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Updated: May 14, 2026
Identification, Isolation, and Characterization of Fibro-Adipogenic Progenitors (FAPs) and Myogenic Progenitors (MPs) in Skeletal Muscle in the Rat
Published on: June 9, 2021
Differential developmental programming by early protein restriction of rat skeletal muscle according to its
R da Silva Aragão1, O Guzmán-Quevedo, G Pérez-García
1INRA, UMR1280 Physiologie des Adaptations Nutritionnelles, Nantes, France; Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Université, Nantes, France; Departamento de Nutrição, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
Aims:
Differences in fibre-type composition of skeletal muscle have been associated with obesity and insulin resistance. As a poor nutrient environment early in life is a predisposing factor for the development of obesity and related metabolic diseases at adulthood, this study aimed at determining the long-term consequences of maternal undernutrition on the structural and metabolic properties of two skeletal muscles characterized by their different fibre-type composition and metabolic properties.
Methods:
The fibre-type composition and enzymatic activities of hexokinase (HK), beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (β-HAD) and citrate synthase (CS) were measured in soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from adult rats born to dams fed a control (17% protein) or a low-protein [8% protein (PR)] diet throughout pregnancy and lactation. In addition, the expression levels of several genes regulating glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis were determined by real-time PCR.
Results:
Protein rats exhibited enhanced density of type II fibres along with decreased rate of fatty acid oxidation and glycolysis in soleus but not EDL. Malnourished rats exhibited also a different gene expression profile in soleus and EDL. Altogether, these alterations correspond to a state of energy deficiency and are present in animals which do not show yet any sign of obesity or glucose intolerance.
Conclusion:
We conclude that maternal protein restriction alters in the long term the structural and enzymatic properties of offspring skeletal muscle in a fibre-type-dependent manner. These alterations might have a causative role in the development of obesity and related metabolic disorders later in life.
