Ambient Temperature Shapes Skeletal Muscle Growth and Fiber-Type Plasticity in Mice

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Abstract
Skeletal muscle development and physiological homeostasis are profoundly influenced by environmental cues. Among these factors, ambient temperature represents a critical determinant of growth performance and metabolic adaptation in mammals. However, the effects of different ambient temperature ranges on skeletal muscle characteristics and on responses across multiple visceral tissues remain poorly understood. In this study, five ambient temperature conditions (16 °C, 20 °C, 24 °C, 28 °C, and 32 °C) were established to investigate their physiological impacts in a mouse model. Our results demonstrate that ambient temperature markedly influences growth performance and skeletal muscle phenotype. Notably, mice housed at 20 °C showed relatively preserved grip strength and a shift in myofiber cross-sectional area distribution, although these findings did not consistently indicate superior skeletal muscle development across all indices. Further analysis revealed that ambient temperature significantly modulated the expression profiles of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms in skeletal muscle. Specifically, cold exposure was associated with an upregulation of the slow-twitch-related MyHC I, whereas heat stress correlated with an elevation of the fast-twitch-related MyHC IIb. Functional assessments indicated that exposure to colder or hotter conditions was associated with impaired muscle performance, as reflected by reduced grip strength at 16 °C, 28 °C, and 32 °C, and decreased endurance capacity at 28 °C and 32 °C. Histological analyses of major visceral organs revealed no obvious structural alterations in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, or kidney across temperature conditions. However, exposure to thermal extremes (16 °C and 32 °C) significantly reduced intestinal villus height, suggesting compromised intestinal integrity under temperature stress. Collectively, these findings indicate that ambient temperature is associated with multi-tissue changes in skeletal muscle characteristics, functional performance, and intestinal morphology. This study provides new insights into how environmental temperature modulates tissue adaptation and physiological homeostasis in mammals.
Funding Information
  • “SanJin” Talents Program for Cultivating Scientific and Technological Innovation Talents
  • Shanxi Key Laboratory of Major Animal Infectious Diseases Research and Prevention and Control (202504010931010)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (82170751)
  • Shanxi Province Graduate Education Innovation Program (2024TD14)
  • Shanxi Veterinary Pharmaceutical lndustry Technology lnnovation Research Institute (lndustrial College) (2025CXYRH-042)
  • Shanxi Veterinary Pharmaceutical Industry Technology InnovationStrategic Aliance (2025CXYRH-046)
  • Start-up Fund for doctoral research, Shanxi Agricultural University (2021BQ69)

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