Impact of APOE Genotype on Diet-induced Mitochondrial Adaptations in Mouse Skeletal Muscle

Abstract Apolipoprotein E (APOE), a component of lipoproteins that facilitates cholesterol transportation, has three variants in the human genome: APOE2, E3, and E4. Prior research found that carriers of APOE4 are more susceptible to developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other brain disorders than those who possess other APOE alleles, and that these carriers are also predisposed to mitochondrial impairment– an early characteristic of neuronal dysfunction. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1ɑ) is a major biomarker for mitochondrial biogenesis and function and cytochrome c oxidase subunit IV (COX4) is the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Decreased measures of these proteins indicate reduced mitochondrial function. Aside from genetic inheritance, lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise significantly impact one’s risk for mitochondrial dysfunction and AD. In these studies, we examined the impact of APOE variance on physiological adaptations induced by either exercise or a high-fat diet, with a focus on biomarkers of mitochondrial function. Western blots were used to measure COX4 and PGC-1ɑ levels in skeletal muscle tissue from female APOE3 and APOE4 knock-in transgenic mice. Based on performance on a motorized rotating rod and voluntary wheel-running, we deduced that female APOE4 mice exhibit reduced motor coordination and activity relative to APOE3 mice. APOE4 mice also had reduced COX4 levels that were increased by the high-fat diet. In contrast, COX4 levels in APOE3 mice were reduced in the high-fat diet group. Our data show that diet and APOE genotype interact to produce adaptations in mitochondrial proteins in skeletal muscle.