miR21 deletion in osteocytes has direct and indirect effects on skeletal muscle in a sex-dimorphic manner in mice
Authors: Essex Alyson L. , Deosthale Padmini , Huot Joshua R. , Davis Hannah M. , Momeni Nicholas , Bonetto Andrea , Plotkin Lilian I. 
Published: October 2022

Background

Osteocytic microRNA21 (miR21) removal alters cytokine production and bone mass by modulating osteoclast and osteoblast differentiation and activity. Removing osteocytic miR21 increases osteoclast/osteoblast numbers and bone mass in male mice, whereas it decreases osteoclasts/osteoblasts without affecting bone mass in female mice. On the other hand, it leads to sex-independent increases in bone mechanical properties. Because changes in bone remodeling and strength affect skeletal muscle through bone–muscle crosstalk, we investigated whether osteocytic miR21 deletion influences skeletal muscle.

Methods

miR21fl/fl mice and 8kbDMP1-Cre mice were mated to obtain miR21-deficient mice primarily in the osteocyte (OtmiR21Δ) and littermate controls (miR21fl/fl). Four-month-old male and female mice were analyzed. Body composition was examined by DXA/Piximus and gene expression was assessed by qPCR. Ex vivo cultures of long bones devoid of bone-marrow cells from male and female 4-month-old were maintained for 48 h. Conditioned media were collected and used for the C2C12 assays. Two-way ANOVA analyses were performed to determine the contributions of genotype and sex and their interaction to the effects of miR21 deficiency.

Results

Lean body mass was increased only in female OtmiR21Δ mice, although miR21 levels in soleus muscle were similar in miR21fl/fl (0.05 ± 0.02) and OtmiR21Δ (0.09 ± 0.04) mice. Female, but not male, OtmiR21Δ mice exhibited increased soleus (42%) and gastrocnemius (21%) muscle weight compared to miR21fl/fl littermates. However, muscle strength and gastrocnemius muscle fiber cross-sectional area were unaltered for either sex. Kinase phosphorylation (phospho/total protein ratio) in soleus muscle, measured as a surrogate for kinase activity by means of multiplex analysis, was also selectively changed depending on the mouse sex. Thus, female OtmiR21Δ mice had higher T185/Y187-ERK1/2 but lower S473-Akt phosphorylation than miR21fl/fl controls, while male OtmiR21Δ mice had higher S473-Akt phosphorylation, suggesting sex-dimorphic shifts in anabolic vs. catabolic signaling. Consistently, levels of FOXO3 and MuRF-1, known to be regulated by Akt, were only increased in male OtmiR21Δ mice. Atrogin-1 mRNA levels were upregulated in female OtmiR21Δ mice, suggesting a potential shift in protein regulation. Sex-specific effects were also found by exposing myotube cultures to conditioned media from 48-h-cultured marrow-flushed bones. Thus 5-day differentiated C2C12 myotubes treated with conditioned media of female OtmiR21Δ mice exhibit 12% higher average diameter compared to cells exposed to miR21fl/fl bone conditioned media. Yet, conditioned media from male bones had no effect on myotube size.

Conclusions

We present a novel aspect of bone–muscle crosstalk in which osteocyte-derived miR21 influences skeletal muscle size, but not strength, in female but not male mice; whereas, intracellular signaling alterations resulting from loss of miR21 seem to alter protein dynamics in a sex-dimorphic fashion.