Table 1.
MicroRNA assays used for the quantitative analyses of the target genes using real-time PCR.
Table 2.
Probes used for the quantitative analyses of the target genes using real-time PCR.
Table 3.
Main clinical characteristics and functional variables of all the study subjects.
Figure 1.
Global percentage of methylated DNA in the vastus lateralis of mild COPD patients and healthy controls.
Mean values and standard deviation of global percentage of methylated DNA in the vastus lateralis did not differ (n.s., non-significant) between patients and controls.
Figure 2.
Levels of expression of muscle-enriched microRNAs in the vastus lateralis of mild COPD patients and healthy controls.
Mean values and standard deviation (relative expression) of miR-1 (A) expression was upregulated (**: p<0.01) in the vastus lateralis of mild COPD patients compared to healthy controls, whereas expression levels of miR-133 (B), miR-206 (C), and miR-486 (D) did not differ (n.s., non-significant) in the lower limb muscles between the study groups.
Figure 3.
Levels of expression of muscle-enriched microRNAs in the vastus lateralis of mild COPD patients and healthy controls.
Mean values and standard deviation (relative expression) of miR-27a (A), miR-29b (B), and miR-181a (C) did not differ (n.s., non-significant) in the lower limb muscles between the study groups.
Figure 4.
Significant correlations between expression levels of miR-1 in the muscles of the COPD patients and both FEV1 and QMVC.
Among the COPD patients, significant positive correlations were observed between the physiological parameters FEV1 and QMVC and expression levels of miR-1 in their vastus lateralis. Note that only 12 patients were plotted in the graphs as miR-1 expression levels could not be obtained for technical reasons in one of the patients.
Figure 5.
Protein levels of total acetyl-lysine protein content and mRNA levels of the HTA p300 in muscles of both COPD patients and controls.
Mean values and standard deviation of total protein acetyl-lysine/vinculin protein loading control as measured in optical densities (OD) using arbitrary units (a.u.) (A) and HTA p300 (B), levels in the vastus lateralis did not differ (n.s., non-significant) between the two study groups.
Figure 6.
Protein levels of HDACs shown to play a role in muscle dysfunction in muscles of both patients and controls.
Mean values and standard deviation of protein HDAC3/vinculin protein loading control (A) HDAC6/vinculin protein loading control as measured in optical densities (OD) using arbitrary units (a.u.) (B), and SIRT1/vinculin protein loading control (C) levels in the vastus lateralis did not differ (n.s., non-significant) between the two study groups, while HDAC4/vinculin protein loading control (D) protein levels were significantly greater (**: p<0.01) in the patients than in the controls.
Figure 7.
Protein levels of transcription factors shown to be involved in myogenesis and muscle repair in muscles of both patients and controls.
Mean values and standard deviation of total MEF2C/vinculin protein loading control as measured in optical densities (OD) using arbitrary units (a.u.) (A), MEF2D/vinculin protein loading control (B), and YY1/vinculin protein loading control (C) levels in the vastus lateralis did not differ (n.s., non-significant) between patients and control subjects.
Figure 8.
mRNA expression of SUMO-2 and SUMO-3 in the vastus lateralis of mild COPD patients and controls.
Mean values and standard deviation (relative expression) of SUMO-2 (A) and SUMO-3 (B) in the vastus lateralis did not differ (n.s., non-significant) between patients and control subjects.
Table 4.
Fiber type composition of all the study subjects.