Myogenin, MyoD, and myosin expression after
pharmacologically and surgically induced hypertrophy
P. E. MOZDZIAK, M. L. GREASER, AND E. SCHULTZ
Department of Anatomy, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Mozdziak, P. E., M. L. Greaser, and E. Schultz. Myogenin, MyoD, and myosin expression after pharmacologically
and surgically induced hypertrophy. J. Appl. Physiol. 84(4):
1359–1364, 1998.—The relationship between myogenin or
MyoD expression and hypertrophy of the rat soleus produced
either by clenbuterol and 3,38,5-triiodo-L-thyronine (CT) treatment or by surgical overload was examined. Mature female
rats were subjected to surgical overload of the right soleus
with the left soleus serving as a control. Another group
received the same surgical treatment but were administered
CT. Soleus muscles were harvested 4 wk after surgical
overload and weighed. Myosin heavy chain isoforms were
separated by using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis while
myogenin and MyoD expression were evaluated by Northern
analysis. CT and functional overload increased soleus muscle
weight. CT treatment induced the appearance of the fast type
IIX myosin heavy chain isoform, depressed myogenin expression, and induced MyoD expression. However, functional
overload did not alter myogenin or MyoD expression in
CT-treated or non-CT-treated rats. Thus pharmacologically
and surgically induced hypertrophy have differing effects on
myogenin and MyoD expression, because their levels were
associated with changes in myosin heavy chain composition
(especially type IIX) rather than changes in muscle mass.
clenbuterol; 3,38,5-triiodo-L-thyronine; overload; myogenic
regulatory factor; skeletal muscle
THE MYOGENIC REGULATORY FACTORS myogenin and MyoD
are DNA-binding proteins that will cause mesenchymal cells to express muscle-specific markers (5, 33).
Myogenin and MyoD expression is high during embryonic development, but their expression is low in mature
muscle (7, 13, 31, 32). Previous studies have suggested
that myogenin and MyoD may be involved in establishing and maintaining mature myofiber phenotype (slow
or fast) because myogenin is expressed at higher levels
than is MyoD in slow muscles, whereas the opposite is
true for fast muscles (13, 31). Myogenin expression is
associated with expression of the slow type I myosin
heavy chain isoform and the fast type IIA myosin heavy
chain isoform, which has the slowest contraction speed
of the fast myosin heavy chain isoforms (3). Similarly,
MyoD is associated with expression of the fast type IIX
and IIB myosin heavy chain isoforms (12, 13).
Various experimental treatments can alter the myosin heavy chain isoform composition in skeletal muscle.
For example, clenbuterol and thyroid hormone reduce
the proportion of the slow type I myosin heavy chain
isoform, and they will induce the appearance of the fast
type IIX myosin heavy chain isoform in the rat soleus
(4, 16), which contains predominantly the slow type I
myosin heavy chain isoform. Changes in functional
load can also change the proportion of each myosin
heavy chain isoform in the rat soleus. Hindlimb unloadhttp://www.jap.org
ing reduces the functional load on the rat soleus,
resulting in a reduction of muscle mass, a reduction in
the proportion of the slow type I myosin heavy chain
isoform (17), and the appearance of the fast type IIX
myosin heavy chain isoform (17, 29). Similarly, increasing the functional load on the soleus, by surgical
ablation of the gastrocnemius and plantaris, increases
muscle mass and drives the myosin heavy chain proportion toward the more slow type I myosin heavy chain
isoform (17, 26).
Changes in myogenin and MyoD expression levels
have been observed after treatments that alter myofiber phenotype, such as cross-reinnervation (13), hormone treatment (13), and denervation (31). However,
these studies (13, 31) did not fully account for the effect
of the experimental treatments on functional load or
muscle mass. Similarly, others have shown changes in
myogenin or MyoD expression after treatments that
alter muscle mass by increasing functional load (18) or
by ameliorating denervation- or immobilization-induced muscular atrophy (6, 19), but these authors (6,
18, 19) did not directly examine any potential myosin
heavy chain isoform transitions. Similarly, Hughes et
al. (13) showed that a combination of clenbuterol and
thyroid hormone would induce the appearance of the
fast type IIX myosin heavy chain isoform mRNA with a
corresponding appearance of MyoD mRNA in the rat
soleus. However, these workers did not investigate the
effect of the clenbuterol and thyroid hormone treatment
on soleus muscle mass, making it possible that the
appearance of MyoD may have been correlated with
increased muscle mass.
