Impaired overload-induced hypertrophy in obese Zucker rat slow-twitch skeletal muscle

Abstract

The effect of insulin resistance (IR) on the adaptation of skeletal muscle loading is not well understood. Here we examine whether the soleus muscles of the lean Zucker (LZ) and insulin-resistant obese Zucker (OZ) rat exhibit differences in their ability to undergo muscle hypertrophy following 8 wk of mechanical overload. Four-week-old male LZ (n = 5) and OZ (n = 5) rats underwent unilateral surgical ablation of the gastrocnemius muscle while the contralateral hindlimb was used as an internal control. Mechanical overload increased soleus muscle wet weight (LZ 57% and OZ 33%, respectively; P < 0.05) and average type 1 fiber cross-sectional area (LZ 32% and OZ 5%, respectively; P < 0.05) in LZ and OZ rats, while the magnitude of these increases was greater in the LZ animals (P < 0.05). The reduced degree of muscle hypertrophy observed in the OZ animals was associated with decreases in the ability of the OZ soleus muscle to phosphorylate p70s6k(Thr 389) and mTOR, while phosphorylation of p70s6k(Thr 389) was increased in the LZ overloaded soleus by 83% (P < 0.05). The amount of Tuberin/TSC2 phosphorylation, an inhibitor of mTOR, was unchanged in the LZ soleus after overload while it was increased (68.3%, P < 0.05) in OZ animals. Conversely, AMPK phosphorylation was decreased in the LZ (-22.77%, P < 0.05) but increased (57%, P < 0.05) in the OZ soleus with overload. Taken together, these data suggest that IR or other related comorbidities may impair the ability of the soleus to activate mTOR signaling and undergo load-induced muscle hypertrophy.