bims-musmir 2024-10-27 papers

bims-musmir

Biomed News

on microRNAs in muscle

Issue of 2024–10–27
nine papers selected by
Katarzyna Agnieszka Goljanek-Whysall, University of Galway

Sex differences in the association between skeletal muscle energetics and perceived physical fatigability: the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA).
Mitochondrial pathways and sarcopenia in the geroscience era.
Screening of hub genes for sepsis-induced myopathy by weighted gene co-expression network analysis and protein-protein interaction network construction.
Mitochondrial Abundance and Function Differ Across Muscle Within Species.
Nrf2 deficiency in muscle attenuates experimental autoimmune myositis-induced muscle weakness.
Decreased mitochondrial-related gene expression in adipose tissue after acute sprint exercise in humans: A pilot study.
Mitochondrial Maintenance in Skeletal Muscle.
A comprehensive study of genetic regulation and disease associations of plasma circulatory microRNAs using population-level data.
Disruption of tRNA biogenesis enhances proteostatic resilience, improves later-life health, and promotes longevity.

Geroscience. 2024 Oct 22.

Sex differences in the association between skeletal muscle energetics and perceived physical fatigability: the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA).

Emma L Gay, Paul M Coen, Stephanie Harrison, Reagan E Garcia, Yujia Susanna Qiao, Bret H Goodpaster, Daniel E Forman, Frederico G S Toledo, Giovanna Distefano, Philip A Kramer, Sofhia V Ramos, Anthony J A Molina, Barbara J Nicklas, Steven R Cummings, Peggy M Cawthon, Russell T Hepple, Anne B Newman, Nancy W Glynn.

  Greater perceived physical fatigability and lower skeletal muscle energetics are both predictors of mobility decline. Characterizing associations between muscle energetics and perceived fatigability may provide insight into potential targets to prevent mobility decline. We examined associations of in vivo (maximal ATP production, ATPmax) and ex vivo (maximal carbohydrate supported oxidative phosphorylation [max OXPHOS] and maximal fatty acid supported OXPHOS [max FAO OXPHOS]) measures of mitochondrial energetics with two measures of perceived physical fatigability, Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale (PFS, 0-50, higher = greater) and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE Fatigability, 6-20, higher = greater) after a slow treadmill walk. Participants from the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (N = 873) were 76.3 ± 5.0 years old, 59.2% women, and 85.3% White. Higher muscle energetics (both in vivo and ex vivo) were associated with lower perceived physical fatigability, all p < 0.03. When stratified by sex, higher ATPmax was associated with lower PFS Physical for men only; higher max OXPHOS and max FAO OXPHOS were associated with lower RPE Fatigability for both sexes. Higher skeletal muscle energetics were associated with 40-55% lower odds of being in the most (PFS ≥ 25, RPE Fatigability ≥ 12) vs least (PFS 0-4, RPE Fatigability 6-7) severe fatigability strata, all p < 0.03. Being a woman was associated with 2-3 times higher odds of being in the most severe fatigability strata when controlling for ATPmax but not the ex vivo measures (p < 0.05). Better mitochondrial energetics were linked to lower fatigability and less severe fatigability in older adults. Findings imply that improving skeletal muscle energetics may mitigate perceived physical fatigability and prolong healthy aging.

Keywords:  Aging; Epidemiology; Fatigue; Mitochondria; Oxidative phosphorylation

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-024-01373-z
J Nutr Health Aging. 2024 Oct 19. pii: S1279-7707(24)00485-8. [Epub ahead of print]28(12): 100397

Mitochondrial pathways and sarcopenia in the geroscience era.

Emanuele Marzetti, Riccardo Calvani, Helio José Coelho-Junior, Anna Picca.

  Sarcopenia is associated with structural, ultrastructural, and molecular abnormalities of skeletal muscle. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a pivotal factor involved in muscle aging and sarcopenia. Mitochondrial bioenergetics are significantly reduced in muscles of older adults which is associated with whole-body aerobic capacity, muscle strength, and physical performance. Transcriptional profiling of muscle samples from older adults also revealed inverse correlations between gene expression patterns of autophagy and mitophagy and muscle volume and physical performance. This is in line with the proposition that mitochondrial quality control (MQC) processes are key to organellar and tissue health. MQC encompasses mitochondrial biogenesis, dynamics, and mitophagy. The latter has recently been included among the hallmarks of aging and alterations in MQC have been associated with chronic sterile inflammation as well as muscle atrophy and dysfunction. Several biomarkers spanning MQC, inflammation, metabolism, intercellular communication, and gut microbiota have been linked to sarcopenia. Findings from these initial studies hold promise to inform geroscience-based research in the field of sarcopenia by offering a plausible biological framework for developing gerotherapeutics and monitoring their effects.