The objectives of this study were to examine any
potential relationships between muscle mass, functional load, myosin heavy chain isoform plasticity,
myogenin expression, and MyoD expression. The rationale was to separate increases in muscle mass (hypertrophy) from changes in myosin heavy chain isoform
composition to determine the variables (mass, functional load, or myosin heavy chain isoform composition)
most closely associated with changes in myogenin or
MyoD expression. A combination of clenbuterol and
3, 38,5-triiodo-L-thyronine (CT) treatment was utilized
to increase muscle mass and increase the proportion of
fast myosin heavy chain isoform in the rat soleus
without altering functional load. The contralateral
soleus muscles were also overloaded in CT-treated rats
to increase muscle mass pharmacologically and mechanically. It was expected that increased functional
load would partially counteract the CT-induced transition to a faster myosin heavy chain isoform profile and
stimulate an increase in muscle mass greater than
would CT treatment alone. The soleus was overloaded
in non-CT-treated rats to increase muscle mass without
8750-7587/98 $5.00 Copyright r 1998 the American Physiological Society
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1359
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SKELETAL MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY
significantly changing the myosin heavy chain isoform
profile. This paradigm would show whether changes in
myogenin or MyoD expression were associated with
increases in muscle mass. Alternatively, if myogenin or
MyoD expression were more closely associated with
myofiber phenotype, then alterations in their expression would be most closely associated with CT treatment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Rats. Eighteen 3-mo-old female Charles-Dawley rats
(Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA) were randomly split into two groups. The first group (CT; n 5 9) was
supplemented with clenbuterol (10 parts/million) in their
drinking water (34), and they were given subcutaneous
injections of 3,38,5-triiodo-L-thyronine (350 µg/kg body wt; 27)
every 48 h for 4 wk. The second group (n 5 9) served as
non-CT-treated controls. The right soleus muscles of all rats
(n 5 18) were functionally overloaded by removing the distal
two-thirds of the gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles. Neither the blood nor the nervous supply to the soleus was
disturbed during the surgical procedures. All surgeries took
place while the rats were deeply anaesthetized (90 mg/kg
body wt ketamine, 9 mg/kg body wt xylazine), and all surgical
procedures were approved by the University of Wisconsin
Animal Care Committee. The left soleus muscles served as
nonoperated controls. Four weeks after functional overload,
the rats were killed by an overdose of Beuthanasia-D (Schering-Plough Animal Health, Kenilworth, NJ; 0.25 ml/kg body
wt), and both soleus muscles were removed from all rats. All
muscles were weighed and frozen in liquid nitrogen.
Northern analysis. Total RNA was isolated from CT-treated
(n 5 4) and non-CT-treated (n 5 5) rats by using Trizol
(GIBCO, Grand Island, NY). RNA concentration was determined by measuring the optical density at 260 nm. Total RNA
(30 µg) was fractionated through a 1% agarose-formaldehyde
gel. After removal of residual formaldehyde, RNA was transferred by capillary blotting to a nylon membrane (Zetabind,
Cuno Life Sciences, Meriden, CT), and it was fixed to the
membrane by baking at 80°C for 2 h in a vacuum oven.
