Regulation of muscle mass by Thrombospondin-1

Loss of muscle mass is a pathological driver in both chronic illness and aging. We have discovered that skeletal muscle specific thrombospondin-1 (Thbs1) transgenic mice have profound muscle atrophy with age-dependent decreases in exercise capacity and premature lethality. Here, we compared the transcriptional profiles of skeletal muscle from control non-transgenic mice with those overexpressing Thbs1 in order to elucidate the transcriptional changes underlying the observed effects on skeletal muscle mass. The overall purpose was to identify new, effective targets to combat muscle atrophy and sarcopenia. Total skeletal muscle RNA was isolated and subjected to RNAseq analysis in order to identify the transcriptional effects of Thbs1 overexpression in skeletal muscle