Gene expression differences associated with intrinsic hindfoot muscle loss in the jerboa, Jaculus jaculus

Muscle is a highly adaptable tissue capable of undergoing environmentally-induced changes and remarkable evolutionary adaptations. Muscle atrophy, a common feature in various myopathies as well as other conditions like cancer and diabetes, has been studied at the transcriptomic level, uncovering shared molecular factors. The lesser Egyptian jerboa, adapted for bipedal locomotion in a desert environment, experiences natural muscle loss in its foot. Cellular characterization of this process revealed similarities with human skeletal muscle atrophy, such as the loss of Desmin and upregulation of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. By using RNA-sequencing, gene candidates associated with muscle loss in jerboa were identified, and genome-wide comparisons with established mouse models of muscle dystrophy/atrophy elucidated shared molecular signatures. These findings provide valuable insights into the genes and pathways involved in natural muscle loss and contribute to understanding the evolutionary relationship between natural and pathological muscle loss. To investigate muscle loss transcriptome, we isolate muscles from sections of foot and dissect FDS muscles of new born and P3 jerboa and mouse肌肉是一种高度适应性的组织，可响应环境诱导的变化并发生显著的进化适应性重塑。肌肉萎缩是多种肌病以及癌症、糖尿病等其他疾病的常见病理特征，学界已从转录组层面开展相关研究，揭示了共通的分子调控机制。适应沙漠环境、以双足运动为运动方式的小埃及跳鼠（lesser Egyptian jerboa），其足部会出现自然肌肉流失过程。对该过程的细胞特征解析显示，其与人类骨骼肌萎缩具有高度相似性，例如结蛋白（Desmin）的表达丢失以及泛素-蛋白酶体通路的上调激活。通过RNA测序（RNA-sequencing）技术，研究人员鉴定出了与跳鼠肌肉流失相关的候选基因；并通过与已建立的肌营养不良/肌肉萎缩小鼠模型开展全基因组比较，阐明了二者共通的分子特征谱。上述研究结果为解析自然肌肉流失相关的基因与通路提供了宝贵的科学见解，也有助于厘清自然肌肉流失与病理性肌肉流失之间的进化关联。为探究肌肉流失的转录组特征，本研究从足部肌肉组织切片中分离目标肌肉，并分别解剖新生及出生后第3天（P3）的跳鼠与小鼠的指浅屈肌（FDS）。