Gene Expression Profile Of Muscle Research Articles

The effects of exposure to and timing of a choline-deficient diet during pregnancy and early postnatal life on the skeletal muscle transcriptome of the offspring

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is related to muscle loss, but the precise mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. The aim of the present study was thus to determine the influence of maternal fatty liver and dietary choline deficiency during pregnancy and/or lactation periods on the skeletal muscle gene expression profile among 24-day-old male rat offspring. Histological examination of skeletal muscle tissue specimens obtained from offspring of dams suffering from fatty liver, provided with proper choline intake during pregnancy and lactation (NN), fed a choline-deficient diet during both periods (DD), deprived of choline only during pregnancy (DN), or only during lactation (ND), was performed. The global transcriptome pattern was assessed using a microarray approach (Affymetrix® Rat Gene 2.1 ST Array Strip). The relative expression of selected genes was validated by real-time PCR (qPCR). Morphological differences in fat accumulation in skeletal muscle related to choline supply were observed. The global gene expression profile was consistent with abnormal morphological changes. Mettl21c gene was overexpressed in all choline-deficient groups compared to the NN group, while two genes, Cdkn1a and S100a4, were downregulated. Processes of protein biosynthesis were upregulated, and processes related to cell proliferation and lipid metabolism were inhibited in DD, DN, and ND groups compared to the NN group. Prenatal and early postnatal exposure to fatty liver and dietary choline deficiency leads to changes in the transcriptome profile in skeletal muscle of 24-day old male rat offspring and is associated with muscle damage, but the mechanism of it seems to be different at different developmental stages of life. Adequate choline intake during pregnancy and lactation can prevent severe muscle disturbance in the progeny of females suffering from fatty liver.

Transcriptional Changes and Preservation of Muscle Protein Content in Hibernating Black Bears

Physical inactivity decreases mechanical load on the skeleton, which, when prolonged, leads to loss of muscle mass and strength in most mammalian species. In contrast, hibernating bears demonstrate limited loss of muscle mass and protein content over the prolonged periods (5-6 months) of inactivity and fasting during winter. This suggests that bears have natural adaptive mechanisms preserving muscle mass and functionality. To identify transcriptional changes that underlie molecular mechanisms attenuating muscle loss, we conducted a large-scale gene expression profiling (14,194 genes) in quadriceps muscle of adult black bear males, comparing hibernating animals (n=5) sampled in March, about 1 month before expected emergence, and summer active animals (n=5) using next generation sequencing (RNA-seq) of the transcriptome. In total, 336 differentially expressed (FDR<0.05) genes were up-regulated and 677 genes were down-regulated in muscle of hibernating bears. Gene set enrichment analysis with Reactome database showed significantly elevated proportion of overexpressed genes involved in eukaryotic translation initiation (FDR<0.0001) and elongation (FDR<0.0001) as well as in the mTORC1 mediated signaling pathway (FDR=0.021). In contrast, down-regulated genes were overrepresented among genes involved in catabolism of branched chain amino acid (BCAA: leucine, isoleucine and valine, FDR<0.0001) that suggests preservation of BCAA. These findings imply induction of protein biosynthesis through the mTORC1 signaling positively activated by availability of leucine in muscle during hibernation. Support for this conclusion comes from significant overexpression of Ras-related GTP-binding protein D (RRAGD, FC=2.12, FDR<0.0001), crucial regulator of the mTORC1 response to leucine availability, and up-regulation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4B (EIF4B, FC=1.95, FDR=0.012), downstream target of the mTORC1 mediated signaling. In addition to regulation of protein biosynthesis, activation of the mTOR signaling suppresses autophagy-dependent protein degradation. Consistent with reduction of autophagy, microtubule associated protein 1 light chain (MAP1LC3A, FC=-2.46, FDR<0.0001) and unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase (ULK1, FC=-1.69, FDR=0.052) were down-regulated in hibernating muscle. No expression differences were detected for two muscle atrophy markers, key members of the ubiquitin proteasome degradation, FBXO32 (Atrogin-1, MAFBX, FDR=0.85) and TRIM63 (MURF-1, FDR=0.63). The induction of protein biosynthesis and decrease in protein catabolism through the mTORC1 mediated signaling as response to BCAA availability likely contribute to the maintenance of muscle protein content through prolonged periods of immobility and fasting during hibernation. The follow up studies need to include metabolomic quantification of BCAA, phospho-proteomic assessment of key genes (RPS6KB1, RPS6) involved in the mTORC1 signaling and identification of upstream negative regulators suppressing BCAA catabolism in hibernating muscle. The work was supported by NIH COBRE under grant number [P20GM130443]. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Reduced muscle expression heterogeneity by categorising diabetic subjects resulted in improved statistical significance for trascriptome comparison

