title: The PGC-1α-related coactivator promotes mitochondrial and myogenic adaptations in C2C12 myotubes.
abstract: The transcriptional coactivator PGC-1α is a potent regulator of skeletal muscle metabolism. Less is known about the structurally similar PGC-1α-related coactivator (PRC) that is enriched in myoblasts and adult skeletal muscle. The present study was designed to determine the effect of PRC on the metabolic profile of C2C12 myotubes. Overexpression of full-length PRC increased PRC gene expression by 2.7 ± 0.3-fold and protein content by 108 ± 5.3%. This modest elevation in PRC resulted in an increased rate of myoblast proliferation (61.5 ± 2.7%) and resulted in myotubes characterized by increased MyoD (18.2 ± 0.52%) and myosin heavy chain (15.4 ± 3.13%) protein. PRC overexpressing myotubes showed increases in mRNA for some-COX4 (2.6 ± 0.18-fold), ATP5B (2.7 ± 0.34-fold) cytochrome c (5.1 ± 0.68-fold)-but not all, MTCO1 (0.61 ± 0.18-fold) and HAD (0.98 ± 0.36-fold) mitochondrial genes, as well as a significant increase in cytochrome-c (28.7 ± 7.02%) protein content. The enzyme activity of the electron transport chain (ETC) complex IV (3.7 ± 0.01-fold) and citrate synthase (2.1 ± 0.14-fold) was increased by PRC, as was the mtDNA:nucDNA ratio (11 ± 0.3%). PRC increased cellular respiration (142%), basal (197%) and insulin-stimulated (253%) glucose uptake, as well as palmitate uptake (28.6 ± 3.31%) and oxidation (31.1 ± 2.17%). Associated with these changes in function, PRC overexpression increased GLUT4 mRNA (4.5 ± 0.22-fold) and protein (13.8 ± 2.08%) and CPT1 protein (28.9 ± 4.23%). Electrical stimulation of C2C12 myotubes resulted in a transient increase in PRC mRNA that was smaller (2.1 ± 0.3-fold vs. 4.4 ± 0.23-fold) and occurred earlier (3 h vs. 6 h) than PGC-1α. Collectively, our data show that PRC promotes skeletal muscle myogenesis and metabolism in vitro, thus identifying PRC as a functional skeletal muscle coactivator capable of regulating mitochondrial substrate utilization and respiration.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Philp
authors.forename: Micah Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Belew
authors.forename: Ashleigh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.forename: Itwinder
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sivia
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schenk
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Baar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4 / Q000378:metabolism; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008931:Mitochondria, Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000378:metabolism; D023421:Models, Animal; D024510:Muscle Development / Q000502:physiology*; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017570:MyoD Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4; D007328:Insulin; D017570:MyoD Protein; C057363:MyoD1 myogenic differentiation protein; D000071248:Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha; C485290:Ppargc1a protein, mouse; C495693:Slc2a4 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D045304:Cytochromes c; C530489:ATP5b protein, mouse; D025261:Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases; D005947:Glucose