Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Trace Thome, Kayla Miguez, Alexander Willms, Sarah K. Burke, Vijayendran Chandran, Angela R. de Souza, Liam F. Fitzgerald, Carolyn Baglole, Maria-Eleni Anagnostou, Jean Bourbeau, R. Thomas Jagoe, Jose A. Morais, Yana Goddard, Tanja Taivassalo, Terence E. Ryan, Russell T. Hepple
Summary: Chronic activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) induced by tobacco smoke exposure mimics muscle atrophy, mitochondrial impairment, and neuromuscular junction degeneration. Studies show that smoke exposure causes down-regulation of mitochondrial and neuromuscular junction genes, as well as activation of muscle AHR signaling.
JOURNAL OF CACHEXIA SARCOPENIA AND MUSCLE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna S. Nichenko, Jacob R. Sorensen, W. Michael Southern, Anita E. Qualls, Albino G. Schifino, Jennifer McFaline-Figueroa, Jamie E. Blum, Kayvan F. Tehrani, Hang Yin, Luke J. Mortensen, Anna E. Thalacker-Mercer, Sarah M. Greising, Jarrod A. Call
Summary: This study investigated the role of Ulk1-mediated autophagy in skeletal muscle aging by using muscle-specific Ulk1 knockout mice. Findings suggest that under Ulk1 deficiency, muscle contractile and metabolic function are impaired, leading to mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress. Additionally, lower activation of Ulk1 in aging muscles may contribute to decreased autophagy flux and accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Roberta Schellino, Marina Boido, Jan W. Vrijbloed, Ruggero G. Fariello, Alessandro Vercelli
Summary: Sarcopenia is the primary cause of impaired motor performance in the elderly. Inhibiting the myostatin system through ActR-Fc-nLG3 administration can enhance motor endurance and muscle strength in both young and old mice, potentially providing a treatment option for sarcopenia and other striatal muscle disorders.
Article
Cell Biology
Madoka Ikemoto-Uezumi, Heying Zhou, Tamaki Kurosawa, Yuki Yoshimoto, Masashi Toyoda, Nobuo Kanazawa, Tatsu Nakazawa, Mitsuhiro Morita, Kunihiro Tsuchida, Akiyoshi Uezumi
Summary: The study reveals an association between increased MFG-E8 levels in skeletal muscle and sarcopenia, suggesting that MFG-E8 may contribute to the degeneration of neuromuscular junctions. Targeting MFG-E8 could be a promising therapeutic approach to prevent sarcopenia.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura M. de Smalen, Anastasiya Borsch, Aurel B. Leuchtmann, Jonathan F. Gill, Danilo Ritz, Mihaela Zavolan, Christoph Handschin
Summary: Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, can significantly impact quality of life and mortality. This study found that mitochondrial proteostasis plays an important role in muscle aging and highlights the positive effects of exercise on mitochondrial protein synthesis.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina Pinto, Viviana Perez, Jessica Mella, Miguel Albistur, Teresa Caprile, Francisca C. Bronfman, Juan Pablo Henriquez
Summary: The study demonstrates that Wnt3 is transported and secreted by motor neurons to induce postsynaptic differentiation in nascent NMJs. Overexpression of Wnt3 in NSC-34 cells effectively induces acetylcholine receptor clustering on co-cultured myotubes.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Min-Yi Wu, Wen-Jun Zou, Daehoon Lee, Lin Mei, Wen-Cheng Xiong
Summary: Sarcopenia, characterized by muscle mass and strength/function loss, is associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD). The underlying mechanisms for their associations are not well understood. The APP gene encodes amyloid precursor protein (APP), enriched at neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and synapses in the central nervous system (CNS). This review highlights the physiological functions of APP and its family members and the pathological roles of Swedish mutant APP (APP(swe)) in muscles and NMJ, providing insights into neuromuscular diseases and AD.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Jiaxiang Wu, Ping'an Ding, Haotian Wu, Peigang Yang, Honghai Guo, Yuan Tian, Lingjiao Meng, Qun Zhao
Summary: Skeletal muscle is crucial for human function and its degenerative changes, known as sarcopenia, can lead to weakness, prolonged hospitalization, falls, and reduced quality of life. Research on sarcopenia has focused on molecular mechanisms such as neuromuscular junction lesion, protein synthesis and breakdown imbalance, and dysfunction of satellite cells. This review summarizes the latest research progress on the molecular mechanism of sarcopenia, aiming to provide new ideas for future researchers in finding therapeutic targets and developing prevention strategies.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Anna Carolina Zaia Rodrigues, Zhong-Min Wang, Maria Laura Messi, Henry Jacob Bonilla, Liang Liu, Willard M. Freeman, Osvaldo Delbono
Summary: The study found that inducing the expression of Hand2 in sympathetic neurons in old mice can increase neuron size and number, improve muscle weight and force, enhance muscle innervation, promote muscle transmission, prevent inflammation, and maintain muscle protein synthesis.
