Skeletal Muscle Degradation Research Articles

Neuregulin reduces protein degradation in skeletal muscle in a PI3 kinase/Akt and MAP kinase dependent manner

Skeletal muscle growth is achieved by a net increase in muscle protein synthesis, decreased protein degradation or both. The Akt and mTOR signaling transduction pathways regulate both protein synthesis and degradation. We previously reported that the nerve‐derived growth factor neuregulin (NRG) increases muscle protein synthesis (~20%) in a PI3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt‐dependent manner. In the present study, we report that basal protein degradation in the diaphragm muscle is also significantly reduced by NRG treatment (23%). The NRG‐induced reduction of basal protein degradation is abrogated by pretreatment with inhibitors of PI3K (LY294002, 50 μM), mTOR (rapamycin, 100 nM) or MEK (PD98059, 50 μM). In fact, inhibition of any of these pathways alone is sufficient to increase basal protein degradation by greater than 30%. Importantly, NRG treatment nullifies the increase in protein degradation induced by PI3K or MEK inhibition, but not that induced by mTOR inhibition. Thus, unlike NRG effects on protein synthesis, the NRG‐induced decrease in protein degradation is abrogated not only by inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway, but also by inhibition of the MAP kinase. Based on these results, we suggest that both the PI3K/Akt and MAP kinase pathways are important for NRG effects on protein degradation, and that mTOR is a critical regulator of NRG effects on protein balance in skeletal muscle. Supported by NIH grant AR51173.

Effects of glutamine on signaling pathways involved in synthesis and degradation of skeletal muscle protein

Patients with diabetes mellitus present muscle mass loss and muscle atrophy that activate signaling pathways of protein degradation, such as MURF‐1 and MAF‐bx. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of glutamine (Gln) supplementation on signaling pathways of protein synthesis (Akt, GSK3, p70s6K, 4E‐BP1, mTOR) and degradation (MuRF‐1 e MAF‐bx) in rat soleus muscles in vitro and in vivo, by using Western blotting. In the in vitro experiments, skeletal muscle cells were cultured in the absence and in the presence of Gln (4 and 16 mM) for seven days; whereas, in the in vivo experiments, streptozocin‐induced diabetic rats were supplemented with glutamine (1g/kg bw for 15 days. Protein synthesis was determined by measuring the incorporation of labeled leucine into muscle cells. In cultured skeletal muscle cells, Gln (at 4 and 16 mM) increased L‐[U‐14C]‐leucine incorporation, Akt, mTOR and GSK3 phosphorylation, as well as p70s6k protein content phosphorylation, and decreased 4E‐BP1 and MuRF‐1 expression. In soleus muscle from diabetic rats there was an increase of Akt, GSK3 and mTOR phosphorylation, followed by a reduction of 4E‐BP1, MuRF‐1 and MAF‐bx. In conclusion, Gln stimulated the signaling pathway of protein synthesis and inhibited that of protein degradation in skeletal muscle.Financial Support: Fapesp, Capes and CNPq

Skeletal Muscle Oxidative Capacity in Cachectic Mice

Cachexia is often defined as a complex metabolic syndrome associated with underlying illness and characterized by the loss of muscle with or without loss of fat mass. These changes are often attributed to chronic inflammation that can enhance protein degradation in skeletal muscle and lypolysis in adipose tissue. The purpose of this study was to examine if the enhanced metabolic demands during cachexia alter oxidative capacity in red and white portions of the gastrocnemius muscle from cachectic ApcMin/+ mice. Twenty week ApcMin/+ mice were stratified by cachexia severity determined by body weight, muscle, and fat mass. The gastrocnemius muscle was separated into red and white portions to determine phenotype specific changes. Muscle mitochondrial content and succinate dehydrogenase activity were significantly reduced in mice with severe cachexia. Gene expression related to mitochondrial fission and fusion were quantified in the muscle. In glycolytic muscle there was a significant decrease in mfn1 and mfn2 expression, and an increase in fis1 mRNA expression. Nitrotyrosine expression, a marker of oxidative stress was significantly decreased in both oxidative and glycolytic muscle from severely cachectic mice. These results suggest that during severe cachexia skeletal muscle mitochondria number and function are altered in red and white portions of rapidly wasting skeletal muscle. RO1CA121249‐01A2

