As life expectancy rises, so too do typical age-related conditions such as sarcopenia, or excessive muscle loss. Researchers at the University of Basel have now described how this age-related condition can be slowed down with medication.
Sarcopenia affects around one in three people over the age of 80 and significantly restricts the mobility, independence and quality of life of those affected. The causes are varied, ranging from changes in muscle metabolism to the loss of nerve cells that stimulate the muscles. Researchers led by Prof. Markus Rüegg have now discovered that the mTORC1 protein complex plays a role in sarcopenia and that inhibiting it with the well-known immunosuppressant rapamycin slows down age-related muscle loss. Long-term treatment thus has a positive effect on the ageing of skeletal muscle in mice. Rapamycin was also found to stabilise the connections between nerve cells and muscle fibres.
To enable global research into how gene expression in skeletal muscle changes with increasing age or following rapamycin treatment, the SarcoAtlas tool was developed; its use is supported by sciCore, the Centre for Scientific Computing at the University of Basel. As there is currently no effective treatment for sarcopenia, the new active substance could ultimately help to maintain the quality of life and independence of older people for longer.
References:
University of Basel https://www.unibas.ch/de/Aktuell/News/Uni-Research/Muskeln-Laenger-kraftvoll-auch-im-Alter.html?pk_campaign=MM_20200909_Muskeln
The neuromuscular junction is a focal point of mTORC1 signalling in sarcopenia, Nature Communications (2020), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15592-3
