Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
DOI 10.1186/s12864-017-3799-y
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Long-lasting effect of obesity on skeletal
muscle transcriptome
Ilhem Messaoudi1†, Mithila Handu2†, Maham Rais3, Suhas Sureshchandra1, Byung S. Park4, Suzanne S. Fei5,
Hollis Wright5, Ashley E. White2, Ruhee Jain6, Judy L. Cameron6, Kerri M. Winters-Stone7 and Oleg Varlamov2*
Abstract
Background: Reduced physical activity and increased intake of calorically-dense diets are the main risk factors for
obesity, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes. Chronic overnutrition and hyperglycemia can alter gene expression,
contributing to long-term obesity complications. While caloric restriction can reduce obesity and glucose intolerance, it
is currently unknown whether it can effectively reprogram transcriptome to a pre-obesity level. The present study
addressed this question by the preliminary examination of the transcriptional dynamics in skeletal muscle after
exposure to overnutrition and following caloric restriction.
Results: Six male rhesus macaques of 12–13 years of age consumed a high-fat western-style diet for 6 months and
then were calorically restricted for 4 months without exercise. Skeletal muscle biopsies were subjected to longitudinal
gene expression analysis using next-generation whole-genome RNA sequencing. In spite of significant weight loss and
normalized insulin sensitivity, the majority of WSD-induced (n = 457) and WSD-suppressed (n = 47) genes remained
significantly dysregulated after caloric restriction (FDR ≤0.05). The MetacoreTM pathway analysis reveals that westernstyle diet induced the sustained activation of the transforming growth factor-β gene network, associated with
extracellular matrix remodeling, and the downregulation of genes involved in muscle structure development and
nutritional processes.
Conclusions: Western-style diet, in the absence of exercise, induced skeletal muscle transcriptional programing, which
persisted even after insulin resistance and glucose intolerance were completely reversed with caloric restriction.
Keywords: Insulin resistance, Caloric restriction, High-fat diet, Skeletal muscle, Obesity
Background
Caloric surplus brought about by a calorie-dense, highfat Western-style diet (WSD) is an underlying risk factor
for obesity, insulin resistance (IR), and type-2 diabetes
[1], with hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia playing a
central role in the development of diabetic complications, including β-cell dysfunction, postprandial hyperglycemia, microvascular dysfunction, and diabetic
retinopathy [2–6]. Paradoxically, many obese patients
who exhibit good glycemic control through lifestyle
modification or medical intervention continue to experience metabolic complications [7]. This phenomenon has
been termed programming, or “metabolic memory”, and
* Correspondence: varlamov@ohsu.edu
†
Equal contributors
2
Division of Cardiometabolic Health, Oregon National Primate Research
Center, L584 505 NW 185th Ave., Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
it has been proposed that long-lasting metabolic
complications are due to sustained epigenetic modifications [8–12].
Skeletal muscle (SM) metabolic memory has been
recently defined [13], but the underlying transcriptional
regulation and physiological relevance are poorly understood. For example, SM metabolic memory has been
demonstrated in human studies, showing that transient
exposure to high-fat diet introduced sustained DNA
methylation marks that were only partially erased after
diet reversal [14]. One physiological function that is
likely to be particularly affected by diet-induced metabolic memory is whole-body glucose disposal. SM is estimated to be responsible for up to 70% of total glucose
uptake in humans, playing a major role in etiology of
metabolic disease [15]. Although acute lipid infusion
results in transient IR, as evidenced by an increase in
inhibitory serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor
© The Author(s). 2017 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to
the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver
(http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
substrate-1 (IRS1) [16, 17], chronic overnutrition can induce long-term transcriptional and physiological
changes in SM. For example, high-fat diet is associated
with the development of a local proinflammatory response [18, 19], activation of transforming growth
factor-β (TGFβ) signaling [20], and the remodeling of
the extracellular matrix (ECM) in SM [21–24].
One possible approach that can help reverse metabolic
memory and its physiological side effects is the use of
caloric restriction (CR), which is known to improve
obesity outcomes in humans [25–27] and nonhuman
primates (NHPs) [28, 29], reducing cardiovascular and
metabolic disease risks after 4–6 months of intervention
[25, 26, 30–32]. Hence, we conducted a preliminary
study aimed at identifying differentially expressed SM
genes associated with the development of WSD-induced
obesity, and the extent to which short-term CR reverses
gene expression.
Methods
Animals and diets
Six male rhesus macaques (Indian origin) of 12–13 years
of age were housed individually, with the cage size adjusted to animal weight according to the USDA Cage
Size Guide, 8th Edition. Individual housing allowed us to
mimic a sedentary lifestyle while accurately quantifying
physical activity and food intake. The use of chow diet
and WSD for metabolic studies in rhesus macaques has
been previously described by our group and other
ONPRC investigators [33–35]. Chow diet consisted of
two daily meals of the Fiber-balanced Monkey Diet (15%
calories from fat, 27% from protein, and 59% from carbohydrates; no. 5052; Lab Diet, St. Louis, MO). WSD
diet consisted of two daily meals of the TAD Primate
Diet (5LOP) (36% calories from fat, 18% from protein,
45% from carbohydrates, 5A1F, Lab Diet).
Fiber-balanced Monkey Diet contains significantly lower
fraction of high-glycemic carbohydrates (sucrose, fructose
and lactose) and a higher proportion of low-glycemic fibers compared to TAD Primate Diet. Fiber-balanced
Monkey Diet is primarily composed of non-animal products, resembling a vegetarian diet. TAD Primate Diet is
closer in its composition to a calorie-rich high-fat
American diet, which contains the significant proportion
of saturated animal fats, cholesterol, and high-glycemic
carbohydrates.
