scholarly journals Physiology of a Microgravity Environment Invited Review: Microgravity and skeletal muscle

2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 823-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Fitts ◽  
Danny R. Riley ◽  
Jeffrey J. Widrick

Spaceflight (SF) has been shown to cause skeletal muscle atrophy; a loss in force and power; and, in the first few weeks, a preferential atrophy of extensors over flexors. The atrophy primarily results from a reduced protein synthesis that is likely triggered by the removal of the antigravity load. Contractile proteins are lost out of proportion to other cellular proteins, and the actin thin filament is lost disproportionately to the myosin thick filament. The decline in contractile protein explains the decrease in force per cross-sectional area, whereas the thin-filament loss may explain the observed postflight increase in the maximal velocity of shortening in the type I and IIa fiber types. Importantly, the microgravity-induced decline in peak power is partially offset by the increased fiber velocity. Muscle velocity is further increased by the microgravity-induced expression of fast-type myosin isozymes in slow fibers (hybrid I/II fibers) and by the increased expression of fast type II fiber types. SF increases the susceptibility of skeletal muscle to damage, with the actual damage elicited during postflight reloading. Evidence in rats indicates that SF increases fatigability and reduces the capacity for fat oxidation in skeletal muscles. Future studies will be required to establish the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the SF-induced muscle atrophy and functional loss and to develop effective exercise countermeasures.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjing Ma ◽  
Yong Cai ◽  
Yuntian Shen ◽  
Xin Chen ◽  
Lilei Zhang ◽  
...  

Denervation can activate the catabolic pathway in skeletal muscle and lead to progressive skeletal muscle atrophy. At present, there is no effective treatment for muscle atrophy. Histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) has recently been found to be closely related to muscle atrophy, but the underlying mechanism of HDAC4 in denervation-induced muscle atrophy have not been described clearly yet. In this study, we found that the expression of HDAC4 increased significantly in denervated skeletal muscle. HDAC4 inhibition can effectively diminish denervation-induced muscle atrophy, reduce the expression of muscle specific E3 ubiquitin ligase (MuRF1 and MAFbx) and autophagy related proteins (Atg7, LC3B, PINK1 and BNIP3), inhibit the transformation of type I fibers to type II fibers, and enhance the expression of SIRT1 and PGC-1 α. Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis was performed and suggested that HDAC4 may be involved in denervation-induced muscle atrophy by regulating the response to denervation involved in the regulation of muscle adaptation, cell division, cell cycle, apoptotic process, skeletal muscle atrophy, and cell differentiation. STRING analysis showed that HDAC4 may be involved in the process of muscle atrophy by directly regulating myogenin (MYOG), cell cycle inhibitor p21 (CDKN1A) and salt induced kinase 1 (SIK1). MYOG was significantly increased in denervated skeletal muscle, and MYOG inhibition could significantly alleviate denervation-induced muscle atrophy, accompanied by the decreased MuRF1 and MAFbx. MYOG overexpression could reduce the protective effect of HDAC4 inhibition on denervation-induced muscle atrophy, as evidenced by the decreased muscle mass and cross-sectional area of muscle fibers, and the increased mitophagy. Taken together, HDAC4 inhibition can alleviate denervation-induced muscle atrophy by reducing MYOG expression, and HDAC4 is also directly related to CDKN1A and SIK1 in skeletal muscle, which suggests that HDAC4 inhibitors may be a potential drug for the treatment of neurogenic muscle atrophy. These results not only enrich the molecular regulation mechanism of denervation-induced muscle atrophy, but also provide the experimental basis for HDAC4-MYOG axis as a new target for the prevention and treatment of muscular atrophy.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2180
Author(s):  
Mari Noguchi ◽  
Tomoya Kitakaze ◽  
Yasuyuki Kobayashi ◽  
Katsuyuki Mukai ◽  
Naoki Harada ◽  
...  

