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Breast cancer gene plays role in skeletal muscle metabolism
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Expression of BRCA1 appears to play a key role in the regulation of metabolic function in skeletal muscle, according to recent findings.
“Collectively, these data reveal BRCA1 as a novel target to consider in our understanding of metabolic function and risk for development of metabolic-based diseases,” the researchers wrote.
The University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers evaluated the activity of BRCA1, a known DNA repair gene and an estrogen-sensitive tumor suppressor gene, in two separate analyses, one that included mice and another that involved human participants.
In the human study, 26 healthy adults (13 men, 13 women) were recruited to participate in bouts of exercise. The mean age was 26 years (range, 21-30), mean height was 177 cm (range, 159-190) and mean weight was 75 kg (range, 58-90). The participants had a mean maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) of 48 ml.kg1.min1 (range, 43-64).
The researchers collected skeletal muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis of participants using a percutaneous needle biopsy.
The exercise session yielded a significant increase in acetyl-CoA carboxylase protein (ACC-p)/ACC total compared with the pre-exercise levels (P<.05). Considerable disparities between individuals were seen in the extent of BRCA1/ACC-p interaction before and after completion of the exercise bout. There was, however, an overall increase in both BRCA1 and ACC-p interaction in response to the acute exercise session compared with the sedentary state.
A similar correlation was found in the mouse model, the researchers reported.
According to the researchers, these findings suggest that BRCA1 should be considered in future studies of metabolic function and dysfunction.
Disclosure: Jackson received support from NIH (AG00268). See the study for a list of other researchers’ financial disclosures.
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