Role Of Ursodeoxycholic Acid As A Regulator Of The Myc-Atf3-Socs3 Pathway In The Context Of Exercise

Abstract

Physical activity influences metabolic regulation partly through increases in the secretion of microbiome – derived metabolites such as ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). The latter has cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory properties mainly exhibited by affecting cellular signaling pathways. The MYC-ATF3-SOCS3 axis has been proposed as a potential regulatory mechanism that might connect UDCA with its function. This study aimed to investigate UDCA effect on this pathway in rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells. Methodology: RD cells were treated with 100 μM and 300 μM UDCA concentration for 48 hours. Gene expression levels of MYC, ATF3, and SOCS3 were analysed by using qPCR experiments, while the protein expression levels of the same genes were assessed by Western blotting technique. The relative expression of the above mentioned target genes was calculated using the ΔΔCt method. Results: Even though qPCR demonstrated some mild correlations in fold changes, the overall picture was non-significant due to lack of progression beyond the significance level (fold change +/-2.0). The results of Western blot for MYC, ATF3, and SOCS3 were consistent with the qPCR results of these genes. In conclusion, UDCA did not significantly affect the MYC-ATF3-SOCS3 pathway under the given conditions. Findings suggest that the targeted mechanism might occur during the short-term stress response.