We investigated the effects of β-cryptoxanthin on skeletal muscle atrophy in senescence-accelerated mouse-prone 1 (SAMP1) mice. For 15 weeks, SAMP1 mice were intragastrically administered vehicle or β-cryptoxanthin. At 35 weeks of age, the skeletal muscle mass in SAMP1 mice was reduced compared with that in control senescence-accelerated mouse-resistant 1 (SAMR1) mice. β-cryptoxanthin increased muscle mass with an increase in the size of muscle fibers in the soleus muscle of SAMP1 mice. The expressions of autophagy-related factors such as beclin-1, p62, LC3-I, and LC3-II were increased in the soleus muscle of SAMP1 mice; however, β-cryptoxanthin administration inhibited this increase. Unlike in SAMR1 mice, p62 was punctately distributed throughout the cytosol in the soleus muscle fibers of SAMP1 mice; however, β-cryptoxanthin inhibited this punctate distribution. The cross-sectional area of p62-positive fiber was smaller than that of p62-negative fiber, and the ratio of p62-positive fibers to p62-negative fibers was increased in SAMP1 mice. β-cryptoxanthin decreased this ratio in SAMP1 mice. Furthermore, β-cryptoxanthin decreased the autophagy-related factor expression in murine C2C12 myotube. The autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1, but not the proteasome inhibitor MG132, inhibited the β-cryptoxanthin-induced decrease in p62 and LC3-II expressions. These results indicate that β-cryptoxanthin inhibits the p62 accumulation in fibers and improves muscle atrophy in the soleus muscle of SAMP1 mice.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2274
Author(s):  
Roi Cal ◽  
Heidi Davis ◽  
Alish Kerr ◽  
Audrey Wall ◽  
Brendan Molloy ◽  
...  

Skeletal muscle is the metabolic powerhouse of the body, however, dysregulation of the mechanisms involved in skeletal muscle mass maintenance can have devastating effects leading to many metabolic and physiological diseases. The lack of effective solutions makes finding a validated nutritional intervention an urgent unmet medical need. In vitro testing in murine skeletal muscle cells and human macrophages was carried out to determine the effect of a hydrolysate derived from vicia faba (PeptiStrong: NPN_1) against phosphorylated S6, atrophy gene expression, and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) secretion, respectively. Finally, the efficacy of NPN_1 on attenuating muscle waste in vivo was assessed in an atrophy murine model. Treatment of NPN_1 significantly increased the phosphorylation of S6, downregulated muscle atrophy related genes, and reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-α release in vitro. In a disuse atrophy murine model, following 18 days of NPN_1 treatment, mice exhibited a significant attenuation of muscle loss in the soleus muscle and increased the integrated expression of Type I and Type IIa fibres. At the RNA level, a significant upregulation of protein synthesis-related genes was observed in the soleus muscle following NPN_1 treatment. In vitro and preclinical results suggest that NPN_1 is an effective bioactive ingredient with great potential to prolong muscle health.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dulce Peris-Moreno ◽  
Daniel Taillandier ◽  
Cécile Polge

The E3 ubiquitin ligase MuRF1/TRIM63 was identified 20 years ago and suspected to play important roles during skeletal muscle atrophy. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted to decipher the roles, molecular mechanisms and regulation of this enzyme. This revealed that MuRF1 is an important player in the skeletal muscle atrophy process occurring during catabolic states, making MuRF1 a prime candidate for pharmacological treatments against muscle wasting. Indeed, muscle wasting is an associated event of several diseases (e.g., cancer, sepsis, diabetes, renal failure, etc.) and negatively impacts the prognosis of patients, which has stimulated the search for MuRF1 inhibitory molecules. However, studies on MuRF1 cardiac functions revealed that MuRF1 is also cardioprotective, revealing a yin and yang role of MuRF1, being detrimental in skeletal muscle and beneficial in the heart. This review discusses data obtained on MuRF1, both in skeletal and cardiac muscles, over the past 20 years, regarding the structure, the regulation, the location and the different functions identified, and the first inhibitors reported, and aim to draw the picture of what is known about MuRF1. The review also discusses important MuRF1 characteristics to consider for the design of future drugs to maintain skeletal muscle mass in patients with different pathologies.


1991 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
John O. Holloszy ◽  
May Chen ◽  
Gregory D. Cartee ◽  
John C. Young

2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (7) ◽  
pp. E907-E915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kale S. Bongers ◽  
Daniel K. Fox ◽  
Scott M. Ebert ◽  
Steven D. Kunkel ◽  
Michael C. Dyle ◽  
...  