Keywords:  Biology of aging; Extracellular vesicles; Inflammaging; Mitochondrial quality control; Multi-Marker; Omics

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnha.2024.100397
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2024 Oct 22. 25(1): 834

Screening of hub genes for sepsis-induced myopathy by weighted gene co-expression network analysis and protein-protein interaction network construction.

Jianhao Wang, Kun Han, Jinshuai Lu.

  Sepsis-induced myopathy is one of the serious complications of sepsis, which severely affects the respiratory and peripheral motor systems of patients, reduces their quality of life, and jeopardizes their lives, as evidenced by muscle atrophy, loss of strength, and impaired regeneration after injury. The pathogenesis of sepsis-induced myopathy is complex, mainly including cytokine action, enhances free radical production in muscle, increases muscle protein hydrolysis, and decreases skeletal muscle protein synthesis, etc. The above mechanisms have been demonstrated in existing studies. However, it is still unclear how the overall pattern of gene co-expression affects the pathological process of sepsis-induced myopathy. Therefore, we intend to identify hub genes and signaling pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was our main approach to study gene expression profiles: skeletal muscle transcriptome in ICU patients with sepsis-induced multi-organ failure (GSE13205). After data pre-processing, about 15,181 genes were used to identify 13 co-expression modules. Then, 16 genes (FEM1B, KLHDC3, GPX3, NIFK, GNL2, EBNA1BP2, PES1, FBP2, PFKP, BYSL, HEATR1, WDR75, TBL3, and WDR43) were selected as the hub genes including 3 up-regulated genes and 13 down-regulated genes. Then, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was performed to show that the hub genes were closely associated with skeletal muscle dysfunction, necrotic and apoptotic skeletal myoblasts, and apoptosis in sepsis-induced myopathy. Overall, 16 candidate biomarkers were certified as reliable features for more in-depth exploration of sepsis-induced myopathy in basic and clinical studies.

Keywords:  Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA); Protein-protein interaction network (PPI); Sepsis; Sepsis-induced myopathy (SIM); Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA)

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-024-07967-0
Metabolites. 2024 Oct 16. pii: 553. [Epub ahead of print]14(10):

Mitochondrial Abundance and Function Differ Across Muscle Within Species.

Con-Ning Yen, Jocelyn S Bodmer, Jordan C Wicks, Morgan D Zumbaugh, Michael E Persia, Tim H Shi, David E Gerrard.

  Background: Mitochondria are considered the powerhouse of cells, and skeletal muscle cells are no exception. However, information regarding muscle mitochondria from different species is limited. Methods: Different muscles from cattle, pigs and chickens were analyzed for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), protein and oxygen consumption. Results: Bovine oxidative muscle mitochondria contain greater mtDNA (p < 0.05), protein (succinate dehydrogenase, SDHA, p < 0.01; citrate synthase, CS, p < 0.01; complex I, CI, p < 0.05), and oxygen consumption (p < 0.01) than their glycolytic counterpart. Likewise, porcine oxidative muscle contains greater mtDNA (p < 0.01), mitochondrial proteins (SDHA, p < 0.05; CS, p < 0.001; CI, p < 0.01) and oxidative phosphorylation capacity (OXPHOS, p < 0.05) in comparison to glycolytic muscle. However, avian oxidative skeletal muscle showed no differences in absolute mtDNA, SDHA, CI, complex II, lactate dehydrogenase, or glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate dehydrogenase compared to their glycolytic counterpart. Even so, avian mitochondria isolated from oxidative muscles had greater OXPHOS capacity (p < 0.05) than glycolytic muscle. Conclusions: These data show avian mitochondria function is independent of absolute mtDNA content and protein abundance, and argue that multiple levels of inquiry are warranted to determine the wholistic role of mitochondria in skeletal muscle.

Keywords:  metabolism; mitochondria; skeletal muscle

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14100553
J Physiol. 2024 Oct 21.

Nrf2 deficiency in muscle attenuates experimental autoimmune myositis-induced muscle weakness.

Koichi Himori, Mami Yamada, Takahiro Onoki, Daisuke Matsumaru, Hozumi Motohashi, Mitsuharu Okutsu.

  Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are systemic autoimmune diseases characterised by muscle weakness. Although multiple physiological and pathological processes are associated with IIMs, T-lymphocyte infiltration into muscle plays a key role in the development and exacerbation of IIMs. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a key transcription factor that regulates inflammatory responses; therefore, muscle Nrf2 may serve an important role in the development of IIMs. In this study, we demonstrated that experimental autoimmune myositis (EAM) causes loss of muscle mass and function in oxidative and glycolytic muscles in C57BL/6 mice. EAM increased CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocyte infiltration, as well as interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) mRNA expression in oxidative soleus and glycolytic extensor digitorum longus muscles, along with elevated chemokine mRNA levels (i.e. CCL3, CCL5, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL16). IFN-γ and TNF-α treatments increased the mRNA expression levels of these chemokines in C2C12 myotubes. EAM also increased phosphorylated Nrf2 at Ser40 in soleus and glycolytic white vastus lateralis muscle. Although the expression of several chemokines was affected by Nrf2 activation following tert-butylhydroquinone treatment or Keap1 knockdown, CCL5 mRNA expression significantly increased in C2C12 myotubes and mouse skeletal muscle. Moreover, muscle-specific Nrf2 knockout in mice attenuates EAM-induced loss of muscle mass and function, which was associated with the inhibition of CCL5 mRNA expression, CD8+ T-lymphocyte infiltration and IFN-γ mRNA expression. Collectively, these findings reveal that regulating Nrf2 activity is a promising therapeutic approach for treating IIM-mediated muscle weakness. KEY POINTS: Experimental autoimmune myositis (EAM) causes loss of muscle mass and function. Loss of muscle mass and function in EAM were associated with increased chemokine mRNA expression (i.e. CCL3, CCL5, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL16), T-lymphocyte infiltration and inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression (i.e. IFN-γ and TNF-α) in the skeletal muscle. EAM activated Nrf2 in muscle and increased Nrf2 activity in vivo and in vitro increased CCL5 mRNA expression. Muscle-specific Nrf2 knockout in mice attenuated EAM-induced muscle weakness by inhibiting CCL5 mRNA expression, CD8+ T-lymphocyte migration and IFN-γ mRNA expression in muscles. These results provide further evidence for the potential therapeutic targeting of Nrf2 to mitigate EAM-induced muscle weakness.

Keywords:  T‐lymphocyte; chemokine; idiopathic inflammatory myopathy; muscle weakness; nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1113/JP286534
Physiol Rep. 2024 Oct;12(20): e70088

Decreased mitochondrial-related gene expression in adipose tissue after acute sprint exercise in humans: A pilot study.

Mona Esbjörnsson, Håkan C Rundqvist, Barbara Norman, Ted Österlund, Eric Rullman, Jens Bülow, Eva Jansson.

  The aim was to examine the acute effects of sprint exercise (SIT) on global gene expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) in healthy subjects, to enhance understanding of how SIT influences body weight regulation. The hypothesis was that SIT upregulates genes involved in mitochondrial function and fat metabolism. A total of 15 subjects performed three 30-s all-out sprints (SIT). Samples were collected from AT, skeletal muscle (SM) and blood (brachial artery and a subcutaneous AT vein) up to 15 min after the last sprint. Results showed that markers of oxidative stress, such as the purines hypoxanthine, xanthine and uric acid, increased markedly by SIT in both the artery and the AT vein. Purines also increased in AT and SM tissue. Differential gene expression analysis indicated a decrease in signaling for mitochondrial-related pathways, including oxidative phosphorylation, electron transport, ATP synthesis, and heat production by uncoupling proteins, as well as mitochondrial fatty acid beta oxidation. This downregulation of genes related to oxidative metabolism suggests an early-stage inhibition of the mitochondria, potentially as a protective mechanism against SIT-induced oxidative stress.

Keywords:  biopsy; high intensity; microarray analysis; skeletal muscle; sprint interval exercise; subcutaneous white adipose tissue; transcriptome

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70088
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2024 Oct 21. pii: a041514. [Epub ahead of print]

Mitochondrial Maintenance in Skeletal Muscle.

Laura M de Smalen, Christoph Handschin.

