Han Youngji, Pack Seung Pil
Bio-Medical Research Institute, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu 41940, Republic of Korea.
Biological Clock-Based Anti-Aging Convergence RLRC, Korea University, Sejong-ro 2511, Sejong 30019, Republic of Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Aug 14;26(16):7869. doi: 10.3390/ijms26167869.
Sarcopenia, the age-related decline in skeletal muscle mass and function, is a growing health concern in aging populations. Nutritional interventions are increasingly recognized for their therapeutic potential; however, molecular biomarkers that reflect their efficacy are limited. To identify nutrition-responsive genes relevant to sarcopenia, we performed transcriptomic profiling of gastrocnemius muscle from mature and middle-aged mice. Aging-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were filtered based on expression levels and correlation with muscle mass. Functional food interventions, including high- and low-molecular-weight collagen hydrolysates and allulose, were applied, and effect scores were calculated to assess transcriptomic responsiveness. , a gene involved in cytoskeletal regulation and tissue remodeling, was significantly downregulated in middle-aged mice, consistent with aging-associated muscle decline. Dietary supplementation restored expression across all intervention groups, with the strongest effect observed in the high-molecular-weight collagen group. expression also showed strong positive correlations with tibialis anterior mass, hindlimb thickness, and muscle-to-fat ratio. was identified as a nutritionally modifiable gene with strong associations to muscle phenotype and dietary response. These findings support as a transcriptomic biomarker and potential molecular target for precision nutrition strategies aimed at preventing or mitigating sarcopenia.
肌肉减少症是与年龄相关的骨骼肌质量和功能下降，在老龄化人群中日益成为一个健康问题。营养干预因其治疗潜力而越来越受到认可；然而，反映其疗效的分子生物标志物却很有限。为了确定与肌肉减少症相关的营养反应基因，我们对成熟和中年小鼠的腓肠肌进行了转录组分析。根据表达水平和与肌肉质量的相关性筛选出与衰老相关的差异表达基因（DEGs）。应用了包括高分子量和低分子量胶原蛋白水解物以及阿洛酮在内的功能性食品干预措施，并计算效应评分以评估转录组反应性。参与细胞骨架调节和组织重塑的基因在中年小鼠中显著下调，这与衰老相关的肌肉衰退一致。膳食补充剂使所有干预组的基因表达恢复，在高分子量胶原蛋白组中观察到最强的效果。该基因的表达还与胫前肌质量、后肢厚度和肌肉与脂肪比例呈强正相关。该基因被确定为一个可通过营养调节的基因，与肌肉表型和饮食反应密切相关。这些发现支持该基因作为转录组生物标志物以及旨在预防或减轻肌肉减少症的精准营养策略的潜在分子靶点。
