RNA-sequencing of PAD patient derived myotubes under hypoxia cycling conditions

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a disease characterized by atherosclerosis of the arteries supplying the lower extremities. In PAD, atherosclerotic occlusions restrict the delivery of blood to the skeletal muscles of affected extremities. As a result, the muscles which are supplied by the affected arteries can experience ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injuries. This can lead to an altered metabolomics profile, increased oxidative damage to those muscles, and the degeneration of myofibers. In our study, we modeled I/R injuries by culturing differentiated skeletal muscle derived cells (skMDCs), also known as myotubes, under cyclic conditions of hypoxia and hyperoxia. These conditions mimic those that PAD patient muscles experience. Our results show an altered transcriptomic profile in PAD patient derived myotubes and explore the contribution of I/R injuries to those transcriptomic changes. Examination of gene expression differences between healthy control and PAD patient myotubes as well as comparisons between hypoxia cycling conditions.