Time-based gene expression programme following diaphragm injury in a rat model

It was hypothesised that diaphragm injury activates a time-based programme of gene expression in muscle repair. Gene expression of different substances, such as proteases (calpain 94 (p94)), transcription factors (myogenin and cFos), growth factors (both basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II), and structural proteins (myosin heavy chain (MHC) and titin), was quantified by RT-PCR in rat diaphragms exposed to caffeine-induced injury. Injured and noninjured (control) rat hemidiaphragms were excised at different time points (1-240 h). In injured hemidiaphragms, in comparison with control muscles, p94 expression levels peaked at 1 h post-injury (PI), cFos mRNA levels began to rise, after an initial dip, and peaked at 96 h PI, while myogenin mRNA levels started to increase as early as 12 h PI, IGF-II mRNA levels initially decreased until 48 h PI and increased thereafter, peaking at 72 h PI, bFGF mRNA levels rose to a maximum at 96 h PI, and MHC and titin mRNA levels were significantly elevated at 72 h PI. Caffeine-induced diaphragm injury is followed by a time-based expression programme of different genes tailored to meet muscle repair needs.