calpain and cimaterol

Prolonged dietary inclusion of beta-adrenergic agonists can induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy in meat animals, by a mechanism probably related to the calcium-dependent proteolytic enzymes, or calpains, and in particular to their specific inhibitor calpastatin. Calpain and calpastatin activities are also believed to be important factors during post-mortem tenderisation of meat. beta-Agonist treatment is generally associated with increased calpastatin activity, which may lead to meat toughness. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of a short period of cimaterol (feeding for 8 days, followed by reversion to a normal diet for a further 24 days) on muscle growth and on calpain isoform and calpastatin activities and specific mRNA abundance in the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. Significant changes were detected in LD wet weight and in calpastatin activity and mRNA after only 8 days treatment with cimaterol. After 24 further days on a control diet, both LD wet weight and calpastatin activity were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from untreated controls of the same age, although calpastatin mRNA stayed surprisingly high. In contrast to several earlier studies, changes in calpain I (or mu-calpain) and calpain II (or m-calpain) activity and calpain I mRNA were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from controls in any groups. These data suggest that calpastatin activity rather than the activity of either calpain isoform is closely linked to beta-agonist-induced muscle hypertrophy. Changes in calpastatin mRNA are not directly proportional to inhibitory activity, suggesting that variable mRNA species may be transcribed, spliced or stabilised, but not necessarily translated as part of the beta-agonist response.

Topics: Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Animals; Base Sequence; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Calpain; Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; Diet; Ethanolamines; Female; Molecular Sequence Data; Muscle Development; Muscles; RNA, Messenger; Sheep

Administration of beta-adrenergic agonists to domestic species can lead to skeletal muscle hypertrophy, probably by reducing the rate of myofibrillar protein breakdown. Myofibrillar breakdown is associated with the calcium-dependent proteinase system (calpains I,II and calpastatin) whose activity also changes during beta-agonist treatment. A number of growth trials using the agonists cimaterol and clenbuterol with cattle, sheep, chicken and rat are reported which suggest a general mechanism whereby beta-agonists reduce calpain I activity, but increase calpain II and calpastatin activity in skeletal muscle. Parallel changes in specific mRNAs indicate that changes in gene expression or stabilisation of mRNA could in part explain the changes in activity.

Topics: Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Animals; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Calpain; Cattle; Chickens; Ethanolamines; Female; Gene Expression; Male; Muscles; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; RNA, Messenger; Sheep

Administration of beta-adrenergic agonists to mammals can produce skeletal muscle hypertrophy in some species and muscle types. The growth-promoting effect appears to be due to suppression of protein breakdown rather than stimulation of synthesis, although evidence from turnover studies is equivocal. In ovine muscle, changes in the activity of the calcium dependent neutral proteinases (calpains I and II) and their specific inhibitor (calpastatin) accompany beta-agonist-induced hypertrophy. These observations suggest that the calpain system is involved in myofibrillar protein turnover in some way. Alternatively, the relationship with hypertrophy may be indirect, since the calpains also interact with hormone and growth-factor receptors, protein kinase C and transcription factors, in addition to a range of membrane, cytoskeletal and nuclear proteins. In the present study, attempts have been made to determine if the beta-agonist-induced effects on the calpain system are associated with corresponding changes in specific mRNA. The activity of both calpain isoforms and calpastatin was measured in bovine longissimus dorsi samples from trials in which test animals were treated with the beta agonist cimaterol. Total RNA was extracted from the muscle samples. A cDNA probe for calpastatin mRNA was generated from bovine RNA by the polymerase chain reaction. This cDNA and a human calpain-II large-subunit cDNA were used to detect specific mRNA by Northern-blot analysis. beta-agonist treatment of Friesian steers caused significant longissimus dorsi hypertrophy. Increases in muscle mass (+37%, P less than 0.005), calpain-II specific activity (+27%, P less than 0.05) and calpastatin-specific activity (+76%, P less than 0.05) were found in treated animals. Total RNA was unchanged, but there was a 96% overall increase in calpastatin mRNA and a 30% increase in calpain-II large-subunit mRNA in muscle from treated animals. The mRNA changes are similar in direction and degree to the activity changes. Both calpain-II large subunit and inhibitor expression may therefore be stimulated by agonist action at the level of transcription or mRNA stabilisation. Multiple calpastatin mRNA species were detected in steers, as reported for other species. Differential changes in these messages, induced by the beta agonist, suggest that expression or stability of alternative mRNA species may be a factor in calpastatin regulation.

Topics: Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Blotting, Northern; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Calpain; Cattle; DNA Probes; Ethanolamines; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Muscles; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; RNA, Messenger

The objectives of this study were to examine effects of a beta-adrenergic agonist (cimaterol) on growth and muscle development in rabbits and to examine cimaterol's effects on myofibrillar protein degradation (MPD) and on activities of several proteolytic enzymes including the calcium-dependent proteinases (CDP). Twelve New Zealand White rabbits were assigned to either control diets or to diets containing cimaterol for 35 d, after which they were killed and effects on performance and tissue weight gains were determined. Urine was collected from d 21 through 28 from each rabbit for assessment of N tau-methylhistidine (NMH) excretion. Cimaterol increased rates of gain, efficiency of gain and skeletal muscle weights. Enhancement in muscle weight was associated with an increase in total DNA and with a reduction in NMH. Cimaterol did not affect activities of cathepsin B, cathepsin D or neutral serine proteinase, but it reduced activities of the millimolar and micromolar forms of the CDP by 58 and 57%, respectively, and it reduced activity of the inhibitor of the CDP (calpastatin) by 52%. Cimaterol-dependent myofibrillar protein accretion was likely mediated, at least in part, by a reduction in MPD. The change in MPD was associated with a reduction in muscle CDP activities. Cimaterol-dependent muscle hypertrophy therefore may involve changes in calcium-dependent proteolysis of myofibrillar proteins. The significance of the effects of cimaterol on calpastatin activity is not known.

Topics: Animals; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Calpain; DNA; Ethanolamines; Liver; Male; Methylhistidines; Muscle Development; Muscle Proteins; Muscles; Myofibrils; Rabbits; Random Allocation; RNA; Weight Gain

The purpose of this study was to reveal the possible relationships between total Ca2+-dependent proteinase (CDP) and micromolar-Ca2+-dependent proteinase (microM CDP) activity and cimaterol-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. Dietary administration of 10 ppm cimaterol to finishing lambs reduced microM CDP activity in longissimus muscle (LD) by 55% (P less than .01) and 70% (P less than .02) after 3 and 6 wk of treatment, respectively. Total CDP activity was unaffected by cimaterol at both treatment intervals. The reduced microM CDP activity was not associated with a reduced yield of enzyme extract from the muscle. Cimaterol treatment increased the cross-sectional area of the LD by 23.5% at 3 wk and by 35.6% at 6 wk (P less than .001). Cimaterol also increased (P less than .001) the masses of semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris by 26%, 32.4% and 24.5%, respectively. These results suggest that cimaterol-induced muscle hypertrophy may be attained in part by reduction of myofibrillar protein degradation.

Topics: Animals; Calpain; Ethanolamines; Hypertrophy; Male; Muscle Development; Muscles; Sheep