Membranes were prehybridized overnight with 53 Denhardt’s solution (Amresco, Solon, OH), 53 saline-sodium
phosphate EDTA [SSPE; containing (in M) 0.9 NaCl, 0.05
Na2HPO4, and 0.005 EDTA, pH 7.4], 0.1% sodium dodecyl
sulfate (SDS), 50% formamide, and 0.15 mg/ml denatured
tRNA at 42°C. Membranes were sequentially hybridized with
32P-labeled probes synthesized from myogenin (1.4 kb; 33)
and MyoD (1.8 kb; 5) cDNAs by using a random primed DNA
labeling kit (Boehringer Mannheim, Indianapolis, IN). Last,
membranes were hybridized with a 32P-riboprobe (316 base
pairs) for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
(GAPDH; Ambion, Austin, TX) that was generated by using
the T7 polymerase (Promega, Madison, WI). In all cases,
hybridization took place overnight in 23 Denhardt’s solution,
53 SSPE, 0.1% SDS, 10% dextran sulfate, 50% formamide,
and 0.15 mg/ml denatured tRNA at 42°C. After hybridization,
membranes were washed twice with 23 SSPE and 0.1% SDS,
followed by three washes with 0.13 SSPE and 0.1% SDS.
Membranes were exposed to X-ray film at 280°C, and images
of the autoradiograms were acquired with a scanner (Leaf
Scan 45, Leaf Systems, Southboro, MA) for densitometric
evaluation. Myogenin and MyoD mRNA levels were expressed relative to GAPDH mRNA levels to account for any
variations in RNA loading. The results of Tsika et al. (30) and
McCarthy et al. (20) suggest that GAPDH may be under the
control of elements affecting myofiber type. However, these
authors did not provide any statistical analysis of their
GAPDH data, making it possible that GAPDH mRNA levels
were not statistically different between their treatments. In
the present study, there was no difference (P . 0.05) in raw
GAPDH levels between any of the treatments, suggesting
that GAPDH was a suitable internal control.
Myosin heavy chain isoform separation. Myofibrils were
isolated from soleus muscles of CT-treated (n 5 5) and
non-CT-treated (n 5 4) rats by homogenizing the muscles in
rigor buffer [containing (in mM) 5 KH2PO4, 75 KCl, 2 ethylene
glycol-bis(b-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N8,N8-tetraacetic acid, 2
MgCl2, and 2 NaN3, pH 7.2], followed by centrifugation at
1,000 g for 10 min and resuspension in rigor buffer. The
myofibrils were boiled in sample buffer [8 M urea, 2 M
thiourea, 0.05 M tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) ·
HCl (pH 6.8), 75 mM DL-dithiothreitol, 3% SDS, and 0.05%
bromophenol blue; (8)] for 3 min at a final protein concentration of 0.125 mg/ml. Total protein was determined by using
the bicinchoninic acid protein assay (Sigma Chemical, St.
Louis, MO).
Myosin heavy chain isoforms were separated by using
procedures modified from Talmadge and Roy (28). The stacking gels were composed of 2.56% acrylamide, 0.45% N, N8diallyltartardiamide, 10% glycerol, 0.1 M Tris · HCl (pH 6.8),
0.1% SDS, 0.05% ammonium persulfate, and 0.5% N, N, N8, N8tetramethylethylenediamine (8). The acrylamide stock solution for the separating gels was composed of 29.4% acrylamide and 0.6% N, N8-methylenebisacrylamide. The separating
gels were composed of 30% glycerol, 8% total acrylamide, 0.2
M Tris (pH 8.8), 0.1 M glycine, 0.4% SDS, 0.03% ammonium
persulfate, and 0.1% N, N, N8, N8-tetramethylenediamine. The
upper running buffer consisted of 0.1 M Tris (base), 150 mM
glycine, 0.1% SDS, and 7.5 mM b-mercaptoethanol. The lower
running buffer was composed of 0.05 M Tris (base), 75 mM
glycine, and 0.05% SDS. Each lane was loaded with 0.5 µg of
protein, and the gels were run in a Hoefer SE280 electrophoresis unit (San Francisco, CA) at 70 V (constant voltage) in a
cold room (4°C) for 24 h.
After electrophoresis, the gels were silver stained (9),
scanned with an imaging densitometer (model GS-670, BioRad, Hercules, CA), and evaluated by integrating the area
under each myosin heavy chain isoform peak. The area under
each peak was expressed as a percentage of the total area
under all myosin heavy chain isoform peaks.