Before initiation of the study, all animals consumed ad
libitum chow diet. After initiation of individual housing,
animals were maintained for 2 months on ad libitum
chow diet. During this period, individual baseline caloric
intake was determined based on a number of consumed
chow biscuits. After 2 months on chow, animals were
switched to ad libitum WSD for 6 months (Table 1).
The WSD was discontinued after 6 months because
Page 2 of 14
HbA1c values reached prediabetic values (Table 1).
Four-month caloric restriction was performed using a
chow diet, with the number of chow biscuits adjusted to
70% of individual baseline caloric intake values (Fig. 1a).
During each dietary intervention, animal received similar
amounts of daily fruit supplements (apple or banana).
Activity monitoring
Activity was measured continuously throughout the experiment using Actical omnidirectional accelerometers
(Respironics, Phoenix, AZ). Each monkey was fitted
with a loose-fitting metal collar (Primate Products, Inc.
Immokalee, FL) that housed the accelerometer in a
snug, protective stainless steel box, as previously described [36]. Monitors were programmed to record the
total number of activity counts per minute. Activity
data were downloaded at least every 45 days while animals were under sedation. Total daily activity level was
averaged for a 2-month baseline period, over the last
week of the 6-month WSD period and over the last
week of the 4-month CR period.
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
Percent body fat was determined using dual-energy X-ray
absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning as described [37].
Monkeys were sedated with ketamine and positioned
supine on the bed of a Hologic DEXA scanner (Discovery
scanner, Hologic Inc, Bedford, MA).
Glucose tolerance test
Each animal was sedated initially with Telazol
(Tiletamine hydrochloride and Zolazepam hydrochloride,
Fort Dodge Animal Health, Fort Dodge, IA) and subsequently with ketamine to maintain sedation. The protocol
was based on that designed by Bergman et al. [38].
Dextrose (300 mg/kg) was infused intravenously
through a catheter and blood samples were taken
from 15 min before to three hours after the glucose
infusion. Tolbutamide (5 mg/kg) was infused intravenously 20 min after the dextrose in order to stimulate the pancreas to secrete more insulin. All samples
were immediately assayed for glucose using a YSI
2300 Stat Plus (YSI Inc., Yellow Springs, OH), and
subsequently for insulin by RIA (Linco Human Insulin RIA, Millipore Corporation, Billerica, MA). Glucose and insulin were sampled at 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 40
and 60 min after baseline. The sensitivity of the insulin assay was 1 μU/ml and the intra-assay coefficient
of variation was 4.9%.
Cytokine, chemokine, and growth factor analysis
Plasma samples from the following time points: before
WSD, 4 months on a WSD, and 4 months on caloric restriction, (stored at −80 °C) were thawed and analyzed in
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
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Table 1 Effects of diet on physiological parameters and circulating cytokines
Parameters
Before WSD (Chow)
After WSD
After CR
WSD vs Chow
WSD vs CR
Chow vs CR
Caloric intake, % of chow
99.7 ± 6.4
215.4 ± 19.1
ND
p < 0.01
ND
ND
Activity (count/day)
28624.7 ± 6842.7
33545.2 ± 5650.0
26284.0 ± 6794.2
NS
NS
NS
Appetite and activity
Body composition
Weight (kg)
11.5 ± 0.6
15.1 ± 1.1
12.5 ± 1.1
p < 0.01
p < 0.01
NS
Body fat (g)
2040.3 ± 357.0
5855.4 ± 881.0
3934.2 ± 820.7
p < 0.01
p < 0.001
p < 0.05
Lean mass (g)
9028.2 ± 354.9
8793.9 ± 437.7
8179.4 ± 443.6
NS
NS
p < 0.01
Glucose homeostasis
AUC glucose (mg/dl)
6823.1 ± 440.0
8751.5 ± 718.5
6735.3 ± 538.5
p < 0.05
p < 0.05
NS
AUC insulin (mg/dl)
4750 ± 647.2
10404 ± 2078.9
7273.6 ± 1869.3
p < 0.05
p < 0.05
NS
Fasting glucose (mg/dl)
63.5 ± 7.2
63.6 ± 4.0
65.5 ± 2.8
NS
NS
NS
Fasting insulin (mg/dl)
21.5 ± 7.8
58.5 ± 12.2
29.5 ± 6.6
p < 0.01
p < 0.05
p < 0.05
HbA1c, percent
6.02 ± 0.15
6.92 ± 0.23
6.35 ± 0.19
p < 0.001
p < 0.05
NS
HOMA-IR
4.05 ± 1.86
9.7 ± 2.55
4.9 ± 1.3
p < 0.01
p < 0.05
NS
IL6, % of chow
100 ± 0.0
68.9 ± 10.0
120.2 ± 7.7
NS
p < 0.01
NS
IL-8, % of chow
100 ± 0.0
73.5 ± 13.2
59.6 ± 11.6
p < 0.001
NS
p < 0.001
Eotaxin, % of chow
100 ± 0.0
60.7 ± 6.9
49.5 ± 3.6
p < 0.001
NS
p < 0.001
Serum cytokines
MIF Analyte, % of chow
PAI-1, ng/ml
100 ± 0.0
212.8 ± 64.4
472.9 ± 110.2
NS
p < 0.05
p < 0.01
104.2 ± 5.08
121.2 ± 4.73
125.2 ± 5.33
p < 0.05
NS
p < 0.01
Following 2 months on ad libitum chow diet, animals were provided with ad libitum access to a WSD for 6 months, and then switched back to chow, while being
calorically restricted to 70% of individual baseline values. Body composition and glucose homeostasis were assessed before WSD (Chow), 6 months after WSD, and 4
months after CR. Serum cytokine and PAI-1 levels were determined before WSD, 4 months after WSD, and 4 months after CR. Daily caloric intake was determined during
chow and WSD periods. Daily caloric intake and serum cytokine levels are presented as normalized a percent of baseline values. Values are Means ± SEM, n = 6. Statistical
significance was determined using repeated-measure one-way ANOVA. ND not determined, NS not significant
duplicates using the Invitrogen Cytokine Monkey Magnetic 29-Plex Panel per the manufacturer’s instructions,
using the Magpix spectrophotometer (Life Technologies,
Grand Island, NY). The panel includes monocyte
chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1; CCL2), fibroblast
growth factor basic (FGF-β), IL-1β, granulocyte colonystimulating factor (G-CSF), IL-10, IL-6, IL-12, RANTES,
eotaxin, IL-17, macrophage inflammatory protein 1
alpha (MIP-1α), granulocyte-macrophage colonystimulating factor (GM-CSF), macrophage inflammatory
protein 1 beta (MIP-1β), IL-15, epidermal growth factor
(EGF), IL-5, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF), IFN-γ, monocytederived chemokine (MDC; CCL22), interferon-inducible
T cell alpha chemoattractant (ITAC; CXCL11), migration
inhibition factor (MIF), IL-1 receptor agonist (IL-1RA),
TNF-α, IL-2, IFN-gamma-inducible protein 10 (IP-10,
CXCL10) monokine induced by IFN-gamma (MIG;
CXCL9), IL-4, and IL-8 (see Additional file 1: Figure S1
for details).
