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Expression of the let‐7 family of microRNAs is elevated in older human skeletal muscle
Author(s) -
McCarthy John Joseph,
Drummond Micah J,
Volpi Elena,
Rasmussen Blake B.,
Esser Karyn A.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.630.3
Subject(s) - sarcopenia , skeletal muscle , microrna , vastus lateralis muscle , microarray , medicine , gene expression , mirbase , biology , etiology , endocrinology , gene , bioinformatics , genetics
A defining characteristic of aging in humans is sarcopenia, the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. Although the etiology of sarcopenia remains ill defined, a recent study suggested altered microRNAs expression may be a contributing factor (Drummond et al., 2008). We hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in microRNA expression of skeletal muscle from young and old males. To test this hypothesis, a comprehensive microarray analysis was performed to determine the expression level of 837 human microRNAs (miRBase 11.0) in skeletal muscle biopsies (vastus lateralis) from young (n=12; 30±2yr) and older (n=12; 72±2yr) male humans. The most notable finding was that expression of all members of the let‐7 family were significantly elevated in the older subjects as compared to the young (P<0.05). In addition, expression of the muscle‐specific microRNAs miR‐133a and miR‐206 were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, in the older versus younger subjects (P<0.05). The let‐7 family, as well as the muscle‐specific microRNAs, have numerous predicted target genes which are known to be involved in muscle cell growth and development. Future experiments will focus on the validation of predicted let‐7 target genes and their potential role in the age associated loss of muscle mass in older humans.