Researchers find protein that suppresses muscle repair in mice

Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-08 02:45:24|Editor: yan
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CHICAGO, May 7 (Xinhua) -- A protein known to be important to protein synthesis also influences muscle regeneration and regrowth in an unexpected manner, showed a study posted on the website of the University of Illinois (UI) on Monday.

Scientists have long studied leucine tRNA-synthetases, or LRS, for its role in protein synthesis. UI researchers used mammalian cell cultures and mice in the new study. They compared the speed of muscle repair in mice with normal and lower-than-normal LRS levels, and discovered that mice with lower levels of LRS in their tissues recovered from muscle injury much more quickly than their counterparts with normal LRS levels.

A 70-percent reduction of LRS proteins in the cell does not affect protein synthesis.

"But lower levels do positively influence muscle regeneration," said UI cell and developmental biology professor Jie Chen, who led the research. "We saw that, seven days after injury, the repaired muscle cells are bigger when LRS is lower."

The researchers further unraveled the exact molecular mechanism by which LRS influences muscle regeneration, and this led them to hypothesize that a nontoxic inhibitor developed previously would block the effect of LRS on muscle cells without interfering with its role in protein synthesis.

"We showed that this inhibitor works both in mammalian cells and in mice," Chen said. Muscle repair occurred more rapidly, and the regenerated muscles were stronger when the inhibitor was present.

The researchers are investigating the effect of LRS on older mice, which tend to rebuild their muscles more slowly and have less muscle tone than younger mice.

The study has been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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