Interleukin-15 responses to aging and unloading-induced skeletal muscle atrophy

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (4) ◽  
pp. C1298-C1304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emidio E. Pistilli ◽  
Parco M. Siu ◽  
Stephen E. Alway

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) mRNA is constitutively expressed in skeletal muscle. Although IL-15 has proposed hypertrophic and anti-apoptotic roles in vitro, its role in skeletal muscle cells in vivo is less clear. The purpose of this study was to determine if skeletal muscle aging and unloading, two conditions known to promote muscle atrophy, would alter basal IL-15 expression in skeletal muscle. We hypothesized that IL-15 mRNA expression would increase as a result of both aging and muscle unloading and that muscle would express the mRNA for a functional trimeric IL-15 receptor (IL-15R). Two models of unloading were used in this study: hindlimb suspension (HS) in rats and wing unloading in quail. The absolute muscle wet weight of plantaris and soleus muscles from aged rats was significantly less when compared with muscles from young adult rats. Although 14 days of HS resulted in reduced muscle mass of plantaris and soleus muscles from young adult animals, this effect was not observed in muscles from aged animals. A significant aging times unloading interaction was observed for IL-15 mRNA in both rat soleus and plantaris muscles. Patagialis (PAT) muscles from aged quail retained a significant 12 and 6% of stretch-induced hypertrophy after 7 and 14 days of unloading, respectively. PAT muscles from young quail retained 15% hypertrophy at 7 days of unloading but regressed to control levels following 14 days of unloading. A main effect of age was observed on IL-15 mRNA expression in PAT muscles at 14 days of overload, 7 days of unloading, and 14 days of unloading. Skeletal muscle also expressed the mRNAs for a functional IL-15R composed of IL-15Rα, IL-2/15R-β, and -γc. Based on these data, we speculate that increases in IL-15 mRNA in response to atrophic stimuli may be an attempt to counteract muscle mass loss in skeletal muscles of old animals. Additional research is warranted to determine the importance of the IL-15/IL-15R system to counter muscle wasting.

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D Kunkel ◽  
Manish Suneja ◽  
Scott M Ebert ◽  
Kale S Bongers ◽  
Daniel K Fox ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Nemirovskaya ◽  
Svetlana Belova ◽  
Boris Shenkman ◽  
Ekaterina Mochalova

Objective Unloading causes rapid skeletal muscle atrophy mainly due to the increased protein degradation. Muscle proteolysis results from the activation of ubiquitin-proteasome systems. The ubiquitination proteins are carried out by muscle-specific E3 ubiquitin ligases – MuRF-1 and MAFbx. It is known that MuRF-1 and MAFbx expression significantly increases on the third day of muscle unloading. We tested the hypothesis that p38 MAPK participates in the regulation of E3 ligases expression and the development of skeletal muscle atrophy during unloading. To check this idea we inhibited p38 MAPK by VX-745. Methods 21 male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups (7 rats in each group): intact control (C), rats suspended for 3 days (HS) and rats suspended and injected i.p. with VX-745 (10 mg/kg/day) (VX). The hindlimb suspension was carried out according to Morey-Holton technique. The animals were anaesthetised with an i.p. injection of tribromoethanol (240 mg/kg). Under anesthesia, the m.soleus were excised, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at -80°C until further analysis. All procedures with the animals were approved by the Biomedicine Ethics Committee of the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences/Physiology section of the Russian Bioethics Committee. The statistical analysis was performed using the REST 2009 v.2.0.12 and Origin Pro programs at the significance level set at 0,05. The results are given as median in percent and interquartile range (0.25-0.75). Results The muscle weight in HS group was significantly reduced (72,3±2,5 mg) compared to C (83,0±3 mg), p<0.05, while the soleus weight of VX group didn’t differ from the control (84.2±5 mg). The MuRF1 mRNA expression was elevated dramatically in HS group (165 (138-210) %) when compared with the control (100 (64.6-112.5) %), p<0.05.  In the VX group the level of MuRF1 mRNA expression (127 (105-138) %) didn’t differ from the control group. The MAFbx mRNA expression was observed to increase equally in both suspended groups (294 (265-342) % and (271 (239-309) %).) vs C (100 (91-106) %) so, VX-745 administration did not have any significant effect on its expression. We also found that the level of ubiquitin mRNA expression in the soleus of HS rats was higher (423 (325-485) %) in comparison with the C group (100 (78-166) %, p<0.05) while VX-745 injection prevented increasing the  mRNA ubiquitin expression (200 (190-237) %). We discovered that the elevation of calpain-1 mRNA expression upon HS was prevented by VX-745 administration and its level didn’t differ from the control group (C - 100 (97-105) %, HS – 120 (116-133) %, VX - 107 (100-115) %, p<0.05). Conclusions Thus, the results indicate that the p38 MAPK signaling pathway takes part in the regulation of E3-ligase MuRF1 but not MAFbx expression. The p38 MAPK inhibition prevents muscle atrophy and the elevation of ubiquitin and calpain mRNA expression at the early stage of hindlimb unloading. This work was supported by RFBR grant No.17-04-01838.


