Skeletal muscle adaptation in response to mechanical stress in p130cas-/- mice

Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2013 Mar;304(6):C541-7. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00243.2012. Epub 2013 Jan 16.

Abstract

Mammalian skeletal muscles undergo adaptation in response to changes in the functional demands upon them, involving mechanical-stress-induced cellular signaling called "mechanotransduction." We hypothesized that p130Cas, which is reported to act as a mechanosensor that transduces mechanical extension into cellular signaling, plays an important role in maintaining and promoting skeletal muscle adaptation in response to mechanical stress via the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. We demonstrate that muscle-specific p130Cas-/- mice express the contractile proteins normally in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, muscle-specific p130Cas-/- mice show normal mechanical-stress-induced muscle adaptation, including exercise-induced IIb-to-IIa muscle fiber type transformation and hypertrophy. Finally, we provide evidence that exercise-induced p38 MAPK signaling is not impaired by the muscle-specific deletion of p130Cas. We conclude that p130Cas plays a limited role in mechanical-stress-induced skeletal muscle adaptation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological*
  • Animals
  • Contractile Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Crk-Associated Substrate Protein / genetics
  • Crk-Associated Substrate Protein / physiology*
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System / physiology
  • Mechanotransduction, Cellular*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Muscle Contraction / physiology
  • Muscle, Skeletal / metabolism
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiology*
  • Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha
  • Phosphorylation
  • Stress, Mechanical*
  • Stress, Physiological
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors
  • p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • Contractile Proteins
  • Crk-Associated Substrate Protein
  • Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha
  • Ppargc1a protein, mouse
  • Trans-Activators
  • Transcription Factors
  • p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases