The Caveolin-3 P104L mutation of LGMD-1C leads to disordered glucose metabolism in muscle cells

Caveolin-3 (CAV3) is a muscle specific protein that plays an important role in maintaining muscle health and glucose homeostasis in vivo. A novel autosomal dominant form of LGMD-1C in humans is due to a P104L mutation within the coding sequence of the human CAV3 gene. The mechanism by which the LGMD-1C mutation leads to muscle weakness remains unknown. Our objective was to determine whether muscle weakness was related to the imbalance of glucose metabolism. We found that when the P104L mutation was transiently transfected into C2C12 cells, there was decreased glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis after insulin stimulation. Immunoblotting analysis showed that the P104L mutation resulted in decreased expression of CAV3, CAV1 and pAkt. Confocal immunomicroscopy indicated that the P104L mutation reduced CAV3 and GLUT4 in the cell membrane, which accumulated mainly near the nucleus. This work is the first report of an association between muscle weakness due to LGMD-1C and energy metabolism. The P104L mutation led to a decrease in C2C12 muscle glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis and may be involved in the pathogenesis of LGMD-1C.