RNA-sequencing in skeletal muscle from a mouse model of laparotomy with pre-operative running wheel exercise

This study aimed to characterize the effects of pre-operative volitional running wheel exercise on post-operative physical function and skeletal muscle gene expression in 24-month-old C57BL/6N mice following laparotomy. Soleus muscles collected on post-operative day 5 (POD 5) were used for this study. 12 soleus muscle samples from 24-month-old C57BL/6N male mice were analyzed by RNA-sequencing. Muscles were collected from the laparotomy groups and age matched control groups 5 days post laparotomy surgery. 6 samples (3 replicates for control and 3 replicates for laparotomy) were analyzed for two groups of 24-month-old mice designated as 24-month-old low functioning (LF) and 24-month-old high functioning (HF) groups based on the animal’s performance on the accelerating rotarod. The expression levels for the laparotomy groups were compared to the control groups.