Statistical analysis. Data were analyzed by using the
general linear models procedure of SAS (25). Least squares
means were separated on the basis of least significant differences (23). If population variances were found to be unequal,
a logarithmic transformation was performed on the data
before analysis. The lowest level of significance accepted was
P , 0.05.
RESULTS
Body and muscle weights. CT- and non-CT-treated
rats weighed the same on the day of surgery, but
CT-treated rats weighed significantly more than did
non-CT-treated rats at the conclusion of the experimental treatment (Table 1), indicating that CT treatment
enhanced growth. Similarly, soleus muscles from CTtreated rats weighed significantly more than did soleus
muscles from non-CT-treated rats (Table 2), indicating
that CT promoted skeletal muscle growth. Functional
overload also promoted skeletal muscle growth in the
soleus because overloaded muscles weighed signifi-
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SKELETAL MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY
Table 1. Body weights of CT-treated and non-CT-treated
rats at beginning and end of 4-wk CT
treatment period
Treatment
Beginning
End
CT
Nontreated
251 6 3*
243 6 3*
306 6 7‡
286 6 5†
Values are means 6 SE in g for 9 rats in each group. CT, clenbuterol
and 3,38,5-triiodo-L-thyronine. *†‡ Means with different symbols are
significantly different; P , 0.05.
cantly more than those from the contralateral side
(Table 2).
Myogenin and MyoD expression. Functional overload
of the soleus did not alter myogenin (Figs. 1 and 2) or
MyoD expression (Figs. 1 and 3), but it increased
muscle mass (Table 2). MyoD was never detected in
soleus muscles from non-CT-treated rats. However, CT
treatment induced detectable levels of MyoD, and it
significantly reduced myogenin expression (expressed
relative to GAPDH levels; Figs. 1 and 2).
Myosin heavy chain isoform composition. Functional
overload did not alter myosin heavy chain isoform
composition in non-CT-treated rats (Figs. 4 and 5).
Soleus muscles from CT-treated rats had a significantly
smaller proportion of the slow type I myosin heavy
chain isoform than did similarly treated (overloaded or
nonoverloaded) muscles from non-CT-treated rats (Figs.
4 and 5). Similarly, the fast type IIX myosin heavy
chain isoform was detected in soleus muscles from
CT-treated rats but not in soleus muscles from non-CTtreated rats. Functionally overloaded soleus muscles
from CT-treated rats had a significantly higher proportion of slow type I myosin heavy chain isoform than
nonoverloaded contralateral control muscles (Figs. 4
and 5). The proportion of the slow type I myosin heavy
chain isoform in overloaded soleus muscles from CTtreated rats was the same as in the nonoverloaded
soleus muscles from non-CT-treated rats.
DISCUSSION
Clenbuterol and thyroid hormone affect skeletal
muscle growth through alterations in protein degradation pathways (1, 2, 24). Clenbuterol depresses rates of
protein degradation to promote protein accretion in
skeletal muscle (2, 24), whereas thyroid hormone increases rates of protein degradation without altering
rates of protein synthesis to cause muscular atrophy
(1). It has been postulated that thyroid hormone administration counteracts the anabolic effects of clenbuterol
(13). However, CT had an anabolic effect on soleus
muscles (Table 2) that likely occurred through a de-
Fig. 1. Myogenin and MyoD expression in clenbuterol and 3,38,5triiodo-L-thyronine (CT)- treated and in non-CT-treated rats. Representative Northern for myogenin, MyoD, and glyceraldehyde-3phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) expression. Lane 1, CT 1
nonoverload; lane 2, CT 1 overload; lane 3, nonoverload; lane 4,
overload.
crease in the rate of protein degradation. Similarly,
functional overload had an anabolic effect on soleus
muscles (Table 2) that likely occurred through an
increase in the protein synthetic rate (22).
