Biomedical subjects

Jascha D Parkington

Publications and source records attributed to Jascha D Parkington.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Age-associated decrease in contraction-induced activation of downstream targets of Akt/mTor signaling in skeletal muscle.

In this study, we investigated the effect of age on the association of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) with eukaryotic initiation factor 4G (eIF4G), as well as the activity of its binding protein (4E-BP1) and the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) after a single bout of rat hindlimb muscle contractile activity elicited by high-frequency electrical stimulation (HFES) of the sciatic nerve. Tibialis anterior (TA) and plantaris (Pla) muscles from adult (Y; 6 mo old) and aged (O; 30 mo old) Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats were collected immediately or 6 h after HFES. eIF4E-eIF4G association was elevated at 6 h of recovery in TA (1.9 +/- 0.2-fold, P < 0.05) and immediately and 6 h after exercise in Pla (2.1 +/- 0.3- and 2.1 +/- 0.7-fold, P < 0.05) in Y rats. No significant increase was observed in O rats. An increase in 4E-BP1 phosphorylation was observed only 6 h after HFES in TA (5.0 +/- 2.0-fold, P < 0.05) in Y rats. Phosphorylation of GSK-3alpha was increased immediately and 6 h after contraction in TA (1.6 +/- 0.3- and 4.1 +/- 0.8-fold, P < 0.05) and Pla (1.7 +/- 0.2- and 2.1 +/- 0.4-fold, P < 0.05) in Y rats and remained unaffected in O rats. Phosphorylation of GSK-3beta was observed only immediately after HFES in TA (1.5 +/- 0.2-fold, P < 0.05) in Y rats. Overall, eIF4E-eIF4G association and phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 and GSK-3 are increased after HFES in adult, but not in aged, animals. These observations suggest that the anabolic response to muscle stimulation is attenuated with aging and may contribute to the limited capacity of hypertrophy in aged animals.

Aging↗

PubMed2005

The expression of neuregulin and erbB receptors in human skeletal muscle: effects of progressive resistance training.

The neuregulin/erbB-signaling axis contributes to the development and growth of multiple mammalian tissues including skeletal muscle. In this study, we sought to characterize the native expression of this system in human skeletal muscle and test the hypothesis that a program of progressive resistance training (PRT) would regulate the expression of neuregulin (NRG) and its cognate receptors. Twelve healthy-male subjects underwent 8-weeks of lower-extremity PRT and muscle biopsies were performed at baseline and following 1- and 8-weeks of the intervention. PRT resulted in significant gains in skeletal muscle strength without appreciable changes in fiber size or myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition. At baseline, Western Blot analysis demonstrated expression of erbB2, erbB3 and erbB4 receptors and multiple NRG isoforms. Following 1- and 8-weeks of PRT, no changes erbB2, erbB4 or NRG expression were observed. ErbB3 expression, however, was significantly increased at both time points compared to baseline. Double labeling of muscle cross-sections revealed increased expression of erbB3 following PRT was not exclusive to fibers staining positive for MHC IIa. Thus, erbB2, erbB3, erbB4 and multiple NRG isoforms are natively expressed in human skeletal muscle. Following PRT, a significant increase in erbB3 was observed. The ability to detect basal expression and alterations in response to physiologic stimuli merit further studies examining the role of this system in skeletal muscle.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Contraction-mediated mTOR, p70S6k, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in aged skeletal muscle.

With age, skeletal muscle experiences substantial atrophy and weakness. Although resistance training can increase muscle size and strength, the myogenic response to exercise and the capacity for muscle hypertrophy in older humans and animals is limited. In the present study, we assessed the ability of muscle contractile activity to activate cellular pathways involved in muscle cell growth and myogenesis in adult (Y; 6 mo old) and aged (O; 30 mo old) Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats. A single bout of rat hindlimb muscle contractile activity was elicited by high-frequency electrical stimulation (HFES) of the sciatic nerve. Plantaris (Pla) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were assayed for mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70(S6K)), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 phosphorylation and total protein either at baseline, immediately after, or 6 h after HFES. mTOR phosphorylation was elevated in Pla (1.3 +/- 0.3-fold, P < 0.05) immediately after HFES and to a lesser extent 6 h after HFES (0.6 +/- 0.1-fold, P < 0.05) in O rats. Post-HFES, p70(S6K) phosphorylation increased 1.2 +/- 0.3-fold in TA (P < 0.05) and remained elevated 6 h later (0.6 +/- 0.2-fold, P < 0.05) in O rats. ERK phosphorylation was lower in O rats immediately after exercise in both TA (11.1 +/- 2.9 vs. 2.1 +/- 0.5-fold, P < 0.05) and Pla (6.5 +/- 1.5 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.5-fold, P < 0.05) and returned to baseline by 6 h in both Y and O rats. Phosphorylation of mTOR, p70(S6K), and ERK1/2 are increased in skeletal muscle after a single bout of in situ muscle contractile activity in aged animals, and the response is less than that observed in adult animals. These observations suggest that the anabolic response to a single bout of contraction is attenuated with aging and may help explain the reduced capacity for hypertrophy in aged animals.

Aging↗

PubMed2003

Differential activation of mTOR signaling by contractile activity in skeletal muscle.

The cellular mechanisms by which contractile activity stimulates skeletal muscle hypertrophy are beginning to be elucidated and appear to include activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling substrate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). We examined the time course and location of mTOR phosphorylation in response to an acute bout of contractile activity. Rat hindlimb muscle contractile activity was elicited by high-frequency electrical stimulation (HFES) of the sciatic nerve. Plantaris (Pla), tibialis anterior (TA), and soleus (Sol) muscles from stimulated and control limbs were collected immediately or 6 h after stimulation. HFES resulted in mTOR phosphorylation immediately after (3.4 +/- 0.9-fold, P < 0.01) contractile activity in Pla, whereas TA was unchanged compared with controls. mTOR phosphorylation remained elevated in Pla (3.6 +/- 0.6-fold) and increased in TA (4.6 +/- 0.9-fold, P < 0.05) 6 h after HFES. Interestingly, mTOR activation occurred predominantly in fibers expressing type IIa but not type I myosin heavy chain isoform. Furthermore, HFES induced modest ribosomal protein S6 kinase phosphorylation immediately after exercise in Pla (0.4 +/- 0.1-fold, P < 0.05) but not TA and more markedly 6 h after in both Pla and TA (1.4 +/- 0.4-fold vs. 2.4 +/- 0.3-fold, respectively, P < 0.01). Akt/PKB phosphorylation was similar to controls at both time points. These results suggest that mTOR signaling is increased after a single bout of muscle contractile activity. Despite reports that mTOR is activated downstream of Akt/PKB, in this study, HFES induced mTOR signaling independent of Akt/PKB phosphorylation. Fiber type-dependent mTOR phosphorylation may be a molecular basis by which some fiber types are more susceptible to contraction-induced hypertrophy.

Animals↗