The information gained through studies investigating muscle gene expression profiles (GEPs) for diabetes biomarkers identification, has resulted in the general belief that muscle transcriptome is relatively unaltered while the subject gradually progresses from a healthy to a diabetic condition. In this study, we focused on identifying the diabetes subgroup based on the subject's muscle gene expression profile to reduce the expression heterogeneity and regain statistical significance in transcriptome comparison. Given the muscle GEPs of type-II diabetic (T2D) and normal glucose tolerant (NGT) subjects, the R-package WGCNA was used to identify a set of correlated genes termed a module. The Random Forest classifier trained over expression profiles of genes belonging to respective modules was used to classify subjects into subgroups. The study was able to categorize early-stage diabetic (ESD) and advance stage diabetic (ASD) subjects based on muscle gene expression profiles. The ASD subjects differed significantly from ESD subjects with respect to diabetes-related clinical traits. Comparison between ASD and NGT subjects showed significant up-regulation of muscle atrophy marker atrogin-1 along with the FOXO signaling pathway. The expression of PDK4, an important inhibitor of glycolytic flux was up-regulated whereas, glucose oxidation biomarkers, HK2 and LDHB were down-regulated in ASD subjects. The result obtained from this study highlights muscle-associated gene expression changes that could be used to categorize diabetic subjects into biologically relevant subgroups.

Downregulation of mitochondrial metabolism is a driver for fast skeletal muscle loss during mouse aging

Skeletal muscle aging is characterized by the loss of muscle mass, strength and function, mainly attributed to the atrophy of glycolytic fibers. Underlying mechanisms driving the skeletal muscle functional impairment are yet to be elucidated. To unbiasedly uncover its molecular mechanisms, we recurred to gene expression and metabolite profiling in a glycolytic muscle, Extensor digitorum longus (EDL), from young and aged C57BL/6JRj mice. Employing multi-omics approaches we found that the main age-related changes are connected to mitochondria, exhibiting a downregulation in mitochondrial processes. Consistent is the altered mitochondrial morphology. We further compared our mouse EDL aging signature with human data from the GTEx database, reinforcing the idea that our model may recapitulate muscle loss in humans. We are able to show that age-related mitochondrial downregulation is likely to be detrimental, as gene expression signatures from commonly used lifespan extending interventions displayed the opposite direction compared to our EDL aging signature.

