Inhibition of Stat3 signaling ameliorates atrophy of the soleus muscles in mice lacking the vitamin D receptor

BACKGROUND: Although skeletal muscle wasting has long been observed as a clinical outcome of impaired vitamin D signaling, precise molecular mechanisms that mediate the loss of muscle mass in the absence of vitamin D signaling are less clear. To determine the molecular consequences of vitamin D signaling, we analyzed the role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) signaling, a known contributor to various muscle wasting pathologies, in skeletal muscles. METHODS: We isolated soleus (slow) and tibialis anterior (fast) muscles from mice lacking the vitamin D receptor (VDR(−/−)) and used western blot analysis, quantitative RTPCR, and pharmacological intervention to analyze muscle atrophy in VDR(−/−) mice. RESULTS: We found that slow and fast subsets of muscles of the VDR(−/−) mice displayed elevated levels of phosphorylated Stat3 accompanied by an increase in Myostatin expression and signaling. Consequently, we observed reduced activity of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling components, ribosomal S6 kinase (p70S6K) and ribosomal S6 protein (rpS6), that regulate protein synthesis and cell size, respectively. Concomitantly, we observed an increase in atrophy regulators and a block in autophagic gene expression. An examination of the upstream regulation of Stat3 levels in VDR(−/−) muscles revealed an increase in IL-6 protein expression in the soleus, but not in the tibialis anterior muscles. To investigate the involvement of satellite cells (SCs) in atrophy in VDR(−/−) mice, we found that there was no significant deficit in SC numbers in VDR(−/−) muscles compared to the wild type. Unlike its expression within VDR(−/−) fibers, Myostatin levels in VDR(−/−) SCs from bulk muscles were similar to those of wild type. However, VDR(−/−) SCs induced to differentiate in culture displayed increased p-Stat3 signaling and Myostatin expression. Finally, VDR(−/−) mice injected with a Stat3 inhibitor displayed reduced Myostatin expression and function and restored active p70S6K and rpS6 levels, resulting in an amelioration of loss of muscle mass in the soleus muscles. CONCLUSIONS: The loss of muscle mass in slow muscles in the absence of vitamin D signaling is due to elevated levels of phosphorylated Stat3 that leads to an increase in Myostatin signaling, which in turn decreases protein synthesis and fiber size through the phosphorylation of p70S6K and rpS6, respectively. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13395-017-0121-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.