2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 627-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Kunkel ◽  
Manish Suneja ◽  
Scott M. Ebert ◽  
Kale S. Bongers ◽  
Daniel K. Fox ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Summermatter ◽  
Anais Bouzan ◽  
Eliane Pierrel ◽  
Stefan Melly ◽  
Daniela Stauffer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Metallothioneins are proteins that are involved in intracellular zinc storage and transport. Their expression levels have been reported to be elevated in several settings of skeletal muscle atrophy. We therefore investigated the effect of metallothionein blockade on skeletal muscle anabolism in vitro and in vivo. We found that concomitant abrogation of metallothioneins 1 and 2 results in activation of the Akt pathway and increases in myotube size, in type IIb fiber hypertrophy, and ultimately in muscle strength. Importantly, the beneficial effects of metallothionein blockade on muscle mass and function was also observed in the setting of glucocorticoid addition, which is a strong atrophy-inducing stimulus. Given the blockade of atrophy and the preservation of strength in atrophy-inducing settings, these results suggest that blockade of metallothioneins 1 and 2 constitutes a promising approach for the treatment of conditions which result in muscle atrophy.


2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (6) ◽  
pp. C1387-C1395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther E. Dupont-Versteegden ◽  
Micheal Knox ◽  
Cathy M. Gurley ◽  
John D. Houlé ◽  
Charlotte A. Peterson

In this study, the role of the calcineurin pathway in skeletal muscle atrophy and atrophy-reducing interventions was investigated in rat soleus muscles. Because calcineurin has been suggested to be involved in skeletal and cardiac muscle hypertrophy, we hypothesized that blocking calcineurin activity would eliminate beneficial effects of interventions that maintain muscle mass in the face of atrophy-inducing stimuli. Hindlimb suspension and spinal cord transection were used to induce atrophy, and intermittent reloading and exercise were used to reduce atrophy. Cyclosporin (CsA, 25 mg · kg−1 · day−1) was administered to block calcineurin activity. Soleus muscles were studied 14 days after the onset of atrophy. CsA administration did not inhibit the beneficial effects of the two muscle-maintaining interventions, nor did it change muscle mass in control or atrophied muscles, suggesting that calcineurin does not play a role in regulating muscle size during atrophy. However, calcineurin abundance was increased in atrophied soleus muscles, and this was associated with nuclear localization of NFATc1 (a nuclear factor of activated T cells). Therefore, results suggest that calcineurin may be playing opposing roles during skeletal muscle atrophy and under muscle mass-maintaining conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Nemoto ◽  
Toru Goyagi