HS135, a novel activin and GDF trap, is highly efficacious in preclinical models of pulmonary hypertension and obesity-associated heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Abstract Introduction Activins and growth differentiation factors (GDFs) signal via the Activin Type II receptor (ActRII) and are genetically and clinically validated drivers of heart failure (HF), pulmonary hypertension (PH) and obesity. Despite initial clinical success in PH, current inhibitors of Activin mediated signalling (eg, sotatercept, an ActRIIA receptor ectodomain Fc-fusion protein) cannot be dosed to full biological activity. HS135 is a rationally designed ActRII-based fusion protein that acts as a ligand trap for pathological Activins and GDFs while sparing BMP-9 to treat PH and obesity-associated HF. We previously demonstrated that HS135 achieves best-in-class in vitro potency against Activin and GDF targets, which translated into full in vivo target engagement (not observed with ActRIIA-Fc). Here, the differentiated efficacy profile of HS135 was explored in preclinical models of PH and HF with preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). Methods HS135 PH efficacy was assessed using the rat monocrotaline (MCT) and the mouse transaortic constriction (TAC) models, while the murine High Fat Diet (HFD) and L-NAME model was utilized to explore the potential of HS135 in obesity-associated HFpEF. In the MCT model, rats were injected twice weekly for four weeks with HS135 or ActRIIA-Fc starting the day following MCT induction. In the TAC model, mice were injected twice weekly for four weeks with HS135 or ActRIIA-Fc two weeks following surgical intervention to establish TAC. HFpEF was established by feeding mice HFD in combination with L-NAME supplied in drinking water ad libitum for 5 weeks before commencing twice weekly treatment with HS135 or empagliflozin for three weeks. In each case, tissue remodelling in the heart and lungs was assessed by IHC and RNA-seq. In addition, changes in body composition as well as markers of adiposity were evaluated. Results Right ventricles (RV) of MCT treated animals showed a distinct gene expression profile by RNAseq particularly related to pathways of inflammation and energy balance. This profile was only modestly improved by ActRIIA-Fc whereas RVs of HS135-treated animals were nearly indistinguishable by RNAseq from naïve mice. Similarly, in the lung, HS135 was more efficacious than ActRIIA-Fc at improving inflammation markers and rebalancing Activin and BMP signalling. In the TAC and HFD/L-NAME models, HS135 was efficacious at modulating the left ventricle phenotype. Across all models of PH and HF, HS135 led to profound increases in lean mass and a more metabolically favourable muscle gene expression profile. Furthermore, in the HFD / L-NAME model, HS135 was able to improve fat mass and markers of adiposity. Conclusion HS135 best-in-class target engagement profile uniquely improves PH, HF, and metabolism across in vivo models. Collectively, these data support the development of HS135 as a novel agent in cardiopulmonary and cardiometabolic disease, including PH and obesity-associated HF.

RNA sequencing analysis revealed differentially expressed genes and their functional annotation in porcine longissimus dorsi muscle affected by dietary lysine restriction.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary lysine restriction on the global gene expression profile of skeletal muscle in growing pigs. Twelve crossbred (Yorkshire × Landrace) barrows (initial BW 22.6 ± 2.04 kg) were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments (LDD: a lysine-deficient diet; LAD: a lysine-adequate diet) according to a completely randomized experiment design (n = 6). After feeding for 8 weeks, skeletal muscle was sampled from the longissimus dorsi of individual pigs. The muscle total RNA was isolated and cDNA libraries were prepared for RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis. The RNA-Seq data obtained was then analyzed using the CLC Genomics Workbench to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A total of 80 genes (padj ≤ 0.05) were differentially expressed in the longissimus dorsi muscle of the pigs fed LDD vs. LAD, of which 46 genes were downregulated and 34 genes were upregulated. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of the DEGs (padj ≤ 0.05) for functional annotation identified those GO terms that are mostly associated with the molecular functions of structural molecules and metabolic enzymes (e.g., oxidoreductase and endopeptidase), biological process of acute-phase response, and amino acid metabolism including synthesis and degradation in the extracellular matrix region. Collectively, the results of this study have provided some novel insight regarding the molecular mechanisms of muscle growth that are associated with dietary lysine supply.

Molecular Regulation of Differential Lipid Molecule Accumulation in the Intramuscular Fat and Abdominal Fat of Chickens.

Reducing abdominal fat (AF) accumulation and increasing the level of intramuscular fat (IMF) simultaneously is a major breeding goal in the poultry industry. To explore the different molecular mechanisms underlying AF and IMF, gene expression profiles in the breast muscle (BM) and AF from three chicken breeds were analyzed. A total of 4737 shared DEGs were identified between BM and AF, of which 2602 DEGs were upregulated and 2135 DEGs were downregulated in the BM groups compared with the AF groups. DEGs involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism and glycerolipid metabolism were potential regulators, resulting in the difference in lipid metabolite accumulation between IMF and AF. The PPAR signaling pathway was the most important pathway involved in tissue-specific lipid deposition. Correlation analysis showed that most representative DEGs enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway, such as FABP5, PPARG, ACOX1, and GK2, were negatively correlated with PUFA-enriched glycerophospholipid molecules. Most DEGs related to glycerophospholipid metabolism, such as GPD2, GPD1, PEMT, CRLS1, and GBGT1, were positively correlated with glycerophospholipid molecules, especially DHA- and arachidonic acid (ARA)-containing glycerophospholipid molecules. This study elucidated the molecular mechanism underlying tissue-specific lipid deposition and poultry meat quality.

