Transcription factor FoxO1, the dominant mediator of muscle wasting in chronic kidney disease, is inhibited by microRNA-486

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) accelerates muscle protein degradation by stimulating the ubiquitin proteasome system through activation of the E3 ligases, Atrogin-1/MAFbx and MuRF-1. Forkhead transcription factors (FoxOs) can control the expression of these E3 ligases, but the contribution of individual FoxOs to muscle wasting is unclear. To study this we created mice with a muscle-specific FoxO1 deletion. The absence of FoxO1 blocked 70% of the increase in E3 ligase induction by CKD as well as the proteolysis and loss of muscle mass. Thus, FoxO1 has a role in controlling ubiquitin proteasome system-related proteolysis. As microRNA (miR)-486 reportedly dampens FoxO1 expression and its activity, we transfected a miR-486 mimic into primary cultures of myotubes and found this blocked dexamethasone-stimulated protein degradation without influencing protein synthesis. It also decreased FoxO1 protein translation and increased FoxO1 phosphorylation by downregulation of PTEN phosphatase, a negative regulator of p-Akt. To test its efficacy in vivo, we electroporated miR-486 into muscles and found that the expression of the E3 ligases was suppressed and muscle mass increased despite CKD. Thus, FoxO1 is a dominant mediator of CKD-induced muscle wasting, and miR-486 coordinately decreases FoxO1 and PTEN to protect against this catabolic response.