FGF-2–dependent signaling activated in aged human skeletal muscle promotes intramuscular adipogenesis

Aged skeletal muscle is markedly affected by fatty muscle infiltration, and strategies to reduce the occurrence of intramuscular adipocytes are urgently needed. Here, we show that fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) not only stimulates muscle growth but also promotes intramuscular adipogenesis. Using multiple screening assays upstream and downstream of microRNA (miR)-29a signaling, we located the secreted protein and adipogenic inhibitor SPARC to an FGF-2 signaling pathway that is conserved between skeletal muscle cells from mice and humans and that is activated in skeletal muscle of aged mice and humans. FGF-2 induces the miR-29a/SPARC axis through transcriptional activation of FRA-1, which binds and activates an evolutionary conserved AP-1 site element proximal in the miR-29a promoter. Genetic deletions in muscle cells and adeno-associated virus–mediated overexpression of FGF-2 or SPARC in mouse skeletal muscle revealed that this axis regulates differentiation of fibro/adipogenic progenitors in vitro and intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) formation in vivo. Skeletal muscle from human donors aged >75 y versus <55 y showed activation of FGF-2–dependent signaling and increased IMAT. Thus, our data highlights a disparate role of FGF-2 in adult skeletal muscle and reveals a pathway to combat fat accumulation in aged human skeletal muscle.