scholarly journals Skeletal Muscle Recovery from Disuse Atrophy: Protein Turnover Signaling and Strategies for Accelerating Muscle Regrowth

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 7940
Author(s):  
Timur M. Mirzoev

Skeletal muscle fibers have a unique capacity to adjust their metabolism and phenotype in response to alternations in mechanical loading. Indeed, chronic mechanical loading leads to an increase in skeletal muscle mass, while prolonged mechanical unloading results in a significant decrease in muscle mass (muscle atrophy). The maintenance of skeletal muscle mass is dependent on the balance between rates of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown. While molecular mechanisms regulating protein synthesis during mechanical unloading have been relatively well studied, signaling events implicated in protein turnover during skeletal muscle recovery from unloading are poorly defined. A better understanding of the molecular events that underpin muscle mass recovery following disuse-induced atrophy is of significant importance for both clinical and space medicine. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms that may be involved in the activation of protein synthesis and subsequent restoration of muscle mass after a period of mechanical unloading. In addition, the efficiency of strategies proposed to improve muscle protein gain during recovery is also discussed.

GeroScience ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Cegielski ◽  
Daniel J. Wilkinson ◽  
Matthew S. Brook ◽  
Catherine Boereboom ◽  
Bethan E. Phillips ◽  
...  

AbstractOptimising approaches for measuring skeletal muscle mass and turnover that are widely applicable, minimally invasive and cost effective is crucial in furthering research into sarcopenia and cachexia. Traditional approaches for measurement of muscle protein turnover require infusion of expensive, sterile, isotopically labelled tracers which limits the applicability of these approaches in certain populations (e.g. clinical, frail elderly). To concurrently quantify skeletal muscle mass and muscle protein turnover i.e. muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB), in elderly human volunteers using stable-isotope labelled tracers i.e. Methyl-[D3]-creatine (D3-Cr), deuterium oxide (D2O), and Methyl-[D3]-3-methylhistidine (D3-3MH), to measure muscle mass, MPS and MPB, respectively. We recruited 10 older males (71 ± 4 y, BMI: 25 ± 4 kg.m2, mean ± SD) into a 4-day study, with DXA and consumption of D2O and D3-Cr tracers on day 1. D3-3MH was consumed on day 3, 24 h prior to returning to the lab. From urine, saliva and blood samples, and a single muscle biopsy (vastus lateralis), we determined muscle mass, MPS and MPB. D3-Cr derived muscle mass was positively correlated to appendicular fat-free mass (AFFM) estimated by DXA (r = 0.69, P = 0.027). Rates of cumulative myofibrillar MPS over 3 days were 0.072%/h (95% CI, 0.064 to 0.081%/h). Whole-body MPB over 6 h was 0.052 (95% CI, 0.038 to 0.067). These rates were similar to previous literature. We demonstrate the potential for D3-Cr to be used alongside D2O and D3-3MH for concurrent measurement of muscle mass, MPS, and MPB using a minimally invasive design, applicable for clinical and frail populations.


2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (s1) ◽  
pp. S143-S149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard S. Jefferson ◽  
Scot R. Kimball

Gain or loss of skeletal muscle mass is due largely to the establishment of an imbalance between rates of protein synthesis and degradation. A key determinant of the rate of protein synthesis is translation initiation, a process regulated in part through binding of initiator methionyl-tRNA (met-tRNAi) and messenger RNA (mRNA) to a 40S ribosomal subunit. Either the met-tRNAi or mRNA binding step can become limiting for protein synthesis. Furthermore, the mRNA binding step can modulate translation of specific mRNAs with or without changes in the overall rate of protein synthesis. This report highlights molecular mechanisms involved in mediating control of the mRNA binding step in translation initiation. Particular attention is given to the effect of exercise on this step and to how the branched-chain amino acid leucine stimulates muscle protein synthesis after exercise. Potential mechanisms for exercise induced increase in muscle mass are discussed.


2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (1) ◽  
pp. R133-R139 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. E. Samuels ◽  
A. L. Knowles ◽  
T. Tilignac ◽  
E. Debiton ◽  
J. C. Madelmont ◽  
...  

The influence of cancer cachexia and chemotherapy and subsequent recovery of skeletal muscle protein mass and turnover was investigated in mice. Cancer cachexia was induced using colon 26 adenocarcinoma, which is characteristic of the human condition, and can be cured with 100% efficacy using an experimental nitrosourea, cystemustine (C6H12CIN3O4S). Reduced food intake was not a factor in these studies. Three days after cachexia began, healthy and tumor-bearing mice were given a single intraperitoneal injection of cystemustine (20 mg/kg). Skeletal muscle mass in tumor-bearing mice was 41% lower ( P < 0.05) than in healthy mice 2 wk after cachexia began. Skeletal muscle wasting was mediated initially by decreased protein synthesis (−38%; P < 0.05) and increased degradation (+131%; P < 0.05); later wasting resulted solely from decreased synthesis (∼−54 to −69%; P < 0.05). Acute cytotoxicity of chemotherapy did not appear to have an important effect on skeletal muscle protein metabolism in either healthy or tumor-bearing mice. Recovery began 2 days after treatment; skeletal muscle mass was only 11% lower than in healthy mice 11 days after chemotherapy. Recovery of skeletal muscle mass was affected initially by decreased protein degradation (−80%; P < 0.05) and later by increased protein synthesis (+46 to +73%; P < 0.05) in cured compared with healthy mice. This study showed that skeletal muscle wasted from cancer cachexia and after chemotherapeutic treatment is able to generate a strong anabolic response by making powerful changes to protein synthesis and degradation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 2040-2048 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Koopman ◽  
Luc J. C. van Loon