THU-370 - The gene expression profile of skeletal muscle in end-stage liver disease patients undergoing assessment for liver transplantation with muscle wasting

THU-370 - The gene expression profile of skeletal muscle in end-stage liver disease patients undergoing assessment for liver transplantation with muscle wasting

An integrative profiling of metabolome and transcriptome in the plasma and skeletal muscle following an exercise intervention in diet-induced obese mice.

Exercise intervention at the early stage of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can aid in the maintenance of blood glucose homeostasis and prevent the development of macrovascular and microvascular complications. However, the exercise-regulated pathways that prevent the development of T2DM remain largely unclear. In this study, two forms of exercise intervention, treadmill training and voluntary wheel running, were conducted for high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. We observed that both forms of exercise intervention alleviated HFD-induced insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. Skeletal muscle is recognized as the primary site for postprandial glucose uptake and for responsive alteration beyond exercise training. Metabolomic profiling of the plasma and skeletal muscle in Chow, HFD, and HFD-exercise groups revealed robust alterations in metabolic pathways by exercise intervention in both cases. Overlapping analysis identified nine metabolites, including beta-alanine, leucine, valine, and tryptophan, which were reversed by exercise treatment in both the plasma and skeletal muscle. Transcriptomic analysis of gene expression profiles in the skeletal muscle revealed several key pathways involved in the beneficial effects of exercise on metabolic homeostasis. In addition, integrative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses uncovered strong correlations between the concentrations of bioactive metabolites and the expression levels of genes involved in energy metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and immune response in the skeletal muscle. This work established two models of exercise intervention in obese mice and provided mechanistic insights into the beneficial effects of exercise intervention on systemic energy homeostasis.

Transcriptome profiling of skeletal muscles from Korean patients with Bethlem myopathy.

Bethlem myopathy is one of the collagens VI-related muscular dystrophies caused by mutations in the collagen VI genes. The study was designed to analyze the gene expression profiles in the skeletal muscle of patients with Bethlem myopathy. Six skeletal muscle samples from 3 patients with Bethlem myopathy and 3 control subjects were analyzed by RNA-sequencing. 187 transcripts were significantly differentially expressed, with 157 upregulated and 30 downregulated transcripts in the Bethlem group. Particularly, 1 (microRNA-133b) was considerably upregulated, and 4 long intergenic non-protein coding RNAs, LINC01854, MBNL1-AS1, LINC02609, and LOC728975, were significantly downregulated. We categorized differentially expressed gene using Gene Ontology and showed that Bethlem myopathy is strongly associated with the organization of extracellular matrix (ECM). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment reflected themes with significant enrichment of the ECM-receptor interaction (hsa04512), complement and coagulation cascades (hsa04610), and focal adhesion (hsa04510). We confirmed that Bethlem myopathy is strongly associated with the organization of ECM and the wound healing process. Our results demonstrate transcriptome profiling of Bethlem myopathy, and provide new insights into the path mechanism of Bethlem myopathy associated with non-protein coding RNAs.

Construction of a novel lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competing endogenous RNA network in muscle in response to exercise training.

Physical inactivity has evidently been a hazard factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. Rising evidence indicates that RNA, as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA), plays an important role in adaptive changes in skeletal muscle in response to exercise training. Although the effects of exercise-induced fitness on skeletal muscle have been well established, the mechanisms underlying are not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to construct a novel ceRNA network in skeletal muscle in response to exercise training. Skeletal muscle gene expression profiles were downloaded from the GEO database. Then, we identified differentially expressed lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs between the pre-exercise and post-exercise samples. Subsequently, we constructed lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks based on the ceRNA theory. 1153 mRNAs (687 upregulated and 466 downregulated), 7 miRNAs (3 upregulated and 4 downregulated), and 5 lncRNAs (3 upregulated and 2 downregulated) were identified as differentially expressed genes. 3 lncRNAs, 5 miRNAs and 227 mRNAs were obtained to build miRNA-mediated ceRNA networks. We constructed a novel ceRNA regulatory network in muscle in response to exercise training, which provides insights into molecular mechanisms underlying the health benefits brought by physical activity.

