Inherited myogenic abilities in muscle precursor cells defined by the mitochondrial complex I-encoding protein

Skeletal muscle comprises different muscle fibers, including slow- and fast-type muscles, and satellite cells (SCs), which exist in individual muscle fibers and possess different myogenic properties. Previously, we reported that myoblasts (MBs) from slow-type enriched soleus (SOL) had a high potential to self-renew compared with cells derived from fast-type enriched tibialis anterior (TA). However, whether the functionality of myogenic cells in adult muscles is attributed to the muscle fiber in which they reside and whether the characteristics of myogenic cells derived from slow- and fast-type fibers can be distinguished at the genetic level remain unknown. Global gene expression analysis revealed that the myogenic potential of MBs was independent of the muscle fiber type they reside in but dependent on the region of muscles they are derived from. Thus, in this study, proteomic analysis was conducted to clarify the molecular differences between MBs derived from TA and SOL. NADH dehydrogenase (ubiquinone) iron-sulfur protein 8 (Ndufs8), a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase in mitochondrial complex I, significantly increased in SOL-derived MBs compared with that in TA-derived cells. Moreover, the expression level of Ndufs8 in MBs significantly decreased with age. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments revealed that Ndufs8 expression in MBs promoted differentiation, self-renewal, and apoptosis resistance. In particular, Ndufs8 suppression in MBs increased p53 acetylation, followed by a decline in NAD/NADH ratio. Nicotinamide mononucleotide treatment, which restores the intracellular NAD⁺ level, could decrease p53 acetylation and increase myogenic cell self-renewal ability in vivo. These results suggested that the functional differences in MBs derived from SOL and TA governed by the mitochondrial complex I-encoding gene reflect the magnitude of the decline in SC number observed with aging, indicating that the replenishment of NAD⁺ is a possible approach for improving impaired cellular functions caused by aging or diseases.