Transcriptome-scale similarities between mouse and human skeletal muscles with normal and myopathic phenotypes

• Main Authors: Kang Peter B, Kho Alvin T, Kohane Isaac S, Kunkel Louis M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2006-03-01
• Series: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Online Access: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2474/7/23

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mouse and human skeletal muscle transcriptome profiles vary by muscle type, raising the question of which mouse muscle groups have the greatest molecular similarities to human skeletal muscle.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Orthologous (whole, sub-) transcriptome profiles were compared among four mouse-human transcriptome datasets: (M) six muscle groups obtained from three mouse strains (wildtype, <it>mdx</it>, <it>mdx</it>^5<it>cv</it>); (H1) biopsied human quadriceps from controls and Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients; (H2) four different control human muscle types obtained at autopsy; and (H3) 12 different control human tissues (ten non-muscle).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the six mouse muscles examined, mouse soleus bore the greatest molecular similarities to human skeletal muscles, independent of the latters' anatomic location/muscle type, disease state, age and sampling method (autopsy versus biopsy). Significant similarity to any one mouse muscle group was not observed for non-muscle human tissues (dataset H3), indicating this finding to be muscle specific.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This observation may be partly explained by the higher type I fiber content of soleus relative to the other mouse muscles sampled.</p>