PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Scientists set sights on protein that controls skeletal muscle composition

Musashi-2 found to regulate type 2a muscle fiber mass and metabolism

Scientists set sights on protein that controls skeletal muscle composition
2023-09-09
(Press-News.org)

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that the protein Musashi-2 (Msi2) plays a key role in the regulation of mass and metabolic processes in skeletal muscle. They studied mice with the Msi2 gene knocked out and found reduced muscle mass due to fewer type 2a muscle fibers. Myoglobin and mitochondria were also reduced. Type 2a fibers respond sensitively to training and illnesses; insights into their regulation will prove valuable in new therapies.

 

Skeletal muscle fibers are truly fascinating in how responsive they are. With training, we can significantly improve muscle mass, strength and endurance. On the other hand, with age or extended periods without exercise, muscle can also atrophy. Not only is that bad for getting around but can cause a whole host of other illnesses. Yet the exact mechanism by which muscle mass and strength are regulated is still not fully understood by scientists.

Now, a team led by Assistant Professor Yasuro Furuichi from Tokyo Metropolitan University have emerged with a key part of the puzzle. In previous work, they found that Musashi-2 (Msi2), a protein originally discovered in nerve cells, was also expressed in skeletal muscle tissue. Muscular atrophy also led to a decrease in the expression of Msi2. Suspecting that Msi2 had a more specific role in the development of muscle fibers, they decided to take a closer look.

Firstly, they took muscle tissue from mice and applied enzymes to isolate the muscle fibers from nerves, blood vessels and fat cells. Analysis confirmed that Msi2 was indeed being expressed from the muscle fibers themselves. Furthermore, on looking at fibers taken from calf muscles, they found Msi2 was most strongly expressed in type 1 or “slow” fibers, fibers with more endurance but less explosive power than their type 2 or “fast” counterparts.

The team also looked at mice with the gene coding for the Musashi-2 protein artificially “knocked out”. They found that the calf muscles of Msi2 knockout mice had significantly reduced mass, with a whitish color, and less strength. On looking at fiber types under a microscope, they now found that the reduction in mass was due to a drop in the number of type 2a fibers, a type of “fast” fiber that has some of the endurance of “slow” fibers. They also noted that Msi2 knockout mice were less able to metabolize sugars, much like in diabetes. There were fewer myoglobin and mitochondria, both vital to produce energy in cells. The problem could be “fixed” by expressing Msi2 in “fast” fibers, restoring both myoglobin and protein markers for mitochondria. This highlights how Msi2 regulates proteins associated with sugar metabolism and effectively controls the proportion of different types of fiber in skeletal muscle tissue.

Type 2a fibers are particularly responsive to training and atrophy easily with age. This makes any insights into how they are regulated a key advance in identifying targets for new therapies to combat muscle decline, as well as developing training regimens to improve muscle strength.

This work was supported by the FOREST Program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (Grant no. JPMJFR205K), a Tokyo Metropolitan Government Advanced Research Grant [R2-2] and a TMU Strategic Research Fund for Innovative Research Project [R3].

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Scientists set sights on protein that controls skeletal muscle composition Scientists set sights on protein that controls skeletal muscle composition 2 Scientists set sights on protein that controls skeletal muscle composition 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

More cases of breast cancer detected with the help of AI

More cases of breast cancer detected with the help of AI
2023-09-09
One radiologist supported by AI detected more cases of breast cancer in screening mammography than two radiologists working together, reports the ScreenTrustCAD study from Karolinska Institutet in The Lancet Digital Health. The researchers say that AI is now ready to be implemented in breast cancer screening. For over 30 years, screening mammography has been an important key in reducing breast cancer mortality rates. However, challenges include a lack of radiologists and that not all cancers are detected. Several retrospective studies have shown that artificial ...

Mayo Clinic study reveals proton beam therapy may shorten breast cancer treatment

2023-09-09
ROCHESTER, Minn. — In a randomized trial, published in The Lancet Oncology, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers uncover evidence supporting a shorter treatment time for breast cancer patients. The study compared two separate dosing schedules of pencil-beam scanning proton therapy, the most advanced type of proton therapy known for its precision in targeting cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue to reduce the risk of side effects. Survival rates for breast cancer continue to improve due to advances in diagnosis and treatment, leading to increasing emphasis on reducing the long-term ...