Muscle biopsies
Soleus muscle are primarily comprised of slow twitch fibers [39] and has a greater sensitivity to insulin
compared to fast twitch muscles [40]. Soleus muscle
displays a well-documented response to obesity, as demonstrated in human [41, 42] and rhesus macaque [43]
studies, representing an appropriate translational model
for studying the effects of diet on SM physiology. SM
biopsies were performed by expert surgical personnel at
ONPRC according to well-accepted veterinary surgical
procedures under sterile conditions and appropriate
anesthesia with postoperative pain control. Food was
withheld for approximately 12 h prior to the procedure.
Animals were sedated with 100 mg ketamine combined
with 0.1 mg Glycopyrrolate administered intramuscularly. Once the intravenous catheter was placed, animals
received 0.5 mg Hydromorphone-HCl intravenously.
Animals were endotracheally intubated with an endotracheal tube (size 4.0–6.0) and general anesthesia was
induced with 3% Isoflurane for 2–3 min. Inhalant
anesthesia was maintained at 1–2% Isoflurane. Inhalant
anesthetics was combined with 100% oxygen administered at a rate of 1–1.5 L/min.
A 2-cm incision was made lateral to the soleus muscle.
Using sharp dissection, an approximately 1 × 0.5 cm
muscle specimen from the lateral aspect of soleus
muscle was obtained, rinsed in saline, and snap-frozen
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
Fig. 1 WSD-induced weight gain and insulin resistance are reversed by CR. a Study design. Animals were maintained in individual housing while
consuming chow diet for the first 2 months, followed by Western-style diet (WSD) for 6 months, and caloric restriction (CR) on chow for 4 months.
Experimental procedures (DEXA, GTT and muscle biopsies) were performed at the end of each dietary period. Body weight (b), total body fat (c), and
lean mass (d) were determined by DEXA, and AUC glucose (e), AUC insulin (f), fasting glucose (g) and fasting insulin (h) were determined by GTT, as
described in “Materials and Methods”. HOMA-IR (i) was calculated as described [92]. HbA1c (j) was determined during GTT. Error bars are Means ± SEM,
n = 6. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 by repeated-measure one-way ANOVA
in liquid nitrogen. This surgical procedure produced
minimal amount of bleeding at the site of biopsy. Closure of the muscle fascia with simple continuous 4-0
Monocryl was followed by continuous intradermal 4-0
Monocryl in the skin. Recovery was on the OR table
until extubation. Additional heat and oxygen support
was provided as needed during the recovery period.
Post-operative analgesia was provided for 48–72 h following the surgical procedure, using Hydromorphone
HCl (0.05–0.4 mg/kg, administered intramuscularly,
three times a day), and buprenorphine (0.01–0.1 mg/kg,
administered intramuscularly, once a day). The standard
48 to 72-h opioid protocol for post-operative analgesia
was used. Post-operative monitoring and assessment of
pain and distress were accomplished by surgical veterinary staff for a minimum of 7 days.
RNA isolation
Frozen 100-mg muscle specimens were homogenized
by shaking (25 rps for 2 min) in 2-ml extraction
tubes supplied with a 5-mm pre-chilled metal bead
(McMaster-Carr, Elmhurst, IL) and 1 ml of ice-cold
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
TriReagent (MRC Inc., Cincinnati, OH), using a
TissueLyser II (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). One hundred microliters bromochloropropane (MRC Inc.,
Cincinnati, OH) were added to each tissue sample, to
enhance phase separation, and incubated at room
temperature for 5 min. Samples were mixed and
centrifuged at 12,000 × g for 15 min at 4 °C. The
RNA-containing upper aqueous phase was transferred
to a new tube and mixed with 12 μl glycogen
(Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA) and 0.5 ml
isopropanol. Tubes were centrifuged at 15,000 × g for
10 min at 25 °C, pellets were washed twice with 0.7
ml 75 and 100% ethanol, air-dried at room
temperature for 10–15 min, and resuspended in 10
mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0. RNA concentration and purity
were determined using NanoDrop ND1000 (Thermo
Fisher Scientific). The average A260/280 value of
purified RNA samples was 2.04.
