SUMMARY Skeletal muscle mass, strength, and regenerative capacity decline with age, with many measures showing a greater deterioration in females around the time estrogen levels decrease at menopause. Here, we show that estrogen deficiency severely compromises the maintenance of muscle stem cells (i.e., satellite cells) as well as impairs self-renewal and differentiation into muscle fibers. Mechanistically, by hormone replacement, use of a selective estrogen-receptor modulator (bazedoxifene), and conditional estrogen receptor knockout, we implicate 17β-estradiol and satellite cell expression of estrogen receptor α and show that estrogen signaling through this receptor is necessary to prevent apoptosis of satellite cells. Early data from a biopsy study of women who transitioned from peri- to post-menopause are consistent with the loss of satellite cells coincident with the decline in estradiol in humans. Together, these results demonstrate an important role for estrogen in satellite cell maintenance and muscle regeneration in females.

Skeletal muscle weakness occurs with aging and in females this is compounded by the loss of estrogen with ovarian failure. Estrogen deficiency mediates decrements in muscle strength from both inadequate preservation of skeletal muscle mass and decrements in the quality of the remaining skeletal muscle. Processes and components of skeletal muscle that are affected by estrogens are beginning to be identified. This review focuses on mechanisms that contribute to the loss of muscle force generation when estrogen is low in females, and conversely the maintenance of strength by estrogen. Evidence is accumulating that estrogen deficiency induces apoptosis in skeletal muscle contributing to loss of mass and thus strength. Estrogen sensitive processes that affect quality, i.e., force generating capacity of muscle, include myosin phosphorylation and satellite cell function. Further detailing these mechanisms and identifying additional mechanisms that underlie estrogenic effects on skeletal muscle is important foundation for the design of therapeutic strategies to minimize skeletal muscle pathologies, such as sarcopenia and dynapenia.

Skeletal muscle mass, strength, and regenerative capacity decline with age, with many measures showing greater deterioration in females about the time estrogen levels decrease at menopause. Here we show that maintenance of muscle stem cells, satellite cells, as well as selfrenewal and differentiation into muscle fibers, are severely compromised by estrogen deficiency.Mechanistically, by hormone replacement, use of a selective estrogen-receptor modulator (bazedoxifene), and conditional estrogen receptor knockout, we implicate 17β-estradiol and satellite cell expression of estrogen receptor a (ERa) and show that estrogen signaling through this receptor is necessary to prevent apoptosis of satellite cells. Early data from a biopsy study of women who transitioned from peri-to post-menopause are consistent with the loss of satellite cells coincident with the decline in estradiol in humans. Together, these results demonstrate an important role for estrogen in satellite cell maintenance and muscle regeneration in females.3

-Impairment of skeletal muscle function has been associated with changes in ovarian hormones, especially estradiol. To elucidate mechanisms of estradiol on skeletal muscle strength, the hormone's effects on phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (pRLC) and muscle contractility were investigated, hypothesizing an estradiol-specific beneficial impact. In a skeletal muscle cell line, C 2C12, pRLC was increased by 17␤-estradiol (E 2) in a concentration-dependent manner. In skeletal muscles of C57BL/6 mice that were E 2 deficient via ovariectomy (OVX), pRLC was lower than that from ovary-intact, sham-operated mice (Sham). The reduced pRLC in OVX muscle was reversed by in vivo E 2 treatment. Posttetanic potentiation (PTP) of muscle from OVX mice was low compared with that from Sham mice, and this decrement was reversed by acute E 2 treatment, demonstrating physiological consequence. Western blot of those muscles revealed that low PTP corresponded with low pRLC and higher PTP with greater pRLC. We aimed to elucidate signaling pathways affecting E 2-mediated pRLC using a kinase inhibitor library and C 2C12 cells as well as a specific myosin light chain kinase inhibitor in muscles. PI3K/Akt, MAPK, and CamKII were identified as candidate kinases sensitive to E 2 in terms of phosphorylating RLC. Applying siRNA strategy in C 2C12 cells, pRLC triggered by E 2 was found to be mediated by estrogen receptor-␤ and the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor. Together, these results provide evidence that E 2 modulates myosin pRLC in skeletal muscle and is one mechanism by which this hormone can affect muscle contractility in females. estrogen; estrogen receptor; kinase; post tetanic potentiation; RLC OVARIAN HORMONE DEFICIENCY is related to muscle dysfunction and loss of strength. For example, declines in strength are accelerated around the time of menopause (35,41,51), and skeletal muscles of postmenopausal women on estrogen-based hormone therapy are stronger than those not on hormone therapy (10,17,49). In mouse models, contractile characteristics are impaired in muscles of ovariectomized compared with sham-operated mice (16,38,39,53,65). It was suggested (41) and subsequently demonstrated that ovarian hormones influence muscle strength by directly affecting the function of contractile proteins (43,66), particularly the structure and function of myosin (38,39). Among the ovarian hormones, 17␤-estradiol (E 2 ) appears to be the key hormone, because it reverses muscle weakness and contractile protein dysfunction caused by ovariectomy. Specifically, reduced muscle and contractile protein functions were restored when E 2 was administered to ovariectomized mice (16,38,53). In a chemical model of premature aging, of which the ovaries of young adult mice were locally and specifically induced to be senescent, E 2 treatment improved some muscle contractile functions (18). Although these studies have demonstrated that E 2 impacts muscle and myosin functions, the molecular mechanisms by which this hormone affects the structure a...

Estradiol deficiency in females can result in skeletal muscle strength loss, and treatment with estradiol mitigates the loss. There are three primary estrogen receptors (ERs), and estradiol elicits effects through these receptors in various tissues. Ubiquitous ERα-knockout mice exhibit numerous biological disorders, but little is known regarding the specific role of ERα in skeletal muscle contractile function. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of skeletal muscle-specific ERα deletion on contractile function, hypothesizing that ERα is a main receptor through which estradiol affects muscle strength in females. Deletion of ERα specifically in skeletal muscle (skmERαKO) did not affect body mass compared with wild-type littermates (skmERαWT) until 26 wk of age, at which time body mass of skmERαKO mice began to increase disproportionally. Overall, skmERαKO mice had low strength demonstrated in multiple muscles and by several contractile parameters. Isolated extensor digitorum longus muscles from skmERαKO mice produced 16% less eccentric and 16-26% less submaximal and maximal isometric force, and isolated soleus muscles were more fatigable, with impaired force recovery relative to skmERαWT mice. In vivo maximal torque productions by plantarflexors and dorsiflexors were 16% and 12% lower in skmERαKO than skmERαWT mice, and skmERαKO muscles had low phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain. Plantarflexors also generated 21-32% less power, submaximal isometric and peak concentric torques. Data support the hypothesis that ablation of ERα in skeletal muscle results in muscle weakness, suggesting that the beneficial effects of estradiol on muscle strength are receptor mediated through ERα. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We comprehensively measured in vitro and in vivo skeletal muscle contractility in female estrogen receptor α (ERα) skeletal muscle-specific knockout mice and report that force generation is impaired across multiple parameters. These results support the hypothesis that a primary mechanism through which estradiol elicits its effects on strength is mediated by ERα. Evidence is presented that estradiol signaling through ERα appears to modulate force at the molecular level via posttranslational modifications of myosin regulatory light chain.