Disruption of skeletal muscle mitochondrial network genes and miRNAs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction is believed to play a role in the progression and severity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The regulation of transcriptional co-activators involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and function in ALS is not well known. When compared with healthy control subjects, patients with ALS, but not neurogenic disease (ND), had lower levels of skeletal muscle peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1 alpha) mRNA and protein and estrogen-related receptor-alpha (ERR alpha) and mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) mRNA PGC-1 beta, nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) and Mfn1 mRNA as well as cytochrome C oxidase subunit IV (COXIV) mRNA and protein were lower in patients with ALS and ND. Both patient groups had reductions in citrate synthase and cytochrome c oxidase activity. Similar observations were made in skeletal muscle from transgenic ALS G93A transgenic mice. In vitro, PGC-1 alpha and PGC-1 beta regulated Mfn1 and Mfn2 in an ERR alpha-dependent manner. Compared to healthy controls, miRNA 23a, 29b, 206 and 455 were increased in skeletal muscle of ALS patients. miR-23a repressed PGC-1 alpha translation in a 3' UTR dependent manner. Transgenic mice over expressing miR-23a had a reduction in PGC-1 alpha, cytochome-b and COXIV protein levels. These results show that skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction in ALS patients is associated with a reduction in PGC-1 alpha signalling networks involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and function, as well as increases in several miRNAs potentially implicated in skeletal muscle and neuromuscular junction regeneration. As miR-23a negatively regulates PGC-1 alpha signalling, therapeutic inhibition of miR-23a may be a strategy to rescue PGC-1 alpha activity and ameliorate skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in ALS. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.