Increased global DNA methylation disrupts skeletal muscle homeostasis, promotes age-related decline in muscle function, and reduces muscle plasticity

Loss of muscle mass and function—a hallmark of skeletal muscle aging—is known as sarcopenia. Moreover, mammalian aging is reportedly driven by loss of epigenetic information. However, the effect of epigenetic alterations on skeletal muscle homeostasis is unknown. In this study, we show that chronic elevation of global DNA methylation results in a myopathy-like phenotype and age-related changes in skeletal muscle. Overexpression of muscle de novo methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) increased central nucleus-positive myofibers, predominantly in fast-twitch myofibers, and shifted muscle fiber type to stress-resistant slow-twitch myofibers, accompanied by upregulation of chemokine and immune system-related genes and reduced basal autophagy in skeletal muscle. Dnmt3a overexpression reduced muscle androgen receptor signaling, decreased muscle mass and strength, and impaired tolerance to endurance exercise with age. Network analysis identified Akt1 as a potential hub gene. Dnmt3a expression reduced sensitivity to starvation-induced muscle atrophy by suppressing the FoxO-regulated autophagy and ubiquitin–proteasome systems. These data suggest that increased global DNA methylation disrupts skeletal muscle homeostasis, promotes age-related decline in muscle function, and reduces muscle plasticity. Genomic DNAs were extracted from skeletal muscle (tibialis anterior) of Dnmt3a-Tg and age-matched WT mice, or Dnmt3a-KO and age-matched WT mice. Libraries for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing was prepared as described in Miura F et al (2019), NAR, 47, e85.