Investigation of CARM1 in aging-induced skeletal muscle atrophy

The Labarge Centre for Mobility in Aging provided matching funding for this Canadian Frailty Network Interdisciplinary Fellowship

Co-activator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) impacts the response to common physiological stimuli, such as exercise, fasting, and muscle disuse. The function of CARM1 in aging-induced muscle atrophy is unclear. Preliminary data indicate that mice with CARM1 specifically deleted in skeletal muscle (mKO) have a significantly shorter lifespan than their normal, wild-type (WT) littermates. Furthermore, differences in body weight and muscle mass are observed between WT and mKO animals. This study will investigate the role of CARM1 in aging-induced atrophy and dysfunction of skeletal muscle, termed sarcopenia, which may provide insight into novel therapeutic strategies to mitigate sarcopenia and frailty in older adults.