Date of Award

2009

Degree Name

Biology

College

College of Science

Type of Degree

M.S.

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Eric R Blough

Second Advisor

David Mallory

Third Advisor

Bin Wang

Fourth Advisor

Kevin M. Rice

Abstract

Age-related muscle atrophy is a consequence of normal aging characterized by decreases in muscle mass and strength. The mechanism(s) underlying the loss of muscle mass with increasing age is not fully understood, however recent data has suggested that muscle cell apoptosis may be involved. Here we investigate how aging affects the regulation of muscle apoptosis in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles of young (6-month), aged (26-month), and very aged (30-month) female Fischer 344/NNiaHSD X Brown Norway / BiNia (F344BN) rats. EDL and soleus muscle mass/body weight ratios were lower in aged animals but not different between 26- and 30-months of age. Decrease in muscle mass was associated with increased TdTmediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) positive immunoreactivity in both EDL and soleus. With advancing age the time course and magnitude of changes in Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, caspase-9, caspase-12 and cleavage of α-fodrin protein were regulated differently between muscles. These data demonstrated that decreases in muscle mass, and increases in muscle cell apoptosis appear to be caspase independent and differ between fiber types in the female F344BN rats with aging.

Subject(s)

Apoptosis.

Cell death.

Aging.

Download

Share

COinS