 content was measured with ELISA detection kit. This detection was carried out for three or more times. An experiment with 40 rats, repeated three times, would be an experiment with 120 rats. But the authors aren t even sure how many times they repeated the experiment. You d think that real researchers would keep track of such details. How were the insoluble crystals of Compound 1 and 2 administered? Waved over the cages, or stuck to the rats backs with strips of adhesive tape, or injected as a pulverised suspension? The researchers **don t know**. Is it normal for the company that supplied the researchers with these imaginary rats to also supply ethical clearance for the researchers to torture them in any way that comes to mind? Don t the researchers have their own Imaginary Ethics Committee to oversee their imaginary experiments? It is almost as if the *actual* authors didn t know who would be the customer for the manuscript, so they couldn t add customer-specific details. I have read **hundreds** of similar papers from the same production line. **None of them** address the situation where one group contains fewer animals than the others because a mouse rat died of its injuries or for unrelated reasons before the experiment was complete. You d think that the editor and reviewers of a real journal would keep track of such details, , 
 Appearances of the phrase Experimental Animal Research Center (Zhejiang, China) in the literature. ![file] ,