Cited by 7Muscle Physiology and DisordersNeurogenetic and Muscular Disorders ResearchCardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies

Myostatin Knockout Mice Have Larger Muscle Fibers With Normal Function and Morphology

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Degens, Hans, Patel, Ketan, Matsakas, A.·2025·Muscle & Nerve

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: We assessed whether muscle fibers in myostatin knockout (MSTN-/-) mice are just larger or also exhibit morphological, metabolic, and functional differences from MSTN+/+ mice. METHODS: We compared single fiber contractile properties and histological fiber properties in muscles from MSTN-/- and MSTN+/+ mice. RESULTS: Even though in permeabilized muscle fibers from the extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscle maximal force was higher (p < 0.001) there were no significant differences in specific power (power per unit volume), specific tension (force per cross-sectional area), maximal shortening velocity, or curvature of the force-velocity relationship between MSTN-/- and MSTN+/+ mice. In histological sections of the soleus muscle, fibers were larger (p < 0.001), but the succinate dehydrogenase staining intensity and capillary density did not differ significantly between MSTN-/- and MSTN+/+ mice, which was explicable by the larger number of capillaries around a fiber (p < 0.001). A model showed no significant differences in soleus muscle oxygenation. DISCUSSION: The larger force-generating capacity of fibers from MSTN-/- mice is explicable by the larger fiber cross-sectional area. The data indicate that muscle fibers from MSTN-/- mice are quantitatively, but not qualitatively different from muscle fibers from MSTN+/+ mice. Myostatin inhibition may help increase muscle mass in conditions accompanied by muscle weakness without a detrimental impact on muscle quality, but systemic side effects need to be considered.

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  • FNDC5 activation leads to elevated circulating irisin, which promotes browning of WAT by stimulating UCP1 expression, thereby contributing to improved energy metabolism and body composition in elderly individuals.

    “FNDC5 activation leads to elevated circulating levels of irisin, which promotes the browning of WAT by stimulating UCP1 expression, thereby contributing to improved energy metabolism and body composition in elderly individuals [58].”

    From Exercise-Induced Muscle–Fat Crosstalk: Molecular Mediators and Their Pharmacological Modulation for the Maintenance of Metabolic Flexibility in Aging (2025) · cites this paper as [58]

    The Results (Muscle Morphology; page unavailable) and Discussion (Muscle Fiber Oxidative Capacity and Capillarisation; page unavailable) address muscle fibers in myostatin-knockout mice, not the claimed pathway in elderly individuals. Searches for FNDC5, irisin, UCP1, white-adipose-tissue browning, and the claimed metabolic and body-composition effects found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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Authors
Degens, H., Patel, K., & Matsakas, A.
Affiliations
  • Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
  • University of Reading (GB)
Corresponding author
Degens, Hans
Venue
Muscle & Nerve
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2025-03-03
Volume
71
Issue
6
Pages
1122-1131
ISSN
  • 0148-639X (ISSN-L)
  • 1097-4598
OpenAlex
W4408162331
Cited by
7
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4
FWCI
2.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Muscle & Nerve (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • CentAUR (University of Reading) (acceptedVersion)
  • e-space (Manchester Metropolitan University) (acceptedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Genetics › Neurogenetic and Muscular Disorders Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies
Keywords
myostatin, Mstn knockout mice, muscle fiber size, force-velocity relationship, muscle fiber morphology, capillary density, muscle oxygenation, muscle quality, muscle mass, soleus muscle, extensor digitorum longus, succinate dehydrogenase
MeSH terms
Animals, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Muscle Contraction, Succinate Dehydrogenase, Mice, Knockout, Muscle, Skeletal, Muscle Fibers, Skeletal, Mice, Myostatin

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