• Mingju Liu, Yongping Yue, Dejia Li, and Dongsheng Duan.
• Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri, School of Medicine, Columbia, Missouri 65212, USA.
• Muscle Nerve. 2007 Dec 1; 36 (6): 833-41.

AbstractCatalase is a major antioxidant enzyme. Increasing catalase expression represents a promising avenue to improve muscle function in certain physiological conditions and in some muscle diseases. We hypothesized that catalase overexpression should not impair normal muscle contraction. We delivered a hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged human catalase gene to normal mouse muscle by an adeno-associated viral vector (AAV). Western blot and immunostaining revealed efficient expression of HA-tagged catalase. Enzymatic assay demonstrated an approximately threefold increase in catalase activity in AAV-infected muscles. Catalase overexpression impaired neither twitch nor tetanic tension in the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle. Furthermore, EDL fatigue response was not altered. Taken together, we have developed a novel AAV vector to enhance catalase expression. Lack of apparent toxicity in normal muscle strongly supports further exploration of this vector to reduce oxidative stress-induced muscle damage.

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