Skeletal muscle is one of the tissues with the highest range of variability in metabolic rate, which, to a large extent, is critically dependent on tightly controlled and fine-tuned mitochondrial activity. Besides energy production, other mitochondrial processes, including calcium buffering, generation of heat, redox and reactive oxygen species homeostasis, intermediate metabolism, substrate biosynthesis, and anaplerosis, are essential for proper muscle contractility and performance. It is thus not surprising that adequate mitochondrial function is ensured by a plethora of mechanisms, aimed at balancing mitochondrial biogenesis, proteostasis, dynamics, and degradation. The fine-tuning of such maintenance mechanisms ranges from proper folding or degradation of individual proteins to the elimination of whole organelles, and in extremis, apoptosis of cells. In this review, the present knowledge on these processes in the context of skeletal muscle biology is summarized. Moreover, existing gaps in knowledge are highlighted, alluding to potential future studies and therapeutic implications.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a041514
Genome Biol. 2024 Oct 21. 25(1): 276

A comprehensive study of genetic regulation and disease associations of plasma circulatory microRNAs using population-level data.

Rima Mustafa, Michelle M J Mens, Arno van Hilten, Jian Huang, Gennady Roshchupkin, Tianxiao Huan, Linda Broer, Joyce B J van Meurs, Paul Elliott, Daniel Levy, M Arfan Ikram, Marina Evangelou, Abbas Dehghan, Mohsen Ghanbari.

   BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Perturbations in plasma miRNA levels are known to impact disease risk and have potential as disease biomarkers. Exploring the genetic regulation of miRNAs may yield new insights into their important role in governing gene expression and disease mechanisms.
RESULTS: We present genome-wide association studies of 2083 plasma circulating miRNAs in 2178 participants of the Rotterdam Study to identify miRNA-expression quantitative trait loci (miR-eQTLs). We identify 3292 associations between 1289 SNPs and 63 miRNAs, of which 65% are replicated in two independent cohorts. We demonstrate that plasma miR-eQTLs co-localise with gene expression, protein, and metabolite-QTLs, which help in identifying miRNA-regulated pathways. We investigate consequences of alteration in circulating miRNA levels on a wide range of clinical conditions in phenome-wide association studies and Mendelian randomisation using the UK Biobank data (N = 423,419), revealing the pleiotropic and causal effects of several miRNAs on various clinical conditions. In the Mendelian randomisation analysis, we find a protective causal effect of miR-1908-5p on the risk of benign colon neoplasm and show that this effect is independent of its host gene (FADS1).
CONCLUSIONS: This study enriches our understanding of the genetic architecture of plasma miRNAs and explores the signatures of miRNAs across a wide range of clinical conditions. The integration of population-based genomics, other omics layers, and clinical data presents opportunities to unravel potential clinical significance of miRNAs and provides tools for novel miRNA-based therapeutic target discovery.

Keywords:  Expression quantitative trait loci; MicroRNA; Population-based cohort

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13059-024-03420-6
PLoS Biol. 2024 Oct;22(10): e3002853

Disruption of tRNA biogenesis enhances proteostatic resilience, improves later-life health, and promotes longevity.

Yasir Malik, Yavuz Kulaberoglu, Shajahan Anver, Sara Javidnia, Gillian Borland, Rene Rivera, Stephen Cranwell, Danel Medelbekova, Tatiana Svermova, Jackie Thomson, Susan Broughton, Tobias von der Haar, Colin Selman, Jennifer M A Tullet, Nazif Alic.

tRNAs are evolutionarily ancient molecular decoders essential for protein translation. In eukaryotes, tRNAs and other short, noncoding RNAs are transcribed by RNA polymerase (Pol) III, an enzyme that promotes ageing in yeast, worms, and flies. Here, we show that a partial reduction in Pol III activity specifically disrupts tRNA levels. This effect is conserved across worms, flies, and mice, where computational models indicate that it impacts mRNA decoding. In all 3 species, reduced Pol III activity increases proteostatic resilience. In worms, it activates the unfolded protein response (UPR) and direct disruption of tRNA metabolism is sufficient to recapitulate this. In flies, decreasing Pol III's transcriptional initiation on tRNA genes by a loss-of-function in the TFIIIC transcription factor robustly extends lifespan, improves proteostatic resilience and recapitulates the broad-spectrum benefits to late-life health seen following partial Pol III inhibition. We provide evidence that a partial reduction in Pol III activity impacts translation, quantitatively or qualitatively, in both worms and flies, indicating a potential mode of action. Our work demonstrates a conserved and previously unappreciated role of tRNAs in animal ageing.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002853