Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that the protein Musashi-2 (Msi2) plays a key role in the regulation of mass and metabolic processes in skeletal muscle.
Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLMSep 11 2023 They studied mice with the Msi2 gene knocked out and found reduced muscle mass due to fewer type 2a muscle fibers. Myoglobin and mitochondria were also reduced. Type 2a fibers respond sensitively to training and illnesses; insights into their regulation will prove valuable in new therapies.
Now, a team led by Assistant Professor Yasuro Furuichi from Tokyo Metropolitan University have emerged with a key part of the puzzle. In previous work, they found that Musashi-2 , a protein originally discovered in nerve cells, was also expressed in skeletal muscle tissue. Muscular atrophy also led to a decrease in the expression of Msi2. Suspecting that Msi2 had a more specific role in the development of muscle fibers, they decided to take a closer look.
The team also looked at mice with the gene coding for the Musashi-2 protein artificially "knocked out". They found that the calf muscles of Msi2 knockout mice had significantly reduced mass, with a whitish color, and less strength. On looking at fiber types under a microscope, they now found that the reduction in mass was due to a drop in the number of type 2a fibers, a type of "fast" fiber that has some of the endurance of "slow" fibers.
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