Abundance of ClC-1 chloride channel in human skeletal muscle: fiber type specific differences and effect of training

Cl − channel protein 1 (ClC-1) may be important for excitability and contractility in skeletal muscle, but ClC-1 abundance has not been examined in human muscle. The aim of the present study was to examine ClC-1 abundance in human skeletal muscle, including fiber type specific differences and the effect of exercise training. A commercially available antibody was tested with positive and negative control tissue, and it recognized specifically ClC-1 in the range from 100 to 150 kDa. Abundance of ClC-1 was 38% higher ( P < 0.01) in fast twitch Type IIa muscle fibers than in slow twitch Type I. Muscle ClC-1 abundance did not change with 4 wk of training consisting of 30 min cycling at 85% of maximal heart rate (HR max ) and 3 × 30-s all out sprints or during a 7-wk training period with 10–12 × 30 s uphill cycling and 4–5 × ~4 min cycling at 90%–95% of HR max . ClC-1 abundance correlated negatively ( P < 0.01) with maximal oxygen consumption ( r = –0.552) and incremental exercise performance ( r = –0.546). In addition, trained cyclists had lower ( P < 0.01) ClC-1 abundance than lesser trained individuals. The present observations indicate that a low abundance of muscle ClC-1 may be beneficial for exercise performance, but the role of abundance and regulation of ClC-1 in skeletal muscle of humans with respect to exercise performance and trainability need to be elucidated. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Abundance of the Cl − channel protein 1 (ClC-1) chloride channel may be important for excitability and contractility in human skeletal muscle and may therefore have implications for fatigue development. In this study, we confirmed ClC-1 specificity for a commercially available antibody, and this study is first to our knowledge to determine ClC-1 protein abundance in human muscle by Western blotting. We observed that abundance of ClC-1 was higher in fast compared with slow twitch fibers and lower in trained individuals than in recreationally active.