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News from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
UAMS
Scientists First to Find Cellular Link between Muscle Loss, Fat Gain in
Aging
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JAN.
31, 2002 | Scientists at the University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences (UAMS) are the first to report a
possible link between muscle loss and fat gain that
may point to ways to reduce frailty in old age.
The scientists have tentatively concluded that stem
cells present in adult muscle, which participate in
muscle repair and regeneration, become more
adipocyte-like,
or fat-like, in old age – leaving the individual
less able to recover from muscle injuries.
”The transformation of muscle stem cells, and
potentially bone stem cells as well, into adipocytes
in old age could explain why a woman of 80 has so much
more trouble recovering from a fall or from extended
bed rest than a woman of 40,” Charlotte Peterson,
Ph.D., of the Donald W. Reynolds Department of
Geriatrics and Center
on Aging at UAMS and Central Arkansas Veterans
Healthcare System (VA).
”If our theory is correct, the next step is to find
a way to prevent that transformation from occurring.
Then we will have made clear progress toward
maintaining muscle repair in old age. The potential
benefits for senior citizens are tremendous,” she
said.
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Charlotte
Peterson, Ph.D.
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The scientists in the Departments of Geriatrics and
Pediatrics of the UAMS College of Medicine and the VA
describe their findings in an article in an upcoming
issue of the journal Mechanisms of Ageing and
Development.
The UAMS scientists’ observation
suggests that common mechanisms may control loss of muscle mass
and bone density with age. Researchers at UAMS and at other
institutions have previously determined that fat cells increase
in the bone marrow, at the expense of bone-forming cells, with
age.
The transformation of muscle stem cells into fat cells appears
to be genetically programmed. If the scientists confirm that the
transformation does occur in human muscle in old age, a next
step could be developing a way to alter the genetic expression,
or instructions, to the muscle cells so they do not transform
into fat cells. This kind of gene therapy could significantly
enhance the quality of life for older persons, Dr. Peterson
explained. With preventive gene therapy to prevent
transformation of muscle cells to fat cells, older persons
perhaps could recover more fully after surgery or periods of
bedrest and respond more positively to exercise.
Dr. Peterson worked on the study with Jane M. Taylor-Jones,
Ph.D., of the geriatrics department; Robert E. McGehee, Ph.D.,
of the pediatrics department; Thomas A. Rando, Ph.D., of the VA
and Stanford University School of Medicine; Beata Lecka-Czernik,
Ph.D., of the geriatrics department; and David A. Lipschitz,
M.D., Ph.D., director of the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Aging.
The National Institutes on Aging, the National Cancer Institute,
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the American
Federation for Aging Research provided grants to support their
research.
Links on This Page
UAMS, Partners: http://www.uams.edu/today/092701/partners.htm
Cellular: http://www.uams.edu/today/092701/video.htm
Donald W. Reynolds Center: http://centeronaging.uams.edu/
© 2001
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). A single
copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial
personal use only. “UAMS,” “UAMS Medical Center,”
“UAMS Online,” “UAMS Today,” “uams.edu,” and
“Here’s to Your Health” are marks of UAMS.
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07/19/02 |
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