Aging is accompanied by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, leading to the loss of functional capacity and an increased risk of developing chronic metabolic disease. The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass is attributed to a disruption in the regulation of skeletal muscle protein turnover, resulting in an imbalance between muscle protein synthesis and degradation. As basal (fasting) muscle protein synthesis rates do not seem to differ substantially between the young and elderly, many research groups have started to focus on the muscle protein synthetic response to the main anabolic stimuli, i.e., food intake and physical activity. Recent studies suggest that the muscle protein synthetic response to food intake is blunted in the elderly. The latter is now believed to represent a key factor responsible for the age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass. Physical activity and/or exercise stimulate postexercise muscle protein accretion in both the young and elderly. However, the latter largely depends on the timed administration of amino acids and/or protein before, during, and/or after exercise. Prolonged resistance type exercise training represents an effective therapeutic strategy to augment skeletal muscle mass and improve functional performance in the elderly. The latter shows that the ability of the muscle protein synthetic machinery to respond to anabolic stimuli is preserved up to very old age. Research is warranted to elucidate the interaction between nutrition, exercise, and the skeletal muscle adaptive response. The latter is needed to define more effective strategies that will maximize the therapeutic benefits of lifestyle intervention in the elderly.


2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (2) ◽  
pp. C419-C431
Author(s):  
Douglas W. Van Pelt ◽  
Ivan J. Vechetti ◽  
Marcus M. Lawrence ◽  
Kathryn L. Van Pelt ◽  
Parth Patel ◽  
...  

Small noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of skeletal muscle size, and circulating miRNAs within extracellular vesicles (EVs) may contribute to atrophy and its associated systemic effects. The purpose of this study was to understand how muscle atrophy and regrowth alter in vivo serum EV miRNA content. We also associated changes in serum EV miRNA with protein synthesis, protein degradation, and miRNA within muscle, kidney, and liver. We subjected adult (10 mo) F344/BN rats to three conditions: weight bearing (WB), hindlimb suspension (HS) for 7 days to induce muscle atrophy, and HS for 7 days followed by 7 days of reloading (HSR). Microarray analysis of EV miRNA content showed that the overall changes in serum EV miRNA were predicted to target major anabolic, catabolic, and mechanosensitive pathways. MiR-203a-3p was the only miRNA demonstrating substantial differences in HS EVs compared with WB. There was a limited association of EV miRNA content to the corresponding miRNA content within the muscle, kidney, or liver. Stepwise linear regression demonstrated that EV miR-203a-3p was correlated with muscle mass and muscle protein synthesis and degradation across all conditions. Finally, EV miR-203a-3p expression was significantly decreased in human subjects who underwent unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS) to induce muscle atrophy. Altogether, we show that serum EV miR-203a-3p expression is related to skeletal muscle protein turnover and atrophy. We suggest that serum EV miR-203a-3p content may be a useful biomarker and future work should investigate whether serum EV miR-203a-3p content is mechanistically linked to protein synthesis and degradation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Koopman

Ageing is accompanied by a progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, leading to the loss of functional capacity and an increased risk for developing chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes. The age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass results from a chronic disruption in the balance between muscle protein synthesis and degradation. As basal muscle protein synthesis rates are likely not different between healthy young and elderly human subjects, it was proposed that muscles from older adults lack the ability to regulate the protein synthetic response to anabolic stimuli, such as food intake and physical activity. Indeed, the dose–response relationship between myofibrillar protein synthesis and the availability of essential amino acids and/or resistance exercise intensity is shifted down and to the right in elderly human subjects. This so-called ‘anabolic resistance’ represents a key factor responsible for the age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass. Interestingly, long-term resistance exercise training is effective as a therapeutic intervention to augment skeletal muscle mass, and improves functional performance in the elderly. The consumption of different types of proteins, i.e. protein hydrolysates, can have different stimulatory effects on muscle protein synthesis in the elderly, which may be due to their higher rate of digestion and absorption. Current research aims to elucidate the interactions between nutrition, exercise and the skeletal muscle adaptive response that will define more effective strategies to maximise the therapeutic benefits of lifestyle interventions in the elderly.


