Proteomic Signatures of Muscle Resilience: Why Equine Jaw Muscles Resist Age‑Related Decline

About the Project

This project investigates the equine masticatory apparatus as a unique large animal model for resistance to sarcopenia. By expanding preliminary findings from the masseter to other jaw muscles (temporalis, pterygoids) and comparing them to vulnerable limb muscles, we aim to identify conserved molecular signatures that protect "essential" muscles from age-related decline.

Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, is a major health challenge, yet certain muscles appear uniquely resilient. Preliminary proteomic data from the equine masseter reveals striking stability in protein expression across age groups, contrasting with the significant atrophy typically seen in limb muscles.

This project seeks to determine if this resilience is a conserved trait across the entire jaw-closing apparatus, including the masseter, temporalis, and medial pterygoid. The horse serves as an ideal model due to its unusual jaw muscle proportions and a masticatory system that is critical for survival, potentially harbouring intrinsic protective mechanisms more comparable to humans than traditional rodent models.

The student will use quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics to map the "protective signatures" of these muscles. You will investigate why these "essential" tissues maintain satellite cell density and protein stability while appendicular (limb) muscles succumb to sarcopenia.

Objectives

1. Characterise Proteomic Stability Across the Masticatory Apparatus
   • Expand proteomic profiling beyond the masseter to include the temporalis and medial pterygoid muscles in horses across a lifespan cohort.
   • Determine if these muscles share the same stable protein profiles previously observed in the masseter.
2. Compare Essential Jaw Muscles vs. Appendicular Muscles
   • Contrast the molecular profiles of jaw muscles with non-essential appendicular (limb) muscles known to undergo age-related sarcopenia.
   • Identify "protective signatures" unique to the masticatory system.
3. Investigate Molecular Pathways of Protection
   • Use bioinformatics to explore links to autophagy, mitochondrial integrity, and stress response (e.g., Heat Shock Proteins).
   • Identify candidate pathways that could be targeted to protect vulnerable limb muscles in aging humans and animals.

Training and Collaboration The candidate will receive training in quantitative proteomics (LC-MS/MS), advanced bioinformatics (pathway enrichment), and biomechanical modelling. There is also potential to utilise MRI architecture and 3D motion data for cross-species validation.