Proteome dynamics to inform healthy muscle ageing

Principal Investigator - Prof Jatin Burniston, Professor of Muscle Proteomics, Liverpool John Moores University

Most people over the age of 70 experience a progressive decline in the size and strength of their muscles. Often, the losses in strength are more pronounced than the reduction in muscle size. This project aimed to examine whether a decline in the quality of muscle proteins could explain this difference. Proteins are the workhorses within muscle and each muscle contains thousands of different proteins, collectively known as the proteome. Proteins must be regularly renewed to maintain muscle quality, and new proteins are produced all the time to replace old and damaged proteins.

This study, which collected a range of physiological data and biological samples from 4 younger and 4 older adults, was the first of its kind measuring the dynamic renewal of proteins in the muscle of younger and older adults. New and interesting differences were discovered, including a key imbalance amongst a family of proteins that initiate the process that makes new protein. The findings highlight that the current focus on maximising bulk muscle growth to counteract ageing might inadvertently overburden the systems responsible for maintaining protein quality. In the future, a greater focus on improving muscle protein quality rather than bulk muscle mass could bring greater gains in healthy muscle ageing.

Initial findings from this study were presented at the Healthy Muscle Ageing Conference organised by Professor Burniston and his team in collaboration with the ART of Healthy Ageing Network in September 2023 and this work is now being prepared for publication.  The project provided a diverse range of training for early career researchers and the findings could help develop new treatments for maintaining muscle function in older adults by focusing on improving muscle protein quality. 

Collaborating Institutions - Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool Hope University, Aintree University Hospital and University of Liverpool