F.M. Baccino

Muscle myostatin signalling is enhanced in experimental cancer cachexia

Background/Aims   Myostatin belongs to the transforming growth factor‐β superfamily and negatively regulates skeletal muscle mass. Its deletion induces muscle overgrowth, while, on the contrary, its overexpression or systemic administration cause muscle atrophy. The present study was aimed at investigating whether muscle depletion as occurring in an experimental model of cancer cachexia, the rat bearing the Yoshida AH‐130 hepatoma, is associated with modulations of myostatin signalling and whether the cytokine tumour necrosis factor‐α may be relevant in this regard.

Deacetylase Inhibitors Modulate the Myostatin/Follistatin Axis without Improving Cachexia in Tumor-Bearing Mice

Muscle wasting, as occurring in cancer cachexia, is primarily characterized by protein hypercatabolism and increased expression of ubiquitin ligases, such as atrogin-1/MAFbx and MuRF-1. Myostatin, a member of the TGFbeta superfamily, negatively regulates skeletal muscle mass and we showed that increased myostatin signaling occurs in experimental cancer cachexia. On the other hand, enhanced expression of follistatin, an antagonist of myostatin, by inhibitors of histone deacetylases, such as valproic acid or trichostatin-A, has been shown to increase myogenesis and myofiber size in mdx mice. For this reason, in the present study we evaluated whether valproic acid or trichostatin-A can restore muscle mass in C26 tumor-bearing mice. Tumor growth induces a marked and progressive loss of body and muscle weight, associated with increased expression of myostatin and ubiquitin ligases. Treatment with valproic acid decreases muscle myostatin levels and enhances both follistatin expression and the inactivating phosphorylation of GSK-3beta, while these parameters are not affected by trichostatin-A. Neither agent, however, counteracts muscle atrophy or ubiquitin ligase hyperexpression. Therefore, modulation of the myostatin/follistatin axis in itself does not appear sufficient to correct muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia.

Mechanisms of clofibrate-induced apoptosis in Yoshida AH-130 hepatoma cells

Peroxisome proliferators (PPs) are a class of compounds that exert their nominal effects through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. PPs, among which clofibrate (CF), have been extensively studied for their hepatocarcinogenic properties in rodents, generally ascribed to their antiapoptotic action. However, previous results demonstrated that various PPs may also have apoptogenic properties. CF, in particular, promptly induces a massive apoptotic death in cell lines established from murine or human hepatomas and from breast or lung cancers as well. The present study was aimed at elucidating the apoptotic pathway(s) triggered by CF in AH-130 cells. The results show that CF-induced cell death is completely blocked by the poly-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk and that caspases 3, 8, and 9 are early activated. Consistently, cytochrome c is released from mitochondria, and CF cytotoxicity is inhibited by cyclosporine A, partially at least. In addition, the occurrence of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is suggested by the observation that the levels of phosphorylated eIF2alpha and JNK increase in CF-treated cells, while the caspase 2 precursor protein levels are concurrently reduced. Finally, some degree of calpain activation also takes place, as suggested by the appearance of fodrin cleavage products. The present findings demonstrate that CF-induced apoptosis in the Yoshida AH-130 cells basically is a caspase-dependent process that involves more than a single mechanisms. Activation of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway and ER stress both play a major and concurrent role, while calpain activation seems to have only a marginal part in the process.

Early changes of muscle IGF-1 and myostatin gene expression in gastric cancer patients

Cachexia increases morbidity and mortality of cancer patients. The progressive loss of muscle mass negatively affects physical function and quality of life. We previously showed reduced muscle insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) expression and enhanced myostatin signaling in tumor‐bearing animals. This study was aimed at investigating whether similar perturbations occur in gastric cancer patients.