Identification of mRNAs Responsive to Leucine in Skeletal Muscle of Rats–A Deep-Sequencing Approach

Our laboratory has been focusing on the anti-catabolic effects of Leucine (Leu) related to the control of skeletal muscle mass. Leu, is as a potent pharmacological agent, preventing catabolism in muscular atrophy and previous studies have demonstrated that rats supplemented daily with Leu showed reduced weight loss of soleus muscle and also reduced loss of cross-sectional area after 7 days of immobilization. Next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies represents a helpful tool to accurately identify modulated genes in large scale, therefore can be useful to approach the effects of nutrients on metabolic and catabolic pathways. In the current study we have used mRNA NGS to identify transcripts, which are responsive to Leu in soleus muscle. The protocols used in this study submitted and approved by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences/University of Sao Paulo - Ethical Committee for Animal Research (# 151/12), which is in agreement with the international guidelines for animal research. Male rats (n=32 ~2 m...