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Underestimated contribution of skeletal muscle in ornithine metabolism during mouse postnatal development

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Abstract

Ornithine aminotransferase (l-ornithine 2-oxoacid aminotransferase, OAT) is widely expressed in organs, but studies in mice have focused primarily on the intestine, kidney and liver because of the high OAT-specific activity in these tissues. This study aimed to investigate OAT activity in adult mouse tissues to assess the potential contribution to ornithine metabolism and to determine OAT control during postnatal development. OAT activity was widely distributed in mouse tissues. Sexual dimorphism was observed for most tissues in adults, with greater activity in females than in males. The contribution of skeletal muscles to total OAT activity (34 % in males and 27 % in females) was the greatest (50 %) of the investigated tissues in pre-weaned mice and was similar to that of the liver in adults. OAT activity was found to be regulated in a tissue-specific manner during postnatal development in parallel with large changes in the plasma testosterone and corticosterone levels. After weaning, OAT activity markedly increased in the liver but dropped in the skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Anticipating weaning for 3 days led to an earlier reduction of OAT activity in skeletal muscles. Orchidectomy in adults decreased OAT activity in the liver but increased it in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. We concluded that the contribution of skeletal muscle to mouse ornithine metabolism may have been underestimated. The regulation of OAT in skeletal muscles differs from that in the liver. The present findings suggest important and tissue-specific metabolic roles for OAT during postnatal development in mice.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the CNRS and the University of Lyon. BL was in receipt of a fellowship from the French Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Biologie et Chimie des Protéines, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France

    Benjamin Ladeuix & Olivier Levillain

  2. UMR5023, Laboratoire d’Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics de l’Etat, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France

    Benjamin Ladeuix & Claude Duchamp

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  1. Benjamin Ladeuix
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  2. Claude Duchamp
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Correspondence to Claude Duchamp.

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Ladeuix, B., Duchamp, C. & Levillain, O. Underestimated contribution of skeletal muscle in ornithine metabolism during mouse postnatal development. Amino Acids 46, 167–176 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-013-1608-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-013-1608-8

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