Angiotensin II-induced muscle atrophy via PPARγ suppression is mediated by miR-29b

Abstract

The activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) induced by increased angiotensin II (AngII) levels has been implicated in muscle atrophy, which is involved in the pathogenesis of congestive heart failure. Although peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) activation can suppress RAS, the exact role of PPARγ in AngII-induced muscle atrophy is unclear. Here we identified PPARγ as a negative regulator of miR-29b, a microRNA that is able to promote multiple types of muscle atrophy. Suppression of miR-29b could prevent AngII-induced muscle atrophy both in vitro and in vivo. IGF1, PI3K(p85α), and Yin Yang 1 (YY1) were identified as target genes of miR-29b, and overexpression of these targets could rescue AngII-induced muscle atrophy. Importantly, inhibition of PPARγ was sufficient to induce muscle atrophy, while PPARγ overexpression could attenuate that. These data indicate that the PPARγ/miR-29b axis mediates AngII-induced muscle atrophy, and increasing PPARγ or inhibiting miR-29b represents a promising approach to counteract AngII-induced muscle atrophy.

Graphical Abstract

Abstract

Xiao and colleagues report that the PPARγ/miR-29b axis mediates Ang II-induced muscle atrophy via inhibition of the target genes IGF1, PI3K(p85α), and Yin Yang 1 (YY1) and the AKT/FOXO3A/mTOR pathway. Their work implies that overexpression of PPARγ and inhibition of miR-29b are novel approaches to counteract AngII-induced muscle atrophy.