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Objective: Increased inflammation and pain are inseparable parts of knee osteoarthritis (OA) that may lead to disuse of the affected limb. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of knee OA on inflammation- and atrophy-related genes and proteins in the vastus lateralis muscle of patients with knee OA., Methods: Nineteen patients with knee OA and 14 asymptomatic control subjects matched for age and body mass index underwent strength measurements and a muscle biopsy. Muscle was analyzed for the total cellular protein of inflammatory kinases (p65 NF-κB, JNK1/2, STAT-3, and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 [SOCS-3]) and inflammatory intracellular molecules (interleukin-6 [IL-6], IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 [MCP-1], tumor necrosis factor α [TNFα], IL-1β, and atrogin-1)., Results: Knee OA resulted in greater levels of IL-6 protein (34%; P = 0.002). The levels of inflammatory kinases, including STAT-3 (187%; P = 0.002), p65 NF-κB (156%; P = 0.002), and JNK1 (179%; P = 0.027), were also elevated. Furthermore, elevated expression of gene transcripts encoding MCP-1 (28%; P = 0.023), TNFα (85%; P < 0.001), and SOCS-3 (38%; P = 0.055) was observed in patients with knee OA compared with control subjects. Patients with knee OA had reduced muscle strength compared with control subjects (mean ± SEM 84.7 ± 8.7 versus 143.1 ± 20.8 Nm; P = 0.005). Negative correlations were observed between muscle strength and MCP-1 protein abundance (r = -0.37 [P = 0.042]) and the gene expression of TNFα and atrogin-1 messenger RNA (r = -0.46 [P = 0.012] and r = -0.36 [P = 0.040], respectively)., Conclusion: Gene expression and the protein abundance of numerous muscle markers of inflammation and atrophy were elevated in patients with knee OA, and the increase in muscle inflammation was associated with a reduction in muscle strength. Given the role inflammation markers may play in muscle strength and atrophy, further studies are needed to investigate the effect of exercise intervention on skeletal muscle inflammation., (Copyright © 2011 by the American College of Rheumatology.)

Background: A population of satellite cells exists in skeletal muscle. These cells are thought to be primarily responsible for postnatal muscle growth and injury-induced muscle regeneration. The Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling cascade has a crucial role in regulating myogenesis. In rodent skeletal muscle, STAT3 is essential for satellite cell migration and myogenic differentiation, regulating the expression of myogenic factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the expression profile of JAK/STAT family members, using cultured primary human skeletal muscle cells., Results: Near confluent proliferating myoblasts were induced to differentiate for 1, 5 or 10 days. During these developmental stages, members of the JAK/STAT family were examined, along with factors known to regulate myogenesis. We demonstrate the phosphorylation of JAK1 and STAT1 only during myoblast proliferation, while JAK2 and STAT3 phosphorylation increases during differentiation. These increases were correlated with the upregulation of genes associated with muscle maturation and hypertrophy., Conclusions: Taken together, these results provide insight into JAK/STAT signaling in human skeletal muscle development, and confirm recent observations in rodents.

