Abstract
Calpains have been proposed to be involved in the cytoskeletal remodeling and wasting of skeletal muscle. However, limited data are available about the specific involvement of each calpain in the early stages of muscle atrophy. The aims of this study were to determine whether calpains 1 and 2 are autolyzed after a short period of muscle disuse, and, if so, where in the myofibers the autolyzed products are localized. In the rat soleus muscle, 5 days of immobilization increased autolyzed calpain 1 in the particulate and not the soluble fraction. Conversely, autolyzed calpain 2 was not found in the particulate fraction, whereas it was increased in the soluble fraction after immobilization. In the less atrophied plantaris muscle, no difference was noted between the control and immobilized groups whatever the fraction or calpain. Other proteolytic pathways were also investigated. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway was activated in both skeletal muscles, and caspase 3 was activated only in the soleus muscle. Taken together, our data suggest that calpains 1 and 2 are involved in atrophy development in slow type muscle exclusively and that they have different regulation and protein targets. Moreover, the activation of proteolytic pathways appears to differ in slow and fast muscles, and the proteolytic mechanisms involved in fast-type muscle atrophy remain unclear.