Myogenin and MyoD expression in mature skeletal
muscle may help regulate protein synthesis and degradation because they have been suggested to be factors
potentially influencing mature muscle size (18). If
myogenin or MyoD were involved in regulating net
protein synthesis or degradation pathways, they would
exhibit expression levels that were proportional to the
altered muscle mass after experimental manipulations,
such as increased or decreased functional load. However, in this study, it appears that myogenin and MyoD
did not play an active role in governing mature muscle
mass, because nonoverloaded soleus muscles from CTtreated rats weighed the same (Table 2) as did overloaded muscles from non-CT-treated rats, but each
group had different levels of myogenin and MyoD
mRNA (Figs. 1 and 2). The soleus muscle weight-tobody weight ratio was higher for overloaded muscles
from non-CT-treated rats than for nonoverloaded
muscles from CT-treated rats (Table 2), but the higher
ratio was not associated with any change in myogenin
or MyoD levels. Increasing functional load on the soleus
had no effect on myogenin (Figs. 1 and 2) or MyoD (Figs.
1 and 3) expression because overloaded muscles had
the same levels of myogenin and MyoD as did nonoverloaded muscles. Thus myogenin and MyoD mRNA
levels seem to have little association with alterations in
net rates of protein synthesis or degradation because
alterations in their expression were not correlated with
changes in muscle weight.
Myogenin and MyoD mRNA levels may be associated
with the regulation of the synthesis of specific proteins.
Myogenin is expressed at higher levels than is MyoD in
predominantly slow muscles of mature animals, whereas
MyoD is expressed at higher levels than is myogenin in
Table 2. OV and NO soleus muscle weights for CT-treated and non-CT-treated rats
Soleus weight, mg
Body weight, g
Soleus weight-body weight ratio, mg/g
CT 1 NO
CT 1 OV
NO
OV
168.3 6 6.1†
306 6 7†
0.55 6 0.01†
226.9 6 7.7‡
306 6 7†
0.74 6 0.02§
131.0 6 5.1*
286 6 5*
0.46 6 0.01*
174.6 6 9.4†
286 6 5*
0.61 6 0.02§
Values are means 6 SE for 9 rats in each group. OV, overloaded; NO, nonoverloaded. *†‡§ Means within a row with different symbols are
significantly different; P , 0.05.
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SKELETAL MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY
Fig. 2. Myogenin expression relative to GAPDH expression in soleus
muscles from CT-treated (n 5 4) and non-CT-treated (n 5 5) rats.
Values are means 6 SE.
predominantly fast muscles of mature animals (13, 31),
suggesting that myogenin and MyoD mRNA may be
related to the synthesis of proteins related to myofiber
type (fast or slow; 10). For example, myogenin expression is associated with myofibers containing the slow
type I and fast type IIA myosin heavy chain isoforms,
whereas MyoD expression is associated with myofibers
containing the fast type IIX and IIB myosin heavy
chain isoforms (12, 13). Clenbuterol and thyroid hormone singly (4, 16) or in combination (Figs. 4 and 5)
decrease the proportion of the slow type I myosin heavy
chain isoform and induce the appearance of the fast
type IIX myosin heavy chain isoform in the rat soleus,
suggesting that they promote the synthesis of the fast
type IIX myosin heavy chain isoform without increasing the overall rate of protein synthesis (2, 24).
In the present study, myogenin expression decreased
and MyoD mRNA appeared after CT treatment. The
alterations in myogenin and MyoD expression were
coincident with the appearance of the fast type IIX
myosin heavy chain isoform; this suggests that myogenin and MyoD mRNA may play a role in governing
the synthesis of proteins specific to myofiber type. The
present studies confirm the findings of Hughes et al.
(13), who showed that CT induced the expression of the
fast type IIX myosin heavy chain isoform with a
corresponding increase in MyoD expression. However,
Hughes et al. did not find any alterations in slow type I
myosin heavy chain isoform expression or myogenin
expression. The discrepancies between these studies
could be related to the more potent CT treatment used
in the present study. The present findings extend the
Fig. 3. MyoD expression relative to GAPDH expression in soleus
muscles from CT-treated (n 5 4) rats. Values are means 6 SE.