RNAseq analysis
RNAseq libraries (3 longitudinal time points/3 animals)
were prepared using the TruSeq protocol (Illumina, San
Diego, CA). Briefly, poly (A) + RNA was purified using
oligo-dT coated magnetic beads, chemically fragmented
followed by cDNA generation using random hexamer
primers. The cDNAs ends were repaired and ligated to
library adaptors. Following clean-up with AMPure XP
beads (Beckman Coulter Inc., Brea, CA), the libraries
were amplified using 11 PCR cycles. The amplified
libraries were cleaned using AMPure XP beads. The
library was profiled on a Bioanalyzer (Agilent, Santa
Clara, CA) and quantified using qRT-PCR (Kapa
Biosystems, Wilmington, MA) on a StepOnePlus qRTPCR workstation (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA).
Libraries were mixed for multiplexing and the final
concentration of the mix was determined by qRT-PCR.
The mix was diluted to 1 nM for denaturation and then
diluted to deliver optimal clustering on the flow cell.
Flow cells were prepared on a cBot (Illumina, San
Diego, CA). Libraries were sequenced on a HiSeq 2000
(Illumina, San Diego, CA). Data was assembled into
standard fastq files using Bcl2Fastq (Illumina, San
Diego, CA).
Bioinformatic analysis
Bioinformatic analysis was carried out as described [44].
The quality of the raw reads was verified using FastQC
(version 0.11.3). Low quality bases as well as any
remaining Illumina adapters were trimmed. Reads with
less than 25 bases remaining were discarded. The
remaining reads were aligned to the rhesus macaque
genome (Macaca mulatta 1.0) from ENSEMBL using
splice aware short read aligner suite Bowtie2/TopHat2
(REF1) in a strand-specific fashion allowing up to 5%
Page 5 of 14
mismatches. The transcript counts per gene were
calculated using SummarizeOverlaps function (Union
method) in GenomicRanges (REF2) package in R.
Transcripts were normalized using trimmed mean of Mvalues (TMM) method followed by differential gene
expression analysis using edgeR (REF3) resulting in candidate differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with fold
change (FC) ≥ 2 and a false discovery rate (FDR) ≤ 0.05.
Functional enrichment was done using MetaCore
(GeneGo™, Thomson Reuters, NY).
Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis of gene expression
Two micrograms of mRNA samples were used for
cDNA synthesis using the SuperScript VILOTM cDNA
Synthesis kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific). cDNA was diluted 1:10 and 1 μl was used in 10 μl of qRT-PCR reactions using the Power SYBR Green Master mix (Thermo
Fisher Scientific), according to manufacturer’s instructions. qRT-PCR was performed using an ABI7900 thermocycler (Applied Biosystems, Inc). Primer sequences
are shown in Additional file 2: Table S4. The data were
normalized to the RPL13A housekeeping gene and the
fold change was calculated using 2^-ddCT method.
Statistical analysis
All data was checked for normality and homogeneity of
variance. If necessary, data was transformed using log or
square root transformations to meet criteria for parametric tests. Comparisons between the baseline time
period and WSD and CR periods were made using repeated measure one-way ANOVA, with a Bonferroni
correction for multiple comparisons. Data are presented
as mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM). All statistical analyses were conducted using the SPSS software
package, version 23.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois).
Results
Diet effects on physiological parameters
Over the course of the WSD, the total caloric intake increased significantly compared to the chow period. In
contrast, total physical activity levels were not significantly affected either by a WSD or CR (Table 1 and
Fig. 1a). Body weight and fat mass increased significantly
following consumption of the WSD. Although fat mass
decreased significantly following CR, it did not return to
baseline levels. In contrast, lean mass was not affected
by the WSD, but decreased significantly after CR compared to the chow period (Table 1 and Fig. 1b–d).
WSD induced glucose intolerance and IR as evidenced
by an increase in area under the curve (AUC) glucose
and AUC insulin values during glucose tolerance tests
(GTTs), as well as HOMA-IR and HbA1c levels (Table 1
and Fig. 1e, f, i and j). CR significantly decreased these
parameters, suggesting a return to normal glucose
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
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tolerance and improved insulin sensitivity following
weight loss. Fasting insulin, but not fasting glucose, increased significantly following WSD, and then decreased
after CR, albeit remaining significantly elevated compared
to the chow period (Table 1 and Fig. 1g and h). Collectively, CR restored normal glucose tolerance and insulin
sensitivity to its normal level while having only a partial
effect on fat loss in rhesus macaques exposed to a WSD.
after WSD and then quadrupled after short-term CR
(Table 1). Circulating levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) were elevated by WSD and remained
elevated after CR (Table 1). The Luminex analysis of 29
circulating cytokines, chemokines and growth factors is
shown in Additional file 1: Figure S1.
Diet effects on circulating cytokines
Diet effects on skeletal muscle gene expression
WSD induces sustained transcriptional changes that largely
persist after CR
Circulating levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were not significantly affected by WSD, but increased significantly after
CR. Circulating IL-8 levels were decreased after WSD
and remained significantly reduced after short-term CR.
Similarly, serum concentrations of eotaxin (CCL11)
decreased significantly after a WSD and remained low
during CR. In contrast, serum concentrations of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) almost doubled
To study diet-induced changes in the SM transcriptome,
soleus muscle biopsies were collected longitudinally, before and after exposure to the WSD and following CR,
and then subjected to RNAseq gene expression analysis.
Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified
using three comparisons: WSD/CHOW, CR/WSD, and
CR/CHOW (Fig. 2). This experimental design allowed us
to identify DEGs whose expression reversed or remained
a
c
b
d
e
Fig. 2 WSD induces sustained alterations in skeletal muscle transcription. Soleus muscle biopsies were collected longitudinally, before and after
exposure to the WSD and after CR, and then subjected to RNAseq gene expression analysis, as described in “Materials and Methods”. DEGs were
identified using three independent comparisons: a–c WSD vs chow (WSD/CHOW); e CR vs WSD (CR/WSD); and a, b and d CR vs chow (CR/CHOW).
a The number of upregulated (brown) and downregulated (blue) genes from WSD/CHOW and CR/CHOW categories in rhesus macaque genome.
b Venn diagram shows an overlap between WSD/CHOW and CR/CHOW genes. Heat maps of top DEGs during the transition from chow to WSD
(c), CR vs chow (d), and CR vs. WSD (e) Each column represents an individual animal
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
resistant to CR. More than 90% of WSD/CHOW DEGs
were upregulated (total gene count: DEGup = 457;
DEGdown = 47; Additional file 2: Table S1 and Fig. 2a).
Similarly, 80% of CR/CHOW DEGs were also upregulated (total gene count: DEGup = 761, DEGdown = 191;
Additional file 2: Table S2 and Fig. 2a). Many DEGs
identified in the present study are found to be
expressed in human erythroid cells [45] (erythroid
gene count: WSD/CHOW DEGup = 244, DEGdown = 15;
CR/CHOW DEGup = 375, DEGdown = 67; Additional file
2: Table S3). This analysis suggests that red blood cells
residing in the intramuscular capillary system may
contribute to SM gene expression, or alternatively,
some of these genes are expressed both in SM and
erythroid cells.
Only a small subset WSD-affected DEGs shows reversible
regulation by CR
There were 317 genes whose expression was significantly
affected by a WSD and remained dysregulated after CR
(Fig. 2b). Moreover, only 10 CR/WSD DEGs were identified in the present study (Fig. 2e and Table 2), suggesting
that only few of the WSD-induced and WSD-suppressed
genes are reversed by CR. Some of the notable genes in
the CR/WSD list included SERPINE1, whose expression
was initially upregulated by a WSD, and then reversed
by CR. Other reversed genes included Ras-related
associated with diabetes (RRAD) and the tumor necrosis
factor receptor superfamily-12A (TNFRS12A) (Fig. 2e
and Table 2).
The most upregulated and most downregulated genes
affected by diet
Genes that were highly upregulated by the WSD
encoded the heme biosynthesis enzyme 5′-aminolevulinate synthase 2 (ALAS2), several isoforms of hemoglobin
Page 7 of 14
(HBA2, HBA, HBB), the regulator of hematopoietic cell
proliferation hemogen (HEMGN), and the erythrocyte
sialoglycoprotein glycophorin A (GYPA) (Fig. 2c and
Additional file 2: Table S1). WSD induced the downregulation of several metabolic genes, encoding glycolytic
enzymes 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase-3 and 1 (PFKFB3 and 1), the glycogen synthesis
regulatory gene, protein phosphatase 1, regulatory subunit 3B (PPP1R3B), uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) and
the negative regulator of mTORC, DNA-damageinducible transcript 4 (DDIT4) (Fig. 2c and Additional
file 2: Table S1). The most upregulated genes in the CR/
CHOW comparison were related to ECM remodeling,
including metallopeptidase carboxypeptidase Z (CPZ),
biglycan (BGN), selectin L (SELL) and several types of
collagen. The most downregulated genes in the CR/
CHOW group included tiger transposable element derived 4 (TIGD4), the developmental transcription factor
PAX3, myosin heavy chain 1 and 13 (MYH1 and
MYH13), and interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4, Fig. 2d
and Additional file 2: Table S2).
TGFβ pathway and adhesion molecule genes remain
upregulated after CR
We identified 317 genes whose expression was significantly affected by a WSD but not reversed by CR
(Fig. 2b). Functional enrichment was performed using
Metacore™ and showed that these DEGs enriched to
gene ontology (GO) terms associated with ECM
organization and cell adhesion (Fig. 3a–c). The former
included multiple isoforms of collagens, such as
COL4A1, COL5A2, COL6A2, COL6A3, COL12A1, and
COL14A1, the ECM remodeling metalloproteases
ADAMTS2, and matrix metalloprotease MMP2 (Fig. 3b).
Adhesion molecule genes included laminin LAMA4
gene, cadherin-like gene FAT1, and thrombosponin-5
Table 2 The effect of CR on WSD-induced gene expression
Gene symbol
Description
POSTN
Periostin, osteoblast specific factor
Log_FC
P-Value
FDR
3.18
1.46E-06
0.0025
SMOC1
SPARC related modular calcium binding 1
1.97
1.30E-07
0.0005
MDK
Midkine (neurite growth-promoting factor 2)
1.82
1.11E-05
0.02
SFRP2
Secreted frizzled-related protein 2
1.48
2.80E-07
0.0006
AEBP1
AE binding protein 1
1.41
1.00E-06
0.002
PTGFR
Prostaglandin F receptor
1.31
2.72E-05
0.03
RRAD
Ras-related associated with diabetes
−1.57
1.61E-07
0.0005
TNFRSF12A
Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily 12A
−1.71
8.20E-08
0.0005
SERPINE1
Serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade E
−2.53
2.20E-05
0.03
CCDC81
Soiled-coil domain containing 81
−2.68
2.43E-08
0.0003
Soleus muscle biopsies were collected longitudinally, before WSD, 6 months after WSD, and 4 months after CR. Tissue samples were subjected to RNA extraction
and RNAseq gene expression and bioinformatic analysis as described in “Materials and Methods”. Table shows upregulated and downregulated differentially
expressed genes (DEGs) after CR in comparison with WSD (CR/WSD). Bioinformatic analysis was performed using FDR ≤ 0.05. Log_FC (fold change) was calculated
as Log (FC, 2)
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
a
b
Page 8 of 14
d
c
Fig. 3 TGFβ pathway genes remain upregulated after CR. a Functional enrichment of DEGs with the highest FDR values common for WSD/CHOW
and CR/CHOW categories. Heat maps of top DEGs involved in ECM organization (b) and cell adhesion (c). Each column represents an individual
animal. d Anatomical structure development common gene network indicates upregulated (red) and downregulated (blue) DEGs. Positive and
negative interactions between genes are represented by green and red arrows, respectively. Cellular compartmentalization of gene products
is indicated
gene COMP (Fig. 3c). The network analysis of DEGs
that map to the GO term “anatomical structure development” and are known to directly interact show that
genes encoding several members of the TGFβ − signaling pathway remains upregulated after the diet switch
to CR (Fig. 3d).
frequently mutated in centronuclear myopathies [49],
and muscle-restricted coiled-coil (MURC) playing the
pivotal role in skeletal myogenic differentiation [50]
(Fig. 4b–d). Thus, downregulation of these genes may
collectively account for muscle loss after CR (Fig. 1d
and Table 1).
Muscle development genes affected by caloric restriction
Energy metabolism and other genes affected by caloric
restriction
We detected 635 differentially expressed CR/CHOW
genes that were enriched to GO terms associated with
muscle development (Fig. 4a). Among the downregulated muscle development genes were the winglesstype MMTV integration site family, member 9A
(WNT9A) involved in the neuromuscular junction formation [46], the transcription factor SOX6 whose deficiency is associated with an increased number of slow
myofibers and a decreased number of fast myofibers
[47], and nitric oxide synthase (NOS1), a positive regulator of SM hypertrophy [48] (Fig. 4b). Several other
downregulated genes important for muscle development include BIN1/M-Amphiphysin2 (BIN1), which is
Additional analysis using disease terms revealed enrichment to nutritional processes (Fig. 4c). Some of the
downregulated DEGs that mapped to these disease
pathways include IRS1, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 2
(FBP2) and PRKAA2 genes (Fig. 4c). Other diseaserelated genes that were upregulated by CR were the
diabetes-related ankyrin repeat protein (ANKRD23),
whose expression in SM is increased under diabetic
conditions [51] and the growth arrest-specific 6
(GAS6) gene, which is strongly associated with adiposity, inflammation, and insulin resistance status among
overweight people [52] (Fig. 4c). Interestingly, the
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
a
b
Page 9 of 14
d
c
Fig. 4 CR-specific gene regulation. a Functional enrichment of CR/CHOW-specific DEGs with the highest FDR values that excludes DEGs present in
WSD/CHOW and CR/WSD categories. Heat maps of top CR-specific DEGs involved in muscle structural development (b) and nutritional processes (c).
Each column represents an individual animal. d CR-specific regulation and development gene network indicates upregulated (red) and downregulated
(blue) DEGs. Positive and negative interactions between genes are represented by green and red arrows, respectively. Cellular compartmentalization of
gene products is indicated
expression of several inflammatory genes such as Tolllike receptor 4 (TLR4), CD163, and TGFB1 increased
following CR (Fig. 4c and d). A network of DEGs that
mapped to the GO term “developmental process”
(Fig. 4d) is consistent with the sustained activation of
the TGF-β network after CR. The possible mechanism
of its activation may involve the positive action of the
cytokine-induced STAT6 transcriptional factor, which
was also upregulated during CR, and the suppressor of
cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), which controls
macrophage polarization (Fig. 4d). Using qRT-PCR, we
confirmed that energy metabolism-related genes,
including IRS1, PRKAG3, PFKM, UCP3, PFKFB1 and
PRKAA were significantly downregulated or showed a
trend toward downregulation by WSD and CR (Fig. 5).
In contrast, the gene of collagen-4a (COL4A) showed
the opposite regulation by WSD and CR. Interestingly,
the SET domain-containing lysine methyltransferase 7
(SETD7) was significantly downregulated after CR
(Fig. 5).
Discussion
Transcriptional remodeling of ECM
The present study demonstrates that WSD induced SM
transcriptional reprograming that remained persistent
even after obesity and glucose intolerance were reversed
by CR. Remarkably, 457 WSD-induced and 47 WSDsuppressed genes were not readily reversed by CR and
remained upregulated or downregulated, respectively.
Upregulated genes detected by our RNAseq analysis
encoded ECM-related proteins, including collagens
(COL1A1, COL3A1, COL4A1, COL5A1, COL5A2,
COL6A1, COL6A2, COL6A3, COL8A2, COL11A1,
COL12A1, COL14A1 and COL21A1), integrins (ITGBL1,
ITGA4 and ITGA5), and matrix metalloproteases
(MMP2 and MMP25; Additional file 2: Table S1). This
finding is consistent with recent human studies, demonstrating the upregulation of COL1, COL3 and MMP2 in
response to overfeeding [53]. It has been suggested that
ECM remodeling is associated with the development of
diet-induced IR, contributing to the pathophysiology of
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
Page 10 of 14
showed that high-fat diet can induce long-lasting DNA
methylation marks in proinflammatory genes that are
not easily removed with diet reversal [14], although the
functional significance of these changes remains to be
determined.
Physiological significance of SM programing
Fig. 5 qRT-PCR validation of RNAseq analysis of gene expression.
Changes in SM mRNA levels were determined as described in
“Materials and Methods”. Graphs represent logarithm mean fold
changes for WSD Ct values normalized to CHOW (filled bars) and CR Ct
values normalized to CHOW (open bars). Error bars are Means ± SEM,
n = 5. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 by repeated-measure one-way ANOVA
type 2 diabetes [24]. The importance of ECM-integrin
interactions in the development of IR has been demonstrated in mice lacking integrin-alpha2 beta1 (itga2 (-/-)),
as evidenced by the fact that high-fat feeding induced
COL3 and COL4 gene expression in SM of transgenic
mice, while insulin sensitivity was increased [23]. Consequent studies revealed that the deletion of MMP9, the
primary enzyme that mediates the degradation of COL4
prevented the development of diet-induced IR [54].
Relevance to metabolic memory
Because a subset of ECM genes remained dysregulated
following CR, we suspected the involvement of epigenetic modifiers in transcriptional regulation. One such
modifier SETD7 was significantly downregulated following CR. SETD7 has been previously implicated in
hyperglycemia-induced epigenetic activation of profibrotic genes related to nephropathies and vascular
complications (TGFβ, SERPINE1, COL1A, and MCP-1),
being involved in metabolic memory [9]. Metabolic
memory in humans has been documented in the
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) and
the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and
Complications (EDIC) study [55–57]. Animal studies
demonstrated that metabolic memory is responsible
for sustained transcriptional changes in fibrotic and inflammatory genes that are involved in diabetic complications in smooth muscle cells [58, 59]. Consistent
with the idea of metabolic memory, studies in humans
One possible implication of SM metabolic memory is a
higher susceptibility of obesity-exposed individuals to
IR and muscle loss, as a result of sustain diet-induced
alterations in local gene expression. There is evidence
suggesting that IR and obesity are associated with a decrease in the proportion of slow twitch fibers [60],
representing the majority of soleus muscle [39], while
leanness is associated with increased oxidative capacity
of SM [61]. Although the present study did not directly
address the effects of WSD and CR on fiber composition and metabolic properties of SM, the RNAseq analysis suggests that WSD induced the sustained
downregulation of insulin signaling (IRS1), glycolytic
(PFKM, PFKFB1), and mitochondrial (UCP3) genes
and that this effect persisted after obesity was reversed
with CR (Fig. 5). Interestingly, the slow twitch-specific
myosin heavy chain isoform MYH1 was also downregulated after CR (Fig. 2d). It is possible that sustained
transcriptional changes observed in the present report
correlate metabolic dysfunction, although this hypothesis needs further verification using functional studies.
Transcriptional response of immunological genes
SM and systemic inflammation may play a role in
the development of long-term obesity complications.
Our RNAseq analysis showed that WSD induced the
significant upregulation of mRNA encoding CCL2,
which persisted after the animals were switched to
CR. The upregulation of CCL2 and a concomitant increase in proinflammatory macrophages has been recently reported in quadriceps of mice fed high-fat
diet for 1 week [62]. Furthermore, both CD163 and
TLR4 were also upregulated following CR. CD163 is
exclusively expressed in monocytes and macrophages
[63] to regulate the clearance and endocytosis of
hemoglobin and haptoglobin complexes by macrophages, and may thereby protect tissues from free
hemoglobin-mediated oxidative damage [64]. These
results are in line with previous studies that reported
activation of inflammatory pathways in SM following
obesity and high-fat diet [65]. As described in this
manuscript, an increase in macrophage markers was
observed in SM of obese nondiabetic patients [66]
and in SM of mice fed high-fat diet for 3 weeks [67].
The development of obesity involves the recruitment
of inflammatory CD11C+ macrophages to SM [62].
Interestingly, exposure to palmitate induces a release
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
of IL-6 and CCL2 from macrophages [66], while conditional media from palmitate-treated macrophages
sufficed to induce IR in cultured myotubes [68, 69].
Changes in circulating cytokines
TNFα: We did not observe a systemic proinflammatory
response and serum cytokines TNFα and IL-1 were not
significantly affected by diet (Additional file 1: Figure S1).
This does not rule out the possibility that local myokines
production by adipose tissue and leukocytes is increased
following overnutrition. Earlier studies reported that highfat diet increases [70] and CR reduces TNFα expression in
SM [71], suggesting that CR may circumvent the apoptotic effect of TNFα in SM [72]. Acute early life exposures
to TNFα renders muscle cells more susceptible to impaired regeneration when inflammation is encountered in
later proliferative life [73], which supports the role TNFα
in muscle degeneration. Interestingly, the TNFRSF12A
gene was significantly upregulated by WSD and downregulated by CR (Additional file 2: Table S1 and Table 2),
while the transcriptional activation of this gene has been
previously linked to diffuse muscle atrophy [74].
IL-6: In contrast to TNFα, circulating IL-6 levels
were increased significantly following CR. Previous
studies implicated IL-6 in mediating a proinflammatory
response in patients with cancer cachexia [75, 76], in
women with anorexia nervosa [77] and also in association with aging [78], sarcopenia, and muscle degeneration [79]. Furthermore, we have recently observed that
IL-6 levels are significantly elevated in NHPs undergoing androgen deprivation, which was associated with a
significant loss of lean mass [35]. These examples outline the involvement of IL-6 in catabolic processes associated with body wasting and cell death. There is
evidence that IL-6 secretion from SM is increased after
exercise [80, 81]. Furthermore, IL-6 may play a beneficial role as a regulator of glucose homeostasis during
exercise. For example, the injection of recombinant IL6 during exercise results in increased glucose infusion
and glucose production rates in healthy men [82]. Additionally, IL-6 directly stimulates glucose uptake and
fatty acid oxidation in myotubes in vitro [83] and improves glucose tolerance in rodent models (reviewed in
[84]. IL-6 is also an important myogenic factor regulating satellite-mediated muscle hypertrophy in response
to exercise [85, 86].
