Synthesis rates of myosin and actin in skeletal muscle of critically ill patients

Introduction Critical illness is characterized by a dramatic loss of skeletal muscle mass which comprises to about 10% per week. This loss is mostly driven by an increased muscle protein breakdown, whereas synthesis rates are on average not changed [1]. However, this result limits to total muscle protein and does not elucidate whether different proteins behave differently. We have previously shown that mitochondrial protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of critically ill patients is not different from controls [2].