Which Genes Cause Old Skeletal Muscles to Become Weak?
Dr. Frank W. Booth, Professor, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, and Research Investigator, Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri-Columbia, posed the following questions: Which genes cause old skeletal muscles to become weak? Why are elderly physically frail? Can we prevent premature frailty? Dr. Booth observed that loss of muscle translates to less strength. Skeletal muscle wasting begins at the age of 25 years, with a loss of mass of 4 percent per decade until 50 years of age when mass loss is accelerated to 10 percent per decade. Data collected with support from an NIA grant found 1700 mRNAs were differentially expressed in the soleus muscle when comparisons were made between young and old rats, which were freely mobile or undergoing limb immobilization for 10 days, after which muscles had the opportunity to regrow from atrophy for up to 30 days. Dr. Booth reported that young muscle recovers mass lost by limb immobilization at the 30th day after e
