Expression of Genes that Comprise the Core Molecular Clock are Altered in the Atrophied Skeletal Muscle by Androgen Deprivation

Skeletal muscle atrophy increases the risk of morbidity and mortality during various pathological conditions. In males, a decrease in the production and/or bioavailability of androgens (termed hypogonadism) directly contributes to muscle atrophy during various pathological conditions. While it is known that androgens prevent muscle atrophy, the mechanism(s) by which androgens mediate this effect are largely undefined. Our laboratory previously showed that mitochondrial turnover is enhanced in the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle of mice by androgen deprivation induced by castration surgery, and the magnitude of turnover was related to the degree of muscle atrophy. These data suggest that potentially dysfunctional mitochondria contribute to the muscle atrophy observed following androgen deprivation. To gain a better understanding of that factors that might contribute to changes in mitochondrial quality control during androgen deprived conditions, we subjected total RNA from the TA of sham and castrated mice to microarray analysis. This unbiased approach identified significant changes in expression of genes that comprise the core molecular clock. qRT‐PCR confirmed that expression of Brain and Muscle Arntl 1 (Bmal1) was decreased, while expression of Period 1, Period 2, and Period 3 (Per1, 2, & 3) were increased in the TA of castrated mice. When measured across a diurnal cycle, the change in expression of Bmal1, Per1, and Per2 exhibited reduced amplitude under androgen‐deprived conditions. Interestingly, strong relationships were observed between the castration‐mediated changes of core clock components and the measures of mitochondrial turnover. Specifically, Bmal1 expression was directly related to BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDA protein‐interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) protein content ( R 2 = 0.88), and the expression of core clock components were also directly related to the content of various mitochondrial proteins. Expression of core clock components were also related to the autophagy marker, p62, and the mass of the TA. Ex post facto analysis of the microarray also identified changes in genes regulating polyamine biosynthesis. As polyamines are known to alter core clock function, we determined whether androgen deprivation altered polyamine content. While castration did not alter Spermine content, there was a significant reduction in the content of Spermidine in the TA of castrated mice. Overall, these data suggest that reduced Spermidine concentrations may contribute to alterations in the core molecular clock in the skeletal muscle under androgen‐deprived conditions, which may in turn contribute to reduced mitochondrial quality control and subsequent muscle atrophy Support or Funding Information NIH‐CA204345 (RAC) and Institute for Successful Longevity (BSG) This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .