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Myostatin knockout mice increase oxidative muscle phenotype as an adaptive response to exercise

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Abstract

Myostatin-deficient mice (MSTN −/−) display excessive muscle mass and this is associated with a profound loss of oxidative metabolic properties. In this study we analysed the effect of two endurance-based exercise regimes, either a forced high-impact swim training or moderate intensity voluntary wheel running on the adaptive properties of the tibialis anterior and plantaris muscle from MSTN −/− mice. MSTN −/− and wild type (MSTN +/+) animals had comparable performances in the wheel running regime in terms of distance, average speed and time, but MSTN −/− mice showed a reduced ability to sustain a high-impact activity via swimming. Swim training elicited muscle specific adaptations on fibre type distribution in MSTN −/−; the tibialis anterior displaying a partial transformation in contrast to the plantaris which showed no change. Conversely, wheel running induced similar changes in fibre type composition of both muscles, favouring transitions from IIB-to-IIA. Succinate dehydrogenase activity, an indicator of mitochondrial oxidative potential was increased in response to either exercise regime, with wheel running eliciting more robust changes in the MSTN −/− muscles. Examination of the cross sectional area of individual fibre types showed genotype-specific responses with MSTN −/− mice exhibiting an incapability of fibre enlargement following the wheel running regime, as opposed to MSTN +/+ mice and a greater susceptibility to muscle fibre area loss following swimming. In conclusion, the muscle fibre hypertrophy, oxidative capacity and glycolytic phenotype of myostatin deficient muscle can be altered with endurance exercise regimes.

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Acknowledgments

K.P. and A.M would like to thank the Wellcome Trust (078649) and University of Reading and H.A. and E.M. acknowledge the Association Française contre les Myopathies for generous funding permitting the execution of this work.

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Author notes

  1. Antonios Matsakas

    Present address: Center for Diabetes and Obesity Research, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1825 Pressler St, IMM/SRB 401R, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Hopkins Building, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6UB, UK

    Antonios Matsakas & Ketan Patel

  2. Institut de Myologie, UMRS 974 Inserm, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UMR7215 CNRS, Paris, France

    Etienne Mouisel & Helge Amthor

Authors
  1. Antonios Matsakas
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  2. Etienne Mouisel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonios Matsakas.

Additional information

A. Matsakas and E. Mouisel contributed equally to this work.

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Matsakas, A., Mouisel, E., Amthor, H. et al. Myostatin knockout mice increase oxidative muscle phenotype as an adaptive response to exercise. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 31, 111–125 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10974-010-9214-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10974-010-9214-9

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