Skeletal muscle denervation causes muscle atrophy via complex molecular mechanisms that are not well understood. To better understand these mechanisms, we investigated how muscle denervation increases growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible 45α ( Gadd45a) mRNA in skeletal muscle. Previous studies established that muscle denervation strongly induces Gadd45a mRNA, which increases Gadd45a, a small myonuclear protein that is required for denervation-induced muscle fiber atrophy. However, the mechanism by which denervation increases Gadd45a mRNA remained unknown. Here, we demonstrate that histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) mediates induction of Gadd45a mRNA in denervated muscle. Using mouse models, we show that HDAC4 is required for induction of Gadd45a mRNA during muscle denervation. Conversely, forced expression of HDAC4 is sufficient to increase skeletal muscle Gadd45a mRNA in the absence of muscle denervation. Moreover, Gadd45a mediates several downstream effects of HDAC4, including induction of myogenin mRNA, induction of mRNAs encoding the embryonic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and, most importantly, skeletal muscle fiber atrophy. Because Gadd45a induction is also a key event in fasting-induced muscle atrophy, we tested whether HDAC4 might also contribute to Gadd45a induction during fasting. Interestingly, however, HDAC4 is not required for fasting-induced Gadd45a expression or muscle atrophy. Furthermore, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), which contributes to fasting-induced Gadd45a expression, is not required for denervation-induced Gadd45a expression or muscle atrophy. Collectively, these results identify HDAC4 as an important regulator of Gadd45a in denervation-induced muscle atrophy and elucidate Gadd45a as a convergence point for distinct upstream regulators during muscle denervation and fasting.


2010 ◽  
Vol 188 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashwani Mittal ◽  
Shephali Bhatnagar ◽  
Akhilesh Kumar ◽  
Estelle Lach-Trifilieff ◽  
Sandrine Wauters ◽  
...  

Skeletal muscle atrophy occurs in a variety of clinical settings, including cachexia, disuse, and denervation. Inflammatory cytokines have been shown to be mediators of cancer cachexia; however, the role of cytokines in denervation- and immobilization-induced skeletal muscle loss remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that a single cytokine, TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), mediates skeletal muscle atrophy that occurs under denervation conditions. Transgenic expression of TWEAK induces atrophy, fibrosis, fiber-type switching, and the degradation of muscle proteins. Importantly, genetic ablation of TWEAK decreases the loss of muscle proteins and spared fiber cross-sectional area, muscle mass, and strength after denervation. Expression of the TWEAK receptor Fn14 (fibroblast growth factor–inducible receptor 14) and not the cytokine is significantly increased in muscle upon denervation, demonstrating an unexpected inside-out signaling pathway; the receptor up-regulation allows for TWEAK activation of nuclear factor κB, causing an increase in the expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligase MuRF1. This study reveals a novel mediator of skeletal muscle atrophy and indicates that the TWEAK–Fn14 system is an important target for preventing skeletal muscle wasting.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (14) ◽  
pp. 3267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Chen ◽  
Jai-Sing Yang ◽  
Chi-Cheng Lu ◽  
Yu-Jen Chiu ◽  
Hung-Che Chen ◽  
...  

Glucocorticoids are widely used anti-inflammatory drugs in clinical settings. However, they can induce skeletal muscle atrophy by reducing fiber cross-sectional area and myofibrillar protein content. Studies have proven that antioxidants can improve glucocorticoid-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. Quercetin is a potent antioxidant flavonoid widely distributed in fruits and vegetables and has shown protective effects against dexamethasone-induced skeletal muscle atrophy. In this study, we demonstrated that dexamethasone significantly inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis by stimulating hydroxyl free radical production in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. Our results evidenced that quercetin increased C2C12 skeletal cell viability and exerted antiapoptotic effects on dexamethasone-treated C2C12 cells by regulating mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and reducing oxidative species. Quercetin can protect against dexamethasone-induced muscle atrophy by regulating the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio at the protein level and abnormal ΔΨm, which leads to the suppression of apoptosis.


Physiology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott M. Ebert ◽  
Asma Al-Zougbi ◽  
Sue C. Bodine ◽  
Christopher M. Adams

Skeletal muscle atrophy proceeds through a complex molecular signaling network that is just beginning to be understood. Here, we discuss examples of recently identified molecular mechanisms of muscle atrophy and how they highlight an immense need and opportunity for focused biochemical investigations and further unbiased discovery work.


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