Muscle LIM protein plays both structural and functional roles in skeletal muscle

Ilona A. Barash, Liby Mathew, Michele Lahey, Marion L. Greaser, Richard L. Lieber*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Scopus citations

Abstract

Muscle LIM protein (MLP) has been suggested to be an important mediator of mechanical stress in cardiac tissue, but the role that it plays in skeletal muscle remains unclear. Previous studies have shown that it is dramatically upregulated in fast-to-slow fiber-type transformation and also after eccentric contraction (EC)-induced muscle injury. The functional consequences of this upregulation, if any, are unclear. In the present study, we have examined the skeletal muscle phenotype of MLP-knockout (MLPKO) mice in terms of their response to EC-induced muscle injuries. The data suggest that while the MLPKO mice recover completely after EC-induced injury, their torque production lags behind that of heterozygous littermates in the early stages of the recovery process. This lag is accompanied by decreased expression of the muscle regulatory factor MyoD, suggesting that MLP may influence gene expression. In addition, there is evidence of type I fiber atrophy and a shorter resting sarcomere length in the MLPKO mice, but no significant differences in fiber type distribution. In summary, MLP appears to play a subtle role in the maintenance of normal muscle characteristics and in the early events of the recovery process of skeletal muscle to injury, serving both structural and gene-regulatory roles.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)C1312-C1320
JournalAmerican Journal of Physiology - Cell Physiology
Volume289
Issue number5 58-5
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2005

Keywords

  • Eccentric contractions
  • Passive tension

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Cell Biology

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