A super-agonist of growth hormone–releasing hormone causes rapid improvement of nutritional status in patients with chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease is frequently associated with protein-energy wasting related to chronic inflammation and a resistance to anabolic hormones such as insulin and growth hormone (GH). In this study, we determined whether a new GH-releasing hormone super-agonist (AKL-0707) improved the anabolism and nutritional status of nondialyzed patients with stage 4-5 chronic kidney disease randomized to twice daily injections of the super-agonist or placebo. After 28 days, this treatment significantly increased 24-h GH secretion by almost 400%, without altering the frequency or rhythmicity of secretory bursts or fractional pulsatile GH release, and doubled the serum insulin-like growth factor-1 level. There was a significant change in the Subjective Global Assessment from 'mildly to moderately malnourished' to 'well-nourished' in 6 of 9 patients receiving AKL-0707 but in none of 10 placebo-treated patients. By dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, both the mean fat-free mass and the body mineral content increased, but fat mass decreased, all significantly. In the AKL-0707-treated group, both serum urea and normalized protein equivalent of nitrogen appearance significantly decreased with no change in dietary protein intake, indicating a protein anabolic effect of treatment. Thus, our study shows that stimulation of endogenous GH secretion by AKL-0707 overcomes uremic catabolism of patients with advanced chronic kidney disease.

Differential In Vivo Effects on Target Pathways of a Novel Arylpyrazole Glucocorticoid Receptor Modulator Compared with Prednisolone

Glucocorticoids are widely prescribed to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Although they are extremely potent, their utility in clinical practice is limited by a variety of adverse side effects. Development of compounds that retain the potent immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory properties of classic glucocorticoids while exhibiting reduced adverse actions is therefore a priority. Using heavy water labeling and mass spectrometry to measure fluxes through multiple glucocorticoid-responsive, disease-relevant target pathways in vivo in mice, we compared the effects of a classic glucocorticoid receptor (GR) ligand, prednisolone, with those of a novel arylpyrazole-based compound, L5 {[1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4a-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzo[f]indazol-5-yl]-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methanol}. We show for the first time that L5 exhibits clearly selective actions on disease-relevant pathways compared with prednisolone. Prednisolone reduced bone collagen synthesis, skin collagen synthesis, muscle protein synthesis, and splenic lymphocyte counts, proliferation, and cell death, whereas L5 had none of those actions. In contrast, L5 was a more rapid and potent inhibitor of hippocampal neurogenesis than prednisolone, and L5 and prednisolone induced insulin resistance equally. Administration of prednisolone or L5 increased expression comparably for one GR-regulated gene involved in protein degradation in skeletal muscle (Murf1) and one GR-regulated gluconeogenic gene in liver (PEPCK). In summary, L5 dissociates the pleiotropic effects of the GR ligand prednisolone in intact animals in ways that neither gene expression nor cell-based models were able to fully capture or predict. Because multiple actions can be measured concurrently in a single animal, this method is a powerful systems approach for characterizing and differentiating the effects of ligands that bind nuclear receptors.

