Among other things, researchers at the University of Debrecen are looking for the answer to whether the cytoskeletal septin 7 protein can play a role in the development of muscle weakness and muscle atrophy associated with aging and diseases. In their previous research, the specialists from Debrecen proved for the first time that this protein has a significant function in muscle development and muscle regeneration. Their results were published in a major international journal.
The researchers of the University of Debrecen mapped a relatively new topic in the physiology of skeletal muscle during their investigations presented in their communication published last year on the online interface of eLife. The components of the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells have been known for more than a hundred years, but few people know that there is an additional group of proteins, the septins, which are considered the fourth component of the cell skeleton. Their role is proven in more and more cell types and in more and more diseases. Regarding whether these proteins are expressed in skeletal muscle, and if so, what function they perform, the information available to us is very incomplete. In their experiments, the specialists from Debrecen studied the role of the septin 7 protein in mammalian skeletal muscle and in cell culture modeling skeletal muscles.
Our results indicate that many forms of cytoskeletal septins appear in skeletal muscle, and the expression of certain types of these changes during individual development. Based on the literature data so far, it can be assumed that, as the only representative of its subgroup, the septin 7 protein plays a central role in the formation of higher-order structures
– explained Mónika Szentandrássyné Gönczi, assistant professor at the Institute of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Debrecen.
The researcher added: changing the amount of the septin 7 protein in mice caused humpback deformation of the spine, which is related to a decrease in the strength of the skeletal muscles and thus a change in keeping the spinal column in the correct position. The location (localization) of the septin 7 protein was determined on individual skeletal muscle fibers, based on their data it is assumed that the studied cytoskeletal protein has a prominent role in determining the location of muscle contractile proteins and other regulatory molecules within the cell. For the publication, Mónika Szentandrássyné Gönczi won the Publication Award of the István Gróf Tisza Foundation for the University of Debrecen.
After our first publication, we studied the role of the septin 7 protein in determining the movement (migration) of myogenic cells, which process is important during the development and regeneration of skeletal muscles. For this, we used the previously mentioned cell line. In order to detect the function of septin 7, the expression of the protein was reduced using a genetic method, and in addition, a pharmacological substance affecting the dynamic remodeling process of septins was also used. The results of the migration experiments were eli
– said Mónika Szentandrássyné Gönczi.
In the continuation of their experiments, they would like to determine the other septin proteins in skeletal muscle that are functionally related to septin 7. They are also curious as to whether septins are involved in the regulation of intracellular calcium levels, which play a decisive role in most processes of eukaryotic cells, and if so, what ion channels, receptors and other regulatory molecules are involved in this process.
Our plans also include a more precise description of how the change in the expression of septin 7, exactly where and by what mechanism, affects the development of skeletal muscle cells. Our further goal is to answer the question of whether these proteins can be therapeutic targets in the prevention or treatment of the development of muscle weakness and muscle atrophy associated with aging or diseases, or observed in astronauts after space travel
– emphasized the researcher of the University of Debrecen.
(unideb.hu)
