The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor and the Na,K-ATPase α2 Isoform Interact to Regulate Membrane Electrogenesis in Skeletal Muscle

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) and the Na,K-ATPase functionally interact in skeletal muscle (Krivoi, I. I., Drabkina, T. M., Kravtsova, V. V., Vasiliev, A. N., Eaton, M. J., Skatchkov, S. N., and Mandel, F. (2006) Pflugers Arch. 452, 756–765; Krivoi, I., Vasiliev, A., Kravtsova, V., Dobretsov, M., and Mandel, F. (2003) Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 986, 639–641). In this interaction, the specific binding of nanomolar concentrations of nicotinic agonists to the nAChR stimulates electrogenic transport by the Na,K-ATPase α2 isozyme, causing membrane hyperpolarization. This study examines the molecular nature and membrane localization of this interaction. Stimulation of Na,K-ATPase activity by the nAChR does not require ion flow through open nAChRs. It can be induced by nAChR desensitization alone, in the absence of nicotinic agonist, and saturates when the nAChR is fully desensitized. It is enhanced by noncompetitive blockers of the nAChR (proadifen, QX-222), which promote non-conducting or desensitized states; and retarded by tetracaine, which stabilizes the resting nAChR conformation. The interaction operates at the neuromuscular junction as well as on extrajunctional sarcolemma. The Na,K-ATPase α2 isozyme is enriched at the postsynaptic neuromuscular junction and co-localizes with nAChRs. The nAChR and Na,K-ATPase α subunits specifically coimmunoprecipitate with each other, phospholemman, and caveolin-3. In a purified membrane preparation from Torpedo californica enriched in nAChRs and the Na,K-ATPase, a ouabain-induced conformational change of the Na,K-ATPase enhances a conformational transition of the nAChR to a desensitized state. These results suggest a mechanism by which the nAChR in a desensitized state with high apparent affinity for agonist interacts with the Na,K-ATPase to stimulate active transport. The interaction utilizes a membrane-delimited complex involving protein-protein interactions, either directly or through additional protein partners. This interaction is expected to enhance neuromuscular transmission and muscle excitation.     

Molecular Identification of Carnosine Synthase as ATP-grasp Domain-containing Protein 1 (ATPGD1)

Carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) and homocarnosine (γ-aminobutyryl-l-histidine) are abundant dipeptides in skeletal muscle and brain of most vertebrates and some invertebrates. The formation of both compounds is catalyzed by carnosine synthase, which is thought to convert ATP to AMP and inorganic pyrophosphate, and whose molecular identity is unknown. In the present work, we have purified carnosine synthase from chicken pectoral muscle about 1500-fold until only two major polypeptides of 100 and 90 kDa were present in the preparation. Mass spectrometry analysis of these polypeptides did not yield any meaningful candidate. Carnosine formation catalyzed by the purified enzyme was accompanied by a stoichiometric formation, not of AMP, but of ADP, suggesting that carnosine synthase belongs to the “ATP-grasp family” of ligases. A data base mining approach identified ATPGD1 as a likely candidate. As this protein was absent from chicken protein data bases, we reconstituted its sequence from a PCR-amplified cDNA and found it to fit with the 100-kDa polypeptide of the chicken carnosine synthase preparation. Mouse and human ATPGD1 were expressed in HEK293T cells, purified to homogeneity, and shown to catalyze the formation of carnosine, as confirmed by mass spectrometry, and of homocarnosine. Specificity studies carried out on all three enzymes were in agreement with published data. In particular, they acted with 15–25-fold higher catalytic efficiencies on β-alanine than on γ-aminobutyrate. The identification of the gene encoding carnosine synthase will help for a better understanding of the biological functions of carnosine and related dipeptides, which still remain largely unknown.     

Smoothelin-like 1 Protein Regulates Myosin Phosphatase-targeting Subunit 1 Expression during Sexual Development and Pregnancy

Pregnancy coordinately alters the contractile properties of both vascular and uterine smooth muscles reducing systemic blood pressure and maintaining uterine relaxation. The precise molecular mechanisms underlying these pregnancy-induced adaptations have yet to be fully defined but are likely to involve changes in the expression of proteins regulating myosin phosphorylation. Here we show that smoothelin like protein 1 (SMTNL1) is a key factor governing sexual development and pregnancy induced adaptations in smooth and striated muscle. A primary target gene of SMTNL1 in these muscles is myosin phosphatase-targeting subunit 1 (MYPT1). Deletion of SMTNL1 increases expression of MYPT1 30–40-fold in neonates and during development expression of both SMTNL1 and MYPT1 increases over 20-fold. Pregnancy also regulates SMTNL1 and MYPT1 expression, and deletion SMTNL1 greatly exaggerates expression of MYPT1 in vascular smooth muscle, producing a profound reduction in force development in response to phenylephrine as well as sensitizing the muscle to acetylcholine. We also show that MYPT1 is expressed in Type2a muscle fibers in mice and humans and its expression is regulated during pregnancy, suggesting unrecognized roles in mediating skeletal muscle plasticity in both species. Our findings define a new conserved pathway in which sexual development and pregnancy mediate smooth and striated muscle adaptations through SMTNL1 and MYPT1.     

