Declining muscle hyperplasia in juvenile trout is driven by rapid limitation of muscle stem cell capacity and niche functionality

Unlike mammals and birds, where new muscle fiber formation (hyperplasia) ceases around birth, large and fast-growing fish such as rainbow trout undergo a spectacular post-hatching surge of hyperplasia, followed by a considerably delayed hyperplasia decline. This study investigated the roles of the satellite cells (SCs) and their niche in this decline by determining the number and the myogenic capacity of the muscle progenitors as well as the functionality of their direct tissue environment. Histological analysis revealed a significant decrease in hyperplasia (fibers <25 {micro}m) and SC numbers (Pax7+) between 10 g and 500 g trout. Transplantation experiments using muscle-derived cells (MDCs) from mlc2-GFP transgenic trout (10 g to 2 kg donors into 10 g to 2 kg recipients) demonstrated a marked decline in both intrinsic myogenic capacity and niche functionality as trout grow from 10 g to 500 g. Detailed analyses of GFP+ fibers produced after transplantation showed an enrichment of small-diameter GFP+ fibers in 10 g but not 100 g trout recipient muscles, showing a rapid impairment in niche ability to support hyperplasia. In addition, transplantation of MDCs from trout of different ages but the same weight, showed that increasing trout weight, but not aging, is associated with an impairment of the myogenic capacity of progenitors and their niche. Overall, these findings show that the muscle hyperplasia decline in trout is primarily driven by early impairment of the SC niche, followed by a reduction in their myogenic capacity and number, with weight gain playing a more critical role than aging.