The JAK/STAT signaling pathway is essential for myogenic regeneration and is regulated by a diverse range of ligands, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). Our aim was to evaluate the responsiveness of IL-6 and PDGF-BB to intense exercise, along with STAT3 activation, before and after 12 weeks of resistance training. In young men, IL-6 and PDGF-BB protein concentrations were quantified in biopsied muscle and increased at 3 h post-exercise (17.5-fold and 3-fold, respectively). The response was unaltered by 12 weeks of training. Similarly, STAT3 phosphorylation was elevated post-exercise (12.5-fold), irrespective of training status, as was the expression of downstream targets c-MYC (8-fold), c-FOS (4.5-fold), and SOCS3 (2.3-fold). Thus, intense exercise transiently increases IL-6 and PDGF-BB proteins, and STAT3 phosphorylation is increased. These responses are preserved after intense exercise. This suggests they are not modified by training and may be an essential component of the adaptive responses to intense exercise., (Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The effect of resistance exercise with the ingestion of supplementary protein on the activation of the mTOR cascade, in human skeletal muscle has not been fully elucidated. In this study, the impact of a single bout of resistance exercise, immediately followed by a single dose of whey protein isolate (WPI) or placebo supplement, on the activation of mTOR signalling was analyzed. Young untrained men completed a maximal single-legged knee extension exercise bout and were randomized to ingest either WPI supplement (n = 7) or the placebo (n = 7). Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis before, and 2, 4 and 24 h post-exercise. WPI or placebo ingestion consumed immediately post-exercise had no impact on the phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473). However, WPI significantly enhanced phosphorylation of mTOR (Ser2448), 4E-BP1 (Thr(37/46)) and p70(S6K) (Thr389) at 2 h post-exercise. This study demonstrates that a single dose of WPI, when consumed in modest quantities, taken immediately after resistance exercise elicits an acute and transient activation of translation initiation within the exercised skeletal muscle.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in ovarian carcinomas, with direct or indirect activation of EGFR able to trigger tumour growth. We demonstrate significant activation of both signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 and its upstream activator Janus kinase (JAK)2, in high-grade ovarian carcinomas compared with normal ovaries and benign tumours. The association between STAT3 activation and migratory phenotype of ovarian cancer cells was investigated by EGF-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in OVCA 433 and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell lines. Ligand activation of EGFR induced a fibroblast-like morphology and migratory phenotype, consistent with the upregulation of mesenchyme-associated N-cadherin, vimentin and nuclear translocation of beta-catenin. This occurred concomitantly with activation of the downstream JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Both cell lines expressed interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R), and treatment with EGF within 1 h resulted in a several-fold enhancement of mRNA expression of IL-6. Consistent with that, EGF treatment of both OVCA 433 and SKOV3 cell lines resulted in enhanced IL-6 production in the serum-free medium. Exogenous addition of IL-6 to OVCA 433 cells stimulated STAT3 activation and enhanced migration. Blocking antibodies against IL-6R inhibited IL-6 production and EGF- and IL-6-induced migration. Specific inhibition of STAT3 activation by JAK2-specific inhibitor AG490 blocked STAT3 phosphorylation, cell motility, induction of N-cadherin and vimentin expression and IL6 production. These data suggest that the activated status of STAT3 in high-grade ovarian carcinomas may occur directly through activation of EGFR or IL-6R or indirectly through induction of IL-6R signalling. Such activation of STAT3 suggests a rationale for a combination of anti-STAT3 and EGFR/IL-6R therapy to suppress the peritoneal spread of ovarian cancer.

Activation of the transcription factor signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 3 is common to many inflammatory cytokines and growth factors, with recent evidence of involvement in skeletal muscle regeneration. The purpose of this study was to determine whether STAT3 signaling activation is regulated differentially, at rest and following intense resistance exercise, in aged human skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle biopsies were harvested from healthy younger (n = 11, 20.4 +/- 0.8 years) and older men (n = 10, 67.4 +/- 1.3 years) under resting conditions and 2 h after the completion of resistance exercise. No differences were evident at rest, whereas the phosphorylation of STAT3 was significantly increased in old (23-fold) compared to young (5-fold) subjects after exercise. This correlated with significantly higher induction of the STAT3 target genes including; interleukin-6 (IL-6), JUNB, c-MYC, and suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 3 mRNA in older subjects following exercise. Despite increased SOCS3 mRNA, cellular protein abundance was suppressed. SOCS3 protein is an important negative regulator of STAT3 activation and cytokine signaling. Thus, in aged human muscle, elevated responsiveness of the STAT3 signaling pathway and suppressed SOCS3 protein are evident following resistance exercise. These data suggest that enhanced STAT3 signaling responsiveness to proinflammatory factors may impact on mechanisms of muscle repair and regeneration.

The transcription factor signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been identified as a mediator of cytokine signaling and implicated in hypertrophy; however, the importance of this pathway following resistance exercise in human skeletal muscle has not been investigated. In the present study, the phosphorylation and nuclear localization of STAT3, together with STAT3-regulated genes, were measured in the early recovery period following intense resistance exercise. Muscle biopsy samples from healthy subjects (7 males, 23.0 + 0.9 yr) were harvested before and again at 2, 4, and 24 h into recovery following a single bout of maximal leg extension exercise (3 sets, 12 repetitions). Rapid and transient activation of phosphorylated (tyrosine 705) STAT3 was observed at 2 h postexercise. STAT3 phosphorylation paralleled the transient localization of STAT3 to the nucleus, which also peaked at 2 h postexercise. Downstream transcriptional events regulated by STAT3 activation peaked at 2 h postexercise, including early responsive genes c-FOS (800-fold), JUNB (38-fold), and c-MYC (140-fold) at 2 h postexercise. A delayed peak in VEGF (4-fold) was measured 4 h postexercise. Finally, genes associated with modulating STAT3 signaling were also increased following exercise, including the negative regulator SOCS3 (60-fold). Thus, following a single bout of intense resistance exercise, a rapid phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of STAT3 are evident in human skeletal muscle. These data suggest that STAT3 signaling is an important common element and may contribute to the remodeling and adaptation of skeletal muscle following resistance exercise.