Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Loss of skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) is a major contributor to disability in old age. We used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to screen for changes in proteins, and cDNA profiling to assess transcriptional regulations in the gastrocnemius muscle of adult (4 months) and aged (30 months) male Sprague-Dawley rats. Thirty-five proteins were differentially expressed in aged muscle. Proteins and mRNA transcripts involved in redox homeostasis and iron load were increased, representing novel components that were previously not associated with sarcopenia. Tissue iron levels were elevated in senescence, paralleling an increase in transferrin. Proteins involved in redox homeostasis showed a complex pattern of changes with increased SOD1 and decreased SOD2. These results suggest that an elevated iron load is a significant component of sarcopenia with the potential to be exploited clinically, and that mitochondria of aged striated muscle may be more vulnerable to radicals produced in cell respiration.

Original publication

DOI

10.1002/mus.20808

Type

Journal article

Journal

Muscle Nerve

Publication Date

08/2007

Volume

36

Pages

223 - 233

Keywords

Age Factors, Aging, Animals, Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional, Gene Expression Profiling, Gene Expression Regulation, Iron, Male, Mass Spectrometry, Muscle Proteins, Muscle, Skeletal, Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis, Oxidative Stress, RNA, Messenger, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction