The Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter Controls Skeletal Muscle Trophism In Vivo

• MCU controls mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in skeletal muscle in vivo
• MCU is sufficient and required for muscle size control
• Mitochondria control hypertrophy signaling pathways
• MCU protects from denervation-induced atrophy

SummaryMuscle atrophy contributes to the poor prognosis of many pathophysiological conditions, but pharmacological therapies are still limited. Muscle activity leads to major swings in mitochondrial [Ca2+], which control aerobic metabolism, cell death, and survival pathways. We investigated in vivo the effects of mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis in skeletal muscle function and trophism by overexpressing or silencing the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU). The results demonstrate that in both developing and adult muscles, MCU-dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake has a marked trophic effect that does not depend on aerobic control but impinges on two major hypertrophic pathways of skeletal muscle, PGC-1α4 and IGF1-Akt/PKB. In addition, MCU overexpression protects from denervation-induced atrophy. These data reveal a novel Ca2+-dependent organelle-to-nucleus signaling route that links mitochondrial function to the control of muscle mass and may represent a possible pharmacological target in conditions of muscle loss.

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