JOURNAL OF CACHEXIA SARCOPENIA AND MUSCLE
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Sarah K. Burke, Andrew Fenton, Yana Konokhova, Russell T. Hepple
Summary: Muscle atrophy in aging is most pronounced in fast twitch muscle like the gastrocnemius, with similar effects in the extensor digitorum longus and slow-twitch soleus, while the slow-twitch adductor longus increases in mass. Only the soleus shows significant alterations in fiber type with aging. Muscles that atrophy show an increased fraction of severely atrophic myofibers, while the adductor longus does not exhibit this phenomenon.
EXPERIMENTAL GERONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Emanuela Zuccaro, Caterina Marchioretti, Marco Pirazzini, Maria Pennuto
Summary: Skeletal muscle is the body's most abundant tissue, requiring high levels of energy for proper function. It enables voluntary movement and body posture, which involve different fibers, innervation, energy, and metabolism. This article summarizes the contributions received for the Special Issue on Skeletal Muscle Atrophy: Mechanisms at a Cellular Level, which is divided into three sections: skeletal muscle pathophysiology, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Silvia Sancilio, Sara Nobilio, Antonio Giulio Ruggiero, Ester Sara Di Filippo, Gianmarco Stati, Stefania Fulle, Rosa Grazia Bellomo, Raoul Saggini, Roberta Di Pietro
Summary: This study demonstrates for the first time the direct effects of mechanical vibrations on human satellite cells. These effects vary between young and aged samples, with cells from young subjects exhibiting a proliferative response and cells from aged subjects exhibiting a differentiative response.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Daniel B. Hoffman, Alec M. Basten, Jacob R. Sorensen, Christiana J. Raymond-Pope, Thomas J. Lillquist, Jarrod A. Call, Benjamin T. Corona, Sarah M. Greising
Summary: This study investigated the effect of VML on tSC morphological characteristics and neurotrophic signaling proteins in a rat model. The results showed that there was a progressive loss of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) innervation after VML injury, and the number of terminal Schwann cells (tSCs) per NMJ increased. Neurotrophic factors such as NRG1 and BDNF were elevated after injury. These findings suggest a sustained increase in neurotrophic activity and tSC number after VML.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Review
Physiology
Fengjiao Huo, Qing Liu, Hailiang Liu
Summary: This review focuses on the etiology, assessment, and treatment of sarcopenia, as well as the functional and regulatory mechanisms of muscle satellite cells. Patients with sarcopenia often exhibit dysregulation of muscle satellite cell homeostasis, highlighting the importance of improving muscle satellite cell function in the treatment of sarcopenia.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Tae Chung, Taylor Bopp, Chris Ward, Francesca M. Notarangelo, Robert Schwarcz, Reyhan Westbrook, Qian-Li Xue, Jeremy Walston, Ahmet Hoke
Summary: Decline in neuromuscular function is a major factor contributing to disability and mortality in the elderly, but the neurobiology of age-associated muscle weakness is not well understood. This study used a mouse model with a deletion of the QPRT gene to examine the neurobiology of neurotoxic metabolites. The findings suggest that the kynurenine pathway may play an important role in frailty and age-associated muscle weakness.