Skeletal muscle and intermuscular adipose tissue gene expression profiling identifies new biomarkers with prognostic significance for insulin resistance progression and intervention response

Aims/hypothesisAlthough insulin resistance often leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus, its early stages are often unrecognised, thus reducing the probability of successful prevention and intervention. Moreover, treatment efficacy is affected by the genetics of the individual. We used gene expression profiles from a cross-sectional study to identify potential candidate genes for the prediction of diabetes risk and intervention response.MethodsUsing a multivariate regression model, we linked gene expression profiles of human skeletal muscle and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) to fasting glucose levels and glucose infusion rate. Based on the expression patterns of the top predictive genes, we characterised and compared individual gene expression with clinical classifications using k-nearest neighbour clustering. The predictive potential of the candidate genes identified was validated using muscle gene expression data from a longitudinal intervention study.ResultsWe found that genes with a strong association with clinical measures clustered into three distinct expression patterns. Their predictive values for insulin resistance varied substantially between skeletal muscle and IMAT. Moreover, we discovered that individual gene expression-based classifications may differ from classifications based predominantly on clinical variables, indicating that participant stratification may be imprecise if only clinical variables are used for classification. Of the 15 top candidate genes, ST3GAL2, AASS, ARF1 and the transcription factor SIN3A are novel candidates for predicting a refined diabetes risk and intervention response.Conclusion/interpretationOur results confirm that disease progression and successful intervention depend on individual gene expression states. We anticipate that our findings may lead to a better understanding and prediction of individual diabetes risk and may help to develop individualised intervention strategies.Graphical abstract

Changes in transcriptomic and behavioural traits in activity and ventilation rates associated with divergent individual feed efficiency in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata)

Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is an important trait to target in fish breeding programs, and the aim of the present study is to underline how the genetic improvement of FCR in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) drives to changes in transcriptional and behavioural patterns. Groups of fish with high (FCR+) and low (FCR-) individual FCR were established at the juvenile stage (161–315 dph) by rearing isolated fish on a restricted ration. Fish were then grouped on the basis of their individual FCR and they grew up until behavioural monitoring and gene expression analyses were done at 420 dph. The AEFishBIT datalogger (externally attached to operculum) was used for simultaneous measurements of physical activity and ventilation rates. This allowed discrimination of FCR+ and FCR- groups according to their different behaviour and energy partitioning for growth and locomotor activity. Gene expression profiling of liver and white muscle was made using customized PCR-arrays of 44 and 29 genes, respectively. Up to 15 genes were differentially expressed in liver and muscle tissues highlighting a different metabolic scope of FCR+ and FCR- fish. Hepatic gene expression profile of FCR- fish displayed a lower lipogenic activity that was concurrent with a down-regulation of markers of mitochondrial activity and oxidative stress, as well as a reallocation of body fat depots with an enhanced flux of lipids towards skeletal muscle. Muscle gene expression profile of FCR- fish matched with stimulatory and inhibitory growth signals, and an activation of energy sensors and antioxidant defence as part of the operating mechanisms for a more efficient muscle growth. These new insights contribute to phenotype the genetically mediated differences in fish FCR thanks to the combination of transcriptomic and behavioural approaches that contribute to better understand the mechanisms involved in a reliable FCR improvement of farmed gilthead sea bream.

Global analysis of the association between pig muscle fatty acid composition and gene expression using RNA-Seq

Fatty acids (FAs) play an essential role as mediators of cell signaling and signal transduction, affecting metabolic homeostasis and determining meat quality in pigs. However, FAs are transformed by the action of several genes, such as those encoding desaturases and elongases of FAs in lipogenic tissues. The aim of the current work was to identify candidate genes, biological processes, and pathways involved in the modulation of intramuscular FA profile from longissimus dorsi muscle. FA profile by gas chromatography of methyl esters and gene expression by RNA-Seq were determined in 129 Iberian × Duroc backcrossed pigs. An association analysis between the muscle transcriptome and its FA profile was performed, followed by a concordance and functional analysis. Overall, a list of well-known (e.g., PLIN1, LEP, ELOVL6, SC5D, NCOA2, ACSL1, MDH1, LPL, LGALS12, TFRC, GOT1, and FBP1) and novel (e.g., TRARG1, TANK, ENSSSCG00000011196, and ENSSSCG00000038429) candidate genes was identified, either in association with specific or several FA traits. Likewise, several of these genes belong to biological processes and pathways linked to energy, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism, which seem determinants in the modulation of FA compositions. This study can contribute to elucidate the complex relationship between gene expression and FA profile in pig muscle.