Study reveals human destruction of global floodplains

Study reveals human destruction of global floodplains
2023-09-09
A University of Texas at Arlington hydrologist’s study in the Nature journal Scientific Data provides the first-ever global estimate of human destruction of natural floodplains. The study can help guide future development in a way that can restore and conserve vital floodplain habitats that are critical to wildlife, water quality and reducing flood risk for people. Adnan Rajib, a UT Arlington assistant professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, was the lead author on the published study, “Human Alterations of the Global Floodplains.” His doctoral student, Qianjin Zheng, played a significant ...

MSU research shows table salt could be the secret ingredient for better chemical recycling

2023-09-08
Images Researchers at Michigan State University have shown that table salt outperforms other expensive catalysts being explored for the chemical recycling of polyolefin polymers, which account for 60% of plastic waste.   The research, published in the journal Advanced Sustainable Systems, shows that sodium chloride could provide a safe, inexpensive and reusable way to make plastics more recyclable.   The team also showed that table salt and other catalysts could be used in the recycling of metallized plastic films — like ...

RESEARCH ALERT: City of Hope scientists identify new therapeutic target for metastatic cancer

2023-09-08
FINDINGS In a recent study led by Lei Jiang, Ph.D., an assistant professor of molecular and cellular endocrinology, a team of researchers from City of Hope and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, found a potential new target for treating patients with metastatic cancer. Their findings were published in the August 29 issue of the journal Cell Reports.  The goal of the team’s study was to elucidate the role of reductive carboxylation in redox metabolism, a process believed to be important for metastatic cancer. Reductive carboxylation is best known as a metabolic pathway that provides a molecule called acetyl-CoA so that it can be turned into lipids, which ...

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics researchers awarded $3.4M NIH grant to understand link between chronic health conditions and Alzheimer's disease

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics researchers awarded $3.4M NIH grant to understand link between chronic health conditions and Alzheimers disease
2023-09-08
A three-year, $3.4 million grant to investigate how Alzheimer’s disease is connected to multiple chronic diseases has been awarded to UTHealth Houston researchers by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. To study this, a team led by Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD, principal investigator and professor and chair in the Department of Health Data Science and Artificial Intelligence with McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston, will build risk trajectory maps for patients using clinical data and electronic health records. Specifically, they will develop electronic health records ...

SwiftPharma and the Population Council pursue agreement to manufacture Griffithsin needed for the development of a fast-dissolving insert for protection against HIV

2023-09-08
September 8, 2023 – SwiftPharma, a Belgium-based manufacturer, and the Population Council, a global nonprofit research organization, have signed a Manufacturing Master Service Agreement for the plant-based manufacture of Griffithsin to further the Council’s development of a Griffithsin fast-dissolving vaginal insert for protection against HIV.     The Population Council has been developing a non-antiretroviral HIV-prevention method containing Griffithsin (GRFT) in a fast-dissolving insert (FDI). This Griffithsin FDI is an on-demand, user-controlled, portable prevention technology in early development ...

What defines a safety-net hospital?

2023-09-08
Safety-net hospitals have a common mission to provide care for Medicaid beneficiaries and those who are uninsured, but there’s no universal definition for these hospitals—complicating efforts to allocate funding. In a new analysis published in JAMA Network Open and led by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health, the research team looked at five established definitions for safety-net hospitals and found that different criteria captured varying hospitals and characteristics. As a result, when the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) use one definition ...

Heatwaves hitting Antarctica too

Heatwaves hitting Antarctica too
2023-09-08
The world saw another year full of extreme weather events resulting from climate change in 2022, from intense storms to soaring temperatures and rising sea levels. Antarctica was no exception, according to new research published this week.    In the 33rd annual State of the Climate report, an international assessment of the global climate published Sept. 6 in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, CU Boulder researchers report that the planet’s coldest and driest continent experienced both an unprecedented heatwave and extreme precipitation last year.  “My hope is that the public starts to see both the fragility and complexity of these ...

These worms have rhythm

These worms have rhythm
2023-09-08
There’s a rhythm to developing life. Growing from a tiny cell cluster into an adult organism takes precise timing and control. The right genes must turn on at the right time, for the right duration, and in the correct order. Losing the rhythm can lead to diseases like cancer. So, what keeps every gene on beat? Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Christopher Hammell has found that in the worm C. elegans, this genetic orchestra has no single conductor. Instead, a quartet of molecules works in concert to time each developmental stage. Hammell says this process shares some similarities with the circadian clocks that control human ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Scientists set sights on protein that controls skeletal muscle composition
Musashi-2 found to regulate type 2a muscle fiber mass and metabolism