Blockade of Metallothioneins 1 and 2 Increases Skeletal Muscle Mass and Strength.
Mol Cell Biol
; 37(5)2017 03 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27956698
ABSTRACT
Metallothioneins are proteins that are involved in intracellular zinc storage and transport. Their expression levels have been reported to be elevated in several settings of skeletal muscle atrophy. We therefore investigated the effect of metallothionein blockade on skeletal muscle anabolism in vitro and in vivo We found that concomitant abrogation of metallothioneins 1 and 2 results in activation of the Akt pathway and increases in myotube size, in type IIb fiber hypertrophy, and ultimately in muscle strength. Importantly, the beneficial effects of metallothionein blockade on muscle mass and function was also observed in the setting of glucocorticoid addition, which is a strong atrophy-inducing stimulus. Given the blockade of atrophy and the preservation of strength in atrophy-inducing settings, these results suggest that blockade of metallothioneins 1 and 2 constitutes a promising approach for the treatment of conditions which result in muscle atrophy.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Muscle, Skeletal
/
Muscle Strength
/
Metallothionein
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Mol Cell Biol
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Switzerland