Urinary Titin: A Novel Biomarker for Muscle Atrophy and Catabolic Conditions
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2025 | Viewed by 772
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Skeletal muscle atrophy is associated with aging, inactivity, poor nutrition, and diseases such as cancer, COPD, and diabetes. Its progression reduces quality of life, impairs daily activities, increases the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, and shortens life expectancy. Identifying a biomarker for the early and accurate assessment of muscle atrophy and functional decline is thus clinically important.
Muscle cells contain contractile myofibrils, with sarcomeres as their basic units. Sarcomeres are composed of contractile proteins (actin and myosin) and the structural protein titin, which connects Z-lines and M-lines. Titin, a large elastic protein (3000–3700 kDa), acts as a molecular spring, resisting passive stretching. During muscle injury or atrophy, titin is degraded by proteolytic enzymes such as calpains and MMPs, releasing fragments into the bloodstream and urine. Serum titin fragments reflect myocardial injury and skeletal muscle atrophy, while elevated urinary titin levels are observed in muscular dystrophy and ICU patients with acute muscle atrophy. Measuring urinary titin is noninvasive, simple, and repeatable.
The purpose of this Special Issue is to examine urinary titin as a biomarker by investigating its relationship with muscle status during muscle atrophy and recovery, as well as by elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying titin degradation.
Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Sakaue
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- urinary titin
- skeletal muscle
- muscle atrophy
- sarcopenia
- biomarker
- catabolism
- inflammation
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