Absence of caspase-3 protects against denervation-induced skeletal muscle atrophy

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a key proteolytic pathway activated during skeletal muscle atrophy. The proteasome, however, cannot degrade intact myofibrils or actinomyosin complexes. In rodent models of diabetes mellitus and uremia, caspase-3 is involved in actinomyosin cleavage, generating fragments that subsequently undergo ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated degradation. Here, we demonstrate that caspase-3 also mediates denervation-induced …