Epigenetic mechanisms for prevention of skeletal muscle atrophy
Description: This study investigated the hypothesis that physical inactivity in adolescents affects subsequent hindlimb unloading-induced muscle atrophy in rat soleus muscle. Long-term physical inactivity in adolescents did not alter the metabolic and physiological characteristics of growing rats. However, the decline in the soleus muscle weight induced by 7 days of hindlimb unloading was drastic in the physically inactive group. This may be due to the physical inactivity-induced upregulation of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) and downstream gene expression. Furthermore, we also investigated age-related differences in the activation of the HDAC4/Gadd45α pathway following hindlimb unloading. We found that levels of HDAC4 and Gadd45αprotein and mRNA were significantly increased in the old age group. These data suggest that countermeasures targeting HDAC4 may be effective in suppressing muscle atrophy due to physical inactivity and aging.
Amount: ¥4,550,000
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Start date: 2017-04-01
End date: 2021-03-31
Investigator: TOSHINORI YOSHIHARA
Institution: Juntendo University
Funded outputs count: 20
Funder award ID: 17K01765
OpenAlex ID: G4032788906