Cigarette smoke exposure up-regulates Ubiquitin specific protease 19 in murine skeletal muscles as an adaptive response to prolonged ER stress

• Enhanced protein degradation via ubiquitin proteolytic system (UPS) was demonstrated to play an important role in the pathogenesis of cachexia syndrome and muscle wasting in patients with COPD and animal models of the disease. The role of cigarette smoke (CS) exposure in eliciting these abnormalities remains largely unknown. Usp19 is a member of UPS suggested to be involved in progressive muscle wasting in different catabolic conditions. However, factors regulating Usp19 expression, activity and correlation/s with CS-induced muscle atrophy remainunclear.Methods: To address these questions, 129 SvJ mice were exposed to cigarette smoke for 6 months and the gastrocnemius muscles were collected. Expression levels of Usp19 as well as pivotal mediators of ER stress response have been studied using PCR, qPCR, western blot and immunofluorescence. Factors regulating muscle Usp19 expression were studied using in-silico analysis of Usp19 promoter as well as by stimulating C2C12 myocytes with different inducers of ER stress including hypoxia, TNF and tunicamycin. Finally, Usp19 expression was depleted in C2C12 myocytes using specific Usp19 siRNA quadriplex and the expression of pivotal myogenic regulators were analyzed.Results: Usp19 mRNA expression was enhanced in skeletal muscles of CS-exposed mice. Concurrently, ER stress-associated Caspase 12 and Caspase 3 were activated in the CS-exposed group. Analysis of Usp19 promoter sequence revealed binding sites for ER stress response transcription factors such as HSF, STRE1 and AML1-α. Exposure of C2C12 myocytes to tunicamycin but not hypoxia elevated expression levels of Usp19. TNFstimulation elevated Usp19 protein expression but inhibited its RNA transcription in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Finally, Usp19 overexpression in tunicamycin-treated myocytes was accompanied by reduced expression of myosin heavy chain and tropomyosin and their levels were increased after knocking down Usp19 in C2C12 myocytes.Conclusions: In summary, our data demonstrated elevated expression of Usp19 in skeletal muscles of CS-exposed 129 SvJ mice. Moreover, Usp19 overexpression was associated with muscle adaptations to ER stress and suppression of myogenesis. Taken together; our results might provide further insight into molecular mechanisms underlying development and progression of skeletal muscle abnormalities in response to chronic cigarette smoke exposure.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinsk bioteknologi -- Medicinsk bioteknologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Medical Biotechnology -- Medical Biotechnology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Biomedicin

Biomedicine

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