Strain-specific differences in muscle Ca2+ transport and mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins between FVB/N and C57BL/6J mice.

Genetically engineered mouse models have been used to determine the role of sarcolipin (SLN) in muscle. However, a few studies had difficulty in detecting SLN in FBV/N mice and questioned its relevance to muscle metabolism. It is known that genetic alteration of proteins in different inbred mice strains produces dissimilar functional outcomes. Therefore, here we compared the expression of SLN and key proteins involved in Ca2+ handling and mitochondrial metabolism between FVB/N and C57BL/6J mouse strains. Data suggest that SLN expression is less abundant in the skeletal muscles of FVB/N mice than in the C57BL/6J strain. The expression of Ca2+ transporters in the mitochondrial membranes was also lower in FVB/N than in C57BL/6J mice. Similarly, electron transport chain proteins in the mitochondria were less abundant in FVB/N mice, which may contribute to differences in energy metabolism. Future studies using different mouse strains should take these differences into account when interpreting their data.