Fig. 4. Myosin heavy chain isoform distribution in soleus muscles
from CT- treated and non-CT-treated rats. Representative SDS
polyacrylamide gel illustrates myosin heavy chain isoform distribution (I, IIA, IIX) in soleus muscles from CT-treated rats (lane 1,
nonoverload; lane 2, overload) and non-CT-treated (lane 3, nonoverload; lane 4, overload) rats. Samples from muscles containing detectable levels of the fast type IIB myosin heavy chain isoform (diaphragm) produced a band that migrated an approximately equal
distance between type IIX and type I bands (data not shown).
studies of Hughes et al. because myogenin or MyoD
expression was not associated with alterations in functional load or muscle size but only with myosin heavy
chain isoform plasticity.
A simple relationship between myogenin and MyoD
expression and expression of a specific myosin heavy
chain isoform does not fully account for all changes
observed in this study. Functionally overloaded soleus
muscles from CT-treated rats had significantly more
slow type I myosin heavy chain than did contralateral
control muscles; this suggests that overload partially
counteracted the effect of CT on myosin heavy chain
isoform transitions. However, there were no differences
in myogenin or MyoD expression between overloaded
and nonoverloaded soleus muscles from CT-treated
rats. Furthermore, overloaded muscles from CT-treated
rats had the same amount of slow type I myosin heavy
chain as did nonoverloaded soleus muscles from non-CTtreated rats, but there were differing levels of myogenin
between the groups. It would be expected that slow type
I myosin heavy chain isoform levels would be correlated
with changes in myogenin expression, but it is possible
that the decreased myogenin expression may be related
to the appearance of the fast type IIX myosin heavy
chain isoform in soleus muscles from rats treated
with CT.
The appearance of MyoD was correlated with the
appearance of the fast type IIX myosin heavy chain
Fig. 5. Myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform distribution in nonoverloaded (NO) and overloaded (OV) soleus muscles from CT-treated
(n 5 5) and non-CT-treated (n 5 4) rats. Amount of each myosin heavy
chain isoform is expressed as percentage of total MHC. Values are
means 6 SE. Bars within each MHC isoform group (type I, IIA, IIX)
with different superscript are significantly different (P , 0.05).
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SKELETAL MUSCLE HYPERTROPHY
isoform in the CT-treated rats. Similarly, the lower
myogenin expression levels in CT-treated rats compared with non-CT-treated rats was also correlated
with the appearance of the fast type IIX myosin heavy
chain isoform, suggesting that there may not be a
simple relationship between elevated MyoD expression
levels and the appearance of the fast type IIX myosin
heavy chain isoform. Similarly, other authors have
suggested that myogenin and MyoD expression may
not have a simple relationship to myofiber type (11, 14,
15, 21). It is possible that ratios of various myogenic
regulatory factors are more important in modulating
myofiber type (myosin heavy chain isoform distribution) in a mature muscle than are changes in a single
myogenic regulatory factor.
It is clear from the present study that CT increased
soleus muscle mass, induced the appearance of the fast
type IIX myosin heavy chain isoform, depressed myogenin expression, and induced the appearance of MyoD.
Similarly, it is clear that overload increased soleus
muscle mass but did not change myogenin or MyoD
expression or induce the appearance of the fast type IIX
myosin heavy chain isoform. Thus it appears that
myogenin and MyoD mRNA levels are more associated
with alterations in myosin heavy chain isoform composition than alterations in muscle mass or functional
load. However, the data indicate that further study is
needed concerning the interactive roles of myogenin
and MyoD in myosin heavy chain isoform plasticity.
The authors thank Dr. James Ervasti for use of the imaging
densitometer.
This work was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) Space Biology Research Associates program
(P. E. Mozdziak), the Charles River Laboratories Animal Gift Program (P. E. Mozdziak), US Dept. of Agriculture/National Research
Initiative Competitive Grants Program Grant 96-35206-3524 (P. E.
Mozdziak), and NASA Grant NAG2-671 (E. Schultz).
Address for reprint requests: P. E. Mozdziak, Dept. of Anatomy,
1300 Univ. Ave., Madison, WI 53706 (E-mail: pemozdzi@facstaff.
wisc.edu).
Received 17 September 1997; accepted in final form 19 December
1997.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
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