2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 557-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
S E Samuels ◽  
T A McAllister ◽  
J R Thompson

A study was undertaken to determine the long-term effects of a hot environment on protein turnover in skeletal and cardiac muscles of young homeothermic animals. Three groups of 36 male 28 day old rats were housed at 35°C (hot group), 25°C (control group), or 25°C but pair-fed to the intake of the hot group (pair-fed group). Rates of protein synthesis and degradation were measured in vivo on days 5, 10, 15, and 20. By day 20, soleus and gastrocnemius (skeletal muscle) protein masses were 7 and 14% lower in the hot group and 31 and 21% lower in the pair-fed group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). The fractional rate of protein synthesis (ksyn) was on average 11% lower (P < 0.05) in the hot group compared with control rats and was not different from pair-fed rats. The fractional rate of skeletal muscle protein degradation (kdeg) in hot rats was slightly lower than in control rats; kdegwas on average 18% higher (P < 0.05) in the pair-fed group compared with the hot group and this difference appeared to be most prominent on day 5. In heart, by day 20, protein mass was 30% lower in the hot group and 40% lower in the pair-fed group compared with control rats (P < 0.05). ksynwas on average 19% lower (P < 0.05) in the hot group compared with the control group, but not different from pair-fed rats. In the heart there were no differences in kdegamong treatments. Plasma triiodothyronine (T3) concentration was lower in the hot group, but not in the pair-fed group, compared with controls. In conclusion, chronic exposure to hot environments was associated with lower skeletal and cardiac muscle mass and protein turnover; lower protein mass in this tissue was due to decreased ksyn; this is consistent with lower plasma T3concentrations. In pair-fed rats, ksynwas also reduced, but interestingly kdegwas not, resulting in a greater loss of skeletal muscle mass. These results suggest that heat exposure invokes physiological adaptations to preserve skeletal muscle mass despite decreased food intake. In the heart, loss of protein was a result of decreased ksyn, which can be primarily ascribed to lower food intake.Key words: protein synthesis, protein metabolism, acclimation, heat stress.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (6) ◽  
pp. C1061-C1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Hodson ◽  
Daniel W. D. West ◽  
Andrew Philp ◽  
Nicholas A. Burd ◽  
Daniel R. Moore

Skeletal muscle mass, a strong predictor of longevity and health in humans, is determined by the balance of two cellular processes, muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown. MPS seems to be particularly sensitive to changes in mechanical load and/or nutritional status; therefore, much research has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that underpin this cellular process. Furthermore, older individuals display an attenuated MPS response to anabolic stimuli, termed anabolic resistance, which has a negative impact on muscle mass and function, as well as quality of life. Therefore, an understanding of which, if any, molecular mechanisms contribute to anabolic resistance of MPS is of vital importance in formulation of therapeutic interventions for such populations. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the mechanisms that underpin MPS, which are broadly divided into mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)-dependent, mTORC1-independent, and ribosomal biogenesis-related, and describes the evidence that shows how they are regulated by anabolic stimuli (exercise and/or nutrition) in healthy human skeletal muscle. This review also summarizes evidence regarding which of these mechanisms may be implicated in age-related skeletal muscle anabolic resistance and provides recommendations for future avenues of research that can expand our knowledge of this area.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (3) ◽  
pp. R705-R711 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. McAllister ◽  
J. R. Thompson ◽  
S. E. Samuels

The effect of long-term cold exposure on skeletal and cardiac muscle protein turnover was investigated in young growing animals. Two groups of 36 male 28-day-old rats were maintained at either 5°C (cold) or 25°C (control). Rates of protein synthesis and degradation were measured in vivo on days 5, 10, 15, and 20. Protein mass by day 20 was ∼28% lower in skeletal muscle (gastrocnemius and soleus) and ∼24% higher in heart in cold compared with control rats ( P < 0.05). In skeletal muscle, the fractional rates of protein synthesis ( k syn) and degradation ( k deg) were not significantly different between cold and control rats, although k syn was lower (approximately −26%) in cold rats on day 5; consequent to the lower protein mass, the absolute rates of protein synthesis (approximately −21%; P < 0.05) and degradation (approximately −13%; P < 0.1) were lower in cold compared with control rats. In heart, overall, k syn(approximately +12%; P < 0.1) and k deg(approximately +22%; P < 0.05) were higher in cold compared with control rats; consequently, the absolute rates of synthesis (approximately +44%) and degradation (approximately +54%) were higher in cold compared with control rats ( P < 0.05). Plasma triiodothyronine concentration was higher ( P < 0.05) in cold compared with control rats. These data indicate that long-term cold acclimation in skeletal muscle is associated with the establishment of a new homeostasis in protein turnover with decreased protein mass and normal fractional rates of protein turnover. In heart, unlike skeletal muscle, rates of protein turnover did not appear to immediately return to normal as increased rates of protein turnover were observed beyond day 5. These data also indicate that increased rates of protein turnover in skeletal muscle are unlikely to contribute to increased metabolic heat production during cold acclimation.


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