Action of neuwiedase, a metalloproteinase isolated from Bothrops neuwiedi venom, on skeletal muscle: an ultrastructural and immunocytochemistry study

The damaging effects of neuwiedase, a non-hemorrhagic snake venom metalloproteinase from P-I class, on gastrocnemius muscle are studied herein. Following neuwiedase injection, ultrastructural alterations were detected early showing disarrangement of skeletal muscle fibers (characterized by discontinuity of Z lines), mitochondrial swelling, and disruption of plasma membrane and basal lamina. Degradation of skeletal muscle and the appearance of an amorphous substance, primarily composed of cellular debris, were noted after 24 hours. The presence of neuwiedase at the injection site (detected by immunocytochemistry) revealed highly specific labeling of myofibril components of damaged myocytes. In addition, proteolysis of muscle proteins assayed through myofibrils extracted from gastrocnemius muscle indicated that neuwiedase provoked degradation of myofibrils, especially myosin. These results suggest that skeletal muscle damage, induced by neuwiedase, is probably due to its proteolytic action on myofibrils, which are responsible for the maintenance of the cellular architecture.

Triglyceride lipases alter fuel metabolism and mitochondrial gene expressionThis paper is one of a selection of papers published in this Special Issue, entitled 14th International Biochemistry of Exercise Conference – Muscles as Molecular and Metabolic Machines, and has undergone the Journal’s usual peer review process.

Fatty acids derived from the hydrolysis of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle triacylglycerol (TG) are an important energy substrate at rest and during prolonged moderate-intensity exercise. Hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) was long considered to be the rate-limiting enzyme for adipocyte and skeletal muscle TG lipolysis. However, the understanding of TG lipolysis regulation was recently challenged by the finding that adipose TG lipase (ATGL) is the predominant TG lipase in adipose tissue and an important regulator of TG degradation in skeletal muscle. Thus, it is now proposed that ATGL and HSL regulate lipolysis in a serial manner, with ATGL cleaving the first fatty acid and HSL the second fatty acid of TG. Further to this biochemical evaluation, the generation and metabolic characterization of ATGL-/- and HSL-/- mice have revealed distinct phenotypes. ATGL-/- mice are obese, exhibit impaired thermogenesis, oxidize more carbohydrate, and die prematurely due to cardiac dysfunction. Studies in HSL-/- mice report defective beta-adrenergic stimulated lipolysis, protection against high-fat diet-induced obesity, and possible impairments in insulin secretion. This review outlines the current understanding of the cellular regulation of TG lipases, lipolytic regulation, and the functional implications of manipulating ATGL and HSL in vivo.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Reduces Skeletal Muscle Protein Degradation and Stimulates Insulin-Like Growth Factors in an Age- and Current-Dependent Manner

To investigate the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on skeletal muscle metabolism after major abdominal surgery. Protein catabolism associated with surgical interventions leads to reduced muscle strength, increased clinical complications and prolonged convalescence. Immobilization is suggested as a major stimulus for muscle wasting. This study investigates the potency of NMES on skeletal muscle growth factors and degradation processes in surgical patients. This observer blind study included 26 patients after major abdominal surgery mainly due to cancer aged 60 +/- 10 years. Starting on the first postoperative day, 1 randomly assigned thigh of each patient was treated on 4 consecutive days with NMES, whereas the other leg was used as sham-stimulated control. Thereafter, muscle biopsies from both legs were performed. Differences in mRNA level, protein expression, and enzyme activity between legs were analyzed by cross-over analysis of variance (Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT00635440). NMES significantly increased total RNA content and total sarcoplasmatic protein content. NMES significantly reduced ubiquitin-conjugated sarcoplasmatic proteins and proteasome activity. The mechano growth factor mRNA level correlated positively with the applied current and negatively with the body mass index of the patients. The increase in insulin like growth factor-1Ea mRNA after NMES correlated negatively with the age of the patients. This study shows that NMES significantly increases total RNA content and reduces protein degradation in postoperative patients. Moreover, the induction of growth factors by NMES reveals dependency on body mass index, age, and applied current. We conclude that NMES is a useful clinical tool to reduce protein catabolism in postoperative patients.

Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Weak Inducer of Apoptosis Augments Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) Production in Skeletal Muscle through the Activation of Nuclear Factor-κB-inducing Kinase and p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase: A POTENTIAL ROLE OF MMP-9 IN MYOPATHY

Destruction of skeletal muscle extracellular matrix is an important pathological consequence of many diseases involving muscle wasting. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to extracellular matrix breakdown in skeletal muscle tissues remain unknown. Using a microarray approach, we investigated the effect of tumor necrosis factor-related weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), a recently identified muscle-wasting cytokine, on the expression of extracellular proteases in skeletal muscle. Among several other matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), we found that the expression of MMP-9, a type IV collagenase, was drastically increased in myotubes in response to TWEAK. The level of MMP-9 was also higher in myofibers of TWEAK transgenic mice. TWEAK increased the activation of both classical and alternative nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathways. Inhibition of NF-kappaB activity blocked the TWEAK-induced production of MMP-9 in myotubes. TWEAK also increased the activation of AP-1, and its inhibition attenuated the TWEAK-induced MMP-9 production. Overexpression of a kinase-dead mutant of NF-kappaB-inducing kinase or IkappaB kinase-beta but not IkappaB kinase-alpha significantly inhibited the TWEAK-induced activation of MMP-9 promoter. The activation of MMP-9 also involved upstream recruitment of TRAF2 and cIAP2 proteins. TWEAK increased the activity of ERK1/2, JNK1, and p38 MAPK. However, the inhibition of only p38 MAPK blocked the TWEAK-induced expression of MMP-9 in myotubes. Furthermore the loss of body and skeletal muscle weights, inflammation, fiber necrosis, and degradation of basement membrane around muscle fibers were significantly attenuated in Mmp9 knock-out mice on chronic administration of TWEAK protein. The study unveils a novel mechanism of skeletal muscle tissue destruction in pathological conditions.

Atrogin-1/MAFbx Enhances Simulated Ischemia/Reperfusion-induced Apoptosis in Cardiomyocytes through Degradation of MAPK Phosphatase-1 and Sustained JNK Activation

Atrogin-1/MAFbx is a major atrophy-related E3 ubiquitin ligase that is expressed specifically in striated muscle. Although the contribution of atrogin-1 to cardiac and muscle hypertrophy/atrophy has been examined extensively, it remains unclear whether atrogin-1 plays an essential role in the simulated ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis of primary cardiomyocytes. Here we showed that atrogin-1 markedly enhanced ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes via activation of JNK signaling. Overexpression of atrogin-1 increased phosphorylation of JNK and c-Jun and decreased phosphorylation of Foxo3a. In addition, atrogin-1 decreased Bcl-2, increased Bax, and enhanced the activation of caspases. Furthermore, JNK inhibitor SP600125 markedly blocked the effect of atrogin-1 on cell apoptosis and the expression of apoptotic-related proteins and caspases. Importantly, atrogin-1 induced sustained activation of JNK through a mechanism that involved degradation of MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) protein. Atrogin-1 interacted with and triggered MKP-1 for ubiquitin-mediated degradation. In contrast, proteasome inhibitors markedly blocked the degradation of MKP-1. Taken together, these results demonstrate that atrogin-1 promotes degradation of MKP-1 through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, thereby leading to persistent activation of JNK signaling and further cardiomyocyte apoptosis following ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Biochemical Alterations Of Amino Acids, Neurotransmitters And Hepatic Functions After Thermal Injury In Rats

