The nuclear phosphatase SCP4 regulates FoxO transcription factors during muscle wasting in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and related inflammatory responses stimulate protein-energy wasting, a complication causing loss of muscle mass. Primarily, muscle wasting results from accelerated protein degradation via autophagic/lysosomal and proteasomal pathways, but mechanisms regulating these proteolysis pathways remain unclear. Since dephosphorylation of FoxOs regulates ubiquitin/proteasome protein metabolism, we tested whether a novel nuclear phosphatase, the small C-terminal domain phosphatase (SCP) 4, regulates FoxOs signaling and, in turn, muscle wasting. In cultured mouse myoblast cells, SCP4 overexpression stimulated proteolysis, while knockdown of SCP4 prevented the proteolysis stimulated by inflammatory cytokines. SCP4 overexpression led to nuclear accumulation of FoxO1/3a followed by increased expression of catabolic factors including myostatin, Atrogin-1, and MuRF-1, and induction of lysosomal-mediated proteolysis. Treatment of C2C12 myotubes with proinflammatory cytokines stimulated SCP4 expression in an NF-κB-dependent manner. In skeletal muscle of mice with CKD, SCP4 expression was up-regulated. Similarly, in skeletal muscle of patients with CKD, SCP4 expression was significantly increased. Knockdown of SCP4 significantly suppressed FoxO1/3a-mediated expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 and prevented muscle wasting in mice with CKD. Thus, SCP4 is a novel regulator of FoxO transcription factors and promotes cellular proteolysis. Hence, targeting SCP4 may prevent muscle wasting in CKD and possibly other catabolic conditions.