Skeletal muscle-derived extracellular vesicles are altered with chronic contractile activity
Authors: Obi Patience O. , Seif Samira , Bydak Benjamin , Pierdoná Taiana M. , Turner-Brannen Emily , West Adrian R. , Labouta Hagar I. , Gordon Joseph W. , Saleem Ayesha 
Published: February 2022

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small lipid membrane-bound structures that are secreted by all cells, and play a central role in cellular communication. EVs are released from skeletal muscle during exercise, but the effects of contractile activity on skeletal muscle-derived EVs (Skm-EVs) are poorly understood due to the challenges in distinguishing Skm-EVs derived from exercising muscle in vivo. To specifically characterize Skm-EVs, C2C12 myoblasts were differentiated into myotubes, and electrically paced (3h/day x 4days @14V, C-PACE EM, IonOptix) to mimic chronic exercise in vitro. EVs were isolated from conditioned media from control and stimulated myotubes using differential ultracentrifugation. Isolated EVs were characterized biophysically (size, zeta potential, yield, protein markers and by transmission electron microscopy; TEM). Chronic stimulation increased markers of mitochondrial biogenesis such as MitoTracker Red staining, cytochrome c oxidase activity and expression of cytochrome c (p<0.05, N=7-8) in stimulated vs. non-stimulated myotubes. The average size of EVs from chronically stimulated myotubes (CS-EVs, 132 nm) was 26% smaller than control (CON-EVs, 178 nm) (p<0.05, N=8). Size distribution analysis revealed that CS-EVs were enriched with 100-150 nm sized small EVs, while CON-EVs were largely composed of 200-250 nm sized vesicles (p<0.05, main interaction effect, N=8). TEM confirmed the presence of round-shaped vesicles of about 30-100 nm with an intact lipid bilayer in CON-EVs and CS-EVs. Zeta potential was 27% lower in CS-EVs vs. CON-EVs (p<0.05, N=8), and total EV protein yield remained unchanged between groups. Protein-based EV characterization showed that both CON-EVs/CS-EVs were CD81+ but CD63-, and expressed hallmark cytosolic proteins recovered in EVs: Tsg101, Flotillin-1, HSP70, and Alix. CD81 and HSP70 expression increased in CS-EVs vs. CON-EVs (p<0.05, N=9). We evaluated if chronic stimulation affected whole cell expression of transmembrane and cytosolic proteins used in EV origin/purity analysis. CD63 and ApoA1 were reduced with chronic stimulation in myotube lysates (p<0.05, N=7), whereas Tsg101, CD81, Flotillin-1 and HSP70 levels remained constant. Taken together, our study revealed that chronic stimulation triggers the release of more stable, smaller sized EVs, enriched with transmembrane and cytosolic protein markers of small EVs, and are CD81+/CD63-indicating the origin of these EVs might be ectosomal rather than endosomal. The upstream signaling cascades that regulate biogenesis of EVs with chronic stimulation, and whether skeletal muscle-EVs are released through endosomal or ectosomal pathways remains to be elucidated. Our findings support the role of chronic contractile activity in the modulation of EV biophysical characteristics. Whether this affects biological cargo recruitment into CS-EVs, and their subsequent biological activity remains to be established.