The HDAC3 Enzymatic Activity Regulates Skeletal Muscle Fuel Metabolism

We address whether the functions of HDAC3 in skeletal muscle require its enzyme activity. By mutating the NCoR/SMRT corepressors in a knock-in mouse model named NS-DADm, we ablated the enzymatic activity of HDAC3 without affecting its protein levels. Compared to the control mice, skeletal muscles from NS-DADm mice showed lower force generation, enhanced fatigue resistance, enhanced fatty acid oxidation, reduced glucose uptake during exercise, upregulated expression of metabolic genes involved in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) catabolism, and aging-associated reduction in muscle mass, without changes in the muscle fiber type composition or mitochondrial protein content. These findings demonstrate that the metabolic function of HDAC3 in skeletal muscles requires its enzymatic activity.