Aging alters gene expression of growth and remodeling factors in human skeletal muscle both at rest and in response to acute resistance exercise

• Published in: Physiological genomics Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 393 - 400
• Main Authors: Dennis, Richard A, Przybyla, Beata, Gurley, Cathy, Kortebein, Patrick M, Simpson, Pippa, Sullivan, Dennis H, Peterson, Charlotte A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Am Physiological Soc 19-02-2008
• Subjects: Actins - biosynthesis; Actins - genetics; Adult; Aged; Aging - genetics; Aging - metabolism; Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor - biosynthesis; Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor - genetics; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Humans; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 - biosynthesis; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 - genetics; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - biosynthesis; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - genetics; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - biosynthesis; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - genetics; Male; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 - biosynthesis; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 - genetics; Muscle Proteins - biosynthesis; Muscle Proteins - genetics; Muscle, Skeletal - growth & development; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Myostatin; Rest - physiology; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - biosynthesis; RNA, Messenger - genetics; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 - biosynthesis; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 - genetics; Transforming Growth Factor beta - biosynthesis; Transforming Growth Factor beta - genetics; Weight Lifting - physiology
• ISSN: 1094-8341; 1531-2267
• DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00191.2007

1 GRECC, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System
2 Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
3 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas
4 Pediatrics and Quantitative Health Sciences, Children's Research Institute, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
5 College of Health Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky
The purpose of this investigation was to compare expression of genes that function in inflammation and stress, cell structure and signaling, or remodeling and growth in skeletal muscle of young (32 ± 7 yr, n = 15) and elderly (72 ± 5 yr, n = 16) healthy subjects before and after a bout of resistance leg exercises. A real-time RT-PCR method was used to screen 100 transcripts in v. lateralis biopsies obtained before and 72 h postexercise. The screen identified 15 candidates for differential expression due to aging and/or exercise that were measured quantitatively. The median levels of four mRNAs (insulin-like growth factor-1 and its binding protein IGFBP5, ciliary neurotrophic factor, and the metallopeptidase MMP2) were significantly affected by aging and were greater (1.6- to 2.3-fold, P 0.05) in the young than elderly muscle at both time points. The median levels of three mRNAs were significantly ( P 0.05) affected by exercise in the young. The metallopeptidase inhibitor TIMP1 and -cardiac actin mRNAs increased 2-fold and 6.5-fold, respectively, and GDF8 (myostatin) mRNA decreased by 50%. However, elderly muscle did not display any significant changes in gene expression postexercise. Thus, aging muscle shows decreased levels at rest and an impaired response to exercise for a number of mRNAs for factors potentially involved in muscle growth and remodeling. Future studies must determine the functional importance of these gene expression changes to protein synthesis, satellite cell activity, and other processes that are directly involved in the mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy.
growth factors; metallopeptidase; ciliary neurotrophic factor; alpha cardiac actin; myostatin