Overexpression of miR-29ab1 Cluster Results in Excessive Muscle Growth in 1-Month-old Mice by Inhibiting Mstn

Abstract

Skeletal muscle mass is closely related to strength and health. Multiple genes and signaling pathways are involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle hypertrophy. miR-29 can participate in various processes of skeletal muscle development through different target genes. However, studies are needed on the function of miR-29 in skeletal muscle during mouse puberty. We used mice in which overexpression of miR-29ab1 cluster could be induced specifically within skeletal muscle, and investigated the effects of miR-29 overexpression on skeletal muscle at 1 month of age. We found that the overexpression of miR-29ab1 cluster in juvenile mice caused skeletal muscle mass and myofiber cross-sectional area to increase. The study on the mechanism of miR-29 inducing skeletal muscle hypertrophy had found that miR-29 achieved its function by inhibiting the expression of Mstn. At the same time, injured myofibers were present within miR-29ab1 cluster overexpressing skeletal muscle. The damage of skeletal muscle may be due to the inhibition of the type IV collagen by miR-29. These results indicate that although the overexpression of miR-29ab1 cluster can induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy in mouse juvenile, it simultaneously causes skeletal muscle damage.