Thermal injury in human and animals models may be complicated by dysfunction to organs distant from the original burn wound. The physiopathological events following thermal injury are not limited to the surface effects of heat but are also related to an acute inflammatory reaction with increased muscle protein breakdown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the biochemical alterations of some amino acids, brain neurotransmitters and hepatic functions during postburn stage in scalded rats. Male Wistar rats inflicted by 30% total body surface area (TBSA) were employed as the model and were randomly divided into 5 groups; normal sham control, 1,3,5 & 7 days postburn groups, with 8 rats in each groups. Serum levels of IL-6 was estimated by ELISA method. Serum concentrations of amino acids were determined by amino acid analyzer. Levels of homocystein and glutathione were estimated by HPLC method. At the sametime, brain neurotransmitters, serum ALT, AST, ALP and γ-GT levels were also assayed. There was a decreasing tendency in varying degrees in serum concentrations of most amino acids at each time points. Serum homocysteine level in all scalding groups were markedly lower than that in sham control group at all postburn time points. GSH concentration was significantly decreased at D5 and D7, however, the concentration of GSSG was increased at D1, D3 and D7 and GSH/GSSG ratio was decreased at D1, D3, D5 and D7 postburn when compared to the sham control. There was increasing tendency in brain concentration of norepinephrine and dopamine, while the level of brain serotonin showed a pronounced decrease after one day following burn injury and 3 &5 days postburn its levels increased significantly when compared to sham group. At the seventh day following burn, serotonin level was found to be replenished back to that of the sham control group. The serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP and γ-GT were increased obviously at all postburn time points. In conclusion, we found that, There were significant changes in serum contents of amino acids and brain neurotransmitters during postburn stage in scalded rats, which might be related to the early excessive release of inflammatory mediators, enhanced degradation of skeletal muscle and impairment of hepatic function. Keywords: burns, IL-6, neurotransmitters, liver, amino acids, glutathione, homocysteine Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Vol. 26 (2) 2008: pp. 13-28

Dose-Dependent Effects of Genistein and Daidzein on Protein Metabolism in Porcine Myotube Cultures

This study was conducted to investigate whether the isoflavones genistein and daidzein, which are components of soy-based diets, and the estrogen 17beta-estradiol affect differentiation and protein metabolism of porcine skeletal muscle cells in vitro. Serum-free porcine myotube cultures expressing the estrogen receptors ERalpha and ERbeta were treated with various concentrations of genistein, daidzein, or 17beta-estradiol for 26 h. The degree of differentiation by creatine phosphokinase activity was not altered by treatment. At 100 micromol/L both genistein and daidzein caused decreases in protein amount due to cell loss. In addition, 100 micromol/L genistein reduced protein synthesis rate of the surviving cells (P < 0.05) measured as [3H]-phenylalanine incorporation. Interestingly, genistein (0.1 micromol/L), daidzein (10, 100 micromol/L), and 17beta-estradiol (0.1, 1 nmol/L) slightly reduced protein degradation (P < 0.05). The results suggest that both genistein and daidzein affect protein metabolism in a dose-dependent manner and that estrogenic actions may play a role in decreasing protein degradation in porcine skeletal muscle.

MVps34 is activated following high‐resistance contractions

Following resistance exercise in the fasted state, both protein synthesis and degradation in skeletal muscle are increased. The addition of essential amino acids potentiates the synthetic response suggesting that an amino acid sensor, which is involved in both synthesis and degradation, may be activated by resistance exercise. One such candidate protein is the class 3 phosphatidylinositol 3OH-kinase (PI3K) Vps34. To determine whether mammalian Vps34 (mVps34) is modulated by high-resistance contractions, mVps34 and S6K1 (an index of mTORC1) activity were measured in the distal hindlimb muscles of rats 0.5, 3, 6 and 18 h after acute unilateral high-resistance contractions with the contralateral muscles serving as a control. In the lengthening tibialis anterior (TA) muscle, S6K1 (0.5 h = 366.3 +/- 112.08%, 3 h = 124.7 +/- 15.96% and 6 h = 129.2 +/- 0%) and mVps34 (3 h = 68.8 +/- 15.1% and 6 h = 36.0 +/- 8.79%) activity both increased, whereas in the shortening soleus and plantaris (PLN) muscles the increase was significantly lower (PLN S6K1 0.5 h = 33.1 +/- 2.29% and 3 h = 47.0 +/- 6.65%; mVps34 3 h = 24.5 +/- 7.92%). HPLC analysis of the TA demonstrated a 25% increase in intramuscular leucine concentration in rats 1.5 h after exercise. A similar level of leucine added to C2C12 cells in vitro increased mVps34 activity 3.2-fold. These data suggest that, following high-resistance contractions, mVps34 activity is stimulated by an influx of essential amino acids such as leucine and this may prolong mTORC1 signalling and contribute to muscle hypertrophy.

Attenuation of skeletal muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia by d-myo-inositol 1,2,6-triphosphate

To determine the effectiveness of the polyanionic, metal binding agent D-myo-inositol-1,2,6-triphosphate (alpha trinositol, AT), and its hexanoyl ester (HAT), in tissue wasting in cancer cachexia. The anti-cachexic effect was evaluated in the MAC16 tumour model. Both AT and HAT attenuated the loss of body weight through an increase in the nonfat carcass mass due to an increase in protein synthesis and a decrease in protein degradation in skeletal muscle. The decrease in protein degradation was associated with a decrease in activity of the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway and caspase-3 and -8. Protein synthesis was increased due to attenuation of the elevated autophosphorylation of double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase, and of eukaryotic initiation factor 2alpha together with hyperphosphorylation of eIF4E-binding protein 1 and decreased phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2. In vitro, AT completely attenuated the protein degradation in murine myotubes induced by both proteolysis-inducing factor and angiotensin II. These results show that AT is a novel therapeutic agent with the potential to alleviate muscle wasting in cancer patients.

Downregulation of muscle protein degradation in sepsis by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has been shown to attenuate muscle atrophy in cancer, starvation and hyperthermia by downregulating the increased expression of the ubiquitin–proteasome proteolytic pathway leading to a reduction in protein degradation. In the current study EPA (0.5 g/kg) administered to septic mice completely attenuated the increased protein degradation in skeletal muscle by preventing the increase in both gene expression and protein concentration of the α- and β-subunits of the 20S proteasome, as well as functional activity of the proteasome, as measured by the ‘chymotrypsin-like’ enzyme activity. These results suggest that muscle protein catabolism in sepsis is mediated by the same intracellular signalling pathways as found in other catabolic conditions.

Role of the dsRNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) in the attenuation of protein loss from muscle by insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I)

Proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF), a tumour-produced cachectic factor, induced a dose-dependent decrease in protein synthesis in murine myotubes, together with an increase in phosphorylation of eucaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) on the alpha-subunit. Both insulin (1 nM) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) (13.2 nM) attenuated the depression of protein synthesis by PIF and the increased phosphorylation of eIF2alpha, by inhibiting the activation (autophosphorylation) of the dsRNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) by induction of protein phosphatase 1. A low-molecular weight inhibitor of PKR also reversed the depression of protein synthesis by PIF to the same extent, as did insulin and IGF-I. Both insulin and IGF-I-stimulated protein synthesis in the presence of PIF, and this was attenuated by Salubrinal, an inhibitor of phospho eIF2alpha phosphatase, suggesting that at least part of this action was due to their ability to inhibit phosphorylation of eIF2alpha. Both insulin and IGF-I also attenuated the induction of protein degradation in myotubes induced by PIF, this effect was also attenuated by Salubrinal. These results suggest an alternative mechanism involving PKR to explain the effect of insulin and IGF-I on protein synthesis and degradation in skeletal muscle in the presence of catabolic factors.

Neuregulin decreases protein degradation in skeletal muscle

Neuregulin (NRG) is a member of the epidermal growth factor family, with 3 types varying in their structure and cellular expression but not in their receptor‐binding domain. NRG‐2 and NRG‐3 are primarily membrane bound, while NRG‐1 can be secreted. NRG‐1 is present in phrenic motor neurons. We previously reported that exogenous NRG containing only the receptor‐binding domain, increases protein synthesis in rat diaphragm. This effect was significantly inhibited by LY294002 indicating a PI 3‐kinase dependent mechanism. We also reported that NRG increases Akt phosphorylation. Interestingly, Akt phosphorylation is positively correlated with skeletal muscle growth and inversely correlated with atrophy. In this study, we hypothesized that NRG reduces protein degradation in rat diaphragm. Diaphragms were harvested from 4‐week old rats and incubated in the presence or absence of exogenous NRG. Protein degradation was measured by quantifying muscle tyrosine release via a fluorimetric assay. We found that NRG treatment resulted in a 50% reduction in tyrosine release from diaphragm preparations, indicating a reduction in basal protein degradation rates. These results suggest that phrenic motoneuron‐derived NRG‐1 regulates muscle protein synthesis and degradation rates, thereby playing a role in matching muscle fiber and motoneuron properties within motor units.

