Project description:Skeletal muscle plays a central role in the control of metabolism and exercise tolerance. Analysis of muscle enhancers activated after exercise in mice revealed the orphan nuclear receptor NURR1/NR4A2 as a prominent component of exercise-responsive enhancers. We show that exercise enhances the expression of NURR1 and transgenic overexpression of NURR1 in skeletal muscle confers an endurance phenotype in mice. NURR1 expression in skeletal muscle is also sufficient to prevent hyperglycemia and hepatic steatosis by enhancing muscle glucose uptake and storage as glycogen. Furthermore, treatment of obese mice with putative NURR1 agonists increases energy expenditure, improves glucose tolerance, and confers a lean phenotype, mimicking the effects of exercise. These findings identify a key role for NURR1 in governance of skeletal muscle glucose metabolism and reveal a transcriptional link between exercise and metabolism. Our findings also identify NURR1 agonists as possible exercise mimetics with the potential to ameliorate obesity and other metabolic abnormalities.
Project description:Skeletal muscle plays a central role in the control of metabolism and exercise tolerance. Analysis of muscle enhancers activated after exercise in mice revealed the orphan nuclear receptor NURR1/NR4A2 as a prominent component of exercise-responsive enhancers. We show that exercise enhances the expression of NURR1 and transgenic overexpression of NURR1 in skeletal muscle confers an endurance phenotype in mice. NURR1 expression in skeletal muscle is also sufficient to prevent hyperglycemia and hepatic steatosis by enhancing muscle glucose uptake and storage as glycogen. Furthermore, treatment of obese mice with putative NURR1 agonists increases energy expenditure, improves glucose tolerance, and confers a lean phenotype, mimicking the effects of exercise. These findings identify a key role for NURR1 in governance of skeletal muscle glucose metabolism and reveal a transcriptional link between exercise and metabolism. Our findings also identify NURR1 agonists as possible exercise mimetics with the potential to ameliorate obesity and other metabolic abnormalities.
Project description:We investigated the effect of weight loss maintenance (WLM) and weight regain on skeletal muscle in rodents. In skeletal muscle of obesity prone rats, WLM reduced fat oxidative capacity and down-regulated genes involved in fat metabolism. After weight was regained in rats, the genes involved in fat metabolism were still reduced. Mice with skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase overexpression (mCK-hLPL), which augments fat metabolism, were subjected to our WLM and weight regain paradigm. We found that mCK-hLPL attenuated weight regain by potentiating energy expenditure.Irrespective of genotype, weight regain suppressed dietary fat oxidation and down-regulated genes involved in fat metabolism in skeletal muscle. However, mCK-hLPL mice oxidized more fat throughout weight regain and had greater expression of genes involved in fat metabolism and lower expression of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism during WLM and regain.
Project description:The aim of the study was to investigate how short-term fasting affects whole-body energy homeostasis and skeletal muscle energy/nutrient-sensing pathways and transcriptome in humans. For this purpose, twelve young healthy men were studied during a 24-hour fast. Skeletal muscle biopsies were collected and analyzed at baseline and after 4, 10 and 24h of fasting. As expected, fasting induced a time-dependent decrease in plasma insulin and leptin levels, whereas levels of ketone bodies and free fatty acids increased. This was associated with a metabolic shift from glucose towards lipid oxidation. Transcriptome profiling identified genes that were significantly regulated by fasting in skeletal muscle at both early and late time-points. Collectively, our study provides a comprehensive map of the main energy/nutrient-sensing pathways and transcriptomic changes during short-term adaptation to fasting in human skeletal muscle
Project description:The adaptive mechanisms in response to excess energy supply are still poorly known in humans. Our aims were to define metabolic responses and changes in gene expression in skeletal muscle of healthy volunteers during fat overfeeding.