MIF and PAI-1: Circulating MIF and PAI-1 levels
were elevated during WSD and CR, although the significance of these changes remains unclear. MIF has been
shown to promote fibroblast survival and collagen synthesis in SM [87–89], while PAI-1 levels are increased
after long-term glucocorticoid use, which contributed to
muscle wasting and IR in mice [90] and is thought to be
responsible for SM fibrosis [91].
Page 11 of 14
Limitations
The dietary effects on SM transcription need further
verification using proteomic, immunological and morphological studies. General anesthesia may influence
gene expression in SM, although the relative dietspecific effects are statistically significant. Due to a low
sample number, the study is considered to be preliminary and need verification in a larger cohort of animals
and in both sexes. For technical reason, the Luminex
analysis of circulating cytokines was conducted after 4
months on a WSD and thus are not directly comparable
with the RNAseq data.
Conclusions
WSD induces reprograming of SM transcriptome, with
the increased expression of profibrotic and proinflammatory genes and decreased expression of metabolic
genes, which persists even after obesity is reversed by
CR. This type of programing (metabolic memory) may
represent an adaptive mechanism that controls metabolic and structural remodeling of SM, but may also
contribute to long-term glucose intolerance and
treatment resistance in obese and diabetic patients.
Additional files
Additional file 1: Figure S1. Luminex analysis of circulating cytokines.
Plasma samples were collected while on chow, 4 months on WSD and 4
months after CR, and analyzed in duplicates using Invitrogen Monkey
Magnetic 29-Plex Panel, as described in “Materials and Methods”.
Error bars represent SEM. Statistical significance was determined by
repeated-measure one-way ANOVA, * p < 0.05. ** p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
Abbreviations: FGF, fibroblast growth factor; IL, interleukin; G-CSF,
granulocyte-colony stimulating factor; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor; VEGF,
vascular endothelial growth factor; INFg, interferon gamma; MDC,
macrophage-derived chemokine; I-TAC, interferon-inducible T cell alpha
chemokine; RANTES, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and
secreted; Eotaxin, CCL11; MIF analyte, migration inhibitor factor; TNF-a, tumor
necrosis growth factor-alpha; MIP-1a, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha;
GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; MIP-1b,
macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta; IP-10, interferon-gamma-inducible
protein 10; MIG, monokine induced by gamma interferon; MCP-1, monocyte
chemotactic protein 1; EGF, epidermal growth factor. (PDF 998 kb)
Additional file 2: Table S1. The list of differentially expressed WSD/CHOW
genes identified in the present study. Table S2. The list of differentially
expressed CR/CHOW genes identified in the present study. Table S3.
Erythroid genes identified in the present study. Table S4. qRT-PCR
primers used in the study. (XLSX 332 kb)
Abbreviations
CR: Caloric restriction; ECM: Extracellular matrix; FFA: Free fatty acid; IR: Insulin
resistance; NHP: Nonhuman primate; SM: Skeletal muscle; WSD: Western-style diet
Acknowledgements
We thank the ONPRC Molecular and Cellular Biology and Primate Genetics
Research Support Cores and the ONPRC Obese NHP Resource for
outstanding service. We thank Drs. Charles Robert Jr. and Peter Kurre from
Oregon Health and Science University for helpful discussion. We thank
Christina Nguyen for assistance with preparations of figures and Andrea
Rivera for assistance with online data depository.
Messaoudi et al. BMC Genomics (2017) 18:411
Funding
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants R21 AG047543
(to O.V.), P51 OD011092 for the operation of the Oregon National Primate
Research Center, AG043896-01 (to I.M.), and the National Science Foundation
Grant ABI-0957099 (to I.M.). These funding sources covered animal and housing
costs, labor, experimental procedures, data analysis, computational and
publication fees.
Page 12 of 14
4.
5.
6.
7.
Article note
The original article has been revised: modifications have been made to the
titles for Additional File 2, Table S1 and S2. Full information regarding
corrections made can be found in the erratum for this article.
Availability of data and materials
RNAseq data have been deposited into Sequencing Read Archive (SRA),
accession number SRP093851, and are available online https://
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/?term=SRP093851.
Authors’ contributions
IM and KMW helped writing the manuscript and analyzed the data; MH
performed experiments, MR analyzed the data; SS and BSP performed the
statistical analysis of RNAseq data; SSF and HW processed RNAseq data; AEW
performed experiments; RJ and JLD helped with data analysis and
manuscript assembly; OV wrote the manuscript. All authors read and
approved the final manuscript.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
13.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
14.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
This study was approved by the ONPRC Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committee (IACUC) and conforms to current Office of Laboratory Animal
Welfares (OLAW) regulations as stipulated in assurance number A3304-01.
The work described in this study has been reviewed by the IACUC including
Chemical Safety officer, as well as IBC (Institutional biosafety Committee)
who oversees all biological hazardous agents. All animals used in this study
were born at and derived from ONPRC (Oregon National Primate Research
Center, Oregon Health & Science University).
15.
16.
17.
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional affiliations.
18.
Author details
1
School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
92697, USA. 2Division of Cardiometabolic Health, Oregon National Primate
Research Center, L584 505 NW 185th Ave., Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.
3
Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California,
Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. 4Department of Public Health and
Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
97239, USA. 5Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research
Center, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA. 6Department of Neuroscience and
Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. 7Department
of School of Nursing, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
97239, USA.
19.
20.
21.
22.
Received: 21 December 2016 Accepted: 16 May 2017
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