Magnesium Deficiency Alters Expression of Genes Critical for Muscle Magnesium Homeostasis and Physiology in Mice

• Main Authors: Dominique Bayle, Cécile Coudy-Gandilhon, Marine Gueugneau, Sara Castiglioni, Monica Zocchi, Magdalena Maj-Zurawska, Adriana Palinska-Saadi, André Mazur, Daniel Béchet, Jeanette A. Maier
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: skeletal muscle; magnesium; magnesium transporters; transcriptome
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/7/2169
• ISSN: 2072-6643

Chronic Mg²⁺ deficiency is the underlying cause of a broad range of health dysfunctions. As 25% of body Mg²⁺ is located in the skeletal muscle, Mg²⁺ transport and homeostasis systems (MgTHs) in the muscle are critical for whole-body Mg²⁺ homeostasis. In the present study, we assessed whether Mg²⁺ deficiency alters muscle fiber characteristics and major pathways regulating muscle physiology. C57BL/6J mice received either a control, mildly, or severely Mg²⁺-deficient diet (0.1%; 0.01%; and 0.003% Mg²⁺ wt/wt, respectively) for 14 days. Mg²⁺ deficiency slightly decreased body weight gain and muscle Mg²⁺ concentrations but was not associated with detectable variations in gastrocnemius muscle weight, fiber morphometry, and capillarization. Nonetheless, muscles exhibited decreased expression of several MgTHs (<i>MagT1</i>, <i>CNNM2</i>, <i>CNNM4</i>, and <i>TRPM6</i>). Moreover, TaqMan low-density array (TLDA) analyses further revealed that, before the emergence of major muscle dysfunctions, even a mild Mg²⁺ deficiency was sufficient to alter the expression of genes critical for muscle physiology, including energy metabolism, muscle regeneration, proteostasis, mitochondrial dynamics, and excitation–contraction coupling.