Abstract
Cultured meat is an emerging alternative food technology which aims to deliver a more ethical, sustainable, and healthy muscle-tissue-derived food item compared to conventional meat. As start-up companies are rapidly forming and accelerating this technology, many aspects of this multi-faceted science have still not been investigated in academia. In this study, we investigated if bovine satellite cells with the ability to proliferate and undergo myogenic differentiation could be isolated after extended tissue storage, for the purpose of increasing the practicality for cultured meat production. Proliferation of bovine satellite cells isolated on the day of arrival or after 2 and 5 days of tissue storage were analyzed by metabolic and DNA-based assays, while their myogenic characteristics were investigated using RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence. Extended tissue storage up to 5 days did not negatively affect proliferation nor the ability to undergo fusion and create myosin heavy chain-positive myotubes. The expression patterns of myogenic and muscle-specific genes were also not affected after tissue storage. In fact, the data indicated a positive trend in terms of myogenic potential after tissue storage, although it was non-significant. These results suggest that the timeframe of which viable myogenic satellite cells can be isolated and used for cultured meat production can be greatly extended by proper tissue storage.
Highlights
Satellite cells are adult stem cells located between the sarcolemma and the basal lamina of skeletal muscle fibers, typically being in a quiescent state until activation by, e.g., muscle damage, which sets in motion several myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) initiating the proliferation, differentiation and fusion of new multinucleated muscle cells
We have in this study focused on the initial part of the many complex processes
We have in this study focused on the initial part of the many complex processes tially observed when starting our satellite cell cultures
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Satellite cells are adult stem cells located between the sarcolemma and the basal lamina of skeletal muscle fibers, typically being in a quiescent state until activation by, e.g., muscle damage, which sets in motion several myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) initiating the proliferation, differentiation and fusion of new multinucleated muscle cells This innate ability to repair damaged muscle tissue is the reason why SCs are a great candidate for creating a cell-based meat product. The heme-protein myoglobin (MB gene) is not a canonical SC differentiation marker, it might be important in future cultured meat production as it might improve proliferation, color and taste of cultivated muscle cells [6,27] Including this muscle-protein in eventual cultured meat studies could further elucidate its role in SC biology and myofiber formation. We analyzed the growth characteristics of the isolated satellite cells, the expression profiles of important muscle-specific markers and the ability of the cells to differentiate and fuse into mature myotubes
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