Skeletal muscle in aged mice reveals extensive transformation of muscle gene expression

Aging leads to decreased skeletal muscle function in mammals and is associated with a progressive loss of muscle mass, quality and strength. Age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) is an important health problem associated with the aged population.

We investigated the alteration of genome-wide transcription in mouse skeletal muscle tissue (rectus femoris muscle) during aging using a high-throughput sequencing technique. Analysis revealed significant transcriptional changes between skeletal muscles of mice at 3 (young group) and 24 (old group) months of age. Specifically, genes associated with energy metabolism, cell proliferation, muscle myosin isoforms, as well as immune functions were found to be altered. We observed several interesting gene expression changes in the elderly, many of which have not been reported before.

Those data expand our understanding of the various compensatory mechanisms that can occur with age, and further will assist in the development of methods to prevent and attenuate adverse outcomes of aging.