Abstract
Skeletal muscle is essential for locomotion, metabolism, and protein homeostasis in the body. Mitochondria have been considered as a key target to regulate metabolic switch during myo-genesis. The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling through the AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway has a well-documented role in promoting muscle growth and regeneration, but whether it is involved in mitochondrial behavior and function remains un-examined. In this study, we investigated the effect of IGF-1 signaling on mitochondrial remodeling during myogenic differentiation. The results demonstrated that IGF-1 signaling stimulated mitochondrial biogenesis by increasing mitochondrial DNA copy number and expression of genes such as Cox7a1, Tfb1m, and Ppargc1a. Moreover, the level of mitophagy in differentiating myoblasts elevated significantly with IGF-1 treatment, which contributed to mitochondrial turnover. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) and BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa protein-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) were identified as two key mediators of IGF-1-induced mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy, respectively. In addition, IGF-1 supplementation could alleviate impaired myoblast differentiation caused by mitophagy deficiency, as evidenced by increased fusion index and myosin heavy chain expression. These findings provide new insights into the role of IGF-1 signaling and suggest that IGF-1 signaling can serve as a target for the research and development of drugs and nutrients that support muscle growth and regeneration.