A role for inflammatory mediators in the modulation of the neurotrophin receptor p75NTR on human muscle precursor cells

The neurotrophin receptor p75NTR is a marker for human differentiation-prone muscle satellite cells and regulates myogenesis. Here, we wondered whether inflammation could modify p75NTR expression on muscle precursor cells in vitro and in vivo. In vitro experiments on human primary skeletal myoblasts demonstrated that exposure to IFN-γ or IL-1α decreased transcript and protein levels of p75NTR. Furthermore, histological investigations showed a reduction in the pool of p75NTR expressing satellite cells in inflammatory myopathy biopsies. These data suggest a link between muscle inflammation and reduction of p75NTR expression on precursor cells.