In vitro acute effects of free fatty acids on protein degradation in young rat skeletal muscle

Previous reports from literature have suggested that plasma free fatty acids (FFA) may reduce the rates of proteolysis, sparing muscle proteins in situations like fasting and diabetes. Here we investigated the acute effects of palmitic acid on total protein degradation and the activity of proteolytic pathways in rat skeletal muscle incubated in vitro. Soleus muscles were removed from Wistar male rats (70–80g) and incubated in Krebs‐Ringer buffer in the presence of palmitic acid (0,3–2,0mM) bound to albumin 1–2%. The rates of total proteolysis and proteolytic pathways were determined by release of tyrosine in the medium. The presence of palmitic acid (1,0mM) induced a clear reduction of total proteolysis (nmol Tyr/mg.2h) (0,340±0,014; 0,242±0,007; n=8), which was accompanied by a 50% reduction in the activity of calcium‐dependent proteolytic process. No changes in lysosomal and ATP‐Ub‐proteasome processes were observed. The inhibition of palmitic acid oxidation (50%) by etomoxir (75μM) and dichloroacetate (7mM) or the presence of 2‐bromopalmitate, a non‐metabolizable analog of fatty acids, did not alter the antiproteolytic effect observed. The present results show that palmitic acid exerts an acute inhibitory effect on total proteolysis by reducing the activity of calcium‐dependent pathway in rat skeletal muscle and this effect seems not depend on fatty acid oxidation.Financial Support: FAPESP and CNPq

The FoxO transcription factors and metabolic regulation

Forkhead transcription factors FoxOs are conserved beyond species and regulated by insulin signaling pathway. FoxOs have diverse functions on differentiation, proliferation and cell survival. In calorie restriction (CR) or starvation, FoxOs are in nucleus, active transcriptionally, and increase hepatic glucose production, decrease insulin secretion, increase food intake and cause degradation of skeletal muscle for supplying substrates for glucose production. However, even in insulin resistance due to excessive calorie intake, FoxOs are active and causes type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia. The understanding of molecular mechanism how FoxOs affect glucose or lipid metabolism will shed light on the novel therapy of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome.

Mechanisms of skeletal muscle degradation and its therapy in cancer cachexia.

Severe or chronic disease can lead to cachexia which involves weight loss and muscle wasting. Cancer cachexia contributes significantly to disease morbidity and mortality. Multiple studies have shown that the metabolic changes that occur with cancer cachexia are unique compared to that of starvation. Specifically, cancer patients seem to lose a larger proportion of skeletal muscle mass. There are three pathways that contribute to muscle protein degradation: the lysosomal system, cytosolic proteases and the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome pathway. The Ub-proteasome pathway seems to account for the majority of skeletal muscle degradation in cancer cachexia and is stimulated by several cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, interferon-gamma and proteolysis-inducing factor. Cachexia is particularly severe in pancreatic cancer and contributes significantly to the quality of life and mortality of these patients. Several factors contribute to weight loss in these patients, including alimentary obstruction, pain, depression, side effects of therapy and a high catabolic state. Although no single agent has proven to halt cachexia in these patients there has been some progress in the areas of nutrition with supplementation and pharmacological agents such as megesterol acetate, steroids and experimental trials targeting cytokines that stimulate the Ub-proteasome pathway.