A Novel Glycerophosphodiester Phosphodiesterase,GDE5, Controls Skeletal Muscle Development via a Non-enzymatic Mechanism

Mammalian glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterases (GP-PDEs) have been identified recently and shown to be implicated in several physiological functions. This study isolated a novel GP-PDE, GDE5, and showed that GDE5 selectively hydrolyzes glycerophosphocholine (GroPCho) and controls skeletal muscle development. We show that GDE5 expression was reduced in atrophied skeletal muscles in mice and that decreasing GDE5 abundance promoted myoblastic differentiation, suggesting that decreased GDE5 expression has a counter-regulatory effect on the progression of skeletal muscle atrophy. Forced expression of full-length GDE5 in cultured myoblasts suppressed myogenic differentiation. Unexpectedly, a truncated GDE5 construct (GDE5ΔC471), which contained a GP-PDE sequence identified in other GP-PDEs but lacked GroPCho phosphodiesterase activity, showed a similar inhibitory effect. Furthermore, transgenic mice specifically expressing GDE5ΔC471 in skeletal muscle showed less skeletal muscle mass, especially type II fiber-rich muscle. These results indicate that GDE5 negatively regulates skeletal muscle development even without GroPCho phosphodiesterase activity, providing novel insight into the biological significance of mammalian GP-PDE function in a non-enzymatic mechanism.     

Muscle wasting in aged, sarcopenic rats is associated with enhanced activity of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway

Among the hallmarks of aged organisms are an accumulation of misfolded proteins and a reduction in skeletal muscle mass ("sarcopenia"). We have examined the effects of aging and dietary restriction (which retards many age-related changes) on components of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) in muscle. The hindlimb muscles of aged (30 months old) rats showed a marked loss of muscle mass and contained 2-3-fold higher levels of 26S proteasomes than those of adult (4 months old) controls. 26S proteasomes purified from muscles of aged and adult rats showed a similar capacity to degrade peptides, proteins, and an ubiquitylated substrate, but differed in levels of proteasome-associated proteins (e.g. the ubiquitin ligase E6AP and deubiquitylating enzyme USP14). Also, the activities of many other deubiquitylating enzymes were greatly enhanced in the aged muscles. Nevertheless, their content of polyubiquitylated proteins was higher than in adult animals. The aged muscles contained higher levels of the ubiquitin ligase CHIP, involved in eliminating misfolded proteins, and MuRF1, which ubiquitylates myofibrillar proteins. These muscles differed from ones rapidly atrophying due to disease, fasting, or disuse in that Atrogin-1/MAFbx expression was low and not inducible by glucocorticoids. Thus, the muscles of aged rats showed many adaptations indicating enhanced proteolysis by the UPS, which may enhance their capacity to eliminate misfolded proteins and seems to contribute to the sarcopenia. Accordingly, dietary restriction decreased or prevented the aging-associated increases in proteasomes and other UPS components and reduced muscle wasting.     

Acute inhibition of myostatin-family proteins preserves skeletal muscle in mouse models of cancer cachexia

Cachexia, progressive loss of fat and muscle mass despite adequate nutrition, is a devastating complication of cancer associated with poor quality of life and increased mortality. Myostatin is a potent tonic muscle growth inhibitor. We tested how myostatin inhibition might influence cancer cachexia using genetic and pharmacological approaches. First, hypermuscular myostatin null mice were injected with Lewis lung carcinoma or B16F10 melanoma cells. Myostatin null mice were more sensitive to tumor-induced cachexia, losing more absolute mass and proportionately more muscle mass than wild-type mice. Because myostatin null mice lack expression from development, however, we also sought to manipulate myostatin acutely. The histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A has been shown to increase muscle mass in normal and dystrophic mice by inducing the myostatin inhibitor, follistatin. Although Trichostatin A administration induced muscle growth in normal mice, it failed to preserve muscle in colon-26 cancer cachexia. Finally we sought to inhibit myostatin and related ligands by administration of the Activin receptor extracellular domain/Fc fusion protein, ACVR2B-Fc. Systemic administration of ACVR2B-Fc potently inhibited muscle wasting and protected adipose stores in both colon-26 and Lewis lung carcinoma cachexia, without affecting tumor growth. Enhanced cachexia in myostatin knockouts indicates that host-derived myostatin is not the sole mediator of muscle wasting in cancer. More importantly, skeletal muscle preservation with ACVR2B-Fc establishes that targeting myostatin-family ligands using ACVR2B-Fc or related molecules is an important and potent therapeutic avenue in cancer cachexia.     

Proteasomal activity in skeletal muscle: A matter of assay design, muscle type, and age

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is a major degradation system for regulatory and misfolded proteins. UPS function has been implicated to exert a central role in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. Because biochemical analyses are often hampered by the amount of available diseased tissue, we report on the establishment and validation of a luminescence-based proteasomal activity assay applicable to 5-mg quantities of skeletal muscle. We demonstrate that the specific proteasomal activity differs in individual muscle groups and decreases with aging. These findings warrant the use of appropriate controls and a careful interpretation of results in mammalian skeletal muscle pathologies.     

AHNAK1 and AHNAK2 are costameric proteins: AHNAK1 affects transverse skeletal muscle fiber stiffness

The AHNAK scaffold PDZ-protein family is implicated in various cellular processes including membrane repair; however, AHNAK function and subcellular localization in skeletal muscle are unclear. We used specific AHNAK1 and AHNAK2 antibodies to analyzed the detailed localization of both proteins in mouse skeletal muscle. Co-localization of AHNAK1 and AHNAK2 with vinculin clearly demonstrates that both proteins are components of the costameric network. In contrast, no AHNAK expression was detected in the T-tubule system. A laser wounding assay with AHNAK1-deficient fibers suggests that AHNAK1 is not involved in membrane repair. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we observed a significantly higher transverse stiffness of AHNAK1^−/− fibers. These findings suggest novel functions of AHNAK proteins in skeletal muscle.