Abstract
A variety of techniques have been applied to investigate the interrelationship between age-related atrophy of rat soleus muscle and other signs of muscle aging, such as changes in muscle fibre type composition, decrease in bioenergy capacity and accumulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) arrangements. Age-related atrophy of rat soleus muscle was shown to start at the age of about28 months. It was accompanied by a decrease in the number of slow twitch muscle fibres (type I)and an increase in the proportion of muscle fibresco-expressing slow and fast myosins (type Ic and IIcfibres). Bioenergy capacity of the soleus muscle, assessed by the level of measurable cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity, was found to be decreased both in the middle age and old rats compared to the young animals. Muscle atrophy was also accompanied by a decrease in the amount of full-length mitochondrial DNA (FL-mtDNA) amplifiable by the extra-long PCR (XL-PCR)and the increase in the number of mtDNA deletions. The results of the study show that the decline in the bioenergy capacity of the rat soleus occurs by the middle age. It is followed by the onset of the age-related muscle atrophy that is accompanied by both fibre type changes and functional mtDNA degradation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Kovalenko SA, Kopsidas G, Kelso JM and Linnane AW (1997) Deltoid human muscle mtDNA is extensively rearranged in old age subject. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 232: 147-152
Kovalenko SA, Kopsidas G, Islam MM, Heffernan D, Fitzpatrick J, Caragounis A, Gingold E and Linnane AW (1998) The ageassociated decrease in the amount of amplifiable full-length mitochondrial DNA in human skeletal muscle. Biochem Mol Biol Int 46: 1233-1241
Kovanen V and Suominen H (1987) Effects of age and life-time physical training on fibre composition of slow and fast skeletal muscle in rats. Pflugers Arch 408: 543-551
Larsson L, Sjodoin B and Karlsson J (1978) Histochemical and biochemical changes in human skeletal muscle with age in sedentary males aged 22-65 years. Acta Physiol Scand 103: 31-39
Müller-Höcker J (1990) Cytochrome c oxidase deficient fibers in the limb muscle and diaphragm of man without muscular disease: an age-related alteration. J Neurol Sci 100: 14-21
Nagley P, Mackay IR, Baumer A, Maxwell RJ, Vaillant F, Wang ZX, Zhang C, Linnane AW (1991) Mitochondrial DNA mutation associated with aging and degenerative disease. Ann NY Acad Sci 673: 92-102
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yarovaya, N.O., Kramarova, L., Borg, J. et al. Age-related atrophy of rat soleus muscle is accompanied by changes in fibre type composition, bioenergy decline and mtDNA rearrangements. Biogerontology 3, 25–27 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015295011131
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015295011131