Project description:Obesity and physical inactivity have a profound impact on skeletal muscle metabolism. In the present work, we have investigated differences in protein expression and energy metabolism in primary human skeletal muscle cells established from lean donors (BMI<25 kg/m2) and individuals with obesity (BMI>30 kg/m2). Furthermore, we have studied the effect of fatty acid pretreatment on energy metabolism in myotubes from these donor groups. Alterations in protein expression were investigated using proteomic analysis, and energy metabolism was studied using radiolabeled substrates. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that glycolytic, apoptotic, and hypoxia pathways were upregulated, whereas the pentose phosphate pathway was downregulated in myotubes from donors with obesity compared to myotubes from lean donors. Moreover, fatty acid, glucose, and amino acid uptake were increased in myotubes from individuals with obesity. However, fatty acid oxidation was reduced, glucose oxidation was increased in myotubes from subjects with obesity compared to cells from lean. Pretreatment of myotubes with palmitic acid (PA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) for 24 h increased glucose oxidation and oleic acid uptake. EPA pretreatment increased the glucose and fatty acid uptake and reduced leucine fractional oxidation in myotubes from donors with obesity. In conclusion, these results suggest that myotubes from individuals with obesity showed increased fatty acid, glucose, and amino acid uptake compared to cells from lean donors. Furthermore, myotubes from individuals with obesity had reduced fatty acid oxidative capacity, increased glucose oxidation, and a higher glycolytic reserve capacity compared to cells from lean donors. Fatty acid pretreatment enhances glucose metabolism, and EPA reduces oleic acid and leucine fractional oxidation in myotubes from donor with obesity, suggesting increased metabolic flexibility after EPA treatment
Project description:Skeletal muscle can undergo large transcriptional changes in response to environmental stimuli such as diet or exercise in order to adapt to energetic demands. This remodelling has been associated with changes in muscle DNA methylation potentially regulating gene transcription. Despite abundant evidence that environmental stimuli can alter muscle DNA methylation, the mechanisms by which DNA methylation machinery respond to these stimuli and whether these have a physiological impact is still unclear. Therefore, we decided to investigate the importance of de novo DNA methylation on muscle methylation and function. We generated muscle specific DNMT3a knockout mice (mDKO) and investigated the impact of ablating DNMT3a in muscle on muscle DNA methylation, exercise capacity and energy metabolism. Loss of DNMT3a reduced DNA methylation in muscle over multiple genomic contexts and altered the transcription of genes known to be influenced by DNA methylation. However, mDKO mice had a similar exercise capacity and whole-body energy metabolism as WT mice. Similarly, loss of DNMT3a did not alter muscle mitochondrial function or the transcriptional response to exercise however did increase the expression of genes involved in muscle development. These data suggest that DNMT3a does not have a large role in the function of mature muscle although a role in muscle development and differentiation is still likely.
Project description:Skeletal muscle can undergo large transcriptional changes in response to environmental stimuli such as diet or exercise in order to adapt to energetic demands. This remodelling has been associated with changes in muscle DNA methylation potentially regulating gene transcription. Despite abundant evidence that environmental stimuli can alter muscle DNA methylation, the mechanisms by which DNA methylation machinery respond to these stimuli and whether these have a physiological impact is still unclear. Therefore, we decided to investigate the importance of de novo DNA methylation on muscle methylation and function. We generated muscle specific DNMT3a knockout mice (mDKO) and investigated the impact of ablating DNMT3a in muscle on muscle DNA methylation, exercise capacity and energy metabolism. Loss of DNMT3a reduced DNA methylation in muscle over multiple genomic contexts and altered the transcription of genes known to be influenced by DNA methylation. However, mDKO mice had a similar exercise capacity and whole-body energy metabolism as WT mice. Similarly, loss of DNMT3a did not alter muscle mitochondrial function or the transcriptional response to exercise however did increase the expression of genes involved in muscle development. These data suggest that DNMT3a does not have a large role in the function of mature muscle although a role in muscle development and differentiation is still likely.
Project description:The growth of skeletal muscle relies on a delicate equilibrium between protein synthesis and degradation; however, how proteostasis is managed in the endoplasmic reticulum is largely unknown. Here, we report that the SEL1L-HRD1 endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) complex, the primary molecular machinery that degrades misfolded proteins in the ER, is vital to maintain postnatal muscle growth and systemic energy balance. Myocyte-specific SEL1L deletion blunts the hypertrophic phase of muscle growth, resulting in a net zero gain of muscle mass during this developmental period and significant reduction in overall body growth. In addition, myocyte-specific SEL1L deletion triggered a systemic reprogramming of metabolism characterized by improved glucose sensitivity, enhanced beiging of adipocytes, and resistance to diet induced obesity. These effects were partially mediated by the upregulation of the myokine FGF21. These findings highlight the pivotal role of SEL1L-HRD1 ERAD activity in skeletal myocytes for postnatal muscle growth, and its physiological integration in maintaining whole-body energy balance.