Abstract Background Sarcopenia promotes skeletal muscle atrophy and exhibits a high mortality rate. Its elucidation is of the highest clinical importance, but an animal experimental model remains controversial. In this study, we investigated a simple method for studying sarcopenia in rats. Results Muscle atrophy was investigated in 24-week-old, male, tail-suspended (TS), Sprague Dawley and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Age-matched SD rats were used as a control group. The skeletal muscle mass weight, muscle contraction, whole body tension (WBT), cross-sectional area (CSA), and Muscle RING finger-1 (MuRF-1) were assessed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to evaluate the MuRF-1 levels. Two muscles, the extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles, were selected for representing fast and slow muscles, respectively. All data, except CSA, were analyzed by a one-way analysis of variance, whereas CSA was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Muscle mass weight, muscle contraction, WBT, and CSA were significantly lower in the SHR (n = 7) and TS (n = 7) groups than in the control group, whereas MuRF-1 expression was dominant. Conclusions TS and SHR presented sarcopenic phenotypes in terms of muscle mass, muscle contraction and CSA. TS is a useful technique for providing muscle mass atrophy and weakness in an experimental model of sarcopenia in rats.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (2) ◽  
pp. R365-R371 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Linderman ◽  
K. L. Gosselink ◽  
F. W. Booth ◽  
V. R. Mukku ◽  
R. E. Grindeland

Unweighting of rat hindlimb muscles results in skeletal muscle atrophy, decreased protein synthesis, and reduced growth hormone (GH) secretion. Resistance exercise (ladder climbing) and GH treatment partially attenuate skeletal muscle atrophy in hypophysectomized hindlimb-suspended rats. It was hypothesized that a combination of multiple bouts of daily resistance exercise and GH (1 mg.kg-1.day-1) would prevent skeletal muscle atrophy in growing nonhypophysectomized hindlimb-suspended rats. Hindlimb suspension decreased the absolute (mg/pair) and relative (mg/100 g body wt) weights of the soleus, a slow-twitch plantar flexor, by 30 and 21%, respectively, and the absolute and relative weights of the gastrocnemius, a predominantly fast-twitch plantar flexor, by 20 and 11%, respectively (P < 0.05). Exercise did not increase soleus mass but attenuated loss of relative wet weight in the gastrocnemius muscles of hindlimb-suspended rats (P < 0.05). Hindlimb suspension decreased gastrocnemius myofibrillar protein content and synthesis (mg/day) by 26 and 64%, respectively (P < 0.05). The combination of exercise and GH attenuated loss of gastrocnemius myofibrillar protein content and synthesis by 70 and 23%, respectively (P < 0.05). Results of the present investigation indicate that a combination of GH and resistance exercise attenuates atrophy of unweighted fast-twitch skeletal muscles.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (6) ◽  
pp. E1555-E1567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. Krawiec ◽  
Gerald J. Nystrom ◽  
Robert A. Frost ◽  
Leonard S. Jefferson ◽  
Charles H. Lang

The hypothesis of the present study was that exposure of differentiated muscle cells to agonists of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) would increase the mRNA content of the muscle-specific ubiquitin ligases muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and muscle RING finger 1 (MuRF1). C2C12 cells were incubated with incremental doses of 5-aminoimidazol-4-carboximide ribonucleoside (AICAR) or metformin for 24 h. Both MAFbx and MuRF1 mRNA increased dose dependently in response to these AMPK activators. AICAR, metformin, and 2-deoxy-d-glucose produced time-dependent alterations in ubiquitin ligase expression, typified by a biphasic pattern of expression marked by an acute repression followed by a sustained induction. AMPK-activating treatments in conjunction with dexamethasone produced a pronounced synergistic effect on ligase mRNA expression at later time points. This cooperative response occurred in the absence of a dexamethasone-dependent increase in AMPK expression or activity, as determined by immunoblotting for phosphorylation and expression of AMPKα and its downstream target acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). These responses elicited by AMPK activation singly or in combination with dexamethasone did not extend to the mRNA expression of the UBR box family E3s UBR1/E3αI and UBR2/E3αII. Treatment with the AMPK inhibitor compound C prevented increases in MAFbx and MuRF1 mRNA in response to serum deprivation, as well as AICAR and dexamethasone treatment individually or jointly. Stimulation of AMPK activity in vivo via AICAR injection increased both MAFbx and MuRF1 mRNA in murine skeletal muscle. These data suggest that activation of AMPK in skeletal muscle results in a specific upregulation of MAFbx and MuRF1, responses that are reminiscent of the proposed atrophic transcriptional program executed under various conditions of skeletal muscle wasting. Therefore, AMPK may be a critical component of the intercalated network of signaling pathways governing skeletal muscle atrophy, where its input acts to modify anti- and proatrophic signals to influence gene expression in reaction to catabolic perturbations.


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