Rodents as models of human sarcopenia: a comparative analysis reveals conserved modulators of aging-dependent muscle loss

ABSTRACT: Aims: Sarcopenia is the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass and function at high age, which affects 5-13% of people aged 60-70 years. Although a number of factors have been linked to sarcopenia, it remains unclear what determines its emergence in some but not all individuals and there are no medical treatments available. Mice and rats are widely used as model organisms to identify factors predisposing to sarcopenia, but the extent to which age-related molecular changes in wild-type mice and rats recapitulate those occurring in humans is not known. The aim of this project was to define a conserved set of regulators of aging-related reduction in muscle function that could be targeted by future therapies. Methods: We comparatively analyzed phenotypic parameters as well as the transcriptomes of the Gastrocnemius muscle from mice, rats and humans of a wide range of ages. We further inferred computationally the transcription regulators that likely underlie the molecular changes associated with aging-related loss in muscle functionality. Results: The analysis showed that the biological age of rodents that muscle mass is a better indicator of muscle functionality than the chronological age. Investigating the molecular changes associated with the aging-related loss of muscle mass, we discovered changes in gene expression that are shared between the studied species at the level of molecular pathways rather than at the level of individual genes. Beyond the known involvement of inflammation and mitochondrial function in aging, we found that the transcription regulators SPIB, ESRRB and YY1/YY2 consistently underlie aging-related molecular changes across the studied species. Conclusions: Rodents recapitulate well the molecular changes observed in human sarcopenia, but the conservation is stronger at the molecular pathway level than at the level of individual genes. Phenotypic parameters such as the muscle mass should be taken into account in stratifying samples for analyzing aging-related processes, as the chronological age is a poorer indicator of organ functionality. The shared regulators of aging-related muscle loss that we identified here can be studied further in rodent models of sarcopenia toward defining new targets for therapy in humans.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE145480 | GEO | 2021/01/30

REPOSITORIES: GEO