Transcriptome (RNA-seq) of statin-treated human primary myotubes

Statin-induced myopathy is a common side-effect but its mechanisms in human skeletal muscle have never been explained satisfyingly. We exposed 25 different primary human muscle cell lines to either a lipophilic or a hydrophilic statin, quantified cholesterol, mevalonate, proliferation, differentiation, and performed a comprehensive transcriptome and proteome analysis. We found reduced mevalonic acid (MVA) and cholesterol levels demonstrating incorporation of statins into the cells. Statins also significantly impaired proliferation and differentiation. Using an integrated pathway analysis approach with transcriptome and proteome data from statin-treated human primary myotubes, we modelled a novel statin-induced metabolism network for human muscle cells. This analysis confirmed the effect of statins on cholesterol biosynthesis but also uncovered alterations of acetyl CoA-dependent lipid and fatty acid metabolism Overall design: Human primary human myoblasts were treated with 2 different statins under fusion conditions.