Skeletal muscle transcriptome is affected by age in severely burned mice

Severe burn results in muscle wasting affecting quality of life in both children and adults. Biologic metabolic profiles are noticeably distinctive in childhood. We posit that muscle gene expression profiles are differentially regulated in response to severe burns in young animals. Twelve C57BL6 male mice, including young (5 weeks-old) and adults (11 weeks-old), received either scald burn, or sham procedure. Mouse muscle tissue was harvested 24 h later for Next Generation Sequence analysis. Our results showed 662 downregulated and 450 upregulated genes in gastrocnemius of young mice compared to adults without injury. After injury, we found 74/75 downregulated genes and 107/128 upregulated genes in both burned groups compared to respective uninjured age groups. VEGFA-VEGFR2, focal adhesion, and nuclear receptor meta-pathways were the top 3 gene pathways undergoing a differential change in response to age. Of note, the proteasome degradation pathway showed the most similar changes in both adult and young burned animals. This study demonstrates the characteristic profile of gene expression in skeletal muscle in young and adult burned mice. Prominent age effects were revealed in transcriptional levels with increased alterations of genes, miRNAs, pathways, and interactions.

Gestational heat stress alters skeletal muscle gene expression profiles and vascularity in fetal pigs in a sexually dimorphic manner

BackgroundThere is evidence that sow heat stress (HS) during gestation affects fetal development with implications for impaired muscle growth. We have previously demonstrated that maternal HS during early to mid-gestation compromised muscle fibre hyperplasia in developing fetal pigs. Thus, we hypothesised these phenotypic changes are associated with a change in expression of genes regulating fetal skeletal muscle development and metabolism. To test this, at d 60 of gestation, RNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry were performed on fetal longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle biopsies collected from pregnant gilts that had experienced either thermoneutral control (CON, 20 °C, n = 7 gilts, 18 LD samples) or controlled HS (cyclic 28 to 33 °C, n = 8 gilts, 23 LD samples) conditions for 3 weeks.ResultsA total of 282 genes were differentially expressed between the HS and CON groups in female LD muscles (false discovery rate (FDR) ≤ 0.05), whereas no differentially expressed genes were detected in male LD muscles between the two groups (FDR > 0.05). Gestational HS increased the expression of genes associated with transcription corepressor activity, adipogenesis cascades, negative regulation of angiogenesis and pro-inflammatory signalling in female LD muscles. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed a decreased muscle vascularity density in fetuses from HS group for both sexes compared to those from the CON group (P = 0.004).ConclusionsThese results reveal gilt HS during early to mid-gestation altered gene expression profiles in fetal LD muscles in a sexually dimorphic manner. The molecular responses, including transcription and angiogenesis repressions and enhanced adipogenesis cascades, were exclusively observed in females. However, the associated reductions in muscle vascularity were observed independently of sexes. Collectively this may indicate female fetal pigs are more adaptive to gestational HS in terms of gene expression changes, and/or there may be sexually dimorphic differences with respect to the timing of muscle molecular responses to gestational HS.

THU537 - The regulatory protein and gene expression profile of skeletal muscle in chronic liver disease patients

THU537 - The regulatory protein and gene expression profile of skeletal muscle in chronic liver disease patients

Uncovering the effects of gender affirming hormone therapy on skeletal muscle and epigenetics: protocol for a prospective matched cohort study in transgender individuals (the GAME study).

