Effects of voluntary wheel running on mitochondrial content and dynamics in rat skeletal muscle

This study reports that in rat skeletal muscle the proteins specifically responsible for mitochondrial dynamics, mitofusin-2 (MFN2) and mitochondrial dynamics protein 49 (MiD49), are higher (p < 0.05) in oxidative soleus (SOL) muscle compared with predominantly glycolytic extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle, but not seen for optic atrophy 1 (OPA1; p = 0.06). Markers of mitochondrial content, complex I component, NADH:Ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit A9 (NDUFA9) and complex IV protein, cytochrome C oxidase subunit IV (COXIV; p < 0.05) were also higher in SOL compared with EDL muscle; however, there was no difference in mitochondrial content between muscles, as measured using a citrate synthase assay (p > 0.05). SOL and EDL muscles were compared between age-matched sedentary rats that were housed individually with (RUN) or without (SED) free-access to a running wheel for 12 weeks and showed no change in mitochondrial content, as examined by the abundances of NDUFA9 and COXIV proteins, as well as citrate synthase activity, in either muscle (p > 0.05). Compared to SED animals, MiD49 and OPA1 were not different in either EDL or SOL muscles, and MFN2 was higher in SOL muscles from RUN rats (p < 0.05). Overall, these findings reveal that voluntary wheel running is an insufficient stimulus to result in a significantly higher abundance of most markers of mitochondrial content or dynamics, and it is likely that a greater stimulus, such as either adding resistance to the wheel or an increase in running volume by using a treadmill, is required for mitochondrial adaptation in rat skeletal muscle.