IntroductionGender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is increasingly used by transgender individuals and leads to shifts in sex hormone levels. Skeletal muscle is highly responsive to hormone activity, with limited data on the effects of GAHT on different human tissues. Here, we present the protocol for the GAME study (the effects of Gender Affirming hormone therapy on skeletal Muscle training and Epigenetics), which aims to uncover the effects of GAHT on skeletal muscle ‘omic’ profiles (methylomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and markers of skeletal muscle health and fitness.Methods and analysisThis study is a prospective age-matched cohort study in transgender adults commencing GAHT (n=80) and age-matched individuals not commencing GAHT (n=80), conducted at Austin Health and Victoria University in Victoria, Australia. Assessments will take place prior to beginning GAHT and 6 and 12 months into therapies in adults commencing GAHT. Age-matched individuals will be assessed at the same time points. Assessments will be divided over three examination days, involving (1) aerobic fitness tests, (2) muscle strength assessments and (3) collection of blood and muscle samples, as well as body composition measurements. Standardised diets, fitness watches and questionnaires will be used to control for key confounders in analyses. Primary outcomes are changes in aerobic fitness and muscle strength, as well as changes in skeletal muscle DNA methylation and gene expression profiles. Secondary outcomes include changes in skeletal muscle characteristics, proteomics, body composition and blood markers. Linear mixed models will be used to assess changes in outcomes, while accounting for repeated measures within participants and adjusting for known confounders.Ethics and disseminationThe Austin Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and Victoria University HREC granted approval for this study (HREC/77146/Austin-2021). Findings from this project will be published in open-access, peer-reviewed journals and presented to scientific and public audiences.Trial registration numberACTRN12621001415897; Pre-results.

Impact of Branched Chain Amino Acid Supplementation on Muscle Lipid Accumulation and Mitochondrial Metabolism

Cross talk between branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs; valine, leucine and isoleucine), mitochondrial metabolism and lipid accumulation have been shown to occur in several tissues, including skeletal muscle. In fact, defects in BCAA metabolism and their degradation networks coexist with defects in lipid metabolism in insulin resistant muscle. Here, we hypothesized that the relationship between BCAAs and lipid metabolism is due to the ability of BCAAs to modulate mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and lipid accumulation in the muscle. Mice (C57BL/6N) were randomly assigned to a low‐fat diet (LFD; 10% fat kcal), LFD supplemented with BCAAs (LFBA; 150% BCAA), high‐fat diet (HFD; 60% fat kcal) or HFD supplemented with BCAAs (HFBA; 150% BCAA) for 12 or 26 weeks (n = 8‐11 per group). Following the dietary treatments, leg muscle tissue were collected and flash frozen in liquid nitrogen, under feeding and overnight fasting conditions. Lipid accumulation was evaluated by analyzing muscle triglycerides, Oil‐Red‐O staining, and gene expression profiles. Mitochondrial metabolism and BCAA degradation were evaluated using a combination of gas‐chromatography/mass‐spectroscopy based targeted metabolomics and western blot analysis. Levels of BCAAs in the muscle showed significant correlations to their corresponding keto‐acids (p ≤ 0.01). However, supplementation of BCAAs did not affect the levels of mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates or amino acids in the muscle. Further, mitochondrial proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation also remained similar between non‐supplemented and BCAA supplemented muscle. Muscle tissue from HFD mice had higher lipid accumulation (mg/g ± SEM) (LFD; 8.22 ± 0.91, HFD; 11.03 ± 1.08; p ≤ 0.05), compared to their LFD counterparts. Interestingly, BCAA supplementation for 12‐weeks along with the HFD blunted muscle lipid accumulation (LFBA; 8.62 ± 1.12, HFBA; 9.76 ± 0.75), which was also evidenced from Oil Red‐O staining of the muscle (p = 0.07). A similar lowering of lipid accumulation (p ≤ 0.05) was evident between the HFD vs. HFBA groups, following 26‐weeks on the diets, as quantified by Oil Red‐O staining. Further, the expression of genes involved in lipid accumulation/synthesis Srebp1c (p ≤ 0.05) and Acc1 (p ≤ 0.1) were lower in the 12‐week LFBA vs. their LF counterparts, under fed conditions. Taken together, our results show that BCAAs have the ability to blunt muscle lipid accumulation without altering mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in the muscle.

Linking co-expression modules with phenotypes.

The method for quantifying the association between co-expression module and clinical trait of interest requires application of dimensionality reduction to summaries modules as one dimensional (1D) vector. However, these methods are often linked with information loss. The amount of information lost depends upon the percentage of variance captured by the reduced 1D vector. Therefore, it is of interest to describe a method using analysis of rank (AOR) to assess the association between module and clinical trait of interest. This method works with clinical traits represented as binary class labels and can be adopted for clinical traits measured in continuous scale by dividing samples in two groups around median value. Application of the AOR method on test data for muscle gene expression profiles identifies modules significantly associated with diabetes status.